A/N: Possible triggers... drink gets spiked at a bar but nobody gets hurt. If this triggers you, skip the chapter.
Chapter 3
Ella brought Stephanie a black leather skirt, tight red crop top, lacy black lingerie set, and four-inch red heels to wear tonight. Stephanie didn't bother going home to get dressed. She used Ranger's apartment to get ready. Ranger walked in as she bent over to buckle the shoe strap around her ankle. "Babe," he groaned before he gave her a panty-destroying kiss. Stephanie could tell Ranger wanted to take things further, but they had to get to the venue.
Ranger held Stephanie close on the elevator. Her back was pressed against Ranger's front. He was attempting to hide his erection caused by her outfit. "You're going to be the death of me, Babe," he whispered. She giggled and rubbed against him. He dug his fingers into her hips and said, "Don't tempt me."
Cal watched the monitors. He noticed Stephanie squirmed before Ranger squeezed her hips. His mouth dropped open when he watched Ranger kiss Stephanie's neck from behind her ear to the place it joins her shoulder. "Hey, Les, when did Ranger and Stephanie get back together?"
"I wasn't aware they did. Maybe he's poaching," Lester suggested.
"Nah," Cal stated. "This looked different." He watched their body language. Something shifted between them since yesterday afternoon. The elevator stopped on the fifth floor. Once the door opened, the view disappeared from Cal's monitor.
"Jose, Hector, Lester, Bobby, Tank, Manny, Vince, Zero and Binkie, you're working the distraction. Binkie and Zero, you are on bartender duty. Remember to substitute out the alcohol. Kody Fowler is known to drop drugs into unsuspecting women's drinks. Make sure this does not happen to Stephanie. Hector, Lester and Bobby, roam the club. You're responsible for ensuring Stephanie's safety. Jose, Manny and Vince watch the front door. Tank and I will be out back," Ranger ordered. "Does everyone understand their assignments?"
Stephanie suppressed her laughter as she watched the men fix themselves. They weren't as discrete as they hoped. As she looked at each man, they would blush. It flattered her to have so many men find her attractive. Her Merry Men were well endowed. She had to concentrate in order to avoid comparing their size to Ranger.
She swung her hips as she walked towards the elevation. Stephanie felt the men's eyes follow her. A few times, she purposely bent over to adjust her shoe strap. The man who stood behind her groaned as she peeked over her shoulder. "Bye, boys," she singsonged as she gave them a finger wave.
When Stephanie tried to get into the car, she tripped over her feet and fell into the back seat on her chest. Her skirt rode up to show her lacy underwear. "God, help me," Tank moaned.
She looked over her shoulder at Tank. "Tank indeed," she muttered when she noticed his impressive erection. Ranger tipped his head back and laughed. He stopped laughing long enough to help Stephanie get into the car. Tank drove so Ranger could sit in the back with Stephanie.
On the trip to the club, Stephanie sat in the backseat to read the information on Fowler. She researched the man last week and found possible places for him to go. Red Dragon Dive Club was his favourite hangout. Something about this distraction was making her spidey sense go wild. She's going to need more than her Merry Men to help. Stephanie used her phone to text an old friend. "If you're in town, drop by the Red Dragon. I may have a friend for you."
"See you there, Sunshine," her friend replied.
Tank parked the SUV at the back of the lot. Lester and Manny are responsible to return Fowler to the TPD. Ranger reached into Stephanie's top to place the microphone. His eyes darkened as he brushed his thumb over her nipple. He leaned in to kiss her. "Babe," he moaned.
Stephanie opened her purse to grab a couple of Advils. "Take these, Carlos. You're going to need them," she said.
"Babe?" Ranger asked before he pressed his fingers against his temples. His head throbbed. "Diesel." He popped the Advils into his mouth and swallowed.
"My spidey sense was going wild on the way here. After I sent Diesel a text, it toned down," Stephanie explained. "I think Fowler's friend is one of Diesel's bounties."
"Only you, Babe," Ranger groaned.
Diesel pulled Stephanie aside when she exited the Rangeman SUV. He appreciated the sexy outfit Stephanie wore. "Thanks for the daisies. You gave those to me last year, too," Stephanie said as she hugged her friend.
"Did you notice anything different?" Diesel asked.
"Yes, you said 'Happy Valentine's Day, Sunshine,' this time instead of 'Valentine's Day sucks, usually,'" Stephanie replied as she smiled. Diesel kissed Stephanie's forehead before he moved towards the front of the club.
