CHAPTER 7

My relationship, not that you can call it that, with Ranger has me in a bit of a spin.

And the constant phone calls are just confusing me more. We haven't spoken this much in the entire time that I have known him as we have in the time he's been away.

Wherever the hell that is.

'Ranger, can you tell me where you are or is it one of those if I tell you I have to kill you situations?' I was only half joking when I asked

His soft chuckle did dangerous things to my hormones, joking or not.

'I'm helping an old friend set up an urban assault training facility'

'Urban assault?'

'Warfare tactics in an urban environment'

'Like in houses and apartments and stuff?

'Nail on the head Babe'

'But why? I mean why war tactics in homes?'

'It's a growth market'

And I guess is was. The number of times that cops had to go into homes to break up violent situations; SWAT, drug squad, homicide, ATF and all the other initial groups that I couldn't remember what the letters stood for, they all had to deal with bad situations every day.

'And your friend asked you to help'

'Said I had the perfect background for the job'

"What, all your army stuff? I actually knew that Ranger's "army stuff" was some serious hardcore paramilitary training, black ops and other scary things that would make Rambo look like a wuss. He wasn't called Ranger for nothing.

'Nah, Living in Jersey.'

Ranger filled me in on all the details about what his mysterious, or not so mysterious job.

'And here I was thinking you were in some far off exotic country as a mercenary for hire.'

I think I had just killed the mood, he was silent for a few moments as I cursed my self for being an idiot and ruining the semi teasing thing we had had going. Hell he was even opening up. Good work Plum

'Is that what you really thought?' Serious now

'That, or you were in Gotham City taking out the joker.'

'Sorry to disappoint Babe'

'Ranger, wait! I'll be serious. No I didn't really think that. I know you are a good man…' he didn't give me time to finish

'How?'

'How what?'

'How do you know that I am such a good man?

I took a few moments to really think it over. Because it was not something that I had ever consciously thought about. It had always been something that I had just known.

'Just a feeling I guess'

'like the feeling you got in your apartment the other day?'

Where was he going with this? 'When?'

'When I came to say goodbye, you said that you knew it was me in your apartment .'

'I remember' yeah I remember that. But I mostly remembered the kiss he laid on me before he left

'You said, when you came in that you knew it was me. How did you know?'

'I must have seen your car'

'I parked a block away'

'um, maybe, oh, um I don't know?' I tried.

'yes you do'

Damn, why didn't I want to tell him this. Tell him that I could sense him, feel it in my bones every time we're in the same room, hell, within 100 yards.

'Maybe I'm just getting use to you breaking in' I tried again

'No that's not it'

Damn him

'Maybe it was a feeling'

'a feeling?

'yeah, a feeling'

'what kind of feeling'

'like the hairs on the back of my neck stand up'

'and'

Honestly, I don't know what was happening, I opened my mouth and all these things came flying out. Things that I had thought were locked deep inside.

'It feels like being excited and nervous all at the same time. Like I can't breath, but can more easily and …'

'and your heart beats a little faster' Ranger added

'yeah' I agreed

'yeah' Ranger repeated

' And there's this pull, like something inside you just knows'

'yeah'

'yeah' Ranger repeated.

After we said our goodbyes. And no, the fact that he actually said goodbye was not lost on me.

I lay in my preferred thinking position, and gave this whole Ranger thing a good going over.

We had slept together once, well more like… That one occasion. Yeah that's a better way to put it.

We had slept together that one, mind blowing world tilting occasion (that was an even better way to put it) After that he had told me to work things out with Morelli. Which I thought sucked, but took it for the good advice that it was. But Ranger had also said that he was an opportunist and if Morelli and I took too long to sort it out he would be back in my bed. We all know how well the Morelli thing had worked out.

Well, Joe and I had been history for a while before he left town.

What the hell was he waiting for? One lousy (fantastic) goodbye kiss in all that time!

Come on Mr Opportunity, here's your perfect chance!

But then my brain betrayed me and started down the "what if he's had you now and doesn't want you again" path.

But rationality finally caught up with my runaway brain and pointed out that he certainly wasn't acting like a man who wasn't interested.

He was acting like a man who was very much interested in fact.

But, what about the " I don't do relationships" bullshit

But then he was the one who brought up the whole "feelings" thing.

It was on the third go round of answerless questions that I think my brain melted and I fell asleep.

When I finally made it into the office, it was to find Connie and Lula already hunched over a box from Tasty pastry.

"Vinnie in?' I asked out of curiosity rather than any real desire to see my cousin.

'Down the courthouse again' Connie managed between mouthfuls of jelly filled

'Haven't seen him this happy since Joyce bought the dog collar' Lula added, and I shuddered

'Business is good. Haven't had this many needing bonding out in a long time' Connie said wiping powered sugar from her chin.

Well in that case we should celebrate. I pulled up a chair and helped myself to a Boston Creme