Thank you all so very much for your reviews. I appreciate them more than you can imagine.
An extra special Thank You to Stayce for helping me although her plate was already overflowing.
Disclaimer: Most characters are borrowed from JE, any similarities with living persons is coincidental, and the title is borrowed from Bon Jovi
Warning: Bad language and adult content
Keep the Faith
Chapter 24
A while ago, I saw this magnet. It read "As soon as the rush is over, I'm going to have a nervous breakdown. I've earned it, I deserve it, and no one is going to deprive me of it". I'd laughed when I saw it, it was so true.
And that was exactly how I felt at the moment. I knew I had to keep it together, appear strong, show no fear, but I had to have something to look forward to.
When this was over, I was going to call a girls' night Trenton had never seen before. It was going to be myself, Lula and Connie and Mary Lou, and the only men allowed were Jack, Jim and Jose, with a possible exception for Ben & Jerry. And we'd do whatever felt right all through the night and we'd all feel on top of the world.
Right now though, I couldn't have been further away from a fun time with the girls. I was stuck in a deli bathroom with a foreign Mafioso that hadn't gotten his reputation by raising kittens.
DalBo pulled the ladies room door open and put his foot in front of it so it wouldn't close. Immediately, I heard the unmistakable sound of dozens of weapons getting ready to fire.
"Sounds like the cavalry is here," DalBo whispered and nudged me forward with his gun. "Just like in one of the old westerns."
I was thinking along the same lines, although I didn't know what to feel first, fear or hope. If he was going to push me out into the hallway, was I going to be shot by the entire RangeMan team? No, of course not, most Merry Men were ex-soldiers, trained to know the difference between good guys and bad guys on a split-second's notice. But if most of them would be able to hold their fire when they recognized me, what if one of them couldn't? As far as I know, one bullet is all it takes to kill you. And what if it wasn't only veteran Merry Men, what if they'd brought the rookie?
On the other hand, they were here. Most likely, Ranger was among them, and they were in the deli, not just outside, they were close. All I had to do was step out of the bathroom and I could run to safety. If I acted fast enough, I might even avoid getting shot at by DalBo, use the element of surprise.
It didn't really matter what I wanted to do though, I was paralyzed. I couldn't have moved a single muscle if I'd tried. And why didn't any of them out there yell something, call my name, or tell me it was all going to be okay? Didn't they know I needed reassurance? DalBo had heard them chambering the rounds just as much as I had, he knew they were there, they had no need to be stealthy now.
I stood right next to him now and DalBo put his hand my neck and tightened his grip. His large hands almost reached around to my throat and I had no doubt he could hold on a lot tighter if he wanted to. I was facing the short hallway, he had his back against the open door and was facing me. Well, if I'd looked up and into his face he would have been facing me, but I was staring straight ahead. I was scared of what I might do if I looked at him.
And as usual when I was faced with a pants-peeing-scary situation, my mind wandered off, trying to deny the severity of the moment. I couldn't help thinking that if only I hadn't insisted on coming back here right away, if I'd left it for a time after I'd had a chance to tell Ranger about it, this wouldn't have happened.
And then I reminded myself that coming here wasn't as much the issue as keeping it from Lester, because Lester would have been more prepared if I'd told him the truth about my interest in Elke's Deli. Oh God, Lester! I hoped he was okay, he had to be, I took a moment to promise God I'd become a nun if he let Lester be okay.
And what about Bob?? He'd promised me he'd be good, but that was a promise for the twenty minutes it would take to have lunch! Did we leave a window cracked, did he have enough air?
I flinched when DalBo's fingernails dug into my skin and realized that playing 'anywhere but here' in my head was not the way to go. I had to focus and I had to find a way out of here, just like I would have MacGyver'ed my way of Harry's basement if it had been anyone else coming down the stairs.
"What do you want me to do?" I asked, loud enough so I could be heard in the hallway, hopefully the rest of the deli too.
