Chapter 3

– Ranger – Day 1 - Morning Wednesday

He should have left by now. Should have been up and out in time to hit the gym at 5:00 a.m. as usual. He'd even woken up at 4:44 a.m., one minute before the alarm in his watch went off. Instead of rising, Ranger had shut off the alarm and pulled a sleeping Stephanie back into his arms. Her warm soft skin melded with his, touching from chest to thigh. Several times during the night, they'd come together in every sense of that word. Now tired and happy, he was the big spoon to her little spoon as they shared one pillow. Her crazy hair tickled his face and he breathed in the faded fragrance of her shampoo, a light tang of sweat, and something uniquely Stephanie. Somehow, the scent filled his heart as well as his lungs, lulling him into a light doze.

Almost an hour and a half later, Ranger really did have to get going. He'd been awake for twenty minutes, time he'd spent just holding her. Holding her and thinking. He'd lost control when he'd gone to get her last night. What was meant to be a kiss or two was nearly a public spectacle. Intending to entice her with a reminder of what she could have with him, he'd gone for a sip of sweet nectar but instead it was like being inundated by a flash flood. He'd been caught up in the current and swept away. Then again, so had she. That was good, right?

More importantly, was she really done with Morelli like she'd said? She'd always gone back to the cop. But this time when he gave her the choice, instead of asking to go to Morelli's or going home alone, she had looked Ranger in the eye and chosen him. Chosen this. She'd never done that before.

Half of him was overjoyed. The other half was afraid he was nothing more than a rebound or an act of spite done to piss off Morelli. At this point he was willing to take whatever she would give him. He couldn't decide if that was a good compromise or if it made him weak. Madre de Dios, he wanted her more every day. The closer he got to the end of his contract, the harder it was to wait for Someday to start.

Maybe he should have clarified her intentions before they got naked, but he was afraid that any attempt to discuss what they were doing would shut it down. Would make her shut down. Or run. She was even worse at discussing feelings than he was and that was saying something.

Which reminded him – saying something was the whole point of the lecture he'd gotten from Lester not two months ago.

Steph had chased a skip into the Saturday morning farmer's market set up in a church parking lot. The skip had knocked over a stand of tomatoes where she caught up to him. From what bystanders said, her tackle was textbook perfect but it also sent the two of them crashing into the stall full of blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries next to the tomato stand. They wrestled in the squished produce before she got him cuffed.

Ranger had been first on scene, followed by Lester and Slick who were paired up on patrol in that area. There was a huge mess with Stephanie and her skip right in the middle of it, both covered from head to toe in tomato-berry sludge. Next to arrive was a squad car with two of Trenton's finest with Morelli hot on their tail in his unmarked cop car. Everything was chaos for a few minutes.

Then the Trenton cops put the skip in their squad car and left. Ranger sent Slick to get contact information so that Rangeman could compensate the vendors who'd lost their goods. And Stephanie – head down, shoulders slumped – went with Morelli. He'd pulled a blanket from the trunk, wrapping it around her to protect the already-stained upholstery in his run-down vehicle from the goop all over her clothes. Even then, Morelli wouldn't let her sit in the front seat but shoved her into the back seat like she was just another perp.

As they watched her leave, Lester spoke up. "Man, why haven't you said anything?"

Refusing to look at his cousin, Ranger pointedly ignored him but Lester kept on.

"Seriously, Carlos. Why are you just standing back?" Lester sounded equal parts perplexed and irritated. "I know you're crazy about her. You might fool everyone else but this is me we're talking about. I've known you all my life and I know what's going on in your head. What's holding you back?"

Lester did know him. Ranger also knew Lester and he could tell this was one of the times when Lester was going to push until he got an answer. Keeping his gaze out over the farmer's market, Ranger exhaled deeply and gave in to the inevitable. "I'm waiting for my contract to run out."

"Does she know that?" When Ranger didn't answer, Lester continued. "She can't wait for you if she doesn't know you want her to, primo. What are you afraid of? That you'll ask and she'll say no and you won't see her again?"

Ranger's eyes flicked to Lester's but he stayed silent.

