Disclaimer: This a Stephanie Plum FanFiction Story. All recognizable characters belong to the fabulous Janet Evanovich. I am just borrowing her amazing characters for a while. I'm grateful she allows us to play with her characters.
Warning: Adult language, adult situations, violence, some smut, sex trafficking of minors - sexual violence/ rape.
A/N: This is my first story written from a third-person point of view, and differs in nature and tone from the other stories in the series.
This story picks-up a few months after the conclusion of For Folly and Forgiveness. This story explores Ranger's past and how that past affects his future.
Some of you will be a little mad at Ranger in parts of the story. Ranger is a complicated guy with a complicated history. Hang with him, and remember at the heart of it all he is a good man. Sometimes the right thing isn't always the easy thing or the obvious thing.
For Fate and Future
Chapter One
From her hidden vantage point, Natasha watched the non-descript building on K Street, home of the RangeMan DC branch, waiting for a glimpse of Carlos Manoso the owner of the security firm. Natasha had hoped like hell this day would never come, yet here it was and exactly nothing was going to stop it. Sometimes fate was a cruel bitch.
The door opened and a brunette came out. A very pregnant brunette from the looks of things. That would be Stephanie Plum, Carlos' wife. Well, Carlos' other wife anyway. Yeah, this was about to get all kinds of complicated.
Natasha objectively evaluated the other woman. She was pretty and had a girl next door kind of quality to her. By all rights Stephanie Plum was an accomplished woman with an interesting history. Natasha expected no less from a woman married to Carlos Manoso.
A background check had turned up the basics. Mid-thirties, one prior marriage, a liberal arts degree and a surprisingly limited work history. Lingerie buyer, turned bounty hunter, turned owner of Athena Consulting and Security Services. Stephanie Plum was by all accounts a force of nature.
She ran an all-female security company that provided protection to female politicians, dignitaries and the occasional minor celebrity, but her real focus was combating human trafficking. She worked with Senator Angela Lashley as part of a joint task force that focused on identifying and taking down child predators and sex traffickers. She was passionate about her work on the human trafficking task force, and had numerous takedowns to her credit. She had saved dozens of victims. Natasha just hoped that success wouldn't be her undoing., because that is why Natasha and Stephanie were about to cross paths.
Natasha liked Stephanie, at least on paper, and if Carlos had fallen in love with her Natasha knew she must be something special.
The door opened again and a man came out with a dog. A big Belgian Malinois. Natasha's breath hitched, but after a moment she realized it wasn't Carlos it was someone else. The man was bigger than Carlos. Similar hair and skin color and even a similar build, but definitely taller and maybe a little broader in the shoulders. She couldn't really get a good look at his face. He had dark hair, caramel skin and a body that elicited sinful thoughts.
He was talking to Stephanie. Their body language suggested definite familiarity, but didn't feel sexual. A friend or family member maybe, she remembered Carlos saying he had a big family, not that she'd ever really met any of them.
The door opened again and Carlos stepped out. A small gasp escaped her lips. She would know that man anywhere. Time had been kind to Carlos, and the lanky pretty boy had turned into a muscular man with angular features that were distinctly masculine. Ricardo Carlos Manoso just shy of six feet of toned muscle and perfectly proportioned physical perfection. He was drop dead gorgeous with dark hair, dark eyes, and skin the color of hot chocolate.
Apparently, he went by the street name Ranger now. That seemed ironic to Natasha. She had been a street kid that had clawed her way off the street. Carlos had come from a good family, but had been a wild child that always wanted street cred and now went by a street name.
By all accounts though, he had earned his credibility. He had been special forces, turned mercenary, turned business man. Natasha figured it was more like a code name anyway. Something Natasha understood well since she had a couple herself. It allowed you to separate the things you had to do from your soul. It allowed her to be three very different people.
Carlos had been a complicated kid, and no doubt he was a man with many layers. Hell, after what had happened how could he not be? Despite the overwhelming odds to the contrary, they were all still standing, and if that wasn't a testament to strength of character, she didn't know what was.
God, it had been so long. Carlos looked good. He looked happy. Natasha was sorry that probably wasn't going to last, and even sorrier it was going to be her fault.
Carlos and the man were talking, and Carlos reached out and put his hands on Stephanie's protruding belly. He leaned down and kissed her stomach saying something to the baby inside. Despite herself Natasha smiled. She pictured Carlos as a father. She knew he would be a good one. Patient, kind, and attentive. That child would want for nothing.
