Hee, my story is old enough to drink legally. It started out as a short story and took on a life of its own.
Your feedback is keeping this going, thank you so much!
Spoilers: None. It's its own universe, I blame it all on the gin
Rating: Could be anywhere from PG13 to R. Who knows anymore?
Disclaimer: They're all JE's characters, except for Sandra. And no one would pay me for Sandra.
Out of my Mind Chapter 21
I woke up with the bedroom bathed in sunlight. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth and my stomach felt squishy. Sure signs of a hangover. I couldn't even remember how much I had drunk the night before.
There was something unusual about the way the sheets clung to my body. I sucked in a gulp of air when I realized what it was: I was naked.
And then the previous night came back to me in hazy details: Dinner…El Diablo…Sam…the Senor…Ranger! The images got a little fuzzy after that.
It was 8:30 now, and I remembered getting back from the club before one AM…then there was beer…and a sudden courage that could only have come from it.
Then I had practically thrown myself at Ranger as if I was still on the 'job', trying to attract men at the nightclub. He hadn't complained though, that much I remembered. And his kiss had me hot and bothered and wanting more, his hands had seemed to be all over me.
But that was on the couch, how had I ended up in bed?
I frowned in an effort to put the pieces together. Usually I didn't suffer blackouts from drinking, but it can take my brain a bit to get started after I wake up.
There was no one in the bed with me. I wrapped the sheet around me and went looking in the living room, no one there either. I was alone.
Coffee would help, I decided, and patted into the kitchen to brew some.
And as I watched the brown goodness drip into the pot, I remembered: Ranger's hands on me. Then his lips on me…everywhere. Clothes flying, heavy breathing on my part.
And his pager. The little annoying beep that had halted all action. Ranger had glanced at it, sworn colorfully, and gotten up. I couldn't remember what he had said as he left, but judging by the last kiss, it had been something nice.
I must have fallen asleep on the couch and wandered into bed sometime during the night.
I groaned and buried my face in the crook of my arm on the kitchen counter. Way to go. Make out with two men, never make it past second base with either of them. Nice going. I was Slutty the Bounty Hunter wannabe. I didn't consider myself a woman of high morals, and I wasn't dating Joe or Ranger, but it still felt wrong, in a 'what would your mother think' kind of way.
And I had never gotten a chance to ask Ranger about his hot-cold behavior before I had jumped his bones!
The cell phone brought me back into the present. Someone had taken it out of my purse and put it on the coffee table, and I know it hadn't been me. I picked it up and answered it.
"Hey Cupcake!" Joe greeted cheerfully.
Oh God. What was it about these two? Did they call each other after every interaction they had with me to ensure they were taking even turns? How was I supposed to think straight if I made out with Ranger one minute and was a cupcake the next?
"Hi Joe." I didn't have a nickname for him.
"Sorry to be calling so early," he apologized "but I'm at the airport, about to leave for Miami…"
"Is this about the Senor?" I asked eagerly.
"Yes,
actually. How did you know?"
"Lucky guess?" And I was
getting mixed up, the Senor had been at the forefront of my mind, but
I hadn't talked to Joe about him much.
"Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I'll be out of town for a few days. And I remembered I never got a chance to make it up to you for the other night."
Aw, that was sweet. Of course neither of them would do me the favor of becoming a complete asshole, that would be too easy. If I didn't want to move to Utah, I'd have to make a decision soon, before I took things any further. I liked casual sex as much as the next person, but I was unable to have a one-night-stand with a man I cared for.
"That's okay," I said "I know you've been busy."
"Busy is an understatement. We've had more murders this past week than all year so far."
I didn't doubt that. Being in Trenton was like watching CSI.
"I'll call you when I get back, okay? And then we'll spend some time together, I promise."
"Okay. Have a nice flight. And be careful." I sounded like my mother.
"I will. Take care."
The line was dead when I told him to take care too.
Here was the thing: I was a slut. I wanted both Ranger and Joe and I felt really bad about it.
And what if I chose one and he decided I was just a good distraction? But did I even want more?
I made my head hurt with those thoughts. It was pointless. I was just going to distance myself from both of them and consider myself lucky to have found two friends. Well, I was going to try anyway. My usual course of action when I couldn't make up my mind, say in the shoe store, was to get both, not choose. So this time, I was going to walk away from the selection and find another store altogether.