DalBo grinned, but the grin didn't reach his eyes, they were still cold as ice. "You, Schatzi, are going to be acting as my shield." He kept his voice low and controlled, I could clearly hear him but I doubted anyone outside this room could.
He looked like he thought it was very clever of him to come up with such an original idea and I swallowed hard. Yep, he really meant it.
He released my neck and slid his forearm around my throat, pressing my back to his chest. I barely noticed when the barrel of his gun connected with my temple.
"Nice and slow, Schnuckelchen, we're going to leave this room and you turn left. Then you stop and walk backwards. You got that?"
"Ba…backwards?" I wasn't being slow on purpose, my panicking mind couldn't process what he was saying.
He chuckled as if he found me amusing. His mouth was so close to my ear that his breath tickled my skin and I shuddered involuntarily. "The guns are on the left," he explained condescendingly. "I want to keep you facing them while we walk out the back door. Klaro?"
I didn't understand the words, but he shook me for emphasis and I nodded. Not that it mattered what I did, I figured. He didn't seem hurt, so it must have been Lester who'd gotten wounded. Some RangeMen must have been close by, so they might have approached the deli as DalBo was trying to get away, forcing him the other way. Maybe he hadn't known I was in the bathroom when he stumbled upon me, maybe he'd been looking for the rear exit, I take wrong doors all the time. So as soon as I helped him get outside, he'd let me go, right? Maybe he didn't even know who I was, it was possible.
I was a pretty good liar, but unfortunately not good enough to convince myself. I had too much trouble controlling my body, keeping the tears back and suppressing the shivers. I also had to keep that part of me under control that only wanted me to kick DalBo where it hurts. I didn't really think testing DalBo's patience was a good thing to do, not with his gun pressing into my head.
So no, I didn't believe for a second DalBo hadn't known I was in the bathroom or that he didn't know who I was. My guess was that he had spotted me even before I made him and had had the upper hand all along. And I wasn't at all sure he had any plans of releasing me once we made it out of the building.
I hadn't seen insanity in his eyes, like I had in others' before; probably he knew what he was doing. It could be as simple as revenge; he could want to get back at me for having him arrested. If I had bruised his male ego and he'd lost face or whatever in front of his mafia friends, there could be hell to pay.
"Move," he hissed, pressing himself against me to push me out the door.
"You want me to step into the hallway?" I asked, much louder than necessary, sending whoever was out there a not so subtle message.
My heart was thumping against my chest so hard, I was afraid I was going to have a heart attack. I took a small step forward. I hadn't quite reached the doorway yet, and I didn't know if I could manage. I had fear instead of blood flowing through my veins, and it froze me up.
DalBo pulled his forearm up, choking me. "I won't say it again."
Even if he did, I probably wasn't going to hear him, since he almost cut off my air supply. But I couldn't move.
I heard the mechanical click half a second before the deafening gunshot and I shrieked. DalBo's grip on me never loosened. He had moved his gun half an inch and had fired a shot directly above my head, I could feel the burn right across my skull.
I was shaking uncontrollably now and if he hadn't held on to me, I would have probably collapsed onto the floor. He nudged me with his shoulder.
"I mean that," he said, completely calm, as if we were discussing the weather.
It was hard to tell how many men were out there. Traffic was heavy on Broad, drowning out most noises. There were sirens, but I couldn't determine if they were coming or going. Apparently no one had given the command to rush in since nobody appeared in the doorway ready to shoot.
I took another step forward and tried to think.
Lester would have called in a Code Red. How many teams was that again? Definitely Ranger and Tank. Unless they were out on another Code Red, but somehow I believed they would have made me their priority. Guilt over not telling Ranger before I came to check the place out tried to creep up on me again, but I really had other priorities at the moment, like staying alive.
DalBo's gun was back at my temple, hot from the shot it had fired, and I took that last step, closing my eyes as I turned left. My head hurt, my ears were ringing, and there was now the stink of burnt hair, my hair, all around me. But I couldn't help thinking it could have been a lot worse, pain meant I was alive.
