Protecting the King Ch 13
~ ~ Ranger – Day 9 - Midday Thursday ~ ~
Ranger should have been exhausted, considering how on edge he'd been for a week and how little sleep he'd gotten even after he'd returned home. Instead, he was awake and aware, feeling remarkably refreshed. The woman in his arms had the most to do with that. He lay on his back, Stephanie tucked into his side, his arm around her. One of her long legs was thrown over his, one delicate hand on his chest. Her head was nestled in the crook of his shoulder, with her crazy hair tickling his cheek.
As it did every morning, Ranger's body clock had woken him before his alarm had gone off at 0500. At first he'd tried to start his day but eventually recognized the need for additional sleep. He'd set another alarm on his watch so he wouldn't be late to the meeting at 1100 then gone back to bed. If she'd arrived ten minutes earlier, she'd have found him in the living room, his laptop on the coffee table, catching up on reports and emails.
Instead, Ranger had just returned to sleep when he was woken by the sound of the apartment door opening and then closing. He'd slid out of bed and stood in the bedroom doorway, Glock in hand, to assess the situation. He hadn't expected her to come tiptoeing into his apartment two hours before she usually got up. In fact, he wasn't sure how he would have responded if she'd surprised him while he was sleeping since he hadn't yet shaken off the lingering effects of combat-mode. This could have gone very badly. Very. Badly. Apparently Lester had advised her to approach cautiously. Gracias a Dios that she had heeded his warning.
In addition to being surprised, Ranger had been grateful and relieved to see her and was even more surprised, grateful, and relieved that the two of them had managed to have an adult conversation. Setting the Glock down before he came out of the bedroom probably helped. There were additional issues they needed to discuss but at least they had gotten off to a good start..
Speaking of getting off … the bedroom was redolent with the scents of sex and sweat and the faintest whiff of body wash and shampoo. Ranger hadn't expected them to get quite so physical quite this soon but didn't regret it in the least. In fact, he was blown away by the intensity of it. Their coupling had gone beyond sex, beyond making love. It was as if their souls had touched as well as their bodies, not that he'd ever say that out loud.
One day, maybe, he'd admit it to Stephanie, since he could swear she felt it too. He didn't want to be alone in this emotionally. She had said all the right things, but he'd learned to be cautious. He'd never had any issues finding a woman for now but hoped he'd finally found the one for always.
He felt her inhale deeply then sigh as she stretched. Her smooth skin rubbing against his sent a tingle through his chest.
She mumbled into his neck. "What time is it?"
"Time to get ready." He kissed her forehead. "You shower first. Your hair takes longer."
She raised up on her elbow and looked at him with a gleam in her eye. That was all it took to send a jolt through his hips and he felt himself swell.
"Oh, no," he said. "If we shower together we might not make it downstairs at all. The things I want to do with you need more than the few minutes we have now. We're going to take our time. Discover new things. Revisit some old favorites."
As he spoke, he nuzzled along her hairline. She tipped her head back, giving him access to her neck. When he said 'revisit old favorites', she jerked with a gasp and shivered. He made a note to find out exactly what she had thought of at that moment. That would have to wait until later, though.
Reluctantly, he pulled away. Giving her a quick kiss on the lips, he pointed to the bathroom door. "Come on, querida. Off you go."
Sighing, Stephanie threw back the covers and rolled out of bed, naked and wild-haired. Ranger shifted, half sitting as he reclined against the pillows, hands behind his head, enjoying the view of her from behind. Every gesture, every action, every movement she made was filtered through a lens of desire.
As she rummaged in the dresser for clean panties, her scrumptious ass jiggled, reminding him of how it felt in his grip as he slid into her. Turning, she leaned over to grab her bra from the floor and her beautiful breasts swayed the way they did when she rode him. The feeling of her nipple pebbling against his tongue, the swell of her breast against his lips, echoed through his mouth.
She reached for her jeans, then paused, her hand hovering an inch away from the denim. Ranger recalled the way she had teased him earlier, reaching out but not quite touching, the heightened anticipation driving him wild. Lithe and sensual, she'd been like a jungle cat toying with her prey. It was the hottest fucking thing he'd ever seen. The memory was so vivid that his groin spasmed with need as all the air was punched out of his lungs and he hardened completely. It was as if he was right back in the moment.
