It was still dark when I woke up in Ranger's arms. His watch alarm was screaming.
"Five more minutes." I muttered, rolling into Ranger's chest to block out the noise.
He laughed and kissed my head. "Go back to sleep. It's early." Then my bed warmer left the bed.
"How early?" I stretched and yawned.
"Four. We have to get there before Dawes starts moving." He went into the bathroom and I heard the shower start. About five minutes later, it stopped. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. That is not a shower. He got ready in the bathroom with the door slightly open. It was a quirky habit of his, I had noticed. It was as if subconsciously, he didn't want to be alone.
He moved back into the room and started putting his gear on. I caught his hand and he looked at me. "Please, be careful." I whispered. He looked at me for a long moment then caught my lips in an intense kiss.
"I'll see you tonight, babe." He kissed me one last time before going to meet the guys. That was his way of reassuring me, because Batman didn't lie.
I tried to go back to sleep, but it was no use. I crawled out of bed and padded to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. While I was waiting, I told Rex all my worries. He wiggled his butt in his soup can to show that he understood. I dropped a couple of grapes in for him and grabbed my coffee cup, moving into the living room. I sank into the couch and turned on the ever-reliable Ghostbusters.
About halfway through it, Andy knocked on my door. He got his own coffee and joined me on the couch. When Peter Venkmen was talking to the floating Dana, Andy sighed. I gave him a look.
"I hate being single."
"That bad?" I didn't ask what a floating Sigourney Weaver had to do with his lack of love life. That's just how Andy's mind worked.
"I hate being alone."
"You're twenty five. You have a job that you love helping people. You are good looking. Why do you need a guy?" He grinned when I said he was good looking. I swear it's strange to see a guy like him not be confident in his own body. Maybe he is just too smart for his own good.
"Maybe I need a guy, sis. I want someone to share my life with." I asked if he just needed another Derek, someone to worship him. He shook his head and smiled sadly. "I remember this song. The lyrics hit me, 'I want a man that stands by me, not in front of me or behind me.' I want what you have with Ranger." I tilted my head and thought about the words. Yeah, that could definitely be Ranger.
"You just have to have patience. If you want something too desperately, you'll never get it." He smiled and tousled my hair.
"I've got to get to work. You need a ride anywhere?"
"Nah," I shook my head. "I'll just ride with the guy Ranger sends over." Andy paused on his way out.
"You think any of his guys are single?" He sent me a look that made me laugh.
"I'll ask around for you."
"Don't you dare."
XxXxXxX
I opened my door at 9:30 to Lester Sanchez.
"So you're the one who drew the short straw." He grinned and shook his head.
"Nah, I volunteered." He laughed at my crazy look. "Hey, I got to sleep in."
I grabbed my jacket and purse and followed Lester out.
I had originally met Lester on one of Ranger's "redecorating" jobs. I had naturally assumed that we would be redecorating someone's house and I dressed the part. Turns out when Ranger says redecorating, he means evicting junkies. Who knew? Lester seemed to have joke for everything. He was a smaller guy, compared to most of Ranger's men, with a wiry build and indeterminable racial background.
We loaded up into his black pickup and I directed him to the bond office.
The girls both stopped what they were doing when we walked in, but their drool session wasn't as long as it was when Ranger showed up. Hey, he's Ranger. Nuff said.
"Hey, guys." I dropped Marcus's body slip on the desk and flip through the file Connie handed me while I waited for the check.
"Girl, what are you doing up this early?"
"Getting my car back."
"Hell, yes! I'm there." When Lula said this, Lester shot me a look that clearly said no way. I ignored it.
"Steph, it is a chop shop…" Connie pointed out.
"Yeah?"
"You might not have a car left."
"If those suckers busted her car apart, then we'll just shoot them."
"Steph." Lester muttered looking at me. Lula was going over his dead body.
"She has a gun." I pointed out to him,
"That's what I'm worried about." He said as went outside.
XxXxXxX
Nelson Street is a pretty desolate place. The three of us parked the truck a few blocks from the garage and entered the derelict apartment building across the street from it. Lester paused at the door to the apartment that would look directly into the upper windows of the shop.
