Chance Encounters

Chapter 29

oOoOo

By the time Stephanie came downstairs from her bedroom for a morning swim, the place was abuzz. It was early and there were men everywhere. She had to pinch herself seeing all the buff bodies doing their workouts in the gym. As she went outside to the pool, two large warm hands grabbed her around the waist causing her to shriek.

"Not so fast, Stephanie." Bobby chuckled. "Let's check that dressing first. But I don't think swimming is on your immediate agenda until I remove the stitches. Sorry, Chica. But you can forego the sling."

"Oh. You know, I kind of forgot about that. Sorry. Damn. I was so looking forward to doing a few laps to release some tension in my shoulders."

"I think I can help you with that," Bobby remarked but noticed that Stephanie had tuned out with all the man power on display, poolside, on the tennis court and coming out from the gym or out of the pool. He gently tapped her jaw shut. Everyone looked relaxed or hot and sweaty from their work out, or just dripping wet emerging from the pool. This was probably the first time she had seen so many of them not wearing Rangeman black but casual or sporty or … wet.

"Steph?"

"Mmm … nice eye candy, eh Chiquita? Hombres muy atractivos. Si?" Hector whispered to her.

Hector's sly wink was funny and snapped her out of her momentary trance. A slight warm and tingly sensation indicated someone was near. She turned and came face to face with a dazzling two hundred watter. He was just in gym shorts and proceeded to remove his tank top slowly. She watched his abs ripple and he chuckled. His hand came behind her neck and pulled her in for a deep kiss just stopping short of toe curling.

"Good morning, Babe," his deep voice rumbled with a wolf grin.

She punched him playfully in the abs. "Ouch. You did that on purpose." She smiled.

"The kiss? Yes, I confess, I did."

"No. You know what I mean. That … that sexy way you pulled your tank top off from behind and over your head." She blushed. "Damnit, Ranger. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to scramble my brains."

"Did it work? Tsk, tsk. Sharing information with the enemy, Babe."

Ranger kissed her chastely and then slowly stepped back to dive into the pool to cool off.

Hector chuckled at her admission. PDA's from Ranger were a rare sight and Bobby was the stunned one this time. He snapped out of it with Hector's jab to the ribs.

"Now, Stephanie. Lie down on the lounger and I'll work out some of that tension for you, if you like?"

He spread a towel over the lounger and she sat down. First, he inspected the dressing and approved. He signalled for her to lie down on her tummy. She removed her tie-dye cover up and lay on her tummy. Bobby oiled his hands and proceeded to massage her shoulders and her neck.

"Oh, yeah …" she moaned.

Bobby agreed. "Yep. I can feel the tightness. Relax a bit more, Steph."

His hands were firm and she relaxed completely. He oiled his hands again and was about to start again, when he was nudged out of the way.

Warm, oily hands replaced his and worked her shoulder blades and, firmly but gently, down her spine with his thumbs and wide spread hands, then slowly back to her shoulders.

"Ohh, yess. Feels so good. You have magic hands."

Her body was completely relaxed.

"Good to know. Glad you think so, Babe," Ranger whispered with a husky voice in her ear.

She rolled over to see his mischievous grin, but the dark eyes gave away more information.

"Mm … I think you enjoyed that almost as much as I did." Slowly, she stood up, twisting her shoulders, gifting him with a dazzling smile as he scanned her long legs as she rose.

"What's this?" He asked as he stood facing her.

"It's a zipper, Ranger."

"Wh … what does it do?"

"ZzzzipP." She popped the final P very deliberately as she slowly unzipped the front of her bathing suit, letting it drop, just like Ranger's jaw did, while looking up at him with her patented dazzling smile and fluttering those long lashes innocently at him. Bobby was taken aback as much as Ranger. Hal walked into a pole and Vince fell back into the pool.

"Two can play at that game, Ranger," she winked as she stepped out of the black bathers and stood before him in a tiny bikini, a very cheeky bikini. She bent over to pick up the zippered bathers and there was a sudden hush. She looked around and laughed, a sweet laugh. Hector was enjoying their stunned expressions but at the same time approved of this vision of loveliness.

"Muy sexy, Vixen." He chuckled.

"Aw. Guys? C'mon. Fair go. Have you seen yourselves?"

"Beautiful. You are a sight to behold. I like what I see, very much." And he waggled his eyebrows.

As she had bent over it revealed the tattoo and Lester almost swooned.

"Oh, mercy me! Be still my heart." And he staggered back to fall into the pool in a dramatic faint, hands over his heart.

Multiple splashes indicated a group of them, including Ranger, had quickly stumbled into the pool and she giggled. Obviously. And rolled her eyes. Hiding the evidence of the effect of her unexpected reveal, especially those cheeky bikini bottoms.

"It wasn't deliberate, honestly." She looked at Hector, imploringly, her closed lips tightened. But her eyes gave her away with that blue-eyed mischievous glint. Hector laughed and hugged her, picking up her tie-dyed cover all and pulling it over her head.

