Name: Kendall

Rating: NC-17

Spoilers: To be safe, I'll say all.

Disclaimer: If you recognize the characters then they belong to Janet Evanovich. I'm just having some fun and meaning no harm.

Note: This is a repost of Chapter 27. While working on the next chapter, I realized there were things I needed to say here first. Most of it is the same, some wording was slightly reworked, but I did add 3 pages of new material. So, please, take the time to read this reworked chapter before going on to Chapter 28 (which will be posted very shortly, I promise!). Thanks!

SOLDIER

"I found something else down in the bunker," he said, pausing to, what I assume was, show Ranger the picture. "Care to fucking explain?"

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Lester's POV

"Lester, this isn't the time or the place," Ranger said in a voice much calmer than my own.

"That's too fucking bad because I'm not doing another goddamn thing until you tell me what the fuck is going on."

Ranger blew out a long, exaggerated sigh. "What do you want me to say, Les?"

"I want you to tell me that this date stamp is wrong. I want you to tell me you didn't sleep with her the day after you told me you were backing the fuck off."

He fixed me with a blank look. The same calm, steady look that is honed and perfected way back in basic training. The same look that I use when I don't want anyone to know I'm ruffled or uneasy. The same damn look that I couldn't force on my face right now if I tried. Fucking arrogant prick.

When he spoke, his voice was as calm as his expression. "Don't you think you should be more concerned that someone was taking pictures of her through her bedroom window than what she and I did before you two even started dating?"

"Trust me, I am concerned," I said. "And when I get my hands on that piece of shit, I'm gonna make him pay. But right now I'm still trying to figure out why two people I trusted would go behind my back.

"I came to you, Ranger. You knew I had feelings for her. Fuck," I said, throwing my arms out, "you knew I was falling in love with her. You told me you were done. You said you were walking away."

"I know."

"So what the fuck happened? Couldn't stand that I was stepping up when you've always been too chicken-shit? Had to prove that you could still get in her pants, is that it?"

If I hadn't been expecting it, I would have wound up on my ass. As it was, he only managed to shove me into a wall. He pinned me with a forearm across the throat. His voice remained calm, but there was fury in his eyes. The blank look was long gone.

"You don't know a goddamn thing, Santos," he said through clenched teeth.

"Then fucking enlighten me," I answered, shoving him away from me.

He took a few steps back and ran a hand over his head, blowing out a sigh. "Believe it or not, Les, what happened in that picture wasn't about you. It was about Stephanie and me and our history together. Like it or not, she and I have a past."

"Yeah, but she and I had a future."

"Have a future. Not had, have. And, do I have to remind you that you two hadn't even started dating when this was taken?"

"You knew I was interested in her. You both knew."

"And you knew she and I had been involved. You knew we had something between us. Look, I didn't walk in there that night trying to stop anything from happening between you two. I went there to say goodbye to her."

"Hell of a job."

"What do you want from me?" he asked. "Yes, we had sex, but it wasn't the start of something and, believe me, it wasn't a continuation of something. It was the end of something. It's over between us and what we did and said that night allowed us to put it all behind us. She's yours now. She may have been mine before in some jacked up way, but it's over. She's yours now. Don't make a mistake by letting her go. Get over it and go to her."

He walked past me and out the door, leaving me alone with my head spinning.

Stephanie's POV

My ear was pressed to the cold metal door, trying my best to hear what Lester and Ranger were saying. After Lester's initial outburst, they lowered their voices and I couldn't make anything out. My heart was pounding so loudly that even if they were yelling, I'm not sure if I'd be able to hear them. I leaned in a hair closer when suddenly the door flung open, causing me to lose my balance and nearly fall face first into the room.

Strong arms reached out to steady me and I looked up to see Ranger shielding my body with his. He pulled the door closed behind him. I wasn't sure if it was to give us privacy or to keep me from going in to try to talk to Lester.

"You okay?" he asked me, his voice barely audible.

"He's really hurt." My voice sounded hollow even to me.

Ranger nodded and his eyes searched somewhere in the distance. After several beats went by, he focused his eyes on me and asked, "Do you regret it?"

I thought about it again and realized, despite everything, my answer hadn't changed. "No, I don't regret it."

The corner of his mouth tilted upwards and he nodded just slightly, satisfied with my answer. Just then the door swung open and Lester walked out. Without sparing a glance in our direction, he walked past us and continued to the opposite side of the warehouse where several other RangeMen were congregated. .

"Lester, wait," I called out to no avail. My attempt to run after him was halted when Ranger placed a hand around my arm and stopped me.

"Give him some space. He'll come around."

Space was the last thing I wanted to give him, but I knew Ranger was right. Lester needed to calm down before he could possibly understand. Besides, at that moment, I didn't know what I'd say if he did hear me out.

