It was Saturday morning. Ranger had been away for forty-eight hours. He was still finding it hard to believe at times at how wealthy his brother really was. Jose Manoso started writing novels while he was in college. Jose had several pen names he wrote under. Ranger picked up the coffee cup and took another sip.
"So, are you going back today?" Jose asked as he finished up his second cup of coffee.
"I'll be leaving shortly." Ranger told him.
"Good, not that I don't mind having you here." Jose told him with a grin, "but I would really like for you to give that message to Alex for me."
Ranger stared at his brother, Jose had grilled him for hours over the last two days. Ranger knew he was fodder for his brother's mystery novels. "I don't think she'll want to be subjected to all the questioning you'll be putting her through."
Jose smiled, "You let me worry about that. She won't complain after she sees the royalties for just ideas she'll give me. I don't hear you complaining."
Ranger stood from the breakfast room table and turned his back to his brother walking over to the picture window. Outside the window housed his brother's vast floral gardens. He couldn't complain, he made decent money from his brother and had placed that money in stocks and bonds.
"I have a bone to pick with you," Ranger turned back around, "Why did you let Scarsdale have Jessica in that last novel?"
Scarsdale was the fictional character his brother had created from the real life Ranger. Ranger knew Jessica was Stephanie's counterpart in the book and Scarsdale's partner. Ranger had spoken about Stephanie so much, Jose had brought her into his fiction world.
Jose twirled the coffee cup around the table, "I was wondering when you where going to get around to asking me that. What's wrong Carlos? Afraid I'm moving your fictional self along to quickly?"
"No, Scarsdale is not right for her partner." Ranger told him.
"Bullshit!" Jose stood up. He grabbed the coffee cup he had been playing with and headed out of the breakfast room towards the kitchen, "come with me."
Ranger followed his brother after he dumped his own coffee cup in the kitchen following his brother's example. Ranger followed his brother wondering where Jose was taking him in the 8,000 square foot Manor House. Jose had moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, three years ago. After the Scarsdale series had taken off with a flourish and surpassed even Jose's dreams. It was the introduction of Jessica in the series that had sent this novel series over the top, the lone female inside Scarsdale's group of men who had caused mayhem and madness. Stephanie had caused plenty of that in Ranger's own life.
Jose stopped at the door to his personal writing space. He normally didn't allow anyone inside, but he wanted Ranger to see what he saw. Jose opened the door and motioned him inside. Ranger stepped inside the room. It was a very large study, bookshelves lined one wall from ceiling to floor, file cabinets along another wall behind a monstrous desk. Jose walked passed Ranger and around the desk till he was at the file cabinets.
"The first file cabinet is all the memories I wrote down while we were growing up. Memories from our neighborhood. The second file cabinet is about leaving home, growing up, and moving on with my life." Jose turned and looked at him, "The other eight are all on you, and my life isn't as exciting as yours. The first four are just with you and the guys. I started it when you got out of the Army. The last four have been when Stephanie Plum entered your life."
He moved to behind the desk, but didn't sit down, "One year for each of the last four file cabinets. I feel I know Stephanie as well as you do, even if I don't have carnal knowledge of her. I've never met her." He moved back around the desk towards Ranger, "She has enriched your life just as much as her fictional character has enriched Scarsdale's life. Stephanie is right for you. Because Jessica is right for Scarsdale. You've talked more to me in the last four years than you have since you left the Army. She's made you laugh more in those years. Scarsdale was wandering through life in the books until he met his partner and found a purpose. You found a purpose, open your eyes and see it Carlos. Jessica is right for his partner because he allowed his partner to learn how to fly on her own. He taught her how to fly."
He put his hand on Ranger's shoulder, "Teach Stephanie to fly, Carlos. Stephanie is craving to learn how. She's falling right now out of control because you haven't taken the time to teach her to fly."
Ranger walked to the window in the room and looked out. "This isn't Jessica, Jessica you can manipulate on paper, and she acts the way you want her too. Things just happen around Stephanie."
"Give her the tools to deal with them." Jose stated.
"I'm afraid of what she'll do if she has them." Ranger told him and turned around and leaned against the window crossing his arms across his chest. "She hasn't learned to control what she has in her arsenal right now."
"Doesn't mean she can't learn, she needs a push to do it." Jose sat on the corner of his desk swinging the leg that was now raised off the floor. "Quit holding her hand and release her, but be damned sure you give her the rest of the tools she needs."
