Chapter 29
Stephanie's POV
The source of the crash was a mystery since I could see nothing that would have caused it. The tingling on the back of my neck told me that Ranger was near, and I wondered if I'd found the source of the crash after all. Now I just needed to stall in order to give him the chance to get into a position where I hoped that he could once again save me. A quick glance at the snake, and I knew the thing was ready to strike out at Tyler. He was so distracted by Mary that he didn't seem to be aware of the danger. I had a quick mental debate with myself on whether to take the chance that my cane had been left intact or not, and then there was no time to waste as everything seemed to happen at once.
At the same exact moment that I lifted the cane so that I could separate the handle—which was in fact a miniature working replica of a .38 special—there was a roar and another crash. The source of this one was obvious when the door to the arena fell inward, as if it had been fractured from the frame, and landed on the floor with Lula on top of it. She quickly scrambled up and started running into the room, waving her hands in the air as she screamed bloody murder.
It didn't take a genius to see what was causing her alarm. The jaguar loping behind her had all the hair on the back of my neck standing on end as the scent of Obsession filled the room.
The snake was momentarily distracted from its intended target, which gave me enough time to reach out with the barrel of the cane, which doubled as a stun gun. Now the most imminent danger was the large cat currently following Lula around the arena.
From the bandages around it, I wondered if it was the same cat that Ranger had shot the day Lula and I worked here. I thought about his words, and he'd only said that the scene behind us wasn't one that we'd want to see. He hadn't elaborated on that, and neither had Tank. I never did ask why. I'd just assumed it was because all the parties were dead. Then I remembered that Mary had said that what was left of him was in jail. What if… The thoughts going through my mind at that point were unpleasant to think about, but it would definitely be a scene that Lula and I wouldn't want to see. Could the real reason Ranger didn't want us to see the scene was that the injured jaguar had attacked the closest thing to it and mauled Taylor Hunt and Babs Nightingham?
Mary and Tyler whirled around in surprise as Lula joined us, and on seeing the cat, their eyes widened in shock. Mary quickly moved out of the path, but she lost her footing and went down. I saw my chance and hurried over with both sections of cane at the ready to use as they were meant to be used. I was just in time to cock the gun and tell her, "If you so much as blink, I will take you out."
As I was moving into action, I saw Ranger and Tank racing into the room at a fast clip, followed by the rest of the team. I noticed that Chandra was with them and Bobby seemed to be sticking close to her.
Terminator looked around the arena, and once his gaze zeroed in on me, he was hurrying over. With a minimum of motion, he'd secured Mary's hands behind her back with a zip tie, and then he gently took my elbow. "Let's get you off that foot, Stephanie. It can't be comfortable."
I shook my head. "I'm okay. I'd rather make sure Tyler and the snake are secured before thinking about myself."
He turned around and looked at where the snake was lying on the ground, and suddenly, he turned a pasty white and hit the ground, taking me with him on his way down.
I tried to move him off me, but he had to weigh close to two hundred and fifty pounds, and from my positon under him, I hadn't a hope of getting free. I looked around and saw Red entering the arena behind Lester. I tried to yell out, but all that came out was a squeak because Terminator was cutting off my oxygen supply.
Red stilled and her head swung in my direction. Her eyes were narrowed until she saw me under Terminator, and then she slapped Lester with the back of her hand and jerked her head in my direction. It was only a matter of seconds before the two of them were working together to get Terminator off me.
I sat for several seconds and then wheezed out, "Get the snake before it comes to—and Tyler too."
Lester moved into position behind a mesmerized Tyler and in no time had the man secured. Then he turned to look at the snake and grimaced.
Red put her hands on her hips and said, "If Lula and Steph can take care of those things, then you better believe you can too. There ain't no way on this Earth that I'm touching the slimy bastard, so just suck it up, Santos."
Lester rolled his eyes at her, and I burst out laughing.
They looked at me in surprise.
I shook my head. "I can't help it. That was an eye roll worthy of any Jersey girl."
Red grinned.
Lester scowled. "It wasn't an eye roll. I had something in my eye is all." He turned to the snake and shuddered. Looking back at Red, he said, "You're going to owe me big time for this, gorgeous."
I went to stand and winced as pain raced through my injured foot. I felt myself sway, and Red swore as she knelt down beside me and said, "Get to it, Santos. We need to get this operation locked up so we can get Steph medical attention."
Lester's gaze settled on me for a fraction of a second, and the change in the man was astounding. Gone was the jokester, and in his place was a soldier ready for battle. He lifted the snake and carried it over to a glass case along the side of the arena. Placing the snake inside, he secured the top so that it wouldn't be able to get out.
