Disclaimer: Everyone belongs to Janet Evanovich except the ones that are mine, and I'm just playing.
Warnings: Language, Violence, All 12 books.
A/N: Special thanks to my Dream Team: Super Karen my fabulous Editor, Luisa, Brain Stormer and Translator Extraordinario, and Lindsay my Voice of Reason, Lisa for making me laugh, and all the BC & PP & BCRUS Babes for support, friendship, suggestions, hand holding, cheer leading and general ass kicking. I love you all!
Thank you to all of you wonderful readers and reviewers! I've tried to answer each and every review that you've sent. You've all made my Inner Review Slut very happy!
Don't forget to read Kashy's fabulous 'Keep The Faith' … you don't want to miss it! Read and review them please, you'll be glad you did!
The Name Of The Game!
By Stayce (XJerseyGirl)
Chapter 36: Go!
Stephanie and Max were sitting at her tiny kitchen table, drinking their morning coffee and arguing playfully over which one of them would get to take their barely warm shower first. As she expected, Max had offered to share body heat with her via skin to skin contact ... again, complete with a leer and waggling eyebrows. It had become their running joke and he had found an unlimited number of instances that would require them to get naked. Steph was grateful for the comic relief he provided in these stress filled days. It allowed them to relax and laugh a little.
They both froze in mid laugh at the first ring of her satellite phone, turning to look at it sitting on top of the dresser like it had grown fangs and fur. Both of them knew that it could only be Tank or Hector, and it could only be bad news since neither one of them would just call to chat. It took a second ring before Steph made a grab for it. She realized that her hands were shaking when she pressed the talk button and reluctantly raised the phone to her ear, afraid to hear whatever it was that they were going to tell her.
"Morning, Bombshell," Tank's weary voice said. "I'm in the conference room with the Team and I have you on speaker phone." All the guys called greetings to her.
"Hey guys! Max is right here." She cut right to the chase, "What's wrong?" She hit the speaker button and put the phone down on the table, standing behind her chair, gripping the back of it with icy fingers.
They heard Tank heave a sigh. "We picked up some information that we're obviously not supposed to have. Luckily, one of the feebs has loose lips. Otherwise ..." He didn't have to say that it was information that none of the Federal agencies would have freely given them, his tone told her that. "It needs to be passed on quickly, Steph … It's vital."
The tension in his voice made her heart drop and a knot form in her stomach. "Okay … Tell me."
"Ramon Escobar, the real Ramon Escobar, escaped from prison. He's already been on the loose for more than five days, and Steph," Tank hesitated, "the Feds don't have any idea where he is.
"Oh God!" she murmured, and staggered slightly, little black spots dancing across her field of vision. Max took her by the upper arms and sat her down in her chair, pushing her head down between her knees.
"All they know," Tank continued, "is that by the time they found the body of the guy he impersonated to get out of the prison, Escobar had already emptied the poor schmuck's bank account and traded in his car."
The dizziness finally passed and Stephanie raised her head to find Max squatting down in front of her, concern written all over his face. He saw fear written all over hers. She held his hand in a death grip, and he felt the tremors that ran through her body.
"Tank, what are the chances of getting anymore information from that source?" Max asked, without taking his eyes off her.
"From these Feds? No chance. Remember, we're all supposed to think that Ranger's dead. Bobby was just in the right place at the right time to overhear this. It was a fluke."
Steph had to take a couple of deep breaths before she could trust herself to speak. "I'm pretty sure that if Ranger and Hector had that information, they would have let us know so that we could pass it on to you guys. I'm willing to bet that the Feds haven't let them in on it either."
Tank grunted in response. "No shit! Those motherfuckers can't be trusted. Look, we're using every available RangeMan resource, and we called in every favor from all the 'friendlies' in all the agencies, every RangeMan employee in the country is working double shifts and every informant has their ear to the ground. Escobar will turn up."
"Yeah Slugger," said Bobby, "a guy who looks like he does can't hide forever, he'll be seen someplace. He traded in the car in Utah, so at least we have a starting point to search from. We will find him; it's just a matter of how long it takes." Bobby was going for upbeat, but couldn't quite pull it off, Steph thought, and they all sounded exhausted.
