Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own anything. The Plum characters belong to Janet Evanovich. However, I do own Sofia.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I appreciate the encouragement. As I get closer to the end of the story, I find it more difficult to complete, but I'm also quite exciting about finishing it. Thanks to JessicaRenae for editing this chapter.

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Chap. 23 -More Secrets

Leticia POV

"You should stop doing that."

"Doing what?" I asked the girl next to me, a young, brunette girl, with soft features.

"Defying him," she whimpered. "He likes it. I think he gets off on it."

I stared at the wall, gathering my thoughts into an order that I could understand. Alonde liked it when I fought back, when I showed strength. Was he obsessed with me?

In despite of the warnings, I never gave up on getting Sarah out of the system and to a normal life once again. I defied them several times, and I certainly refused to show him my broken spirit.

"What's your name?"

"Beverly," she whispered.

"It's a beautiful name," I said. "Beverly, we're going to get out of here. I promise."

Steph's POV

"Are you joining me?" I wondered, knowing he gave away the extra room on the fourth floor to Louis.

"Only if you invite me," came his serene reply.

"Of course," I breathed. Then, without thinking about it too much, I kissed him fully on his lips.

He didn't break away at first, but he didn't kiss me back either. I looked up at him to find his eyes sad and his expression thoughtful. A trickle of fear ran down my spine. Will he reject me again? Is this the end?

"I need a shower," he muttered, taking a step back, disappearing into the bathroom in his bedroom.

In resolute, I walked into the bedroom and stripped. The cold air making goose bumps prickled my skin. I reviewed all the ideas that I've read in magazines or seen in movies over the years. I couldn't decide exactly how one would go about seducing Carlos Manoso. Should I wear sexy lingerie? I decided to stay nude, since clothes only delay the process. I sprayed on some perfume, tussled up my hair, and tried to push away all my insecurities. I looked at the stretch marks on my body and chanted, "I am a tigress and I earned my stripes."

I lay on the bed and tried to find a seductive position, but everything made me feel ridiculous. I put my hand on my hips, like the Victoria Secret models, but it felt awkward. I stretched my body on the mattress, and laid my head the way I've seen them do on the catalogs. After five minutes, the position became tiresome. I piled up the pillows and scooted to the edge of the mattress, to dangle one leg on the side of the bed, leaving complete and total access to my body. It turns out the position wasn't as flattering as I thought. I quickly tried to maneuver into another suitable position. However, I must have not calculated how close I was to the end of the bed because I ended up crashing, face down, to the floor.

Instantly, I heard a muffled laugh coming from above me.

"Babe, are you alright?" He asked, concern and laugher in his voice. I wiggled and found a pillow to cover my head. "Babe?"

"I'm such a fool!" I cried.

"Babe?" Ranger voice took another tone. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"What were you doing?"

"Didn't you see? I was trying to seduce you," I admitted shamefully as I tried to keep my tears in check.

"Babe," he chuckled, and reached for my arm to help me up. I jerked away from his touch.

"Don't. Babe. Me," I complained. "You're laughing at me."

He laughed quietly behind me. I could feel his body shaking; vibrating from his laughter as his hands tenderly kneaded my back muscles.

"You don't have to seduce me, Babe," he said. "Every time you look at me I start to question my sanity."

"You don't mean it," I accused, but my inner diva couldn't help stop the smile as my mind tried to find the truth in his words. His hands wandered down my body, warming me with his touch. I became still, waiting for his next touch. Ranger placed tender kisses down my back as his hands explored my body. I moaned at his touch, maybe even purred. My mind was in full alert mode due to the sensation overload.

Scrambling up, I met his eyes. He brought his face to mine and kissed me tenderly. I deepened the kiss, my body responding to his light touches, his rough hands cupping my glutes. He picked me up and sat on the bed with me straddling him. The only barrier between us was his sweatpants. I explored his muscled chest with my lips and my hands. Ranger's mouth moved to my neck.