"Shit, that's it, isn't it?" Lester gripped his shoulder, his voice full of sympathy. "I get it, cuz. I really do. That's a crappy feeling and a helluva burden to carry. But trust me on this. I know people and I've got an outsider's objective view since I'm not right in the middle of this triangle. The only reason she stays with Morelli is because she thinks she can't have you."

Ranger had opened his mouth to speak but shut it when Slick rejoined them.

"I've got names, contact info, and dollar amounts for the produce that got destroyed." Slick waved his notepad at them.

Lester looked intensely at Ranger and repeated, "Say. Something."

Ranger jerked his chin down in an abbreviated nod and that was the last they'd spoken of it.

Maybe Lester was right. Dreaming would get him only so far then planning would finish the journey. He needed to start talking to her, let her know what he was thinking. Maybe last night had been Stephanie reaching out. It was only fair that Ranger reached back. He needed to open up now or the Someday that kept him motivated might not happen.

He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck then checked the time again. If he was going to shower and get clean clothes before the 7:00 a.m. meeting, he had to go but he didn't want to leave without saying goodbye. Didn't want her to wake up, find him gone, and feel abandoned or, worse, used. He had to make sure he showed her how important she was. Gently brushing a wayward curl from her face, he leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"Babe."

Her head moved and her fingers twitched. He caressed her shoulder and down her arm then rubbed small circles on her hip.

Almost whispering, he said, "Stephanie. Hey. Wake up, Babe."

She took a deep breath and stretched her neck. Blinking slowly, she turned her head to look at him. He moved so that she could roll onto her back while he was on his side propped up by his elbow. With the lightest of touches, his fingertips skimmed across her throat, then down her body between her breasts to rest on her lower belly. Her nipples pebbled, and she drew in a sharp breath. Her cheeks flushed though he wasn't sure if it was desire or morning-after embarrassment or both.

When she was fully in the moment, she exuded a sensual confidence that was hot as hell. Any other time, all the lessons on "good girls don't" that had been drilled into her from childhood – from her mother, the Burg, the church, society in general – crowded back in, tainting her desire with guilt and shame. He wished she could see herself the way he saw her. Dios mio, he had never wanted anyone the way he wanted her. He looked forward to helping her learn to embrace her sexuality.

"Now that I have your attention." Ranger smiled and tried to ignore the effect she had on him. This was not the time to get distracted. "I have to go to work."

"What time is it?" She squinted and looked around as if a clock would appear.

"Quarter after six. I have to go get ready for the morning meeting." He hesitated but Lester's admonition to "Say something" was playing on a loop inside his head. "I want …"

The rest of the words jumbled up and stuck in his throat. He hadn't been this nervous since high school.

Stephanie looked at him curiously, turning onto her side so they were fully facing each other. Instead of propping herself up on one elbow like him, she kept her head on the pillow. She lifted her head long enough to push the hair on her pillow out of the way behind her. Then she reached out, tracing the line of his jaw. "Want what?"

He needed to say enough to let her know his intent without discussing it fully now and missing the meeting. If he expected his men to strictly adhere to all his rules and expectations for excellence, then he could do no less. They wouldn't respect a leader who asked more of them than he did of himself.

"I want to talk about our Someday." He could feel his heart thumping and automatically began the calming protocols he'd learned in the Army.

"Do you … " She swallowed hard and he could see apprehension in her eyes. "Do you still want a Someday?"

His palm cupped her cheek, holding her as he leaned in and softly kissed her lips. "Yes. I was waiting for the right time but I'm not sure there is such a thing. I was hoping you wouldn't mind starting our Someday now."

Her eyes were wide with surprise and he could see the pulse at the base of her throat throbbing. She blinked a few times but stayed silent. Shit. His stomach flipped. Did he mis-read her last night?

"You … you want there to be an Us? Now?" Stephanie's voice was faint and breathy and tinged with what sounded like hope.

"Yes." Ranger kissed her again. "Very much. But there are things we should discuss. I'm still under contract with the military for starters. How about we have dinner at my place tonight at 6:00? I'll ask Ella to make brownies for dessert."

