Chapter 7

We took the elevator to the garage. I couldn't stop myself from shouting, "To the Bat Mobile!" He led me to a gorgeous black sports car. "You have a Porsche 911 Turbo?"

"Babe." OMG, this car is so sexy. A very sexy car for a very sexy man. Carlos unlocked the car and held my door open. I moaned when I sunk into the buttery soft leather seats. He quickly adjusted himself before walking around the car to the driver's side. "Babe, you make me want so much more than I deserve," he growled before pulling me into a panty melting kiss.

"Carlos, it's getting late. I still need to review the data I uncovered for Morelli." He quickly snapped on his seatbelt and drove from the parking area. It took less than 10 minutes to arrive in my parking lot. I noticed a Rangeman SUV parked close to the door. Carlos parked in the empty spot on the other side of the car.

"Stupid Rangeman parking karma," I mumbled. He threw back his head and laughed.

I wanted to stomp my foot and run away, but a shiver wracked through my body. "What's wrong Babe?"

"I'm not sure, but it feels like someone is watching me." I looked around the parking lot but couldn't see anyone. "Let's get upstairs." He quickly moved me in front of him and guided me to my apartment.

Hector was waiting with a fob in his hand. He passed the fob to Ranger and nodded in my direction. "He only speaks Spanish," Ranger whispered. He proceeded to show me how to use the fob. A small keypad was attached to the fob. "Enter a 4 digit code for emergency."

"Why didn't you search my apartment this time?" I asked as I selected my emergency code.

"Your apartment was already secure. Hector secured it upon his arrival. Nobody has entered while he was here," he explained. He moved me to the hallway and locked my door. After unlocking and locking my door a few times, I was positive I could manage on my own. He pressed a slightly larger fob into my hand. "This one allows you to access everything in Rangeman, including my private apartment."

Hector quickly programmed my phone and calibrated the cameras. He silently handed my phone to Ranger, who opened the program for me to set my password.

Ranger told me to keep my bedroom window closed. Hector placed sensors on my window, so a deafening alarm will sound if it's opened. He placed tiny, undetectable cameras at the top of my window to show me if someone was on my fire escape. I opened the app to select the bedroom window cameras. One was pointing to the landing, the other pointing to the ladder. I noticed more cameras in my dining room window and outside my front door.

"What happens if the camera detects someone on my fire escape or attempting to pick my locks?"

"Someone from Rangeman will be dispatched immediately. You have a panic button in each room," he added. I followed him around my apartment as he showed me the one in the cabinet with my snacks. Another panic button was attached to the medicine cabinet. He pointed out the one attached to my nightstand. "There's another button under your couch on the left side." Overprotective much? I wondered.

"When it comes to your safety? Yes. I have many enemies," he reminded me.

I noticed a brand new laptop on my dining room table. "Uh... What's this for?"

"Babe." Okay, so this meant 'it is a laptop for your personal use, complete with Rangeman programs and security.' He chuckled. "Yes."

"Thank you. It will come in handy if I find something else to search. I'll see you tomorrow, Carlos."

"Be sure to use all locks including the floor bolt Babe. I have a redecorating shift with Tank tonight. Stay safe."

"Don't get shot," I replied. He kissed me thoroughly before saying goodnight. I could tell he was waiting for me to lock the door. After I engaged the floor bolt, he knocked twice before I heard the stairwell door open.

I couldn't shake the feeling that someone outside was watching me. It wouldn't hurt to dig up more information on Joyce. The more pressing issue is capturing Morelli, so I opened and powered up the laptop... just in case.

The research I received from Connie appeared to be missing information. A newspaper article, recent picture and address was attached to the file. If I used Rangman's program, I could probably find more information. I read his arrest warrant and instantly wondered if he was innocent. Morelli was visiting a confidential informant Carmen Sanchez. He claims the victim, Ziggy Kulesza's opened the door, drew then fired his weapon and Morelli shot him in self defence. Ziggy's weapon wasn't part of the evidence collected from the crime scene.

