I knew I should have held out for 30 or even 40 reviews! Normally I get lots of lovely comments but it usually takes a few days for them to trickle in...
Anyway, this one is for all of you who took the time to ensure I posted quickly. Read and review, it makes me types faster (see, I do sometimes deliver!)
Enjoy...
The walkie talkie crackled into life and Steph picked it up to take the next set of instructions. Wow, she thought once she'd digested the information, this was it, her final test which had, no doubt, been designed with her in mind. She thought back to the one time she'd body guarded a kid before – spoilt little rich kid that had run off with the car.
Not gonna happen again, nope, no, nah ah, no siree.
She smiled at the lengths the Atlanta team had gone to to prepare for some of the more interesting tales Steph had had to tell and in anticipation of this very test they'd installed tamper proof seat belts in one of the SUVs and it would be this vehicle they would use. Once the kit was engaged, no-one would be able to get out until the engine stopped.
She smiled and went in search of Ethan and Ralph as they were to be her partners for this. Once the three of them left there would only be four guys left behind. She just hoped everyone else was as stretched as they were and therefore unable to play with their camp or steal their equipment. The toilet roll was now legendary and she had a sneaking suspicion that this would be the first thing a rival team would pilfer. Luckily Mungo had stashed it somewhere safe or so he said.
Mungo, she thought – her latest 'hero'.
She was still reeling from his earlier revelations and had been very humbled by his confessions. Surely she hadn't had that much of an impact, had she?!
Apparently she had. Even Ranger said she was something of a catalyst for all things good.
She hoped this would still be true of her and Batman's relationship when this was all over and whatever he had planned as revenge had taken place. Hopefully they would leave the hatchet firmly buried on the airfield when they left.
Unless of course he did something totally unrelated to the tournament...
Her mind turned back to the body guarding she had to do. She hoped the kid was at least a little street wise and would be able to spot any potential trouble but be relatively compliant in the case of an emergency. Maybe they could even work as a team and she could appeal to its better nature?
Yeah, that would be good she thought happily.
Perhaps a sweet little girl – maybe about Mary Alice's age, say 10 – who would be fun and could work. Maybe they could even do some shopping. She sighed at the thought. Nah! That would be far too easy and she had a suspicion that the kid they got would be the opposite of anything she could wish for.
After all, Ranger still hadn't inflicted any sort of payback yet…
o0o0o0o0o
Ethan was the first out of the SUV and opened the door for her once they'd arrived at the hangar.
"Ethan…" Steph had whined. She really didn't need babysitting herself and yet one of the men was treating her like glass, again. She did a mental head slap as it hit her - he probably wasn't treating her any different to any woman he might have as a friend, so suck it up, Plum, she thought.
Ralph quickly joined them and the three of them set off towards their fate.
Once inside Ranger motioned for them to join the others who had already arrived. Only Trenton had yet to pitch up and they walked in just behind them.
"Okay teams." Ranger began once everyone was gathered around. "I have envelopes for each of you detailing five activities you need to do with your charge. In a moment we will introduce them to you and once you leave with them you will have approximately four hours to complete all the tasksk before returning the children safely to us. Understood?"
Affirmation filled the air.
Tank walked in with five kids and Steph began to give them the once over.
A black, punk assed looking teenage street kid with corn rows and attitude to spare, two sweet but immaculately and expensively dressed girls of about 8 and 10, a skinny runty geek with spectacles who looked about 8 but was probably about 12 and a petulant toddler complete with cuddle toy.
Great, thought Steph. Bet we get the toddler.
"Atlanta, you will be taking Enzo." The specky runt stepped forward. Ranger handed Steph her orders and the four of them left, heading back to their SUV.
"I need a smoke." Enzo announced to no-one in particular "Anyone got one?" he added hopefully, stuffing his long fingered hands into his jeans pockets. Immediately they slunk down, exposing the tops of his boxers.
"No." said Ethan carefully, looking at Steph with mild panic in his eyes. No-one had been expecting that to be the kid's first words.
