Chapter 4

Did orgasms make you smarter? Lula said they did. I wasn't sure, but today might be a good test. My mind seemed clear and my IQ might be a few points higher. Maybe I'd try the crossword puzzle in the paper and see how I did. I stretched and enjoyed the feeling of mild soreness in muscles I hadn't used in a while. I was in Ranger's bed alone, but I sensed he was still in the apartment. The smell of coffee wafted in, and it was a good motivator to get me up and moving.

I pulled the covers back and smiled at the scattered pile of clothes on the floor. One by one, I turned them right side out and redressed in yesterday's outfit. We were going to run this morning, so I would change into running clothes when we went back to my apartment, and then I'd shower after.

There was noise coming from the kitchen and I remembered Ella's absence. Ranger must be toasting his own bagel. I looked at the covers spilling from the bed onto the floor and I decided to make the bed. Look at me! I was being domestic.

"Babe, let that go." I turned to see Ranger in the doorway with a travel mug in his hand. He walked across the room and handed me the mug. "We need to get going if we're going to run. We both have busy days."

I glanced at the clock. 6 a.m. Mid-morning for Ranger. "Okay, I was just making your bed for you since Ella's gone."

"They'll be back today. She'll take care of it."

"It's no bother and it's just one less thing she'll have to do."

"Leave it," he said. There was something in the tone of his voice that made me pause.

I looked at him and was rewarded with one of his emotionless blank faces. What the hell? His face hadn't been emotionless last night. Far from it. I'd hoped for a kiss when he handed me the coffee, but there was none. Gone was the smiling, caressing lover that I had known all night. Back to business as usual. I had the feeling he wanted me gone. He didn't want last night to linger into today.

"I'm making the bed, Ranger. I'm not into playing the housewife, but I don't want Ella to come back from a trip and have to clean up the scene of our…" Our what? Our lovemaking? I thought I'd made love, but Ranger wasn't acting like a man in the after throes of a night of love. I didn't finish my sentence, but instead pulled the covers up and smoothed out the wrinkles.

What the hell was going on? Later, I'd use my orgasmic enhanced IQ to figure it out, but for now I was going to be as unemotional as Ranger, who was watching me ignore his request.

"You said they were on vacation," I said. "Did they go someplace fun?"

"I said they were on a pilgrimage. They went to the same place they go every year at this time. To visit the grave of their son on his death anniversary. He's buried in a family cemetery in Ohio."

"Their son? I didn't know they had children."

"Just one son. He was murdered about seven years ago. His name was David Guzman and he was Rafael Acosta's paralegal."

I sat down on the edge of the freshly made bed. "I knew there was more to the story than you were telling me!" I exclaimed.

"Just as I know there is more to your story you're not telling."

"More to my story?" I asked. I stood from the bed and gave him my best offended stare. "You think I'm involved in a murder?" I said it to shock him, to bring a quick denial from his lips, because I didn't want to tell him the rest of the story, especially since it had nothing to do with a murder.

His response shocked me. "I think you could be involved, possibly. Indirectly. Unknowingly."

I bent forward and scooped my shoes from the floor and pulled them on. Suddenly I had to be out of there. "We're burning daylight here, Ranger. I need to go."

"Is that your way of saying you aren't giving me any more information?"

"It's my way of saying I need to go." My emotions were all over the place and it was coming out as bitchy. I couldn't help myself. "I can find my own way home. No need to see me out." I left the bedroom and went in search of my purse.

"Babe." I turned to see what he was going to say next because I was hoping it would be something soft. Something personal. I had an unholy suspicion that I had been played, that he had seduced me for information. I hoped I was wrong.

He sighed and handed me a set of keys. "Take the Macan and call me when you want to talk."

A few minutes later I stood in the garage and looked at the Macan. I didn't want to take it. Taking the Macan would be a sign that I had spent the night with Ranger. I'd have to leave it in my lot and drive my car to the bonds office. The last thing I wanted was a barrage of questions from Lula and Connie. It seemed I had yet another secret to keep. Ranger, my trusted friend and my lover, had played me.

He'd wined me and dined me. Or more accurately beered me and pizzaed me, and then he'd cajoled me to stay with a heartfelt plea and I'd caved. To be fair he had given me three quality orgasms, but I'd given as good as I got, so we were even on that score.

