Special thanks to jk2007 for touching bases since July, helping keep this update fresh in my mind. I was stuck until I decided to swap the POVs, which allowed the story to flow. This sort has about two chaps left at the most.
Quick recap of the Rangemen Steph has interacted with so far:
-Lester, Hal and Tank at the bonds office when she wanted to 'fly' off the roof
-Zip got a booty appreciative spank from Stephanie in the underground garage
-Manny was told he was cute during his lobby duty
-Bobby got a friendly hug in the exam room at Rangeman.
Let me know your thoughts on this longer update. What other hidden truths will Stephanie blurt out during her uninhibited phase?
Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE. Mistakes are my bad.
Ranger's POV
"All done." Bobby announced as he covered the site with a cotton ball and medical tape, once again shooting Stephanie a friendly smile
"Really?" Babe asked incredulously, leaning forward to peer down at her arm. "That was quick." She murmured, more to herself than us.
Her moving around had elicited an inevitable response in my body, so when she bolted off my lap I was busted. The heat of Bobby's glare followed my movements as I hastily adjusted myself as best as I could. Despite my best attempt, my response to Babe's constant squirming on my lap was obvious.
"Maybe I should keep her in observation in the infirmary." Bobby suggested as I made a move to follow Babe out into the hall.
"No. I will watch her." I barked back, upset that he would even question my motives. I know I'm not exactly a good guy. I've done a lot of dark stuff in my life, but I'd never take advantage of an intoxicated Babe.
"You sure you can?" Bobby threw out, giving me his best warning glare.
"Find out what's in her system and let Tank and I know. He, Santos and Hal are on Lula and Connie watch." I ordered once he followed me out of the infirmary. Bobby nodded curtly before I wrapped an arm around Babe's shoulders to help coax her towards the elevator.
Unfortunately, yet another one of my men crossed our paths before we could make it down the hall towards our intended destination.
"Cal!" Stephanie yelled excitedly, shrugging out of my hold to rush towards him.
"Hi, Bomber, how are you?" Cal asked, a genuine smile gracing his lips as she dashed towards him.
Bobby stood next to me, smirking as he watched Babe reach up to trace Cal's face tattoo as she literally talked his ear off while going up on her tiptoes.
"Your tattoo is so cool." Babe said animatedly. "I've always wanted one, but I know it's going to hurt." She made a face as she shifted gears, showing Cal where Bobby drew blood. It's very clear that her mind is racing with a million thoughts at the same time.
We're going to be here a while, I thought as I followed their interaction in watchful silence.
S&R
Helen's POV
I couldn't even return the phone to its cradle before the next call came in. Sighing, I answered on the second ring.
"Hello, Mrs. Valenti. How are you?" I greeted with fake sweetness. This is the fourth call in a row about Stephanie's latest 'adventure'. I rolled my eyes as I half listened to another Burg gossiper spread what they heard. Why me? No one else's daughter gives them this negative reputation in this town. Only my youngest!
"Is she okay?" Mrs. Valenti's inquiry had me returning my full attention to the conversation at hand. Unlike the other calls, Mrs. Valenti sounds genuinely concerned. That's odd.
"Who?" I replied, frowning with confusion. All the previous calls were just boasting, all too eager to tell me that on their drive down Hamilton Ave they passed Vinnie's Bails Bond office and were surprised to see none other than my daughter standing on the roof of the building. The last caller went as far as to say that Stephanie was standing on the edge of the roof in just her bra and jeans! What will the neighbors think?!
"Stephanie, your daughter, who else?" Mrs. Valenti sneered, asking if she was okay after her fall.
"What fall?" Now I was the one annoyed. No one had mentioned anything about how Stephanie got off the roof.
Oh no, she jumped!
"What's up your pattooty now?" My mother asked, strolling into the kitchen just as I hung up on Mrs. Valenti.
"Stephanie jumped off the roof again!" I wailed, wondering where I went wrong with my daughter. She's a grown woman for god sakes! No one else has a daughter that jumps off roofs, much less as an adult!
"Good for her." My mother clapped her hands in approval, saying that Stephanie has always been meant to fly. "She's a special one." Mother beamed.
My well deserved reply was interrupted when the phone rang yet again.
"Hello?" I greeted neutrally, which merited applause because I felt anything but neutral at the moment. When will my daughter finally grow up and settle down?
