What Could It Hurt

by ladylibra73

AU Steph's whole life changes due to one date. A date that goes horribly wrong. Eventual Babe HEA. A/N: Thanks again to my Beta Writer PhillyGirl27

What Could it Hurt?

AU Steph's whole life changes due to one date. A date that goes horribly wrong. Eventual Babe HEA.

A/N: Thanks again to myBeta Writer PhillyGirl27

Chapter 1

Stephanie her friend Eddie and his wife were hanging out at the Sportsman Pub on a Friday night. They were sitting at the bar talking. Eddie and Shirley had a beer and Stephanie a bottled water.

"You know what you need Stephanie? You need to go on a date. Hanging out with us is great, but you need to go on a real date. There are tons of guys here who would go out with you."

"Here? The only thing that a guy here is interested in, is sports. Not really my thing."

"I'm not." came a voice from two stools over.

Stephanie turned and saw the most handsome guy she had ever seen. He had black hair and striking blue eyes. He looked like Ian Somerhalder.

"Hi, my name is Lance Burke."

"Stephanie Plum."

"You come here often?"

"No. I was just tagging along with my friends here. This is Eddie Gazzara and his wife Shirley."

"Nice to meet you both. How about a date tomorrow night? Are you familiar with Oceanos Restaurant? I heard it's a great place to go. I can pick you up seven , ok?"

"Yeah, I'd like that. Seven is fine. I'll give you my address." said Stephanie putting her address in his phone.

"Awesome. I'll see you tomorrow night." Lance said getting up as she watched him leave.

"Well, look at that. You got a date, tomorrow night." said Eddie.

The next day, Stephanie drove to Quaker Bridge Mall. She went into Macy's and found a navy Ralph Lauren Petite Crisscross Strap Jersey Dress. She bought several others and shoes. She also went to Victoria's Secret. When she got back to her apartment, she did a good cleaning, the she got ready for her date. She left her hair down and put on a little bit of makeup. She checked herself out in the mirror. She looked perfect. By ten of seven, there was a knock at the door. When Stephanie opened the door, Lance was looking ever so handsome holding a bouquet of flowers. He wore a white slim fit Point Collar Dress Shirt with navy trousers.

"Come on in."Stephanie invited as she smiled up at the gorgeous man.

"These are for you." said Lance as he held out the unexpected flowers.

"They're beautiful. Thank you so much." Stephanie smiled, as she smelled the lovelt bouquet. She stepped into the kitchen, found a vase and put them in water.

"Shall we go?" asked Lance.

"Let's."

The ride to the restaurant took an hour and twenty minutes. They chatted and got to know one another on the drive. When they arrived it wasn't overly crowded. The Host led them to their table. When Stephanie approached the bar, she noticed a guy with mocha latte colored skin sitting at the bar with a blonde. She caught his eye as she walked past. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. The Host seated them in a corner booth. The waiter came over and they ordered their drinks. Stephanie wanted a Pineapple Mojito, Lance had a glass of White Riesling. When the waiter came back with their drinks, he took their dinner order. Stephanie chose a ten ounce Prime Filet Mignon with fries, Lance had decided on Seafood Linguini. When the waiter left, Mocha Latte Guy who had been was sitting at the bar with the blonde passed her their table and sat in the next booth. She couldn't stop staring.

"Stephanie?" Lance asked, pulling her attention back to him.

"What? Oh sorry." she said as she shook her head, refocusing on Lance.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing. Just admiring the place." was her excuse for being rudely distracted. It even sounded lame to her.

"Yes, it is a nice place. So, what do you do for work?"

"I work at a bank, bookkeeping."

"Sounds interesting. Do you like it?"

"Yeah I do. I've been there for ten years. What do you do, Lance?"

"I'm in Corporate Sales, working in a company that sells directly to other businesses. It's an ok job, been at it for eleven years."

They made more small talk while they ate. Stephanie quickly glanced over Mocha Latte Guy in the next booth. He was talking to the blonde and sensing Steph's gaze he looked at her, she quickly looked away. Twenty minutes later, her plate was empty.

"Was it good?"

"Yes it was. Now for my favorite part of the meal: dessert! How was yours?"

"My dinner was good,too. You ate all that and you still have room for dessert?"

"Um...yes."

"Wow, I wish I had a stomach like yours."

Stephanie ordered the cheesecake and Lance ordered coffee. She excused herself to go to the bathroom. A few minutes later, when she walked out of the bathroom, she saw Mocha Latte Guy walking out of the men's room. He nodded to her and she smiled shyly and nodded back. She walked back to her booth where her dessert was waiting for her. When Stephanie took the first bite, she closed her eyes and moaned. She realized that it was too quiet, sso she opened her eyes to see that Lance was staring at her.

"I'm sorry. I tend to do that from time to times usually involve desserts."

"It's ok, I'm glad you're enjoying it so much." he said smiling.

Lance signaled the waiter using the universal sign of Finger Pen on Open Hand Check, to request the check. He paid the bill and they left the booth. On their way to the car, Stephanie heard a voice.

"Excuse me."

Steph turned to see Mocha Latte Guy that sat from the next booth.

"You forgot your purse." he said handing it to her.

