Chapter Fifteen
By the time Stephanie stumbled into the police station her arm felt like someone was holding a hot poker to her arm, and her head throbbed with every heartbeat.
She was relieved to see a friendly face at the front desk. Eddie Gazarra looked up, and he went a little pale when he saw her.
"Jesus Stephanie what happened to you?" He was already rounding the desk headed her way.
Stephanie had gone to school with Eddie Gazarra. He'd been a good guy. Goofy, but kind. Eddie also had the bad fortune to be married her cousin, Shirley-the-Whiner. That one she would never understand. Eddie was a decent looking guy and had done OK with the girls. He and Shirley had been high school sweethearts, and married right after graduation. A couple of kids later, they still seemed to like each other. Good for them. Stephanie usually felt a little bad for him because he was married to Shirley, but right now she just felt grateful to see someone she knew.
Eddie stopped in front of her, scanning her from head to toe. The look on his face told her she looked as bad as she felt.
"Someone get Morelli." He yelled. The sound of his voice reverberating through her throbbing head.
"No." Stephanie's voice came out in a hoarse croak. Eddie didn't seem to hear her. Stephanie saw one of the rookies run off to get Morelli. If her head wasn't already pounding, she imagined it would be now. Morelli was the last person she wanted to see.
Well at least one mystery was solved. Morelli was at the station and not out doing god knows what with god knows who. He was actually working. A flash of guilt went through her. Still, why didn't he call her back? Now that she thought about it, he was probably just avoiding her. Morelli was almost as good at denial as she was.
Stephanie didn't have too much time to think about it as Morelli rounded the corner. He stopped short for a second when he saw her. She saw the surprise and fear flash across his face before he slammed the door on his emotions. He was to her in a few strides, eyes searching her face. Eddie had melted into the background, getting out of Morelli's way. She could see why. Intensity and purpose were rolling off of him.
Morelli stopped short in front of her. He brushed a thumb gently across her cheek.
"What happened Steph?" She could see the concern in his eyes. The terror. He kept his voice level and matter-of-fact. She could tell it was all his training, because his eyes didn't match his voice.
"Someone shot Raymond." She stammered. "Then they tried to kill me." The last part came out almost as a whisper. Her voice was raw and hoarse. Apparently being almost strangled to death did that to you.
Morelli pulled her into a hug, and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the side of her head. Her arms snaked around his waist, and she rested her head on his chest. She could feel his heart beating, and it soothed her. He felt warm, solid, and familiar. She relaxed into him. Right here is why they kept doing this dance, because Morelli was familiar. He was the Burg, he was part of her childhood, he was like Sunday dinner, pot roast and apple pie. Still, she knew, even as she clung to him, it was time for this dance to move squarely into the friendship circle and out of the illusion that somehow, they were going to get married and make a go of it.
"God Steph, are you OK?" His chin was resting on the top of her head. She could hear his voice rumble through his chest. Was she OK? Well, wasn't that the sixty-thousand-dollar question. She was alive, but she was most decidedly not OK, and not all of that had to do with the fact some bald guy with bad manners had tried to kill her.
"I tried to call you." She whispered into his chest. Tears were threatening to spill over again, and Stephanie took a halting breath. "You didn't call me back." She couldn't quite keep the accusation out of her voice. She knew she sounded small and petty, but she couldn't help it. She had needed him, and he wasn't there.
"I'm sorry Steph. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. My phone got smashed this morning." Morelli's voice trailed off.
And, wasn't that the story of their lives. Morelli was never there when she really needed him. She knew that was a shit thing to think, but she couldn't help it. Stephanie felt him stiffen against her.
"Ranger." She heard him growl.
Stephanie turned in his arms to see what had set him on edge. Glaring back at Morelli was Marc Pardo.
She heard her own harsh intake of breath. Standing there like some fierce warrior, Pardo stole her breath. He was all sharp planes and beautiful angles. There was nothing soft about him, from his hard body, to his chiseled face, to the look in his eye. Stephanie suppressed a little shudder. Everything about him looked dangerous. He looked like a man on a mission, and right now, that mission seemed to be her. She shrunk back against Morelli as his gaze swept across her.
Pardo was dressed from head to toe in black. Only the diamond winking in his ear, dared to reflect any light. Mute testimony to a life lived outside the normal range of caution. He was dark and alluring, and she realized in that moment she had no idea who he was.
