Usual disclaimer, from the virus this time, as we've realised it's the one with the talent.
The gentlest knock came to the door and Ella hurried to answer it. I turned away to collect my purse and Lindy settled the soft wrap over my shoulders. "Good luck" she whispered and squeezed my hand as I turned to face him.
Chapter 3
Rangers POV
I should be mad at Ella, she's defied me and that can't go unpunished. Though it's not the first time and this will certainly not be the last. She does what she thinks is right even if that means going against my orders, though I won't admit how often she's the one that's right. Despite what I see as her faults, I know I'm fortunate to have her.
Her insistence that I collect Stephanie from her apartment must satisfy some obscure facet of womanly etiquette that I'm not aware of, so with bad grace I give in, but she will pay for it.
Although I'm not vain, I take a moment to check my reflection in the mirror, making sure that I'm presentable enough for my Babe. This is important to both of us.
It's not as if we haven't eaten together before, but this time, it's not work related, it's for the pure pleasure of spending time together.
Her offer stunned me, it's not often that she takes the initiative, but I love it when she does.
Lester calls me the Lord High King of the control freaks, but she is the one with the power and maybe it's about time she found that out. There's something that she needs to know. She's made me an addict and she is my drug of choice. That smile, her laugh, her perfume, her pale skin that looks so good against mine.
Those soft outcries as she came beneath and above me that night were the closest thing to heaven that a man of my dark and dubious past will ever know. I've never known a woman who was so responsive to my every touch; no other has given me such pleasure or left me so replete. Thank the fates that she doesn't speak my native tongue or I'd have to make good on all the promises I whispered as I worshipped her curves.
I'd give what's left of my soul to experience it again and everything I own to have her in my life permanently.
Strange how one person can alter the priorities of a life?
Rangeman was my life, now it's a blue eyed brunette with a penchant for being up to her well shaped ass in trouble.
It's part of who she is and part of why I love her. I've no right to try to change her, that's what the Cop's trying to do and that's why she won't stay with him. I can't afford to make that same mistake and that means that we'll have to find a middle road together.
I would give her the moon on a stick if she asked for it, but she asks me for nothing. She accepts my gifts only reluctantly and gives me more than I have the right to dream of, let alone ask for.
I knock on Ella's door, still amazed by her temerity. I look in her eyes as she opens it and see that she's holding back tears. She grabs my arm and squeezes, hard "Don't screw this up" she whispers.
I nod, unsure quite how to reply to the unexpected and uncharacteristic anger in her voice.
But then she is forgotten as my eyes are drawn to my Babe.
The first things I see are her eyes, luminescent in her beautiful face. She bites her bottom lip in nervousness and it knocks the breath out of me to see that she fears me, if even just a little and I resist the urge to rush over there and take her in my arms to reassure her.
A fragment of a half remembered song comes to me ' Angels with silver wings, shouldn't know suffering' and that's what she is, my silver angel in that shimmering dress, Madre de Dios, she's absolutely stunning, the colour warms her skin, the cut does absolutely nothing, thankfully, to disguise her curves, she maybe expertly coiffed and painted, but she's lost nothing of who she is.
She's perfection and the best thing is that she doesn't know it; she won't allow herself to think that she is. I want to be the one who helps her build that fragile self-confidence. To make her believe that she is more than she sees in the mirror, more than the screw up that her mother thinks she is.
I take her in from the tips of her shoes to the top of her curly head, drowning in her beauty and thankful that for tonight at least, she's all mine.
"Babe" her name is a reverent whisper as it leaves my lips and my feet move of their own volition as being this far away from her physically hurts.
A gentle flush covers her cheeks and she swallows hard before trying to find her voice "Do I look all right?"
"Babe" I know I'm a man of few words, but I have to stop repeating her name "Stephanie, you look amazing, may I take you to dinner?" my voice comes out like a purr.
"All of this Ranger, it's too much" she lowers her head and looks down at herself in disbelief.