"Thank you." she said. She couldn't take her eyes off him. She watched him and the blonde get into a Mercedes.

"Do you know him?" asked Lance as he started the car.

"No, never seen him before."

"You have a good time tonight?"

"Yes I did. It was a very nice place."

Stephanie noticed it was uncomfortably quiet on the way back.

"Is everything ok? You're awfully quiet, Lance."

"What? Oh, just thinking."

"What are you thinking about?"

"I would like to show you my house, Stephanie."

"How about another time, Lance. I just want to go home." she said, feeling a bit uneasy.

"Not yet. You'll love my house."

Now, instead of just uneasy, her alarm bells were going off. She was feeling downright creepy and frightened at the same time.

"I really don't want to see your house. Just take me home."

Lance smacked her hard in the face, her head hit the window and knocked her out. It happened so fast, she had never seen it coming.

Chapter 2

A couple days later, Ranger walked in his office, turned on his laptop and checked the fax. He took several pages out and looked through them. He stopped when the photo of the man on the sheet caught Ranger's eye. He looked so familiar, Ranger couldn't remember where he saw him before. The bounty sheet showed that he killed his wife and he is worth ten thousand to Rangeman if they brought him in.

"Tank." Ranger said getting up and walking to his office. "I need you and two other men to come with me to get this skip. Something tells me we need to get this guy and quick."

"Lance Burke. Ok. Who do you want to take?"

"Hal and Cal."

They arrived at Lance's house ten minutes later. Hal and Cal walked behind the house in case he ran out the back door. Ranger and Tank took the front door. Ranger knocked and Lance answered the door all dressed up. Ranger now remembered where he saw this guy. The guy changed his hair from blonde to dark brown.

"Are you Lance Burke?"

"Yes."

Ranger's neck tingled. He put his hand on the back of his neck. Odd. That's the same feeling he got at the restaurant Saturday night when he saw that stunning beauty. 'Dios!' he recalled. 'I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Why am I feeling it now?' His gut was telling him to get Burke out of there, FAST, and search the home, top to bottom. And then it clicked. This was the man who was with that gorgeous, curly haired woman at the Oceanos Restaurant! This man had a history of abusing women and was accused of killing his wife. This did NOT feel good.

"You need to come with us. We're Bond Enforcement Agents. You missed your court date, so we need to take you down to the police station to reschedule. Let's go."

"Yeah, I forgot. I will do that after work, right now I'm late."

"Hold up. Weren't you at Oceanos Restaurant the other night?"

"Yes, but I really have to get going."

"Wait just a minute. May I come in?" Ranger said, not really asking permission as he pushed past the man.

"What for? Hey, you just can't come in here." Lance complained following close behind him. Hal and Cal joined them as Tank had signaled the men to come around and follow them inside for backup. Ranger looked around and noticed the clutch bag the woman left on the restaurant table. Something felt very wrong here. Ranger gritted his teeth, clenching his jaw in agitation. He swiveled his head back to Burke, his eyes narrowing, pinning him with his gaze.

"Where is she?"

"Where's who?"

"The woman you were with at the restaurant. This is hers." said Ranger picking up the clutch bag.

"Oh Stephanie? She must've forgotten to take it with her."

Ranger grabbed Lance's shirt.

"You're lying. Search the house." Ranger ordered his men. "Tank, cuff him and hold him."

Hal went upstairs, Cal went downstairs. Two minutes later, Cal came back upstairs.

"Ranger, you need to go downstairs." Cal said, looking straight at Lance with hatred in his eyes and menace in his tone.

Ranger walked down to the basement. He saw a woman sitting against a wall. It was her. She was still wearing the same dress she had worn at the restuarant, except even in the dim light, he could see it was torn and dirty. Ranger went back upstairs. The look on his face was the same one he wore when finally confronting the target of a mission. It was the last thing that the target saw right before he was neutralized. The Face of Death. It scanned the room and stopped on Lance Burke. 'Target acquired.' Ranger's inner monster reported. Burke's eyes widened in fear. Without taking his penetrating gaze off of Burke, Ranger ground out,

"Cal, you and Hal take this piece of trash the station and collect the body receipt. Find the officer in command and tell him that Burke just racked up some new charges of kidnapping and assault. I'll call him later to explain." Ranger said as he next addressed Burke.

"I found the woman you were with at the restaurant in your basement. You better not have raped her. Get him out of my sight!"

Ranger breathed deeply to calm himself down and enable his inner monster to stand down. He stalked into the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and went back downstairs. He turned on the light and she hid her face.

"Does the light bother you?" Ranger asked. "I'll turn it off."

Ranger twisted the bulb and the light went out.

"Is that better?"

She curled up in the corner. Ranger knelt down so that he was nearer to her level. Fear and pain radiated from this poor woman and he felt the acidic taste of bile when his mind thought of what she has been through.

"I'm not here to hurt you. I came here to get you out of here. Do you remember me from the restaurant Saturday night?"

Ranger saw her nod as he opened a bottle of water.

"I have some water for you. Go ahead, take it."

