Chapter 5
I've known Ranger for almost 2 years now. He often asked me to assist him whenever he noticed I was low on cash. As requested, I was waiting in my apartment building lobby for Ranger to arrive. He was on time as usual. I exited the building to get into the front passenger seat of the SUV. When I buckled into my seat, I noticed 3 large men sitting in the back. They were practically sitting on top of one another.
"Should I swap seats with someone?" I asked Ranger. "They looked cramped in the back seat."
I saw him look into the rear view mirror. "They'll survive," he joked.
Shrugging my shoulders, I asked, "Ranger, I think I'm dressed wrong. What exactly does this job involve?" The men were dressed in black. I was wearing blue jeans and a pale green T-shirt. They chuckled after hearing my question.
"We were hired by the property owner to remove the druggies from a third floor apartment," he said as he parked the SUV. When we exited the SUV, we gathered at the back to get dressed. Meaning we put on Kevlar vests, security jackets and guns. "Are you dressed?" he asked as he passed me a gun.
"Are we going to shoot someone?" I squeaked. "I don't like guns and I don't like getting shot at. I really don't want to get arrested," I added.
A gorgeous man around 6'1" with sandy blond hair, green eyes with skin tone a few shades lighter than Ranger said, "Man, you don't like to get shot. You don't like to get arrested. You don't know how to have fun at all. I can show you how to have fun." He wiggled his eyebrows. I gasped. Those words were written on my back.
I quickly retorted, "I'm plenty fun. I just don't want whatever it is you're offering." He quickly raised his shirt to show me my words. "I'd show you mine, but you'll need to wait for a little longer," I teased. I could see the disappointment on his face, but if my theory was correct, two more of my platonic soulmates were with us.
Ranger finally decided to introduce us. "Your other platonic is Lester Santos. Beside him is the team medic, Bobby Brown. The tall guy is Tank Sherman." I nodded as each man shook my hand.
Bobby's skin tone was exactly between Lester and Tank. He had his hair braided in small corn rolls ending in thin braids. Bobby is maybe an inch shorter than Lester, but just as attractive and muscular. Tank was a large black man who actually resembled his name. He appeared to be almost a foot taller than me. I would guess 6'6". Bobby was mumbling something to Lester about how he too could show me how to have fun. I chuckled. He grabbed my arm to ask me, "Can you hear me?"
Quickly, I replied, "Yes, but I'm pretending to be deaf." He gasped when I said those words. I watched him pull up his shirt to show me the words written on his right side, under his armpit. "That's my writing," I confirmed. Bobby's writing was immediately beneath Lester's on my back. I assumed Tank's words were below those. He appears to be a very silent man. "Sorry Bobby, you need to wait too."
"Enough goofing off. We have a job to do," Ranger snarled. We quickly followed him to the third floor. I was expecting him to pick the lock and was disappointed when he produced a key. When the security chain caught, he made a show of banging his shoulder into the door to break the chain.
"Freaking show off," Lester mumbled. Bobby and Tank snickered. Ranger, Lester, Bobby and Tank quickly restrained the 7 occupants as I marvelled in their efficiency.
The man renting the apartment shouted, "I live here. My rent is paid. You have no right to break into my apartment." He lunged at me. Before he could reach me, Tank grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and tossed him out the window.
I nearly freaked. Quickly, I ran to the window and looked out. I looked at Tank and said, "Thank God there's a fire escape. You could have killed him."
Tank moved to stand beside me. He looked out the window and said, "Huh. Who could have guessed?" I squealed in delight. Before showing the men their words, Lester and Bobby assisted the men from the apartment. I assumed Ranger would have to replace the window along with the broken door jamb.
When Lester and Bobby returned, I gathered them along with Tank to show them their words. Tank quickly lifted his shirt to show me my words on his left side, under his armpit. "Gather around boys, I can show you the words now." I carefully lifted my shirt up to my bra strap.
I felt warm fingers stroking the first sentence. "Those are my words," Lester said.
"Mine are right below your words," Bobby stated.
"Well, what do you know. My words are below those," Tank said in amusement.
"That's why I couldn't show you the words Bobby and Les. I needed to hear Tank's words first," I explained.
"I've never seen that before," Ranger added. "You usually only meet one soulmate at a time. Or the words are on different parts of your body." He seemed amused when he noticed more writing on my lower back. "How many do you have?"
