Chapter 2

I woke early, calm and rested, surprised after the blubbering mess that I'd been in when I'd dragged myself to bed. There was no way that I could do anything about my life at the moment. I still had bills to pay so still needed to work. I wasn't going to be rash like I tended to be or to complain to everyone that my life was a mess, instead I would be looking for opportunities as they arose. Okay, so maybe it seemed like I was relying on my survival by my usual sense of denial, but it hadn't let me down so far. After a visit to the bathroom, I stood in front of the closet and decided what to wear for the day. I didn't feel enthused about jeans and a hoodie, though to be honest there wasn't a lot of choice. I dug out some black cargos that were part of my Rangeman uniform thinking what the hell. I probably wouldn't be going back there so I may as well wear them.

I paired them with deep blue sweater and my cat boots before pulling my hair into a ponytail and looking at the result. It actually made me feel better about myself which had me feeling optimistic about the day. I had my waterproof jacket and my bag with my cuffs and stun gun inside but a look at the countertop had me rethinking about taking my gun. It also had me feeling sad seeing the empty tank where Rex, my hamster had lived. He'd escaped a week ago and I had never been able to find him. The old cereal that I'd left on the floor, just in case he decided to come home, was untouched, so I could only hope that he'd found his dream home. Of course, I skipped breakfast, seeing as the cupboards were bare, so with a travel mug full of hot sweet coffee, I was soon taking the stairs.

At least the day was dry, cloudy but with some breaks in the cloud that inspired for some sunshine at least. As I came to my car by the garbage skip, I saw it now in the daylight and remembered my mother's scathing comments about it as I'd left her house. It may have been a bright red color when it was new but over time the red had faded to a washed out color. There were a few dents in it and the back window had a crack in it, which meant the back seat tended to get wet when it rained. Yeah, my mother had been derogative about it, but why would I want a newer car? It started and it had four doors. The heater worked and the engine didn't seem to drink oil. For what I needed it was an ideal car. Besides who would buy a new car when most of the ones that they owned seemed to die a fiery death.

I managed to park in front of the bonds office but could only see one person sat inside. That would be Connie, the office manager or really the person who kept the place going. Connie always looked the same with her dark hair teased on top of her head and those low cut blouses that accentuated her larger than average assets. She was sat at her desk and surprisingly looked as though she was working on her computer, rather than reading or painting her nails. That lifted my mood because maybe it meant that she'd have some work for me. Not seeing anyone else I assumed that it was too early for Lula which if I had any FTAs might be a good thing. One of the things that I'd realized during my pity party and lack of money and bad luck capturing FTAs was Lula. If she was with me then she expected a cut of the money, regardless of what she'd actually done to help and, in some cases, she could make capturing an FTA impossible. Her attitude really didn't always help.

Even as I walked through the door, I saw Connie glancing to my hands. No, no doughnuts this morning.

"I need some files Connie, please say that you have some"

I hoped that Connie understood that I was low on finances, hell, I'd only had Eula and Mooner to bring in over the last week and they were very low bonds.

"Rent due?"

I nodded my head as I watched her sorting through some paperwork and was smiling as she handed me three files. The rest must have been higher bonds so would go to Rangeman.

"These are a little higher, but not much. We could have some more in a few days"

I'd take what I could, so with the files in my hand went and sat down on the couch, sipping on my coffee while I started to look through the files. The first file that I opened was for a kid called Tobi Debus, a student at the University, who had been charged with possession with intent. I read through the information that Connie had attached and was sure that I was frowning.

"I know. No priors and an ace student who doesn't miss a class"

Came from Connie as though she knew exactly what I was thinking. It was weird really because it just seemed so out of character for him. I shrugged any thoughts for Tobi to the back of my mind because my job was to get them back to court and let the courts decide his future. I highlighted his address for near to the university as a place to start before looking at the next file. The second file was for a man named Jacobi. He'd been charged with kidnapping his daughter from the mother. The report had him living just outside the Burg so maybe I'd call there first. The last file was for Joanna Reeves but as I read through her charges and priors, I was looking at Connie again. This woman was wanted for stabbing her boyfriend. He'd died but she was claiming that she hadn't meant to stab him, that it was an accident.

