Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Those are copyright of Janet Evanovich.
Chap. 9 Stand by Me
Hello! I'm back! I'm sorry for the delay. Thesis took a lot of my time, but I survived. Thank you for all those lovely reviews and comments. I love them and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. Thanks to ladyofkeegan editing this for me.
Ranger POV
The alarm woke me up around five thirty in the morning. I turned over in my bed, thinking it was the beginning of another normal day. I should have known that it wasn't.
Ricky was resting his head against my pillow, sucking his thumb. I pulled his thumb out of his mouth and left him doing little fish movements with his lips. I chuckled quietly.
I'm still trying to process the fact that I have another child. I always tried to keep myself emotionally distant from my daughter, Julie. However, my efforts were in vain, she is always on my mind at the end of the day. She is my daughter, but I'm not her father. I was never there when she needed me. I send her money because that's the only way I could think of to be a part of her life. The Martine's need it anyway. I just wanted to make sure she had the best of the best. There are days I regret giving my rights away, but I know that it was the best. Julie is happy. I want her to be happy.
Now, here's Ricky. My son. I'm afraid that I am going to mess things up. I couldn't let the same thing happen to him. I don't want another man to raise him. It would hurt to see him calling someone else 'daddy'. It actually scared me. Stephanie, Ricky, and another man, I tried to erase the image from my mind.
"Daddy," my son said softly. I snapped out of my trance and opened my eyes to find his wide open. I reached out to move a strand of hair from his eyes.
"Good morning," I replied, offering a smile. I glanced at the clock and realized an hour had just gone by. My son's eyes examine me with curiosity. Then the tears emerged. There were tears in my son's eyes and I couldn't understand the reason why. I felt my muscles flex.
"I'm sorry," he said shamefully, moving his sheets away from him. I leaned on my elbows to inspect the bed. The spot under him was significantly darker. It was wet.
He kept crying silently, drying his tears with the sleeves of his shirt. I quickly stood up and picked him up, and felt the damp of his pants against my arm.
"Are you taking me home?" he sobbed, and I tilted my head to the side. "I want my mommy."
"Let's have breakfast first," I offered. "Do you miss your mommy?"
He nodded slowly, almost shamefully. It almost made me smile. I'm surprised he stayed with me. This kid hit me with a baseball to 'save" his mother, and Tank told me about the glare and everything else.
Ricky baffled me, most kids are afraid of me. Well, the majority of them. Ricky didn't fear me. In fact, he didn't fear any of my men. I would dare say he likes them. He definitely is Steph's child.
I called Ella for new sheets, since I didn't have any in the apartment.
"I'm sorry," he sniffed. He's like his mother. She always apologized for things she never had control over.
I thought back about last night. It warmed my heart that Ricky wanted to stay longer. Stephanie hesitantly left, and my son talked himself to sleep on my lap. He likes to talk, no wonder he speaks so clearly for a child his age.
I can't believe he grew in her belly for nine months… without me. I don't know where to put my relationship with Steph. Apparently, she didn't know me enough. She didn't trust me. I'm not a man who can easily express his feelings, but I like to show my feelings through actions. I thought I had shown her how much I love her.
"It's okay," I said, giving Ricky a kiss on the cheek, "let's get you out of these clothes."
I looked up at the door to find Ella. She stood with a hand on her hips. The other was holding new sheets. "I want you to know that I baked all night," Ella stated. Shit, this is big. I am in trouble.
"When are you telling your mother?" she asked after changing the sheets on my bed. I stared at her uncertainly. Ella wasn't scared of me. She was the only other person in the building, other than Tank, who never feared me. She somehow got my mom's address three years ago. They have become good friends after that, meaning I wasn't allowed to fire her. She also thinks I'm adorable!
"Soon," I said.
"Today," she pressed.
I nodded in response.
"Daddy, I want mommy," Ricky mumbled softly in my arms.
"Sweetheart," Ella comforted him, "You know what? I have a big chocolate cake in my kitchen. Would you like some cake?"
My son nodded quickly. I looked up at Ella, and I couldn't argue against it. I helped my son in the shower, and helped him dress. He was still sleepy when he got out of the shower, but he wanted to get dressed by himself. I watched him put on his shirt. It was backwards, but I didn't want to discourage him. The pictures on his backpack immediately distracted me.
"Do you like planets?"
"I'm going to be an astro-nut," he said confidently.
"A what?"
"An astro-nut," he said, "Grandpa says I can go to the moon."