"Carlos, Stephanie, call me Carlos" I stop just in front of her, letting her fragrance surround me. She smells like night blooming Jasmine, heady and sensuous.
Her eyes fly up to mine and her hesitant smile melts my heart and sends waves of delicious heat farther south. I can't allow myself to kiss her or we'll never leave here. I'll have her upstairs and out of that dress in one minute and I'll be inside her the next. But she deserves much more and this is my chance to prove it.
"Carlos" she repeats in a breathless whisper and I feel it resonate along my spine, spreading throughout my body making every nerve ending tingle with pleasure and I know that I can't ever let her go, no woman has ever meant as much to me as this one and I'd be a fool to let her get away.
I tear my eyes from her and find the room empty, Ella and Lindy have left us alone and I wonder at the thoughtfulness she displays, to me, to the men and to my Babe.
Ella obviously wanted this meeting to take place in privacy, far from the prying eyes of the men and the ubiquitous security cameras and now I understand her behaviour and instead of making her pay, I will have to find some way of showing my gratitude.
I hold out my hand "We should go, you ready?"
She takes in a deep breath and holds out a slightly trembling hand to me. "I'm ready" her voice is low and breathy.
"Though I may have changed my mind about your abduction, I hope your bag is packed" I run my thumb lightly over her knuckles and that small action soothes me.
A wave of confusion passes over her face and then she breaks into a smile. "No, I haven't been home" then a frown mars her face. "Rex" she breathes.
I nod in understanding, take out my phone and dial "Tank, get someone to feed Rex" I flick my eyes to Stephanie "No fetch him and put him in the break room"
"Take it your date may not make it home?" Tank asked his deep voice strangely full of hope.
"Just do it"
"One thing Boss, don't hurt her or I may be forced to hurt you" and I know he means it. If I screw this up again, I will let him.
"Understood"
I snap my phone closed and turn my attention back to Stephanie.
"Thank you" she gives me that smile and my heart leaps in my chest.
"Shall we?"
I settle her in her favourite car, I wasn't going to keep it, until she dropped that little nugget and now I'm reluctant to part with it. Hell, it would be hers if I could just get her to take it, but she won't, at least not yet.
I know she wonders what I think about when I am in my 'zone', but tonight it's all her. The glimpse of stocking top as she moves slightly in her seat , the gentle and subtle waft of her scent and her face as she looks out the windows, obviously wondering where we are going, but not quite brave enough to ask. I know this woman, know her in a way that the length of time spent together isn't enough to explain. In this small space, listening to her hum a song under her breath, it all becomes clear.
I've capitulated; the invincible Ranger has finally been felled, not by an implacable enemy seeking revenge, but by a white girl from Chambersburg, Trenton. All my doubts have been removed, my inner demons silenced, if she will have me, I'm hers. Siempre. Forever. I just have to find the words to tell her.
Steph's POV
Now I thought street Ranger was the hottest thing I'd ever seen until I saw Corporate Ranger. Now I'm in the presence of Carlos, I can barely draw breath. His suit is black of course, beautifully cut as you would expect, but his silk shirt is a deep dark claret, open at the neck. He looks good enough to eat. Literally.
He always looks good, I've seen women walk in to walls when they catch sight of him and I always thought I'd eventually become immune to it, but every time I think I have, he manages to up the ante so I'm left wanting things I have no right to hope for.
It's all I can do not to reach out and grab his arm and beg him to turn the car round, take me back to Haywood and make love to me until I expire from sheer pleasure.
Even if he tears my heart out by the roots when morning comes? He'll give me another of his abrupt and almost silent departures.
No, I'm not quite that far gone as to ignore the stern warning of my heart. Yet.
Concentrate woman; take your mind off the memory of his superbly muscled body and his soft mocha latte skin. How the scars he bears from old battles merely accentuate his perfection instead of detracting from it. The gentleness and patience he displayed, the heady knowledge that my pleasure was paramount to his, those soft voiced endearments in Spanish that he whispered over my skin as he caressed me. The barely audible noises of pleasure that I wrung from him were sweeter than screams of ecstasy from any other. That one night, those few short, dark hours with him has seared itself into my consciousness. I'll never be able to forget, even if I live to be 200, I'll still be able to recall his almost lethal expertise.
