Chapter 3

Who is that?

Jason and Andy were led away. Viv was sure they wouldn't harm them. As short on help as they were right now, they might even offer them a job. Both young men looked underweight, and she hoped they were fed before being interrogated.

Her stomach growled, reminding her of the meal on the table not far from where she stood. She never wastes anything, so she returned to her meal and began eating again.

Carler gave her an amused look before he concentrated on his meal. He'd never even left the table, but she knew he had watched her closely.

After returning to their meal, she noticed a guy–a really big, frightening-looking guy who was smiling. He'd watched the whole thing, and it had also amused him.

He didn't just stand out because he was larger than the average male, but because he had snow-white hair, even though he didn't look old enough to have hair so white. Carler noticed where she was looking, and the male nodded at him before looking away. It was clear to her they knew each other, and it made her wonder what a male so dangerous was doing here. Did he have something to do with security? Or was it possibly something personal?

Viv intended to watch it and figure out what was happening there. Not only was she a naturally curious person–which had helped her greatly in her previous job–but for some reason, she felt the guy had something to do with her job. She'd already figured out that her bosses often hid things from her, things that, for whatever reason, they determined she didn't need to know. Carler was even worse than Ranger about doing that. Maybe it was because he felt something was happening between them and was trying to protect her.

To hell with that. Viv could protect herself and had for many years. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing he could do that she couldn't.

"You handled that situation well, but you scared years off my life," Carler admitted.

"It was clear to me that they were just two scared boys who would respond better to a female than a man."

Viv noticed that she was starting to talk more like them. That male and female thing was very noticeable and would not do her well when she was out in the rest of the world.

"I'm sure you were right. What bothered me were the machine guns. I never, for one moment, felt like they were toys or that they were empty."

Viv sometimes wondered if Carler had greater powers of observation than she did. He seemed sure about the guns, but she couldn't tell if they were toys. Maybe part of the reason was because she was aware that toys had gotten close to imitating the real thing, and she doubted that Carler had anything to do with toys.

She and Doug had investigated a crime committed by a boy who had used a toy to rob a bank. Unfortunately, it didn't matter that it was a toy. The boy had gotten a prison sentence even though he was only fifteen.

It was funny that sometimes they would go after someone like that and throw the book at them, and other times, someone who had a real gun and actually killed somebody would get off with a slap on the wrist. It had been one thing that really bothered her about her job. It lacked consistency and heart. This job was much better, except she hadn't managed to catch any of the bad guys she was after. Yes, Joe Senior was the main one, but there were others that she still pursued even though her bosses probably wouldn't appreciate it.

Viv sent the information to the lady who had taken her old job. She'd known her since she had come on with the FBI. She'd been moving up the ranks and was due for a job like Viv's old one. Delilah appreciated the information even though she sometimes couldn't act on it due to all the rules she had to follow. That was one of the things that bothered Viv when she had that job as well.

It made her wonder how Del, as she preferred to be called, would handle the really tough cases and big problems. Few people could handle them well, and many of those she worked with drank, and some took drugs. Others were destructive in their relationships or had other obsessive behaviors like gambling. Thinking you would save the world and finding out you wouldn't be allowed to was difficult for some people.

Doug had told her that if it wasn't for her, he would have gone crazy. She thought the same and knew she'd been on a downward spiral since he died. Would she ever have an opportunity to live a real life, or would she always look back and wish he was still with her?

She'd been so busy looking back that she'd forgotten she was sitting across from Carler. However, when she looked up, he was watching her. He knew what she'd been thinking. The look on his face said it all. Did he wonder if there was any way he could ever get her past out of the way and have a relationship? She wasn't sure that would ever happen, and if she was him, she would just quit trying.

"Are you done eating now, or do you want dessert?" He asked.

"What kind of dessert?" She asked. Viv loved dessert even though she rarely allowed herself one.