I had Ranger expected to call during the morning. I still hadn't heard from him by the time I was showered and dressed and it was close to noon. Oddness.
Tank hadn't checked in either, so I assumed they had had their meeting without me.
I almost dropped the phone when it finally rang.
"Hey rhubarb cake!" Lester said by way of greeting "How's it going?"
"It's all good," I said "I was wondering why I didn't hear from you guys…"
"Yeah, thinks worked out pretty nicely last night. You did well!"
It felt good to hear that. I had been terrified to screw things up, and the way the evening had ended at the club, I wasn't so sure.
"Did you get any new information?" I asked.
"The guy you talked to is Samuel Daltrey, Najar's lawyer. He's a good lead."
"Do you think he could know anything incriminating?" And if he did, I hope I wasn't going to be tagged to get it.
"I'm sure of it." Lester laughed, "He's a lawyer! But there's not much chance he'd be willing to talk about it."
He went on to tell me I was free to go about my way, they would be following me like the day before, and that I should be careful. He would be checking in with me later. Then he disconnected without saying goodbye and I glared at the phone. Were phone manners so hard?
And speaking of manners, why hadn't Ranger been the one to talk and tell me about the evening's results?
'Good way to distance yourself, yearning for a call' I scolded myself and sighed. I hadn't really given much thought on how to spend the day, I was lounging on the couch watching television. It was Saturday, so the bonds office would be closed by now. Joe was on his way to Miami and Ranger…well I didn't know what Ranger was doing, but I had promised myself to stay away from him. So my options were limited, since I didn't know anyone else.
I decided to finally check my email and maybe just surf, so I went into the bedroom and turned the laptop on.
An hour later, I had deleted all spam, replied to all messages, and told Jess I was vacationing in South Carolina. I really wanted to tell her everything, but I didn't know where to start anymore.
Then I had played Snood.
Now I was getting antsy. I turned off the laptop and stretched.
Well, I thought, might as well get some endorphins into me the non-sexual way, I could really use some exercise.
I changed into the sweats and sneakers that had come with the load of clothes and was ready to go. There was no room for the phone, but I clipped the panic button to my bra. I wasn't likely to panic on my run, but I was done taking chances.
Downstairs, I stretched and looked out for a RangeMan-Mobile. I didn't see any black cars, but I wondered how they'd decide to follow me when I was on foot. That made me smile and I took off in a slow jog.
Running always gives me time to think, although I had to pay more attention to where I was going in the unfamiliar neighborhood and I didn't have my iPod with me to listen to tunes.
An hour later, I was back at the apartment building drenched in sweat and exhausted, but I felt better. I looked around, no merry man in sight. Curious. How did they manage to hide so well?
I emerged from the shower with a plan for the rest of the day. I was going to revisit Paola and convince her to let me bring her in, and then I was going to pay Althaus a visit and see if he was in a cooperative mood.
The food fairy had stocked my fridge before I had moved in, and I threw together a sandwich and washed it down with a soda. Then I changed into my serious bounty hunter outfit and clipped on all the necessities. I thought I looked pretty cool.
I got into the beetle and took off. Before I got to the first corner, I saw a black SUV peel away from the curb behind me in the rearview mirror. So they were there after all.
I had to consult my map to find Paola Minetti's house again, and waited in the car parked in front of it for a few minutes, to make sure the SUV had followed me here and to check the area. Well, check it as best as I could, I had no illusions about being able to spot someone who was trying to hide.
I locked the car and walked to the front door, a polite smile on my face as I knocked. There was no answer. I knocked a couple more times for good measure, but I didn't hear any sounds behind the door. Maybe she was at work, I thought, and the promise of a nice latte while I checked that possibility put a bounce in my step.
I took only one wrong turn backtracking my way from the day before, and sure enough, Paola was behind the counter of the Star Bucks.
I got in line and patiently waited my turn. Paola was in the order fulfillment area, not behind the cash register, so I walked over like any other customer, waiting for my coffee.
Recognition kicked in the moment Paola handed me my cup, and she looked slightly panicked.
"What are you doing here?" she stage-whispered, "I'm working!"
"You need to leave early today." I told her calmly.
"Or you gonna shoot at me again?"
