A/N: Thank you once again to all the amazing readers and reviews in the JE fan fiction world. I love hearing your thoughts, ideas and speculations.
Apologies in advance for any errors in the Spanish text. I used what little I remember from high school and Google translate for Hector's words. I'll admit to having a huge soft spot for the man.
Anything or anyone recognizable is the property of JE.
Chapter 29
I woke up to the sun shining in and a smile still on my face. What Ranger promises, he delivers. When we got to seven we barely made it through the door before he had me pinned against the wall and was kissing me like he meant it. We left a trail of clothes from the front door to the living room, but never made it past the couch.
We came together in a lust filled frenzy of hands, mouths and bodies. Our moans of pleasure and skin slapping against skin were the only noises we made. Ranger set a frantic pace that I met stroke for stroke. The pressure within me built so quickly, my orgasm was upon me before I knew it and I screamed out as I came. This brought Ranger over the edge and I could feel the strong pulsing of his climax within my still contracting inner walls.
Ranger was careful not to rest his weight on me as we both lay there panting in the aftermath. I couldn't keep the grin from my face as I saw the slightly dazed expression on his face above me. He would probably never admit it, but I suspected it was just as mind blowing for him as it was for me.
He smiled back at my grin and leaned forward to kiss me. Before we could get started on round two, the beast in my stomach made its presence known. Ranger called down to Ella to ask her to send up dinner and while I picked up our clothing trail and stepped into the bedroom to get dressed. Ranger might be comfortable being au natural, but I still had that voice inside my head that said good girls didn't walk around naked. That voice sounded a lot like my mother.
Ranger had slipped on a pair of sweatpants and a black ribbed tank top that clung to his chest like a second skin and sent my hormones into overdrive. I was contemplating whether or not I could rip it off him using only my teeth when Ella arrived with dinner. After we ate and cleaned up, we made our way to the bedroom to resume our earlier activities.
Remembering the slow, sensual way Ranger made love to me the second time caused a warm flush throughout my body. With a sigh, I threw off the covers and made my way to the master bath to take care of business. Hector had an appointment that would last most of the day but was free later in the afternoon. I wanted to stop in and check on Rex before I went to the bonds office so I decided to just wait until I got home to shower. I sent Ranger a text to let him know I was leaving and he asked me to stop by his office on my way out.
I rode down to five and waved to the guys on monitors as I made my way to Ranger's office. The door was open so I rapped once on the frame as I walked in.
"Morning, Babe," he said, standing as I entered.
The smile I woke up with was suddenly back. "Morning, Ranger."
His eyes darkened and the corners of his mouth tipped up ever so slightly. "I wanted to offer you and Lula a wire and a new panic button to take with you today. The wire will allow Rangeman to record everything that is said and can be used as evidence later if needed. The panic button is self-explanatory, but also contains a GPS tracking system, just in case."
So here's the thing. Not too long ago, Ranger would have been telling me to wear the wire and carry the panic button because he knew I was getting in over my head. And, because I was so hell bent on proving that I didn't need help even though the reality of it was I desperately needed help, I would have refused both and gone off on my own. This most likely would have ended with Ranger scrambling men together to save my ass yet again and causing him to bleed more money on my behalf. I can't believe how lucky I was that he put up with my selfish, immature ways long enough for me to come to my senses.
"Thank you, I appreciate that," I said as I walked around his desk. I took his face in my hands and brought my mouth to his. I tried to express all my appreciation for him in that one kiss. When the kiss ended, I pulled back slightly but continued to cradle his face in my hands. I looked deeply into his eyes and said softly, "And I appreciate you." With a last quick kiss, I grabbed the small box of equipment from his desk. "I'm going home to shower and check on Rex before heading to the bonds office. Lula and I are meeting Hector at 4:00. Connie has a couple of skips for me so that will most likely keep me busy for the day."