It was the first time I had been with Ranger when there hadn't been a worry about Joe. Joe was completely out of the picture now, and it had been so good to not feel the niggling guilt that had become the norm for me when Ranger and I were intimate. For Ranger it had just been another opportunity. He was using the situation to get information from me. The realization that I was not important to him in the way I wanted to be important to him hurt. It hurt bad.

Yes, he was my friend. He'd still have my back if I needed him. He'd given me the keys to his personal vehicle. He cared on some level, but we were not on the same level. I had forgotten the friend part and started thinking of him as a lover. In one short night I'd thrown all my good intentions out the window and let myself imagine there could be something more for us. I was a fool.

A noise in the far corner of the parking garage alerted me that I had been standing there for some time. I was surprised to see Ella and Louis, their non-black non-RangeMan vehicle in its regular spot. Ella looked her normal self, but as I took a closer look at Louis, I wondered if he'd driven all night. He looked tired, beaten down. Maybe it was just the experience of visiting his son's grave. I did a full body shiver at the thought Rafael had most likely killed their son. Their only child.

I watched as Louis fobbed the trunk open and pulled out a suitcase. I thought I should go and say something, and yet they had no idea I knew the circumstances of their recent absence from RangeMan. I was going to have to think long and hard before, or if, I spilled my guts to Ranger about Rafael. Looking at Ella and Louis I knew I wanted to help them, but contrary to what Ranger thought, I knew nothing that would help them, and my information wasn't connected to anything Ranger needed to know.

The door to the main building opened and Vince walked out into the garage. He was carrying a cardboard box and it was apparent he was taking his personal possessions out of RangeMan. He was really leaving.

Vince was a good-looking guy. Maybe not eye-candy like Lester, but still very attractive. Tall and well built. He usually walked with an air of confidence, but it seemed to be missing today. I watched as he made his way to the other non-RangeMan vehicle in the garage, which happened to be parked next to Ella and Louis.

Vince's hatch popped open in perfect synchronization as Louis's trunk lid closed. He dropped the box in and turned to talk to the couple. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I did hear Ella's cry of distress and watched as she enveloped Vince in a big hug. She was the work-mom of all the Rangemen, and maybe now I understood why. She no longer had a child of her own to lavish her love on. I watched as presumably Vince told them he was leaving RangeMan. I saw three unhappy people and immediately I knew I could help one of them. Without stopping to think my plan through I moved forward.

"Hello, dear!" Ella said as she noticed me. "It's been a while since we've seen you around here. Welcome back!" Up close I could see that she wasn't as unscathed from her trip as I had originally thought. She also looked tired.

I smiled at her. "Thanks. It's nice to see you."

I turned to Vince. "I hope I'm not intruding but I need a favor. It looks like you're leaving. Could you drop me off at home?"

I figured it was the last thing he wanted to do, but he, like all the merry men, had always treated me respectfully. "Sure," he said after only a slight hesitation. "No problem."

I made my way toward his SUV but detoured to stand in front of Ella. I handed her the keys to the Macan surreptitiously. I didn't want Vince to see that I had them. "Could you make sure Ranger gets these back?"

I could tell she recognized the keys as Ranger's and if she was confused as to why I was asking Vince for a ride, she didn't ask. "Of course, dear," she replied.

A few minutes later when I was ensconced in the passenger seat of Vince's SUV, I asked if he needed directions and I got an almost smile from him.

"I think everyone who works for RangeMan knows the location of your apartment," he said.

"What about the location of the Tasty Pastry?" I asked. He nodded. "Would it be too much to ask if we could stop in there. I didn't get any breakfast this morning with Ella being gone."

"Yeah, I was surprised to see them so early this morning," Vince said. "Poor Louis looked like he'd been through it. He's not a young guy anymore. They should take an extra day to make that trip."

"You know where they were?" I asked. "I just found out this morning about their son."

"Yeah, I was around when that went down. It was bad. I didn't think Louis was gonna make it through that one, but he did. Ranger helped them."

"That was at the beginning of RangeMan, right?"

"That was before RangeMan. Ranger had hired Tank, me, Lester and Bobby and we did whatever he asked. He had a plan, and we knew there'd be a building and a regular job, but back then it was just odd jobs."

"Odd jobs? Like redecorating?"

"Something like that although the redecorating jobs came later," he replied. "I remember hearing about you taking part in one of those redecorating jobs. You got Tank shot."

"It wasn't my fault!"

