In Dependable Arms is an Alternate Universe...

All character belong to J. E.

The sky gave off a red and purple hue as I drove down Interstate 75 to my downtown office. The past three days spent in Key West to relax but my consulting firm in Miami cannot wait. The traffic was mild, I checked my messages hoping for a call from Joe Morelli my fiancée as of two weeks now. I frowned at the phone he wasn't picking up. I pulled into the parking garage and rode the elevator up to my office. That's strange, I thought as the elevator doors open to my floor, the office should be closed, why are the lights on. I stood at the door that lead to hallway and a sudden feeling of Déjà vu overwhelmed me. I dreamed about this once, walking down a dark hall leading into an abandon warehouse. The smell of sulfur and blood polluted the air. A mixture of bullet casing and blood covering the floor, and beyond that the sound of a dozen men writhed on the floor breathing their last breathe. But in reality, I walked down my dimmed lighted hallway towards my office. The smell of candle wax and sex polluted the air. As I approached the door, a mixture of clothing and a empty vodka bottle were scattered on the floor, and on the floor of my black Persian rug lay my fiancée and secretary Joyce BArnholdt writhing on the floor exhaling their last breathe of ecstasy. It would seem as if my dream will soon become a reality with just two victims. I slowly stopped a couple of feet from where they were finishing up. Joe pulled away to lay on the opposite side of Joyce, still not noticing my presences he went up an elbow with his back facing me.

"That was the best," he told her

"Even better than Stephanie?" she asked in return.

"You are." he told her in return.

I pulled the 3-carat diamond ring off my finger and slowly turn from the couple. I tossed the ring over my shoulder and made a hasty getaway to the elevators. Not caring where the ring landed even though it landed on Joyce's head. The elevator binged and I heard Joe call after me, I stepped into the small space and turned to find a tall dark man dressed in all black crowding the doorway. Behind him Joe was running tripping repeatedly on his pants. I hit the button for the doors to close and before Joe got to the door the ring in his outreached hands glisten before they closed.

Tears were falling down my face as I stare at the gold wall inside the elevator. The man beside me shifted from foot to foot. I wiped at my face but it was no use they continued to fall. I just walked in on the man that I loved and the woman who was considered a friend.

"Are you ok?"

I looked over at this man and felt my eyes widen, he was so, he was just prefect. I looked at him starting from his feet encased in black combat boots, powerful thighs encased in cargo pants, an impressive bulge, a black v-neck shirt that hugged his muscle, his throat was smooth, his face was Adonis worthy, with long black hair reaching past his shoulder. When I looked into his eyes, they were glittering with untold secret and passion.

"Uh," he had struck me speechless, "Yeah sure."

"Are you sure, because you should never run from your problems."

"Oh and I'm suppose to go back up there and face the fact that I was engage to a douche who can't keep it in his pants, and trusted a bitch that I helped get a job."

"That's exactly what I'm saying," I turned towards him and folded my arms, "Was that your office?"

"Yes."

"So get your ass up there and take it back."

"It's not that simple."

He reached towards the button for my floor, "Yes it is, go in there and get them out."

"Um, but..."

"No but, babe I'll go with you."

"OK if your sure?"

"Babe." I don't know if it was the way he said it, but Babe sounded alright with me.

When we reached the floor, and precede towards my office I could hear them talking.

"Damn it Joyce, we were that close, but no you had to open your legs!" I could hear the angry in his voice.

"That bitch will come crawling back, then we can go head with the plan." My eyes cut to the man beside me in black as I felt his body stiffen.

"I just have this feeling, she's going to be watching me like a hawk when she comes back."

"Joe Morelli, you can handle her, just know that I can be phone call away.

"But I think after all this I might love her."

"WHAT! you might think you love her, but when we're finish with her she won't have a pot to piss in. She'll go crawling back to her crazy old grandma." I can hear her laugh, I was just about to reveal where I was hiding when the man in black grabbed me by the waist, his fingers rested below my breast. My body started to get warm, and my neck started to tingle. I must be going out of my mind, my hormones were going insane just because I am in the arms of this hard-bodied man.

When I got control of myself I saw 3 other men exit the stairs, all dressed in black.

"Babe, I want you to let us handle this."

"Who are you?"

"You can call me Ranger."

"Ok, I trust you." and I knew that those words were true.

I was pushed back to the end of the line, I huffed and silently stomped my feet. The other men grinned before Ranger and his men charged my office. I could hear Joe and Joyce yelling and screaming. I slowly walked in the office, Joe and Joyce who was scantly clothed wiggling on the floor each in a pair of hand cuffs.

"What's this?" I looked at them confused.

"Babe." Ranger looked at me.

"what?"

"I told you to stay out side."

"no you didn't" I put my hands on my hips.

"Yes I did!" he growled back.

"No you didn't man." one of the men smiled at me as Ranger and I had sine sort of stare down, but it was interrupted by Joe.

"Oh God, Cupcake, what's going on, do you know these thugs?"

"Don't call me cupcake." I walked towards him, "So what was your plan?"

Joe looked shocked, but Joyce started to thrust but one of the men walked to her and put his foot on her back.

"W-w-what plan cupcake?" he laughed.

"Don't try and shovel that bull at me, you lying, deceiving, bastard!"

I guess I had a blackout because when I came to, my throat was sore, my knuckles were swollen, and Joyce was laying on the floor with half of her red hair next to her head and bloody nose. Joe was making inhuman sounds, he was also bloody from scratches and his nose.

"What happened?" my voice was hoarse.

"Shit I don't know but I liked it! Hello, beautiful the names Lester." he smiled at me again, "Boss can we keep her?"

He looked to Ranger, "Santos, I don't think you handle her." he smirked his gorgeous lips.

"Hey!"

"Tank, Bobby escort them to the garage, Santos we have a job to do."

I watched as they striped Joyce's and Joe's belongings, he wanted to give me the ring but I told him to keep it. I rolled up the rug, sad to see it go, it was the same rug I spent in front of the fire in the winters in Jersey. It belong to my grandfather Mazar, but he's in the great big Tasty Pastry in the sky. When I moved to Miami, Grandma Mazur came also along with this rug, and for Joe to fuck his shank on it was a low blow.

"Babe, what's wrong?"

"This was my grandfather's rug, it's the only thing I have of his that my mom didn't try to take."

"Oh, here let me get that." I watched as Ranger picked up the rug and walk out the door.

"Hey Ranger it was nice meeting you!"

"You too Babe, you too."