These characters belong to Janet I am just borrowing them for my amusement. Although I would love to keep Ranger and the merry men for myself!

This story does contain violence, and touches on dark subject matters. This story is not friendly to Morelli or Helen Plum so for Cupcake fans you have been warned.

Chapter 3: Always Being a Disappointment

SPOV

"Ugggg" I started to turn and I could feel my body screaming at me. I ached, my body ached my head ached I just felt like shit and I smelled worse. They say you can't smell yourself but trust me today I could smell me! I had that burned smell you know the smell of hair getting caught in a hair dryer, burned skin, and dried sweat yuck.

As I started to come around I could feel those million count sheet of Ranger's and my first thought was oh my god Ella will never get this smell out of these sheets. Not wanting to further ruin Ranger's sheets I tried to get up only to be gently eased back down by Bobby and Lester. "Easy there Beautiful, you don't want to move too fast. Besides when do I get to lay and just hold you, especially on the boss's bed?" looking at Lester wag his eyebrows up and down made me smile. Bobby just laughed "Lester you never know when to keep your thoughts to yourself, you let boss man hear you say that and you will be meeting him on the mats every morning for a week".

Lester then took on a serious look "Beautiful are you okay? You haven't said much today, is everything okay?" I need to get out of here before their ESP starts to pick up. I need to escape and live in denial land a little longer and Lester doesn't allow me to live in denial land. He has gotten to know me too well and he will call me on my bullshit answers. I tried to just nod my head that I was fine.

When I could see they clearly weren't buying it "Yes Lester everything is fine, other than I lost another car". That did it just the mention of losing another car caused my eyes to fill with water. I tried my best to swallow the tears back down and I cursed my traitorous eyes for giving away my true feelings. I am such a colossal fuck up. How can these guys even still consider me one of their friends let alone want to care for me when I can't even do the simplest of tasks as a bounty hunter.

I no more completed that thought before Lester had me crushed against him and in a no nonsense low I am not joking voice "I never want to hear you ever refer to yourself as a fuck up and as far as considering you a friend well you aren't just a friend you are our family and we love you do you hear me? " Looking straight into my eyes he then stressed it again "WE LOVE YOU"

Damn when am I ever going to learn to filter what comes out of my mouth. Even though Lester had me crushed against him I managed to speak "Lester, I love you guys too and I feel like you're my family as well but isn't it obvious that my mom and Joe are right? I mean I do fuck up the simplest of bounty hunting tasks." I sighed.

"Take today for example. A simple task of picking up Earnest Stiller to return him to the system so he could reschedule his court date. How hard should it have been? I mean the man was 65 years old. Could I just apprehend him? NO, he ran and I took off after him. I chased him all over the neighborhood for what felt like an hour. Just as I was rounding the curb toward his home giving up because I had lost him I saw him light the rag that he had stuffed in my gas tank. I tried to run to grab the rag but before I got there my car exploded" Lester's body tensed and his arms squeezed me tighter as he buried his head in my hair. Bobby just got up off of the bed and walked out of the room without saying anything. I sensed the mood in the room change with my statement and how Lester's body tensed up.

"Lester what's wrong? Did I say something, wrong?" I looked up at Lester as best I could from the position I was in. Lester's grip of me didn't loosen as he sighed. "Beautiful do you know what you just said? Do you know what you just told Bobby and me?" I could tell Lester was trying to control himself and for a brief moment I was a little nervous and the urge to escape increased.

But before I could move Lester took a deep breath and started talking "Beautiful you just told us that you ran towards your car with a burning rag sticking out of the gas tank. Do you know how lucky you were today? I know you have injuries but had you gotten any closer to your car you could have been hurt a whole lot worse or even killed." Hearing him say that made the tears start to pour down my eyes I could tell by his voice what it was costing him to tell me that. I could hear the worry and that just made everything I felt even more concrete.

"Lester see I don't think first I just react and I do stupid shit, oh my god Joe and my mother are right" I was in shock all this time they were right. "I can't do my job. I am an embarrassment to Joe, my family, you guys, Ranger, and even Rangeman." I need to get out of here. I need to leave now. Lester must have been as shocked by the truth as I am because I was able to quickly pull myself away from him and I took off running.

