Chapter 8
Julie and April spent a few hours every day in the late afternoon getting to know each other. April was surprised by the stories Julie told about Stephanie and her bounty hunting days. "Did Stephanie purposely get herself caught to save you?" April asked in shock.
"You bet she did. She didn't even know me. When I grow up, I want to be like her," Julie replied.
"Me too," April joked. "What happens now?"
"We stopped the death registration with the state for Stephanie because she's not dead. My dad will register their marriage when we leave here. Do you have a job lined up in Trenton?" Julie wondered.
"Not yet. I was hoping to work in a nursing home or private home care," April replied.
"What about Rangeman? Stephanie could use the help with searches and clients," Julie suggested. She used her dad's laptop to show April the webpage information for Rangeman. "Who knows, maybe one of the Merry Men would date you."
"Merry Men? As in Robin Hood's Merry Men?" April asked, surprised they had a nickname for the employees.
Julie laughed and replied, "That's what Stephanie calls them. They don't like the name, but Stephanie said if they want to call her Bomber, Little Girl, Bombshell, Angel, Darlin' or Beautiful, then she gets to call them her Merry Men."
"I love it," April grinned. Julie showed April the Trenton Times articles about Stephanie. "Holy crap! Stephanie is a total badass. When she did her physical therapy, she worked hard to regain her muscle strength. I was impressed she took it further and built muscle mass. She was insistent that it was necessary even though she didn't know why."
"It's essential to work at Rangeman. Healthy eating too, but Stephanie gets Ella to make her favourite dessert all the time." Julie looked around before adding, "Not the low-fat version either." April laughed. They were alone on the private beach.
"Maybe I'll ask Stephanie if I could work at Rangeman. God knows she made me care about my health," April responded. "Especially if she'll share the dessert."
Stephanie and Ranger were lying in bed discussing their return to Trenton. She agreed to work in the office meeting clients. "I don't like the idea of working in the office full time, but after Bianchi beat me, I don't want to chase after skips. I'll help the men locate them but not get involved with the capture," Stephanie confessed.
"Even with a partner?" Ranger asked. Stephanie shook her head. "Babe?"
"I finally get it, you know. All of the times I chased after FTAs without proper training put my life in danger. I also put your men in danger. Albeit most of the time, I got injured from going out alone. When I took one of your men with me, they got injured. I'm not sure I want to put them in that position again," Stephanie explained.
"Babe, you're in excellent shape," Ranger said as he trailed his fingers over my muscular abdomen. "A little weapons training, and you'll be amazing."
"It took eight months to get those," Stephanie stated. "I exercised three times a day."
"You look sexy." Ranger rolled Stephanie beneath him. "Let me show you how much I love you," he said, brushing his lips across her closed mouth.
"Please," Stephanie begged. She lifted her hips to push onto Ranger. He pressed into her and whispered how much he loved his Babe.
After they made love, Ranger decided to have a much needed discussion with his wife. She was his life, heart and soul. His life was empty without her. He wanted whatever she could offer.
"Babe, you gave yourself to me. You became my wife. I want you to become my partner at Rangeman. Everything I have and own are now yours." In the past, Stephanie didn't think, she reacted impulsively. After a while, she'd think through how she behaved and felt guilty.
During her recovery, Stephanie learned to think before reacting. Sure, she still acted impulsively the times she left to sit on the beach, but that was different. Stephanie felt a pull to that specific area. It was fate guiding her body to connect her heart with her head. She didn't know the reason behind the magnetic attraction until Julie appeared. A higher power was leading her. Besides, Louise and April always knew where to find her.
"Partner? As in I've got your back, and you have mine?" Stephanie asked.
"You've only touched the tip of the iceberg. I mean Rangeman ownership, cars, stocks, money, the Batcave. Tank, Santos, Bobby and I bought out the silent partner. Currently, I hold the majority of the shares, fifty-two percent. The others own sixteen percent each. If I split my shares equally with you, then you'll own twenty-six percent. I want to give you a controlling interest. I take twenty, and you take thirty-two," Ranger explained.
"No. I'll be your partner, but I only accept sixteen percent. Equal to the other owners," Stephanie counter-offered.
"Babe, please," Ranger begged. Stephanie shook her head. Rangeman was Ranger's vision. He worked hard and used most of his disposable income to run the company. His tenacity, grit, blood, sweat and tears made Rangeman a success.
"Rangeman is your baby. You planted the seed, gave it nourishment and watched it grow. When people hear the name, they automatically think about you," Stephanie gave Ranger time to let her words absorb.
