Chapter 4
7 Years Later... "I can't believe it!" I screamed. The FBI stormed EE Martin, arrested the CEO, CFO, owners and their current Executive Assistants. I was officially out of a job. When I graduated with my MBA, I worked a 2 year internship with EE Martin before they hired me as the CEO's Executive Assistant. Within a few months, I was demoted to lingerie buyer. Byron Martin, the CEO, claimed I didn't have the skills required to be his Executive Assistant. I knew he was lying. It was really because I noticed inconsistencies in protocol and confronted him. I'm relieved I wasn't arrested along with the other criminals in the company.
Bucky has been missing for the last 5 years. I last saw him when I graduated with my MBA. His last check in was just over 5 years ago. I pray he wasn't recaptured. He admitted to having difficulty breaking through the brainwashing when he was recaptured the first time.
Grandpa Henry passed away a few days after my graduation. I was completely heartbroken. One of my biggest supporters was gone. Grandma reluctantly moved in with Mom and Dad. Mom tried her hardest to thwart her independent nature.
When I started working at EE Martin, I had enough money to buy a new car. The car Bucky gifted me suddenly stopped working a few years ago. It was less expensive for me to purchase a new car than it was to fix the older used one. My Miata was red and convertible. It was an awesome car with excellent gas mileage. I was struggling to find another job. Nobody wanted to hire someone previously employed at EE Martin. I guess they assumed everyone employed there were involved in their criminal activities. If I didn't find a job soon, my car will be repossessed.
With my head held high, and my heart feeling heavy, I decided to move back to my hometown of Trenton New Jersey. Rent in Newark was too expensive and would deplete my savings at an alarming rate. I found an apartment where rent was relatively cheap and the area was moderately safe. Thankfully, it was outside the Burg. I could have rented a cheaper apartment on Stark St, but that neighbourhood is riddled with gangs and not safe for a single woman.
Within 6 months, I noticed my savings were diminishing. I guess I could have taken money from Bucky's account, but I didn't feel right using his money. It was different when he gave me money while I was in school to pay for food and school supplies. I was not a gold digger and refused to spend his money. He only gave me permission to access his account while I was completing my education.
Dad noticed I was struggling financially and invited me to dinner most nights. He was also helping me search for a job. At dinner tonight, he told me my cousin Vinnie was hiring a file clerk at Vincent Plum Bail Bonding Company. "I'll go there tomorrow and talk to him," I promised Dad.
Mom, of course, continuously lectured me about my education and lack of suitable employment. "A proper Burg woman should be married with children and taking care of the house," she stated. "You're already 30 years old. Before too long, you'll be too old to bear children." I wasn't 30 for another few months.
"I don't want to get married and have children," I replied. "My romantic soulmate is out there somewhere. I'll meet him eventually." I may not want marriage or children, but I knew it would change once I meet the man fate selected for me.
"If you haven't already met him, chances are you won't ever meet him," she practically yelled as she packaged leftovers for me to take home. I swear, if it wasn't for the promise of a meal tomorrow, I would have left earlier. After saying a quick goodbye to Dad and Grandma, I left for the night.
The following morning, I noticed my car was repossessed during the night. I called Mary Lou for a ride to a used car dealer. After purchasing a new to me car, I waved to Mary Lou and drove away in my piece of shit (POS) Nova. I bartered my TV, VCR, food processor and microwave for the 500 POS. As they say, desperate times require desperate measures.
I dropped by Vincent Plum Bail Bonding Company and talked to Connie Rosolli. "Hi Steph, it's been a while since I've seen you in town," she greeted me. I went to school with her younger sister Tina. Both Connie and Tina were known for their stink bombs. Connie had dark wavy hair and large brown eyes. Her body shape could be described as voluptuous. She looked exactly like the human incarnation of Betty Boop.
"I just moved back a few months ago. I'm here for the file clerk position," I stated, getting to the point of my visit.
"Oh. I'm so sorry, but that job has already been filled. We do have an opening for a BEA, bond apprehension agent. A bounty hunter," she added after seeing my confused expression.
"What does the job involve?" I inquired.
"Vinnie writes a bond for a criminal if they lack funds to post bail. If that criminal misses his or her court date, they're called FTA, failure to appear. We have 14 days to capture him or her before Vinnie loses the bond. If you capture them, you receive 10 percent of the bond."
I thought about the job before saying, "I would like to try that. What happened to your other BEA?"
"He had emergency surgery to remove his appendix. I'll call Vinnie out here to set you up. You'll need to sign a contract for each FTA you're assigned to locate." She used her phone to call Vinnie's office.
