Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I am not making any money from this. Mistakes are mine.
Even the Pup is an Unmentionable by Debra8652
Chapter 23
POV will shift between Ranger, Remy, and Lester.
Ranger's POV
It's 0745 on Wednesday and Steph is at St. Francis Hospital with Diesel's assistant/current Rangeman, Flash, who had an emergency appendectomy around 0200 while I was on overnight patrol. He will be released this afternoon and recuperate in Bobby's infirmary for a few days. Flash took over the lease on Babe's apartment when she moved in with me. Diesel stays with Flash when he's in town. When I asked Babe where Diesel sleeps, she gave me a one-word answer of "Poof". Now I know how annoying one-word answers can be.
After my one-word response of "Explain", according to Steph, "poof" takes on the meaning of 'Flash went to work at Rangeman one morning but when he got home at the end of the day there was a fancy sofa sleeper in the living room of the apartment with extra bedding, that no one saw or heard being delivered nor did they see the old couch being removed and Flash didn't shop for it, order it, or pay for it = poof'. Now that I've heard the story, I can't unhear it. I've always had my suspicions that Diesel's organization had unlimited funds to carry out their missions.
While Steph and I were eating dinner last night, she mentioned that Albert was becoming a dependable father figure in her nieces' lives. They need stability after their biological father (= sperm donor) abandoned them and left them with virtually nothing. Since I can't always anticipate where Babe's thoughts are headed (= never), I fell into her trap. It seems that she's been researching blended families like Val's and has decided that Remy and I haven't sufficiently bonded. Dios. When Remy looks at me, I am certain he can see all my black deeds and then some. To my knowledge, I can't be court-martialed for sharing military intel with a dog but I don't want Babe to learn that info via Remy's mind. I never doubted for an instant that he's an Unmentionable. I have a light day scheduled due to my overnight shift and, since Babe is with Flash at the hospital, Madam suggested (= ordered) that I spend at least part of the day with Remy. If I have to leave the building I will take Santos with me to give us the advantage. Right.
Remy's POV
Something is up with Mom's Man. Last night was kind of kerfuffled with him being on a patrol shift and Mom getting a call from Flash. Did Flash call 9-1-1? No, he called Mom, who went to his apartment (her former apartment) and she called 9-1-1 after she saw him, and then called Bobby to meet them at the hospital. She'll contact Dad Diesel when Flash is released from the hospital, although I suspect he already knows what's going on bc that's how we roll.
Anyway, Mom's Man just made eye contact with me. I wonder if I can get him to confess to things he hasn't even done? After checking that no one would overhear, he asked me if Rex, Freddy and I had breakfast yet, which we had. He told me he thought it was a good idea if we spent some time together today. (= Mom thought it was a good idea). This is going to be fun!
Ranger's POV
Things are a little off-balance here with Flash being in the hospital. Flash is well-liked and has been invaluable in helping design security systems plus an interactive computer program where prospective clients can use their home computers to explore several options for what they want their Rangeman security system to look like as well as how much they want to spend. Bobby was there during surgery and has already checked on him this morning and will be there to pick him up and get discharge instructions later today. The 0800 Core Team meeting was brief. Santos will go with me if I leave the building today, although he doesn't know why (= I don't stand a chance with Remy on my own). I signed off on contracts and got through my email by 9:30 so Santos and I could pick up any files for Rangeman and Steph. Yes, Remy will go with us. I grab his leash and Santos lifts an eyebrow when Remy and I stop by his office to head to Vinnie's.
Lester's POV
OK, this is new. Remy doesn't normally go with us when we're working since situations can develop without notice and he could be in danger. Ranger did form a whole sentence when he said that Beautiful wanted him and Remy to bond. My primo has it bad for Beautiful! I did fess up to trying to use Remy as a chick magnet at a park a few days after he arrived and that Remy sabotaged it somehow.
All three of us entered the bonds office. Lula and Connie greeted us and fawned over Remy. The Burg grapevine was already out in full force and they knew about Flash and where Steph was. I shared info on Remy - that Diesel found him during an apprehension in Canada and brought him to Rangeman, how old he is, how much he weighs, and thathemaybeunmentionable. We grab our three files and leave.
Ranger's POV
At least Vinnie wasn't in the office. I doubt that Steph would want Remy to meet him. I drove to a frozen yogurt shop and got two large and one small plain frozen yogurts for us. Santos got a table for us outside and fastened Remy's leash around the arm of his chair. We must have brought Babe's luck with us because Chief Juniak came out of the coffee shop next door and did a doubletake when he saw us. He mentioned that he'd heard about Remy but had never met him. After looking him in the eye, he commented that he looked like a very smart dog. Every cell in my brain screamed "you have no idea" but I made a non-committal remark of agreement while Santos snorted. The Chief offered his hand and Remy shook it. I thought we were going to get out unscathed but the Chief asked if Remy was interested in being a police dog. My immediate thought was "not unless you want people confessing to things they didn't do and couldn't even spell" but I refrained and mentioned some of his current duties. As if that wasn't enough the Chief mentioned a new dog obedience school in town. Again, I refrained from saying "oh, he's already trained all of us" and just left it that I'd mention it to Steph.
We disposed of our trash and drove to a park. Now that I think about it, it's the same park where Remy captured Freddy. We stopped at the water fountain first. I don't carry a water bowl like Steph does so I turned on the fountain and Santos lifted him up to get a drink. A very attractive woman made eyes at Santos and said how cute his dog was. I swear to God that, before Santos could even turn on his charm, Remy snarled at her. She looked surprised and quickly backed away while Santos looked perplexed.
Remy's POV
Hehehe - I've still got it. Dad Diesel told me how to program women to ignore or reject Lester but I have to keep practicing. Looks like I'm out of luck if I want to kidnap another pond pet as neither Mom's Man nor Santos carry anything to capture it in. And I'm not going to obedience school even if Chief Juniak suggested it.
Lester's POV
What the hell? I didn't even get to say a word to the woman and she backed off. Quickly. I heard Remy snarl but I'll bet anything that Diesel is behind this.
Ranger's POV
After a walk, we leave the park. I glance at Remy in the rearview mirror since I'm suddenly overcome with an urge to visit the pet store. I've been trained to withstand all manner of interrogation and torture but here I am, driving to the pet store.
Remy's POV
I'm good. Pet store toy department, here I come. There's my friend, Shannon. She's the manager. She has pretty red hair (yeah, I can see some colors) and is very nice but totally ignores Santos. Hehehe. Shannon shows me some new stuffed toys. I have plenty of food, tennis balls, and soft Frisbees, and Ella makes my treats, but I see a stuffed hedgehog that calls my name. I carry it to her cash register and pointedly look at Mom's Man. He quickly grabs his wallet and swipes his credit card. Obedience school, my sweet patootie.
Ranger's POV
What just happened here? Why am I thinking about signing my shares of Rangeman over to Remy? Santos and I are still bewildered as we head back to Rangeman. We took the elevator to fifth floor where Remy showed everyone his new toy hedgehog.
Bobby is in Tank's office and says that Flash will be discharged around 1400 and should be back here by 1500. There are plenty of sweatpants here for him to wear while he recovers. Steph will check his apartment and get him anything he needs, pick up his mail, and whatever else needs to happen. Diesel will undoubtedly pop in when he can.
Remy takes his hedgehog to the breakroom to show Rex and Freddy before settling down on his bed and looking at me. I think that's enough bonding for one day.
A/N I appreciate your reviews! A special thanks to Redickave, who requested more Ranger-Remy interaction.