The turning point in Stephanie's life happened during the DeChooch deal. It was more like after Ranger had collected his promise. Stephanie had chemistry with Ranger, off-the-charts chemistry. He offered to help capture DeChooch if she spent a night with him. It scared her to accept, but she did. What harm would it do? Stephanie knew she would capture DeChooch. She didn't understand what had happened.
Eddie DeChooch knew Stephanie caught him fair and square. Having a woman return him to the system was not good for his ego or street reputation. Stephanie wanted to do what he asked, but she tried to convince him to allow her to take him into the precinct. He begged, "Please call Ranger. I want him to take me in." Of all the men Stephanie could have called to assist, DeChooch wanted Ranger.
Understanding the implications, Stephanie called Ranger. She knew Ranger was a man of his word. He would eventually collect on the deal. Stephanie would never have agreed to the arrangement if she never wanted to have sex with the gorgeous Cuban Adonis. He was the forbidden fruit, the unattainable, and he wanted to have sex with her, an average white girl from the Burg.
Ranger was Batman, and nobody got to marry him, according to the comic books. She was a combination of scared and excited to have a night with the man of mystery. Her hormones piqued at the thought. Stephanie was worried her heart would get too invested. She was already half in love with the man. Their passionate kisses crackled like lightning on a rainy day. She wanted to know how that passion translated in bed.
Thinking about Ranger always made Stephanie happy. She loved how he would appear on site when her car would catch fire. Ranger, the sexiest man Stephanie had ever met, had dark hair, warm brown eyes, and muscles upon muscles without looking like an avid steroid user. Women bumped into walls whenever he smiled. Stephanie couldn't wait to see if his reputation as a thorough lover was accurate.
It was a few months after Ranger helped Stephanie return DeChooch to the Trenton Police Department when Ranger decided to collect the debt. Technically, Stephanie captured Eddie, and Ranger should have bowed out of their arrangement. It was the gentlemanly thing to do, but Ranger was an opportunist. He never had to beg a woman to sleep with him. They practically lined up and selected a number as you would at the DMV to wait for their chance of having the sexy man ruin them for all other men. Why have a girlfriend if you could have a different woman whenever the desire to scratch an itch arose? He was too curious if Stephanie would be a wild cat in bed and if she made those arousing sounds while eating as he pleasured her. His curiosity overrode his senses.
Ranger waited to ensure Morelli wasn't dating Stephanie before making his move. Stephanie, his Babe, dumped Morelli over a month earlier. She was free from the Italian detective. Their breakup was loud and public. Ranger assumed Stephanie would eventually want the Burg life, which would involve getting married and having children. He never realized it was pushing her away from everyone, including him.
Joe, the ideal Burg candidate to marry Stephanie (according to Helen Plum), wanted Stephanie to quit her job and stop hanging around the men she called thugs at Rangeman. Joe wanted Stephanie to stay away from Ranger specifically. As Joe stupidly believed, which was backed by Helen, Stephanie belonged to him. They were supposed to get married and have children, with Stephanie conforming to become the best Burg wife she could be. Joe never realized, perhaps he never listened, that Stephanie wanted nothing to do with the Burg rules and what they dictated as acceptable.
On that fated night, unknown to Ranger, Stephanie lay awake in her bed. Stephanie knew when he arrived in the parking lot behind her apartment building because she could sense him. Her neck tingled in anticipation. Ranger often visited her at night or in the early morning hours when he was leaving town for more than a few days. His visits always made Stephanie feel, for lack of a better word, content or perhaps a little loved.
Ranger unlocked her door and entered Stephanie's apartment. She heard the locks tumble and pretended to sleep. Stephanie opened her eyes when she felt Ranger watching her. "Ranger?" she asked.
"Babe, I'm here to collect," Ranger growled. He crawled up the bed and gave her a night of intense pleasure. They never used condoms. It was a mistake of epic proportions; Stephanie would continue paying for the rest of her life.
After a third round of toe-curling, marathon sex, Ranger's watch alarm sounded. Stephanie spared a glance at her alarm clock. It was five in the morning. Ranger kissed Stephanie before climbing from her bed. She watched him pull on his cargo pants and tight shirt. While pulling on his boots, Ranger said, "Fix your relationship with Morelli."
It was like a slap in the face. Or a knockout punch during a boxing match. Stephanie settled on comparing it to a bucket of ice water thrown at her on a sweltering hot summer day. Ranger was no better than Joseph Morelli when he wrote those sick poems in the men's washrooms around town. Both men left Stephanie filled with regret for sleeping with them. She waited until the locks on the door tumbled before succumbing to tears caused by the devastation of Ranger rejecting her, and intense emotions flooded Stephanie's heart. She couldn't prevent the damn from breaking wide open.