"Yes," my body screamed. This is it. Finally, we were taking another step. He trusts me. I took these actions as a sign that we gained what we had lost. I wanted him. I wanted this moment so badly. The world around me disappeared for a moment. My breath became labored and my kisses urgent. I could hear a strange ringing in my ears.

He pulled away from me to look into my eyes, trapping my head between his hands. I closed my eyes for a second, to enjoy the flavor of his lips on my lips. The ringing continued.

"We should take that call," he said softly.

"Uhm?" I opened my eyes to see him smiling at me. I barely registered that the ringing wasn't only in my head. It was Ranger's phone.

"Do you have to?" I asked.

"It could be important," he reasoned, giving me another heart melting kiss. He lifted me up and placed me gently back on the bed. He picked up the phone, his back to me.

"Report," he barked into receiver, his expression stoic, but the lines in his eyes betrayed him. Frustrated I wanted to scream at him for answering the phone.

"We'll be there in ten."

"We have to go," he told me, tossing me a shirt with matching sweatpants. In turn, I tried to even out my breath.

"What's wrong?"

"Alonde has Leticia," he answered. "We need to move fast before he kills her."

"I feared this was going to happen." I hurried into my clothes and brushed hair. Ranger was already opening the door to Ella. The sweet-natured woman gave us a rueful smile and waved us out of the apartment.

"Go," she said. "Do your jobs."

"Samuel is about to chew someone's head off," Ranger explained once in the elevator. "You are the only one who can calm him down. I'd like you to stay with him until all of this is done and over with."

"Are you expecting me to sit around and do nothing while you guys do all the work?" He couldn't be doing this to me. Out of all people, Ranger never tried to cut my wings. I tasered one of his men the first time he locked me up in the building. This time I didn't know what I was capable of doing.

Ranger put his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. "Do you remember what I told you about listening to me when things got dangerous?"

I nodded reluctantly. He took my mouth with his in response, his hands gentle on my face.

"Don't go caveman on me all of a sudden," I demanded. "You know I've been on this case for over a month. Leticia needs me the most, Ranger!"

"I'm being overprotective," he said, "not questioning your abilities. And stop calling me Ranger. It's going to get you in trouble."

The last sentence was said in a low voice, almost seductive.

"No, shit, and you are proud of it." The elevator's doors opened at the end of my statement. I saw something flicker through his eyes, it was small, a flash of something. "You know something I don't know. You would never do this to me unless you knew something."

Ranger stepped out to the fifth door's control room with me following behind him. The room was in chaos, something unusual for such a controlled work environment.

Tank and Samantha stood side-by-side examining a digital evidence board. Samantha turned to me when she saw me.

"Stephanie," she said, her voice uneven. "Do you recognize any of these faces?"

I examined the pictures on the screen, someone of then taken from a distance, others were mug shots. My eyes briefly scanned each picture before finding the one. The memories rushed quickly in front of my eyes, a tall man, with menacing eyes staring at me like prey. Margaret's body chopped and laid out neatly in the living room. My car burned up into ashes.

"He wants… me." The realization came to my mind and released a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Samantha selected the picture from the others.

"This is Alonde. He's also known as the Chameleon. He runs a large trafficking business, but due to his brilliance in keeping things low-key, he's often ignored as a suspect."

"But what makes you think it's him this time?" I asked, because my heart hoped he wasn't. If I'm the one who urged Alonde to pursue and kidnap Leticia to get to me, then I wouldn't forgive myself.

"He fits the profile," she answered. "This man got away with a couple of abuse charges during his early twenties. At the time, he targeted older women. In fact, he had a fetish for strong women. He likes to see them crumple under his abuse. All the women he has targeted personally are all women with a certain level of power or emotional strength. He would find Leticia's call for vengeance enticing.

