***Thank you all for your kind words and...encouragement over the last chapter! Sorry for the delay, it's been tough finding time to sit down and write, however, this one is longer! Oh, and just to make sure, I don't own any of the wonderful characters you are so familiar with. Sad.***
Previously...
"All the information we'll ever need is inside RangeMan. What would it take to…persuade her?"
"Persuade her?" Joe was quite attentive now.
"What would it take to convince your girlfriend to be an inside man, or rather, woman, for us at RangeMan?"
"Persuade her?" Joe was quite attentive now.
"What would it take to convince your girlfriend to be an inside man, or rather, woman, for us?"
"Are you shitting me?" Joe nearly fell out of his chair.
Slater ran a hand through his dark hair and shook his head. "Well?"
"Maybe when Hell freezes over! She's too loyal to Manoso." The three of them exchanged glances and all leaned back, assessing. "There has to be some other, or rather, more feasible plan to get information out of RangeMan." Joe knew he was talking out of his ass.
"Joe, you've associated with Manoso longer than either one of us." Paige leaned forward her green eyes glistening. "I am at my end here. I'm not going to sit here and watch the arms mess unfold while Manoso stands by. I watched him walk away too many times down in Miami, and now we have a golden opportunity."
"Golden opportunity?" Slater gave Paige a quizzical glance.
"Unlike when I was, well, when I was using Carlos' brother to bypass information around the boss, this time he has consented to working with the police. I'm sure he put stipulations down, but this is as open a door as there is at getting into RangeMan!"
Joe rubbed his stubbled face and took a deep breath. "I'll admit, if we can pull this off, it would be something. Problem is, Steph's still pissed off about you staying at my house. Further, I don't know how I can approach her about this without tipping her off."
"Well, let me step in here." Paige scooted her chair closer to Joe and leaned in, her cat eyes more mischievous than ever, "This is what you'll do." Slater leaned in close as well not wanting to miss anything. "Now, first…"
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Tired of staring at the computer screen, Stephanie realized she hadn't even been running searches for an hour. "Screw it." She stood up and stretched then leaned down and picked up her purse. Quickly, she walked to the elevator and pressed 'down.' Hastily tapping her foot she punched the button again. Scowling at the elevator doors she scrunched her lips and turned around to face Ranger. "Well?"
"Ram will be here in a minute. He was finishing a file for me." Ranger eyed her up and down. "Babe, my men can protect you only as much as you let them. Be careful."
Stephanie sighed and folded her arms. She saw Ram's head bouncing around as he walked over to the elevator. "Stephanie." He nodded sheepishly.
Stephanie flapped her hand up to say 'hi' then turned back to the elevator. "Make sure she leaves with Lula." Stephanie and Ram stepped into the elevator. As the doors closed, Ranger's hand halted the door and he locked eyes with Stephanie. "This is serious, Babe. Try to listen this time, please." Stephanie's face seemed almost childlike as she broke the gaze and stared at her feet, nodding. Ranger gave a slight nod to Ram and released the door.
"Damn, Steph! I've never heard the Boss use please, you must really be in some serious…I mean, you must have really pissed him off." Ram rubbed large bulbous bald head.
"Well, I have that tendency don't I?" Stephanie shouldered her purse and walked to the X6 pulling out her key to beep it open. "Off to the bonds office." Stephanie forgot that she was being followed until she would look in her rearview mirror and register the black Suburban. She sighed and made the turn down Hamilton, stopping at the familiar storefront. Connie was plucking her mustache when Steph walked in and Connie smacked her gum, putting her mirror down.
"So what's new?"
Stephanie slumped down on to the broken down couch. "I've got a babysitter."
Connie looked out the window and waved at Ram. "Not too bad. So?"
"This been a crappy week! Turns out it was Pinkie that was responsible for Eddie's death."
Connie gasped and put a hand over her long line of cleavage that started at her neck. "No! Really?"
"Yeup. The police haven't released anything yet because they are still verifying." Stephanie heard a toilet flush and watched Lula walk out, adjusting a neon purple snake print mini skirt, her breasts nearly bursting out of a matching tube top. "You realize it is almost October?"