A pang went through her. It almost felt like jealousy, but Natasha shook it off. She'd made a choice. She'd traded her happiness and her future for Carlos' life, and she would do it again in heartbeat. The fact that he had made good use of his life, should make her happy not jealous. Natasha wasn't naïve enough to believe a person could have it all. And, the truth was she'd always believed Carlos' life had been more valuable than hers.
Just like that Carlos became aware someone was watching. Natasha saw him rub the back of his neck and begin scanning. The other man moved his body between Stephanie and the street. Wasn't that interesting. Apparently, he had training. His carriage suggested special forces.
Natasha smiled. Carlos had always claimed he didn't really believe in the sixth sense, but the man had the gift whether he wanted to admit it or not. Natasha was all too familiar with the gift. Her Grandmother had been a Romani Drabardi or fortune teller as most called it. She always said Natasha had the sight and had instructed her in the art of fortune telling until she was taken too soon. Natasha had been eight when her Grandmother passed and then Natasha had become an orphan.
Natasha's mother had died in childbirth and her father, well that had always been a bit of a mystery. She had lived with her Grandmother and loved every minute of it. The woman was wise and kind. Then disaster had struck and her Grandmother had passed. Natasha shook her head to clear it, and quell the memories of the horrors that came after her Grandmother's death. The world was not kind to orphans.
While Carlos claimed he didn't have the sight, he had certainly never looked down on Natasha or questioned her intuition. Acceptance was one of Carlos' many gifts. Natasha grimaced a little. Too bad loyalty and honoring that 'til death do us part piece of marriage hadn't been among them. It probably wasn't fair, but it was just a little hard to swallow. Carlos had promised her he would love her until he died, yet here he was still alive and married to someone else.
It was time to go before Carlos zoned in on her hiding spot. It was just as well anyway. She had business she needed to attend to. Natasha put on her helmet and straddled the Ducati Panigale. It roared to life and she roared off.
Antonio Reyes felt the hair on the back of his neck stand-up seconds before he saw Ranger rub his neck and start scanning. He'd locked eyes with Ranger and knew Ranger felt it too. Someone was watching them. Instinctively, Reyes had put his body between the street and Stephanie.
Neither he nor Ranger wanted to upset Stephanie, especially when it was just a feeling. Especially not now. Reyes and Stephanie had become friends. Trial by fire really. She had saved his life and he had returned the favor. They had an unbreakable bond that had been forged through adversity. She would walk into hell for him and he would do the same for her. Of course, it hadn't hurt that she was funny and gorgeous and he was probably just a little in love with her.
He knew that Stephanie had been pregnant before. She'd had a late term miscarriage, and now that she was entering her eight month of pregnancy her anxiety was in overdrive. He didn't blame her, but it made him, and all the guys really, a lot more cautious about upsetting her. No one wanted to add to the stress.
Her anxiety was really impacting her day-to-day more than anyone, including Stephanie, wanted to admit. He basically had to drag her on their morning runs, well in her case her morning waddle, but still it had been one of those things that should have been a stress reliever.
He'd never found pregnant women to be attractive. Not that he thought they were unattractive, but rather it just always felt a little weird to have sexual feelings about one. He was pretty sure Stephanie could change that for him, he definitely thought she was still super-hot, but more so the thing that really weirded him out was how his desire to protect her was in overdrive. Which was really all kinds of fucked up because he was pretty sure she could kick his ass on any given day.
Belatedly he decided he probably shouldn't have sexual thoughts about Ranger's hot wife while Ranger was standing there unless he wanted to get punched in the face, so he guided her away while Ranger went scouting.
Ranger's circuit turned up nothing. Not that he expected it to. The feeling was gone. That wasn't the problem. The problem was the tingling sensation he had in his neck. That particular brand of awareness had only ever happened with one person.
A woman he had been passionately in love with that had disappeared from his life without a trace. A woman he had betrayed. A woman he had been desperately looking for. Hell, he had gone into the RangeMan partnership just so he would have the resources to be able to look for her, yet years of searching hadn't turned up a tangible lead or a credible trace. He desperately wanted to find her and make amends. He had to make amends of that he was sure.
Over the years there had been stories of a raven-haired assassin, or a hacker with wicked skills and crazy blue eyes, but none of those stories had ever turned into leads. Any of them could have been her or none of them could have been her. It was like she had disappeared off the face of the earth.
As time went on Ranger had grown complacent, and he knew it. He had spent years avoiding another relationship because he knew in his heart until he fixed what he had done, he didn't deserve forgiveness let alone happiness. Yet, Stephanie Plum had happened. His resolve had weakened or maybe she had just worn it down with her relentless optimism. He'd taken a leap of faith, and now he was afraid faith might be about to bite him in the ass.
