I think this is going to be one of the last chapters, with the arc coming to its natural end. There may be an epilogue, too. I hope you enjoy this 22. chapter.
This chapter is not for cupcakes.
Thanks for your great reviews, you're my inspiration! (And not in the cheesy-80's-song kind of way)
Spoilers: None. It's its own universe, I blame it all on the gin
Rating: R for sexual content
Disclaimer: They're all JE's characters, except for Sandra. And no one would pay me for Sandra.
Out of my Mind Chapter 22
Ranger gave me one more look and hit the talk button, telling the merry man he'd be right down.
I briefly thought about running while his back was turned, but thought better of it. Acting like a child wouldn't solve anything.
And his "Stay" hadn't been a command, it had sounded almost pleading.
Ranger took a deep breath and faced me again.
"I have to go. But I need to talk to you when this is over. Please wait in your apartment, it is not safe for you to venture out alone. We could be tied up all night."
Well, okay, see, when he said it that way, I was much more willing to oblige. I already knew that he was right, but when he issued orders, I was bound to rebel. When he said 'Please', that was a different story.
"Okay." I said softly and opened the door "Let me know if you need me to help." Yeah right, I was sure my help could be instrumental when the Merry Men were stuck. But it made Ranger smile, and that was worth it.
I took the stairs when Ranger called the elevator; I couldn't stand being close to him any longer. Whatever I had resolved to do about my attraction when I was alone, it was impossible when I was with Ranger. And I had a suspicion that it would be the same with Joe. Of course it occurred to me that I was creating this problem all for myself, that I could just as soon just give in and carry on with both men, see where it would take me. And when I had been reading the Stephanie Plum novel, that's exactly what I had yelled at Stephanie to do.
Mostly though, I was angry at myself for making such a big deal out of nothing. A few kisses, some groping. It wasn't like either of them had proposed to me or anything, and I used to see more action during one night at college. Why was it different now?
The easiest way out would be to just leave it all behind me, go home to Boston, be Sandra Cline, systems administrator. But ever since I had looked at my new driver's license, a part of me had wondered what it would be like to start over in this persona, tabula rasa. Another part of me had laughed at that possibility and had called me insane, but the little voice had grown stronger. I still thought it was an idiotic idea and I was mad at myself for even contemplating changing my life around for, let's face it, a man. But still…
The fourth floor was quiet with all activity probably centered in and around the control room. I felt a little left out and a lot useless, but there wasn't anything I could do to help. There was, on the other hand, a lot I could do to mess things up. Like going out by myself and getting shot at, for example.
The door to the studio once again assigned to me was unlocked, but I knew there was a camera somewhere monitoring all doors.
I took a minute to explore the apartment. Stacks of clothes had been laid out for me on the bed and there were toiletries and towels in the bathroom. A new laptop had been placed on the coffee table.
In light of the well-stocked apartment, my resistance at Ranger's orders made me feel ungrateful and stupid. Here he was, taking care of me, and all I had a mind to was arguing.
After an hour of channel surfing, I grew restless. I wanted to know what was going on, the last I had heard, 'contact' was made. Did that mean Daltrey had left the building? Was Lamberti being bailed out? Had Ortiz hit a homerun?
I didn't know how I could find out other than joining the team on the fifth floor, but I was afraid I'd be interrupting.
The intercom phone rang at ten on the dot.
"Yo." Ranger said. It sounded so much cooler when he said it than I could ever manage.
"Thought you might want an update."
He must have been reading my mind.
"We're about to leave, it sounds like Daltrey managed to wake a judge and persuade him to come in. He might be bailing out Lamberti tonight."
"Oh." I said. I didn't know what else to say.
"I'll fill you in tomorrow, don't lose any sleep over this."
Easy for him to say. If I wasn't going to be kept awake by thoughts of the Senor, my mind would surely occupy itself with another one of my predicaments.
"Okay. Be careful." What else was there to say?
"You too." And he disconnected.
I woke up from a restless night with little sleep at 6:30, having convinced myself around midnight to give sleep a try.
When I had slept, I had dreamt of Ranger, Joe and I on a 60's-type game show, with me playing to win their affection as the grand prize. During waking hours, I had once again trying to decide what to do the next time I saw either of them. Chances were it was going to be Ranger in the morning.
I got up groggily and took a lengthy shower. Banging on the front door made me rush out of the bathroom, a large towel wrapped around me.