"She has too many problems controlling her skips. Take Alex. She never had control of her." Ranger threw out.
Jose barked out laughing, "Little brother, neither one of you had control over Alex. I doubt anyone ever will unless she allows it."
Ranger hung his head down to his chest. Why is he always so damn right? I don't have control over Alex, it only appears that I have it. If he's right about Alex, could he be right about Stephanie as well?
Ranger pushed off from the window ledge. "I have to go. I need to check-in. I was only going to stay for 24 hours, just ended up being 48."
"I'll walk you out." Jose said standing up and then followed his brother out of the room. "Go back and read the books. See if I'm wrong." Jose told him with seeing the expression on Ranger's face.
"I'll read them." Ranger stated.
On Thursday at 5:00pm was when Tank found out Lula was mad at him. She had not called his cell phone, and she had left a message on his apartment phone. He had driven over to Lula's house and discovered she had packed up some clothes and there was no sign of her. Her car was in the lot. Tank had reached Rangeman at 5:30 and found out that Bobby was missing. He was logging in the phones and noticed Bobby's phone had logged it self out sometime that morning. There were no signals at all from it. It was fine while he was at Stephanie's apartment, but he noticed the logged in call and ping for a phone trace. After two hours the phone went totally dead. He checked the log on the Bronco which Bobby had been driving and it went totally dead at the same time as the phone. The last readout put him in Point Pleasant. Tank knew Bobby was babysitting Stephanie and if Bobby was missing, that meant Stephanie was missing. At 6:45pm Tank had called Morelli. After he got off the phone with Morelli, Tank was more worried than ever about Lula and Stephanie. Bobby was a complete mystery.
Friday morning, Tank had all the men scrambling to find all three of them. They had found the Bronco and the phone, but nothing else. Tank had called Ranger's cell even though he knew it would be off and left a message. He normally checked in after twenty-four hours. When Saturday morning rolled around, Tank was frantic, his beard growth was coming in fairly well and he hadn't slept since he found out three people in his life were missing.
Alex had watched for the last two days the men in the place being worried with almost panic in their eyes. Lester had stayed with her, but she could tell he was itching to do something about his missing friends. She was sitting in the break room along with Lester and Tank. Lester was looking at Tank frowning. He had been trying to convince Tank to get some sleep and Tank kept shaking his head.
"I can't, you know I can't. Not until Ranger gets back." Tank told him. Tank had his elbows on the table and his hands digging into his scalp as he was talking.
"Just a few hours, let me do something at least." Lester told him.
Tank looked up and pointed to Alex, "You have to stay with Alex."
Alex was watching them both, they had this argument yesterday. She could see how bad staying with her was effecting Lester when he really wanted to help. After Thursday's bout with the pain medication, Alex had foregone any yesterday and Lester had finally relented with her not taking anymore. She didn't like the fact Lester could get closer to her while she was on the pain medication, it dulled her senses and she needed to have her wits about her around him. She had found him irritating, more irritating now that she felt she was holding him back from what he had been wanting to do.
"No he doesn't." Alex told Tank.
"Yes, he does," Tank looked up. "Even Sharlene put him in charge of you till Monday."
"Fine, he'll be with me till Monday then." Alex stood up and then pulled on Lester's shirt as she passed behind him. "Come on."
Lester felt his shirt being tugged, this was the first time she had even came close to him in the past two days. He stood up and left the break room with her. He followed her till she reached her room and opened the door and went in leaving the door open. Lester stopped at the threshold of the door. "What are you planning?" He asked.
"If you want to look for your friends, then just take me with you." Alex told him.
Leaning on the doorframe Lester watched her closely, she was actually talking to him instead of bickering at him like she did yesterday over the medication. "Why are you volunteering to do this?"
"Because Tank isn't letting you go because of me. If I wasn't in the picture you would have already been out there looking for your friends." Alex told him. She had listened to the guys talking in low voices anytime they came around Tank or Lester. Alex had picked up yesterday that Lula was Tank's girlfriend, that Bobby was thick as thieves with Lester, Tank and Ranger, and that Stephanie meant more to Ranger than he had let on. "If Stephanie hadn't been given my bond none of you would be in this position. That was my mother they found dead in my bedroom. Ranger wouldn't have even argued with Stephanie because of me." Alex had found out about her mother because she had overheard some of the guys talking when she had gone into the break room alone. It was the same time she found out about Ranger and Stephanie arguing.