"Okay, let's go grab a coffee and discuss how this thing is going to work." Steph said calmly even though her heart was beating far too fast. Why did she get the feeling this was all going to go FUBAR and pretty quickly, she thought.
"Like your thinking" Ralph added and pulled out of the parking lot and headed off the airfield.
Enzo stared out the window and inwardly giggled. This was going to be way fun. He thought as he remembered Hector's instructions "Take your time. Reveal yourself slowly. Tease them then do your worst." Oh, he planned to do his worst.
Yeah, payback's a bitch!
o0o0o0o0o
Ranger hoped she would forgive him as he handed her the envelope. In it he'd detailed the tasks they had to perform. Nothing too worrying, all quite innocent really. A trip to the park, shopping, a sporting activity, a meal and a spectator sport. What he hadn't added was that Enzo needed no protection and that Atlanta did. He rubbed his hands nervously down his cargo pants. He'd unleashed a beast and now let the fun begin.
Yeah, payback's a bitch, but he just hoped once it was all over she would see the funny side of it.
He turned slightly in the seat he was sitting in, in response to a noise behind him.
"Can I go watch, Cuz? Pleeeease?" Lester asked enthusiastically as he bounced over to join him. "It's gonna be so much fun!"
Ranger shrugged in response. "Yeah, could be fun to watch, but I'm coming with." He added with a grin. Payback's not only a bitch, he thought, but sometimes it just warmed your heart…
o0o0o0o0o
"Okay, so, we have to take you to the park and to the mall where you have to buy something." Ralph said as he read through the information on the sheet "But as we're here already, let's do the last thing on the list and get something to eat, does that sound good?" he asked Enzo.
Enzo just shrugged "Whatever." He said carelessly.
"Once we're done here we also need to do something active – maybe bowling, skating? Anything you fancy?"
"Yeah, sex. I love a bit of pussy." Came the bored reply.
"Okaay. Wasn't expecting that one!" Ethan said brightly, mild hysteria evident in his voice.
"Play nice, Enzo." Steph warned. "We have a Joker riding on today's activity." She shot him a warning glare.
He pretended not to care but inside he was stifling a happy dance. This was going to be soo much fun and he'd been given free range. These pussies weren't going to know what hit them, he figured. Plus the woman was kinda hot if you were into old people, he decided. A fire started to smoulder in his groin and he grinned, disarmingly.
"Sorry, just need food. Tend to get all moody when I'm hungry." He added innocently. "So. I'll have the bacon and cheese burger with curly fries." He said as he dropped the menu he'd been holding down onto the table they were sitting round.
o0o0o0o0o
Lester punched the key code in on the receiver her was holding. "I am so not telling you where this bug is planted on Bomber." He said, giving Ranger a meaningful look.
"It's in her earring." Ranger stated flatly as he raised one eyebrow.
"You knew?!"
Ranger didn't dignify him with a response.
"Knew you would know. I owe Hector a hundred bucks. He said you would know!" he huffed out with a pout.
"Cuz, you're such an amateur! Now Shut. Up… and turn up the sound."
The received burst into life:
"Once we're done here we also need to do something active – maybe bowling, skating? Anything you fancy?" A male voice suggested.
"Yeah, sex. I love a bit of pussy." Came Enzo's bored reply.
Ranger nearly fell off his chair and Lester roared with laughter. Oh, this was going to be so much fun!
o0o0o0o0o
"Right! That's it! That's fucking it!" Steph growled out, grabbing the back of Enzo's hoodie and trying to strangle him with it. "We are going back to camp. I don't give a fuck whether it's on the itinerary or not, but you've really overstepped the mark this time." She fished the brand new pack of playing cards out of Enzo's pocket and stuffed them back on the nearest shelf.
"Hey! I was going to pay for that!" Enzo argued.
"Yeah, like these other things?" Steph added as she pulled a bar of chocolate, three propelling pencils and a DVD out to join the cards.
"So? I don't have any money!"
"No? But here's the surprise, asshole, we do!" She added in his face before grabbing him by the arm and beginning to drag him bodily towards the exit of the shop.