In reply Stephanie flung herself at him with enough force to knock him onto his back. Her knee came up across his hips, rubbing against him as she kissed him deeply. It damn near killed him to pull his mouth away but he left his arms around her, trying to make sure his withdrawal didn't feel like rejection.

Grinning he said, "I take it that's a yes?"

"That's a hell yes, Batman." Suddenly her face contorted. "Wait! I have to take Grandma to a viewing tonight. One of her bingo buddies passed away. Can we make it tomorrow night?"

"Tomorrow is fine." He kissed her once more with tongue. "If I don't leave now I'll be late for the meeting. Since technically I'm the one running it, the guys will give me crap."

Climbing from the bed, Ranger grabbed his clothes from the floor, the chair, and the top of the dresser where they'd ended up last night, pulling them on as he went. He stuffed his socks into his cargo pockets and shoved his bare feet into his boots. He buckled on his utility belt, ran his hand through his hair and was ready to go. Shower and clean clothes would have to wait until after the meeting. He took a few more seconds to lean over the bed and kiss Stephanie on the cheek, then he was out the door.

Ranger parked in his reserved spot and went straight to the conference room, walking in at 6:59 a.m. The Core Team was represented by himself, Lester, and Tank. Bones, while neither Core nor Department head, was sitting in until Bobby returned from Boston. Department heads Hector, Cal, and Ram rounded out the group. All were grabbing coffee and getting seated. Those giving reports had them in hand. All items would be uploaded to the company intranet so it wasn't necessary to print out copies. Ranger went directly to his place at the head of the table.

Lester, already seated to his right, nodded in greeting and asked, "So, what was Sweats dying to tell you?"

"Don't know. Steph's car broke down so I canceled with Sweats to pick her up."

After the meeting, Ranger would give her keys to Zero and have him coordinate with Al to pick up her old car and get her a loaner.

Lester grinned at him. "Does that have anything to do with why you're only just now getting back to the office?"

Ranger gave him the evil eye but, if anything, it made Lester's grin wider. As Ranger sat, his pant legs pulled up just enough to show a sliver of skin between the hem of his pants and the top of his boots. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his cousin look down and do a double take.

"Did the laundromat lose your socks?" teased Lester.

Ranger growled, "Fuck off, Santos."

Lester smiled brightly but let it go as Tank, sitting to Ranger's left, got the meeting started.

Ranger paid enough attention to follow the reports, occasionally interjecting with a comment or question. Most of his brain, however, was compiling a list of items and subjects that he'd like to discuss with Stephanie at dinner tomorrow night. Plus, he needed to speak with Ella about the menu. Brownies were mandatory – he'd promised her.

The meeting had progressed to the overnight police reports when something caught his ear.

Ranger interrupted Cal. "Say that again."

"Stabbing on the 1500 block of Stark Street."

Ranger shook his head and made a rolling motion with his hand. "Before that."

Cal looked down at his report. "Shooting on Pennington. One victim, dead on scene. No name on the initial report."

"Pennington?" Damn … that was too much of a coincidence. "Does it give the address?"

Cal read off the address from his notes and added, "A 911 call for shots fired came in at 11:25 p.m. for that address. One male victim, shot at least twice"

Tank looked at Ranger. "Isn't that the address of the materials company?"

Ranger nodded.

Lester looked at him thoughtfully. "Weren't you meeting him at Coolidge and Eisenhauer?"

"That's the main intersection of the housing project. The materials yard is southeast of it," explained Ranger. "The business takes up almost the entire block and has multiple buildings. It's bounded by Pennington, Norman, Oakland, and Mellon. The street address is Pennington because that's where the main office building is. There's another building on Pennington but it's not part of the materials business. I think it's an insurance office. I usually meet Sweats in the middle of the Mellon side of the yard where Eisenhauer intersects it because he lives on that street in the projects."

"And you two were supposed to meet at 11:30." Lester frowned. "This cannot be good."

Shit. This was a whole new can of worms. Even though they didn't have the victim's name yet, Ranger was certain it was Sweats.

"Lester, I want you and Hector working on this. Find out what you can. If the dead man is Sweats – was the shooting random or related to why he wanted to meet? Who was the target - Sweats or me or both of us? Who was Sweats hanging out with recently? What was the info he wanted to share? Get the updated police report. Canvass the neighborhood. Check traffic cams and security footage. You know the drill."