"I have 20 platonic soulmates and 1 romantic soulmate. So far I've met Bobby, Les, Tank, Ranger, James, Mary Lou and Eddie. Which means I still have 13 platonic and 1 romantic soulmate left to meet. If this trio group is an indication, there's a few more times I'll meet multiple soulmates at once," I said. I have never heard of anyone having so many platonic soulmates. They must think I'm a freak.
"You're not a freak," Tank said. "I only have 4 platonic soulmates and 1 romantic."
"Same," both Lester and Bobby said. "You were the last one I needed to find," Lester added. I saw Ranger, Tank and Bobby nod in agreement.
We planned our guard duty shifts. Feeling too wired to sleep, I agreed to pair with Tank for the graveyard shift. Lester and Bobby will arrive in the morning to relieve us. Tank and I sat on uncomfortable folding chairs at a table in the building lobby. A black SUV was parked across the road to provide extra cover for the building exterior. We spent some time getting to know each other. Of course I did most of the talking. Tank wasn't much of a conversationalist.
Suddenly I felt tired and lay flat on the floor under the table, but still facing the door. I heard gun shots and watched as Tank fell to the floor. Moving faster than normal, I grabbed my gun and pointed it at the tenant we evicted earlier. He showed me the bomb strapped to his torso. Understanding the instability of the bomb, I willingly escorted him to his old apartment. When I was unable to pick the lock, he shot at the door.
Hearing gun shots and yelling, an elderly neighbour appeared and took a shot at him. Unfortunately, she nicked the bomb. I was too close to avoid injury. He exploded, creating a huge bloody mess in the hall. The blast threw me backwards where I hit the wall across the hall. I sank to the floor semi conscious with ringing ears and covered in his blood.
The EMT arrived within 20 minutes. Ranger was holding my hand, attempting to talk to me. I shook my head, indicating I couldn't hear him. Lester has another item to add to the list of things I don't like. They all relaxed as I attempted to read the EMT's lips. I hope they were told none of the blood was mine.
After I was released from the hospital, I had to check on Tank. Luckily his bullet proof vest stopped the bullet from penetrating his chest. He'll have a huge bruise, but he'll live. Bobby passed me a note to tell me I would have some difficulty with ringing in my ears for the next few days. The doctor recommended I stay in my apartment until my hearing fully returned.
A few nights later, I felt him before I saw or heard him. My bed dipped as he carefully lay beside me. "How are you Doll?" he asked.
Barely hearing him but correctly reading his lips, I replied, "My ears are still ringing, but the headache is gone. I can barely hear you." He nodded and pulled me into his arms. I felt the vibrations of his voice, but I couldn't quite hear him. A few words slipped through, but not enough to understand what he was trying to say. He removed his jacket, weapons and boots before pulling back the blankets to lay beside me. I felt the sudden need to reassure him. "I'll be fine. The doctor says my hearing should return soon. It's slowly coming back. Everything else will be alright too Bucky. He'll forgive you. You two are practically brothers."
Last month, the news showed an incident in Washington DC. Bucky, as the Winter Soldier, killed several SHIELD personnel. He protected himself using his prosthetic arm. After fighting with his old friend Captain America, the Helicarriers collapsed. Captain America nearly drowned in the Potomac River. Bucky, experiencing a moment of lucidity, rescued him from drowning.
I wrapped my arms around Bucky, happy he managed to break through the latest brainwashing. He was recaptured as I suspected. My hearing started returning as he said, "I was afraid I'd never see you again Doll. I could hear you and Steve talking to me, slowly breaking through the brainwashing. They caught me when I destroyed their base in Germany."
"Do you mean HYDRA? I was so worried about you Bucky. Thank you for coming back home to me," I whispered.
"Yes HYDRA. The files I stole from SHIELD shows potential locations for HYDRA bases. I would like to stay with you for a few days, if you would let me," he said feeling unsure of himself.
"Of course you can stay with me. You don't have to ask," I told him. "I'm not afraid of you Bucky. I trust you." I kissed his cheek.