He was terrified his dark past would swallow them both. But what were the odds? He'd spent the better part of a decade trying to make things right. Shouldn't that buy him a little good will with Karma? He sure hoped so.
Besides what were the odds after all this time? Maybe Steph's anxiety was rubbing off on him. By anyone's standards his life was a lot safer and tamer than it had ever been. He focused mainly on corporate security and avoided anything that would take him undercover or out of town. He had a beautiful wife that was about to have his baby, and he was happy. He had made a pledge to her that he would be here for her and he had kept that pledge. That had to count for something. Problem was he knew better than to trust happy.
Ranger shook off his concern. He'd talk to Tank, Les, Reyes and Roman and make sure everyone was on high alert. For what he literally had no idea, but over the years he had learned not to ignore his intuition. He smiled but it was a humorless smile. Or his gift as Natasha had called it. Funny how that gift had never managed to lead him to her. It had been a while since he had thought about her.
He used to think about her every day, but then Steph had come along. On one hand it felt wrong, and on the other what choice did he have. Natasha had proven if she didn't want to be found she wouldn't be. Hell, he didn't even know for sure she was even still alive, and that bastard Nikko hadn't been helpful at all.
Not that he expected Nikko to be helpful. Not anymore. Nikko had been like a brother to him, but now they were largely enemies. Frankly he figured Nat must still be alive because if she weren't, Nikko would have probably killed him already just for good measure. Nat was always Nikko's Achilles heel.
Ranger never really knew the whole story, but Nikko had rescued Nat from sex traffickers. Nikko had been just a boy himself really. Just seventeen when they met, but already an old soul and wise beyond his years. The little slip of a girl with the raven hair and the most startling artic blue eyes he had ever seen became Nikko's shadow. Nikko would do anything for Nat. Nikko had done anything for Nat, and Ranger was pretty sure he still would.
Ranger had met Nikko when he was just a teenager. A gang banger wannabe really. Nikko on the other hand had been the real deal. Ranger met Nikko at the end of Nikko's fist.
Nat was barely thirteen. Like all girls her age, she was curious about boys but had no idea how to interact with men. She had been sexually exploited and hypersexualized. Nat didn't know any better, she thought it was normal. She'd met Ranger hanging out at a movie theater and offered him a blow job.
Ranger had been all for that until he realized she was just a child. Ranger had been just fifteen, but even then, he knew better. He'd told her no and bought her an ice cream instead. He'd tried to explain they could be friends and just hang out. Of course, that didn't stop Nikko from beating the hell out of him anyway. Something Ranger figured he probably deserved. Ranger hadn't even tried to fight back.
A few weeks later, Ranger had been the patsy for some older boys. He'd stolen a car and been the getaway driver for a liquor store robbery he didn't know was happening until it was already done. He was for sure going to get caught and go to jail when Nikko swooped in and rescued his ass.
Nikko got him out before the cops nabbed him. Nikko hadn't lectured him about stealing the car or even the robbery. Nikko had taught him how not to get caught, and he'd done it simply because Nat had asked him to. For reasons that had never really made any sense, the little raven-haired girl had taken to Carlos. She had trusted Carlos, and in the end, he'd betrayed that trust.
After that Nikko, Nat, and Ranger were inseparable. Nikko had been on the streets since he was eleven and ran away from a crappy group home. Nikko had literally clawed his way out of the gutter and off the streets.
Nikko had done whatever needed to be done to provide for him and Nat. He got Nat medical care, counseling, and put her in school and made sure she stayed there. Nikko kept Nat out of the shadier side of his life. Nikko also had the patience and self-control of a saint. Nat pushed a lot of boundaries in the beginning, but Nikko never once took advantage nor did he make her feel ashamed. They were fiercely loyal to each other, and Ranger suspected over time had eventually become lovers.
Much about Nikko was actually a mystery even to Ranger. He'd been a smart, tough kid and rose through the ranks of the underworld. He had ties to the mafia and over time became a force to be reckoned with. Nikko was ruthless. He owned multiple businesses, had his fingers in many pies, and probably worked for the CIA.
Ranger and Nat eventually dated and right before Nat turned nineteen, she and Ranger got married. A beautiful little ceremony in Venice Italy. Nikko hadn't been thrilled and probably for good reason. They were just kids, but thought they had it all figured out. Nikko could never say no to Nat so he'd given them both his blessing. As crazy as it was, Ranger had always resented their bond just a little. While Nat married Ranger, he and Nikko both knew Nat belonged to Nikko and probably always would.