"Well, you going to break it down or what?" Lula asked, getting psyched to see a guy bust in a door.
He raised an eyebrow and twisted the knob. The door swung open.
"Oh. Yeah, that works, too."
I led the way into the room and looked into the windows, squinting to see anything. Lester silently handed me a pair of binoculars. See, men can come in handy. I gasped when I saw my car or what was left anyway. The frame was still standing but the wheels were missing and the engine block was empty. Those creeps do fast work. I handed the binoculars to Lula.
"Shit. Let's go kick some ass." I stopped her with my hand. I had a better plan then getting killed. I pulled out my cell and punched in Brookline's number.
"Hey, cupcake." Joe picked up. I check my phone to make sure I hadn't accidentally dialed him.
"Joe, give that to me!" I heard Mia giggle in the background.
"Yo, Joe."
"What's up?"
"Just busting a car theft ring. You?"
"Holding my girlfriend down." Eww.
"Actually, I need your girlfriend to do the bust."
"Will she be home in time for dinner?" I checked my watch.
"Should be." I chirp.
"I'll let her know, then."
"Joe!" Mia shouted at him. I heard an oof and then Mia grabbing the phone.
"When and where, Steph?"
XxXxXxX
I checked my cell phone as the last of the guys from the garage were being loaded up. I had two voice messages. One from Grandma asking if I was coming to lunch and one from Andy telling me to pick a place to eat. Let's kill two birds…
Andy picked me up at 11:30 and we made our way through the 'burg to my parent's house. As we were walking up the sidewalk, I noticed that he was limping slightly.
"What happened?" I gestured to his leg. He looked embarrassed.
"A, uh, client kicked me."
"What?"
"Yeah, a street bum who needed his veteran benefits and the government was withholding. I told him that they could take up to a week to refile the paperwork and he got mad." He shrugged. Just another occupational hazard. My cars get blown up, he gets kicked.
Grandma met us at the door to show off the new Halloween earrings. Hmm…skeletons in bikinis. Excellent burial choice. You see, Grandma Mazur was the perfect 'burg wife when I was growing up. She made a terrific coffee cake, her house was spotless and her children moved on to further the 'burg movement. When my Grandpa Mazur when to the Barbeque in the Sky, Grandma Mazur moved in with my parents. It was like she just got tired of the 'burg and became her own person over night.
She wears clothes intended for a woman in her twenties and she has the sex life of a man in his twenties. Guns fascinate her and thongs are the thing of gods. Hey, I couldn't make this stuff up. Dad is ready to bury her in the backyard and he doesn't seem to care if she's still breathing when that happens. Mom sighs a lot, takes sips from the kitchen cabinet, and generally tries to ignore her mother's antics. Grandma's a free spirit, who am I to judge?
"Stephanie," My mother came out of the kitchen and gave me a quick hug. She nodded to Andy, who went to sit and watch TV with my dad. Dad liked Andy. I have a feeling that we both think he should have been my brother. Mom, on the other hand, didn't really care for him. As a good Catholic, she didn't like his sexual preference, but she put up with him because he never flaunted it in front of her. However, Grandma…Well, let's just say, she considered it interesting dinner conversation. "Stephanie, could you take your grandmother to a showing tonight?"
"Oh, yeah, there's a pip of one at that new funeral home. You remember Eddie Calhoun? Well, he died on the pot. I really want to see how they did his face." Mom crossed herself and looked at me. Well? I sighed.
"I can't. I have Tae Kwon Do tonight." Again, mom crossed herself. What is bad about Tae Kwon Do? It's actually very relaxing. About five months ago, I found a list I had written to myself after I was sure Nicole was dead of things that as a ten year old, I thought needed to be lived. Learn Tae Kwon Do was the first one that I had started working on. Andy and Lula signed up with me for classes.
"I can take her." Andy said from the living room.
"Oh, would you?" My mother asked, obviously trying to figure out which would be worse- Grandma going alone or Grandma going with Andy.
"Sure, going to class with my leg hurting like this probably wouldn't be a good idea." He totally missed me gesturing with my hand slicing across my neck.
"Oh, how sweet of you, Andy!" Grandma squealed. The poor boy didn't know what he was getting into.