The Test

Thank you so much for all your amazing reviews! I love reading them and I'm thrilled that you liked the twist with Morelli! I wasn't sure it would work so you made me feel a lot better with all your comments!

I know the last chapter was on the short side and I apologize for that but I hope this one will make up for it.

Warnings for language and more Morelli bashing! Sorry Cupcakes!

Chapter Thirty Three

Ranger hung up the phone in his private office and called to Stephanie "Ready Babe?"

"I guess so. Unless you can think of a way to avoid it…" Stephanie responded hopefully.

"Sorry, Babe. We have to work with the TPD so we need to at least pretend to cooperate. Plus, Morelli needs to understand he's here on a futile mission."

"So, you spoke with the General?"

"Among other people and a call is being placed to the Chief of Police as well as Mayor Juniak as we speak."

"And Joe won't be able to pursue the case?"

"No, Morelli and the TPD will be required to funnel all relevant information to us and Rangeman will be responsible for the apprehension of Miguel."

"And that's a good thing, right?"

"Yes, Babe. It's a very good thing. Sending the TPD after Miguel would be the equivalent of sending them on a suicide mission."

Stephanie licked her lips and grabbed for Ranger's hand as she asked "Is that the same for you?"

"Sorry, Babe, I didn't mean to scare you. It's not the same for Rangeman because so many of us have had the same training as Miguel. It's a much more level playing field."

"How much risk is there, Ric?"

Ranger kissed her quickly and tapped her on the ass as he propelled her toward the door saying "Less than dinner with your Grandma Mazur. Now, let's go deal with Morelli."

"Grandma's not really risky" Stephanie mumbled. "She just has a lot of spirit."

They met Lester in the foyer where Ranger simply nodded and raised an eyebrow encouraging Lester to report.

"Good Morning Beautiful!" Lester ruffled Stephanie's curls as he completed his report.

"Ric, Morelli is waiting in the conference room. He's been muttering under his breath and trying to pace a hole in the carpet for the last twenty five minutes. And yeah, he knows how long it's been because he checks the time every thirty seconds."

Ranger's mouth twitched in a half smile as he responded "Excellent. That should put him in the right frame of mind for our meeting."

Lester grinned and said "Especially since I implied you two might be occupied with something other than business up here."

That got the full smile from Ranger as Stephanie asked "Ric, did you deliberately keep Joe waiting all this time? Do you think it's a good idea to be mean to him?"

"Babe, if your Grandma's behavior is considered merely spirited then I think my conduct toward Morelli should only be deemed mildly testy. Wouldn't you say?"

Ranger tightened his hold around her waist and then nipped it slightly with his fingers making Stephanie roll her eyes as she thought "Playful Ranger meets pissed off Morelli…wonderful. Maybe I can…"

Stephanie looked speculatively at Lester who broke out laughing and said "Sorry Beautiful but I am not calling you out of the meeting with a fake emergency!"

"You're no fun, Lester" Stephanie pouted.

Lester gave her his best leer and waggled his eyebrows suggestively as he answered "Beautiful, I'm lots of fun. If you'd get rid of the…"

Whatever title Lester was about to bestow on Ranger went unuttered as Ranger informed him "Santos, finish that sentence and Brown won't be the only one in the hospital."

"Sorry Beautiful, maybe we can finish this some other time. I need everything in working order this week. Did I tell you I met twins? Actress twins? They do everything together and they like to role play!"

Lester was practically vibrating with excitement as he continued "We're already talking Pilot Lester and the twin stewardesses. Coach Lester and the cheerleaders, Doctor Lester and his nurses…"

It's gonna be a great date!" Lester announced gleefully as he left the elevator.

Stephanie turned to Ranger and wondered "Didn't Tank say Les was thinking of settling down?"

"Babe, don't you know that twin stewardesses trump monogamy for most men?"

"Would it for you?" Stephanie asked nervously.

Ranger pushed Stephanie into the wall and nuzzled her neck murmuring "No, but I'm not most men and I've got everything I ever wanted right here." Then he gave her a heart melting smile and began to ravage her mouth.

Stephanie felt his lips plunder hers as his hands roved over her body and he pulled her tightly against him. She was a little dazed when he broke the kiss and said "Ready, Babe?"

