Thanks again for your wonderful feedback – I hope this is not too late for those of you who promised me actual bodily harm – you were joking, right?
Anyway...
The next day brought yet another cloudless sky and by 6.30 the hall way was light and bright, warming its hard surface and the woman who lay in an ugly heap on it.
Moaning softly Steph opened her eyes and stretched as her body protested at the unforgiving nature of the floor.
She sat up and immediately regretted it as her head swam and she felt sick to her stomach. The feeling was not helped as the images that had led to her quick exit ran through her head.
Could it really have been Ranger? She thought. After all, he was currently in the wind. Perhaps he was undercover. She snorted at the idea. The man and woman she'd seen were clearly very much in love, in the way that only comes with time and the certainty of a devoted relationship.
If it had been Ranger then whoever he'd been with was very obviously his wife and had been a part of his life for a very long time.
Steph eyed the mess that surrounded her and once again was reminded of how the bead work on her wedding dress had fallen apart. This was similar, except this time it was all related to Ranger.
She sighed as she pulled herself up off the floor and set about clearing up.
After the conversation with Joe she'd put two and two together and had convinced herself that she was in fact staying in Ranger's own private house. Perhaps it was even the Batcave, but having just seen the man himself laughing with and eating the face off another woman had made her realise that she was nothing to him. How could she have even thought she was good enough?
He was clearly enjoying the woman in his arms and their's was obviously a long term relationship. Why had he never had the guts to be honest with her? Admittedly he'd never lied to her or given her any hint that they could ever be more than just friends but seeing him with this other woman broke her more than she'd ever been broken before.
By this time she'd finished picking up her things so she wandered into the kitchen, in search of coffee and carbs.
o0o0o0o0o
"So, Les. Everything is in place?" Tank asked, grinning at his partner in crime.
"Yep" Santos replied, feeling very pleased with himself as he relaxed back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head and swivelling slightly.
"Good. Now all we have to do is get her to stay a bit longer in Miami and Ranger down there. When's he back?"
"Seems like he's nearly finished and will be done within the next few days. Including the debrief, he'll be back kicking your ass in just under a week."
"Great! Now, how do we get Beautiful to stay put?"
"We could always bomb her apartment..." Tank said, grinning evilly. He knew how much Bomber hated her bathroom, perhaps they could start something there.
"Hmm, now why on earth would we do a thing like that?" Lester grinned out as her reached into his desk drawer. "Always wanted to try these babies out." He added looking dreamily at the object in his hand.
"You're so not right in the head." Tank said as he stood up. Quickly swiping the small incendiary device Lester was holding and giving it a good once over.
o0o0o0o0o
"Daddy?" a small voice said over the phone line.
"Pumpkin? You ok?" Frank said, obviously worried about the distress he could hear in Steph's voice.
"I need to come home."
"I call Tank and arrange the je..."
"No, Daddy. Please don't get Rangeman involved. I've done something really stupid and I don't want any of them involved. Please?"
"K, Sweetie. See what I can do. Do you want to tell me what the problem is?" he pressed.
"Daddy. I'm staying in the Batcave and he's here in Miami too only he's sucking the face off another woman. How can I have been so naive? Please Daddy, come and get me."
"Woah, hold your horses. What are you talking about?" Frank asked, clearly confused and not a little upset. Helen had noticed the tone of his voice so stopped making pancakes, turned off the hob and sat down at the kitchen table where she could lean into her husband and listen to the conversation.
Frank and Helen could hear a loud sigh, as if she was struggling not to cry.
"I'm putting this call on speaker, Honey. Your Mom's here."
"K"
"Right, now start from the beginning." Frank continued, gently squeezing Helen's hand that had somehow gotten wrapped up in his own.
Steph sighed again "I found a box yesterday in the TV cabinet. I know! I know I should have been snooping but the door wasn't shut properly..." She could hear a soft chuckle "It's not funny, Daddy!" she snapped petulantly.
"No-one's laughing" Helen said softly as she glared at her husband.
"Well, I'd figured out that I was probably staying in one of Ranger's personal properties – I mean who has an ensuite that's larger than my apartment for Chrissakes? Plus there's Anna..."
"Anna?"
"Yeah, she's Ella's equivalent here in Miami"
"Ella?"
"Sorry, Mom! Ranger has a housekeeper at Rangeman Trenton that looks after him, I think she's his aunt or something. Anyway, Ella does his laundry, feeds him, shops for him, that kind of stuff."
Helen looked at Frank, giving him a knowing look.
"Well, Anna is her Miami equivalent and she comes in every day and feeds me." Even as she said it Steph realised it sounded even more like Ranger had been taking care of her. The more she explained, the worse it sounded. She grimaced, she really did not need his pity.
"Well, after she'd been I wandered into the snug with a muffin and some coffee where I noticed a cupboard door was open. I pulled out a box full of things. Personal things. Photos in frames, a copy of his military graduation certificate and a beautifully folded American Flag that smelt of him. Mom, Dad. This is the Batcave!" she explained as if it was all obvious. Silence was her reply.
"The Batcave! You know, where Ranger feels most at home. Where he threatened to bring me if we ever had a proper relationship." She changed her voice, mimicking him "Babe, the Batcave is forever."
Frank said slowly "Go on." Knowing the little he did about the man, and judging from the little bits and pieces she'd told them in the past, his personal space was very important and very protected. That's when he smiled at his wife.
"So What's the problem, Pumpkin?" he asked, clearly confused.
