Chapter 4: Confrontations and Delusions

A/N: I've used ideas that are common in other FanFictions in the story (i/e: Juniak as mayor). I can't remember if some of these details are ever in the books or when they occur if they do. I don't remember who I read that used them first but I thank you and loved your writing. I'm not trying to steal ideas, but rather I'm using what I would consider to be a common thread between many stories to add a little something special to mine. I apologize if I offend anyone, that is not my goal whatsoever.

Much love in these crazy times,

Hannah

P.S.-I know the website has been super screwy about letting you access stories. I believe they have finally fixed the issue, but please let me know if you have any issues, questions, or concerns. I'm not sure I can do anything, but I'll bug them to fix it if I can.

…..

Steph's P.O.V.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

I looked over towards the alley entrance and saw a very angry Joe striding in our direction. Judging by his expression and the vein standing out in his forehead, I'm guessing he noticed how close Ranger and I were to making out in the alley. I dropped my head onto Ranger's chest and sighed deeply. What now?

Ranger spoke first, "What do you want Morelli?" He did not sound happy to be interrupted. He shifted so that he was shielding me slightly from Joe's view. Huh. Even when it's just words he tries to protect me.

Joe stopped a few feet away from us. He was practically vibrating and his fists were clinched so tightly his knuckles were turning white. "I want you to get away from my girlfriend, asshole! Stephanie! Come here!"

Ranger started to speak again but I cut him off. This wasn't his problem to solve. I stepped forward out of the shelter of his arms and looked at Joe. "First of all, I'm not your girlfriend. You're delusional if you think otherwise. We haven't spoken in months! Relationships don't just appear out of thin air," I said, looking him in the eyes. "Second, you don't get to call me to heel like a dog. I am not nor will I ever be your personal property!" I swear I could actually feel the steam rising off the top of my head.

I felt Ranger step closer until his was right behind me. I leaned back into his chest and he wrapped his arms around my waist. I squeezed his forearm slightly, thankful for his support. Joe watched our silent exchange and seemed to get even madder.

"You're seriously cheating on me with this gangbanger? I guess all that money means he can buy whatever he wants. Does he share you with his whole crew as well? Does he get a group discount?" He seemed to come to some sort of demented realization. "You're the official whore of Rangeman!"

I could feel Ranger tense up behind me, but I was so far past angry that I couldn't process anything through the red haze. Now I know how Lula feels when she hits Rhino Mode. I didn't say anything, I just shrugged off Ranger's arms and closed the gap between Joe and myself. Before he could register what I was doing, I reared back and punched him in the face with all the rage I was feeling inside. Judging by the cracking sound and the way he was rolling around on the ground clutching his face, I would say my rage broke his big nose. Serves him right.

Ranger's P.O.V.

Holy shit. Babe just sucker punched Morelli. Sounds like she broke something. I didn't know she had it in her. Maybe her training won't be as hard as I originally thought it would be. If she ever learns to channel her anger on other occasions, she would be a force to be reckoned with. To be fair, after what Morelli said, he's lucky she's the one handling the situation. He would have a hell of a lot more broken than just his nose if I was in charge.

He's lost his mind if he thinks he can get away with calling Steph a whore in front of me. I'll just bide my time until I can get proper retribution. Besides, the team will probably want in on this. They haven't had a lot of interaction with Steph, but the little they have had has them infatuated. She just has a way of drawing people towards her. The Rangeman crew trips over themselves anytime she needs help. It's not a damsel-in-distress thing, its because she cares more about someone's heart and soul than what they look like or what they may have done in the past. When you're a bunch or ex-cons and ex-military hardasses that's a big deal. Not many people look at the tattoos and muscles and think happy thoughts. Steph looks at us and sees extra-large teddy bears. It's not the best thing for the ego but it's amazing for the soul. Maybe Morelli needs to take a long vacation to a third world country, one of the Stans possibly. Though South America is horrid this time of year.

While I was mulling over Morelli's comeuppance, he had finally picked himself up off the ground. He glared at Steph and spoke around the blood pouring from his nose, "You know, I could have you arrested for assaulting an officer. Of course, there are ways for you to make it up to me if you want to stay out of jail."

Steph stared at him in open-mouthed awe. Her jaw went up and down a couple times before she was able to speak properly, "Jesus Christ, Joe. You need professional help! You can't charge me for assaulting an officer when you aren't actually acting as one. Just because you happen to be a cop doesn't mean you can't also be a stalking asshole. Do you have any idea how much trouble you could get into if I report you for this?"

He leered at her and said, "It's my word against yours and this thug's. If I file charges, you won't be able to talk your way out of them, Cupcake. You might as well just get down on your knees and pay up. It's not like you're not doing it for him and his men anyway; you can just consider this practice. God knows you probably need it. You were a terrible lay in high school and I doubt you've gotten any better."

She shook her head and looked at him with an odd expression on her face. "Joe, did you forget who my godfather is? Do you really think Mayor Juniak will believe you over me, especially after that stunt you pulled when we were teenagers? You'd be lucky to get a job as a mall cop when he's through with you. You need to back off. If you leave me alone I won't tell anyone about this, but if you say one more derogatory word about me, I'll file charges of my own and unlike yours mine will stick." I guess she's not even going to acknowledge his comments on her bedroom skills. Pity. I was hoping she punched him again.