Ranger and Stephanie entered the conference room hand in hand as Ranger greeted Morelli "Detective Morelli, what is the purpose of today's visit?"

Joe paled slightly at the sight of Stephanie's swollen lips but recovered fast enough to sneer "Given what I heard you were doing I thought I'd be waiting longer. Sorry Cupcake, you must be very disappointed."

Ranger smiled coolly and said "If we were doing what you assumed we were doing then there is an excellent chance you'd have had to come back at a later date. Now, the reason for this visit?"

Joe assumed his typical brash cop stance and barked "Miguel Sequero. What do you know?"

"Morelli, when was the last time you spoke with your superiors?"

"The inner workings of the TPD are none of your concern, Manoso."

"They are when they affect National Security and you'd be apprised of this if you stayed in closer communication with your department."

"Don't tell me how to do my job! And don't try and make this about national security! Thanks to you this maniac is affecting Trenton's security. He is committing local crimes and it is within our province to bring him to justice."

"Morelli, you don't have a hope in hell of bringing down Miguel. He's better trained than you will ever be. In addition, it is outside your province when Homeland Security and the DOD have agreed that the matter is best handled by Rangeman."

"What? Is this guy such a criminal that only other criminals can understand his mindset and take him down?"

"Try to understand this, Morelli, Miguel is a contradiction in terms. He's done things that I am not at liberty to reveal however I can say this."

Ranger paused and frowned as he stated "Miguel Sequero committed many acts of bravery on behalf of the United States however these acts are outweighed by the number of dire crimes he's committed against us which makes a person of interest on many levels."

"He is both a soldier and a sociopath and he possess a skill set far more advanced than any you or your fellow officers could hope to counter which is why your role in this investigation will be extremely limited."

"Big talk, Manoso. I don't see you hauling him in."

"You will, Morelli. But for now, you need to call your superiors and be briefed on the on the scope of your responsibilities with regard to this investigation."

"Fine. I'll confer with my superiors but only so I can have the pleasure of proving you wrong."

"We'll wait." Ranger smirked as Morelli walked to the end of the room and dialed his phone.

Ranger had to fight one of his rare smiles as he listened to Morelli's end of the conversation.

"Sir, I'm calling from Rangeman and Mr. Manoso has made a preposterous claim. He says he is in charge of the investigation and we are to..."

"But Sir…"

"Yes, Sir…"

"I disagree…"

"Sir…"

"This is bullshit! He…"

"No!"

"Yes, Sir."

"I understand, Sir."

Morelli disconnected and strode back to where Ranger waited. His face was practically purple and he was clearly livid as he yelled "Damn it Manoso! Isn't there anyone you don't have in your pocket?"

"No one is in my pocket, Morelli. This, as I'm sure you were just informed, is a matter of security and skill set."

"National security my ass! This is about you staying in control while you put the whole fucking town at risk! Who do you think you are? Horning in on an official police investigation!"

Ranger's cool smile turned frigid as he stated "Morelli, it's obvious that you have issues working with Rangeman so I believe it will be in everyone's best interest for me to request a different liaison from the TPD."

Joe took a quick turn around the room as he saw his plan to eliminate Ranger go up in smoke and finally stopped in front of his nemesis to respond "That won't be necessary. I have a job to do and I'll do it. As a professional. How do you plan to proceed?"

Ranger raised an eyebrow as he quickly assessed Morelli's body language, mannerisms and speech noting that something was off there. He could see the rage but there was something else simmering beneath the surface…

Obviously, Morelli was up to something but there was no point letting him know he'd been made so Ranger maintained his calm demeanor and said

"I need copies of all lab reports, witness statements and autopsy findings."

"You'll have them within the hour. Do you have any leads?"

"Morelli, this is not a two way street. The TPD is on a need to know basis and right now…there is nothing you need to know."

"Don't want us to know when you screw up, Manoso?"

"Rangeman has no worries on that score however we see no need to consult with the TPD on ops they won't be a part of."

"So, you're going to keep us completely out of the loop and yet you expect us to share with you? The department has a responsibility to keep our civilians safe…what do we tell the public when they ask us about the murders and our efforts to protect them from Sequero?"

"You won't be telling them anything, Morelli. I'll be briefing the Chief and Juniak on our progress and they will coordinate with the media to keep the citizens of Trenton informed."