"Morning, Sunshine!" Lester greeted me smiling.
"I'm on my way to breakfast, care to join us?"
I looked past him and saw Bobby standing a few feet away.
"Uhm…"
"We'll wait for you to get dressed." Lester said and winked, pulling the door closed. I didn't know what had made me rush out clad only in a towel; living at RangeMan was like living in a co-ed dorm.
I threw on some clean clothes and tied my hair up, tying my boots already on the way, half-expecting some sexist remark about female beauty time when I opened the door.
Bobby greeted me with an almost-nod and I followed the two men down the corridor.
There was a small, cafeteria-type room across from the elevators, a few tables with chairs, a counter with trays of baked goods and jugs of beverages.
I helped myself to a toasted bagel and cream cheese, filled a large Styrofoam cup with coffee and milk and joined Lester and Bobby at one of the tables.
"So, fill me in." I said after my first sip of coffee.
"About last night?" Bobby asked and I rolled my eyes but bit back a sarcastic remark.
"No, about the Knicks making the playoffs, Stupid!" Lester replied instead, and that was so similar to what I had in mind, it made me laugh.
Bobby got serious and gave me the play-by-play of the previous night.
Their contact at the police station had informed them about Lamberti making his phone call; it had been to Daltrey as expected. Then he had called back to tell them about the emergency session the judge had called and all things were set in motion. There was surveillance at Daltrey's house, the policy station and Lamberti's last known residence.
Lester shook his head in disbelief "Can you believe this guy's connections? He gets a judge out of bed on a Saturday night! I bet the mayor's daughter couldn't get bailed out on a weekend!"
I agreed, but I wasn't really surprised. If the Senor was as big as Joe and Ranger had told me, I'd bet he'd greased the right hands on his way up.
Bobby finished his toast and continued.
"There was a limo waiting at the court house, the judge and Daltrey left in their own cars and Lamberti got into the limo shortly after 1 AM."
"Did you follow him?" Mental head slap. Why would they have been watching him if they weren't going to follow?
"The boss and Tank did. I followed Daltrey, in case he didn't got home." Bobby said.
Lester and Bobby didn't know the exact details, because they had been following their own orders, but apparently, Ranger and Bobby had managed to stop the limo and take Lamberti into custody, the RangeMan variety.
I was told they hadn't returned to the office, they had Lamberti in a safe house somewhere.
"So the mission was a success?" I asked to make sure.
"The mission!" Bobby said chuckling "Yeah, we completed the 'mission'."
"Well, whatever you call it!" I said and flicked a glob of cream cheese at him.
Lester laughed out loud and Bobby looked like he didn't know how to react, but eventually smiled.
When we were done with breakfast, Lester and Bobby headed back to their rooms; they had less than an hour before their shift started. I was sure they made good money, but I hoped it was enough to justify working on only a few hours of sleep.
I felt better now that I had been filled in on the current events. Unfortunately, there was nothing for me to do but wait for Ranger's return and the 'talk' he had mentioned. And I didn't even have a book to pass the time with.
Ranger called my cell phone just as I was returning to my apartment with a second mega cup of coffee.
"You're still at the apartment?"
"Yes, Sir!"
"Smartass. Just checking."
I smiled. He sounded chipper for being up all night and holding a criminal captive.
"Any news?" I inquired.
"Nothing concrete yet, but it's looking good so far. Lamberti doesn't know much, but what he does know could make the case."
"When will you be back?" I sounded like a housewife with dinner cooking.
"The day shift will take over in an hour, I'll tell you the whole story when I'm in the office."
I wasn't sure I wanted to know the details of his persuasion, but he probably didn't know Lester and Bobby had shared the earlier events.
"Okay, see you then."
See, a civilized conversation, I could do it! No arguments, no pet names, just two colleagues exchanging information. Yeah, right.
I had no problems on the phone. It was the face-to-face, talk but don't touch, that I had a problems with.
Enough! I decided right there and then. I was annoying myself and I'd had it.
Joe was out of town, so there was only Ranger to deal with. I was going to change my course of action!
With my mind set, I dialed Ella on the intercom and asked her if she would do me the favor of getting a few things for me, since I was under house arrest. Well, I worded it differently for her, but that's how I felt. I knew it was for my own good and blahblah, but I still felt like a caged animal. Ella agreed without hesitation, wrote down my list and assured me she'd be back 'in a jiffy'. I liked her more and more.
