Disclaimer: I'm not making any profit, just having some fun. The characters belong to Janet Evanovich as do any recognizable settings.
I try to edit closely but there will be mistakes. Since this is just a hobby I don't worry too much about small mistakes.
Spoilers for all books.
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Ranger disconnected the call and dropped the phone on the bed. Then he pulled the sheet away and pinned me to the mattress with his body. He said my name on a sigh and kissed me. His fingers inched into my hair cupping my scalp. When he broke the kiss he rested on his forearms his brown eyes staring into mine.
"Someday I'm going to make love to you again," he said pressing his lips into my hair. When I do it will be worth the wait, I promise."
Then he stood from the bed and gathered up his clothes and walked to the bathroom. I was left alone in my bed completely aroused and thoroughly confused. I pulled the sheet over my body and sat up glaring at the empty doorway Ranger had just walked through. Suddenly I was mad bordering on furious. I threw the sheet back and jumped from the bed grabbing the skimpy tank top Ranger had carelessly thrown to the floor just minutes before. As I pulled it over my head I marched toward the bathroom and Ranger.
Now I was in a full on rage bordering on what Lula called Rhino Mode I flung open the bathroom door and crossed my arms over my chest. Ranger looked up from where he sat lacing his boots and arched an eyebrow at me in question. That gesture only fueled my anger and I found myself shaking slightly as I perched my hands on my hips.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"An emergency came up, I have to go."
"To where? Timbuktu?"
"Rangeman."
"I see. Do mind if I ask what's so important this early in the morning? Is there a smoothie crisis?" I asked.
"The elevator is broken," Ranger said.
"The elevator is broken," I repeated. "That doesn't sound like an emergency to me."
Ranger pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "You didn't let me finish. Hal is trapped inside. I need to go. I'll see you at the office later."
Ranger kissed me and disappeared leaving me standing in the door of the bathroom. I marched back into the bedroom and glared at the empty bed. I looked at the clock it was only six-thirty. Might as well get dressed and go for a run I thought. Then I can stop for doughnuts on my way to work. I so needed doughnuts.
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Lester and I sat at the small work table in Ranger's office reviewing the partner rotation I'd developed the previous far I'd learned that Brett and Zero were never partnered together because they were not compatible. I was surprised Ranger took such things into consideration. He managed the company with such authority I'd assumed the men did what they were assigned or faced termination. I also learned that Hector, Cal, Cyclops and Lester had specific jobs and were not part of the usual rotation. If there was an emergency absence Ranger substituted for the missing partner. Otherwise an offer for additional compensation was made for volunteers to take the empty slot.
I knew from earlier conversations that Lester was management and no longer took shifts with a partner. The other three men I'd included in the rotation. After Ranger explained this to me I grabbed a highlighter from the supply tray in the middle of the table and marked each place I'd put Cal, Cyclops and Hector on the chart. That coupled with the blank spaces I'd circled in red the day before looked like a lot of shifts to cover.
"If your short staffed why not put these men in the field?" I asked pointing to list of men who were not in the rotation." I could take a shift or two. It would limit my time to chase skips for Vinnie but," I gestured toward the paper in front of me not sure how to finish.
"When Hector came to work here he made it clear that he wasn't interested in other aspects of the job. He's an excellent IT guy, but surveillance and monitor duty he had removed from his contract," Lester explained.
"What about Cal?" I asked.
Ranger shifted in his chair and cleared his throat when I looked up at him I could see a little bit of stress on his face. "Cal came out of the rotation about six months ago. Rangeman is working its way out of the bounty hunting business. The quickest way to do that was for Cal to do fugitive apprehension full time until the end of our contract with Vinnie. You know BEA work isn't a nine- to- five job. He keeps his own hours so that keeps him out of the rotation.
I sat back in my chair and thought about what Ranger had just said. If Rangeman didn't work for Vinnie anymore then I would be expected to take all the folders. Even the high level dangerous skips that Ranger always handled. I wasn't sure what I thought about that but at the moment my stomach felt a little uneasy.
"Stephanie and I will fill in Saturday night, and we'll move Manny and Johnson to Monday. That covers the spots for this week and the first of next week."
"I'll take a shift with Ty next week. Put us down for the empty slot on Friday night."
"Okay that's two weeks," Ranger said. "Stephanie send a mass email asking for volunteers to take extra shifts. List yourself as the contact. Paying for overtime is not my preference but it's necessary and there are employees who will take the opportunity."
"Where are we with straightening out the mess in Boston?" Lester asked.
"It's slow but Hector has the database back in running order. There are reports missing that we may never be able to duplicate. The biggest issue is that there's about $100,000 thousand dollars missing from bank statements. McKinney meets with the attorney everyday. No one is sure if it's just bad bookkeeping or embezzlement."
"Shit," Lester muttered running a hand down his face. "You think Parker was stealing?"
"I think Parker was drunk and not thinking straight."
"I'm thinking of sending Ty up there to handle the investigation from the inside."
"Ty? Why would you send Ty?" I asked.