She left the jeans on the floor and went to the closet instead, coming out with black cargo pants and a black Rangeman polo shirt. As she set the clothes on the bed she joked, "Figured I should at least look like I belong at the meeting."
Thankfully, she hadn't seen Ranger's reaction to her or noticed the pillow he'd pulled across his lap. She should be able to pick out clothes for the day without his body behaving as if she was putting on a peepshow. The lack of control was embarrassing, on par with some horny teenager who had way more hormones than experience. He'd have to take care of this in the shower so he could concentrate on the meeting. As keyed up as he was, it wouldn't take long at all.
In the end, they left the seventh floor with plenty of time to detour to the control center on five so that Steph could grab some notes she'd made. They found Lester there, getting notes of his own.
"Hey, Beautiful!" Lester gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You are looking radiant this morning."
"Thanks, Les. You're looking pretty good yourself." Stephanie smiled at him then went off to her cubicle with a spring in her step.
Lester cut his eyes to Ranger who had to admit that Stephanie was, indeed, glowing. She looked thoroughly loved up, satisfied, and relaxed, filling Ranger with an atavistic pride. First it was a horny teenager, now he was channeling some caveman. 'Get a grip, Manoso,' he told himself. 'You've got an operation to finish and a business to run. Stop thinking with your little head.'
Lester pulled him in for a one-armed hug. Patting Ranger on the back, he leaned in to whisper "Happy for you, cuz."
"Thanks for being a pushy bastard, primo," Ranger whispered in return.
Stephanie returned then, holding a folded piece of paper. "You guys ready?"
They all headed downstairs to the first floor conference room, taking the elevator in deference to Stephanie. Per Lester's reports, this meeting would have the same location and participants as the previous one. The only exception would be Dinsmore, who was no longer needed on the front line. And this time, Ranger would be at the head of the table.
Ranger entered the conference room first, followed by Stephanie and then Lester. The large table filled most of the space. Tank was standing by his seat to the right of where Ranger would be. Lester was heading to the seat to the left. Most, but not all, of the ATF contingent had arrived and were milling about, getting coffee or water from the side table. TPD wasn't on scene yet. Hector's laptop was at his seat at the foot of the table but the man himself was elsewhere, probably getting his own blend of high-test coffee. Ram and Cal, already sitting, were to Hector's left with an empty chair between them.
"Hey, Steph!" said Cal, pointing to that empty spot. "We saved your seat for you."
"Aw, thanks, guys!" Stephanie stepped around Ranger to get to the chair that Ram was pulling out for her.
Another man, an insecure man, might feel jealous of the attention she was getting. Ranger knew better. He was pleased that his men had taken her under their collective wing not because of who she was to him but because they genuinely cared about her. Their willingness to accept and protect her was both helpful and a frequent source of relief.
Stephanie, her back to Ranger and the door, was engaged in animated conversation with Cal and Ram. Both men were grinning at her, and Cal laughed. She was too occupied to notice Morelli enter the room.
Morelli, however, noticed her then veered away from the coffee over to Ranger. He tipped his head toward Stephanie then spoke under his breath. "I see you didn't waste any time putting your name all over her."
Ranger had no patience for this petty posturing. He gestured at the men on either side of her. "It's the same outfit that my employees wear. The same one she's worn before."
"I never liked it then, either." Morelli curled his upper lip in disapproval. "Bet you did everything you could to persuade her to wear it just to fuck with me."
Qué idiota. As if everything that happened was directed at him. The man had more ego than sense.
"What she wears is her choice. Not mine. Not yours."
Morelli held onto any response he might have made when Chief Wallace greeted him from the doorway. As Morelli began to move away, Ranger gave in to the urge to take him down a notch.
"And Morelli – " he made sure the cop was looking at him before he continued quietly. "When she was getting dressed in my apartment this morning, you never even crossed her mind."
Ranger could see the second that the implication hit home. Morelli glowered and stomped over to the Chief. Huh. Maybe there was something to be said for petty posturing because, Madre de Dios, that felt good.
Within minutes, everyone had arrived and settled at the table. At 1100 precisely, Ranger began the meeting. First item on the agenda, Lester updated the group on behalf of the Department of Corrections.
