Mrs. Manoso! That's how he found me. I didn't think he would look for that, I thought I was being pretty crafty at using his last name to stay hidden. Stephanie thought. Must haven't been crafty enough.
Ranger was watching the intense look Stephanie had on her face. She had stopped struggling against him and Ranger sat up on his legs, he looked over to the door Lester and Alex went inside and could here the laughter inside the room. He looked back to Stephanie, "What all did you do to Bobby?" He asked when she wasn't responding to the Mrs. Manoso comment.
Stephanie moved her head to look at the door. "I didn't do anything to him." She looked back at Ranger. "Honest, I didn't."
"Oh you be lying," Lula said from Tank's lap.
Ranger reached into his back pocket and pulled out the photo of Bobby and showed it to Stephanie. Stephanie's eyes grew wide in astonishment. "He wasn't being very nice, he kept saying he was going to lock me up in a safe house. I don't like to be locked up, I have claustrophobia. It was his own fault, he shouldn't have threatened me."
"Babe, I know not to declare war with you. But…" he stopped, "you really need to be punished for this. I don't like it when people under my employ have been used in such a fashion."
"You tell her," Lula said again, "she had so many things she wanted to do to him."
"And you helped." Tank growled in Lula's ear. "Didn't bother to call me back, you have a phone and it works."
Ranger looked over to Lula, "I'll let Tank decide your punishment."
Lula huffed, "I only helped, it wasn't like I came up with any of that shit. She's lost it, she's a woman on the edge. I tell you, breaking up with Morelli, then fighting with you, then trying to get her revenge on a kid. I think falling on her head wasn't such a good thing."
Tank put the front of his head on the back of Lula's. Ranger could tell Tank was snickering since the both of them were moving with his controlled laughter.
"She broke up with Morelli," He looked back down at Stephanie who had her eyes pinched shut.
"Lula, I told you, you couldn't tell anyone." Stephanie groaned out, "and quit talking. You aren't helping matters here. I don't see you handcuffed."
"What all did you two do to Bobby?" Tank asked Lula.
"She's the one who electrocuted his ass, I only went along with it when he started getting all hostile. Then he started getting pissy when the taser broke, and the pepper spray don't work on him. And then when we got to Vinnie's that dress was calling out to Stephanie, it was my idea to add the boa. Can't have no dress like that without a boa." Lula said.
"God forbid." Tank said laughing, "What else?"
Lester opened the door from the room still laughing, holding the pink dress in his hands. "Bobby doesn't have any clothes other than this."
"You better go to the SUV and pull a bag out and see what you can put him in. I don't think he wants to wear that home." Ranger said laughing at seeing the dress.
Lula looked at the dress, "I think you better get rid of that dress, that was in Vinnie's house, on account of we went snooping. We found it in the bedroom."
Lester went back into the room and pulled Alex out with him, she was laughing and holding her ribs. "Please don't make me go back in that room. It hurts too much to go back in there. I can't believe you two put him in a diaper."
A hand went over her mouth, "Hush! You wasn't supposed to say that." Lester drug her from the room.
"A diaper?" Ranger looked down at Stephanie, "You didn't!"
"It was a Depends, not a diaper." Stephanie told him, "he kept getting uncontrollable in the bathroom and I wasn't about to shake Mr. Droopy."
"Of course, why didn't I think of that." Ranger stated. He looked over to Tank, "You have any idea's for punishments yet?"
"For Lucy or for Ethel?" Tank asked laughing.
I know I'm not the worlds greatest when it comes to bounty hunting, but to hear Tank refer to us as Lucy and Ethel. Okay, so we really do act like Lucy and Ethel at times. But still, we aren't that bad. Are we? Stephanie thought. "I don't think any punishment is necessary. No harm done. Bobby isn't dead, he's perfectly fine asleep in the next room."
Ranger grabbed the inner part of the cuffs that bound Stephanie's wrists. "You have to be punished. Both of you. You both did this together and part of this punishment will be done together." He said as he stood the both of them up.
"You are going to send us to a third world country aren't you?" Stephanie asked with trepidation.
"No, a third world country couldn't handle you. You would drive them crazy." Ranger said as he moved over to the couch and pulled her down so she fell into his lap. "No, I'm thinking more along the lines of running." He said wickedly.
"I hate running. Running isn't good." Stephanie said then changed her mind quickly at seeing the evil grin Ranger had on his face. "Wait, running is great, better than a third world country. Running is really good, I love to run. I live to run."
