AN: Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews & for sticking with me. Now a chapter you have all been waiting for... please let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Vivo Pensando en Ti by Felipe Pélaez and Maluma
"Yo no sé qué va a pasar
Pero sé que pongo en riesgo
Nuestros días de amistad
Ay no sé cómo sucedió
Pero ya el papel de amigo y confidente me dolió
Y vivo pensando en ti
Y sé que eso no es normal
Porque te conozco
Porque reconozco que eso no fue nuestro plan
Y sigo pensando en si
Y sé que eso no es normal
Pero ya te sueño
Y todo lo que siento no lo puedo controlar"
Defining Moments
Chapter 15: Undercover
Ranger's POV
The last month has been complete hell. After watching Stephanie and Santos kiss I realize I need to step up to the plate. It's obvious now that she and the cop will not be getting back together. I'm shocked, but relieved. I know I pushed her back to him once, but I would never make that mistake again. It's just hard knowing I have so many enemies because she can hardly take care of herself. I guess if I showed her what I want then she would work harder to keep herself safe. I know I was just lying to myself to keep her at a distance. I shake my head to clear myself of these thoughts. I need to be focused tonight.
I scan the crowd continuously. There's nothing like the nightmare of a formal event to keep an eye on your mark. I'm wearing an Armani tux in the darkest blue they had. Not my normal black, but the suit works. The white shirt is freshly pressed and crisp against my skin. I want to lose the bow tie, but I can't in this crowd. One wrong move is a faux pas that could mean all eyes on me. Not something I can afford now especially since I'm in with part of a crowd that could recognize me.
My eyes are drawn to the immaculate entrance and the diplomats coming through. When I was called on my last mission, I never expected it to be on American soil. My eyes narrow as I recognize some mob faces from Trenton. Interesting crowd here tonight. Hopefully, my partner gets what we need.
I walk over to the bar to grab something to drink. I need to blend in and keep cover. A tingle runs through my body, and my hand absentmindedly goes to the back of my neck. Funny, that usually only happens when Stephanie is close by. I look at the right side of the bar and see a tall man with piercing blue eyes staring at me. He looks familiar, however, I can't place him. His face is blank, but I have a feeling he knows me. I don't like when someone knows me, and I don't know them. We continue our staring match. My eyes are drawn to a movement as a woman in a white dress with blue patterns outlined in gold puts a hand on his arm. The dress is strapless and beautiful. I follow the creamy white skin up to her neck, and I feel like I know her. The man is still staring at me, but I see his lips move as he says something to the woman beside him. A tinkle of laughter from her is like a bucket of ice water. I know that laugh.
"Quinn, that's ridiculous!" I hear her voice say before she turns. Time seems to slow as she turns, and my heart beats wildly as I recognize the woman before me. As soon as our eyes meet a zap of electricity seems to go through me. Any trace of a good time is immediately gone from her features, and she pales noticeably. Neither of us moves for a moment, but I realize I need to move before my cover is broken. I walk over and extend a hand. I place a kiss on hers and hold onto it for a moment before letting go. I feel the zing that goes through me from the contact. She always had that effect on me and it hasn't diminished with time. I was a fool to think about keeping her as a friend and at arm's length would work.
"I couldn't help staring at such a beautiful woman," I start with some flirting, "My name is Marc Pardo. And you are?" I see her brow furrow in confusion. She knows my real name, but that could mean death for me tonight. She nods slowly, and I see understanding in her eyes.
"Stephanie Plum," she replies before cutting her eyes to the man beside her. They seem so comfortable together. Are they an item? My heart aches at the thought especially since I'm ready to move our relationship to more. This damn mission gave her time to get over me and Morelli. Now she has a new guy and it seems like they get along well. I notice he moves so his arm is around her waist, and she doesn't seem surprised by it. He's staking a claim. The man extends a hand.
"Quinn Rivers," he states, and I feel like he's giving me a warning with his eyes. I take the time to look him over. He's wearing a traditional black tux with a bow tie. He looks Italian. He's in shape and something about him seems very familiar. Stephanie breaks our stare off.
