Chapter 3
I felt stiff and sore the next morning and had to be really careful of the cuts I'd acquired, most seemed okay but the one under my arm was the worst. I applied some antiseptic cream and covered it in a new plaster then looked at my closet deciding what to wear for the day. I didn't want to be chasing skips today so decided I would head into Rangeman and do some searches there. I had got into the habit of spending at least a morning there, sometimes longer depending on how much paperwork there was. I'd also decided that I would transfer any money that I was paid back to Ranger, after all I had been lent the use of a car and I didn't want to feel that I was a drain on the company. I chose Rangeman cargos but decided on a long-sleeved black T-shirt, that way any cuts would be covered up, no way was Bobby going to be fussing over me. It was about nine when I parked in the underground garage so finger waving the camera, I headed up to five, surprised when it seemed so quiet. Ranger's office door was closed so I assumed he was out at meetings so made my way to my cubbie. Hell, there looked to be a lot of files in my in box, so maybe I'd be spending most of my day here. I went into the empty break room and returned with a coffee and then logging into the computer set about completing the details for my first search. I hadn't realized how busy I'd been until my stomach growled, I'd been sat here for nearly four hours but at least I was nearly finished, the pile of files in my out box was certainly bigger than the number still in the in box. I left my desk and headed for the break room again, washing my mug and refilling it and was then in the process of looking through the fridge deciding which sandwich would be the tastiest.
"Steph, didn't realize you were here today"
I swung around to see Cal and Hal stood there grinning at me.
"Yeah, thought I'd get some searches done while I have the time"
"You doing okay with the bounty hunting?"
"Yeah, I just have one to find"
"You gave us all a scare yesterday you know"
"I'm sorry, I didn't even know that it had happened, someone stole my car while I was with Lula"
"So we found out, I'm just glad you had your trackers on you"
"I'm sorry, I would never intend to upset you"
"We know"
"Why's it so quiet around here?"
"I think most of the core team are at meetings and others are out on patrol"
I was disappointed at that I had really wanted to see Ranger today. Thanking him for the use of a car would be a good enough reason, but in my heart, I knew it was an excuse. You see Ranger and I have this chemistry between us, and it was something neither of us could seem to ignore. He was the boss here, a strong confident man who looked like he'd do well as a model for men's clothing. He was taller than me with mocha latte skin pulled taught across a body that was defined by the muscles below. Yeah, he was definitely hot and his eyes, boy you could get lost in his eyes as they changed from deep brown to almost black, and to be honest I always loved getting lost in his eyes. The problem though was that while he seemed to enjoy my company and loved me in his own way, he'd always told me he didn't do relationships; condoms were preferable to a ring. The thing is I knew that he meant more to me than just a friend but at the moment being his friend, someone he trusted was going to have to be enough for me. It still didn't stop my heart from wishing that maybe, someday, he might see me in a different light. For now though, I kept my feelings of love for him tight inside of me, I really didn't want to scare him away.
Cal and Hal left with their own drinks and left me to look through the sandwiches again, maybe tuna salad would be good, if only there was some mayonnaise to go with it. Taking my coffee and food I returned to the quiet of my cubbie and I managed to get through all the files, but the cost was how long it took. It was nearly 6 o'clock as I left the garage. It had been a strange sort of day really, no one around other than Cal and Hal and they were on monitor duty, I saw no sign of Ranger, Tank or even Lester or Bobby.
I was really tired as I hit the shower and decided to maybe spend the evening catching up with people. I wasn't in the mood for going out. I'd grabbed another sandwich from the break room so now I smothered it in mayonnaise, and that made it so much tastier to eat. Once I'd showered and was sat on the couch with my sleep wear and a robe on, I decided to call Mary Lou. Mary Lou was my best friend, who I'd known since we were toddlers playing together on the street. I hadn't spoken with her in an age, either she'd been busy with her family or I'd been busy with work so now seemed the perfect time to me.
"Hi Lou"
"Steph is that you?"
"Sure is"
"Well about time, I was getting annoyed with you for not being in touch"
"I'm sorry Lou, I've just been so busy with work"
"So, I hear Joe's gone to New York, were you even going to tell me about that?"
I could feel that she was being a bit uppity with me, but I wasn't sure what it was over.
"I'm calling you now Lou, hell he only told me about it the day before yesterday"
"Old news then"
"Lou are you mad at me?"
"Yeah I'm annoyed that you don't talk to me and anything I hear is from gossip"
"I'm sorry Lou"
"Yeah well try calling more often"
I was left looking at the phone, trying to work out what I'd done wrong. I mean we could go for weeks without talking and then over a coffee we'd catch up with each other and there would never be a bad atmosphere between us. Was it me or was Mary Lou upset about something else and I was getting the brunt of her mood? I'd have to remember to call in to see her when the boys were at school and work through with her what was wrong. That call made me feel a bit down, so I decided to see what Rex was up to. Getting some of the bread I'd left on my plate especially for him I went over to his tank and knocked on the side then lifted the top off to entice him out. I could see his whiskers twitching as he poked his head out of his can, but he wouldn't come out for the food. Maybe tomorrow I should buy him a special hamster treat. Yeah that's what I'd do. It was an early night for me again but with all the work I'd done at Rangeman I was soon asleep.
