Chapter 10

"I hate these pointless ass-kissing fundraisers. The reporters are in your face before you get into the room asking you the stupidest questions, then you must placate every party member who disagrees. At least, all I need to do is promise to talk to my father on their behalf, but it's exhausting. I'd rather deal with the public every day than these idiots," Stephanie said as they entered the suite just before midnight. She kicked off her three-inch stilettos, sighing as her aching feet had a reprieve.

"I think you handled them well. My eye was twitching from listening to you repeat yourself numerous times. I couldn't do what you do," Ranger said honestly.

"No," said Stephanie, smiling, "you'd glare at them, and they would go quaking in their leather shoes and cheap suits back to their tables. Not a very diplomatic approach."

"No one would ever accuse me of being diplomatic," said Ranger with a smirk.

Stephanie looked at Ranger, almost warring with herself. She was tired, but she wanted to spend more time with Carlos. "Um, would you like to have tea with me? I need some time to wind down, or I won't be able to sleep."

"Sure. I'll make the hot water if you want to change."

"Thanks. I hate pantyhose, but for these events, it's expected. I preferred Dad's first campaign when I got to be behind the scenes mostly. I rarely spoke to the press and occasionally held meetings on his behalf for some target groups, especially women's groups, but I was not campaigning like this. I'm so uncomfortable, but I know Dad needs me."

Ranger was surprised at her admission. He thought she was a natural at getting the people to listen to and respect her, even though they did ask stupid questions and have her repeat herself. She handled them all gracefully and had everyone eating out of her hands by the end of the evening. He could only imagine how great she would be in his company. Fuck Carlos, get your head out of her pussy and go away. We have a job to do. Ranger admonished himself.

Stephanie entered her room as Ranger filled the kettle with water and started it. He looked around and only saw one tea bag. "Babe, I only see one tea bag."

"I have some in my purse in a small plastic container. You can go in my purse and get it. I have a few varieties, so please pick whichever one you like. I'll take the Ceylon Supreme."

Ranger looked around and spotted her purse on the table by the entranceway. He hesitated a moment before opening it; having been trained to never go into a woman's purse by his sisters, he cautiously proceeded. Fortunately, he spotted the container immediately and took out two Ceylon Supreme tea bags. He replaced the container and closed her purse. Shit deactivating a bomb is less stressful.

Hearing her request made Ranger smile. Not many people in the United States knew about Ceylon tea. Most would drink Lipton or Tetley, which were okay. Some would buy fancy teas from British suppliers, but they were not as good as Ceylon tea. He spent a few weeks on the island nation of Sri Lanka when he had some R&R after a mission that was aborted before it began in South Asia. The food was spicy and exciting. But it was the tea that changed him. Ranger wasn't a tea drinker before that trip but became one afterward. Now, he only purchases Ceylon teas and drinks them regularly. He placed the tea bags into the mugs before pouring the water into the cups as Stephanie emerged, wearing one of her blue nightshirts with the VS logo on the front. Ranger had to work hard not to stare.

"Have you ever had Ceylon tea? It's the best and the only tea I drink," said Stephanie.

"I have. I agree, it is the best. Have you ever been to Sri Lanka?"

"No, sadly, I've only been to Europe. England, Italy, and France."

"If you ever get a chance to go, try to visit a tea plantation and take a tour. It's fascinating to learn about tea. How did you get introduced to this?"

"We had a state dinner with the ambassadors from South Asia during my Dad's second year in office. The Sri Lankan ambassador gave us tea."

Stephanie took her mug and sat on the couch with her legs tucked underneath her. She took a sip of her tea, then placed it on the end table as her phone rang. She glanced at the number and picked it up.

"Hi Daddy."

"How did the fundraiser go tonight?"

"Not bad. Everyone wants to talk to you about getting the money for that infrastructure project. They were also concerned about its environmental impact on Lake Michigan."

"That was to be expected. How are things going with Ranger? Are you comfortable with him and his partner?"

