So it's been a minute. My apologies, please enjoy this chapter as a peace offering for my 9 year hiatus.

Chapter 25

I tried to suppress a shiver, but it must have been unsuccessful because I felt the arm around my shoulder tighten in what I interpreted as reassurance. I was cold and damp, my nose filled with the scent of my own singed hair that hung down in random bits that had escaped from its up-do. But all of that was merely occupying the periphery of my mind, my main focus saved for the searing pain that radiated from my arm.

Curious about the state of my dress I unfolded the utilitarian fleece blanket that hung over my shoulders and glanced down, immediately wishing I hadn't. The delicate beaded fabric was a rumpled mess with sections of it torn, other spots singed and the right side liberally dotted with dark spots I knew to be my own blood. Lovely. I quickly covered myself again.

I sat in the back of the limo bookended by Rangemen. Bobby sat to my right, eyes fixed on me, watching for signs of shock or hysteria. I was sorry to disappoint him, but I was too exhausted for either. Tank was on my left, his arm wrapped protectively around my shoulders, trying to offer me a sense of safety. It wasn't his fault it wasn't working. If some crazy could come within inches of killing me with hundreds of New Jersey law enforcement officers in the room, there wasn't anything that would make me feel safe. Well there wasn't any one thing. There was someone who could, but unfortunately he was MIA at the moment.

Exhausted, I leaned against Tank and let my eyes drift shut. How had the night gone so wrong? It started like a fairytale and ended like a horror story.

I'd had high hopes for the evening, really I did. As much as I was dreading my recurring role as First Lady there were things about tonight I was looking forward to. Dressing up for one, I mean I was a Jersey girl after all. They put Barbies in our cradles. In preschool boys finger paint, girls do eye make-up.

Connie had sent over several fabulous dresses for me to choose from. And the shoes – wow. Well truthfully I chose the shoes first: a fabulously decadent pair of pewter peep toe pumps. There was a heavily beaded strapless sheath that was a perfect match. There were times it was good to be me. Unfortunately they were getting fewer and further between, but I decided to forget about that and just enjoy this one bright spot for the moment.

Ella had made good on her promise to help me get ready for the evening. She was like all of Cinderella's little helpers all bundled up into a Cuban blur. She'd insisted on giving me a manicure and pedicure, all the time regaling me with stories of a young Ranger. It seemed she was not only his housekeeper but his Aunt, or Tia, as well though not by blood. She'd been best friends with Ranger's mother since childhood. Never having children of her own, she treated Ranger and the Rangemen as her sons. It dawned on me at that moment all she did to care for them, the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry…Ranger's laundry, his sheets...

My face went red with the realization. What must she think of me? She knew who I was, who my husband was, and she knew for a fact I'd been sleeping with her nephew. She put my clothes in his closet! I searched her face for a hint of reproach, but found none.

"Ella…" I tried to explain.

She simply patted my leg and assured me, "Stephanie, I've lived long enough to know things are not always what they seem. I know my boys, while they may sometimes walk the line of legally grey, they always choose what is morally right." With that she took off to the closet to fetch my dress.

I would have been more successful with Connie in convincing her I could get ready by myself. Ella would have none of it. She played on my sympathies, musing that she never had a daughter to do things like this for. I refused to let her dress me, but I did need help in zipping it up and what she did to my crazy hair was amazing.

It was only when Lester buzzed up that Ella declared me finished. He escorted me to the garage and the waiting limo. As the door opened Dickie emerged and my heart sank a little. Of course I was going with my husband, the Governor, I chided myself. The whole time I'd been getting ready it wasn't Dickie I'd been thinking of, dressing for. The reality of the mess my life had become hit me.

I swallowed my disappointment and allowed Dickie to kiss my cheek before helping me into the car. He tried to hide the fact that he'd been aiming for my lips and sat next to me, a little closer than I would have liked. We rode to the hotel with Bobby, and Lester. Dickie questioned the Rangemen about the case and any news on the stalker. I only half listened as they gave him a vague indication that we were making progress. While they discussed the case I stared out the window watching the city blocks pass by.

