This story is based upon characters created by Janet Evanovich. I don't own them, I only play with them, and for entertainment purposes only.
Ranger introduced me to Bobby Brown, the company medic who would be checking in on me and administering my medication at Rangeman headquarters. He was very professional and had a good bedside manner, not to mention the man was hot! That must be part of the Rangeman job description… Bobby stood a little over six feet tall, had a slim, muscular frame, and the most delicious looking milk chocolate skin.
After talking with Bobby for a few minutes, Dr. Wesen entered the room to look me over one last time before I could be discharged from the hospital. He determined that it was safe for me to leave provided that I was not going to be alone for more than a couple of hours at a time, and that someone was nearby if I needed assistance. Ranger assured Dr. Wesen that I would be well taken care of, and Bobby whisked the doctor away to discuss my medical file, and to ask for a copy of my records.
I was able to trade in my pajamas for a pair of black yoga pants and an over-sized Rangeman t-shirt that Ranger had brought with him. The shirt was long enough that it hit me mid-thigh and I loved it. He even brought a pair of black ballet flats so I was dressed in head-to-toe black, just like I was part of the crew.
About an hour after Ranger first came into my room and announced I would be able to leave, he was pushing me down the hall in a wheelchair. In addition to Ranger and Bobby were Santos (whose first name I found out was Lester), and Zip. Cal and Ram had been relieved of their shift when Ranger returned and Lester and Zip were their replacements. When we got out of the elevator on the first floor, I was escorted to the rear entrance of the hospital and into an awaiting black SUV.
I recognized the driver as the taller of the two men who came barreling into my hospital room when I woke up from my nightmare. He didn't say anything as Ranger lifted me from the wheelchair and placed me gently into the center seat of the vehicle. Ranger and Bobby sat on either side of me while the other guys got into an identical SUV that was parked behind us. Once we were all buckled in and comfortable, the caravan took off towards Rangeman.
As soon as we were underway, I introduced myself to the driver. "Hi, I'm Stephanie." I said to him. "Of course, you probably know that already."
He was quiet but gave a small smile and an affirming head nod. "I'm Hal." He said.
"Hal." I said. "Oh, you're the one I stun gunned!" Bobby looked at me with wonder and Hal grimaced. "Sorry about that." I told Hal.
"Bomber, do you remember that?" Asked Bobby.
"No." I replied. "Cal told me about it earlier."
The rest of the ten minute drive passed quickly as Ranger filled me on all things Rangeman. He told me that part of the reason he selected this building for their headquarters is that it is both centrally located to the majority of their clients and it's close to the hospital in case one of his guys is injured. The building houses three floors for office spaces and conference rooms, three floors of apartments, a professional gym, and a gun range. In addition to the Trenton offices, there are Rangeman facilities in Miami and Boston.
When we approached the building, Hal clicked his key fob and the black wrought-iron fence rolled back allowing for access to the lower level parking. I began to feel claustrophobic the minute the gate began to close behind us and we continued forward into a sea of black vehicles. I took a deep breath and tried to slow my rapidly increasing heartbeat.
"Babe?" Ranger said.
"Are you in pain?" Bobby added.
"I'm OK." I replied. "I know I came here voluntarily… it's just that I'm beginning to feel a little like a caged animal and I just got here. I'm worried that, with my history, I'll go a little stir-crazy." Hal looked nervous and I immediately felt guilty for zapping him, even though I didn't remember doing it. "Don't worry, Hal. I'm not going to attack anyone." I gave him my biggest smile.
"I'm glad to hear it, Babe." Ranger said. "But I think you'll find the accommodations here much more pleasant than those at the zoo."
"I'm sure you're right." I smiled up at him. He had such beautiful brown eyes when he smiled, they almost twinkled.
Bobby and Hal both chuckled and Ranger's smile grew even wider. "Thanks, Babe." He said.
I realized that I had said that last part out loud. "Oops." The guys all grinned as Ranger unbuckled my belt and pulled me into his lap before sliding out of the vehicle.
"Ranger!" I exclaimed. "I can walk, you know!"
He started walking towards an elevator. "I did know that," He stated flatly. "But I didn't want lunch to get cold while I waited for you to shuffle across the garage."
"Hey!" I said indignantly. Ranger just grinned.
Bobby, Hal, Lester, Zip, Ranger, and I all got into the elevator together. Zip pressed the button for the fifth floor and Ranger pressed the button for the seventh.
Lester gave Ranger a knowing look and an almost imperceptible nod. "I'll come see you later, Beautiful." He winked at me again and I blushed and hid my face in Ranger's chest. What a flirt!
We got off at the seventh floor and proceeded to a single door at the end of the hall. Ranger opened the door and we stepped into an elegant foyer. The walls were done in rich shades of brown and the furniture was both antique and beautiful. He placed his keys inside a dish on the sideboard and carried me down the hall into the living room, where he set me down on the brown leather couch.
"I had Ella bring up some lunch for us. I figured you'd be hungry." Ranger said.
My stomach took that opportunity to agree… loudly! I wrapped my arm around my middle hoping to muffle the noise. "Who's Ella?" I asked.
