Chapter Twenty-two
Stephanie stood staring at her reflection in the mirror. It was a joke. It had to be. Really there was no other logical explanation. She looked like Ranger's mini-me, queen of the dammed, and Morticia Adams all rolled into one.
Black t-shirt, black cargos, black socks, black boots, black underwear, all topped off with a black eye. Every single thing, including the underwear, had RangeMan embroidered on it. It was probably just a company uniform, and really, she shouldn't complain, but who wrote their name on their underwear after about kindergarten? Even if it was a company name. Well, at least she wasn't wearing Ranger's underwear anymore. So, there was that.
The shirt was way too short and way too tight, but otherwise the clothes didn't fit too bad. She did a mental eyeroll. As long as you didn't mind looking like a member of SWAT. Maybe she could get Ranger to take her by apartment so she could get some clothes.
Stephanie scrunched up her nose. She also needed to ask Ranger where she would be staying. What was the plan? Was there one? The last twenty-four hours had been crazy, and she'd been floating through letting other people make decisions. She realized, she needed to take responsibility for herself. Her fate and her future.
Stephanie was definitely not staying in this apartment, as nice as it was. Mainly because she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to keep her hands to herself and her tongue in her own mouth. She couldn't even be in close proximity to Ranger without wanting to jump him. It was possible from here to the sun might even be too close.
It was like being near him made her brain disengage, ceding control to her body, and her body had some very particular wants that only Ranger had ever been able to fulfil. It was crazy. The man got within ten feet of her and nothing mattered but a Ranger-induced orgasm.
Staying in his apartment, that just had bad idea written all over it, because as much as she wanted to pretend like she could sleep with him and not get attached, she knew that would never be the case. In fact, she was just a little afraid it was already too late. He'd been clear attachments would be one-sided and unwelcome. Ranger probably wanted her in his space, just about as much as she wanted to be there.
This was her life, so why was she so reluctant to make demands or ask the hard questions. She didn't want to be like her mother, letting men make her decisions for her. Dictating her life. Whether it was her father, her husband, or Father John, Helen Plum had always let men run the show. Her mother did what men told her to do and maybe that worked for her, but that was definitely not Stephanie. No, it was time to step up and take an active role. She'd meet with the Marshal, and try and understand the options. She had a bad feeling there weren't too many, and all of them involved more time with Ranger. That thought both terrified and thrilled her.
Stephanie briefly wondered what had happened to the outspoken girl she used to be, the one that had been brave. She used to be fearless. Some might even say brazen. Somewhere along the way she'd lost her moxie. Her chutzpah. Her spine. Stephanie rolled her eyes. Somewhere along the way the need to be respectable had robbed her of her voice. The need for approval from other people had left her mute.
Well, no more. It was time to find that girl again. The one that had a mind of her own. The one that was brave, and maybe even a little brazen. OK, so the shower thing had definitely been a little brazen, so maybe she needed to curb the brazen part just a little, if she planned to keep her sanity and her heart. But it was definitely time to stop letting other people decide what she should or shouldn't do, and dictating what she wanted. The truth was, other than Rex and her BMW, she wasn't sure a single thing in her life was what she wanted. She'd done it because other people thought she should.
Her job had been as unfulfilling as her relationship with Morelli. Both of which she'd told herself she wanted because that's what she was supposed to want. Both had left her unsatisfied. If there was one thing almost dying and mind-blowing orgasms had in common, it was to teach her life was too short to be unsatisfied.
Stephanie squared her spine and went out to talk to Ranger. Dark hair, dark expression, dark clothing. He was just several shades of dark today, except for his eyes. His eyes were blazing. His gaze drifted to her and his coffee cup stopped halfway to his mouth. He stared at her a beat. She would have sworn she saw a hint of a smile before he raised the cup and took a drink, watching her over the rim. Heat trickled through her. Focus her mind barked.
Stephanie narrowed her eyes at him. "Is this a RangeMan uniform?"
Ranger shook his head. "RangeMan doesn't employ any women."
He knew that answer would set off a bomb blast, but damn he was still stuck on the fact he'd almost choked on his coffee when she'd come in wearing that tiny t-shirt and those low-rise cargo pants. His logo branded across her breast. Yeah, his cargo pants were suddenly very uncomfortable.
That caught her off guard. "Why?" She asked incredulously.
"Too distracting." Ranger answered.
Ranger was busy mentally running his hands across that smooth expanse of skin, remembering that little breathy sound she made. Whoa buddy, dial it down. Ranger wasn't entirely sure if he was telling his mind that or somewhere a little south. Ranger shoved those thoughts behind a steel-reinforced door and slammed it shut, throwing the deadbolt.