They nodded to acknowledge his orders.

"I'll rearrange the schedule," offered Tank. "Shift their regular duties over to myself and someone else so they can concentrate on this."

Ram and Cal immediately volunteered and Lester and Hector thanked the three of them.

"All right." Ranger rapped his knuckles on the table. "We can skip the munitions report. It'll be online so make sure you review it. Cal, you and Vince will take Lester's place on the takedown we're planning for tomorrow. Grab Vince and we'll meet in Tank's office for the strategy session. Let's adjourn so we can get this process started."

– Stephanie – Day 1 – afternoon Wednesday

After Ranger left Wednesday morning, Stephanie had gone back to sleep which, looking back on it, was kind of amazing considering how excited she was. He'd talked about Someday. He wanted Someday. With her. She'd thought it was out of reach and now it wasn't. The only excuse she had for falling back to sleep was the long busy day she'd had, followed by an even busier night.

When she finally woke, refreshed and pleasantly sore in all the right spots, it was almost noon. Wilmer was her only FTA and she still had a week to bring him in. The day was already almost half over. She might as well take the rest of the day off to think about what had happened with Ranger last night.

First order of business - a dash to the bathroom for a bit of relief and then a shower. Afterward, she towel dried her hair, letting it hang loose as she went into the kitchen. Rex greeted her with a wiggle of his whiskers as she dropped a handful of crunchies in his bowl. Okay, his lunch was served. What about hers? A search of the fridge yielded a half-full carton of General Tso's chicken and the last of the fried rice. She dumped them both onto a plate and shoved it into the microwave. While that heated up, she opened a can of soda.

Less than two minutes later, her little feast was sitting on the coffee table while she queued up Ghostbusters in the DVD player for a little background noise. Stephanie made herself comfy on the sofa, plate in one hand, fork in the other, remote control on the cushion next to her. Every time she popped a movie into the player, she'd think of updating to Blu Ray. Maybe someday, she'd actually do it.

Someday.

Funny how such an ordinary word could be so significant in the right circumstances.

Way way back, however many years ago it was, when Ranger had first mentioned Someday, she'd been encouraged but there was no follow-through. He didn't make any of the overtures one might expect if they were on track to end up as a couple Someday. They didn't spend their free time together. No going out together for something fun that was not related to work. No daily calls or texts to check in with each other, not even a quick "Have a good day" or "Thinking of you." And certainly there was no getting to know each other better. No trading childhood stories. No "What's your favorite" then fill in the blank.

It was just the opposite if she considered how long it took her to learn that Lester was his cousin. To be fair, that was partly on her. Ranger and Lester had literally called each cousin from practically the moment she'd met them but they'd done it in Spanish and she hadn't known that's what "primo" meant.

Eventually, she had decided that Ranger's offering of Someday had been the perfect polite brush off. A way for him to let her down easy and postpone any real discussion that might involve him issuing a hard no. It sounded like a promise but was too vague to pin down or hold him to. After all, like the motivational poster she once saw pointed out, "someday" isn't a day of the week.

Resigned to wanting something that would never happen, Stephanie had tried to make do with what was available. She snorted. Look how well that went. If she'd been happy with Morelli, they'd be able to live together for more than a week without fighting. They'd go out on real dates. They'd enjoy spending time together instead of looking forward to time apart. Joe was making do just as much as she was which pretty well doomed them for anything long term. She wondered if he realized that? Probably, given his current stance on open dating.

She sighed as she scooped up the last of the General Tso's.

She should have taken a lesson from fashion footwear about making do. If you can't find the style you want, you won't be happy with a poor substitute. She'd done that a few times when she was younger. Bought a new pair of shoes to go with an outfit because she wanted something different than what was already in her closet. She'd had an image in mind of a specific look but could only come so close. Even though the new shoes weren't really what she wanted, she'd bought them. She wasn't happy with the look of the outfit while she was wearing it which made her feel self conscious which in turn made it hard for her to enjoy herself. Worse, the new shoes were colored by the disappointment and regret she felt so she never wore them again.