"We even called in your buddy, Randy Briggs, and gave him a free rein to do whatever it takes to find Escobar," Tank added.
"We have one big advantage on our side, Bombshell," Lester added. "Escobar has no way of knowing what's really going on. We found out that he was being held incommunicado at some remote Federal facility. He has no clue if his own men turned him in, if this was a plot to take over his organization, or what. He's paranoid enough that he's not gonna trust anybody, even his old crew. He's gonna lay low and do some investigating. I'm hoping that means he didn't head straight for Jersey, that we'll have enough time to get a lead on him first."
"Maybe Ranger and Hector will have a chance to finish the mission and get out before he shows up!" Hal threw in.
Stephanie sighed and rubbed her eye that had started twitching violently. She knew that the guys were trying to keep her from being more frightened than she already was and she loved them for it. But it wasn't working. "Is there anything else you want us to tell them? Anything else they need to know?"
"Yeah," Ram's voice this time, "tell them we upped the surveillance on the house. The construction crew working on the property next door is all RangeMan. Cal's the foreman and if they need reinforcements, we're right there. But would ya see if you can convince them to stay in New York City, instead of the house, for a while. At least until we get a lead on Escobar. They'll be easier to cover in the city."
"Sure, I'll tell them, but you know it may not do any good, right? Ranger is living Ramon's life and he's become so immersed in it that ..." Her voice caught in her throat, and she had to bite her lip to keep the tears from slipping out.
There was a long silence before Tank came on again, "We know all about that, Steph," he said softly. "And I know you aren't gonna want to hear this, but it's time for you and Max to pack it in and head for Trenton. You absolutely CANNOT get caught in the middle of this. "
"Guys, please!" Something close to panic hit her. "Can't we just finish out the week? I'm so close to getting something concrete … I just can't give up now. Yuri's been telling me that the merchandise will be delivered any day now and …"
"We know Bomber," Lester said sympathetically as he cut her off. "But we need to focus all of our resources on getting Ranger and Hector out alive. It's gonna take every man we have, especially now, with Escobar on the loose. We can't cover them and you too." She knew he meant that they didn't want to have to protect her from Ranger.
Tank came back on again, "Stephanie, I'm sorry, you don't have a choice. You will come home now, that's an order."
Steph felt the heat rise in her face as she shot up out of her chair and made a grab for the phone. Max snatched it up before she could get her hands on it and put it to his ear, turning off the speaker feature. He could all but see the steam coming out of her ears as she tried to pull it away from him and he slapped at her hands to make her back off.
"Listen you two," Bobby was saying, "there's gonna be an SUV parked in the alley behind that little mom and pop grocery store down the street from the restaurant. Keys will be in the wheel well."
"Thanks Bobby, I'll take care of it," Max told the guys. "We'll let you know what Hector and Ranger have to say after we talk to them." They all said their good byes, wishing each other luck, and hung up.
Stephanie turned and glared at Max. They had come to know each other pretty well, living in such close quarters. All he had to do was look into those big blue eyes of hers and Max knew that he wasn't going to be seeing Trenton anytime soon. He snorted and shook his head in resignation, knowing that there was no sense in arguing with her.
She had a really good mad going. "So, are you gonna try to drag me back to Trenton?" she challenged him.
"Not me!" Max held up his hands in surrender. "I'm a lot of things, but crazy isn't one of them!"
Steph relented. "Well, okay." She paced the small room for a minute. "Look," she said without looking at him, "you're a RangeMan employee and Tank gave you a direct order to go back to Trenton. You know that I'm not going to leave, but I understand that you have to." She held out her hand to him. "Thank you for everything."
Max barked out a laugh. "If you think I'm leaving you here by yourself, you're nuts. The worst Tank can do is fire me, but if anything happened to you, Ranger would hunt me down and tear me apart with his bare hands. Nope, you're stuck with me, honey." He poured himself another cup of coffee. "You calling Hector or should I?"
She couldn't help but smile at him and hand him the phone. "I'll take my shower while you talk to him," and she hip checked him as she went into the bathroom.