"Reeves?"

Connie asked when she saw the look that I was giving her.

"A higher bond because she has priors for assault. Apparently, she's saying that the boyfriend tried to assault her"

Maybe she was telling the truth, but I put her at the bottom of the pile. I needed to find out far more information on her than I had.

"Okay, I'm out of here"

I said as I stood up.

"You not waiting for Lula?"

I didn't want to make it sound as though I didn't want Lula with me so instead just looked at my watch.

"Nah, she could be ages coming in and I want to make a start"

I left before Connie said anything else to me and was soon driving to Jacobi's address. The street was five over from the area named the Burg, enough that it would never be included. The houses were similar in construction to where my parents lived but that was where any similarity ended. Front yards were cluttered with rubbish with even the weeds giving up as they vied for space. Some houses boasted windows that had been boarded up and most looked as though they hadn't been repainted or had repairs done since they were built. It was sad to see how this small area had fallen into bad ways and had me wondering what type of people lived here and how they managed to live. Probably like me, from one paycheck to the next.

As I continued down the street trying to see any numbers on the houses one house began to stand out from the others. It was newly painted, and the front yard looked tidy with chippings and decorative plant holders. To my surprise that was the house that Adam Jacobi had given as his address. Parking in front of the house I was more curious now about the man that I was after, but couldn't decide if he was going to cause me trouble or not. I ended up knocking three times on the front door, getting louder with each one. According to his file Jacobi worked shift work, 4 days on and four days off and today he should have been home.

I was debating where he could be when I heard a key turning in the lock so stood back as it slowly opened. Well, it was Jacobi, but he looked a mess and not because he was scruffy but because he looked as though someone had used his face as a punching bag.

"Hi, I'm from Vincent Plum Bail Bonds"

I watched as he closed his eyes and frowned as though he had no idea what I was talking about.

"I thought that telling the court that I couldn't go would have them postponing it"

Like that was going to happen. That was when I looked down to see a white cast that went from his thigh down to his foot.

"I was in the hospital getting treated"

He informed me as he watched me looking down to his cast. I suppose he had a very good reason for missing his court date, but he should have had his lawyer convey the reasons for missing court.

"If I take you now then I'll get Connie to rebond you back out"

That way at least I could tick off one of the files that Connie had given to me. Him nodding his head had me realizing that this would be easier than I'd thought. I helped Jacobi as he grabbed some crutches, by closing and locking the door behind him and then helping him into the front seat of my car, with it pushed fully back. There was no way he could manage being in the back seat wearing that cast.

"So how did you get injured?"

I asked as I steered the car toward the station.

"Wife's new boyfriend. He said that it was a warning if I ever went near my daughter. I tried to get her away from him, but it seems he has more sway than I do"

I was trying to work out what he was saying. I mean I could understand someone getting annoyed if their child was abducted, though why the wife wouldn't allow the father to see his own daughter was strange to me, unless of course Jacobi was a danger to the child.

"All that I wanted to do was to keep her safe from him"

I turned to look at Jacobi wondering if I was hearing right.

"Are you saying that your ex wife's boyfriend is hurting your daughter?"

He nodded his head slowly and then put his elbow on the window and turned away from me. Was he being serious? If he was telling me the truth, then how was it him who had been arrested?

"Did you tell someone?"

"The man's a lawyer, who's going to believe me above him"

I wasn't going to believe that, just because this man was a lawyer didn't mean that he should be able to get away with what he was doing. I indicated and took a left deciding on a different destination.

Three hours later I not only had my body receipt, but I also had a deep sense of satisfaction. I'd taken Jacobi to see a friend that I went to school with, Margo, who now worked for Children's Services. She'd had one of her co workers at the daughter's school straight away and then had started the process of collecting information. Jacobi was bailed out again but with the support of Margo and her team. Feeling on a roll I decided to head over to the college campus and start looking for Tobi Debus, with a call at a McDonalds drive thru for a late lunch of course.

