Chapter 17

Stephanie leaned against the fender of Alan's Lexus and sighed as she tried to find the words to explain. Finally, she decided on the truth, or at least a very small part of it. "Alan, when I moved here years ago it was after my husband died. I've told you that before." He nodded. "What I didn't tell you is that I was also getting away from a very bad situation. I had to get out and once I did, I never looked back. Today, my past caught up with me."

"Your past?" he questioned. "Who is that man? Is he one of the people you were trying to get away from?"

"No! His name is Carlos Mañoso. I haven't seen him for a very long time."

"You seem pretty familiar…"

"He was, that is, he is a good friend."

"An old lover?"

Stephanie hesitated. She didn't want to lie. "Alan, what you saw, it's not what it looked like. I can't really go into detail now, but I will tell you as soon as I can. You're going to have to trust me."

"I do trust you. It's just that I thought we were exclusive."

"We are!"

"You're important to me, Stephanie. You know that. I love you."

She was quiet wondering how to respond. "I care about you, Alan." It was as far as she could go. Before last evening she might have been able to answer in kind.

"I thought we'd moved a little beyond that, but I'll take what I can get," he said. "What I want most right now is an explanation for what was going on when I found you and who are those people."

Stephanie realized they'd be talking in circles if the conversation continued. She had to get back inside and figure out what was going on herself! "I'll come to your place, tonight," she told him. "We can have dinner and then maybe I can sort everything out for you. Right now, I'm still trying to sort things out for myself."

Grudgingly, he acquiesced. She watched him drive off and then turned to go back inside, only to be met by Tank coming out.

"I knew I saw you!" she exclaimed. "Last week, I knew it was you."

He grinned. "You didn't see me."

"I saw your massive hulking shadow creeping up behind me."

"But you didn't see me," he said.

"Tank, what's going on? Why is Lester's son with my daughter and why are you here? Is the danger over?"

"I don't think so," he said. "I've brought a friend with me. Her name is Althea and she runs the WITSEC program…the federal program which includes Trenton and all of Jersey. She's going to help us figure this out. She's at the hotel right now, because I thought it would be better if I was alone when we were reintroduced. I didn't know Ranger was here, because he hasn't been answering my calls, although I had a suspicion. And I sure as hell didn't know your daughter was here. But maybe this is a good thing. I'm going to go get Althea and bring her back and then we'll talk this thing out."

She stayed on her driveway and watched Tank get into a black SUV and drive off. It was probably a rental, but it looked like a RangeMan vehicle and for a moment her mind wandered into forbidden territory…the past. She refocused on the here and now, but her memory wanted to linger on other times. She couldn't let that happen. And RangeMan no longer existed anyway. Ranger had told her of his decision to sell and his subsequent accident the night before. She couldn't go back to the time before and she didn't want to, but certain memories kept tugging at the edge of her mind refusing to be completely buried.

Sighing resolutely, she stiffened her spine and walked back into her condo to find her daughter waiting for her as if to pounce. Lester's son, Luke, was sitting on her sofa looking completely at ease but staring at Cally intently. Stephanie took a moment to just stare at him. He was so eerily reminiscent of the Lester she remembered. And suddenly without warning it happened.

She was in Trenton, at Ranger's apartment. It was one of the few times she'd been in the apartment along with the other men. They were getting ready to do what they casually referred to as redecorating, and Ranger had asked her to participate. He always seemed to know when she needed the money. Lester was staring at her wondering just how connected she was to his boss. He'd never made it a secret that he was attracted, but to be honest, if you were female then Lester was attracted. She was waiting for his corny pick-up line, but before he could say anything Tank and Ranger entered the apartment, and everyone snapped to attention. They were about to get their individual assignments for the op.

She had to listen carefully, to hear what Ranger was going to make her do. She hoped she didn't have to use her gun. It made her so uncomfortable. She hoped she'd be partnered with Hal. She laughed out loud knowing that Hal was terrified of her.

"Mom! Talk to me and quit laughing like that. You're scaring me."

Stephanie felt Cally's hands on her shoulders directing her to the sofa where Luke stood to make room for her. She was shaking, but she wasn't sure why. And why was Cally in Ranger's apartment? She shook her head in confusion and allowed Cally to pull her gently down onto the sofa and sit alongside her.

"Mom, is it a panic attack? Do I need to call the doctor?"

Stephanie sat unmoving on the sofa. She waited for things to come back into focus and slowly they did. Cally was worried she was having a panic attack, but she knew she wasn't. She realized she hadn't been in Ranger's apartment, but rather in her own condo in Brunswick far, far from Trenton. She'd just had a flashback. She'd never had one before, but she'd heard about people that did, and that was the only explanation for the brief, almost out-of-body experience she'd just had.

Stephanie was aware of Cally's arm wrapped around her shoulders and she could feel herself trembling as Cally pulled her close. "I'm all right," Stephanie said. "It's just that…I've had a lot to deal with in the last day."

"That's true," Cally said. "I've known Carlos was your missing Ranger for a while, but you've only known for a day."

"How am I going to explain this to Alan?" Stephanie asked.

"Maybe soon the need for secrecy will be over," Cally said. "Carlos will get this figured out and then you can tell Alan and Aunt Nora the whole story. That would be great, right?"

Stephanie's eyes filled with tears. "No, it wouldn't be great. I don't think I can talk about it."

"Here," Luke said. He'd left the room once they had Stephanie settled on the sofa and returned with a glass of water. He held it to her and wrapped his hand over her trembling one as she took a drink before she handed it back to him.

She'd never had panic attacks. She'd just used them as an excuse for the times when her spidey sense would go crazy. To explain her agitation during those times when she'd felt Ranger. But maybe now she actually was having them. Who could blame her? There was concern showing on both her daughter's face and on Lester's … Luke! She'd have to start thinking of him as Luke. She was worrying her daughter. She needed to pull herself together, and maybe it was a mom thing, because suddenly she found the strength to reassure Cally.