Ten minutes later Stephanie's blow dryer drowned out the muffled sound of Max's voice, still on the phone with Hector. She couldn't help but think about Ranger and what would happen when this was all over. She refused to let herself admit that there might be anything less than a 'happily ever after' for them. After all, their life together had been like a fairy tale, how could it end any other way? Denial was her friend, right? It had gotten her through almost every bad thing in her life, why should this be any different?
Still, the memory of how Ranger had gotten lost in Ramon nagged at her. What would happen if he wasn't able to fight his way out of that other man's skin and find his way home? The idea that Ranger could live through the mission only to be haunted by Ramon for the rest of his life terrified her.
No matter how much she denied it, there was a knot of fear that lay like a rock in her belly. Swiping at the tears that had slipped down her cheeks, Stephanie took a final look at herself in the mirror. Enough! She told herself, and squared her shoulders before she left the tiny bathroom.
Max was still on phone when she walked by him toward the little closet to collect her clothes for the day. She had been so rattled that she had forgotten to take them into the bathroom with her. She scolded herself, reminding herself that she had better be on her toes. They were all going into the end game now; she couldn't afford to screw anything up.
Max held out the phone to her, "He wants to talk to you."
Steph tucked the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she rummaged in the dresser for her underwear. "Hey Hector, how goes it?"
There was a second's hesitation, then an almost whisper soft, "Babe."
"Oh God, Ranger," she breathed. "Are you okay?" She clutched the phone like it was a life line.
She could hear him smile at her words. "I am now," the sound of his voice washed over her.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Max pick up his clothes and slip into the bathroom, trying to give her a few minutes of privacy. She walked over to the bed and curled up on it, looking out the window at the swirling snow. She felt a warmth spread slowly through her body and for the first time since she left him, she wasn't cold.
"Where are you?" she asked. For some reason it was important to her.
"Lying on the bed, looking at you," he said, knowing it would make her smile.
And it did. "I miss you so much," she whispered, closing her eyes and imagining him lying next to her. She was immediately transported back to the penthouse, to their bedroom, to their bed. They would lie, face to face, and talk after his early morning run. He would shower and lay back down next to her, his hair still damp and the scent of his Bulgari wrapping around them like a cocoon. They made some of her most precious memories in those minutes, talking and touching and making love. She had felt warm and safe and secure. The thought that they might never share that again brought an ache to her heart and tears to her eyes. As much as she tried to contain the sob, it escaped her.
Of course, he heard it. "Don't cry, Babe. You're my brave girl, and I love you."
"I love you back, Carlos."
They lay there, talking in whispers, each silently hoping that they weren't making the final memory of their time together.
RSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRS
A few hours later, Stephanie walked in the front door of The Maryushka stamping her booted feet on the floor runner to get rid of the snow, then stopped in the vestibule to shake the flakes off of her coat and fur hat. As she did every day, she had walked from her apartment to work, giving herself a few minutes of solitude to collect her thoughts and to steel herself against spending another day with Yuri.
Max was following about half a block behind her and when she turned into the restaurant, he went on to check out the SUV that the guys had left for them down the block. Later, he'd come into the restaurant for lunch, and then hang out in the back alley or store doorways, waiting for her to leave. If Yuri spotted him or got suspicious, Steph would say that Max was one of Ramon's men. She was sure that would make Yuri back off.
Paval, the kitchen porter, was filling the tube that ran through the inside of the beautiful antique silver samovar with burning coals to boil the tea water, replacing the silver tea pot on top of its chimney. He gave her a courtly bow as he straightened the silver rimmed tea glasses and their ornate holders before he took the cold ashes back to the kitchen.
The dessert table groaned under the weight of the beautiful confections displayed there. Katya, the smiling little waitress, was arranging Charlotte Russe, honey cake, tea cakes, pastries filled with fruit or cheese, delicate cookies, blintzs, and it all made Steph's mouth water. If she could just make Yuri disappear, Stephanie thought, she would really enjoy working here.
After hanging her coat in the office and trading her boots for a pair of suede pumps, she looked in the mirror and adjusted the deep V neckline of the soft grey wrap dress she wore, chosen for the fuller skirt that camouflaged her thigh holster. She felt a lot safer since she had started carrying her Berretta. She had to smile at the thought of a Stephanie Plum who actually wanted to carry a gun. Times sure had changed.