He took a lot of finding because he seemed to have disappeared from his usual haunts. He hadn't attended any lectures or been seen anywhere near his lodgings. His mother over in Allentown hadn't seen him but did give me an idea of where he might have gone. It seemed that Tobi always went to his grandmothers when he was in trouble. I knew that feeling because I'd done the same thing myself, seeking out some support from my grandma when my mother had told me off. After a bite to eat and an unexpected sighting of someone I knew, I eventually tracked Tobi down to his grandmothers up in Princeton. She had no idea what he'd got involved with and the poor kid was scared shitless, said he was the DD and it was a friend's car so he had no idea what was in the trunk.

Before I could physically take him to the station his grandmother asked if I'd have a conversation with her boss. I wasn't sure why he'd want to talk to me and to be honest I was a bit nervous when I discovered that he was a judge. He would know that I had no sway over what had happened with Tobi so wasn't sure why he would want to talk to me. It seemed though that the judge was a close friend of the grandmothers so maybe she'd asked him to have a conversation with me.

I mean I couldn't really refuse so I went to see the man, a Judge Laithwaite. To this day I still had no idea why he'd wanted to talk to me because all he did was talk, oh and drink bourbon, even though it was late in the afternoon. Man, he was morose, giving me subject and verse of the criminals he'd convicted in the past, his regrets and frustrations. I was glad when I could leave, still no wiser as to why I'd been there, he never made mention of Tobi, though he did rant on a bit about the system and how it wasn't always foolproof.

By the time I'd taken Tobi to the station and driven back to my apartment it was nearly ten o'clock. I felt so tired that I missed out on a shower and sunk into my bed. Two down and one to go.

I woke later the next morning, well later than usual for me, so took my shower that I'd missed the night before. As I stood underneath the hot water allowing the spray to refresh not only my body but my mind as well, I knew that I was smiling. Yesterday had been a great day for me and the words that my mother had used seemed to swirl down the drain with the water. The job that I was doing wasn't easy, but it was worth doing and I did enjoy the feel that it gave me when I tracked down a skip, found them and then took them into the station. Okay, neither skip from yesterday had been dangerous, so I started to consider how to make any other apprehensions easier.

As I stood and soaked in the warmth, I knew that I wasn't going to like the answer. Hadn't Ranger told me all those years ago that I needed to learn some self defense and train, which to me had always brought a feeling a dread at having to run. I'd tried that, well I had a go, but only because I had the incentive of Ranger being with me. The sight of him running in front of you was enough to make any woman run after him. I hated it though, the running. I struggled with my breathing which had me getting a stitch and I never seemed to get any better at it.

I sighed as I thought of Ranger and the men who worked for him. Ranger had left months ago to go into the wind and even though he always told me to contact Tank, his second in command, if I needed any help, I think we both knew that I would never do that. I only saw the guys in passing and not very often, so it felt that any connection that I had to them was broken. I missed them, the way that they talked to me and could be so open. I missed seeing Les and how he would always make me smile. Without Ranger being there it just wasn't the same and I had no idea when he'd be back. I had to stop relying on him so much, I mean what if he never came back. Nope not even going to consider that.

Turning off the water and drying I was actually contemplating how else I could get better at captures, but the only answer that I could come up with was to find somewhere that could give me the skills that I needed. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt I knew that I needed some groceries before I out thought myself. Yeah, some time when I didn't need to think about my life or some of the hard decisions that I'd have to face.

I knew that I had two receipts that would provide me with some much needed cash so I splurged out on a few micro meals, cereal, milk, bread and of course ice cream. The issue of what to do next hit me as soon as I walked back into my apartment and looked around. As a meal of lasagna was heating up, I pulled out my laptop and booted it up. I was so absorbed in reading through possible places where I might get a bit fitter that I almost missed the pinging to let me know my meal was ready to eat. I surfed as I ate totally surprised at the variety of options available. Of course cost was an issue so a lot of possibilities were ignored. What I did find were classes being run at a local gym specifically for women and how to protect yourself. It seemed that they had some sort of grant to support the classes being offered so there was only a minimal charge to pay. I think that I was holding my breath as I filled out the online application and hit "send". Maybe they were already full or if they'd heard of me wouldn't want me attending.

