Disclaimer: I'm not making any profit, just having some fun. The characters belong to Janet Evanovich as do any recognizable settings.
I try to edit closely but there will be mistakes. Since it's just a hobby I don't take it too seriously.
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"Of course we're still friends. There's no one I'd rather be friends with. Well except for Chuck Norris," Ranger said.
Ugh, Ranger humor. "You don't know Chuck Norris?" I asked rolling my eyes. "I thought his character in Delta Force was based on you."
"I'm better than McCoy, Babe."
"Are you sure McCoy is pretty badass?"
Ranger gave me his thinking about smiling smile and shook his head. I was amusing him. I smiled back relieved to know we were still friends. Ranger reached out and took my hand in his, his eyes growing dark and serious. Panic ran through my body and I knew I needed to get out of there before things took a turn I wasn't mentally prepared for.
"Do you think Hector has the equipment ready?"
Ranger looked at his watch. "It's been about twenty minutes so it should be."
"Then I should get downstairs, I told Lester I'd be ready to go this morning. It's almost noon now."
Ranger squeezed my hand and then released it from his grip. The he stood up from the couch and walked me to the penthouse lobby. Ranger pushed the call button for the elevator and turned to face me.
"I understand that Lester has been helping you with skips while I was away. He's a good partner for you."
"Les is awesome. Once you get past the playboy image he's really a nice guy with a big heart. He's like an onion you have to peel back the layers to get to know him."
"Taking metaphors from Shrek, Babe?"
The doors of the elevators slid open and he placed a hand on my lower back to guide me into the waiting car. My face must have given away my surprise that he'd seen Shrek.
"I have nieces and nephews and Shrek is a better choice for movie night than Delta Force."
Before I could respond the doors of the elevator closed.
The elevator opened on the first floor. "Hector?"
"Here Chica."
"I have you set up. You're on Rangeman network the control room will track you. Ranger say he want to be able to track you. "If you use panic button all Rangeman get alert. This is how boss want it."
"Anything I need to know about how to use them?"
"Si I show you how to check battery before you leave building. They do you no good if they no work."
"Beautiful? Are you down here?"
"We're in the workroom, Les."
"I've been looking everywhere for you. Finally I had Bulldog to look you up on the monitors. Are you ready to go?"
"Hector is showing me how to check the batteries in my tracker and panic button then I'll be ready to go. Do you have time to take me to pick up Grandma from the Clip 'n Curl? I promised to pick her up and take her to the Milky Way Drive-In for milkshake."
"Sure, I like your Grandma she's a hoot. Lester said giving me a wink."I thought we'd grab some lunch on the way."
"That sounds good I can always eat. Would you like to go with us Hector?"
"Not today. I have date. Maybe this week?"
"I'd like that very much. Maybe you could take me to that place where we had the empanadas?"
"Si Chica I take you," Hector said giving me a warm smile.
A few minutes later Lester and I were in his Rangeman issued Explorer headed for The Dragon Bowl for lunch. Lester had suggested Pino's but I knew he'd only suggested it to be nice. Lester like most of the guy's at Rangeman prefer Shorty's over Pino's when it comes to pizza and subs. When I'd suggested Chinese Lester gave me a killer smile.
We were sitting at booth at the back of the restaurant and Lester was a story about a girl that wouldn't stop following Woody around at the club they went to a couple nights ago. He was laughing and doing voices. A heavy Southern drawl for Woody and a high pitched Minnie Mouse voice for the semi-stalker. I was in tears and holding my side from laughing so hard. When he was done telling the story we went back to eating in a comfortable silence.
"What's going on between you and Ranger? Are you to going to get together or what?"
"Nothing. We're friends," I said in a matter-of-fact manner.
"He's in love with you."
"What?" I managed to grunt out while taking a bite of my spring roll.
"Ranger, Carlos Manoso, is in love with you."
"You're nuts. He's not interested in me. I'm so not the kind of woman he'd fall in love with."
"He gave you that necklace right?"
I reached up and put my hand on the charms. "Yes, he gave it to me for my birthday."
"I've noticed it's a letter B, I'm guessing that it stands for Babe."
"Yes. But I don't see how that leads you to believe he's in love with me."
"There's also a dog tag. Anything engraved on that tag?"
"No." I lied.
I didn't mind discussing the initial on the chain because it was obvious to anyone who knows Ranger's nickname for me what it stood for. The serial number on the back of the dog tag was more personal. It was a gesture from Ranger, and something I wasn't interested in sharing with people.
Lester studied my face for a minute probably he knew I was lying to him.
"What about you?" I asked.
Lester's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "What about me?"
"Have you ever considered giving up your player lifestyle and trying to meet a nice girl?"
"Actually I have, but it's hard to meet a nice girl when you in this business. The hours are unpredictable, the work is dangerous, and you never know when you're going to be called out of town on a moment's notice."
"You're a great guy. The right girl would live with all of that if it meant having you in her life."
"I don't know, Beautiful maybe you're right."
