JE created the characters below. I'm merely having fun at their expense.
Jenny (JenRar) thank you for your work as the beta on this story, and for helping me to slice and dice when I can't stop typing.
Chapter 17 – The Best Laid Plans
"I care for you, too."
He got a cocky grin on his face as he held up some leather contraption that I knew had a couple of guns attached to it. "Do you care for me enough to put this on?"
"Sure," I agreed quickly, attempting to take it from his hands to help him get dressed.
"No..." He pulled it back when he saw what I was trying to do. "I meant for you to wear it."
"I don't like guns," I told him, knowing I'd wear the holster if he pushed but feeling like he needed to understand that I wasn't joking about this.
"No, you don't like killing people. You don't have a beef with guns," he said patiently, trying to shift how I was looking at the weapon he was holding. "But I need to know that if something happens and I can't watch over you that you have a hope of protecting yourself."
When he put it like that, I dropped my arms and gave in to what he wanted. I pulled the holster on, but it was too loose, obviously adjusted for one of the guys instead of someone my size.
"Can you help me tighten this up?" I asked, turning around so my back was to his face.
I felt him tugging, and after a few pulls on the straps, I heard him growl. It was nothing like the noises he'd made for me down the hall, so I assumed this one was born of frustration.
"Manny?"
His hands went to my hips, holding me in place, and then I felt his head rest against the small of my back. "This is ridiculous. I'm half a man."
"What?" I wasn't sure I heard him correctly. "What are you talking about?"
"If there's anything I've realized over the last few weeks, it's that you are so full of life, the people around you have no choice but to want to live. And knowing that, there's no way it's right for you to be bound to someone as broken as I am. I can barely walk, my side is still majorly sore, my arm is in a cast, and I'm covered in scars. I can't even adjust the straps on a damn holster because they're so small and my casted hand can't grip anything that little. How can I pretend that I can keep you safe if I can't even get a gun on you correctly?"
I pulled the holster off, tightened up the straps, and put it back on, happy with the way it fit now. "I don't need you to tighten up my holster; I can easily that for myself. But do you know what I can't do?"
His head pulled away from my back, so I took that moment to spin around and face him. I grabbed his face with both my hands and forced him to look up at me.
"I can't accept that you are only half a person because some of your parts are temporarily out of commission. I can't listen to you talk down about what you deserve. And I absolutely can't handle you trying to take away my ability to decide for myself what is best for me."
"But I could be hobbling around for a long time. Hell, Bobby didn't pull any punches. Between the kneecap, the ligament, the leg…I may have a limp that no amount of therapy can get rid of." He sounded as though he thought this full disclosure would somehow talk some sense into me.
"Do you really think it wise to argue with a woman who has two guns strapped on her?" I pushed, needing him to let this go, because it hurt me to think of how the thought of not being in perfect physical condition was bothering him.
"But—" There was still an argument in him, so I decided to attack in a way I knew he wouldn't just sit there and take.
"Tell me something." I shook his head a little to show him I meant business. "Is this weak attempt to push me away because your injuries are more extensive than Bobby realized? I mean, you might have a limp, you might not, but is there something else wrong that I need to know about?"
I tried raising an eyebrow, but without a mirror, I couldn't tell if I'd succeeded. He looked confused, so I stepped closer so that our bodies were in contact with each other.
"Are there parts of you so damaged that I wouldn't have access to them? Are you telling me a life with you would mean a celibate life? Of your three legs, are you down to just one being functional?"
When I said the last part, I lifted one of my knees and softly pressed it into his groin, rubbing it suggestively to be sure he got my point. I didn't bother to try to mask my satisfaction when his body began to instantly respond to my attention. And based on how quickly things seemed to change and how fully the crotch of his sweatpants were being stretched, not only was this leg working, but it held the potential for doing one hell of a good job.
His eyes dropped down, attempting to look at what I was doing to him. I let go of his head and rested my hands on his shoulders instead.
"You wouldn't mind going to dinner with a guy that needed a stick to balance?"
"Not when the guy in question is you," I told him, meaning every word. Then I decided to try turning the tables on him and asked, "Remember, outside of this house, I'm no prize, either. Do you really want to get calls that tell you the girl you were supposed to go out with that night just went offline because the tracker on her car disappeared?"
"Isn't there some kind of spell you can cast with your gypsy heritage to keep your cars from exploding?" His face was completely serious, but when he looked up at me, I could see something in his eyes that told me he was joking.
I was about to tell him that was ridiculous, that my family weren't witches, but Nagymama's voice beat me to it.
"There are some things you can do to help."
I froze, realizing as much as I appreciated their desire to help us along, my leg was getting Manny in a state I didn't think it was fair to leave him in, and the thought to doing anything about it seemed gross if my deceased relatives were watching.