I sat there taking in the scene in the arena, from Lester dealing with the snake to Lula running around the room with the jaguar following close behind. Every time one of the guys would get close, the cat would turn on them and snarl, batting its paw in the air as if to tell them to go away.
Suddenly, I had a weird thought. I yelled out, "Lula! Stop running!"
She looked at me like I was nuts as she shook her head and said, "I ain't aspiring ta be cat food today."
I took a deep breath as I studied the scene and then shook my head as I told her, "Do it! I know what I'm talking about. Just stop running and stand still."
She sent me a quick glare and then shouted, "If I get ate, it's on your head." She did as I'd instructed her and stilled.
The jaguar came to a stop and sat down beside her as he raised his head to lay against her purse.
Lula groaned. "You're gonna tell me ta let the cat have the purse, ain't ya?"
Tank growled, and then his deep voice boomed, "I'll buy you another one, for pity's sake!"
Lula's head whipped in Tank's direction, and she smiled like that cat who got the cream. "Well, now, that's a whole different shooting match." She lowered the purse to the floor and then slowly stepped away from the jaguar and purse.
The jaguar gave her a glance, but then the aphrodisiac of the perfumed purse drew its attention back to it and the cat laid down with its head on the purse as it purred.
I was distracted by footsteps hurrying into the arena. I turned my head to see my father entering the room with several men in camouflage. One of the men lifted a tranquilizer gun and shot a dart into the cat. Once the cat was out, they moved forward to secure it into a cage they'd brought into the arena.
Daddy's gaze zeroed in on me, and he hurried over. "Are you all right, pumpkin?"
I nodded. "Yeah..." I tried to move to get up, but the pain was intense in the foot.
Daddy's look turned grim, and he said, "You want to try another answer out for size, or are you planning to stick with that one?"
I sighed. "Terminator fainted and landed on me. I think my broken foot is a little worse for wear."
He knelt down beside me and gently lifted me in his arms before standing.
Ranger joined us. His voice demanding an answer as he asked, "What happened?"
Daddy jerked his head in Terminator's direction. "The Jolly Green Giant fell on her when he fainted."
Ranger's eyes met my father's, and the two squared off. You could feel the electricity going through them. After several intense seconds, Ranger ran his hand through his overlong hair and said, "I respect that she's your daughter, sir, but I respectfully request the right to take care of Stephanie."
Daddy looked down at me with a question in his eyes.
I nodded.
He returned his gaze to Ranger and said, "You see that you take very good care of my little girl, Manoso. If you don't, you'll answer to me."
Ranger gave a smirk and then gestured to the room at large. "Look around you, sir. No disrespect, but you'd have to stand in line. Stephanie has come to mean a great deal to my men and me."
Daddy nodded and then handed me over to Ranger. Then he looked at me as he asked, "Do you think we have things handled here for a while?"
I nodded. "I think we took out the entire cell that was operating in this area. I'm sure they'll pop up somewhere else, but I think Miami is going to be just fine as soon as we get everything back in running order."
"All right, pumpkin. Is there anything you want me to tell your mother?"
I grinned. "You can tell her that I'm happy."
Daddy caressed my cheek and said, "I'll do that." He turned to Ranger. "I'll expect an update on what the doctor says."
Ranger nodded. "Yes, sir. As soon as I know."
Within a week, Lula and I had RangeMan operating at seventy-five percent. The only thing left was to hire a new crew and make sure they were trained. Ranger had asked me to do some searches on a handful of people. I'd finished the searches earlier in the morning and sent the results in an e-mail to Ranger.
I wasn't doing a lot of moving around yet. When Terminator fell on me, the broken bone in my foot shifted, and they'd had to operate to stabilize it. I was told to keep it elevated, and since Ranger happened to be standing beside me when the doctor told me that piece of news, it ensured that I was following doctor's orders to the T. Hector had devised a wheelchair so that my leg was propped to the proper degree while still being able to sit up. There was a table that fit over the wheelchair so that I could use my laptop to work.
A knock sounded on the door, and I looked up to see Ranger standing there. He smiled at me as he moved farther into the room. "I've set up some interviews for this afternoon, Babe. Are you interested in sitting in on them?"
I smiled as I met his gaze. "I'd like that, actually."
He winked. "Good. I've ordered lunch for the team who will be in on the interviews."
My eyes widened. "Just how many of us will there be?"
He lifted a shoulder slightly before saying, "Tank, Lester, Bobby, Hector, you, and me. Red and Lula were invited for lunch as well."
I frowned. "Aren't you afraid that the interviewees will be intimidated?"
Ranger made a slight nod of his head. "One way to judge the measure of a man is to see how he handles intimidating situations. If they fold under the pressure, they aren't meant for this kind of work."
I nodded. "I'll try not to get in your way."