DalBo was stuck to me in a way that I'm sure would have been comical under any other circumstances; there wasn't half an inch of air between us. I could feel him cowering a little because he was taller than I was and he wanted to hide behind me. With a shaky breath, I opened my eyes.
At first, I only saw a sea of black. I didn't recognize faces, just the RangeMan uniforms behind their guns. There were about a dozen of them, dressed in flack vests, some of them shielded by upturned tables. Then I noticed cops behind them, their guns also trained at us. There were about a dozen uniforms, some of them barely visible behind the deli counters, some of them in plain sight behind the RangeMen. They all must have known DalBo would have his gun on me, making additional cover unnecessary. I sent a quick prayer heavenwards that all of them had had the sense to wait to see who came out of that bathroom.
This was one of the classic situations I'd learned about in RangeMan training, the hostage situation. Too bad I couldn't remember what the routine steps were, but I thought I remembered a rule where if it could endanger a hostage you don't shoot, period. DalBo obviously knew that one already since he was hiding almost completely behind me, putting pressure on my throat to make me step backwards with him.
I still couldn't hear much over the ringing in my ear and my rushing blood, but slowly, my vision sort of cleared and I recognized people. I saw Tank. He wasn't looking at me, his eyes were focused on a spot right behind me, but I recognized him by his bulk even when he was kneeling, although I'd never seen such a cold look in his eyes. Next to him was Junior. I willed myself to scan the men in black even as DalBo was pulling me back, I needed to find Lester, I needed to see he was okay. My eyes flew from one black figure to the next, until I reached the only one standing up: Ranger.
Our eyes locked and I felt a sense of calm come over me I'd have thought impossible in this situation. He wasn't moving. He was looking at me, his gun ready but not aiming at me, and I shouldn't have been able to tell, but I knew he was aiming it at a little bit to the right of my head.
And all of a sudden, time stood still. All sounds faded. I could only see Ranger's eyes and I felt as if his mind was reaching out to me. I'd seen him look at one of his men this intensely and called it RangeMan ESP when the Merry Man he looked at just suddenly 'got' the message, but I never thought it could happen to me. I had no way of knowing if I was making this up or if Ranger was really trying to tell me something, but it felt so right, I decided to go with it.
He nodded, almost imperceptibly, if you didn't know him you would have missed it, and that was my signal. I knew that like I'd never known anything in my life.
Ranger blinked and I ducked. I just went limp and slouched down a little, but it was all the room Ranger needed. The bullet zinged past me, only a little further away than DalBo's had a few minutes earlier. DalBo collapsed on top of me groaning, sending me down to the floor.
I couldn't breathe. His weight crushed me, it felt like he weighed a ton. It couldn't have been for more than a minute because as soon as I hit the linoleum I heard everyone around me spring into action, but I needed air, lots of it and fast, and DalBo's weight on me didn't allow me to breathe.
I felt him being lifted off of me and realized I was still unable to move. It was adrenaline overload or something, I just lay there, my arms and legs wouldn't obey me.
Strong hands touched me and I knew they were Ranger's hands before I saw him, his fingers slid under my arms and he lifted me up effortlessly.
I can't quite describe the sound I made, it was weird, like a mix between a sob and a shriek, and as soon as I was on my feet I let my self fall against Ranger. I threw my arms around his neck and held on for dear life.
His arms closed around me and held me, his face was pressed against the side of mine, and I was finally able to take that much needed deep breath. It was over. I was still alive. I couldn't hold mack the sobs any longer.
Ranger held me until my tears dried up and for a long moment after that, then he pulled back to look at me. "Are you okay?" he asked, holding me by my shoulders. There was concern in his eyes and he held on to me as if he feared I was going to collapse without his support, which was entirely possible since my legs still felt kind of like rubber.
"He…he shot me…" I whispered as the memory came back and my hand flew up to my scalp.
Ranger caught it before I could make contact with the wound and looked at the damage. "Not even a flesh wound, Babe. It stings worse than it is."