"Per Warden Crandell, Player remains in isolation." Lester touched the notes on the table in front of him, but never had to look at them. "No contact has been made with any inmates. Immediately post-takedown, Corrections Officer Rooks submitted to the Warden a list of corrections personnel that Simpkins had named as friends or contacts of his during the initial phase of last night's operation. The list includes corrections officers as well as other prison staff. All persons on the list will be barred from Player's proximity and separate investigations have been opened on each. All, including the officers, will be clandestinely monitored but left in place unless or until an investigation shows cause for removal."
Ranger looked down the table to Chief Wallace and Morelli. "Is Simpkins still unaware of what transpired last night?"
"He's been acting normally so far. No changes to his routine," replied Chief Wallace.
Morelli expanded on the Chief's comment. "His demeanor at the station is the same. There is no sign that he's aware that Player's been taken down and that he himself has been compromised. If anything, he seems more cheerful and keeps making remarks about you –" Morelli pointed at Ranger "– and Rangeman 'going down for the count'."
"They've spent their careers in different counties. There's no overlap. What are the odds that Cartman and Simpkins really are in cahoots?" Steph mused in a low voice.
She was staring over Morelli's head at the wall behind him with that far off look that meant she hadn't meant to say that out loud.
Lester answered her anyway. "Oh, they're cahooting, all right. Big time."
Special Agent Munson chimed in. "Yeah, that's the feeling that we've got, too. Add in Player, Avie, and the rest of Player's gang and it's a regular ca-hootenanny."
Around the table there were smiles, a couple of chuckles from Ram and ASAC Johnson, and one really big eye-roll from Morelli. Ranger suppressed a grin of his own. He didn't have to look at his cousin to know that Lester was kicking himself for not thinking of the play on words before Munson did. To be fair, the opportunity to combine cahoots and hootenanny was incredibly rare, a sparkly unicorn of wordplay, so it was amazing anyone had thought of it.
Steph was silent but chagrined as she realized what she'd done.
Ranger gave her a serious answer. "A risk assessment shows that the odds are very high that Simpkins, Cartman, and Player are all equally connected. This is why the plan is to wait until after Cartman is nailed to go after Simpkins. She's the higher value target and we don't want his absence to tip her off. We have to move quickly so she doesn't get wind of my release, either."
Stephanie gave a silent "oh!" of understanding and Ranger moved to the next item.
SAC Dumas spoke on behalf of the ATF contingent.
"The information and documents concerning Cartman's financial discrepancies presented at yesterday's meeting have been forwarded to the forensic auditors at our Financial Investigative Services Division. Now that Ms. Plum has shown us what avenue to take, we'll be able to build on her initial audit, widen the scope. The auditors will request additional tax returns on Cartman and will initiate a request for returns on Simpkins. The forensic accounting will include site visits to rental properties as well as an inventory of those designer accessories and jewelry as noted by Ms. Plum. No doubt the asset forfeiture division will be drawn in at some point.
"We will continue the case-load data mining for Cartman and start one in conjunction with the Newark PD Internal Affairs Department on Simpkins regarding the influencing of cases and arrests. That will take longer but all of this is a long-term project that will add to charges brought up now. At this time, we expect each will be charged for their involvement with Player and the gun running."
"Which brings us to the next step in this operation," said Ranger. "Steph will be calling Cartman using a burner phone. It will be on speaker so everyone will be able to hear both sides of the conversation. If there are any suggestions to be made, I will make them. We don't want to disturb Stephanie's concentration. Keep in mind that we may not reach Cartman on the first try. She's not on the docket at the courthouse until after 1500 today but that doesn't mean she'll be available for calls. We may have to leave a message and wait for a call back."
With that, everyone turned to Stephanie who apparently wasn't prepared to be the center of attention. Her eyes were darting around the room, from face to face, and getting wider with every pass. Her breathing was quick and shallow and her face showed a faint tinge of pink. She pulled into herself, clasping her hands together between her knees, head drooping, shoulders rising. Steph was getting stage fright.
Cal and Ram looked at her with concern as Ranger moved to stand beside her. As her – boyfriend? lover? – he wanted to take on her burdens and allay her fears. As the person in charge of this operation, he needed her ready to roll. While he knew that this was well within her capabilities, sometimes she needed to be reminded of that. Either way, his approach would be the same.
