Unwanted Distraction 35

A/N: As promised the next chapter, since I got the beta'ed chapter last night. I have the next chapter written and sent to be beta'ed. Thanks for the reviews, I especially enjoy your feedback and responding to you. I appreciate the reviews, followers and choosing either me or my stories as your favorites. My thanks as always to Jenny. I don't own it, but I can play.

Sure, I knew Roland had sold Ranger out while he worked at Rangeman, but I'd never believed he was dangerous. Now I did. Maybe they should rename the TTD as Psychopaths R Us. It really seemed like a requirement to join. I never knew so many deranged people could be in one group. They made some of my stalkers look like pussy cats.

I don't how long I hung in the breeze with Roland giving me his death stare. Even though I didn't want to show any outward sign of weakness, his hatred got to me. I involuntarily trembled, and my skin erupted in goose bumps. Roland's icy eyes blazed with an intensity that made me very uncomfortable. It was as though he'd shed his skin and showed me what he really like.

"You can't do that to Master's property," Topher said, his voice dripping with fear.

Somehow, that broke Roland out of his rage, and the comment Topher made caused Roland to look aghast from his loss of control. Perspiration beaded at his hairline, and his breathing became harsher. He looked at Topher and stared back at me. His pallor grew even whiter, as if someone had drained all the color out of his skin.

"Oh shit, her mouth is swelling. Let's get her in and put some ice on it," Topher remarked, moving to the building's entrance.

We were just about to go inside, when, of all people, Jeanne Ellen Barrows—not wearing her usual black leather but a pale-pink dress and a matching set of pearls—came bursting into the scene. She looked like she'd come right out of a television show from the sixties. Her hair had grown out, and it was now a bob rather than a pixie cut.

"How could you, Roland? Master saw you do that and is livid. How can you do something that asinine? You should know better than to cross him."

I saw Roland's face pale with Jeanne Ellen's words.

"I couldn't help it, Jeannemarie. You don't know what is has been like day in, day out watching her with them. Treating them like they were as good as us."

My head started to go back and forth, like I was at a tennis match. I was confused. If I could have, I would've scratched my head. Why was Roland calling her Jeanmarie, and hadn't he ever meet her at Rangeman during the briefing? No, now I remembered. He hadn't been there yet. He'd transferred from one of the other Rangeman branches later on.

Moving my head like I was doing was giving me a headache. My head pounded more as anger mixed with pain when I fully comprehended that he was disparaging people I loved and would do anything for. I longed for the day racism would be a thing of the past. Unfortunately, that was just a pipedream. It was human nature to fear and condemn those who are different.

"I understand, Roland. Really I do. But you don't want to get on Master's bad side. You have seen firsthand what he has done to his enemies and those who threatened him. You've gone too far up the ranks to jeopardize everything you've worked for with one careless error."

"Jeanmarie, you're so right. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come out like you did, sugar."

"You're not out of the woods yet, Roland," Jeanne Ellen warned. "Even though Master has been anxious to meet with Plum here, Reina went to soothe him."

"Oh, my lord, I am dead if Reina doesn't get him in a better mood," Roland whined, falling apart.

Not that I felt sorry for him—he deserved anything he got. I wasn't anyone's punching bag, despite the TTD's past actions.

Topher plopped me in a chair in the kitchen in the back of the house. My rear made a sound when it met the chair. I looked down at my manacled hands and feet, wondering what was going to happen next. Then I looked around and saw that the kitchen was in the process of being cleaned after a meal. I sighed because the heavenly aroma normally would have made me salivate and eager to eat. This time, it only made my stomach roil. Even on a good day, it would be hard for me to eat. And this day was anything but pleasant.

As I looked back to Jeanne Ellen—or should I say Jeanmarie—I was so confused. My confusion increased when she came over to me and put a cold compress on my lip and face, which had already swelled.

"Plum, listen carefully, because I can't stay here long," Jeanne Ellen whispered in my ear.

I just nodded, even though the movement hurt.

"Don't move your head again! I can see you are in pain," Jeanne Ellen said gently.

My mouth dropped open, and I embarrassed myself by doing a fish impersonation. I hated when I did that! It was difficult to remember that Jeanne Ellen was only playing a role and wasn't really part of the TTD. But her acting skill and her kindness to me was throwing me for a loop.

"I have to talk fast because we won't be here along for long." (same paragraph) She took and deep breath and continued, "Ranger is pretty banged up, but he's all right. I wanted you to know because you're going to be shocked by his appearance when you see him. Remember, he didn't let his pride affect his mission or survival."

My eyes widened and began to tear. If I didn't get it together, I would be crying in a matter of minutes. Not only would that make my mission impossible, but I would show them how vulnerable I really was.

I heard a clinking of a chain as a man came into the room, limping, his legs shackled together. Unlike mine, his hands were free and he was a carrying a tray. On it were the remnants of someone's meal. His head was downcast, but as he sensed my presence, he raised it. Our eyes met, and my heart beat a little faster.

Ranger.

(np) His hair was a knotty but clean mane that framed his face. A face whose beauty was marred by the ugly fading purples and yellow of healing bruises. They had been mistreating him. I could see he'd been the victim of multiple beatings. Even Jeanne Ellen's warnings couldn't prepare me for the shock of actually seeing Ranger after all these weeks of being separated.

He, too, had lost a lot of weight, and his ill-fitting clothes hung on him. This was the first time I'd ever seen him less than impeccably groomed. His maltreatment was unconscionable. I hoped that it wouldn't make him feel worse for me to witness his degradation. For one brief second, I saw his pain and love. Then he shut it down and all I could see was his blank face. Somehow—I didn't how or why—I understood that he was playing the part of a meek servant in order to get the trust of his brutal and callous captors. Ones who now held my life in their hands as well.

Daylight was turning to dusk, but some sunlight still filtered into the open window, with a curtain fluttering in the breeze. We continued to stare at each other, the only way we could communicate. Our reunion was interrupted by a shadow that was cast, making it hard to see Ranger clearly. Now a once noisy kitchen was silent. I had a hinky feeling that I was about to meet John Porter, and my skin crawled.