What was Pardo doing at the police station? And how did Morelli know him. It vaguely registered, Morelli had called him Ranger.
When Ranger walked into the station, he saw Stephanie. Ranger felt some of the tension ease from his shoulders, as relief flooded through him. She was here. Safe, at least for the moment. He watched as Morelli pulled her into a hug. Ranger felt his whole-body tense all over again, and irritation rolled through him. Ranger clenched his fist to keep from reaching and pulling her to him. The cop needed to keep his damn hands off of her. She didn't belong to the cop. Not anymore.
Yeah right, who was he kidding. She might not belong to the cop, but she sure wasn't his. A little voice in the back of his head taunted him that she ran straight to Morelli. When things got rough, that's where she went. Back to the cop. Back to the guy she knew. Back to the guy she trusted.
Ranger saw irritation and anger flash across Morelli's face when he saw Ranger. Yeah, it was no secret Morelli thought Ranger was a loose cannon that colored a little too far outside of the lines for Morelli's taste. But then again, that's why Morelli was a cop and Ranger wasn't. Ranger did whatever needed to be done to get the job done. It's what made him effective when the law couldn't be.
When Stephanie turned around, Ranger barely managed not to react. She was a mess. Les had definitely downplayed her injuries. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and tell her she was going to be OK, and he would never let anyone touch her like that again. Pure rage boiled through him. Whoever did this to her, was going to pay.
Morelli was trying to pull Stephanie back, away from Ranger, but she was rooted to the spot staring at him. She yanked her arm free of Morelli's grasp. Ranger had seen her eyes widen in surprise when he'd walked in. Morelli had called him Ranger, and he could tell by the look on her face, Stephanie had a lot of questions. This wasn't how Ranger wanted this to go down, but Ranger had learned you rarely got what you wanted. Life had a way of fucking up the best laid plans. Doing this in the middle of the police station in front of Morelli would have been his dead last choice. But here they all were.
"Come on Steph." Morelli urged. "We need to get you to the hospital."
"I have my medic outside." Ranger heard himself say. "He can treat Ms. Plum here."
Morelli just snorted his derision. "Your medic. You have no idea about her injuries Manoso. Leave it to the professionals." Morelli's voice was ripe with sarcasm. The implication being clear, Morelli was a professional, Ranger not so much.
Ranger forced himself not to react. Punching the cop in the middle of the station would probably get him locked up, and he didn't have time for that.
Ranger's voice was flat and emotionless. "Someone hit Ms. Plum in the face. She has mild swelling and bruising, along cheekbone. Her lip is slightly swollen, either from the blow or biting it. Someone tried to choke her, given the size and span of the bruises, it was most likely a man. She has significant bruising on her neck, and mild swelling. I'm guessing she has a blinding headache about now, and she may have some dizziness. She has a superficial bullet graze to the right arm that has stopped bleeding, but will likely need a few stitches. She has cuts on her feet from running barefoot through the parking lot, and I'm not sure if it is her leg or her hip, but she has a slight limp that suggests she injured herself in the struggle." Ranger recited the litany of her injuries. His eyes remained locked with Morelli, never leaving his face.
Ranger just waited. He could see Stephanie's eyes narrow as she studied him, no doubt wondering what kind of freak knew all that with just a glance. He'd barely even looked at her. Morelli was just glaring at him mute. Really what was there to say. Morelli knew Ranger was right.
"Bobby can at least triage her wounds." Ranger offered.
"No, she's going to the hospital." Morelli spat back at him.
Ranger held up his hands. "Ok, but at least let RangeMan provide an escort, and additional security while she is there."
"Why? What's your involvement in this?" Suspicion was evident in Morelli's voice. He was now looking between Stephanie and Ranger.
"I have reason to believe the person that attacked Ms. Plum was Sly Novak." Ranger told him. He kept his voice level. There was no need to scare the bejesus out of Stephanie. Novak was a psychopath of the highest order and Morelli knew it.
Morelli blew out a frustrated breath, and Ranger saw his shoulders sag a little in defeat.
"Fuck. And, you're hunting Novak." Morelli stated.
It was more statement than question but Ranger answered anyway. "Yes."
"We need to loop in the Feds." Morelli grimaced. "Novak is a federal fugitive."