"Helen, it's Joseph." Morelli greeted me warmly despite the obvious frustration that clearly filtered through the line. Who could blame him? The poor thing.
"Why's he calling?" My mother butted in, talking beside me and making it impossible for me to fully make out what Joseph was saying. He was on a heated rant.
"Mother." I hissed through gritted teeth.
"He's not my granddaughter's anything." My mother grumbled, adding that I shouldn't be entertaining him.
"Joseph is…" I started to say when my mother flashed me a glare so intense that I gasped. Growing up, it was my father who was the disciplinarian. This firmness is new coming from her.
"He's nothing to this family, but a recurring dark spot." Mother bit out with finality. "Joseph was just out in public with what's her face's daughter. He should be calling them, not here." With a heated look, she spun on her heel and exited the kitchen as she ordered me to end the call.
"I'm sorry." I apologized to Joseph, finally able to give him my full attention.
"Helen…" Joseph said in an exasperated sigh. "I said that I've received seventeen calls so far about Stephanie. Seventeen!"
I groaned internally when Morelli confirmed that the Burg had already twisted this latest event in epic proportions. At this moment, Stephanie may have just as well jumped off that roof naked because the town's already saying that's what she did.
Why me?!
S&R
Ranger's POV
It took a good half hour to be able to coax Babe to come up to seven with me. Just when her fascination with Cal's face tattoo had worn out, Binkie stopped by with supplies for the infirmary. His look of horror when Babe speared her fingers through his short spiky hair, deliberately musing it, was a sight to behold. He nearly shit his pants, thinking that I was going to shoot his dick off for standing still while Stephanie touched him. He's lucky she didn't grope his ass like she did to Zip. Oh, the men will have stories to tell for a long time. Babe's going to be mortified when she's 100% back to being her usual self, however, the men will be quick to chip away at that and remind her how much fun she had.
Her stomach growled loudly in the enclosed space of the elevator car, prompting her to shrug my way as she smiled sheepishly. This woman has been nonstop handsy since the Bonds office, but a stomach rumble embarrassed her.
"Hungry?" I asked in amusement, quickly sending Ella a message.
"Yeah." Her curls wiped back and forth over her shoulders as she nodded. "Pizza!" Her bright blue eyes glazed over much in the same way they do when she's at the peak of pleasure.
Deciding to indulge her, I sent Ella another message asking her to put in a large delivery order from Shorty's. If Babe wants pizza, she'll get pizza.
"You think the men would want some too?" I asked, knowing what her answer will be. Babe's a very giving person.
"Yeah!" Her hands reached behind her, pouting when her hands found empty back pockets. "I dunno where I left my phone." Babe sighed over dramatically, murmuring something along the lines of not having much money to replace her phone right now. "Maybe I should get a flip phone again. Those were indestructible."
I let out a bark of laughter as I curled my arm around her shoulders. "Babe." I agreed with her that she's pretty invincible herself, as I coaxed her back out of my apartment. Maybe if I keep her moving she'll stop trying to grope me. It's worked so far.
S&R
Morelli's POV
I parked my SUV purposely parallel to the Rangeman underground gate, blocking any care from going in or out. Just as I was about to angle out of my car, my phone buzzed with an incoming message. Groaning, I reached for my device to get it over with. At this rate, my battery will be dead real soon.
As soon as I finished watching the video, my stomach churned. Watching Cupcake jump off the roof was honestly nothing out of the ordinary. It was actually pretty tame for her usual antics.
What really pissed me off was Manoso. The way he braced for impact wasn't unexpected. He's been there to catch her more times than I can count. No, it was really about his hand placement. There was definitely a feel or two he copped during that crash landing.
With my best stony look in place, I angled out of the driver's seat and hurried down the sidewalk towards the walk-in building entrance. On my short walk a shiny Rangeman SUV drove past me. I locked eyes with the driver briefly, flashing him my best smirk. It was obvious he'd noticed my SUV blocking their gated underground entrance. Take that assholes!
I mentally prepared myself for the typical back and forth I've come to expect from any Range thug, except it seems life was doing me a solid today since Cupcake was already in the lobby when I yanked the glass door open. Again, it was obvious they were expecting me because that door is locked and only opens when you're buzzed in.