"I see." Morelli acted as though he was still fuming while he remembered the Chief's admin was a hottie named Cindy that he'd flirted with for years…his eyes lit as he understood that maybe now he could mix a little business with pleasure. He'd get the info he needed to eliminate Ranger while getting laid…sounded like a plan to him…

Morelli realized Ranger was watching him and snarled "Fine. Have it your way but remember these deaths and the ones that will no doubt follow are on your head."

He turned to leave when Stephanie asked hesitantly "Joe, could you stay for a minute? I need to talk to you."

Ranger's face remained blank as he simply looked at Stephanie and said "Babe…"

"Ric, please." Stephanie pleaded. "I need you to give Joe and I a few minutes in private."

"Of course." Ranger stood in one fluid motion and touched Stephanie's arm as he left the room.

Morelli leaned back in his chair and started in "What is it, Stephanie? Is Manoso getting tired of you already? Or are you finally ready to get serious about your life and make a commitment to me? Manoso's been fucking you blind so you have some work to do if you want to convince me to take you back."

"I'm sorry Joe but that couldn't be further from what I want."

"Then what is the point to this discussion?" Morelli growled.

Stephanie's eyes flashed with aquamarine fire as she answered "How can you even ask me that, Joe? We've been friends since we were kids and now you can't even be civil to me!"

"Because you won't be reasonable, Cupcake…"

"Reasonable?" Stephanie's shouted indignantly. "You think it's reasonable for you to want to be with someone you don't like or respect? You think it's reasonable for me to be with someone who doesn't accept me for the person I am?"

"Face it, Joe. We want different lives. You want someone to start a family with and I don't even want kids!"

"You only think that Cupcake! Once you got pregnant…"

"Once I was pregnant I'd change my mind? Are you crazy? It doesn't work that way, Joe. I don't want kids because I don't want them! I don't want to stay at home and take care of a house because I hate everything about it! I don't cook and I can't stand to clean! I just don't want that kind of routine for my life!"

"So, you'd rather have no routine except to live on a constant adrenaline rush because your life is always at risk living with that criminal? And you're asking if I'm crazy?"

"I'd rather have a constant high from doing a job that allows me to make a difference while living with a man I love more than I can say and I can have that with Ranger."

"You're just infatuated, Cupcake. If you would come back…"

"Joe, I thought you understood… we agreed that we were better off apart. I'm not coming back to you. Not now, not ever."

"You will! You just needed time to get that thug out of your system! Once you're back in my bed you'll see…"

"I won't Joe and that is why I wanted to talk to you. We work in the same field, in the town we both grew up in so we're going to run into one another. Why can't we do it as friends?"

"Why won't you accept the fact that you can't actually do your job and get out before you get anyone else killed?"

"Ranger and his men have faith in me and they are going to start training me so I can do more work with Rangeman. I'm not walking away from any part of my life, Joe. Except the part that includes you and that damn judgemental Burg grapevine!"

Stephanie made an effort to stay strong as she continued "Maybe we can't go back to being friends but I hoped we'd be able to treat each other as respected colleagues! Why can't you do that?"

Joe looked at Stephanie as if she'd sprouted two heads and said "How can you ask me that when you know we're supposed to be more than friends? You're supposed to be my wife!"

Stephanie's gaze was serious as she responded "Joe, we aren't supposed to be anything and we aren't going to be anything. The only thing we ever had was sex disguised as love and we both deserve more than that."

Her voice wavered as she said "I guess…we'll never be friends or colleagues and I'll have to live with that but I plan to be civil and extend common courtesy to you and I expect the same from you."

"Don't think you can dictate the terms of our relationship to me Stephanie."

"Fine. Then we won't have one at all…please stay away from me and out of my life."

"You really think a man like Manoso will stay with someone like you?"

"I hope so but it doesn't matter. He could leave me tomorrow and I'd never go back to you."

"Who are you kidding, Cupcake? If Manoso left you we both know you'd be back in my bed within the week."

"No, Joe. I will never share your bed again. Get used to it. We're over. Now, I'd really like you to leave."

"You're throwing me out?"

Stephanie stood with her head held high, her arms planted on her lightly on her hips and her voice firm as she answered "Yes. Permanently."

Morelli gave Stephanie a look that could have shredded granite and stormed out of the room while Ranger smiled with satisfaction and pride in the Control Room.

Please read and review!