Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.
I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.
Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response…
Hopefully everyone has been enjoying the 30th Olympics and cheering on your fellow countrymen to victory! Team USA is doing great…and I wanted to send a special shout out to Michael Phelps, and Gabby Douglas! Way to go! Michael is now the most decorated Olympiad of all time with 20 medals at 16 of them GOLD! Gabby brought home the Gold in the all around gymnastics with some amazing performances as well as being a big contributor to Gymnastic Team USA getting gold the first time since 1996! It is amazing what every one of them can do how dedicated they all are to what they do!
Now on with the chapter! I Hope you enjoy it…it may be a little rough as I didn't get all the time I needed to edit it…but I figured a chapter was better than no chapter…I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 45: I need to tell you…
SPOV
I was so excited I was buzzing. I wanted to celebrate and I debated asking Lester if we could go for another celebratory ice cream but decided that if every time we had something to celebrate that we would be going every day. Not a bad deal but I doubted he would do that to his perfect body.
We had just walked out of the investment company, contract signed. In fact the client was so happy that I had discovered their problem before they even told us that they decided to go with our plan of action without any further negotiations. They didn't even attempt to negotiate price or any of the recommendations.
"Beautiful, you definitely have the touch. Most customers negotiate everything ask if the recommendations are needed, many times wanting to know why they were suggested. Because of you, they agreed to everything. Not that they shouldn't have agreed to it was a solid plan that protected them. But many customers don't know what they really need, and they are so use to companies like ours ripping them off that they sometimes want to pick at everything to ensure that we aren't."
I smiled at him. I felt great. It felt great knowing I helped the company. I felt bad for Jonathan after all the company fired him, on the spot. They are opening an investigation into his behavior, reviewing their current client accounts to see what damages were done. They will more than likely file charges against him, and his girlfriend. Now if they will be around when that happens, I am not certain but that isn't my problem.
I briefly wondered how proud my mom would be to hook me up with him now that he was a criminal, jobless, more than likely car less, and crème de la crème a jailbird. Now that is something to be proud of, but he is a burg man, alas he will somehow survive all of this and somehow remain worthy of marrying and procreating life because any child would be thrilled to have those genes. I roll my eyes at the thought of how stupid burg traditions and thoughts were.
"Beautiful, you okay over there?" I hear Lester say, pulling me from my thoughts of the burg. I look over at him.
"Yeah, why?" I ask.
"Well you were making like manic noises, rolling your eyes, and sort of smiling but it was like in an evil way." He said
"Well I was thinking about the Jonathon and how the burg would see him now." I told him and Lester nodded.
"You know the burg is its own little odd social anomaly, I wouldn't be surprised if sociology majors didn't study the burg for their thesis." I said.
"What do you mean?" Lester asked me.
"Lester, the burg is its own thing. The people there are crazy nut jobs, all of them. Granted my parents live there, one of my best friends lives there and I love them but they have a weird sense of the world as if they live in that single little bubble left over from the forties or maybe fifties but never grew with time as the rest of the world." I explained but I could tell he needed more.
"For example, the men are expected to work and bring home the pay check for the family. The women are expected to stay at home. They are expected to have and raise the children, teaching them the ways of the burg along the way. They are supposed to cook, clean, and provide for their husband's by doing things like ironing his underwear." I told him, causing Lester to just look at me.
"The women, when they aren't cooking, cleaning, taking care of their kids or house gossip about their lives, their children's lives mostly but any and everything they can say about their family or their kids that raises their status in the burg they will say. All the while they are raising their children up they are finding as much dirt on the other kids from the burg to use to lower them. They will repeat anything that is remotely a story even make shit up to bring some down while elevating their children and status. It is really quite exhausting unless you are one of the participants and I guess they get something from doing it or maybe it is such a tradition in their lives growing up they don't know the difference." I explained.
"Well you aren't like that, you came from the burg." Lester said and I smiled, no I wasn't like that. I was never like that, and I was never the burg.
"That is because I am a black sheep among a field of beautiful pristine perfect white sheep. I have always been the black sheep and always will be. I am the one that all the other mother's talk about. I am the black sheep the one that no one could ever do anything with. I have been an embarrassment and disappointment to my mother from the beginning. I think I gave her trouble as a baby and it never stopped my entire life. I guess my mother never had anything good to say about me, to raise me up so the other mothers just kept tearing me down. I have always sort of been the outcast. The burg had never had a female child that couldn't cook, couldn't dance, and didn't want to clean or have babies and want to go to college instead of finding a perfect burg man. They didn't know what to do with me other than talk about me." I confessed. It saddened me a little bit seeing the cold reality of it.
