Breaking The Rules

by katherineaw

Stephanie Plum has had a challenging time since we last saw her. No longer can she rely on those around her, but has had to become independent and strong. With the return of the men from her past, will she survive the many different threats to her life?

11. Chapter Ten

Breaking the Rules

Chapter 10

By Katherine

Renee: Advance payment for the last chapter of Paradise...

I went on as normal for several days after the party. I would run each morning, check in with the RangeMan office and then drop in to Vinnie's pick up my skips and drop of my receipts. I would scout around for the skips during the day, before going for another run, and crashing in my bed absolutely exhausted.

Occasionally I would catch sight of Ranger at the office; he would pick up a file, flash Connie and Lula a smile and stroll into Vinnie's office. I was either on my way in or out of Vinnie's office when he arrived. The other guys called in to thank me for the night out at the party and check how I was going.

Eric had the indecency to call.

I told him what Ireally thought about him.

It would have been more satisfying to break his nose.

Finally, however, Wednesday rolled around, and I ended the routine and made my way to the RangeMan building for the training day. I wondered how it would differ considering the presence of the three Manoso's.

Mara and I were the only girls in the ladies room and she smiled politely at me as she changed and I dumped my stuff in a locker. Where I arrived and trained in my day-to-day outfit, she was forced to change from a suit to takedown material. We made polite conversation until she was ready to go.

She was a petite thing, barely five feet, but without an ounce of unnecessary fat on her body. Her every move was graceful and controlled; probably she'd studied dance as a child. She wore a simple tracksuit and smiled at my questioning look"I'm never really in the line of fire" she said"at least, not anymore. I deal with the finance side of business, now."

I nodded my acknowledgement of the information; it made sense. There came a time when one's body couldn't keep up with the work it was being asked to do. Perhaps she saw no need to wait for the inevitable, but rather embraced it early. Probably I should think of something similar, but I didn't want to think about getting older.

As we left the room, she asked quietly"do you trust Ric"

I glanced at her and then shrugged"I don't know him." And I didn't. In fact, I doubted that I ever had. He was an enigma, always had been and probably always would be. I had trusted him implicitly before he left, but he had left and no longer would I so blindly trust those around me. Blind faith has been known to get you killed.

She nodded"he wants you to trust him" she said.

We joined everyone in the center of the room and Ranger started us through the warm-up. He raised an eyebrow at my presence, but didn't say anything, I smirked mentally - there was no doubt he was in for an interesting surprise today. We ran two miles as a group; at the pace Ranger set, and then ran at our own pace for three miles. This was the same warm-up that Jesus and Tank would put us through each week (and each day when I'd been in full-time training). I figured that Ranger would just follow the workout that we usually did.

For the three miles, I ran with my usual group; Lester, Tank and Kevin, and we led the field. The only way they had been able to get me running, was to ensure that I enjoyed it, so we had made a competition out of it. We ran at the same pace for most of the distance, but occasionally someone would make a play for front spot. This play resulted in us kicking up the pace to ensure that they didn't break from the group. At the end of every run, we were sprinting round the track (yes, RangeMan had an indoor track). As we passed the three-mile mark, all four of us collapsed on the ground, wheezing and laughing, endorphins rushing through our body.

Ranger, Diego and Mara were only a minute behind and jogged in looking relaxed and composed. Kevin, Lester, Bobby and I just lay there in a heap; our legs tangled and arms everywhere. Finally Lester untangled himself and gracefully stood up before turning to give Bobby a hand up. Kev and I unwound ourselves and stood up to watch the last few runners come round.

Our next stop was the gym where we all chose a machine and worked on it for twenty minutes, before the whole room would switch and repeat the process until you'd used all the cardio machines in the room. I took the Stairmaster first and powered up several hundred flights of stairs. After that I used the rowing machine and then the bike before finally I was free to use the cross-trainer. I had discovered that it was easier to start with the machine that worked my muscles and joints hardest first, and gradually ease off, thus I followed the same routine week-in-week-out. Sweat was dripping off us all at this point and we took a five-minute break to change shirts and clean towels before we faced Resistance Training.

I had been given full training in the best way to ensure your muscles are working and forced myself to work until they quivered - that's the only true sign you will get of how successful your workout is. By the end of an hour of weight training, every muscle in my body had taken to shaking and I ended it. Standard weights for a woman to lift with her arms using machines was 20-30kg, I worked with 40. Legs, standard weight was 30-40kg, I used 80. My legs were what kept me alive and they had to be powerful to do so.

