The Missing Piece in Ranger's Life

oOoOo

Chapter 8

Ranger POV

Those tear tracks. Damn. I really wanted to know. But, I'm pretty sure the reason would be either her toxic mother, or that asshole Morelli who were the cause. I meant to ask her but our night of validation was so much more important. For both of us, no doubt about that.

Reconnecting.

Recoupling.

Realising our deepest desires.

Feeling the love.

Living the love.

Feeling loved.

Cherished.

Desired.

Validation.

Confirmation.

It's amazing how few words we had actually spoken the entire time that I was there. Our bodies did all the talking, our lips, our hands, all that skin to skin contact … total validation and confirmation.

I slumped on my bed after a quick shower. Man, I felt so good. Once again, I fell asleep with a smile on my face. She was my missing piece. She was mine.

oOo

"Hey-hey. Someone got lucky!"

Rex hit Thiago upside. "Respect, hermano!"

I smiled and waved it off. Nudging Thiago as I walked into the kitchen where Miguel had prepared a hearty breakfast.

"Heh, maybe he is stalking his woman," which earned Miguel and upside from both Rex and Thiago. I just shook my head. They really were curious. So, I chose to follow a slightly diversionary path.

Yeah. Madre Dios. Speaking of stalkers, Miguel wasn't going to let up and asked again, after we had cleaned up the breakfast dishes. While we had another coffee, I elaborated on the variety of stalkers, psychos and crazies who became obsessed with her. The "highlights" being Ramirez, Jimmy Alpha, Stiva, Eddie Abruzzi, even that Fisher Cat, Cone the Webmaster, Junkman and the Slayers, Scrog who wanted my life, and Petiak with his merciless flamethrower. Kidnappings and all the various "surprises", alive and dead things, which were left in her apartment, you know, from spiders and snakes, to body parts and a sawn in half body on the couch, not to mention, that rabbit suit in her wardrobe, and the friendly but stubborn little person, Randy Briggs. Yes, that absolutely stunned them. They were astounded at the bizarre calibre of stalkers and the staggering variety of ghastly discoveries in her apartment. Yes, I would say they were shocked. Dumbfounded. Totally. But, most of all, they were in awe of her resilience, and her survival. I could tell they were proud of her, just like me.

"Damn. Yeah. She's had so much action, not always welcome action, but there's more. Only a minority of her skips are a problem and she usually goes with a partner. Her partner, Lula, is a sassy Jersey ex ho, who Stephanie rescued after a life threatening encounter with that psycho Ramirez. She has Attitude. It's unbelievable how her body challenges the tight confines of spandex. The car explosions, fires, fire bombings and buildings ... Madre Dios. Her apartment included. Yes, she has seen and experienced it all. And, it's not like she has been trained. Call it on the job training, with mentoring by me. My men at Rangeman all care for her like a little sister. Since those early days, we have actively encouraged her to do training. Despite that fucker Morelli, her toxic mother and the malicious gossip in the Burg, she has overcome a lot of the naysayers. We support her and she bounces back. Amazingly."

They shook their heads but I detected a myriad of emotions flickering quickly across their visages from surprise, outright awe, and fury.

"What the fuck, man?"

"Yeah, what Rex said."

"Tell me that's not normal," sighed Miguel.

"No, but strangely enough, for her it seems to be," I sighed. "Each day is a new start, and invariably something out of the ordinary happens to her. But she has great instincts."

"How did she get into bounty hunting, of all things? She doesn't look the sort who would go in for that," murmured Rex.

"Yep, she just started as a white bread girl from the Burg, with a lot of spunk and determination, who blackmailed her cousin for a job at the Bail Bonds office. She had lost her job; her car was repossessed; and she was running low on money. I mentored her, and found myself drawn to her. I wanted to protect her. Stephanie Plum has become famous, sadly and mostly for her mishaps and sensational situations. I call it bad press, and misinformation, which included Morelli putting a negative spin on all things Stephanie. They called her the Bombshell Bounty Hunter, a moniker she is not fond of. But, she always gets her man, just in unconventional ways. She's tenacious and determined in pursuit."

"Bombshell. Yes, that suits her. I bet she has good allies at Rangeman, with you and your men."

"That's for sure. Respect. And she has won them over so readily with her natural manner. Stephanie has surprised us many times with her unconditional support of me, but also my men. She hates it when the likes of Morelli refer to us as thugs. She accepts us as we are, no judgements. She is the light of our lives and her smile, as you saw, can light up a room."

"What was that Morelli jerk on about with her car? It's not like she did it on purpose. It wasn't even her fault. Fucking idiot. What's with that?" Rex was now the curious one.

I chuckled wryly. "Part of her infamy is how her cars end up going to "car heaven", as she calls it. It's uncanny. Not all her fault directly."

