Disclaimer: Copyright of Janet Evanovich. I only own Ricky and Sofia.
Note: Okay... I don't like to make excuses, but I'm can guarantee there's a good reason why I haven't updated. I'm currently working on a short film. This is part of my second major, and it counts as my second thesis. It's fun to make movies, but it's also a lot of work. When I'm this busy is easy for me to lose grasp of the story, and my writing is affected. I like to wait until things calm down to keep writing.
I'm currently putting some of my videos on my blog, if anyone is interested. There you might also find deleted material from this fanfic. I didn't know what to do with it, so I posted it on my blog. Please, feel free to leave a comment on my videos if you like them. The Galaxy Extra: http : / involved2. wordpress .com/
Anyways, here's chapter eleven. I promise the next chapter is much better than this one (I'm hoping). Thanks to those who emailed me asking me to update. Thanks Fuzzy Minkerton the your encouragement. Also, thanks to Ladyofkeegan for editing this chapter for me. Now, I'll let you guys read before my English starts slipping away.
Chap 11. Guilty Feelings
We gathered into the conference room one by one. Ranger had invited not only the core team, but also a few other employees to the meeting. He sat at the head of the long table, and I chose the chair closest to him. We stayed in silence while waiting for the meeting to start. Even though I was used to his silence and usually didn't mind the quiet, this time it was killing me. I wanted to talk about the kisses. I wanted to know what he thought about me. He was silent and acting indifferent the whole morning. I was acting like a hopeful teenager. Sofia was the first one to arrive followed by a smiling Lester.
"What's up?" He greeted, and sat facing her in a flirtatious poise. He was relatively close, one arm supporting him on the table. Sofia stared into his eyes confused.
"The ceiling," she said pointing at it. A few of the Merry Men laughed probably thinking she was being sarcastic. Lester turned his head away the smile slipping away. I nudged Sofia's shoulder, getting her attention.
"What was that?" I whispered angrily.
"What?"
"You didn't have to be rude," I continued. "He likes you."
"He does?"
I rolled my eyes. Sofia is smart, educated, and trained in many skills. She could kill a man with one hand but she's poorly educated in the arena of mating. She had no idea how to flirt or when she was being flirted with. She's four years younger than me, beautiful kind, and her history of boyfriends was limited to one. The one and only, Christopher, a boy in high school she asked for a kiss so she would know how it felt. He later took advantage of her request… Men!
However, she's a die hard romantic. The lack of experience hasn't driven her away from books. She bases her standards on dating and love in what she learns from romance novels which she claims educational.
"What do I do?" She whispered back, and I shook my head.
"Just be yourself," I responded. She sat straight on her chair, uncharacteristically calm, staring at the pencil in her hand.
-rs-
The room started to fill up quickly. There were so many attending the meeting that a few of the Merry Men took the spaces standing in the back. Samuel and the feds arrived together.
"Good to see you Michelle," Sam greeted me, drawing me into a long and tight hug. We shared a sad smile and I patted his shoulder. Sam is a strong man. He worked in the New York City police department for twelve years. He has seen it all.
Finally, when we all were in our places Ranger handed out a detailed report on the steps RangeMan has already taken in the search of Leticia Movio. The feds representatives consisted of two people. The woman was Samantha Freedman. She was specialized in cases of missing children and sex trafficking. The man's name was Robert McCoy.
"You never cease to impress, Mr. Manoso," the woman commented, looking at the paper.
"I agree," Robert followed. "We have taken similar steps but never took the risks you have taken. These are very clever tactics and the FBI's rules restrict us from committing any of them."
"Thank you," corporate Ranger replied, ignoring Robert's tone of disapproval.
"Nonetheless, I'm afraid these risks have done very little in the search of Leticia Movio. My staff and I have concluded it would be best for us to combine forces. What are we doing wrong?"
We all stared at each other exchanging glances between another.
"What is Night Buzz?" Sofia asked gingerly looking up at Ranger with wide eyes.
"It's a strip club," Ranger explained flatly.
"What a suggestive name for a nightclub," Sofia remarked pulling out her laptop. "May I use your projector?"
Ranger gave a single and slow nod.
"Why Night Buzz?" She asked turning on the machine.
"We were following a lead," Ranger started to explain. "He was the man Stephanie found in Kennel's house."
I snorted, "found is not the word I would use. Who was he?"