Vince smiled as he wheeled the SUV into the parking lot at the Tasty Pastry. "Would you like anything?" I asked, my hand on the door.

He looked longingly at the door to the bakery.

"Nah. I'm not into sweets. Carbs kind of weigh me down. Take the edge off."

"That's the whole point!" I said. I swung myself out of the SUV and returned a few minutes later with a sack in each hand. Vince's eyes widened at the sight of double bags.

"It's not all for me," I said. "I'm going into the office this morning. Lula and Connie will want some. Back to what we were talking about before, you've been with Ranger for a long time."

"Long time," Vince agreed. "We were in airborne school together. That's where we all met Louis."

"Louis was in airborne school? Surely not."

"He was a Blackhat." At my confused look Vince continued. "An airborne instructor. He taught us how to jump. We were his last class because he retired right after that. And maybe that's why he took an interest in all of us and he followed our careers. He and Ranger stayed in close contact. When David, his son, got accepted into law school at Rutgers they moved to Newark."

"They're not related to Ranger?" I asked. "I knew that they used to live in Newark, so I just assumed they were relatives. Or maybe I heard it at RangeMan."

"No, no relation, but I can see how you'd think that, because they became good friends with Ranger's parents. After David was murdered, they stayed in Newark. Then, eventually when the RangeMan building was opened Ranger hired them. Louis to take care of the building and Ella to take care of Ranger…and the rest of us."

"And speaking of RangeMan," I said, "What are you going to do now?"

"Look, Ms. Plum, I don't really—"

"Oh, for Pete's sake," I interrupted. "Call me Stephanie. And before you get your hackles up, I know what happened last night."

"You mean when Ranger told me I didn't have a job anymore?"

"Is that what he said?" I asked. "That's not what he told me. He was very upset at the thought of you not being with RangeMan any longer. You've been through a lot with him." I didn't waste time asking, I just reached into a bag and pulled out the fattest Boston Crème and handed it to him. He took it and ate it as he drove. By the time he turned into my parking lot, he was on his third donut and was telling me about his early days at RangeMan.

We sat in my parking lot for a half hour. Vince needed to talk and he had no place to go. I wanted to listen, but I had several places to go, so I gently steered the conversation.

"I'm sure Lester deserved what he got last night," I told him. "But maybe your anger was a little over the top."

"Yeah, that's what Ranger says."

"I think Lester isn't going to get out of this unscathed," I continued. "I know Ranger cares about you, Vince, and I know he wouldn't suggest something if he didn't have a solution in mind. Won't you reconsider your decision?"

"It's too late," he said. "I already quit."

"It's not too late," I countered. "I'm sure Ranger will give you a couple of days to reconsider. He was really upset with your decision. Please, will you think it over?"

He was silent for a moment and then he breathed deeply and turned toward me. "I will think it over. I can't imagine working any place else except RangeMan, but I thought Ranger didn't want me there any longer."

"I'm sure he does want you. Can I tell him you're thinking about it?"

Vince nodded. "You can tell him, but I'll call him after I do some thinking. I owe it to him to let him know what I decide and why."

"Good deal," I said. I picked up the remaining bag of donuts and headed into my apartment. Part one done, now on to part two.

I should have run, after all, I'd had three donuts just like Vince, but the thought of logging several miles held no appeal. I took a shower and got ready for the day and then I called Lester.

"Beautiful?" His surprise along with the huskiness of his voice alerted me to the fact I might have woken him. I put my phone on speaker and glanced at the time. Amazingly it wasn't 8:00 a.m. yet.

"Sorry, Lester. Did I wake you?"

"No. I had kind of a rough night and I'm moving a little slow this morning, but I've been up and at it for a while."

"I heard about your night," I said. "If you want to call me back you can, but there is something I want to discuss with you."

"No. Now's okay."

I took a deep breath. "Lester, I'd like to talk to you about sex."

The silence lasted for a full five seconds. "Uh, okay." His tone was cautious and it made me smile. "What kind of sex? Kinky sex? Straight sex? Gay sex? Bad sex? Good sex?"

"Uh, good sex," I said, jumping on the safest of his suggestions.

"Okay," Lester said. "What kind of good sex? Sort of good or really, really good?"

I was smart enough to know I was being played but I stuck to my guns. The conversation I had in mind was important. I wouldn't let him get the last word.

"Let's do lunch," I said. "Pino's at noon. And be prepared to talk about good, and I mean really good sex." I smiled as I disconnected.