"Here, let me." Ethan growled as he grabbed Enzo's other arm.
"Hey, don't hurt me!" Enzo screamed, making everyone in the store turn and look.
"Is there a problem here?" a portly, grey haired man with a badge announcing he was 'Brent, The Store Manager' on it asked as he wandered over. Concern on his face.
"No sir. This is my… nephew. I just caught him with a few unpaid items on him." Steph explained in as calm a voice as she could as she pointed to the stolen objects which lay in a unruly heap on the shelf.
"Oh. Oh! I see!" he said, blinking as the information processed. "Well, then. Best you take him home." He added finally with conviction.
Steph mentally rolled her eyes, Brent was obviously no rocket scientist but at least he wasn't about to press charges. "Yeah! His Mom is going to be rabid when she finds out what the little prick has done this time. Thank you for being so understanding" Steph added with a smile before she turned and aimed a death glare at her charge, daring him to say something.
Enzo just shrugged his shoulders "Whatever." He added as he curled his lip nonchalantly and stuffed his hands back into his pant's pockets.
"Right, best be off then!" Ralph added quickly as he gripped Enzo by the shoulders and herded him out of the door.
o0o0o0o0o
"Fuck that boy is good." Lester cooed out as he watched and listened to the exchange in Walmart.
"Do you think she will ever forgive me?" Ranger said as he shook with silent laughter.
"Maybe?… eventually?" Lester replied with a sparkle in his eye as they trailed behind their target.
o0o0o0o0o
Steph sat in the back with Enzo, who Ralph had personally buckled in, before getting into the passenger seat. Ethan fired up the powerful engine.
"I've engaged the seatbelt lock. No-one's getting out of their belts til we get back." Ethan added with a smirk in the rear view mirror that Steph immediately picked up and returned.
Leaning back in her seat she wondered if things could get any worse. Enzo had pick pocketed his way round the shops and thrown food round the food hall.
But worst of all he'd sworn loudly, using some words that even Steph had never heard before, as he clambered over the park play equipment, then pretended to offer out sweets to the local children while all the time sporting a leery grin. Three of the mothers had accosted him before Steph realised what he'd been up to and if Ralph hadn't been quicker she was sure his chance of being a father had been about to be greatly diminished.
He was the kid from hell but Steph knew there was more to him than met the eye. Something was wrong and her spidey sense was in over drive. When this things was over she was sooo going to wring the truth from Ranger, even if she did kill him in the process…
Enzo shifted in his plush, black leather seat and looked at the woman sitting next to him but far enough away that she would have to lean over in order to reach him. Perfect, he sniggered as he played with the box of matches in his pocket, rubbing them against his crotch by mistake.
His 14 year old, hormonal cock woke up, startled by the movement and a grin flickered across Enzo's face.
"Got any kleenex, I need to blow my nose." He asked innocently.
"Here kid." Steph said as she dug around in her bag then handed him an unopened handy pack.
"Thanks" he replied.
Steph turned to stare back out of the window. She was so cross with Enzo right now and looking at him was only going to raise her blood pressure. Whatever his reasons for giving Enzo to her to look after, Ranger would probably be a teeny tiny bit pissed if she returned him in several body bags.
Her charge looked at her silhouette. The broad may be slim, but her legs were long and her tits seemed high. Oh yeah, a mental image of her kneeling down and letting him slide his cock between her pert little breasts made his keen little soldier stand to attention. He shifted quietly in his seat, stuffing the Kleenex down his pants.
"Hey, what you doing?" Steph asked as she caught his actions out the corner of her eye. She looked across to see what he was up to.
"Blowing my 'nose'" he said, all wide eyed and cute while all the time rubbing his now very obvious erection through his jeans.
The penny dropped and Steph gagged. "Not in here you don't you little pervert!" she growled out as she tried to reach over and stop him.
"Ethan! Stop the car!"
"No can do, Steph. Is there a problem?" Ethan asked looking in the mirror, worry in his eyes.
At that moment Enzo grunted.
"No, not any more." She sighed out resignedly and returned to looking out of the window.