This is the 9th chapter, and if you think you know the direction this story is heading after reading it, don't count on it.

Thank you for your awesome feedback, you keep me writing more!

Spoilers: If you hadn't read the books, you wouldn't be here, but you won't be spoiled either way, I blame it all on the gin

Rating: PG13 for language, adult situations and whatnot

Disclaimer: I made the whole thing up, I own none of JE's characters, and I'll probably give them back good as new

Out of my Mind

Chapter 9

So far, I had tried everything I could think of.

I had closed my eyes and counted to ten, gone to sleep, and fainted. The latter involuntarily, but still, the outcome was always the same: When I opened my eyes, I was still in this warped version of Stephanie Plum's world.

One could argue that I hadn't exactly tried to get away, but that didn't explain its existence in the first place.

Truth was, I was far too curious to leave.

I had time to ponder those thoughts as I sat alone in my motel room, nursing my beer.

It was just after four and I wondered what Joe had meant by 'tonight'. And, more importantly, how long was I going to wait for him without leaving my room? What was reasonable, what would look desperate? Tough choice.

In the midst of this intense discussion with myself, someone knocked on the door.

I smiled.

Who was looking desperate now?

I was so sure it was Joe returning that I just yanked the door open, not checking out the window, not asking who it was.

It wasn't Joe.

No one was in front of my door, and yet my heart did a tap dance as I realized what I had just done and what could have happened.

I really needed to get into this vigilant mindset. Not an easy task for a girl from the Boston burbs.

I looked around, but no one was on the path outside the room doors.

Shrugging, I was about to close the door again when I noticed a white envelope, just where a door mat would be in front of an entrance door.

It wasn't addressed to anyone, and after just a moment's hesitation, curiosity took over and I picked it up.

There was something very familiar about a strange message anonymously left, I should have expected it in Stephanie's Trenton, right?

Of course, that didn't mean I was going to like it, I reasoned as I turned the envelope over and over, walking back to my chair.

Maybe I should wait for Joe to come back before I opened it?

Then what if it was some junk mail or my room bill, that would be so anticlimactic.

No, I was going to drink another beer for courage and then I was going to open the envelope.

OK, I really didn't think my curiosity would let me wait much longer anyway, but the beer couldn't hurt, my nerves need some serious calming.

The message was simple.

'Soon' it said, black cursive on a white, heavy, expensive-looking card.

Accompanying it were 2 glossy pictures, showing Steve Moreno in his bathtub and more detail than I thought comfortable, and a print-out of my head photoshopped onto Steve's body.

Well, at least that didn't leave it up to my imagination what would happen 'soon', I reasoned.

I was wicked glad I had drunk that third beer, the panic didn't really have a chance to break through the mellow.

So someone wanted me dead. All right, virgin territory. I hadn't even had too many people tell me to frell off in my life, much less hate me enough to want to kill me.

It seemed simpler to assume the author of the note was the driver of the car that had hit me, it wouldn't make sense to have different parties after me. I hadn't been in town long enough to have any enemies!

With that thought, I opened the last beer, knowing it would push me over the limit. With any luck, I'd be able to pass out and forget all about the queasy feeling I was getting.

I was startled awake by banging on the door. Apparently, I had dozed off on the chair after all.

"Who is it?" I yelled out this time, not planning on repeating the afternoon's performance.

It was 6:45 and the room had darkened around me.

"Detective Morelli." Joe said. I recognized his voice, but when did he switch from just 'Joe'?

I flicked the switch to light the room and unlocked the door.

Joe looked mostly like that afternoon, a little worse for the wear maybe.

He was by himself, so company hadn't been the reason for the formal address.

"Detective Morelli?" I just had to ask.

"Well, I don't know how many Joes you know." He said, winking, as he entered and closed the door behind him.

A big weight was lifted off my shoulders, he hadn't switched to 'cop Morelli' to arrest me. Good thing, too, because his winking was all I could handle right then.

Joe took in the empty beer bottles and the leftover pizza, still on the table.

"Did I wake you?" He asked good-naturedly.