I ran from the Ranger's bedroom ran out of his apartment as fast I could run. I didn't have time for the elevator so I bolted down the stairs. I don't even know how I ran so fast before I knew what happened I was in the garage grabbing keys to one of the SUVs. I did the lock thing to figure out which SUV I had the keys to I then jumped in and screeched out of the garage.

My mind was going a mile a minute with everything Joe and my mother has ever said to me as tears poured down my face. I wasn't sure where I was going so I spent some time just driving around. With every conversation I remember it was more convincing that they were right. Their words running thru my head what a disappointment, an embarrassment, a fuck up I was.

As conversations passed thru my mind I couldn't help but wonder why Ranger and guys would want anything to do with me. I caused them nothing but headaches and hassles they constantly had to rescue me, they constantly had to worry about poor Stephanie. I replayed the conversation were Joe told me Ranger only gave me jobs out of pity. Joe said that Ranger felt responsible for agreeing to teach how to become a bounty hunter and since I obviously couldn't learn because I still sucked at my job more and more every day that he was ashamed of me. He couldn't admit that he had failed and so he took pity on me whenever I needed money and would give me a job, knowing all along I would only fuck it up.

Seeing truth in that statement made me cry even harder. Ranger did nothing but bled money for me. Not only when the latest psycho was after me but even in just giving me a job when I was low on money. I didn't know how to feel. I mean I was so embarrassed that I had treated Ranger and his men so wrong. I didn't deserve to be considered a friend of theirs. I loved them all and I respected them but they didn't need to be associated with me a colossal fuck up that couldn't do anything right and was constantly in the need of rescuing or getting them hurt one way or another. Not to mention I had to be embarrassing Ranger, the guys, in addition to negatively impacting Rangeman's bottom line with all the money bled for me.

God my head hurt, my body ached but I couldn't stop and think about that. I am so confused but my love for them helped me make the decision to go talk to Joe. To tell him that I was going to change my life, I no longer wanted to be a disappointment, or bring further embarrassment to him or my family. I wasn't going to tell him that I also didn't want to negatively impact Rangeman's bottom line, bring embarrassment to Ranger or my merry men, or that I no longer could bare the knowledge of knowing I had disappointed Ranger.

Just the thought of ever disappointing Ranger made my chest hurt to the point that I questioned if I was having a heart attack. If I didn't know it was my heart breaking over finally seeing the truth then I would have driven straight to the first emergency room. But I knew it wasn't a heart attack it was just the ache of finally seeing the truth and no longer being able to live in denial. Wiping the tears from my eyes and trying to calm my breathing I first disabled the vehicles GPS and then I turned the car in the direction of Joe's house. It was late but I knew he would still be up.

RPOV

Tank and I were talking about Morrelli's odd behavior today. He too had seen the almost smile that I had witnessed and how easily he accepted that Stephanie stay with us after he grabbed her. While we were trying to figure out why and were wondering what he was up to Stephanie came running out of the bedroom like someone had let loose the hounds of hell and they were chasing her.

She never looked our way just hit the apartment door and then I heard the stairwell door bang open. For a moment I think Tank, Bobby and I were shocked we had never seen Stephanie move that fast not to mention use the stairs. Then I was instantly mad because for her run like that Lester must have done something or said something to really upset her.

Lester comes running out of the room and I pin him with a glare that would have most men backing the fuck up. In my most lethal voice "What the fuck did you do, what did you say to her?" Lester had a look of shock on him which caused me to pause had it been anyone else I would have pounced without another thought. Deep down inside I knew Lester would never do or say anything to hurt her. Hell I knew he loved her, and like me he would do anything in the world to make sure that she was never hurt but at that moment she was running and I could see her tear stain cheeks I just wanted to eradicate whatever it was that hurt her.