According to the research from Morty Beyers, Carmen literally vanished into thin air. I had a feeling if there was a weapon, it was with Carmen. Did she grab the weapon and go into hiding? Or was she dead? I made some notes to question her neighbour. Maybe Ram or Cal will be assigned to assist me tomorrow.

When I could barely keep my eyes open, I decided to go to bed. I was too tired to break in my new laptop. As I drifted off to sleep, I thought I heard the fire escape squeak.

The following morning, I looked out my bedroom window and noticed a Rangeman SUV parked in the lot. I grabbed my phone to text Carlos. 'Why do I have a security detail?'

'Babe. Someone was on your fire escape last night.'

'Did the guys catch him or see who it was?'

'No. Left when the guys arrived. He wore a hat and angled his head down.'

'Could it have been Morelli?'

'Negative. Ram and Cal are your shadows today.' I rolled my eyes. I was trying to figure out which one was Cal. Is he the man nearly as large as Tank or the one with the awesome forehead tattoo?

"Okay. Thanks."

What? He doesn't tell me who was on my fire escape? I wasn't sure if his previous response of 'no' answered the question of who my visitor was, so I asked again 'Any ID on my visitor?'

'Babe.' Interpretation... they couldn't ID the man and he already answered that question.

I brought my phone into the washroom so I could listen to music as I showered. My mind was attempting to process all the information I gathered yesterday. I'm supposed to meet Dad for dinner tomorrow night. I really need to talk to him. Maybe we could meet today for lunch instead. He should be at the lodge.

By the time I finished my shower, I decided to visit Dad during my lunch hour. I pulled on a pair of relaxed jeans and a black stretchy top. After I pulled my hair into my standard ponytail, someone knocked on my door. I used my phone to open the app. Lester was on the other side holding up a coffee and a donut bag.

I quickly opened the door and pressed my fob button. A aloud alarm sounded. I couldn't get it to shut off. "Give me your gun!" I shouted at Les. My 4 digit pin wasn't working.

He raised his eyebrow, but handed me his gun. I was beyond pissed off. He called Rangeman to disable my alarm. I threw down my fob, using Lester's gun, I shot the fucker. It lay on the floor blown apart from the bullet. "Great shot, Beautiful. You hit it on the first try. I thought you didn't know how to fire a weapon."

"Unfortunately, I do know how to shoot. Dad and Grandpa taught me. What they didn't teach me, I learned from playing paintball with Eddie, Mary Lou, Lenny and Carl. I just don't like guns." I carefully engaged the safety and handed him his weapon. It was time to get rid of this useless security system. I used my cellphone to call Carlos. "Hi Batman. Can you send over your tech guy and have him remove the fob part of the system?"

I heard him sigh, "Babe" before hanging up the phone. Someone needs a lesson in phone manners. Lester started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Good luck teaching us phone manners. Saying 'goodbye' or 'see you later' takes up precious seconds that could be the difference between life or death," he explained. Lester closed and locked the door. I led him to the table so we could eat breakfast. He shifted in his seat as I ate my Boston Creme donut. It's amusing to see how uncomfortable men get as I moan my way through a meal. If I catch them not so discreetly 'fixing' themselves, I moan louder to get a rise out of them. Yes, I know it's mean, but a girl needs to get her thrills somehow.

Ranger arrived with Hector. I gave him my destroyed fob. He smiled and said, "bang bang."

"Why would you say that to a girl?" I shouted. Hector grabbed for my arm as he removed his shirt. Across his right shoulder, my words were written. I shook myself from my stupor as I realized he was another platonic. Only 1 left for me to find.

I'm happy I decided to wear a sports bra instead of a lacy one. I quickly removed my shirt to show him the words across my left shoulder blade.

After replacing my shirt, Ranger said he had a few client meetings to attend. He needed to leave immediately if he wanted to be on time. We left Lester and Hector to handle my apartment alarm.

I walked to my car and shivered. Nope, can't drive it today. My spidey sense was off the charts. I knocked on the Rangeman SUV window to ask for a ride. The window powered down, I recognized Ram. Ah... Cal is the dude with the awesome tattoo. I heard him chuckle. "Hey guys, since you're shadowing me anyways, can I ride with you today?"