It had been good for a while, but then all hell had broken loose. Nikko had tempted Ranger into the shadowy world of espionage and quasi-government contracting. Ranger had fucked up, Nat had paid the price, and disappeared from his life forever.
Ranger had spent years and countless resources looking for Nat. He needed her forgiveness and he needed to make amends. Then about a year ago, Ranger and Steph got married. Ranger realized he had probably stirred a hornet's nest, which might account for this renewed interest. He'd gone to Italy to try and figure out how to get a divorce. After all, Nat had abandoned the marriage.
His and Nat's Italian marriage certificate had never been legalized through an Apostille procedure, and the US consulate had never been notified, so as far as the US government was concerned, Ranger and Nat were never married. But Ranger knew certainly in the eyes of the Italian government, the church, and God they were. That was a problem he didn't know how to fix, so he'd married Steph anyway. Ranger knew that made him a selfish bastard.
Ranger went scouting for the next three days, and came up empty every time. If Steph noticed something was off, she didn't let on. Of course, she was preoccupied with getting ready for maternity leave and was a little pissed. The task force had been tracking the granddaddy of all sex traffickers, Vlad Markov.
Ironically Markov had come into play because Steph had witnessed Alexi Kovac kill an underling. Steph had gone into witness protection, and in his haste and arrogance to get Steph, Kovac had screwed up. His location had been compromised and Ranger had taken him out. A treasure trove of data had come along with it. The data had given the task force and the authorities intel on Markov. Something no one had been able to get in the last twenty years.
Steph was excited about going after Markov. Of course, she knew she wouldn't be in the field, but she had been pissed when the word came down from on high that another player would be arriving to take over the operation. Apparently, this woman was an expert in all things Vlad Markov.
Markov was a big fish and there were a lot of players in the mix. Ranger had offered up RangeMan resources as well. While Steph didn't know, Ranger knew who Vlad was. He had been the man that trafficked Natasha so Ranger had a burning hatred and a vested interest in his demise.
Even Rafe Montero was involved in this one. Rafe Montero was with the US Marshals in their witness security program. He and Steph had a history. An intimate one. For the most part everyone was friends, but Ranger had to admit sometimes it was damn awkward.
Montero had used a hacker to trace Kovac's location when he and Steph were on the run. A hacker that had contacted him out of the blue one day a few years earlier, and over time had proven to be an asset. Montero claimed he didn't know why he was chosen, and knew exactly nothing about the hacker other than they had never steered him wrong. Over time he had made a few feeble attempts to identify the hacker, but for the most part he just accepted it and kept his source secret from his superiors and everyone else.
Kovac had infiltrated the US Marshals service and Montero didn't trust anybody. The hacker had helped him out on other cases, kind of like a fairy godmother. It wasn't really clear if the hacker was a white or a black hat, but when it came to getting help on Kovac, Montero hadn't cared. The hacker had come through and Kovac had been caught. The hacker also had copies of all the intel retrieved from Kovac and had fed Montero key data on Markov. It wasn't clear how the hacker had obtained that information, but for the most part no one much asked.
Either this would be one shining star of interagency cooperation or it was destined to be an epic clusterfuck. Ranger wasn't sure which, so he was a little glad Steph wasn't running the show on this one.
Reyes had a feeling. He couldn't shake the thought that something was going to happen so he decided he would hang out and watch the RangeMan building for a while. He had been scouting each morning but had turned up nothing. He never saw the same person twice and nobody looked out of place, yet the feeling of being watched had the hair on his neck standing up.
He was pretty sure Ranger was out scouting even now. The man had been on edge the last few days. He knew Ranger thought someone was following him and Reyes was pretty sure he was unnerved by the fact he couldn't find the guy. Ranger was the best, and if Ranger couldn't find you, well that meant you might not be human as far as Reyes was concerned.
Reyes watched as a Ducati pulled up and parked in front of RangeMan. Reyes recognized the bike. He'd seen it in the neighborhood, which didn't necessarily mean anything. A woman got off. She had black leather pants and a leather jacket on. She was dressed for riding, not for show. A woman with seriously long legs and an amazing ass. Beyond that Reyes couldn't tell a thing. She left her helmet on and walked into the RangeMan building. She had one of those rolling hip gaits that screamed sex. Reyes thought he might be in love if such a thing existed.