I sighed. "I didn't shoot at you yesterday. That was an unfortunate coincidence. I wouldn't shoot you. And if you cooperate, I won't even use my cuffs, you can tell your boss whatever you like and leave with me."
Paola seemed to consider this. Truth was, I didn't feel much like causing a scene, and I'd feel really bad if I'd be the reason she lost her job. She had been arrested for assault, she had gotten into a fight with a fellow shopper at a supermarket over some item, and the other woman had pressed charges. It didn't get much more minor than that, she was probably not even facing jail time.
Paola's shoulders slumped and she looked defeated. Damn, I was good!
"Okay," she said, "My shift is almost over anyway. Can you wait?"
I didn't want to take the chance of having her disappear into a back room and shook my head "Gotta be now or I'll reconsider my offer."
She sighed and turned towards another girl behind the counter, talking to her while she took her apron off.
We walked out to my car in silence, I didn't know what I would do if Paola decided to bolt. I definitely wouldn't shoot her, and I didn't know how good my reflexes were if I had to hold on to her. I needn't have worried, she got into the passenger seat and looked sullen.
Every now and then, I was able to spot the SUV, but mostly they disappeared from my view. Still, it felt good to know they were there.
I dropped Paola off at the police station, collected my body receipt and avoided her eyes when she asked me how long she'd have to stay. Vinnie would probably not bail her out until Monday; I hadn't considered that when I started out.
She was my second recovery, and I felt pretty good about that. This bounty hunter business really wasn't all that hard, if you didn't start out pissing off a mob boss. I could see myself doing it fulltime, it definitely didn't lack variety. Of course I'd have to move on to higher bonds, and thus more dangerous individuals, but by then I may have gotten the hang of it.
My luck didn't continue on to Althaus. He wasn't at home, and the garage listed as his place of employment was closed for the weekend.
On the bright side, I now had two body receipts to cash in on Monday when I'd be at the office for more FTA's. It occurred to me that maybe I should spend more time on trying to get back to my real home, to my own world, but I didn't feel like it. Planning ahead had never been my forte.
I decided I had spent enough time being seen and called it a day.
I found my way back to my street with only minor difficulties and slammed hard on the brakes when I got close to my building.
A fire truck was parked in front of it and police cars had blocked off the street. Black smoke was billowing towards the sky; I was unable to see where it originated because my view of the house was blocked.
I thunked my head on the steering wheel. 'Not again!' I thought. There was a chance a fire had broken out in one of the other apartments, but I didn't have much hope.
I flinched when there was a knock at the driver's side window and scowled at Tank when I rolled down the window.
"You scared the shit out of me!"
"Pull over to the side and come with me." He said, not looking sorry at all.
I did as I was told, parked the Beetle and followed Tank to the SUV.
A police scanner was squawking through static, and Lester had the window rolled down, his elbow resting on the door.
He nodded a hello when Tank opened the back door for me, and I got in.
Lester took off the moment Tank had taken his seat in the front.
"Was the fire in my apartment?" I asked. What a silly question! 'No, the Merry Men were just carting you off to buy you dinner, dumbass!' Sane!Sandra spoke up in my head.
"Came over the radio while we were en route." Tank said, "We thought maybe we could get here before the uniforms, that's why I didn't tell you to stop."
I leaned back into the seat. This was getting old, two fires in one week. Now I was glad I hadn't gotten around to buying new clothes.
"Do you think they thought I was home?"
"No way of knowing. And we can't go in to check how the fire was started." Lester said and shot my a sympathetic look through the rearview mirror. "Try not to let it get to you. For now, we'll take you back to RangeMan. Let's figure it out from there."
I was grateful to have someone else make the decisions for me. If I had been by myself, I would have been crumbling into a ball of sobbing sadness. It felt good to be taken care off.
"Do you guys have pizza?" It was my attempt at thinking positive.
Lester smiled at me in the mirror "I think that can be arranged."
We arrived at the RangeMan offices and took the elevator upstairs to the control room.
Hal and Bobby looked up from their post at the monitors when we entered and Bobby smiled.
"Good news, fire bug! They just picked up a guy that may have started the fire!"
I didn't see how that was good news, but Tank and Lester seemed pleased.
The elevator doors pinged open and all eyes cut to a spot behind me. Didn't take a genius to figure out Ranger had arrived, all merry men stood or sat straighter. I looked over my shoulder and saw Ranger approach.