"Already done. They are inbound." Ranger replied.
Morelli nodded. He was in full-on cop mode now. His attention turning back to Stephanie. She'd moved away from Morelli towards Ranger. Ranger wasn't sure if it was curiosity or instinct that had her moving towards him.
"Steph why would someone want to hurt Raymond? Is there something going on at E.E. Martin?" Morelli's voice was sharp.
Stephanie locked eyes with Morelli. He had his cop face on. His eyes were hard, and his mouth was set in a grim line.
Stephanie swallowed, fear buzzing through her. He looked intimidating and lethal. He was a good cop. He was compassionate. He believed in the law, the American dream, and the inherent goodness of human beings. If you broke the law or stepped on the American dream, he would root you out like a wolverine going after a ground squirrel. She was just a little afraid he might mistake her for the ground squirrel.
No, this was Morelli she reminded herself. She knew him. He would be on her side. Probably. She eyed him with a dispassionate gaze. Morelli was the guy that had the hots for the mob princess, and the mob was definitely involved in this. What if Vito was involved. Would he take her side over Terry's? Yeah, maybe she should just wait for the Feds.
Stephanie shrugged. "I don't know."
She could feel Pardo or Ranger or Manoso or whatever his name watching her. His gaze boring into her like he was measuring her heartrate. Ranger obviously knew she had her suspicions about E.E. Martin. She'd told him so, right before she'd spent the night screwing his brains out. She closed her eyes and suppressed a groan.
A beat went by. She held her breath to see if Ranger would rat her out. He didn't. He just kept looking at her. His expression completely unreadable. She wished she had that skill. It would probably be a really good skill to have. Especially standing in the middle of the police station with a flash drive stuffed in your bra full of incriminating evidence, lying to the police.
Stephanie took another step away from Morelli towards Ranger. "Are you working with the Feds?"
Ranger held her gaze. He gave her a slight nod. Stephanie assumed that meant yes. It was pretty clear he wasn't a guy who wasted a lot of unnecessary energy and effort. He moved and he spoke with an efficient ease that was more animal than human.
"You don't think Fry's death was an accident. You think E.E. Martin is somehow involved." Stephanie cocked her head and studied him. "You were looking at ways to get information."
Ranger could tell Stephanie was putting the pieces of the puzzle together. He could hear it in her voice, and see it on her face. The doubt, the betrayal, the anger.
Morelli was standing with his arms crossed over his chest. Watching the two of them. Processing what she was saying.
"Do you two know each other?" Morelli's voice was hard. It was his cop voice.
Stephanie stared at Ranger. She was shaking her head in disbelief. It had been a set-up. Just not like she thought. Well, actually pretty much exactly like she thought, except he wasn't working for the mob. Last night flashed in her memory. The way he had touched her. How he had made her feel. God, and the things she had done with him. The man had touched, licked, kissed, or tasted every single inch of her body. They had been as close as two people can get. He'd literally been buried deep inside of her for hours. And it had all been a lie. She could feel the hysteria bubbling in her throat.
"No." She whispered. "I don't know this man at all."
The horror was suddenly crashing over her, and she felt her body begin to tremble. Her vision tunneled, and then the world went black. Stephanie fainted.
Ranger lunged forward and he caught her before she hit the ground. Stephanie's weight settled into his arms as her body went limp. He could feel her against his body, and a wave of protectiveness washed over him. Everything about her was familiar and foreign at the same time.
Ranger ran his hand down her body assessing for injuries, making sure he hadn't missed anything. The feel of her curves, evoking memories of what it was like to feel her beneath him, under his command. Breathless. The little noises of pure pleasure that she made. How she felt. God, how she tasted. His eyes settled on her face. Lips like that were meant for nothing but sin. He'd been right. She had tasted just like honey and citrus. Sweet, yet tart with a little bite that surprised you. Just the like the woman herself.
Mine. The thought whispered through his head. Ranger forcefully pulled himself away from the thoughts consuming him. He was in the middle of the police station and Morelli was staring at him. Morelli might not be a great boyfriend, but he was a damn good cop. Ranger quickly banished his thoughts before Morelli decided to kick his ass.
"She just fainted." Ranger was thankful his voice came out sounding vaguely normal.
"In here." Morelli gestured.
