The Characters in this story are not mine. They are the sole property of Janet Evanovich. I get nothing but pleasure from them.

Okay, here's the thing. You're going to run into a few short stretches of Spanish conversation in this chapter. I studied German for 6 years in high school and college. And after all this time, I can still ask you if you are tired of practicing the violin, and if you like the sweater I gave you for your birthday. The only experience I have with Spanish, is the time I spent dating the Bolivian exchange student my senior year. So I have totally relied on a Google translator to write the dialogue. I apologize upfront if it is totally FUBAR, but I did supply the English translation in each dialogue line. You won't have to go to the bottom of the chapter to get the translation. Please read on and enjoy another unexpected day in the life of Stephanie Plum.

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Scent of a Woman

Chapter 9

Stephanie awoke long before dawn to something nibbling her ear. She was dreaming of the time, last spring, when she had returned to Joe's house after recovering a skip. She had tracked down her latest FTA, Boomer Dubois, at his job at Miller's Meat Packing plant. Her plan was to wait outside the employee's designated smoking area and apprehend the skip during his break. When Boomer stepped outside, she immediately identified herself, in her typical non-threatening way, and Boomer panicked. He took off back inside the building leading Stephanie through a maze of hanging carcasses and flabbergasted employees. He then pushed through a set of swinging doors that led to a packing room. After dodging several more employees and rolling carts, Stephanie found herself on one side of a long conveyor belt and Boomer across from her on the other side. Freshly wrapped trays of ground beef rolled past them as the standoff continued. If she dodged left, he dodged right. It was a lose-lose situation either way she would go. It was obvious that there was only one way to get to her man, so Stephanie leaped over the belt in an attempt to grab him. Unfortunately she didn't entirely clear the conveyor, and, while she was able to grab hold of Boomer's shirt, the belt pulled her along. She refused to let go, and Boomer ended up being pulled onto the belt with her. Before she could right herself, the belt came to an end, and they were both unceremoniously dumped into a collection bin along with hundreds of pounds of ground beef. Undaunted, Stephanie quickly pulled her cuffs from her back pocket and secured them onto Boomers wrists. After another humiliating deposit at the Cop Station, Stephanie headed straight to Joe's for a shower and change. Her on-again off-again relationship with Joe was currently on again, and she had been living there for that last three weeks. When she opened the back door, Bob, part retriever-part Goofy, came galloping from the hall, took a flying leap and nailed her to the kitchen floor where he licked her enthusiastically.

"Bob, stop…. that tickles (giggle)…. please… get off me…(more giggling)…Bob…I mean it…" Stephanie was swiping at her ear.

"Babe?"

Stephanie slowly opened her eyes to find Ranger laying on top of her and looking not pleased. "What?"

"Who's Bob?"

"Bob?" She was still a little disoriented.

"You were calling his name while I was kissing you! Who's Bob?"

"Bob….Oh…Bob…Oh my gosh, I thought you were the dog!"

"Dog?"

"Yes, you know, Bob the dog."

"Morelli's dog?"

"Well he was my dog first, sort of…he just likes Joe better."

"You thought I was Morelli's dog, Bob?"

"Well, I was dreaming of the time he jumped all over me when I was covered in ground beef from the meat packing plant, and he wouldn't stop licking me…. and..."

"Babe, you're killing my ego here."

"I'm sorry, Ranger…don't stop…I don't think you're Bob anymore…here try again, it was nice." Stephanie pulled her hair aside enthusiastically revealing her neck in invitation.

"Mood's gone, Babe." He rolled off.

"No, really, don't stop. I…I…want you to." She tried to pull him back, but since she couldn't budge him, she changed tactics and climbed on top of him, straddling his hips. "Don't stop. Please." She leaned forward and kissed him briefly. "I'm sorry." She kissed him again. "You're a much better kisser than Bob." She giggled and kissed him again. This time though, Ranger kissed back. He pulled her closer and rolled them back so he was once again on top.

The kissing deepened, and soon all kinds of things were involved, tongues, hands, legs; it was frantic. Ranger pulled back slightly and Stephanie panicked. "Babe, slow down, I'm not going anywhere. I want to take my time with you." He hesitated for a moment. "Stephanie, we have never talked about protection. Do I need..."

"It's okay," She smiled as she cut his words off. "I'm covered. I mean...I've been on the pill for a long time now."

"Babe, I haven't been with a woman in a long time. When I was, I always used..."

"Carlos, I trust you. Make love to me. Please."

