Knock Knock
Chapter FourThe next morning Hector had greeted me with a large coffee, donuts and a copy of the Trenton Times. The front page featured an article questioning if the additional funds the Chief of Police's requested would be used for Joe Morelli's condom budget. There was a lot of photos included. He he he!
We went after three skips and I got all three with minimal help from Hector and without getting covered in garbage, my car didn't explode and I didn't see any of them naked. It's the garbage, explosion and naked part I'm most proud of. To be honest I like having a partner like Hector. He lets me do things my way, has my back if things go wrong and provides suggestions on how to do things better next time without putting me down. Most of our conversations are in a combination of English and Spanish very rarely do we have to resort to the laptop translation program. We're both pretty proud of this.
So here I am sitting on the couch, in my comfy sweats, watching Ghostbusters and savouring two of my favourite men Ben and Jerry waiting for the other shoe to drop because come on, it's me, something has to go wrong to balance out the cosmos.
I must have fallen asleep because I'm still on the couch when I'm awakened by knocking at my door. Actually it's more like pounding. Grabbing my stun gun and cell I get up and move towards the door but not before checking my stun gun is charged. See I can learn.
"Cupcake! I know you're in there." Joe slurs. More pounding on my door. "Open the door Cupcake. We're going to have a little chat about our marriage." He snickers. "You've had your fun with Range-" 'hic' "man." He hiccups.
Joe's father was a drunk who beat on his wife and kids and I'm not quite sure how far the apple landed from the tree. This never crossed my mind before but I can tell Joe is very drunk and there is just something about the way he is talking that gives me chills and sets my spidey senses on high alert. I send a text to Hector and call 911. I walk down the hall to my bedroom to talk to them as I don't want Joe to overhear.
When I return to the front door I can hear keys jangling, scratching noises against the lock, keys hitting the floor and Joe's muttered curses as well as the occasional yell of "Cupcake! Open this door right now."
As I returned to the front door things go quiet. I freeze in the hope that he will think I'm not home but after a less than 30 seconds the pounding continues. "I'm not leaving until we've consummated this marriage. You're mine!" He yells. He sounds so deranged, it's terrifying and my spidey senses flair as I back further away from the door.
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG there are gun shots, I'm on the ground after the first one and after the last one I look up and there is no damage in my apartment. Confused I look towards the door and there are dents surrounding the lock but no holes in the door.
"Fuck!" He yells and pounds on the door. The lock holds but I can see the door wobble a bit. Jumping up, tuck the stun gun in the pocket of my hoody and on shaky legs make my way into the kitchen to Rex. I notice his furry butt sticking out of his soup can, murmuring reassurances I take him to my bedroom and barricade us in the room. All the while I keep an ear on what is happening at my door.
Every piece of furniture in the room is in front of my bedroom door when he starts pounding on it. "I've got a present for you Cupcake. Come out and make the boys happy." He slurs. Eww. No.
My cell vibrates, it's Tank "Little Girl, you ok?"
"I'm barricaded in my bedroom. He emptied eight rounds into the front door but he usually carries two guns. I don't know how many rounds he has left. He's outside the bedroom door now but he's not pounding anymore and his voice is slurring more, I think he might be close to passing out."
"What weapons do you have?" he asked.
Trying to remain calm I said "Stun gun and anything I can throw."
"Ok. Hold on." is his response. I can hear his muffled voice giving orders but not what the orders are. "Ok Bomber the guys are gearing up, just hang in there and we'll get him. Don't open the door until you hear a Rangeman say 'Rex's cage is clean'. Can you repeat that back to me?" I do before hanging up.
The relief that this will be over soon is causes me to sink down to the floor my back against the closet door. Down here I look around the room, I can't fathom living here anymore. I moved into this apartment after my divorce with Dickie. To be able to rent this apartment gave me back a little of the independence I felt I'd lost being married to him. Since becoming a bounty hunter there have been dead bodies, intruders and explosions in the apartment and I've stubbornly stayed not wanting to lose that sense of independence. It's right now that I realise that my stubbornness has caused me to be stupid about my safety. Instead of being independent I've become reliant on Ranger and the Merry Men putting them in danger and in complete denial that that was what I was doing. It's ok to work with Ranger and the Merry Men but it should be on a more even keel giving them as much as they give me and whilst it's ok being independent it's ok to ask for help. I know I can do that so I start making plans. Self-defence, lock picking, defensive driving, tracking, shadowing, blending in, basic first aid and with a mental sigh I add weapons and shooting, I don't like guns.
A tapping on the window that leads to the fire escape pulls me from my planning. Scrabbling to get up I see Hector on the other side, he sticks his tongue out at me. Seeing this big man covered in gang tats do something so silly makes me giggle as I open the window but before I can get it all the open he says "Rodent dirty." His interpretation of the safe phrase causes me to double over laughing. He opens the window the rest of the way and jumps into the room gracefully and wraps me up in a hug before pulling back and looking me over, when he's satisfied that I'm not injured he pulls me back into another hug.
"I don't want to stay here." I tell him.
He nods ok "Mi casa es tu casa." Ha! I understood what he said and in my head I'm doing a Tango happy dance.
I look up at him and shake my head "I want a new apartment."
He looks surprised for a moment before giving me a blinding smile. "I help."
I pack as much of my closest as I can in the two duffels and suitcase while he moves the furniture back into place. When the barricade is gone he quietly opens the door to show the back of Lester and Bobby squished side by side blocking the door both in protective stances. I'm surprised they didn't hear the door open, with Ranger and Tank they make up the 'be aware of your surroundings' club. Quiet as I can I move behind them, using the door frame to balance I stand on my tips toes my head reaching underarm height and whisper "Yo"
In synchronisation they spin and pull me into a sandwich hug my front to Lester's front, my back to Bobby's. "Hey I was supposed to get the front." Bobby complained. Again in tandem they step back spin me 180 and step in again.
