Chapter 11

Hector looked at me then smirked and winked. "Of course I speak English, I can't be around everyone and not understand. But if everyone else thinks I can't understand them; they speak more honestly." He leaned back to look me in the eye, "It's one of my best weapons against people. It's also a great secret, only 2 people know I speak English."

I looked at him with my head tilted to the side in concentration, "So me and 2 others?"

He shook his head, "Only you and one other."

My eyes grew wide, "You trust me not to say anything?" I felt my heart melt and my eyes tear again when he nodded at me. "Is Ranger the other person?" I questioned and was surprised when he shook his head no.

"No the other person is a dear friend and she helped me learn English during my time off."

"Ohhhh,….. hay when I try to use Spanish words are you laughing silently at me?" I asked with a frown. "I know that I am not so great at saying it right but I do try!"

He looked at me for a moment and said, "I do not laugh at you because I am touched that you are willing to try. Most either just speak me in Spanish or ask someone else to talk to me if they can't. No one has ever done what you do, try to communicate with me even though it's hard for you. You honored me."

I felt like I was being privileged with an amazing gift of trust; I looked up at him and whispered, "I swear I won't tell anyone!" I smiled and crossed my heart which earned a grin from him. "Hay do you think you can teach me some Spanish? That way we can talk and no one would find out your secret."

He looked at me with a hint of surprise, "You still want to learn even though you know I speak English?"

I smiled again, "Oh course! How else are we supposed to have secret conversations when no one knows you speak English! I have to help you keep up the image!"

He looked down and me with a tender smile, "I would love to teach you." he said. "but first I am hungry let's get some food... And talk about what just happened."

I grimaced, "Can't we chalk it up to a simple melt down and move on."

He gave me a look that clearly said "Hell No!"

I rolled my eyes at him, "Fine we will talk at lunch IF you get in the chair and let me push you!"

His eyes narrowed and so I raised my eyebrows back.

After a moment he gave a deep sigh and sat in the chair, " I liked you better when you were scared of me", he mumbled.

I silently pulled my phone out of my bag and put the camera on. Then I swung my bag over his shoulder and dropped it in his lap. While he was looking down at the bag in disbelief I leaned forward and took a selfie with him in the chair. Before he could say anything I locked the phone and pushed him out the door grinning like the Cheshire cat.

I leaned down to whisper in his ear as we were walking down the hallway, "Don't forget you can't speak English." I saw him scowl and heard him mutter in Spanish at me. I giggled out loud, then placed a kiss on his cheek, when I stood back up I proclaimed "Don't worry Bro I got you, no problema."

I pushed him to the side of the front desk and walked back over to Shelly, "Can I sign his discharge papers?"

She looked at me then back at him, "Normally we make the patient sign the papers, however since your family I think it will be OK."

I looked over my shoulder to see Hector looking at us with a death glare. "Oh he's really not that scary, I promise" I said with a smile. As I signed I decided I needed one more good photo so I pulled out my phone and quickly turned and took another photo of him. This time full body and chair, with him holding my purple purse in his lap. He looked at me like at any moment he was going to get out of the chair and strangle me.

So I gave him a smile and a finger wave as turned back to the counter and I secretly sent the photos to my cloud. After I finished with the papers I slipped my phone in my bra- it should be safe there I thought. And walked back over to him, "Muertos" he said with his eyes narrowed and voice in a death tone.

For once I understood his Spanish, but I decided to live dangerously and said back, "Not today buddy... maybe tomorrow if you have my bad luck!" I laughed as his eyes got round and big and heard him quietly say, "not funny."

So as I pushed him out the door and into the sunshine I said, "You said it not me, now let's get food I am starving." I looked down Just in time to see him roll his eyes.

Yep he's my buddy forever now! When you eye roll together you die together!

-/-

I let Hector lean on me as we walked into the restaurant and grabbed a table. He of course had to sit with his back against the wall like all Rangeman did and so I was stuck with my back to the room. To be honest that was fine with me since I was still trying to hide my face and all its Technicolor glory.

When the waitress came over she gave Hector and I a look that said she really didn't want trouble, so I smiled a big smile and asked for menus, a water and a Coke.