"Trust me, I'm right. I know for the right man there's nothing I wouldn't do."
"Nothing?" Lester said wagging his eyebrows and giving me a smirk.
I could feel the blush rising from my neckline to my hairline.
Lester threw some money on the table and slid out of the booth. "Come on let's go get your Grandma."
"Wait I can pay for my part."
"Nope. It's my treat. You can pay next time."
"That's what you said last time."
"Was it?" Lester asked taking my hand and pulling me toward the door.
I just rolled my eyes and followed him to the parking lot. Once we were settled in the SUV I thanked him for lunch. Once again I was rewarded with a painstakingly sexy smile.
Thirty minutes, three milkshakes and two very lewd suggestions later we'd dropped Grandma off at home and headed for my apartment.
We took the stairs to my second floor of my apartment building. When we reached the end of the hallway; Lester pushed me behind him and unlocked the door to do a security sweep. I waited in the doorway for him to signal it was safe to come inside. After a couple minutes he finally waved me inside.
"I detected some movement on the fire escape. That's what took so long but it was just a cat. Go ahead and pack. I'm going to stay out the way."
"Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. The remote is on the coffee table."
"Thanks."
I walked into my bedroom and fell back onto the bed. I need a few minutes to ground myself and think. The last twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind. I closed my eyes and thought about what Ranger coming back to Trenton meant to me. How if in any way it changed my plans for the future? What were my plans for the future? How was I going to achieve them? I could start with a couple small goals and add in the others along the way. So I need to pick three simple things I want to change that I can start on right away.
I'd already started running with Lester a few days a week. I liked the way it made me feel. I had more energy and I felt stronger. The difference in the way my clothes fit is a nice bonus. I knew if I asked Lester would help me improve my fitness level. That would be goal number one.
Learning self-defense would be good. All of the guys have offered to help me learn to take care of myself. I need to improve my skills so I can take better care of myself when I'm working. I plan on leaving bounty hunting behind in time. Right now it's a way to make money and with Lester helping me I was able to take on some higher bonds, but skips still get the better of me from time to time. Self-defense, I decided, is an excellent second goal. Choosing one of the guys to help me would be a tough choice. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but I want to be comfortable working with that person.
That was two maybe I could add a third goal. Something personal that would improve my daily life. I'd been thinking about asking my mother to teach me to cook for a while. I just never seemed to get around to it. I knew she'd love to help me. Only I was staying at Rangeman for a few days. So I couldn't start the cooking lessons right away. Unless Ella would be willing to give me a couple lessons while I was staying there. Learning to cook like Ella had its obvious benefit; she is an amazing cook.
I smiled to myself. I'd made three decisions to improve myself. They weren't big things but for me they were giant steps in the right direction. I finally felt like I was moving forward with my life for the first time in a long while.
I went out to the kitchen and grabbed a can of Coke from the fridge. Lester was sitting on my couch with his feet up on the coffee table watching CNN. He had a can of Coke in hand and was playing a game on his iPhone. I guess he'd made himself at home.
"I'll be ready in a few minutes Les."
"No hurry. I'm just hanging out. Let me know if you need any help."
In my bedroom I walked to the closet and pulled out the large suitcase that was stuffed on the top shelf. Ranger has said that I'd be there maybe a week. I walked over to the closet to gather a couple uniforms for work.
Work, I wondered if I would be able to out and work for Vinnie this week? I needed the money; and even though I worked at Rangeman part time, I still needed the money from Vinnie's to pay my rent and bills. Only this morning Tank had offered me a full time job. The contract was still folded in my back pocket. I pulled it out and read it over. The offer was for a full time position working 40 to 45 hours per week complete with insurance package and dental plan. My duties would remain the same as those on my current contract. There were more stipulations regarding training in for firearms and fitness. I would retain the Navigator, and would be allowed to live on site if I chose. There was no salary listed the section where it should be listed was blank. I guess my salary would negotiable. I folded the contract and put it back in my pocket. Before I agreed to anything I wanted to talk to Ranger.
I decided to pack five different uniform sets. That would give me enough to get through a work week. If I ended up staying longer I could always use the laundry in the basement. I added jeans, t-shirts, a couple sweatshirts, underwear, and boots. I grabbed some workout clothes and my cross trainers and threw them in the suitcase. For dinner tonight with Joe I'd need a dress.
It dawned on me that I needed to tell Joe to pick me up at Rangeman. I picked up my cell phone and sent him a quick text to let him know where to pick me up. When he replied that he would. I dropped the phone and charger into my purse.
I flipped through my closet and saw a blue dress I'd bought recently but never had the chance to wear. The dress was sleeveless made of blue cotton with a scalloped hem line that stopped at the knee. I chose a pair of nude pumps with four inch heels to wear with it. I grabbed a small silver clutch and a pair of sliver and crystal chandelier earrings. I put the shoes, bag and earrings in my suitcase and laid the dress on the bed next to it.
I zipped up the suitcase and rolled it into the living room where Lester was still hanging out waiting for me.
"Ready to go Beautiful?"