Once the gut-wrenching sobs subsided, Stephanie got out of bed. She stripped the sheets to toss in the trash. "Fix your relationship with Morelli," repeated inside Stephanie's mind as she formulated a plan. It wouldn't be easy, but it was possible. Stephanie refused to be continuously used by commitment-phobic men. It was time to grow balls and take control of her life. Stephanie decided to put Operation Relaunching Bombshell into motion.
After showering, Stephanie packed her clothes and shoes, easily fitting them into three suitcases. She checked every pocket and corner of her bags to ensure Ranger never attached trackers as he does to her cars and purses. Stephanie felt relieved when the luggage was clean.
She double-checked her shoes before sealing the suitcase. The shoes she received from Ranger contained trackers. Stephanie angrily wiped away a few tears and threw the offensive items into the closet, not caring if they got scuffed or damaged. She couldn't believe Ranger would invade her privacy in that way. Sure, Ranger was overly protective of her, but Stephanie didn't need him digitally tracking her around Trenton.
After leaving Stephanie's apartment, Ranger went to Rangeman to shower. He grabbed his Armani suit and dress shoes, tucking them inside the garment bag to protect them while travelling. It was time to visit the disgruntled clients in Atlanta. Ranger wondered if he should close the branch. The manager followed Rangeman protocols but refused to be civil with the clients. Depending on what Ranger learned, he and his partners would either sell the branch to the current management team or close it permanently, cutting their losses.
He thought about his parting words to Stephanie. Making love to Stephanie almost all night was out of character for his loving them and leaving them persona. Ranger would fuck a woman, giving her at least three orgasms before chasing his release. It was that moment when Ranger remembered they never used condoms. Ranger had them in his wallet but couldn't resist taking Stephanie bareback. When he woke up the following morning, he realized the depth of his feelings for Stephanie. His military training kicked in, and he stupidly told Stephanie to fix her relationship with Morelli.
Ranger was head over heels in love with the curly-haired brunette. Her blue eyes captivated him in the diner. She was the whole package but a strain on his emotions and sanity. Ranger repeatedly told Stephanie there was no price for what they gave each other. He meant every word but prayed she would take the hint and train for the job. Ranger was independently wealthy and used his money to replace the cars she destroyed. His only issue with Stephanie was her refusal to train and carry a weapon. Until she improved her skills, Ranger couldn't afford to get too deeply involved. Ranger needed a woman who could handle her own. A woman like Jeanne Ellen, for example. Jeanne Ellen could have been the ideal woman, but she was a cold-hearted bitch, and their personalities clashed. Unlike Jeanne Ellen, Ranger felt an immediate attraction to Stephanie.
Sex with Stephanie was the best he had ever had in his life. Ranger should know because he slept with a lot of women. Stephanie was the only woman he made love to. It was more than just sex with his Babe. Ranger couldn't get enough of her. He thought scratching the itch and caving to his desire would satiate the hunger, but he was sadly mistaken. Now, Ranger had to leave town for an indeterminate amount of time. Ranger's last words to Stephanie weighed heavily on his heart. It was too late to retract them. He hoped for a way to redeem himself, but he had no idea how to accomplish that task without grovelling.
Feeling resigned, Ranger picked up the phone to call his second in command. "Yo," Tank answered on the second ring.
"I'm leaving in five," Ranger announced and promptly ended the call, not allowing Tank to respond. He grabbed his duffle containing the essentials and the garment bag with his suit and shoes.
Tank disliked Ranger's dismissive call and recognized his friend was masking an inner turmoil. He met Ranger in the garage, offering him a ride to the airport where the Rangeman jet awaited his arrival. "Stephanie?" Tank queried as he parked behind the hangar.
"Whatever she needs, give it to her," Ranger replied. It was their usual discussion whenever Ranger left for more than a few days. Tank recognized the tightness in Ranger's jaw as he ground his teeth.
"Does she know you love her?" Tank asked, hoping Ranger would finally confess to being in love with Stephanie.
Ranger gave Tank a deadly glare. Tank wasn't afraid of his friend and boss. Ranger's reaction spoke more than he would ever verbalize to Tank. "Please keep an eye on her. I couldn't bear it if she got hurt while I was away," Ranger replied, showing Tank his emotions. Tank hoped Ranger didn't do something as stupid as pushing Stephanie to the cop.
"Got it, Boss," Tank said. While waiting for Ranger's plane to taxi down the runway, Tank retrieved Stephanie's tracker data. Everything pointed to her being in her apartment. Tank smiled and closed the connection. He would check it every few hours to ensure her safety.
Meanwhile, Stephanie was waiting in her foyer for her father to arrive. She wanted to wait in the lobby on the main floor, but her father convinced her that staying in her apartment would prevent the Rangeman employees from catching onto her plans. Until Frank told her, Stephanie never realized the Merry Men drove past her apartment whenever she was home.