"You are an amazing woman Stephanie Plum." He kissed my forehead. We cuddled as I told him about meeting more of my platonic soulmates. I described each man and said what I liked the most about him. Even though I really didn't know Lester or Bobby, I loved how Lester always joked around, making light of scary situations. Bobby was very much a caregiver. Even though I couldn't hear him at the time, I could see the affection and concern on his face as he checked my ears. Tank was a tough guy to read. However, I discovered he may have a tough exterior, but at heart, he was a big teddy bear.
"Lester calls me Beautiful, Tank calls me Little Girl and Bobby hasn't found a nickname for me yet. Tank's larger than you. Can you believe that?" I asked.
"Yes Doll. I can. I've met Ranger and his team in Austria. What does Ranger call you?" he asked. Somehow I felt he already knew the answer.
"Ranger calls me Babe. It bothered me at first, but after knowing him for a few years, I got used to hearing the nickname. In fact I get worried if he calls me Stephanie because it means I'm in trouble," I said through a giggle. "Tell me about your friend Steve."
I closed my eyes as he told me about his 'brother' from their youth. Steve has blond hair and blue eyes. He was a 5'5" gangly, asthmatic sickly man. When he kept getting rejected from the Army, he volunteered for the super soldier program. After Steve received the super serum injections, his muscles bulked and he grew to be 6'1" tall. As he told me about Steve, I could clearly picture him in my mind. I searched my memory for the pictures I saw on the news. His face was never fully visible. From his nose to his forehead was covered by a mask. I could clearly see his kissable lips, dimpled chin and blue eyes. His broad shoulders, muscular abs and tight ass had me practically moaning.
Bucky silently laughed. "I think you and Steve would get along very well." His hand gently grazed my abs where my romantic soulmate's words were written. Could those words belong to Steve? Nah... that's not possible. There's no way klutzy Stephanie Plum could be fated to be with heroic, graceful, sexy, gorgeous Steve.
He continued to silently laugh as he gently combed his fingers through my hair and caressed my face. I felt safe wrapped in his arms.
It seemed like a couple hours passed when my phone started ringing in the other room. The answering machine picked up after the second ring. Mom was yelling, "Stephanie Michelle Plum. Pick up your phone right now!" she demanded. "You are such an embarrassment. Mrs Grisoli's daughter doesn't get herself blown up. Those thugs you hang around will get you killed one day. You need to give Joe Morelli a chance. He is the only man willing to marry you." I got out of bed to turn the volume down. Once she hung up, I unplugged my phone.
"That was your Mom?" Bucky asked.
"So she says. I can't understand why she's pushing me towards Joe Morelli. Do you remember him?" I asked. I wondered if he remembered the incident when I was 16.
"The angry Italian creep? Yes, I remember him." I could feel the anger radiating off Bucky. "Does your Mom know what he tried to do?"
"I told her. She insisted I asked him to have sex with me but I was too frigid to commit. He blew his chance with his romantic soulmate by cheating on her with his high school girlfriend, Terry Gilman," I said through a shudder. "You know I haven't had sex before." For some reason, I never found someone to give myself to. Losing my virginity to a random man was never on my radar. I obviously had no problems discussing the lack of sex life with Bucky. He assured me Steve was nearly as pure as me. I seriously doubt it. A gorgeous hunk of a man like Steve being that innocent was truly unbelievable.
"Unless he had some partners after being frozen, he is that innocent. You are beautiful, independent, kind and loving. Exactly Steve's type of dame," he assured me. "Do you have a computer I can borrow?"
"Yes. I have Rangeman programs on it. If you need to use them, I'll help you." I still had a few more days before my follow up appointment.
Ranger told Vinnie his team will handle my skips until I'm cleared to return to work. To earn extra money, I was running searches for Rangeman. They were planning to hire at least 10 full time men for the Trenton office and another 10 contract workers. I once asked Tank why they hire contract workers. He said it was to fill the gaps while their full time employees were away on missions. A recent hire, Rodriguez, took over for Silvio, who transferred to the Miami location.
Rodriguez quickly became the bane of my existence. He was constantly filling my inbox with various searches. If a person's background history seemed too perfect, he sent me their names to run my own search. Lester explained how much Rodriguez appreciates my work. Nobody else could find the information I'm able to uncover. I had my spidey sense to guide me. If something seemed off, I worked harder to find the missing puzzle pieces. Most of the recent applicants would be ideal employees at Rangeman. Only 2 had questionable backgrounds. I flagged their files for Ranger to review my findings. It was doubtful they would be hired.