As we pulled up to the hotel I was struck with a realization. This was the same hotel we'd been at just a week ago when this whole thing started. I thought of how different my life was now. But bitterly I thought to myself, was it really any different? There was no way out of this for me, there would be no happily ever after. Dickie made his bed and now I had to lie about it. The only thing that was different was me. This last week I remembered who I was and what or rather who had been missing in my life. But it didn't change anything; all it did was make me sad.

I pushed those thoughts aside and assumed my position, by my husband's side. This was not a date, this was my job and I had work to do.

The evening started out well enough. In fact it was very familiar. There I was on Dickie's arm meeting and greeting New Jersey's boys in blue and people who gave them money. There were some who sincerely supported law enforcement and others who just felt the need to spread good will via the green stuff for their own reasons. Not that I thought there was widespread corruption, but it never hurt to have friends in all of the right places.

Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Connie and Lula had been drafted as dates for the Rangeman, but it didn't look like either one considered it a great hardship. While no one was designated as my bodyguard for the night, I noticed there were always at least two Rangemen within reach. It was like an elegantly choreographed dance as they moved around the room, seemingly at random, but always having my back. They fit in with the crowd, just regular, happy party go-ers, albeit incredibly good looking and heavily armed party go-ers.

But still, I felt Ranger's absence. I scolded myself for being needy. The man had a business to run and other clients; he couldn't be my constant companion. It had been less than a week since we met, but it seemed that even time couldn't escape Ranger's magnetic field. Time seemed to move slower, be denser, more meaningful in his presence.

We schmoozed and smiled for over an hour. Pretending to be enamored with my husband was becoming increasingly more difficult to pull off. I poured it on thick, afraid that someone would be able to see through the charade. Add into the mixture worrying about not one but two stalkers nearly pushed me over the edge. I chatted with old friends while deftly avoiding those I'd rather not deal with. I spoke briefly with my mother-in-law, near the bar of course. I spotted my father-in-law from a distance and was pleased to leave it that way. The crowd was composed largely of those who'd been at the breakfast fundraiser a few days ago, with the addition of the more blue collar police officers.

It wasn't until happy hour was nearly over and my face ached from smiling politely at lame jokes, and I fought every urge to wedge myself out of Dickie's arms when I felt him watching me. Ranger was here. It was the oddest sensation. It wasn't just that someone was watching me, but I knew without a doubt it was him. Rather than being creepy, it was oddly reassuring. It gave me a warm feeling in my bones. When I finally laid eyes on him the warmth spread to other parts of my body. He was dark and sexy, seeing him in his tuxedo brought me back to the night we met. I waited for him to turn towards me, to meet my gaze, but his attention was fixed elsewhere. He was focused on the person next to him, of course I hadn't looked beyond Ranger's fine figure, but when my eyes took in the whole picture, my blood froze. In addition to his stylish tux he'd chosen a busty blond as an accessory.

Why hadn't I realized he'd need a date? All of the other Rangemen had dates and it couldn't very well be you silly, you're here with your husband, I told myself. And lucky me, as it turned out they were to be seated with us. Oh joy! I got to sit through our meal, try to eat and keep up polite conversation and try not to claw her eyes out.

As soon as we sat down she began flirting shamelessly with both Ranger and Dickie. My husband of course couldn't have been more pleased, fresh meat! That, I could stomach, it wasn't the first time I sat at a dinner table while my husband eye-fucked one of the guests. I'd almost become immune to it. Besides if he focused on her for a little while he might lessen up on his strangely renewed interest in me. No, what bothered me was when she set her sights on Ranger. Well of course she would, she was his date you idiot. Well he may have been her date, but he was my…my…my something. I was surprised at the sense of possession that overwhelmed me, but there it was.

While she was flirting shamelessly with my husband I waited for some sign from Ranger, a knowing glance, a quiet word whispered so only I could hear, a brief touch that would make my blood race remembering other ways he'd touched me. But there was nothing. He was painfully polite, but in a sterile, impersonal way. And it hurt, way more than I wanted to dwell on. So instead I focused on the blond bimbo.