"I need to pack Rex's things," I said walking into the kitchen.
I looked around the kitchen and found a plastic bag from Super Fresh Mart and loaded it with hamster nuggets, baby carrots, and a package of peanuts. Rex is like me, he likes variety in his meals. At the last minute I grabbed the Cheerios box from the counter and stuffed it in the bag.
"Hey Rex we're going for a ride. You remember Ranger? Well we're going to stay at his building for a few days."
Rex wiggled his nose at me by way of reply and I scooped his cage under my arm.
"I'll carry the cage and bag, you roll the suitcase," Lester said.
"Just let me grab my dress and purse, and I'm ready."
Once the SUV was loaded with my stuff and Rex was strapped securely in the backseat we drove back to Haywood.
"Hey Bomber, I heard you were staying with us for a while."
"Yep."
"Need some help getting your stuff upstairs?"
The cargo door of the Explorer popped open "Grab her bag, I've got Rex," Lester said.
I opened the rear passenger side door and pulled out the dress I'd laid across the back seat and the sack with Rex's food. Then I hurried over to the elevator and pressed the button. When the doors opened I hopped inside and pressed the open door button. When the guys were inside I pressed the button for the fourth floor.
"You're not staying on seven?" Bobby asked.
"No I'm staying in 4B, across from Les."
Bobby didn't say anything. But, I saw the look he exchanged with Lester over my head. Clearly he was surprised I wasn't staying with Ranger.
The doors of the elevator slid open and we all stepped into the hallway of the fourth floor. "Ranger and I aren't involved. We're friends. That's all."
"Sure Bomber. I'm sorry I didn't mean to imply anything."
"It's okay," I said. "I'm sorry if I sounded defensive. The last couple days have been pretty crazy."
Bobby gave me a half smile and a couple nods of his head. "Let me know if you need anything," he said before closing the apartment door.
"I'll be across the hall." Lester said giving me a kiss on top of the head.
I had a couple hours before I needed to get dressed for my dinner date with Joe so I sat down and clicked on the fifty-two inch TV complete with all-access cable. After a couple minutes of flipping channels I settled on reruns of How I Met Your Mother. Three episodes later I decided to take advantage of the industrial sized hot water heater in the building and take a really long shower.
At seven o'clock the house phone rang. A new Rangeman named Tiny, who was anything but tiny, told me in a very nervous voice that Joe was in the lobby. I gave myself one last look in the mirror and decided I was more than presentable. Then I headed downstairs to meet Joe.
When the doors opened to the lobby, Joe was standing waiting patiently for me. He was dressed in an Italian cut charcoal gray suit, white shirt, and a blue silk tie. The tie was a gift from me. I'd given it to him a couple years ago when he had a big case in court. Joe was always a good looking man but tonight he looked dead sexy.
Just as I stepped into the lobby from the elevator Ranger appeared from the stairwell.
"Babe, can I speak to you for a minute before you leave?" he asked his voice low and level.
I looked past Ranger to Joe "Do we have a minute or will we miss our reservation?"
"We have a few minutes. Don't be too long, though." Joe said.
"We'll only be a minute, Morelli."
Ranger took me by the elbow and led me to the conference room a few feet away.
"Going somewhere?"
"To Rossini's we're celebrating Joe's promotion."
"I didn't realize you were back together."
"We're not. Do you have a problem with me having a dinner with Joe?"
"I have a problem with you leaving without appropriate protection."
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. "I promise you Joe can take care of me. He's a cop, and a damn good one at that."
"Babe."
"Look if you want to talk to him before we leave that's fine. I'm sure he's got no problem with it. You said as long as I was taking my safety seriously I could come and go freely. I have my tracker in my purse and the panic button in my pocket. I know Joe has a gun at his back and one at his ankle. He doesn't carry a knife, but there will be forks on the table. Besides Joe would die before he let anyone hurt me."
Ranger remained stoic. Arms crossed loosely over his chest. After a minute he nodded his head and relaxed his arms.
"I'll fill him on the current situation. If anything happens to you on his watch there will be a price."
Ranger stepped closer and pulled me in for a hug. When he relaxed his hold on my back one of his hand rested on my shoulder. Slowly he hand slid up to my neck. I felt a single finger slide under the chain of the necklace he'd given me. He pulled on the chain and it glided out from where I'd tucked it inside my dress. Ranger's eyes locked with mine for a few seconds. Gently I pulled the pendants out of his hand and took a step back.
"I'll tell Joe you'd like to speak to him." I said and turned to leave the conference room.
I'll start on Chapter 5 tomorrow. I should have it up before the weekend. I know that everyone is hoping that Ranger and Steph start "communicating" better. Watching them dance around each other is a lot of the fun. I'm trying write this story so that relationship between S&R is secondary to the central plotline. Like say at the beginning of each chapter this is just a hobby. I do it for fun. If you disagree with my work then don't read it. (I got a couple mean private messages over the last few days.) I hope everyone is staying cool. It's been 100+ here over the last few days.