"Yeah, it's good. Thank you."

"Mom wants to speak to you. I love you, Pumpkin." Frank said as he handed the phone to his wife. She was sitting on the reclining chair in their room.

"Hi Stephanie, how are you?"

"Hi, Mom. I'm good. How are you, though?"

"Good today. This week has been good so far. I'm not sure how long it will last."

"I'm glad to hear that, Mom. Enjoy every day you can."

"I do. Stephanie, Joseph came over today and said you turned down his proposal. Why did you do that? You both have been dating for about five years. What are you waiting for?"

Frank almost grabbed the phone out of Ellen's hand. He couldn't believe Morelli was here today, especially after being told not to leave his post. Frank didn't want to fire Morelli until they figured out who threatened Stephanie. He'd talk to his SS team about denying Morelli entrance without his approval in the future.

Stephanie sighed. It's about time she stopped evading and told her mother the truth. "Mom, Joe is a lying, cheating jerk. We broke up again about two weeks ago after discovering he had sex with a 19-year-old maid while I was campaigning for Daddy. That isn't the first time, but it will be the last. I refuse to be with someone who cheats on me. He cheated on me a few years ago and promised never to do that again, but I know now that he's never been faithful to me."

"Oh, Stephanie, are you sure?"

"Yes, Mom, I am. Besides, he wants me to be his mom, a stay-at-home wife and mother. I don't want to be a housewife, but there's nothing wrong with that. It's not me. It suits Valerie, and she loves it. I love my career, and I want to continue to work."

"But what about children? You aren't getting any younger."

"I'd love to have children, but with the right man. A man who will be my partner, my equal. Someone who will support me and my dreams while I support his. Joe isn't that man for me."

Ellen was upset and worried about her youngest daughter. She thought that she would choose Joseph. After all, he did come from the Burg. However, Ellen also knows that Stephanie is not like her. She hopes that Stephanie gets to experience the joys of motherhood because she knows that Stephanie will be a great mother someday. Ellen knows Stephanie has a good job and can take care of herself, but like any mother of her generation, she wants to see her daughter settled down and married to a good man. Now, Ellen was wondering if Frank knew about Joseph's transgressions and, if so, why he never told her.

"I understand, and I respect your decisions. But please promise me that you will try to date after the election and, someday, get married. It would break my heart if you were alone. Valerie has her girls, and even though you are close the Angie and Mary Alice, I want you to have children of your own."

"I understand, Mom. I promise I will put myself out there. I'm not going to settle."

"Nor should you. Be safe, Stephanie. I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too," said Ellen. As she hung up the phone, she looked at her husband. "Frank, you have some explaining to do."

Meanwhile, Stephanie hung up her phone in Chicago and looked at it in disbelief.

"What's wrong, Babe?"

"I don't know. It feels like I'm in an alternate universe. My mom has never accepted what I had to say. I thought she would push me to ignore Joe's cheating and marry him anyway."

"Why would she do that?"

"Because Joe is the Burg, he's Trenton and safe. While she has supported my career, she always hinted that I should settle down, get married, and concentrate on my husband and family. Tonight, though, she seems fine with me living my life as I want. What the fuck?"

Ranger shook his head. He thought he understood where the First Lady's change of heart was coming from. In his mind, though, he couldn't understand how someone could be so backward regarding expectations for their daughter. His sisters all had successful careers and marriages. No one expected them to be a housewife.

"Carlos, why would she do that? Why would she suddenly accept me for me?"

"Probably because she knows she doesn't have much longer and wants to ensure you never feel like you're letting her down. I've seen it before. Sometimes, when someone knows they are dying, they decide to make amends and to have a clean slate, so their conscience is clear, and the people they love know they were loved."

"Well, that fucking blows. I would have preferred her love and support from birth until now. God, I spent years in therapy to understand my worth and value. I'm thankful every day that Joe broke up with me when he was in the Navy. If we had married, he would still be cheating on me; only I'd be stuck with him."