It was a matter of worrying that a moment on the lips would be forever on the hips—an old saying that fit the situation perfectly. On this night, she just didn't care. She wanted to drown in something luxurious and wonderful, hoping it would make her feel better.

"I'll call the waitress over, and we'll find out. I do know that they have an amazing chocolate cherry cheesecake. They even have a unique gooseberry cheesecake, but that one's not always available."

Viv moaned. "I love gooseberries, and they are so hard to find."

"Then we'll see what we can do." He motioned to the waitress, and she hurried over. "Do you have any of that gooseberry cheesecake available?"

"I'll have to check, but I believe we have one piece left." The waitress hurried off and came back with one piece of gooseberry cheesecake.

Viv was in heaven. She wasn't paying much attention but heard Carler order a piece of chocolate cherry cheesecake. That made her feel good because she didn't want to share her piece of cheesecake with anyone. Did that make her bad? No, he had just been talking about the wonderful chocolate cherry cheesecake, so he didn't need any of hers. The first taste exploded in her mouth, and she knew she would have to remember this place to return often and get what was now her absolute favorite dessert.

She'd never had gooseberry cheesecake, but she had eaten gooseberry dumplings. It was a special favorite in her family. Her dad's father was wonderful, and they visited with him often. At least, she had been left there often, and that was where she had gooseberry dumplings.

When he died, it had burned her whole world. Things had only gotten worse when her grandmother had remarried. Her new husband was the grandfather from hell.

At sixteen, Viv often stayed with her mother's parents. After she graduated from high school and went to college, her grandmother died. Her grandfather followed soon after. He was unwilling to live without the love of his life.

Viv and her parents only communicated through Christmas cards and birthday cards. They had their jobs, and after college, she'd had hers. It didn't matter. Viv no longer felt like she had a family.

She had been an only child, and once her grandparents died, her father's family didn't seem to be so close anymore. Doug had been her family, and then he left her, too. Not that he'd wanted to, but he was gone anyway, and she was alone.

Viv was lost in thought again, and Carler didn't say a word. He probably knew what she was thinking about, and it surprised her that he said nothing. Most men would have interrupted and tried to turn the conversation to themselves.

"This dessert was amazing. The only problem was that it was eaten too quickly," Viv chuckled.

"We can come back, and you can get it again."

"That would be nice to come back sometime."

She didn't want to give him the impression that she was available anytime he asked. Yet, she didn't want to tell him she wouldn't return.

It was an exciting meal, and they had dealt with their most recent issue. Viv felt the issues would continue until they took out Joe Senior. She hated the whole mess and was already tired of Joe Senior.

She peeked up at Carler and wasn't sure if he had taken the meal as encouragement. Viv knew he was interested in her, but she told him how she felt and that she wasn't looking for a relationship and might never be. Why did she feel so bad about that?

Viv liked Carler most of the time and was attracted to him. Who wouldn't be? The man was a gorgeous hunk.

When they were done, Viv went to her room to rest. She was tired from the long trip and the big meal.

It was like they both had the same thought and got up at the same time. Carler escorted Viv to her room, but before he allowed her to enter, he gently pressed her back to the wall and gave her a sweet kiss.

All that did was make her want more, but she would only lead him on. That wouldn't be fair. So, without a word, she opened her door, slipped inside, and shut it behind her, leaving him in the hall.

Viv undressed. A hot shower was just the thing to help relax her and prepare her for a good night's sleep. A bath might be better, but she didn't feel like it. It always seemed to take longer, and she wanted to get to sleep so she could get up early in the morning and return to work. She was even more tired than she thought because she was asleep as soon as she got in bed.

She felt a little achy when she woke, which was no surprise after the long trip there and back. She stretched, hoping to ease the ache. It was time to get up and hopefully have a good breakfast before she pulled her computer out and started plotting the next plan to take down Joe Senior.

