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Buffy and other characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, et. al and used without permission. No copyright infringement intended & no money earned.
They stopped at Dunkin Donuts to look over the case files Buffy had found at Joyce's house. Buffy was systematically sorting them into three different piles based on the crime, bounty and the FTA's danger level. She shook her head in disgust at what she found. Vinnie gave Joyce files earmarked for Stephanie, which she already knew about. The double-crossing weasel had also passed along those meant for her and Ranger as well. Thoughts of Ranger brought a soft smile to her lips for mere seconds as she remembered their date, before it disappeared. Giving herself a mental shake, she devoured another tasty treat when her partners in crime caught her attention. The questions they longed to ask clearly written across their faces.
"Okay, you two, shoot. I know you're dying to know about something. So, get it off your chest," Buffy said, ignoring the file she had just reviewed as she as it lay open on the table.
Lula looked at Stephanie's cousin, who had replaced Ranger as her number one hero, with barely contained excitement. "How'd you do that to them tires? I never seen someone make tires fall off like that before."
"Just something I picked up from my wild and crazy youth. We used to play pranks on the bullies where I lived. I knew this guy who was really into cars, and he told me about this handy dandy doohickey."
Reaching into her pocket, Buffy pulled out a strange looking wrench. She tossed it onto the table between them. Stephanie and Lula stared at it as if she had just revealed what Batman wore under his tights.
"It pops the lug nuts off the tires. Then, all that's left is to give them a gentle jerk," Buffy said, sending Lula an innocent wide-eyed look. "The next person to get into the car gets the nicest little surprise when the tires go SPLAT!"
Her hand slammed down onto the table for emphasis, startling Lula and Stephanie, along with everyone else in the donut shop. The girls shrunk back in the booth as their hands pressed against their heart to try to slow their rapid pace. Buffy sent them an apologetic smile as she slowly withdrew her hand.
"Joyce messed with my family for too long, and I thought it was time turn the tables. Maybe, next time she'll think twice before she opens that big mouth of hers for something other than shoving a cock down it."
Buffy leaned back with a self-satisfied smirk, when her words caused Stephanie to spew coke across the table. Lula's eyes glowed with anticipation and admiration. She rubbed her large hands together as her head bobbed in agreement. The smile gracing her face was nothing short of evil.
"Girl, you gots to show me some of your other pranks; there's some people that needs a good talking to, in my opinion."
Buffy laughed aloud, causing heads to turn in their direction. "Sure thing, Lula, you just point them out and tell me what they've done and between us, we'll come up with some yummy payback."
Stephanie tuned out their plans for payback when she noticed the name on the file underneath Buffy's hand. She actually felt the blood leave her face. This was bad, very bad and she wasn't sure how in the hell this had even happened. Stephanie reached across the table to tap her finger against the file. The loud and somewhat inappropriate conversation going on between Buffy and Lula stopped abruptly as they turned to their obviously distressed friend.
"B-buffy, this can't be right. There's no way Vinnie gave this file to Joyce, or even earmarked it for me. This guy is bad news. The police have arrested him every chance they get, and he's never done one day of jail time. I doubt Ranger could take him down without using extreme force."
Buffy glanced back down at the open folder and reread the information. It stated that Benito Salinto was wanted for Failure to Appear for a lists of crimes that would make Walker Texas Ranger shake in his boots. There were charges for rape, murder, extortion, and the list went on and on. She let out a soft whistle. "You think Ranger knows that Vinnie was undercutting not only him, but me as well. Maybe, after I bring ole Saltines in, I'll let Ranger know about Vinnie undercutting us for a very large piece of ass."
"Buffy, you can't mean that you're going after Benito? Ranger has an entire team backing him up, and still things go wrong. How are you planning on pulling this off without his help?"
She closed the file and placed it onto the high-dollar, high-risk FTA files. She separated out the files she knew Stephanie and Lula could handle, along with Stephanie's repeat customers. She wrapped rubber bands around the mid-dollar files, and repeated this for the high-dollar files as well. Buffy took the entire stack and slid them into the messenger bag resting beside her chair. Stephanie and Lula watched this strange routine in heavy silence. Unsure what to do, they decided having another donut couldn't hurt. They nibbled as they waited for Buffy to answer Stephanie's question, and frankly felt ready to burst. Buffy turned her attention back to them and the feral grin the crossed Buffy's face caused the hairs on Lula's neck to rise on end.