"Andrew Matta, co-owns a nightclub named Midnight," Ranger said. "He said he was scouting out the competition and met a man that goes by the name Link. This 'Link' promised him to help him boost his business by selling him a couple of products, such as lights, stereos, video cameras, but most importantly entertainment. He assured him his nightclub would survive if he brought in some girls."
"He's negotiating," Samantha exclaimed. "He's opening his own business. I have seen this many times. He doesn't want to be the "link" anymore; he wants to be the boss. He's tired of being the middleman."
"What does that mean for us?" Samuel asked the question in my mind.
"This is good," she said. "I mean, I can't guarantee that anything bad would or has happened to her but it means she's still here. She's in New Jersey maybe even here in Trenton. The Link hasn't sold her or them out yet. He wants to exploit them himself."
"I don't see how that's any better," Ranger reflected leaning back on his chair. I have never seen him look so pensive.
"It isn't," Samantha proceeded, "but he's just starting out. He doesn't know what it takes. It takes years to create the perfect trafficking environment. He needs to instill fear upon them but he also needs them to trust him. He can't have the two. Usually, in these cases, there's always at least one woman involved. They get the trust of the girls, promise them freedom in exchange of sex while encouraging them to obey by brainwashing them."
"Betraying their own species," Sofia said darkly, narrowing her eyes.
"Yes," Samantha agreed, "but in many cases they have been brainwashed themselves."
"In that case," I started, trying to understand. "The Link might be having difficulty forcing them to do anything, and that includes having sex without putting up a fight."
I felt my body shudder in response to the mental image. It made the hairs on my arm stand up.
"W need to find where is he keeping them," I continued. "He could have them anywhere. A place where they can't be heard or escape. At least we know that they haven't been moved."
"I hate to do this," Robert said dismissingly, "we might be closer to the Link, but we don't know he has Leticia. Sex trafficking is Samantha's department. I'm a little more concerned in finding Leticia. The FBI still needs a motive or connection in order to continue with any further investigation. We are not sure this is a kidnapping."
Sofia cleared her throat, "I can help."
She projected her screen on the wall behind Ranger. We all turned around to see what she had to show us.
"I sort of stumbled upon an email during my search," she explained. "This email was sent to Leticia by a friend going by the name Lovelygirl18."
"You do know hacking is a federal offence, right?" Robert inquired, glaring darkly at Sofia.
"I said I stumbled," Sofia retorted.
"Right"
"No, she's right," I interjected. Robert was starting to annoy me, "this information could have popped up on her computer screen. It happens to me all the time."
"Things just come to you?" Robert asked sarcastically.
I nodded, "asked everyone in this room."
I glanced around, and everybody was nodding in agreement, except Ranger. The corners of his lips curved up into a small smile. I was amusing him.
"Leticia made a friend in Trenton during her last visit," Sofia continued putting up a picture on the screen. "Sarah Federico, she's eighteen years old. She used to work at a movie theatre. She and her mother disappeared four weeks ago when her father reported her missing. Sarah emailed Leticia about meeting a man at Night Buzz. Later in the week, Sarah emailed Leticia talking about running from a person by the name Link. Then Leticia disappeared. She might have related these things to her father before he died. Mr. McCoy, I give you the crime motive."
I smirked and glanced over at Robert. He was sitting with his arms crossed, staring at the screen. The guys smiled at each other. Lester stared at Sofia like he has never seen anything like her before.
"They talked about calling each other but I'm having a hard time tapping into their phones through the system."
"I didn't hear that," Robert said dismissingly. "I'm going to have fun reporting this to the office."
"If the Link isn't an expert, he'll most likely to return to Night Buzz." Ranger stated. "We most formulate a distraction; get him out of the club, and right to these girls."
I smiled confidently and started to formulate my own plan. If the Link wanted clients, especially big bucks clients, then, we were going to give him one.
-rs-
Ranger and I dismissed the feds and Samuel. They were quite pleased with Ranger's presentation. I didn't blame them. Ranger's good at pretty much everything. He even made Ricky start eating vegetables. My son now likes to eat baby carrots and tomatoes without me having to trick him into eating them.
Samuel and I exchanged a few words before he left. He promised to come visit Ricky and me when things slowed down.
I spent most of the rest of the day helping Tank with his assignments. Leticia's case has delayed most of his work. I enjoyed the responsibility because it made me feel useful but part of me thought he was doing it on purpose. He was forcing me to work closer to Ranger.