I looked at myself in the door mirror in the bathroom, and I liked what I saw. Ella had followed my request for 'anything other than black' by getting me a pistachio-green v-necked t-shirt that was just a tad too tight, but looked okay. I had paired it with the blue jeans and the brown leather-string sandals she had brought and I was giddy at the variety of color. I loved black, but wearing nothing but every day was getting on my nerves. Now I looked different. My eyes were mascaraed and lined in green, which in combination with the t-shirt looked very pretty.
I had put my hair up with a fancy clip (Ella had surprised me there!), with a few curls escaping here and there accidentally on purpose. Yes, I was ready.
When Ranger knocked a half-hour later, I had started up the laptop and was browsing through GFY.
His hair was wet, probably from the shower, he was clean-shaven and wore black jeans and a tight black t-shirt.
"Nice." He said, letting his eyes wander over me, as he closed the door.
"Thank you." Damned fair skin, I was sure I was tomato-red again.
"Ella?"
"Yes. I was a good girl, I didn't leave the house."
He smiled at that. "I like good girls."
I remembered my earlier resolution "Don't count on me then. It was just a fluke. Remember what they say, 'Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere'!" and I gave him a full-on smile while resisting the urge to put space between us.
His eyebrow raised a fraction of an inch as he took my hand and pulled me closer.
This time, I didn't turn my head when he lowered his lips.
"I like bad girls even more." He whispered before his mouth met mine and he wrapped his arms around me. Gods he smelled good!
The new Sandra had decided to go for it, but the old one was still scared of the outcome.
I snaked my arms around his neck as I opened my mouth to the kiss and told the old Sandra to take a hike. That was just about my last conscious thought. Our tongues met, his left hand traveled down my back and cupped my ass and I moaned into his mouth. His right hand undid my hairclip and buried itself in my hair.
He was now pressing me against him and I could feel his tight body through my shirt.
Ranger inched me towards the bedroom alcove without breaking the kiss. He stopped when the back of my knees hit the bed and gently lowered me onto it, pulling my shirt free with the movement. My heart was racing and my mind was blank.
Yes, I was playing with fire, and I was sure to get burned, but I was done treading water. And, okay, I really needed a release.
Ranger lay down next to me and pulled my shirt over my head. His hand traveled from my hair, over my neck to my shoulder, and he trailed its path with his mouth, planting wet kisses.
I shivered and leaned into his mouth, my hands tugging at his shirt. He moaned when my fingers touched the skin on his back.
I prayed he wouldn't stop to ask if this was okay, if I wanted this or something like that, because then I was sure to lose my courage and hide in the bathroom. The only way I could do this was at full steam, no breaks for thinking.
Ranger pulled away to take off his shirt, and I gasped in awe. He was perfect; there was no other way to describe him. His muscles were toned to perfection, even the scars couldn't diminish the picture, they were a part of him.
I rolled him around and straddled him, pushing my palms up his torso, gently kneading. My hair was brushing his face when I kissed him, and my whole body was tingling when our tongues found their rhythm. I released his lips and let my tongue follow his jaw line to his ear when I felt him unclasp my bra.
I sucked in air as his hands cupped my breasts and when I opened my eyes, I saw his were dilated black.
His hands caressed my nipples, then traveled down my torso and he opened the button of my jeans and undid the zipper.
He lifted my hips off his and rolled down my pants, expertly flipping me around onto my back with the motion.
He slid off the bed to slip off my shoes and pull my pants free all the way, then he shucked his own. I hadn't realized he went commando and my breath caught at the sight of him naked, I had never seen any man more beautiful.
In a blur of motion my panties were gone and he was inside me. I groaned in surprise and lifted my hips to welcome him.
My head was resting on his chest and my hair covered almost his entire upper body as I was waiting for my heartbeat to return to normal. Ranger was breathing evenly under me, his fingers stroking my hair.
I didn't know if it had been the right thing to do to sleep with him, and in the aftermath I couldn't see how it would resolve anything, but it had been the best sex of my life.
I sighed and rolled away from him, grabbing my t-shirt from the foot of the bed. I slipped it on and disappeared into the bathroom, I needed a moment.
Since I knew he could hear me through the door, I kept the screaming in my head.