"Ah!" Tank said, "neither one of you like to run. I say we have defense lessons at our gym, twice a week."
Lester walked back in with a bag and had Alex following him, when Lula said. "Defense? What do we need defense for? That's what them tasers and spray is for, that's what a purse is for. It's all multi-purpose, good for breaking things, good for hitting things, I don't need no defense. It's Stephanie who don't know what to do."
"What happens when you don't have a purse handy?" Alex asked not being able to resist.
Lester grabbed her wrist, "Stay out of this." He started pulling her to the room and Alex reached and grabbed her fist with her other hand and released the hold. Lester looked at her. "You want that five feet back in place?"
"Lester, leave Alex in here. I think you need to take care of Bobby." Ranger had watched what she did.
Lula was huffed. Stephanie was looking at Alex. "It's all your fault, none of this would have happened if it hadn't been for you. My life would have been fine."
Alex went as far as the bedroom door and Lester closed it behind him. She turned back and looked at Stephanie. "I agree part of this is my fault, but I'm not taking responsibility for putting Bobby in a diaper."
"IT WAS A DEPENDS!" Stephanie yelled at her and tried to get out of Ranger's lap.
Ranger kept his hold on her and clamped a hand over Stephanie's mouth. "You are going to take partial responsibility for this Alex?"
"Sure. I didn't make them do what they did, but none of this would have happened if I didn't break Gaspick's arm. And it wasn't like he was letting me explain that either." She sat down next to the door. "What was I supposed to do when I had gotten jumped by three rival gang members of the Slayers and then he comes wadding in the fight. I slowed my hammer fist down but it was too late, I still broke his arm."
"Lucy and Ethel need defense lessons. Nothing fancy, but I think it would be better if you helped. Since you helped find Lucy here, I think you already worked off part of that. What do you say?" Ranger asked Alex.
"How much?" Alex asked him.
"Free."
"I get paid thirty an hour for personal instruction. I'm not working for free, you take thirty an hour off from that hundred grand." Alex stared at him.
"I'll give you fifty an hour and you'll have to run with them as well. I'll also find other things for you to do in order to pay back that hundred grand. Consider yourself an employee for RangeMan. Only you wont be getting any money for a long time." Ranger said.
"Fine. But I never asked for you to pay that. If you recall I was telling you no."
"I know. But since you offered, it'll have to be paid back now." Ranger told her.
Lester had carried Bobby out of the hotel in a fireman hold after he had dressed him. Bobby had been awake for an hour now and the pain medication had worn off. It was three in the afternoon and Lester had suggested taking Bobby some place public so he wouldn't create world war three. Alex went along with it, but she wanted nothing to do with this idea, she only suggested the place.
Crystals Pizza House was located on the north side of Trenton. It was a family establishment that had a large dining area, small dance floor, and two small movie theaters which were located on the second floor. One theater played nonstop cartoons while the other played nonstop music videos. The other half of the upstairs played host to the nickel arcade, which played host to numerous families. Off from the dining establishment downstairs they had a private room with several pool tables. Crystals was one of the hot spots, cheap food, cheap drinks, and cheap entertainment. One of the best places to bring the family and let the kids run wild while the adults could do their own thing.
Bobby was sitting at a table in the far back of the main room. The place wasn't overly crowded but the summer school kids were running all over the place. A few adults were scattered at tables every now and then. "Son of a bitch! I can't believe Stephanie and Lula pulled this shit on me. On me. I was only doing my job." Bobby growled out.
Lester refilled the beer in front of Bobby. They had a pitcher of beer on the table along with three big pizza pies. Alex was sitting as far away from Bobby as possible and trying hard to blend into the tablecloth. She was waiting for Bobby to explode and kept shaking her head at Lester.
"You need to calm down. Lets get drunk and forget about the whole thing." Lester told him in a calm voice.
Bobby picked up the glass and drained half of it. "How do you expect me to forget about something like that? My ass is still half numb from all the damn times I got fucking electrocuted from that fucking taser."
"At least your still alive." Alex said quietly.
"Just drink Bobby, eat the pizza." Lester said and looked over to Alex. "Hush!" he hissed at her.
Bobby glowered at Alex, "I don't want to hear anything from you. Women are not to be trusted as far as I'm concerned right now. You are crafty, do the worst possible things you can imagine, you are sick, and depraved. You are in the same boat as Lula and Stephanie. I don't care if you aren't a full grown woman yet, you'll be one, one day."