While I hated how rich in tradition my mother was when it came to burg life it saddened me that it had taken such a toile on our relationship as mother daughter.
"Beautiful I haven't known you long but I really don't see how you could have disappointed and embarrassed anyone. The time you have been at Rangeman and the work you have done there I couldn't be more proud of you. I know Ranger is going to be proud when he hears about today. The way you have been doing your PT and taking care of yourself since you came to Rangeman well that is something to be proud of too. I don't get it this all can't be a new you." He said.
"Lester all of that might be good, the work I did for E.E. Martin was good, at least I think I did a good job and they seemed to like my work as well. I did well at college, graduated with good solid grades. I wasn't the genius but I wasn't the flunky either. But in the eye of the burg none of that matters because that is all stuff that I shouldn't have been doing. In their eyes I should be married to Joe, I should probably have at least two possibly three children by now. I should live in a house, with a picket fence, and dog. I would be cooking and cleaning all day long, taking care of my children and a house." I explained to him.
"Now if that was my life I would be successful, someone revered, and respected in the burg. If I washed the windows weekly and baked goodies to take the sick then I could even obtain an elevated status within the burg. I would be considered burg royalty, of an essence. Once you reach that status you are untouchable, your kids are untouchable, and ultimately you can say anything about anyone else and pass your judgments to all. Because all will listen to you and all will do what you want, what you say. It's actually a very powerful and coveted role in the burg." I explained to him as he just listened to me.
"Oh one other thing, the burg men. Well in the burg the men get by with anything. Everyone turns a blind eye. Most of the men mess around on their women. The men can do whatever they want, as much as they want and nothing will be said, at least not in public. Even the wives turn a blind eye to their husbands, it's rather sickening." I told him, deciding to give him an example.
"Joe's mother has one of those powerful coveted position within the burg and has for a long time. Her husband was the biggest womanizer ever known. He even beat her and the kids when he was drinking. No one would dare say anything because they were the Morelli's and Angie held the coveted spot within the burg so no one else in the burg ever saw a thing, discussed a thing that man ever did. Including Angie, she acted as though nothing was happening." I said shaking my head still unable to understand her putting up with all that man did to her.
"Same thing with Joe do you think when he did what he did to me it was talked about in the burg?" I paused for a moment to catch my breath and get my emotions under control as they were starting to swing a direction I didn't want them to go. Lester looked at me and I could see him starting to question where I was taking this conversation as he was driving the SUV. I could also see him questioning if he was suppose to answer my question that I hung out there or not. I cut him some slack from my ranting and answered it.
"No, not a thing was said about him, ever. Me, now me they talked about me like crazy. I don't even want to remember some of the things that were said. But the only way I would have ever made that right, or I will ever make that right in their eyes is if I were to marry Joe Morelli. Until then I am a black sheep, a black swan, a ugly duckling, a toy on the land of misfit toys, have your pick, as far as the burg is concerned." I confessed, unable to keep the sadness out of my voice.
I wasn't saddened by the fact the burg saw me as a misfit; I was saddened because of what it all meant. Because the burg saw me that way, my mother saw me that way, my sister saw me that way. I didn't belong and I would never belong as far as they were concerned.
"Beautiful, I don't know what the fuck is wrong with those people. But I say fuck them with someone else's dick." He said and I couldn't help but smile at him.
"I know that you have a whole building of people who believe you belong. I know you have a total badass ranger, the best sniper in the world, which allows you to call him Gucci and threaten to put him in a rhinestone collar. I know you have one of the most feared people on the streets of Trenton protection; I also know you have the world's deadliest mercenary negotiating with his handler instead of just killing him." Lester said and I just looked at him with my mouth gaped open.
So many questions were flying through my head I didn't know which one to ask first.
"Lester, I don't know about all that. You somehow make it all seem so much more than it is really is. I mean Ram is a good guy. I am sure if someone called him a nickname he would be okay with it." I stated. Lester just shook his head.
"Beautiful we all call each other nicknames from time to time some of them aren't so great names but I am quite certain anyone else in the building try to nickname him Gucci and put a rhinestone collar on him, they would find their ass knocked out." I dropped the whole Gucci thing. This was new territory for me and I wasn't quite certain how to handle the information Lester had just given me.
"Lester what do you mean I have protection from the most feared person in Trenton? Is Ranger the most feared person?" I asked and Lester just shook his head no.
"He is feared Beautiful, but he isn't the most feared person. Hector, is the most feared. He used to be a former gang member. Not from any of the gangs here but in Miami. When it comes to the streets and the gangs on the streets none of them will cross Hector. They will do what he wants, give up the information he wants. To date of knowing him I have never known him to use the gang to protect someone." He said.