Stephanie paused the movie so that she wouldn't miss any favorite bits and headed to the kitchen. Dirty dishes got a quick rinse then sat in the sink. She got another can of soda, a partially eaten carton of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and a spoon then went back to the couch to resume the movie and mulling over the latest development in her relationship with Mr. Can't Give You A Ring.

There was one thing she should have remembered about Ranger before she had decided that Someday was a polite ruse. Ranger never said anything unless and until he had to. Then he'd only say as much as needed to be said in the moment and clam right back up again. He may not have been talking about Someday but, clearly, it didn't mean he hadn't been planning on it. It was too bad that she was taking Grandma to the funeral home tonight because otherwise she'd be up on the seventh floor of Haywood dining with Ranger. Even this one day delay was awful because she was impatient to hear what he had to say.

The downside was that he was going to make her discuss things like an actual grownup which was not all her forte. Maybe she was allergic to talking about feelings because just thinking about it made her break out in hives. Okay, so, she didn't break out in actual hives but she did feel panicky and unwell which should count.

Speaking of Grandma … Stephanie checked the time. Oh crap! Dropping her spoon into the empty carton, she hurried to the kitchen. Spoon in the sink, carton in the trash can, and then she was off down the hallway to get ready for what she sincerely hoped was a sedate visit to the funeral home. Hmm … if she arrived at her parent's house early, she could get dinner as well. Since she'd showered earlier, all she had to do was fix her hair and make up and toss on some black clothes.

In less time than she'd thought it would take, she was ready to go. She grabbed her purse, pulled out her house keys and remembered that she didn't have a car. Come to think of it, she should have heard from Al or one of the Merry Men by now. Digging her phone out of her purse, she realized she'd set it on silent for last night's surveillance and had never turned it back on. There was a missed call and a voicemail from Zero.

She peeked out the window to see if there was a Rangeman loaner vehicle sitting in her parking lot as she listened to the message. No loaner but Zero's voice assured her that her car should be delivered about now. Sure enough, movement off to the side was her car driving into the lot followed by a big black SUV.

She dashed out, locking her door, then hurrying down the stairs. Normally she'd take the elevator, but it was awfully slow. She needed to thank Al and Zero, get her keys, find out what had been fixed, and how much it cost but not be late for dinner at the Plum residence. At least she was going down the stairs and not up so gravity was on her side.

Zero waved back at her from behind the wheel of the SUV. About six feet tall, slender, with brown hair and gray eyes, he was one of the younger of the Merry Men. He and his brother Zip looked so much alike but Zip's eyes were a darker grey with a hint of blue. Stephanie was always tempted to ask if they were twins but thought that would be rude.

Al himself was getting out of the driver's side of her parked car. He was closer to her father's age, with salt and pepper hair. He always work heavy dark blue work pants and a clean but stained t-shirt. Tattoos covered both forearms but the lines had spread over the decades turning them into caricatures of themselves. The ink had faded from black to the same navy color as his pants. He was always very polite and friendly. They nodded hellos as he was handing her the keys.

"What was it this time, Al? Starter motor?"

"Close. It was the starter relay switch."

Granted, it had been a long time since she'd helped her dad work on a car, but she didn't recall that. "Is that the solenoid?"

"Nah. The starter relay connects the high-current feed from the battery to the solenoid. It's a quick simple fix. Looks like a plug and all you have to do is follow the thickest wire from the battery terminal. That thing goes bad and your car isn't going to start. But, like I said, the part doesn't cost much and it's an easy fix."

Now for the hard part. "How much do I owe you?"

He waved one hand dismissively. "Don't you worry about it, miss. Already taken care of."

Dammit. She both appreciated and hated having it all taken care of. It was good not to have to worry about it but she should be the one paying for it, even if she had to pay in installments. It wasn't right to keep taking from Ranger. It made her feel selfish and she didn't like that. Any good relationship was give and take. So far all she seemed to do was take. She needed to find some way she could give. Some way to make this relationship fair to Ranger.

She opened her mouth to argue the point then caught sight of the time. Dammit. Instead of arguing, she thanked him. He got into the passenger side of the SUV and she waved at him and Zero as they left.

~ ~ continued ~ ~