It was incredibly irritating to find out she wasn't as dumb as she looked, although she knew how to work the blond, that's for sure. Her name was Jeanne Ellen and in fact she was very polished and perfect, and the complete opposite of me. I knew I was overreacting, but I felt completely inadequate in her presence. She reminded me of the Barbies I played with as a kid. I had a love hate relationship with those stupid dolls, with their idealistic blond beauty and me with my mop of curly brown hair. Maybe that's why I preferred Wonder Woman. I looked at her and Ranger together and suddenly felt queasy. They were a perfect couple, beautiful, smart, strong polished and most importantly single. The claim I felt earlier seemed to weaken.

I swallowed hard which seemed to break Dickie's trance, "You feeling alright sweetheart?" By the time I answered he'd already turned his attention back to Jeanne Ellen. No, I didn't feel alright. I felt uneasy and exposed, but declined to share. At least my sudden fit of jealousy took the edge off of the weariness I had about tonight. I could do this. It was just a dinner party and there were hundreds of police officers in the room. They'd have to be crazy to try something. The fact that stalkers weren't usually known for their mental stability echoed somewhere in the back of my mind.

It was a relief when dinner was over, except that meant it was time to dance and I was already exhausted. I let Dickie lead me out onto the dance floor. He held me close, too close in my estimation. But I really couldn't afford to make a scene so I just suffered through it and pretended it was Ranger, pretty sure my husband was pretending I was that stupid blonde anyway. But it couldn't be Jeanne Ellen he was dancing with because she currently had herself plastered to Ranger, although it didn't look like he minded much. Dickie tried to make small talk with me about the case, but I was focused on the other couples on the dance floor. I was on the lookout for suspects I told myself, not watching to see that Ranger's hands weren't on Jeanne Ellen's ass or vice versa.

I danced with old friends including Carl and Eddie from the Trenton PD whom I assured I was still doing fine. Daddy's best friend Joe Juniak snuck a dance in as well. He just happened to be the Chief of the Trenton Police Department. Uncle Joe always had a soft spot for me. It came in handy that time I ran Joe Morelli over with the Buick. I'm sure it also played a part in the PD's willingness to keep my name out of the report with the fiery Porsche.

Before I knew it I was whisked out of Uncle Joe's arms and into the arms of a tall, dark and dangerous man. But I knew instantly it wasn't Ranger. Dmitri.

"Fancy meeting you here." I tried to keep my voice even and tamp down the irritation I felt at his lack of invitation to dance. Seemingly oblivious to my mood, he gave me a blinding smile. Damn he was handsome, I melted a little. When he didn't make any overtures at conversation, I continued, "Doesn't exactly seem like your kind of crowd."

He shrugged, "It's not."

"Then why are you here?" I politely pressed. As curious as I was I didn't need an angry Greek gun runner on my hands.

He tightened his hold on me, whispering into my ear "I came here to see you." I was suddenly aware of how closely we were dancing and tried unsuccessfully to put a little more distance between us.

"Why?" I didn't hide my shock very well.

He chuckled, "Do I need a reason?"

"Err…yes?" I wasn't in the mood to flirt.

He laughed, his beautiful white teeth contrasting against his warm olive skin. "I wanted to talk to you about the position on the board."

He was charming but I wondered aloud, "Why the sudden interest?"

He thought for a moment before answering, "Let's just say I'm trying to right a wrong." I could understand that. It was why I started the foundation in the first place. Maybe there was a place for Dmitri with us. I always wanted to believe the best about people. Believing a gun runner wanted to become a philanthropist was a bit of a stretch, but hey, it could happen.

I excused myself to visit the ladies room and he reluctantly let me go. I'd consumed a good amount of wine trying to get through dinner and hurried off without making sure I had a bodyguard. I enjoyed a little alone time as I took care of the necessities. After washing up I was staring at myself in the mirror thinking I looked tired. I mean I looked good, the dress was perfect. It was a metallic sheath dress with a deep v neckline, showing just enough cleavage. The whole dress was lace with beaded accents, but the woman who looked back at me seemed to be a stranger. I shook my head at the thought; the strain of the evening was getting to me. It was easier to play the part before I realized I wanted more, that I could be more than just the good wife. I shivered, feeling cold in more ways than one, once again reminded of how in my daily life I was just going through the motions.

