Chapter 12

"I agreed that my little brother needed to stay here because he had some serious issues that needed dealing with. I have to say that I was shocked when Les brought him here but have to admit that no one seemed to be making any progress with him. Luke was very worried about how deep and dark his behavior seemed to be. PTSD isn't my area of expertise. I was annoyed when you turned up because I didn't want him to regress any further and end up hurting you"

I turned and looked at Mia, probably with my mouth hanging open, totally overwhelmed with what she'd just said. You guessed though that the piece of information that I hung onto was the fact that she was his sister. Somehow that had my heart repairing the crack that had begun to form and I was pleased that her worry for Ranger and him being here had nothing to do with another woman being in his life.

I allowed Mia to lead me to a chair and then watched as she brought out a piece of equipment that looked like a circular saw. With my arm firmly pushed down on the shaped arm rest she switched it on and began on the cast totally ignoring how tense I was.

I was relieved as the cast and material were pulled apart, and ran my hand down and over the skin, a bit embarrassed at how scaly and dry my skin was.

"Okay, let's X ray it and see what we have"

That happened in a small, attached room where I was left while the X ray did its job. A few minutes later I was looking at a computer screen showing the image of my arm.

"There's the cause, a small stable fracture. The broken ends of the bone line up and are barely out of place so I think a brace will be sufficient. Looks like an old break there"

I looked to where Mia was pointing to and could see a section where there appeared to be a small bulge. That would be when I broke my arm after trying to fly from the garage roof. All I could really remember of that incident was that it hurt, a lot, and how my mother had shouted at me for being so stupid.

"Yeah, I did that when I small kid"

"Okay, lie on the bed and let me check your ribs out"

It was said in such a way that I didn't think that I had much choice so did as I was told and pulled up the T-shirt to underneath my breasts. I felt as Mia pushed down in various places and was aware of small twinges of pain now and then. I knew the bruises were slowly receding so hopefully the occasional twinge to my ribs would eventually go away as well.

"Those seem to be healing, just go easy for a while. Can you take in a deep breath for me?"

As I did that, I was aware that it did cause that twinge of pain. I felt her fingers in my hair doing the same to my head but as far as I could tell the bump was going down. How did she know of my injuries? What surprised me next was when I felt a touch to my neck and Mia was suddenly up close looking down.

"That's a nasty bite. If you want me to tidy up the scar, then let me know"

I'd never thought about the scar very much because it had been winter and I usually wore thick sweaters or shirts, so it hadn't been on show very much for people to see and ask about. As Mia pulled my T-shirt down, I sat up and swung my legs over the bed expecting her to have finished with her examination. A purple brace appeared in her hands that was fastened into place, so as far as I was concerned, I was ready to leave.

"Not so quick"

I was stopped from dropping down onto the floor by Mia's hand on my shoulder wondering what else could possibly be wrong.

"Do you know who hurt you?"

I let out a big sigh because I really wasn't prepared to get into what had happened when I'd been taken hostage from the bank. That I had no recollection of what had happened after that was worrying the hell out of me, but even I knew that Mia wasn't going to let me get away with saying nothing.

"Not really. Hector told me that it was when I was dropped from a vehicle at the back of a restaurant"

Which was true. I wasn't even sure that I could identify my abductors because they'd kept their faces covered whenever I saw them.

"No, not the obvious injuries. The way that you flinch if someone touches you suggests more to me"

I closed my eyes as I acknowledged to myself that what she was saying was true. There had been times when a simple touch had made me tense though I was sure that Hector had noticed because he'd changed how he approached me.

"I don't know"

Which was the truth. I had no idea why such a strong feeling of panic came over me or what had caused it.

"Dreams?"

I nodded my head as I looked down at my hands that were laid on my lap. I'd always been plagued with dreams after a frightening experience, but these seemed different in how they appeared, how the images changed, and the voices spoke without anything being clear or in focus. I looked up when Mia touched my shoulder hoping that she wasn't going to ask me anything more because to be honest I had no answers.

"Let me know if you need any help"

As Mia stepped away from me, I took the opportunity to slip down onto the floor and was soon out of the door. Maybe it was the air conditioning that was making my eyes water who knew, but I had the need to settle myself down before I bumped into someone. As I retraced my steps back outside, I was thinking about what Mia had said and assumed that maybe it had been Les who had mentioned something to her. I trusted Hector and just knew that it wouldn't have been him, besides from what Les had said Mia didn't have a lot of time for Hector. I could sure see the likeness between her and Ranger, both very much in control and successful. I bet Mia had become quite frustrated in working out how to deal with him.

I decided to find a chair where I had a view of the exercise area, feeling more relaxed as I watched Ranger on a treadmill. Of course, what Mia had said to me wasn't going away however much I wanted it to. I wasn't stupid not to see that the dreams were haunting me but what was worrying me was why. Was it something that had happened to me after we were in that car? I really wasn't sure that I even wanted to know.

"Deep thoughts"

Damn, I was so lost in thought that I wasn't aware of Luke stood next to me. How was it that he could seem to appear out of thin air? I had no answer, well none that I was prepared to tell him and almost groaned as I watched him pull up another chair and sit down next to me. Yep, he knew that I had Ranger in my sights because he looked over to the exercise area.