"Steph?"
Cal and Ram rolled their chairs back to give Ranger room. He swiveled Stephanie's chair so that the table and most of the room's occupants were behind her, out of her view. Cal and Ram were within her periphery but that couldn't be helped. Redirecting her attention away from the others should diminish the primary source of her distress.
Ranger crouched in front of her, deliberately choosing a posture associated with a weaker position in order to make her feel less threatened. The lower stance meant he wasn't hovering over her in a display of dominance or power. Then he aligned himself so that she had to look slightly down to see his face, thereby giving her the position of strength.
"Talk to me, Stephanie," he whispered.
The lower tone of voice would force her to listen harder but also give her what little privacy he could in this confined space. To supplement that mental focus as she concentrated on his voice, Ranger took her hands in his as a physical focus. Her shoulders remained hunched but at least now they weren't almost up to her ears.
"Well, it's just, there's so many people waiting on me to do it right. Important people. Official people. And they're all here, right here, looking at me. What if I mess up? What if she hangs up on me? What if I say the wrong thing, or can't get her to meet, or – or –" She started slowly but increased speed until she was rattling off the words faster than her brain could push them out.
He kept his tone smooth and matter of fact to counter her nerves. "Think of this as a distraction. You say whatever it takes to get the target to a specific place."
Hesitating, she nibbled her bottom lip. "Sometimes I say outrageous things to get it done." Her eyes flicked from Ram to Cal.
"The guys understand that anything you say is part of your role." Ranger looked at Cal and Ram. "Right, guys?"
Steph's shoulders loosened a bit more as they nodded at her. They stayed silent, though, taking their cue entirely from Ranger.
"Yeah, but will these people get that?" Steph tipped her head back to indicate the law enforcement presence in the room. "Besides, the guys still tease me about group sex night," she said with a hint of a smile.
As they spoke, she'd calmed somewhat and in turn wasn't speaking as softly. Morelli must have heard that last comment and that comment only because in his peripheral vision, Ranger saw the man startle. Morelli's mouth opened but Chief Wallace jabbed an elbow into his side.
"Some of the LEOs have worked undercover, too, so they understand. There's no judgement here."
Ranger wanted so badly to give her a hug or a gentle kiss, but it wouldn't be appropriate in the middle of a meeting. Right now, in this room, he was a commander speaking to a member of his crew. Anything else, any hint that personal attachment had overridden his objectivity, and he might lose the group's respect. It would also lower their opinion of her and undermine her place on the team. Granted, he might not handle her the same way he would Santos or Hector but a good team leader tailored their methods to best meet the needs of each individual.
Since she looked unconvinced, he continued. "You've already pinpointed her triggers, her weaknesses, and devised an approach. You have some of the best instincts I've seen. That's something that can't be taught. You also have a natural understanding of how to handle people."
Stephanie made a rude noise. "Let's hear you say that next time I come back covered in garbage."
Ranger cocked an eyebrow and shrugged one shoulder. "Hey, nothing's foolproof and you've been covered in worse." They grinned at each other. He rubbed his palm over the back of her hand. "I know you can do this. I've –" he glanced from Ram to Cal to include them in the statement "– we've seen you do this time and again."
"It's just …" She looked at the three of them and then sighed. "There's too many people."
Ranger wasn't sure where she was going with that, what difference it made. From Ram's wrinkled brow, he wasn't sure either. Flaming Fred, Cal's forehead tattoo, disguised any wrinkles of uncertainty he may have had. Farther in the background, though, Lester's face dawned with understanding. If his cousin could figure out the issue, then so could he. Ranger was just glad that Morelli hadn't butted in though that might have less to do with any self-restraint on Morelli's part and more to do with the handful of elbow-jabs the Chief had doled out.
"Depending on the bar we're at, there could be several times more people around you at a distraction," Ranger pointed out.
Steph's hands tightened on his. "Yeah, but most of those people aren't paying any attention to me at all. The only people watching and listening are the guys," she pointed to each side, "and they're doing that to keep me safe which makes me feel better. I can feel these other people staring at me, like they're waiting for me to screw up, and it's kind of freaking me out."
If the audience was the issue, there might be a way around it, though he couldn't leave them out altogether. They did need to be part of this per standard procedure so hopefully, his first suggestion would work for her.
