Chapter 3

Before I went to bed, I used the bathroom mirror to read the marks on my body. Each group of words is written in a different script, indicating I have multiple soulmates. When I was little, Grandpa Plum explained the significance of soulmate marks.

I sat on the toilet as I remembered our conversation. "Your platonic soulmate's first words spoken to you are written in grey on your body," he said as he pointed to the words written on my legs. "While your romantic soulmate's first words are written in black ink," he continued and pointed to the location on my chest. "It's like fate tattooed the words on your body, telling you who are important people, close friend or lover, you may encounter in your life. These words never fade like a man made tattoo, but they do disappear if that person dies. Unfortunately, not all people encounter their romantic soulmate during their lifetime. Over time, you may notice more soulmate marks on your body."

"Why does that happen?" I asked.

"I'm not 100 percent sure, but I think it's because a major event will happen to change the course of your life. Whenever that happens, a new mark tends to appear on your body. Your father had a different romantic soulmate mark on his body. He met her and they were married within a few months. She was pregnant before he left for his last tour in the Army. Unfortunately, she died during childbirth while he was away. You'll need to ask your father about her when you're older. A new romantic soulmate appeared just before he started his Ranger training."

"Mom's words?" I asked.

"Yes, little one, your mom's words. I hope you get to meet your romantic soulmate. My first romantic soulmate mark disappeared when I was a young teenager. A new mark appeared a few years later. I was quite pleased when I met your grandmother," he quickly ended the conversation as he thought about meeting Grandma. I could have asked what he was thinking, but sometimes it's best not to know.

Mom was impatient for me to meet my soulmate. She confessed to manipulating the situation with Dickie. I had a feeling she was attempting to do the same with Morelli, but it would never work. We talked many times and if his words weren't already on my body before our first encounter, I knew they would never show up now. I could only pray I will meet my romantic soulmate before Mom interferes again.

There are 7 groups of words in grey writing on my body, like a tattoo but with grey ink. These are my platonic soulmates. This person or people will love you unconditionally, nurture and protect you until the day you die. Some people have relatives, like cousins or siblings, as their platonic soulmates. I'm not one of those lucky people. None of my platonic soulmates are related to me. I have only met 2 of my platonic soulmates so far, Mary Lou and Eddie.

A romantic soulmate's mark is a group of words written in black ink. Imagine the darkest shade of black. It's nearly impossible to replicate with a man made tattoo. The black shade is difficult to match and doesn't change from skin regeneration. I changed for bed, hoping I could get some sleep tonight. My fingers traced over the letters as I fell into a fitful sleep.

The following morning, Grandma Mazur made me breakfast before I drove her back home. As much as I love my Grandma, she snores and she's a bed hog. I was forced to retreat to the lumpy couch to get a few hours of sleep. Note to self, do not share a bed with Grandma and no more sleepovers. A girl needs her beauty sleep.

I decided to try my luck finding my FTA. It was easy to find Morelli, but I knew I was out of my league in apprehension techniques. I decided to swallow my pride and ask Connie for help. "Hi Connie," I greeted as I entered the Bonds office.

"Hi Steph. How's the search going for Morelli?"

"Alright. I've been finding him, but he keeps slipping through my fingers. I could really use some help. There must be somebody who can help me become a badass bounty hunter."

"I have just the person in mind. He owes me a favour. Give me a minute to call him." I listened as she called a guy named Ranger. What kind of name is that? Who would name their child Ranger? She wrote a few things on paper before ending the call. "Here's where to meet him. He doesn't have a lot of free time, so try to get there on time." She glanced outside, noticing my car for the first time. "Is that your car with the word 'Pussy' painted on the side?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I was on Stark Street asking a couple of hookers, Lula and Jackie, if they'd seen Morelli in the area. They promised to keep an eye out for him. While we were talking, a few teenagers decided to add 'character' to my car," I admitted.

"Ranger's full name is Ricardo Carlos Manoso. He used to be special forces and is a second generation Cuban-American. You'll know who he is the second you meet him. Be careful on Stark St. Remember to stay north of Comstock St and south of Seventh," she warned. She didn't need to remind me where the Comstock Slayers gang territory was located. Everyone in Trenton knew to avoid those blocks.

I went home to change for my meeting and decided to visit my Dad for lunch. There was still plenty of time before I had to meet with Ranger at 2 pm. When I called, Dad said, "Your Grandma and Mom had hair appointments so I'll be alone for lunch. I would love to spend some time with you, Pumpkin." Spending one on one time with Dad always relaxes me and makes me smile.

"I would love to meet you for lunch. I'll be there soon." I drove the few blocks into the burg and parked in front of the house. Nobody answered when I knocked on the door. Using my key to unlock the door and called out, "Hello! Daddy?"

"In the kitchen Pumpkin." Dad was busy reheating leftover pizza in the microwave.

I sniffed the air to see if I can guess the toppings. "It smells good. Spicy sausage, peppers, mushrooms, onions and extra cheese?" I asked.

"You better believe it," he laughed. It was our favourite pizza from Pino's. Mom only liked pepperoni on her pizza, which in my opinion was very boring, just like the woman herself.

He handed me a plate containing 3 slices of pizza. His only had 2 slices. "You can have this one Daddy," I offered to trade.

"It's alright Pumpkin. I can reheat soup if I'm still hungry." We ate in companionable silence. Eating lunch with Dad was calming my nerves. "Why are you so nervous?" he asked.

"Oh. I'm not too nervous now. Connie asked another BEA to meet me this afternoon. Hopefully he can train me how to capture Joseph Morelli."

"What's his name?"

"She called him Ranger."

"What kind of name is Ranger?" he asked.

"His real name is Ricardo Carlos Manoso. What happens if he refuses to help me?" I started shaking.