He gathered me back in his arms and kissed my forehead, then he put a strong arm around my shoulder and walked me outside. "If you want, you can have the paramedics have a look, but they might laugh."
He was obviously trying to tease me, so I punched him in the side. It wasn't a hard punch because I didn't want to pull back to gain momentum, I couldn't let go of him.
"It hurts," I explained. "You know how I don't like pain."
"Even less than doctors," Ranger chuckled and kissed my nose.
We walked through the front door and Ranger picked me up, just like that I was airborne and then I was carried bridal style, and I was too relieved and too exhausted to be embarrassed by half of Trenton looking on.
One of the paramedics in the closest ambulance looked up and his eyes widened. He gestured to the second ambulance and Ranger was about to carry me over when I got a glance inside the first rig.
"Lester!" I yelled as loud as I could. "Let me down, I need to see him."
Ranger shook his head. "In a bit, when they're done with him. Let them finish."
"Is he okay?" I craned my neck as Ranger walked on, but I couldn't see the inside of the ambulance anymore.
"He's fine. Just bumped his head pretty hard, they're checking for a concussion," Ranger said as we reached the second ambulance and Ranger put me on the waiting gurney.
The paramedic looked from me to Ranger, but when I looked up Ranger was wearing his blank face.
"I'm not going to the hospital," I said to both of them, just to get that out of the way, in case that's what the shared lookes were about.
They exchanged another glance and then the paramedic pushed me down on my back before he put his gloves on and got gauze and anitseptic spary . Ranger bent down and kissed me.
"I'll be back in a bit. They're waiting for me to make my statement, and I need to check on the guys. You gonna be OK for a while?"
I nodded. "I'm better now. But don't be too long." I hated how needy I sounded, but I couldn't help it. I was still shaking a little.
Ranger smiled and brushed his lips over mine. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
I wanted to tell Ranger to check on Bob, but he'd already left.
I got numbed up and then the paramedic went to work, but since I couldn't see what he was doing, I closed my eyes and let him do his job. As long as he didn't hurt me, he was allowed to do what he thought was necessary.
Maybe it was something he gave me or maybe it was the adrenaline slump, but at some point I passed out and I woke not knowing how much time had passed.
I was disoriented at first and had a short panic attack, but then I noticed the ambulance wasn't moving, its motor wasn't even running, and I was alone in without any lights on. I sat up, but regretted it immediately, because pain shot through my head and down my neck. I groaned very unladylike and waited for the stars to fade so I could see clearly.
I'd just swung my legs over the gurney's end as the double doors were opened from the outside and although I only saw his outline, I knew Ranger had come for me.
"I think you've had enough rest," he said and I could hear the smile in his voice.
"What happened? What did I miss?"
"Just the cleanup, Babe."
He offered me his hand and helped me out of the vehicle. When I looked around, I noticed there was only one police car and a couple RangeMan SUVs left in front of the deli.
I wanted nothing more than for all this to be over, but I forced myself not to go into denial over what had happened. "Where is DalBo? Is Lester okay? Did you get Bob?"
Ranger chuckled put his arm around my shoulder and led me over to his Cayenne. "It's taken care of. Lester's already back at RangeMan, along with Bob. Relax, okay?"
He opened the passenger door for me and gave me a boost. "I was just waiting for you."
"Don't I need to make a statement or something?" I asked confused.
"Tomorrow," Ranger said. "I told them I'd keep an eye on you and hand-deliver you to the station tomorrow."
He was smiling when he closed my door and jogged around the front of the car, and I relaxed back against the soft seat.
The crowd I'd seen on our way out of the deli had dispersed, yellow crime scene tape had been draped across the entrance and I saw Tank talking to Eddie Gazarra next to the only blue and white left.
"Is DalBo…is he…?" I didn't know if I wanted to ask whether he was dead or alive. It seemed wrong to wish for someone's death. But if he was dead I had to know.
