Chapter 11
~Such A Pilgrimage Were Sweet~
Stephanie lies in bed thinking about the day's events. It's well past midnight now. She has tried, but just couldn't sleep. She's tired but happy. Her first day at work was a success. She brought in all her 3 FTAs in under 4 hours, with Ranger's help. She has food in her refrigerator and kitchen cabinets. Her rent money is ready. Her car still has windshield wiper problems, but she now has Ranger's cell phone number on speed dial and a Smith & Wesson .38 he chose for her inside her bag. She didn't want Ranger to go, but she had no choice but to stand there on the pavement and watch him leave. Now that they have finally met, she wonders if she will stop dreaming of him. She hopes not. Desperately. She still remembers the warmth of his hard, muscular body when he taught her how to shoot her gun in the gun range. She's still grateful he didn't ask her why she cried. And she can't forget the small smile on his face when she whooped and danced with the 3 checks in her hands inside the bonds office. She hopes he doesn't dislike her. She hopes he doesn't think of her as an unpleasant burden. She wants to be smart. She wants to be tough. She wants to be good enough for him. She wants him to like her, to love her as she is. Maybe she's being wistful and greedy. But she can't help it. She's in love. And she wants and needs the man she loves to love her back.
She knows there is a difference between reality and dream. She knows someday she will have enough courage to tell Ranger that she has been dreaming of him and loving him for years. But right now she has no idea what to say. And she really doesn't want him to think of her as a pathetic delusional lunatic. Someday, someday when the time is right, she will know what to say and what to do. And she prays Ranger will want to be with her whether he believes her or not. She yawns and closes her eyes. Her mother hasn't called, but it's just a matter of time. And that's the least of Stephanie's worries now. She and her mother usually don't see eye to eye, but the both of them have found a way to live with that. And Grandma Mazur has successfully distracted Helen's attention from Stephanie with all kinds of adventures and mischiefs. Stephanie smiles and somehow remembers the scent and heat coming from Ranger's body when he held her tight in his arms. Clean and refreshing. Powerful, gentle, and assuring...
Gradually Stephanie falls asleep, totally unaware of the tall dark man standing in a shadowed corner of the parking lot looking up at her apartment window with his fists and teeth clenched. Anger and lust radiate off him. He hasn't seen her in years. He doesn't know why he is so obsessed with her and wants her this badly. He thinks about going into the shabby old building, breaking down her door and making her his. He lets out an alcohol-filled breath and decides against it. He can't afford to draw unnecessary attention to himself. He's just back in town. And he's already in too much trouble now. He staggers a bit and takes his leave. One day, one day Stephanie Plum, his prized Cupcake, will finally be his.
From across the street Ranger sits behind the wheel of his sleek black truck watching Joe Morelli's battered dark SUV disappear out of sight. He hasn't met the new police detective in person but has heard plenty about him. And he doesn't like what he heard. He doesn't know what made him leave the unconscious, cuffed and chained high bond FTA to Tank—the 6-5 and 285 pound ebony man-mountain of a loyal friend who watches his back—and drive across Trenton to be here. He's glad he listened to his instincts. He's glad nothing happened. His life style doesn't lend itself to relationships, but he really likes Stephanie. And somehow he simply wants to keep her safe. And make her smile.
Inside the small tidy bedroom, Stephanie Plum sleeps on peacefully and smiles as the man she loves wraps her in his arms and says, "Babe."