Previous Chapter: "You're not driving in this condition. Have you even had Bobby check you out yet? Who made you cry? Was it Santos?" he growled Les' name loudly.
"Why is it when a girl cries, everyone automatically assumes it's my fault," Les joked popping out of his cubicle. "Beautiful, what's the matter?" he ran up to me.
Within minutes, I was surrounded by a wall of men in black reaching out for me, filling my ears with questions, clouding my mind with concern. I couldn't breathe. I was suffocating. I clutched my chest and slumped into Cal's arms.
CHAPTER 12
"Well, how did you think she was going to react after being a part of a traumatic experience like that and you and Tank gang up on her like that?" Les shouted angrily.
"We didn't gang up on her. We were reminding her why we have rules," Ranger grit out.
"I say this because I love you, Cuz. But you're a damned fool. You can't talk to her and treat her the way you would with the rest of us guys. She needs a little more tenderness."
"She could've gotten herself killed. She almost did get herself killed."
"To save her partner! But she didn't and she's still here. Learn to be grateful, man. She did what any other man on the team would've done to save a member of the team."
"I'm only letting you get away with talking to me like this because I'm more concerned about her right now than your idiotic ass you know that, right?" Ranger said angrily.
"Stop shouting," I cried out to them. "Why am I still here? I want to go home."
"Babe," Ranger softened his voice and grabbed my hand. "Bobby checked you out. Your ribs are not cracked but you do have significant bruising."
"I want to go home and sleep!"
"You can't sleep on the floor in your condition, Babe."
"You're still sleeping on the floor? What kind of furniture company did you order from that it's taken them over two weeks to get your bed to you?" Les asked.
I bit my lip.
"Babe, you're staying at Rangeman for the next few days until your bruises have started healing."
"I thought I was fired."
"You fired her?" Bobby spat out suddenly appearing by my side.
"Nobody fired anybody," Ranger bit back. "Babe, you're not fired."
"But you were so angry and you yelled at me," I said quietly as tears threatened to push through the corners of my eyes.
"Fucking idiot," Les muttered.
Ranger shot him a warning look before he turned back to me. "You stormed out before Tank could finish saying what he intended to say. The men are happy to have you on as a part of the team and what you did for Ram was unspeakable. But you scared us half to death. We could've lost you. When we tell you to stand down and wait for backup we need you to follow orders. Every man that works here follows orders or there are dire consequences."
"So you're going to take me to the mats?" I croaked in fear remembering Les telling me how the men punished each other for stepping out of line.
"No, Babe," he kissed my palm. "But your punishment for not following orders for the next four months, you will be required to train in hand-to-hand combat at least once a week."
"Can you just take me to the mats?" I asked quickly.
He let out a hearty chuckle and kissed the top of my head, "It's only four months."
"That's a long time," I argued back. "Being taken to the mats, I could get my punishment over with easily in an hour or two."
"Beautiful, I can be your partner. Just think about how fun it would be…our sweaty bodies rolling around on the mats."
"Now that you painted that picture for me, it seems much more enticing. Do I get to choose any Merry Man I want to train with?" I sat up grinning.
The thought of rolling around sweaty on the mats with the green-eyed playboy, baby seal, sexy medic, and even a sexy cowboy clouded my mind. I shook my head snapping out of my thoughts and found Ranger's eyes narrowed.
"Why would you want to roll around with anybody else but me?" Les feigned hurt.
"Santos! Mat's 0600!" Ranger barked.
Les raised his hands, "Fine."
I giggled. "I need to get my day started unless there's more to my punishment."
"Bomber, you have to take it easy for a few days. Your blood pressure has been extremely low and you're extremely dehydrated. Have you been eating anything other than your boxes of mac 'n cheese?"
I frowned, "I eat what I can grab from the break room when I have a moment to spare. I actually haven't even been home the past week since I seem to keep falling asleep here."