He seemed a bit surprised when I mentioned the BEA's name. "Pumpkin. Tell me what else is going on. There has to be another reason why you're so nervous."

"I don't know. My spidey sense is telling me this is a very important meeting. I feel my life will change once I meet him. Should I be worried? I'm not sure if it's a good or bad feeling." He noticed me rubbing the spot where my romantic soulmate mark is located.

"I have a strong feeling it would be a very good thing," he simply stated.

"From your lips to God's ears, Daddy. Thank you for lunch. I should wash my hands and get to my meeting. Last night I was thinking about the time Grandpa Plum told me about my soul marks. He mentioned something about your first romantic mark. Can you tell me about her?" I asked as I used the kitchen sink to wash my hands.

"You need to get to your meeting. How about we make a date for Thursday night? Pino's?"

"That would be great Daddy. I love spending time with you," I confessed. "I'll let you know how this meeting goes." Before I left, I kissed Dad's cheek and hugged him goodbye. Dad seemed very quiet after I mentioned Ranger's real name. I wonder what that was all about.

It took me almost 20 minutes to find the diner located a few blocks from the Bonds office. There was still 15 minutes until I had to meet Ranger, but I really didn't want to be late. Connie mentioned he was busy and would refuse to wait even 1 minute past 2 pm so I had better get to the diner on time. I parked my car in the empty spot next to a new black SUV. When I entered the diner, I felt a tingling sensation on the back of my neck. I involuntarily touched my neck as I searched around the diner. In the back booth, with his back to the wall, sat a gorgeous man dressed in black with mocha latte skin and brown eyes. His shiny dark hair was pulled into a ponytail. He was watching people enter the diner. My eyes met his and I felt myself being pulled towards him. I knew instantly this was Ranger.

"Hi Batman, I'm Stephanie Plum." I held my hand out for him to shake. When he touched my hand, I felt an electric charge pass between us. It radiated throughout my body, warming me from head to toe, cementing our invisible connection. "Connie told me to meet you here," I continued. I watched as surprise briefly passed across his face before he shut down the emotion. His face became unreadable, like the blank face I occasionally see on Dad. I wonder if all Army men learn how to use the blank face to mask their emotions.

He quickly assessed me and said, "Babe." I quickly released his hand to touch the soul mark. 'Why did I call him Batman? He must think I'm crazy,' I thought as I sat in the chair across from him. 'I wonder if this is his writing on my body.' "I don't think you're crazy for calling me Batman. Judging where you're rubbing, I'm assuming my word is written there?" he asked as he pointed to my hand. He touched his chest and said, "I wonder if your words are written here. Before we reveal our marks, lets discuss the reason for our meeting today."

Wow. It's all business before pleasure. I felt my face flush when I saw his lips twitch. "Sorry, I have a habit of speaking my thoughts. Don't worry, it's never anything confidential. Just my personal thoughts or observations." He chuckled.

"Good to know. Connie said you need me to teach you how to become a badass bounty hunter. Why do you want to be a bounty hunter?" he asked, assessing how serious I was regarding my career choice.

"Honestly? It was the only job I could find. That's my car," I pointed to the POS Nova parked beside the sleek black SUV. "I even had to blackmail my cousin Vinnie into hiring me."

"Okay, so you need money. Is there any other reason?" he asked. I mumbled, 'I need steady employment and taking that scumbag Morelli back to jail won't hurt either.'

He laughed, "There's no way you'll be able to capture him Babe. It's not like you're chasing after the typical untrained criminal. Morelli is a cop. He has skills and knows how to fly under the radar."

"Let me make myself clear, I need this job. I need to capture Morelli because my car was repossessed. The car I currently own is a POS, my refrigerator is empty and rent is due in a few weeks. I don't have too much energy to waste on socializing. Are you going to help me or not?" I demanded.

Smiling, he answered, "Babe. I will definitely help you. We can have fun being Professor Higgins and Eliza Doolittle as we capture the scofflaws in Trenton." His smile mesmerized me. I have never seen such a handsome face.

"What do I call you?" I purred.

"Use my street name Ranger while we're in public. In private, please call me Carlos," he growled in a sexy bedroom voice. Damn, I just ruined my panties. I watched his eyes darken.

"Out loud?" I asked. Unable to find his voice, he nodded. "I really need to learn how to control that habit."

"I find it endearing. It certainly helps to know what you're thinking."

We made plans to meet tomorrow so I could purchase a gun, handcuffs and pepper spray. "Once we purchase your gun, I'll help you apply for a license to carry concealed," he promised. He walked me to my car and held the door open as I sat in the driver's seat.

"Why do I need a permit? Almost everyone in Trenton own a gun and they definitely do not have a permit to carry concealed."

"I want you to work with me. I've recently started my own business called Rangeman. It's imperative for you to have a permit. Let me follow you home so we can see if our marks are written on each other." He leaned into the car and lightly kissed my cheek.

"Okay. If you get lost, just follow the smoke," I joked.

It took 15 minutes to arrive at my apartment. I was unlucky and had to park my car beside the dumpster. Ranger obviously was luckier, he was able to park near the door.

"How did you get that parking spot?" I complained as I met him by the door.

"The car pulled out as you were backing your car into the space beside the dumpster," he answered.

Of course he's not only a sexy Cuban Adonis, but he has great parking karma too. He started laughing. "Out loud?" I asked.

"Yes Babe. It was out loud. You are very good for my ego," he huskily said.

He reached for my hand to entwine our fingers together. I felt the same electric charge pass between us. His thumb gently stroked mine as I led him towards the elevator.

I couldn't stop myself from staring at this gorgeous Cuban Adonis holding my hand. It was unbelievable to have him fated to be my romantic soulmate. As we held hands, I knew he would be mine forever.