He didn't look at me as he passed.
"Everybody but security in the conference room. Now." He advised, not waiting for comments. I assumed I was included in 'everybody' and made my way into the conference room behind Tank.
Ranger was at the computer and the big screen was lit.
I took the seat furthest away from him and tried not to stare at him. Was he ignoring me?
He typed in a few commands and a mug shot was projected onto the screen, a white guy with brown hair and dark eyes, his height stopping just short of the 6' mark.
"Christophe Lamberti." Ranger said, "A file as long as my…arm."
Bobby snorted at that, but quickly stopped when Ranger cut his eyes to him. I figured Ranger would have used a different word if I hadn't been in the room.
"Got picked up a block from Lin's running a red light. Cops found everything you need to start a fire but the matches in his back seat."
He pressed a button and another photo appeared. Two men talking in front of a car, one of them looked like the Senor, the other was Lamberti.
"We got him talking to Najar, so we can assume he's high up enough to have direct contact. The good news is, if he's stupid enough to get caught, he may be easy enough to talk to."
I had some ideas what Ranger meant by 'talking', but I didn't say anything. Everybody's eyes were on the screen in front of us.
"We'll be notified when he places his phone call. Court is not in session, but he may get a lawyer to bail him out before Monday. In any case, he's probably not going to say much while in custody. That's where we come in."
The next image came up, a file photo of Sam Daltrey.
"With any luck, Daltrey will be his lawyer of choice, thanks to Lin," he briefly looked in my direction, "we were able to follow him and get his address. He's being watched."
A map showed up on the screen and Ranger used a laser pointer to mark some spots.
"He'll need to show up in person, and whether Lamberti accompanies him out of jail or takes off alone, we'll be on him as soon as he leaves the courthouse."
He assigned positions and everyone seemed to know what they were supposed to do, there were no questions.
The plan was to snag Lamberti as soon as he left jail and persuade him to share information he wouldn't tell the cops.
That much I understood, but I didn't catch all the code words that were used for everybody's tasks, so I knew the 'what' but not the 'how'. Since I didn't get an assignment, I didn't bother asking for clarification.
"We'll move as soon as we get word, I need everybody on stand-by. Dismissed."
We all filed out of the room, only Ranger stayed behind.
I felt pretty useless standing in the control room, so I checked with Lester if I was to use 'my' old guest quarter on the fourth floor.
He nodded and offered to walk me down, but I thanked him and declined. I thought he had done enough for me already.
The good news was, I had clothes on my back this time and all my cool equipment. The bad news was, I had once again lost all my cosmetics and hair stuff. I wasn't that vain, but I needed certain basics to feel comfortable. Like a hairbrush and mascara. I didn't know if I could just leave or if I had to announce my departure, so I hesitated in the hallway for a moment.
Ranger stepped out of the conference room and our eyes met. He closed the distance between us, never breaking eye contact.
"Are you all right?"
Oh good, the friendly Ranger. I didn't quite know what mood he was in until he spoke. I nodded.
"I wasn't in the apartment when the fire started." I said unnecessarily. As if Ranger wouldn't know.
"It was still another attempt to kill you." He said softly.
I nodded again and wished he hadn't brought that up. I was trying hard to categorize the fire as a mere scare. And I was getting uncomfortable standing so close to Ranger; the previous night's scenario started replaying in my mind.
"I…um…need to run some errands." I mumbled, pressing the elevator's 'Down' button, focusing my eyes on it.
"Not a good idea, Babe."
I had to take a deep breath before I could look at him again.
"Why not?"
"I have every single man assigned, I can't have you watched when you leave the building."
I didn't know the area very well, but I knew there were inner city streets with stores nearby.
"I won't be long, and I'll stay close."
Range shook his head almost imperceptibly and didn't say anything. It seemed girlish to tell him I needed lipstick and hairspray in the face of an 'all men on deck' crisis. The truth was, I wanted to go somewhere, anywhere, the thought of just sitting on my hands in the studio annoyed me.
"I'll only be a half hour." I tried.
The elevator door opened before us.
"No." Ranger simply said and put a halting hand on my arm.
"Come with me. I'll have Ella run out for you. It's safer that way."