"I have a few things up my sleeves he doesn't."
"Like what, little gurl, a bazooka."
"No, but this one time my friend, who had some military connections, set it up so that I got to shoot a rocket launcher. It was really cool, although it made a huge mess." Her nose wrinkled as she remembered picking up the pieces of blue Judge parts spread across the Sunnydale mall. "You see, Lula, sometimes it isn't about being bigger, definitely not that, or stronger, definitely that. It's about what you bring to the game. Let me guess, Ranger asks for your help on these type takedowns, right? Then, he sweeps in and takes out the high-dollar FTA. See, I can take care of it myself because when the bad guys see little ole me, they think I'm some ditzy blonde that they can push around, and it bites them in the ass every time.
Buffy slid the remaining files across the table toward her cousin. Stephanie took them and glanced at the names, nodding at the ones she recognized.
"You and Lula should have no prob handling these cases. There are some errands I need to run, along with info gathering. Don't worry about dropping me anywhere, I'll take a cab. If you run into any problems call me, and I'll come running."
She exited the donut shop, before Stephanie and Lula could do or say anything. They stared out the window with their mouths hung open in shock, wondering how Buffy had suddenly appeared on the sidewalk. Their eyes followed her as she hailed a taxi with an extremely loud whistle and drove from sight. They finally turned back to the sugary delights still waiting for them on the table.
Stephanie picked up the chocolate covered donut that was calling her name. She took a large bite, chewing slowly while she thought over what had just happened. Lula followed her best friend's example, quickly chewing and swallowing the yummy goodness. She tried to wait for Stephanie to say something first but couldn't hold it in any longer and finally exploded with questions.
"Your cousin's a whole lot of trouble in one itty-bitty package. You think we should let Ranger know about Benito. I know Buffy's good, but she's still not from the Burg. She just don't understand how things work round here, and it might get her killed."
"Something tells me that we haven't seen the half of it, when it comes to Buffy. All I know, is that I'm not calling Ranger, no matter how much I want to. Would you want her training you, and pissed off at the same time? Not me, no way." Stephanie's soft curls bounced artlessly about her head as she shook it to emphasize her point.
"I'm with you on that one girlfriend; ya think we have enough time for another crème filled?"
Buffy had the cab take her directly back to her apartment. She knew the perfect person to help her find the information she needed to know about Saltines. Randy gave her instructions on how to contact him. Very spy like with its special phone number to call and the numbered code to input when asked, along with her hanging up afterward and him calling her some thirty minutes later. She felt all double 'O' Buffy. Randy called her back on what he said was a secure line. She believed him because he would know after all. Plus, thanks to Giles and Willow, none of her calls were traceable regardless of who tried. In fact, as far as anyone knew she had no other phone than her cell.
She slipped her boots off as she padded barefoot into the kitchen for some White Chocolate and Almond ice cream. Her home phone rang exactly thirty minutes later.
"Hey Randy, how's it going in No Man's Land?" Buffy smiled as his soft laugh came through the line to echo in her ear.
"I'm laying low and moving every other day. So far, I haven't picked up any tales, but I'm running out of places, and may have to move further out than I had planned. It's just plane stupid to repeat the places I've already stayed. Have you found anything on the people I told you about?" His voice sounded hopeful through the phone.
"Got several feelers out, and think I might have met him, not sure though. Will know more when the information we need arrives in the next coupla days. But, hey if you need some place to stay you can always stay with me. Let me know, okay, and I'll arrange, with the management, for you to have access. I certainly don't want you somewhere where you'll be vulnerable and I can't get to you if you need help." No response came back across the line. "Randy! Hey, are you still there? Are you okay?"
"You'd let me stay with you to keep me safe?" Randy's voice came through as a tiny whisper over the phone.
Buffy felt her heart go out to the tiny man who couldn't believe that anyone would care whether he was safe, or even alive or dead. It made her sad to think of him being that alone in his life. "We're friends now aren't we? I'd do anything for my friends, Randy. You'll learn that about me once you get to know me better."
"Thanks Buffy, but I couldn't do that. What if I led them straight to you? Then, you'd have more trouble than you could handle and these guys wouldn't care about you being a woman."