"I don't follow what you're saying. Why would you be stuck with him? A divorce is always an option."

"Not in my world. Especially if we had kids, which I'm sure we would."

"How do you know he would cheat? Maybe if you got married, he wouldn't since he would have you."

Stephanie looked down, her face getting red. She whispered, "I'm not that good in bed. I don't know how to satisfy Joe and won't let him do certain things. That's why he cheats, so he can have sex the ways I won't allow him to do with me."

The hate Ranger felt towards Joe intensified a thousandfold. What man tells his girlfriend she sucks in bed to justify cheating? Cheating is never justifiable. "Has Morelli ever forced you to do something you didn't want him to do?"

A tear escaped Stephanie's eye, which she quickly wiped, but not before Ranger noticed. He knew what her answer was going to be.

"Yes. He forced me to have anal sex once. It hurt a lot, and I cried the entire time. I broke up with him the next day. We didn't get back together for eight months. Then, I stupidly accepted his apology and took him back. He would keep trying to have sex that way, but then I stopped doing positions other than missionary. That's when he started to criticize my skills. He's the only man I've been with, and if I can't make him happy, then I know I won't make anyone else happy."

Fucking asshole. He needs to be shipped off to a fucking 'Stan, naked, with nothing other than his pea-sized brain to find his way home. Whom the fuck rapes their girlfriend and then mentally abuses her?

"Did you report him?"

"Report him for what?"

"Rape."

"Rape?"

"Yes, Stephanie, rape. He raped you that night when he forced anal sex on you. You told him 'no,' and he didn't listen. That's rape."

"He was my boyfriend. Your boyfriend can't rape you."

"Yes, he can, and you were."

Stunned, Stephanie stared at Ranger. She closed her eyes, reliving that night in her mind's eye. Steph felt the pain, the feeling of his fingers digging into her hips, his cock slamming into her ass, her tears streaming down her face. Joe raped me. What a fucking asshole!

"I think I'm going to be sick," Stephanie said as Ranger quickly grabbed a pail and held it for Stephanie as she got sick. When done, she brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth with mouthwash. Ranger was tying up the bag and moving it to a different location. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to get sick."

"Don't worry. It's fine. I've seen worse. You know you can press charges."

"I know, but now is not the time. Shit, I'll tell Dad. Maybe that will get Morelli fired."

Stephanie and Ranger finished their tea while discussing the next day's plans. Once done, they said good night to each other.

A small part of Ranger wanted to follow Stephanie into her room to make sure she was okay. However, that was crossing the line that Ranger never crossed. He had difficulty picturing that woman as being bad in bed. If she made those sounds while eating when she was fucked then no man would be able to hold back for long. Ranger felt himself reacting but managed to talk himself down. Maybe he'd ask her out on a date when this detail was over. Take her to a fancy restaurant, then perhaps a night of dancing. Dropping her off at home, hoping for an invitation to spend the night. He wouldn't rush things, even though he wanted her like he's never wanted someone else. He'd let her make the first move. But once she does, he'll ruin her for all other men.

Ranger pulls out the sofa bed and strips to his boxers and tank top before climbing into bed. One gun and knife are on the stand beside him, and the other is under his pillow. He lies down, again thinking of that sexy woman in the room next to him.

"No, Joe, stop, please, stop. It hurts Joe. No…please…. please Joe, you're hurting me," said Stephanie.

"Oh, Cupcake, you don't mean that. God, this feels so good, so nice and tight. You're making me feel so great. Don't you want to satisfy me?"

"I do, Joe, but not like this."

"This is what I need. Now, get ready; I've been going easy on you. Now, I'm going to ramp it up."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH," Stephanie screamed.

Ranger sprung up and ran into Stephanie's room. Logically, he knew no one was in the hotel room, but he still had to be sure. With his gun in his hand, he entered her room and found her in the middle of a nightmare. He placed the gun on the nightstand next to Stephanie and kneeled beside the bed.

