OK, so no death threats yet but the story has just started. All mistakes are mine and I am presently standing close to Tank, who will protect me…. Uh, Tank, where are you going? Tank? Hey, I said I was sorry. It was just a story!
Chapter 3
Ranger put his hand over Stephanie's clenched fists in her lap. Her face showed shock and a few tear streaks marred her light make-up. She was sitting quietly in the passenger seat as Ranger drove. He contemplated heading straight to RangeMan but made the decision to drive to Point Pleasant, a place his Babe loved, and somewhere she could collect herself.
She didn't seem to notice the length of the drive or the direction, but as he slowed the car to slip into a parking spot near the water, she stirred.
He raced around the front of the car and opened the door, helping her to slide out. With her hand in his, he guided her to the boardwalk and down to the pounding surf. The air was chilly and there were only a few brave souls walking. He wished he had grabbed his warmer jacket from the back seat to put over her shoulders, but positioning himself blocking the wind, well, he hoped to keep her somewhat sheltered.
He didn't speak, just letting her think. They walked for at least an hour and not even noticing that he had gently turned her around to return to the area of the car, she finally spoke.
"My birth mother just gave me away to complete strangers."
Stephanie stopped walking and would have sunk down onto the walk if Ranger hadn't scooped her into his arms. She laid her head on his chest and the tears came.
"Right now I can't figure out if she loved me enough to do that, or hated me enough to want to be rid of me."
Ranger sat down on a bench with her tucked into his chest. His chin rested on the top of her head and he held her in his grasp. She sobbed in his arms and her fists clenched his shirt. He murmured softly to her telling her that he loved her and she could never be classed as a burden.
Finally she sighed and he could feel her begin to relax, relax enough in the safety of his arms to fall asleep.
Ranger sat looking out at the water. Trying to not jostle her enough to waken her, he reached down and plucked the vibrating phone out of its holder.
Tank was on the other end and he sounded worried.
"We assumed that you would wind up back at RangeMan, but your GPS indicates you are still in Point Pleasant. Should I get the safe house ready for you or do you have an ETA for later today?"
Ranger considered his options. Sure it would have been nice to just hide out at the safe house overlooking the water, but, knowing his Babe, she would want to start delving into the mystery after this initial shock to the system had passed.
"I think we'll just hang out here then head back. If I know my Babe, she's not going to let this go on too long without digging into her past. We have to give her this. It's who she is."
Tank nodded. He understood completely. He wondered how or if RangeMan Miami would be brought in. This might be more of a personal issue, but the fact that someone was possibly out to do harm to their spark meant that they would be in for a world of hurt when the time came. Nobody messed with their girl and got away with it, at least, not for long.
Ranger put away his phone and then quietly sat holding Stephanie. He had no trouble justifying that he was keeping her safe as she lay asleep in his arms. He also chose to believe that she felt safe in his embrace and that together they would tackle this together.
Stephanie stirred in his arms as her stomach rumbled its demands. He smiled to himself that her metabolism was so active that food was not just a comfort every few hours but almost a necessity.
Stephanie had always eaten, be it sadness, adrenaline, or happiness.
Her eyes opened and she sat up, rubbing her eyes at the view.
"I thought we would have been back in Trenton by now. I know you have a ton of things to do and here I am keeping you away."
Ranger shook his head.
"Tank's extremely competent and he really doesn't need me for the ordinary running of the offices. He told me a long time ago that if I made him dress up in a suit and do client calls and visits, I would begin to experience episodes of the worse ass kicking he could dish out until I finally came to my senses. Therefore, to keep him happy, I dress up and see the clients and he dresses in his most comfortable cargoes and tees, and runs the office."
Stephanie chewed her bottom lip.
"I need to find out who I really was before I became Stephanie Michelle Plum. I think that her name was Michelle and at least it's a start."
Ranger nodded his head but literally put up a hand as if to stop her.
"Babe, before you go off half cocked, remember the package that came by courier. If this is a stalker, or someone from your past, we need to keep you safe and out of harms' way. I need you to promise not to go out alone for a while. If we have something coming up and I cannot be with you, one of the Core Team will be with you if you venture out."
Stephanie looked into his eyes and noticed that they were a steely gray, a sign that he meant business. She grudgingly nodded her head that she understood, but put up her hand up to lay it on his chest.
"Remember though, I am fully trained. I refuse to allow some nut or even a perceived nut to stop me from living my life. Your men trained me to look after myself, Carlos, and even though I may not be as big or as strong as any of them, my hand to hand and combat training that the guys have spent literally hours teaching me means that I should be able to get out of most situations. I'm good and I am able to defend myself."
Ranger nodded his head in partial agreement but he looked at her as he spoke.
"I realize that Babe, but we have rules for RangeMan working in pairs for a good reason."