"Dios, Babe," he whispered against her lips. "He querido hacerte el amor otra vez duante tanto tiempo. Tengo que estar dentro de ti, sentirte, probarte, te amo." (God, Babe, I've wanted to make love to you again for so long. I have to be inside you, feel you, taste you, love you.)

His words were translated by his touches. She felt loved, worshipped, treasured. There was sincerity and desire in his eyes that could not be misinterpreted. It was right. It was time. It was complete. No part of her body was left untouched by his hands, his mouth, his breath; and every stroke…every thrust carried her to new pinnacles of sensation. What seemed like hours later, replete and exhausted, they slept again completely enveloped in each other's arms.

The next time Stephanie awoke, the autumn sun was streaming through the windows. The room was bathed in an orange-red glow reflecting in from the colorful trees just outside. She felt so safe and reassured when she realized that Ranger was still lying next to her.

"You're still here." She whispered to him as she brushed his silky hair from his face.

"Babe,"

"Carlos, I know you have to get back to Trenton this morning. Aren't you going to be late?"

"I needed to be here with you this morning. I needed you to know…." He gently rubbed her face, his eyes telling more than his words.

"I understand. Thank you for staying, it means a lot to me. Do you have to leave soon?"

"I called Tank earlier and told him to take the first meeting without me. By the way, I could hear Lula in the background, she sounded…forgiven." There was the slightest smile on his face. Stephanie giggled. "I don't have to be back in Trenton until noon. I told Tank I had some business to take care of here." Ranger's hands were gently caressing her breasts.

"But, Mr. Manoso," Stephanie whispered seductively. "I was already thoroughly debriefed last night."

His eyes got dark and his voice raspy. "Yes, but I'm afraid we may have forgotten a few details. We better go over everything again just to be sure." He was already kissing and nipping at her neck. His hands reading her like Braille. He didn't lie; his tactics were not gentle.

Late in the morning, Ranger departed for Trenton and said he would not be back in Philadelphia until Saturday. He had meetings all day and one of RangeMan's security clients was experiencing some nighttime vandalism, so Ranger had a team assembled to do surveillance of the property that night. Her Merry Men du jour were Hector and Hal.

Stephanie spent the early part of the afternoon going through her packet of information from Tank. She found some additional photos of her son Carlos, and even one of her and her husband Ric. She recognized the photo as one of her and Ranger taken at last year's RangeMan Christmas party. She had never seen this photo before, but remembered when it was taken.

They were at Rossini's. Ranger had reserved the entire restaurant for the event. He had even brought in contract workers and employees from the Boston office so that everyone from the Trenton office could attend. Some of the Merry Men had brought dates, but Stephanie was in high demand as a dance partner. She hadn't danced so much in her life. It wasn't until late in the evening that Ranger had shown up. He spent some time working the room, greeting every one. Stephanie was sitting at a table with Tank, Lula, Bobby, Lester and his date Annie. Ranger approached the table and simply reached out his hand for her. She took I,t and he led her to the dance floor. It had been a several months since their night together and, whereas, their working relationship had continued with only minor tension between them, being held in his arms so closely, his smell, his breath on her neck…memories came springing back. Stephanie became flushed and nervous. The fact that she had been drinking champagne didn't help either. When the music ended, they slowly parted. Ranger put his hand at the small of her back and was just leading her back to the table, when someone snapped the picture. Stephanie was gazing up at his face. His face was looking forward toward their destination.

Looking at the picture now, it was obvious to her how she felt about this man even then. In this picture, however, it was not Ranger's face. A face that she did not recognize had been photo-shopped in. She made a note to ask Ranger about that later.

Since there was a possibility that Andrew would be coming into her house on Saturday, either before or after their dinner date, Stephanie decided she would personalize the place by purchasing some frames and placing the pictures around the living room. That meant shopping. But first she would shower, dress, and call Andrew.

"Hello."

"Andrew, it's Maria."

"Maria, good morning. I'm glad you called, are you alright?"

"Yes, Andrew, I'm fine. I wanted to thank you again for bringing me home last night. I had a great time with you."

"I enjoyed last night as well. Are we still on for dinner tomorrow?"

"Yes! I can't wait. Andrew, can I ask where we will be going? I like to leave as much information with the sitter as possible."

"I understand. The name of the restaurant is 'Maggio's' on Grand Avenue. I was also hoping that after dinner we could go dancing at a club downtown called 'La Habana'. Is that all right with you?"

"It sounds wonderful. I love to dance. This will be such a treat for me. I don't go out very often."

