Disclaimer: I do not own anything, unfortunately. The Plum characters belong to Janet Evanovich. But I do own Sofia.
JessicaRenae, thank you for all the time you've put into this story. I'm grateful for your help. Also, I would like to thank everyone for reading, reviewing, and commenting. It makes me very happy. So, once again, I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter.
Chapter 19… On the News
Lester's POV
I moaned once again getting the desired effect from Sofia. Immediately, she hovered over the hospital bed and watched me with curious eyes. I stared back at her with a knowing smile, and she tilted her head to the side with curiosity.
"Do you need anything?" She asked sweetly. "Are you hurting?"
The doctor came through the door before I could answer and she bombarded him with questions.
"He's obviously in pain," she complained. "Why can't you give him something stronger?
"Ms. Mendes, I assure you that Mr. Santos will be just fine," the doctor answered a little hesitantly. "We have already given him the max dosage he can receive."
"Then, why is he moaning in pain?"
The doctor read the chart, examined my vitals and wounds. Obviously, he wasn't going to find anything new. They had given me enough pain medication and my limbs were numb.
"Ms. Mendes, you should only worry about his concussion."
I felt a little guilty making her worry about me this way, but I like that she worries about me.
"I'll check back in an hour," the doctor said and left the room.
"Come here," I said, extending my hand for her to take. She took it hesitantly and looked up at me with concern showing in her eyes.
She was still wearing the belly dance outfit, but Vince had given her a jacket to put on. I didn't know why Vince's sudden attention on Sofia bothered me. On the other hand, the jacket covered her bare skin from preying eyes, so that's good. I still don't like that wore another man's clothes.
"Where does it hurt?" She asked me, still concerned that I was experiencing discomfort. I thought about it for one second and carefully lifted my hand to my lips.
"Here," I told her hoarsely. "If you kiss it, I'm sure it will be all better."
She giggled, but then stopped abruptly, cleaning her throat. Sofia seemed to think about it for a few seconds and leaned down placing her soft lips to mine.
"Thank you," I breathed, closing my eyes and savoring the moment. I don't know what it is about Sofia. I've never been so attracted to someone this way before, and watching her shimmy so perfectly on the stage made me feel quite… enchanted? Charmed? No, now I'm going crazy. The drugs are seriously messing me up. I've never used such diction. Charmed, I huffed.
"Beautiful." I smiled ruefully when Steph came into the room. "How are you?"
"I appear to be doing better than you," she replied sadly. "How's the cut?"
"The doctor says it doesn't look bad in comparison to my previous ones," I said rolling my eyes, "but he gave me nine stitches. Moving will be a pain for a while."
I showed her the stitches on my stomach and told her about the concussion.
"How's Ranger doing?" Sofia asked, giving me a cup of water.
"He's checking on Katherine's status," Steph said hesitantly. "We provided as much information as possible to the FBI. I was taken aside to make my statement, but all I could think about was Ranger. I found him an hour later sitting in the truck by himself."
"How long are you in for?" She asked, bringing her focus back to my injuries instead of the emotional pain that Ranger was suffering.
"I'll leave in a few hours," I replied grudgingly, "I hate hospitals."
Sofia shook her head.
"He has a concussion," she said, giving me a glare. "The doctor wants him to stay overnight. My assumption is that he won't be leaving anytime soon. At least not on my watch."
I felt the smile reach my eyes, but tried to keep my face composed. Steph smiled a little and gave me a knowing look, full of warning.
"Stephanie, be careful," I told her in all seriousness. There's something fishy about the way things went down tonight. A few things did not make sense. We were chess pieces, and we were played.
-rs-
Steph's POV
We drove back to Haywood. Ranger made his way to the gym, and I made my way up to the seventh floor. My son was sleeping on Ella's lap, peaceful and happy.
She looked up at me and offered a smile.
"He was waiting for you," she explained.
I smiled back, thanked her, and wished her goodnight.
Ricky stirred in my arms when I lifted him off the sofa. I had forgotten that my hands were cold. He opened his sleepy eyes and wrapped his arms around my neck.
"I love you, baby," I whispered in his ear and placed a lingering kiss on his forehead.
"Love you too, mommy," he responded almost inaudibly.
I kicked off my shoes, stripped off my clothes, and took a long shower. The warm water soothed my aching muscles. By the time I was done, patches of purple bruising started making their appearance.
