Sorry for the delay in updating, we've been away on holiday to an area with no internet connection!
Thanks for all your wonderful and constructive comments. I seem to have gotten under your skin - mwahaha...
Anyway, let me tease you no longer...
"Looks like Steph's met Ranger's twin, Leo." Tank said, giving the man sat opposite him a look that spoke volumes and non of it good.
Frank looked at him, raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to one side, waiting for an explanation that he could use to appease his daughter.
"Ah, so you want details." Tank continued.
"Would be nice. I don't really want another hysterical conversation with my daughter right now."
"Sorry, Frank, not my story to tell. Just believe me when I tell you Ranger would not have put Stephanie in his favourite home if he'd have known his brother was gonna be there. Things have been rocky between them for a long time – Leo was always jealous of Carlos' seemingly charmed life. But once he hooked up with Nayeli everything went rapidly went downhill for their relationship. Trust me when I say Ranger is no fan of his younger brother."
Frank's thoughts lingered over Tanks use of the words 'favourite home' but now was not the time to consider this aspect of Ranger's wealth so he focused on the issue at hand. "Describe her to me. I have a good idea what Leo looks like if Stephanie thought he was Ranger, but his wife..."
"Fuck, can't believe they got married, they deserve each other..."
"Look, I don't care about the history, I just want to give my daughter a bit of help. What does Nayeli look like!" Frank pressed, his tempter rising again.
"Sorry, Man." Tank said quickly, trying to diffuse the plum-bomb in front of him. "She's native American Indian. Tall, about 5' 10". Last time I saw her she had long straight hair and was about 150lbs. Fake boobs and big smile with no life behind it. Needs a good meal too."
Frank nodded. "May I?" he asked, gesturing to Tank's handset, which was still sitting in the middle of his desk.
"Help yourself." Tank sighed out. Hell, did anyone else want to take over? Perhaps they could do the appraisals while they were at it? He grumbled petulantly to himself before his thoughts snapped back to what was happening in his office.
Frank dialled Steph's mobile and waited for his daughter to pick up the phone.
"Daddy?"
"Hi Pumpkin. You okay?"
"Sure, I'm hiding by the pool – I don't to run into Ranger again."
"I'm with Tank and I've got you on speaker. I think we can clear things up, but you need to describe the woman you saw?"
"Yeah, tall, very thin, long dark hair, pneumatic boobs, really tanned."
"Could she be native Indian?"
"Possibly...Now I come to think of it, probably."
"Bomber, that's Nayeli and Ranger's twin, Leo. They're bad news - try to stay clear, ok?" Tank explained.
"Sure thing Big Man." Steph said, sounding a little relieved. "I've over reacted, haven't I?" she asked, sounding a little stupid.
"No more than anyone else in love would have done, Bomber."
"Who says I'm in love?" Steph retorted petulantly, unhappy to have been read so easily.
"Can't imagine" two male voices replied in unison.
"Oh, another thing, Pumpkin. You can't come home. You're apartment's been bombed."
"Anyone I should know?" Steph asked, worried that a wedding guest had decided to vent their feelings over the whole fiasco.
"Don't worry, Bomber. Lester's on the case." Tank replied. "I think you need to stay put for a bit longer until the threat has been neutralised."
"And your bathroom has been replaced." Frank added with a snigger.
"Hmm, Miami, clean air and sunshine... Trenton, polluted and cold? Difficult decision! You're right I need to stay here. It's a tough job but someone has to do it" she paused. "You do remember that I don't live in my apartment anymore, though, right? Having given up my single life to marry Joe?"
Tank slapped his forehead with the heel of one of his large fists. Hard.
Frank gave him a funny look before saying his goodbyes and ending the call with Steph. "Anything you want to tell me, Son?" he asked, grinning slyly. All the puzzle pieces had just slotted into place. If Ranger's stuff had been in the safe house when Steph had first arrived there, she would have found it immediately, he didn't doubt that. And who had better access to incendiary devices that a bunch of ex-army guys.
"Not a good idea to ask, Mr Plum." Came the strangled reply.
o0o0o0o0o
Joe stepped off the plane and took a deep breath of Trenton's poor quality, fetid air as a big smile spread across his face. Good to be home, he thought as he jogged over to the courtesy bus that would take him back to the main building.
Despite living just outside the 'Burg, he'd really missed it and all that it stood for and his time away in paradise with its squeaky clean environment and lazy, indulgent lifestyle had done little to change his mind.