She nodded slowly, took the bottle and drank the whole thing. Ranger noticed a lot of bruises on her arms and legs. He also noticed her ankle appeared to be broken. He couldn't tell if her face was bruised. All that hair hid her face well. She threw the empty bottle and Ranger gave her a new one. She took the second one and drank that one too.

"I'm Ranger. Is your name Stephanie?" When she nodded he continued. "Did Lance Burke do this to you?"

She slowly nodded again.

"He's been taken away, back to jail, Stephanie. He's not going to hurt you anymore. What I'm going to do is, I'm going to carry you out of here. I'm going to take you to the hospital and get you treated."

She shook her head no, emphatically.

"No one is going to hurt you there. Please let me help you." said Ranger holding out his hand. She stared at his hand and looked up into his face. Her haunted yet beautiful eyes stared into his compassionate brown ones. Stephanie had no uneasy feeling around this man. He seemed trustworthy. In fact, the hairs on her neck had stood up a short time ago, giving her a tingly, pleasant sensation that she had felt at the restaurant when he was near. One word appeared in her mind: Safe. She had wondered why he was here and now she knew.

"No hospital." she whispered.

"Ok, no hospital. I will take you somewhere else where you'll feel safer. What I need to do is pick you up and carry you. But I suspect your ankle may be broken. I need to splint it first to ease the pain you will feel when I lift you up. Don't worry, everything will be ok." Ranger looked around and found a couple of clean paint stirrer sticks. He secured them on either side of her ankle with some strips ripped from a clean shirt in the laundry. Stephanie gasped in pain at the small movement that tightening the strips caused.

"Sorry, Stephanie, but I had to pull them tight. That should do it to get you out of here. Ready? Now I'll pick you up."

She hid her face in his rock hard chest as he carried her up the stairs. When Ranger stepped outdoors, Stephanie got nervous.

"It's ok, nobody is going to hurt you. Stephanie this is Tank, my second in command." She looked at this very tall, muscular man and attempted a smile. Tank nodded in acknowledgement of the introduction. She felt no fear, which she thought was because she was in Ranger's arms. Safe.

"Tank, did you get her purse and stuff?"

"Yes, in the truck."

"What I'm going to do is, I'm going to take you to my place of business. It's a scure building and I have a medic who works for me. He'll look you over ok?"

She nodded. Ranger placed her in the back of the SUV and sat with her as Tank drove toward Rangeman. When they arrived at Rangeman, Ranger carried her to Bobby's infirmary. He placed her on the bed as Bobby walked in.

"This is Bobby, he is a doctor and will look you over. Bobby, this is Stephanie."

"No hospital?" Bobby asked.

"She didn't want to." Bobby gave a small nod and turned to Steph.

"Alright, Stephanie. First, I need to get this dress off of you."

Her fearful eyes darted from Bobby to Ranger and back.

"Do you want me to help you, Stephanie?" Ranger asked, watching for signs of panic. She nodded and he slid the short dress out from beneath her hips and pulled it up over her raised arms, leaving just her bra and panties.

"Good. Now I need to have you lay down." Bobby said as he held up a thin, white, hospital blanket to place over her.

She laid down on the bed, glad to have a blanket to protect her modesty.

"Don't worry, he'll take good care of you. Ranger reassured her. I will be right here."

He saw her nod and heard her let out a sigh.

Stephanie took a hold of Ranger's hand. Bobby asked Stephanie about her injuries as he assessed and photographed each one for possible evidence. Her reponses were quiet, yet calm in spite of all she'd been through. Once Bobby had a complete list of her injuries, he ranked them in his head and began working on the most important ones first. Stephanie had a black eye with bruising and swelling on her face with a sizable raised bump on her head; bruising on her arms, legs and torso. Her most pressing injury was her ankle. It was deep purple. The imfirmary's x-ray machine for a workout that day. Thankfully, there didn't appear to be any internal bleeding and her vital signs were good. Stephanie was a great patient. He knew she was in a lot of pain but there were no screams, just occasional whimpers when he touched something that was tender. The one that took the longest to address and was probably the most painful was her ankle, which was, indeed, broken. Bobby explained everything before he did it and checked with her if it was OK to do it. He went slowly and methodically when treating all of her injuries. Then he had to ask the hardest question. Bobby's hand covered his lower face, as he rubbed it in frustration. He had to know to complete her assessement.

"Stephanie, do you know if you were raped?"

Stephanie looked away in embarrassment.

"It doesn't hurt to check." she said softly.

"Ok, good. I will call a friend of mine. She is a OB/GYN nurse. She will come to examine you and complete a rape kit.. I will give her a call."

Bobby was able to reach her. and she would bring her equipment and be at Rangeman within an hour. After all her treatment was done, Bobby asked her when she had eaten last. Stephanie almost cried and asked what day it was.

"It's Wednesday." responded Bobby.

She suddenly gasped, realizing she had been locked in Lance's basement for over three days!

"I haven't had anything to eat or drink since Saturday night. Ranger gave me water before he brought me here. I drank two whole bottles. I was so thirsty."

It was the most Stephanie had said since she arrived at the infirmary.

"Are you hungry? Do you feel up to eating something?"