"How is he using them to protect me? I mean I haven't seen any gang members following me, or anything." I asked him trying to sort out all that he had told me in my head. He smiled.
"Beautiful there are all kind of ways to protect someone. It isn't always that you are followed. They have kept their ears to the street. Anyone come around asking questions, trying to find information, well they set them straight." He said.
"Has anyone come around asking questions or information on me that they had to set straight?" I asked him and he pursed his lips together and I could tell by the own eyebrow he knitted them together. He wasn't sure what to say.
"Tell me, tell me the truth." I told him my voice not really sounding like my own.
"Beautiful let's just say they have proved worthy and useful twice now." He said as if he was going to drop it but this concerned me, and I wasn't going to let it drop. I wanted to know.
"Lester what does that mean? Two times now they have stopped someone who was trying to find out about me? What were they trying to find out? How did they stop them?" I asked questions flying through my head.
Lester looked over at me. It looked like he sighed as he pulled the SUV over to the curb and put it in park, killing the engine.
"Beautiful, you don't need to worry about this." But I did and from the look in my face he nodded as if reading my mind that I did in fact need to know about this.
"Two times now someone has been asking about you. They wanted to know if anyone on the streets knew anything about you, where you were, your patterns." MY eyebrows knitted together.
"Why would they ask gang members on the streets? How would gang members know about me, what I do?" I asked out loud not really understanding what information they would get from them or why they would even consider asking one.
"Well you know Ranger's handler threatened you. Well in that threat two operatives responded to date that we know of. They were trying to gain information not only on you but on Rangeman as well and well they thought the local gangs would know the most about us. It's what operatives do they find people who they think know the most about the subject that they want to target and they pay them good money for information. In this case, they happen to fear Hector more than any money that could ever be offered to them." He said I couldn't help but think it made sense.
"Okay, so what happened when they came asking about me? If they didn't take the men's money then what did they do?" I asked.
"Well they handled it. I am quite certain they got the money offered but then took care of the problem for us." He stated. They had killed for me? Is that what he meant by took care of the problem? They don't' even know me and they took care of it?
"Lester when you say they took care of the problem do you mean…" I was glad I didn't have to finish the whole situation because I could feel myself getting light headed at the thoughts that were going through my mind. Lester dragged his finger across his neck to indicate what I thought and I felt my body sway.
"Beautiful you okay?" That was a million dollar question was I okay? I had just been told that someone I had never met nor knew had killed for me. Not once but twice all because Hector, who they feared, had told them to protect me.
I felt my head being pushed down between my legs "Beautiful breath and push back against my hand. It's okay. You are okay. You are getting upset over nothing." He said. I wasn't quite certain it was nothing. Two people had been killed because of me. Granted they were here to kill me, so better them than me right? But still, it is hard to maintain that point of view when you just heard that someone you didn't know from Adam. Someone who you would more than likely never met or ever know had done something like that because of you; for you. I didn't know how to feel. I took several deep breaths in until I felt myself return more to normal. When I nodded my head Lester's hand released my head and I slowly rose back up looking at him.
"You okay?" He asked me and I just looked at him. Was I okay? I didn't think I was okay. I mean I was okay on the outside but on the inside I wasn't okay. I shook my head no.
"Beautiful don't think about it too hard." He said and my eyes snapped to him.
"Don't think about it too hard? I am getting upset over nothing?" I say repeating his words back to him with questions and a sound of disbelief in my voice. "Lester, are you listening to yourself?" I asked him a little frustration showing in my voice.
He went to say something and I cut him off.
"Lester, you just told me that someone I don't know, will probably never know has killed someone for me. Not one time but two times. What happens now? I mean what happens when the police investigate their murders? What happens when they get caught? They go to jail. I am free how is that fair? How am I over thinking that, or getting upset over nothing?" I said my voice growing higher and louder. I was mad as much as I was upset that someone had done this.
"Beautiful, they are gang members, who took out a mercenary. The bodies more than likely will never be discovered. If it were by chance it wouldn't lead to anything, they would never figure out who they were or what they were here for. If you are worried about it coming back to you it won't. Even if they managed to figure out who it was, which will never happen there will be no connection to you." He said.
"I don't care if there is a connection to me. These people did this, what happens if it comes back to them? Or God forbid Hector, or Ranger. Then what?" I said feeling a little overwhelmed. The thoughts of something coming back on Ranger, Rangeman, or any of the guys caused me to become more upset. I knew I was going to be fighting back tears before this was over and they were now threatening to fall.
"Beautiful, please know it is okay. We aren't going to let someone come here and hurt you. We will do anything and take whatever blow back comes with it happily." Lester said and I sobered a little bit and looked at him.
I went to say something but he interrupted me.
