It Only Takes A Spark
Stephanie Plum woke up early, attempting to figure out what had dragged her from a deep sleep. The heat from the fire blazing in the other room got her scrambling from the comfort of her bed. Her spidey sense was on full alert, telling her to leave the apartment immediately.
She quickly peeked toward her bedroom door to see the apartment engulfed in flames. Stephanie didn't risk pulling on yoga pants or shoes because the fire had reached her bedroom door. Her eyes popped open wide as she saw a trail of flames lick across the floor, leading toward her closet. With a frown, Stephanie grabbed the gun beneath her pillow and quickly opened the window. She couldn't see her purse and phone on the chair. Stephanie swore she placed them there before climbing into bed.
Using her foot, Stephanie pushed the screen from the opening and climbed through the bedroom window, not wasting time gathering anything else from the apartment. Leaving the emblazoned furnace of fire inside the apartment was imperative to her survival. She didn't have much time to escape. Stephanie's foot slipped as she pushed the ladder toward the ground. "Shit," she cried when she slid down a few steps. The rough edge caught the back of her thigh. "Great, now I have an epic wedgie."
Her legs wobbled as she climbed down the fire escape. The cloth from her panties were firmly stuck in the crack of her ass. Stephanie was too shaky to pull the cloth from her crevice. She shivered as the cold metal touched her bare feet. The metal squeaked as she quickly walked down the metal steps got muted by the sound of the roaring fire in her bedroom.
Stephanie wasn't one to pray, but she prayed that her elderly neighbours would escape the building in time. Her cellphone and purse were in the living room and unreachable. She had forgotten to bring them into her bedroom the previous night but swore they had been in her room. The men at Rangeman, her Merry Men, worried about Stephanie living in the death trap of an apartment. Surely someone at Rangeman would receive an alert when her trackers went offline. Although, Stephanie wasn't sure if anyone would be monitoring them at the moment.
"Clothes, purse, phone, shoes, linens, credit cards, ID," Stephanie rhymed off to distract herself from her numbing feet. "What am I missing?" She made a mental list of items that required replacement. She'd have to call the credit card company and replace all of the IDs again, but she couldn't change what had happened. Something niggling in her mind attempted to work its way to the front.
"Why does this always have to happen to me?" Stephanie asked herself. "Happy birthday, Stephanie." She watched the flames lick the window as she chanced a look over her shoulder. The fire spread as oxygen from her open window fuelled the flames.
It's October the twelfth, Stephanie's birthday, making her a thirty-three-year-old Italian-Hungarian woman. According to her mother, Helen Plum, Stephanie was reaching the age of spinsterhood. Stephanie broke up with her off-again-on-again boyfriend seven months ago to the dismay of her mother. They were still friends, and Joe started dating Robin Russell, his coworker at the TPD. Joe and Robin seemed to have a better relationship than what they shared. Helen thought Stephanie should give Joe another chance, but Joe and Stephanie knew it wouldn't work.
Stephanie's mentor, Ricardo Carlos Manoso, decided to move to Miami six months ago to spend time with his teenage daughter, Julie. Ranger visits Trenton for two weeks each month to keep up with the branch. He loves Stephanie, but not enough to make a relationship work. Ranger refused to open up to her. Stephanie couldn't have a relationship without knowing the basic information about a man, such as his favourite colour, food, book, movie and his family. She met them for dinner once, but when his family started to share personal details about Ranger's childhood, they abruptly left.
Ranger was right when he insisted his life did not lend to relationships. Once he had Stephanie for himself, he lost interest and left. Ranger wants Stephanie to be happy and find someone who could be more open to her. Being her life partner was the one thing he couldn't offer. Stephanie had his blessing, not that she needed it, to date whomever she wanted, even if it was one of his men at Rangeman. But he didn't want to bear witness to babe falling in love. If the roles reversed, Stephanie hoped he would respect her feelings the same way.
Stephanie had signed a Rangeman contract a few days before Ranger left for Miami. She thought the salary was outrageous. Ranger insisted that Stephanie was worth every penny of her wage, since her research skills were unmatched by any other employee among the three Rangeman offices. He also permitted Stephanie to drive any of his cars. It didn't matter if they got bombed or whatever happened to his vehicles. He just wanted her to have a safe, reliable vehicle. Stephanie also had the option to stay in his apartment on seven or use the spare unit on the fourth floor in an emergency. Although she appreciated the offer, Stephanie refused to sleep in his apartment.
A tear escaped Stephanie's eye as she jumped to the cold ground, mindful of the gun in her hand. She knew the safety was on, so accidentally shooting herself was unlikely to happen. Gravel buried beneath the snow dug into her feet when she landed, causing her to cry out in pain. She didn't stop to check her feet because she needed to move farther away from the building.
Everything Stephanie owned was in the apartment, burning. She kept thinking, "Clothes, purse, phone, shoes, linens, credit cards, ID. What am I missing?" Stephanie sat on the curb, pulling the oversized shirt over her knees as she pulled them to her chest.