"Cupcake!" I sneered when I saw her brushing up against man after man in the too crowded lobby as she offered them pizza slices from the stack of boxes in her slim hands.
"Don't call me Cupcake." She bit out as she continued to somewhat stumble her way from man to man.
"Yeah, she's got a name." One of the men said, leveling a murderous glare my way.
"Oh yeah?" I bit out, daring them to throw out the ridiculous nicknames they have for her. Bomber, Beautiful, Babe…
"Stephanie, want us to kick him out for ya?" Another one of the men asked her from behind the counter in the far corner of the lobby.
"Nah, I can do it, Manny." Cupcake replied as someone else took the pizza boxes from her hands. "Bye, Morelli." She addressed me dismissively.
When she briefly focused her vibrant blues on me, I noted the obvious glassiness. That unnatural glaze is typical of the rare times when she's under the influence. Stephanie is a lightweight, unable to handle large quantities of alcohol. She's one to pass out rather quickly after reaching what would be a pleasant buzz for many others. And medications? She hates them with a passion. Whatever she's on, she didn't take it knowingly much less willingly.
Add in that head jerk she does to buy herself time, forcefully flipping her curly hair back in an arch as she silently talks herself out of whatever crazy thought is currently flashing through her mind, and it was my cue to thread carefully. Whatever she is on, because she's on something, has her teetering on the edge of composure. If I'm not astute, she'll explode in epic proportions while we have an audience full of her supporters.
"Stephanie…" I used her given name so that she knew I was being serious. If she wants to talk shit, she can do it behind closed doors and not in front of her wannabe cheerleaders.
"Bye, Joe." She gave me a fake sweet smile and her usual annoying finger wave as she stood feet away from me. It was hard to miss the wall of black flanking her sides.
As soon as I reminded Stephanie that she's with me, a chorus of mocking laughs filled the enclosed space. The biggest, most goofiest grin was plastered on Cupcake's face as well, which means she's made it known that we've been on an off phase the last handful of months. Whatever, we always break up and make up. What does it matter?
"No, we're not anything." She bit out, heat flashing behind her bright blue eyes. I gulped as I worked on keeping my composure. If Stephanie's decided that she wants to be confrontational, there's nothing that will change her mind. Maybe I should just cut my losses tonight and regroup. She has even less of a filter when she's not sober.
"Cupcake…" I warned when I saw the flashing look of mischief that crossed her features.
"Weren't you just out with that one woman that works at the courthouse?" One of Manoso's thugs blurted out, feeling bold thanks to Stephanie's attitude.
"No, Gina Valenti dumped him when she found out he was also seeing Gia Colucci." Stephanie's grin widened a split second before she regurgitated the Burg's BS. "And Colucci left him when she found out about Valenti. According to the Burg grapevine, Valenti and Colucci are now seeing each other." Stephanie's grin split her face nearly in half as she beamed at me, all too eager to be the one dishing out a contorted Burg rumor. "Good for them." She added a little too sincerely, throwing out that she was unaware that I had circus tricks up my sleeve. "That's a lot of juggling, not counting Terri Gilman." Of course Stephanie would bring that up.
"That isn't true." I snarled, pointing out that she of all people should know better than to trust the crap the Burg comes up with. "We can talk about this in private." I gritted my teeth forcefully, giving her a look to let her know that her little show was over.
"Haven't you heard?" Cupcake threw out with a partial slur. "The Burg rumors might be cruel, but most of them are true." Her snort was a nice distraction from her heated glare. Yes, she's teetering on the edge and won't hold back her tongue. That meant I needed to cut her off and now!
"You mean the ones about you?" I couldn't contain myself from blurting out. God, she knows just how to get under my skin.
"Not just the ones about me." Again that stupid smile. "The one's about pretty much everyone, especially those involving you."
"You're crazy." I snarled, eager to divert this conversation anywhere else from what I could see barreling straight towards me. "Of course you're going to paint me out to be the bad guy." It was my turn to dish out the indignant tone.
"Babe." Manoso must have sensed the murderous intention behind Stephanie's stiff demeanor too, quickly wrapping an around around her waist a fraction of a second before she could detect his sudden movement.
"Ranger." She touched his hand, the one he splayed over her abdomen possessively, and the two shared some type of telepathic conversation. No one else in the room was privy to whatever they shared but the two of them. With a minute nod, Manoso let go of his tight hold.
