Chapter 21—A Long Night with the Merry Men

Stephanie's POV

When I came to, I was in the arms of Hector with Bobby running his hands up and down my legs. I tried to sit up, but Hector held me down, shushing me gently in Spanish.

Remembering what happened, I complained, "I know we're at a speedway, but I thought all racing would be confined to the track. Who does that guy think he is, Mario Andretti? I hope you guys gave that speed demon what for?" I didn't see any of the other guys and asked, "Where are my Merry Men?"

Bobby shot me a worried look, before comprehension dawned on his face. "Well, Robin Hood, your Merry Men are out chasing that speed demon, the bandit who tried to run you over, and reporting the incident to the Sheriff of Nottingham," he informed me.

I pitied the driver if any of my friends caught him. They were all pretty big guys and exuded more than their share of testosterone, but he deserved a little roughing up for driving like that. Someone…like me…could have been killed.

"Now, Steph, where does it hurt?" Bobby asked. I flexed my arms and legs and twisted my torso a bit. It all worked, but I was sore head to toe and said so. My elbow throbbed and I also had a raging headache. Bobby pressed on my stomach and back, but they weren't any sorer than any other part of me.

He cupped my head in his hands and peered into my eyes. I winced when he pressed on the left side of my skull where a huge knot had risen.

Hector and Bobby helped me to stand, but I was awfully dizzy. Bobby swung me up in his arms and carried me over to the vehicle I'd been headed for before all this happened.

Lester was climbing in the back seat while he finished up a phone call. He took me from Bobby, cradling me against him. It felt good to let all the tension seep out of my body as I relaxed against his calming presence, not to mention his perfect body.

"What's the verdict, Bobby?" Lester asked.

Bobby told him, "Nothing's broken and she doesn't seem to have any noticeable injuries. I'd say our 'Robin Hood' escaped with a lot of bruises and a mild concussion."

At my vehement refusal to go to the hospital, the guys drove me home and tucked me into my bed, but refused to let me sleep. Throughout the rest of the night, they took turns talking or reading to me, and playing simple card games like Snap and War, all with my favorite heavy metal music blasting in the background.

They were so sweet to me, joking and cajoling me, trying to keep me awake. They put on "medieval' skits about Robin Hood and the Merry Men and fought mock sword battles, all to make me laugh. Hector even played Maid Marion for one skit and I thought I'd fall out of bed I laughed so hard.

Around dawn, Bobby let me sleep for twenty minutes and then gently shook me awake. He seemed pleased with what he saw in my eyes and finally let me sleep a good long time. He stayed with me, sending the rest of the guys home.

I finally woke up Monday evening around dinnertime to the delicious smells of lasagna. Sunny and my father had brought enough food down to my cottage to feed an army. My Merry Men, Tank included, had returned after work to check on me, so we all dug into the feast Sunny laid out.

I wanted to ask Tank about his date with Lula, but didn't want to embarrass him in front of the others. I did notice he seemed to be smiling a lot and at nothing in particular.

After I'd had my fill and settled on the couch next to my dad, I asked about the car and driver who'd hit me, but Les said the guy had sped away and escaped in the myriad of country roads that wound through the rural area. Lester had reported the make and license number to the sheriff, but found out the car had been reported stolen the day before.

"Do you have any enemies, Steph?" Bobby asked jokingly. My dad glanced at me and was about to say something until I squeezed his arm and looked pleadingly into his eyes. The guys didn't know I was a bounty hunter and that there were dozens of people who wouldn't mind seeing me six feet under. My reputation wasn't all that good what with my cars being blown up and buildings burning down.

I really enjoyed my friendship with all these incredible men and didn't want to chance tarnishing their image of me. The longer I could put off my Merry Men knowing what I really did for a living and how bad I was at it, the better.

Tuesday, April 6

I made the rounds of phone calls to Grandma, Mary Lou, Connie and Lula to let them know what had happened and how I was doing. Luckily, Sunday's incident at the Speedway had occurred quite a ways from Trenton, so the Burg grapevine hadn't been activated.

Dad had let my mother and Grandma know about my 'incident' so Grandma had all the facts and I'm sure would be the 'Queen of Gossip' at the Clip and Curl this week. Grandma said Mom went straight to the bottle tucked behind the olive oil. At least Mom still worried about me, even if we weren't speaking.