Finally we broke for a two-hour lunch break. I changed into a swimsuit and headed to the spa room, where four large spas were available for use. I often did this in between two stages in our workout because otherwise my muscles would cramp up during the afternoon session. Almost everyone joined me and we let the steamy water relax muscles and ease tension from our bodies.

Ella and Eliza had prepared a feast fit for kings when we returned topside, and I took the opportunity to talk to Eliza and see how she was doing. I asked bluntly, knowing that it tended to get a better result.

"I'm alright, Stephanie" she said"I just signed a contract with RangeMan to be Ella's assistant. My husband can no longer bother me, or anybody else."

"Is there anything you need" I asked"Do you have a place to stay"
Tentatively she said"I think I need to speak to... someone, about what happened."
"I'll organize it" I promised, mentally making a note of the promise. I smiled at her"I'm glad it's working out for you."

She returned my smile hesitantly and then went back to her lunch. I turned to mine and started to nibble at the chicken salad in front of me. Gradually I became alert enough to tune into the conversation around me, and heard Kevin being grilled about his girlfriend - everyone wanted to know when he'd crack. A lot of money was riding on his willpower or lack thereof.

Mara called down from the head of the table, when everyone appeared to be losing interest in the conversation"I've heard interesting rumors about you and Stephanie, Kevin" she said"Do you want to fill us in"

I cut my eyes to Kevin and silently warned him to bevery careful. He nodded and opened his mouth when Eric stepped in"She's a slut, he's a guy. What more needs to be said" his voice was cool and his eyes blank as he looked at me.

My eyes hardened as I returned his gaze, not giving an inch. When he lowered his gaze, I looked him up and down "at least I'm a slut with standards" I murmured, receiving an amused chuckle from the men in the room.

"You certainly didn't have any complaints the other night" Eric's partner sneered"or were we too much man for you"

There was a hushed intake of breath from around the table as the implications of that statement sunk in. My anger rose, but ruthlessly I quashed it and glared at him"I was prepared to be magnanimous" I said coolly"and forget about that incident, but if youreally want to talk about it..."

They both paled, and I smirked"I didn't think so" I murmured with an ironic twist to my lips.

"Do you want to fill us in, Angel" Lester asked, looking between the three of us in confusion.

I glanced at the other two as they shook their heads and shook my own"can't say as I do" I said, taking a mouthful of my salad and chewing.

"Eric"

"Nah, uh" Eric shook his head"I ain't saying nothing."

"Blue" sothat was his name. I had rarely had anything to do with Eric and only knew his name because he was such a pain in the ass. Lester was beginning to get frustrated, I could tell, but I didn't say anything.

'Blue' widened his eyes and said innocently"there ain't anything to talk about."

"This anything to do with your split lip, Babe" Ranger asked.

Kevin looked up and then glanced between Eric, Blue and I, his eyes widening"theydidn't" he hissed at me"did they"

I didn't say anything, but that was all the confirmation he needed. He stood up with a roar, pushing everything and everyone out of his way as he tried to get to Eric and Blue. He was quickly restrained, however, by two of the men between him and them, who'd had time to react.

"Kevin" I hissed"stop it. I'm dealing with it, alright."

"Steph, they"

"Kevin"

But, they"

"I know exactly what they did" my voice got softer and more predatory by the minute"but I can fight my own battles, particularly with the likes ofthem."

He bowed his head and then nodded"alright" he said, but turned to them"I willnever get your back" he said"if a bullet gets you between the eyes, it'll be nothing less than you deserve."

Our afternoon training began with an hour at the gun range as everyone allowed their food the chance to be digested before we hit the mats for combat training. Each of us took one of the pre-prepared duffel bags containing five different firearms, and went into a booth, loading up a target.

I fired off two boxes of bullets with each weapon and took down my five targets, dating them and slipping them into my bag. I cleaned the weapons and returned them to their duffel, and the duffel to its locker, before I set up to practice with my own weapons. Being more experienced with them; I set the target further away and was more specific in what I was aiming for. A further four boxes later, I finally reholstered my last gun and left the range.

Everyone else was already on the mats, practicing various moves with their partner. Kevin was working with Tank, as Jesus had recently announced his plans to step further away from the physical aspects of RangeMan work, thus Tank would need a new partner. Diego and Ranger were sparring and that left Mara and I staring at each other across the mats.

I raised an eyebrow questioningly, and she nodded a sardonic smirk around her mouth. We circled each other for a few minutes, warming and loosening our muscles before the first attack was launched. Her leg swung around in a graceful arc. I dropped to the floor and then bounced back up, shooting out my own leg in a quick jab-like kick. The first lesson I'd learnt about fighting was that no move was forbidden - in the fights I'd be in, at least.

