Chapter Twenty-One

Ranger

He issued specific orders and collected the pilfered remote from Diaz. Marco would go to the beta site. Considering it was a shack in the Pine Barrens, there was minimal chance someone would be able to trace them. And the reinforced steel holding cell in the back room would prevent escape if he was stupid enough to try it again.

Risking his dumbass life for a fix. Marco was supposed to be smarter than that. Thank god for Stephanie. If she hadn't been the voice of reason he would have no doubt kicked his brother's ass so hard he might have needed an ER visit. Not good for several reasons. The least of which being that appearing in the open would likely land them all as sitting targets in jail.

He put a hand to Stephanie's back and let her guide them out to the Turbo. Every nerve on edge when he saw the marks in the bulletproof glass again. He'd been upgrading his personal vehicles for years. Ever since the government contract was finalized. A precaution to shore up his vulnerabilities. And yet when he heard the bullets hit the glass, he'd actually been afraid. He'd been in firefights all over the world. Been hunted by foreign operatives and assassins. Routinely rubbed shoulders with dealers and sociopaths and crime bosses under dangerous circumstances that most sane people wouldn't dare risk. And yet a few bullets clipping into his car had his heart in his throat. Because of Stephanie.

He put her in the car and called Tank. "Give me some good news."

"Wish I could. PD didn't find the shooter. We've been combing surveillance, but there weren't any good angles of the building's back entrance. Could have slipped out before we had a chance to surround him. Can't trace him through specialized equipment either. Used a hunting rifle."

"Harder to trace, but not impossible. I'm ordering the backup plan be taken for our personal problem. He'll be transferred this afternoon. See that we don't run into any complications. You may have to take the reins for a while until we can get this resolved."

"We going into lockdown? You know how she feels about that."

"I do. Text me when Diaz checks in." He disconnected and angled into the driver's seat. Steph was waiting patiently. Not nearly as freaked out as most civilians would be. She'd been more concerned about what might have happened to him. Didn't seem at all phased by what would have happened to her if he'd been taken out and the high powered sports car had lost control. Something he hadn't been able to stop thinking about. He backed out of the garage and started for Trenton. "We need to discuss our options. It's not safe for you to return home, given the circumstances. I'd be a lot more comfortable if you stayed with me."

"How long?"

"Hard to say. The people targeting us aren't playing around. They need to be identified and neutralized. Until that happens we need to lay low. Preferably off grid."

"So not at Rangeman?"

"No."

She thought about that for a second. Probably overanalyzing it from every angle. "You're not planning on locking me up in a safe house are you?"

"Safe house yes, lock up no. I still need you. It's just better if we're less visible for the time being."

"Like we're going to be the wind?"

He couldn't stop the way the corner of his mouth tipped up. "Smartass."

"Are you sure this is necessary?"

"Yes."

He caught it when her eyes moved over the bullet marks again. Her nerves rattling the atmosphere. "Do you think it would be safe enough for me to go home and get some things first?"

"It wouldn't be ideal."

"But it would be possible?"

He suppressed the sigh. Hit the redial on the Bluetooth. Tank answered. "Send a team to Stephanie's apartment to do a perimeter check. We'll be there in twenty to collect some of her things." Tank acknowledged and Ranger disconnected again. "You get five minutes. It's not smart to be exposed."

"I'll be quick."

There were two black fleet vehicles in Stephanie's lot when they got there.

Along with a green SUV.

ooo

Steph

The guilt hit me hard the second we pulled into my lot and saw Morelli's SUV waiting for me. He wasn't in it. Which could only mean he was already upstairs. Junior was doing his secret service thing from one side of the lot. Hal waiting for us in the lobby where he could protect both front and back entrances. He gave us a very professional nod. Trying hard to hide the grimace that confirmed my suspicions.

