02/20/2019
As soon as the shots were fired, Ranger and his men were running in my direction. I still held the gun, though I wasn't aware that my finger was still on the trigger. I sank to my knees, the reality of the last several days finally catching up with me. Ranger reached me first and knelt down. He gently pried the gun from my hand and pulled me into his arms. "I'm so proud of you babe," he said. Two days worth of tears were running down my face by now. Ranger wiped my tears with his fingertips and said, " I'm ok. You're ok. Julie's ok. All because of you."
"How did you crack the code?" I asked him. "I knew it was something related to me and after running through all of the scenarios, we figured it could only be one thing: 1024." "Today's date?" I asked him. "Not just today's date," Ranger said. "10/24 was the day Scrog first saw me. It was the day I captured the FTA where Scrog worked." "So Scrog planned all of this to go down on the anniversary of when you first made contact?" I asked. "Yes," Ranger said. "It's like it was a re-birth day or something to him. Twisted to his core" "Well now it's his death day," I said.
Ranger's men were given instructions to dispose of Scrog's body. If I were to guess I'd say he ended up in a hole similar to the one we pulled Ranger from. Julie was escorted back to Miami by two of Ranger's men. True to form, she seemed completely unfazed and was already getting her story ready to tell her friends at school. I loved that kid.
Ranger insisted that he was physically fine and refused to get checked out at the local hospital. We cleaned his wounds and taped his ribs and got him water and food. We drove back to Jersey in a fleet car with Tank at the wheel, Hal in the passenger seat, and Ranger and I in the back. Ranger was asleep as soon as we pulled onto the Interstate, his head in my lap while I stroked his hair.
I must have fallen asleep too because the next thing I knew, Ranger was gently shaking me awake. He asked if I wanted to be driven home. I didn't, and I told him I wanted to stay. We rode the elevator up to the seventh floor and collapsed onto the bed. Truth was, I wasn't ready to leave Ranger. And I don't think he was ready for me to leave him.
I stayed with Ranger for the next several days, knowing that sooner or later I would go back to my apartment and life would go back to normal. Whatever normal was. Ranger didn't sleep much those first few nights. I'd awaken to him thrashing and moaning in his sleep, and he'd suddenly jerk awake breathless, sweating, heart pounding. I'd just hold his hand and snuggle into him until the trembling stopped and sleep came to him. He didn't talk about it, but I suspect he was dreaming of the dark, dreaming of falling, dreaming of Scrog. Scrog was dead. He may still live in our nightmares from time to time, but he would never again be part of our future.
I suppose I've learned a thing or two about myself. I am smart. I am tenacious. I am a brave badass when I want to be. And I will do anything to protect the man I love. I am Stephanie Plum.
Oh, and I make one hell of a peanut butter and olive sandwich. Am I righteous or what?!
**Note: Thanks so much for reading my first story. I loved all of your comments and it kept me motivated to continue writing. If you can't tell, I am team Ranger all the way and if there's ever an ending to the series I hope Steph and Ranger end up together. Also, if you haven't already, I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook versions of the Plum series (Lorelei King's readings). It brings the characters to life in a way that you'll never get from just reading the books (I typically do both - read and listen). Hope you enjoyed this read! EW