"So? Can't a woman be fashionable regardless of the weather? Hmmph. Look at you, Miss…Miss. Frumpy Pants!" Stephanie looked down at her crumpled black outfit from yesterday and the Boston crème stain on her stomach. She licked her finger and tried to scrape the dried goodness off. "Where's Officer Hottie? Haven't seen him in awhile. Oh! You wearin' black, you back with Batman?"
Stephanie shook her head and gave up on the stain. "No. Joe and I are still together. It's just that, well, he's got her staying at his house ever since that dead body wound up in her bed. So I'm at RangeMan for the time being."
"What! X-bitch is at your house?" Lula had her hands sunken into her hips, her five inch gold Via Spigas tapping furiously. "What about all this activity that's been goin' down? You responsible?"
Stephanie shook her head. "No, but apparently I need protection and a sitter wherever I go. So, you want to accompany me today? It's you or Ram, and I can tell you who's company I prefer."
"Really white girl? That's so nice! So, first, fill me in!" Lula pushed all her fat around her breasts and sat down on the sofa next to Stephanie. Stephanie scrunched her head and figured out where to begin, choosing to start with Pinkie. She carried on about Paige moving in, the accident, the photos, Slater, the police meeting, and now being here with Ram watching outside.
"Whoa. That's quite a trip." Connie scratched her cheek and settled into her chair. "Ranger's right though, Steph. This smells rottener than the mob. You want some files?" Stephanie nodded and Connie handed her two skips.
"Anything exciting?" Stephanie deftly thumbed through the files occasionally lifting her lip or shrugging. "Not bad. Garvin Tucker seems decent, a uh…property damage. This Olvin guy looks good too. Stealing from a computer store? Why can't they ever go big?"
"Vinnie don't like his men big." Lula commented as she stood up. Connie and Stephanie cringed. "We takin' your car? Cuz, I am dressed for style today!" They waved good-bye to Connie and Stephanie waved off Ram. Ram actually didn't tail off until they were almost to the location of Garvin's address on the other side of the river. Stephanie walked up and noticed the door had recently been burned. She walked around the back of the house and shook her head at Lula and shrugged. "Well, looks like it's off to Ollie's house, girl."
Stephanie crossed back over the river to Olvin's on the north end of Stark Street. Lula purred to match the engine. "Damn! I love this car. I should get one, but maybe with some sort of zebra print or something on the dash. Oh, here's the house. Yikes! Guess you don't expect too much from Vinnie's FTA's. This house is, well, looks like something I used to frequent. You got a plan?"
Stephanie eyed the house then Lula and then the house. Lula's words registered and Stephanie grinned as she eyed Lula and her outfit again. "Oh yeah, I got an idea." Her voice gave away her thoughts and the grin spread like a Cheshire cat.
"Oh heeelll no!" Lula crossed her arms across her chest and shook her matching purple cornrows. "Nuuh."
"Come on Lula! You even said yourself…"
"I know what I said, and I ain't doing it."
Stephanie bit her lip and thought for a minute. "Alright, I'll take you to dinner after we're done." Lula eyed her and seemed to contemplate the offer.
"Enticing, but you gotta do better than that." She leaned against the window and gave Stephanie the, 'Try again bitch, but I'm easy and warming up to you,' look.
"And I'll let you drive…To wherever you want to eat." Stephanie added as she fumbled through her purse retrieving her handcuffs.
"You got yourself a deal. I'll go in and get him to come out the front, so you wait in those bushes by the door after we go inside." Lula opened the passenger door and adjusted both her skirt and her top. She turned around to check herself in the reflection of the tinted window and Stephanie nearly choked on her own spit. Lula's boobs were pushed so far up her chin was resting on the top part.
"Good god! Help us all." Stephanie murmured as she placed the cuffs on the dash and watched Lula waddle up the sidewalk. Lula rang the bell and pulled her shoulders back, waiting. The door opened and a man who looked a lot like the picture in the folder answered the door. His eyes nearly popped right out of his head and he gave a slight squeal of glee at the sight of Lula on his doorstep. Stephanie shook her head and shuddered. Lula waved her arms dramatically then was leaning against the doorframe persuading Olvin to let her inside, rubbing her finger down his chest and making sure to bend over a lot. From the car, Stephanie could see sweat forming on his brow as he nervously looked around. Stephanie got a strange feeling and cautiously watched Lula interact with Olvin.