My brain adsorbed Samantha's words, focusing on the last sentence. She was omitting something. Alonde…Matta… He was also targeting me. I made myself a target by defying him. Burning my car was a test of my character and strength.

"Steph," Ranger's voice in my ear. I glanced up at him, my eyes betraying my emotions.

"This is why you want to keep me away." He didn't deny the accusation. "Why didn't you tell me?"

There was hurt in my voice, although I tried to keep it even. Why should I be upset? It's not like I haven't done the same thing to him. I deceived him in a deep level by keeping his son's existence a secret. I deserved to be treated this way. All hopes of having regained our trust in each other crumpled into pieces.

One day, I thought, one he will trust me again; we won't think about the past again. He wrapped his hand around my wrist and pulled me into his office. My frustration turned to anger.

"Stop it! Ranger, I'm not a child. I understand, and I can take care of myself."

"Do. Not. Call. Me. Ranger." His voice ran over my like ice water. He was angry. I crossed my arms over my chest and tried not to look like a petulant little girl. Ranger moved behind his desk and retrieved a package from a locked drawer.

"What's that?" I asked.

"This is the reason I didn't want you to know," he said. "I know you'll be angry, but you already had enough on your plate. I wanted to protect you."

"By keeping it a secret?"

"I wanted to tell you when the time was right," he said defensively.

He tossed the folder on his desk, towards me. I picked it up attentively, afraid of what I might discover.

-RS-

Ms. Plum,

Today, I woke to see your face on my morning news. May I say that I love those wild curls? I love the way your hair dances with the wind, and your lovely eyes. I always liked my women strong and cunning. Do you think you outrank me?

One day, I will see you beg under my touch and marvel at the way I make you shiver in fear. I saw it in your eyes the night of our first encounter, the fear and pain in your eyes… It excited me.

Perhaps, it is time to persuade you into a night with me… or more than one. It wouldn't be wise to reject my offer. If you come to me, I promise the pain will only be physical and unwelcome.

I leafed through the papers in a rush. The letter came with pictures of my family, my crazy mom, my silent father, my sister, of Ranger… and my son. The son of a bitch put a target on my son. I slammed pictures on the tables and these scattered on the floor. My body vibrated with rage, and I kicked against the desk.

Ranger stood against me from behind, his arms wrapping me into a warm blanket, my body shivering. I curled up against him, angry tears leaking from my eyes.

"Stephanie." Sofia's concerned voice came from the door. I had enough sense to compose myself a little, before letting Ranger open the door. She dashed inside and towards me, her eyes finding Ranger's.

"She read the letter," he explained, and her expression changed.

"You knew?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes," she admitted. "I'm not proud of it, but Ranger and I agreed that letting you go about normally, without changes in your behavior, would be to your advantage. Alonde sent his letter with the purpose of terrorizing you."

"My parents?"

"Ranger increased your parents' security. We tried to keep things normal, knowing that it would have infuriated Alonde and make him sloppy."

Sofia's reasoning made sense. If I had known earlier, I would have acted defensively and taken precautions. It would have made Alonde extremely happy to see me drown in fear from his threat. But that didn't mean that I like being kept in the dark.

"Okay," I said, before looking in their eyes. "Do not keep secrets from me, ever again."

Sofia handed me a folder she had carried under her arm. A picture of a naked Leticia slipped and landed in front of me, right on my foot. I stared at it, eyes wide.

"How's Samuel?" Ranger asked.

"In the lobby," Sofia said, "pacing. Should we wake up Kennel?"

"No," I answered before Ranger could say anything. "He needs to rest, give him a few hours."

Sofia's lip curved slightly. "Are you ready, Steph?"

"Yes," I said. "We are going to make him sloppy, and I'm going to pose as bait."

"Babe."

-RS-

Ranger: Babe, I think we need a vacation.

Steph: Uh, I want a sabbatical.

Ricky: Group hug! (They hug)

Lester: (joins in) Look at us, hugging. This is great.