He couldn't quite help but stare at that delicious mouth. It took him a few seconds to realize she was talking. In under a minute the woman had managed to cut off all the blood flow to his brain. For a guy that prided himself on staying razor sharp, she definitely had no problem scrambling his brain.
"Distracting?" She asked cocking one eyebrow up at him.
Shit, now he was getting painfully hard and he knew that would be all kinds of awkward. Thank god he was standing halfway behind the bar. He shifted over to hide his growing problem. Stephanie had spoken to him, and was now looking at him expecting a response. Shit, what had she said? Ranger took a sip of his coffee to buy himself some time. Distracting, right she wanted an explanation. Frankly Ranger thought his reaction was explanation enough. Ranger just nodded. He gave her a look that said he was already a little distracted by the two inches of skin showing between the low-slung cargo pants and the tiny t-shirt.
Stephanie couldn't help it and she crossed her arms in front on her. She realized that was a mistake when it caused the shirt to ride up higher. She could see his eyes darken. Her mouth went dry as his thoughts echoed loudly in the space between them, but other parts got damp. No more doomsday orgasms she chided herself. No more lusting after tall, dark, and psycho over there.
"What's the plan?" She asked as she forced herself to uncross her arms. She refused to tug the t-shirt down. She could feel her nipples pebbling against the thin material. Her reaction to him was impossible to miss, and it irritated her that he was giving her that knowing look.
"Short-term, Silvio is going through the files. We need to figure out the Vito angle. You need to meet with Montero and give a statement." Ranger shrugged. Stephanie didn't think that was much of a plan, but she had a feeling there was a lot he wasn't telling her.
"And you are taking me to the hospital." Stephanie stated.
Ranger looked a little pained. "Yes." Stephanie thought he said it with about as much enthusiasm as an undertaker.
Ranger understood most of it was guilt. She needed to see Morelli and reassure herself he was OK. Still that possessive male part of him, didn't want her to go see another man. He'd just told her he didn't want a relationship, and here he was not wanting her to see another man. One that was shot and laid up in a hospital bed nonetheless. Ranger was beginning to think that jump off the bridge and lack of oxygen had caused brain damage.
"As much as I appreciate the loan," Stephanie said as sweetly as she could and made a sweeping gesture up and down her body. "Can we stop by my apartment for some clothes?"
She could tell he really wanted to smile, but he wisely kept his expression neutral. "It's better if we don't. If I was Vito and wanted to figure out where you were. I'd be watching your apartment. That's the best place for a hit." A beat went by. "Tell me what you need and I can get it for you."
Stephanie really wanted to argue, but she would concede that point. After last night she knew she had to trust Ranger. With her security anyway, everything else was up for debate, including her sanity.
Stephanie looked down and toed the carpet. "You want me to give you a list of what I need?" She really didn't know why, but she didn't want to give a list of things she needed to Ranger. A girl had to have some secrets, right? She knew it was stupid, it wasn't like they hadn't seen each other naked, and a whole lot more. She'd had Ranger's most perfect part in her hand, in her mouth, in her, yeah well never mind that thought as she felt the flutter low in her belly.
Ranger was studying her. He pressed the intercom button by the bar. A woman's voice came on. "Good afternoon." She said. "What can I help you with?"
"Could you come to seven?" Ranger said and disconnected.
Ranger did a little internal grimace. Ella never pushed him, but she was vocal about his lifestyle. She was afraid he would end up alone with no wife and no one to grow old with. That all sounded just fine to Ranger. Well, it had. For some reason being alone didn't hold quite as much appeal at the moment.
Ranger knew Ella would be picking out the china pattern by day's end. She'd take it as a sign that Ranger was finally settling down, and giving up his man-whoring ways. He was sure the fact he'd brought a woman to his apartment had already made the rounds like wildfire in the building.
"Who was that?" Stephanie asked, thankful that her voice didn't come out sounding like a strangled animal.
"Ella and Louis Guzman manage this building for me. I work here, and sometimes I sleep here. That's about it. Ella makes things easy for me. She does the cooking, the cleaning, laundry, and she does the shopping. You can give her a list of anything you need, and she will get it for you."
"Anything?" Stephanie asked. She was grateful he understood her need for some privacy.
Ranger gave her his almost smile. "Yes."
Ranger figured he should probably warn her about Ella. If Stephanie was staying her for a while, he had no doubt Ella would be meddling and matchmaking.
