Chapter 17 - New car

/Stephanie's Point of View/

Over the last six months, I'd really found my place in my new town. While I had a small circle of friends, I had everything I needed. I felt safe, secure, happy, and truly Stephanie…all the things I'd been looking for when departing Trenton.

While I'd destroyed one car in Trenton over that time, my luck with cars didn't seem to translate to my new home. I had been giving considerable thought to a new car, but was having trouble making a decision. Over the last month or so, I'd been quizzing friends and colleagues on what they looked for in a car.

Zulu was all about a truck; it needed to be big and bold much like the man himself. His current vehicle was silver with tires so large I had to jump into his truck.

Lester had always driven a convertible, muscle car in a bold color which fit his lady's man image. His current mustang was cherry red with racing stripes.

Heels drove a hybrid sedan with a sunroof. She wanted reliability and stability and not to stand out amongst the crowd.

My police buddy Grayson drove an SUV capable of carrying his bikes on his day off. His car was reliable, steady, and functional. He tended to buy used, including from the police auction.

Troy, one of the car crazy Rangemen, actually preferred motorcycles for their freedom and ability to skirt around issues.

I was struggling and unable to make a decision. I'd gone to various car dealers as well as a used lot that could offer various makes and models of vehicles.

One afternoon as I stepped into the substation break area to see who was hanging around, I ran into Grayson carrying two donuts. Grayson was a cop through and through. His father was a cop and Grayson was proud to be working the same streets. I'm not much into stereotypes, but the way he fit the cop stereotype always made me chuckle.

"Hey, Bomber," he greeted me. "Was looking at the police auction site yesterday and saw a couple of items that might interest you."

"Don't think I need any new weapons or confiscated materials. What were you thinking?" I replied as he pulled out his laptop pulling up a website. He started to flip through pages, and I realized he was looking at vehicles.

"I'm wary of a used vehicle that was taken from a criminal. What if it is hot, has drugs tucked in it, or has blood in the trunk?"

"Good thing you have friends in the department," he joked. "Seriously though, they are checked, cleaned, and cleared. You'd have a bill of sale from the auction as well."

"I don't know…"

"Just look at this one. It is a good deal for what it is. I have a feeling some might think it is a bit much. It is a gas-guzzler due to weight, but I think the pros may outweigh that for you," Grayson countered. I'm sure my face showed I was dubious.

Grayson pulled up the sale sheet for a sedan with a midnight blue finish and black racing stripes. The car had a sunroof and looked like it would be a good, everyday car with plenty of room for friends and cargo, but I didn't see what would be the overall appeal other than the beautiful base color.

"It's armored," Grayson stated. At my quizzical look, he continued. "It has ballistic rated glazing on both the windows and sunroof as well as armor plating in the doors. It has a top of the line security system that includes motion activated cameras. The old owner had to have been paranoid, but given you luck with cars…" he trailed off.

I flipped through the pictures. "Honestly, I was thinking about a convertible and all my Rangeman training kept telling me that it was a security risk. This kind of has both ends covered. I could put down the windows and open the sunroof if I wanted, but be completely secure if needed."

We continued to look at photos and talked about how it could be upgraded or modified to meet my needs. We chatted for a while and Grayson let me know he'd take me to the auction that weekend if I was interested.

I debated the car over in my head for a couple of days. The core team had been insistent on a higher salary than I anticipated when I took this job. They argued that it was commiserate with others in my position and they would not be paying a woman, or anyone else willing to take on the challenges of the job, less than others. Most of my living expenses and uniforms were covered by Rangeman, so I'd been banking most of what I made beyond food and trips to the mall. Unlike my past, I was well set at the moment.

On Thursday morning I called Lester since I couldn't call my dad out of fear of talking to my mother at this time of day. That thought made me sad, but I thought about what I'd gained by leaving, and pushed through. Les has always been a car guy, but I know he's partial to muscle cars. I assume he'd be able to offer advice on both the car and security side.

Les picked up on the second ring, "Hey, Beautiful. How's the weather there? It's miserable here."

"Clear and slightly cool," I responded. We chatted for a few minutes before I got to the topic I'd called about. Les and I passed colleagues a long time ago and we're definitely friends now.

"Are you at your computer?" I asked. Want you to give me some advice on a vehicle I'm considering buying. I emailed you a link."

"Give me just a second to log back in, Beautiful."

Lester's first response was "looks better than most of your old cars, but kind of seems like a downgrade from your Ranageman SUV," but after a minute more, he added, "it's armor plated?"

"Yeah. I know it isn't the convertible you'd normally pick but it is sporty and I'd love to be able to open the windows and sunroof and let my hair down on a drive on the back highways once in a while. I figured you guys wouldn't balk at the idea of me having a reinforced car either. I haven't had any issues here, but the armor plating seemed like a bonus if I don't really have to pay much extra. I would take a hit on gas mileage."

"Yeah. There might be interest in the car in general, but I'd guess that most wouldn't want the hit on mileage for the armor. You and Ranger are the only ones I know personally that would be interested or potentially need that. I think it would be a good buy for you, but you already seem to know that. Did you just need a second opinion?"

"Definitely wanted to make sure I wasn't off my rocker, but was also curious what you think my top bid should be."

"Let me do some research. I'll look at the base value for the car as well as talk to Al about the value of the armor plating but I don't think anyone else will consider that in their bid."

I thanked Les and we went about our days. As I was packing up to leave Rangeman for the day and hit happy hour, I got a text from Lester with his recommendation for what I should pay as well as a maximum. I sent him a thank you gif and went in search of a margarita.

On Saturday, Grayson picked me up bright and early. I was hopeful I'd drive away in the new car, but also had a price firmly set in my head. I'd subtracted the cost for a new paint job from Les's maximum price and was going to stick to it. To reinforce it for myself, I'd written the number on my palm as a reminder to not let emotions overrule.

Grayson and I stopped for coffee and donuts on the way to the auction. One of the biggest perks of going with a cop rather than one of the Rangemen. Don't think I didn't know I had my usual Rangeman shadow though. I wondered how long the core team, Zulu, and I would act as if I didn't know I had a 24-7 tail. I'd begun to look at it as a game…how would they keep me from spotting the tail. Did I think I was that oblivious? Maybe I don't want to know!

The auction was fun but also a bit disconcerting since I didn't know the "rules". I was thankful for Grayson. There were two other bidders for my car, but in the end, I was able to get the car for less than my max price which meant I had room to get it repainted. I was stoked!

Just before lunch, I headed home in my new car. I couldn't get rid of the smile on my face…not that I wanted to. I made sure to text Les a selfie of me in front of my new car. I got a dancing emoji back.

Two days later, I dropped my car off at the body shop for a paint job. I'd chosen a mica paint in an ombré effect transitioning from midnight blue at the base to royal blue at the roof. All trim went to a matte black.

For the week I was so excited. On Wednesday, I got a call that had my heart sinking. The paint shop caught fire overnight and they were unsure about the status of my car. I thought I'd escaped my bad car karma, but I wouldn't know until they were able to get back in and assess the damage.

It turned out that my car was only slightly damaged and all damage was due to smoke and the fire suppression water. The shop's insurance paid to replace all my interior, check all the electronics, clean all filters, and repaint the car. Since they hadn't even started my car prior to the fire and their insurance had kicked in, I didn't owe them any payment.

It took three weeks from the time I bought the car, but I was soon driving around with the sunroof open enjoying my new car.