Disclaimer: Just playing with Janet's characters!
Note from Amy Lynne: Another chapter! If I get twelve tonight it probably won't be until later on. Let's hope! Let me know what you guys think!
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I had decided to keep my gun trained on the back door. Whatever (or whoever) was in the bush was going to have to make more noise if they moved, and maybe if I was lucky I would be able to have the gun in my hand moved in their direction before they could attack me.
Time was ticking by way too slow, my heart was pounding, I had beads of sweat dripping off my face, and I felt like an idiot standing in someone's barely there background pointing a gun at a door where the world could see. I thought about lowering the gun, but knowing my luck Ranger would show up and I would never be allowed to leave RangeMan again. Joe might not like the idea, but he knew that staying with Ranger was safe.
I heard movement by the bush again and this time there was a lot. I screamed like the wimp that I am and fired off a shot. I heard it hit the side of the building. I have amazing aim.
"Cupcake?"
I opened my eyes (when the hell did they close?!) and was staring at Joe. What the hell? He must of been reading my thoughts, because he lowered his weapon and shook his head.
"You just shot at me." Holy shit I just shot at Joe. My ex-boyfriend. A cop.
I dropped my gun and put my hands to my mouth. I made a move towards him, but, forgetting about Lester, I tripped over his legs and landed on a heap in the dirt.
"Ouch." Joe bent down and helped me to my feet, brushing my curls out of my face. "Oh, God, Joe, I am so sorry!" I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close. I just realized that I was shaking, but it wasn't that much of a surprise. I felt Joe's arms encircle me and I sighed. "What are you doing here?" I mumbled as I buried my face into his neck. He was robbing soothing circles on my back.
"I was in the neighborhood checking on a witness in ICU at Robert Wood and just had the gut feeling that you were somehow involved. I knew that Langdon missed court and that if this had been given to Ranger, he wouldn't have made the mistake of letting anyone hear the shots." Ah, so a neighbor heard and called the cops. Good people, unlike the ones in my building. I could have a shoot out there and the old farts would never hear a thing.
I pulled back from Joe, but didn't move far away. We were still holding on to each other. "Is Christopher still out cold?" He gave me a confused look. "My stalker? He was in there! He shot Langdon three times. Those were the shots fired."
Langdon. Dead body. Fuck.
I pulled away from Joe and raced towards the nearest bush before loosing my breakfast in it. Good thing I'm tough.
Joe came up behind me and held my hair while he rubbed my back.
"There was no one in there except a dead Langdon, Steph." Huh.
"Christopher knocked Lester out and then met me inside. I tried to leave when I saw Langdon but he blocked my way." I could hear cars pulling up. Guess Ranger wasn't trying to be quiet. "He made me answer questions about you and Ranger, but didn't get far." I turned my head around and looked at Joe and couldn't help but smirk. "I think I might have pissed him off."
Joe tossed his head back and laughed. "That surprises you?"
"I stunned him and ran out here to check on Lester."
"Did you call it in?" Joe asked.
"Babe?" Guess that answered his question.
Joe and I both turned and looked at Ranger. Then I noticed how this must have looked. Bobby knocked out cold, Joe standing behind me rubbing my back, and me bent at the waist. Fan-fucking-tastic. We all stood in silence for a moment, not really knowing how to approach the subject of what actually had happened.
"Planning on taking her back to your building, Manoso?" Joe finally asked. Ranger just tilted his head a fraction of an inch.
Joe let his hand slip down my back and it rested on my ass. Ranger's eyes got dark. I stood up quick and swatted Joe's hand away. He looked at the ground and laughed.
"I have to go call this in. If you're going to leave, I suggest doing it now. It's not just the TPD that have bets on you, Cupcake." I nodded at Joe. He leaned in and kissed me just below the ear. "Call me if you need anything." And he started walking away. He stopped when he was standing next to Ranger and nodded his head towards Lester. "You might want to get him checked out."
Well this was going to be a pleasant conversation. A real Ranger-Stephanie heart-to-heart. Yeah right. Ranger was going to stand there with his blank face and let me explain everything, not say a word, and then lock me up tight.
He made his way over to me and placed his hand on the small of my back, not far from where he had it earlier this morning and where Morelli had had his moments before. He started steering me around the building so I didn't have to look at the dead body again. At least, I assumed that's what he was doing. He pushed me towards his truck and opened the passages door for me.
"Wait here."
Like I was going to go anywhere.
I watched as he went over to Tank. I assumed he was going to have someone check on Lester. Shit, I got him knocked out twice in the same amount of days. I guess I was going for the gold. I could also see Morelli in his cop car from here. He was staring at me. I smiled at him and he just shook his head.
I swear, men are complicated. I wish I could get in their heads.