I was in the midst of having my own little pity party when I heard the outer door open and a voice I would recognize anywhere made me shudder. Joyce. Not in the mood to deal with her I slipped back into the stall and quickly shut the door.

Joyce's shrill cackle pierced the air followed by a low sophisticated chuckle. I peeked through the slats in the stall door and saw Joyce and Jeanne Ellen side by side in front of the mirror. Jeanne Ellen took out her compact and lipstick, why, I don't know, her make-up was perfect. Joyce on the other hand was a hot mess. She'd squeezed her fake boobs and implanted ass into a green sequined dress two sizes too small. She looked like a mermaid prostitute.

I saw her size up Jeanne Ellen in the mirror before making her approach. "I haven't seen you at one of these events before. Are you new on the circuit?" The circuit? She made her dating life sound like a NASCAR event. Well estimating the number of people who've seen what's underneath her hood it might not be a poor comparison.

Jeanne Ellen's elegant laugh echoed off the bathroom tiles. "This isn't my normal scene. I'm just helping out a friend."

Joyce gave her a knowing and creepy smile. "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine sort of an arrangement?" Ick, anything that Joyce scratched would need an antibiotic ointment and probably a shot of penicillin as well.

In the mirror I saw Jeanne Ellen's eyes narrow ever so slightly as she reassessed Joyce. "Something like that." She answered.

Oblivious to the change, Joyce prodded, "So I bet you have a pretty hot night planned."

Turning back to the mirror Jane Ellen threw over her shoulder, "Oh honey you can't imagine what my night is going to be like." I can! I wanted to scream and I wouldn't be imagining.

Joyce looked like she might start drooling, "Well if I had friends like yours I'd be happy to help them out too." She chuckled at her own whit and pressed, "Your date, I've seen him before. Maybe he needs some more friends."

Jeanne Ellen smacked together her newly glossed lips and responded, "I don't think my friends are your sort of friends."

Indignant, Joyce blurted out, "What do you mean?"

With a slight shrug of her shoulders she laid it out for her, "Let's just say that people have different interests, some a little more different than others." I interpreted this to mean you are a big skanky ho and not classy enough to wipe my shoes, but maybe I was reading too much into it.

Pretty sure that was the same thing Joyce took it to mean too because her face turned as red as her fish lips. She turned on her heel and stormed out of the restroom.

"You can come out now." Jeanne Ellen caught my eye in the mirror. Rats. Reluctantly I slid out of the stall and joined her at the mirror.

"Ranger sent me to check on you. He's trying to keep a low profile, but you're making him nervous." She sounded like she wasn't too thrilled to be relaying the message. Feeling like a scolded child I turned stiffly and headed for the door. Seemingly oblivious to my reaction she looped her arm through mine like we were good friends and steered me towards the door, "Come on, plenty more man candy out there to appreciate. And you know the best thing about man candy?" I shook my head and she smiled, "No calories." I started to tell her to keep her sticky hands off my man candy, but stopped short when I realized we weren't alone.

Joyce was back and standing in front of us, blocking the door. Through her trout pout she sneered, "That's something you should watch. Wouldn't want you to gain any weight, don't need to give that husband of yours any more reason to stray."

I winced, her words hitting a little too close to home. Without thinking I lashed out, "I don't care who he's screwing, as long as it isn't your nasty ass." I heard Jeanne Ellen unsuccessfully try to stifle a snort of laughter.

Joyce's big fake fish lips hung open in shock. Snapping out of it she lunged for me, but Jeanne Ellen pushed me out of the way and tripped Joyce who went sprawling across the floor. Not pausing to see how she was going to react, we stepped out of the ladies' room and instantly burst into a fit of giggles. Damn, I still didn't want to like Jeanne Ellen, but now she'd helped me out and I owed her. Well, she was only doing it because of Ranger I rationalized and cancelled out the debt in my head.