"Carlos is in a much better place than he was a few days ago"

I'd say he was in a much better place than two days ago, but hey, what did I know.

"I've worked with Carlos before and he's not an easy patient. He doesn't like to talk"

No shit, went through my mind, though I had to admit that he'd surprised me when he'd admitted what it was that had been plaguing him.

"I know what happened to him when he was doing that last mission. As his psychiatrist I have clearance to read the reports. I was wondering how you were coping with what he told you?"

I turned to look at Luke suspicious of where he thought this conversation was leading to. No way was this man going to do his shrink skills on me and I wasn't about to divulge what Ranger had told me.

"Me, I'm fine"

Did the bastard just smile at me for saying that? Probably, so I looked back over to the exercise area noting that Ranger had now moved onto a weights machine. Fortunately, Luke got the hint and from the corner of my eye movement indicated that he was moving away from me. Ranger was now using a towel to wipe away the sweat from his body and I watched as he started to walk up the path toward me. It gave me a chance to assess the impact of his time away and he did look as though he had lost weight. He still looked yummy to me with the sweat glistening from his muscles as he approached me.

"I'm going to clean up before dinner. How about a walk on the beach afterwards?"

"I'd like that"

Was my genuine reply as he disappeared through the windows into the house. I hadn't realized that it was so late in the day and was grateful for the large meal that Hector had provided for me but now the mention of dinner did have me feeling hungry. I sat back in the chair and just allowed myself to soak up the heat from the sun and relax after what had become a busy day.

I lost track of the time that I sat there for, well maybe napped, and only became aware that someone was close to me when I felt a soft touch to my cheek. Only one person seemed to be able to touch me without me flinching, strange really, but I smiled before opening my eyes to see Ranger squatted down by my side. My smile stayed on my face when I looked at him. Gone was the growth of hair on his face leaving a smooth skin that was too tempting to ignore, so I ran my hand down his jaw. His hair was held back with a tie, and he was wearing cut off jeans and a cream colored T-shirt. He was displaying a totally different persona, gone was the predator and the ferocious eyes of a man who could be so dangerous.

"Dinner is ready"

Broke the silence between us so after getting up from the chair I allowed Ranger to guide me to the eating area underneath the canopy. Hector, Les and Mia were waiting for us, but I couldn't help but lean over the table to get a sneak preview of what was responsible for the amazing aroma.

"Arroz con Pollo"

Came from Les when he saw what I was doing. It may have been chicken and rice but whatever herbs had been used certainly made it taste good. We sat in companionable silence while everyone ate so it was as Mia served us coffee with Cuban shortbread cookies that Ranger totally surprised us all with what he said.

"I intend to head back to Trenton tomorrow morning"

That had everyone turning and looking at Ranger, me included, because I would have thought that he would have stayed here for longer.

"Carlos, don't you think that's a bit soon?"

I heard the tone of voice that Mia used and found it amusing if she thought she would somehow change his mind and held my breath for what Ranger would say.

"No. Luke agreed that being in my own environment would be a positive move and as he's based up in New York I'll continue our sessions. Bobby can oversee my wound and physio"

"When do you want to leave Primo?"

I could tell that Les was eager for it to happen and I was sure that Hector would give no argument against leaving. It hit me what that meant for me, that by tomorrow I'd be back home in Trenton. I suppose that I'd have to face the music sometime, so maybe sooner was better than later. I needed to ensure that Joe didn't come anywhere near me unless I was controlling the meeting. Maybe Hector could be with me for that.

"In the morning"

It seemed that was the end of the conversation and Mia, while she looked slightly annoyed, probably knew how futile it would be trying to talk Ranger out of his decision. The coffee drank and shortbread gone, yeah, I think I had more than my fair share but then again, I only ate what Ranger hadn't. It was a few minutes later that Ranger nodded to me, and I remembered him mentioning taking a walk on the beach. As we made our way down the path toward the gate, I became nervous for what he was going to say because I was pretty sure this walk was an excuse to tell me something.

I was surprised when Ranger took my hand as we started toward the water before turning and walking on the edge where the sand was still dry.

"I've been totally remiss in asking you how you've been while I've been away"

Not what I was expecting and to be honest I was unsure of how to answer. I didn't want Ranger to get annoyed by what Joe had done, hell he'd only just managed to level out his legendary control.

"Err, bringing skips in as usual. I didn't even manage to destroy my car"

I wasn't lying, even if I had no idea what had happened to it.

"Any problems with any of your skips?"

"Not really. I had my regulars like Eula and Mooner and some first time offenders"

I felt a pull on my hand and realized that Ranger had stopped, and he was giving me that look, yeah, the one that said that he knew I was being purposely vague. As he went to sit down on the sand, I found myself between his legs facing the sea, my back to his front. Okay, I suppose he wouldn't be able to see my face and read my expressions.

"So tell me about the rest"

I knew that I would talk him through the people that I'd been after but made a mental note to myself to maybe omit some of the information. I wouldn't be lying but I didn't want Ranger to get annoyed with me.

