Chapter Ten

Steph

The silence around Ranger was extra pensive when we left Manny's lounge. Predator mode. Probably analyzing the situation from way more angles than I even knew existed. He scanned Ocean Drive for a long moment and then looked at his watch. "We've got a few hours. We'll grab some dinner while we figure out his next move."

"You think you can predict where he'll be tonight?"

"Maybe. There are advantages to knowing a skip so well. I know the kinds of places he'd never end up."

"Like gay clubs or country bars."

"Or any place with a dress code. Marco doesn't do classy. Mostly, he likes places where he fits in. Hangs with lowlifes and bikers. I've dragged him out of more than one rat hole dive bar in Newark when our mother hadn't heard from him in too many days."

"So we have to check in all the rat hole dive bars in South Beach?"

"For a start."

We ended up in a burger place a few blocks away. Which was good, because I was starving. Ranger got a turkey burger with too much lettuce. I got a double bacon cheeseburger with fries and no lettuce. Ranger finished before I did. Called Lester Santos for a progress report. Ranger doesn't say much when he's on the phone. Mostly he just listens. His eyes never left me. A hint of funny in them as he watched me inhale my burger. He disconnected. "Got a few hits from facial recognition. Apparently Marco was at dance club last night. Got friendly with a busty blonde."

"Can we use that to find him?"

"Not likely. But it might give us a neighborhood to start in."

"I don't suppose there are any more factors we can use to narrow it down."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Like a particular kind of clientele? Or a favorite beer on tap?"

"Marco's not really a beer guy. He's more the hard liquor type. Likes to get drunk as fast as possible."

That inspired a thought. "Does he drink Everclear?"

"When available. How did you know that?"

"Loopy. She used a bottle of it to set my car on fire. Is that sold a lot of places?"

"Not in Florida. At least not the high octane kind," he said, tapping his phone again. "Do a rundown on all the establishments in the area that might stock high proof Everclear on the down low and prioritize them by distance from the location tagged on the images from last night. I want a man sent to every location, but tell them to keep their distance. I don't want him spooked." He disconnected. "You may have just made our night easier."

"Glad to help."

Ranger got a look like he was thinking about other ways I could help, but he didn't say it.

It was a few hours before we got the call. Ranger parked the 911 in front of the darkened bar. It looked pretty rough. The kind of place I wouldn't have walked into without Ranger beside me. Being with Ranger always made me feel braver than I was. There weren't a lot of patrons in the grimy interior. Mostly subdued groups and ambitious diehards. Then I saw a man leaning against the center of the bar. He was so disturbingly familiar that I had to concentrate to keep my jaw from dropping. Couple shades lighter. Several shades broodier. But the resemblance was unmistakable. He wasn't as beautiful as his younger brother. At least not under the rough black beard and the tattoos. He was definitely handsome, though. And dangerous.

And very angry.

That anger got more pronounced when he looked up at us. It was so weird. I was used to the quiet power that always surrounded Ranger. Ranger was calm and collected, even when he was mad. The master of control. There was no control in Marco. A hard, sardonic smile lifted one corner of his mouth. Along with a fair amount of contempt. A single, dry laugh rocking his body. He swung his eyes back to the shot in front of him. "What took you so long?"

The tension was so palpable even the burly guys playing darts in the corner were paying attention. I could feel Ranger's energy crackle beside me. Made the hairs on my arm prickle. "I'm sorry. Did I miss the invitation?"

"Musta missed somethin'." Marco knocked back the shot and ground his teeth at the burn. "Gotta say I'm disappointed. I thought you supposed to be like a bloodhound or some shit. Always get your man, right? Fucking pathetic."

"You're drunk."

"You don't know shit." He swung his eyes toward us again. That was when he saw me. His unfocused gaze turning sharp. Taking a lazy trip all the way down my body and back up again, a smirk lifting his face. "Heard you had a girl. Never thought you'd bring 'er, though. You always been more the fuck 'em and leave 'em type. Right princess?"

I tried not to swallow. "Don't call me—"

"He wasn't talked to you, Steph." This was said with deadly quiet. The kind that makes my insides squishy. I've seen Ranger mad before, but I'd never heard his voice sizzle. I'd also never heard anyone call him princess before. "I think it's time we take this to a more appropriate location."

"Fuck that, I ain't done here," Marco said, tapping his shot glass for the bartender. The bartender didn't move. He was watching Ranger like everyone else. A fact that really rubbed Marco wrong. "Know what I don't get? Why this beautiful, sweet looking young lady would want anything to do with your self-righteous entitled ass. She looks way too good for you." His eyes found mine. "What is it, sweetie? You bored? You havin' a little fuck on the wild side?"

"Stephanie is a professional associate of mine, and my current partner. Like Tank."

The snort was almost as unflattering as the head to toe scan. "Yeah, Tank wishes he looked that good in a short little skirt. I ain't stupid, princess. Either you fuck her or you tryin' to fuck her. Either way don't think I buy the 'just friends' bullshit."

"I don't give a flying fuck what you buy. Get up. Now."

"You got no authority here," Marco said, reaching for a bottle over the edge of the bar when the bartender ignored him again.

"Don't need it. You and I both know if you call the police to stop me they'll pack you up with bracelets and chains and put you on a plane back to Jersey. Real inconvenient, being charged with murder. Might ruin your day."

The already tense atmosphere thickened. Every eye in the place darting between Ranger and his brother. Marco finally stood. Knocked back the shot he'd poured for himself before he turned to face us. "Like you give a fuck. You always did think that you were better than me. Like you had a right to judge. And now you're all big time. With your expensive ass cars and your big business and your hot 'not a girlfriend' piece of tail. He thinks he's a badass soldier, but really he's still nothing but a little punk bitch. No way he's givin' you what you need, right baby? What you need is a real man."