She laughed thinking about all the demons and vampires she had faced throughout her life. And, sweet Randy worried about some gangsters hurting her because she was a woman.
"The bad guys always under estimate us little guys, don't they, Randy? Now, how do you feel about sticking it to another bully?"
She explained about Benito and what she needed to know, which had him chuckling over the phone. They hung up after he promised to call her back with the information.
Buffy padded around her apartment enjoying the peace and quiet. She had enjoyed spending time with the Plums, but she craved the solitude after months of cramped quarters. A song that used to play at the Bronze came on the radio. It brought brief pangs of nostalgia. But, Buffy admitted she rather enjoyed getting the chance to create her own life. Grabbing a bottle of Yoohoo from the fridge, she sat down at the kitchen table and went back over her plan for one Benito Salinto. This was somewhat different than stopping an apocalypse, since she normally wanted the Big Bad dead. Buffy didn't think her new life would work out too well if she started it out killing her non-nice FTAs. It really didn't matter whether they weren't the best example of the human race she wasn't the judge or the jury. She had to think outside the coffin, while still using the skills she had honed over the past seven years.
The phone rang and it was Randy with the information she needed. The light of battle entered Buffy's eyes and the Slayer peeked out. A vampire seeing her like this, might have warned Benito to run for his life. The repeat offender who thought nothing of using his wife as his punching bag, or elementary aged children to run his drugs was about to find out the detailed definition of a Slayer.
She called the front desk to see if her promised delivery had arrived. The manager announced that it was ready and waiting for her downstairs. Buffy thanked him and told him she would be down shortly to take it off his hands. She went to change her clothes and pick up several special toys that she was dying to try in the field.
Thirty minutes later, she headed toward Trenton's rougher side. If Stephanie and Lula knew what she was doing, they'd be calling Ranger, Joe, and the National Guard to find her. The latest Yamaha Warrior, with every option imaginable and several more specially ordered specifically by her was her newest toy. She couldn't drive an automobile to save her life, but she was hell on two wheels thanks to Spike. They hadn't spent every night in his crypt. When the walls seemed ready to close in on her, he would take her out on his bike, and on a lark taught her to drive it. She saw the one she was currently riding during the flight from Cleveland.
Giles kept telling her that she was an adult and that there was more than enough money at her disposal, within reason of course. So, she saw, she called, and she bought. Who knew that was how the other half lived. She had no desire to live off the Council's money. Giles repeatedly told her that she had earned it, and it wasn't as if there wasn't enough for her to do just that. Buffy rather resented the idea of living off the Council, who had lived the good life while she struggled after her mother died. It didn't mean she wouldn't use it to buy some perks to get her new life started.
She smiled as she stared at her new baby. Buffy punched in the coordinates Randy gave her into the GPS. She spent the last few weeks studying maps of Trenton. Knowing the ins and outs of Sunnydale had saved her life on more than one occasion. Buffy wasn't willing to make stupid mistakes by not knowing her surroundings. She was going hunting, just for different a type of Big Bad.
A streak of red and black sped by Ranger's black Bronco. He admired the sleek motorcycle and the slender body expertly handling it. The driver reminded him of someone but he couldn't quite place who. The bike quickly moved out of sight to head toward the bad side of town. Ranger shook his head, hoping the idiot riding the bike was smart enough to stop before getting too far into the parts of Trenton even he wouldn't go without back up.
Stephanie and Lula spent the morning wondering what Buffy was doing. She hadn't answered her phone all morning. They had a bad feeling that she had gone after Santos. Vinnie didn't have many skips for Stephanie, and Lula announced that she was too upset to file, so they did the only thing they could in a situation like this - went to lunch.
After placing an order for an extra large pizza and a pitcher of coke, the girls slid into the booth. Pino's wasn't too crowded, yet since it was still early. Lula beat Stephanie for the seat that faced the front of the restaurant. She proceeded to give a running commentary of each person entering the restaurant from the way they walked to their clothes and hair. When her eyes grew wide and a slight sheen of sweat broke out on her brow, Stephanie knew Ranger had just entered the famed establishment.
No matter how sexy they found Ranger, the girls ignored him completely when the waiter placed an enormous pizza on the table between them. They each snatched a large piece and shoved it into their mouths as their eyes closed with twin looks of bliss bloomed across their faces.