Stephanie leaned back into his chest and sighed. She felt safe, loved and whatever had happened at the beginning of her life, well, it had appeared that she had come out better for that deal.
She stood up, and taking his hand, she pulled him to his feet and they started to walk to the car.
There was a mystery to solve and she wanted to start delving into it right away.
~~~o0o~~~
Frank and Helen sat at the kitchen table and toyed with their food. In the Plum household, mealtime was extremely important, but tonight it was largely forgotten.
Even the cheesecake sat on the table untouched.
A small sob escaped Helens' lips and Frank raced around the table to scoop his wife in his arms and sit down with her in his lap. Neither of them were very young anymore, but the hurt and the fear that they would be discovered so many years later had risen its ugly head and bitten them.
The Burg being what it was, if any of this got out it would be a disaster and the tongues would be wagging with the news for days, and possibly weeks. They had no idea if they would be investigated so many years later, and who knows, they could be approached by every service from Social to Revenue. Would their flimsy attempt at registering her birth be discovered?
Finally Frank spoke. "We raised her the best way we could, Helen. If we hadn't taken her, who knows where she might have ended up."
It was quiet at the Plum household that evening. No tv, no cleaning up in the kitchen. Tonight was a night to comfort, and to hold each other as they lay in bed. They had hoped that their little secret would never be discovered. The future might change with the knowledge now released.
While they would love her as much as Valerie, would she begin to draw back, questioning every facet of each mishap, each occasion, each milestone, wondering about her life that was changed at literally days after her birth?
It was a question that would only be answered with time.
~~~o0o~~~
The drive back to Trenton in the evening was quiet. Ranger drove with the radio off, as was his custom, but his left hand was holding the wheel and his right hand was gently clasped over Stephanie's laying on her lap.
He looked over now and then, watching her emotions change. Stephanie had always worn her emotions on her sleeve. That made it evident that anyone observing her for any length of time would have a pretty good indication what was rolling around in her mind.
Just as they reached the edge of Trenton, she literally shook herself and sat up straighter.
Stephanie withdrew her hand from under Rangers' and put her hand on top, squeezing it gently.
"I am the person I am and I refuse to change myself because of something that happened so many years ago that I had no control over. I choose to believe that my birth mother felt she was doing the right thing by giving me up. After so many years, it may be almost impossible to track down what happened to her, but I can at least try, if only to convince myself that she did it out of love. Saying that, I will not hide out in RangeMan since someone wants to make my life miserable. I've had stalkers before and I'm going to delve into whatever he or she is talking about."
She looked at Ranger and began to grin.
"I mean really, Ranger, what did they think I was going to do? Sink into a hole of depression?"
Ranger smiled to himself. Yup, his babe was back.
~~~o0o~~~
Meanwhile, a telephone conversation was being held.
"Did you deliver the package?"
"Yes, I took it to a courier drop off point and had it delivered."
"Why did you waste my good money on delivery instead of delivering it yourself?"
"I found out that she works for a security company. I didn't want to be questioned why I was dropping it off."
"Next time, deliver it yourself. You can disguise yourself and nobody will know who did it."
"I need more money."
"I gave you enough to do the job. "
"You gave me enough to barely exist. I'm eating at a soup kitchen."
"And…."
~~~o0o~~~
Tank sat in his office and his brow was furrowed. Unfortunately this turn of events for Stephanie was bringing back some very ugly memories of his own life.
No, he had not been abandoned at birth, but his parents had been very dysfunctional and Social Services had stepped in a number of times to remove the kids to a foster home until things could calm down once again.
Being from a large family, the children had been split up, the younger ones to one home and the older ones to another. Safety in numbers became their motto in the case of the older siblings. The first time they had been removed it had been to a farm. Thinking that this might be an adventure in a not so pleasant time, the older children soon found themselves being treated as child labor. It was summertime with no school and nobody to make a report to. Luckily they had only been there for a month when they were returned home, but the possibility that it might and probably would happen again lent the possibility that they needed to stay strong together.
Less than a year later, it had happened again and once again they had been split up. But, this time it was to town families who had given them a loving and caring place to stay. Once again, they had stayed less than a month, but it served to point out that there was a radical difference in emergency placements.
By now, Tank was well into his teenage years and while he tried to protect his fellow siblings, he also felt the need to provide for their well-being since he was the oldest.
He dropped out of school as soon as it was legal and got a job that made him develop his muscles faster than a young man really should. He earned enough money that when the authorities were preparing to step in once again, he supplied proof that at the age of 18, he could financially and emotionally take care of all his siblings.
Fast forward to two years later, and his next oldest sibling, his sister, Yelana, was now able to provide a safe haven and he enlisted in the Army.
And that's where he met Carlos Ricardo Manoso.