At her vigorous nodding, he followed up with,

"We need to get you something light to start and if that stays down okay, we'll get you some more." Bobby looked over at Ranger who had already jumped up. He contacted Ella via the intercom requesting to bring chicken noodle soup for a patient in the infirmary. Ranger nodded at Bobby, confirming that Ella will be here in 20 minutes.

"Ella is our housekeeper, cook and all around den mother at times for all of my men here. You'll like her, I'm sure. And she'll be thrilled to have another woman here." Ranger explained.

"Here is your purse. I would think you want to make some calls to let anyone you know what has happened to you." said Bobby.

"I will do that later." said Steph softly as Bobby noticed she was shaking. He suspected that she was having an adrenaline let down. He sat her up, carefully supporting her newly casted foot and had Ranger help him wrap her up in a blanket. As Bobby came back with a Coke, Ella arrived with her soup. Bobby raised the head of the bed so that Stephanie could sit up and eat.

"Once you have eaten, you will feel better. When you're done eating, I will give you a pain-killer which will help you sleep. You need to stay here tonight so that your condition can stablize. You are perfectly safe inside the Rangeman building. It's secure. I will be back later." Bobby said leaving the room.

"Hello, my dear, my name is Ella. I'm the housekeeper here at Rangeman." Ella brought soup over to Steph on a tray with legs under it and placed the tray straddling her legs.

"Nice to meet you, Ella. My name is Stephanie. I really appreciate you bringing me some soup. It smells so good."

"Not a problem, Stephanie. I love to cook for all my guys here. It's a pleasure to cook for another woman. Please let me know if there is anything else you need. I'll let you get to it.." Ella said as she left the infirmary.

Stephanie took a small sip of the broth as Ranger sat in the chair and watched her.

"I can't thank you enough for rescuing me from that maniac and bringing me here. How did you know I was there?"

"The guy had a rap sheet already. He murdered his wife and my men and I came to his house to apprehend him. Burke skipped out on his court date and needed to be caught. As soon as as I saw him, I remembered where I had seen him before. When I saw your purse upstairs, I recognized it and immediately suspected something wasn't right. That's when my men searched the house and found you."

"What do you do?"

"My company does bounty hunting, among other things."

"I'm just glad you found me in time. If you hadn't I would've..." said Steph almost crying.

"Shhh, eat your soup."

Fifteen minutes later, she finished her soup and her Coke.

"How do you feel?"

"Better than before." said Steph putting her head back on the pillow as Ranger put the tray on a table.

"Bobby should be here in a minute. Rest up and I will be back later." Ranger said opening the door.

"Ranger."

Ranger turned.

"Thanks again for rescuing me."

"You're welcome." he said smiling and leaving. Stephanie closed her eyes and thought that man had a nice smile. A moment later, Bobby came in and gave her Lorazepam. She fell asleep within ten minutes.

Chapter 3

An hour and a half later, Bobby walked in Ranger's office.

"How is everything?"

"Good. The rape kit was negative."

"Thank God for that. Is she awake now?"

"No, give her another 20 minutes and she'll wake up."

"Thank you Bobby."

Ranger walked down to the infirmary. He walked in and stood beside her bed and looked at her. Bobby had pulled a large Rangeman T-shirt over her underwear so she would be more comfortable. Bobby had also pulled her hair back so he could examine her. Her left eye was badly bruised, her arms and legs too. Ranger sat down in the chair next to the bed and took her hand. If he had only known she would be in trouble that night. He moved a piece of hair off her forehead and grabbed her hand again. She stirred and moaned. She opened her eyes and looked around and saw Ranger.

"Hi, how are you feeling?"

"Better than I have in three days, but still in a little bit of pain." Stephanie replied.

"Tell me why you didn't want to go to the hospital?"

"I didn't want anyone to see like this. The people here tend to gossip and it goes from one person to another and then my father would ask me tons of questions. I'm embarrassed as it is that I can't even go out on a date and stay safe. Why couldn't I tell this guy was bad news before it was too late?"

"You have nothing to be ashamed of. You should call your dad and at least tell him what happened. How did you meet this guy?"

"My friend Eddie Gazzara. his wife and I were hanging out at the Sportsman Pub and Eddie said I should be dating instead of hanging out with them so much. He said there are tons of guys there that would ask me for a date and I said no way. I'm not dating a sports guy and then I hear someone come up beside me and he says, "I'm not." I turn around and I see this nice looking guy. Blue eyes and black hair. So we got to talking and he asked on a date. I gave him my address so he could pick me up Saturday night. While we were at Oceanos, I felt a tingle go down my spine when I passed you. Something I have never felt before."

"Neither have I. I felt the same thing. So, where did you go afterwards?"

"I told him to take me home, but he didn't. He wanted to show me his house and I told him no I didn't want to. I kept repeating it to him and then he hit me here." Stephanie said pointing to her eye. "I blacked out after my head hit the window."

"Do you remember anything after that?"

"When I woke up, I was chained to the wall. I tried to find something to get them off me. Then he came down and we talked and then he got mad and started hitting me. He broke my ankle, so he unchained me. I screamed so loud I thought the neighbors would hear me. The next day, he tried to rape me, but I stopped him. I kicked him in the...you know where... and he fell. It took him about ten minutes to recover and he told me I shouldn't have done that and I would be very sorry. He pulled out a knife and cut my stomach. It hurt so bad. What did I do to deserve this?" Steph asked as she started crying.