Ranger stood watching this strange ceremony. No matter how many times he saw Stephanie eat, it still astounded him at the way she forgot everything else but food. She treated it like a friend, a lover, well like a man she wanted, he stopped his thoughts as a beautiful blonde popped into his head at that moment. Ranger saw Buffy devouring the food they had on their date. The low moan she made at the back of her throat when the flavors burst in her mouth still echoed in his mind. He could see her laid bare beneath him making that exact same sound. All of a sudden, his camo pants felt uncomfortably tight.
Stephanie called out again. "Ranger!" She glanced at Lula with a worried look on her face. Neither woman could ever remember Batman zoning out before to tell the truth it scared the shit out of them.
"What!" He snapped out of his daydream pissed at himself and everyone else.
"Don't snap at me. I didn't do anything."
Stephanie told him off, while Lula tried to squeeze all 200 plus pounds of herself underneath the table. The bolts that held the table down for over thirty years began to squeak and groan. Now, Lula tried to sit back up and couldn't. Her hip was part way wedged under the table while two large breasts rested on top.
"Help me I'm stuck."
Her eyes grew big as saucers, while the table groaned with her every move. Stephanie grabbed the pizza and coke careful to place them safely out of harm's way. She turned to Ranger for help only to find him trying to contain his laughter. Stephanie sent him an angry glare, which he shrugged off to walked over to help Lula out from under the table.
They looked like some strange circus act as he pulled and she yelled that he was killing her. She finally popped free at about the same time that the table toppled over onto its side with a loud crash. Lula and Ranger were both breathing heavy while Stephanie tried hard not to laugh.
Ranger put the table back in place and pulled up a chair for himself. He looked around but didn't see the tiny blonde anywhere much to his disappointment.
"Where's Buffy?"
Lula eyed the table with longing, wondering if she wasn't better off back underneath it. The bolt that had held her captive was no longer an issue, and the table was looking better by the minute. Stephanie was wondering if there was enough room for both her and Lula underneath the table. They caught each other's eye. Each woman nodded at the other, indicating that the other should be the one to tell Ranger what they suspected Buffy was doing. They looked like rabid chickens with their heads bobbing back and forth at each other at such a rapid pace.
Ranger didn't like what he was seeing. "Babe," his voice was soft whisper.
Stephanie sighed; she knew he wouldn't let her get away without telling him. "She found out Vinnie gave Joyce Benito Salinto's file. I tried to tell her that he was really bad and she shouldn't even consider going after him…" Her voice trailed off as she watched Ranger's face darken with anger.
Ranger didn't say anything as he simply pulled out his and punched one button. "Tank, suit up…Benito…Yeah, Vinnie gave him to Joyce and Buffy found the file…She went after him alone…Wait a minute." He turned back to Stephanie. His dark brown eyes had turned black as coal. "How long ago did you talk with her?"
"We saw her this morning but she hasn't answered her phone for the last coupla of hours," Lula supplied helpfully as she eyed the table one more time.
"What! How come you didn't tell me before now? Don't you know how dangerous Benito is? He's a high dollar skip for a reason. Buffy's good, but she's still only one person. And, doesn't know Trenton or how things work here. Why didn't you call me to let me know so I could've stopped her, or at least helped her?" His voice had taken on that short, sharp tone he usually reserved for the FTAs.
"Huh, that girl's one bad little mama. I mean you're Batman, but I'll be damned if she ain't Catwoman and Electra all wrapped into one."
He stood up shoving the chair across the floor. "Did she go back to your house after she left you?"
"Uh, yeah, she went home. Said something about some errands and making some calls or something like that," Stephanie muttered, not able to meet his eye as she talked. Although, he didn't notice since he was already headed out the door.
"Girl, you're bad. How come you let him think she still lives with you and Joe?" Lula asked, even as she looked at her friend with eyes that gleamed with admiration.
"When my cousin wants Ranger to know where she lives she'll let him know, until she then lives with us."
Buffy parked her bike in the warehouse Randy's friend owned. She left her helmet and bike jacket behind as she grabbed the lightweight bag she had stowed into the special storage compartment she had installed. Buffy shifted her weapons higher on her shoulder as she took the freight elevator to the top floor and from there a short flight of stairs exited onto the roof. The warehouse gave provide her the perfect view of the four city blocks that surrounded it. Randy's friend had mob connections, and used the space for hiding, err, certain items that needed to remain out of sight. The mob ensured that no one bothered the warehouse. It was an arrangement that worked for all parties involved.
