May 7th, Writing in Bits and Pieces

     This is an excerpt from a story I'm writing for fanfiction.  Sadly, Stephanie and Ranger don't belong to me, but if Janet Evanovich is willing to give them to me, I will gladly take care of them for the rest of my life.  I want to take a moment to thank all of the authors out there who allow us to use their characters to create stories of our own.  

Ranger’s POV

     Once I’d seen the picture, I had Stephanie walk me through everything that she’d done since gaining access to my home.  I learned very quickly that she was a genius.  Not just in the scope of her plan, but also in all the aspects she needed in order to pull this together.  That she was smart was a given, there weren’t many people that had the ability to break in here, let alone avoid detection from the secondary alert I’d set up that went directly to Hector in the Trenton office.

     When I’d gotten the report that said movement was detected here, the matter wasn’t considered high priority because the secondary alert hadn’t been tripped and ??? had reported that all was well when he’d sent someone to check it out.  Not until I’d received the anonymous call telling me that all wasn’t as it appeared in Miami did I even give the matter another thought.  In light of what had transpired since our arrival, I was left wondering if they were referring to the two women in my home, or the train wreck that was trying to derail my business.

     The report in front of me detailed ???’s entire life.  He came from a privileged background and on the surface, there was nothing in there that would explain his extreme hatred for anyone of color.  If there was a trigger, I wasn’t seeing it.

     Stephanie’s hands hovered over the keyboard as she frowned at the screen.  Suddenly her fingers started flying over the keys as she imputed data and another screen popped up.  Son of a bitch!  Now everything made sense in some twisted way. 

     I looked at Stephanie.  “Now that you have the information, what’s your plan?”

     She bit her lip and I had to restrain myself not to bend down and take her mouth with mine. 

     Her eyes lifted to meet mine.  “I’ve set up a dummy corporation that’s been in contact with Rangoonie.  He’s been offered a deal too good to pass up.  In order for him to try and scam the CEO, he’s going to have to deposit the money we’ve specified.  Once he does that, everything will disappear and whoever is behind Rangoonie’s operation will come after him.”

     I shook my head.  “I don’t think you took Alexander into account.  I can’t see him letting his nephew go down without at least trying to help him.”

     She grabbed her bag and started digging through the contents.  When her hand came out, she was clutching a business card and her cell phone.  I watched as she punched in the number, waiting to see what kind of plan she was hatching now. 

     While she waited for the call to be answered, she twirled a lock of hair around her finger. 

     The corner of my mouth lifted when she’d sat forward in a hurry causing her to pull the lock that she’d been playing with. 

     “Hi, uhm…this is Stephanie.  We met the other day at the wedding reception.” 

     She paused, and the pink tinge of color gracing her cheeks had me curious.  I leaned against the desk with my hands folded across my chest as I listened to the conversation going on.

     “Uhm…”  she looked up at me before her gaze shifted away.  She turned her chair so that she wasn’t facing me as she replied, “Uh, no, no, the answer hasn’t changed.”  She fidgeted in the chair.  “No, I’m sure I can’t marry you.  I appreciate the offer though.”  She shifted once again before straightening up and saying, “Well, see, I just wanted to talk to you about something that’s in the works.  I hope you won’t get mad or anything.  When I started, I didn’t even know you and now that I know you’re related, well, for one thing I can’t believe it, I mean, you are so nice and he’s such a scum sucking bastard.”  She paused.  Her mouth dropped open as her eyes widened.  “Well, yeah.”  She started shaking her head yes, even though the man on the other side had no idea that’s what she was doing.  Then she said, “Oh!  Really?”  Again she started shaking her head.  Another blush stained her cheeks and then she started chuckling.  “All right.  Thank you, Alexander.”

     My eyebrow raised as she disconnected the call.  She seemed lost in thought and I figured that the only way I was going to find out what went on was to ask.  Just as I started to ask, she swiveled the chair so she was looking at me.  “He didn’t seem surprised.”

     I couldn’t help but chuckle.  “That’s all I get?  He didn’t seem surprised?”

     Her beautiful face lit up.  “He told me to do what I wanted, he won’t stand in my way.  He also said that if he somehow manages to come out of this with his skin intact, he’ll personally make sure the little weasel never has another time to his name.”