Life went on, and so should he. He had a good job that he enjoyed and excelled at. He had a home that bit by bit was losing the old lady feel and becoming his own. He had solid, dependable friends and amusing if somewhat dubious cousins. And on top of it all, he'd been voted best ass in Trenton three years in succession. Yeah, he had a lot to offer the right woman and there's no time like the present to start his search, he decided. After all, only his pride, not his heart, had taken a battering.
He snorted. Yeah, he thought, his heart had never been in jeopardy... He would have to send Helen Plum a large thank you bouquet for stopping a marriage that would have surely ended in disaster and destroyed his fuck buddy and best friend.
As he stood wondering where to go to find his luggage he noticed several uniformed flight attendants walking across the concourse, small suitcases noisily following along behind like obedient puppies. One particular head of hair caught his eye.
"Tiffany?" he asked hesitantly. She stopped and turned round as she heard her name being called out.
"Joe?" she replied, a smile reaching up to and into her eyes.
Despite the shameless flirting they'd done last time they'd met, they'd never discussed their personal lives. "You live round here?" she asked, a slight blush rising on her cheeks as the realisation that they could be neighbours hit home.
"Yeah, you?"
"I just move to this district called the Chambersburg. Great placed to raise kids. You heard of it?"
"Might have done" he replied with a glint in his eye. "It's called the 'Burg by the natives." He stage whispered conspiratorially.
"Fancy hooking up for a beer, or pizza or..." she replied, her smile widening. She never thought she'd see him again after the flight and part of her had been sad. After all, he was a charming, witty walking sex god who had made a boring journey much more fun.
"Yeah, sounds great! Here, let me put my number into your phone so that you can call me. If you want..." he added the last part more softly. Tiffany handed him her phone and flashing a full on smouldering smile he quickly inputted his number and handed it back.
"Gotta go!" she smiled brightly before rushing off to join the rest of her crew.
"Who is that?" one of the male cabin crew asked, practically drooling as she rejoined them.
"Oh Joe? Well he's the first real friend I've made since moving to Trenton." She said, effectively cutting off any further questioning. "And he's so not your type." She added laughing.
The sound reached Joe's ear and sent a shiver down his spine. It raced round the front and snuggled into his heart. Blinking, Joe quickly set off to reclaim his luggage. He'd never, ever, felt anything like it before in his life and he was determined that he would make her laugh again just so that he felt it again and again.
o0o0o0o0o
Ranger took a deep breath and sat down. The suits were really grilling him and he'd had enough. The mission had been short, swift and extremely effective yet here he was. Four days later. With endless questions and forms still, it would appear, not yet completed.
He looked over to his handler, Lt Colonel Dave Swift and pleaded with him, silently. He wanted to see how Steph was doing but last night when he called Lester he'd been unusually tight lipped. Instead his half bro told him about the bomb in the bathroom and he had mentally high fived at his men's initiative. Even if the morons had destroyed the wrong property.
Gotta love their loyalty.
"Gentlemen" Swift said, standing and placing his hands on the table for effect. "I think we've got all the information we need, both from Special Agent Manoso here and from local intel. I think it's time to call a halt to proceedings, don't you?" His voice did nothing to hide the contempt he was feeling for the endless round of box ticking.
"You have half an hour until I release my operative. He has a wedding to attend and I doubt he will be a popular man if he misses his own big day. Do you?" He glared at the suits who shrank back in their chairs. Good, he thought, perhaps we can all go home...
Ranger's eyes snapped up to Swift's face as the words sank in. Dios! The man was telling everyone he was getting married and the thought, instead of making him run for the hills, filled him with longing. A feeling coming over him that surprised him totally. Steph was his for the taking and he'd spent far too long fucking her over. He realised it was time to tell her the truth...
His thoughts were disrupted by the sounds of scraping chairs as people started to stand. There was a bit of paper shuffling, words of thanks then all of a sudden the room was empty except for Ranger and his boss.
"Carlos, glad to see you focusing there" Swift chuckled indulgently.
Ranger, still sitting leaned back in his chair, stretched and arched his back as he closed his eyes. "Never thought I was getting out of here, thanks man." He replied. "What's all that about my wedding?" he said, as casually as he could.
David Swift grinned. "Word has always been that once bitten, twice shy, with you and marriage and until recently I would have even put money on. But now... not so much. Plus we'd still be sitting here in three day's time if I hadn't have given the gossip mongers something to go tittle tattle about."
He sat down and sighed "Added to that, Leo is back in Miami with Neyali and Miss Plum has seen them both. You need to man up, Carlos! Christ, if I can see my way to getting hitched then you seriously have no excuse. Go get you woman! As my father always said "Whoever invented the phrase 'good things come to those who wait' was talking bullshit – you need to be true to what you want and not let a bunch of lame excuses get in the way."