I turned more to Lester and while I was still on edge I now had better control of my emotions. "Lester, what did you say to her?" Lester sighed ran his fingers thru his hair shook his head "man this is bad, at first Steph wouldn't say much of anything so I pushed a little." My nose flared as I took a deep breath. I had to remind myself again this is Lester. I know he doesn't allow Steph to hang in denial land with him but she has had a tough day she didn't need him pushing her right now. I needed him to give me more. "Explain".

Lester took a breath before he began "Bobby will tell you from the moment her eyes opened she was trying to escape. She at first said she was fine other than loosing another car then tears started forming in her eyes I wasn't really certain what was going on in that beautiful head of hers at first until she mistakenly spoke out loud. She said how she was such a colossal fuck up and that she didn't know how we could even still consider her a friend let alone care for her when she couldn't even do the simplest of tasks as a bounty hunter" What, what would make her think that. We all love her.

We all need her she is our light in the darkness. She is our heart does she not understand that we just plain and simply love her? Before I could voice any of this Lester continues "I pulled her close to me hugging her and I told her that I never wanted to hear her say those things about herself again. I told her that she wasn't just a friend that we considered her family and that we loved her. Then I looked her in the eye and stressed again that we all loved her". Whew well at least he had said all the right things.

My Babe's self confidence has been taking a beating lately because of her bitch of a mother and that son of bitch Morrelli. I have tried to my best to offset their negativity by giving her jobs and telling her that I was proud of her and how she's never disappointed me. I only hope she knows that I meant every word of it. I could tell Lester didn't really know how to tell me what happened next so I motion for him to go on I still have not completely made up my mind if I was going to kick his ass or not.

Lester started "Well" then paused ran his hand thru his hair then down his face "She said that she loved us also but that it was obvious to her that her mom and Joe were right. She went on to tell me about how she had went after a 65 year old skip his name was Earnest Stiller well he ran and forced her to chase him for a while around the neighborhood." He paused again I motioned for him to continue, he is trying my fucking patients here.

"She went on to tell me that she lost him and was rounding the corner to go back to her car when she saw him light a rag he had stuffed in her gas tank." I made a mental note to pay Mr Stiller a visit maybe I would convince him that it would be in his best health if he let Stephanie bring him in next time, if I let him have a next time. Lester then looked on an edge look as he proceeded with the rest of the story.

"Steph told me how she started to run towards her car to grab the rag but the car exploded before she got to it." Holy shit she was running towards a car with a burning rag sticking out of the gas tank. God this day could have ended really bad. I am not certain the last time I prayed for anything or thanked god for anything but tonight I would and I would thank him for keeping Stephanie with me, with us.

Lester took another breath, if he keeps this up he is going to hyperventilate, before he continued with the story I could tell that this was the hard part of the story as I could see him carefully choosing his words as to allow me to keep what little of my control I had intact. "Steph must have felt me tense up and she asked me if something was wrong. Bobby just got up and walked out so I know he felt the same way as I did." Again he took another breath to calm himself

"I asked Steph if she really understood what she had just told us. I knew she wasn't following by the look on her face so I spelled it out for her telling her that she had just told us that she went running towards a car that had a burning rag sticking out of its gas tank. I proceeded to then ask her if she knew how lucky she was today. That I knew she had gotten injured but had she gotten any closer to that car she could have been hurt a whole lot worse or even killed." I couldn't fault him for telling her that, hell I would have probably told her the same thing but there was more to this story. "How did that make her run out of here as though the hounds of hell were chasing her?"

Lester raised his eyebrows rocked back on his heels with his hands in his front pockets taking a deep breath along the way. "Man I tell you, I have never seen her like she was today and let me tell you she shocked the shit out of me. That is the reason why she got loose from my hold because what she said shocked me." I was about to have his ass if he didn't get to the point "make your point Santos".

"Well Ranger she said that she never thought first that she just reacts and ends up doing stupid shit. Then she looked like that her statement almost shocked herself. Then she said oh my god Joe and her mother were right. I was about to ask her what she meant by that when she continued on saying how she couldn't do her job, how she was an embarrassment to Joe, her family, to us, to you Ranger, and even to Rangeman itself. Her statement just floored me that she would think that and I sat there in a shocked state for second. Before I had the opportunity to say anything she had taken off running towards the door."