Even the TPD hadn't got the word yet, I discovered after talking with Eddie Gazarra. Eddie said he would talk to the sheriff's office and see if he could offer anything new to the open case. He had a list of the skips I'd brought in the past eight months and thought that might be a good place to start. I thanked him and asked him to keep it quiet, if he could.

Lula filled me in on her date with Tank. She was still flying higher than a kite. Lula said Tank had been the perfect gentleman, helping her on with her coat, opening doors for her and standing when she left and returned to the table. The restaurant had been fabulous and Lula said the food was delicious, right down to the expensive bottle of French wine Tank had ordered.

They had a lot to talk about, she said. They'd both lost their mothers early in life and their fathers were gone a lot.

Actually, Lula told me she barely knew her father. He'd never married her mother and refused to take her in when her mother passed away. Lula said she'd been raised by a great aunt who died when Lula turned eighteen. With no family, no money and no support system, she'd been targeted by a fast talking pimp and turned to the streets.

Lula confided in me that after dinner she told Tank about her history. She said she'd waited for Tank to find an excuse to leave, but he'd been extremely understanding and said it didn't matter to him, as long as she'd left that life behind her for good. My already high opinion of Tank shot up exponentially.

When I jokingly asked if they were 'compatible,' all Lula would say was, "Oh my god" over and over again. I took that to mean they'd enjoyed themselves after dinner, through the night, and again the next morning. Sigh!

Saturday, April 10

Sunny and I were wrapping up our weekly meeting, going over schedules, progress reports on projects, and discussing new ideas for activities and events. A few weeks ago, I'd suggested putting on a 'benefit' dance at the Center. It would be a good fundraiser for the Veteran's Center as well as a fun social event for local vets and the community.

Sunny was all for it, so we'd been in a whirlwind, making arrangements for bands, food and drink, a dance floor and tent, lighting and other equipment. The event had been getting great promotion through radio and newsprint, and of course, word of mouth. Local merchants and businesses would be donating most of the goods and services.

Dad had taken on the job of constructing the dance floor and getting the tent and lighting put up. I think both he and Sunny were excited about the event. They'd been getting closer the past few weeks. Dad and Mom were legally separated now and they had started divorce proceedings.

I was finally coming to terms with the fact that my parents were getting a divorce, though I was still worried about Mom. I'd tried calling Valerie several times, but only got her answering machine and she hadn't returned my calls yet.

An amazing change had come over my father since he'd moved out of the house. He smiled all the time and we talked constantly. I found out my dad was a pretty interesting man, and funny, too. He'd opened up about his early days and time in the military.

I learned that he and Hank had trained with a special forces team in the late 1960s and completed several covert operations in Laos and Cambodia during the Vietnam War. He also shared that he'd been called in after the war was over to help free Allied troops still being held as POWs in Southeast Asia. He said after what happened with Hank, he couldn't say no when the government asked for his assistance.

I felt like I had a different father. My quiet dad who had an unexciting Post Office job was also a highly trained Special Forces combat soldier who led secret rescue operations when I was a child. I looked at my dad through newly opened eyes. He'd always been my hero, now he was my super hero, like Captain America.

Unfortunately, my mom hadn't been faring so well the past few months. I hadn't talked to her in over a month; she'd refused my phone calls. According to Grandma, Mom spent her days either furiously cleaning and recleaning her spotless house or seeking sympathy for her 'plight' at the market, post office and bakery. She'd started going to church five days a week and she'd taken to wearing black all the time reminding me of Joe's Grandma Bella. Scary thought!

On a brighter note, the dance was scheduled for this Friday night. I had most everything already nailed down, except for last minute details. We were expecting around three hundred people. The suggested donation for non-veterans was $50 per person, but many of the attendees would be some of Trenton's wealthiest, so we hoped for a sizeable profit for the Center.

I was really looking forward to the event. I'd bought a new dress and shoes suitable for dancing the night away. My Merry Men had already made me promise to save dances for them. I wondered how many of them were bringing dates?

My dad would be there, of course, dancing with Sunny. Grace had to work. She was new to the hospital, so had to take all the shifts other doctors didn't want. Mary Lou and Lenny were coming, as well as her parents.

Connie was coming stag, but said she and Vince had been talking on the phone with each other and would be spending time together at the dance. Tank was bringing Lula, conjuring up a Mutt and Jeff image in my mind. There'd been no word from Ranger and I wasn't about to ask him if he planned to attend.