Category: Change in the Wind

The Full Story, with all Side Stories and the Housekeepers’ War series integrated in.

Chapter 74: I Demand Respect

Steph’s POV

I pull up outside Lula’s 20 minutes later. I stopped for ice cream and Tastykakes, just in case.

“Hey, Girl! ‘Bout time you made it.” Lula is all smiles and I’m even madder at her. “What’s up?”

“We need to talk.”

Lula’s smile fades. I walk in and sit on the couch. I hold up the ice cream and she grabs two spoons and her ice cream from the kitchen. She settles on the couch and we dig in. It’s silent in the room for a few minutes before I say anything.

“We’ve been friends for a long time, Lula. We’ve been through a lot. But today, you put me in a dangerous situation and left me there.” I finally look at her and she’s shocked. She’s stopped eating ice cream to look at me.

“I knew something was wrong. I felt it and I wanted to get out of there. It took forever to convince you to leave with me and then, once I did convince you, we walked right into a problem.”

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Chapter 73: Fully Fledged RangeWoman

Hal’s POV—Saturday

I’m nervous.

I really want to add a few trackers to her body, but I don’t want her to run screaming from the building.

Hector’s a man possessed. Everyone in Trenton knows not to go anywhere near him right now. His eyes are glued to the iPad and the blades are on display.

Sis is thrilled to have passed standards, and she and Lula are going to celebrate. I heard rumors of ice cream and Tastykakes and I winced. I hope she doesn’t fail the next monthly health check. I’ll have to ensure her results don’t get out if she only squeaks by. I don’t want anyone to say anything about her.

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Chapter 72.7: We Find Common Ground

Lula’s POV— Wednesday Night

OK, I didn’t expect to come back to Trenton and find I’d been replaced by the new flavor of the month.

“Hi! I’m Candy.” She’s all bright and happy smiles. Steph and I are meeting at my apartment to help me pack up and Hal just dropped them off. Connie and ML are coming soon. I look at Steph. Is this chick serious? Steph smiles.

“Lula, this is Candy. She’s our new head of HR. Candy, this is Lula, Tank’s fiancée and my bounty hunter partner.”

Candy’s eyes widen. “Oh, nice to meet you! Are you a RangeWoman too?” Continue reading →

What’s Going ON?

A/N: Prompt: Would love to see something from the POV of the Trenton cops-Eddie, Carl or Robin in particular. More specifically at least a couple of months into Steph’s tenure as CO. We’ve gotten snippets of some of the Burg in your side stories via the Plums and Mrs. Morelli but they tend to be filtered thru those lenses.

Burg POV

Month One

Stephanie Plum has disappeared inside the RangeMan building.

Now, normally, this isn’t cause for too much concern. Eddie, the bookie, updates the odds on the Morelli v. Mañoso pot, the cops update the internal cop pot, and we wait to see how everything will shake out in a week or two.

More interesting, at the moment, is the disappearance of Morelli and Mañoso. Continue reading →

Chapter 72: Standards, Part II

Mack’s POV—Sunday afternoon

Tank is clear.

“Body slam her at least once.”

I swallow hard. Body slam the Boss Lady? Tank is stone cold sober. “I’m supposed to be defending against her hand to hand, sir.”

Tank nods. “The CO ends up in more combat situations than most of the men in this company combined. She needs to be able to prevent a body slam and she would expect it in a self-defense assessment. I want you to do it during her hand to hand. Throw her off. I trust you with this, Mack.”

Still, that’s the Boss, yo. You want me to slam a woman. Not just any woman, but one I respect deeply.

Man, I always get trusted with the shitty stuff.

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Chapter 71: Standards

Tank’s POV—Thursday Morning

Bobby and I are met at the airport by Hal.

“Status?”

“Normal, sir. Accounts are growing, men are happy, everything is calm.”

“CO?”

“Ready to be released. She’s been working to polish her knowledge of every skill this week.”

“Company?”

“As far as I can tell, going well. Miami is in an uproar. Diego’s fired five so far. Authority has been tightened. Boston is working to recapture their lost prestige.” Hal looks over at me. I’m driving. “My rearview is a very crowded place, sir.”

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Humbled, Part I

A/N: Like Lula and Tank, this started life as a one-shot, but so many of you seem to enjoy Chenae’s humbling that I decided to expand it. Also, please pay attention to how certain themes tie back to the main story.

Chenae’s POV

First sorority committee meeting of the year. I’m the president and I’m being humiliated by everyone.

“Soror Chenae, you’ll be in charge of the fundraising committee again this year, right?” Soror Christina asks, smirking. Bitch. She’s enjoying this.

“Unfortunately, Soror, I cannot. I have to concentrate on finals.”

“Nearly all of us have to concentrate on finals, Soror Chenae. It’s a tiresome fact of life in college,” she says. “You’ve done such a brilliant job the past two years. I think you can handle it another year. All in favor?”

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I Leave the Burg

A/N: One Shot prompt is a combination of ideas from Roscommon, emmme3, and shirleygirl. Thanks, ladies!
Begins after Holidays on Ice, Part II (Chapter 53)

Val’s POV

Albert has, apparently, lost his mind.

“You have to get a job, Val. We need more money.”

I’m at the stove, making lunches for the girls to take for their first day of school. Albert is reviewing our finances. This is my childhood all over again and I’m proud we can give my girls this.

“I can’t get a job, Snuggums.” Albert looks up, tense. “Daycare isn’t the right place for Lisa. She needs to be home with me, with her Mommy. The girls need someone to be here for them when they get out of school. And there are so many other things I do during the day. I don’t have time.”

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Chapter 70.3 Armando’s Had ENOUGH!

Armando’s POV—Friday Afternoon

Mariela meets me at the airport and I hug her on sight. My wife. She’s stood by me for years, during the best and the worst. Time for me to begin repaying her devotion with my support, my full support.

“I love you. Thank you for standing with me. Thank you for staying by my side,” I whisper. I watch her eyes water and kiss her gently. “Thank you for my babies, my girls. Thank you for having the patience of a saint. Thank you for being my partner in life.”

Mari smiles, but it’s shaky. I pass her my handkerchief and hold her close.

“I love you, Mando.” She sniffs. “My vows are eternal. I mean them.”

“And I mean mine. ‘For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.’ I haven’t done that for you, as I should, and that ends. You have my vow, Mariela. You and the girls will come first.”

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Chapter 23: Temper Tantrums–Deleted Scene

If you were looking for this scene at noon and it didn’t show, I apologize. I scheduled it. No idea where the hiccup is.

Some of my best deleted scenes involve Ram! This would have been at the very end of the chapter.

My disgust with hunting aside, Ram and I stayed in the gun range to perfect my skills. I could tell Ram was having problems with my proficiency.
“Steph?”
“Yeah?”
“Why do you hate guns?”
How do you tell someone who loves guns that you hate guns because they mean death, destruction and violence? I really don’t have a way to answer this for Ram and I suppose my non-answer meant something to him.
“I’m wondering because for someone who hates guns, you’re a natural with one.”
I didn’t want to hear that.

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