Lula continued to sweet talk him and pulled open her purse. Suddenly, she dropped it at Olvin's feet. Feigning clumsiness Lula prepared to bend over. Thankfully, Olvin held his hand up and quickly bent down to pick up the silver handbag for her. Lula stuck her chest out and as he came back up he smashed into her gigantic breasts. Stephanie swore she felt a tremor as the massive breasts bounced up into Lula's chin, nearly giving her whiplash, then bounced back onto Olvin's head catching him off balance. Lula stumbled back by both the breast knockout and Olvin's teetering. Suddenly, her ankle rolled off of her sky riser shoes and her arms flayed like a chicken on its way to Cluck-in-a-Bucket. Olvin grabbed for Lula grasping the only thing available and took hold of both breasts as she tumbled backward. Her top slipped down and Lula in all her glory was splayed on the damp grass with both breasts exposed and Olvin's head nuzzled between them, his feet kicking.
Jumping into action, Stephanie grabbed her cuffs from the dash and sprang from the vehicle to rescue Olvin. Lula looked like a turtle on its back kicking her feet wildly and Olvin was barely moving now. "My god, Lula! You're going to suffocate him!"
"What! You worried about him when he's the one violatin' me! Get him off!" Lula was furiously wriggling back and forth. Stephanie clasped the cuffs on Olvin's wrists and rolled him off Lula onto his back. With great effort, Lula stood up and adjusted herself, stuffing her breasts back into the slinky top. "Phew! Pervert! I see now why Vinnie bailed you out." Olvin was passed out and had a shit-eating grin plastered on his face as they dragged him to the car. "Let's get him down to the station. I need some serious comfort food after this dangerous ordeal. I nearly died!"
Stephanie smiled as she started the car and drove towards the police station. "Don't you think you're being a little dramatic? You didn't nearly die!" Olvin started to make noises in the back seat, so Lula turned around and tazed him.
"Did too! I was nearly drug into the house and murdered!" Stephanie shook her head at her friend and finally pulled into the police station amidst the rants of death from Lula.
"You want to come in?"
"Now what kind of question is that? I'm going to be waiting in the driver's seat of this beaut." Lula caressed the dashboard and shooed Stephanie out of the car. Stephanie opened the back and pulled Olvin out, shutting the door behind her.
"Oomph. He's kind of heavy Lula, do you think…" Stephanie turned around as she heard the tires squeal and Lula sped through the parking lot. "Geez. Let's go Olvin." Stephanie dragged the limp body to the door and was met by Mickey and Eddie. "Hey, a little help?" Eddie gave her a grin and together, with Olvin's feet dragging on the ground, Mickey and Eddie easily pulled Olvin into the station. Stephanie sat on a bench waiting for them to return with the necessary documents and recognized three familiar figures walking down the hall. They all nodded to Eddie and Mickey and Slater stepped to the side as Olvin was dragged by. Paige and Joe nodded to Slater and turned the corner continuing their conversation.
"Your handiwork?" Slater slid on the bench next to Stephanie and motioned down the hall after Olvin.
"Oh, um. Sort of. I had a little help today." Stephanie finally had the opportunity to actually "check out" Slater. She was convinced that he still looked like a light colored version of Antonia Banderas. His hair reminded her of Ranger's when it is longer except not as silky and it was jet black. She still couldn't place his accent and his eyes were beady black. "I recognize you from my apartment this morning. You ate one of my donuts."
Slater threw his head back and laughed. "Ha! Guilty! But you said it was okay."
Stephanie smiled at this and extended her hand, "I suppose I did, but that's quite unusual for me. Stephanie Plum."
"Ah, I see, a formal introduction." He took her hand and warmly shook it. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"So, you're ATF, right?" Slater nodded. "From Mar…uh, DC, right?" He nodded again. "What are you doing in Trenton?"