"Sure, hop in the back," Ram answered.

Cal looked from my car to me and back. "Why didn't you want to drive your car?" he asked.

"I'm not sure exactly, but I had a feeling something bad would happen if I did," I attempted to explain. Ram parked further away from my car and immediately contacted Rangeman.

"We'll wait for the team," Ram explained. "It would help to know what we're dealing with.

We took the time to get to know each other better. I discovered Cal has a twin brother. He got the tattoo to stop unwanted advances from his sister-in-law. She would use the excuse of not being able to tell us apart.

Ram was a sharpshooter, a trained sniper. He met Ranger, Bobby, Lester and Tank on a mission. When he joined the Rangers, he reduced the number of missions. He wanted more stability as he got older.

An SUV parked next us. I recognized the men as Hal and Vince. "Be careful," I shouted out my window. A strong sense of doom was causing me to shake uncontrollably. Cal noticed my discomfort and quickly jumped into the back.

He pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his strong, muscular arms around me. I felt safe and the shaking subsided. "What are they doing?" I asked.

Ram answered, "They're checking for bombs. I think they found one." He pointed towards Vince. Hal was monitoring something from the back of their SUV.

I gasped then rolled down the window, "Vince, RUN!" He didn't waste time, he bolted from my car, but he didn't find shelter fast enough. Shrapnel covered his back.

"He'll be alright," Cal whispered in my ear. Ram was already on his phone contacting emergency. Hal was checking on his partner. He had a phone up to his ear. I needed to know if Vince was okay.

"I need to check on him, please Cal," I begged. He released his grip and allowed me to assist Hal. We gently removed his jacket. He was wearing protection, but a larger piece of shrapnel was lodged in his back, dangerously close to his spinal cord. I was relieved when I noticed Vince moving his legs.

"Stop moving Vince. Your Kevlar was pierced. There's a large piece of metal stuck in your back close to your spine," Hal gently said as he kept Vince on his side.

I sat on the ground in front of Vince and grabbed his hand. "I'm here for you Vince. Just concentrate on me. The EMT should be here soon, I can hear the siren."

"Will you stay with me?" he asked. I guess even the strong military guys get scared.

"Of course. I have nowhere else to be." I quickly ran through my plans. Meeting Dad for lunch today was off the table. Given the circumstances, I resolved to do more research on my FTA, Joseph Morelli. It will have to wait until Vince receives treatment for his injuries.

The EMTs placed Vince on the stretcher, mindful of the metal stuck in his back. They hooked up an IV and asked him a million questions. As they were closing the doors, I hopped in beside Vince. "Sorry miss, you can't ride with him."

I was feeling guilty and needed to assure myself he was going to recover. Before thinking it through, I said, "He's my husband. I have every right to be here."

He shook his head as he closed the door to me, Vince and his partner. "I'm Adam and my partner is Phil," the attractive man said.

"Stephanie Plum." He didn't seem surprised Vince and I had different last names.

"You guys aren't married," he whispered.

"No, but pretend we are. Our boss holds his medical power of attorney, but he's unavailable at the moment. I want to ensure Vince receives the medical attention he needs." I wasn't too versed on Rangeman's policy for hospital visits. I assume our medic, Bobby, will meet us at the hospital to fill out the required forms.

Little did I know, this would be a common occurrence. I would claim to be one of the guy's wife whenever they were taken to the hospital. Bobby always made sure I had all their pertinent information. The nurses obviously knew I was dating Ranger and wasn't married, but they indulged us. As their 'wife,' the doctors had no problems discussing their medical needs to me and Bobby.

Over the next few days, I received strange messages on my answering machine. A soft voice kept taunting me, saying he wanted to play with me. It was really creepy. Ranger recognized the voice as Benito Ramirez. Joy, just what I always wanted, a sick bastard stalking me.

Vince pulled through surgery. Luckily the only damage was to his rhomboid muscle. He'll require a lot of physiotherapy once he heals. In the meantime, he's stuck on searches and monitors. I wonder if he'll help me research Morelli.