She sucked in her stomach and shuffled back, swinging around from the momentum of her last kick. She tried to punch, but she was fighting textbook and I'd never been taught textbook, so I dodged rather than blocked, and used moves that couldn't be found in any textbook. Eventually, I tired of dodging and ducking and the weak attacks I was using, and so I shot out my arm and grabbed her by the shoulder, pulling her towards me. She stumbled as I did so, and made it easy for me to get her face down on the ground.

"Well done" She murmured.

I let her up and she faced me"How long have you been doing this" she asked"fighting, that is."

"Maybe a year" I shrugged"why? How long have you been training"

"My whole life" she shook her head, sounding frustrated "how did you beat me" she asked.

I laughed"You fight like the book tells you to" I said finally"I've never read the book. I fight like my gut tells me to. You're slow - because you're trying to look graceful. I'm fast, and I look rough and untrained - people underestimate that." I smiled"trust your instincts more - when you're on the street, the book and the rules... they don't matter."

She nodded"can you show me that thing you did with your leg to get me to the ground" she asked finally.

"Sure" I nodded, and pulled her towards me, ignoring the watching eyes from around the hall. It was unsurprising that we'd gained an audience - two girls fightingalways seemed to garner attention. I showed her the move in slow motion, doing it one step at a time. It was a move Tank had taught me to help me overcome people larger than me. I showed it to her twice and then switched so she could practice on me. We went through the move step-by-step twice and then I let her make the moves as fast or as slow as she needed to get it right. It only took about twenty minutes before she could spin me to the ground and have me subdued in seconds.

I showed her one of the ways to counter a move like this and had her practice it before nodding"you're good" I said finally"that took me a month to get."

She grinned"I practice a lot" she agreed, offering me her hand and pulling me up.
Applause went around the room and we both grinned and took a bow. "Shall we partner up for the combat room" I asked with a smirk"I have no doubt we could take care of these guys."

She agreed and like the guys, we swapped our weapons for the practice ones being used in the combat room. Everyone skulked in and the lights went out for thirty seconds, giving everyone a chance to position himself or herself.

Except my cell phone got a message, it vibrated on my hip.

I glanced at the message and almost passed out, it was a 911 from Tate.

"Shit" I swore out loud"I have to go." I stumbled towards the door.

The lights flicked back on and I came face to face with a concerned Ranger"What's the matter babe"

"I don't know" I said"Tate's in trouble."

"Angelus" Diego asked, his voice a growl.

I nodded"I have to go."

"He can handle himself" Diego countered.

"He wouldn't call me if he didn't need my help" I snapped.

"You should just leave him to die."

"Babe, whatever Angelus is in trouble over, it's got to be bad. You can't just"

"I know exactly what Tate's involved in" I said frostily"so I know what sort of trouble it could be. Now if you'll excuse me" I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Tate's number.

"Hello!" A shaky female voice answered in a whisper.

"Sienna" I demanded, recognizing the voice"its Steph. What's wrong, honey? Why did T send me a 911" I was pacing and worried.

"Oh god, Steph" she moaned"it'sthem! They came back."

"Them" I questioned"who are they? Is Tate alright"

"Them!" she snapped"from high school"

I know I must have paled dramatically at that, but the thought chilled me all the way to my bones"no" I shook my head, fear clouding my thinking"no, it can't be." My pacing was frenzied and my breathing shallow"Si, is Tate okay"

"I " she didn't answer.

"Si! Answer me" I snapped"is Tate alright"

"No" she started to cry"they cut him."

I shivered; I knew what that meant"okay, Si. Hold it together. I'm on my way, honey. I'll have you out of there real soon, I promise."

"Stephy, I can't"

"You have to be strong" I countered firmly"where are you and is Tate with you"

"Tate's with them" she gasped out and I felt the last of the blood in my head drain out"but I got out. I'm in a diner near home."

"Okay" I said, my pacing slightly less frenetic as I realized she wasn't in too much danger, I thought for a moment "rip your clothes a bit, roll in some rubbish and go to a homeless shelter" I instructed her"have you got any weapons on you"

"No" she moaned.

"How about money"

"No"

I thought about that for a minute"okay, hide out at the shelter, I'm on the next plane out of Trenton. I'll be there tonight. I'll call you when I arrive, just stay calm."

"Don't go to LA" her voice was softer than a whisper, but she was calming down, and that was good. "We're in D.C."