Damn it and of course we had just watched her run right past us. I looked over at Tank and I could tell he didn't really know what to think about everything he was hearing. Bobby was just standing there as well. They were all waiting for the word of what do to come from me. All eyes were on me. I trust these three guys with my life, I trust them to run Rangeman, but most importantly they all know that I trust them with Stephanie.

It used to be the ultimate compliment for me to give my men was for me to trust them with my life. Not anymore ever since a brown curly hair blue eyed woman came into my life the highest level of compliment any of my men could earn from me was me trusting them with Stephanie's life and they all know it. I haven't even had a chance to look at her since Bobby patched her up not to mention she went running out of here with a sports bra, tiny gym shorts and no shoes.

I look at the three men standing in my apartment and I started barking orders. "Brown you go to the control room and see if you can follow her movements on the video cameras in the building. I suspect she took one of the vehicles but it is possible that she is still in the building hiding somewhere. If she took a vehicle I want you to text me the vehicle license plate number. Santos you get a couple of the guys to put eyes on Morelli and her mother's house I want to know what is going on with both of them so there are no surprises for her if she were to show up there tonight. Santos they are to report to you and you can report anything important to me, but I want them to tell you everything that is happening at both houses I don't care if a fly farts If they know it I want them to report it to you, do you understand." Santos nodded.

I then looked at Tank "Tank you are with me. Oh Brown and Santos regardless of what happens I want you to remain available just in case Steph need either of you at any point tonight." With that having been said we all headed out of my apartment. Lester and Bobby got off on the 5th floor while Tank and I proceeded to the garage.

LPOV

I feel like shit. I can't believe after hearing what Steph said that one she could feel that way. That she honestly thought we felt that way. We love to work with her, hell we fight each other for the opportunity to work with her whenever we get the chance. We love it when she comes to work here. She doesn't realize how much better Rangeman is when she is around.

I guess we never really thought to tell her just how much she is wanted around here. Brown and I walk in the control room I nod my head in acknowledgement to Bones and Slick who are at the control desk. I called the guys that I knew were closest to Stephanie to meet me in the control room. "Hal, Vince, Cal, and Ram I need for you to meet me in the control room ASAP this is urgent."

I hear Bobby in the background clicking the computer for the video feed. It wasn't but a few minutes longer before I hear him with almost a shock sound "holy hell". I look over at the video feed as he backs it up a little. She comes busting out of the stairwell into the garage she runs over and just grabs a set of keys out the box. We see her click the lock while looking for the vehicle she has the keys for. She runs toward the vehicle jumps in and speeds out of the garage as fast as she can go tires just screaming.

Bobby immediately texts Ranger with the license plate for the SUV Steph took off in. I key in the codes for the tracker for that vehicle and key in the codes to see where that vehicle has gone since it left here along with how fast, and I turned on the mike for the vehicle so we could hear what was going on inside the vehicle.

I turn to Hal, Vince, Cal, and Ram I don't want to tell them everything that has happened but I had tell them something for them to understand what I was about to ask of them was urgent and needed to be handled with the utmost care. "Steph got extremely upset and ran out of Ranger's apartment. She left in one of the SUVs. She ran out of his apartment so fast she didn't even take the time to put on shoes she just bolted in a sports bra and gym shorts." I could see worry on their faces they wanted to asked details but none of them did. They knew I would only tell them what I wanted them to know.

"Ranger is out there now tracking her. We don't know where she is going or what she is even doing. But what I need is for two of you to go stake out Morrelli's house while the other two stake out her parent's house." They all look at each other and then back at me.

"I know guys this sounds like an odd request but something is going on and we aren't sure what. If she decides to go to either home we don't want her walking into a surprise and we want her to have backup only seconds away instead of minutes. Hal and Vince you go to her parent's home, Cal and Ram you go to Morelli's. I want you to report anything and everything back to me. I do mean anything, got it. Anything important that I think the boss needs to know about I will report back to him. If she shows up at one of these locations expect the boss to not be far behind her."