"So what do I do now?" I asked.

"We're just about finished here. I'll get one of the guys to drive you home."

Twenty minutes later, Bobby and I pulled up to my building. He led me up the stairs and did a walk-thru of my apartment, only allowing me to enter after he'd declared the coast clear. I took my jacket off and tossed it across the back of the couch, then sat down and toed my running shoes off.

"Alright, Steph, you ready for tomorrow or do you want me to go over it one more time?"

"That won't be necessary. I got it. I wait here for Morelli to pick me up and then I sit in the surveillance van while you guys do your thing. Not that hard."

"Good, and don't forget to wear your wire and earpiece. I left them right there on the counter. The guys inside will be wearing the same and we'll be communicating back and forth. I know it doesn't seem like you have a big role to play, but you're our eyes and ears to the whole operation. You're playing a very important part in all this."

I acknowledged Bobby with a stiff smile as I spread out on the couch and picked up the remote control to the TV. It was good of him to give me a pep talk, especially since I wasn't in the peppiest of moods. And I supposed he was right. Still, I kinda wanted to be in there when they nailed Scully's balls to the floor. But at least this way, I couldn't screw things up too badly, right? I mean, what's the worst that could happen with me locked safely in a surveillance van?

On second thought, maybe I don't want to know the answer to that.

I caught Bobby out of the corner of my eye. He was watching me with a strange expression on his face. He looked like there was something he wanted to say but he wasn't sure if he should. His brows were furrowed and he kept opening and closing his mouth. He was clearly uncomfortable. If I hadn't been in such a pissy mood, I probably would've found it pretty darn funny.

"What is it, Bobby?" I sighed, deciding to put him out of his misery.

He shrugged as a guilty smile passed over his lips. "Everything alright with you and Les?"

"Just dandy," I replied as I flipped through the channels, not really paying attention to what was on any of them. I didn't know how much Bobby knew, and I wasn't really feeling up to talking about it. Obviously he'd picked up on the fact that Lester and I had a problem, but I suspected he didn't know the details. There hadn't been time for him to get the scoop, even with the fact that the RangeMan gossip mill works faster than the Burg's.

He nodded. "Well, if you want to talk about anything, I'm here for you. And I'm not just saying that to be nosy."

"Thanks, Bobby. I appreciate it, but I'm not going to talk to anybody until I talk to Lester."

"Fair enough," he said, standing to leave. "Can I get you anything before I go?"

"Nope. I'm fine," I said, though fine was a pretty far stretch.

"Alright, just remember that Ranger has every man focused on the warehouse from now until this is over. There's no one downstairs, so keep your door locked, your security system turned on and don't leave here under any circumstances until Morelli comes to get you tomorrow night. You need to go somewhere, you call me. Anything suspicious goes on, you call me. You accidently slice your finger off with a kitchen knife, you don't call 9-1-1, you call me," he said making his way to the door. He planted a friendly kiss on top of my head as he passed by.

"Aye, aye, Captain," I said with a mock salute. "And, by the way, thanks for the ride home."

"Anytime. Have a good night, Steph. Try to get some rest."

"Say 'hi' to Gina for me."

He turned and flashed me a cheshire cat grin. "Will do."

I sighed as I got up to lock the door behind him. At least one of us was getting lucky tonight.

I flipped the last deadbolt and activated the alarm system before going back and flopping down on the couch. I punched the power button on the TV remote, causing the screen to go black and the apartment to fill with silence. I closed my eyes and let my head fall onto the back of the couch.

I pictured the look on Lester's face when he saw the photograph, the hurt in his eyes as he looked at me, willing me to tell him that somehow it wasn't true. But I couldn't.

It was killing me that I'd hurt him, and the worst part was I didn't know how to make it right. I understood why he was hurt, but at the same time, it wasn't something I felt I could apologize for. Sure, the timing pretty much sucked, but I wasn't sorry that it happened.

I could easily tell him I was. It would be simple to say the words, but it wouldn't be heartfelt and I knew if I were to say them, I at least owed him some sincerity.

I fisted my hands in my hair. If only he would talk to me so I could try to explain. If only I knew how to explain.

But I knew I had to try.

Without a second thought, I grabbed my cell phone from my jacket pocket and dialed Lester's number. It rang until his voicemail picked up.

"Please call me," was my simple message. I wasn't surprised that he didn't answer, but it was a twist of the knife all the same. I flipped my phone closed as the first tear fell down my cheek, followed by another and another.

I let myself cry. I mean really cry. The kind of body-wracking, headache-inducing, gasping-for-breath cry that only a broken heart can cause. I just let myself cry until, eventually, I was all cried out. And, though I felt exhausted and beaten and nothing had changed, in some small way I did feel better.

