Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JE.
A/N: Some readers may find content disturbing due to domestic violence situations.
Please know that I appreciate reviews and feedback from my readers, although I am still learning my way around the site so know I've read what you've written, even if I haven't responded.
Chapter 1
For most people, a phone ringing in the middle of the night is cause for alarm. In my world, a phone ringing in the middle of the night just means my on-again, off-again boyfriend is probably heading to work. My name is Stephanie Plum and I'm currently employed as a bounty hunter working for my cousin Vinnie. Being a bounty hunter means people rarely call me in the middle of the night. As a matter of fact, my late night phone calls generally come from my mother when my grandmother hasn't come home and Mom wants me to go look for her.
My currently on-again boyfriend is Joe Morelli. He works for the Trenton PD and is assigned to homicide and crimes against persons. This means his phone does ring frequently in the middle of the night. For some reason the gang bangers and crazies seem to enjoy their murder and mayhem after midnight. He grabbed the ringing phone with a curt, "Morelli." Because this is not an infrequent occurrence, I barely registered the ringing phone or his answer. That was, until I heard him ask the caller why they were calling his phone. Then I heard him ask the caller how they knew my phone is on the counter. I pried my eyes open to try and comprehend the conversation. Joe hit the end button with some Italian swear words and looked over at me.
"Would you care to explain how Ranger is standing in your living room when I know the door was locked and the chain was in place before we came into the bedroom?" Joe asked.
"One of life's mysteries." is the only answer I had. Honestly, I had no idea how Ranger was able to enter my apartment whenever he wanted. I only knew that he did and I didn't mind as much as I probably should have.
I got up and slipped into a pair of sweatpants that were lying on the floor. I know Ranger wouldn't have a problem with me walking out in my panties and t-shirt, but I can't say the same for Joe. As I headed out the bedroom door I heard Joe getting out of bed behind me.
"Stay here, I'll be right back." I knew Joe was pissed about Ranger being in my apartment and I wanted to avoid a confrontation. If Ranger was in my apartment in the middle of the night, especially while Joe was here, I knew there had to be a good reason.
Joe responded with "No way in hell, Cupcake" and continued to pull on the jeans he had dropped beside the bed earlier. He followed me down the hall and into the living room. Ranger was standing in the darkened room and barely blinked when I turned the lamp on. If possible, his face is even more blank than normal, like a black hole in his soul is trapping all of his emotions.
Ranger didn't acknowledge Joe's presence. He just looked at me and said, "I need your help. I need you to come with me to Miami for a few days." His voice was deadly calm but I recognized the urgency in his request. Before I could respond, Joe's Italian temper sparked again.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Manoso? You can't break into my girlfriend's apartment in the middle of the night and ask her to go away with you. You've got a lot of nerve assuming she'll just leave with you because you ask her to. And what about me? I'm standing right here. How dare you assume I would be okay with her just up and leaving with you in the middle of the night."
Joe paused to take a breath and I yelled "Enough!" Joe couldn't see the tension in Ranger, but I could. Even with the blank face, I could see the lines of worry around his eyes and mouth.
"When do we leave?" I asked.
Before Ranger could respond Joe started in again. "What do you mean 'When do we leave?' You can't possibly be considering going off to Miami with Ranger to do God knows what. This is probably just a ploy to get you away from me and back in his bed. Why Miami, Ranger? Hawaii too far to go?"
I stared at Joe in disbelief. I couldn't believe he just went there. We had never talked about Hawaii, but there never seemed to be a need to. Joe made his choice when he chose the job over me. It was Joe's suggestion that we see other people. He was the one who qualified that with "just not Ranger," but I had never agreed to that condition. It wasn't even that I chose Ranger over Joe. It was just my bizarre luck that dropped the opportunity to pick up a skip in Hawaii into my lap. I wasn't authorized to capture out of New Jersey, so when I saw Tootie Ruguzzi at the airport in Hawaii, I called Ranger to let him know I had a lead on The Rug. The Rug was a mob enforcer who, along with his wife Tootie, dropped off the face of the earth before going to trial for killing seven gangbangers. Even with Ranger's help, I had never been able to turn up any clues on where they may have gone, and spotting his wife in the airport was pure dumb luck. The fact that Ranger was on the next flight to Hawaii was just another example of how he was always there when I needed help.
What happened after Ranger got there wasn't planned either. In my defense, between the idyllic setting and the undeniable attraction between Ranger and me, it was inevitable. We never caught our skip, but our few days in paradise were magical. Once we got back to New Jersey, I took Ranger at his word that his life did not lend itself to relationships, and ended up back with Joe. That didn't erase my feelings for Ranger but I couldn't continue to give myself to someone physically if they couldn't give me what I needed emotionally. Or at least I couldn't give in to the physical often. There had been a couple of times after Hawaii when I couldn't help but take what Ranger continued to offer. He told me once that his love came with a condom, not a ring. Knowing this didn't keep me from being in love with him, but it kept my expectations in check.
Now Ranger was standing in front of me asking for my help. Even without considering how many times he had helped me, there was no way I would refuse him. I turned from Joe back to Ranger and asked again, "When do we leave?"
Ranger's expression had not changed throughout Joe's tirade but I saw a flicker of something in his eyes at my question. Was it relief? Did he think I would say no?
"I have a chartered plane waiting to take off as soon as we get to the airport. I asked Ella to pack you a bag in case you said yes. We can be wheels up in 45 minutes. You just need to grab your phone and purse. One of my men will be by tomorrow to pick up Rex and Ella will watch him while we're gone."
Without saying a word, I turned and headed back to the bedroom to get dressed with Joe hot on my heels. I was hoping Joe would not ask how it was I had enough clothes in Ranger's closet for Ella to pack me a bag when all I had at his house were some underwear, socks and tampons. As I pulled some clothes out of my closet, Joe grabbed me by the arm and sputtered "What are you doing? You are not leaving with him. You're going to get back in bed and we are going to pretend this whole fucking conversation never happened."
I tried to twist my arm out of his grasp but he dug his fingers in tighter. "You are hurting my arm. Let go of me, Joe" I said through clenched teeth. I knew there would be a bruise there tomorrow but there was nothing I can do about that. Joe was so furious right now he had no idea what an ass he was being. In the past when I made him angry he would stare at his shoes until he had his temper under control. But, ever since the confrontation between Joe and Ranger in Hawaii, Joe seems to be getting angrier about anything involving Ranger. Joe suddenly realized he was losing control and shoved me away from him. I stumbled into the closet door, but caught myself before I fell. He took a step back and I could see he was trying to regain some control. He finally looked at me and said in a menacing voice "If you leave with him tonight, we are done. I won't be here for you when you get back."
Even though I was still angry at him for the way he reacted to Ranger's request for help, I felt a tug at my heart when I heard his words. "I'm sorry you feel that way. Ranger has always been there to help me when I needed it. I won't let him down when he needs my help. You were fine accepting his help when I was in danger. I would hope that you could be more understanding."
I pulled on a pair of jeans and stretchy t-shirt and head back to the living room. I found my cell phone where I had left in on the counter. I grabbed my purse and a lightweight jacket, not sure of what else I might need. I turned to Ranger and said, "Let's go." Ranger's eyes moved from my face to the darkening bruise on my arm and his blank mask began to slip. In that instant, I knew without a doubt that Ranger would kill him if Joe walked back out of the bedroom. I took a step closer and drew his eyes back up to mine and said softly, "I'm fine. Let's go." Without another word, Ranger opened the apartment door and we headed into the New Jersey night.