A/N: Thank you all for the many reviews and PMs. I really appreciate the encouragement! Sorry this chapter took a little longer. It is the end of the school year for me and my class of wild children! ;) (The natives are DEFINITELY getting restless!) This chapter is a little longer to make up for the delay!
Bold section from Chapter 11
I looked up at Eddie and Ranger. I cleared my throat and tried to make my voice sound stronger than I felt. "What do I need to do to file?"
Chapter 12
Ranger looked over at Eddie. "I don't want her to have to go down to the station. Can Tom file for her?"
Eddie played with his collar and looked at Ranger nervously. "He can file for her, but she should still come down and make her statement."
Ranger's eyes narrowed slightly. "Can't you take her statement now?"
Eddie cleared his throat and looked at me. "The chief prefers for statements to be taken at the station. But, yeah, I can do it here. If Steph really doesn't want to come down."
I nodded, relieved. I really didn't want to go down. And that was putting it mildly.
Ranger called Tom while Eddie took my statement. Once we were done, Eddie looked over the evidence that Tom had collected- my statement to him, the x-rays, the pictures Bobby had taken, and Bobby's records of what had caused the injuries.
I watched Eddie's face while he looked over everything. Most of the time he looked angry, but a few times I thought he was going to be sick. When he'd finally worked his way through the stack of evidence, he stood up and walked around the table to me. He pulled me up out of my chair and held me in a tight hug.
"I'm so sorry, Steph!" he whispered in a raspy voice.
I pulled back and nodded. "I know." I whispered back.
He cleared his throat and took a few deep breaths. Finally getting himself back under control, he looked up at Tom. "You ready?"
Tom nodded, and the two of them left for the police station.
In an effort to keep my mind off of things, Ranger took me back upstairs to his apartment. We changed into sweats and settled in to watch a movie. Almost as soon as the movie started, Ranger's phone started beeping. Text messages were coming in roughly every minute. About half way through the movie, I finally paused it and sat up, staring at him.
"What's going on?" I demanded.
He looked at me with a blank face. "What do you mean?"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "I'm not an idiot, Ranger. You've never gotten that many text messages before. They obviously have something to do with me and the charges Tom is filing. What's going on?"
He blew out a deep breath. "The guys are sending me updates."
"And?" I questioned when he didn't elaborate further.
"And there's a lot to update on."
"Such as?" How incredibly rude would it be to strangle the one guy who seems to want to help me? I wondered.
He gave me an assessing look. "Tom was able to file all of the charges. However, he wasn't able to obtain a restraining order. The courts are closed. He'll be down there first thing tomorrow, but for tonight, there's nothing."
My heart leapt into my throat. "What if Joe comes here?" I gasped, panicking.
"He's here right now, Babe. That was the last text from Cal."
I stared at him, wide eyed. "He's in the building?"
Ranger shook his head. "He's standing outside the lobby, talking to Cal through the intercom, and demanding to see you."
I felt the color drain from my face, and I shook my head no, violently moving it from side to side.
Ranger reached over and cupped my face in his dark hands. "We're not letting him in, Babe. The door is locked. Cal would have to buzz him in, and he's under strict orders not to."
Ranger's phone beeped again, and he looked down at it. I raised my eyebrows at him expectantly, and he flipped the phone around so I could read the screen.
Morelli is kicking the windows and threatening to shoot the door out.
I looked at Ranger in alarm. "Can he do that?"
"No. All of the glass down there is bullet-proof."
I nodded, and the phone beeped again. I crawled into Ranger's lap so that we could both read the update at the same time.
He just badged me and said he's calling for back-up if I don't open the door.
Ranger texted back: On what grounds?
Cal replied immediately: Kidnapping.
I looked over at Ranger and laughed. "But you didn't kidnap me! He has to know that! I'm sure he saw the statement from Eddie and all of the evidence that Tom brought in. How does he think he's going to explain all of that away?"
Ranger shook his head. "I'm sure he's not in his right mind, Babe. He wants to see you. In a way, I don't blame him." He leaned down and kissed my forehead.
His phone beeped again, and we looked at the new message from Cal: Boss?
He tapped away. Do NOT let him in. If back-up arrives, call me.
As soon as he hit send, the phone started ringing. Ranger looked at the read out. "Connie." He announced, answering with a "Yo!"