Randy found out that the four blocks surrounding the warehouse belonged to Benito. This was where he distributed drugs, using elementary kids as runners, ran runaways as hookers, and much, much more. It turned out the information highway at his tiny little fingers told Randy something large was going down tonight.
She settled in to stalk her prey. For the first time since coming to Trenton, Buffy felt the thrill of the hunt. She let the Slayer out with each breath she took, each sound she identified, and each piercing glance of her eyes at the area below. Her head snapped around as she spotted her target.
Benito Salinto stood one block over making a drug deal. Beside him stood a badly beaten teenager with long dark hair that reminded Buffy of Dawn. He kept a firm grasp on the too thin arm, even though the teen didn't try to resist or move away. Benito turned to her and with an evil smile slapped her with his other hand. The girl's thin body would've crumpled without the vice-like hand holding her. The man that controlled her life, and the lives of many others was of medium height with dark, greasy hair, cold black eyes, and a body that would run to fat in a year or two, if he lived that long.
Buffy eyed her prey with a malicious glee that any vampire would have known meant they would soon be dust in the wind. She took out a crossbow, loading it up with ammunition made especially for this purpose. After taking careful aim, the trigger released with a swish as it hit its mark.
A figure crept around the side of the building moving closer to its target. It faded into the bricks, shadow and doorways. A small boy no more than ten years old acted as a lookout. Benito paid him fifty dollars a week to run errands for him and not ask questions. Tommy knew how to do as he was told and his family needed the money. He felt something touch his shoulder, and he turned around slowly, scared of what he might find. Tommy's eyes grew large at what he saw. There, crouched low hidden in the shadows was a beautiful green eyed woman. She motioned for him to come closer. He knew he shouldn't, but his feet moved all by themselves.
"I want you to go on home now, sweety. No one will look for you, and no one will know that you aren't here I promise. You need to go home and be safe, okay?" Tommy nodded his head. "What's your name?"
"Tommy Martin," he mumbled, looking down at his feet.
Buffy put her finger under his chin. "Tommy, my name's Buffy. I want you to make me a promise that you won't do this anymore." She saw him start to protest. "If you do then I promise to help you find a job that won't get you in trouble or hurt, deal?" Her hand went out for him to shake which he hesitantly accepted. They smiled at each other then Buffy turned him around to push him toward home, slipping her card in his back pocket.
Her smiled faded away the minute she knew Tommy was out of sight. Looking around the corner, her prey was only a few hundred yards away now. It was time to see how it liked being hunted, frightened - helpless. The Slayer lay just below the surface. Surprisingly, the protector of humankind had no qualms about teaching this "human" a lesson. They were more at ease with one another appearing when needed.
"Time to play, Benny boy. Let's see how you like it when there's someone who makes you feel helpless and scared."
She moved closer, before crouching down to open her bag. The street erupted into chaos as car alarms went off in every car along both sides of the streets and sirens blasted. Benito took off running down the street, leaving the girl behind him. He headed off down one street, but the minute he headed in that direction something whizzed by his head. It sounded like a bullet. He spun back around to head down another street. Another 'bullet' sped by him, this time it creased his arm causing him to cry out. Clutching his arm, Benito turned again to move away from the crossfire. He couldn't figure out who was doing this, how many of them there were, or even where the bullets were coming from. A dark alley lay ahead. It should provide some cover, and he thought he remembered that was where Max had his warehouse. He could hide out in there. The minute he stepped into the alley behind the warehouse, a shiver raced up his spine. A rope with a large loop tightened around feet, hauling a shrieking body into the air. The body twisted and turned trying to get free, while another rope looped out to catch the flailing arms. It wrapped tightly around the torso, effectively disabling any movement.
"Who are you? What do you want? Do you know who I am? I'll kill you when I get free from here. I'm Benito Salinto, and I own these streets."
He was startled when he heard the soft laughter of a woman. He cried out in pain when something hit his back.
Buffy walked around him slowly. Her staff tapped against her leg as she decided just how she would teach this lesson.