"An astronaut," I corrected. "You want to be an astronaut."
I suppressed a smile, and fixed his shirt. My son, the astronaut. It couldn't get better than that, so I thought.
Steph's POV
I woke up the next day with a headache, squinting at the light coming through the window. I thought I closed the curtains the night before.
Sofia pulled my legs, quite literally.
"Wake up," she sang happily, pulling me to be very edge of the bed. "Today is a brand new day, my friend."
"My head hurts," I groaned.
"There's Advil for that," she said. I watched with curiosity as she placed a few items of clothing on my bed.
"What are you doing?" I asked inspecting the clothes. All nice clothes, things I rarely wear. I never had the motivation or a reason to wear them.
"I'm helping you," she said confidently, "and you can't stop me."
"What? Sofia," I hissed, the events of the night coming back again. "What are you talking about? I'm not going to wear any of these things."
"Okay," she said simply. She came over and sat next to me, her eyes bright. She selected a nice blue tank top with a little flower ruffle on the shoulder, and picked out a pair of kaki skinny jeans, cargo style. It was very nice combination, for her. It was slightly sexy, and I was sure it wouldn't look good on me.
"Call me a helpless romantic, but there's always hope."
"Sofia…"
"Ranger has to see you, the real you, and right now my friend," she shook her head. "I see a hurt beautiful woman, and it's not making me happy. You need to be strong for whatever might come next."
"You're wasting your time," I mumbled.
"And even if it doesn't work out," she continued, "you can't dwell on the past for too long. You need to be strong. You have a son to take care, you can't look back. You're Wonder Woman."
"It's not so easy"
"Humor me," she insisted. "I'll go make breakfast."
I grudgingly walked over to the bathroom. There was no arguing with Sofia, especially when she was right. I needed to be strong for what the next few days had in store. I have a son and I need money. I still had a girl to find. I'm not working my regular domestic detective cases or collecting any bonds. The money I saved was due to run out soon.
I referred back to my list.
Beg my mother to forgive me…. Check
Find Louis F. Kennel … check
Ask Morelli to forgive me... check
Introduce Ranger to his beautiful son with the hope that he will not hate me for the rest of my life… check and check
I still needed to buy a birthday present for my son. I also needed to talk to my friends, and find Leticia Movio once and for all. I was slacking.
I also needed to turn in my receipt from Ballet, maybe get some new cases. I still had a file to take care of, so I had a busy day ahead of me. Sofia was right, I need to be strong and push forward for the sake of my son. I wondered how he was doing with Ranger.
As much as I hate to admit, Ranger was all I dreamed about last night. He was making sweet love to me, worshiping me, whispering how much he loved me. I WISH! I grabbed my bottle of Bulgari and put my shower massager to a good use.
-rs-
I styled my hair and put on the clothes Sofia picked out for me. They actually looked great. The clothes managed to boost my self-esteem and confidence levels, which I needed since I was running low on confidence. A little mascara and a little lip-gloss and I was done.
Maybe Connie and Lula will have good stories to tell me. Hopefully, they will understand my situation and forgive me for leaving without a word.
I needed Ricky. I missed him.
I called Ranger.
"Stephanie," he answered. There was no 'yo' or 'Babe,' just my name. What happened with Babe? He called me Babe last night!
"How's Ricky?"
"Ricky is having breakfast," he stated.
"Can I talk to him?"
"Hello," Ricky said softly.
"Hey, baby," I greeted happily, "how are you?"
"Mommy!" he exclaimed. I had to move the phone away from my ear.
"My baby," I cooed.
"I'm not a baby," he whined embarrassed.
"You're my baby," I insisted. Why did I feel like he was growing up too fast? The last thing I know he is going to be getting married and having kids.
"I'm eating cake!" He said, "Aunty Ella made it for me."
"Daddy is letting you have cake for breakfast?" I asked incredulously.
"Uh huh," he replied with his mouth full. "Daddy says we doing lots of things today."
"Can I talk to daddy?"
"Okay"
"Stephanie"
I hate it when he calls me by my name.
"Are you spending the day with Ricky?" I asked a little surprised.
"Only if he wants," he said. "He misses you."
"He seems happy," I responded amazed. We stayed silent for a few seconds.
"My son knows more about me than I know about him," Ranger stated, no emotion apparent in his voice. I didn't know how to response. A knot formed in my throat.
"Ranger," I managed. "I'm sorry."
He disconnected. I looked up to find Sofia staring at me.
"I was sort of hoping Ricky could come to the bonds office with me," I mumbled.