Morelli froze and a look of uncertainty flashed across his face. Steph caught the look and nodded. She turned around and bobbed her head towards the alley entrance, a silent acknowledgment of her desire to leave. She'd said what she was going to say and didn't want to stick around to see what lame insult Morelli would come up with next.

I nodded and followed her out of the alley and back to her car. She unlocked the door manually and climbed in before looking back at me through the open door. I dipped my head down and gave her a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth before stepping away. "Proud of you, Babe. I'll make sure Tank contacts you before 1730 so you can start training, though that right hook seems to be ahead of the curve already."

She grimaced and looked off to the side, "I regret that. He's obviously had some sort of mental break and it's not fair to punish him for a chemical imbalance. It's not like he knows he's cracking up or anything. He's always been arrogant but this is taking it to a new level."

Personally, I thought he deserved every ounce of pain and suffering she could dish out, but I'm one to hold a grudge. I didn't say anything more; I just looked at her for a couple of seconds before nodding again and walking toward my car. As I pulled away, I briefly glanced back to see Steph manhandling that behemoth of a car back towards her apartment. I really need to talk her into taking another car. I'll see if maybe Tank or Lester can persuade her to use one of the fleet vehicles. She might allow it if she doesn't think the idea came from me.

I pulled up Tank's name on my display and called him using the Turbo's bluetooth. Talking without a headset or bluetooth is illegal in New Jersey and the last thing I want to do before leaving town is get a ticket. I don't want to have to deal with Morelli trying to escalate the charges once it gets around the precinct, and I don't have the luxury of dropping everything to appear in court if they summon me.

As usual, he answered on the second ring, "Yo."

" I'm headed out of town for a government job. I just talked to Steph and it seems that she's finally ready to learn some skills to help keep her safe. She wants to start immediately and I don't want her to wait until I get back; I'm afraid she'll change her mind. She's asking for comprehensive training and I told her that you and the guys would be willing to help her out. I'd prefer it on a volunteer basis, paid of course, but if not I will designate people to handle each aspect temporarily in addition to their normal jobs. Hopefully it won't come to that."

"No, I don't think it will. Everyone loves Bomber and we all worry about her safety in the field. I'm sure we will have more than enough help to get her up to snuff. We might even have her competent before you get back." He chucked to himself before continuing, "She has a natural ability so that doesn't seem as crazy as it sounds, believe me."

"I know what you mean. It's more than just luck that she's survived as long as she has. She really seems to have a knack for some of the more complex parts of bounty hunting but seems to screw up the more banal aspects of the job."

"Alright. I'll look at the schedule and I'll call her with a start time for tomorrow. I would love for her to start with something relatively easy to master for her. Running is not going to be a great motivator for her, but maybe by seeing how quickly she adapts with other things, she'll be more willing to continue improving the physical side of training."

"Sounds good. On another note, Officer Morelli has finally killed his last couple of brain cells and is basically stalking Stephanie. He just cornered her at the bond's office and called her the 'whore of Rangeman'. She blew him off but there needs to be retribution. We can't let him continue harassing her and if he's really gone off the deep end, then he needs to be off the streets for good. An unbalanced cop is not what Trenton needs right now. Especially one with his sex drive."

Tank grunted. "He better be glad Bomber would be upset if we killed him. I don't think he realizes how close he comes to disappearing forever. I'll talk to the guys about a suitable punishment. Do you want us to handle it or wait until you get back?"

"Handle it, but don't let it link back to us. We want plausible deniability. Let the streets know who handled it and the rumors will make sure the right people know what happened. If he continues to badger her, we will have to reevaluate and go from there."

"Will do. The faster we can get her trained, the safer she will be from Morelli and the rest of the scum of Trenton. I'll get to work on this right away. We'll make sure she's safe while you're gone."

"Thanks. I'm glad you're going to handle this ASAP. Let me know how she's progressing. While she's at the office, put her on the payroll and give her a fleet vehicle. If she balks, give her background checks to run and tell her that she's entitled to the car as an employee. Make sure she doesn't think we're trying to coddle her or treat her like a charity case." I hung up the phone as I pulled into the airport parking structure. I sat for a minute and thought about how defensive I've become when it comes to Steph. I should be worried that I'm this attached to another person, but the only thing that truly worries me is her ability to attract trouble. Even with me following her around, she still gets in over her head. It gives me heartburn to leave town, but it can't be helped. The men will keep her safe, and hopefully with proper training, she won't be such an easy target for the fates. With that thought, I opened my door and climbed out. I walked towards the airport entrance and worked at clearing my mind of everything but the mission. One of the men would come by and pick up my car later in the day so it won't be sitting here for too long. Tank will make sure Steph is safe. I just need to focus on completing the mission and returning home without any extra holes in me. I hate getting shot.

…..

A/N: I understand this seems like I crammed a bunch of angst in one chapter, but I'm trying to set up the character backgrounds without having to go on and on for multiple chapters. Most of the major characters are now hashed out (except for the Merry Men) so it should move along a little smoother from here on out. Thanks for reading!