"Babe, wake up. Come on, Stephanie, wake up. You're safe, Stephanie," Ranger said as he gently shook Stephanie. He saw the tears streaming down her face and heard her words. He could only imagine that she was reliving that night. Soon, her eyes opened, and she was now sobbing.

Ranger sat on the bed and pulled Stephanie into his lap, holding and caressing her, telling her she was safe. After a few minutes, she stopped crying.

"I was dreaming about that night. It felt like it was happening now."

"I know, some dreams can be vivid."

"I can't believe I didn't recognize that night for what it was. I am so stupid," she said as she started to cry again, her beautiful face marred with tear tracks.

"No, you're not," Ranger said, moving a stray hair off her face. He looked into her blue eyes, feeling the need to remove the sadness from them. "You thought he loved you. You thought you were safe with him since you've known each other your whole life. It's easy not to see what is in front of you when you don't want to believe it."

"I guess you're right. What time is it?"

Ranger checked his watch. "O' two hundred."

Stephanie signed. She needed to sleep. Not getting enough sleep tonight would be compounded by the travel schedule. Traveling in three different time zones in a few days always left her off-kilter, even though she rarely lost time. "Um, Carlos, can you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

Carlos was ready to jump on the chance and was mentally under the blankets with Stephanie, but Ranger said, 'Abort, abort.' However, Carlos won.

"Sure," Ranger said as he lay on the cover.

"No, you can come under. We are both adults, and I trust you."

Shit, Manoso, this is not good. "Okay," Ranger said, and he slipped under the covers. Stephanie placed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Ranger started to stroke her arm gently, and shortly after she fell asleep, so did he.

Ranger felt the alarm on his watch go off. As he tried to shut it off, he found himself stuck under a woman, who was, unfortunately, clothed as was he. Sometime during the night, Stephanie managed to lie on top of him, making his plan to go to the gym impossible to execute without waking her. He started to shift her off him when her eyes opened.

"Morning. What time is it?" Steph asked sleepily. Suddenly, she rolled off him fast as though she were electrocuted. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to lie on top of you. That was so not appropriate."

"Don't worry, Babe. I don't mind waking up with a beautiful woman on top of me."

Stephanie blushed. "What time is it."

"Six. I was going to go to the gym. Lester will stay here with you."

"Do you think you can start my training?"

"We don't have time today, but I can start your conditioning. You can do some cardio and stretching today."

"Okay. That'll work."

As Stephanie rolled out of bed, Ranger caught a glimpse of her ass and had to stop his body from reacting. This is going to be a long fucking assignment. I'm screwed.

"Attention, everyone. Ranger, Lester, and Ms. Plum will join us remotely in a few minutes. Make sure to have everything ready. Remember, we tell Ms. Plum everything we know. Do not, I repeat, do not hide anything in your report, or you will face me on the mats. Understood?" said Tank.

The men sitting around the table nodded their heads. They didn't understand why the client was involved in the investigation, but like the good soldiers they were, they didn't ask questions.

"They are on," Hector said after securing the link.

"Good morning. We had a successful afternoon and evening. We are currently on our way to LA. Nothing to report on our end," Ranger said.

Ram decided to speak first. "I figured out the bomb left in Ms. Plum's apartment. I can honestly say I've never seen something like this before. It wasn't obvious at first because I found pieces of fur and skin in the pieces that weren't human. We received an anonymous tip yesterday that two similar bombs were left around Trenton recently. That gave me what I needed to figure it out. It appears we have a taxidermist bomber."

Everyone in the room looked at Ram as though he had three heads. "What the fuck is a taxidermist bomber?" Cal asked. "Pardon my language, Ma'am."

"No worries, I use worse language myself."

"The IED was placed inside the preserved body of an animal. In the other cases, it was a squirrel and a rabbit. I'm not sure what type of animal this one was, and I don't want to waste resources on doing DNA analysis on a dead animal."

"I don't think the type of animal matters anyway," Bobby said.