"They 'made plans,'" I told her uncertainly. We ate breakfast and chatted quickly about Leticia's case. Sofia missed New York. She was a little homesick.
I reminded her about the man in Margaret Kennel's house, and agreed to ask Tank about him. I didn't want to ask Ranger. Sofia and I thought he could give us a good lead.
Whatever problem Leticia got herself into, she needed help. I was just hoping we wouldn't find her body in the river.
"I don't know what happened," I started, referring to the man in Kennel's house. "I froze, and that never happened before. I saw him walking towards me and I couldn't shoot or fight. I tripped!"
She looked at me thoughtfully.
"You said he was bigger than Tank, right?" she wondered. I nodded. Ballet was an easy fight. It was surprisingly easy to fight him. Usually my fights aren't that perfect. This man in the house is a different case. This man had a terrifying look in his eyes.
"You should ask Tank to help you," she told me. "It will give you confidence. I think that's what you need. You're not used to fighting someone that strong. If you practice with someone of similar size, you won't be scared in the future."
-rs-
I braced myself before entering through that door. I was standing right outside the bonds office, ready to face the girls. Mary Lou would probably be more understanding, I hope.
"You can do this," I whispered to myself, and opened the door.
Connie and Lula looked up at me when I came into the room. They exchanged a glance and proceeded to ignore me.
"Hello," I greeted enthusiastically.
"Connie, did you hear something?" Lula asked from across the room, flipping through her magazine.
"Yeah, it's probably a ghost," Connie replied. "This place is old, you know."
"C'mon girls," I groaned. "I missed you."
"Miss us?" Lula asked. She looked around, pretending to search for a ghost. "Did you hear that Connie?"
"Lula!"
"You better have a good explanation for disappearing on us," Connie started angrily.
"You take off and don't tell nobody about it," Lula complained. "We thought we were your friends! I can't forgive you now. You could at least have told us about your little escapee."
"Stephanie?" My cousin Vinnie, the weasel, crept through his office door. "It's really you! It's you! Well? What in hell happened to you? We don't need you here anymore."
"The runaway bride is back," Lula huffed. The phone started ringing.
"And why do you look so good?" Connie asked immediately. They weren't giving me a chance to explain.
"Where were you anyway?"
"Yeah, you look different," Lula added, "it's not like I care or anything."
I was about to explain, but Connie stopped me. She lifted a finger, asking for a minute, and answered the phone. She spook briefly to the person on the other line.
"It's for you," she said flatly, passing me the phone. I picked it up suspiciously.
"Hello?"
"Stephanie Plum?"
"Yes"
"Stay away," the person warned angrily.
"Stay away from what?" I asked quickly. "It would help if you tell me?"
"Listen, just stay away," the person said, "I'm your biggest nightmare."
"Oh, sorry, I didn't I recognize you."
"Look outside your window," I leaned forward across the desk to see through the window. The person on the phone disconnected. There, in front of the bonds' office was my car, and it was on fire.
"Great," I muttered, dropping my head.
Connie and Lula followed my gaze and found the car in flames.
"You already got a crazy on you," Lula hissed, shaking her head.
I could already hear the fire truck sirens coming from across the street.
-rs-
We all gathered outside and watched the spectacle. The Bombshell Bounty Hunter was back in town! My mother will have an ironing party. I could see the local newspaper tomorrow. It was just like old times. It took five minutes for Eddie, Big Dog, and Carl to arrive at the scene.
"Stephanie!" Eddie exclaimed hurrying towards me. "It's really you."
"Ed…Eddie," I replied, giving him a hug.
"My goodness, Steph!" He said. "Where have you been?"
"You're not mad a me?" I questioned him, searching for his eyes.
"No, I'm just glad you're alive," he responded, relief in his voice, "and you're looking better than ever."
"Thank you," I blushed. Now, I could feel everyone's eyes on me, studying me.
Big Dog and Carl started exchanging money, and I just rolled my eyes. They were betting on me again. Vinnie was standing next to Connie with his arms crossed. After all I have done for him; he dared to kick me out of his office. Joe Morelli arrived just a minute later.
"Cupcake," he said, "this is why I bought two bottles of Maalox."
"Nice greeting," I replied. "How's Amy?"
"She's doing great," he said thoughtfully. "I'm sorry; I can't help worrying about you. Where's Ricky?"
"Who's Ricky?" asked Eddie immediately. "Is that your husband? I heard you're married."