It was a tirade of 'Waaaaah! Holy Shit! Omigod!'
Then I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror sucked in some air. I needed to clean up!
I stood under the shower unmoving as the water rained down on me. I had this silly grin on my face that wouldn't go away and could only come from one thing.
I heard the door open and gasped when Ranger pulled away the shower curtain and joined me.
"Need some help?" He asked winking as he picked up the soap and started lathering me.
Much later, I joined Ranger in the living area. I had expected him to leave after the shower, but apparently, he had just dressed and was now waiting for me.
"We need to talk." He said. He was almost-smiling, but I had never heard those words uttered without some kind of a bomb exploding afterwards. Nothing good ever followed 'We need to talk'.
"Okay…" I said slowly as I walked towards the kitchenette to get a bottle of water.
I felt more like a shot of tequila, but water was the only beverage in the fridge. "Want some water, too?" I asked Ranger. Always the polite hostess. He declined, and I took a seat beside him, grabbing a cushion for mental support as I pulled my feet up to the couch.
"Here's the thing," Ranger began on a sigh, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.
"I came here earlier to…to offer you a job."
My eyes widened and my jaw may have dropped.
"I didn't plan for…this to happen." He motioned towards the bed.
I busied my hands with opening the water bottle and took a big gulp, buying time.
"Me neither." I lied. It was exactly what I had planned, maybe not as quickly, and maybe not even for today, but it had been part of the plan to put Ranger behind me, figuratively speaking.
Now what about the job? A job at RangeMan? Was he about to tell me I had disqualified myself by becoming his sex toy?
"Don't get me wrong, I wanted this. I've been trying not to." He touched his fingers to his forehead as if to smooth out wrinkles.
"What I'm trying to say is, I'd understand if you'd decline the offer now, but it was not meant as a ploy to get you into bed."
"What offer?"
He stood up.
"I'm offering you a job at RangeMan. You can continue skip-tracing part-time, but for the most part, you'd be working at a computer in the control room."
"Doing what?" Probably the same thing Stephanie was doing for a while before she ended up being a fulltime bounty hunter again without explanation.
"Background checks, information requests, general office work. And maybe the occasional distraction job." He was smiling now "I know you're quite good at distraction."
Holy Ted! A job working for Ranger! I could see how the events of the past few hours could be complicating things.
My mind was spinning. I was thinking 'Fuck no!' followed by 'Hell yes!' and everything in between.
"Take some time to think about it." Ranger said. "How about lunch in an hour, you must be hungry?"
I nodded. "I'll think about it."
He stepped closer and leaned down to me "Think real hard." He smiled and kissed me lightly on the lips. "I'll see you upstairs in an hour."
"Upstairs-upstairs or the control room?" Lunch could be had anywhere, after all.
"What do you think?" Ranger winked and walked out.
I let out a whoosh of air as I sank back into the couch pillows. "I don't know what to think, Ranger." I said into the empty apartment, and it was the truth.
Working for Ranger sounded like the coolest job on the planet, but it would mean staying in Trenton. I'd have to tell Ranger I wasn't who he thought I was and that could change his mind quickly. But if I declined, would I go back home and turn my back on all things Trenton? And what would I tell my friends and family either way?
"Aaaaarrrgh!" I screamed in frustration and punched the cushion I was still holding.
Time, I needed time. And I needed a second opinion, or rather a third, since my mind was cleanly split in half.
'Jess!' I thought. Yeah, that would go over well. 'Remember when I went to Trenton for a day trip? Well, guess what, it's all true, just like in the books, only there's no Stephanie and I've slept with Ranger and he wants me to work for him. What do you think?'
Okay, but what was my alternative? Short of running away, there was no possibility of avoiding Ranger, of telling him my decision one way or the other.
My head hurt. I needed a drink, preferably several. I wanted to numb my brain and fall into a drunken stupor, like the one that got me here in the first place!
A knock on the door yanked me out of my thoughts and I jumped up.
It was Bobby. He smiled and handed me a key fob. "Ranger asked me to drop this off for you. It'll get you into the garage, the gym, and the seventh floor."
I returned his smile and thanked him. He nodded and turned around. He had given me a key to Ranger's apartment. Probably the mystery of the location of lunch was solved.
I stared at the key fob and absentmindedly closed the door. No way was an hour enough to make up my mind, a year may not suffice, I thought.