"Well, it will be special for both of us then, Maria, I have an appointment in a few minutes so I have to go. I'll pick you up at 7:00."

"Okay, Andrew, bye."

"Goodbye."

Finally, Steph thought as she hung up the phone, a man with phone manners. Earlier, she noticed that the small desk in the living room had a laptop with Internet access. She logged in and mapped out a good mall location. She also found the web site for the restaurant. From the pictures, it looked formal. That gave her a better idea of how to dress for the date. She called the control room and gave Junior the information about the restaurant and club. He said he would pass it onto Lester and Bobby. Stephanie then, locked up the house and pulled out of the garage in her beautiful car. She headed to the local mall where she purchased several frames that would work perfectly for her 'family' pictures. She thought about her sister Val's house and the things in it that reflected the fact that children lived there. She bought some magnets for the refrigerator, colorful child safe cups, plates and bowls, a dozen children's books and movies, and a few other items. Ella had done a great job of supplying the house with the basics, but just a few of these extra touches, Stephanie thought, would make the house look a little more lived in and believable.

She wanted to have some child drawings to hang on the refrigerator, so on her way back home she stopped at a dollar store, located in a small strip mall, to pick up some crayons, markers, and drawing paper. When she walked into the store, her spidey sense tingled like crazy. She could tell right away that something was wrong. The cashier, an older lady with short permed hair, looked rigid. The customer standing at the check out, a young woman, obviously several months pregnant, had a cart in front of her with a small child, maybe 2-years old, in the seat. Her face was terrified. There was a tall Latino boy standing unnaturally close to her, staring intensely at the cashier. The boy couldn't have been older than 19 or 20. The whole scene came into focus slowly, and Stephanie, having now processed all the signs, realized the threat was all too real. This was a robbery. She knew that Hector and Hal were probably less than 50 feet away in the parking lot, but would not be entering the store. Stephanie could hear sirens in the distance. The boy heard them, too.

"I want the money now, bitch!"

"I'm trying…" The cashier was panicked and could not get her hands to cooperate. "I can't get the drawer to open."

"Do it now, bitch, or I'll shoot you." He waved his gun at her. The sirens got closer, and everyone realized simultaneously that they were headed this way. "Did you set off some alarm?" he screamed at the cashier. She couldn't answer. She was frantically trying to get money out of the now open drawer. She shoved it at him. He grabbed the money and stuffed it into his pockets with one hand, never letting go of the gun. The sirens sounded so close now, they couldn't have been more than a block away. "Shit, I'm not going back to jail!" The boy snapped angrily. "You!" He pointed the gun at the pregnant woman. "You're comin' with me. You're goin' to get me out of here safe." He held the gun to her back.

Before she even realized it, Stephanie was speaking. "NO!" She shouted. The boy looked over his shoulder and noticed for the first time, that she was standing there. "Don't take her. Take me."

"What the fuck, bitch?"

"Take me instead. I'll make sure you get out of here, I promise. You can't take her… she's pregnant, she has a child. She'll slow you down. You can move faster with me. I'll make sure you get away." Stephanie was pleading with him. She couldn't let this woman and her child be put into danger.

"You have wheels?"

Stephanie just lifted her keys in answer. What she really wanted to say was, Yeah, I got wheels, you idiot. My wheels come with a state of the art tracking system and two very angry bodyguards that will beat your ass to pulp for what you're doing. But he didn't need to know that…yet.

The boy pushed his way past the pregnant woman and her cart, hurried over to Stephanie, and wrapped his arm around her waist bringing her back tightly against his chest, his gun clearly visible against her head. "Here's how we're goin' to do this, puta. We're goin' to move outside nice and slow. You don't say nothin', got it?" Stephanie nodded. "We walk to your car and open the driver's door. I'll pull you in behind me." Stephanie nodded again. "You drive, and you do as I say or I'll put a bullet in your ear."

"Got it."

The boy pulled his sweatshirt hood up over his head in order to conceal his identity as much as possible. They pushed out the store doors moving tightly together. Stephanie could feel the boy shaking with nerves. She felt surprisingly calm. She thought that maybe it was a sad commentary on her life that this didn't bother her more. She had been stalked, kidnapped and tortured by some sick bastards, but this was just a boy, a nervous, desperate boy. There was one blue and white sitting in the parking lot and one in the street, both with lights flashing. The police officers were slowly moving from their vehicles, hands on their guns watching the two of them cross the parking lot. Stephanie looked around and finally found the unmistakable black RangeMan SUV positioned near the entrance. She just shrugged her shoulders in their direction. The windows on Ranger's cars were always heavily tinted, but she knew Hector and Hal were there, and they could see her. She could only imagine that they were already in full alert mode. Hal would be calling control, Hector checking weapons. Both would be shaking their heads at another fine mess she seemed to have gotten herself into. It's not my fault, sort of. She wanted to yell at them.