"Nothing. Obviously you didn't know this guy had problems."Ranger leaned over and pulled her into his arms. She put her head on his chest and cried it all out for a few minutes. When the tears and sobs subsided, Ranger looked down at the blue-eyed beauty clinging to him. He brushed her hair off her face and said, "I'm glad you got that out. It needed to happen. If you're OK, I have to get back to work and you need to rest some more. I will be down later.

"I'm so glad you stopped by." Tank said.

"Ok, but why I been called here?"

Tank led Eddie to the second floor where the conference rooms were located. Eddie followed Tank to a room with a big table.

"Have a seat. Ranger should be with you in a moment."

A few minutes later, Ranger entered the room. Eddie stood up and extended his hand.

"Officer Gazarra, so nice to meet you." Ranger said as he shook hands with Eddie. "Please have a seat. My name is Ranger Manoso. Rangeman is my company." Eddie nodded his head. He knew who he was. He just hadn't had the opportunity to meet him in person.

Ranger sat at the head of the table while Gazarra sat at Ranger's left.

"So, what's this all about?"

"I believe you know Stephanie Plum? You and your wife were with her when she made a date for the following night. Do you remember her date?"

"Yes, Lance Burke. He introduced himself at the bar."

"Did you know Burke beat kidnapped her, held her prisoner in his basement for three days and beat her up?"

"No! When did this happen?"

"It started Saturday night, after their dinner date. I received a bounty sheet on him Wednesday morning. It says here he killed his wife."

"Shit!"

Ranger slid over the folder. When Gazarra opened the folder, he couldn't believe what he saw.

"Is this Stephanie?"

"Yes. Lance beat her up pretty bad. He broke her ankle, cut up her stomach. Has a lot of bruises on her arms and legs. He also gave her a black eye. Then he imprisoned her in his basement with no food or water for three days."

"Oh my God!"

"You didn't know he was arrested on these new charges after we turned him in for FTA?"

"I've been on vacation and I didn't want to be disturbed. I'm going to have to pay him a visit. Is Stephanie in the hospital?"

"No she isn't. She's staying down in the infirmary here. She doesn't want to be the talk of the town, so I need you to be quiet about this. How did he seem to you?"

"He looked to be an ok guy. Nothing disturbing about him."

"Looks can be deceiving." Ranger said putting the pictures back in the folder.

They talked a few minutes more and Officer Gazarra left and drove to the precinct.

Chapter 4

When Officer Eddie Gazarra entered the station, he directly went down to the cells. He found Lance Burke laying on the cot, face up.

"Lance Burke."

Lance got up and walked to the cell door.

"Are you here to bail me out?"

"No, I'm not. You should remember me. I was with Stephanie at the Sportsman Pub a couple nights ago."

"Yeah I remember you. So, what are you doing here?"

"I'm a cop and I work here. I should've looked you up. Like I should have noticed the hair change? Doesn't go with your complexion." said Eddie holding up his file. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you kidnap and beat up Stephanie?"

"Is that what she told you? She begged me to take her to my house and beat her. I don't know, maybe she's into BDSM, or maybe she's just psycho." Lance whined, making a crazy circle hand gesture at his temple.

"That's bullshit, Burke, and you know it! I've known Steph since grade school. That's not who she is." Eddie snarled.

Lance looked like a kid whose dad just caught him in a big, fat lie.

"So, why did you kill your wife?" Eddie pushed.

"Uh...I only talk to my lawyer. Can I call my lawyer?"

"Sure. Maybe in a few hours you'll get a call. Bye for now, asshole."

It was late afternoon when Ranger walked in the infirmary and found Stephanie awake.

"Hi, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm doing ok, a little hungry."

"That's good. I'm going to bring you upstairs to my apartment. There you can lay comfortably and have something to eat."

"I don't want to inconvenience you."

"You're not." said Ranger picking her up off the bed and carrying her out of the room and into the elevator. It went all the way to the seventh floor. When the elevator door opened, he walked up to the door and fobbed them in. They entered the dark-walled, softly lit foyer and as she was being carried in she saw a sleek, modern kitchen with a quartz bar to her right, open to the luxurious living room. A contemporary, L-shaped sofa stood in front of the window and a 50- inch TV hung on the opposite deep chocolate wall. Ranger set her down on the dark-brown leather, surprisingly comfy sofa. He brought in two pillows, one to support her ankle and the other for her back.

"Are you still hungry? I can have Ella bring more soup up."

"Does she have anything more substantial?"

Ranger called Ella on the intercom and said Stephanie is still hungry. Ella would be up momentarily. Ranger carried Stephanie to the table. Ten minutes later, Ella knocked and walked in with a cart. Ella set the plate on the table. Stephanie opened the lid to find roasted chicken and rice. Her stomach growled as Stephanie started to eat.

"Thank you." said Stephanie smiling.

"You're welcome." Ella smiled back and left.

"Is there any dessert?"

"No." Ranger said handing her a bottled water.

"What exactly do you do here?"