"Cupcake…" I tried coaxing her to follow me outside, knowing that once I had her alone I'd be able to get her to see reason.
"Leave, Morelli." There was an intense heat swirling in her eyes, indicating that she was about to air out our dirty laundry. Her divorce scandal would pale in comparison to this.
"Stephanie." I warned with finality.
"Nah, nah, no." Stephanie took a step closer, drilling me with her gaze. "I always get the shit smeared on me while you come out smelling like roses." The look she gave me made it clear that she was not going to keep quiet. I could feel the heat in the room intensify, reminding me that I had no back up.
"Think about what you're about to say next." I snarled, repositioning myself so that my back was to the glass lobby doors instead of one of the Rangeman assholes.
"I know you think that I'm stupid, but I'm not." Her words earned her a chorus of supportive grunts from the brutes ready to pounce on her beck and call. "You, on the other hand, are a liar." Amongst other things, she muttered under her breath.
"Why are you saying that he is a liar?" Manoso unhelpfully asked, his voice booming in the silent space as he stood with his arms crossed over his chest doing his best to intimidate.
"It's a long list..." Stephanie mumbled before she threw the final punch. "…and at the top of it are the bruises he inflected then let the whole town believe were a product of my latest mishap."
"You're confused." I tried to deflect, pointing out that she was under the influence of something. Plus, she's the only person who would refer to a night-long kidnapping as a 'mishap'. Yes, we argued that night and things got heated. We tend to get rough sometimes, but it wasn't my fault that she had picked up yet another crazy stalker.
"No." She shook her head forcefully before she spouted a rush of things my way. When she was done, I was pretty sure she'd cussed me out in Italian, Spanish and English.
Or at least, it sounded like it.
"We'll talk when you come down from whatever this is." I hissed as I retreated two steps, only for her to advance the same distance.
"For what? So you can fist my hair, 'trip' me and then 'accidentally' kick me repeatedly while I'm down?" Stephanie reached for the hem of her Rangeman T-shirt, easily peeling it off. She didn't seem to give a damn about standing in just her bra from the waist up with all of the men in the room.
I clenched my jaw, wondering how many times they've seen her in a partial state of undress to not even bat an eye at the scene before them.
"My ribs healed and I survived, no thanks to you." With an exaggerated wave of her hand, she emphasized her slim torso and the lack of marks on her pale skin. Well, except for the almost unnoticeable scar on her left side just above the waistband of her worn jeans.
"That's not what happened. Morrone…" Once again, she was having none of it.
"Morrone is dead and can't contest your version of events." She made sure to point out that she managed to fight off, eventually escaping, her latest maniac stalker despite my leaving her served on a silver platter for him. How was I supposed to know that the asshole was casing out her apartment, taking the opportunity to prey on her as soon as I stormed out of her place that rainy night three months ago? We've always been very explosive. Things became heated quickly. There was no way for me to know that she'd attracted the infatuation of yet another crazy person. He simply saw the opportunity and took it. It wasn't my fault.
"And why didn't you?" I bit out, desperate to get her to shut up. What happened that night was a mistake and she knows it. She's just trying to guilt me into apologizing.
Instead of her usual screaming match, Stephanie let out an eerie sounding laugh. A chill ran up my spine just as the Range thugs sucked in a breath. The only reason why she didn't lunge herself at me was thanks to Manoso wrapping his arms around her from behind. Placing his mouth next to her right ear, he whispered something that had her instantly abandoning her fight plan.
"No use in correcting your distorted version. The Burg doesn't care. No one does." There was obvious emotion in her tone.
"I care." Manoso stated while squeezing her midriff.
"We care." Several men pipped in before they let out a loud shout of support.
"Get the fuck out of my building." Manoso ordered me as one of his men draped an oversized jacket over Stephanie's shoulders, gently nudging her towards the elevator on the opposite side of the room.
"Might want to check on your car, Detective." Another Range thug chipped in, grinning menacingly as I whirled around to leave. I wasn't going to waste my opening to leave.
As soon as I was on the sidewalk, I noticed that my SUV was gone. A Rangeman SUV had taken its place as two smug assholes gave me a finger wave in a perfect Stephanie imitation. Reaching for my cell phone, I ignored the baiting thugs for now as well as the slew of new missed calls and messages.