Whilst Bobby is giving me a sisterly hug, meaning there is reasonable space between our bodies, Lester is flush against my back and someone's hands are creeping close to my ass. Laughing I say "Touch my ass and you'll pull back a nub."
Bobby reaches around me and smacks the back of Lester's head. Before things escalate someone clears their throat. "Ahem" we all turn out heads to see a smiling Eddie and a woman I've not seen before. She has a heart shaped face topped with long black hair pulled back into a pony tail, her lips are a dark rose pink and her eyes are a dark brown. She's her heritage isn't South American I would guess Filipino. Her fit but voluptuous figure is encased in a grey t-shirt, dark skinny jeans, a thick black leather belt with a gun clipped to it and steal toed work boots.
Eddie introduces Detective Kalasin Lee who's just transferring to TPD due to start tomorrow he continued to explain that Mayor Juniak has asked her to start early to have an unbiased investigation. Ironic, since the Mayor is my godfather. Bobby extricates himself from the sandwich hug, a blush staining his dark cheeks, he offers her a hand to shake. "Detective Lee it's nice to meet you. I'm Bobby Brown, medic at Rangeman Securities." She shakes his hand both are eyeing the other with curiosity that neither Eddie nor Lester pick up on.
Lester has taken advantage of Bobby moving away and has wrapped his arms around me from behind, fingers locked and resting on my stomach. "That better be your gun nudging my ass." I whisper. When he doesn't answer I elbow him in the ribs and step out of his arms, hand outstretched I say to the detective. "Hi, I'm Stephanie Plum. That's Lester, he's the Rangeman ladies man." Her grip is firm, skin soft except for a few calluses.
Before Lester can say anything the Detective Lee says "It's nice to meet you all. Ms Plum, I know you've had an ordeal but I would like to get your statement this evening. The TPD has enough bad press at the moment, we'd like to get facts straight before things can be misconstrued by the public."
"Please call me Steph or Stephanie." I smile at her and continue to explain the events of the evening. When I'm done I ask how to go about getting a restraining order. Lester speaks up "The Rangeman lawyers can help you with this Steph. Want me to take care of it for you?"
I hesitate before saying "Ok. Just keep me in the loop on everything." His eyebrows raise, I've surprised him by agreeing. Jeez, was I really that stubborn? He moves away taking out his phone as he goes.
Eddie and the Detective leave as Tank arrives. He pulls me into a hug. "You ok Little Girl?" He says into my ear.
Nodding I say "I'm ok. I need to keep packing."
Bobby, Lester and Tank freeze. "Where are you going?" Tank demands as he lets me go and steps back so we can see me better.
Looking at the floor I hesitantly reply "It's time for me to get a new apartment. Could you spare some time tomorrow to help me find something and set it up so it's harder for the crazies to find me? Hector is helping me get as much as possible packed tonight so I don't have much to do tomorrow." Boy this asking for help business is tough.
After what feels like an hour but is probably less than 10 seconds I'm swept up in a bone crushing hug. "Can't breathe." I gasp out. Tank squeezes me a little tighter and I swear I feel my bones groaning before he releases me. Lester picks me up and twirls me around and when he set me down he gives me a bruising kiss. I would punch him but the look of complete elation in his face makes me instantly forgive him. Bobby wraps his arms around me from behind his arms crossed over my stomach and rocks me side to side.
Within what feels like minutes Bobby is helping Hector pack the rest of my bedroom in body bags. I was freaking out about death cooties until Bobby assured me they are a one use kind of thing and these have never held a dead body.
Tank told me I could store everything in his garage until I find a place so he and Lester and hauling the furniture out to two pickups. Where did they come from?
Cal and Manny are removing the dented door and have another one to replace. When did they get here?
Ella and Louis are in the kitchen throwing out anything perishable. I'm embarrassed about the lack of kitchenware that needs packing. In my stubbornness to be independent thus rejecting my mother and the burg way I don't know how to cook and have relied heavily on frozen meals, my mother and take out. That's something I definitely want to change but I definitely don't want my mother to teach me. Maybe I could get Ella to teach me? Hmm add that to my list.
Standing near the front door but out of the way of the foot traffic in and out of my apartment I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at the speed at which everything is getting done and at a lost at what I should be doing when there is a tap on my shoulder. Hal is standing next to me holding a box blushing a vibrant red "Hey Bomber…ahh…would you…could you…do you want to help me pack the bathroom?" Turns out Hal was worried about how I'd feel about him packing my 'lady products' as that was all that was left in the cabinet, how he got his big meaty hand around the box to get everything else out I will never know.
With so many people helping move what little I owned, my apartment was cleared out in under an hour. The rent is paid for another two months so I'll come back and do another walk through before then but I'm pretty sure we got everything.
It took a lot less time unloading the pickups at Tanks so were we all standing around Tanks front lawn drinking a beer when Lester said "I can give you a lift back to Rangeman Beautiful."
Flicking a glance at across the circle to Hector who gives me a chin tilt and a shrug I said "Thanks but I'm going to stay with Hector."
All the Merry Men tense eyes bugged out heads swivelling back and forth between Hector and I except Manny who is standing next to me taking a swig of his beer. Confused by their reaction I asked "What?"
Lester spoke up. "Steph no one knows where Hector lives. Only Ranger knows."
I'm so busy giving Hector a double raised eyebrow you've-got-some-explaining-to-do look that I almost miss Manny's whispered "and Hectors lovers, you'll be safe Wifey."