She ducked into the kitchen, following her nose to the source of the delicious aromas that were wafting through the restaurant. Lena was sitting at the big wooden prep table that ran down the center of the kitchen, sipping her ever present glass of tea, and chatting with Anton, her husband. Steph stepped up behind Anton, the restaurant's chef, who stood at the stove, adding spices to a large pot.
Steph peeked over his shoulder and inhaled deeply, "It smells like heaven Anton. What is it?"
"Just for you Sasha, my darling, I make my special cream of mushroom barley soup. Here, tell me what you think."
He ladled the thick, creamy soup into a bowl, garnished the top with buttery sautéed mushrooms and a dollop of sour cream and presented it with a flourish to Sasha who sat down next to Lena at the work table.
At the first spoonful, she closed her eyes and moaned in pleasure. "Oh my God, Anton! This is to die for!"
Anton, smiled at her reaction and stood with his hands folded over his expansive stomach, watching her eat. She sighed in satisfaction as she had buttered a piece of crusty bread and wiped the bowl clean. "If you keep feeding me like this and I keep eating like this, pretty soon I'm going to weigh as much as you do!" she said affectionately.
Anton patted his very substantial stomach, "Never trust a skinny cook! It means they don't eat their own food. And worse, never trust a cook who has a skinny wife! It means she doesn't trust him either." They all chuckled as he bent and kissed Lena's chubby cheek, running his hand lovingly over her butt. She laughed delightedly and patted his cheek.
Stephanie hopped off her stool and poured herself a cup of coffee, the tea just not doing it for her. "Is Yuri here yet?" she asked over the rim of her cup.
Lena and Anton exchanged a look and turned to her. Lena glanced at the door that led to the hallway and Yuri's office, then went over to Steph and took hold of both of her hands. "Sasha," she said softly, "what are you doing with him? Why would you associate with men like Yuri or that killer, Escobar?"
Stephanie didn't know what to say to her. She could hardly tell her the truth. But Lena's care and concern were written so plainly on her face, that Steph's first instinct was to spill her guts and tell Lena and Anton that she was playing spy. Of course, all that would do would be to put those two wonderful and loving people in as much danger as she was in. They had practically adopted her since she came to The Maryushka, and she had to protect them, too.
She shrugged and shook her head, "Thanks for worrying about me, you two. But I know what I'm doing. I'm a big girl and, honestly, I can take care of myself."
Everybody in the restaurant knew that she carried a little Berretta with her; they all thought that Ramon had given it to her for protection. But nobody knew about Max, who spent his days lurking around the restaurant, keeping an eye on her, or that one push on the panic button in her pocket and Max would come to the rescue.
Anton was standing behind Steph, arms folded. "He is here, in his office. Some of his thugs are with him, and he's in a fouler mood than usual. I have never seen him like this before. He's really working himself up today, yelling, screaming, breaking things … be careful Sasha. You call me if you need help." He reached over the work table and took a large, lethal looking knife from the rack and slapped the flat of the blade against the palm of his hand. "I come running!"
The thought of Anton running anywhere made Stephanie smile, and she kissed both Anton and Lena on the cheek. She poured a cup of the strong black coffee to take to Yuri, then cut a large slice of the babka, a sweet bread, thick with rum soaked sultanas, that Anton had taken out of the oven a few minutes before. Placing both on a small silver tray, she headed for Yuri's office.
As she pushed the swinging door that led to the hall open with her hip, Steph heard Lena tell Anton in a low voice, "I think there is more to our Sasha than meets the eye." Out of the corner of her eye, Steph watched Anton nod in agreement.
RSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRS
Stephanie and Max had agreed on a compromise, they would only stay in Brighton Beach until the end of the week she had negotiated with Hector. That meant she only had a few more precious days until her time was up and she had to leave for Trenton as promised. With Escobar on the loose, Steph knew she wouldn't be able to convince Hector to give her more time, so she'd really have to go to work on Yuri.