"Maybe." I smiled as I gathered the empties and put them back in the carrier and placed it in the waste basket. Mainly, I needed something to keep me busy, I didn't know how to start a conversation.

"An admirer of yours?"

Joe was standing at the table, studying the note and the pictures without touching them.

I had forgotten them, my attention focusing on my visitor.

"Yeah, I'm quite a popular one." Maybe that had sounded cool and calm, as if that sort of thing happened to me twice a week.

"Did you noticed the picture of you must have been taken after your crash this afternoon? There's blood on your head."

I had noticed the blood, but I had been hoping it was part of the Photoshop job.

Joe frowned and swore under his breath, then he took out his cell phone and punched in a number.

"It's Morelli. You're gonna be at the lab a little while longer?"

He must have not liked the answer, his frown line grew deeper.

"Fine. I have something for you first thing in the morning."

And he disconnected.

He ran a hand through his hair and looked at me.

"I don't know how safe you're going to be here tonight. If you want, I can assign a uniform to the parking lot."

How about himself? He could guard my body, right? I'm sure I'd be perfectly safe. Well, from the criminals, anyway.

I gestured dismissively.

"That's OK. I'm armed. I can take care of myself." Damn skippy. I was a fearless bounty hunter, after all.

Probably, I didn't sound all that convincing, as Joe now raised an eye brow.

"Like this afternoon?" He asked, pointing out the obvious.

"That was different." I explained. "I wasn't expecting it. I am prepared now."

"You're not even wearing your gun!"

This was true. Had they tried anything besides leaving the note earlier, they would have caught me completely unprepared.

But I really didn't want a baby sitter.

"Well, I will from now on!" I challenged him, meeting his gaze and assuming a defiant stance.

All that was missing was for me to cross my arms across my chest and stomp my foot, and the picture would have been complete.

"What do you care anyway?"

That hadn't been fair. Joe had every reason to mistrust me and instead, he had gone above and beyond for me, feeding me and caring for me.

I really didn't know why I was challenging him.

"It's not you I care about!" He was quick to shoot back.

Oh, that hurt.

"It's your involvement in this case and getting to the guys who are stalking you!"

He seemed pretty angry now, and I probably deserved it, but I just felt stung.

Whatever I had imagined during our intimate meal earlier, I had clearly been mistaken.

I felt tears burning. Damn them waterworks, I was never good at controlling them!

I was going to say something to get back at him, but I knew I might burst into tears at any moment and I really didn't want to cry in front of Joe again.

Aside from the satisfaction that he had won the argument I initiated, I didn't want him to know how much he had hurt me. Probably, he hadn't meant anything by it, he had just been stating the facts.

To get to the bathroom, I had to pass Joe, and there wasn't much room if I didn't want to jump on the bed.

My head down, I almost ran for it, but he stopped me by grabbing my arm.

"Hey." He said, his voice soft once again.

I tried to free my arm, but he only held on tighter and encircled me with his other arm.

"I didn't mean that. I'm sorry."

I was shaking with the effort to hold back the tears, he was holding me so close now that I could feel his body heat.

That sensation must have short-circuited my brain, because I felt myself relax into his arms as I lifted my head.

Our faces were inches apart, so I stood up on tippy toes and closed the gap, my eyes focusing on his mouth. It was a pretty gutsy move, but I didn't think I could feel much crappier than moments before, no matter what happened.

In a split second, I send a prayer to all the gods I had ever heard of.

And then I kissed him.

I couldn't remember ever having initiated a kiss, and If he was going to push me back and laugh, I was going to storm out of the room and take off, never to come back.

He didn't push me back.

His lips parted and our tongues met, a shot of electricity traveled all the way down from my mouth to my toe nails.

He released my elbow and was using his arm to pull me closer yet, his other hand started wandering down my back.

I had had my share of kisses before, but none had ever had me so glad I was being held. If Joe hadn't held me, I would have slipped to the floor.

To say that he was an awesome kisser was the understatement of the year.

He did all kinds of magic things with his tongue and my mind went blank.

Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, since I had been reading what great kisser he was, but what girl believes another about that before she experiences it for herself?

Exactly.

My body was on fire when we finally parted, and my breathing had become rapid.

I was too embarrassed to meet his eyes, so I straightened wrinkles out of his shirt where my hands had grabbed it.

Joe was smiling.

"Apology accepted?" He teased.

"Apology accepted." I confirmed, my voice barely above a whisper.

He was still holding me tight, and a hand was stroking my back.

We were fully clothed, but my nipples had become tight little ball bearings that were straining against my bra and t-shirt, touching Joe's chest.

And unless he was wearing his gun in an unusual place, the kiss hadn't left him unaffected either.

"Good thing you don't care about me." I said when I could muster a deep enough breath for a whole sentence. Although I wasn't quite sure he cared about me, I couldn't imagine how he'd kiss when he REALLY cared.

Joe laughed softly and released me.

"This is possibly the worst timing ever, but I have to go." He said.

His eyes were dark pools of molten chocolate. I was drowning in them.

"Oh?" I really didn't have an intelligent come back that wouldn't have sounded totally disappointed.

"I am due to replace a colleague at a stake out in a half hour." He explained. "I'm sorry."

And he pecked me on the lips.

Could I ask him if he'd be back? Or when I'd see him again?

"Be careful tonight, I'll see you tomorrow?"

Okay then, there was my answer.

I hope my "Okay." didn't sound too pitiful.

He took the note and pictures off the table with a napkin.

"I'll take these to the lab tomorrow morning. Maybe something will come out of it."

Oh, we were back to business. I just nodded.

Joe smiled and tucked a strand of hair back behind my ear.

"You're cute when you're sulking."

I was about to respond, but he was already in motion and out the door before I had thought of something appropriate to say.

I collapsed onto the bed, exhaling deeply.

My only coherent thought was 'Wow'.

I had just made out with Joe fucking Morelli, and my wildest fantasies about him had been surpassed.

I had never been kissed that way, I didn't even know a simple kiss could put me in the state I was in. Although there was nothing simple about the kiss.

Maybe I would have stayed spread on the bed for the rest of the night if a knock on the door hadn't pulled me out of my reverie.

What now?

Joe changing his mind or assassin back to finish the job?

The scary thought was that both possibilities were about 50 likely.

And me still without my gun.

I berated myself about that all the way to the door.

"Who is it?" I called out, my eyes searching the room for something that could be used as a weapon.

I listened into the night behind the door.

"Ranger."

Whaaa? No, no, no. That was not happening.

Nope, not a possibility. If I stayed quiet, he may change his mind and leave.

"Open up."

Oh, so not that much with the leaving.

"Hang on!" I almost squealed, trying to buy time, my heart racing in sync with my mind, what to do?

What did he want?

I cleared my throat in a last effort to seem normal and opened the door.

"Yes?"

I thought that sounded sane.

"I need to talk to you."

And with that, he moved past me into the room and left me to close the door.

Talking was not a thing that came to mind when I looked at him, and I had a sinking feeling I wouldn't be any good at it.

Joe had left me high and dry, well, OK, hot and bothered, just a half hour before and now Ranger pranced in, all black and muscle.

Not good timing.

I grabbed my water bottle off the night stand to have something in my hands.

"How did you find me?"

Ranger raised an eye brow at my question as if it was way too obvious.

"I saw your car in the parking lot."

Well, that made sense. And could be true. My car was somewhere out there, I couldn't quite remember where I had left it.

I nodded and motioned for him to sit down, I was already getting neck cramps from straining to look up at him.

Amazingly, he sat down.

"Heard you had an accident." He said, his voice emotionless.

"Who told you that?" I wanted to know.

"Your car." He almost-smiled.

I couldn't figure out if he was being sarcastic or mysterious.

"Is that why you're here?" And if it wasn't, he needed to come to the point quickly, because I was about to bounce off the walls and he looked like the picture of calm.

"Word is, some people think you offed Moreno." Ranger said.