Stephanie got lost in thought. She felt guilty for letting her dad think she had died. It didn't make sense, but it was how she felt. Her memories recently returned. "I can see your ears smoking. What are you thinking about, Babe?" Ranger asked.
"Oh, sorry, Carlos. Did you contact anyone when you found me?"
"No." Stephanie chewed on her bottom lip. They leave in the morning to go home. She thought it would be cruel to appear suddenly without her dad knowing she was still alive. "My phone is untraceable. Call your dad," Ranger whispered before grabbing his cellphone, correctly reading her mind.
Stephanie unlocked his phone, smiling when she entered her birthdate. "You didn't change it," she stated. Ranger shook his head imperceptibly. Dialling the familiar number, she waited for him to answer.
"Hello," Frank Plum said when he answered his phone. Very few people had his number. When the display showed 'private number,' he decided to connect, hoping to hear Stephanie.
"Hi, Daddy," Stephanie tearfully replied.
"Pumpkin," he whispered. He was relieved to hear her voice. "Give me a minute to get to the garage."
Helen watched Frank get out of his chair and go into the garage. She was curious about who called but knew Frank well enough to keep her distance. They haven't been intimate since she got Stephanie declared as dead. He exchanged the twin bed in the guest room for a double. Frank added a security lock to the bedroom door to prevent Helen from entering his room at night. She wondered if she had made a mistake.
"I want to tell you everything that happened," Stephanie said.
"Pumpkin, Manoso told me everything he uncovered during your disappearance. I have a few questions. Did you have amnesia?" Frank asked, hoping she had not stayed away because she wanted to be gone.
"Yes, but not now. I got all of my memories back nearly ten days ago," Stephanie answered honestly. "I didn't call you because Carlos and Julie found me. We wanted to spend time together as a family before I faced everyone in Trenton."
Frank smiled as he remembered Carlos saying he would marry Stephanie when he found her. "Congratulations, Pumpkin. I'm happy for you and Carlos. You did marry the man, didn't you?"
Stephanie laughed, "Yes, daddy. I did. Carlos said he had your blessing."
"He did. When are you coming home?" Frank wondered. He missed his youngest daughter and couldn't wait to hug her.
"Tomorrow. Carlos, Julie, April and I come home tomorrow," Stephanie answered. She spent time telling her dad about April. Frank caught her up on the latest news. Stephanie laughed when she heard Morelli got married after getting his girlfriend pregnant.
"I'll see you tomorrow. Rangeman?"
"Yes, daddy. We'll see you at Rangeman," Stephanie said before ending the call. She used his phone to call Hector.
"Hola, boss," Hector answered.
"Hola, Hector," Stephanie replied, her eyes twinkled mischievously.
"Angel?" Stephanie placed the call on speaker for Carlos to hear. It was time for Ranger to learn her slippery friend's secret.
"Yup. It's me. I borrowed Ranger's phone to call a few people," Stephanie explained.
"Did Ranger find you in Honolulu?" Hector asked, speaking perfect English. Stephanie stifled a laugh at Ranger's bewildered expression. He did not know that Hector could understand and speak English.
"Actually, Julie found me. I had amnesia until I saw them. All of my memories came flooding back. I'm calling to give you a heads up. Carlos and I got married, and we registered our marriage this morning. We're catching a flight home in the morning. I have a friend, April, coming home with us. Can you get Ella to prepare the spare Rangeman apartment?"
"Yes. Do you want me to hide the wedding registry when it goes live?" he asked.
"It would take a few more days for it to appear online. But it won't hurt for you to monitor the situation. I hope to get home before everyone finds out. Oh, have Ella set up a party in the largest conference room on two," Stephanie announced.
"Anything else?" Hector wondered if Stephanie wanted anyone else to know that she was alive.
"Get Bobby, Lester and Tank into my apartment in five minutes for a video conference," Ranger stated.
Hector swore in Spanish before agreeing. "Don't tell anyone that I speak English. It's the best way for me to get intel for you, Ranger," Hector requested.
Ranger laughed and replied, "I should have figured it out before today. Stephanie doesn't speak Spanish."
"Some people don't see what's under their nose," Hector stated before ending the call. Ranger understood Hector said more than his language capacity.
Stephanie couldn't stop laughing. "I shouldn't have done that to him. He's going to be mad at me," she said, wiping the tear from her eye. "If we're going to have a video call, we should get dressed." Stephanie slipped from the bed to take a shower.