I leaned my head closer to his so that I could hear the conversation.
"Ranger, this is Connie! Is Steph still with you?"
"Yes, she is. Why?"
"There's a rumor going around the Burg that your guys kidnapped her and are holding her against her will at RangeMan. Something about an old grudge with Morelli."
Ranger just smirked, but I was angry. I hated that these guys were going to be drug through the mud because of me.
Connie continued, clearly unperturbed by the silence on Ranger's end. "I wouldn't be surprised if Joe or Steph's family called or showed up there."
Ranger finally spoke again. "Joe is here, and Steph's mother has called twice."
I jumped in surprise and looked at Ranger. She has? I mouthed. He nodded.
Connie whistled. "What are you gonna do about Joe?"
Ranger's mouth tightened just slightly. "He says he's calling for back-up, so we'll see what happens."
"Are you gonna let him in?" she squeaked.
"Not if I can help it." Ranger growled. He looked at me. "And if we have to let him in, he's not getting anywhere near Steph. That I can guarantee."
Ranger's phone beeped, indicating another call. "I've gotta go, Connie. I have another call coming in."
"OK. Just take care of her, please?"
Ranger glanced at me. "I will." He reassured Connie.
He hit a button, switching over to the other call. "Yo!"
I could hear Cal's nervous voice on the other end. "Sir, the chief of police is here. He's demanding to be let in."
A small muscle near Ranger's jaw began jumping slightly. "Call Tom. Tell the chief you need to consult with the RangeMan attorney first."
Ranger ended the call and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
I hated that I was the cause of all of this drama. This was Ranger's business. His home. And the home of most of his employees. And I was bringing them all into my problems. I chewed on my lip nervously. Maybe I should just go down and talk to Joe one-on-one, get it over with. Maybe that would end all of this.
I turned to look at Ranger and tell him what I was thinking, but before I could open my mouth, he gently cupped my face and spoke in a firm voice. "Absolutely not, Stephanie. You are not going down there to talk to him by yourself. If we have to let him in, I'll be there with you. And you are not dragging all of us into this. We chose to help you."
I looked back at him, eyes wide. How on earth did he know that's what I was thinking? Unless… "Out loud?" I squeaked.
He gave me a small smile. "Yeah, Babe. Out loud."
I shook my head slightly. "Ranger, be reasonable. He wants to talk to me. He's not going to go away until that happens. I could talk to him through the intercom, right?"
Ranger's mouth tightened. "Do you really think he'd leave after he talked to you through the intercom?"
I sucked in a deep breath and thought hard. I slowly shook my head. "No, probably not." I admitted.
"So then what? You're going to go outside to talk to him? Leave with him? Give him another chance?"
I hadn't thought that far ahead, but I knew that what Ranger said was true. Joe wouldn't be satisfied with just talking to me through a speaker. He would want me to come outside and talk to him. He'd try to talk me into forgiving him, giving him another chance. He'd want me to go home with him and start over like nothing had ever happened. Joe would be furious about all of the attention that this case had put on him. On us. I'd have to drop the charges. Maybe even lie and say that I had been kidnapped by Ranger and his guys.
Ranger was right. Joe wouldn't be satisfied until I left with him. And I had no intention of doing that. So what did that mean for me? I tried gulping in a few big breaths of air, but I couldn't get them to go all the way down to my lungs. It's as if my throat was closing in, and the air was trapped there, unable to go any further. I looked up at Ranger, panicked.
He gently pulled my back against his chest and pressed my head down between my knees. "Deep breaths, Babe. Push up against my hand and take deep breaths."
I concentrated on pushing my head back against his hand, and I heard his phone ringing. He ignored it, still pushing my head down and talking to me in a low, soothing voice.
After a few minutes, I sat back up and leaned against him. I was able to breathe again, but I was just about exhausted emotionally.
The phone rang again, and this time Ranger picked it up. "Yo!"
I pressed my head against his shoulder so that I could hear Cal. "Tom is on his way, but the chief would like to speak with you. Now."
Ranger's eyes narrowed. "I'll be right down."
He ended the call and stood up slowly, trying to move without disturbing me.
I jumped to my feet. "I'm going with you."