I have been going in and out of his office all day, but we have managed the very minimum exchange of words. The silence was killing me. My best guess is that his earlier proposition had nothing to do with his feelings towards me. Time, I told myself. I need to give him time.
I finished Tank's paper work and delivered it to Ranger. He flipped through the papers, scanning the reports, his hair falling over his eyes. He looked sexy and I dare say adorable. My wandering hand reached out to move the strands of hair away. I didn't think about it. It was one of those natural, subconscious things. I blushed at the idea of loving Ranger being natural to him. I didn't question my caring for him, or loving him. Ranger's blank face came into play. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, and I was expecting him to say 'Babe.' The action left me a little confused. I wasn't sure if it was rejection or confusion.
"This can't happen again," he said.
"What?" I wondered. "Did I say something aloud?"
"No," he said thoughtfully. "I shouldn't have kissed you."
Hot tears threatened to leak from my eyes. Ranger murmured a few things to himself, unrecognizable to my ears. It felt like Ranger's version of an apology.
"You said I owed you," I said darkly.
Ranger stood up and walked around the table towards me. My body relaxed a little, in response to the warmth and softness of his eyes. I wasn't the only one battling an internal conflict.
"Yes, you owe me," he said, "and you'll pay in due time. We'll all pay in due time, Steph."
"Suddenly, I don't like riddles," I confessed softly. This conversation is a puzzle. Our relationship is a puzzle.
Ranger moved quickly, putting a hand the back of my head, and bringing me closer to him. I closed my eyes enjoying his lips against my forehead.
"It's a shame, you're good at them," he told me. I gulped and took a deep breath.
"I should go," I mumbled. "I need to get back to Ricky."
Ranger nodded in response, and I made my way to the door.
"Steph"
"Yes?"
"I have taken the liberty to tap your phone line," he said, "just in case the stalker calls again."
I opted for a nod, too tired to complain, and left the room.
-rs-
The drive back to the house was quiet. I didn't even bother to turn on the radio. Ranger has always been difficult to understand. I shouldn't find his silence strange but it was frustrating. I didn't know what was going in his head and the burning guilt in the middle of my chest was killing me. Our situation is more than complicated. It's not like anybody would take easily the idea of having a long-lost-son. It was too much to take.
"Mommy!" Ricky yelled from the porch when I got home. I walked up to him and dropped a kiss on his head. He quickly wrapped his arms around my legs. Sofia picked him up from my parents' house and spent the rest of the day with him.
"What did you do today?" I asked him a we made our way back inside.
"I played ball with Tia Sofia," he said excitedly, "and we made cookies and grandpa gave me another book."
"Wow, It sounds like you had fun," I commented.
He nodded, "is daddy coming today?"
This is hard. I have to get use to the idea of sharing my son with someone else. I'm used to Sofia and my dad taking care of him, even Ana. They love him, and Ricky loves them. However, Ranger seems to represent a much bigger threat. It was a stupid feeling because Ranger is his father. I shouldn't be jealous.
"I don't know, baby," I responded. Ricky's smile dropped. It me feel guilty.
I dialed Ranger's number on my phone. I glanced around and found Sofia sitting at the bottom of the stairs. She was dolled up.
"I need help," she said desperately. I signaled her to give me a second. Ranger picked up the phone.
"Yo," I said in a desperate attempt to break the tension between us.
"Stephanie"
"Ricky wants to talk to you," I sighed, "Are you busy?"
"No, is he okay?"
"He's fine," I said, and handed the phone over to Ricky.
"Daddy!"
He skipped into the den and threw himself on the sofa with the phone in his ear. I examined Sofia's outfit.
"Where are you going?" I questioned casually. Sofia stood up, running her hands over the wrinkles of her skirt.
"Is this okay for a date?" She asked nervously. My eyes widened in response.
"A date?"
"I asked Lester on a date," she informed me, now playing with the hen of her shirt.
"You asked him out," I exclaimed in amazement. It wasn't like Sofia to ask someone on a date. I could only imagine how the whole thing played out.
"You said he…likes me," she stammered a little.
"Yes"
"I'm not sure how to do this makeup thing," she replied. "It's like a torture device for women. Can you help me?"
I chuckled in response. This is going to be very interesting.
-rs-
Lester and Sofia had a dinner date. He came around six to pick her up, a big smile on his face. I glared at him disapprovingly when he walked into the living room. It was my way of giving him a warning.
"Relax," he said. "She asked me out."