She had already decided that she would do whatever it took to make Yuri tell her what he knew, and the thought of his hands on her, of him touching her, made her sick to her stomach. The thought of having to touch him was worse. Ranger had taught her all about exerting pressure, and she knew exactly what kind of pressure she was going to have to exert on Yuri … if she could actually do it without throwing up.
As Stephanie walked down the hall to Yuri's office door, she could hear the raised, angry voice coming from inside. Yuri was at it again. She considered hiding out in the kitchen until things calmed down, but just took a deep breath and knocked on the door instead. After a second or two it was flung open by one of Yuri's flunkies.
Steph threw him a smile as she walked into the office, only to stop short at the sight in front of her. Three men casually lounged around the office while Yuri had a fourth man down on the floor in a choke hold, his arm pulling the man's head back at an odd angle. The man's face was red, his eyes bulging and his mouth wide open, his tongue stuck out as he clawed at Yuri's arm.
Yuri was wild eyed; his face was contorted in rage, his hair and clothing disheveled. He was screaming in Russian at the man he was choking to death. Steph had seen Ranger and the Merry Men in fights, in take downs where force was needed. But it was always impersonal, business-like and controlled. This was madness and standing there, she knew she had to stop it. She couldn't afford to let Yuri kill this guy and get arrested; all her plans to get information out of him would go right down the drain.
Yuri's temper and mood swings were legendary, and under all her bravado, Stephanie knew she should to be wary of setting him off. Still and all, before she realized what she was doing, she shoved the tray into the hands of one of Yuri's men, lifted her skirt and pulled out her Berretta. Flicking off the safety, she fired a shot into the ceiling, surprising herself as well as everyone else in the room.
The sound reverberated in the room like a canon had gone off and Yuri froze for a second, then very slowly released the man who fell to the floor, gasping for breath. Yuri's flunkies jumped up and pulled their guns, looking back and forth at each other, then at her, then at Yuri, then back at each other. Not the brightest bulbs in the box, she decided, but still dangerous.
"Yuri, cut it out," she yelled at him, waving the gun in his direction. "I don't think you should be taking any chances right now, do you?" When he didn't answer, she put her hand on her hip and repeated, "Well, do you?"
Breathing hard, Yuri ran his hands through his hair and got slowly to his feet, glaring at her. Stephanie's mouth went dry and her knees went weak, wondering if she had pushed him too far. Just in case, she kept her gun in her hand, using it to point toward his desk. "You sit down!" she told him, hoping that her voice wouldn't tremble.
When he actually did what she asked, she turned to the guy holding the tray and motioned for him to put it on the desk. Finally she looked at the other two men standing in the room, gaping at her, and ordered them to take Yuri's victim to the kitchen and make sure he was okay. They looked to Yuri who just waved a hand at them, but instead of moving, they just stood there, staring at her.
Okay, she thought, distractions are my specialty, I can do this! With shaky hands Steph flipped the safety back on her gun and put her foot up on the edge of a chair. Slowly lifting her skirt, she made a big production of sliding the little automatic back into her thigh holster and adjusting it on her leg. She made sure that they all got a good look at her lace topped thigh highs, as well as a glimpse of the black satin garter belt she was wearing. Knowing exactly where every eye in the room was riveted, she ran her hands up her leg, smoothing the stocking and adjusting the lacy top. Every mouth hung open as she ended her little performance, putting her foot back on the floor and smoothing down her skirt.
Stephanie looked around at all of them, "What?" she said sharply. "You never saw legs before? Go on, get out of here! All of you!"
When they opened the office door, Stephanie could see Lena and Anton, armed with his knife, Paval, and Katya gathered together in a knot in the hall, probably summoned by the gunshot. She smiled and gave them a little finger wave. Max stood off to one side with several of the other customers and they exchanged a nod.
Steph closed the door and took a deep breath before she turned to look at Yuri, not sure of what his reaction would be to her interference. She kept one hand on the knob as she turned to face him, holding it so that the lock wouldn't slip into the keep, and she could open the door to get out of the office if need be. She leaned back against the door and looked at him through lowered lashes. She found him tipped back in his chair, sipping his coffee, studying her.