That done I knew that I needed to do some research on Joanna Reeves. Her bond was higher than I usually took on and reading her priors I could see why. She was 38 years old and worked as a driver delivering parcels. I didn't envy her that job because I'd heard that it wasn't well paid for the number of drop offs expected. It seemed from the search that I did that she had the habit of living with the boyfriend of the month, so the address given was that of the boyfriend that she'd knifed. Priors were from past boyfriends who'd described her as a mental case, hot tempered one minute and loving the next. Yeah, I'd have to be careful with her and hope I caught her in a good mood.

My phone ringing interrupted me and looking at the display I cringed and decided to ignore it. Joe was still trying to talk me into going back to him, but that wasn't going to be happening. My mind went back to the last time that I'd spoken to him face to face.

I'd asked Joe to meet me at a restaurant out at Newark hoping that no one would know us and also hoping that being in a public place would reduce the likelihood of us arguing, loudly. I'd dressed in a black skirt and blue sweater with flat black shoes, pulled my hair back into a ponytail and only applied mascara for makeup. My intention wasn't to give Joe any ideas that this meeting was an opening for him to seduce me. Joe had been waiting for me when I'd pulled into the lot behind the restaurant and from the look on his face when he saw me, I could tell that he was disappointed with how I looked.

"I thought this was a date Cupcake, the least you could do was to dress up a bit"

I'd looked down at my clothes as I smoothed my skirt down my hips and looked at what he was wearing. Maybe he had on new jeans and his shirt was ironed but to me he didn't look as though he'd made much of an effort either, but I hadn't said anything as we'd walked into the restaurant. It wasn't a super posh place, but it was busy meaning that the food was probably good, so I'd been looking forward to what their menu had to offer.

The waitress had been super efficient, but I'd had the feeling that she was trying to impress Joe rather than me. The way that she'd looked at him when she spoke and smiled at him when he'd ordered our drinks and food allowed me to sit back and watch their interaction. It had also allowed me to analyze the feelings that were going on inside of me. I'd found it amusing on the one hand the way that Joe spoke to her so easily. Okay I was slightly annoyed that she would flirt with him while he was obviously sat with me, but any feeling of jealousy just wasn't there. It had cemented for me that whilst Joe and I had some sort of relationship, I knew in my heart that it would never be serious. How weird was that?

"She likes you Joe"

I'd casually said as he watched her leave our table, surprised when he'd turned to me with a frown on his face.

"She's a pretty girl but I'm here with you Cupcake"

Those bedroom eyes had nearly caught me out as he'd looked at me, his smile totally focused on me. I was almost second thinking the reason for asking him to meet with me when he'd had to spoil the whole atmosphere with his next words.

"The boys miss you Cupcake, how about we skip desert and head over to my place?"

I'm pretty sure I had rolled my eyes at that comment. Sheesh we hadn't even got our meal and he was already wanting to leave. What had happened to romance? You know, talking? What had happened to something called dating and just enjoying each other's company? That had been when I realized that Joe had never taken me out on a date. Yeah, we met up at Pinos when it was convenient, or we'd have takeaways at my apartment or his house, but it was usually to watch a game and tended to end up with us in bed.

"No Joe. Sex isn't enough anymore. We just don't have the type of relationship that's for keeps"

I'd been glad when the pretty waitress had appeared beside us with our drinks and gave me a few minutes to collect myself together before Joe had started to counter argue me.

"What the hell are you talking about? We're good together. When we get married it'll be different"

I'd taken a sip of the wine in front of me trying not to allow my expression to get the better of me. The idea of marriage had me cringing. Seems I'd not hidden it too well because Joe was quickly back tracking with what he'd said.

"Look, we don't have to get married just yet, we could just live together. You wouldn't need to work because I earn enough to keep us"

My eyes had definitely opened wide with that comment. Okay, maybe I wasn't totally efficient as a bounty hunter and okay maybe I'd had some incidents with skips that I hated but I'd always found my man or woman.

"You can't be serious Cupcake. You know how much of a disaster you are. Hell, the number of times you come into the station covered in God knows what and let's not forget the trouble you get into"

I'd taken another sip from my glass and lectured myself that I had to stay calm. There was no point in arguing when he assumed that he was right and as usual I was wrong. The arrival of our meal had given me some reprieve, but I just couldn't work up the enthusiasm to thank the waitress. I'd moved the food around on my plate as I'd tried to find the words that I needed to respond with.