"Make sure you eat three square meals a day, Bomber. I don't want to find you passing out chasing a skip or behind the wheel. And you need to get more sleep. We all know you've been living off of 3-4 hours a day and that's just not enough especially on your lack of diet. It seems like you've been under a lot of stress. You need to take it easy."
"The holidays are a stressful time," I muttered.
Honestly, I didn't mind the heavy workload, it kept me busy. So I wouldn't have to think so much and by the time I go home to crash, I'm so exhausted that I have no dreams and my mind is too exhausted to think of anything.
"Is there anything we can do for you, Bomber?"
I shook my head, "I'm good. I need to go catch some idiot skips now." I jumped out of bed and ignored the pain in my chest.
"Binkie will ride with you today," Ranger spoke up.
I shot him a look. "I don't need someone to ride with me."
"He can help you get your skips."
"My skips bonds are low. It's a waste of Binkie's time to go after these FTAs for a measly $50."
"Then why don't you take a break from chasing them and just focus on a full recovery?"
"Because you know why," I mumbled.
"Babe, you don't have to worry about the money."
I looked at him in shock and back at Bobby and Les.
"Bomber, are you starving because you don't have money?"
"No," I said firmly. "I need to go."
"Babe, don't be stubborn."
"Ranger, I will be what I want to be. I'm not taking Binkie with me. I'm off the clock for Rangeman now. I trust you to keep your fucking mouth shut about my personal affairs," I stated slamming the door behind me.
How could he betray my trust like that in front of the guys?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After I left Rangeman, I stopped by the Bond's office to pick up my files. I usually stuck around and gabbed with the girls but today all they could talk about was their upcoming Christmas plans, Lula and her relationship with Tank taking off, and dreading the fact that they had to spend time with their families.
I let Connie know that I was going to be gone for a few days Christmas and took off before Vinnie could come out of his office screaming about how he's losing money and what not.
The day went without a hitch. My last skip of the day was Walter "The Moonman" Dunphey. I had the pleasure of meeting Mooner in the early stages of my bounty hunting career. He was a like a clueless puppy dog, always forgetting things. I saved him for last because I knew he was an easy pick up.
I knocked on the door.
"Bomb-meister!" Mooner threw the door open and hugged me. "Don't tell me I forgot again," he frowned with his hair all mustered up in some sort of crazed birds nest on the top of his head.
"Afraid so, Mooner."
"Dougie and I were just about to watch Dawn of the Dead. Join us for pizza and beer and then I'll take a ride with you?"
"Sounds like a plan," I nodded and followed him into his messy house.
Dougie was on the couch stuffing a hot slice in his mouth. It was dripping with gooey cheese as I licked my lips and crashed onto the couch and snagged a piece.
Two hours later I was full of pizza and beer and the movie was over. There's nothing like pizza, beer, and a zombie movie to lift a girl's spirits.
"Ok, Mooner, it's time to go," I stood up quickly and steadied myself on the couch arm.
Ok maybe I had a few too many. I flipped open my phone and dialed out.
"Beautiful, is something wrong?"
"I'm drunk," I slurred.
"It's only four."
"I need help taking a skip in. I can't drive."
"I'll be there in ten."
Click.
Not bothering to figure out how Les would even know where we were, I slumped back down into the couch next to Mooner who was now playing video games with Dougie.
"Someone's coming to pick us up," I told him and laid my head back.
Minutes later I heard Lester call out, "Anybody here?"
"In here, man!" Mooner called out.
I raised my head slightly and looked at Lester standing there with a twinkle in his gorgeous green eyes.
"I need to take Mooner in," I waved my hand clumsily in Mooner's direction.
"Mooner are you coming with us?" Les asked as he scooped me into his arms.
"On it, dude. We just beat this level so you have great timing. It's like the cosmic fate that you showed up now. Are you a wizard?" he asked grabbing his jacket off of a box by the door.
Lester chuckled as I fell back asleep in his arms.
