I do not own any of these characters, although I would really like to meet
up with Ranger in a dark room somewhere. I simply borrow and gently use
them for my amusement.
Chapter One
The Phone Call
She knew it was him before she answered her phone.
"Yo," Ranger intoned.
"Yo, yourself." Steph dropped a grape down into Rex's food bowl and leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed and phone tucked under her ear.
"You got plans tonight?" Steph considered a moment. Another viewing of Ghostbusters probably didn't count.
"Nope." She decided that she could be monosyllabic and mysterious as well.
Ranger sounded surprised. "Not even dinner at your mother's?"
Steph shook her head and blew out a sigh. "I'm avoiding. Even chocolate cake can't make me sit through dinner with Val, the kids, and whatever secret 'guest' my mother has planned for me."
Ranger chuckled. "Scary. Must be real scary not to be worth chocolate cake."
"Rumor has it-"Steph started.
"Rumor?" Ranger interrupted.
"Okay, the Burg grapevine," Stephanie amended, "says that my mother has imported an out-of-state bachelor as my date."
"Imported?" Ranger sounded puzzled.
"A friend of a friend's nephew." She shifted the phone to the other ear and poured herself some coffee. "My mother is getting desperate. Now that Morelli is engaged," her throat constricted only a moment, more for the fact that she wasn't attached than for the fact that Morelli was attached to someone other than her," my mother thinks that I'll be an old spinster."
"Worse things." Ranger changed the subject. "I got a job tonight. Up for it?"
"What kind of job?" Working would get her money and be a legitimate excuse to miss dinner.
"Distraction."
"As long as it not a redecorating job. Last building I 'redecorated' with you ended up with a big hole in the side."
"Not your fault." Ranger almost sounded like he believed that, too.
"Tank in on this?" She asked a little tersely.
"Yes." Ranger waited for her reaction.
"How many stories high will we be? Just in case."
Ranger chuckled, that low throaty chuckle that showed true amusement. It meant that wherever he was, he smiled and shook his head. "Three stories, max. I'll make sure there's a lot of shrubbery to cushion a fall."
Stephanie wasn't as amused by his joke as he was. "What's the distraction?"
"Shorter and tighter the better."
Stephanie snorted. "Need a bit more than that. High class, low class, REALLY low class?" She could be all kinds of sluts.
Ranger drew in a breath. "Your choice. The skip's not that discriminating."
"Just how disgusting is this guy?" Stephanie asked, her mind supplying pictures that, quite frankly, skeeved her out."
"Not disgusting, just a little...hormonal." Ranger paused. "Oh, and the job is in New York."
This peaked her interest. "Just where exactly are we going to grab him?"
"Not sure yet. Couple of possibilities." Ranger was being vague, even for Ranger.
Stephanie audibly sighed. She had yet to turn down a job when Ranger asked for her help, but she needed a little more information to do this properly. "Ranger, I need a bit more to pick out the right shoes."
Ranger's voice tightened. "Still got that black dress and heels?"
The black dress? She remembered Ranger's reaction to that dress before she had even gotten it on, and wasn't sure that wearing it in public with him around was safe. Of course, that could make the night interesting. "Y-y-yeah."
"Wear that." Ranger's voice was a little hoarse. "We'll be clubbing it."
Clubs were not great places to make an apprehension. They usually frowned on guns. "Should I go fully dressed?"
Ranger indicated negatively. "No. If it turns out you need, I'll provide an extra."
"Good. You know I hate getting shot at." Stephanie paused, already thinking about all the work she needed to do to herself to get presentable. And then there was presentable, and presentable for an evening in New York (working or not) with Ranger. "What time?"
"Pick you up at seven." Ranger disconnected without waiting for her answer.
Chapter One
The Phone Call
She knew it was him before she answered her phone.
"Yo," Ranger intoned.
"Yo, yourself." Steph dropped a grape down into Rex's food bowl and leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed and phone tucked under her ear.
"You got plans tonight?" Steph considered a moment. Another viewing of Ghostbusters probably didn't count.
"Nope." She decided that she could be monosyllabic and mysterious as well.
Ranger sounded surprised. "Not even dinner at your mother's?"
Steph shook her head and blew out a sigh. "I'm avoiding. Even chocolate cake can't make me sit through dinner with Val, the kids, and whatever secret 'guest' my mother has planned for me."
Ranger chuckled. "Scary. Must be real scary not to be worth chocolate cake."
"Rumor has it-"Steph started.
"Rumor?" Ranger interrupted.
"Okay, the Burg grapevine," Stephanie amended, "says that my mother has imported an out-of-state bachelor as my date."
"Imported?" Ranger sounded puzzled.
"A friend of a friend's nephew." She shifted the phone to the other ear and poured herself some coffee. "My mother is getting desperate. Now that Morelli is engaged," her throat constricted only a moment, more for the fact that she wasn't attached than for the fact that Morelli was attached to someone other than her," my mother thinks that I'll be an old spinster."
"Worse things." Ranger changed the subject. "I got a job tonight. Up for it?"
"What kind of job?" Working would get her money and be a legitimate excuse to miss dinner.
"Distraction."
"As long as it not a redecorating job. Last building I 'redecorated' with you ended up with a big hole in the side."
"Not your fault." Ranger almost sounded like he believed that, too.
"Tank in on this?" She asked a little tersely.
"Yes." Ranger waited for her reaction.
"How many stories high will we be? Just in case."
Ranger chuckled, that low throaty chuckle that showed true amusement. It meant that wherever he was, he smiled and shook his head. "Three stories, max. I'll make sure there's a lot of shrubbery to cushion a fall."
Stephanie wasn't as amused by his joke as he was. "What's the distraction?"
"Shorter and tighter the better."
Stephanie snorted. "Need a bit more than that. High class, low class, REALLY low class?" She could be all kinds of sluts.
Ranger drew in a breath. "Your choice. The skip's not that discriminating."
"Just how disgusting is this guy?" Stephanie asked, her mind supplying pictures that, quite frankly, skeeved her out."
"Not disgusting, just a little...hormonal." Ranger paused. "Oh, and the job is in New York."
This peaked her interest. "Just where exactly are we going to grab him?"
"Not sure yet. Couple of possibilities." Ranger was being vague, even for Ranger.
Stephanie audibly sighed. She had yet to turn down a job when Ranger asked for her help, but she needed a little more information to do this properly. "Ranger, I need a bit more to pick out the right shoes."
Ranger's voice tightened. "Still got that black dress and heels?"
The black dress? She remembered Ranger's reaction to that dress before she had even gotten it on, and wasn't sure that wearing it in public with him around was safe. Of course, that could make the night interesting. "Y-y-yeah."
"Wear that." Ranger's voice was a little hoarse. "We'll be clubbing it."
Clubs were not great places to make an apprehension. They usually frowned on guns. "Should I go fully dressed?"
Ranger indicated negatively. "No. If it turns out you need, I'll provide an extra."
"Good. You know I hate getting shot at." Stephanie paused, already thinking about all the work she needed to do to herself to get presentable. And then there was presentable, and presentable for an evening in New York (working or not) with Ranger. "What time?"
"Pick you up at seven." Ranger disconnected without waiting for her answer.