Disclaimer: I don't own them and I'm not making any money.
Previously
We danced through a few numbers while the music lasted. When he released me, Ranger gave me a soft kiss on the forehead and thanked me for the dance.
Flicking my eyes to the clock, I saw it was late enough to reasonably excuse myself for bed. I scurried back the hall and tossed myself on my bed in my thinking position for the third time that day.
Life was certainly getting interesting.
After our dances, I spent most of the night dreaming of sexy salsas and hot touches. I lost count of the number of times I woke up feeling overheated. And since I slept so poorly, I didn't manage to pull myself out of bed until close to ten the next morning
When I made my way out to the kitchen, I was feeling uncharacteristically shy. I was unreasonably nervous that Ranger could somehow read my mind and tell what I'd spent the night dreaming about. Fortunately, he only smiled and nodded his head towards the coffee maker which was still on.
"Thank you," I said, filling a cup with the blessed liquid.
"Not a morning person?"
"No."
He just gave me an entertained look and let me sip my coffee in peace.
"I got some more good news," he said once the caffeine had had a chance to hit my blood stream.
"Yeah?"
"The FBI took custody of most of the key players in the Romano family last night. They moved based on some of the intel you gathered. Combined with the bust at the warehouse, it gave them confidence that they could get charges to stick. That means, you're officially released from protective custody."
"That's great," I said. "What happens next?"
"That's up to you. I had Tank take care of getting your car back to your parents' house. I can take you there. Or, you're welcome to come with me to the FBI debrief. You were involved in the case and you're also going to be in contact with some of these agents when RangeMan is contracted to work future cases with the FBI."
"I'd like to go to the meeting," I said almost immediately.
"Terminally nosey?" Ranger asked, using my words from yesterday.
"That's me. So, what time do we need to leave?"
"Not for about an hour."
I did some quick mental math and realized I'd need to eat fast if I wanted to have time to pack and get myself ready for a meeting with the FBI. When I'd originally packed my bag, I hadn't planned on much more than sitting in my car and hanging out in a cheap hotel room so I didn't have a lot to work with.
With that thought, I grabbed a banana and high tailed it back to my room. First stop was the shower. It was nothing special, but I decided to enjoy it while I could. I'd be back to sharing with my parents and grandma soon. Then I realized that if I was going to be making decent money, I would be able to find somewhere new to live. Maybe even somewhere nicer than my old apartment.
Once I was out of the shower, I wrapped myself up in a towel and dug through the limited clothing I had available. I found a pair of dark, fitted jeans and a polo that would have to work. Luckily, my hair decided to behave today and I had it subdued without a lot of effort. Minimal makeup and I was ready to go.
I found Ranger waiting in the kitchen with about ten minutes to spare.
Then, with an efficiency I could only dream of, Ranger had us loaded into his Cayenne and motoring up 95 towards Newark. I had asked about the food in the kitchen and dirty linens, but apparently he used a service to take care of that sort of thing. He hadn't used the house as a safe house for a client yet, but said this was a good dry run.
That worked for me, so I took the time to relax back into the soft, leather seats and watch the drab Jersey scenery go by.
The only shock during the whole drive was when Ranger reached out and turned on the stereo. Soft, classical music started to drift through the speakers, surprising me.
"Classical?" I couldn't help asking.
"It helps me relax," was all he said before going back to focusing on the road.
He was certainly a complex man. In the short time I had known him, I'd seen a badass bounty hunter, a knowledgeable business man, a brother, a dancer and now he listened to classical music. The pieces were slowly fitting together into someone I wanted to get to know better.
When we got to the FBI office he navigated us through security fairly easily. I was slightly surprised to see the number of weapons Ranger pulled from his body but figured it was part of the bounty hunter territory.
He seemed familiar with the building and a handful of agents seemed to know him. I noticed some called him 'Colonel' and filed that away to ask about later. I was guessing that was his military rank, but I thought he was out of the Army.
Once we got to a conference room, he guided me to a seat around the middle of the table with a hand at the small of my back. It was both comforting and reassuring because I was starting to feel out of my league. I'd just sunk into a chair and pulled in a steadying breath when I heard a vaguely familiar voice.
"What the hell is she doing here?"
My eyes snapped to the other side of the table only to focus on none other than Joe Morelli. It took every shred of self control I had not to thunk my head on the table. This couldn't be happening. I hadn't laid eyes on him since hitting him with my dad's Buick ten years ago and we have to run into each other here? With my hot sort-of boss and a bunch of FBI agents?
"Problem, Detective Morelli?" Ranger asked. His voice remained neutral and he calmly raised a single eyebrow.
"Yes. I'd heard Stephanie was tangled up in this mess with the Romanos, but she doesn't need to be here. She's a menace."
"As you stated, she is involved in this situation and was a key player in putting together pieces needed for the recent arrests. She's also my employee."
"Jesus Christ, Steph. You're working for him? You realize Manoso is a mercenary right?"
I didn't. But, I didn't feel the need to let Morelli know that I didn't know. I also wasn't convinced he was being completely factual at the moment.
"Ranger is a professional and he's offered me a good career opportunity."
"And you trust him?"
"I've spent more time with him without incident than I have with you, so yes. I do trust him."