"Are you angry with me for ruining your fun, Yuri?" she asked in a pouty, little girl voice, hoping it would mask her nerves.
Yuri sighed as he put down his cup, "No Sasha. You were right to stop me," he said calmly … a little too calmly for Steph's taste. "My idiot men would have let me kill Ivan, and he was only the messenger. I would have had to worry about getting rid of his body and witnesses and evidence. It would have been a mess. I don't have time for that kind of shit right now."
She nodded, "There's some saying about killing the messenger who brings bad news. You should talk to whoever made you angry, not kill the guy who told you about it." She tried to sound disinterested, but didn't think she pulled it off.
He looked her square in the eye. "Then I need to talk to you, Sasha, my love." He crooked a finger at her and patted the desk in front of him.
Stephanie's spidey sense had started to tingle a while ago. It always did when Yuri was around, but now it went into overdrive. Something was seriously off about the way he was acting toward her, and her first instinct was fight or flee. Right about now she thought that the flee part sounded pretty damn good to her. Too bad she couldn't. Running away just wasn't an option.
So fight it was! She felt for the panic button in her pocket, then sashayed over to the desk and pushed some papers aside, sitting on it so that she was facing him and slowly crossed her legs. She had a split second flashback of having done this same thing before. Except that time, she had been looking into the eyes of the man that she loved; not this man, who she wished she could kill. Realization hit her with startling clarity; she could easily kill the man sitting in front of her and feel no remorse at all, not if it saved Ranger.
She took a deep, steadying breath and picked up the plate with the slice of cake on it. Cutting off a chunk with the fork, she held it out to Yuri. "So tell me what made you so angry that you almost killed one of your own men?" she said conversationally. "And what does it have to do with me?"
Yuri shook his head 'no' to the cake, so Stephanie shrugged and casually popped it into her own mouth, dry as it was, hoping she looked like the picture of innocence. She knew that there was a good possibility that she was in real trouble here, especially considering how out of control Yuri had been just a little while before. She had no way of knowing what Yuri's problem was, or how much of a threat it was to her. In any event, all she really knew was that she was sitting so close to him, there was no hope of escape if he turned on her.
She arched an eyebrow at him, "Well," she prompted, "what's the problem?" and took another bite of the cake moaning as she chewed. "Are you sure you don't want any? This is fantastic!" She licked her lips slowly, hoping she could distract him.
He sat up in his chair and reach forward, taking hold of the edge of the desk and pulled his chair close enough to run his hands from her knees up to her hips and back down to rest on her legs. She kept a tight grip on the fork, just in case she needed a weapon.
Yuri's hands tightened on her thighs and he looked up into her face. "Ivan brought me some interesting news about you Sasha, my love," sarcasm dripping from his words. "News that made me very unhappy." His finger massaged her thighs a little more firmly than was comfortable, and she tried not to flinch.
Stephanie was raising the last forkful of cake to her mouth and stopped, looking at him, praying he couldn't hear her heart hammering in her chest. "Alright Yuri, I'll play your game," she said with a sigh. "What did Ivan tell you about me?" She sounded bored, or at least hoped she did, and she put the now empty cake plate back on the tray, taking the napkin and delicately patting her mouth.
Yuri's lips were clamped tightly together, his thinly disguised anger simmering just below the surface. Stephanie slipped her hand into her pocket and fingered the panic button. She still held the fork tightly in her other hand, cursing herself for putting her Beretta in the holster and not in her pocket where she could get at it.
"He told me, my sweet, that you have a lover!" he ground out, snatching the fork out of her hand and firing it across the room, bouncing it off the office door.
Stephanie raised her eyebrows and looked at him like he was demented. "A lover? Well, of course I do!"
Yuri jumped out of his chair with a roar and shoved his face into hers, his fingers biting cruelly into her legs. "Then you admit it? You have a lover?"
She leaned back, trying to get away from him. "Yuri! You know damn well that Ramon is my lover. What's the matter with you?"
"Not Ramon," he thundered at her. "Ivan was talking about the tall blonde guy who follows you around, the guy who sits at the corner table in the back of the dining room, always has his back to the wall. Him!" His hands shot out and grabbed her by the arms so quickly she didn't have a chance to hit the panic button. He hauled her up off the desk, her feet barely touching the floor and shook her so hard that her head snapped back and forth, her hair flying.