I know these guys will do their job, they never fail to perform their jobs but I wanted to give them the warning that Ranger would be there. His control has already been tested today the last thing that needs to happen is for one of them to fuck up on this assignment. The boss would be handing all of us our asses on the mats tomorrow. The guys walked out of the control room and went to their vehicles heading to their locations.

Bobby has been watching Stephanie drive around, I can tell she is crying because I can hear her sniffling but she isn't talking out loud to herself so I can't tell what she is thinking in that beautiful head of hers. Bobby's phone ring "Yo" I look over at him and he mouths the word boss as if I didn't know. "Rangeman she is has just been driving. I have no idea where she is heading at this point."

He pauses then proceeds to tell him "well she is going almost 70 in a 45, she is heading west on Hamilton right now. Guessing I would say she is crying, crying pretty hard actually, but she hasn't said anything out loud." Bobby shifts a little bit presses a few keys "I am patching it thru to your com now. You should be able to see and hear what we do now." Bobby has linked Ranger's GPS to the tracker on the SUV Steph is driving along with the audio feed from her vehicle.

My phone rings it is Cal, him and Ram must be at Morrelli's "Yo" "Lester, we have eyes on Morrelli's all seems quiet. I can see a light from a TV on downstairs in the living room. I haven't yet seen any movement downstairs or up." "Okay man let me know if anything changes. I will let you know when you can pack it in for the night. Until then stay aware of your surroundings." I knew I didn't need to remind them of that but I have a feeling that if anything happens tonight it will be at the Morrelli house instead of the Plums.

I no more hang up that my phone it rings again this time it's Hal, him and Vince must be at the Plum's "Yo" "Lester, we have eyes on the Plum's it seems everyone has gone to bed." "Okay man that is probably normal considering it's after eleven. Let me know if anything changes. I will let you know when you can pack it in for the night."

I no more than hang up that I hear Bobby "Shit, son of a bitch" I look over at him and raise my eyebrow. "She has disabled the GPS and tracking on the SUV, she must have just thought about it." He then bangs the desk out of frustration as he picks the phone up to call the boss. "Boss man she just disabled the tracker and the GPS on the SUV, were you able to catch up to her? Have you got eyes on her yet?"

I curse under my breath. We should have never shown her how to do that, but at the time who would have thought she would have used it against us. Okay that was a stupid thought of course she would use it against us. I think to myself could this day get any more cluster fucked than it already has been?

Just as my cell phone rings. It is Cal and Ram. "Yo" "Lester its Cal and something is going on here" oh shit. "The TV is still on but there is no movement downstairs in the house, we just saw the upstairs bathroom cut on and off two times and both times someone walked past the windows. We can't tell for sure but we don't think it was the same person both times." double shit. Just as I was about to hang up and call Ranger, Cal yells out "Holy shit".

"What's going on" "Lester man you aren't going to believe this" oh trust me at this point I would fucking believe anything. "The upstairs bedroom light just came on and there are definitely two people in the house and from the looks of it Morrelli is going to have a smile on his face tomorrow." Son of a fucking bitch, that asshole! "Lester please tell me I can bash his face in. If Stephanie sees this she is going to..."

Cal just paused I could hear Ram say oh Fuck in the background, what in the hell is happening, why aren't they talking to me. "Cal she is going to what, what the fuck is going on?" "Uhhh Lester, Stephanie just pulled up in front of Morelli's" Son of a bitch just when I think this day couldn't get more clustered fuck, it just proved it could.

I motioned for Bobby to get the boss on the phone. Taking the phone from him "Ranger man you have got to get to Morrelli's like fucking yesterday. The shit is about to hit the fan big time. Cal just called me to tell me that Morelli has a night time guest. While Cal was telling me Stephanie pulled up out front of his house." I could hear the turbo engine rev in the background and Ranger just started cursing "Son of a fucking bitch I should have killed that cheating mother fucker years ago, god damn it. Has she gotten out of the car yet? If he hurts her they will never find his fucking body." "No man I can still hear her in the car. She has stopped crying so I am not certain what she is doing." I silently prayed that he would get there before she got out of the car.