Fearless Fourteen (Stephanie Plum 14)

“I told the wait staff not to give her a refill, and she's feeling neglected.”

“Hey!” Brenda called to a passing waiter. “Hell-O!”

The waiter scurried away, and Brenda waved the glass at another guy. Brenda lapped at the empty glass and waggled her tongue at the waiter. A red scald rose from his collar to the roots of his hair, and he ran for the kitchen.

A waiter carrying plates of food passed behind Brenda, and in the blink of an eye, Brenda had the guy by his nuts. The waiter stopped in mid-stride, tray aloft, mouth open. I couldn't hear Brenda from where I stood, but I could read her lips.

“I need a drinky-poo,” Brenda said to the waiter. “Nod your head if you understand.”

The waiter nodded his head, and Brenda released him.

“I have to give her credit,” I said to Ranger. “She knows how to get a man's attention.”

An hour later, we escorted Brenda to her room.

“I want to party,” Brenda said in the elevator. “Isn't there a party somewhere?”

Ranger stayed stoic, saying nothing, and I followed his lead. If Brenda had been sober, she would have been hard to control. As it was, her eyes were unfocused, and her attention span was short. The elevator doors opened, Brenda lurched out, walked into a potted plant, and got knocked on her ass.

“Whoops,” Brenda said. “Where'd that come from?”

Ranger scooped her up and pointed her in the right direction. She tried to grab him, and he jumped away.

“You need to take point on this,” Ranger said to me. “If she grabs me one more time, I'm going to have to shoot her.”

I linked arms with Brenda and walked her down the hall to her suite. I opened the door and maneuvered her inside. I herded her into the bedroom, and she crawled into bed fully clothed.

I turned the light off in the bedroom and joined Ranger in the living room. He locked the liquor cabinet, pocketed the key, and we left the suite.

“Tank has the night off, and Hal doesn't come on until midnight,” Ranger said.

“I'll stand guard until then.”

“I'll stand with you,” I said. “Just in case Brenda comes out and attacks you and you're tempted to shoot her.”

Stephanie Plum 14 - Fearless Forteen

CHAPTER THREE

Hal was one of the younger guys on Ranger's team. He was big and blond and blushed when embarrassed. He was over-muscled and looked a little prehistoric.

He showed up ten minutes early.

“Call me if there's a problem,” Ranger said, giving Hal the room key. “Don't go into the suite alone. If you need to enter and can't wait for me, get hotel security to go in with you.”

Hal nodded. “Yes

sir.”

Ranger walked me to the parking garage, gave me a friendly kiss goodnight that sent a flutter of emotion through me that I'd rather not name, and watched me drive away.

I got back to Morelli's house a little after midnight. Morelli's porch light was on and a nightlight was burning in the hall leading to the stairs. The rest of the house was dark. I unlocked the front door and stepped inside. The house was quiet. Everyone was asleep, including Bob Dog.

I didn't need light to find my way around Morelli's house. I spent a decent amount of time there, and it was almost identical to the house where I grew up. I made my way into the kitchen and checked the fridge for leftovers, hitting the jackpot with pepperoni pizza.

I put the pizza box on the counter, and the cellar door crashed open next to me. A stocky guy jumped out, ran for the back door, and instantly was gone into the dark night. I was too startled to scream, too freaked to move. After a second or two, my heart resumed beating and brain function kicked in.

“What the-” I said to the empty kitchen.