Giving Ranger a long hard stare, he continued. "Something changed in you a while back. Bit by bit you've lost focus in the work we do as something, or more accurately, someone squirmed into your head. I've never met your woman but I do know that you've been denying your own needs by shunning her. You owe it to both of you to admit you can have a life together." By this time Swift had got back onto his feet and was pacing the room "If I had my time again..." he stopped mid stride. "Carlos, you have eighteen weeks left on your contract. I can make sure you get no further calls to action. Go get her, before it's too late."
Ranger looked down at the desk "So, how is Mrs Swift?" he asked softly as he fiddled with the pen he suddenly found in his hand.
"Still breathing, just about." Swift replied, bitterness evident in his voice. "If I had my time again I'd still have married Jenny, but I'd have done it a damned sight sooner, I still miss her laughter, you know."
"I know, man." Ranger replied softly as he thought back to the terrible car accident three years ago that had effectively ended her life but had cruelly left her on the edge between this world and the next.
Standing slowly he grabbed Swift's shoulder and squeezed it gently before turning on his heel and heading out the door.
o0o0o0o0o
Steph woke to the sounds of laughter coming from the kitchen. She blinked as she took in the throaty sound. From the rare occasion that she'd heard it she'd have recognised it as Ranger's but it was lighter and slightly creepy and she didn't feel any weird tingling that usually went with him being near.
Tentatively she climbed out of bed then gathered up her cell phone and some clothes and crept into the bathroom where she silently shut and locked the door, dragging on a tank top and some shorts as she dialled Rangeman.
"Tank?"
"Hi Bomber. You ok?"
"Tank, you remember what you said about steering clear of Leo?"
"Yeah."
"Well I think he's here. At the Batcave. And he's not alone. I can hear a woman's laughter."
"Where are you?"
"Ensuite bathroom, I've locked myself in."
"Ok. Good girl. Just stay put. A distraction will be there in 10. Stay on the phone but only talk if you have to, got it."
"yeah."
"Sit quiet and it'll all to ok. Ok?" He added calmly. Quickly his fingers tapped out a couple of emails. "Ok, now I know this is Ranger's story to tell, but you need some background info, ok?"
"k"
"Ranger is older than Leo by 4 minutes but Leo was always the one that controlled their relationship and got him into serious trouble, that is until Carlos decided to join the army. As you know he met, married and divorced Rachel not long after he'd become a Ranger, but what you don't know is that Neyali had been dating Leo and Rachel was her friend. That's how they met."
"But..."
Tank cut her off and started talking again "Anyway, Leo was a bit of a player so Neyali decided a healthy dose of sibling rivalry would help him focus more on her so tried to seduce Ranger when Leo was out of town one weekend. She wasn't successful as Ranger turned her down flat so she lied to Leo and told him that Ranger was the one doing the chasing. The boys had a massive row and both of them ended up cooling their heels overnight, courtesy of Miami's PD."
"Nothing more was ever said and Ranger and Rachel had a few more dates before he was whisked off on his first real mission. It was not long after that he got the call about Julie."
"So? What you've told me so far doesn't add up to Leo being bad news."
"True, but the icing on the cake was Julie. I know Ranger used condoms – he's paranoid about STD's and unplanned kids so I did my some homework of my own. They only slept together on one night but it was Leo who supplied the necessary protection. Ranger could never prove it, but he knew his brother had tampered with it."
"How can he be so sure?"
"Just trust me, ok?"
"Tank, I'm not saying I don't believe you but that's one hell of an accusation to level at anyone. Are you really so sure?"
"Yes, damnit! I know he was to blame because I was there."
Flashback
The nightclub was pumping and the rhythm was resonating through every single body in the place. People were bumping and grinding seductively. It was one hell of a place to pick up a woman as the whole place hinted of dark sweaty nights of passion.
Leo and Neyali were entangled in the corner, deep in conversation, as I deposited my drink on the shelf that ran the length of the wall. We'd arrived as part of a larger group but had quickly dispersed to look for some action.
Despite the level of noise, I could hear snippets of their conversation "like a dream, doll, like a dream. Hopefully he'll be tied down for the next 18 years..."
"And Rachel?"
"No fucking clue."
"Good."
I tapped Leo on the shoulder as he nuzzled into her neck "Where's your brother?"
"Left already." Leo said, a look of triumph on his face.
End Flashback
"Just sit tight, Bomber, we'll have you out of there in no time, ok?"
"Sure thing, Tank. I guess running a deep bath and having a soak while I wait is out of the question, isn't it?"
The sound of Tank's laughter was her only reply as she sat on the toilet and waited for her knight in shining armour.