"You've been a very bad boy. Not only did you not appear for your court date. That's not the real problem. In fact, I want to thank you for that because it gave me this chance to have a little quality time with you, Benny. No, you need to learn not to pick on women and children. What's the matter aren't you man enough to handle a woman without beating her up first? It's because your dick is so little that you have to scare her so she won't laugh, right?"
He started cussing her and trying to twist his head around to see her. "Bitch, puta, I'm more man than you could ever handle. Let me down from here, or I'll kill you."
The staff came down hard on his back. "Didn't your momma teach you that you shouldn't talk like that? I guess I'll just have to help you remember your manners." Buffy went inside the building. She quickly made her way back up to the roof where she hoisted Benito up into the air. He screamed the entire time.
"Let me down, dios mios. Let me down. I'll give you whatever you want. You want money, I have lots of money; or drugs, I have the best in Trenton. Ask anyone."
She dropped him down inches from the street; his head almost brushed against the pavement. Buffy heard him praying and cussing all in the same breath.
"Are you going to ever hit your wife again, Benny?"
"She's my woman. You can't tell a man what he can do to his own woman."
Before the last word left his mouth, she dropped him again. This time he only went half way and stopped with a hard jerk. The journey back up was slow, painstakingly slow. Buffy only heard prayers this time.
"I don't think that you understand how this works. This is what you can call an attitude adjustment. Until you adjust your attitude, you won't get down from here and it will only get worse. Believe me, I haven't even started."
"I will not touch my woman."
"Somehow, I don't believe you. Let's try this."
Buffy put a spin on this trip, shooting Benito all the way to the ground. His head stopped an inch above the ground then it started to bounce against the hard pavement. Buffy flicked her wrist reminiscent of a small child handling their favorite yo-yo. She was careful not to allow Benito's head hit against the ground too hard as she kept the tension tightly under control. With all the head injuries she and the Scoobies had incurred over the years, they had become quite knowledgeable in the amount damage the skull and brain could take before any real damage. Buffy was using that information to her advantage along with the information Randy gave her regarding the warehouse. She wouldn't have dared even to think of going to this extreme without knowing the pavement had recently been blacktopped, as opposed to being old hard, broken cement. She also knew that head injuries bled easily, hurt like heck, which made them appear worse than they were.
"Please, I'll do what you want, just bring me up and I'll do what you want." His voice shook as blood dripped into his eyes. Benito couldn't ever remember feeling this scared before, this uncertain about what would happen next. He sighed with relief when the rope slowly started to pull him, too slowly until finally he reached the roof.
"Now, that wasn't too hard was it? You're going to get plenty of time to think about the people you've hurt while you're in jail, Benny. Let's see if we can't do this the easy way. You plead guilty and do your time, and if I hear any differently then I'm going to show you what real pain is all about."
Buffy reached out to pull his swinging body close forcing him to look into her eyes. Benito had faced many ruthless people in his life, but none of them had scared him the way this small woman did. Her eyes reminded him of hard pieces of green ice. He didn't doubt for one minute that she would do exactly what she promised, and possibly even more.
She flipped open her phone, selecting the number she needed. Her eyes never left Benito's face as she waited for the other party to answer their phone.
"Eddie, could you come and pick up a prisoner for me?..,I don't have any way to transport him...Yeah, it's Benito Salinto...That's what I said...Here's the address. We'll be waiting in the alley...See ya in a few, thanks, Eddie."
Ranger sped back to Rangeman Enterprises with every type of horrible scenario running through his mind about what could be happening to Buffy. An inhuman growl burst from deep in his chest. He swore right then if even one hair was harmed on her head that after he took care of Benito, he would personally kill Vinnie Plum.
Tank, Carlos, and the rest of the Rangeman team were ready to roll when he pulled into the parking lot. They took one look at his face and didn't say a word more for their own sense of preservation than anything else.
"I found out where his area is, and if she's any good at all that's where she's headed." Tank got into the Bronco with Ranger giving him the information.
"She's good, but she doesn't know Trenton and has no idea what kind of slime she's dealing with. I can't believe that Stephanie knew and didn't call so I could've stopped Buffy before she even went after Benito. What's wrong with that woman? She isn't bulletproof."