He barged out and yelled, "Absolutely not. I will not hire you as a BEA. Uncle Frank will kill me if anything happens to you."
I pushed him into his office and quietly said, "If you don't give me the job, I'll tell Lucille all about your sexual deviant behaviour with the duck, the boys and Madam Zaretski."
His face paled. "Connie," he yelled. "Set Stephanie up as our new BEA on a trial basis. Give her the Morty Beyers' cases." To me he said, "If you can't capture anyone within 2 weeks, you'll be out of a job."
Connie gave me basic information for Joseph Morelli. She printed the required information for me to review. I had his address and vehicle information. Driving in my POS Nova, I arrived at his apartment to watch as his cousin Mooch entered the building. I carefully watched as he left with a small duffle bag. Following a few cars behind Mooch, he led me to a rental just off Stark St, where Joe was currently residing. I patiently waited for Mooch to leave.
Feeling braver than I actually am, I approached the door and knocked. A brown eye appeared behind the peep hole seconds before the door was ripped open. I faked having the wrong house before he realized who I am. "What are you really doing here? You read about me in the papers and decide my life wasn't fucked up enough?"
"I could care less about your fucked-up life," I snapped. "I'm working for my cousin Vinnie. You're in violation of your bond agreement." He brushed me aside to leave. I attempted to catch up to him, but he disappeared before I had the chance to follow him.
Slightly shaking, I decided to leave and ask Connie for help. She promised to contact Ranger, aka Ricardo Carlos Manoso, a second generation Cuban-American. "He doesn't always play by the rules, but he makes quick and efficient apprehensions. This guy will tell you everything you need to know," she promised with a smile.
I met Manoso in a downtown cafe of his choosing. It took me a few minutes to realize where I've seen him before. He's Ricki from college. I looked around the cafe to see if 'Bambi' was around. He leaned back in his chair, obviously recognizing me too. "You have got to be pranking me," he said with a slight smile. I was surprised. His words were written on my thigh.
After looking around the cafe, I said, "Hi, you must be Ranger. Where's Bambi?" He practically fell off his chair laughing.
"I need to see the words," he demanded. I looked around the nearly empty cafe before lifting the hem of my skirt, exposing my left thigh. In small, neat, grey writing were his words along the outside.
He pulled up his right pant leg to show my words written on his calf. "I remember seeing you around campus. I'm Ricardo Carlos Manoso, but everyone calls me Ranger." He mentioned only having 4 platonic soulmates. I was the last one he needed to find.
"Stephanie Plum. Connie said you can help me become a badass bounty hunter," I said.
"Why? Is this personal or professional?" he inquired. He motioned to the waitress to bring us coffee and danishes.
"Mostly personal. I owe Joseph Morelli for all the nasty poems he wrote about me," I confessed.
"Do you mean the Cupcake poems?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Unfortunately yes. Nothing happened between us. He was mad when one of my platonic soulmates thwarted his plan," I explained.
After talking for a few hours, he agreed to help me. "You're my platonic soulmate. It's my duty to help protect you. If you need help, please call me for help." He quickly programmed his number into my cell phone. "As long as I'm not away on a mission, I can help you. If I'm not available, call this number," he said, passing me a business card. It was white with raised black writing. I flipped the card over. No information other than a phone number was recorded on the card. Huh... odd.
"It only has a phone number," I stated the obvious. I already knew I wasn't going to call that number. His offer to help was obviously viewed as an obligation.
"If you call, leave your name and number. Someone will return your call," he cryptically stated. Ranger has a lot of secrets. Why is he so secretive? "I have many enemies from my time in the Army. Anonymity is my friend," he answered my question. "Please call that number when you need help."
"I really must stop doing that," I whined. His phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket to read the message. I watched as he threw a 20 on the table and exit the cafe.
My phone chimed to indicate an incoming text. 'Tomorrow 2 pm. Sunny's gun shop. ~R'
The following afternoon, Ranger purchased a gun, bullets, pepper spray and handcuffs for me. After ensuring I could fire the weapon accurately, he helped me apply for a gun license and permit to carry concealed. "Why do I need the carry concealed permit?" I asked.
"Unless you have friends at the TPD, you'll be arrested if caught without a permit," he kindly answered. "You're a natural with a gun. Have you fired a weapon before?"
"I don't like guns. Eddie, Mary Lou, Lenny and I used to play laser tag and paintball," I attempted to explain my reason for the accuracy. I purposely omitted mentioning Bucky taught me how to shoot. He too said I was a natural.
Over the next few weeks, I worked to capture Joseph Morelli. Ranger helped me obtain keys to enter his apartment. While there, I found keys to his fairly new SUV. I figured if I made it known I had his car, then he'll come after it so I can capture him. Of course nothing ever goes according to plan.
