Round Robin

Chapter 10 (Whiskeybabe511)

RANGER

"Fuck!" I muttered after the gunshot sounded.

"What are you going to tell Estephania?" Hector asked.

I shook my head while whipping out my phone.

Cal picked up on the first ring. "Boss?" he asked into the phone.

"Do you have eyes on Stephanie?" I asked as I walked out of Hector's office.

"Yes, I can see her through the salon's windows. We've had eyes on her since you left."

"We've got a situation. Morelli isn't the stalker. TPD is about to be all over our asses. I'll be there soon."

I hung up and dialed Tank. "Garage. We've got a situation. I'll explain on the way."

I didn't wait for a reply before hanging up. I hit the staircase and took the steps two at a time. I opened the door to the garage and found Tank already waiting in the passenger's seat of a running SUV.

In any other situation, I would probably chuckle. I slid into the driver's seat. "Stephanie received a disk today. It had a video of Morelli tied to a chair with a gun to his head."

"Fuck."

I nodded. "We've got to turn it over, but for now I want to talk to Stephanie. I'll have Hector make a copy before we turn it over."

He nodded, pulling out his phone. "I'll tell him to make one."

"Stephanie's going to freak."

"Don't let her watch the video," he cautioned.

I shot him a look that asked him just how stupid he thought I was. I pulled in behind Cal's SUV. I was opening my door before the SUV was fully parked.

Cal glanced at me through his window as I walked by, determined to see Steph. The bell on the door jangled as I walked in. I scanned the space quickly finding Steph sitting pale next to Shelly on the couch in the waiting area.

"Babe?" I asked approaching her.

"I got a phone call from my mother," she said. Her voice was soft. "They found Morelli dead."

"I know."

"Do you think it was my stalker?" she asked, gazing up at me.

My silence said it all. I watched as she took a deep breath, steeling herself. Her eyes held a determined glint.

"What do I need to do?"

"We, Babe. We."

I saw a smile tug at the corner of her lips before faltering. "What was on the disk?"

I shook my head at her. "You don't want to know. I have to hand it over to the TPD."

"So, it was from the stalker," she said, a statement not a question. She stood, brushing her hands over her thighs.

"What's our next step?"

I almost smiled at her resilience. "The next step is handing the disk over to the TPD. They will want to talk to both of us. I might be able to make them wait a few days before questioning you." I didn't tell her that I would be keeping a copy for Hector to run tests on.

"I'd rather get it done sooner than later," she said.

I nodded. "Tomorrow? That way you can reschedule your clients."

She glanced at Shelly. "Take the rest of the day off and tomorrow, too," she said.

"Shelly, I can't do that."

"You need to. This is stressful, Steph…."

"It won't do me any good to just sit inside Rangeman. I'll have too much time to think and there's no way I can help. I know nothing about this stalker, I can't even narrow down the suspects. I need something to do, and this is what I do best," Steph said, her gaze moving from Shelly to me. It was a warning gaze if I ever saw one. She already knew where my thoughts had gone.

I put my hands up to signify my surrender. I would just put another two men outside and I would pick her up from work tonight.

"Alright Steph, if that's what you want to do," Shelly said.

Steph nodded. "I have a client in a few minutes," she said after glancing at her watch.

Shelly nodded and walked towards the back room, allowing Steph and I to have a few minutes alone. I took her hands and rubbed my thumbs across her knuckles. "I could have stopped this if I would have said something to someone sooner. Instead, I just let it get worse, and now it's cost someone their life."

I saw a tear roll slowly down her cheek. I tugged her to me, and she wrapped her arms around my waist. "I can't say I wish you hadn't contacted me sooner, but you can't blame yourself."

"Do you think he went after Morelli because he was interested in me?" she asked, looking up at me.

"I think he saw him as a threat to you," I said, trying to steer the conversation away from the subject of Morelli.

"Do you think he's a threat to you?" she asked, her voice soft and choked by fear. I cupped her cheek, making her look up into my eyes.

"I'm okay, I will be okay. We will both be okay," I said dipping down to kiss her softly on the nose which earned me a smile. "Will you be okay with me beefing up security on you? I know you don't like having people follow you around."

Before I could finish, she stopped me with a soft kiss on the lips. "But it's a necessary precaution. In exchange for extra guards, I want you to teach me self-defense."

I couldn't help but smile. "That's a deal I don't mind making." I pressed another kiss to her lips. I pulled back with a sigh. "You sure you'll be, okay?"

She nodded. "I'm hoping work will help keep it off my mind."

With one last kiss, I walked out the door, promising to pick her up this afternoon. Tank had been waiting beside the door and fell into step next to me as we walked to the SUV.

"How'd she take it?"

"She already knew. The burg grapevine moves fast. They found his body. When we get back to RangeMan I'll call the detective on the case to hand over the disk. I told Steph I would do what I can to get them to wait to interview her tomorrow. Steph wants me to teach her self-defense in exchange for placing two more guards on her."

He cocked an eyebrow. "You didn't suggest that to her?"

"Well, I was trying to," I said. "She just beat me to it."

He shook his head. We pulled up to the gate at RangeMan and it was opened. I had barely opened the door to the SUV when the stairwell door slammed open.

Lester strode towards me. "Steph's stalker sent you a letter and the cops are here wanting to talk to the both of you," he said.

"Who's the lead detective?" I asked.

"Farnum."

I shook my head. Farnum was a jerk. He had a serious issue with me for whatever reason. It would probably be even worse now that he was investigating the death of another officer.

"Pick someone to be your partner. I want you at the back of the salon keeping an eye on Steph."

Lester nodded. The three of us took the stairs up; Tank and I to the second floor, and Lester to the fifth. The first conference room door had Ramon stationed next to it. Hector came down the hall before I opened the door.

"The letter," he said in Spanish. It was already in a plastic bag, open. It looked like they had already checked it for prints. I took it from him and looked at it.

You're next Manoso. Stephanie's mine, stay away from her.

~Stephanie's admirer

I shook my head. Fuck me, I didn't want to have to explain this to Steph. I opened the door, and my mood didn't get any better. Farnum's eyes locked with mine and his mouth twisted with a sneer. Fuck…