"Do we know who this taxidermist is?" Lester asks.

Stephanie couldn't help but giggle. She had an idea of who could be behind making the bombs, but she also couldn't see him as hurting someone on purpose. He was good friends with Grandma Mazur, who moved to Florida after her grandfather died and Dad became a Senator. She said Trenton wasn't fun anymore now that she had to toe the line.

"The taxidermist is most likely Carl Coglin. He's been stuffing animals for as long as I can remember. He is a harmless man, and I doubt he did this to hurt anyone intentionally. I suggest you go and talk to him because my instinct is that he sold them to someone else," Stephanie said.

"How do you know him?"

"My grandmother was friends with him when she lived here in Trenton. They always had a hoot together."

Ranger said, "Approach him as a friend. Be prepared for anything, but maybe lead in with Stephanie almost being hurt. That could help him cooperate."

"Look, like I said, he's a little crazy. Tell him you are friends with Edna Mazur's granddaughter. I wouldn't touch anything, though, as he has been known to play pranks on people."

"If he's not the one targeting Stephanie, then those other bombings are unrelated," Ram said.

"That may be true but finding out who Coglin sold his animals to might lead us to who is trying to hurt Stephanie. Maybe it was different people. It could also be the same person. Do we have names yet of the other victims?" said Ranger.

Tank looked at the files in front of him. "Joyce Barnhart and Dickie Orr."

"Then Joyce and Dickie might be related. Rumor has it that Dickie was cheating on his wife with Joyce," Stephanie informed the room. "However, that doesn't matter. If the threat originates in Trenton, the field is wide open. My father became persona non grata with the Families when he was Mayor and even more so as Senator. The gangs are not pleased with how he cut down on their territory. The only Family that isn't that annoyed at Dad is the Ramos Family. Dad and Alexander knew each other from school, and Alexander respected Dad enough to move his operations out of Trenton voluntarily."

Shit that opens up a whole new can of worms. If the threat is in Trenton, it is from people who can get close to Stephanie without raising too many red flags, Ranger thought. "Are you scheduled to be back in New Jersey or Philly in the next month?" Ranger asked.

Stephanie took out her phone and looked at her calendar app. "No, nothing official, though I was planning on spending the week after Easter in Trenton since I have no engagements that week."

"Given the new information, it would be best for you to stay out of Trenton," Tank said.

Stephanie sighed. This is what she hated about having a security detail. All they do is tell you what you can and cannot do. She felt like a child again. Although she hated following their instructions, she understood it was with her safety in mind.

"If the threat is still there, I'll stay away from Trenton. But, if we know who it is, I want to be here. I have plans to see some of my friends who I rarely see."

"Stephanie, we'll discuss the plan closer to Easter. To make that determination now is premature."

"Fine. I can agree with that."

"Good work, men. We need to head out soon to get Stephanie to LA. If you get any new information, let us know. Tank, if you need assistance, pull from the other offices."

"For now, we got it covered, boss."

With a nod, Ranger disconnected from the call. "Do you want to order room service for breakfast or go downstairs?" Ranger asked Stephanie.

"Room service. That way, I can pack and get ready while we are waiting for the food."

"Perfect." Ranger loved the ease of living with Stephanie. Even waking up with her on top of him was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. "What do you want?"

"Pancakes, bacon, sausage, and whipped cream on the side. I'm going to shower."

"Need help?" said Ranger. Damn it, Carlos, shut the fuck up. You are going to get us in trouble or, worse, fired. Get her out of your head, both of them!

"No, I got it, but I know who to call if I do."

"Oh, really? Who?"

"Ghostbusters," Stephanie said before she ran into her bedroom.

Yeah, Manoso, we are in deep shit.

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I hope not to take a week to post again, but I couldn't get this chapter right. As far as the tea, I do only drink Ceylon tea. It's fabulous. So for tea drinkers, try Dilmah tea (you can get it on Amazon). It is so fabulous! Enjoy. :-)