Ranger stepped forward, drawing his brother's contemptuous smile again. Didn't say a word. Didn't need to. The warning was radiating from his entire body. Marco just grinned. Said something in Spanish that I couldn't understand. Then Ranger punched him hard in the face. Marco staggered back, barely keeping his feet. Spit blood on the floor and rubbed his jaw, the grin burning in his eyes. "Friends my ass."

In a blink Ranger was on Marco's toes, and then Marco was face down on the floor. The ratcheting sound of cuffs clicking on the arms behind his back. He was swearing again, but most of it was in Spanish. Ranger dragged him up and signaled to the man in black standing idle beside the front door. Handed Marco off with instructions to take him to Rangeman. Ranger stood there staring after them, hands on hips. His breathing still slow and even. Like it was any other apprehension. I knew better though. Ranger didn't broadcast his emotions. That didn't mean he didn't have them. I touched his arm. "You okay?"

"Yes."

"It's okay to be not okay."

The tension eased in him just a little. He cut a glance at me. A twitch at one corner of his mouth. Ranger thought I was amusing. "No point trying to get answers from him until he's sober. Marco always was a belligerent drunk. We'll let him sit in one of the holding cells on the third floor a while. See if he's feeling more cooperative in the morning."

"Sounds like a plan."

We drove back to Rangeman in silence. Parked in his personal space by the elevator. Ranger hit six before he gave me his keys. "I've got some work to do tonight. If you need anything, Delma is eight on the intercom."

"Will you be gone long?"

The almost smile surfaced again. "Not too long, I hope. You can wait up for me if you want."

There was an implied promise in there that I would very much enjoy waiting up for him. I didn't get a chance to have a feeling about that one way or the other, though. The elevator doors opened and Ranger stepped out onto the floor without so much as a kiss goodbye. The doors slid shut and I hit the button on the key fob to send the elevator up to the tenth floor. Wondering if I should feel guilty being this tempted by the prospect.

I didn't end up having to make a decision. I'd passed out around midnight. I blame it on the bed. Ranger had impeccable taste when it came to comfort. Might have been because of the years he spent sleeping on dirt floors in third world countries. Either way, his bed was definitely on my list of top five favorite things. Right behind birthday cake, sex, and room service.

He was in the bed next to me when I woke up. Hard to tell from his breathing if he was sleeping or not. It was often hard to tell with Ranger. I rolled over. Enjoying the glorious sight of his bare mocha skin and perfect body wrapped in nothing but a thin cream colored sheet from the waist down. Of course he was naked. Ranger always slept naked. Not that I'd have to work that hard to imagine him if he didn't. I'm very familiar with what Ranger looks like naked.

His eyes opened, holding mine. Made me wonder if he really could read minds.

He brushed a finger across my temple. Tucking a stray curl behind my ear. "Sleep well?"

I nodded. "You?"

"Well enough. Didn't feel like waiting up?"

"I tried, but your bed is too comfortable and you don't have any books to read."

A real smile lifted his face. "Might have to do something about that," he said, leaning over me. The kiss was slow and thoughtful. Full of careful control. Then his tongue touched mine and the control turned hot. Deliberate. The rest of him following. And then my back was on the mattress, Ranger moving over me. Oh god. "What about Morelli?"

Ranger paused. "What about him?"

"We kind of have an understanding."

Ranger lowered his mouth to my neck, nuzzling me. "Doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you."

"How could that not bother you? Would you really want a woman that could jump from one man's bed to another just like that?"

"Not as long as mine is the bed you land in."

"Does that mean you've reconsidered the whole no relationships thing?"

Another pause. The gentle caress of his lips the only answer I got for a minute. "I can't."

"Because the price is too high."

"Yes."

"You know, I've never been clear on what that means exactly."

"It means I can't afford anything more than casual."

"Why?"

Ranger drew in a long, slow breath. I think he was trying to keep his patience. "Babe, not everyone can invest that much in another human being. Relationships require effort. Depth. Trust me. You're better off."

I tried to sit up, forcing him to lift off me an inch. "What does that mean?"

"Babe."

"I'm just trying to understand. What does that mean, I'm better off?"

His dark eyes held mine for a long time. I'm not sure I was even breathing. It felt like forever before he let out a resigned breath. Might as well have been a sigh. "I'm not a good man, Babe."

"Of course you are."

"I'm not. Trust me on this. I've been trying to atone these last few years, but to be honest there's so much red in my ledger I'm not sure I'll ever catch up."

"That doesn't make you a bad man."

"You sure about that? You know about the specialized unit I was in. Thrill junkies. Capable of doing just about anything. I told you I fit the profile. Fit in with men like Orrin. Handpicked for it. We all were. Scalpel and battering ram all in one."

"I still don't see—"

"Steph. Let it go."

Sure, like it was that easy. I'd been trying to let it go for almost a year and I never could seem to manage it. I'd put the clear line down between us for a reason. Because being this close to Ranger always messed with my head and made me all confused. My brain knew he wasn't good for me. My brain knew that Ranger was a broken heart waiting to happen. It was just the rest of me that didn't seem to care until it was too late.

"If I asked again how you defined your role in my life, would it have changed?"

"No."

Still desert. Delicious, but not particularly good for me. Not meant to be the base of my food pyramid. In other words, not to be depended on. "How would you define my role in your life?"

Ranger's deep, dark eyes held mine. Full of shadow.

And no answer.