"Trust me Beautiful you are the best of all us. You are the light in our eyes, the laugh in our voices, the feeling in our hearts. It's you. None of us are going to let anyone take any of that away from us. We will give our lives, give anything to protect it."
Hearing his words, filtering their meaning through my mind knocked the wind out me. I could no longer remember what my arguments were. I couldn't feel the fire within that had upset me. I felt as though my heart stopped beating, my mind stopped working, my breath halting as his words and their meaning filtered in.
I looked at him questioning him. He nodded his head answering my question. Tears threatened to fall as my vision became impaired by the tears in my eyes. "Beautiful, please don't cry. I didn't mean to make you cry. Please." I heard Lester say and figured the tears had broken lose. Hearing his words didn't help hold them in if anything it caused them to fall harder.
"Shit" I heard as I heard the click of him unbuckling my seat belt and his arms pulling me toward him so I was leaning over the console as he put my head on his shoulder and his arms around me. "Beautiful please I don't know what to do when women cry." I thought you are doing okay.
I took a deep breath trying my best to get the tears under control. As I pulled back I told him what I needed to say.
"Lester I am touched deeply. Know that I feel the same way about you all that is why hearing this was so upsetting. I would never want to be the reason something happened to any of you. I love Carlos with all my heart and if something happened to him because of me, either he was doing something for me, or he did something because of me I wouldn't be able to handle it. I am worried about him meeting with his handler over me. I won't even tell you all the scenarios that have been going through my head." I confessed to him.
"I have never belonged anywhere before and I feel like I belong here with you guys and Carlos, I have from the beginning. I never had that before. You all are in my heart, and soul and I would never want any of you to be harmed in anyway because of me." I said.
"Beautiful you said it you never felt like you belonged before so you don't know how it is. What would you do if you knew something was going to happen to one of us but you could stop it?" He asked me and I felt like that was an odd question.
"I would do whatever I could in my power to stop it." I said practically without thinking, the words just flowing out of my mouth.
"Exactly" Lester said pausing nodding his head. "That is no different for us. We will do anything to stop it. Our powers are just different than yours." Lester said.
And I gave him a glare was he making fun of Wonder Woman? Because last I checked she could hold her own when it came to Super Heroes she had just gotten the short end of the stick as there hadn't been movie, after movie made about her like the others.
"Lester I am pretty sure Wonder Woman could hold her own. She has special powers." I told him and he smiled at me the air in the SUV lightening with my comment.
"Touche Beautiful, that she does. She has very special powers." He said smiling at me.
"Damn straight she does." I said smiling back.
He started the SUV pulled back into traffic as we made our way back to Rangeman. I was going to have to have a talk with Carlos when he came home. I couldn't wait for him to come home. I missed him, I was worried about him, and I needed to tell him that I loved him more than anything in this world.
RPOV
My Phone rang. I picked it up looking at the number, Tank.
"Yo" I answered.
"Yo, man. I got a packaged currier delivered today. It's what you wanted. Your contract fulfilled." He told me and I couldn't help but smile.
"It says honorably discharged, contract fulfilled?" I questioned him.
"Yeah man even has you listed as retired." He put emphasis on retired.
"Fuck you Tank. I will show you how a retired man can kick your ass on the mats when I get back." I threatened him.
"Well you got get our old retired ass home first, so I think I am safe for a while. Besides your woman will be so happy to see you I am pretty sure she will wear your ass out." He said and the images just those words filtering through my mind was causing my body to react and I needed to get it together.
"Jealous, much?" I asked him unable to stop myself.
"Damn Straight" He said and hung the phone up. I couldn't help but smile.
I opened my phone up. "Pick me up, rooftop ASAP." I said into the phone waiting on a response.
"Roger, eta thirty." He said I nodded closing the phone. It was time to go home. It was none too soon. I was happy with the fact that Michaels had used a currier to deliver the papers. I had made an impression on him and he was doing what I had demanded.
I wasn't dumb enough to not keep certain checks in place to ensure that he didn't do anything else but as far as my contract went I was a free man. Before Stephanie it wouldn't have been something I wanted now with Stephanie in my life it was something that I couldn't want any more even if my own life depended on it.
I was looking forward to getting back to Rangeman. I missed my Babe, I wanted to see her, hold her, and I could only pray that she would wear me out like Tank said. More than any of that though I needed to talk to her, I needed to tell her how much I loved her. How much I wanted her and needed her to be a part of my life whatever part she wanted.
I quickly gathered the few things on the sink counter in the bathroom. I was ready to head to the roof top.
Tell me what you think…Leave a review…
Sorry for the poorly edited chapter, but it's been crazy and today is even more so, so I didn't get the time needed to really edit the chapter. I do apologize!