I wind my hands into the seatbelt to stop myself from reaching out and hum a little song under my breath, trying to calm down. 'Don't ruin this moment by doing something stupid 'I plead with the warring parts of me. Let's just have a quiet, pleasant dinner together, it means nothing to him, he's just humouring me. He gave me enough rope and now he's probably waiting to see if I manage to hang myself with it.
We're here, wherever here is. A squat red brick building in a part of town I've never seen before. The plain glass doors give no indication of what's inside.
"Wait" he tells me as he gets out of the car and for once I decide to obey.
He opens my door and helps me out, bringing my body flush with his.
"Dios, do you know what you're doing to me?" he whispers into my hair, his lips barely skimming my temple. I know exactly what I'm doing to him, the evidence is right there, pressed against my stomach.
Yet he's still in control, he's not the one whose knees make jelly look like concrete. The feel of him against me was all it took to bring me to almost painful arousal, I can feel it in the sudden rush of moisture on the inside of my thighs, the hardness of my nipples as they brush against his chest, in each laboured breath I try to drag into my lungs, every single atom in my body is fully aware of him, the customary zing to my doodah has become an electrical storm and I know it wouldn't take much to bring me to completion. And yet, he's barely touched me.
"I'm fighting the urge to abduct you" his eyes are black with lust.
"Don't fight it" I hiss, I've lost the battle, even if tomorrow brings heartache I can't live another night without him.
"Babe, don't tempt me" his arms surround me, bringing me even closer to him. One hand pressed against the small of my back, the other resting gently between my shoulder blades.
Gathering what's left of my strength, I inhale deeply drawing his scent, Bulgari and Ranger deep into my lungs. "I mean it" my voice sounds strained even to my ears.
"Stephanie?" I can see the hope in his dark eyes.
I close my eyes so that he can't see my fears "I surrender, I can't fight what I feel anymore"
"What do you feel for me?" he asks his eyes strangely intent.
Here it is, the moment, the one that makes or breaks this. "Carlos, I..."
He releases me suddenly, so fast that I fall back into the car, hitting my head as I go down. He lets out an oath and spins, his hand reaching for the gun that I know he has tucked into the waist band of his pants. "Stay here" he orders and I withdraw into the relative safety of the car and he closes the door. I reach down to the floor for my bag, knowing that Ella tucked a small canister of pepper spray in there as I scan the lot for any sign of movement. I get a finger on it and it skitters away and with a curse I look down and as my fingers close around it, the door is thrown open and I'm caught unprepared as a large hand grabs my arm and drags me out.
Another fast release and this time I sprawl my length in the parking lot, the gravel surface digging painfully into my arms and legs causing me to let out a hiss. I watch my evening bag with its useful cargo slipping away from me and along with it my best chance of getting out of this.
A hot, callused hand seizes the back of my neck "Scream for me bitch, bring your lover running to save you" he whispers in a harsh tone as he hauls me to my feet, I'm no lightweight but this guy lifts me as if I weigh nothing. He's still behind me and I try to struggle of out his grip but he's too big, too strong, I'm out at arm's length and I can't connect as his reach is far greater than mine. I won't scream though, I won't give him the satisfaction. His hand starts to close and the pain, oh the pain, I can feel my neck creaking under the pressure, I whimper, unable to keep it inside. "Feisty ain't ya? Been a while since any woman has had the balls to fight back" his voice has dropped to what I suppose he thinks is an erotic purr and I tamp down my shiver of revulsion. I feel the cold steel of a gun barrel parting the curls at the back of my head. "Maybe we'll get some alone time together sweet cheeks what do you say?"
"Adam?" Ranger's voice sounds strangely conversational, as if the fact that this man is about to snap my neck is something that happens to him all the time.