"Ten years ago I joined the Army and I became and Army Ranger, that's how I got the name. My real name is Ricardo Carlos Manoso, but I like Carlos. This place is called Rangeman and I'm CEO and owner of the company. We're BEA agents, like I told you before, and we also provide security for homes and businesses. The first floor of this building holds the gym and gun range; second floor has conference rooms; third floor has offices and the infirmary; fourth floor has apartments; fifth floor is the control room, where I have men watch the perimeter of the building. The sixth floor is where Ella and her husband, Luis, live. Luis does the building's maintenance and this here is where I live. Here is the remote for the TV. I'm going downstairs to work for an hour then I'll be back up. Bobby will be up to get you fitted for your crutches so you will be able to get around. I also think you should call your dad tomorrow, letting him know what happened and that you're alright. Ok?"

"Ok." 'Boy,that was sure of a lot of information to take in.' thought Steph.

"I'll be back later."

Thirty minutes later, Bobby came upstairs to fit Stephanie crutches. He made a few adjustments until she was able to move around just fine with them. After Bobby left, she wanted to check out the rest of the place, so she went to Ranger's bedroom.

'Wow,' thought Steph, 'this is really cool!' The bedroom, like the rest of the penthouse, was contemporary in design with a tall, lofted ceiling, deep chocolate walls and white accents throughout. The California-style king bed looked very inviting, with a modern striped comforter, white pillows and a dark brown leather headboard. The floor was ebony hardwood with a white shag area carpet. The bed faced a wall that had another 50-inch TV and if you get tired of that, you can sit in the cozy sitting room and look out the wall of windows that had a breathtaking view of downtown Trenton.

Stephanie left the bedroom and re-entered the living room as Ranger came walking in.

"I see you're getting around nicely."

"Yeah, for now, but I will be happy when I do get rid of them."

"Are you still hungry? Ella is bringing up roasted chicken with rice for me."

"She came up already and put it in the oven and no, I'm good. How come you don't eat any desserts?"

"I don't have desserts cause they're not good for you. The work my men and I do require us to be in top physical condition. To do that, we use the gym almost every day and avoid fat and empty calorie foods." Ranger said as he started to eat.

"I need dessert."

Steph rolled her eyes and decided to change the subject.

"So where are you from? You have an accent, so I'm guessing you're Puerto Rican or Jamaican."

"Cuban. I was born in Newark, NJ, first generation American. My parents were born in Havana and they were just kids when both sets of my grandparents came to America before the Embargo and settled there. I guess I still have a bit of an accent because we spoke mainly Spanish at home, in our neighborhood and at extended family gatherings. I have five other siblings."

"Wow, I only have an older sister. We hardly ever talk. She thinks it's my fault dad divorced my mom and it wasn't. My dad was getting tired of my mother putting me down. My dad and I are very close." Steph said yawning.

"Looks like someone is ready for sleep. You take the bed and I'll take the couch."

"I can't let you do that."

"It's ok. Go ahead and get ready for bed. Ella left a new toothbrush and hairbrush on the sink for you. Bobby left you your next dose of pain-killer tablets so that you'll be able to sleep tonight. They're in a cup on the sink."

While Steph washed her face and brushed her teeth, Ranger got the bed situated. She hobbled back into the bedroom, sat on the side of the bed and Ranger helped lift her legs up, putting pillows under her ankle. He placed a wire cage apparatus beneath the covers, but over the cast and pillows to hold the weight of the blankets up off of her ankle.

"Thanks, Ranger. Have a good night." said Steph, giving him a small smile.

"Good night." said Ranger walking out of the bedroom and closing the door. He took off his workpants and shirt, slipping on some lounge pants only because Steph was there. He settled on his large sofa with his head on the pillows left earlier. He pulled up the light blanket he'd brought out and fell asleep, smiling at the thought of the beautiful woman sleeping in his bed.

Chapter 5

Sometime during the night, Ranger thought he heard moaning. He waited a moment then went back to sleep. Then the moan started got up to see what was going on. He noticed that Stephanie was having a nightmare and she was talking in her sleep. She was saying 'stay away'. She thrashed around and then sat up. Ranger got on the bed and put his arms around her.

"It's alright, it was just a bad dream."

"I felt like I was back in that basement. This time it was even worse."

"What happened?"

"He raped me."

He soothed and comforted her.

"He can't hurt you anymore. Can you try and go back to sleep?"

"Stay with me." she said keeping a hold of his arm. She lay back down and he put his arm around her and instantly fell asleep.

The next morning, Stephanie woke up alone. She sat up and smelled coffee. She gathered her crutches and made her way to the kitchen. She found Ranger at the bar reading.

"Morning." she said.

"Morning." he said with a smile.

"So, what's for breakfast?" she asked sitting down.

Ranger pushed a bowl toward her.

"Cinnamon oatmeal and toast."

"Seriously?"

"It's healthy for you." Carlos said pouring hot water in her oatmeal.

"Any coffee?"

Ranger brought over a cup of coffee and when Stephanie drank it, she blanched.

"This isn't coffee."

"Sure it is."

"Where is the cream and sugar?"

"There isn't any cream and sugar. All that sugar and fat is not good for you."

"Nobody can't live without sugar and cream."