Ranger gave me a little nod to acknowledge what I had said. "Ram had a family emergency so I'm covering the late shift for him. I won't be far from Stark if you run into problems."
"Good to know, but I don't expect any trouble with Hector there." With one more delicious kiss I was on my way with my Rangeman care package and that smile still on my face. The traffic gods must have been smiling as well because I was pulling up in front of my townhouse in record time. I wasn't going to be long so I didn't bother parking in the garage. To be honest, I didn't want my current POS sullying my new garage floor with its rust cooties and junk car juju. At some point I was going to get a newer car, and I didn't want to jinx it.
Walking into my kitchen, I tapped on the glass and said good morning to Rex before dropping a couple of grapes into his dish. The bedding rustled and I saw a pink nose and whiskers peeking out of his soup can. I refilled his water and told him to be a good boy before I went off to take my shower.
An hour later I was clean, clothed and coiffed, well pony-tailed, and on my way to the bonds office. Since I wouldn't have time to get in a workout today, I decided to continue past the Tasty Pastry. I would never give up donuts completely, but I had to admit I liked the way my body looked now that I had been working out. No sense in making it any harder to maintain.
Lula was pacing on the sidewalk in front of the office having a heated conversation with someone on her cell phone. I snuck in behind her and entered the office just as she let loose with a string of expletives that would make any longshoreman proud. Connie was trying to not laugh.
"What's up with Lula?" I asked, glancing back over my shoulder. Lula looked like a crazy woman, strutting back and forth waving her free hand and yelling into the phone. Her pacing and agitated gyrations had caused her tiger striped mini skirt to inch up her legs, allowing all passersby to see the hot pink thong she was wearing underneath.
"Someone stole her tires and egged her car last night. The garage sent a flatbed to pick it up and it will be fixed and cleaned up by later today, but she is trying to convince someone at the Trenton PD to assign a protection detail to her car until the vandals have been caught." Connie kept the laughter pretty well contained throughout her explanation but lost it when I started laughing at the protection detail request.
We both pulled ourselves together as Lula came charging through the door. "Can you believe they refused my request for round the clock protection? What the hell is this world coming to? I even reminded them that, as a tax paying citizen, they worked for me but that didn't get me nowhere," she huffed.
"Their budget is paid through property taxes," I said. "You rent, you don't pay property taxes."
"Your ass," she replied. "Well, I've been thinking about someday buying a place. That should qualify me for something."
Recognizing the futility in taking this conversation any further, I turned to Connie. "What have you got for me today?"
"Just two," she said. "Scooter Hanson and Deshawn Watson. I think you went to school with Scooter. He was caught shopping after hours at the audio/video place over by the mall. He went in just before closing and hid inside an entertainment cabinet displaying a 54" big screen TV. Once the place was locked down, he grabbed a couple of carts and started filling them with merchandise. Guess he didn't notice the 'Protected by Rangeman' sticker in the front window when he went inside. Ranger's control room recorded the whole thing and Scooter was arrested as he went out the back door." I checked and there were no priors listed. Scooter lived in an apartment not far from my old one. Hopefully I could catch him at home today.
I opened the second file and the picture of an elderly gentleman with the kindest eyes I had ever seen stared back at me. I glanced down through the information sheet and saw he had been arrested for disturbing the peace and indecent exposure. I flipped through the arresting officer's report and read that Mr. Watson was arrested when he staged a one man protest against police corruption. He stated he was protesting the 'blue wall of silence' by exposing himself to expose their code of silence. I had to say, I admired this man's grit.
I tucked the files in my messenger bag and told Lula I'd pick her up at 3:30 to go meet Hector. When I got to my car, I made a quick call to Rangeman's control room to let them know I was going after a couple of skips. Despite my training, Ranger still worried about my safety when working alone. Given my history, I admitted he had a valid concern. After much discussion, we had decided that I would contact Rangeman if I were going after a skip by myself and they would actively monitor my trackers. I didn't think I would need it just yet, but I took the new panic button out of the box and slipped it into the front pocket of my jeans.