She nodded satisfied that all we wanted was food and gave us the menus and walked away to get our drinks. I knew Hector was looking at me wanting me to explain the photos... Or maybe the Doctor date or maybe even the break down in the room. But I decided that before we talked about anything I wanted food, I skipped breakfast and it was now 1pm almost 16 hours since I had eaten and my head was starting to hurt a little. When the waitress walked back up with our drinks I ordered onion rings, a BLT, chili cheese fries and chocolate Mike shake. Hector and the waitress both gave me a wide eyed look.

"What" I said pulling the Coke close to me, "I am starving!"

I watched as Hector pointed at something on the menu then hand it back the waitress. As she walked away I grabbed my bag and pulled out the bottle Bobby gave me. I took one of the pills quickly then pulled out Hectors antibiotic and handed him a pill. He raised one eyebrow at me.

"It's for the infection, I have one here for pain if you want it," I said." He gave a small shake no, "That's what I thought, although I can see you're in pain and I could hide it in your food." I grinned at him.

"Try it." He replied. "Your head hurting?"

"A little," I muttered gently rubbing the bump at my temple.

"Let's get the food to go then." He said with concern.

"No it's ok, I just need to eat I think and take one of the pills. It's probably better to stay cause then I can eat right away. Plus, the building is crazy right now, I feel like I am in the way."

He nodded at me, "Can you update me."

I nodded to him right as our food was brought out. After the waitress set everything down and left I explained how crazy it was when I went down to five this morning.

"I don't understand" he muttered to me. "My systems are fail proof there is no way that one would go off wrong let alone 12!" He looked pissed and frustrated all at once.

"So you think there is someone else responsible for all of it?" I said around bites of food.

"Yes somebody who was still at the first site, the person who shot at me." He said with a frown. "I chased them to the door but there was a car waiting and when they got in it took off. I didn't have a chance to see anything before I passed out. I woke up to Ranger helping them put me in an ambulance."

He looked at me still clearly frustrated by the situation. "When we get back I am going to look at the system."

I gave him a small glare, "No you are not! You are going to bed." I said in a hushed tone." He gave me a small smile like I was a child, "I mean it! The Doctor said rest!"

He sat back in the booth and looked around, satisfied that we were still not being watched he said, "ahhh yes about the Doctor."

I sighed deeply and leaned back in my chair. Truth be told I was full anyway and when I looked down I could see why. All the sandwich and onion rings were gone, and even the fries had a nice dent in them. I pushed the fries closer to Hector and pulled my shake towards me.

After a moment I looked up to see Hector waiting patiently for me to gather my thoughts, "Honestly?" I whispered.

He nodded and grabbed my fries and started to eat them. I think he did it just to make me feel better.

I gave a small smile, "That's not on the Rangeman approved diet list." I whispered and I saw him shrug. After a deep breath I said so low I wasn't sure if he could hear me, "I'm scared."

I was actively fighting the tears in my eyes, I didn't want to cry in the Restaurant. He just sat there waiting for me to continue and it felt good to not be rushed or to have someone demand an answer. "I think Ranger wants me, I mean I feel like some of the things that he does shows that. I mean he gets super upset when I am hurt and he has…." I paused and looked up. "You can't tell him any of this, promise!"

I watched him nod at me so I continued, 'He has been making comments like he wants a future. Like last night he asked me - if I was his wife if I would tell him I had a headache to get out of sex" I watched Hector choked on a fry when I finished my sentence, I briefly smiled at him and his expression of disbelief. "I was so sure he was joking because he had this smirk on his face but then I saw this look he gave me when he thought I wasn't looking and I thought maybe he was trying to figure out where I was at in this relationship or non-relationship…. But then I thought that I was just making the look up in my mind because I wanted it to be true so badly and that if I said something it would make him shut down and kick me out of the apartment."

I had word vomit that wouldn't stop, "I mean I know I am important to him, but am I "can't live without you, you are the light in my dark world important" or the "you are my puppy and I care about you and if something happened to you I would be sad but move on important?" or maybe it's the "You are here to entertain me and when you are no longer funny you can go important.?" With the last comment I saw a flash of anger over Hectors face.