Fifteen seconds later Reyes saw Ranger duck in the RangeMan building. Now wasn't that interesting. About two minutes later the woman walked out, got on the Ducati and screamed off. Something about her seemed familiar but he couldn't quite place what. He'd have to ask Ranger. Maybe she was just a courier or she was lost, but damn she had a smoking body.
Ranger saw the Ducati pull up and a woman get off and go into the RangeMan lobby. She still had her helmet on so he couldn't tell much other than the fact she was average height and had a banging body. This was it. He recognized the bike. He'd seen it when he was scouting. He waited a beat and followed the woman in.
She got on the elevator. Just as the doors were about to close, he slid through them and pushed the emergency stop button.
He menaced towards the woman and wrapped his hand around the slender column of her throat and squeezed with just enough pressure to be uncomfortable and clearly show his intent.
He leaned down in her face. "Why are you following me?" He snarled.
He was surprised when the woman lifted her chin and gave him better access to her throat. That sure the fuck threw him. He had not been expecting that response.
When Carlos stepped into the elevator it took all of Natasha's willpower not to shrink away from him. He was in combat mode and quite menacing. He wrapped his hand around her throat and squeezed.
Hardly subtle, but this was Carlos. She raised her chin to give him better access. Fuck him if he thought he would intimidate her. She knew he could feel her pulse and would be gauging it. She willed her heartrate to remain steady and calm. She appreciated the unspoken threat. He was letting her know he could kill her with his bare hands in no uncertain terms.
He snarled at her, like literally snarled. Natasha took a deep breath reached up and took her helmet off and locked eyes with him. "Hello Carlos" she said. "Nikko sends his regards."
She heard Carlos suck in a sharp breath. He immediately dropped his hand from her throat like he had been burned. His hands came up and rested on the elevator wall on either side of her head, effectively caging her. Confusion and disbelief swirled through his eyes.
"Nat?" his voice was barely a whisper. "God baby, I've been looking for you."
Carlos leaned down and kissed her. A frantic, heart pounding, knock your socks off kind of kiss. Natasha felt her helmet slip from her fingers as she raised her hands to run them through Carlos' silky hair and pull him closer. Natasha was drinking him in. He tasted so good. He smelled incredible and his body pressed up against her felt like coming home. God, she had missed this man.
Ranger was in shock. When she pulled her helmet off, he'd seen the tumble of black hair, and then he saw those shocking blue eyes. Light artic blue. Almost silver maybe fringed with long dark lashes. He had felt his knees go weak and his stomach drop. It was Nat. Here in his elevator. After all those years of searching for her, she was standing right in front of him.
He didn't really know what to say or do. It wasn't like there was some protocol for what to do when your prodigal wife came home. So, Ranger had acted on pure instinct, with no rational thought to guide him. Ranger had kissed her. No, if he was honest it was more like trying to brand her and bind him to her than kissing her. He was terrified he would open his eyes and she would be gone. It would all have been a mirage.
He was still kissing her when he became aware she was gently pushing on his chest. Pushing him away from her. He stopped kissing her but didn't back away. Nat's breath was coming in little pants and her eyes were locked with his.
"Look Carlos we have about forty-five seconds before your bumbling idiots bust into the elevator so listen to me. I know we have a thousand things to talk about, and we will. I promise, but not right now. Things are about to get complicated in the next couple of days, and I'm sorry but please just follow my lead on this and pretend you don't know me. Believe me, I wish there was another way, but I'm not here to mess up your life or make trouble."
Nat was picking up her helmet.
"Why are you here?" Ranger asked her when he was finally able to find his voice.
"To take down Vlad" she said. Nat stepped around him and put on her helmet. She pushed the button for the elevator doors to open and walked out. Ranger heard the Ducati start and roar off.
"Fuck" he said into the empty elevator. Now at least he knew who was taking over the task force. Ranger wanted to scream or punch the wall, but instead he schooled his expression.
Just then Tank and Les burst through the stairwell door, guns drawn.
"Boss you Ok" Tank asked. Concern tinging his voice. "The cameras in the elevator went out." They were looking around confused since Ranger was alone.
Ranger smiled to himself. Of course, Nat had disabled the cameras. At least the entire control room hadn't seen him kiss her like some out of control love sick teenager. God, what had he been thinking? That was easy. He hadn't been thinking.
It was like all the years and everything that had happened had just melted away and it was just him and Nat again. Except that wasn't the case. He had a very pregnant wife upstairs that didn't deserve this. And a very not dead, not missing wife in the elevator. Ranger was screwed and he knew it.
"Malfunction" Ranger said. "Check them out." Ranger stalked off leaving a confused Tank and Les in his wake.