I dressed quickly but still remained too energized for sleep. It was then I remember Sofia taught me how to prepare a peculiar kind of hot chocolate for moments like this one. It was comfort food for when the job was too hard and things came out worse than expected. I made a quick call to Ella, and soon enough, she appeared at the door with all the ingredients. Twenty minutes later, I had a sweet and creamy pot of hot chocolate.
I placed the cups on the coffee table and went back to the kitchen to retrieve the strawberries Ella had brought up with her as a snack. Maybe she thought some sort normalcy had come to RangeMan.
"It wasn't my choice to spend the night at RangerMan. It was Ranger's, and after a night like tonight, I couldn't refuse tonight.
Ranger found me sitting on the floo by the coffee table, my legs crossed under me. I noticed that his hair was wet, and he was carrying a towel. He had taken a shower downstair before joining us.
"I came to drop off some things," he said. "I'll be sleeping in apartment seven downstairs. Call me if you need anything."
My head filled with confusion. Why the trouble? We have been sleeping in the same bed for the past two or three nights. I don't think he would get any closer than how he did today, with the kisses. I shook my head to clear it.
"Would you like some hot chocolate? How do you say it in Spanish, chocolate caliente?"
He stared at me expressionless.
"Ella brought strawberries," I added suggestively. He dropped his bag on the floor and sat down in front of me. He glanced at the cup and took a careful sip. Then, he stared at it and took a long sip. I smiled inside.
"How's your arm?"
I glanced at my shoulder and noticed how dark the bruises were for the first time.
"It doesn't hurt," I said dismissively. "I had a few encounters on my way out, but nothing big."
"You've became a good fighter," he commented. I stayed silent, realizing how I pathetic I might have appeared to him when we first met.
"Do you really think I need to improve my skills… you know, in bed?" I asked, my face feeling a little warm from embarrassment.
Ranger's stoic expression became softer and his eyes began to shine.
"You almost fooled me tonight," he said in his usual tone, "your argument seemed a little convincing. I want to think that I'm good at detecting lies, especially that part about my mom giving you toys."
I sipped my drink but didn't tell him anything about his mother's presents. I will neither, confirm or deny it.
"How are the girls?"
"We can't interrogate any of the girls until we're cleared," Ranger replied regretfully, his expression changing. There was a moment's silence before he asked, "Katherine looks a lot like Julie, doesn't she?"
"Yes, she does," I responded softly and a little taken back by his question. It was more than a question. It was Ranger sharing a part of himself with me; he's telling me, without too many words, the way he felt.
"Tonight wasn't your fault, you know," I soothed.
Ranger dipped a strawberry in the hot chocolate and brought it to his mouth.
"You got chocolate on your lip," I noticed. He moved his finger over it.
"Not quite there."
He tried again but missed the spot.
I popped another strawberry into my mouth to stop from giggling.
"Nope."
"Go ahead, laugh."
"Let me help you," I walked over on my knees towards him and removed the chocolate from his lip with my thumb. He stared lovingly into my eyes, and I promptly moved away.
"You should call Julie," I said softly, my voice losing an octave, "and tell her how much you love her."
"Babe."
"Good night, Ranger," I yawned, beating myself for deluding myself in the dream that this night might bring Ranger's kisses and touch back to me. Then, I mentally beat myself again for thinking so selfishly. How can I think about Ranger's kisses? He's affected by the night's events. How can I expect him to help me deal with my feelings this night when he's having a hard time himself?
Why do I seem to forget that he's also human?
"Stephanie?"
Okay, this time I mentally slapped myself. Why was it so difficult for me to call Ranger by his name? I groaned in frustration.
He grabbed my hand and I stayed carefully still, waiting.
"I looked into her eyes, and I thought she was Julie," he confessed, his head dropping to my shoulder. "I watched them go lifeless before my eyes, and I couldn't do anything about it."
"I hope there's a place in you heart where you give yourself some credit. I would like to believe that in your heart, even a little bit, you can forgive yourself for those things you want forgiveness."
He heaved a rare sigh.
"Tonight was too easy." He said sincerely. "Why did he give up so easily?"
"Maybe he didn't find a way out, so he resorted by suicide by cop," I huffed.
"No, he knew about the door. He could have left earlier before we noticed anything. The door was not in the original map."