Joe quickly realized I was driving his car. His cousin Mooch came to my apartment to repossess it. After discovering I removed and hid the distributor cap, he called Joe. An hour later, Joe broke into my apartment and handcuffed me to my shower curtain rod. I heard him rifle through my apartment, furious he couldn't find the distributor cap. I knew he was trashing my apartment. He returned to the bathroom, left my phone on the counter to free his hands. While I was trussed up naked, Joe fondled my breasts. Before he could lower his mouth to my nipple, I managed to raise my knee and connect with his crotch. He doubled over to grab himself. "You stupid bitch. I was going to free you. Now you'll have to free yourself ."
I was relieved to find my phone still resting on the counter. Having nobody else to call, I called the only phone number, besides my parents, I had memorized. Ranger arrived within 15 minutes to unlock the cuffs. I noticed he took a quick, appreciative glance at my body. He promised to teach me to pick locks and always have a pick strategically hidden in the bathroom.
The following day, Ranger spent several hours teaching me to pick the handcuffs. I hid a pick in the top of the shower curtain. It was undetectable. You could only find the pick if you knew where it was hidden.
Finding Joe was proving to be difficult and I was starting to run out of time. The more I researched and asked questions, the more I realized Joe was innocent. We just needed to uncover the proof.
I still haven't heard from Bucky. My concern increased every day I didn't hear from him. There was a minute possibility Ranger may know how to contact him. After all, both men were in the Army special forces. I decided to put off finding or worrying about Bucky and concentrated on capturing Joe.
The day before his bond expired, I finally caught Joe Morelli. At the marina, inside the refrigerated truck were barrels containing proof of his innocence. I guarantee he'll be angry because I locked him in the back of the truck with several dead bodies. Vinnie was please I managed to recapture his skip. After receiving my check, I deposited the money into my bank account. I purchased a more reliable vehicle, then paid my rent in advance for the next 4 months. Once I purchased groceries, I only had a few hundred dollars remaining in my account. Vinnie agreed to have me work for him, capturing the lower range of bonded FTAs.
Ranger and I often worked together to capture our skips. He wanted to ensure I stayed safe, while I wanted to get to know my platonic soulmate. A few times we kissed. He is an amazing kisser and we have crazy chemistry, but I wanted to maintain our 'friends only' status. Platonic soulmates rarely have a lasting romance. Someone always gets hurt when the other finds their romantic soulmate. Ranger had several platonic soulmates, but no romantic soulmate mark. "I used to have a romantic soulmate mark. It disappeared many years ago," he told me.
"What do you think happened to her?" I asked.
"Most likely she died," he logically answered.
"Did you have the opportunity to meet her?" I wondered.
"No. The mark disappeared while I was on a mission. I thought I had already met her. A girl named Rachel said the words. She claimed my words that were written on her body. I later discovered she had my words tattooed. It wasn't a true romantic soul mark, but I didn't know at the time. We got married before I left on a short mission. I have a 9 year old daughter named Julie," he explained.
I knew he was my age, which means he must have met her shortly after joining the Army. "I just finished basic training. We were given a few weeks to visit with family before our deployment." Once again he answered my unasked question.
"Babe." I took this to mean, 'you were talking out loud.'
"I really must stop doing that. It's very embarrassing." He laughed.
"It's refreshing. I always like to know what you're thinking," he said.
"How did you know Rachel tattooed your words on her body?" I was beyond curious.
"I know exactly what I said to her. The words she showed me were slightly different. Also, my romantic soulmate mark disappeared. Rachel was still very much alive and my 'so called' words were still in place. When I confronted her after Julie was born, she confessed. She got the idea from her friend. Since then, Rachel's romantic soulmate mark appeared. She married Ron Martine when Julie turned 2. When I joined the Rangers, I relinquished my parental rights."
"That must have been a very difficult decision."
"It was, but with my missions and not knowing if I would return, I felt it best for her to have a full time dad. I pay child support and pay for her private school," he added proving he was an honourable man. If I wasn't mistaken, when you relinquish your parental rights, you are not financially responsible for that child. Ricardo Carlos Manoso was a generous, loving and kind man. I hope the fates give him another romantic soulmate.
Ranger continued to work as a BEA in between his special ops missions. A month after his last mission, I was struggling to make ends meet. Not many skips were skipping. He was starting his own security company and needed an extra hand, or so he said, to work a redecorating job. I was expecting to help remove old furniture from an apartment and refurnish it. Little did I know what was actually involved. I readily agreed to assist. He was picking me up at 7 the following morning.