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING THERE" I exploded in fury"YOUKNOW HOW DANGEROUS IT IS THERE! HAVE YOU BOTH LOST YOUR FREAKING MINDS"

"Steph, calm the fuck down" Kevin was behind me.

"I'msorry" Sienna mumbled"it wasn't our fault"

"I know, honey" I said"you just stay safe. I'll call you."

She hung up.

Another phone-call quickly disabused me of my original plan to fly; the next flight wasn't for four hours and it would be faster for me to drive. I started pacing, trying to work out what I needed, I muttered to myself"guns, knifes, vests, clothes, money, food, ride, accommodation." I paused"I can't just walk in guns blazing. Sienna hates her gun more thanI do" I paused again"but they'll have theirs, and they're trained. SHIT" I mumbled"trust fucking Tate to leave this to me"

Finally I stopped my pacing and turned around"I need a fast, safe way to get to D.C." I said.

"What's going on, Steph" Kevin demanded"you're about to go wheeling off to D.C. - why"

"Tate and Sienna are in trouble."

"What kind of trouble" Ranger asked.

"Bad trouble" I said. Like there's any otherkind of trouble!

"Business related" he asked.

"History related" I returned"can you help me with my transport problem"
He threw me the keys to his truck"it's cleared for speeding" he said with a smile"no cop will pull you over, no matter what."

"I assume it's got GPS and extra cladding" I asked.

"And a tamper-alert system" he nodded"why? You think you'll need it"

"Yeah" I said shortly, leaving the room to get my extra guns from my gun locker at RangeMan. They all followed me.

"Do you need backup" this was Tank.

I shook my head"no." There was noway I was taking any of my friends into this situation - it was personal and besides, none of them seemed to like Tate; I didn't want to risk his potential survival. I grabbed the spare Kevlar vest I kept here, and threw it into my bag. I loaded half the weapons into Kevin's arms, and half into Bobby's.

"How long will you be gone" Tank quizzed.

"Hopefully two days" I replied"maybe a week."

"Call if you'll be longer."

"I'll call or I'll be dead." I said over my shoulder as I continued down the stairs, followed closely by all the RangeMen.

"Dead" Tank demanded.

"If you hear of a Jane Doe found dead in D.C. with face and body mutilated beyond recognition, assume it's me." I said, forcing my voice to remain unemotional.

I opened the door to the Truck and quickly searched all the different compartments, finding numerous explosive devices, weapons and technical gizmos. I glanced at Ranger"you mind if I borrow these" I asked.

He shook his head.

"Tank, make sure you pay him back whatever this is worth, from the inheritance fund" I motioned to the car"if anything happens to me, or it."

"Not necessary, babe" Ranger said and looked like he was about to say something more.

I turned back to the car and shoved the one gun that I couldn't find a holster for under the passenger seat of car and climbed in, throwing everything else into the boot. Kevin and Bobby placed their handful of weapons in the back. They were older, less practical weapons that I had learnt how to use and owned because the guys had said I had to. Normally I wouldn't bother with them but I was about to strip my apartment of all its weapons and I wouldn't feel comfortable returning to it if I didn't replace them before I left. I threw a smirk at Ranger"If you want to see my home" I said"tail me."

I pulled up outside my apartment building and swore furiously when I saw my parents standing at the door. "Go away" I hissed at them"now isnot a good time. I've got an urgent trip to make. We'll talk when I get back."

My mother burst into tears, but I didn't say anything, looking at her coldly. My father looked at me"We're sorry, Stephanie" he said.

I nodded"I figured you would be" I didn't bother hiding the bitterness in my voice. "I don't mean to be this rude" I said bluntly"but I have to go to Tate and Sienna. They're in D.C."

My father paled, his eyes widening"you're going back there" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Do you need anything" He knew the history behind these events, knew why I had to go, who was behind it and why Tate and Sienna had been taken. The past eighteen months were irrelevant now that this matter had come up.

"I'll call if something comes up" I said.

He nodded"come on, Ellen" he led my mother away, and I raced up into the building and up the stairs, Ranger keeping up with me, the RangeMan crew following more sedately.

I swiped my security pass through and entered the code. I went straight to my bedroom, stepped into my walk in robe and threw a bag to Ranger; "I need six pairs of the pants in the top left drawer and twelve of the tops in the one below it. Twelve pairs of panties and sports bra's which you'll find in the drawer below that, six pairs of socks, three sets of trainers and three of the black jackets"

He nodded and immediately set to work. I went to one of the sets of drawers, opened the top one and pressed a few buttons on the keypad that was under the towels. It beeped and I then pressed my finger to a gel pad for fingerprint-identification. When it was finished, the drawers below it opened up as one so that I could access the safe. I tapped in the first sequence of codes, then the second until finally it swung open.