"Ella is my housekeeper and an amazing cook." He replied. "She and her husband, Luis, have an apartment on the sixth floor. Luis is our in-house maintenance/repair man. Between the two of them, we're kept in comfort around here." As he talked, Ranger began pulling dishes from the cupboard and setting the table. He then grabbed a couple of oven mitts and pulled a large casserole dish from the oven.
"Smells good." I got up from the couch and made my way over to the dining table as Ranger placed the casserole down. I sat down in the chair on the side of the table, leaving the end for Ranger. He grabbed a couple bottles of water from the fridge before joining me.
I watched Ranger's face as he dished up our plates. He seemed to be struggling with an internal debate of some sort. I sat quietly waiting for him to make up his mind but he didn't say anything so I left it alone in favor of trying the casserole. It had noodles and sauce with cheese in every bite… in short, it was delicious! I had a couple of bites and noticed that Ranger had yet to try any. I gave him an inquiring look before telling him to "Just spit it out, whatever it is."
He took a deep breath and let it out. "Babe, I want you to know that you are safe here and that we are going to do whatever it takes to eliminate the threat against you." I nodded my head in response but he still looked tense. "Stephanie," He began. Oh no, my first name again… this can't be good. "We believe the person behind the attack in the hospital is a man named Eduardo Mendez. Mendez is an up-and-coming in the drug trade in Venezuela, but has his hands in human trafficking and gun smuggling as well."
I put down my fork and looked at him. "OK," I replied. "So why would a drug lord from Venezuela want to kill me?"
"In addition to a majority ownership in Rangeman, I sometimes take on assignments for the government." He said. "Now I can't talk about that with you, nor would I want to, but suffice it to say that I've had dealings with Mendez before. Though I'm not sure how, it appears that he has learned of my involvement in a mission to shut down his operation, and it looks like he's retaliating against me by targeting you."
I suddenly lost my appetite. This couldn't be real, could it? I mean, Ranger's supposed to be some sort of top secret Rambo, and this guy wants to kill me because of it? How did my life get so complicated? Again I was struck with the idea that maybe my amnesia was a self-preservation move.
"Ranger," I whispered. "Why would he do that? Why would he think that it would hurt you if I died?"
Anger and sadness flitted across Ranger's face and I could see the indecision in his eyes. He clearly didn't want to tell me.
"Babe, you're important to me." He said. "Your safety means more to me than anything." He paused and ran his hand down his face. "I'm so sorry, Babe. This is all my fault. I should have kept my distance. You shouldn't have to suffer for my deeds."
His argument wasn't making much sense to me. "You said it was out of concern for my safety that we've kept our relationship completely professional, right?" I asked.
"Well, maybe not completely professional." Ranger replied quietly. He had a hint of a smile on his face.
I blushed at his insinuation but pressed on. "It doesn't sound like your plan is working out all that well, does it?"
"No, I guess it doesn't." He answered.
"Seems to me that if they're going to come after me anyway, I'd be safer with you than without." I said quietly. My head was beginning to hurt and I rubbed my temples with my fingertips before asking, "What am I supposed to do with this information?"
"To be honest, I've been conflicted as to whether or not to share this information with you. In fact, it was my core team that was firmly convinced that you should know what was happening. I didn't think we should scare you with information you couldn't do anything about." Ranger paused to consider before continuing. "The guys were right about one thing, though, this involves you directly, and you should know what we're up against. So, if you're up to it, I'd like you to take a look at pictures of the key personnel in Mendez's organization to see if anyone looks familiar. If we know who the players are, we can come up with a better plan of attack." He reached his hand to mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
I was so overwhelmed with emotion… At the same time I felt frightened, anxious, nauseous, and to a small extent, hopeful. I hardly knew Ranger, but I trusted him and I believed him when he said that he'd keep me safe.
"OK," I started. "Here's the deal. The bulk of my memory only goes back a couple of days, but I'm willing to look at those pictures and see if I can jog some memories back. What I'm not willing to do is sit in the dark and have you make decisions about my welfare, without my input. I don't know how things have worked between us in the past, but there are too many unknowns for me right now to be comfortable with you keeping things from me."
I looked at Ranger to see how he'd respond and he nodded his head. "OK, Babe. I'll keep you in the loop." He looked down at my plate. "Didn't like it?" He questioned.
"Actually," I said. "It tastes great, I just don't have much of an appetite right now."
"Why don't you rest for a little while?" He suggested. "Do you need another pain pill?"
"I'm a little achy, but it's not so bad." I said. "Let's wait."
Ranger nodded, then stood to help me up from the table. He led me down the hall to a massive bedroom with a gorgeous king-sized bed and a large attached bathroom. Ranger helped me settle into the cushy bed and removed my shoes before tucking me in.
"You're right," I said. "Much nicer accommodations than the zoo." I smiled at him sleepily.
"Get some rest, Babe." He replied. "I'll check on you in a little while." He turned to leave the room and I was asleep before he got to the door.
A/N
OK, so there's a lot happening in this chapter. Hopefully you like where it's going. We've found out a little about whose after Steph, but things are not all as they seem… Thanks for reading, I'd love to hear your feedback, Chica.