"Sure you can, you just have to get used to not having it."

"So what's for lunch? Lettuce, carrots and broccoli?"

Ranger just smiled.

"I need a shower and I need clothes."

"I have Ella getting your clothes and some personal belongings as we speak. By the time you're done with your shower, they should be here. I also have a plastic cover for your leg." Ranger said as he got up put it on. He also put a plastic cover on her stomach.

"Be careful and don't slip."

Stephanie carefully walked in the shower. She let the spray sluice down her body. She found a bottle of shampoo she couldn't pronounce called Bvlgari. She opened the top and it smelled heavenly. She washed her hair and she used the soap also, which had the same smell. Fifteen minutes later, she carefully walked out of the shower. She easily dried herself off and looked at the bruises on her arms and she looked in the mirror. Her face looked so hideous. She backed away from the mirror and found her clothes in the bedroom on the bed. She picked out a teal tank top and black shorts. When Stephanie made her way to the living room she saw Bobby and Eddie Gazarra.

"Officer Gazarra stopped by to talk to you, Stephanie." Ranger prefaced.

"Eddie!" exclaimed Steph, reaching out to hug him.

"Hi, Steph. First, I want to tell you how sorry I am that this dirtbag hurt you. I wish to hell I had noticed that something was off about him. I could have run Priors to see if anything popped up."

"It's not your fault, Eddie. He fooled me, too."

"I went directly to the holding cells when I heard what happened and had a chat with Burke The Jerk. You know what he had the balls to say to me? You better sit down. You, too, Ranger. I'm not looking to die today."

Ranger and Steph sat together on the sofa, and she grabbed onto Ranger's hand for support.

"Ok, I asked him why he kidnapped and beat you." Eddie ran a frustrated hand down his face and took a deep, calming breath. "The asshole said, 'Is that what she told you? She begged me to take her to my house and beat her up.' said Burke. "She's probably into BDSM or else she's just psycho."

Steph gasped and Ranger shouted, "Fuck!" as they both jumped up.

"That's insane, Eddie. You know that's not true."

"That's what I told him, Steph. I was just as pissed as you are. He looked like he knew he had pissed me off royally and he was scared, like he thought I was going to jump him. Good thing there were locked bars between us. So I figured I'd get in his face and push him. I asked him why he kissed his wife. That's when he lawyered up. I'm sorry to have to tell you this stuff, but I thought you should know."

"You're a good friend, Eddie. And you're right. I needed to know this. Thanks for coming by. And for heaven's sake, if some stunod bails him out, call me immediately. Please?" Steph begged her friend.

"No problem, Steph. You take care of yourself and lay low until we know for sure if he makes bail again." Eddie pulled Steph into a final hug and turned to head out the door with Bobby escorting him.

Ranger took her in his arms and held her close, running a soothing hand up and down her back. When she was calm once again, he asked her if she was okay and she nodded, looking up into his eyes.

"Are you going to be alright to make those phone calls now?" Ranger asked as he handed her the purse that was on the couch.

"Yeah, I have to get these done, the sooner the better."

Steph sat down on the couch and looked through it.

"Is everything there?"

"Yes, nothing is missing."

"Great. I agree now would be a good time to call your dad and work. Also I'm getting you my lawyer to represent you."

Steph nodded and pulled out her cellphone as Ranger walked into his den. She turned it on and was surprised it still had a decent charge on the battery. 'Well, at least something is going well this morning!' she thought. She called her work to tell them she was injured and she won't be there for at least a few weeks while she recuperates. When she was done with them, she called her dad. He answered on the second ring.

"Hi, Daddy, it's me."

"Pumpkin, how are you? I haven't heard from you in three days, is everything ok?"

"Well, not really. I went out on a date a couple of nights ago."

"Ok, how did it go?"

"It was good, but something bad happened later."

"What!? Are you alright? What happened?"

"Well, he took me to his house and he...beat me."

"He what!? Is this asshole in jail? Are you in the hospital? I want to come see you."

"Yes, he's in jail and I'm not in the hospital. I didn't want to go to the hospital because I didn't want any gossip spread about me."

"Where are you staying?"

"I'm staying at a place where no one can find me."

"Where are you staying?" her father repeated.

Steph looked up at Ranger, searching his face for what she could tell her dad. Ranger sat on the sofa next to her as she put the call on speaker so they could both talk to him.

"Mr. Plum, my name is Ranger Manoso and your daughter is staying in a secure building. I'm a bounty hunter and I'm the one who found her."

"How did you find her?"

"Well, your daughter and I went to the same restaurant Satueday night. She was with her date and I was with mine. Of course, I didn't know he was criminal at the time."

"He's a criminal? What was she doing dating a criminal?"

"She didn't know that. I got a Failure to Appear file on him a couple days later and in his file it said that he beat and murdered his wife."

"A murderer!?"

"Yes. He was out on bail and chose to skip out on his hearing. Your daughter was beat up. She got punched in the eye, her arms and legs are bruised and he broke her ankle."

"Oh dear Lord. I have to see my girl. Could you tell me where you're located?"

Ranger gave him the address and her dad said he would be there in fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes later, Ranger entered the apartment with Stephanie's dad. Her dad quickly ran over to her and gave her a big hug.