It was time for Stephanie to leave Trenton, New Jersey. Her dad promised to drive her to Philadelphia to catch a flight to Virginia, where she would live with her grandparents. Grandpa Plummeri trained the FBI recruits. Stephanie's surname was Plum. Her grandpa shortened the name for his children when he joined the Army. He wanted to protect them from his enemies. It served its purpose. Stephanie planned to use Plummeri when she arrived in Quantico, Virginia.
A knock on the door made Stephanie jump despite expecting her father to arrive. She opened the door and smiled. "Are you ready to go?" Frank asked his youngest daughter. He noticed she had her favourite hat in her right hand. Stephanie secured the baseball cap on her head, pulling her ponytail through the back. She removed only her apartment key from the keyring and left the others hanging on the hook.
"Yup. I want to get away before anyone notices I'm gone," Stephanie replied. She felt the weight of the decision pressing heavily on her heart. It hurt to leave, but Stephanie thought there was no other way to get the training. However, she needed her pet to be safe. "Dad, can you take Rex to Mary Lou's house tonight? She promised to take him."
"Of course, Pumpkin," Frank answered. Stephanie exhaled in relief. She refused to say goodbye to her furry friend. It was hard enough to leave Trenton, Ranger and her friends behind. Frank grabbed the two largest suitcases, leaving the smaller one and purse for Stephanie to carry. She refused to look back at Rex as they exited the apartment.
Stephanie's hand shook as she attempted to lock her door. Feeling sorry for Stephanie, Frank gently removed the key from her fingers and completed the task. Frank tucked the key into his pocket, knowing he needed the key to enter the unit to pick up Rex. They took the elevator to the first floor and quickly loaded the cab. "Are you sure you want to leave without telling him?" Frank asked as he secured his safety belt.
"Joe needs to move on. I'm not interested in being the rope in the sick game of tug of war between him and Ranger," Stephanie replied. She stared out the window, willing a pit to open and swallow her whole. Stephanie didn't want to have this conversation with her dad. Why couldn't he keep his thoughts to himself as he often did during dinner?
"I meant Ranger," Frank corrected.
Stephanie rolled her eyes and fought back the tears. She doesn't like people seeing her cry, not even her dad. Frank started the car and moved out of the parking lot. He patiently waited for Stephanie to explain as she promised. "Ranger and I had sex last night. It was phenomenal and showed how much we loved each other. Our connection solidified. I'm irrevocably in love with Ranger. Daddy, he's the only man I want," Stephanie quickly explained.
"Then what's the problem?" Frank asked, suspecting Ranger pushed her away. Too many men who spent time in the special ops programs feared commitment. They made too many enemies and worried about someone harming their loved ones. Since Manoso was one of the best Rangers the Army had seen in years, it made sense that he wanted to protect Stephanie from his enemies.
"He told me to fix my relationship with Morelli," Stephanie whispered. Frank's lips thinned as he concocted a thousand ways to kill Ranger without getting caught. He was furious when Stephanie dated her molester Morelli. Angrier when Helen constantly invited the asshole to dinner, hoping Stephanie would marry the abusive man. Stephanie was too good for the likes of the Morelli men. She deserved to have a man who loved her unconditionally.
"Do you want Joseph Morelli?" Frank asked.
Shaking her head, Stephanie replied, "No. Did you know Joe hit me five weeks ago? He told Mom it was from a skip. Joe lied. Another car caught fire, and Joe was swinging his fists as he yelled at me that night."
"I'll kill him," Frank growled.
"It's not worth it, Dad. The police have the incident in their files. Joe was under review with Internal Affairs and attended a mandatory anger management course. I'll charge him with assault if he does it again. The only man I want made love to me last night and left my bed this morning."
Frank sucked in a deep breath, revisiting his thoughts of killing Manoso without getting caught. He didn't want to hear about his daughter's sex life, but she really needed someone to be on her side. "Manoso will eventually come around," Frank suggested.
"I'm not going to hold my breath."
"Why are you going to Virginia?" Frank asked.
Stephanie stared at her fingers, twisting them in her lap, and chewed on her bottom lip. It took several minutes for her to formulate an adequate response. "I asked Grandpa to train me," Stephanie said.
"Couldn't you do that here?"
"No. I need to figure out what I want and make myself a better bounty hunter," Stephanie explained. Stephanie also wanted to become Ranger's ideal partner. She refused his assistance for training on several occasions. Maybe he wouldn't have pushed her back to Morelli if she had accepted and trained, becoming the perfect woman in his eyes.
They arrived at the airport in silence. Frank thought about their discussion and suspected Stephanie was training for the wrong reasons. Whatever was bothering Stephanie, she had to sort on her own. Getting away from Trenton and her mother's influence was the best decision Stephanie could have made.