Once dressed, she headed down the hall to the closest restaurant. She got a tray of food that she could take to her office to eat there. Viv rarely ate in any of the restaurants. She frequented the cafeteria on the same level as her office. It had many entrees that were easy to take with her.

She couldn't really say she was surprised when she got to the office and found Carler already working.

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Good morning," she returned the sentiment, setting her tray down and starting her computer.

As she began to work and drink her coffee, it was impossible not to glance at her boss. Every once in a while, he caught her looking at him and smiled. It bothered her that she couldn't avoid watching him, especially when she was supposed to be doing research on Joe and those who helped him.

She finally found something useful, but she wasn't sure if it was true. It was a picture of Joe arriving at the airport near them.

"Do you think this might be right? I have a picture that shows Joe boarding a plane heading here."

"What?" Carler asked. Do you think that's possible? He's never done anything in person before. Could he be sending someone who just looks like him?"

"Anything is possible. We need to watch carefully since Joe Senior is wanted by multiple national governments. If he arrives, we could arrest him on sight. That's one of the reasons why I can't imagine him taking such a chance. If he has found someone that looks like him and is willing to do what he asks, it could get us in trouble if we arrest the wrong person."

"Do we have ways of determining if it is him or not? While he thinks we are dragons, he is unaware we have that technology. We work with top scientists worldwide to get the best of whatever is available. We even found a scientist in Australia who is working on some crazy sci-fi things that can send a person from here to Australia in seconds. I'm unsure how far along their research is, but we are funding it. Can you imagine how amazing that would be?"

"Is that for real? Sounds like a fantasy," Viv commented.

"It is for real and probably closer than either of us know. I don't work with science projects, so I can only say what was presented to us. Most of the stuff that we work on is environmentally friendly in an attempt to save the planet. I'm not sure what it could mean if people could transport themselves without a vehicle."

"I can't even imagine. It just makes me wonder what else is being worked on worldwide that I don't know about."

"I imagine there is more than you know. We have found that several things are being developed that were purchased by companies that didn't want the plans to get out. It would have helped the environment enormously, and now we are trying to run down some of those projects and see if there is some way we can get a different scientist to develop them. Could you imagine unlimited energy without any effects on the environment?" Carler asked.

"No, I really can't. We've had to live with the pollution for so long it is normal."

It was sad that humanity seemed to be moving so far in certain areas, yet things were worse in other areas than ever. No matter how hard they tried to control the pollution and help the environment, they seemed to be going backward. Rumors that certain people bought control of any helpful devices that were invented were always prevalent. Was it true, or were they just manufactured by conspiracy buffs? How would the average person ever know? What she did know was that pollution and other issues seemed to get worse no matter what.

"I'd best get back to work," Viv announced.

She wouldn't be the one who solved her planet's problems. She didn't even seem to be able to solve all the problems the casino had.

When she went to the room where security monitored casino activities, the first thing she saw on the cameras was someone looking suspicious. The poor kid looked like she hadn't had a meal in a week or a shower in a month.

After watching carefully, it was obvious she was trying to use magnets to mess up the machines. Viv was no casino specialist, but she had often heard that it was an urban myth that magnets would have any effect on a slot machine. Nevertheless, having someone sit there and try to cheat a machine while taking no action was unacceptable.

She pointed out the girl to security and asked them to take her to one of the interrogation rooms. Viv got on the radio and requested a meal be brought to the same room. She had been told before that she had a soft heart, but she knew most of these people had been manipulated by Joe Senior and otherwise would not done what they did. The girl had clearly fallen into hard times and needed help up–not to be pushed down. Maybe there was something Viv could do to help put this kid on the right path.

The sound of a disturbance outside of the room rang through the building. The young girl was obviously giving the guards hell. Viv was sure she had a fake ID because there was no way the girl was twenty-one. She was brought in and told to sit in the chair, but she refused and stood anyway. Viv nodded to the guards to leave. Shortly after that, two meals were delivered.