Ranger picked her up and carried her into the breakroom. Settling her down on the couch.
His eyes locked with Morelli. "Can you escort Bobby back." A beat went by as they stared at each other. He could see Morelli warring with himself.
Finally, Morelli nodded and headed out to retrieve Bobby. Ranger sent Bobby a quick text and returned his attention to Stephanie. He could tell she was starting to come around.
White hot fear flared in Stephanie's chest as she fought her way to the surface. Someone was crouched over her. Was it the cue ball? Her memories driving her fear. Stephanie struck out with her feet trying to kick him. She felt him catch her feet without flinching, holding her ankles with gentle pressure.
A jolt went through her at his touch. She knew this man, and it wasn't the cue ball. She stilled. Awareness coming to her. She was at the police station. She could feel the little sparks shooting through her. His hands burning the bare skin of her ankles where he held her immobile. She'd know that touch anywhere.
"You're OK. Stephanie. You are safe." Stephanie heard him say. It was definitely Pardo or whatever his name was. A barrage of memories washing over her. The heated kisses. The soft groans.
Stephanie popped one eye open and then the other. She struggled to sit up and get away from him. She didn't want him to touch her. She wiggled away from him lashing out with her elbows.
Ranger stepped back and put his hands up.
"Stop fighting." Ranger's voice came out more a command than a request.
He figured that was probably a mistake the minute Stephanie got that pissed off female look about her, and her eyes narrowed. Ranger knew exactly nothing good ever came next when a woman gave you that look.
"Bobby is going to come in and patch you up. Then we need to talk." Ranger stood up and backed away from her like she might be a coiled rattlesnake. In his experience, women on the edge could be dangerous, and Stephanie was definitely a woman on the edge.
"Yeah, I'd say there is a lot we need to talk about." She hissed.
Ranger grimaced a little. Yeah, this was going all kinds of bad. Who was he kidding. It was always going to go bad, but now it was worse than it would have been, if he'd just had a chance to be the one to tell her the truth at Mo's. If he'd just been able to explain. Instead, he'd been outed by Morelli in front of half the precinct. He couldn't think of too many scenarios where that could have gone worse.
The door opened and Bobby stepped in. He looked between Ranger and Stephanie, quickly taking in the scene and reading the energy in the room.
"You need to step out." He gave Ranger a pointed look. Ranger glared at him a minute, and then nodded. Bobby was right. Now wasn't the time for egos or pissing contests. Somehow, he figured there would be plenty of that when the Feds got here anyway.
Stephanie watched as the one named Bobby approached her. He had kind eyes.
"I'm Bobby. I work for RangeMan, but I am a doctor." His voice was soothing and his approach non-threatening.
"RangeMan?" Stephanie asked confused.
"Yes ma'am. It's a security firm." Bobby could tell she was teetering on the edge of information overload so he left it at that.
He was directly in front of her crouched down. "I need to touch now. OK?"
Stephanie nodded. Bobby reached up and palpated the area under her eye and around her cheekbone.
"Nothing is broken. It's going to bruise and be a little sore, but it should be better in a few days." Bobby reached in his bag and pulled out a field ice pack. He gave it a good smack and then shook the contents. "Here put this on your face."
Stephanie held the ice pack to her cheek. She saw his eyes cut to her neck. The anger and disgust were evident on his face. She figured it must look pretty bad for that reaction. The only good news, she wouldn't' have to worry about anyone noticing the love bites anymore.
"Raise your chin for me." Bobby instructed Stephanie. She did and winced a little. Her neck was sore.
His touch was gentle as he examined her. "Did you lose consciousness?"
"No." Her voice was raspy.
"You'll be hoarse for a few days. Just the swelling and the trauma. It will clear up. Any headaches or dizziness?" He asked.
"I still have a headache." Stephanie admitted.
"OK, I'll give you something." Bobby locked eyes with her. "I need you to take your shirt off so I can see you arm." He handed her a t-shirt. "You can put this on. Do you need help?"
Stephanie shook her head. "I think I can do it." Or die trying she thought. No way was she going to let this guy undress her, even if he did seem nice. And normal. She bet he didn't drink black coffee.
Bobby nodded and turned his back to her pulling stuff out of his bag, pretending to be busy.