She listened for the familiar sound of the sirens approaching the building complex, mixing with the squawk of the apartment fire alarm. A black SUV stopped beside Stephanie. She clicked off the safety and pointed her gun at the man exiting the vehicle. When she recognized Manny, Stephanie lowered the weapon and clicked on the safety.
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Manny heard the call over the radio. The fire and police got dispatched to Stephanie's apartment building. His wifey was in danger, and he needed to see with his eyes that she was safe. He called Rangeman's control room to say Hal and him were en route to her apartment.
Tank said he would arrive in ten minutes with Lester and Bobby. As Hal approached their destination, Manny looked at where the elderly tenants gathered. He was scared that Stephanie wasn't among the men and women. Losing Stephanie would devastate every man in Trenton Rangeman. Manny was angry at himself for not telling Stephanie how he felt. He prayed that he still had time.
Hal parked the SUV beside the curb before interrupting Manny's internal thoughts. "She's there," Hal said, pointing to the spot beside the car. Manny cautiously approached Stephanie when he noticed her gun drawn. He was relieved when she clicked on the safety and lowered the weapon.
"Wifey," Manny said as he plucked Stephanie off the ground after tucking her gun in his waistband. His hands moved down her arms and back, checking for injuries. He placed Stephanie inside the vehicle. She used her hands to lift her butt to prevent the shirt from sliding up and exposing her panties. Stephanie hissed as her thigh scraped on the seat when she moved back. Manny made a mental note to have Bobby check her legs and feet.
He slipped off his jacket to pull over her shoulders. Stephanie reflectively pushed her arms through the sleeves. His warmth was still in the coat, and his scent surrounded Stephanie as she zipped the front closed. She breathed in his scent and felt her body relax.
Manny was left wearing his Rangeman long-sleeved shirt. He didn't like that Stephanie was barely dressed and suspected she was wearing Ranger's shirt. Manny hoped the emergency duffle was still in the cargo area of the SUV. It had pants, shoes and a coat. All the Rangeman SUVs were equipped with a blanket in the backseat.
"You need it, hubby," Stephanie replied, though she didn't remove the coat. Manny was happy she didn't attempt to return the jacket.
"I have a spare in the back. You're freezing. It would take too much body heat to warm up the cold jacket," Manny insisted. His warm, brown eyes looked into Stephanie's blue eyes as though he was looking for some kind of sign.
"I wasn't outside for long," Stephanie said, lowering her chin to her chest.
"It doesn't matter. You've been exposed to the cold long enough to chill you to the bone," Manny replied as he used a finger on her chin to gently lift her head.
"Thanks," Stephanie whispered, catching his eye. Unable to resist the temptation, Manny leaned into Stephanie to kiss her lips. His fingers brushed the tears off her face before stepping back to close the door. Her lips tingled from the unexpected contact. She touched her lips and thought about what the kiss meant.
"When did you and Manny start dating?" Hal asked from the driver's seat, having witnessed the chaste kiss. His eyes followed Manny to the hatch at the back of the SUV. Stephanie was careful when she answered his question. She had wanted to kiss Manny for months, but she refused to initiate the contact. What would her mother think?
"We aren't. That's the first time he kissed me," Stephanie confessed. She had to admit that they grew closer over the past few months. He was surprisingly open and honest with her.
Stephanie remembered when Manuel Ramos got assigned as her partner after she completed the employment entrance requirements. She admitted they were too easy to pass. Stephanie swore that Bobby and Tank had lowered the requirements to guarantee Stephanie would pass the qualifications. Manny had argued with Stephanie, saying her skills improved, resulting in her success.
He used to be one of the quieter Merry Men, but Manny didn't take long to tell Stephanie about his life. Like her, Manny got married in his early twenties and divorced within a few months when his wife cheated. He didn't have children. His birthday was a few days before Stephanie's, but he was one year younger.
"Manny's in love with you," Hal added, turning up the heat inside the SUV. "Get closer to the vents, Steph. You'll warm up faster." Hal loved Stephanie. He was too shy and four years her junior. Hal dreamed of dating Stephanie, but his fear of rejection prevented him from ever asking her on a date.
"Thanks, Hal," Stephanie replied, refusing to acknowledge his opinion regarding Manny. Stephanie shimmied closer to the heat, allowing it to warm her body. Hal heard Manny rifling through the cargo area for the bag containing clothes in Stephanie's size.
"Give this to her," Manny said as he shoved a duffle through the backseat towards Hal. "There should be pants, socks and shoes inside. The clothes may be a little chilly, but it's better than your current state of dress, wifey."
Hal opened the bag as Stephanie fought to get warm. Her body shook as the heat attempted to warm her to the core. "Pull these on, Steph," Hal quietly said as he passed her the black sweatpants. Stephanie pulled the cold pants up her legs, temporarily exposing tiny panties as she pulled them over her hips. The cool fabric relieved the sting of the scrape on her thigh. She spared a second to extract her panties from her crack.
Manny walked toward the fire chief and police while Stephanie got dressed. "I didn't mean to flash you, Hal," Stephanie said when noticing the pink tint on his face.
"I'm sorry for looking, Steph. I should have turned away," he replied. Hal knew the tint of his cheeks matched the shade of the barely-there panties Stephanie wore. He thought about Edna Mazur to stop his body from reacting and prayed Stephanie didn't notice his raging erection.
