Betrayal

Chapter 19

Rangers PoV

October 31, 2011 1649hours

Bodie,WA

I have no idea if I should laugh, cry or simply pass out. If there ever was a time for a drink it was now. But I need my wits about me; I suspect the worst is yet to come. After all, I know who didn´t came back to RangeMan.

But, god, what she had told me until now, is unbelievable. I will need days if not weeks to really process it. And yes, although she is a Master manipulator, I believe every word she said. There is something in her, a fire, a passion that was missing in her all these years. I can´t really describe it. Oh, I always suspected there was more in her than meets the eye. I caught glimpses of that missing part here and there over the years and blamed the lack of it on the browbeating of her mother, Morelli and the Burg busybodies. And now it´s full-fledged on.

And what a glorious sight it is.

Gone was the broken woman who greeted us a few hours before. Gone was the insecure, chaotic little girl I met more than three years ago. From the moment we stepped in the cavern she became a Queen. She stood straighter; her head held a little bit higher; her movements exactly measured, not too much, not too little but exactly right and her eyes gleamed in the most piercing blue I have ever seen. She wore herself with such a confidence I have never seen on her before. And when she spoke her voice captivate me. It was still the same but totally different altogether. A timbre which spoke of brilliance and wisdom. But the most astonishing thing was her aura. There was still this…this light which had me always drawn to her but now there was also a lethal menace. And I will be damned but it leaves me hard as a rock.

The beast within me, which roared for retribution, has retreated and lies low for the moment. From the moment she faced me in my home, revealing her true self, her fate was sealed. Death was the only possible verdict for her betrayal on me and my men; regardless of my love for her. Death by my hands. Now I am not so sure anymore. Too much of what happened over the years didn´t add up to the picture she is trying to paint off herself now. It´s not so much of what she says but what she not says.

And then there was this stunt she pulled offering me her neck. It was close call the beast was almost out of his cage. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw her bowing her head. I have no doubt she knew exactly what she was doing. But why will she sacrifice her life to still my bloodlust. I mean inviting us here to give me an explanation is one thing. I thought she did it because of whatever that was between us and that she still had some sense of honor. Sure she surrendered and gave up her weapons, but with her training she still had a fighting chance. A small one true, but a chance nonetheless. But that was pure self-sacrificing her to make ME feel better. See it doesn´t make sense.

Behind my blank face I was either dropping my jaw and shaking my head, berating myself for things I missed –Way to be aware of your surroundings Manoso – or hauling with laughter. her contact, never ever in a million years I would have suspected that!

The gods damn that woman. Every single time I think I've finally understood her; she does or says something that catapults me straight back to square one.

It started the day I met her. When she came into the Diner I thought she was the average Jersey Girl looking for an adventure to break the monotony of her life before she settled down. Taking a glimpse into the darker side of life; playing with the big boys.

When Connie called and called in the favor I owed her, I thought I would humor this Stephanie person, take her with me a day or two and then send her back to her white picket fence life.

Boy was I ever wrong.

The moment she stepped through the door she had me hooked. It was not that she was exceptional beautiful, nice enough to look at sure, but no movie star beauty. And she was certainly not my usual prey. But she had this light shining from her I still can´t really describe it but it drew me to her.

Then there was her determination. Apart from her incredible instincts and her unbelievable luck; she sucked as a bounty-hunter when you look at her skills and methods or lack thereof. But she always got her man! Half the time she was either afraid to death or happily living in denial but she was just too stubborn to give up. You could throw at her what you want, be it garbage or bullets, stalkers or exploding cars she didn´t gave up.

But on the other hand she let her mother walk all over her.

And this love-hate relationship with Morelli.

Now she had more or less declared that the Stephanie Plum, I became to know was a deception. But she also said that Black Unit spies live a normal life with a dark secret.

And I won´t even think about why she did what she did. Not until I know why Tank, Rodriguez, Benny, Zip, Ceasar, Gomez, Snake Eyes, Nick, Cord and Paul were arrested.

And why the hell did she call me here. She could have written a fucking letter and hide her ass from me. She must have known that my feelings towards her will be less than unfriendly.

I am getting a whiplash trying to figure her out.

I listened and watched her closely when she started to recount her last mission. Trying to figure her out. And only because of that I caught the slight hesitation. She was unsure of something. Either if she should tell me or not or she is unsure of my reaction.

"What is it, babe?" Fuck, I´ve slipped.

Get a grip, Manoso.

She swallowed.

This can´t mean anything good.