Chapter Twenty-Three

The control room was the usual buzz of activity when I got down to the fifth floor. I got a few curious looks over the frizzy-haired Ranger-shirted no-shoes look, but nobody said anything. Not even the new guy, who gave me a scan from head to toe before he turned resolutely back to his monitor. I could only imagine what they said to him to make him turn white like that. I gave him and Ram a finger wave and knocked on Ranger's office door. Opening it when I heard his invitation.

Carson was slouched in a chair he'd pulled up to Ranger's desk. Ranger leaning back in his with his fingers steepled over his lap. The image of ease and control. He saw me and gestured me in with a fractional tip of his head. I closed the door behind me. Only the slight shine of affection in his eyes changed his stone demeanor. Carson's expression wasn't nearly as warm when he turned to see what the disturbance was. He scanned me from head to toe, taking in more than I was comfortable with. "Great. See you're still working up close and personal with Manoso."

"Jack?" Ranger said. Carson's attention was pulled to his cold stare. "Shut the fuck up."

"She's wearing your clothes. If that doesn't scream girlfriend—"

"The nature of our association isn't relevant to your case. And if I hear one joke floating around the FBI office or anywhere else, there will be consequences."

"Don't get all Ranger on me, Manoso. I don't give a shit who you fuck. I just care if you've gotten any closer to catching the asshole who murdered Agent Cross."

Ranger only stared at him. Surprising Carson didn't turn to stone. Ranger gestured me closer, but I didn't move. I was a little hesitant to come into Carson's airspace now that so many things were out in the open. I felt exposed. Ranger's eyes moved to me. Softening slightly. "I assume you found something."

"Not exactly. It's more what I didn't find. I was going over the files again and I'm still having trouble getting a feel for this guy. And I didn't see anything about Alvarez's connection to Juarez."

"What connection to Juarez?" Carson asked.

"You tell me. There was all kinds of stuff on the dirt he gave up about the cartels, but there wasn't anything about where he was getting the information."

"He had a confidential source we couldn't trace, and not for lack of trying, believe me. That doesn't explain where you're getting Juarez."

I looked at Ranger. Not sure how much we were trusting Carson. Ranger got the gist. "Thatch said it before he was shot, didn't he?"

"Thatch?" Carson said, too surprised to remember his sarcasm. "As in Archibald Thatcher?"

Ranger might as well have smirked. "You didn't hear? Steph had turned him trusted informant before he was shot in her car. Thought that detail would have crossed your desk, considering you've been working on him for years."

"Fuck. How'd she manage that?"

"People actually like her," Ranger said, cutting his eyes to Carson. He looked at me again. "Any word from our friend?"

"Not yet. I left a message."

Ranger acknowledged that. "Tell me about the connection in Juarez."

I shrugged. "I don't have much. Thatcher said it was distant. Through family, maybe. All the records say Alvarez was born here, but it didn't say where his family was from."

"Chihuahua, two generations back," Ranger said. "Not surprising he might have family in Juarez. There weren't any indications he had help or a safe haven when I tracked him there. But then, I caught up to him only hours after crossing the Mexican border. Could be they hadn't made a rendezvous yet."

"But the intel he gave up wasn't about the cartel in Juarez," I pointed out.

"No," Carson said. "It was all focused on the Sinaloa and Gulf Cartels. They've been at war with the Zetas for years. We figured he knew someone inside the Gulf cartel. That's where the best intel was. But as far as I know, the Juarez Cartel sided with the Zetas. That would make them enemies with both Gulf and Sinaloa."

"He's been snitching on his families' enemies? Betting that wasn't an accident."

Carson closed his eyes a second. Looked like he might be getting a migraine. "I have to talk to Pritchard. It's starting to sound like Alvarez has been playing both sides against the middle."

That didn't sound good. "So, Alvarez is a smart guy?"

"Very smart," Ranger said. "Reads people well and knows how to cover his tracks."

"So you only caught him because you have superpowers."

Ranger almost smiled.

Carson pinched the bridge of his nose. "As sweet as this is, I've got shit to do." He stood. "If Thatcher refuses to talk when he wakes up, can I borrow your fuck buddy?" Ranger turned a hard stare on him. This time Carson shrank and left without another word.

"Nicely handled," I said. "I think he might have wet himself with that last one."

The almost smile was back. "You're sassing me again. Could be playing with fire."

"I hate to tell you this, but you're not that scary."

Of course, I was lying. Ranger was scary as hell. He even terrified me most of the time. Though, that was more in a sending shivers through all my best parts kind of way. His grin turned wicked and he stood, dragging me between him and the desk so he could pin me there with his body. "I thought I was the big bad wolf."

He wrapped around me with such intent I was burning from head to toe. My arms went around his neck to let him closer. Focusing on his lips as he leaned toward mine. "My. What big teeth you have."

That would have earned me a reward if his office door hadn't opened at that moment. There was a muttered swear too indistinct to make out. The guy tried to shut the door like he hoped we hadn't noticed, but Ranger pulled back just enough to look at him. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to interrupt. It's just that your next appointment is here."

"Tell her I'll be right with her."

The guy nodded and ducked out. Closing the door behind him. Ranger grinned. "Nollen. The new hire. I think the guys have been playing pranks on him."