"He's worse off than Lester," Ranger said evasively.
I decided to leave it at that for the moment, I was sure Ranger would have put it differently if DalBo was dead. My head was still throbbing and my body felt like I'd been hit by a truck. This once, I didn't need to know every little detail of what had happened right away. It could wait until after a shower.
Ranger was quiet on the ride to Haywood Street, and he still didn't speak when helped me out of the car or when we walked over to the elevator.
"Something wrong?" I finally asked when the silence grew uncomfortable.
Ranger keyed his front door open and stood back to let me walk past, then he kicked it shut behind him and almost crushed me in a hug. He brought his hands up and threaded his fingers behind my neck. I leaned into him so far that I wouldn't have been able to stay upright if he'd taken a step back.
I felt his breath against my neck when he spoke. "You did good, Babe."
"I didn't really do anything but get into trouble," I admitted and he chuckled.
"You did a lot more'n that. You knew, didn't you?" He pulled back so he could lock eyes with me.
"Knew what?" My head hurt even worse when I was trying to keep up with Ranger's mind leaps.
"What I needed you to do. DalBo was hidden completely behind you, and you knew you had to duck." There was an intensity in his eyes that I knew meant he had to know right now.
"I must have seen that in a movie," I said. Now that it was over it seemed foolish to believe Ranger and I had had a 'connection'.
He rested his hands on my shoulder and tucked a wayward curl behind my ear. "You did it at exactly the right moment. That was no coincidence."
His eyes flicked up to my head. "Are you in pain?"
"I thought it wasn't even a flesh wound?"
He pulled me towards him again and I let his warmth and strength seep into me. "Doesn't mean it can't hurt," he said and blew out some air, his version of a sigh.
"I need a drink," I said. "And a shower. And a nice man to massage my shoulders."
The only trouble was I didn't want to move an inch from where we were standing right that second.
"You got it," he said but didn't move either.
We stood like that for a few minutes longer, then Ranger took a step back, put his arm around my shoulder and led me into the kitchen. He filled two glasses with ice and topped them off with whisky, then he handed me one. "We'll take these with us."
I touched the bandage on my head. "I didn't get to ask, can I shower with this?"
"We'll play it safe and take a bath instead," Ranger said as we left the kitchen for the bathroom.
"Aren't you hungry?"
I had to think about that. It was almost 7, I'd last eaten hours ago, but I wasn't hungry. Not for food anyway. I sat down on the hamper while Ranger started the water. Just watching him made me feel better. Ranger and I, in his apartment, safest place in Trenton.
He looked up from the tub, a questioning look in his eyes. I hadn't answered his question.
I felt much better, I was over the aftershock. "I have what I need right here," I told him and he smiled at that. "So do I."
He got up and walked over to me, pulling his shirt out of his pants and over his head. I stood up and reached out for him, he took my hand and pulled me in for a passionate kiss.
Usually, the sight of half-naked Ranger sends my hormones into overdrive, but that night, I just wanted to feel him close, wanted to feel safe in his presence.
We finished undressing and Ranger helped me into the tub, although I assured him I was fine. He slid in behind me and I stood corrected, this was even better than wrapping my arms around him in the foyer had been. My head was resting on his shoulder and his long legs framed mine. He picked up a sponge and lathered it up with soap, then he washed me, inch by inch.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you what I was gonna do," I admitted, as much to myself as to Ranger.
"You got your man."
"Yeah, but…"
Ranger ran the sponge over my face. "No but. It was ugly, it wasn't how we would've planned it, but in the end, what matters is that DalBo's in prison."
I let that sink in for a moment. Ranger was right, but I had a hard time letting myself off the hook that easily. "I'm sure Trenton PD would have preferred an easier capture. And I'm sure you would have preferred not shooting a guy."
Ranger took a deep breath under me. "My only regret is that he's not dead. I had to take the shot then because I didn't know if I'd get another chance."
"So I helped?"
"Yeah," Ranger said, rubbing the sponge over my shoulders, "you helped."