"I'm okay," Stephanie said. "Truly. I just got knocked a little sideways when everyone arrived at once."

Luke laughed. "That was some fancy Kung-Fu you did," he said. "I think it was the others that got knocked sideways. You seemed to be in control."

"Judo," Stephanie said. "Looks can be deceiving, because in the hallway, there was no control." Luke grinned broadly and she found herself returning his smile a little hesitantly, but sincerely. Like his father, he seemed to have ready good humor.

"You asked me what was going on when I first came in, I think." She looked at Cally for confirmation.

"I did," her daughter said.

"I asked Tank the same question," Stephanie said. "I didn't get a good answer. I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow afternoon and you didn't tell me you were bringing anyone home with you."

"I didn't bring him," Cally said. "He came all on his own. Carlos hired Luke to be my bodyguard. Apparently, he and Tank think I need one. And I'm here because you weren't answering your phone. I thought something was wrong with you. Now, I know why you weren't answering."

"It was because I'd just seen someone who'd been dead to me for many years," Stephanie said. As she said it, she realized Ranger was missing. Hopefully he was putting on a shirt. It was easier to deal with a fully covered Ranger.

"I didn't answer my phone because I accidentally left it at the office," Stephanie said. "I brought Ranger home with me last night, and I wasn't thinking clearly when we left."

"I get that," Cally said. "I was almost non-functional the day I realized my patient was someone from your past. The thing is, I came home early because I thought you were in trouble. You sounded strange on the phone and I thought maybe you weren't well. I thought you were having some sort of panic attack. And now I'm sure of it!"

"I'm fine," Stephanie said once again, but even as she said it she knew it wasn't the truth. Her entire life was in chaos. And Cally showing up with Lester's son, her bodyguard, wasn't good news either. Ranger must seriously think Cally was in danger. Would this never end? How long could the mob go after someone, and why would they after so long?

"Tank said we would talk all this out today," Stephanie said. "He's picking up a friend of his who has something to do with WITSEC at her hotel. Then I think we're all going to sit down and talk."

"Oh! A hotel!" Cally exclaimed. "I told Luke he could stay in the guest room, but we didn't know Carlos was here. We'll have to get him a hotel room. We could do it now and then be back by the time Tank comes back."

"That would be fine," Stephanie said.

"And I'll stop by the gym and get your phone. Thing is, we came by Uber so I'll need to use your car."

"Sure," Stephanie said, weakly. She was starting to feel overwhelmed again. She motioned toward the credenza and then leaned back against the sofa cushions. "You know where the keys are," she told her daughter.

Ranger's voice rang out authoritatively. "There's no need for a hotel, Cally. Luke can stay in the guest room. I'll share your mother's room." The sentence uttered matter-of-factly caused indrawn breaths from both Cally and Stephanie. Stephanie sat up straight and looked closely at Ranger as he walked, fully dressed, into the room. He'd obviously been listening to the conversation.

"Ranger…" Stephanie began, but he cut her off.

"It's a discussion for later, Babe." Then he turned to Cally. "You and Luke can still go get your mother's phone. I'm sure she'll feel more settled once she has it. When you get back, Tank and Althea will be here, and we can begin to sort this out. Luke, what's your schedule like? I'd like you to be involved in this. Cally is going to need someone to watch her back. Can you stay with her?"

"Yeah, sure thing. We have a return flight on Monday. I'm good with it."

"You're going to hear some information that, at least at one time, was classified."

"You don't need to tell me this, sir. I wasn't Special Forces like my dad, but I understand protocol and procedure. I'm here to do a job for you and I'll do it well."

Ranger shook his head. "I wasn't doubting your loyalty or capability. I was just making sure you were okay with taking this beyond the parameters of what we'd initially discussed."

Stephanie had been watching the exchange between Luke Santos and Ranger. Luke reminded her so much of the Lester she remembered. No doubt the Lester of today was a much different person. Another reminder that although she'd left life in Trenton behind, it had continued without her. For so long, she had denied her past, but today that was hard to do. Especially when the most important part of her old life was standing in her house telling her daughter that he was going to share her mother's bed.

"Get donuts," she said to Cally. "I need you to bring home donuts."

"Uh, sure," Cally said. "We'll pick some up." She grabbed her mom's keys and motioned to Luke to follow her. Ranger and Stephanie were once again alone, and Stephanie thought he was looking like he wanted to pick back up where they'd left off.

"Ranger, we can't," she said. "I mean, you can't…" She looked at the floor, unable to meet his gaze.

He interrupted her. "I'm not leaving. I'm also not forcing myself on you. We have a great deal to discuss, and I had planned to do that today, but now Tank is here, Cally is here and there are other things to be discussed. I've known of your existence for a few weeks. You didn't have that luxury, so this is all being dumped on you at once, and that's got to be hard on you. I won't push you. I'll abide by any rules you set, but I'm not leaving. Not until you tell me you want me gone. Are you telling me that?"

"No. I don't know if I've fully realized you're here. I don't want you to leave, it's just..."

"We are going to hash out what happened all those years ago, and when that's taken care of, we will talk about you and me. Until then, I'm staying here. You owe me, Babe."

Stephanie's head rose from her previous contemplation of her Aubusson rug. "I owe you?" she asked incredulously.

"You do. Many is the night I shared my bed, platonically, with you when you had nowhere else to go. When your commitment to Morelli wouldn't allow you to make love with me. I'm asking for the same favor in return. I need a place to rest my head."

"Platonically?"

"You can trust me, Steph. I won't cross any line you don't want me to."

And that's the entire problem, she thought.