Just as he had directed in the store, Stephanie unlocked the car with her key fob, and the boy climbed in with the gun pressed against her, and then she slid into the driver's seat. She started the car, looked at the boy and asked. "Where to?"

The boy was nervous. His eyes darted back and forth as he tried to formulate some kind of plan. "I don't know, bitch, just drive and let me think. I can't think." He swore a few words in Spanish and waved the gun around in circles.

Christ, Stephanie thought. I'm going to have to walk this kid through this. She knew that Hector and Hal would follow discretely and that the police wouldn't. She pulled out of her parking spot, drove past the RangeMan SUV and out of the lot. The boy wasn't making any decisions; he looked panicked. Stephanie decided that giving him a plan, one she could somewhat control, would be the best solution.

"I could drive to the Mall. It's busy today. We could just pull up to an entrance, run inside, and lose the cops in the crowd. You could just take off in one direction with your money, and I'll go another. You could leave through a different door and be gone."

The boy seemed to think about it. Stephanie could read every thought that crossed his brain, just by looking at his face. She realized with a grunt that this must be what it was like for Ranger and his men. They could always read her thoughts. She called it their damn RangeMan ESP. She could tell that he was just about to agree to her plan, when everything on his face changed, and she knew it wasn't going to be good.

"No." He said. "We go to my neighborhood. My amigos will cover for me. We know how to protect each other." He pulled out a cell phone and made a call. It was all in Spanish, but Stephanie caught a few words here and there.

Shit, Stephanie thought. "These cops are going to follow us everywhere. We really should go someplace crowded where we can lose them." She suggested.

"My barrio is safe. The cops won't have a chance. They know how dangerous it would be for them to follow us there. My amigos will take good care of us." He smirked.

The stupid kid actually smirked. He's going to get us both killed. Stephanie was really getting irritated now. She was trying to envision this kid's neighborhood. Something similar to Stark Street in Trenton, no doubt. She grimaced. Nothing good ever happened to her on Stark Street. The boy barked out a series of directions. Within minutes the scenery changed from comfortable middle class homes with beautiful yards and smiling, playful children, to rough, run down housing. Yards were filled with rust covered abandoned cars and beat up furniture, not children. Instead of curtains, old sheets and plywood covered the windows. On the occasional corner, small groups of 'ladies' waited for the next customer to come along. It was Philadelphia's version of Stark Street, all right. As they drove deeper into the neighborhood, Stephanie noticed the cop cars dropped back. Chickens. The boy directed her to park near the door of run-down, red brick, four-story apartment building. Within seconds, what initially looked liked a deserted parking lot became filled with young Latino gang members. They looked young, rough, and each one openly carried a gun. The boy quickly got out of the car and ran over to open the driver's door. Stephanie took the keys and put them in her purse. She hung her purse over her shoulder satchel style. If she could keep her purse, she would have her phone and her gun. He yanked her out of the car and pulled her once again up against his chest. He held her like a prize; what sounded like congratulations were being thrown at him from the group that immediately surrounded them. He was literally beaming with pride. They pawed at Stephanie, grabbing her breasts and ass. They leered at her, looking her up and down with slimy smiles.

"Oye, Manuel, agradable paseo."(Hey, Manuel, nice ride.)

"Si, la puta vino con un coche muy bien tambien." (Yeah, the whore came with a fine car, too.)

"Esperanza tiene previsto compartir un poco de ese cono con tus hermanos. Oh, esa chica tiene un buen culo." (Hope you plan to share some of that cunt with your brothers. Oh, that girl has a nice ass.)

"Manny, yo que pensaba como el chocolate, no vainilla." (Manny, I thought you liked chocolate, not vanilla.)

"Usted sabe, Jorges, un hombre tiene que tener un poco de variedad!" (You know, Jorges, a man's got to get some variety!)

The boy hustled Stephanie toward an alley that formed between the apartment building and what appeared to be a bar next door. The crowd was an obvious diversion, blocking their route from the view of the police. Stephanie had not seen the RangeMan car since making the last turn toward the apartment. She knew they were somewhere, but hoped they could keep track of her new course. The alley was long, dark, and full of debris, garbage cans and discarded mattresses. He kept pushing her forward, and when they reached the far end, it opened into a small parking lot behind the bar. Steph noticed a delivery van near the back door of the bar and a black SUV idling beyond on a side street.