I drove to Scooter Hanson's house first. The file listed a silver Honda Accord that was used to secure his bond. There was a silver Honda parked across the street. I checked the plate and it was the same as the one listed in the bond agreement. I used my cell to call his home phone.
"'Lo," a man's voice answered.
"Hi, is Scooter there?" I asked cheerfully
"This is. Who's this?" Scooter was definitely new to the world of bond recovery. One, you never answer your phone when you're FTA and two, if you do, don't let them know it's you.
"This is Tiffany from Global Timeshare. I'd like to…" That's as far as I got before he hung up on me.
I got out of my car and strapped on my utility belt. After a quick check to make sure I was fully 'dressed', I made my way down the sidewalk to his building. Scooter lived on the second floor of what used to be a single family home. The open stairway ran up the side of the building to a small landing in front of the door. There was a small peephole in the door, so I plastered a big smile on my face as I knocked.
When the door opened, I had to bite the inside of my mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Every inch of visible skin had been scribbled on with what looked like permanent markers. The array of color was magnificent and he looked like a walking Jackson Pollock painting.
"Yeah, go ahead and laugh, toots. Glad I can make your day," he growled.
"Sorry, just caught me unexpectedly. I represent your bonding agent. You missed your court date and I'm here to help you reschedule," I explained, trying my hardest to stop laughing.
"I couldn't go to court lookin' like this. Yeah, have them reschedule me for like a year from now so this shit has time to wear off." As he was talking, I was moving myself closer so I could grab him if he tried to bolt.
"Doesn't work like that. I need to take you down to the station to reschedule." As I was saying this, I reached out and slapped a cuff on the closest wrist, twisted his arm up behind him and grabbed the other wrist. I had the second bracelet secured before he started to put up any kind of fight.
"How did you get covered in permanent marker?" I asked as I grabbed his keys from the hook beside the door.
"I was babysitting my sister's asshole kids. I fell asleep and woke up looking like this. I can't go to jail looking like a three year olds art project. I'll get my assed kicked," he whined.
"You should be able to get bonded out pretty quickly. You may have to sit in a holding cell for a short time, but no one is going to kick your ass." I hope, I added silently to myself.
Thankfully, Scooter came quietly as I led him down the stairs to my waiting car. I dropped him off, got my body receipt and told him not to babysit before his next court date. It was lunchtime, so I decided to swing by my parent's house for lunch. I got there just as the deli meat was being pulled from the fridge. Mom and Grandma caught me up on all the 'Burg gossip as we ate our ham and Swiss on rye. I told them about Scooter and the permanent markers.
An hour had passed without me realizing it, so I said goodbye and promised to have them over to my new house once I got a bit more settled. I drove to the address in DeShawn Watson's file and found myself in front of a small single family home that was worn but cared for. There was an old pick-up truck parked in the driveway, so I pulled in behind it to prevent an escape.
The man who answered the door instantly reminded me of Morgan Freeman. He had the same tall, lanky build, kind eyes and short cropped gray hair which contrasted nicely against his dark skin. "Mr. Watson, my name is Stephanie Plum and I represent your bail bondsman. You missed your court date and I'm here to take you down to get rescheduled."
When I told him he had missed his court date I saw surprise on his face. "Ms Plum, I apologize for the inconvenience. This was not my intention. In fact, I was looking forward to presenting myself before the judge to make my case for justice. If you'll be so kind as to wait one moment while I turn the tea kettle off, I will be right with you."
I'd heard that one before, so I planted my boot beside the door so it couldn't be slammed in my face. From where I stood, I could see through to the back door in the kitchen and was mentally preparing myself to chase after him if he bolted out the back. It was my turn to look surprised when he returned with a light jacket over one arm and announced that he was ready to go. He locked up his house and was settling into the passenger seat of my car when my cell phone rang.
