Takedown Twenty (Stephanie Plum 20)

A half hour later Tank walked me to my door.

“Would you like me to stay?” he asked.

“Not necessary. But thank you. I’m fine.”

I closed and locked my door. I looked in at Rex and told him not to worry, because I was okay. And then I burst into tears. I cried all through my shower and halfway through drying my hair. I’d stopped sobbing, but my eyes were red and my nose was still leaking, when my cellphone rang.

“I’m at your door,” Morelli said. “You’re supposed to be in there, according to Ranger, but I’m pounding on your door, and you’re not answering.”

“I didn’t hear you. I had the hair dryer going.”

I opened the door to Morelli, and he scooped me into him.

“You’re crushing me,” I said. “I can’t breathe.”

“Do you have any idea what it’s like to find out the woman you love has just been thrown off a bridge? My heart stopped beating. Are you okay? Were you hurt?”

“I got some scratches and bruises, but nothing serious. Mostly I was terrified. I was so scared I don’t even remember hitting the water.”

His cellphone buzzed with a text message.

“I hate this thing,” Morelli said, ey

es on the message.

“It’s okay if you have to go. All I want to do is sleep. Now that I’m warm and dry, I’m flat out done.”

He kissed me on the forehead. “I’ll call when I get a break.”

I locked up after him, crawled into bed, put a pillow over my head, and instantly fell asleep.

I woke up when the pillow got lifted off and Ranger looked down at me.

“Babe.”

“Getting dropped into the Delaware is exhausting.”

Ranger was sitting on the side of the bed, and he was looking comfortably dry and perfectly groomed in Rangeman black fatigues. There was almost always a softness to his mouth that was sensuous and youthful, but his eyes were dark and serious and reflected his troubled history.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m doing great.”

And that was true. Turns out I’m very resilient. All I need is some chattering teeth, about an hour of uncontrollable sobbing, some sleep, and I’m ready to face the world again. Plus I was pretty sure there was one last leftover hot dog in my fridge, and that would make everything just about perfect.

“I wish I could say the same,” Ranger said. “I’m having a hard time erasing the vision of you falling from the bridge.”

“Yes, but you jumped in and saved me. You’re my hero.”

“Being your hero is a full-time job. I worry that someday I’m not going to get to you in time.”

“I didn’t know you worried about anything.”

“I worry about everything.”

“What happened to Moe and Shorty and the two guys in the SUV? Were they captured?”

“They were captured and booked, and they’re already out on bail.”