It took Stephanie three tries but she finally managed to get the buttons undone on her blouse and eased out of it. Getting the t-shirt over her head proved to be a little harder, but she finally managed. She only whimpered out loud a couple of times. It was a black t-shirt with a RangeMan logo embroidered on it.
"I'm decent." She told Bobby.
Bobby examined the wound on her arm, and closed it up with a few steri-strips. "It's not bad. Leave these on until they fall off. About seven days. You can shower with them and everything. If it gets infected you will need to see someone, but it looks like it was a pretty superficial graze."
Stephanie nodded. Her definition of not too bad and Bobby's was clearly different. She was supremely glad she didn't need stiches. She wasn't a huge fan of needles.
Bobby examined her feet next and cleaned and bandaged them. "What's with the hip?" He asked.
"Just a bruise. I got knocked into the corner of a desk." Stephanie replied.
Bobby nodded. "OK. Do you want me to take a look?"
Stephanie shook her head. No, she most certainly did not want to drop her pants and let some random stranger take a look.
Bobby assessed her for a minute as if he was gauging the truth of her statement. He seemed satisfied that it was just a bruise, and pulled out a couple of syringes. Stephanie grimaced.
Bobby smiled at her. He had a nice smile that reached his eyes. Everything about him felt calming. His voice, his touch, his eyes were all gentle. She had no doubt he was a good doctor, but what she couldn't figure out was why he worked for RangeMan. Maybe it paid well?
"I know, needles suck. This one is an antibiotic. This one is a little something for the pain." Bobby winked at her, and she couldn't help but smile back at him. "Right now, it might be a little hard to swallow. After tonight, oral pain meds should be fine."
He swabbed her skin with an alcohol pad. Stephanie turned away and closed her eyes.
"All done." He announced and stood up. Stephanie was stunned. She'd barely felt a thing.
Stephanie was almost sorry it was over. Now she'd have to go deal with everything else and she was not looking forward to any of it.
"You're going to need to keep antibiotic cream on your feet. The cuts and scrapes aren't bad, but they are probably going to be sore for a while. We'll need to get you some shoes." Bobby said the last part more to himself than to her.
Stephanie looked up. Bobby was watching her. This was a man that clearly didn't miss much. He pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to her.
"Take a drink. I want to make sure you can swallow."
Stephanie twisted off the cap and took a small sip. It was a little painful, but doable.
"Good." Bobby nodded. "Drink up and try to keep hydrated."
"Thanks." Stephanie said.
Bobby nodded and headed out.
A couple of minutes later Morelli came in. His eyes cut to her shirt, and the RangeMan logo plastered across her breast. She saw his mouth tighten, and wondered what the deal was with Morelli and Ranger.
"The Feds are here. They want to talk to you. Are you up for it?" It was his cop voice. A little pang went through Stephanie. She wasn't sure why. She had wanted his expertise as a cop, so why did it bug her that she was being treated like any other victim, or perp, and not a woman he cared about. Certainly not like his girlfriend.
"Sure." She replied. It wasn't like putting it off was going to make her any more ready than she was right now.
She felt his hand settle on her low back. The warmth and steady pressure, doing little to calm her nerves as she shuffled down the hall. Her feet protesting a little with each step.
He was leading her to one of the interview rooms. Unease flitted over her, and the flash drive felt like a brand, glowing and throbbing.
When she got to the door a man turned to face her. Stephanie was pretty sure her mouth popped open, and all rational thought left her brain. Their eyes locked.
He was tall, well over six feet, black hair, and built. He was stunning, with classic good looks. A straight nose and sensual lips. His skin held the healthy glow of a man who spent quality time outside. A man whose muscles came from work, and not the gym. But it was his eyes that really drew her in. He had the most startling blue eyes she'd ever seen, and right now he had that eye of the tiger thing going. He moved towards her with panther like grace and power. He was clearly an apex predator and that predator was clearly locked onto her.
She heard herself swallow. Her mouth was suddenly dry and every nerve in her body was screaming for her to run. It felt like he was looking right through her with that penetrating gaze. She was afraid he would know her deepest thoughts and darkest secrets just by looking at her. She remained rooted to the spot, willing herself not to faint for the second time in one night.
He held out his hand to her. "U.S. Marshal Rafe Montero ma'am." His smooth voice held just a hint of a southern accent as it washed over her.