"I've never had a woman here before, so she's going to be curious. Just smile and endure it. She's a nice lady."
"Never?" Stephanie squeaked.
"Never." Ranger confirmed.
Some unnamed emotion skittered through Stephanie. She really wanted to ask why, but she stayed silent. It didn't mean anything that he had brought her here. Probably.
"Where do you take women? The beach house?" Stephanie really wanted to whack herself in the forehead. She had decided to be brave, not stupid, but stupid seemed to be the only thing falling out of her mouth right now. She couldn't believe that had just popped out. Way to be cool she thought.
They stood staring at each other. The air between them was charged.
"I don't bring women to any of my properties. Just you."
And that was the thing. Ranger couldn't even explain it himself. Why did he take her to the beach house, and to his apartment? The truth was he wanted her. He wanted her in his apartment. In his bed. Maybe even in his life. She had already wormed her way into his head, and maybe into what was left of his shriveled up dark heart. That was a terrible predicament, and one that just wouldn't work. It didn't matter, he had plans and those plans did not include any woman, including Stephanie Plum. If he said it enough times, maybe he would make it true.
Stephanie heard herself swallow, it sounded like a gunshot in the quiet room. It was like she just couldn't help herself. She took a step towards him, all rational thought exiting her brain. Fortunately, the doorbell chimed and a second later Ella bustled in, stopping her from doing something monumentally stupid like wrapping her arms around him and sinking her fingers into that silky hair and kissing those deceptively soft lips.
"Good afternoon." Ella said, all smiles. Her eyes sweeping over Stephanie, taking everything in. Obvious curiosity shining in her gaze.
Ella was small and robust with short black hair and bright bird eyes. Stephanie guessed she was early fifties. She had on bright red lipstick and no other make-up. She was dressed all in black. Black jeans and a black V-neck knit shirt.
"Stephanie is going to be staying here. She's going to need some clothes and personal items. She'll give you a list." Ranger told Ella and then his gaze swung to Stephanie. "I'll be in the office, come find me when you are done." Ranger's gaze remained locked with Stephanie, but his next statement was for Ella. "Could you also pick-up a jar of peanut butter and some butterscotch tastykakes."
Stephanie couldn't keep the surprise or the smile off her face. She had a feeling Ranger's background check on her was only part of the story. She gave him the nod and a look that said checkmate.
Ranger walked out. He liked that he had both surprised and delighted Stephanie with something as simple and trivial as peanut butter. The woman might eat like a lumberjack, but she definitely didn't have the body of one. He was thankful Stephane and Ella were focused on each other and not him. Otherwise, they might had noticed he had his hands stuck in his pockets like a teenage boy, trying to conceal the fact he was still fucking hard. This woman, she was going to be the death of him.
Stephanie turned to Ella. "Thank you for doing this. I'm sorry to be so much trouble."
Ella waived her hand dismissively. "Not at all. I'm excited to shop for a woman. Usually its men's socks, shaving cream, and deodorant." She gave Stephanie a wink.
Stephanie wrote a quick list, trying to keep things to a minimum. Hopefully she wouldn't be staying here very long.
"I'll take care of it." Ella said. She held Stephanie's gaze for a moment, assessing her. "You must be very special to Carlos." And, then she was gone.
Stephanie stared after her. It had almost felt like a warning. Like Ella had been telling her not to hurt Ranger. Ella's affection for Ranger was clear, and it was clear she was protective of him, but Ella need not worry. Ranger wasn't really the one that needed protecting. He clearly had his life path and his priorities straight. It was Stephanie that was floundering, bashing about on the sharp rocks.
Stephanie wandered into Ranger's office and leaned against the door jam. Ranger was sitting at the desk working on his laptop. His long fingers moving deftly over the keyboard, a look of concentration on his perfect face. Her thoughts went to those magic fingers, and heat crept up her neck and stained her cheeks. She wondered if he'd had that same look of concentration and focus when he'd been applying his many talents to her body, making her scream his name. Stephanie did a mental eyeroll. Maybe what she needed was a lobotomy. She seemed to think everything about him was sexy. Probably because it was. Except for the 'my life doesn't lend itself to relationships' part she reminded herself.
Ranger looked over at her. She was pretty sure he knew exactly what she was thinking. He seemed to have an uncanny knack of reading her thoughts, and her body.
"So, is this where you live. Is this the Bat Cave?" She teased.
"This is an apartment I keep in my office building. I have similar buildings and apartments in Boston, Atlanta, and Miami."