S&R
Stephanie's POV
"Thanks." I said to Ranger after he cleared my apartment of killer ghosts. After finishing a distraction, it's always a ritual of Ranger's to make sure no one's waiting to stake out my apartment. I've had several months of relative calm, but he's not one to cut any corners with my safety if he has a say.
"Babe." His eyes flicked to my lips, but before we could meet halfway to seal tonight with a kiss his phone rang. "Yo." He barked out to whomever was on the other end of the line, giving me an apologetic smile when he was done. "I have to go." There was a break-in for one of the big accounts and he was needed.
"Duty calls." I said, purposely not mentioning how he could be getting some booty instead. It's not that we've fallen into a defined relationship, but the heated moments between us have ratchet up notch after notch lately. Tonight would have definitely been the night we obliterated any barriers between us. Had there not been any interruptions, that is.
"Babe." He gave me his thousand watt grin as he leaned down, placing a panty ruining kiss on my lips. Yum.
I walked him to the door and watched him until he reached the top of the stairs. It was only once he was fully gone from view, that I closed and relocked the door behind him.
I'd just made it to my living room when I heard the locks tumble. Because I had engaged the chain and heard the door swing open regardless, I didn't think much of it. In fact, my heart was going wild under my ribs with anticipation. Ranger came back!
The shock must have shown on my face when I whirled around, finding none other than Morelli approaching.
"Seeing me is so bad?" Morelli sneered, pinning me with a heated glare. "You weren't expecting me, were you?" The snarl was clear in his face. "Based on your slutty little outfit, I can imagine what you two were planning to do tonight."
His accusation infuriated me, because he had no right to storm into my apartment and insult me. Rhino mode was instantly activated.
"I don't have to explain myself to you." I was very clear that we were through.
"Since when?" He bitched back.
"It's been three months." I pointed out that we hadn't seen each other in weeks when he said we needed a break. "So, yeah we're not anything."
"Cupcake." He sighed as if I was the one that was being unreasonable here. What?
"Leave." I told him not to let the door hit him in the ass when he did so.
I shouldn't have turned my back on him, was the last thought that crossed my mind as I felt the atmosphere in the room shift. Shit.
He fisted my loose curls, roughly yanking me back so that I was forced to whirl around to face him once again.
I woke up with a start, my heart pounding in my chest as my eyes flew open. There was an intense roaring in my head, coupled with my all too frequent nightmare involving that horrible night months before.
Breathing heavy, I flicked my eyes around the room. Because of the nasty headache, I felt disoriented and couldn't immediately recognize my surroundings or how I got here. Realizing that all I remembered was getting to the Bonds office, having some donuts and then nothing after that was not comforting.
I have to get out of here. Run! My instinct was to flee, which was reinforced when I kicked the velvety soft sheets off of me.
My legs felt useless, making me crash against the expensive carpet after only two steps. Clawing at the floor, I scurried on my hands and knees until I regained my footing. With an unsteady walk I stumbled towards the bedroom door. My vision made it harder by moving side to side, giving me an even worse headache in the process.
Keep moving! I ordered my body to work, pushing myself harder as images of my escape from Morrone flashed through my mind.
As I made it out into the hallway, I was able to use the walls to partially steady myself.
"You can do it." I said to myself, my voice hoarse. The dryness in my mouth made me gag, once again sending me back to a hellish memory.
Looking down I confirmed that I was in fact very naked, but unlike that night I at least wasn't covered in blood.
"No!" I yelled when I heard and felt movement behind me. "No, no, no!" Denial has been a close friend of mine, offering a much needed escape time and time again. Despite that, I wasn't going to go down easily.
Somehow, my wobbly legs cooperated, out of sync of course, as I bolted past a living room and towards the front door. It should have clicked in my brain that I knew exactly where I was going, but it didn't. I blame it on my jumbled brain and the room spinning all around me.
"Let go!" I hollered, telling for all I was worth as two muscular arms wrapped around my waist from behind.
I kicked, elbowed and flailed my arms desperately. I fought as hard as I could, not willing to go down without a fight.
Morelli's POV was difficult to craft, but I wanted to save Steph's POV until she was off her inadvertent trip. Let me know your thoughts.