He looked at me, one eyebrow raised. "I don't think that's a good idea, Stephanie. Wait here, and I'll be back as soon as I can be."
I stuck my hands on my hips. "This whole mess is because of me. There's no way I'm letting you go down there alone. If I do, you'll probably end up being arrested for kidnapping or something."
He tipped his head to the side. "That's a definite possibility."
"Then let me come with you."
He shook his head. "I'm not stopping you, Babe, but Morelli is down there. I don't know what's going to happen when he sees you, but I guarantee it's not going to be good. And if he sees you with me, it's going to be even worse."
My forehead creased in confusion. "Why?"
Ranger shook his head. "Long story. I'll tell you another time. If you're coming with me, let's go."
I grabbed his hand and followed him to the apartment door, determined to be a big girl and face my own problems instead of hiding behind Ranger. But just before he opened the door, I had a rush of self-doubt. Could I really do this? Could I really confront Joe?
I tugged on Ranger's hand gently. He turned to look at me, a question on his face. "You won't leave me, right?" I asked nervously.
He lifted his free hand and placed it gently on my cheek. Leaning in close, he whispered. "No, Babe. I won't leave you." He pressed his lips to mine, giving me a gentle kiss. I kissed him back, hoping that he understood how much his reassurance meant to me.
Ranger pulled back and looked at me for a few seconds before nodding. I wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he must have seen it in my face. He reached over and opened the apartment door, leading me out to the elevator. I knew that it was my idea to tag along, but I suddenly had the feeling of a prisoner on death row being led to their execution. Every step brought me closer and closer to Joe, and I couldn't help muttering, "Dead man walking!" under my breath.
Once we entered the elevator, Carlos put his arm around my waist and pulled me into his side. "You don't have to do this, Babe. You can stay on the elevator and ride it right back up to 7. I'll give you my fob to get back into the apartment. Or you can stay with Bobby on 3."
I nodded and cleared my throat. "I think I need to do this, though. For me."
He nodded his understanding, and we rode the rest of the way down in silence.
The elevator doors opened once we reached the lobby, and the mass confusion started almost immediately. I could see Tom standing in the lobby, watching Cal. Poor Cal was trying to be professional and handle all of the police who were screaming at him through the speaker. The chief was pounding on the front door, and Joe was right beside him. The sidewalk was covered in blue uniforms. There had to be at least a dozen officers out there, all staring in through the windows.
I watched them from inside the elevator for just a second before they noticed us. It was pretty clear once they saw us. The yelling and pounding increased dramatically, and a few of the officers unholstered their weapons. Joe had both palms on the window, staring at me with a pained expression on his face.
This wasn't a good idea. I should have stayed upstairs. I can't do this yet. My inner weakling was pleading loudly for me to turn tail and run. Anywhere. Upstairs with Bobby, my cubicle on 5, Ranger's penthouse. Just not here. My legs were feeling kind of wobbly, and I wasn't a hundred percent sure that I was going to be able to stand much longer.
I leaned heavily against Ranger, and he felt the tremors coursing through me. He guided me across the lobby to the reception desk, and Cal stood up, offering me his seat. I gave him a shaky smile in thanks and sat down. I purposely turned the chair away from the front of the lobby and looked at Tom.
"Do we have to let them in?" I asked in a shaky voice.
He nodded grimly. "Yeah, we should. At least the chief. If not, Ranger is likely to get slapped with some sort of obstruction charge. But it's definitely not necessary to let everyone in, and I think we can make a good argument for not letting Morelli in."
He looked up at Ranger. "How reasonable is the chief?"
Ranger lifted his shoulders in a barely there shrug. "In all of my dealings with him, he's been fine. I'm not sure what he'll do in a case like this, though. Where he's forced to side with or against one of his own officers."
Tom nodded. That remained to be seen. He walked over to the desk and pressed the speaker button. He introduced himself and explained that at first we were only willing to talk with the chief. We would work with the chief to determine whether any further officers would be permitted into the building. The chief nodded his agreement and Cal walked over to the door to ensure that he was the only one who entered.
Once Cal was in place, Ranger pressed a button on the desk, unlocking the front door. As Cal ushered the chief in, Joe tried to elbow his way in as well. Cal glared at him and growled something low in his throat that made Joe take a step back. That brief hesitation was all Cal needed, and he closed the door, relocking it right in Joe's face.