I glanced at the display and saw it was Grandma Mazur. "Hi, Steph. Can you pick me up at the Clip 'N Curl? Your mom's car is in the shop and your dad is taking a fare to Newark."
"Sorry Grandma. I'm getting ready to take someone down to the station to be rebonded. I can pick you up after, but it may be a while." As I was speaking I felt a tap on the arm. "Hang on Grandma."
"Child, you can't leave your grandmother stranded. I don't mind taking the scenic route to the police station." I felt like I was being gently chastised for even considering asking my grandmother to wait. I smiled my thanks and told Grandma we would be there soon.
We pulled up to the hairdresser and Grandma was waiting on the sidewalk for us. She hopped in the back and leaned forward, extending her hand into the front seat. "Howdy, I'm Edna. What's your name, handsome?" I groaned. Leave it to Grandma to hit on my skip.
DeShawn took her hand and placed a gentlemanly kiss on the back. Grandma giggled and by the time we got back to my parent's house they had plans to go out to dinner the next evening. I called Connie and asked her to meet us at the station. Given that he was arrested for protesting against the police I felt the less time he spent at the station, the better.
I got my second body receipt as Connie was walking in. I told her I would leave the receipts on her desk and pick up my check later. A quick look at my watch told me I had just enough time to pick Lula up at the office before we had to meet Hector.
Lula's car with four new tires and no egg slime was parked in front of the bonds office when I pulled up. Lula was standing on the sidewalk admiring the wax job. She met me at the front of my car as I placed the small box on the hood. Pulling the wires and the second panic button from the box, I explained to Lula how everything worked. I called Rangeman and we did a sound check on the wires and made sure the GPS tracker on both of our panic buttons was operating. Lula kept talking to her boob during the sound check and I was starting to question whether having her wear a wire was really a good idea.
"Do you want to take your car or mine?" I asked Lula.
"My baby has been traumatized enough for one day. I'm not taking her down to Stark Street without that police protection I can't seem to get," she grumped.
Chances were good even my POS wouldn't come out unscathed, but I didn't really care. We drove to the safer end of Stark Street and found parking near a street light that hadn't been busted yet. I locked the doors and Lula and I saw Hector standing in the doorway of a Puerto Rican grocery store. It was still early enough for the streets to be relatively safe in this area where the murders had taken place. The plan was for us to try to talk to some of the 'hos first to see if they knew anything. Hector would hang in the background like a guardian angel. My Glock was in a holster at the small of my back, but I hoped I wouldn't need it.
Lula knew a lot of the women working the corners and after the customary insults were exchanged, we told them why we were there. There was a lot of speculation and a few outright accusations, but no one had anything useful. People on Stark Street learn quickly to mind their own business.
We were walking past the alley where Shonda Williams was killed when a young girl called out quietly from the shadows. The girl looked to be about 13 or 14 years old. She was dirty, like she had been sleeping on the streets but she didn't look like she was selling herself yet. Lula and I walked towards her and she moved back out of sight from the street.
"Are you payin' for information?" she asked.
"That depends on what you've got. Tell me your name and what you know and I'll tell you what it's worth to me," I replied.
"Name's Aliyah. I've been sleeping in this alley for a couple weeks now. Ever since my mom kicked me out of our apartment 'cuz her boyfriend started paying me more attention than her. So I've been like urban camping back here, you know? I was here the night that 'ho got killed. What's that worth to you?" This kid was tough and I liked her. I handed her a twenty and told her to continue.
"She came down the alley with a dude. He was all swagger and strut. I've seen him a couple of times and heard someone say he was the po-po, but that he'd let you walk for a blow job. He just looks like an asshole to me." I couldn't help but agree with her.