"Cuanto quieres por tu mujer?" (How much do you want for your woman?)

Stephanie jerked her head around quickly to see Hector approaching them. He was shirtless, but still had on his black cargos, boots and a gun tucked into his belt. His chest was marked with several scars. Some looked like healed knife wounds. One reminded her of Ranger's scar from the bullet he took from Scrog. With the scars, the gang tattoo on his neck, and the teardrop tattoos under his eye, Hector looked like a mean SOB that nobody would mess with, but to her he was an angel. She sighed silently in relief.

"Mi amigo y yo estamos buscando algo de diversion." (My friend and I are looking for some fun.) Hector nodded toward the SUV, then reached up and touched Stephanie's cheek. The boy tightened his grip and held her protectively.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. Great, all I need is macho bullshit. She thought. This kid thinks he owns me now. She had no idea what Hector was saying, but the boy was thinking again. Stephanie looked at him and then back to Hector.

"Ella es mia, No he terminado con ella todavia." (She is mine. I'm not done with her yet.)

Hector didn't like this answer and stepped a little closer and put his hand on his gun. "El jefe va a ser muy decepcionado. No le gusta que se le niegue." (The boss will be very disappointed. He doesn't like to be...denied.) There was a definite threat implied with this statement. The boy was rethinking his position.

"Doscientos dolares," (Two Hundred dollars.) the boy quickly spit out, then he rubbed her stomach and lifted her shirt exposing her chest. "Ella es Hermosa, ella no lo es?" (She is beautiful, isn't she?)

Stephanie grabbed her shirt and pulled it back down with an indignant jerk. She was getting the picture now. She was for sale.

Hector scoffed. "Ella es flaca y palida. Ni siquiera puede durar a traves del tanto de nosotros." (She is skinny and pale. She may not even last through the both of us.) He reached to her, then circled his thumb and index finger around her left wrist and lifted it in illustration. "Cien." (One Hundred.)

Stephanie shot a 'Burg' glare at Hector. She understood that. She was being discounted! Hector removed his wallet, pulled out a few bills, and held them forward. The boy greedily grabbed the money and pushed Steph toward Hector. "Tomala. Mi novia no seria muy feliz de todos modos." (Take her. My girlfriend would not be too happy anyway.) Then he took off through the back entrance to the bar.

Hector picked Steph up, threw her over his shoulder, and retreated quickly to the SUV. He opened the back door, slid her onto the seat, and jumped in after her.

"You okay, Bomber?" Hal called over his shoulder as he drove off.

"Just peachy, Hal." She sighed and looked at Hector. "Thanks."

"No problem, Chica." Hector picked up his shirt from the seat and put it back on. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the head.

Hal handed a phone over the seat. "Boss wants to talk to you."

Stephanie rolled her eyes and spoke into the phone. "It was not my fault!"

Hector grinned at her statement.

"Babe, you okay?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Did he hurt you?"

"Just my pride."

"Hector and Hal are going to take you back to the house. Stay there… please. I'll be there soon."

"Okay, what about the police?"

"Tank's already on it. He is working with the Philly PD to straighten things out. We need to protect your cover."

"I'm sorry, Ranger."

"Babe."

He hung up, and she gave the phone back to Hal. "What the hell happened in that store, Bomber?"

Stephanie recounted the entire story to Hector and Hal. By the time she was finished they had returned to the safe house. She handed over the house keys to Hector, who entered first for a quick safety check.

"Not even a dust bunny, Chica!" He smiled. Stephanie gave a tired smile back. "Hal and I will stay here until the boss gets back."

"How bout I make some dinner, Bomber? You hungry?" Hal was already investigating the contents of the refrigerator.

"Sure, Hal, you go ahead. I'm going to go upstairs and take a bath. I can still feel those hands touching me." She absently rubbed her stomach.

Hector looked at her suspiciously. "Are you really okay, Steph?"

She all too quickly responded. "Yeah, Hector, I'm fine." She trudged up the stairs stripping off her clothes as she headed into the bedroom. As tragic events in her life go, this should have been a minor blip on the Richter scale, but she was really bothered and couldn't figure out why. Sitting in the Jacuzzi tub, she went through all of her decisions over and over. Finally she gave up, got out, put on a robe, and lay down on the bed.

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