Chapter 14

Stephanie's POV

It seemed like it took half an hour for the elevator to make it to the fifth floor, but in actuality it was only one minute twenty-seven seconds. Of course, when the car came to a stop it took thirty-three seconds longer than it should have to open. Most people wouldn't know this, but I find that shit like that seemed to find a niche in my brain where it would hibernate until such a time as now. There was something going on, and it gave me the feeling of butterflies fluttering around in my stomach.

Cautiously, I stepped out of the elevator as I scanned the area around me. The guy on desk duty downstairs said that I'd have someone to show me were Ranger's office was, but there was no one in sight. That left me wondering if they were scrambling to stall me, and if so, was it because of Ranger, or more likely his cousin, Lester, who they were trying to give an advantage to.

In seconds, I took in the room. One window, dozens of monitors and a table with two chairs, two doorways—one that looked to be leading into the breakroom, given that it was filled with tables and chairs as well as all the needed kitchen accessories.

On the right side of the room, a maze of cubicles were set up. I assumed the majority of the personnel worked there. Directly ahead there was a sitting area with an office on either side. Both doors were firmly shut, but something told me that Ranger's office was the one on the right. I moved in that direction, and my progress was stalled as a large male dressed in SWAT black stepped in my path. How he'd gotten there without my noticing was a mystery.

He stood with one hand on the butt of his weapon and the other down at his side. There was no emotion on his face as he said, "May I help you, ma—"

I glared at him, interrupting him before he could finish. "Don't you dare ma'am me. You're older than I am."

There was a twinkle in his eyes, but other than that, no other emotion crossed his face. He gave a brisk nod. "Are you here to see someone?"

I rolled my eyes. "Nah. I was just passing by and thought I'd come up and see what kind of building this was."

If I'd been trying to get a reaction from him, I was doomed to fail. Nothing…well, other than the lifting of an eyebrow. I let out a sigh. "I need to see Ranger."

The man's gaze darted to the office on my right, so I knew I'd guessed right. He moved in that direction and knocked on the door.

A voice I'd recognized from my meetings with Ranger spoke. "Enter."

My escort opened the door and, in a low voice that I could barely hear, said, "There's a woman here to see you."

I didn't hear the response, but the man straightened, turned to me, then said, "Can I get you something to drink?"

I shook my head and then moved toward the office door, checking my watch to see how much time I had before Vinny would be leading an all-out assault. As I stepped into the doorway, Ranger's gaze met mine, and without taking his gaze off me, he said, "That will be all, Ram."

Ram left, closing the door behind him, and I suddenly felt a bit claustrophobic.

Ranger lifted an eyebrow. "What can I do for you—"

I strode forward and rested my hands on his desk. "I don't have time for idle chit chat. My friend is missing, and your cousin, Lester, is responsible."

Although his outward appearance didn't change, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I got the impression the jungle cat in front of me had just gotten even more dangerous than he'd been before.

I ran what I'd just said through my mind and realized my mistake instantly. Not once in our association had Ranger referred to Lester as his cousin. Shit! This was a complication I didn't need.

Ranger's gaze hooded as he said, "Go on."

I let out a sigh as I straightened and said, "I need to know where he took her."

Ranger lifted a shoulder. "I'm his boss, not his keeper."

I slapped my hand on the desk and let the anger I was feeling loose as I said, "Damn it! I'm trying to diffuse the situation. I don't have time for you to give me the runaround."

Ranger leaned toward me, and the room suddenly got much warmer…and smaller. "I'm trying to run a business. I don't have time for these games either."

I leaned a bit closer. "Well, the man working the front desk knows something, because I heard him talking to someone on the phone in Spanish. He told someone that I was on the way to see you and it might have something to do with what Santos was planning."

Ranger stiffened. His gaze bore into mine, and I forced myself to hold my own. Finally, he lifted the phone and said, "My office. Now!"

I watched as he replaced the receiver with infinite care. "Tell me, why does this situation need diffusing?"

My phone chirped, and I held up a finger to Ranger before digging in my bag. When I finally found my cell, I saw that I had an incoming call from Alexander. Before I could answer it, Ranger reached out and took it from my hand and thenconnected the call and hit the speaker button.

"Yo."

"Ranger? What the hell are you answering girlie's phone for? Don't tell me you took a page out of Lester's playbook."

At the word girlie, Ranger looked up at me in amusement. He shook his head when Alexander finished speaking and said, "Not at all. Stephanie and I are renewing our acquaintance."

I could hear Alexander's laughter through the phone. "Watch yourself with that one. She's not your usual emptyheaded bimbo. That one there has real class. And you remember what I told you I'd do if you hurt her. You won't need to worry about breathing."

Ranger's narrowed gaze met mine. "I'll keep that in mind. Why are you looking for Santos?"

"Alessandro Beretti. Luci's his daughter."

Ranger's eyes closed, he pinched the bridge of his nose for a few seconds, and then he said, "I'll handle it."

Alessandro Beretti's voice was a low growl as he said, "Not going to happen. I'm on my way, and I want that bastard strung up by his balls!"

Ranger's tone turned deadly soft as he said, "Back off, Beretti. I said I'd handle it." He disconnected the call and stood, running a hand through his hair as he mumbled something about Santos, but it was too low for me to hear the rest.

As he moved to the door, I fell into step beside him.

He turned to me and said, "Look, I don't have time for this. I need to straighten this out before Santos starts World War III."

"I know. That's why I'm going with you."

He shook his head. "You're an unknown I don't have time for."

I rolled my eyes. "Too bad. I'm going, and there's nothing you can do about it."

We were at the stairwell door, and he turned, backing me against the wall as he leaned into me. "Can't I?"

I lifted my chin as I held his gaze. "No, you can't. If you go without me, I'll just follow you. Of course, I don't have a car right now because mine blew up at the clinic…"

Ranger growled. "So you're the reason I'm down three vehicles?"

I tried to straighten, but he wasn't giving any ground. I still had my chin lifted as I said, "I didn't cost you anything. Your cousin did because it was his fault they were there in the first place."

What possessed me, I had no idea, but I stuck my tongue out at him.

His mouth covered mine, and the heat he generated as we kissed had me worried my panties would be ruined. When we came up for air, the corner of his mouth lifted. "I think I won this round, Babe. By the time you get out of those handcuffs, I'll be halfway to Santos's place."

My free hand lifted to his face, and I ran my thumb over his bottom lip. There was a clinking sound, and I smiled. "Yeah, but the thing is, what I'm attached to is you. So… Where you go, I go."

I held my hand up, bringing his along with it so that he could see for himself.

"Son of a bitch! How the hell…"

I laughed. "Ohh, Ranger, your armor's cracking." I leaned up and brushed my lips briefly against his lips and then said, "If you're good, I just might tell you…someday."

I had to hurry to keep up with him. Although I think he slowed slightly as a concession to my shorter legs, it wasn't by much. When we reached the car, I looked at the cuffs and then at the car.

Ranger grinned. "You wanted to come, Babe."

I nodded. "Yeah, but the only way we're going anywhere is if I drive."

He chuckled. "All right. You think you can handle the power?"

I waggled my eyebrows at him. "You'll just have to wait and see."

He used his key fob to unlock the 911 Porsche Turbo, and I climbed into the passenger side and then over the gear shift into the driver's seat. By the time I was situated, Ranger was settled in the passenger seat.

I turned to look at him. "Where to?"

He pressed a series of buttons and then leaned back in his seat. "Just follow the GPS."

With that, we were on our way.