I forced my exhausted body off the couch and into the bathroom where I brushed my teeth and scrubbed my face clean. I stripped down to my panties and t-shirt, pulling my bra off through the arm holes of my shirt, and crawled into bed. I turned the ringer all the way up on my cell phone and placed it on the bed next to my pillow. I didn't want to take the chance of missing Lester's call. Not that I really expected him to call, but a girl can hope, can't she?

Despite my exhaustion, I tossed and turned for a few hours, my mind working overtime replaying everything that had happened between Lester and me since my night with Ranger, before finally falling into a fitful sleep. Some time later I was awakened by the shrill ringing of my cell phone just inches from my ear.

I bolted to an upright position and flipped open the phone. "Lester?"

"Nope, Cupcake, it's me."

"Oh. Hey, Morelli," I said, unable to hide the disappointment in my voice.

"Wow, sorry to be such a letdown."

"No, I'm sorry. I was just hoping…never mind. What's up, Joe?"

"I just want to make sure you're all set for tonight. I'll be by at 6:00 to pick you up. Do you have everything you need?"

"I guess so."

"Okay, then, I'll see you tonight."

"Tonight," I said as I disconnected and flopped back down on my pillow.

Lester's POV

I finally forced myself out of bed about 8am. Usually by this time, I'd already have put in an hour at the gym, gone on a six-mile run, showered, eaten, driven to the office, and, on a good day, spent a half hour at the shooting range. But when you don't actually fall asleep until an hour prior, 8am seems way too damn early.

My head was pounding and I had, what felt like, the world's worst hangover. Only this hangover wasn't caused by a bottle, it was caused by a brunette. A 1000-proof, blue-eyed brunette.

I'd spent all night trying to come to terms with what happened and I still couldn't. The logical part of me knew that Stephanie and Ranger had unresolved feelings for each other back in the beginning. Maybe I'd let myself forget that they had a past together. That he loved her, too. I'm the one who pushed Ranger to make a decision one way or the other with the hopes that I could have a chance with her. I'm the one who moved in and upset his status quo. Did I expect him to just turn off his feelings because I asked him to?

No, but I did expect him not to go behind my back and fuck her either.

And that's the part I can't get past. The fact that every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was that damn photograph. The image of the two of them together. I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to get past it. I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to look at either of them without picturing them together. Kinda makes being in a relationship with someone a little tough when you can't look at them without seeing them with another man.

Even if it was technically before we started dating. But, for the record, I'm putting an asterisk on that minor technicality.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. Not sure I was ready to face the day, but knowing I had no choice. I picked up my cell phone. Six missed calls. I scrolled through the caller IDs. Bobby, Stephanie, Bobby, Bobby, Tank, Bobby. So she'd only called once. I didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted.

I took a quick shower, got dressed and threw my Slayer clothes in a duffle bag. I would change at the office before I headed out to meet up with Rivera and the rest of the Slayers who would be accompanying me to the warehouse tonight. I got in my car and drove the ten minutes to RangeMan and was upstairs by 8:30.

"Santos, nice of you to show up today," Tank said as I walked into the comm. room and tossed my jacket over the back of a chair. I gave him the finger and headed for the break room. I needed coffee in a bad way.

As I walked down the hall, I heard footsteps jogging up to me from behind and then Bobby's voice as he followed me into the kitchen area. "Why didn't you call me back last night?"

"Why are you such a girl?"

"Hey, man, I'm just trying to be a friend. You know, help you out."

"Maybe I don't want any help," I said, probably more harshly than I should have. I braced both hands on the countertop and let my head drop and my voice soften. "Maybe I don't want to know how it happened or why it happened. Maybe I just want to be pissed off, alright?"

"Whoa, man. What's up your ass?"

"Ranger's up my ass," I said as I poured myself a cup of coffee. I turned around to see Bobby biting his lip to keep from laughing. "Oh, for fuck's sake, Bobby, would you grow up? What are you, fourteen?"

"Sorry, bro. Seriously, though, what's going on with Ranger?"

"He just…he talks too much, you know?" I said, rubbing my forehead in a feeble attempt to relieve the dull ache.

"No, I don't know," Bobby said, looking confused. "Actually, I'm pretty sure that's the first time anyone has ever said that about Ranger in his life. What are you talking about, Les?"

"I can't get into it right now, man. It's stuff between me and Stephanie. Let's just say, Ranger gave me more to think about last night than I wanted. So now I'm pissed off that he couldn't just let me be pissed off. He had to go and make sense. And I don't know how to deal with that right now."

"So you're pissed off that you're not pissed off. Man, you're not making a lot of sense right now."

"I know, but I can't talk about this now. I need to get my head on straight and focus on tonight."