Ranger and Dickie were waiting for us just inside the dining room. My husband looked thrilled to see us and if I could read anything into Ranger's expression he looked on edge. Before I knew what was happening Jeanne Ellen asked Dickie to dance in a way that made it sound like it was his idea. I had to hand it to her, the woman was smooth. Didn't mean I had to like her. I waited for Ranger to lead me to the dance floor, but he spoke into his sleeve and then he was gone. To say I was disappointed was a gross understatement. Connie and Hal quickly took his place and we made small talk, I tried to see where Ranger went, but he was like smoke. I didn't like how I felt when he was away from me. I felt vulnerable and needy. I was about to excuse myself to go find him when there was a tap on my shoulder.

It was Joe, asking if he could dance with me. I was reluctant to agree, I really wanted to go find Ranger. I needed to feel safe. I knew being in Joe's arms wasn't dangerous, not for me anyway. But if he didn't keep his hands above sea level he was going to be in a world of hurt. While I felt we'd reached some sort of truce yesterday he had a funny gleam in his eye. It was the same one that made me give it up to him when I was sixteen. We danced a while, him trying to pull me closer, me trying to keep a respectable distance between us. He tried to talk to me about the case, but I deflected any questions while trying to redirect his wandering hands.

"Joe, just what is it you think you're doing?" I was tired of this game.

He just shrugged and smiled, I think he'd had a little bit to drink. "Just being friendly."

I rolled my eyes, "Remember I told you, I already have a friend?"

He looked a bit sheepish and backed off, "Well, if you ever need another friend…" He didn't get to finish his sentence because the song ended and Ranger abruptly removed me from Joe's embrace and steered me back to the table. When did he come back? Where had he been? Somewhere with Jeanne Ellen I'm sure. I grimaced. He'd been extremely quiet and distant all evening, well, quiet even for Ranger, but I figured he was as on edge as I was.

I sat down to a luscious piece of chocolate cheesecake, one that looked to have the capacity for making me forget all of my troubles. Reaching for my dessert fork I had a pang of déjà vu seeing the familiar white envelope peeking out from under my plate. Well shit. I got a little light headed and tried like hell not to go pale. Focusing back on my dessert plate, rather than what was under it, I made a decision. It was a beautiful cheesecake and it would be such a shame if it were to go to waste. And that's exactly what would happen if I were to read the note. I'd lose my appetite completely. Taking the first bite I knew I was just stalling, but I couldn't seem to help myself. I had no control over a lot of my life right now, but I'd be damned if I let this bastard ruin my dessert.

I could feel his eyes on me, but refused to look at him. Ranger had seen my reaction, I'm sure, but he let me have my time. When I finished polishing off my champagne I finally looked up and he caught my eye. It was the first time all night I recognized the man who looked back at me. He raised one eyebrow and gave a slight nod my plate. I gave him a weak smile in return and a slight shrug of my shoulders. He gave me a reassuring smile and I took a deep breath and slid the envelope out from under my plate and into my lap.

The next few moments seemed to move in slow motion. The lights flickered; there was a loud noise, and the next thing I knew I was under the table with Ranger laying on top of me. I didn't even have time to enjoy it before everything went black.

The limo hit a bump and I jerked back to the present. Tank's grip tightened again and I leaned into him, careful of my arm. It wasn't bad, the bullet just grazed me. But damn it hurt and my dress was a wreck. But partly that had to do with the fire, which was totally not my fault.

Ranger had heard the shot before anything had registered with anyone else. He pulled me under the table, but not before the bullet grazed my arm and continued into the glass candle decoration. It of course shattered and caught on fire. Or at least that's what they told me. When Ranger tackled me I hit my head on the table leg and passed out and when I came to he was gone. Bitterly I remembered Jeanne Ellen was gone too.

I wanted to stay around and help with the investigation, but Tank would have none of it. He said he was under direct orders from Ranger to take me back to Rangeman. I thought about throwing a huge fit and insisting to stay and wait for him, but I didn't have the energy. I yawned and drifted off again.