The chief strode across the room and gave me a hard look. "Ms. Plum, I am Chief Doyle. I would like to speak with you about the charges that were filed on your behalf this evening."
I looked over at Tom, unsure what to do. He gave me a small nod, so I turned back towards the chief. "OK." I whispered softly.
He looked up at Ranger. "Is there somewhere we can talk?"
Ranger nodded and pulled me up out of the chair, wrapping a protective arm around my waist. He led the way to the elevator, and we all rode up one floor before stepping off on 2. Ranger strode to a large conference room and gestured for the chief to go in ahead of us. He settled himself at the table while Tom opened his briefcase and pulled out my thick file of evidence. Ranger and I sat side by side, across from the chief.
Chief Doyle looked at me. "Ms. Plum," he began.
"Stephanie." I interrupted.
"Stephanie," he amended. "I would like to speak with you alone. Is that alright with you?"
I glanced up at Ranger nervously, and he gave his head a small shake. I looked back over at the chief. "I'd rather not do that. I don't mind speaking to you, but I want Tom and Ranger to be here also."
The chief gave a frustrated sigh but nodded in agreement. "Very well. Then I guess I will have to ask you some of these questions in front of Mr. Manoso."
I felt my stomach clench in fear. What kind of questions was he going to ask me? And why did it matter if Ranger was here or not?
"Stephanie, are you here against your will?"
I gave a small jump of surprise. "No! Why would you think that?"
"Because my dear, you disappeared 5 days ago. Without a trace. None of your belongings were missing from the house, not even your purse. We all assumed that you had been taken somewhere against your will. Or at the very least that you had left in such a hurry that you didn't have time to grab your things. But then you never made any contact with Joe or your family."
I shook my head and chewed on my lower lip. "No. I came here and asked Ranger for help."
The chief's eyes narrowed. "What kind of help?"
I licked my lips nervously. "Have you seen the charges and the evidence that Tom filed?"
The chief shook his head. "No. I left the office early today. Morelli called me about an hour ago to say that he had found you, and he needed backup. Then he called back to say that they needed me to come down because the building was secure and they couldn't get in."
I looked over at Tom. "Tom?" I asked weakly.
He nodded, understanding what I wanted him to do. He opened the file, pulling out the pictures and x-rays. He placed them on the table, in front of the chief, and began reading Bobby's documentation out loud to him. The chief sat silently, his eyes wide and staring as Tom continued. He never looked up, just sat staring motionlessly as picture after picture was flipped in front of him. When Tom finally came to the end of the evidence, he placed everything back in the file folder and left it in front of the chief.
The chief folded his hands on the table and bowed his head over them. It almost looked as if he were praying, but it was much more likely that he was trying to determine what to do next.
He finally looked up at me. "I must admit that this is not at all what I expected when I came here this evening."
I tipped my head to the side, curious. "What did you expect?"
He scrubbed his hands across his face. "Well, when Detective Morelli found out where you were, he implied that Ranger and his men had kidnapped you as a sort of revenge for what happened between the two of them a few years ago. He was worried that Ranger was hurting you in some way."
I looked at the chief. "I assure you that I am here of my own free will. And no one here has hurt me at all."
Chief Doyle cleared his throat nervously. "He, uh, also suggested that Mr. Manoso may have, um, forced himself on you while you were here."
I just stared at him in shock. "What?"
"He thought that Ranger may be using you to get back at him."
I clenched my fists in anger. "That's absolutely ridiculous!"
He cleared his throat and spoke again without meeting my eyes. "So the two of you have not, uh, slept together?"
I opened my mouth to say, "No!" But instead, my stupid brain overthought the question and responded with, "Not exactly."
The chief's head snapped up. "Not exactly?" he repeated.
My cheeks turned a bright red, and I let out a sigh. "We're not having sex, but Ranger has stayed with me at night a little bit to help me sleep. I've been having some pretty bad nightmares about Joe, and if Ranger stays with me it seems to help."
The chief nodded. "No sex?" he clarified.
"None." I insisted, trying to ignore the flush that was now creeping down my neck and up to the tips of my ears.