     “Alexander isn’t someone you want to cross.”

     She nodded.  He also guessed that Vinnie has been scamming money from him as well.”

     I whistled.  “So will this speed up your plan?”

     “No.  I need to move slow so I don’t spook him.”

     She grimaced and I lost no time in scooping her up in my arms.  “It’s time for you to rest.  You’ve been on that foot nearly non-stop and it needs a break.”

     When her mouth opened as if to argue the point, I swooped in and covered her mouth with mine.  The need for air forced us to end the kiss much too soon.  A knock on the door had my laying my forehead against hers as I said, “I’m going to have to have a talk with my men about their timing.”

     She chuckled, her face lit up with a smile as she said, “I have a stun gun we can use.”

     I set her on her feet, then giving her forehead a quick kiss, I said, “Why don’t you go put your feet up.  I’m sure you’ve found the entertainment system in the master suite.  Go take advantage of it.”

     She leaned her head into me as a yawn escaped her.  “I am kind of tired.”

     My hand went to her jaw.  I wanted to pick her up again and join her on that bed but the clearing of a throat told me that I would have no peace until I dealt with whatever matter had come up while Stephanie and I had been in the office.

     I turned, my eyes narrowing on Binkie as I moved to join him. 

     His face paled slightly as his eyes darted around as if he were looking for a place to hide. 

     A smile slipped into place.  Not the same smile I showed to Stephanie or my family, no, this was the shark smile that my enemies would see before their lights went out.

Stephanie’s POV

     I made sure the computer was locked down and then made my way to my room.  It was a bit early for bed, but after the day we’d had, I was exhausted.  After answering nature’s call, I climbed into bed and closed my eyes.  My mind refused to shut down, though.  I tried for a good twenty minutes but it was no good.  So I pulled myself into a sitting position and grabbed the book from the nightstand.  This was the same book that I’d been reading the night Ranger and Tank had shown up, and it didn’t take me long before I was totally immersed in the story I was reading—A Stalker in the House.

     I was nearly at the end of the book as I read…

     My heart beat wildly as I felt danger approaching.  I’d been going over and over the evidence in my mind, and I was positive that my stalker was a woman.  The FBI insisted that women didn’t act in this way when they stalked their victims, and instead, they had told the police that the person they were looking for was a man in his early to mid-thirties.  They had gone on to say that he was used to leading and was probably ex-military or law enforcement.

     On hearing that, for a second my mind had gone to the two men in my life, an ex-boyfriend cop and an ex-military security expert that I was in love with, but he insisted his life didn’t lend itself to relationships.  I’d dismissed the idea as soon as it had entered my mind.  I’d tried to convince the FBI that they were wrong, but I was told they were professional profilers and they knew best.  But what if they were wrong?

     There were three women that might possibly fit the other parameters of the profile.  Lacy Janes was a socialite who’d rather pay someone else to do her dirty work, but she was furious enough that I was having a relationship with Batman—that’s what I called the ex-military security expert—that I could see her losing her cool.

     Gwen Averies was an avid gardener and although she was a small slip of a woman, she was surprisingly strong.  I’d seen her carrying fifty pound bags of soil like they were nothing.

     The other woman that came to mind was Candy Parsons.  She was shy and although most people would discount her, something about the way she looked at me had my skin crawling.

     It was late and I’d had a rough day.  Three skips and every single one of them had given me a hard time.  Langley had even tossed me down a flight of stairs.  The minute I laid my head on the pillow, the world around me ceased to exist. 

     Suddenly, I jarred awake.  My gaze went to the bedside clock and I noted that I’d only been sleeping twenty minutes or so.  Then I heard it.  The tinkling of glass breaking and I wondered if that’s what had woken me in the first place. 

     There was no need to turn on the light, my eyes were already adjusting to the dark.  I slowly scooted up on the bed till my back was against the headboard and opened the nightstand drawer to pull out the .38 special that I kept there.  It was fully loaded and I knew how to use it. 

     The smell of perfume reached me and I vaguely remembered the last time I’d smelt that particular brand.  I think I’d known it was her all along.  I clicked off the safety, swearing that if she showed her face here today, my room would be the last one she ever entered.