He was standing with his back to the small hallway that led to my front door. I looked over his shoulder and saw Ranger move into my line of vision.
“Okay, you got me,” I said, louder than was necessary, with just a touch of hysteria. “This is what happened. I had no idea there was money in the car. What I saw was this dead guy. And I don't know, call me crazy, maybe I've seen too many Mafia movies, but I thought to myself, Maybe there's another body in the trunk! I mean, I didn't want to miss out on any bodies, you know? So I opened the trunk and there was this gym bag. Well, I've always been nosy, so of course, I had to see inside the bag—”
“I don't give a flying fuck about your life story,” Homer said. “I want to know what you did with the freaking money. I've only got twelve hours before my ship sails. You think you could get to the point before then?”
And that was when Ranger yanked Homer Ramos off his feet and pressed the stun gun to his neck. Homer gave a squeak and collapsed onto the floor. Ranger reached down and took Homer's gun. He patted him down for more weapons, didn't find any, and cuffed his hands behind his back.
He kicked Ramos aside and stood over me. “I thought I told you not to hang out with members of the Ramos family. You never listen.”
Ranger humor.
I gave him a weak smile. “I think I'm going to throw up.”
He put his hand to the back of my neck and pushed my head down between my legs. “Push against my hand,” he said.
The bells stopped clanging and my stomach sort of calmed. Ranger pulled me to my feet and took my jacket off.
I wiped my nose on my T-shirt. “How long were you here?” I asked.
“I came in when he shot you.”
We both looked at the gash in my arm.
“Flesh wound,” Ranger said. “Can't get much sympathy on this one.” He steered me into the kitchen and pressed some paper toweling to my arm. “Try to clean it up a little, and I'll go look for a Band-Aid.”
“Band-Aid! I've been shot!”
He came back with my first-aid kit, used Band-Aids to hold the wound together, put a gauze patch on it, and wrapped my arm with surgical gauze. He stepped back and grinned at me. “You look kind of white.”
“I thought I was going to die. He'd have killed me for sure.”
“But he didn't,” Ranger said.
“Did you ever think you were going to die?”
“Many times.”
“And?”
“And I didn't.” He used my phone to dial Morelli. “I'm at Steph's apartment. We've got Homer Ramos bagged and waiting for you. And we could use a blue-and-white. Stephanie caught a bullet in the arm. It just sliced through some flesh, but she should have it looked at.”
He slid an arm around me and pulled me to him. I rested my head on his chest, and he nuzzled my hair and kissed me just above the ear. “Are you okay?” he asked.
No way was I okay. I was as unokay as I could get. I was in a state. “Sure,” I said. “I'm fine.”
I could feel him smile. “Liar.”
MORELLI CAUGHT UP with me at the hospital. “Are you okay?”
“Ranger asked me that same question fifteen minutes ago and the answer was no. But I'm feeling better now.”
“How's the arm?”
“I don't think it's too bad. I'm waiting to see the doctor.”
Morelli took my hand and pressed a kiss to the palm. “I think my heart stopped twice on the way over.”
The kiss fluttered in my stomach. “I'm fine. Really.”