Chief Doyle opened the file folder back up and flipped until he found the page listing the assault charges that Tom had filed on my behalf. He looked at me over the top of the paper. "Stephanie, these are very serious charges that you have filed against Detective Morelli. If you insist on pursuing them, I will be forced to place him on paid administrative leave. He may even be dismissed from the police force. Do you understand that?"
I stared at him, my eyes wide, and swallowed hard. Before I could answer, Ranger leaned across the table.
"Are you trying to talk her out of filing these charges?" Ranger asked in a cold, threatening voice. If that voice were directed at me, I would have started crying. Chief Doyle didn't burst into tears, but he did pale noticeably.
He answered, stuttering. "N-n-n-n-n-oooo. Not at all. I just want Ms. Plum to carefully consider the outcome of her actions." He looked at me steadily. "These allegations are going to seriously impact Detective Morelli's reputation, both personally and professionally. If they are not true, now is the time to pull them, before any permanent damage is done."
The tone of his voice and the look on his face made me so angry that I started shaking. I balled my hands into fists, the nails digging into my hands. "Of course it's true!" I hissed. "Why on earth would I make something like that up?"
Chief Doyle glanced between Ranger and me. "The abuse has clearly occurred. There is certainly enough evidence to prove that. What I'm saying, Ms. Plum," he caught my eye and corrected himself, "Stephanie, is that I want you to be sure that you have named the correct person as the perpetrator of these acts."
When I got angry, I either yelled and screamed or I cried. I much preferred the yelling and screaming version of Angry Me to the crying version. When I cried I just felt weak. And I had cried too much in the past several months. But, sure enough, I could feel my throat start to constrict and the prick of tears behind my eyes. I swallowed hard and blinked my eyes, trying to hold off the uncontrollable sobbing that was working its way forward.
I glared at him. "You think someone else did this to me, and I'm blaming it on Joe?"
He shifted nervously in his seat. "According to Morelli, he suspects Mr. Manoso of abusing you while you were here."
I gasped and grabbed Ranger's hand. He squeezed it firmly and turned to address the chief.
"And how does he explain the bruises that were days old? What about the broken bones that happened months ago?"
The chief let out a deep sigh and shook his head. "I don't know."
Ranger leaned across the table, a malicious glint in his eyes. "I would never treat a woman that way, Chief Doyle. You need to put Morelli on administrative leave effective immediately. And know that my lawyer will be in court first thing tomorrow morning to request a restraining order. You may want to remind Detective Morelli what happens to cops in jail. It wouldn't be a good idea for him to break the restraining order."
The chief pulled out a handkerchief and mopped his sweaty brow, nodding. He stood up and took one last look at the two of us. "I'll talk to Morelli as soon as I leave here."
Ranger stood up and pinned him with a glare. "I'll expect a call from you as soon as you're done. I want an update on what's being done with Morelli."
Chief Doyle nodded and opened the door, jumping slightly when he saw Tank standing outside the door waiting for him.
Tank looked at Ranger over the chief's head. "Done?"
Ranger gave him a curt nod, and Tank looked down at Chief Doyle. "Follow me. I'll take you back down to the lobby." He ordered gruffly.
The two of them headed for the elevators, and I stood up. I was full of so much nervous energy and adrenaline that I didn't know what to do. I felt like a coiled spring, ready to pop. I wanted to hit something; I wanted to break something; I wanted to scream. Ranger turned around from the door and saw the look on my face and my body, practically vibrating with energy.
"Come on, Babe." He tugged my hand gently and led me to the elevator. We got off at 3, and I looked at him in confusion.
"Why are we going to see Bobby?"
"We're not. We're going to gym. You need to work out some of that anger and aggression you're feeling right now. It's as good a time as any to try out some self defense moves."
"I'd rather throw something!" I muttered.
Ranger grinned back at me. "You can try to throw me, Babe, but I don't think you'll be able to."
I narrowed my eyes at him. I wasn't pissed at Ranger, so it might seem kind of irrational to take my anger out on him. But I was pissed! And who in their right mind challenges a Jersey girl who is pissed? He might have a few inches and about 70 pounds of muscle on me, but he was going down!
Ranger's eyes twinkled as he took in my defiant stance. And I was pretty sure he had read my mind when he leaned in and whispered, "Bring it on, Babe!"
TBC