I made light of the pancaked Porsche. Jesus. Grown men, seasoned soldiers, giggling. And, here I was, sharing more information than I had ever intended, waxing lyrical about my Babe. But I felt good about it. I got the feels in a warm way.

Maybe I should get Hector to show the security feeds he put together showing the un-fucking-believable demise of that Porsche. Another time perhaps. I realised that this light discussion about non-military things we experienced recently, was really effective for our recovery. Decompression is an important and critical part of our return stateside after any missions. Just that the clusterfuck we encountered changed the dynamics. Who would have thunk it? This has been quite cathartic. Now I remember my sisters doing something like this, talking things out, threshing it out. I guess it works for men, too. I was careful not to embarrass Stephanie. She'd be mortified.

"Ahh. But then there are the countless dead bodies she has discovered in the role of bounty hunter, some of which were very traumatic. She's tough." I was shaking my head. We as mercenaries are used to that sort of thing, but it is still quite daunting, especially for her.

Another What the Fuck moment in unison for these guys.

"Wow. She's like Wonder Woman," remarked Miguel in awe. I nodded. Yes, my Wonder Woman.

"Does she carry a gun?"

"Yes," I chuckled, "but I had to keep reminding her to take it with her, and loaded. She doesn't like guns." I rolled my eyes. "But she has a variety of other tools like pepper spray and a stun gun … if it is charged."

"Um, has she shot anyone?" Thiago asked apprehensively.

"She's been shot at, stabbed and more. Yes, she has killed, in self-defence. Her first time was legendary. While being attacked by a crazed Jimmy Alpha, Ramirez's manager, he shot her in the ass and she shot him back. Five rounds. Through the heart. From her handbag!"

"FUCK!" they chorused together.

"She needed seventeen stitches."

"Holy shit! What a woman!"

I called time and agreeably they walked away, muttering in awe while they cleaned up, before going in to the theatre room to chill out.

Besides, I was done talking and sharing. Walking into the sitting room, I slumped into one of the big comfy leather chairs. I was mulling over things quietly. I needed some space, alone. To reflect. To think. To plan.

I smiled. Okay, I chuckled. Smiling again, I remembered how I left her after our glorious night of validation. Such a beautiful sight. When I had glanced into her wardrobe, making a quick inventory, I couldn't stop smiling. All her most loved and prized shoe collection was down to a bare minimum, just leaving her work boots and a pair of running shoes. And there were only essential clothes, work clothes as in Rangeman black, and jeans and a couple of t-shirts. I grinned knowingly.

Even before I had to go on this final mission, we had Hector and Manny go over her entire apartment, checking for any hidden listening devices or hidden cameras. They added extra security to her building, her front door and the windows. She accepted this. Morelli had been a lot more unpredictable over the last couple of months. She was feeling antsy. Perhaps it was her spidey sense forewarning her. Obviously, she had good reason to feel that way. Her instincts are quite remarkable.

He kept harassing Stephanie over some of her skips. I wouldn't mind betting he needed her input into some of his crimes. How many times did she inadvertently solve some of his investigations? He had used her previously, even putting her safety at risk, ahead of his priorities. Ramirez immediately came to mind, and hiding that fuckwit Dickie Orr in the basement of his house, while Stephanie was suspected of The Dick's disappearance, his murder in fact, were classic examples. He never gave her credit yet was always quick to put her down.

So, why didn't Stephanie move in to Rangeman before I left? We considered that option. She wanted to wait. She didn't want to be there alone. Alone in her apartment? Or alone in my apartment? I know where I would rather have her be. I know she can be stubborn and that independent streak has caused some heated words between us. But we had it covered.

Compromise.

I was prepared to accept her staying in her apartment, only if she agreed to a night watch and patrols. Conditional. I requested a concession, that she would have a partner, other than Lula. A Rangeman partner. Cal was agreed upon and endorsed by Tank. He also knew how to handle Lula and not take any of her stupid bullshit and that sassy belligerent attitude.

Frequently, Lula had somehow been the catalyst to the circumstances of mayhem that ensued with Stephanie's mishaps. Things like the demise of some of her cars, abandoning her because she felt uncomfortable about any involvement with the cops, come to mind. Furthermore, Lula's impulsive and reactionary behaviour led to many of those dangerous and often sticky situations. Lula was unpredictable and a wild card with her reckless and wacky behaviour.

So, leaving, at such short notice, knowing she would be watched over and kept safe, and, especially having a regular Rangeman partner, put my mind somewhat at ease. But, deep down, I knew that asshole Morelli was going to be more than a nuisance and Lula was definitely a liability. Untrustworthy. Which actually surprised me, after all that Stephanie had done for Lula. Ungrateful bitch.

My phone rang breaking my deep thoughts.

"Tank," I responded, curious for an update.

"Ranger. Best to stay away from her apartment for the time being. Patrols have discovered a new vehicle in her neighbourhood. Stolen vehicle it seems. Hal and Ram spotted it while they were on patrol. It has made multiple drive-bys, as well as another vehicle, also stolen."