"Ummm, can we talk about that later?" I asked, not sure how to tell them to get lost in their own house. Technically, we were the guests here.
Nagypapa's laugh sounded again. "We're going, we're going."
Once I felt as though we were really alone, I leaned down and pressed my lips to Manny's. I didn't hesitate to take the kiss deeper and harder to make the point that I needed that passion from him. I wasn't looking for a pretty guy to hang on around town; I needed a man who could keep up with my changing moods and that understood me without feeling the need to change me along the way.
When I felt him responding, giving me every bit as much emotion in return, I pulled back just enough to talk. "Have we settled that?"
He grinned and gave me a quick kiss in return before saying, "Absolutely. You don't mind if I have a limp because you're more interested in what I can do in the bedroom."
That thought made me laugh. "That's right, Manny; I'm just going to use you as my bedroom toy. Since you'll be lying down, your ability to walk without a limp really isn't important. I'm just interested in what your perpendicular leg is capable of dishing out."
Before I could respond, Manny's good arm grabbed me around my waist and pulled me off balance so that I fell onto his good leg. I squealed and grabbed his shoulders for support, trusting that he wouldn't drop me but not able to stop the reflex.
His mouth went to my ear, and he used that voice that sent shivers straight down my spine and to the spot between my legs that was beginning to crave a little time with the perpendicular leg I'd just been referring to. "If you want to play with me in the bedroom, I'm certainly game, but don't think I'm just going to lay there and let you have all the fun. I'll play all right, but I play hard and long, so be sure you're ready for that. Because even with a cast or two slowing me down, I'm sure I can surpass your expectations."
I moaned louder than when I'd had my last Pino's sub. That had to have been the hottest thing I'd ever heard. I was used to playing with Ranger and feeling the heat we could generate behind the bonds office, but what Manny was giving off went way beyond teasing in an alley. He was fully prepared to back up his words with action, and all I needed to do was say the word for us to begin. But I also knew that if I said no, he'd back off without backing completely away. He wasn't going anywhere, but he was making it clear what was in my future if I was interested. And at the moment, I was definitely interested.
My hands around his shoulders loosened, knowing he wouldn't let me fall and giving me the ability to run them over his chest. He continued to nuzzle at the juncture of my neck, absolutely driving me crazy.
I was so distracted by the desire building between us that I completely missed the phone ringing until Manny let out a long breath and said, "I swear, when this is over, I'm going to tell them to take that damn cell phone and shove it."
I reached for the potential weapon in question and answered it, not bothering to move completely off Manny's lap. If he wanted me off, he'd have to move me. I was perfectly comfortable against the muscles of his body. He didn't seem to be terribly inconvenienced by having an extra hundred and thirty...well, maybe a pound or two more than that, sitting on his leg. When I answered the phone, Manny went right back to running his lips along my neck, moving my hair out of his way and tugging on it just enough to sting and remind me this was definitely real.
"I'm about a minute out," Cal said once I got the phone on. "Tank seems to think the shooting in front of the office was from the Hernandez family, perhaps to create a diversion of some sort. If they've attacked RangeMan, they know exactly who Manny is and they have the resources to stop at nothing to in order to get their hands on their intended target."
I stiffened slightly at that news, and Manny bit down where he had been running his tongue, effectively taking away my ability to concentrate on the new threat level.
I have to assume I also made a noise, because Cal interrupted himself to change conversation topics. "Are you all right?"
"Umhmm," I assured him.
"Ah, Steph?" Cal tried once more to get me concentrating on the phone and not Manny's teeth lightly grazing my throat.
The hand that wasn't holding the phone moved to his upper thigh and squeezed, trying to communicate how much I liked what he was doing. Manny responded with a groan, which Cal must have heard.
"Is Manny okay? He sounds like he's in pain."
Then I realized that we were basically making a porn soundtrack for the guy who had been sent here to keep us safe. That brought me back to reality enough for me to turn to Manny and say, "Cal wants to know if you're in pain. He said you sounded like you were."
"That depends on how soon he's going to be here," Manny spoke with his lips still hovering above my skin, allowing me to feel his breath as it left his mouth.
"He said one minute," I echoed what I thought I remembered Cal saying earlier.
"Then in that case, yes, I'm in pain, because you have created a problem that we don't have time to resolve," Manny replied, making me smile instead of feeling great pity for the problem he was blaming me for. Besides, the way my body was aching for him, I figured we were in similar situations with how we were going to be suffering once we had company.
Cal's voice snapped me out of the foggy place my mind had gone once more. "You guys know I can hear you, right? Am I really hearing you two make out, because that's…surprising."
"Hey," I replied, jumping to the conclusion that Cal was surprised Manny would be interested in me. "Why is it so shocking that somebody wants to make out with me?"