"Enough," said a voice behind me. I turned to see a female agent with an air of authority standing in the doorway. "Detective Morelli, if you can't comport yourself more professionally, I will ask the TPD for a different liaison for this case. And Ms. Plum, you are here as a courtesy. Don't make me regret that."
I offered a quick apology and then flicked my eyes to Ranger. I was a bit nervous about his reaction to my less than professional behavior. His face was set in a neutral mask, but for some reason I was picking up an amused vibe from him. I relaxed a bit and turned my focus back to the agent who had begun reviewing the details of the arrests the night before.
For the next two hours, the minutiae of the FBI investigation into the Romano family was covered in excruciating detail. Then they went through the information that I had gathered. That information led to the sting on the warehouse holding girls who had been kidnapped for human trafficking and then the bust last night that had resulted in multiple arrests and hopefully the breakup of the Romano family crime ring.
It was all very interesting, but incredibly tedious at the same time.
By the time we were done, my head was buzzing and I really needed a donut. It was a relief when Ranger indicated it was time to go. He steered us back out of the building and to the car with the calm efficiency I'd come to expect from him.
"Want to go get dinner before heading back to Trenton?" he asked.
"Please," was all I said before sliding into the car. I felt drained and must have nodded off because I woke a bit later to Ranger gently shaking my shoulder.
"We're here. Are you still interested in food? I can take you back to Trenton if you changed your mind."
"No, I'm good," I said, reaching to unbuckle and get out of the car. The smell in the air outside the restaurant was making my mouth water and my stomach let out an embarrassing amount of noise. "Where are we? It smells delicious."
"A Cuban place I like to stop at when I'm in the area. Is that okay?"
"I've never had Cuban, but if the taste is anything like the smell it will be more than okay."
He led us inside and we were quickly seated. I was briefly amused by the effect he had on both the hostess and our waitress before he distracted me by actually beginning a conversation.
"Want to tell me what that was with Morelli?"
"He grew up two streets over from my parents' house and we have a bit of a history."
"That history going to cause us problems with the TPD?"
I was encouraged by the fact that he still said 'us' so I was guessing that I wasn't fired before I'd technically started my new job.
"I don't think so. I haven't seen him for ten years after I kind of hit him with my dad's car. He probably just needed to get that off his chest."
"Kind of hit him with a car?" Ranger asked with a slight smile.
"He deserved it," I said with a shrug. I'd really rather not get into the Tasty Pastry thing or the whole bathroom poetry fiasco.
"I'm sure he did."
"Why'd he say you were a mercenary?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Remember when I told you I'd just finished a contract with the government? Part of the work I did was special ops stuff. I've done domestic work that's probably put me on the radar of law enforcement. The powers that be always pull strings in the background to clear everything up, but I bet that would irritate a guy like Morelli since everything is 'need to know'."
"I could see that," I said with a smile.
After that, our conversation was more casual as Ranger walked me through the menu. It was a hard decision, but I eventually decided on a pork dish with rice and black beans. Everything was amazing and my appreciation may have been a bit vocal judging by the pained expression on Ranger's face.
"That was delicious," I said, pressing a hand to my overfilled stomach on the way out to the car.
"I'll have to bring you back some time," Ranger said, flicking his eyes towards me and making my heart flutter a bit.
He was insanely handsome and I'd learned enough about him the last few days that I had become more than a little attracted to him. We were also going to be working together and I wasn't sure that acting on that attraction was a good idea at all.
Smart Stephanie and Stupid Stephanie argued about it the whole way back to Trenton until we were close to the Burg and I needed to give him directions to my parents'.
We got out of the car and Ranger helped me get my bag. I thought about inviting him in, but we'd just eaten and I wasn't sure if I was ready for him to see the insanity that was my family.
"Thanks. For everything," I said feeling awkward. "My life was a bit of a mess, but I feel like I have a whole lot less to worry about."
"Here's something we're going to have to worry about," he said. And then he kissed me. It started out soft but quickly deepened. I felt liquid desire pooling in my belly and the electricity I'd felt from his touch was racing up and down my body until I thought I might explode.
When he broke the kiss, he rested his forehead against mine and kept a hand at the nape of my neck.
"Wow," I breathed.
"Yeah."
"This is a bad idea," I said, my voice still breathy but with a bit more strength.
"Of course it is."
"I've never been good at avoiding bad ideas."
"Neither have I," he said. He pressed his lips to mine again, but this time the kiss was gentler and more of an exploration. When he pulled away, he tilted my face up to look at him. "No pressure. If you want this, or just the job, or neither now, the ball's in your court. Think about it. I'll call you tomorrow. We can set everything up for work if you're still willing to work with me. And if you're interested we can go on a real date."
He gave my hand a last squeeze and then he was gone.
—-
A/N: For the point of this story, we're going to assume that Morelli hasn't been arrested for murder quite yet. I'm also guessing that the FBI stuff wouldn't have moved that quickly and Steph wouldn't have been allowed in the meeting. But, that's why fiction is fun :)
I only have the epilouge left to go. I'm going to leave the story in 'In Progress' status because while I was posting the early chapters Ranger and my muse wouldn't leave me alone about writing Ranger and Steph meeting from Ranger's POV. That will be posted as a Bonus Scene. The muse is also teasing me with snippets of Steph meeting the enlisted guys that were interested in joining RangeMan that Ranger referenced in the previous chapter. So that may get written too.