"Well, yesterday I decided it was nearly home time, that I needed to come home and face Trenton. I had a long talk with Joe on the Phone and knew that as the 'Burg had moved on, so could I." She sighed sadly.
"I went shopping and that's when I saw them!" she said, softly crying and trying to pretend that she wasn't.
"Saw what, honey?" Helen asked, gently, worry clearly evident on her face.
"He's got someone else! I saw them, Mom!" she managed to get out as the tears and her heartbreak got the better of her.
"Pumpkin, are you sure?"
"Yeah, they were both wearing wedding rings, really bright, shiny new ones. Her engagement ring sparkled and caught my eye. He's married, Mom! And I've just given my heart to another man that doesn't want me."
Frank and Helen sat looking stunned as they listened helplessely to her distress.
"It might not be what it seems. He's probably at his desk right now..."
"No he's not, he's in the wind!" Steph gritted out.
"He could be undercover" Helen said, trying to rationalise what her daughter had seen.
"Mom, whoever he was with he's know like forever. They obviously have history. A lot of it. I'm such a fool!"
"Now calm down, Stephanie Michelle Plum!" Frank said forcefully as he heard Steph going from slightly upset to off the scale. He needed her to focus.
He heard her hiccup "yes, Daddy..." as his words leapt through the receiver and slapped her round the head, immediately stopping her pity party.
"Do you love the man?" he asked.
"Yes, Daddy" she whispered.
"Then leave it to your mother and I. Go! Get some sunshine. We'll call you back once we've got to the bottom of everything."
"Yes, Daddy" she whispered again.
Putting the phone down he turned to his wife with a grim look on his face. "That man'd better have a good reason for breaking her heart." He said as he stood up.
"Where are you going?" Helen asked "We shouldn't be interfering, she's a big girl and we can't fight all her battles for..." she stopped and realised what she'd just inferred "Ok, maybe for a bit longer" she added as she thought about the events of the last week.
"I was about to say pot call the kettle black*" he chuckled out before kissing her on the head. "Won't be long. I think a trip to Haywood Street is in order, don't you?" he said as he picked up his keys and was about to head off when the phone rang again.
Frank was just putting a lightweight jacket on when he heard Helen gasp.
He looked over to see she'd turned white and was slowly putting the receiver down.
"You ok, LD?" he asked, reaching out his arm so she could grab it.
"Steph's apartment? It's been destroyed again. Looks like the fire started in her bathroom" She replied.
o0o0o0o0o
Tank sighed as he ran his hands over his bald head. Could his day get any worse? Zero had taken a fall during an installation and was now at the hospital after he'd broken his leg and dislocated his shoulder and Boston had phoned to ask that he attend a meeting with one of their potential clients to allay any fears they may have. Where was Ranger when you needed him? He growled, glaring at the annual appraisals that sat on his desk, hoping that they might take the hint and sneak off, scared.
The only upside is that Steph now had to stay in Miami and wait for her man to go claim her. Her apartment had somehow been attacked, again. Apparently the bathroom was completely destroyed and would need to be completely replaced... He smiled as he imagined the carnage Lester would have carefully orchestrated.
His phone went so he picked it up. If he was a sighing man he'd have slunk down, but no, he was in command until his esteemed leader returned...
"Yo"
"Mr Plum is here to see you" Woody's said, his voice as blank as his face probably was.
"Send him up, I'll meet him on 5."
Tank leaned, back. Yup! The day had officially gotten worse he thought as he stood up and wandered out to the elevator.
Frank walked out of the car and took in his surroundings. The walls of the area he'd entered were calm, clean and efficient and light flooded into the large space, reflecting off the pale cream walls. Off to one side he could see a room filled with TV screens. Several men were carefully monitoring what were obviously client sites.
Before he had a chance to check much else out, Tank was in front of him, blocking his view.
"Mr Plum, what can I do for you?" he asked calmly as he gestured for him to follow. Turning on his heels with Frank at his side, they returned to Tank's office.
"I'm here to see your Boss" Frank said.
Tank looked him over and realised he was spoiling for a fight.
"Ranger's not here right now" he said cautiously as he gestured to a seat opposite his own.
Frank nodded, processing the information as he sat down. Tank walked back to his own massive one on the other side of the desk. "What seems to be the problem?" he asked, sliding onto the soft black leather.
"Is Stephanie staying in the Batcave?"
Tank was stunned and replied before his brain had engaged. "Yes."
"Thought so!" Frank smiled back smugly.
Tank relaxed, pleased that his reply had made Mr Plum's day, maybe things were on the up...
"Then why the fuck is she telling me he's married and wandering round the streets of Miami sucking the face off another woman?" Frank gritted out. "Either the man loves my daughter or he doesn't but that does not give him the right to mess with her mind or her heart. And right about now she needs this like a hole in the head."
At that moment, Tank's phone rang and held up his hand to Frank asking him to hold that thought.
"Yo."
"Yo yourself."
"Back in four days."
Ah, Ranger. Tank put his phone on speaker and gestured for Frank to remain silent. "Good. Where are you?"
"You know I can't tell you..."
"Please"
"Tank, WTF? Ok, I'm in Austin, Texas."
"Been there all along?"
"Tank, what is this? You know I can't tell you and what's with the please thing?"
"Just trust me, ok? How long have you been in Austin?"
"8 days."
"Just Texas?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Nowhere else?"
"Tank, what the fuck is going on?"
"Gotta go." And with that Tank hung up then took the handset off its cradle and quickly turned off his cell phone.