"Sounds like security is a big business." Stephanie was impressed. There were a lot of layers to the man sitting at the desk. A lot of complicated layers, and somehow thug and loose cannon didn't seem to fit at all. Everything about him seemed controlled and planned. He didn't waste his efforts on anything including words or emotions she reminded herself. She wondered what Morelli's real beef with Ranger was.
"I supply a variety of services to a wide range of clients. Trenton was my first base of operation and it's the place I spend most of my time. Some of my family is still in Jersey."
"Why all the secrecy?" She asked.
"We're not really secretive about the office buildings, but we try and keep a low profile. Most of the clients we serve value discretion."
"We?"
"I have partners."
"Let me guess. The Justice League. The Flash, Superman, and Wonder Woman." Stephanie was smiling at him. He really was gorgeous. All that long dark hair that gave him an untamed look. Those beautiful eyes, and god that mouth. The things that man could do with that mouth. Focus her brain screamed. She realized good judgement and common sense were getting hijacked by her raging hormones again.
Ranger looked like he was thinking about smiling. "Not Wonder Woman, unless you are planning on joining the partnership."
Then he did smile at her and she couldn't' help the little flutter in her chest. When the man smiled, a real one that reached his eyes, he was transformed. It was the kind of smile that made you want to take your clothes off, and pledge undying love.
"I'll let you know. But back to the Bat Cave. Is there a Bat Cave?" Stephanie asked trying to push aside the almost overwhelming desire to jump him and take her clothes off.
Ranger just kept smiling at her, but didn't answer. Instinctively Stephanie knew he'd already revealed a lot more than he normally did, and she appreciated the effort.
"OK, forget the bat cave. Where will I be staying?" She hated that her voice sounded breathless. All she knew is she couldn't stay here with him, because she didn't have that kind of self-control.
"Here, at RangeMan, then we will probably move you to a safehouse. It depends on how long this goes."
"I don't think I should stay in your apartment." Stephanie's chin tilted up when she said it. Ranger watched her for a beat.
"Understood. There are efficiency apartments on four. I'll move one of the guys out and you can have the place to yourself."
Stephanie wasn't sure why she was a little disappointed that he didn't tell her he wanted her to stay. Then what he said sunk in. "Wait." Stephanie blew out a breath. "I don't want you to move one of the guys out for me. I don't want to be a problem for them."
Ranger didn't say anything he just nodded. Ranger motioned to the door, and she followed him out the elevator. He used the fob to call the elevator and punched the button for five when they got on.
The doors popped open and they stepped out onto the control room floor. The buzz of activity came to an abrupt halt, and discussions stopped mid-sentence. All eyes were trained on her. Stephanie would have sworn it sounded like a collective gasp.
Ranger gave a dark sweeping look across the bullpen, and immediately all eyes were averted and everyone found something else to be doing.
"See, too distracting." He murmured and took her by the elbow and guided her to his office.
"Well maybe if I wasn't dressed up like SWAT barbie, it wouldn't be." She hissed under her breath.
Ranger closed the door to his office, and turned to face her. Suddenly the space felt too small and all the oxygen left the room.
His gaze traveled from her head to her toes and then back up to her face. "I like it." The heat in his gaze felt like it burned her skin.
"You're twisted." She snapped.
Ranger gave her a wolf grin. "If you only knew." He murmured.
The temperature in the room seemed to spike, and Stephanie desperately wanted to fan herself because god help her, Ranger was right. She really did want to know, and she was just a little afraid she'd like every twisted thing he did to her. If the last two days had been any indication, she knew she would. In fact, she might beg him to show her if she wasn't careful. Now that she was staying in his apartment, the danger was real. She was pretty sure she might have actually whimpered.
The satisfied look on his face, made her a little afraid he could read her mind, and he knew exactly what she was thinking.
Stephane realized it was entirely possible she wasn't going to survive this ordeal. It wouldn't be Novak or Vito that killed her, no she would probably have a heart attack.
Ranger motioned for her to have a seat. Stephanie was grateful for the chair. She was pretty sure her legs had turned to jelly and probably wouldn't have held her much longer.
"You were right. There are definitely some accounting irregularities. The fake vendor you tracked down; the warehouse is owned by Vito. We think Vito and Novak are probably doing business together. Novak needed a partner after he was indicted. A lot of his pipeline dried up, and we think he turned to Vito. Right now, Silvio is back tracing the financial transactions and vendors. There are a lot of shell companies to wade through."
"Do you think Vito would turn in Novak?" Stephanie asked.