Ranger was watching me, I could tell. "You were at the club that night, weren't you" I demanded.

"Yes" he said"you knew" it was a question to which he knew the answer.

I didn't respond.

The safe had three levels: the bottom one held piles of ten, twenty and hundred dollar bills, the second one held a single white box and the top one had all my important paperwork. I grabbed five of the bundles of cash, which gave me five thousand. Then I pulled everything from the top shelf down on to the floor and motioned for Ranger to sit down.

He was staring at the pile in shock, and not at the money. There were approximately twenty different passports on the floor. Each one had inside it all the paperwork that complimented the ID, including Credit Cards, social security details and tax file numbers. I flipped open the first page of one of the British passports and glanced through the ID - Samantha Plynn - and passed it to Ranger"put it in the compartment at the bottom" I instructed.

"How did you get these" he asked, complying with my request.

"Tate" I said simply - I'd had them for years, except until recently they'd been in a safety deposit box at the bank.

He nodded and I passed him my real passport, and another fake. He put the real one in the normal part of the bag and slipped the fake one in with the money and other bits and pieces in the 'invisible' compartment.

The last item I dealt with, was the single white box. I grabbed it and opened it, removing the necklace from it and fastening it around my neck. Ranger studied it for a moment"you're part of Angelus' Elite" he asked.

The necklace had two wings that rested upon my collarbone, and this was the symbol that all members of the 'Elite' squad of Tate's collective had tattooed onto their collarbone when they were initiated. I could see where Ranger was coming from, clearly he'd met the Elite.

I shook my head"I'm part of his family" I corrected"he gave me this so that I could fly." I smiled faintly"those were his words. In D.C., however, they will give me authority."

He nodded.

Finally satisfied with my preparations, I shut the safe, set all the locks and walked out of my wardrobe. I stepped into my living room, where Kevin and Bobby were standing beside a pile of guns, with the rest of RangeMan watching silently. I took three of the guns and returned to my room, swapping them with the one under my pillow, the one strapped under my bed and the one strapped behind the bathroom door.

Back in the living room, I put these guns into the large duffel that Ranger had stuffed with my clothes, and then grabbed one from under the coffee table and swapped it with one of the ones in front of Bobby and Kev. I looked at the four remaining ones, and then shrugged, stowing them under my kitchen sink.

Tank looked disgusted.

"Nothing I can do about it now" I said"I have to be in D.C in four hours. I'll deal with this all when I get back."

He nodded"Are you sure you don't need backup"

"I can'thave backup" I said firmly.

I threw the duffel over my shoulder"everybodyout" I said, motioning them out the door. I set all the alarms and locked up. At the Truck, I threw the duffel into the boot with all the other gear and went to each of the guys and kissed them on the cheek, I doubted I'd be seeing them again - this wasn't a mission, which I expected to return alive from.

Finally I slipped into the front seat, shut the door and started the car. I was about to drive off when the passenger door was opened and a body swung in beside me.

I turned to glare at the man"What do you think you're doing, Ranger" I demanded.

"Coming with you" he said.

"Why" I demanded.

"You need backup."

"No" I shook my head"I told you! I can'thave backup on this."

"Why not" he hissed"even I take backup on every mission I do"

"This isn't a mission" I said quietly"this is revenge."

"Against who"

I didn't answer. I looked at him for a minute, his jaw set and his arms crossed - for a man who was generally unexpressive; he was quite open about his determination to accompany me. I glanced at the clock and swore; I didn't have time to argue with him.

"Alright" I said"you can come, but you'll do exactly what I tell you."

"Babe"

"No" I shook my head"That's the only way I'm letting you come. You don't know the plot here."

"I don't care about the plot" he said stubbornly. I had a brief flashback to a time when he'd been my Henry Higgins and had said, 'you don't care about the plot, you just get them back into the system'.

"This is one of those exceptions" I sneered; when it came to skips back then, I'd been the queen of exceptions: my first was innocent, I befriended others and became the next target for yet more"the plot is very important. I'll explain part of it as we drive" I said"but we're only going if you agree to do what I say. Otherwise I'll shoot you and leave you somewhere between here and D.C."

He sighed"alright, you're in charge."

I nodded and pulled out of the parking space with a wave to the RangeMan crew, who were now muttering amongst themselves