Ranger's fingers raked through his hair, freeing it from the ponytail. It fell loose about his face, giving him an even wilder appearance with the heated look in his dark eyes. Tank stared at his long time friend unused to seeing his normally calm boss so frantic.
"Boss, Buffy's pretty good about taking care of herself. Sure, she doesn't know Trenton, but maybe it won't be as bad as you think."
Ranger shot him a look that could have curdled concrete before he flipped on the police radio. His foot pressed to the floor as he took the corner on two wheels and shot around cars, causing horns to honk and brakes to slam. Tank grabbed the handhold and prayed they would make it to Buffy in one piece.
"This is DR34 we are in route to East State Street for a FTA pickup. ETA is fifteen minutes."
The two men looked at each other in shock. Ranger said several choice words in Spanish and Tank tried not to laugh. There wasn't anyway for them to get there before the police arrived. They would be rolling up right behind them.
Eddie pulled into the alley unsure what to expect, but what he saw made him doubt his own sanity. There was Buffy, pretty as a picture, leaning against the building, while beside her quiet as a mouse sat one Benito Salinto. She nudged him with the toe of her boot and the drug dealer got up and walked to the police car to wait for Eddie to open the door.
"Hey, Eddie, thanks for coming. Don't worry about ole Benny; we had a little talk, and he promises to be real a good boy. I'll come by the station to pick up my receipt."
She stopped talking when a familiar black Bronco slammed to a stop, followed by no less than three more almost identical vehicles. Buffy's eyes narrowed because she knew who were in the cars, and it pissed her off. She turned back to Eddie, ignoring the new arrivals.
"Take off, Eddie, I have this covered, and not so sure having you on the scene is a good thing."
Eddie gulped at the hard edge in her normally friendly voice. All he knew was that he was happy he wasn't Ranger right now.
"Okay, Buffy, but if you need me all you have to do is call."
"You're the best, Eddie; if you weren't married, I might make a play for you."
She kissed him on the cheek and stepped back from the car. Buffy sent him a saucy wave as she turned around and strolled leisurely back to the wall where he had first seen her standing.
Eddie locked Benito into the cruiser's backseat then got in, but not before giving Ranger a wary look. He pulled out, taking off with an uneasy feeling. The only problem was he wasn't sure if it was for leaving Buffy there with Ranger, or leaving Ranger there to face Buffy.
Buffy leaned back against the building not bothering to go to Ranger, knowing he would be in her face in the next few seconds. She wasn't wrong, because she reached the count of ten in her head before she felt strong fingers grabbing her arms. Emerald green faced brown eyes so dark there was no discernible pupil. Anger quickly replaced the fear he had felt previously.
"What, the hell, did you think you were doing going after Benito on your own like that? You don't know anything about Trenton. Hell, you barely even know the town; otherwise, you'd know this is the worst part of it. The police don't even like to come down here. And, you, barely more than a girl, whose been here, what three weeks, wanders down here to take down one of the worst high dollar FTAs on the books. What are you stupid?"
Tank exchanged glances with Carlos. "Uh oh, he done screwed up now. Even I know, that's the number one worst thing to say to any woman, especially not one quite possibly can kick your ass." The two friends nodded their heads in total agreement.
Buffy's eyes turned hard with suppressed anger. They darkened to the deepest emerald as her pupils expanded, nearly filling the iris, leaving the barest dark green circle.
"If you don't take your hands off me, and step away I'm not responsible for what happens next."
Her voice came out low and soft, but held enough menace to make Tank and Carlos want to step back. Their worry level went up several notches. Tank wondered if they had enough people here to keep the impending disaster from going totally FUBAR. He wasn't sure if these two went totally ballistic if there were enough people in Trenton to stop them from beating the hell out of each other and anyone that got in their way.
"What are you going to do? You may be good, but I'm no push over, and from where I stand I hold all the cards."
To prove his point, Ranger pressed his lower body against hers to stop her from kicking him. He smirked at her, thinking that he had her immobilized and planned to make her listen to him.
She closed her eyes took a short breath and head butted him. A loud crack echoed in the alley as Ranger saw stars while his eyes crossed from the immediate pain resounding through his head. He reflexively stepped back, without even realizing it. This was what Buffy was waiting for as she crossed, threading them over the top of his arms, effectively breaking his hold on her. Her body launched off the wall in a perfect dive into his chest. She moved like liquid fire when her fists hit him. It sent them backward, pulling her body into an arch setting her feet into perfect alignment with his head.