It didn't matter to Stephanie if Hal looked. Her bikinis and distraction outfits were more revealing than the pink-laced panties. Stephanie tugged on the hem of her shirt, suddenly feeling guilty for wearing Ranger's clothes. "I shouldn't be wearing his shirts anymore," she whispered. Hal passed Stephanie the black socks and waited until she was ready for the black shoes in her size. Stephanie wondered if all the SUVs contained clothing to fit her. Hal quickly confirmed her assumption.
"Ranger's shirt? I don't think Manny cares," Hal replied to her whispered words. "All the laundry gets washed together. Ella separates the shirts according to size. For all you know, it could be one of Manny's tops you're wearing."
Stephanie couldn't stop the laughter from erupting. "That's an interesting way of saying it. I stole this shirt from Ranger over a year ago," she explained. "What about the other clothes you men wear?"
Hal grinned, "Clothing labels, Steph. Only the Rangeman uniforms don't have them." He was surprised Stephanie didn't know. However, it wasn't surprising since she was the only female Rangeman employee besides Ella. The two women wore different sizes, their clothes were easily discernible while washing laundry.
"What about underwear?" Stephanie asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
"Commando, baby," Hal replied, grinning as his face turned beet red. It was Stephanie's turn to blush. Suspecting the men went commando and knowing they did are two completely different things. Stephanie wasn't sure she could look the men in the eyes, knowing they didn't wear underpants.
She fanned herself as she moved away from the vent. "You can turn the heat down, Hal. I'm warm enough now," Stephanie joked. Hal laughed as he lowered the internal temperature of the car.
They watched as the firefighters extinguished the flames erupting from the apartment. The occupants of the building stood outside, huddled together for warmth. Stephanie felt bad. Once again, the seniors got displaced from their homes because some asshole decided to set fire to her unit. She noticed Manny looking toward the SUV before breaking away from the police. He approached the car, and Stephanie realized her statement was required.
Manny opened the SUV door to pull Stephanie from the seat. "The police want a statement," he said, holding her hand as they walked towards the group of officers standing beside the fire chief.
Eddie Gazarra, Stephanie's cousin-in-law, approached her. "Are you okay, Steph?" he asked. Eddie could see Stephanie was fine, but he still anxiously waited for her reply.
"I'm fine, Eddie. What's the damage in my apartment?" She watched as his face fell.
"Everything is gone. I'm sorry," Eddie replied.
Stephanie wasn't surprised when she had lost everything. "Eddie, I woke up because my apartment got too hot. When I looked toward my bedroom doorway, I saw the flames in the hallway moving inside the room. I grabbed my gun, climbed out of the window and down the fire escape," she explained. "I didn't hear any glass breaking or see any cars leaving the parking area."
"Do you have a place to stay?" Eddie asked. Shirley would want Stephanie to stay with them if she had nowhere else to go. Eddie knew Stephanie would never move back home. For her sake, Eddie hoped Stephanie could stay somewhere with more security.
"There's an apartment for me at Rangeman. I can stay in my assigned unit," Stephanie replied. She was glad Tank and Lester talked her into keeping a place at headquarters. They argued that working the night shift entitled her to stay on site. Eddie hugged Stephanie before speaking to the other tenants.
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Dillon reluctantly approached Stephanie. His chin dropped as he sadly explained, "Once the insurance pays to repair your apartment, you can't return as a tenant. The owner said you are too much of a liability."
"It's okay, Dillon. The other tenants will be safer with me out of the building. I'm surprised they let me stay there this long," Stephanie replied. Stephanie wanted to cry because she had lost all of her clothes and shoes. Everything she owned was on her body. A pair of arms wrapped around Stephanie and pulled her against his muscular chest. Stephanie didn't have to look over her shoulder to know it was Tank. Only one man Stephanie knew could wrap her as thoroughly in his arms.
Tank's fingers laced with hers as he attempted to warm the still frozen digits. The Merry Men showed more affection towards Stephanie after Ranger moved to Miami. Stephanie often wondered if Ranger told them to keep their distance. "You have a home with us at Rangeman, Little Girl," Tank whispered. Stephanie nodded as she fought back the tears. Tank could tell the events affected her more than Stephanie had let on.
"Ella has clothes for you in the apartment." Having uniforms and distraction outfits paid for by Rangeman gave Stephanie more money to purchase shoes. "Where's Rex?" Stephanie felt the tears build in her eyes. She had forgotten about her furry roommate.
To help Stephanie grieve the loss, he turned her around to press her face into his chest, permitting Stephanie to cry without people watching her face. The tears flowed as he rubbed her back. Stephanie felt him lift her into his arms and carry her towards the SUV containing Hal. He placed Stephanie in the backseat beside Manny.
Tank closed the door and thought Stephanie had finally hit her breaking point. He was worried about her mental health. Tank knew Manny would take care of Little Girl. He had noticed they were growing closer together. In time, Tank knew Manny and Stephanie would soon realize they loved each other unconditionally. He could hardly wait. Tank smiled as he tapped the top of the SUV for Hal to return to Rangeman.