"I think Vito is the bigger threat. Those men were professionals. Novak is on the run; his money is drying up. Vito may eliminate him if he hasn't already. Novak has become a liability." Ranger steepled his fingers together and thought about it for a minute. "We may be able to use Novak to get to Vito, if we can find him."
Stephanie closed her eyes for a second. It sounded like a lot of ifs.
"Why would Vito have Morelli shot?" Stephanie asked.
"The bigger question, is how did Vito know you were at Morelli's." Ranger was watching her closely. "Did you tell anyone? Your family maybe?"
Stephanie shook her head. "No."
"Did Morelli make any calls?" Ranger asked. His voice remained neutral.
"Not while we were in the truck."
"What about after you got his house?"
Stephanie thought about it. She shrugged. "I'm not sure. We kind of had a fight, so I didn't really see him much after we got to the house."
"A fight?" Stephanie could see the muscle in Ranger's jaw ticking.
Stephanie blew her hair out of her face. "Terry." A beat went by. "And, you."
Ranger's eyebrow went up a fraction but he didn't say anything for a full minute.
"You and the cop." His voice trailed off.
Ranger really wanted to whack his head on the desk. What was wrong with him around this woman? Her relationship status was of no concern to him, except for the fact it seemed like the single most important thing he wanted to know. Why had he been secretly thrilled that she and Morelli had a fight, which meant Morelli definitely wasn't comforting her. He'd tortured himself with that image half the damn night.
Her eyes met his. "Definitely done."
Ranger felt some of the tension ease out of his shoulders. The arrival of jealousy had been unwelcome and inappropriate. They didn't have a relationship, and her status with Morelli was none of his business. So why was it that her words had calmed him. Eased the ache in his chest.
Stephanie had no idea why that mattered or why Ranger would care. He'd basically told her he wasn't the marrying kind. Which Stephanie was OK with. It was the no emotional attachment and no relationship that was a deal breaker. Stephanie was watching him. She thought he was going to say something, but there was a knock at the door and it swung open.
Les stepped in and gave Stephanie a big grin. "Did you have a good shower?"
Stephanie felt her face flame red, and she studiously avoided looking at Ranger. "Fine." She stammered.
Les just kept grinning at her, and his eyes cut to Ranger. Stephanie was pretty sure if her face got any hotter, she was going to need to shove her head in the freezer.
"Ready to head to the hospital? Do you want me to get her a vest?" Les asked Ranger.
"There is a jacket and vest for her in the SUV." Ranger replied.
"About the vest - " Stephanie asked.
"Kevlar." Ranger answered.
"I really hate getting shot at." Stephanie mumbled.
"Just a precaution." Ranger said. "Probably no one will get shot."
Stephanie shot him a dubious look. Probably?
Ranger gave her a small smile.
Les held out his hand to her and she took it, pulling her to her feet. He tucked her hand around his arm and led her out. She would have sworn she heard Ranger growl.
They all got on the elevator and rode down to the garage. Three black SUVs with blacked out windows were waiting. Les opened the back of one and handed Stephanie the Kevlar vest. She just kind of looked at it.
"Let me help you." Les took it and pulled the straps loose and helped settle it over her head, securing the sides with practiced efficiency. "You know these are all the latest on the runways in Paris."
Les was grinning at her and she couldn't help but smile back. His humor was infectious. It was odd. Les was just as gorgeous as Ranger, and he was funny and kind, but when he touched her, she didn't get the same jolt. Maybe she just had a thing for emotionally unavailable bad boys. First Morelli, and now Ranger. That was a depressing thought. The sex might be good, but the rest rarely turned out so well.
The vest was anything but flattering. If she'd been worried about the t-shirt, she shouldn't have been. The vest was big and bulky and covered her completely, flattening her chest so she looked more like a teenage boy than a woman.
Les handed her a jacket and opened the SUV door for her.
Inside were two huge men with buzz cuts. Both were wearing black cargo pants and black t-shirts. Both were heavily muscled. Stephanie was pretty sure there wasn't an ounce of fat between them. Both heavily armed and wearing Kevlar vests. A little flutter of fear went through her stomach. She felt Les give her arm a reassuring squeeze, and then he pulled a vest over his head.
One of the giant wonder twins got out and motioned for her to get in. Neither of them said a word, and both looked straight ahead. She thought it was entirely possible they didn't have a thought between the two of them either. Stephanie was wedged in the back seat between them. Ranger and Les climbed in upfront, and they took off in a little caravan speeding through the city.