"So…Marc Pardo…what brings you here to New York?" she questions, and I can see all the questions burning in her mind.
"Business." I say no more which is probably for the best because at that exact moment I see the movement of my partner. Just what I don't need. I think seeing a bullet through her brain would give me joy and it's thoughts like that which make me realize Stephanie is too good for me.
"Marc, honey, there you are," she purrs before grabbing my arm and joining my side. I can see Stephanie stiffen almost instantly. Quinn notices and pulls her closer and presses a kiss to the side of her forehead. My jaw clenches as I notice the intimacy they share. I can see an evil glint in Jeanne's eyes. God this is a clusterfuck. Jeanne extends a hand.
"Emelyn Pardo," she says with a Cheshire cat grin. I want to smack the smug look off of her face. She's just mad because I won't give her the time of day. Quinn shakes her hand first and then Stephanie does. I see Steph get distracted and her eyes move to someone in the distance. I see her subtly elbow Quinn before her lips skim the shell of his ear and she whispers something to him. I feel my heart contract at their contact. He nods before turning to us with an apologetic smile. I'm honestly surprised she took the Jeanne thing so well and without any change in facial expression. What in the hell is going on with my Babe?
"I apologize, but we just saw someone we really must say hi to," he explains, "It was great meeting the two of you. Enjoy the rest of your evening." Steph mutters a goodbye before they rush away. They look like they're in a hurry, but trying to seem natural. Something is definitely going on with those two. I turn to glare at Jeanne.
"Was that necessary?" I ask with a sigh. She shrugs and smirks at me.
"Come on honey," she says teasingly, "I saw you standing with them and I just had to." I suppress an eye roll. I've hated every minute of working with Jeanne. She's a good agent, but a horrible partner. She's better on her own but the brass said we were the two most qualified for the mission. It's been a long six months. Tank had given me two updates on Stephanie since I left, and he didn't have much to say. He mentioned her working on a dangerous case, but that she seems more confident. He failed to mention her spending time with this guy. Hell, even when I visited that one night I hadn't even realized that guy was there. I'm getting sloppy. All I can think of is her. I make a mental note to call Tank as soon as I can. I need information. Getting out of my thoughts, I turn back to the mission at hand.
"Were you able to get to his computer?" I question quietly before taking a sip of the Brandy. I had completely forgotten about my drink during that encounter.
"Check. It was easy," she replies. Even her voice is starting to get on my nerves. I nod. We scan the crowd and find our mark. Sebastian Ibañez is a slum lord from Honduras. He's been in the United States for the past year, and we've been hearing some concerning stuff. We've been doing reconnaissance on him for a while. I've even infiltrated his organization. He's planning a big attack. We're trying to find more of his partners before we take him out. He's been staying in this house with his big mob supporters. They've been working together to supply arms to the gangs in Honduras. I hear they also help move drugs. We know he has partners here tonight; we just don't know who. Hopefully, whatever Jeanne recovered from the computer will give us the particulars for his plan or some names of his associates.
I can't help but let my eyes wander over the crowd, looking for a certain crazy haired brunette. She looked stunning tonight. Damn this mission. I should have never left our last meeting so abruptly. I could have taken a second to say more to her about my feelings. Now she's with a man seemingly worthy of her affection. Or he better be worthy. My fingers itch to call Tank now. I want a full report on Quinn Rivers. How and why did he appear so out of the blue? And, how did he seem to have such a close relationship with my Babe in such a short time period?
I hope I still have a shot in hell. My heart feels like it's in a vice grip when I see the two of them moving in sync on the dance floor. I have to admit they make a good couple. His skin tone is only a hint darker than hers and her creamy complexion looks good next to his. They're chatting during the dance and whatever he says makes her laugh. Knowing I can't do much for my mission now, I need to get over to her. Dammit, I want my chance with her. A chance I thought I still had after her admitting her feelings to me. My feet move on their own accord. I stride over to the two of them, and the song changes exactly as I approach.