"Well, there was a kid called Tobi Debus, a student at the University, he was charged with possession with intent. He took a lot of finding because he seemed to have disappeared from his usual haunts. I eventually tracked him 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. He went to the station with me"

I didn't think that being asked to talk to the judge was important so didn't include that with my story. To this day I still had no idea why he'd wanted to talk to me.

"Jacobi was another interesting one. He'd been charged with kidnapping his daughter from the mother. Poor man had been threatened by the wife's boyfriend"

"Are you telling me you got involved with helping him?"

I could hear the slight amusement in Ranger's voice as he asked me that. I knew what Ranger had told me, take the skip in and let the courts do their work, but I just had to help Jacobi.

"Well, maybe. Okay, I spoke to a friend who works at Children's Services and asked her to do some digging. Jacobi told me that he had to get his daughter away from the mother because her boyfriend was abusing the kid"

Margo was working with the judge to get Jacobi's charges dismissed and to help him to apply for custody. That was definitely a win as far as I was concerned.

"Reeves. She gave me the run around. Wanted for stabbing her boyfriend to death"

"That was a file that Vinnie gave to you?"

"Yeah. Everything in the file said that she was docile and polite. When I found her, well that was when she went for me with a knife, screaming and shouting at me what she'd done to other people and what she'd do to me. I managed to stun her before she could hurt me"

"A close one then. Proud of you Babe"

And just like that I was feeling so much better about myself. How was it that those few words from Ranger could make me feel so good? Which left two to go. Reeves and the last two had been medium to high bonds, not the ones that I would usually take, but they'd been given to me and at the time I was just glad to have the work.

"Rourke was easier than I thought he would be. He was charged with stealing a car, an expensive car. Rourke is one of Grizoli's goons, so it made no sense to me until I found out that he's color blind and probably took the wrong car"

I felt Ranger laugh behind me which made it all worth while telling him about my skips.

"I called Francis over at the BMW dealership and she gave me the list of people who had bought the same model at the same time. Rourke stole a blue one, so Connie and I looked at the names and plates for a grey one. Connie recognized a name, someone connected, so once I'd found that car, I waited for Rourke to turn up. I reckoned that they were using the car to move drugs"

"So no problem then?"

I shook my head because I was actually proud of how I'd found and captured Rourke. The problem wasn't my FTAs though it had been Joe. He hadn't actually approached me since the incident in my apartment, well not when I was on my own. There had been some embarrassing moments when I'd been at the station, and he'd tried to corner me, but I always made sure that one of the officers that I was friends with were with me. Of course, Eddie soon sussed out that something wasn't all roses between us, and he actually made it his business to be there when I went in.

"Chapman or Chappie. He'd been charged with aggravated assault, but he had a penchant for cock fighting. I'd spied Chappie at the betting posts where he was creating a stink with the man taking bets. A couple of henchmen removed him from the warehouse which I saw as an opportunity to follow him"

I left it at that because I didn't want Ranger to know that I'd got into trouble with Chappie and that it had been Hector who'd helped me out.

"I know other things happened after that Babe, the bank heist and I know that I wasn't there for you"

I gripped his hands to me as they rested across my stomach because I didn't want him to feel guilty about that. Hell, he probably wasn't even in the country, and I know that Hector had said that everyone had been looking for me.

"Not your fault. I mean who but me could end up in a bank when thieves decided to raid the place"

I was glad that he didn't ask anything about that or what had happened afterwards, but I was sure that it wouldn't be long before he felt that he needed to know.

"Morelli won't be pleased that you're here"

Ranger's statement threw me until I realized that he probably had no idea what had happened between me and Joe. The last that he heard I was living with Joe and refusing to see anyone. Maybe that whole thing with me supposedly being with Joe was too close to the surface for Ranger at the moment and I didn't want to upset him and affect the improvement he'd made but I wanted him to know that Joe and I were no longer a couple.

"None of his business. I told him weeks ago that I was finished with him for good"

I closed my eyes praying that he wouldn't ask me for any more details because I was pretty sure that if he knew what Joe had done then he'd revert to that dark, ferocious soldier that I'd caught a glimpse of. I was so relieved when he never asked and was grateful when we continued to sit together on the sand looking out onto the sea. It felt so right being with him, how he was holding me to him. I felt so safe as his heat permeated my body and dreaded that maybe he could sense exactly how being so close to him was affecting me. My heart beat was increasing slightly so I took some deep breaths to calm myself down. I needed to respect Ranger as the friend that he was.

It was getting dark by the time that we returned to the house and if we were leaving in the morning then I'd need to pack and sort out some suitable clothes that would be warm enough for Trenton. Ranger left me in the bedroom so after packing and showering I slipped into the comfortable bed on my own. I knew that I was feeling anxious at the idea of returning home and the prospect of having to talk to my mother and bumping into Joe.

Maybe it was because of the over thinking but the dreams came, haunting me with faces and voices. I was shrinking away from the hands that were reaching out to touch me, maybe pleading for them to leave me alone. Then I became aware that the hands were moving away from me, and the voices and faces were fading. I had a deep sense of safety and calmness come over me.