"Yuri! Stop!" she screamed, her hands pushing against his chest. He let go of her arms, shoving her back so hard she fell onto the desk, sending the tray and everything else crashing to the floor. He took a threatening step toward her. His face wore the same crazed expression as when he was choking the breath out of Ivan, and he stood glaring down at her, his fists clenching and unclenching convulsively.
"Jesus Christ, Yuri! He isn't my lover! He's Ramon's watchdog. Ramon has him follow me around and spy on me," she yelled at him as she fought to untangle her skirt so she could pull her gun. "I told you that Ramon was having me followed. After you left my apartment the other night, I found him out on the fire escape, peeking in the window. I don't know how much he saw, but he runs right back to Ramon and reports everything I do."
Yuri's anger evaporated instantly and he slumped back down in his chair, scrubbing his hands over his face. Stephanie pushed herself up to sit on the edge of the desk again, her hand on the Berretta, waiting to see if she needed to pull it. Yuri just sat there with his head in his hands and she considered bolting, getting while the getting was good, grabbing Max and getting the hell out of Dodge.
She slid off the desk and made it almost all the way to the door before the little voice in her head stopped her. Can't run now, it said. You've invested too much time and effort to chicken out now. Granted the man was crazy and had definite anger management problems, and if there was ever a guy she should run like hell from, it was Yuri, but she was so close ...
She took a deep breath to give herself courage, and turned around slowly. "I can't believe you thought that I would take one of Ramon's flunkies for a lover. That's just insulting!' she spat out, "And you hurt me, too! Just wait until Ramon finds out! He's gonna be pissed at me because I let you put your hands on me!" She rubbed her arms, already sore from where Yuri had grabbed her; she was going to have some colossal bruises tomorrow.
"Sasha, please, I didn't mean to hurt you," Yuri pleaded like a small child, his voice making Stephanie's skin crawl. She decided that in addition to being a sociopath, Yuri had Multiple Personality Disorder and anger issues. He was a whole mental institution wrapped into one body, and joy of joys, he was all hers.
"I'm a jealous man, Sasha," he said, like that was supposed to make it okay that he'd hurt her. She wondered how many of his women actually bought that line of crap. "I don't let anyone touch what's mine. You belong to Ramon now, but soon you'll be my woman, and only mine."
"Yeah? Well I'm not your's yet!" Stephanie shot back, blowing out a disgusted sigh and rolling her eyes dramatically. Over my dead body, she thought as she sat back on the edge of the desk with her arms folded over her chest and her foot swinging, the picture of petulance.
Smarmy Yuri made an appearance. "Oh, my little love… what can I do to make you smile … just tell me what it is, anything you want."
The only things that she could think of that would bring a smile to her face involved his dead body sprawled in the middle of the office floor, but she doubted she could get him to put a bullet in his own brain. She'd be more than happy to volunteer to do the job for him, but she didn't think that he'd take her up on that either. She turned her face away from him, giving him the cold shoulder.
"Ah! I know what will make you happy!" he said with a leer. "I'll buy your stockings from you, like Ramon did!" He ran his hand up her crossed leg from her ankle up under her skirt to the top of her thigh high, fingering the garter belt clasp.
His hands on her made her stomach lurch and her heart leap into her throat. She put both of her hands on his to stop their northward progress. "Oh really?" she said, playing the game and giving him a slow smile. "And exactly how much will you pay me for my stockings?" She slowly ran the toe of her shoe up and down the inside of his calf.
He curled two fingers into the top of her stocking and slid them back and forth. "All the vodka and caviar you can eat."
She snorted, "I can have that anytime I want. All I have to do is call Ramon." She still held his hands in place so that he couldn't move them. "Come on, use your imagination. What are my stockings worth to you? You keep telling me how rich you're going to be …" she asked flirtatiously.
Yuri smirked at her. "You have a mercenary little heart, Sasha. Alright, Ramon only gave you a thousand dollars. You told me about all his cars … that's what I'll give you!" he announced magnanimously. "Pick one of his cars; you can have whichever one you want!"