I watched as Hector's face held both frustration and disbelief, "You really don't understand do you? You are not our entertainment; you are our family. The one person who looks at us and smiles with no reservations. I can count on one hand the people who have attempted to get to know me and you are the only one who kept at it until you became my little sister." He said the last part with a wink that had my grinning. "And yes you are like our puppy but not because you are a mascot to us but because you always make us smile and you are loyal to us. We know without a shadow of a doubt if we need you; you will be there giving everything you have, even the last dollar or burst of energy. But most importantly you are the light that shines in the dark for us, most of us only see darkness and hate from the world around us, but you walked into our lives and brought a light so bright it nearly blinded us. You have touched every man in that building and we all love you like a sister."

I had tears running down my cheeks when he was finished and for the first time in a long time I felt so loved and appreciated. I wasn't guessing or unsure, I wasn't doubting my place. In one small speech Hector made me feel like I could do anything, and that I was important.

"Thank you." I whispered to him, "You have no clue how much I needed that and how good it makes me feel."

"Thank you for caring about me." He returned.

I reached over and grabbed his hand, "I don't care about you, I love you…. After all you are my brother." I said with a teary smile. He grinned back at me and said, "So then tell your brother why you gave the pussy Doctor your number."

"He wasn't that bad" I said with a grin.

I watch as Hector rolled his eyes, "He nearly wet himself when he looked at me and went through you to give me directions he was so scared."

"To be far you did pretend not to understand him." I pointed out.

I watched as he raised an eyebrow at me and wait for me to continue. "Honesty I am not completely sure. In that moment I thought that Joe and I were over, Ranger and I were never going to happen and that maybe if I tried to go on a date that my life you be normal." I snorted at the last part. "but I guess normal will never be my life right."

Hector took a minuet to think then said, "I think that if you had a normal life you would be bored, you strive for excitement and adventure. You want to fly not be ordinary and that applies to every part of your life, even your love life."

I took a minuet to think about what he said, "I guess that could be true, but why does it have to be so confusing. The way Ranger acts lately and the things he says and the way he says them makes me think that he wants more. But then he makes statements that go directly against that. I feel like I am on a tilt-a-whirl and I have no clue which way I am gong next."

"What does he say that makes you think that he doesn't want you," Hector asked leaning back again.

I leaned forward and put my chin in my hand, "Well he once told me that his love comes with a condom and not a ring. And that while he would ruin me for all other men… which he has… he doesn't do happily ever after. Then like this week he asked me to stay on seven and joked that I could move in forever and have half his closet. It seems like every time he says one thing, later he contradicts it with another. I just get confused and I feel like I get my hopes up only to have them crash down again."

Hector looked at me silently for a moment when the waitress came to the table and asked if we wanted dessert, but before he could reply I said I wanted the chocolate cake and that Hector wanted the cherry pie. As she walked away he raised an eyebrow at me, "What if I didn't want pie?" he asked

"Well you can't speak English so you couldn't tell her any differently and to be 100% honest they are both for me." I said with a grin.

He smiled back at me and then floored me with one simple statement.

"Men are stupid Estefanía…. Ranger is stupid. His heart is telling him one thing and his mind another, and because he is a man of logic and brain; he has said and done stupid things. Now he is finding that his heart wont let you go and stumbling to find a way to get you to stay and be with him." I must have looked shocked because he grinned at me and continued, "Try to have mercy on him and not be mad for the many fuckups he has done and will do in the future."

I looked at him through squinted eyes trying to process everything thing he just said. I closed my eyes and began to think back on everything that had happened not only in the last few days but the weeks and months. The trip to Hawaii, then the casino run and now this week. It was beginning to all make sense to me.

I opened my eyes to see the waitress bring up our deserts and watched Hector hand her a card. I took a deep breath and stepped off the invisible ledge into new scary territory, "You are sure he loves me and wants me.?" I said in a small voice. "Because I don't want to push him to hard and then I lose him forever."

Hector swiped my chocolate cake from under my fork, took a huge bite. After a few moments he said, "If that man doesn't love you I will tell the world I speak English and the first sentence I am going to say is …. I love Stephanie plum and she has the hottest ass in the world."

I practically roared with laughter and chocked on the piece of cake I had reached over and stolen. I looked him straight in the eye and said in a super serous voice, "Hector, I love you too, do you want to help me stalk a skip toady." Then I paused thinking for a moment, "But no getting out of the car… and no running…. just sitting."