Ranger came back and hopped into the driver's side of the truck. He gunned the engine and we headed back towards the RangeMan building.
"Want to tell me what happened?"
So I did. Every little detail, making special note of how I actually took my gun into the apartment with me. I tended to try to skip over how I didn't have it out when I got in there, but I think Ranger already knew that.
"Please, please, don't be mad at Lester. He let me run it and I made the decision to send him around back."
"I'm not mad at Lester, Babe. I'm just glad your okay. If you had gone around back who knows what could have happened." Well I never thought about it like that. "Tank is making sure Lester gets checked up and that someone picks up your body receipt for Langdon." I just nodded my head.
We sat in silence almost the whole way back to the RangeMan building. Out of nowhere, Ranger let out a laugh. That's right, a laugh. I snapped my head in his direction and he quickly righted himself.
"What's so funny?" He just shook his head. "What? Ranger!" He started laughing again.
"You really have a knack for knocking out my guys, don't you? At first I just thought it was strange and a pain in the ass, but now it's really funny." I wasn't seeing the humor and I think Ranger could tell by the look on my face.
He picked up my hand and kissed the palm.
"My guys love ya, Babe. It's not a chore to be on Bombshell duty. There's usually a line for who gets to go next. They like the idea of big things coming in small packages. It's the exact opposite of them." That almost sounded like a compliment. Almost.
"They liked being knocked out?" Ranger turned onto Haywood.
"No, but they like getting to work with you. They always come back with stories to tell."
"Just entertainment for them, huh?" I remembered Ranger telling me that once, that he wrote me off in his business expenses as entertainment. While I could see how that could be true, didn't mean it wouldn't sting any less.
Ranger was still holding my hand and rubbing small circles on it.
"Babe, if you were just entertainment I would have gotten rid of you long ago." That's a comforting thought, I guess.
My stomach choose this moment to make itself heard.
"Hungry?"
"I'm always hungry after seeing a dead person and having a person threaten me at gun point." We pulled into the garage.
"What do you want to eat?" Ranger asked as he pulled into his spot. As I hopped out of the car I thought about it.
"Anything?" Ranger just nodded as we got on the elevator. "Ever heard of Torro's?"
"Little deli type place on South Broad." I nodded my head. "I'll call and have the food ordered and brought to us. You can take a shower."
A shower sounded amazing. I think I might have moaned a little as I rested my head on Ranger's shoulder.
"Babe." Yeah, I definitely moaned. Quick! Change the subject!
"What are you and Joe working on?" The elevator stopped and we got out. Ranger grabbed my hand in his.
"Not gonna happen, Babe." He opened the door one handed and quickly shut it, pressing me up against the door, hands on my hips.
There was no kissing, but he was staring at me like a lion ready to pounce. Lion. Lion? Lion!
"Does it have something to do with Amelia Lion?" I barely whispered as my lips grazed his. Ranger stiffened, and not in the good way, before taking a step back.
"Go take a shower, Babe. I'll order the food." Ohhh, I had hit a nerve! I was definitely on the right track. Now I just had to figure where what exactly was being worked on.
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I got in and out of the shower without further problems from Ranger. I changed into a pair of old Christmas boxers and a t-shirt before following the smell of food into the kitchen. I was almost drooling at the site of our chicken wraps.
I know I don't usually like heathy or even remotely heathy food, but Torro's is absolutely amazing. The have the best wraps and hoagies I think in the state, though Wawa runs a close second in the hoagie department, at least the Wawa on 33.
I grabbed one of the wraps and I assumed that the contain that held fries was for me, before sitting at the table to eat. Ranger walked in a moment later and grabbed each a bottle of water before sitting down with his wrap and salad.
"Tank called. Lester's fine. Took him a while to come around, but he'll be okay." I nodded my head and looked up from stuffing my face. Ranger was smirking.
"Am I missing something?"
"When he came to Tank acted like he was in a panic and asked where you were. He said Lester nearly shit himself. They got it on all tape thanks to the security cameras."
"That was mean," I said in between my giggles. Tank really made Lester fear for his life.
We continued to eat in silence. I was just finishing up the last bite of my chicken when Ranger's phone rang.
"When? Was anyone hurt? How far out?" He glanced down at his watch. "I'll be there in five." He hung up his phone and quickly stood, getting rid of his garbage. "I gotta go, Babe." He turned and looked at me. "There was a problem with a job I'm working on, people have to be moved." Willing giving up information. Interesting.
He leaned over and kissed me on the top of my head while I wiped my face on a napkin. "Will you be here when I get back?" I looked at him like he was crazy.
"I have a choice?"
"You always have a choice, Babe. Just didn't know if you were going to go and stay with Morelli, is all." I wondered if he was going to bring that up. I just shook my head no.