"Maybe I should stay," Sofia whispered in my ear. "I can help you with dinner."
"Don't worry about me," I demanded. "Go!"
I saw them drive away from my window, silently hoping Sofia doesn't kill him. Ricky was slouched on the sofa watching his cartoons. I figured I could make use of Doña Ana's recipe book and cook him something. It was time to concentrate on the hazardous task ahead. Stephanie Plum has to cook.
I figured I could make a combination of foods. I decided on chicken empanadas, white rice, black beans, fried plantain, and vegetables. I would feel like a bad mother if I didn't make vegetables. Ricky likes the baby carrots and the cucumber slices. It was a lot to cook, but I needed to stay busy, anything to keep Ranger off my mind. I needed to stay sane, but the stress was slowly building up in my body.
I gathered the ingredients on the counter, and proceeded to put things together. The rice was steaming and the beans boiling, everything was going well. I just hope it tastes good as they looked. Half an hour later, Ricky walked into the kitchen and climbing up on the stool to watch me.
"Whatcha you doin?" He asked.
"Cooking," I replied cautiously. He was up to something.
"Can we play, mommy?"
"I'm busy, honey."
He grimaced and pouted, "please."
Ricky and I don't spend enough time together. As a single parent, I work many hours to make sure he has everything he needs.
These past weeks I worked until late, sometimes coming home after eleven, leaving Ricky with my parents. I didn't have a chance to spend quality time with my son, which is why Sundays are special days for us. I take him to the park or to the movies, hoping to make up for my absence. It's nice to interact with him. He's an only child and sometimes he feels lonely. He misses his friends in New York. Rex could only keep him company for a limited among of time. He never talks back, and he can't play hide and seek.
"We can play a game after dinner," I said with fake enthusiasm. The truth is that I was tired. "I'm making your favorite, empanadas."
"Okay," he mumbled and walked off to the den. I heard the television turn on. The tears that threatened to escape in Ranger's office returned. I couldn't hide them anymore.
Ranger resents me for hiding his son. My son probably resents me too, and it's all my fault, everything. I put Ricky and myself in this position. I kept my son from his father, and I can't even be a good mother to him!
The tears in my eyes streamed down my face. I couldn't breathe, silent sobs sneaked out with difficulty. I sat down, hoping to calm down, staring into nothing, becoming oblivious to my surroundings. I guess the stress and the tension of the day only made things worst. I'm a horrible parent!
I don't know for how long I cried. I didn't even notice when the food in the frying pan started sizzling and burning.
"Stephanie!" someone yelled eventually. I snapped out my trance and found Ranger over the stove. He took the burning pan off the flames and into the sink. It sizzled once more and produced smoke under the cold water. Great! I can't even cook!
I hastily swiped the tears off my face, and quickly walked out of the room, passing Ricky on way upstairs. I was ashamed and I didn't want them to see me. I closed the door behind me, submitting to my feelings of distress.
-rs-
I woke up two hours later to Ricky's small hand caressing mine. I didn't remember falling asleep.
"You okay, mommy?" My son asked me softly. Ricky's eyes were wide and puffy. I knew immediately that he had been crying. I offered a smile and drew him into my arms, hugging him for a few minutes.
"I'm sorry, my love," I told him, and planted a kiss on his head. Then my stomach decided to express its opinion.
"Did you eat?" I asked Ricky. He shook his head, "no."
I washed my face with cold water and headed back down to find Ranger sitting at the table. He was staring straight at his plate, slouched back, his arms folded over his chest. He looked up when I came into the room.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled.
He nodded slightly, "Ricky didn't want to eat anything. He was worried about you."
My hand tightened around my son's. The table was set, the food nicely placed, cooked, and ready to eat. Ricky rejoiced at the discovery of empanadas. He danced on his chair while I filled up his plate.
I wondered if Ranger cooked the food himself or he required Ella's help, the fairy godmother of food. However, I was afraid to ask him. Ranger's expression became solemn as he watched Ricky. I noticed that Ranger didn't take a single bite as he alternated between staring at the food in front of him and watching Ricky.
-rs-
Ranger: Babe?
Steph: Yes?
Ranger: I'm taking Ricky for a haircut.
Steph: Noo! *tear* It's gorgeous.
Ranger: It's just hair.
Steph: Why don't you cut your hair?
Ranger: I like my hair.
Steph: Please review with your comments and suggestion. We might not have to cut Ricky's hair.
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