I could hear the sincerity in his voice. He wasn't trying to make me feel better. To him this had been a team effort. And I was part of his team.
After the bath, I felt better in lots of ways. Physically, I was relaxed, Ranger had rubbed a lot of the stress away and the warm water had mellowed me out. Emotionally, I was glad that I'd had the guts to apologize, only to find out no apology had been necessary.
I wrapped Ranger's robe around me and finally confronted the mirror to check out the damage. There was a bandage on my head, I'd felt it, but I hadn't put one and one together. The paramedic had shaved the hair off to get access to the wound. I looked up and saw Ranger standing behind me, waiting for my reaction. Any other day, I might have screamed, I might have been shocked. But that night, I shrugged.
"It'll grow back, I suppose," I said, more to convince myself.
Ranger nodded. "Probably even more beautiful", he said and wrapped his arms around me. Our eyes met in the mirror.
And then I thought if I asked all the questions I had left now, I might actually get a good night's sleep without worrying about it.
"Are they going to keep DalBo locked up? He's not gonna be released on bail again, is he?"
He rested his chin on my shoulder. "My lawyer is going to talk to the DA first thing in the morning. If they're thinking about setting bail, we'll find something that'll convince the judge otherwise." I tried to protest but Ranger continued. "It's only a precaution. The case should be strong enough with assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping."
"What if it isn't?"
"Then it will be after your statement in the morning. Once he wakes up, he'll be sent to jail."
"He's not conscious?" Did it matter? Yes, I decided.
"He wasn't when they took him to the hospital. Lost a lot of blood."
I sucked in some air. This was too much like Gardner. He had also been shot and sent to the hospital, and he was guarded. But he managed to escape, twice as angry and twice as crazy as before.
Ranger squeezed me lightly to bring me back to reality. "Not this time, Babe. He's being watched inside his room, outside his room and at all entrances."
"Trenton PD wouldn't…" Ranger smiled at me in the mirror. "But I would, Babe."
I sighed. Ranger seemed to have thought of everything. Unlike me, Ranger never made the same mistake twice. DalBo was not going to get away. But he was only one part of my worries.
"I need to see Lester. I need to know he's okay."
Ranger smiled. "He is okay, I wasn't trying to protect you from that. He should be in his apartment on four."
Oh thank God! I vaguely remembered promising God something, but I didn't recall if Lester had to be unharmed for that or just survive. Okay, so I remembered I'd promised to become a nun, but I really didn't remember if the condition had be healthy Lester or injured-but-okay Lester. These details are important.
Just as important as listening closely to Ranger's words. I frowned. "What were you protecting me from?"
"What makes you think I was…"
I turned in his arms. "What were you trying to keep from me?"
He brushed his lips over mine. "You were looking a little scary earlier, Babe. The medic said you may still have to go to the hospital if it bothers you in the morning."
"When you said it wasn't even a flesh wound?"
Ranger smiled. "There was a lot of blood. I didn't think you needed to know right then."
I thought about getting angry for a second, about telling him he'd lied to me. But then I remembered his words right after the shooting, how they had soothed me. How I'd thought that if Ranger was this calm, it couldn't be all bad. He'd done the right thing.
"I would have panicked if you'd panicked," I told him as I cupped his face in my hands.
He nodded his almost nod and then he kissed me. His tongue played around my lips for a second before it sought entrance and when our tongues met, I melted into his arms.
His hands wandered down to my ass and he grabbed both cheeks firmly, pressing me to him. And I felt my hormones wake up after all, a Ranger-induced orgasm suddenly sounded like the right thing to end the day with.
TBC
Schatzi, Schnuckelchen – German terms of endearment ( little treasure, cutie)
Klaro? – Is that clear?
A/N: Look Ma, no cliffhanger!! Well, I got too many death threats to have anything happen to Lester, that's for sure... LOL Now it's all over, right? All the baddies are gone, all's taken care of, right? What do YOU think? Clean up time??