Slater grinned and leaned back. "Working on the case. What else is there to say?"
"I see. And you know Paige?" Stephanie raised her eyebrows and observed him.
"Guilty again. I, uh, worked with her on this case from its inception."
"You mean, in Miami?"
"Yes." He lingered on the 's' and Stephanie smiled.
"Slater, where are you from? I mean, you know, your accent."
"I actually am from Maryland. I was taught Spanish by the government to assist with South American relations over eight years ago. I deal with Spanish more than English, so I suppose my accent it quite prominent."
Stephanie was going to say something further when Eddie called her name. "Well, it was nice to meet you Slater." She turned to Eddie.
"Got your receipt, Steph." Eddie waved the paper in the air. She grabbed it and said good-bye walking out to meet Lula. Stephanie stood in the parking lot and couldn't see the BMW anywhere.
"What the?" Pulling out her phone, Stephanie dialed Lula.
"Yeah?"
"Lula, where are you?" Stephanie could hear people in the background laughing.
"Oh! Hey, girl! I'm at this great Mexican place! Boy, it's fabulous."
"Umm, Lula. You were suppose to wait for me and we were going to go together." Stephanie looked around the lot and walked back to the police station door and stepped inside.
"Oh, I was! But my near death experience put me in a bind I had the runs so bad I thought I was done gonna shit myself! So I drove as fast as I could to find a place to take a crap." Lula finished her rant and Stephanie's phone beeped. She looked at the number and cringed, knowing she was in trouble.
"Just drop the car off at RangeMan okay? Have Tank come and get it or something. I gotta go."
"Yeah, me too! Talk to you later!"
Stephanie let the phone beep again and she released a heavy sigh, pressing the 'send' button.
"Babe, you want to tell me why your car is at a Mexican restaurant on the other side of town and you're standing at the police station?" Ranger sounded unusually calm.
"I just brought my skip in."
"And the car?"
"Well, Lula decided she needed to go to the bathroom." Stephanie swore she heard him shake his head. "Um, I'm at the station so, I guess I can just…oh wait." Stephanie looked up and saw Joe walking towards her. "I, uh, I'll call you back and let you know what's going to happen, maybe I can catch a ride with Joe or something." Ranger bit down hard on the inside of his lip. "I am at a police station, so not a lot can happen. I'll call you later." Stephanie hung up and Joe came up to her and wrapped her in a strong embrace.
"Hey, Cupcake! I feel like I haven't seen you forever." He bent his head down and gave her a kiss on her surprised lips. A slight "oh" escaped Stephanie's lips as they parted for breath.
"Joe, are, uh, I…are you off work?"
"I was thinking we could go to dinner tonight. What do you think? That is, if you're free." Joe held her shoulders and looked into her blue eyes.
"Of course I'm free! Where would you like to go?" Stephanie slipped her phone in her purse and Joe took her hand.
"How about we go to Pino's. I'm in the mood for some cheesy pizza." Stephanie smiled at this and followed him to his car. They hopped into the Explorer and Joe drove to their favorite place. They got a table in the back corner and ordered an extra-large pizza. Their waiter dropped off two beers and took the menu. "I can't believe that you identified the shooter as Pinkie, Cupcake. I'm so proud of you."
Stephanie choked on her beer and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She blinked rapidly at Joe and swallowed. "What?"
"Your job finally did something good. You, Steph, did good." Joe picked up her hand and stroked it.
"I, uh, thanks."
"I don't know how we would have identified him otherwise." Joe continued to mindlessly rub her hand.
"Well, Ranger did have a picture to…or rather, the photo that…uh." Stephanie couldn't concentrate and get her words out while Joe was rubbing her hand.
"What?" Joe asked, his eyes darkening.
"It wasn't all me. I mean, RangeMan was able to provide the picture to run through your facial recognition program." Stephanie felt her head slightly clear.
"I would have believed you, even if you didn't have a picture. I'm sorry I haven't been around a lot. It's been pretty tense at the office. We have had so much paperwork and…" Joe looked away and his eyes misted, "and with Big Dog's death," Joe shook his head. Stephanie scooted her chair closer to him and wrapped an arm around him.