Ranger leaned against the desk beside me and shook his head. "I don't want you to stay quiet, Babe. You're free to ask any questions you want. I trust your judgment."
The warm feeling his words gave me had me smiling. "If you're sure."
He leaned forward, and his lips skimmed mine before he whispered, "I'm sure."
With that, he stood and walked behind me so that he could push the wheelchair to the large conference room where the interviews would be conducted.
The others were all in there when we entered the room. The aroma from the food on the table had my mouth watering, and as Ranger pushed me closer, Hector stood with a smile beaming on his face.
My eyes widened. "How did you arrange this?"
He winked at me. "We interview people to cook. We sample food."
I grinned. "Do I take it that the dishes we like best will narrow the field?"
He bobbed his head. "Si."
We got down to the business of eating, and the conversation flowed easily for the hour. When we finished, Red gathered the dishes and placed them on the cart that was situated in the room for that purpose, and once the table was cleared, she pushed the cart to the break room with Lula following her.
I felt a twinge of guilt that Lula wasn't staying for this part as well, but then Ranger leaned close to my ear and whispered, "Tank asked her, but she declined. She said that was more your forte than hers."
"That makes me feel better."
Hector passed out slips of paper, and I looked at him with some confusion.
He chuckled. "You write dishes you like."
Understanding dawned on me, and I scribbled down the dishes that I'd liked the best. There had been eight different dishes, and each of us had had a small portion of each dish. The meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and gravy was close to my mom's, but it fell just short of the mark. On the other hand, the pineapple upside-down cake was the best that I'd ever tasted, and it had to be the front-runner. Thinking over the fish and chips, BBQ ribs, and stuffed cabbage rolls, none of them merited a second thought. The chicken parmesan, enchiladas, and crème brûlée were up there near the top, though.
Once I'd finished giving my critique of the dishes, I handed the folded paper to Hector, and he spirited it away with the others.
Ranger brought out a stack of folders and passed them around the table. "These are the men…and women, that we'll be interviewing today. Everyone will get the same standard answer that we'll get back to them in a day or so. If you have any observations during the interviewing process, just write them on the application in your folder. The originals are in my office, and when we're done here, all the notes will be compiled so that we have a better picture of the applicant. Any questions?"
By this time, Hector had returned, and since the guys had no questions and seemed familiar with the routine, I took it that the explanation was for my benefit. I looked around and frowned.
Before I could ask for a pen, Hector was handing me one.
I smiled my thanks, and he just nodded.
There were ten applicants who came in to interview—six males and four females. Although they all seemed nice, something kept nagging at the back of my mind. There were three of them who had my spidey sense on full alert. Hank Tilby, Mel Burlow, and Helga Stuart. Then it hit me. My thoughts raced back to the conversation with the guys who brought the stove to Ranger's house and how I felt something was off even before I found the bug.
Hank and Mel had finished interviewing and were waiting out in the corridor for their sister Helga to get done. They were half-siblings with the same mother but different fathers, according to the trio.
Helga was answering a question that Tank had posed to her about her last employer. I listened closely as she said, "I worked for five years for my Uncle Al, but times are hard in his business, and he needed to let some of us go. Since my husband and I both work there and he makes more money, it was only right that I volunteer to be the one to look for work elsewhere." She smiled and looked at the guys, waiting for the next question.
It all sounded so practiced…as if she'd rehearsed her answers over and over to the point she could spout them off by memory.
There was a blank piece of paper in the back of the file, and I started to write. The guys were just about to let her go when I spoke up and asked, "The other candidates are all getting their fingerprints done today so that's one less thing they would have to do if they are hired. Would you be willing to get yours out of the way as well?"
The look on Helga's face as she looked at me was like she might have thought I had six heads.
I moved my folder over so that Ranger could read what I had written. Although there was no change in his expression, I knew that he'd taken what I'd written to heart.
Helga stuttered to say, "W…w…well, I…I…I think I'd r…r…rather w…w…wait un…til…I…I…I get h…h…hired."
I smiled, not letting on that she'd given me the answer that I was expecting or that I planned to do an in-depth search on her and the two men with her. "Of course. That won't be a problem. Of course, you know we have several other applicants, so it will be a day or so before we can get back to you."
She looked surprised. "Oh! Well…of course, if that's how you do things. Of course, if another job offers itself, I'd have to accept it…since this one isn't the sure thing I was led to believe."
My smile was still firmly in place as I said, "Of course. That's perfectly understandable."
Ranger broke in to say, "You're free to leave now."
Helga seemed at a loss. It took her several seconds to realize she'd been dismissed. Finally, she turned and went out to where the other two were waiting for her.
As soon as the door closed behind her, Ranger had his phone to his ear, barking out instructions. Once he put the phone away, he turned to me and said, "Nice call, Babe."