Les and Ranger exchanged a look across the table. Then Les shuffled some papers mindlessly avoiding eye contact. I shot him a glare and turned to Ranger.
"We grew up with Cyclops in Miami, I told you that."
"Yeah, so?"
"So after high school we split up, Lester joined the Army and I tried college and eventually joined the Army too. Ty didn't go to college, we'll not right away, he went to the police academy."
Ty is a cop?" I asked.
Les coughed in a weak attempt to cover his amusement. I shot him another dirty look and crossed my arms over my chest. There was something they weren't telling me.
"He was a deputy with the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Department. His last assignment was to the Gang Enforcement Unit."
"Does Lula know Cyclops was a cop? You know she thinks she's allergic to cops, at the very least they give her diarrhea."
"She told him that and I'm not sure if he's told her or not. Ty isn't a deputy anymore. He quit a few months ago. Now he works here and is studying to take the Bar Exam."
"Cyclops is a lawyer, I said under my breath. "A lawyer."
"Babe, Cyclops was a teenager in a middle class neighborhood who hung out with a bunch of middle class kids pretending to be a badass. Ty was cop, and a good one who loved the adrenaline rush of taking down the bad guys. Tyrone Washington is a recent law school graduate who is finally ready to give up the unpredictability of undercover work and no set hours for the calm reassurance of nine to five office hours and a lucrative paycheck."
I sat back in my chair feeling a little shell shocked. While I was lost in my own thoughts Lester and Ranger continued talking about the situation in Boston. Of all the things I'd assumed about Cyclops none of them were near the truth.
"Earth to Babe," Ranger said waving a hand in front of my face.
"Huh, what?"
"We're done." Ranger said the corner of his lips twitching like he was holding back a smile.
"Right I'll get that email done immediately and then I'll make the changes to the schedule and post it and send another email with it attached."
"After lunch I'd like you to help me with a couple of proposals for corporate contracts," Lester said standing up from the table.
I looked at the time on my cellphone and realized it was eleven-thirty. At that same moment my stomach growled announcing it would no longer be ignored. Les snorted and walked out the door leaving me alone with Ranger.
"How about lunch?" Ranger asked. "We could go to Big Jim's."
"You don't want a salad?" I asked.
"It's not a temple day and we haven't been there in a while."
"We've only been there once and Morelli was with us,"
"Yeah, but this time it'll just be the two of us," Ranger said.
"Four," I said. "Just the four of us, Lester and Nicole invited me to lunch today."
Ranger pinched his nose and muttered something under his breath. "Okay the four of us."
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Ranger opened my door and placed a hand at the small of my back guiding me across the parking lot into Big Jim's. The restaurant was packed with the weekday lunch crowd. Today's crowd appeared to be mostly construction workers who'd walked in from across the street where a new bank was being built.
"There's Nikki," Lester said jerking his chin toward the back of the dining room. My eyes followed the gesture and I spotted the petite blonde sitting at a table in the far back corner of the room. There was a table of men next to her talking loudly glancing in her direction. If she noticed their behavior she didn't give any indication. Instead she was looking at her phone twisting her long ponytail around her finger.
"Hi Princess," Lester greeted her leaning down to give her a peck on the lips. She gave him a smile that expressed her love and brushed her thumb across his cheek.
Ranger pulled out the chair across from Nicole and between he and Lester. Once I was settled he took his usual seat with a view of the whole room and everyone in it. Lester flagged down a woman wearing a Big Jim's T-shirt and an apron. As she approached the table I could see her scanning over the four of us. When her eyes reached Ranger again she licked her lips and sucked in her stomach pushing her ample breasts forward.
I heard Nicole cough and I looked across the table at her. Her blue eyes were dancing with amusement and she was biting the inside of her cheek in an oblivious effort to quiet her laughter. When she met my eyes she shook her head in disbelief and I rolled my eyes. Nicole let out a light giggle, followed by a snort from Lester. That snort broke the little resolve I had and I broke into hysterical laughter Nicole grabbed a napkin and dabbed at her eyes while reaching across the table and taking my hand in hers.
"Oh Ranger it must be terrible to be so good looking," Nicole teased.
Ranger leveled a look at her that usually makes criminals cower. Nicole didn't back down from Ranger. Instead she batted her lashes and did her best Southern Belle impression asking Lester for smelling salts before she fainted from Mr. Manoso's rapturous good looks. When Lester started fanning her with a napkin playing along with her act I couldn't stop the cackling laughter that erupted from my chest.
"Laugh it up, Babe. You won't be laughing after our workout in the morning."
"I'm not scheduled for time in the gym tomorrow."
"No, but the track near your apartment is always available," Ranger argued cocking in eyebrow daring me disagree.
"Yep I've been running at track at least four days a week for the last month. Last week I started running home from the track. That puts me up to three miles."
Lester put his fist out for me to bump, "Awesome."
"I'm a long way from the required five miles to pass the Rangeman physical fitness exam."
"You're trying. That's the important thing," Lester said.