"Carlos, my man, just getting acquainted with your lady, although she's not very friendly" His hold on me loosens to the point where my vertebrae cease making that awful noise and the pain starts to subside a little , but not nearly enough for me to get loose. Adam turns us both and I find myself looking down the barrel of Ranger's gun. I realise that I'm being used as a human shield and as good as Ranger is, he can't do anything until he has me safely out of the way.
"Stephanie?" He sounds unconcerned, but I can see the tension in the set of his shoulders and the creases around his eyes.
"Carlos" I croak letting him know that I am fine, well as fine as I can be with road rash, crushed vertebrae and a gun pressed to my head, that is.
"Your argument is with me, let the lady go"
"No, she's important to you, I think I'd like her to stay "
"She's not important. She's here because I'm paying her to be"
"She's a Ho? " he laughed "She's a step up from your usual, but I suppose as the head of the mighty Rangeman, you can afford better now" he leans forward a little "How much do you charge for your services?"
"More than you can afford" I tell him angrily and he tightens his grip on my neck, forcing my head down, breaking my eye contact with Ranger.
"Adam" I can hear the anger in Ranger's voice "Don't damage her, I plan on getting my money's worth later on"
He laughs a hollow grating sound "And you will too, she'll be lucky if she can close her legs tomorrow"
"What do you want?" Ranger has decided that he has had enough of this amusing small talk, I guess.
"First you can put the gun down slowly. Behind you"
Ranger held it out butt up and placed it at his heels" Now kick it away"
With a slight curse he did so. "Now Adam what do you want?"
"You know what I want. I want you to feel what I felt when you killed the woman I loved"
"Marta? She didn't love you, she was the informer, she's the reason we all nearly died"
"Liar" his voice sounded strained as if he was barely controlling his fury. "She loved me and you killed her, you shot her in the back as she tried to get away from you. She was dying when I found her; she told me what you'd done"
I could feel his anger and his need for vengeance, it roiled within him like a living thing and it transmitted itself down his arm and into me, filling me with rising fear.
"Marta wasn't even her real name. She was Susanna and Phil wasn't her brother, he was her husband. They played us all, Adam"
"I don't believe you" the gun moved away from my head and I heaved a small sigh of relief. The grip loosened too and I shifted my weight forward, but he was way too fast and his heavy arm looped around my throat and his gun is now pressed to my temple. Oh yes, this is much better. NOT. I can smell him and it's not what I expected. Clean sweat and a dark musk like wood smoke and spices.
"You don't have to, call the General"
"He'll say whatever he needs to say to get me to come in"
"You've been gone a long time, things have changed"
"For you maybe, not for me"
"Adam" his voice was quiet, deadly with an edge to it that I couldn't put a name to.
"Enough" he bellowed and the sudden change in volume startled me and I started in fear. He placed his cheek against my curls and whispered "Sorry Sweet cheeks didn't mean to scare you" then he looked back at Ranger "You stay right there"
What? He has an arm round my throat and a gun at my head and he apologizes for making me jump. I look up at Ranger and those black eyes are unfathomable. We start to move backwards, being dragged like this was not what was intended for my particular footwear and I am finding it hard to keep up, but the arm that tightens around my neck like a choke chain every time I lag keeps me moving.
My right foot lands on something that skitters away beneath me and I finally lose my already unstable footing and my back impacts heavily against his chest, loosening his hold on me. I drop to one knee and suddenly I'm free.
A curse follows me and the sound of a heavy tread behind me, then a shot rings out, so close it hurts my ears and I feel the spatter of something warm on my shoulder.
I scramble to my feet and take one step and another, scared to look up and I hit something warm and hard and arms close around me. I try to pull away, but I'm held fast.
"Babe" the smell, the voice, I take the first deep breath in what feels like forever. "I got you" then it starts, the shakes, the tears, the mother and father of all adrenaline come downs. I bury my face in his jacket and just wallow in the safety of his embrace. Now, I know I am safely out the other side.
Rangers POV
Thrice, as the language of the poets would have it, in the last ten minutes, my heart has almost stopped.
