title: Missing Friends
Chapter one:
Five months earlier,
Ranger, Morelli, and Lula were in conference room one. "Little one, are you ready?" Tank asked her.
"Yeah, let's tell them," Stephanie and Tank walked into conference room one.
"Babe, what is going on?" Ranger asked her gently.
Tank and I are dating, and we are very happy together. We started dating five months ago today. We wanted to tell the three of you," Stephanie told Lula, Morelli, and Ranger.
"We know Cupcake, and I truly wish you and him the best," Morelli said out loud.
"What," Stephanie's mouth dropped.
"You don't think we have seen the two of you sneaking a kiss here and there." Ranger snapped at them and then left the room.
"He is a little sore that you two are dating and Tank; I know we are done for good. So, if you want to date a White girl, I am fine with that. Steph, you are my best friend, so as long as you are happy, that is fine with me," Lula said and then walked out of the conference room.
"Are you sure about this cupcake," Morelli questioned her again.
"Yes, Joe, I am. I care for Tank very much. Please try to understand; we had our shot, and it did not work. I am happy with Tank." Stephanie said to Morelli.
"Yeah, I have known for a while now that we are through. I just needed to hear it from you," Morelli said, and then he left the room.
Tank and Stephanie looked at Lula as she strutted from the conference room.
"Well, that went better than expected." Tank looked at Stephanie and gave her a deep kiss, and then the two of them walked out of the conference room and went to work.
One month later:
Ranger, Morelli, and Stephanie were in an abandoned house. "Babe, are you sure this is the address?" Ranger asked her,
"Yeah, this is the correct address," Stephanie said, and then she felt her spidey sense go off.
"Batman, we should leave. My spidey sense is going off," Stephanie told both Morelli and Ranger.
Morelli and Ranger looked at each other. "Babe, leave now, please. We will be all right, but I need you to call the core team." Ranger said, and Morelli added, "Cupcake, please go outside and call for backup. We all know that something will happen when your spidey sense goes off. Something usually happens, so please leave and call for backup," Joe begged her.
"All right, just be careful," Stephanie said as she walked out of the house and got into the Rangeman SUV.
Stephanie saw the radio in the SUV and called it in, "Hey beautiful, what is going on?" Lester told her.
"My spidey sense is going off, and I told Ranger and Morelli that. They told me to leave the house and call for backup." Stephanie said with the Rangeman SUV door open and was sitting in the front passenger seat.
"Right, I will send Tank and Hal, with Hector there now; hold on and stay put," Lester told her.
Tank, Hal, and Hector were all at a diner having lunch when their radios went off,
"Yeah, Beautiful needs help. She will explain there. She is at 2365 Old English Road," Lester told everyone.
"Right, we are on our way," Tank said, and everyone left to meet Stephanie. While Tank and the rest were on their way, Stephanie remembered when Lula disappeared. It was right after Tank, and I told Ranger, Morelli, and Lula that they had been dating. She walked out of Rangeman, the last time anyone had seen her. "Lula, where are you?" Stephanie said, then noticed a hand in front of her face.
"Little one," Tank said as he stood before her with Hal and Hector.
"Sorry, I was just thinking about Lula. I miss her," Stephanie told him.
"I know we all do, but for right now, tell us what is going on," Tank told her.
"Ranger, Morelli, and I were trying to get one of my skips, and we tracked Matthew Andersson, otherwise known as the Tracker, to this place, which was the one he gave Vinnie. So Ranger, Morelli, and I went in. As you can see, this place is abandoned. Ranger, Morelli, and I were all on the first floor when my spidy sense started to go off. I warned Ranger and Morelli about that, and they told me to call for backup. So I left the house and called dispatch. Now, here you three are," Stephanie told them.
"All right, Hector and Hal, you go in and back Ranger and Morelli up, and I will stay out here with Little one. Be Careful and stay together." Tank told them.
"Got it, boss," Hal said
Tank and Stephanie watched as Hal and Hector went into the abandoned house. "Tank, I have a bad feeling about this," Stephanie said as she looked at the light brown man with the cocoa eyes.
Tank took a deep breath as they watched Hal and Hector exit the house and approach them.
"Where are they?" Stephanie asked as Hal and Hector came up to them.
"Ranger and Morelli are not in that house, but we did find Morelli's badge and gun and Ranger's utility belt tank. They were in there, but now they are gone. Hector told Tank
"How could they not be in there? I was just with them," Stephanie said to them. Tank saw Stephanie shaking and took her into his strong arms.
"We will find them." Tank looked at Ranger's utility belt, Morell's badge and gun.
"For now, little one, you should stay at Rangeman to ensure you are safe. We will contact the police and let them know that we are missing men," Tank said and added, "Hal, take this SUV back to Rangeman. Lester, you are with little one and me." Tank told them.
"Got it, boss," Hal said. Stephanie looked at the abandoned house and felt a chill down her back. "Little one, we can't do much more right now, but we will find them somehow," Tank said as he helped Stephanie back to his Rangeman SUV.