All familiar characters belong to Janet. The rest of the characters and the mistakes are mine.
What I saw made my heart almost explode. First, from the sheer act of love that was just committed. And second ... it was a scene ripped straight from my nightmares. Stephanie was on the ground with both arms around Olivia, holding her tightly so she couldn't get away from her Mama. My wife's entire body was curled around our baby so not one inch of Olivia was exposed to danger.
I dropped to my knees beside them, forever grateful to Stephanie for protecting our daughter, but also feeling pissed as hell that if a bullet had been shot this way, the body and the woman I love so much would've absorbed it.
I had to cut off my thoughts there or the consequences won't be pretty. I can guarantee they won't be pleasant for whoever flipped our relaxing day into one that will haunt everyone's dreams. As my men immediately ran towards the shot, not away from it like most would choose to do ... I succumbed to my immediate concern.
"Tell me you're alright," I ordered Stephanie.
Still not moving or letting our daughter go despite my body now being between her and any weapon pointed in this direction, had my gut tightening.
"Stephanie ... answer me. Now."
"Is whoever fired at us dead?" She asked, if anything burrowing deeper into Olivia.
"If one of the men hasn't done the honor, it'll be the first thing I do after I get you two someplace safer."
Olivia started crying and I couldn't tamp down my rage at hearing her sounds of distress.
"It's okay, Olive-Pie," Steph said quietly to her. "Daddy and Mommy just want to make sure it's okay for you to get up and play again."
Her trying to reassure our daughter should've reassured me, but I can hear the tears and fear in Stephanie's voice. She can withstand anything except something happening to someone she loves. Our daughter in danger put her in a whole other place of pain. She continued to quietly soothe Olivia, still not willing to get up or release her.
"Steph, it's alright. I'm here and I won't let anything happen to either of you."
She'd been frightened so thoroughly, I heard her choke her emotions back as she moved only enough to tuck her face into Olivia's neck. "I don't want to let her go. I can't let her go."
The vibration we felt moving the ground beneath us made us both tense up as a person approached. I could see it was Bobby, but I still didn't move away from the small mountain my women made in the middle of the field.
"Tank's got the bastard," Brown told us. "Trust me, he's not feeling up to firing anything else."
My cell pinged and a quick check backed up Bobby's words. Tank has the fucker. And in four words, he summed up the situation and the perpetrator. 'Just a stupid kid' he had typed.
"That was Tank, Babe. He does have the kid," I said, emphasizing what sounds like it would be the least threatening word. "Olive's safe. You can let her up."
"We're here, Steph," Lester told her. "Ain't nothing gonna happen to our Olive-pit. Trust us on that one."
It took another second, but the two of them being surrounded by a wall of Uncles, who happen to be highly trained bodyguards, allowed Stephanie to let me pull her up and unwrap Olivia from her arms. Olive automatically reached for me, and Lester tossed me my shirt so I could wipe her tears away.
"It's okay. You and Mama are okay," I told my baby, not only for her benefit, but mine as well.
Steph stood slightly apart from us with her face hidden in her hands, her body shaking. Every set of eyes in our party bounced between her and me and then back again. This isn't the Stephanie they're all used to. She isn't yelling, swearing, or vowing to rearrange the guy's nuts. She seems to have collapse inward even as her body remained standing upright.
"Thank you," I told her, knowing those words - especially from me - would get through to her.
Her hands came down and she took two deep breaths to compose herself. "For what? Nearly smothering our baby?" She wrapped her arms around us carefully and kissed Olivia's hand where it was clenching a corner of my t-shirt. "I'm sorry, Olive. Mama just got a little scared. I hope I didn't scare you too much."
I couldn't see Olivia's face, but I have a clear view of Stephanie's, and the relief I saw on it had me sucking air.
"Are you laughing at me?" She asked our daughter, touching the tip of the tiny nose. "You little stinker. Mommy and Daddy were worried about you ... and you find that funny?"
I felt a small boot kick to my kidney, so I can tell that Olivia is bouncing back a lot faster than either of her parents.
"Kid's you all over again," Tank said to Steph, checking for himself that his Goddaughter is unharmed. "As I told your husband, it wasn't an active shooter, just a stupid and inexperienced one."
"I still need a word with him," I told my second-in-command.
"So do I," Steph said, making everyone relax slightly because she's no longer quiet and still, she's now angry and her body's ready for a fight.
"Why don't you take Olive and head back to the car," I suggested. "It'll be safer for this asshole if you stay far away from him."
"Because of what I'll do to him, or the punishment you'll dish out for scaring me and endangering our daughter if I'm standing nearby?"
Tank studied us for a beat. "Maybe I should give the TPD a present myself and keep him away from both of you to prevent a murder charge."
My eyes flicked to him, not amused. "Like he's not bleeding right now from his initial 'talk' with you?"
"He tripped a few times and accidentally landed on my fist. It was a public service. He needed some sense knocked into him. Claims he got his hands on an older brother's gun and was just playing Show-and- Tell with it. This was a case of premature experimentation. He almost shot his dick off in the process. If his hands weren't bound and possibly lacking circulation, I'd see if he wanted a go at blowing it off this time. Junior and Hector are keeping him company until you're ready for him. A quick scan of the serial number shows the gun's stolen. We can haul him in for that alone."