"May I cut in?" I question. I see Quinn probing her face for any indication that she doesn't want to. It's like a blow to the gut. He obviously knows something about me. I must have passed the test because he places Stephanie's hand in mine. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding.
I put one hand on her hip and the other in my palm. Her blue eyes are a dark sapphire that pull me in. I can't help but pull her closer. Her hand seems to fit perfectly in mine. She seems nervous but isn't saying anything. I try to figure out what changed with her. She seems a bit slimmer, but not in a bad way. I always thought she looked gorgeous before. I realize she seems taller and there's a light in her eyes I don't remember seeing before. We move fluidly together on the dance floor with the soft ballroom music in the background. I know I should be more aware of my surroundings at this time, but my vision is blurred around the edges and all I see is Stephanie. I can feel the energy humming between us-it's always been electric.
I spin her around, and I can tell she wasn't expecting it because she breaks out into a grin as we go a little faster as the tempo of the music increases. After the spin, I have the excuse to pull her even closer and the momentum has her pressed snug against my chest. Her hair is beautifully done in a half updo and in her natural curls.
"You really look stunning, Babe," I inform her and a light blush fills her cheeks.
"Thank you. You do too," she replies before glancing at my suit, "I like the blue." I let out a chuckle knowing she's not used to seeing me in anything besides black. Maybe I should introduce some more color into my wardrobe. We continue dancing and I wish we were together instead of me on a mission as Marc Pardo.
"So how did you meet Quinn?" I ask, deciding to bite the bullet. Her eyes scan the crowd and her mouth turns up in a genuine smile. I feel my heart clench. She seems so happy, and it seems to be due to him.
"We ran into each other while I was trying to find a skip," she says in a slightly vague manner which makes me think there's more to the story. I stop us for a moment and put my thumb on her chin to tilt it up so our eyes meet. Hers are sparkling like diamonds, and I could easily be lost in them forever. I take a deep breath and she seems confused.
"Babe, tell me something," I say in a low voice, "does Quinn make you happy?" Her brow furrows and her mouth pops open. She looks genuinely confused.
"Me and Quinn?" she questions with a laugh, "we're just partners…" As she finishes she looks up at me with wide eyes as though she just let something slip. I start us dancing again.
"Partners?" I question while raising an eyebrow. She smiles at me.
"Well um…I'm showing him the bounty hunting ropes," she says, "he's like my Eliza." I arch my brow even further. First, I don't like her using my comparison. Second, I can tell she's lying. I just can't tell why. I study her face and she flushes under my gaze. I'm pretty sure we've danced through three songs already. I look up and see Jeanne and Quinn dancing with other people.
"Babe, you know you can tell me anything, right?" I remind her and she shifts her gaze down. I can tell she's more nervous and she glances around.
"He is my partner, Ra-Marc," she says almost forgetting my cover. Her eyes fly up to meet mine.
"We're FBI agents," she states in a low whisper and our faces are so close I can see her individual eyelashes. I continue our dancing even though I feel shocked and frozen inside. Her eyes are scanning my face, waiting for a reaction. I feel my chest swell with pride. I always knew she had it in her. This means she must be getting more training as well. Actually, this explains a lot of her demeanor. I shoot her a 100-watt grin. She blinks, stunned by my full smile before she gives me a small smile of her own.
Forgetting myself, I wrap my arms around her and slant my mouth over hers. I kiss her soft and slowly prod her lips with my tongue. She tastes so sweet. I break away quickly realizing I just royally fucked up. A quick scan shows no one really noticed but of course, I see her Grandma coming our way.
"Gotta go now Babe," I say looking pointedly at Edna approaching. "I love you." I say it easily and slightly unexpectedly. I turn and quickly walk towards the bar. I need to avoid my cover being blown. Of course, it may be compromised since I just kissed my Babe. I feel so proud of her and sad that I missed such a big milestone. At least she and Quinn aren't romantically involved. That at least makes me feel better. I get a drink at the bar and discreetly text Jeanne. Time for the next step.