"No, I'll stay here."
Ranger captured my lips with his, using his hand to tilt my chin up to give him access.
"Sorry we can't finish what we started this morning." I felt a familiar rush of heat in the bottom of my belly. Ranger kissed me soft on the lips. "Don't wait up."
And with that he was gone.
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It was early, only 9PM, and I was bored out of my mind. I had watched Ghostbusters, flipped through everything On Demand, and had even called home.
My mother reminded me of Mary Alice's party and had a heartattack when I confirmed that the rumors about today were true. Grandma was excited that she was getting the details first hand. Apparently she was going to the Clip N Curl tomorrow.
As a last resort I picked up my phone again and called Mary Lou.
"Omg, it's true!" she shrieked as soon as she heard it was me.
"What's true?" I was confused. I hadn't even said anything yet!
"That your pregnant with that Cuban hottie's triplets and Joe is going to raise them as his own. The weddings in two weeks, that way you don't look pregnant in your pictures."
I fell off the couch.
"WHAT?!?"
"You mean it's not true?" The bitch had the nerve to actually sound disappointed.
"NO! Not even close!"
"Damn. I kind of thought that triplets was overkill, but you never know."
I needed to make this rumor go away or fast. If my mother heard it she would ironing toilet paper and never giving me dessert again, and it obviously hadn't reached her yet. After the rumors about today (which I was surprised Mary Lou didn't bring up), my mother might start ironing people.
"I was in car accident with Ranger. The Turbo was destroyed." Fuck. I didn't want that to come out already, but I had to go with something. Hopefully Eddie put his bets in.
"YOU DESTROYED THE PORSCHE?!"
"Yeah. We were hit by a semi-truck."
"What did Ranger say?" I sat straight up.
"He said, 'I liked that car.'"
Mary Lou waited a second before answering. "No confessions of love when you thought you were dying in each others arms?" I had to laugh.
"No, nothing like that."
"But you two are together, right?"
"Well, no. I'm staying at his apartment because I have another psycho after me." That was the truth. Me and Ranger together? Not really.
"So, wait. Then Joe's cheating on you?" I laughed again.
"No, Joe and I broke - what do you mean is Joe cheating on me? Who's Joe seeing?" The phone got quiet. Wayyyy too quiet. "Mary Lou you answer this question right now or I'll never give you another bit of gossip for as long as I live."
"Terry Gilman! He's been seen around with Terry Gilman." That fucker and that bitch. "Please tell me that slut really isn't sleeping with him."
The truth was I had no idea. I really wished that wasn't the case.
"I gotta go, Mary Lou." And before she could answer I hung up.
Two seconds later it rang again.
"Mary Lou, I'm tired, I just want to go to bed."
"Shut your mouth white girl, it's me." Lula, my savior. Who would ever think I would see her as that. But then after Joyce unintentionally saved my ass once I guess anything is possible.
"What's up, Lula?"
"I was just hear checking up on Jackie down on Stark, and you never guess what I just seen." I rubbed my forehead. "Batman and that Jean Ellen bitch."
"Excuse me?" I sat straight up. Well, straighter, if that was even possible.
By now Lula was panting. I guess she was trying to keep up with them. Good luck with that.
"That crazy fucking bounty hunter bitch. I thought you were staying with Batman." Did I tell the girls that? I couldn't remember. Oh, well. I assumed everyone knew.
"I am."
"That little asshole left you to go and see her? What the hell is this world coming to?" That's exactly what I was thinking.
"Are you still on Stark?" I asked Lula.
I was running into the bedroom, trying to get clothes together so I could make a mad dash over there. Not nearly a smart idea, but I was going to go with it.
"Yeah, but- Oh fuck. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck."
I pulled a shirt out of the closet. "What?" I could hear noise in the background, but no Lula. "Lula! Lula, are you alright?"
"Babe?" Oh fuck was right.
"Ranger? What are you doing hanging out with Lula?" Play innocent, Steph. Act like you don't know anything.
"She was doing a horrible job of tailing me. I'm sure she called you as soon as she saw me with Jean Ellen." As any good friend would. "At the moment she's sitting on the curb fanning herself. I think she got a hot flash when I took her phone." That sounded about right. "Don't come down here, Babe."
I stopped dead with my jeans half way up my leg.
"I wasn't planning on coming down there." I think I might have sounded a bit out of breath and rushed.
"Yes, you were. Just stay there. I'll talk to you when I get back to RangeMan." And his disconnected.
What the hell was going on? Joe's hanging out with Terri Gilman and fucking Ranger is out on Stark with Jean Ellen. I was going to get to the bottom of this, and it was going to be sooner rather than later.