"Like sending him into the boss' office when he's with his…" The sentence died when I realized I didn't have a word for the role I played in Ranger's life. I wasn't his girlfriend. Friend sounded way too uninvolved. Lover was mushy and old-fashioned, and not nearly hot enough. God. Was I really just his fuck buddy?

Ranger didn't seem to be struggling with labels like I was. He brushed a kiss to my lips. "Yes. Like sending him in the boss' office when I'm alone with you. Or telling him that I'm such a jealous man that I'd kick his ass just for noticing that you're sexy."

Okay. It was hard to get worked up over titles when he says things like that. "So you're not a jealous man?"

"I never said that. But I can't fault someone for having eyes," he said, kissing me with enough soft, slow heat to melt me into a puddle right there on his desk. I was still tingling when he moved back. "I have one more meeting. Should take about an hour. If you're naked when I get home, I'll make it worth your while."

Oh boy.

Then my phone started to ring in my back pocket. Our eyes held. Both of us thinking the same thing. Mini. Ranger slipped a hand into my pants to retrieve it. Read the display over my shoulder. "It's your granny."

"Oh. I'd better take that. They probably heard about my car."

Ranger held the phone up between us. I snatched it from his hand and answered. I turned toward the door, but he caught me, dragging me back against his chest. His mouth on my neck. His hands on my breast and belly through his cotton shirt. It shot like lava straight down to my doo-dah. "Later," he whispered, the velvet in his voice cutting through me too. I nodded in agreement. My knees a little wobbly. This time, the idea of later held a definite appeal. God help me.

He kissed my neck again before he let me go.

"Was that Ranger?" Grandma's voice said in my ear when I stepped out onto the control room floor.

"Yep."

"He's a hot one. And that later sounded real promising." She had no idea. "I heard you lost another one. That's a shame. That little silver one was a pip."

"It went to car heaven."

"At least no one got hurt. We tried to call you right after, but the phone's been ringing off the hook since it happened. They say it was a bomb. Blew out the windows of the bonds office."

"They'd be right."

"Boy, isn't that something? The case you're working on must be a real hum-dinger. You should bring Ranger to dinner tonight and tell us all about it. And it'd be nice to have something hot to look at for a change." I tried not to grimace. Stepping onto the elevator on my way to seven.

"I'd love to, but we have plans." And those plans didn't involve sitting through an awkward dinner at my mother's house. Don't get me wrong. I love my family. But Ranger's not really the domesticated go-home-to-his-girlfriend's-parent's-house-for-dinner type. Especially since I wasn't his girlfriend. Jeez. I was starting to second guess my life choices again. At least I wasn't pregnant. "Listen, Grandma, I've gotta go. I have some calls to make."

"But this was just gettin' good."

"Sorry. Love you," I said, and hurried off the phone. Phew. There are just some realities I wasn't ready to think about. Being with Ranger was fun. He was super sexy, easy to get along with, and absolute magic in bed. Not to mention a trusted friend. But sooner or later the no emotions part always got the better of me when it came to our physical relationship. I needed more than just great sex.

Ranger was wired differently. He was capable of being detached. A creature of pure logic and instinct. It made him incredible. Indomitable. An apex predator. But it was an easy reminder that I was just the prey in our relationship. Here for the predator's amusement.

My phone started ringing again before the elevator doors had even opened. Hard not to smile when I pressed the phone to my ear. "What did you forget to tell me?"

The line was quiet for a second. Loaded silence. The kind that made your throat tighten and your stomach feel squishy. I looked at the number. Wasn't one I recognized. Oh boy.

"Hello?"

More silence. And then a soft voice spoke. Hesitant. So very small. "Stephanie Plum?"

"Yes?" I knew who it was, even though I'd never spoken to her before. Mini.

"Is Thatch okay?"

"The doctors are hopeful, but he's still unconscious." I hit the button for five again. Ranger would want to hear this. "He said you should come in. Let us help you."

I could hear the empty laugh. Not even remotely funny. "Aren't you a bounty hunter? I come to you and you're supposed to take me to jail."

"There are more important things going on right now. Pretty sure you know that."

"Yes. I do know that. I know that Thatch was shot because of me. If they'd shoot Baller Thatch, I'm toast. As good as dead."

The elevator let me out on the control room floor and I headed straight to Ranger's office. Opened the door without knocking. He was leaning over some documents on his desk, pointing something out on a diagram to a silver-haired woman in a salmon colored suit. He looked up at me, barely hiding his surprise. "Babe."

I gave him a meaningful look and gestured to the phone. He didn't need any more explanation than that. He tapped a couple keys on his computer and gave me the go on signal.

"You know we can protect you," I told her. "You've heard of Rangeman, right?"

"I'm not stupid. Thatch told me you were special friends with Ranger. He also said that Ranger is an honorable, trustworthy man if you're on his good side. And he's terrifying if you're not."

"That's…a pretty accurate assessment, actually. But the thing is he's all about protecting people. And he's very good at it."

"Like protective custody? That's a joke."

"Not the way Rangeman does it. Trust me."

"I'm sorry. I can't. I only called to warn you. Thatch said you were a good person. Sweet, you know." She paused. Weighing her words. "I wouldn't stand so close to Ranger if I were you."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that this is all about him. All this blood. All these deaths. He's building an army to use against Ranger."

"Who is?" I asked, but only dead air answered me. Mini was gone.