Sasha cocked her head to the side and looked up at him. "That's very generous of you, Yuri, I'm impressed. But …I want it in writing! Before you get the stockings! She cocked an eyebrow at him.
He shook his head at her. "You drive a hard bargain Sasha. I wouldn't bother negotiating with anybody else; I'd just take what I want. Is there anything else?"
In for a penny, in for a pound, she thought. Stephanie let go of his hands and leaned back on the desk, bracing herself on her hands, and smiled at him. "Promise me you'll tell me when you're going to kill Ramon and I promise you a surprise you'll never forget!" she said suggestively.
Yuri gave her a feral smile and tried to move closer to her, but she raised her foot and planted it firmly against his belt buckle. "Unh, unh, unh," she shook her head at him. "Did you forget? I said in writing!"
He laughed as he threw his hands up in the air, but hunted around on the floor for a pen and paper. He scribbled on the back of an envelope and signed it before turning it around for her to read. Taking it from him, Sasha folded it and slid it seductively into the V neck of her dress, then calmly reached into her pocket and pressed the panic button. "And remember, you get my stockings … and nothing else!"
Yuri sat in his chair and uncrossed her legs as she sat perched on the desk in front of him. He lifted her foot and slipped off her shoe, dropping it on the floor, placing her foot on the edge of the chair between his legs. Repeating the action with her other foot, he massaged her instep, his eyes never leaving her face.
Slowly, he lifted her skirt, pushing it up over her knees and up her thighs until the lacy tops of her stockings were exposed. Almost gently, he opened the Velcro strap on her holster and took it off her leg, placing it on the desk within her reach, and she breathed a silent prayer of thanks.
He took his time, opening the snaps on the garter and sliding his fingers into the top the stocking, slowly rolling first one and then the other down off of her legs, massaging and stroking her skin as he went. He must have mistaken the shudder of disgust that shot through her body for passion because his eyes suddenly darkened and his breathing became raspy, his nostrils flared and he growled deep in his chest. In another man it would have been sexy, erotic. But in Yuri, it was revolting and Stephanie could feel the bile that rose, burning her throat.
She tried to hop off the desk, but Yuri wouldn't move. "Alright, you have the stockings, I have work to do," she said, wondering where the hell Max was.
Shooting up out of his chair, he put his hands on her knees and shoved them apart. She could see the bulge in his pants straining against his zipper as he pulled her closer to the edge of the desk, making her fall flat on her back as he ground against her. She found the panic button in her pocket and pushed it over and over as she yelled at him to stop.
With lightening speed he twisted a hand in her hair to hold her head still while he bent down to take her mouth with his, his weight crushing her. The kiss was hard and brutal, his fingers pulling her hair as he forced his tongue between her lips making her gag. His other hand found its way under her skirt and he tore at her panties, trying to pull them down.
Stephanie struggled against him, trying to push him off of her, raking her nails down his face, anything to make him stop. She was helpless against his size and strength and, in desperation, she bit his tongue as hard as she could. Yuri jerked back, lust turning to rage. With a roar he raised his fist.
Stephanie squeezed her eyes shut and threw her arms over her face in an effort to ward off the blow that never came. Yuri stood frozen, his fist still poised to strike. Over the pounding of her pulse in her ears, she heard another noise … sharp knocking on the office door…
An urgent voice… Lena's, "Yuri! Yuri! Open the door! Hurry! Ramon Escobar is waiting for you!"
Ranger and Stephanie were friends and lovers and partners.
They were five weeks, three days, seven hours, and twenty-eight minutes into her plan to save him, and now, their time was running out!
TBC …
A/N: We're almost to the end … just a few more chapters until the Game is played out and we'll find out who the winners and losers will be. So, your turn to tell me … how do you think Game is going to end? Tell me your ideas in a review and the reader or readers who come the closest to what I have planned, will make a guest appearance in the final chapter. And be sure to sign your name! Ranger and Steph can't wait to read your ideas!
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, I tried to reply to everyone. If I missed you, I apologize … thanks for reading and reviewing, I appreciate all of the readers who've stuck with Game for all this time.
Stayce