Lester groaned, Bobby was now going to be on his soapbox. I hate when he does this women are the bane of society bit. Lester thought. "Leave Alex alone."
"Why? Alex was the one who took Stephanie Plum's damn cell phone chip." Bobby hit the table with his fist. The table shook and tipped over the pitcher of beer and Lester and Bobby's glass. Alex was holding her coke and pushed back away from the table.
Joe turned to look at Bobby, the man was getting louder and louder by the second. Antoine was looking over there now as well. Joe hadn't been here in ages and Antoine said he wanted to come here, Joe had agreed with it. When they had come in he hadn't seen Alex sitting with Lester and Bobby. That was why Stephanie didn't answer her phone, I thought it was because she forgot to charge it like normal. Joe thought.
Lester was sopping up the beer on the table with as many napkins as he could find, he stood up and grabbed another black container from the table next to them and proceeded to pull the whole lot out and kept trying to clean up the beer. "Bobby! What did you expect, she was trying to not get caught at the time."
Alex stood up, "Forget it Lester. Bobby, dump it all on me. It's all my fucking fault everything is so screwed up in the world. I can't help it if I'm female and think like crafty viper."
Lester watched as Alex stormed off. He looked at the receiver on his wrist and then switched it so Alex would have plenty of room to stay inside the place but wouldn't get zapped.
"Smooth, Bobby, real smooth." Lester told him.
"Well it's true." Bobby hit the table again. "I didn't see you volunteering for babysitting Stephanie."
Joe didn't listen to anymore of Bobby and Lester. He watched as Alex stormed away from the table. The kid is going to have a complex if she hangs around Bobby in that foul mood he is in. As much as I'd like to hear what Stephanie did, better opportunities have came my way. Joe thought. He nodded to Antoine and both of them left their table. They followed Alex as she made her way to the pool room. Joe watched her enter the room and go to the far side near the pool sticks and sit down at a small table, she lifted her left leg and pushed up Lester's pants she had on and started scratching around the monitor trying to itch it underneath.
"I hate this damn thing." Alex hissed. "Damn piece of shit."
"I didn't know you could wear police monitors outside of the house." Alex heard the slow Cajun drawl and lifted her head and narrowed her eyes as Antoine approached. She took in his light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, the soft blue eyes, and the oval face that was clean shaven. She looked further down to his chest that wasn't overly developed from what she could make out from his polo he had on, down to his waist that had a clip on the belt that had his police badge showing.
"I didn't know they allowed Creoles within the Jersey limits." Alex snapped back and covered the monitor with the pants again.
Joe had coughed covering up a laugh and Alex's gaze settled on him. She noticed the wavy black hair, deep brown eyes, and the scar over his left eyebrow. His face was chiseled handsome, he wore a dark blue t-shirt that was tucked into his jeans, she didn't see a badge at his waist like his partner had.
Great, just what I need, two cops. Two cops who can't mind their own business. Alex thought.
"Good ear." Antoine said, "You are very observant. Want to shoot some pool?"
I insult him and now he compliments me. He must be good cop, bad cop hasn't said anything yet. Alex thought.
"Not with you and your partner, I don't know what you want. But I didn't do it." Alex moved and went over to the pool sticks and picked one out and moved to another table putting one in between her and the two men.
Joe grinned at her, "You have a problem with police officers or just anyone in authority positions? You feeling guilty about something?"
Alex ignored his question and started racking the balls. Good cop, bad cop. Bad cop is more assessing though. Alex thought as she looked back over at Joe who was still grinning at her.
She doesn't like police officers and is now evading. Was this a learned trait or does she come by this naturally. Joe thought as he went over to the wall and picked up two sticks and threw one to Antoine. Joe moved to the table beside hers, he had his back towards Alex but he could feel her eyes watching him.
"You know, it's not much fun playing by yourself. No competition." Joe said, looking at Antoine and not watching Alex.
"At least I'm assured victory this way." Alex said and she looked up at Joe as he chuckled. "It wasn't that funny."
Joe spun around and leaned up against the table that Antoine was now racking the balls on. "No, but it was witty."
Alex stood up from leaning over the table, she put the cue sticks thick end on the floor and held the cue standing in front of her. She stared directly at Joe, "Okay bad cop, now you want to be good cop. Why can't you just stick with whatever role you want to play with and stay with it?"
"Where would the fun be in that?" Joe asked her.