Cal chuckled, and Manny pulled back to read my expression, based on the anger now clouding my voice. "Angel, I'm not surprised he wants you. I'm surprised after all the hell he's put you through since you busted him out in New York that you're allowing him close enough to cause those kinds of noises."
"If you weren't so damn insistent on getting in the house soon, those noises would be the least of what I'd be making," I replied, perhaps sharing a little more than I should have.
Manny grinned like he'd just won the lottery, and Cal made a noise of his own to stop me from saying anything else.
"That is entirely too much information, Steph." Then he cleared his voice and said, "Seriously, I'm here now, so if you two can pull yourselves together, let me in."
I didn't hang up the phone, figuring RangeMan procedure was to just disconnect without saying goodbye anyway, so Cal was probably standing there waiting. Instead, I looked at Manny and said, "Cal's here. I have to let him in."
Manny leaned over and gave me one final tender kiss. He didn't allow it to grow or elevate, but every stroke of his lips felt like a caress against my mouth, and I wished we had more time to spend exactly like that. Despite what might be about to happen, I'd never felt more treasured than I did at that moment.
When he pulled back, I felt as though he had used those precious seconds to be sure I knew that he cared for me and that even though we weren't alone in the house anymore, he would be wishing that we were and waiting until this nightmare was over so that we could throw everyone out and get back to the part where he agreed to be my bedroom toy and plaything. He may not have said all of that, but it was a very powerful kiss, so I felt the need to lace it with a great deal of meaning.
I stood up and took a second to regain my balance and try to put my head back on straight. I went to the door and opened it to see Cal standing there with his hand over his eyes.
"Is it safe to look yet?"
"Get in here," I demanded, grabbing his hand and yanking it away from his face.
He came in, waited for me to rearm the system, and then pulled me to him in a hug. When he pulled back, his eyes fell to my neck and he looked temporarily surprised. "Do I need to hurt him for you?"
"What? Why would you need to hurt Manny?" I couldn't understand the question.
"Has he been taking advantage of the close quarters here?" Cal's eyes fell to my neck once more.
"I'm fine," I assured him, moving to the den, where Manny was still sorting out the arsenal from the duffle bags.
"Hey, man," Manny called out when we entered the room.
"I'm going to run down the hall for a minute," I announced, needing to see why Cal was so obsessed with my neck.
As I moved, I heard Cal ask, "Do I need to remind you that if you hurt her, even unintentionally, I'll kill you myself and hide the body before anybody at RangeMan knows to suspect you're missing?"
Manny gave a dry laugh and replied, "If I hurt her, then I'll dig the hole for you and lay down in it willingly."
There was a moment of silence before Cal lightened up and said, "Fair enough. What've we got here?"
Once they started discussing the bounty, I moved on to the bathroom.
One glance at the mirror showed me my hair was in definite need of taming, and where my neck and shoulder met, I was sporting my first hicky since college. How was I going to cover that up? I didn't pack concealer, not thinking that nursing someone who I believed was going to be confined to a bed was going to give me much cause for cover up.
I knew I didn't have any high neck shirts, so changing my clothes was out of the question. I needed to keep my hair down to have half a chance of covering it with some curls. Of course, with my hair not cooperating, now wasn't the time to wear it down, either.
I felt a slight pull on my hand and then recognized that cool sensation I now assumed was the touch of one of my great-grandparents. I allowed the sensation to move me to a drawer at the bottom of the vanity and opened it to reveal a whole host of long scarves. I remembered Nagymama used to wear them tied around her head with the colorful ends hanging down and realized that would be a great solution. I dug through them until I found one with lots of blues swirled in a pattern with red and yellow and then turned my head upside down to tie it at the back of my hairline with the long ends pulled to the side to cover my neck and flow over my shoulder. It fell perfectly and controlled my hair while covering up the mark Manny had so kindly bestowed upon me.
I'd never liked the idea of a guy doing that to me. It felt like some kind of branding, and so few men would let you return the favor that I didn't care for the sexist feel of it. But a part of me was definitely disappointed that I couldn't see it anymore. Something about the evidence of the moment we'd just shared being covered up made me sad. Then I realized we would soon be alone again without the shadow Tank had sent over and I could rip this scarf off and give him the chance to perfect his marking technique.
Most of the weapons were gone when I made my way back out to the den.
"What have you done with all the firepower that was here a minute ago?"
Manny looked up at me and gave me the sweetest smile, motioning for me to sit with him. He was on the couch, so I walked over, intending to sit beside him, but he grabbed my hand and pulled, making it clear he wanted me back in his lap as I had been.
Cal's eyes got much wider initially, but he quickly covered it up and started talking. "We split them up and hid a few strategically in places that we may need to get to if your location is compromised. Then I put a few extra on me, Manny's dressed, and it looks like you're sporting a few toys you don't usually play with."