Hector and Junior are not the men I'd want to piss off, so letting him sweat for a few minutes will drive my impending point home faster.
"You guys sure know how to show a girl a good time," Kenzie commented, keeping an arm around Cal's waist as they both walked over to us.
"You know what they say ... once you join the attack, you never go back," Brown teased, trying to keep the mood light for Olive and Stephanie's sake.
"The game was fun, but I could've done without the halftime show," Aubrey stated. "Call me crazy, but I'm getting really tired of having to be afraid. I'm not good at it ... and I DON'T like it."
"Ditto," my wife said, glancing at Raphael standing at Aubrey's side and then back at Olive and I. "But some people are worth being scared for."
She reached out to take Olivia, and my mind was no longer on her words. My eyes narrowed at her slight hesitation before picking up our baby.
"You're hurt," I accused.
"I think I just got a case of road rash that was less road more ground."
I lifted the arm not supporting Olivia and I carefully pushed up the sleeve of my shirt she stole. She cringed and I did an inward one. The underside of her forearm is red and her delicate skin scraped raw. Blood was smeared from a few spots where she either hit harder or hit a rock as she dove for Olive.
"Uh-oh," Aubrey said, glancing at the damage. "I have a feeling for every drop of blood you lost, this guy's about to lose."
"You know us well," Raphael told her with a private smile.
"I'm learning fast," she replied.
It would be a sweet moment, but I can only care about my wife and daughter right now.
"Let me see your other arm," I told Stephanie.
"I'm okay, Ranger. I promise. It's just a few scrapes. I'll just ditch the sleeves when we get home, wash the dirt off and out of any cut, and I'll be as good as new."
I just stared at her.
She looked at Olive. "Can you smile at Daddy so he'll stop worrying about us?"
Olivia flashed her incisors at me and stopped talking to her Uncles in baby-babble to open and close her hand. "Bye-Bye."
"Nice try, ladies," I told her and her mother. "But no one's leaving until you do what I say."
Steph rolled her eyes so hard, I heard the movement, but she did shift Olivia to her opposite side and present her right arm to me. I almost wished she hadn't. This one is worse, having taken the brunt of her protective dive.
"Tank, take Stephanie and Olive to our car and then call Ella and tell her to be prepared to clean up my wife's wounds as soon as we get there. I'll be back in a minute."
"Ranger ... " Steph started to say.
"Go with Tank. Please. I won't be long."
"Okay," she sighed. "Olive, now you can say bye-bye."
I had to smile when she did wave goodbye again, and followed it up with a kiss she blew to everyone, not just me.
"Be quick, don't get arrested, and we love you," Steph told me, giving me a hard kiss before letting Tank lead them away.
"Don't worry," Kenzie said to me, "Aubrey and I will stay with them. Do what you gotta do … he deserves whatever's coming."
I nodded my thanks to the woman who has had to get both Harper and Aubrey through situations no one should ever have been put in. I know Cal is in very good hands with her.
Once my ladies were safe elsewhere, I went to where Junior was ignoring the pleas of both the shooter and his friend.
"But it was an accident," they took turns stating.
That's not what I'm in the mood to hear.
"Do you know what that 'accident' could have cost someone?" I asked, making them jump since they didn't hear my approach. "A little girl who has yet to reach her first birthday could have been stuck by that 'accidental' bullet and killed instantly, which you would've been charged and convicted for if you hadn't been killed in revenge for it."
I had to say the words without thinking of what they meant. Everyone involved would be dead if I didn't.
"That baby girl also happens to be my daughter," I continued, wanting the asshole to see the danger he's in.
He clearly didn't want to see anything. He kept his head down, refusing to raise his eyes off the ground in front of him.
I slapped him hard across the face to get his attention. "Look at me when I'm talking to you."
"Hey, man. Leave him alone," the friend said. "He said he was sorry even before he got hit."
"Sorry that he was an idiot?" I asked, giving sarcasm free rein. "Or sorry he didn't kill my daughter, wife, or one of our friends today?"
That got more than just a glance from the man/child responsible. "I didn't mean to fire the gun. I only wanted to show Doug how cool it is."
"Cool?" I asked. "You know what's 'cool'? Being able to enjoy a Spring day outside without worrying about possibly burying your family at the end of it. You alone are responsible for causing a memory that will create nightmares for everyone in this park today. Let me correct that, your brother also played a part for having an illegal piece and not having it locked up where a child couldn't have taken it."
That made the blood drain from his face. Now the fear has been passed onto him.
"My brother wouldn't have stolen anything."
I shrugged. "I don't give a fuck what you think he would or wouldn't do. It's now the TPD's problem. As are you."
"You called the police?"
I shrugged. "I don't have to. You could say they leave the door open for anyone I want to drop off."
As quick as a rattlesnake strike, I reached out and grabbed his right hand in mine. With my left, I snapped what he used for a trigger finger minutes ago. If we have to be in pain when we think about today, so should he.
"Being a man doesn't have anything to do with how big your gun or your dick are. It's about taking responsibility for your own actions ... and protecting those you care about from the idiotic actions of others. You need to develop a healthy respect for firearms fast or you're going to have to fear those of us who are experts in all the ways to use them. Get them the fuck out of here," I ordered Junior and Hector, "before I demonstrate exactly what I mean."