"If you sit, you can have this meal. Of course, it is your choice," Viv offered.

The girl looked at the meal suspiciously, so Viv switched the trays. "You can take either. I don't mind."

She thought the young girl might even want both since Viv had eaten a large meal not long before.

The smell of food must have convinced her because she sat and then fell over the meal in front of her. Maybe she had decided she would rather die from the food than from the lack of it.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked after swallowing the first bite.

"You're trying to use magnets to get the machine to hit. It won't work, but it doesn't look good to allow you to do that around a room full of customers."

"Joe said you would tell me that."

"First of all, I would like you to tell me your name. Secondly, I will tell you that even attempting to disrupt the machines is against the law and can get you arrested."

Viv wondered if the kid even cared. At least in jail, she would get three squares and a cot.

"Joe told me not to let you intimidate me."

Viv quickly pulled up some information on Joe Senior that had aired on a big news station. She turned the computer so the child could clearly see and turned it on. "Is this Joe? You are taking advice from a former mob boss?"

"So, what? He gave me a little money to gamble, and this place gives out free drinks. I had nothing to lose."

"Could you tell me your name?"

"My name is Fingers."

"Do you like that name? Makes you sound like a thief," Viv suggested.

"Maybe that's what I am. Maybe that's the only way I can make a living. Are you going to eat any of that food?" Fingers asked, pointing at the plate in front of Viv.

Viv pushed it to her. "I had a big lunch."

"Must be nice. How about another drink?"

Viv knew the youngster was trying to get everything she could out of her. She probably thought they were going to lock her up, and the food wouldn't be as good in jail as it would be at the casino. Using her radio, Viv ordered a couple more drinks.

"Do you have a high school education?" Viv asked.

"Yeah, they make you get one if your parents want to draw money for you."

"I know that's not true."

"Okay, so school was fun for me because I got away from home and got a decent meal. I also liked to read, although I know it's not the in thing anymore with games and all," Fingers admitted.

"Nothing wrong with reading. Did you try any college courses?"

Fingers shot her a look that said it all. "They threw me out when I turned eighteen. I was on the streets and didn't have any options. I was busy trying to avoid being murdered or raped."

"If you could go to college and learn to do anything you wanted to do, what would it be?"

"You must have a lot of time to kill." She rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'm on your dime right now. I always wanted to be a Park Ranger. You think that's a joke, don't you? Me, a big city girl in a park taking care of animals and watering plants."

"Why a Park Ranger?" Viv asked.

"When I was a kid, before my mom got hooked on drugs, we used to go camp out in a park near where we lived. I loved it, but I can't even remember the name of the place. All I remember is how peaceful it was and how much I loved playing with the animals they kept in an area called a petting zoo. They always say that if you find animals away from here, do not bother them because they can get mean and bite. They always ran away whenever we saw animals in the park, so it wasn't a problem. They seemed more scared of us than we were of them. Are you happy now that I've told you my biggest dream?" Fingers asked.

"What if I said that there was a way you could pursue your dream? That there was a place where you could get your needs met, go to college, and work assisting a Park Ranger part-time while you pursued your degree?"

"I'd say you were crazy. Why would anyone trust me after the life I've led? Why would anyone help me? There are people who don't need help they can hire instead."

"I didn't say it would be easy. You'd have to work hard, and trust would have to be earned. I just need to know if this something you really want to do and if you are willing to work hard to get it," Viv said.

Fingers still looked suspicious, as if she was afraid to hope that something good could happen. "I could give it a try. I still find it hard to believe you would give me this after I caused trouble in the casino."

"You were misled. How did Joe convince you of such a crazy theory?"

"He had pictures and seemed to believe what he was saying. It's a shame he left out the part about him being an ex-mob boss and crazy to boot," Fingers admitted.