"Anyway, while they was talkin' I noticed someone else come into the alley. My campsite is tucked up under a set of stairs where no one can see me, but I can see almost everythin'. The weird part was, this dude was dressed up like a homeless dude, but didn't move like one, you know what I mean?" I shook my head. I didn't know how a homeless person moves. "Homeless folks are beaten down, defeated. You can tell they've given up. This dude moved like you do. Like you know your shit and you're not taking anyone else's."
"Anyway, the homeless dude kind of hunkered down by the trash cans. I don't think they ever saw him. I guess they were done talking cuz next thing ya know, she was down on her knees suckin' his dick. She's either real good or he's a minuteman, cuz it was over almost as soon as she started. He zipped up and split before she could even finish swallowin'. As soon as he left, the homeless dude got up and came over. The 'ho was like 'What the fuck, do you want a freebie, too?' The next thing I know, the homeless dude had his hands around her throat and was choking the shit out of her. I almost pissed my pants I was so scared. I was afraid if he saw me I was next, so I didn't move."
"Did you ever see his face?" I asked, praying the wire was working and Rangeman was hearing this.
"No, I didn't see a face but the 'ho knocked his hat off and I saw a lot of blonde hair. I think the dude might have been a chick," the girl said.
I handed the girl four more twenty dollar bills. Lula, who had been uncharacteristically quiet during the girl's story, said, "There's a place a couple a blocks down on Stark called A Way Out. They help folks with what they need to get off the streets. You remind me of someone I knew who didn't have no one to help her, and she ended up travelin' a rough road before she finally found a way out. Go see 'em."
I wasn't sure if the girl would listen or not but I was glad Lula had told her about the place. We headed back toward the mouth of the alley as Aliyah melted into the shadows of her temporary home. Two hard-eyed punks sporting gang colors were suddenly standing between us and the street. Their white tank tops were pristine above their oversized homeboy jeans that somehow managed to just hang on to their lean hips.
"Looks like it's our lucky day, Raul. You want the fat pussy or the skinny pussy?" the banger on the left asked his friend as he reached down to adjust himself. Lula went off on cue, distracting both men and allowing me to draw my weapon from the holster tucked into the small of my back. Before I could say a word, Hector was there and had the mouthy gang banger pinned against the alley wall, a forearm across the banger's throat and the point of a wicked looking knife pressing into the flesh just below his eye. I kept my gun trained on the other one.
"¿Sabes quién es, pendejo? Esta es la mujer de Manoso. Y yo soy el hombre que te destruirá si la vuelves a faltar al respeto." (Do you know who this is, asshole? This is Manoso's woman. And I am the man who will destroy you if you disrespect her again.) Hector's voice was quiet and calm, but the tip of the knife was moving slowly down the man's face, leaving a very thin trail of blood in its wake.
I didn't know what Hector had said, but I did understand Manoso and saw the effect Ranger's name had one these guys. "Lo siento. No pretendíamos faltarle el respeto." (Sorry. We meant no disrespect.) This came from the one I was holding the gun on. I don't think the other one could speak with a forearm across his windpipe.
Hector moved the knife to the front of the guy's pants and whispered something in his ear. The banger paled and wetness spread across the front of his pants. This brought a malicious smile to Hector's face.
Hector questioned both men but neither knew anything about the murders. Finally, it was obvious these two were a waste of our time and Hector told them to scurry away like the "cucarachas" they were. As Hector walked us back to my car he whispered to me in heavily accented English, "Good to see I still got it."
I grinned and asked him what he had whispered to the guy. "I tell him if he lie to you, I cut off his dick and he will die choking on it."
Lula barked out a laugh, but I didn't think Hector was joking. We left Hector on Stark Street and drove back to the bonds office so I could drop Lula off at her car. I had forgotten to leave the body receipts for Connie earlier, so I took a few minutes to run into the office and tuck the receipts under the stapler on her desk. With the alarm reset and the office locked back up, I walked to my car and reached to open my driver's side door. I never heard the person come up behind me, but I felt the jolt electricity half a second before I blacked out.
cucarachas = cockroaches