Ranger followed her into the washroom to help. When the five-minute alarm sounded, Stephanie pushed him from the shower. "Babe," he moaned.
"Carlos, you have seconds to get dressed and start the meeting. I'll be there in a few minutes," she promised. Stephanie watched Ranger's naked ass leave the washroom. With a small sigh, she finished her shower and brushed her curls into submission.
"What the hell, man? We've been waiting for you to pick up for the last five minutes," Lester shouted.
"I was busy," Ranger replied. "Have you hired any of the applicants?"
"Not yet, boss. We need Stephanie's skills to narrow the selection. I don't feel good about any of these men," Bobby replied. There were a few front runners, but they didn't feel confident that they'd fit into Rangeman Trenton.
Tank didn't tell Ranger that Eddie Gazarra, Carl Costanza, Robin Russell and Big Dog dropped off applications in the morning. He knew the officers disagreed with the new Police chief's vision on the future of TPD. To save taxpayer dollars, he cut back on the medical benefits coverage for patrol officers. Their co-pay significantly increased.
Her hair hung loosely over her shoulders. It reached her waist while she pulled the brush through the locks. Stephanie's hair curled, making the length shrink to mid-back. She wore a pale blue bra and panty set beneath her blue sundress.
Stephanie entered the living room of the hotel suite. She wrapped her arms around Ranger's neck to display her left hand to the men on the screen. She settled her head on his shoulder and said, "Hi, Tank, Bobby, Lester. Long time no see."
"Bomber? Little Girl? Beautiful?" they greeted.
"Yup. I'm sorry for not reaching out sooner, but I had to find myself first," Stephanie said, smiling at her joke.
"Find yourself, Beautiful? What does that mean?" Lester asked.
"It means Babe had amnesia until Julie, and I got her to remember," Ranger replied.
"You were in Hawaii for the past two years?" Bobby asked.
Stephanie grimaced and replied, "Yes."
"Why the sad face, Little Girl?" Tank wondered.
"My first year here was painful." Stephanie touched her cheekbones and said, "I had surgeries on my face and leg. The fractures took time to heal, and the pain was excruciating. I have a metal rod in my left leg. I'm sure I'll set off the metal detectors at the airport."
"Didn't they give you pain medication?" Bobby asked.
"They had me in a medically induced coma for a few weeks. I didn't know who I was or how I got into the hospital. Adding medications that caused my brain to be fuzzy wasn't appealing," Stephanie answered.
Bobby nodded knowingly, "You refused the pain medication to keep a clear head."
"Was your marriage the announcement?" Tank wondered, getting the meeting back on track from the distraction. They could catch up with Stephanie when she came home.
"Partly. We're coming home tomorrow. Stephanie called Hector and Frank Plum. Nobody else knows she's alive besides Julie and the seven of us. A woman named April Brighton is coming to Trenton with us. April will live in the guest apartment in Rangeman. Ella is making the preparations for her arrival. I intend to give Stephanie some of my shares in Rangeman. She will hold the same percentage as each of you. Any questions?"
"No, sir," they replied. Tank added, "It's about time you extracted your head from your ass." He ended the call before Ranger could respond.
"Mats at 2200 tomorrow," Ranger texted Tank.
Tank bellowed when he read the message. He would gladly let Ranger beat his ass because Little Girl was coming home.
"Come on, husband of mine. Let's get Julie and April." Ranger let Stephanie pull him from the hotel room.
Julie smiled when she saw her dad walking towards them, holding hands with Stephanie. "Hey, April. Look who finally decided to leave the bedroom," Julie joked. "I'm surprised her legs can still work after that much sex."
"Julie! You shouldn't know about those things," April admonished.
Shrugging, Julie said, "I'm not that innocent. I caught mom and Ron enough times to know what happens behind closed doors." April rolled her eyes. Catching your parents having sex was number one on her list of things you never want to see.
April and Julie watched the three dolphins. "Do you believe in reincarnation?" April asked.
"I'm not sure. But I believe we have guardian angels watching over us," Julie answered. She noticed April grimace. "April, I believe the spirit of your family is in those dolphins. They look different from the others in the ocean."
"Thank you for saying that, Julie. I want to believe they were the ones to save Stephanie two years ago," April explained.
"I do not doubt that your family rescued Stephanie. They brought her into your life for a reason." April nodded as she felt Julie's words resonate inside her head. She was destined to meet Stephanie and become her friend.