He raised his eyebrows and he bit into the pie this time, "Any reason you don't want to go back to the building."

"Yep" I and said grinning, "First my skip is scheduled to drop of food to his mom's house at 3pm today and want to see if he keeps the schedule. And two I know that when we get back you are going to try and go right to work leaning over a desk. At least in the car you can lean back and relax." I swiped the last piece of pie off of the plate and stood up, "Unless you really don't feel well and want to go to bed." He gave me the yea right look. "How about you, how is the head?

I took a moment to close my eyes and think so I could give him an honest answer. "My head feels good actually. The pill kicked in and I ate something to day. I think it helped to stay off the computer for the morning and I even rested in your room while we waited. Now it's time to go catch my rent!"

He smiled at my back all the way through the restaurant and into the parking lot. As we were climbing back into the Cheyanne my phone rang… my phone rang from Hectors pocket!

"Hay how did you get my phone," I yelled

He looked and me and smirked, "That was in my bra!" I said stomping my foot.

He pulled the phone out of his pocket and handed it to me with a shrug.

"I am sure the photos have been deleted, haven't they?" I said looking at him. His response was a grin. So when my face slid into an evil smile he narrowed his eyes at me. "Then it's a good thing I emailed them to myself and put them on the cloud." I said sweetly. I watched as his eyes got wide for a moment then narrow into slits at me.

"Hello" I chirped without looking at the screen still grinning at Hector.

"Babe" I heard Rangers voice.

"Ranger are you back at the building? "I asked.

"Not yet, we are still trying to figure out what's going on. I heard you were out of the build too... and you didn't take anyone." I could hear the frustration in his voice.

"Actually Mr. Smarty pants I am with Hector, I sprung him from the hospital this morning. We just finished lunch, evidently getting shot makes you hungry!" I saw a Hector raise an eyebrow at me, "Ok and I was hungry to." I grinned. "I was getting a small headache from lack of food."

"Is it still hurting?" I could hear the concern in his voice.

"Actually no I feel great now, I ate and took one of the pills Bobby gave me and I am in no pain!" I said smiling.

"Good, look I have to go to two more stops then I will be back. I promised you help today; we can go when I get back." He sounded exhausted.

"It's ok Ranger, Hector said he would go with me."

I heard him pause for a second, "You mean the man that was recently shot?" He questioned.

"Yes wise-guy, the man who was recently shot." I said with a grin.

"Babe" I heard him growl.

"Batman", I said back, "Look Hector is fine for what we are doing"

"And what exactly are you doing." He questioned.

"We are sitting in the car! My skip takes groceries to his moms house every other day, it's kind of sweet if you forgot he was a total creepy fugitive. I just want to see if he holds to the pattern today and then pick him up when he comes back in two days."

"No getting out of the car?" Ranger questioned.

"No getting out of the car." I replied.

"Coming right back home when you are done." He said

I paused…. did he just say home? Did he mean like his building was my home or did he mean his home? See another moment of confusion. I looked over and saw Hector looking at me.

I guess I was thinking longer then I thought because I heard Ranger growl into the phone impatiently, "Stephanie."

I decided to take a leap of faith and listen to Hector and believe Ranger meant home... Just simple home, "Yep I will come right back home." I replied.

I heard him sigh in relief. Was it because I said his apartment felt like home or was it because I was promising to be good? I guess time would tell.

"Look I have to go we just pulled up to the next building. Be safe ok." He said.

"Don't get shot" I whispered.

"Don't go crazy" he said back and hung up.

I slowly hung up the home and put it down, I looked over at Hector and smiled. "Well I am taking a leap here, if I fall and get squashed like a bug it will be all your fault." I said with narrowing eye.

He looked at me a smirked, "And when you find out I am right you owe me a favor."

I glared at him, "What kind of favor?" I asked.

"We shall see." He replied, "Now where are we going." He asked buckling into the passenger seat.

"Well my brother, we are off to spy on a fugitive, a creepy crazy mama loving fugitive." I said as we pulled on the street. I watched from the corner of my eye as he grinned at me. No blank face an actual grin. Looks like I broke the first merry man from the blank face standard. One down all the rest to go!