Nicole's eyes lit up and she gave me a killer smile that might put her husband's to the test. She took a moment to look at Lester and then again at me. Finally she rested her elbows on the table and leaned forward.
"We should run together sometime," Nicole said. "Lester and I are training for the Boston Marathon but he can't always run with me."
"I don't know. I still really slow, and by the end of the three miles I usually run I'm exhausted and sweaty."
"No it'll be fun. Don't say no just think about it. There's a great trail along the river. It's good to switch things up so it doesn't become routine," Nicole said nodding her head excitedly.
"Okay, if you're sure I won't slow you down."
"I'm sure," Nicole said reaching across the table giving my arm a squeeze.
I chanced a glance at Lester who gave me a wink and a smile.
Soon after I agreed to run with Nicole the food arrived. We spent the next half hour in casual conversation about sports, the weather. When the ticket arrived Lester and Ranger divided the bill refusing to even let me leave the tip.
Lester walked Nicole across the parking lot stopping beside a slate gray Lincoln Navigator, he kissed her and opened the door helping her inside before jogging back across the lot to the Cayenne. When we arrived at Rangeman we rode the elevator up to the fifth floor and all went our separate ways to our offices.
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At six o'clock sharp I walked into my parents' house hoping I'd made it on time for dinner. My Dad was missing from his chair in front of the television. I could smell garlic and tomatoes and I followed my nose into the dining room.
"Stephanie," Mom said the surprise in her voice evident. "I didn't know you were coming for dinner."
"I didn't really know either. I just got off work at Rangeman and I'm exhausted. I was hoping I could mooch dinner before I went home and crashed for the night."
"Of course you can," my Mom said wiping her hands on a napkin. "Sit down and I'll get you a plate."
"Thanks Mom."
"Boy I bet you like working at Rangeman," Grandma said. "Some of those guys sure on easy on the eyes."
My Dad looked up from his plate making eye contact with me. He shook his head and rolled his eyes. I gave him a nod and grinned.
"Busy day at work Pumpkin?" he asked.
"Yeah and the next two days I have to work late. I need to catch a skip and I agreed to take a late shift at the office."
"I put some bread in the oven. I didn't know you were coming so I only made enough for us."
"Thanks, Mom," I said spooning some ziti onto my plate. "It smells amazing."
"I have cookies and ice cream for dessert."
"Your sister was here earlier today. She had a great idea for the fundraiser at the Senior Center," Grandma said.
I felt a tinge of guilt when Grandma mentioned the fundraiser. I'd completely forgotten to call her. Valerie wouldn't say anything but we had agreed to take turns with Grandma driving her places and spending time with her to give my Mom some relief. So far I hadn't lived up to my side of deal.
"What's her idea Grandma?" I asked.
"We're going to be gypsy fortune tellers. It was Val's idea. Isn't that a pip?"
"That sounds like fun."
"What is this fundraiser you're talking about?" Mom asked.
"It's for the hot lunch program at the Senior Center. There was a budget cut and the meal program is in danger of being shut down. A lot of the people who come there count on the lunch to help them get by," Grandma explained.
"I'd like to help too," Mom said. "Do you think there's something I could do?"
"They're having a bake sale at the festival. You could bake something to sale."
"Of course I could," Mom said.
"The plans aren't all done yet. Valerie is helping plan everything she'll need help I'm sure."
"I'll call Valerie in the morning," Mom said.
"I'll call her too," I said.
"Is it a fall festival? If so there's a bunch of stuff at the lodge I bet the Senior Center could borrow."
"Oh that's right the lodge used to have a big fair every year for the St. John Children's Hospital," Mom said.
"That's right, I'd forgotten," Grandma said.
"I'll check tomorrow," Dad said popping the last bite of cookie in his mouth. "I'm sure glad that Morelli boy isn't here to steal my cookies."
My Mom's eyes widened and my Grandma slapped the table laughing. I seemed to be doing a fish impression.
"You knew he was stealing your cookies?" I asked.
"Of course I did. I'm not blind. Morelli seemed to think he was getting one over on me so I decided to ignore him."
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I showered, feed Rex, and climbed into bed all before eight o'clock. For a few minutes I thought about the day and dinner with my family. My parents seemed to be more relaxed than I'd seen them in years. Dad even seemed to enjoy the conversation at dinner. Things were diffenatly looking brighter.
My thoughts turned to Ranger and what had happened in my bed this morning. We'd almost had sex. We'd almost had sex and I'd wanted it. I'd wanted it bad. I touched my lips as I remembered that last kiss and the words he'd said. Ranger wanted to make love to me, too.
Before I could think about it too much I heard the locks on my door turn and I knew that in just a few seconds the man himself would be in my bedroom. The self-preservation section of my brain kicked into play and I felt a pull at heart warning me to be careful. Before I could decide what to do Ranger was leaning against the doorframe of my bedroom.
"Babe."
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I want to apologize again for mistakes. I've had an offer for a Beta so the next chapter should be a lot better. Anyway if you read this chapter let me know what you think...wink ...wink