Lester moved away from the doorframe and strode into the room and stood right in front her looking down at her. "Fine, you want to take responsibilities for your actions then I'll let you. One, you will wear an ankle bracelet with tracking on it. Two, you will not be allowed away from me more than five feet. When I give you a command you follow it without question."
Alex drew up to her full height. Even at five foot five, she only came up to his chin, she looked up at him. She had stayed away from him on purpose because of feeling certain desires within her body. She couldn't help it that she was attracted to him, her body had a mind of it's own. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Why don't you just put me in a fucking kennel then."
Lester stared into her dark blue eyes with his deep green ones, "If you are going to act like a bitch then I'll treat you like one. Until I can trust you, then your leash will stay as tight as I wish it."
"Is it your wish I call you master as well?" Alex asked in a waspish tone.
Only in my bed, Lester thought. "Do you really want the answer to that question?"
Alex's eyes darted from his green ones to his mouth and then back up. Hell no! Damn I need to watch my tongue, Alex thought. She made herself keep her eyes only on his. "No, sir." She spat out with venom.
Lester had seen her eyes dart to his mouth, and could see the anger that was coursing through her body, the vein on her neck was bulging from the build up of the fast and furious blood flow, he could tell her heart was racing as he saw each twitch of the vein. He watched as her nostrils flared slightly while she drew in her breath. "Then I suggest you start getting your emotions under control." I better keep mine in check, damn good thing I've had a lot of practice at it, Lester thought.
Alex could hear his breath as it hissed through his nose as he drew it in. Fucking shit! He's just as angry as I am, or at least near the edge of it, Alex thought.
She grabbed him by the balls and twisted grinding his sack up and back. Lester was now looking eye to eye with her, hissing through his grinding teeth with intensity from the pain. "I will, if you will."
Lester grabbed her wrist and squeezed hard cutting off the blood flow to her hand in order to relieve the pressure from his balls. "You fucking little bitch." When her hand released his sack, Lester flung it away and walked out of her room slamming the door behind him and held onto the knob as he drew in deep breaths willing his self to think of anything but the pain she just put him through. His head was leaning on the door when Tank walked by.
"What happened?" Tank asked sourly.
"I need that new ankle tracker, the one that was modified with the electric current running through it. I think it's time it had a test drive." Lester said slowly as he got his self under control.
Tank watched as Lester calmed himself, he wouldn't ask for anything like that unless he really needed it. "Do you want me to set it?"
"I'll set it. I deserve to set this. It's my God given right to set it." Lester told him. "She needs to be taken down a notch before she does something that will get her hurt."
Tank nodded, "Very well. She's just as stubborn as Ranger is, and I haven't seen her cower yet to anything. She has no fear, intimidation won't work with her Lester." Tank knew Lester, he figured he would have done something of that nature, they all jumped to intimidation first when wanting someone to cower and do their bidding. "You have to remember where she comes from. Remember that she has fought for everything she has, if you are going to do this, don't give her an inch because she'll take a mile from you. She'll do it with anyone of us."
Lester watched as Tank walked away to go get the ankle monitor. That was twice now that Alex had gotten the best of him. Lester decided she wasn't getting away with anything else, not if he could help it. Even if he had to plot out every move he made painstakingly slow he would do it.
Tank came back with the monitor and the receiver, and he handed them to Lester. "Do you want me to put it on her?"
"She knows its coming. I'll put it on her, if she does anything I'll walk to the length of the zoning on it and step out of it." Lester told him.
"Just don't zap her for the hell of it. I know I would be itching to do it myself if she had fucked with me the way she's fucking around with you. Remember she is still hurt, so don't set the voltage too high." Tank told him as he was watching Lester set the limit to five feet and set the voltage to level five then he lowered it to three when heard what Tank had said.
He looked back up at Tank, "It won't hurt her, but will make her think twice before she does anything again."
"You still didn't tell me why she stopped taking the pain medication." Tank said.
"She won't tell me why she stopped taking it," Lester said as he clamped the receiver around his wrist and fastened it in place. "I think it's because she doesn't like the feeling of not being in control. Ranger is the same way when it comes to that, it has taken him years to work that out." While she was on the pain medication I could get near her, since yesterday if I came within six feet of her she was on her guard. She doesn't trust a damn soul, Lester thought.