"Married!" Lula exclaimed angrily, "She goes off and gets married without us, Connie."
Connie crossed her arms, "inconceivable."
"Carl, you owe me fifty."
"Is it truth?" Vinnie asked darkly, god knows that what twisted thoughts were going through his head.
"I'm not married," I snapped. "Why are people saying I'm married? Who said I was married?"
"The word on the street is that you have someone special," Connie explained. "Who's Ricky?"
I'm amazed by the way gossip works in this town. My mother says I have someone special, and everyone concludes I'm married. I had to close my eyes for a few seconds, trying to relax. This is something I do quite often after having Ricky. He used to cry a lot during the nights when he was a baby. I didn't have anyone to help me. Eddie nudged me, and Joe made an angry remark under his breath. I opened my eyes and found Ranger's shiny black Cayenne making its way towards us. I didn't think to check my car or purse for trackers.
"Girl, you're in trouble," Lula chimed, "maybe he snatches you and takes you to the batcave. This time we really won't see you again."
"Don't worry, Steph," Eddie said assuredly. "You have nothing to fear. If anything, we'll protect you."
"Talk for yourself Garranza," Carl warned, watching the car park a few feet away from us.
We all watched in awe as Ranger stepped out of his car, wearing his usual black combination, complemented with a pair of dark sunglasses. It was like one of those slow motion scenes in action movies. Except, this time it was created by the anticipation emanating from the group gathered outside the bond's office.
Ranger walked around his car and opened the back door. He bent slightly to reach for something –or someone. Lula and Connie leaned to take a look of his backside. Then Ranger carried Ricky out of the car.
I just heard two loud gasps.
"Be still my heart, please. Not too still! I'm too young to die," Lula muttered to herself.
Ranger has always drawn that kind of reaction from women. However, add an infant and you maximize the effect by multiples. It could probably be illegal. I'm not sure.
Ranger set Ricky on his feet and he instantly started running towards me.
"He looks like him," Joe commented.
"Who's the kid?" Carl wondered aloud.
"That's Ricky," I explained, "and he's my son."
My son launched himself on me, "Mommy!"
"Hey honey," he hugged me tightly, and ruffled his hair. I love his hair.
"Ladies," Ranger greeted a very shocked and flushed Connie and Lula. Joe and Ranger exchanged a nod of acknowledgement. He greeted the others the same way, and then me.
"Stephanie"
"Ranger"
"A Bomb?"
"Possibly," I answered, trying to be casual. We were already making a scene.
"Mommy, look," said Ricky, taking something out of his packet. It was a pair of kids' sunglasses identical to Ranger's.
"Uncle Lester gave them to me," he explained. "Look!"
I chuckled. He looked like a lighter, kid version of Ranger. Ricky looked up at his father, and tried to imitate his stance, crossing his arms, and mimicking his blank face. He's too smart for his age.
"Nice," I said smiling, "very handsome."
Ricky giggled, and Ranger combed his son's hair with his hand. Then, he turned his attention to the fire squad finishing their work on my car, and walked over to ask them questions.
"You and Batman made a batbaby!" Lula exclaimed, slapping a hand over her chest.
"You got to be kidding," Eddie said.
"Connie, they made a batbaby!"
"I can see that," she said staring wide-eyed at my son.
Ricky tugged my hand and looked up at me, confused.
"Everyone, this is Ricky," I announced. "Ricky, these are my friends."
I looked sideways at the girls, and found their faces filled with shock. I looked over at the men, Big Dog and Carl were grinning. Eddie was in shock, and for some reason Vinnie looked terrified.
My son inspected Lula's outfit with curiosity, which she immediately noticed. Ricky, being caught in act, bestowed an innocent smile.
"Ricky, this is Lula," I told him.
"Hello," my son said softly. He extended his hand to shake Lula's, just like any other grown up. "Nice to meet you Ricky," she said gently, shaking his hand.
I smiled triumphantly and with a little effort, I picked up my son.
"My car got burned, Ricky," I told him sadly. He put his small hand on my cheek.
"It's okay mommy," he said reassuringly. I watched him, silently acknowledging that I might not survive his teenage years. Ranger studied my car carefully, and then started making his way towards me once again.
"Did you miss me?" I asked my son hopefully.
"Yes," he said nodding. Then, his eye fell on Joe and he glared at him –weird.
"Hello, Ricky," Joe greeted casually, "it's nice to see you again."
"You yelled at mommy," my son stated, changing his tone.
"I know," Joe replied cautiously. "I'm sorry."