Ranger felt like he'd been hit by a Mack truck. How the hell did she do that with her body that fast and what does she have in her boots - cement? He stumbled backward, working hard to stay on his feet. Ranger decided this might be the only way to show her that she wasn't as tough as she thought she was. She wanted a fight and he planned to give her one. Trenton had plenty of bad people, who wouldn't pull their punches when going up against Buffy, and it was best she learned that now. He easily fell into a fighting stance, which brought a smile to Buffy's face. This wasn't exactly the response he expected, but he was confident that when it was all said and done she would learn her lesson.
"Let's get a few things straight here, Ricky. First, I'm not a girl. Second, I don't need you or anyone else to tell me how to do my job. I may be new this but I'm not STUPID. Blonde yes, stupid, no. If I had wanted your help, I'd have asked for it. Third, I happen to know how to get around Trenton. Like I said, not stupid. I understood that I'd need to know the area, so guess what I did?"
Buffy kept up her dialogue as she danced around Ranger, keeping out of his reach. The entire time she would dart around him, coming almost close enough for him to hit or kick, only to dance back out of reach at the last possible moment.
"Awe, come on guess." Ranger remained silent as she continued to taunt him. "Okay, I can see you're not in the mood to talk. I did something a man wouldn't think to do, something totally unthinkable, and looked up the city map and 'ooh' memorized it. Who would've thought silly ole me could think up something like that?"
Buffy fluttered her lashes in her best Southern Belle imitation. She had stopped dancing around as her tone went hard and dark as she continued.
"Now, here's your last warning, and then I won't be responsible for what I do to you. If you ever put your hands on me like that again, I'll kick your ass so bad they won't call you Batman. It'll be more along the lines of the Invisible Man because there won't be much left of you. Are we clear?"
She stood before him, waiting to see whether he would believe her or take the challenge she had just thrown at him.
"Sure, let me see if I got this right."
Ranger threw a punch at her head, which Buffy easily blocked. This almost reminded her of when she danced with Spike. Well, it would if she weren't so pissed. She knew she had to hold back the Slayer so that she didn't hurt Ranger too much. He tried to sweep her feet, but she easily jumped over them. One of her feet hit his head, while the other hit him square in the chest.
He was getting angry and allowed it to fuel his fight. Ranger almost crowed with happiness when he was finally able to clip her when he spun around in time to bust her in the face. It split her lip, which had her tongue slipping out to taste the blood. When Buffy's head turned back to Ranger, it held the heat of battle in her eyes as her lips tilted upward into a feral grin. She appeared primal and dangerous with blood spread across her teeth. Ranger's eyes grew wide at that. He had expected her to want to stop by then, thinking that she must be getting tired, but what came next really surprised him.
"How bout this, Ricky? Whoever wins this wins the bet? I can tell you right now you aren't going to be saving me anytime soon. So, what do you say? Are you up to it or are you too tired?" she taunted, her tongue came out the taste her blooded lip again.
"Let's do it," Ranger growled, he wasn't sure if it was from pent-up anger or passion at the sight of that tongue.
They went all out with Ranger's men watching, and taking bets on the outcome. The blows were coming faster, with each person blocking whatever came their way. With the last bet tallied, and Tank holding all the money, it happened. Buffy jumped over the top of Ranger's head landing behind him. She swept his feet out from under him and placed her foot on his neck.
"I think this means that I win."
Her laughter was pure and sweet as it echoed in the alley. Ranger cursed where he lay on the ground, while the others just looked on in disbelief.
"What do you want?" She bent over and whispered in his ear, causing his normally mocha skin to turn pale.
"You have to be kidding me. I'm not doing that."
"Then you're a liar? You bet, with no intention of paying if you lose."
"Fine, but I'm going to make you pay for this, just you wait."
"Ooh, I'm so scared that I'm shaking in my boots. See you tomorrow night, and don't be late. Ta, boys let me know who the big winner is."
She waved at them before stepping back into the warehouse. Minutes later, they heard an engine rev followed by a black and red motorcycle zoomed out of the warehouse doors and down the street.
"Well I'll be damned," Ranger said, when he realized the rider he had seen earlier was Buffy.
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