Not much I could say to argue, and I didn't want to provoke Ranger further. I let out a defeated breath of air and he led me into the elevator, waved his key fob and pressed the 7 button.
I was wondering if he was waiting for us to be 'off camera' and alone before he'd say something about our make-out session or if he was going to ignore what had happened. And I didn't know which option I preferred. The squishy feeling was back in my stomach and my head started to hurt. I don't handle confrontations very well.
Ranger hadn't said a word by the time we entered his apartment, and I couldn't come up with anything to say either. I knew that sooner or later, I would say something, just to end the silence. I prayed it wouldn't be anything dumb.
A woman stood at the dining table, placing silverware and glasses. She looked up when we came in and smiled warmly.
"Ella, I'd like you to meet Lindsay. Lindsay is joining me for dinner this evening." Ranger said.
I smiled and took Ella's outstretched hand, and we both said "Nice to meet you." at the same time. She laughed at that and asked us to sit down, she would be back in a minute. I glanced at the table and saw it was only set for one; Ranger hadn't expected company.
He put a hand at the small of my back and nudged me towards the table.
"Go ahead, have a seat. I'll go get us something to drink."
I was hoping he meant whiskey, I needed something strong if I was going to make it through dinner with him. 'Remember,' I told myself 'you're just friends. Nothing is going to happen. Ranger looks like a Cuban sex god, but stay away!'
Yeah, right. As if I'd be able to do anything when Ranger had me in his arms. I was trying to remember why I had resolved to distance myself from him. What a stupid idea…
Ranger returned with our drinks and took his seat opposite from me. "To better days." He toasted and I joined him. The whisky burned going down, but I took a second sip anyway. If I got drunk, I wouldn't mind falling off the no-Ranger wagon so much.
Ella knocked a few minutes later, a tray of food in her hand.
"I hope you like Greek cuisine." She said as she placed bread, a bowl of tzatziki, salad, rice and a platter of different meats on the table.
"I love it." I assured her, and my stomach grumbled in response.
She asked Ranger if there was anything else he'd need, and he said he'd need her to get a few things, he'd bring a list down shortly.
Ella nodded. "Well, enjoy your meal. It was really nice to meet you, Lindsay." she said and left.
I cleared my throat "She's a wonderful woman."
"Yes, she takes good care of me."
I filled my plate and started eating, downing first my glass of whisky and then the red wine Ella had poured. The food was heavenly.
I kept my eyes down, but I saw Ranger looking at me out of the corner of my eye. It was cowardly of me, but I really didn't know what to say.
After dinner, I excused myself to use the bathroom. I washed my hands and sat on the closed toilet to gain some composure. Okay, I hadn't him expected to hug and kiss me hello or to make googely eyes at me, but I hadn't expected him to pretend nothing had happened either. Then again, I wasn't much better. Maybe I'd just tell him I was tired and flee to the fourth floor.
Ranger had cleared the table and was still in the kitchen when I got out of the powder room.
"You wanna write that list for Ella now? She'll get you what you need."
"Why can't I just go myself?"
He turned around, drying his hands on a dishtowel.
"Because you are not leaving alone until this is over."
"Then come with me, for Ted's sake. All I need is some…things, it won't take long."
"I
can't leave, I'm due back downstairs. Can't you just once just
accept my decision?"
He didn't say 'order' but it felt
like that was what he meant.
"Thank you for dinner." I mumbled and turned towards the door.
I didn't hear him approach, and flinched when he took my arm before I had taken three steps.
"Don't do this." He said, turning me around. "You know it's for the best, for your protection."
I knew he was right, and my stubbornness made no sense. But I couldn't help myself. Tell me not to do something, and that's the only thing I want to do. Safety and gratefulness be damned.
I looked up at his face and his eyes were soft. Then my eyes wandered to his mouth and the memory of his kisses hit me.
"I know," I finally said "I'm just tired and want to go to bed."
I tried to free my arm, but he held on, his eyes studying me.
He lowered his mouth towards mine, and I turned my head at the last moment, twisting my arm free.
Ranger looked surprised but didn't hold me back
"Stay." He said softly.
I opened my mouth to say something, but the Intercom unit on the wall next to us blared at that moment.
"Ranger, come in. We have contact."
Ranger gave me one more look and hit the talk button, telling the merry man he'd be right down.