"Joe, it wouldn't matter what job I was doing, I'd still feel the same way. I don't want the Burg life and to end up like my mother. That's what you want but I want more than that"

That said I'd focused on my food hoping that Joe would at least think through what I'd said. To be honest I'd lost my appetite but knowing that my fridge was empty back at my apartment I wasn't going to waste what was in front of me. Joe had been quick to finish the steak that he'd ordered, and I could feel him watching me as I slowly forked the chicken alfredo into my mouth and chewed. At least he had waited for me to finish eating before he'd continued his conversation.

"There are other jobs out there, Cupcake, ones that you might actually enjoy"

Yeah right. I could remember the times when I'd tried to change my job, but I'd hated what I was doing, and it didn't stop the disasters from following me. I looked up to Joe as I contemplated those other jobs that he might be referring to, the idea of working at the personal product plant or the button factory had sent a shiver down my spine.

"I like my job, Joe. Maybe there are times when it gets me down, but it doesn't last long because of the friends that I have"

I knew that I'd been frowning when Joe had made a scoffing sound which to be honest had annoyed me. Connie and Lula had always been there to drag me out of my moods, to support me and make me laugh, make me feel better about myself.

"Friends! An ex ho and a woman with connections to the mob. Hell Steph, how can you not see how pathetic some of those friends of yours are? Walter Dunphy, Sally Sweet, Randy Briggs. They're all nutcases and they don't even come close to Manoso and his goons"

I'd been furious with him for that comment. Those people might not be Trenton's finest, but they'd always stood up for me and I could rely on them for their help, and what the hell did he mean when he'd clumped Rangeman into that speech? The men who worked at Rangemen were honorable men doing an amazing job at keeping people safe. It was then that I'd realized that Joe didn't just want the Burg wife, he'd wanted me to change everything that made me who I was. I'd tried really hard to make our breakup as amicable as possible because I didn't want to have to enlighten him that I knew about the other women that he saw. I didn't want him to think of me as a jealous girlfriend, because that would indicate that I cared. It would only stroke his ego into thinking that I gave a shit about him, and I didn't, not after what I'd found out. Yeah, I'd found out the hard way about the other women that he was seeing.

"We're finished Joe. I won't change who I'm friends with or the job that I do. If you really loved me then it wouldn't be a problem"

I'd stood up and placed my napkin on the table as I'd said that. That conversation had only highlighted just how right I'd been, that Joe was in love with the idea of me as his Burg wife rather than being in love with me. The meal had been finished and so had the conversation that I'd wanted to have with him. Much as I would have loved the idea of a dessert, continuing this conversation totally took my appetite away. I'd crouched down to pick up my bag and turned away from the table, keen to leave Joe and that restaurant. I had hoped that if Joe had to pay the bill, then it would have given me time to leave without any further discussion, but you know my luck. I'd just opened the door to my car when he quickly slammed it shut and turned me around with a hand on my arm.

"Cupcake, I didn't mean it to sound like it did. Give me a chance, will you?"

I hadn't been convinced by those words and hadn't wanted to give Joe the idea that I was going to change my mind, but I wasn't into having an argument in the middle of the parking lot. I could tell from Joe's expression and the tension in his shoulders and neck that he was slowly winding himself up for an all out shouting match. Another reason why I could never be with him. What kind of man shouted and belittled the person that they professed to love? Maybe Joe could sense what I'd been thinking because he stood back from me and rubbed his hands down his face.

"I'll give you some space Cupcake, some time to think, but I know that we're meant to be together"

I'd watched as he'd walked away from me and then driven from the parking lot. Hoping that would be it, but I should have known that my life was never that easy. I'd received texts and calls from Joe but hadn't responded but it seemed that he just wouldn't let up with the idea that we'd get back together.

I deleted all messages and voicemails and went back to the work on Reeves, planning where to find her. She had no relatives in the area, so the boyfriends address was all that I had. I'd start there in the morning and ask the neighbors as I was sure that she'd be out on the road delivering.

Okay folks. I know that update every day but the idea of doing that over two months is a bit daunting. Please let me know if you would prefer that or to see a couple of chapters a day.