Ranger relaxed when Diesel left. Stephanie did a quick mic check with the team. She could hear their responses to her skirt riding up as she walked. "Mami," Lester groaned when Stephanie leaned over the bar.
Binkie saw Stephanie walk up to the bar. She leaned over the stool to get his attention. He could see down her skimpy top. "Can you see the mic?" Bobby asked.
"What can I get you, ma'am?" Binkie asked.
Stephanie knew Binkie needed to get an answer to the team. "My name is Tiffany. Do you have any raspberry Vodka?" she asked after she checked that they didn't have the product. She leaned forward to give him a closer view.
Binkie looked down her top at her lacy bra. His body reacted to her sexy chest. He searched but couldn't see any sign of a wire. "Nope," he answered.
"Fine," Stephanie said as she leaned back and pretended to be annoyed. She saw Kody Fowler staring at her. Catching his eye, Stephanie licked her lips and said, "I'll get a screw… driver." Her voice went husky at the end.
"Fuck me," Bobby moaned.
"Men!" Ranger barked. He fixed himself while Tank grinned at him. Ranger knew the men got aroused by his Babe's distraction outfits. She had no idea how sexy she truly is.
Kody couldn't stop staring at the sexy brunette. Her legs looked a mile long and ended in the sexiest red heels he had ever seen. When she bent over the bar, Kody could see the edge of her lace panties. Tiffany has a sexy ass. Kody moved to the stool next to her.
Stephanie looked around the club as she sat on the stool and kept Kody in her peripheral vision. He was an average looking male. Nothing distinguishable about the man. His sandy blond hair had stiff spikes to prove he used too much gel. Kody's grey eyes looked empty.
The multicoloured lights flashed over the dance floor and made everyone look like they were dancing using stop-motion. She caught Diesel's eye across the bar. When a man entered the club, Stephanie shivered. Diesel honed in and approached the man. He disappeared the second he touched the man's arm.
"Would you like someone to keep you warm?" Kody asked.
"I don't cuddle with strangers," Stephanie purred.
"My name is Kody. What's your name, gorgeous?" Kody asked as he stroked her hand that held her drink.
When Stephanie raised her drink to her lips, she heard Binkie whisper, "He spiked it."
Stephanie lifted the drink and pretended to take a sip. She moved from the stool and pretended to be drunk as it spilled onto her shoes. "Oops," she giggled and reached for her clutch. Stephanie looked around to spot Hector. "I feel funny," she slurred as she winked at her Hermano.
"Come with me, honey. I'll take good care of you, Tiffany," Kody sneered as he led her to the back door. Stephanie let her body go limp. Kody wrapped his arm around her waist while he swung her arm over his shoulder. The scent of his cologne made her nauseous. It smelled appealing when he first sat next to her. Now that he's turned on about possibly assaulting her, his cologne reeked.
As they exited the back door of the club, Stephanie dropped her bag. She bent over to pick it up, pulling Kody to the ground with her. Stephanie tripped Fowler as he fell towards the ground. Hector caught Stephanie and pulled her away from the scene. Tank cuffed Kody before carrying him to the car. Kody screamed, "Where are you taking my girl. I found her first."
"Shut up!" Tank ordered. "I work for Vincent Bail Bonds. You missed your court date. My friends are taking you to TPD." Kody screamed that he didn't want to go back to jail. Tank punched Kody and broke his nose. "I told you to shut up." Kody cowered in the back seat. Tank shackled his feet to the floor of the SUV. He hit the top for Lester and Manny to take Fowler back to jail.
Ranger found Stephanie in his SUV with Hector and Bobby. Hector held her on his lap. Stephanie shook from the experience. Ranger removed Stephanie's shoes and shoved them into an evidence bag. The lab would find the drug had soaked into the velvet of the top. "Babe?" Ranger asked as he pulled Stephanie into his arms.
"I'm fine, Ranger. When Binkie warned me about the drink, I pretended to take a sip. I didn't drink any," Stephanie explained. "If it would make you feel better, I'll let Bobby run a test."
"We're going to the hospital," Ranger stated. Stephanie knew it was pointless to complain. She hated hospitals, but if it put him at ease, she would go.
"You win for now, but now you owe me," Stephanie replied. Ranger nodded in agreement.
His Babe said she pretended to take a drink, but Ranger wanted to make sure she was free of drugs. Even if the test returns a negative result, he didn't want Stephanie to stay home alone. "You're staying at Rangeman," Ranger stated.
Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Fine. Give me the spare apartment on four." Ranger raised an eyebrow. "If you're worried about my blood containing drugs, then I should stay in an apartment on four alone," she explained. She understood his reason for protecting her, but it was unnecessary in this case.
Joe met with his friend in the park. His friend sat beside Joe on the bench. He showed Joe the two packs. "The placebos are usually dyed pink. This batch got messed up, so it only contains placebos. What are you using these for?" Joe's friend asked.
"It's a surprise for our parents," Joe replied. "My fiancée and I want our parents to think we aren't trying to have kids. When we get pregnant, it would be a surprise for our families." Joe's friend scrutinized him for a few minutes before handing him the packs.
"Congrats, Joe. I hope you get your fiancée pregnant. Let me know how it works." Joe watched his friend walk away. He smiled and stuck the packs in his jacket. Phase 1 of getting Cupcake to marry him is nearly complete. He just needed to swap her pills with the placebos.
Joe waited in the foyer inside of Stephanie's apartment. It was 11 pm, and she didn't come home. He found the new birth control package in the bathroom medicine cabinet. She only had one month left, so Joe replaced the pack with the one his pharmaceutical buddy gave him. He opened her nightstand, where he kept condoms. Taking a pin, he poked holes into them. Phase 2 is complete. The final phase involves getting Cupcake to date him again.
He used the key he got from Helen, Joe locked the door behind him and left. If Stephanie did not get home by now, she would not be coming home. As he walked down the dark street towards his car, Charmaine called him. "Hey, Joe. Stephanie got brought into the emergency department. She was at the Red Dragon. They think she got drugged," Charmaine reported.
"Thanks, sweetheart. Come to my house after shift," he replied. Joe felt like he hit the jackpot. Charmaine was a wildcat in bed. There wasn't anything she was afraid to do.
"See you later, lover. Leave the back door unlocked for me," she purred. Charmaine felt like the luckiest woman on earth. She gets to ride the Italian Stallion tonight.
An hour after she arrived in the emergency department, Stephanie was free to go. Her blood test came back clean. There was no sign of drugs in her system. Ranger was happy to learn she wasn't drugged.
Hector noticed the nurse he saw last week with Morelli was working tonight. She accessed the computer before placing a call. In Spanish, he asked the nurse beside Charmaine if his friend Jose Martine got released. The woman replied that she only spoke English. "I'll be back in a minute, Charmaine." She raised a finger for him to wait a minute. He listened to Charmaine make plans to meet with Joe later.
"I just scored a date with the Italian Stallion," Charmaine announced when her friend returned. Before the interpreter could arrive, Hector slipped through the door. He smiled as he stopped the recording.
"See? I told you that I didn't get drugged," Stephanie said as she hopped off the hospital bed. "Take me home. I mean Rangeman," she quickly corrected.
"Babe," Ranger sighed. Stephanie knew she was amusing him again. She was $20K richer than yesterday. It would go a long way to pay bills and cover rent.
Bobby arrived in time for Stephanie to get discharged. He collected the paperwork from the nurse and gave Stephanie a change of clothes. She was happy to get out of the skimpy clothes. Stephanie pulled on the track pants, shirt, and Rangeman sweatshirt. Bobby remembered to grab warm socks, boots and jacket. "Thanks, Bobby," Stephanie said when she saw him on the other side of the curtain.
"I'm glad you're okay. It was smart thinking by pretending to get affected. There was enough drugs in your drink to take down an elephant," Bobby stated. "Zero took your shoes to the Rangeman lab for testing. A small sip, like the one you pretended to take, would have knocked you out."
"How long will he serve in prison?" Stephanie asked.
"It depends on the judge," Tank replied.
The drive to Rangeman was relatively short. Ranger directed Stephanie to the spare apartment on four. Stephanie didn't know the reason for the empty apartment. She entered the apartment and found Rex on the counter. Someone thoughtfully grabbed her pet.
As she looked around the room, she saw a comfortable leather sofa like the one in Ranger's office. For all she knew, it could be the same one. The bedroom dresser was filled with clothes in her size. "Is this a walk in closet, Ranger?" Stephanie asked.
"Yes, Babe," he replied. He smiled when she squealed at the wall of shoes. There used to be a storage closed beside the apartment, but he had the closet expanded for her.
"Did you do this for me so I always had a safe place to stay?" Stephanie asked. Ranger nodded. She threw her arms around him and kissed him hard. He lifted her into his arms and carried her to the shower. The men quickly left Stephanie's apartment to give them privacy.