My son stared at him for a few beats, "I don't like you."
"Carlos Ricardo Manoso!"
Ranger raised an eyebrow, having heard his son express his feeling. He had taken off his glasses, and I could tell by the way his eyes shined that he found it amusing. I might have imagined the hint of a smile.
I made a metal note to talk to Ricky about his protectiveness over me.
-rs-
The guys left one by one, wishing me luck, and telling me to take care. They all love Ricky. I made Ricky apologize to Joe. He gave me his puppy eyes, and I responded with a headshake. My son shamefully apologized, and I could tell he felt guilty.
I watched Ranger through the office's window talking to his men. He took over the responsibility of disposing of my car.
"Stephanie," Lula's voice shook me out my trance. I offered a smile, removing my son from the table where he sat.
"I missed you," she said, tears pooling in her eyes. My own eyes filled with tears and I finally hugged her. Connie joined us and hugged me as well. Ricky asked me why I was crying, and we all laughed at the awkwardness of the situation. My son didn't think it was funny.
It turns out my cousin had ordered Connie not to accept my body receipts. However, after learning about my son, he was more than eager to give me my job back. He feared Ranger more than me. Connie was just processing my receipt when Ranger walked into the room. I felt the familiar tingle on my neck. I missed that too.
"It wasn't a bomb," he informed me. Then he studied me silently as if he was seeing me for the first time.
"Have you made any enemies lately?"
"I had lots before I left but I am pretty sure they had given up on me," I reminded him. "I didn't have anyone following me though. I would have noticed."
"What about the call, Stephanie?" Connie asked. "I thought the call was about the car."
"What call?"
"It's nothing," I stammered. I didn't want Ranger to worry about me or think I was incompetent at my job.
"Stephanie"
"Steph got a call," Connie explained, "then, you know."
She pointed to the remains of my car still outside. I glared at Connie.
"Sorry," she said, pointing at my son. He was sitting on my lap, playing hand games with Lula. Ranger picked him up, and I envied how effortlessly he settled him in his arms. He nodded to the girls and started walking towards the door.
"Let's go, Stephanie," he said calmly, walking out of the room, and leaving me staring at the door.
"Go!" Lula and Connie hissed in unison. I quickly stood up, grabbing my purse, and made it to the door.
"I'll be back," I said, looking over my shoulder. "I promise."
"You better," Lula interjected. "You have a lot to tell us."
I nodded and ran out of the room. Ranger was waiting for me in his car. Ricky was already buckled in, and he had a big smile on his face.
"Mommy, daddy says we're getting ice cream," my son said excitedly. "Me, you, and daddy! We are getting ice cream!"
I fought with my seat-belt buckle. My hands were shaky, and I didn't know what to do.
Ranger POV
I watched her struggled with the buckle. She was getting frustrated, and I quickly reached out to help her. Steph's shirt had ridden up a little, my hand brushing against her stomach. She jumped at my touch, and pulled down her shirt. I buckled her in, and started driving.
"Thank you"
"Lester says you're working on Leticia Movio's case," I said, getting to the point.
"Yes," she said quickly, "Leticia's father was my friend. I think I owe it to him."
"New York City?"
"Yes," she answered softly. We stayed silent for a few seconds. I thought about all the times we searched in New York City. We couldn't find anything. It was as if Stephanie Plum had been erased from the planet.
"Could this call be related to the case?" I asked fearing the response. I don't think she realizes this is an extremely dangerous case.
"I think it is," she said after a few seconds. She sounded a little surprised. My hands tightened around the steering wheel. I glanced at Ricky through the rear-view mirror. He was looking through the closed windows, dangling his feet happily. I turned into Haywood to make a few arrangements.
"I thought we were going for ice cream," Steph said, taking notice of the change.
"I'm not letting you out of my sight," I responded, and it sounded a little like a threat. I meant it. I didn't matter how upset I was about Steph keeping my son a secret. I want to be a good father to my son. I need to be there for him, to stand by him...by them. I couldn't lose them.
"You and Ricky are not getting out of my sight."
-rs-
Ricky: I have a car mommy, Daddy gave it to me.
Steph: You gave him a car?
Ranger: He wanted it.
Steph: He's a child! He can't even reach the pedal.
Ranger: He'll grow into it.
A/N: I realized there are a lot of characters in this chapter. I felt like it was too hectic, but I hope you guys liked it. Please, leave review. It will help Ricky keep his car, it's the Turbo. Oh, and Happy New Year!