"I understand. But if you decide later you want to talk or you want someone to spot you or kick your ass in the ring, I'll be around."

"Thanks, B," I said and truly meant it.

"Anytime, Bro."

I refilled my coffee mug and took a deep breath. My next stop was one I wasn't looking forward to, but it had to be done. Better get it over with, I thought to myself. I walked down the hall and knocked twice on Ranger's office door.

"Yo," came the voice from the other side of the door.

I took a deep breath and turned the doorknob. He glanced up from his computer and studied me for a beat.

"Sit down," he instructed from behind his desk. I closed the door behind me and walked the five paces across the room to stand in front of him.

"This won't take long," I said. "I need to apologize for my behavior last night. It was unprofessional and it won't happen again."

He raised an eyebrow. "And here I thought you were coming in to kick my ass."

"It's tempting."

"Sit down, Lester."

This time I did take a seat. So much for apologizing and getting out of there. I knew he wouldn't make this easy on me.

"Did you think about what I said last night?" he asked.

"Regarding the takedown?" I wasn't going to make this easy on him either, I decided.

"Regarding Stephanie."

Do I lie and pretend I'm unaffected by what happened or tell the truth? Since I pretty much blew any chance of pretending to be unaffected last night when I threw a hissy fit in the middle of a job, I settled on the truth.

"It's all I've thought about," I confessed.

"I'm telling you, man," Ranger said. "Don't be a stubborn ass about this. You let her go and you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"Are you talking to me or yourself?"

"I'm trying to tell you not to make the same mistakes I did."

I swallowed hard and asked the one question I needed to know the answer to most. "Do you regret not stepping up when I told you how I felt about her?"

He looked at me for several long seconds before he spoke. "You know, seeing the two of you together hasn't been easy. It's not like I can flip a switch and turn off my feelings for her just because she's moved on."

"So, what are you saying?" I asked when he failed to answer the question. "You want to be with her now?"

"I'm saying that it doesn't matter what I want. She's yours. She's in love with you. Not me, you. And if you walk away now, it'll destroy her. And it'll destroy you. Lester, don't let your pride get in the way of your happiness. It's not worth it."

"Just tell me one thing. Did you sleep with her while I was gone?"

"How could you ask me that?"

I pulled the photo out of my pocket and placed it on the desk facing him. "That's how."

Without looking at it, he picked up the photo and fed it through the shredder beside his desk. "No, I did not sleep with her while you were gone."

"So what is it then? I get back and all anyone's talking about is how you two are acting different around each other."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we were acting different. But that's because things are different. She and I are in new territory and it took us some time to figure it all out. Trust me, Lester, nothing happened and you have my word that nothing will happen."

"Okay." I heard all I needed to hear. I stood to leave.

"So what are you going to do?" Ranger asked as I walked towards the door.

I paused with my hand on the doorknob, turned to meet his eyes, and, once again, settled for the truth. "I don't know yet."

Stephanie's POV

I was doing a final make-up check when I heard a knock on the door. A quick glance at the clock told me Joe was early. Hopefully he brought dinner. I hadn't eaten since yesterday and I was starving. I pulled on my jacket and shoved the wire and earpiece that Bobby had given me into my jeans pocket. I'd have time to adjust those later. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. Dressed head-to-toe in black with a borrowed RangeMan windbreaker on, I certainly looked the part of the capable, bad-ass bounty hunter. I took a deep breath and tried to convince myself that I was just as bad-ass on the inside. I've been part of takedowns before, but none had me as anxious as this one. I'm not even sure why I was nervous. The guys had all their angles covered. They were as prepared as I'd ever seen them and it was going to be a pretty straight-forward job. My role was simple. I couldn't even get in the way.

I suspected my nerves had more to do with seeing Lester again than anything. He never returned my phone call and I had no idea what to expect when I saw him. Would he even acknowledge me? I exhaled a long, drawn out breath. "Let's get this over with," I said aloud.

There was a second knock on the door.

"I'm coming," I shouted as I crossed the living room. After quickly deactivating the alarm and unbolting the door I swung it open, "Joe, you're ear-." The words died in my throat when I saw that it wasn't Joe on the other side.

A chill ran down my spine and immediately tried to slam the door shut, but one of them managed to slide his foot against the doorjamb, preventing me from closing it all the way. He was good. It took me a year and a half as a bounty hunter to perfect that move.

"What do you want?" I asked, staring into Junkman's eyes, trying not to show the complete and utter terror that was taking over my body.

"I want you, pretty thang," he replied, while his sidekick Felix Cooper laughed behind him.

I did a quick inventory of the situation and instantly wished I hadn't. My gun, stun gun, cuffs, can of mace and anything else that might possibly be useful were across the apartment on the kitchen counter in my purse.

This was so not good.

TBC…