A very sexy wet Ranger stepped out of the pool, body glistening in the early morning sun, his long hair dripping round his face. Stephanie smiled, licking her lips, raising a single eyebrow as he walked towards her. Her eyes tracked the path of the water droplets down his chest and abs that led to his happy trail just peeking above his low-slung gym shorts.

He knelt down slowly to have a closer peek as he lifted the hem of her cover all. And there it was … a tiny cute red fox with sexy long-lashed blue eyes and the word Vixen inscribed on her bushy tail which was wrapped seductively around her body. He kissed it and stood up looking into her equally blue eyes.

"Nice. Cute, and sexy too. Just like you, Babe. I'm sorry you got shot," he said quietly and reverently. He grabbed a towel and dried his hair and his body.

"But, Babe … What have you done to my men? You truly are a vixen." He smiled broadly, put his head to her forehead and then kissed it, caressing her cheek in his palm.

The moment was broken as her tummy rumbled and simultaneously Shorty called out, "Breakfast is served!"

Ranger laughed out loud. "C'mon Babe. Let's feed that beast before the animals devour the lot."

Hand in hand they wandered over to the al fresco area. And what a sumptuous feast there was.

Shorty, Ella, Luis and Tiny had spread the goodies onto a long table against the wall, like a buffet. There were: grilled fruit kebabs; pancakes with blueberries, strawberries and maple syrup; breakfast frittata with cheese, cherry tomatoes, roasted capsicums, potato and spinach; breakfast burritos; hash browns, eggs, bacon, bread rolls, and fruit juice and water. Coffee pots were set on the warmers.

It was quiet for quite a while amid moans of approval and delight, especially from Stephanie.

oOoOo

Messing with Gaspick's head became a new mission for Hector and Tiny since they were forbidden from doing anything physical to him prior to taking him to the TPD. Rangeman would simultaneously lodge the report of the shooting and attempted murder of Stephanie Plum with his FTA paperwork.

The source of this vital information was the remarkable encounter with young Daniel, who was one of the wannabe punks who tried, unsuccessfully, to harass and extort Shorty when he first opened his business. Daniel made the brave move to return to the scene of this memorable episode which had resulted in a close encounter with Hector's knives. He informed Shorty and Hector about having overheard Gaspick and Ramirez plotting to kill Stephanie. This was the first time these two came onto their radar, together.

Shorty offered Daniel a temporary safe place from the streets at the back of his pizza business while they checked out the validity of this new information. Okay, so he left him a cardboard box on a wooden pallet for a makeshift bed, a sleeping bag, some water bottles and some clean clothes. Daniel was grateful and appreciated how they took him seriously. He had already chanced upon the Vixen and she hit a positive chord with him, impressing him with her karate skills.

When the delivery trucks came to the rear entrance, Daniel made himself useful, helping to unload and bring the goods inside. Shorty made him breakfast as an unspoken thank you.

Hector sat with him one night, practically scaring the shit out of him when he suddenly appeared beside him in the dark after a late shift. He had shadowed Daniel the entire week, making sure he got safely to his new digs.

"You did well, hermano," Hector said quietly, causing an already weary Daniel to clutch his heart in fright, the whites of his eyes obvious in the dim light.

"Sh, sh. It's okay. You know who I am? Si?" He heard vigorous nodding and he couldn't resist a wry chuckle.

"Oh, shit! Dark Angel. You scared the hell out of me!"

"I have a place for you to live, with a proper bed and a roof over your head. Shorty tells me he might be looking for a young apprentice pizza chef. Are you interested? Better hours and a steady income. But no bullshit aside, you commit. He can offer you health benefits after a trial period."

"You'd do that for me? I feel ashamed of my previous acts and attitude."

"De nada. You move forward now. Put all that behind you. Learn from your mistakes and start a new existence. You have already proved yourself with the courage to talk to Shorty and then to me about the Vixen's life being in danger. That means a lot to us. You saw her light, too. We need people like her in our lives. She gives us hope."

"Yes. A new start. I know what you mean, with her light. It gives me hope." He sighed lightly.

"Meet me here for lunch, tomorrow, inside of course. Shorty will want to do an interview if you are interested. Now sleep."

Hector stayed. A vigil for the young Daniel after his last few years of misery. He deserved a fresh start. Someone gave him the opportunity and he has never regretted it. Just paying it forward.

oOoOo

So, in the dark cell, in the basement of Rangeman, Hector and Tiny had crept inside to sit either side of the sleeping Gaspick.

It was eerily quiet in the cell, the dark silence was suddenly broken by that distinctly gut-wrenching sound of metal against metal, sliding smoothly. Gaspick sat up, bolt upright and audibly gulped, pulling his back hard up against the wall.

"Who's there? What do you want?"

oOoOo

TBC

So, what next? Gaspick has visitors.