The first came when she gave in, I always thought that winning her would mean a fight, one war I was more than willing to wage with every weapon in my arsenal.
I had always believed that there was more chance of Binky taking up ballet than there was of my Babe surrendering. Even to me.
The second came when I realised that we were no longer alone. She is always being reminded to be more aware of her surroundings, but she rarely listens. But with me so close, a marching band could pass and she wouldn't be aware of it. That is what she relies on me for, to keep her from harm.
Any normal day with her GPS tracking active and with Rangeman fully staffed, all the help I could ever need is only a few moments away.
But tonight was supposed to be about just us, there are few that know where we are and even fewer than understand what this place is.
I had to hope that Tank would understand my cryptic message.
The third wasn't when he grabbed her. I've seen her in mortal danger before, blasé as that sounds.
It was when I looked in to her eyes and what I saw there, the absolute trust that she has in me, that was what made my heart falter. She should consider me a monster, but instead she sees me as some sort of, dare I say it, Knight in shining armour.
He was my friend once, I would have died for him, but when he laid his hands on her, when he wrung from her that gasp of pain, when his rough handling of her delicate body made her bleed, I wanted to kill him where he stood. To prevent him harming her any further, from defiling her with his twisted presence.
How obtuse is that? My hands are just as blood stained as his, my history as immoral and vile, I'm no better than he is. What makes me think that I am good enough for her?
I may not be worthy of that trust but I will treasure it and her to the end of my days.
I watch, a bruised and battered Babe still crying into my jacket, as Bobby efficiently patches Adam up.
Tank deserves a pay rise, the shot was perfect, just as she got loose, the second she was out of the way, he shot Adam in the shoulder. Adam being the professional that he is didn't drop the gun but swung around to face the new threat.
Lester had been nagging Tank for ages to buy him a taser. Glad he finally did, it felled Adam perfectly and the grin on his face as he used it was a joy to behold.
He's currently standing over Adam, taser in hand, willing the guy to even breathe wrong so that he can do it again. The look on his face is priceless when Tank orders him to put it away, like a kid being forced to put down a favoured toy.
But he obeys, finally. Tank looks at me, a question in his eyes and I nod. I watch as they haul Adam up and carry him away to the waiting SUV.
"Stephanie?" Bobby approaches us and nods to me. His voice is soft as he talks to her, the affection he has for her clear. I'm not the only Rangeman whose heart she has captured, I sometimes forget that.
She disengages from my jacket and wiping her face with her hands, she turns to him. "No hospital" she informs him, her voice a croak.
His sigh is heartfelt and well practised. "Come back to Haywood then and I'll examine you there"
"OK" she gives a wan smile.
"Ranger?"Bobby turns his attention to me.
"Take my car" I order and hand over the keys
"Babe, go with Bobby, I have to go with Tank" not an order, but not a request either.
She nods and I lean forward and touch her lips very gently with my own. Her breath is like a sigh against me. "Proud of you Babe" I whisper.
"You owe me dinner" she whispers back.
"Yes" I place my hand gently on her tear stained face. Her makeup hasn't just run, it's galloped, her eyes are swollen and I hate to think what that is on her upper lip, but she has never looked so beautiful to me. I kiss her again and give her reluctantly into Bobby's protection. He puts a steadying arm around her and guides her to the car. I wait till she is settled before asking "Bobby, I want a full report on her injuries as soon as you have it"
"Yes Sir"
"And Bobby, feed her, whatever she wants"
He smiles "Will do. I'm not letting her go home tonight; can I put her on seven?"
"Yes"
She's watching me and she raises her hand and gives me a finger wave. My own hand rises almost involuntarily and I wave back.
Tank pulls the SUV up almost at my back and I get in. Lester and his new toy are in the back, even though Adam is securely cuffed and restrained. This wasn't part of my plan for the evening.
This ugly, red brick building hides Rangeman's best kept secret.
Tonight was the night that I let her into that secret, tonight she was entering what she would call the Bat cave. My private space was about to become hers too.
Maybe tomorrow, there's always tomorrow.