"Call Julie, say hi for me," I told him, taking my cup from the table. I washed it in the kitchen and watched Ranger from afar. I decided to give him so privacy and went straight to bed. The night filled with nightmares and dreams that made little sense.
-rs-
Ranger's POV
The next day I woke up on the sofa. Although, I didn't plan to sleep on it, but the apartment on the fourth floor suddenly appeared too lonely. In the middle of the night, Ricky had somehow made his way to the sofa and snuggled up against me.
I felt him twist around besides me. He curled up and opened his eyes. I kept my eyes half close, anticipating his next move. He stayed up for the most part, playing with his fingers, and singing to himself. I think it was an Italian lullaby.
He must have sensed that I was watching because he quickly turned his face towards me. I shut my eyes, pretending to be asleep, and peeked. He giggled quietly.
"Daddy," he whispered, nudging me. I couldn't help but smile. Ricky jumped onto my chest and embraced me. I lifted him off me and wrestled with him for a few minutes.
I helped him in the bathroom and called Ella for some breakfast. By the time Stephanie woke up, Ricky and I were finished eating. Ricky grabbed the beret from the table and put it on his head.
I glared at the hat. Steph said it came from a friend and I kept telling myself the same thing. Although, I admit that it was sexy watching her walking around with it.
I called Tank.
"Report."
"Katherine's condition hasn't changed. The authorities are not questioning the victims until further notice."
"Lester?"
"He'll be back this morning," Tanks answered amusingly. "Sofia spent the night with him at the hospital. I'll let you know when they get back."
"Could you run a search for any possible Special Force members Stephanie might have met in the past four years?"
Tank stayed silent for a few seconds.
"Okay… You do know that knowing Helena, she probably met a considerable number of Rangers."
"Yes, I've considered that," I answered, feeling a little like a child.
"Have you seen the paper?" Tank asked.
-rs-
Steph's POV
There was a picture of one of the victims and me standing in front of the club. My arm around her shoulder. The heading read the following:
"The Bombshell Bounty Hunter Against Human Trafficking. Stephanie Plum, a role model for Trenton, New Jersey." By Amy Morelli.
Therefore, there's not doubt that Stephanie Plum is someone to take note, a role model. This Jersey girl has put in prison more than twenty, many considered first-class criminals.
Ms. Plum puts herself in the shoes others, enabling her to follow her instincts, and encouraging her to continue.
"I have a son," she tells me during our first meeting while her adorable three years old son rubs my swollen belly hoping to feel the baby kick once again.
"I've done similar cases," she continues. "I can't turn away a case regarding a missing child. It hits too close to home. I try to put myself in the shoes of other people."
The bounty hunter played a key role in the recovery of Julie Martine, a case that had us over the edge a few years ago. Ms. Martine is the biological daughter of Ricardo Manoso, best known as Ranger, with whom Stephanie Plum have a son. He's the current CEO of RangeMan Inc, the private contractor leading the investigation.
Yesterday, sixteen girls were recovered from the take down. One of them, Katherine, rushed to the hospital in a coma. It's rumored that the infamous Link has been captured, but Leticia Movio is yet to be found.
The article continued on with details of the investigation and opening more questions. I read taking in the information.
"I'm not a role model," I protested.
"Did you give her permission for an interview?" Ranger asked. "She's exposed personal information about us.
"No," I muttered, "but it's not like we're keeping Ricky's existence a secret."
"Ricky is not a secret," Tank interjects gently, "but now this information has gone national. We can expect more reporters knocking on our doors, searching for more information."
"I don't want reporters following Stephanie around like moths," Ranger said. "I'll ask Samantha to give a statement on our behalf, it will keep the reporters off for a while."
Tank nodded in response and exited the room. Ranger walked around the desk and put my hands on my shoulders.
"But I'm not a role model," she snapped, my reflecting the confusion I felt inside.
"I'm sure Amy didn't have any bad intentions," Ranger assured me, "her article might not even get much attention, but it's good to be safe."
"Okay," I answered uncertainly. "Could you watch Ricky for a few hours?"
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to visit a new friend."
-rs-
Ricky: (holding a rose behind his back) Hola, tia Sofia.
Sofia: Hey, sweetheart.
Ricky: (offering the rose) Would you be my girlfriend?
Sofia: (picks him up) Awe, sweetie. I'll be your girlfriend when you're taller, but right now you're a little bit too short for me.
Ricky: Okay. (He kisses her cheek and runs off to give his mother the news.)
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