"I'll need you to fill out some forms. We'll need your social security number because they use them here, too. You'll get a few days to settle in, and then you will start working with a Park Ranger. Classes start at specific times, and you must wait until the first opening before you can get in. That will be halfway through the usual semester. You will also get class credit for your work with the Rangers, and your job will be paid, although I'll admit I don't know exactly how much. You'll also get a room and a card to pay for restaurant food. The amount on it will be limited, and again, I will admit I have no idea exactly how much you get. Today, we'll put you in a motel room while everything else is sorted."

"Will I get a uniform?"

Viv wondered if she was worried about the uniform or wanted something to wear. "Yes, anyone who works in the parks has some kind of uniform issued to them. I believe you get three or at least three. I'm not sure if you get another clothing allowance or not. You may because there are some jobs that you probably don't want to wear your uniform for," Viv admitted.

"I can imagine several jobs like that, but that's okay. There are worse ways to make a living."

"It's an honest living, and you'll be outside often. I miss that in the work I do."

"I do like being outside, especially around animals," Finger admitted.

Viv hoped it would work out. Helping someone made her feel good, and it would help ease her guilt about Doug's death and her inability to do anything to help him. She led Fingers to a nice motel room. It was better than average because it had a kitchenette and a small seating area.

"I'll send you your application and other things you'll need. Meanwhile, make yourself at home," Viv offered.

She returned to her office, contacted personnel, and had all the necessary information sent to Fingers. It felt good to help another.

They needed Park Rangers, and Viv thought it might be better to groom one that would run through their own training process rather than getting ones already trained elsewhere. They would see in time if her theory was correct or not. Viv intended to keep an eye on Fingers and discover her real name. She didn't want to have to keep calling her that horrible nickname.

Viv felt a hint of light coming into her. It made her wonder if helping others could help erase some of the dark thoughts she had when she thought about her past. Maybe that was the secret to getting back to life? While she was helping others by trying to take out the bad guys, helping someone in person was so much more satisfying. The young girl could have a good life and turn everything around. There would be no more starvation, and she would have a warm place to stay. She would have money to buy clothing and other things she needed. All Viv could hope was that Fingers truly wanted to change her life and was willing to do what was needed.

Carler had been watching on his computer. It was something he often did. He knew some Earth women might consider it creepy, but he believed it was protective.

Viv's reaction to the young girl gave him hope that she would come back to the land of the living and begin to live life again. Nothing he had been able to think of could do it. Maybe it hadn't been his place to try to help her with that, and it was something she needed to do on her own. He hoped she would never realize that he watched her on his computer because even though he didn't know as much about her as he wished, he thought she might not approve.

With the young girl settling in, it was time for her to return to work. Viv got on her computer and tried to research Joe Senior. It was hard to imagine him coming there. It would be the most dangerous place in the world for him. He had to be faking something because they could easily catch him and, at the very least, imprison him, according to the time he had gotten on the plane. Even with a stop or two, he would be here this evening. She knew that Carler had already sent out information so that someone would check the passengers to see if that man was on board.

"We've received answers from those on the plane Joe Senior is supposedly on. They can't find him or any sign he was ever there," Carler admitted as soon as she walked into the office.

That wasn't a good sign. Was Joe Senior hiding, or had he never boarded the plane? It was important to know the facts, and they didn't know anything. It made her feel nervous and concerned. The only thing making her feel better was that she knew there was a great deal of security, including both cameras and officers, around the airport, and she couldn't imagine how he could get off the plane and into the airport without someone knowing. Ranger would give this a priority since Joe Senior was after his mate.

He'd want Toni to feel safe, but if she knew Joe Senior was sneaking around, she wouldn't. She would also worry about her brother, who Joe had threatened to kill. Everyone knew the old guy would do it if he had the opportunity. Joe was cold and cruel and did not value life at all. If anyone had any true doubt, all they had to do was pay attention to these young kids that he was sending here in the hopes that they would be seriously damaged or killed, and he could use that against Ranger and his people. So far, they had been lucky, but it worried her because luck didn't hold out.