"Oh, Joe! I know it's so terrible. I wish I could do more." Stephanie felt herself getting emotional.
"Hey." He cupped her face and gave her a kiss. "You have opened the door to helping us capture this bastard, Cupcake. You have helped out tremendously. And you even put your life in danger. The Chief told me about the department agreeing to provide you with safety if RangeMan was unavailable. That was very noble of you."
Stephanie felt her head spin. 'What the hell? Joe? My Joe?'
"Where are Manoso's men?" Joe asked his eyes scanning the restaurant. 'Men? Not thugs?'
"Well, I was with Lula, but she sort of went to dinner."
"I'm glad I'm here then." Joe smiled at her. "Are you still working for Vinnie then?"
"Yes, and no. I'm doing just a few skips, but until this whole Pinkie thing resolves I'll be working at RangeMan most of the time. Running searches and information, things like that." Stephanie's eyes lit up as the pizza arrived. She greedily grabbed a piece to lessen the sick feeling growing in her stomach.
"You going to be helping on this case?"
"Oh, I dumo." Stephanie said through a mouth of olives, peppers, sausage.
"You know, Steph, we're so shorthanded right now, and this case is so huge, you could really be a huge help in assisting with our information searches." Joe took a swig of beer and grabbed another piece.
Stephanie barely stopped chewing as she took in what Joe said. Her mind was racing and she drowned her pizza with some beer. "I can?"
"Absolutely. I might even get to see you more often." Joe leaned forward and brushed a stray hair off her face. "It would be so convenient for you. That is, you wouldn't have to come down to the station since you are working at RangeMan." Joe looked at the pizza and over half of it was gone already. Stephanie's phone chirped and she fished through her purse retrieving it.
"Hello? Yes. I am. Yes. Oh. I will." Stephanie closed the phone and looked back at Joe.
"We would be very appreciative of anything you can supply us with, Cupcake. We're so swamped."
"I would love to help you out, Joe. I mean, if it's that important and it can be, uh, resolved faster." Stephanie steadied her breathing.
"That's great, Cupcake! You are going to be such a help." Joe internally sighed and smiled widely at Stephanie, kissing her hand. "You ready to go home?"
"Uh, actually, there's already someone here to pick me up."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I'm staying at an apartment at RangeMan until everything clears out. You know, safety reasons." Stephanie brushed her hair off her face and leaned back. They stood up together and Joe walked her out. A black Cayenne was waiting at the curb.
"Alright. Steph," Joe turned her to face him, "be careful. You should wait on taking in skips until this all passes over."
"I'll be fine, Joe." Joe leaned in and kissed her. Stephanie waved and climbed into the passenger seat next to Ranger. After she secured her belt, she folded her arms and legs and stared out the window, turning her back on Ranger. Ranger's eyes never left her as he pulled away from the curb. He slipped into the zone and they silently arrived back at Haywood. They exited the vehicle and waited for the elevator. Stepping in, they arrived quickly to floor five. Ranger stepped off and Stephanie punched the four button, Ranger turned and watched the doors close, observing the sight before him. Lester grabbed his attention and they walked to a monitor at the center of the room.
Stephanie unlocked her apartment and sat on the couch that had been brought over from her apartment. Probably placed there by the Merry Men. She pulled her legs up to her chest and stared into the growing darkness.
"Stay on this alarm and send a team to check the outside motion sensors. I'm offline." Lester nodded and Ranger left.
The faintest sound of a click spread through the apartment. Several hours later, Stephanie still stared at nothing; though the nothing was now blanketed in moonlight. A figure moved silently into the room. He moved towards Stephanie who looked like a small child with her legs pulled to her chest. Kneeling down in line with her blank gaze, she stirred and met his eyes.
"Babe," Ranger whispered as he gently picked up her hands.
"Ranger, I...I..."
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**Thank you so much for reading again! So, Steph's gotta make up her mind with what she's going to do and say, if she should say anything. Stay tuned! Reviews and thoughts are much appreciated!**