"Hm. Not Morelli? That would have been an easy one to verify. What else?"

"Perhaps we should move Steph in here after all, sooner than we'd planned. Morelli has also been skulking around. Too bad for someone who declared not being available for "a pity fuck". God. What an ass. But, he's become a greater liability. Watch your back. Stay put for a while. I'll keep you updated."

After I disconnected, I felt a little disappointed, bereft is probably closer to the mark. I was really looking forward to being with Stephanie tonight. Control. No sense dwelling on that. Down to the gym, to work off some of this frustration. There's no point in blowing this clusterfuck before we have all the details. We have come too far. We have been through so much with our fucked up mission. Even Bernie, the poor man whom we had been sent in to rescue, he also had been through far more than he deserved. His ordeal was aggravated by the perpetrators who put a target on my back and a bounty on our heads. He needs closure, and to be safe, and returned to the warmth and love of his family. His family deserves it. The poor man was just in the wrong place with a bunch of whacko wannabes using him as bait to lure our team. He was just collateral damage.

An hour later another update from Tank. I was grateful for any news from the outside connected with this massive stuff up.

"It's confirmed. Because of our good friends at the TPD in Carl and Eddie, while the fucktard was chilling in the drunk tank, Hector was able to access all the data on Morelli's phone. And, while he was sleeping it off, we also acquired access to his laptop. Now that has been interesting reading. Despite trying to hide it in a hidden email folder within another unrelated folder, not even encrypted, Hector was able to access it readily. Rangeman, he's a loose cannon. He's been planning this for some time."

I growled.

"We even investigated the likelihood of any other local involvement but they were all dead ends. Even that J trinket on Morelli's key ring, which Stephanie confirmed were Jacinta and Julietta as his side pieces. But either could possibly indicate known players. You know … as in Joyce, or Jeanne they were not involved. We even explored the options of Lula, since she has been a reckless liability, more than she was ever before."

I scoffed at that.

"I have always reckoned that Lula was frequently the cause of many of the weird situations Stephanie found herself in. Yes, reckless. Abandoning her at the scene before the cops arrived and her loud-mouthed approach to their skips. What else?"

"Apparently, Morelli seemed to know more about Stephanie's movements than he would normally. He seemed to conveniently appear in the same vicinity when they arrived, happening to be in the neighbourhood, just after they did. It turns out, that he had Lula keeping him informed and updated of her recent skips. Cal had cottoned onto this as well. He was wary of Morelli's change of behaviour, seeming kind of desperate, and kept me apprised. That was the time when Stephanie severed her ties with Vinnie. Lula was running interference so many times and they happened to cross paths with Morelli at unexpected times, Cal became suspicious of Morelli's tactics. Lula was none too subtle."

I growled once more, running my hands over my face in frustration.

"She severed ties with Vinnie? Great. Good move."

"She now works from Rangeman, with Cal as her partner, as you know. Vinnie was bitching about one of their skips and complaining about having to deal with Lula's demanding shit. However, all their skips were recovered. Stephanie told him what she thought."

"I'm done with your bitching. We brought in all the skips. What's your problem? Go fuck yourself, Vinnie. Or find Joyce, or a duck, or whatever bestial thing you're into now. I'm sure Lucille would love to know."

He paled with that parting shot. Cal went with Stephanie, leaving Hal, Hector and I to have a few choice, firm words, and some subtle reminders with Vinnie. Hector had him screaming with some alone time. Rangeman, we need to think about our commitment to Vincent Plum Bail Bonds."

"Hm, yes. Something to ponder. Go on."

"Yeah, Lula. Her loyalty has become questionable. But it seemed to get worse instead of better. It seems that she has been in cahoots with Morelli. They have been seen together at various places, including that sleazy motel just off the Turnpike. I have strong reservations about her trustworthiness."

I scowled with distaste. Why am I not surprised?

"While we had access to his house when the fucker was in the drunk tank, Hector planted trackers in some of his clothes, especially his motorbike boots and that leather jacket, and of course his truck and the Ducati. We suspect he will make a break and disappear. Works for us. Better that all this shit happens away from the Burg and Trenton. Need to know basis. They don't need to know. Not for public consumption. Keeps Rangeman's involvement clean even though we will be actively involved. Our Handler has willingly engaged some of the Feds but is keen to have our expertise, both from our military experience and the local aspect with Morelli."

"I want in. I want to be there when the arrest is made. I want to see the look on his ugly face. And the other two assholes."

"Funny about that. Those were Stephanie's exact words."

I smiled.

oOo

TBC

All those characters who are familiar are Janet's. Just the mistakes are mine.

My Muse wanted to elaborate some details and share some backstory for the guys. Things don't always go as planned, as Muses can also be fickle, and particular, in a fussy way.

The end is nigh. Muse is rubbing her hands together gleefully with a wicked cackle.