At the mention of toys, I thought back to the discussion with Manny earlier and turned completely red. Cal seemed confused by my response but wisely kept his mouth shut about it.
Manny, however, lifted the ends of the scarf like he was searching for something he'd misplaced and then sighed in a contented way before allowing them to fall back over my shoulder. He leaned forward and whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear, "I like the material, but I hate the idea of you covering up what I just did to you. And as fair warning, I intend to use this scarf as something other than camouflage later."
If possible, my face turned even darker, so I decided to focus on Cal in the hope of keeping my brain engaged. "Can I get you something to eat or drink?"
Cal's brow wrinkled, like he was confused by the question, before he finally said, "I'd love some water if you have it."
I gave Manny a parting squeeze and made my way to the kitchen to grab a few bottles from the fridge. Before I could fill my hands, I felt that cool sensation tugging my hand once more, so I relaxed and tried to follow it, wondering what she was trying to show me this time. My hands fell to a cupboard I hadn't searched since arriving here, so I opened the door and found a stack of old, bright orange Tupperware containers. I was being moved to touch the second one in the third stack, so I carefully moved them in order to pull it out and set it on the counter, wondering what was so important in this box.
Carefully, I opened the lid and was slightly disappointed to see a bunch of dried leaves in there. "What do I do with this?" I whispered.
"When the time comes, you burn it and then run. The earth provides all we need to take care of us when we need it, and this will cover you when you are in danger," Nagymama spoke. I'd heard her talk about the earth providing, and found comfort in the familiar voices, but I didn't really understand what she meant. "Just a little is all you need."
My gut was practically screaming that this was important, so I grabbed a plastic bag from the counter, poured some in, and then searched until I found matches and tucked both in the pocket of my cargos.
Not sensing anything else, I picked up the bottles and went back to the join the guys in the den. They were discussing tactical positions around the house and were both looking at a map that had been made of the house in relation to the gardens out back, the shed where Nagypapa stored his tools at the rear of the yard, and then the woods surrounding the property that led to a small stream in the very back of the property.
I pointed to the stream and said, "I used to spend hours back there playing. It always made my mother mad, because I'd come back filthy dirty."
"What's beyond the stream?" Cal asked.
"More woods that abut another house over a mile away. You'd have to go several miles to get to a road of any substance," I explained from my memory, hoping the years hadn't changed things too much.
"Do you know the neighbors?" Manny followed up.
"No, I don't remember meeting them when I was young, and I haven't been back here since the house has been empty, so I have no idea who is there." I wondered why it mattered.
"We were just trying to figure out a safe place to meet up if something happens and we get split up," Manny explained.
I pointed into the woods and said, "If you head this way, maybe a hundred feet, there is an old tree house. You have to climb the tree next to it and then jump down to get to the house. Would something like that work?"
"How would we find it?" Cal wondered, apparently not trusting a vague finger point as a compass marker for direction.
"Well, it was bright red twenty years ago, so it may have faded, but something tells me it would still stand out," I tried suggesting as a guide.
"It's probably rotten by now, but there would be enough of it remaining to use as a landmark. We stay together – that's the plan – but sometimes plans go to shit, and if that happens, you get free of the fighting and make for the tree house," Manny commanded. "You stay there, completely out of sight, until Cal or I call for you. No matter what you hear, you stay there and keep yourself safe, okay?"
"I'll run if I have to, but I'm not promising to stay hidden if there is something I could do to help," I countered.
"Damn it, Stephanie, you can't put yourself directly into the line of fire with these people. They're coming here because of me, and I can't live with the idea of you getting hurt because of something from my past," Manny argued.
"Then let me help you end this so your past isn't hanging over our heads," I pushed. "I won't do anything reckless, but I'm not going to run and hide if there is something I can do to stop these people once and for all."
"This is what you meant when you said you could be pigheaded, right?" Manny questioned.
Cal seemed to be watching our conversation with a little amusement and a great deal of interest.
"Yes." I figured he deserved an answer. When Manny shook his head, which I accepted as him admitting defeat, I reminded him, "I did warn you."
Manny looked me in the eye and said, "And I know based on your words that I can trust you to stick with what you've said. You promised you wouldn't do anything reckless, and I have to trust that you will follow through on that."
"You have my word," I said, meaning it.
Before he could reply, I felt a jolt of cold on my back and then I heard Nagypapa's voice say, "You need to move now. Darkness is coming."
I glanced at Manny, whose jaw was flexing, which told me he'd heard the warning, too.
I placed a fast kiss on Manny's lips, not so much a romantic gesture as a threat that he'd better follow the same pledge to take care of himself.
Cal was looking at us like we'd lost our minds, so I warned him, "We have company coming, and I don't think it's from RangeMan."