The next morning was sunny and having had a good night's sleep again I did feel in a better mood than last night. Seeing as it was early, I decided to clean out my bedroom, so wearing old joggers and a T-shirt I started by changing the sheets and towels then trying to rid the place of dust and fluff. Looking at the pile of washing on the floor I knew I would have to go down in the basement to use the machines down there. There was no way I would be visiting my parent's house any time soon. I spent three hours down there. I hated the place, it was dark, dreary, smelly and damp but at least now I had clean clothes and bedding. So now I could put on some clean jeans and a sweater and head out for the office. It was early afternoon by the time I got there, Connie and Lula were sat in their usual places. Lula laid on the couch in her bright green track suit reading a magazine and Connie was busy with her nails. I was still wearing long sleeves because to be honest I didn't want to have to explain about all the cuts. I'd even bought some doughnuts on the way so placed those on the desk first as I walked in.
"Afternoon"
As soon as the doughnuts hit the desk both women stopped what they were doing and had taken one.
"Hey Steph, nothing new's come in"
"Dam I was hoping for some new files today"
"You get Buckley?"
"Nah, he wasn't at home, maybe I need to go back there this afternoon"
"I wouldn't bother, there was a fire there last night, the house is in ruins and no news that anyone was there when it happened"
"Okay I'll see what relatives or friends he had in the area"
I watched as Lula took another two doughnuts and sat against the desk looking at me.
"If you'd waited for me, we might have got him"
"Sorry?"
"Well I's annoyed at you for leaving me out"
"Sorry Lula, but it wouldn't have made any difference"
"We could have gone yesterday"
"I was working all day"
"With Batman?"
"No computer work, Ranger wasn't there"
"Too bad 'cos I heard your cop's gone packed his bags and headed to New York"
"You not going with him Steph?"
"No Connie, it wouldn't have worked"
"Sorry Steph, so that means we must be due a night out. You in Lula?"
"Nah, I'm still annoyed at her, anyhow I got a hot date for tonight"
I so didn't want to hear about Lula's hot date, not when she usually started to give us all the details, so I headed out to the car not really knowing what to do next. But it wasn't just that that made me feel like I had to leave, Lula was the fourth person to say she was annoyed at me. Maybe it was something I was doing wrong, but I had no idea how to make things right. No FTAs meant no pay and with my rent due soon I also had the problem of buying a new car. I stopped at the grocers to buy something for dinner and remembered that I'd promised Rex some treats. By the time I made it into the apartment I was surprised that it was already gone six. I was just putting my ready meal into the microwave when I heard the tumble of the locks, there was only one person who could do that, and the idea that Ranger was here brought a smile to my face. I turned to greet him and stopped in my tracks at the look on his face. He was in his usual black but the way he was stood seemed intimidating I had never seen him look so angry, well not when it was aimed at me.
"I am so fucking annoyed with you Stephanie"
I could hear the anger radiating from him so took a step back, what was he so annoyed at?
"What?"
"You know what you did, and don't you dare say it wasn't your fault"
I had no idea what he thought I'd done but from how he was stood and holding his body, there was nothing to see beyond the hard cold eyes and mask across his face.
"But"
"No, you've gone too far this time, hell Stephanie I trusted you"
"I"
"You're not to come anywhere near Rangeman"
"Ran"
"Where are the goddam keys?"
I looked to the counter where the keys sat and watched as he removed the Rangeman fob from my keychain and picked up the keys for the SUV. Then he turned and was gone leaving me staring at the door as he slammed it behind him. I stood there in a daze wondering just what the hell had happened. Why was he so angry at me, what did he think I had done? Hell, I spent all day yesterday working on searches, I never spoke with anyone, except for Hal and Cal, surely, he wouldn't be so mad at me about that would he? The more I thought about what had just happened I felt my heart beating faster, my breathing become faster and the tears came in full force. I sank to the floor feeling so broken, so confused and so desperately savaged with pain. Ranger was the only person who had ever stood up for me, ever helped me out and saved me so many times. What the hell was I supposed to do now, how would I ever survive without him? The look he had given me was of absolute hate and anger. I stayed where I was on the floor, curled up against the kitchen counter, maybe he'd come back and say it was all a mistake, or maybe he thought an enemy was close so needed to give the illusion that we were no longer friends. I went through every reason I could come up with looking for a logical explanation for what he'd said. Eventually I picked up my phone and hit speed dial 1 praying to hear his voice. Nothing, not even a dial tone, had he blocked my number? Les he might know what was going on but there was only his voice saying to leave a message. I didn't know what to say so closed the phone down; I felt so alone all of a sudden and just didn't know what to do. Eventually I moved to the bedroom and sank onto the bed, I didn't care that I was still fully clothed I just wanted someone to say everything was going to be all right.
