Disclaimer: Please see chapter one.

Just For A Moment…

Chapter 7

WHEN RANGER STEPPED OFF the elevator into the lobby of RangeMan, he struggled to rein in his temper as he heard Morelli yelling at Drew, the newest of his employees who hadn't yet had the dubious pleasure of confronting the irate detective until now. The sight that greeted him, however, was more than satisfying. His man was standing behind the front desk with his arms crossed over his muscular chest, his expression stoic as Morelli continued to rant.

"Stop acting like you don't know what I'm talking about! You know damn well your boss has got my girlfriend locked up in here! You tell that murdering son of a bitch to release Stephanie! He's impeding a police investigation, and you're guilty of obstruction of justice just by refusing to cooperate!" Morelli was so furious, he was spitting as he bellowed, the veins in his neck pulsing alarmingly. At Ranger's appearance, he turned his anger on the Cuban bounty hunter, daring to invade Ranger's personal space, yet ignoring the dangerous stance he unerringly precipitated.

Ranger stood silently with his arms crossed in his classic "don't fuck with me" pose, the menace emanating from him palpable as he waited for the detective's next move.

Morelli's chin jutted out aggressively as he ground out his next comment, his face not two inches from Ranger's. Bad move.

"Finally decided to 'grace' us with your presence, huh, Manoso?" the detective sneered, his handsome face distorted with hate. "I should take you in for obstruction! I want Stephanie released to me immediately!" He paused, his expression clearly showing his distaste to be in this position. "She's my girlfriend; I'm sick and tired of you sticking your nose into my business! I'm here to take her home!"

Ranger's face maintained his trademark blank expression; only his eyes, which became hard as flint, betrayed the fact that he was furious. "I think you'd better re-evaluate your position here, Detective. Your demands are not only unwelcome here, but unwarranted. Stephanie is here of her own free will, and not only do I have her father's blessing, but she asked me to bring her here."

Morelli bit out an expletive. "She doesn't have a clue what you're all about, Manoso, but I do! She thinks you're a superhero, and you've only reinforced that belief! Hell, she's just an inept little idiot who's blinded by your badass image! When she finally decides to grow up and realize that she's just another conquest to you, as well as a laughingstock of the 'Burg, she'll come crawling back to me and begging for another chance. She isn't even fit for anything but making babies, and all your 'encouragement' to her about this asinine job of hers is going to get her killed!" he bellowed.

If anything, Ranger's expression became even deadlier, his voice brimming with malevolence. "You know, Morelli, I used to think you could give her so much more than I could, and like a fool, I sent her back to you. That won't be happening anymore. She's mine now, and she won't be coming back to you. Ever."

Ranger's words sent Morelli over the edge, and with a roar, he leapt at the bounty hunter, spewing expletives as he tried to pound the man's face out of existence. He belligerently stated "Stephanie Plum belongs to me," and "You will have her over my dead body."

The Man in Black allowed the detective's first punch to connect, before unleashing the fury he'd held back while listening to the Italian's degrading remarks about the woman he loved more than life itself. The satisfying crunch of bone and cartilage breaking under his fist was small consolation for Morelli's vicious diatribe; still, he managed to connect two more times to other man's kidneys, before he felt someone tugging on his arm and heard an urgent voice calling him from far away.

He was in the process of angrily shaking the hand off of his arm, when the fog of rage lifted and he turned, realizing Steph was trying to pull him away from Morelli. He immediately released the hold he had on the detective, which allowed the man to collapse on the floor, the cop's starving lungs gasping noisily for air.

When the elevator doors opened to reveal a hastily dressed Stephanie, who was already halfway into rhino mode, she pulled up for a confused second, before the reality of the scene before her sank in. Ranger's comment about her "being mine" hadn't penetrated yet; she was too focused on the slurs about her intelligence by Morelli to allow anything else consideration. She was furious at the Italian hottie's comments about her ineptness at doing her job, as well as "belonging" to him, and it ignited her temper in such a way that she wasn't aware of anything except the man who'd just referred to her as "his property." She was no one's possession, least of all Morelli's!

Before she could react, she heard Joe bellow as he drew his hand back and let fly with a punch, connecting a glancing blow to Ranger's jaw. With a muffled cry, she raced toward the fight and grabbed at Ranger's arm, calling urgently to him. "Please stop Ranger. He's not worth it!" It was only after the bounty hunter managed to land a few blows and put the jerk back on the floor did he allow her pleas to penetrate his anger.

Breathing heavily himself, although it was due more to his fury at the detective than the effort he'd expended as he retaliated against the other man, he allowed Steph's presence to wash over him and soothe his anger.

Seeing that Ranger had calmed and mostly regained his normally controlled demeanor, she rounded on Morelli, her hands planted on her hips as she railed at the man on the floor, who lay cradling his abused face.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Joe? You've got no right to come here and demand anything, much less my presence! I'm not your girlfriend; at least not anymore! We broke up, remember?"

She was breathing heavily, trying desperately to rein in her temper as she struggled to keep her mouth from giving too much away. It wouldn't do to spill out her feelings for Ranger in the middle of a fight with Morelli; after all, she'd always denied that the bounty hunter was the reason she couldn't commit herself to the cop, even though in her heart of hearts, she knew her love for the Cuban mercenary was the reason she couldn't bring herself to say "yes" to the detective's proposal. The whole idea of settling for second best was abhorrent to her, even though to her, it meant she was doomed to be alone for the rest of her life. She'd rather have a small portion of Ranger's affections than none at all, and that's what she'd be resigned to if she committed herself to Joe. Morelli would never tolerate her association with the men of RangeMan, especially it's CEO, if she were to marry him. Hell, she didn't even want to get married again!

As she waited for Joe's response, Ranger's earlier comment about her being "his" registered, and with a gasp, she rounded on the bounty hunter, her blue eyes shooting daggers as she revved up for another rant.

"And you! Just what do you mean by I'm yours? You don't do relationships, remember? You sent me back to him!"she said accusingly, as the tears welled up in her eyes as his words from "that morning" echoed in her mind. Why couldn't she just forget that night and move on? Because you're in love with him, you dope. It all seemed so unfair.

"Cupcake, I…" Joe began, a hint of a whine in his voice. He was still sitting there on the floor, clutching his ribs in a bid for sympathy from Steph.

Steph abruptly cut him off. "No, Joe. We're over. Permanently! There won't be another 'on-again' phase. I've had enough of you and your ultimatums." She breathed in deeply, and then sighed heavily. "Go home, Joe, and don't call me again. I'd like us to remain friends, but if you can't accept that, then just stay away from me. I'm going back to bed." Saying that last part tiredly, she shuffled over to the elevator and punched the "up" button, suddenly feeling weary and so very alone. Could her life possibly get any worse?

tbc