Ranger's chest brushed against my back, sending my nerves skittering down my body. I could read the question through his silence. "I'll just go up and get my things. It's only takes a few minutes."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

The barely there nod didn't do a lot to ease the nerves. Ranger had a lot of faith in me. Way more than I did sometimes. He thought that I could handle myself. I only hoped that he was right. I stepped into the elevator and turned up the bravado. Caught the hint of smile when the doors slid closed. I blew out a sigh and pressed 2.

Morelli was waiting for me when I opened my door. Hands on his hips. Cop face set firmly in place. And then the rest of the living room came into focus. I don't own a lot of things. My apartment has a bad habit of catching fire by accidental arson, and I'd never really gotten around to replacing more than the bare essentials. What little I did have, though, was all over the floor. I leaned around the corner into the kitchen. My drawers had been turned over. My cupboards hanging open. I could see similar damage in the dining room that I used as an office. Between the damage and the look on Morelli's face, I was having flashbacks to my first foray into bounty hunting, when Morelli had been on the run and he'd tossed my apartment looking for the distributor cap off his red Jeep Cherokee that I had commandeered.

It was a surreal moment.

"What happened?"

"You tell me. First I hear about a pair of dead bodies and a couple police sketches that look an awful lot like you and the Caped Crusader. Then I get a call that my fiancée was shot at by a sniper, and when I come to see her, the apartment is tossed. I want to know what the hell is going on and I want to know now."

"Okay, but you have to promise not to yell."

That got me a whole lot more cop face.

I blew out a sigh. "Loopy Ortiz used to go out with Ranger's brother Marco."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"About a week ago she came to him with a job. She wanted him to be the middle man for an arms deal, only she didn't know who the buyer was. According to Big Jim, the leader of the motorcycle club she ran with, they only ever talked to a front man named Dominick. But Loopy knew of these sellers who had the merchandise Dominick's boss wanted and they were motivated to sell at a discount because of some legal trouble with the FBI and Customs. Big Jim passed on the deal, and advised her to pass too, but instead she called Marco. Well, the sellers were a no show, which left Marco holding a big old wad of cash that wasn't his and no guns. He was trying to regroup when someone killed Loopy."

"And you think it was this unknown buyer."

"That's the theory."

"And where does the sniper come in?"

"Ranger and I went to talk to Big Jim night before last. That's why I was dressed like biker Barbie. Big Jim told Ranger about the deal and gave him the name of the seller along with everything he knew about Dominick, but according to a contact at Mercy General, Big Jim was found this morning in an abandoned house. Ranger thinks he was tortured for information about us."

"Which would mean that because of Ranger you've been dragged into the crossfire of an underworld deal gone wrong that didn't have anything to do with you? Jesus Christ. Ranger is supposed to protect you, not put you in harm's way."

"You promised not to yell."

"I never promised that, and even if I had it wouldn't have helped. What the hell was he thinking?"

"It's his brother! Wouldn't you do anything for your brother?"

"When my brother fucks up it gets him kicked out of the house for a few days until his wife decides to take him back. There's never been dead bodies or snipers involved."

"But if there was?"

I could see the muscle ticking in his jaw. His eyes hard like he was trying not to strangle someone. "I'm calling this."

"Excuse me? You're calling this? Like it's a rain delay?"

"Someone has to be the voice of reason here, and it's sure as hell not Ranger. He's up to his eyeballs in this, and I'm not going to fault him for it, god knows I'd do the same if it was you, but he's just going to have to figure out the rest of this on his own."

"Because you say so."

"I'm not saying that."

"Yes you are."

"And so what the hell if I am? You don't owe him anything, Steph."

"I'm not in this because I owe him."

"Then why are you in it?"

"Because he needs me."

"Steph. This is Ranger we're talking about. He doesn't need anybody."

This hit so close to home that I had to bite my cheek. "I'm not doing this."

I pushed passed him and went into my bedroom. The carnage was just as bad in there. I picked up my laundry basket and started gathering things into it. Morelli followed me. "Doing what?"

"I'm not fighting with you over this. You're going to start yelling, and then I'm going to start yelling, and there with be arm waving and warnings and then you'll put your foot down and then I'll lose it—"

"You're already yelling."