"They can watch from another room," Ranger suggested. "Hector can set it up so that the camera in this room is on and transmitting to the smaller conference room next door. No one will be looking directly at you. It'll be like they're watching live TV over there and in here it's just us like any other distraction. Will that be sufficient?"
She tipped her head back and forth like a metronome as she mulled it over, then agreed. Ranger caught Hector's eye and nodded. Hector started typing away on his laptop, no doubt calling up systems and protocols to get it done.
"Anyone not essential to this call, head next door," ordered Ranger. "We won't reach out to Cartman until the feed is connected."
The ATF agents and Chief Wallace all stood and moved politely towards the door. Morelli was the last to stand. He lingered at the doorway, watching Steph, as if waiting for her to invite him to stay. She kept her face averted.
Ranger, his voice flat, said, "That includes you, Morelli."
Morelli stared at Ranger for a few seconds, looked briefly toward Steph again, then left.
"See you in a bit, Angel," Cal said as he rose from his seat along with the other Rangemen.
Steph perked up and whipped her chair around. "No, not you guys! You already know what a dingbat I can be when I'm trying to get someone to go with me. Besides, you guys are my safety net. I can't work a distraction without you, even if it's on the phone."
The men smiled at her and took their seats. Tank slid the burner phone down the table to Ranger who flipped it open and powered it up. Stephanie pulled her notes from a cargo pocket and unfolded them onto the table top. She took a deep breath then blew it out.
Ranger looked her in the eyes. "Go get her, tiger."
He dialed Cartman's number. With every ring of the phone, the tension in the room ratcheted up. The "Hello." that came through the line made everyone jump but it was a false start. As he'd predicted, they'd gotten her voice mail.
Stephanie pulled her notes closer and leaned into the phone. From his vantage point, Ranger could see that she was reading off the paper but her delivery sounded spontaneous and natural.
"This is Stephanie Plum. You know, the bounty hunter who's pretty AND smart? Smart enough to find some interesting information about you. We need to meet or I'll make another video telling the world all about it. Tonight at 7:00 in the parking lot by the Watson House in Roebling Park. Oh, and you better bring your checkbook."
She sat back and nodded at Ranger who disconnected the call.
"Now we wait." Ranger looked into the camera and spoke to the other room. "Let's reconvene in here while we wait for a call back. Until then we can go over the surveillance and coverage arrangements for the meeting point." The burner phone rang. "Cancel that - stay as you are."
He answered the phone and Cartman's voice filled the room.
"Well if it isn't the waste of time known as the Bombshell Bounty Hunter. Sounds like you're looking to upgrade charges from obstruction to extortion." There was derision in every syllable Cartman spoke.
"Nope," Steph replied cheerfully. "I'm looking to help you avoid, shall we say, a bit of unpleasantness?"
"Uh-huh. And what might that have to do with my checkbook?"
"Well, this is a service economy, isn't it?" Steph's voice was sugary sweet. "I'll be doing you a service, so by all rights I deserve to be paid."
"And what kind of service will you be doing?"
"When I ran into you on the street Monday, I couldn't help noticing what lovely accessories you have. I happen to have an eye for brand names and the costs thereof. I'm sure you wouldn't want anyone to start asking awkward questions about that."
There was a pause. Ranger counted five seconds before Cartman spoke again, her voice tense.
"What do you want?"
"Such transactions are best done in person, don't you think? Like the message said, the statue in Roebling Park, tonight at 7:00."
Cartman snorted. "No way, chicky. You want to meet? Fine, but we do it on my terms."
Ranger had to give Stephanie credit. She tried everything to get Cartman to budge. Anyone else probably would have caved for Stephanie, but not Cartman. He motioned to Stephanie to concede the point.
"Okay, fine," agreed Stephanie. "Have it your way but it has to be tonight. I'm feeling impatient. Where and what time?"
Cartman chuckled. "Aw, someone sounds like she thinks she's in charge. We'll meet tonight. I'll text you the location and time. If you're late? You get arraigned for obstruction and your precious Manoso faces additional indictments. Better keep your phone charged up because that is a text you can't afford to miss."
The connection terminated. Stephanie slumped back in her seat and looked at Ranger.
"Okay, Batman. Now what?"
~ ~ continued ~ ~