"Ugh!"

"And what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm getting my clothes. Ranger wants me to stay in one of his safe houses until we can figure this out."

"Come stay with me."

"I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Why wouldn't it be? You stay with me all the time."

"Joe, they put a bullet between Loopy's eyes. They executed Stretch and Tiny. If they figured out I was staying with you—"

"You don't think I could protect you?"

I cut my eyes up to him when I heard the hurt in his voice. The implication all too explicit. That I trusted Ranger more than I trusted him. "I know you can protect me, but this is different."

"Ranger got you into this mess so he has to get you out?"

"Something like that."

"And where does that leave me? I'm supposed to just sit back and watch this happen to the woman I love?"

"And what if I did go with you? I can't hide in your house and expect no one is going to come looking for me. The Newark police will want to bring us in for questioning. Won't that put you in an awkward position?"

"I don't care."

"You will."

"Steph."

I was throwing things into the basket at random. Joe followed me to the bathroom and then back to the kitchen.

"Steph! Christ! Why did I have to go and fall in love someone so stubborn and bullheaded!"

"I am not stubborn!"

"Cupcake, you're the definition of stubborn. You don't listen to anyone! Christ, it's like trying to run in quicksand. Every time I think you've started to settle my foot slips and I'm sinking all over again."

"Great. That's really flattering."

"God, don't take it like that."

"How am I supposed to take it?"

Joe grunted in frustration, murmuring a low string of Italian while he clung to his temper. That was never a good sign. Joe only slipped into Italian when he was running red line. He dropped his eyes to his shoes and took a few deep breaths. "I asked you to marry me, Stephanie. Doesn't that count for something?"

"So I'm supposed to be less insulted because you said you want to marry me?"

"I do want to marry you, and god that's scaring the hell out of me right now."

"Why, because I'm stubborn?"

"Yes, because you're stubborn! And wild and reckless and you're always running headfirst into danger and never thinking of the consequences. I can't keep up with you anymore. Jesus. Why can't you settle down? Why do you always have to jump off the garage roof?"

"You were even more reckless than me."

"Yeah, and I grew the fuck up!"

My mouth dropped open and his brow folded.

"Steph I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes you did. And you know what? You're right."

"Steph."

"No. I'm not grown up enough for this." I stuck my hand in my pocket and tossed him his ring. He caught it and chased after me when I picked up Rex's cage and set it on top.

"Steph. Stephanie!"

I didn't answer. Just collected up my things and hit the stairs. Joe trailing behind me. Hal was alone in the lobby. Went into protective mode when he saw I was upset. He didn't intercept Joe, but I could tell that one wrong move and Morelli would be on the ground.

Ranger's Cayenne was idling just outside the back doors.

Joe stopped. Hovering in the open doorway.

He just watched while I dumped my basket in the back seat and got in beside Ranger. Then Ranger put the Cayenne in gear and drove away.

It took a good ten minutes before the mad cooled enough that I could feel the tears. Just below the surface. Ranger did another heat run. Cutting through the city streets like he was trying to lose the devil. He slung the Cayenne down an access road and under a bridge. And then I blinked and we were in pivoting into a garage. I hadn't even seen the door open. And just as quick, the door shut, leaving us in darkness.

Ranger cut the engine and the headlights went out. He angled out and came around to my side of the car. Pulled my door open and offered me a hand. Then he collected my basket and gave me a tug toward a door that was barely visible against the dark wall.

I don't know what I was expecting when he opened the door, but it wasn't an ordinary living room. The furniture was plain and mismatched. Very bachelor pad. I'd seen a few of Ranger's safe houses. They were always nondescript fortresses on the outside, modern minimalist on the inside. This was like walking into someone's real life.

Ranger didn't let go of my hand when he set my basket on the coffee table. Dropped his keys into the little wooden bowl. There was a set of keys for a Mercedes in it. Along with a set of dog tags.

Dog tags that said Manoso.

Omigod.

I was in the Batcave.