"My beautiful daughter."

Frank said cupping his hands on her face, kissing her forehead.

"I already have a lawyer to represent her, Mr. Plum. He will be coming by this afternoon."

"Call me Frank, son. And thank you for everything you've done for my girl."

"I'm glad I could be of help, Frank."

Frank stayed for an hour, sitting ne xt to Steph and holding her hand or touching her face, while asking both of them lots of questions. Waves of anger rushed through him, amidst nearly overwhelming sadness at everything his beloved daughter had been through. He felt so very indebted to Ranger for all he had done to save and protect her. Frank left, feeling that she was safe with this man, staying in his building and told her stay in touch. A couple of hours later Ranger's lawyer, Montgomery Wilson, met with Stephanie. Montgomery, 6'1, dark hair, brown eyes, 51. Stephanie noticed that he appeared to be very muscular. 'He must stay in shape and he's also handsome.' Stephanie thought. They talked for a good two hours. Ranger stayed with her and told the lawyer how he found her. Steph even told him what Eddie Gazarra told them this morning. He just shook his head and wrote it down, asking Steph for Officer Gazarra's phone number. It all sounded like they had a solid case and the pretrial hearing was set for 10 am on Friday. She called her father and he said he would attend.

Lance's lawyer, Levi Asher, sat across the table from Lance in his cell.

"So, why did you kill your wife?"

"I got mad because Anna, my wife, forgot to pay a bill. I got angry and I pushed her and she slipped on the rug and hit her head on the counter. She died as soon as she hit the floor. I told the cops it was an accident, but somehow they didn't believe me. I made bail and knew I wasn't about to show up for my hearing. I went to a drug store and bought hair dye and colored contact lenses. I found a different job at a warehouse. I was doing well, staying out of sight, until I met this bitch!"

"So, could you explain this?" asked Asher handing Lance pictures.

Lance told him everything.

"So, let me get this straight, you think she told you to do this to her?"

"Yes."

They talked for another another hour and Asher left. The lawyer congratulated himself on not rolling his eyes when Burke told him that Stephanie Plum had told him to beat her. How the hell was he supposed to spin this? This guy was a piece of work and should be locked up. He sighed. Unfortunately, his job was to mitigate the circumstances enough to throw doubt on this event at the very least. Shit! He hated pro bono work.

Chapter 6

A couple days later, Stephanie looked at herself in the mirror. She wore a royal blue Oh My Love Cut It Out Mini Dress that exposed her bruises and some of the cuts on her abdomen. Her black eye was fading slowly, but still noticeable. Ranger appeared in the mirror and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah." she said, sounding anything but.

"Relax. It's just a pretrial conference."

"Yeah I know."

"Don't worry, I will be there and so will Montgomery." Ranger removed his hands from her shoulders and put a hand on her lower back to stay connected as he followed her out on her crutches.

Half an hour later, Ranger and Steph entered the City of Trenton Municipal Court. There were a few people walking around. Steph saw Montgomery sit ting next to the courtroom door looking at a file. She hobbled over and sat next to him, holding her crutches in one hand.

"Miss Plum, so good to see you. How are you doing?"

"I'm a little nervous."

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. Come on, let's go."

When they walked in, Steph noticed that Lance and his lawyer Levi Asher, were already seated. Montgomery had earlier explained to Steph to expect them there due to the prosecuting attorney being present to negotiate the guilty plea on behalf of the City of Burke's accidental murder of his wife and his FTA status. Steph's case was to be heard separately, after that was dealt with, and the prosecuting attorney would remain at their table and be the 'point man' on presenting the case.

"Never look at your attacker in the eye." Montgomery said as he guided her to their table. He seated her, leaning her crutches against the side of the table, making them very conspicious before sitting and opening his briefcase. A few minutes later, the judge came out and everyone stood up.

"Please be seated." said Judge Grant Bartlett.

The pretrial conference took an hour. Stephanie was happy to learn that Lance would be facing prison time for accidentally murdering his wife and skipping his hearing as he did plead guilty. Sadly, Burke pled not guilty for kidnapping and beating up Steph. Lance's lawyer didn't think his client would have any reason to beat up Stephanie and he contended that Stephanie told him to beat her up. That was just crazy. She was not happy about that and she was telling the truth.

"Don't worry, everything will be ok. We will get him on both counts. Be ready for next Friday. That's when this case will be presented to a Grand Jury. The defendant and his lawyer are not permitted to attend this fact-finding session. As the witness, you will present your testimony, as will Ranger. Both I, and the city's prosecuting attorney, will be there. It is a closed proceeding so no one else is permitted in the room. There is not even a judge. But make no mistake. This is a serious and binding procedure that ultimately decides the merit of the case and whether or not it will be held over for trial by the Superior Court."

"The city prosecuting attorney, myself, you, Steph and Ranger should meet later next week to go over your testimonies and review Burke's ridiculous story. I'll be touch to arrange a time." Montgomery said. He walked them slowly to the car matching their strides to Steph's handicapped one.

"Are you ok?"

"What? "No, I'm not. I can't believe Lance would say I told him to beat me."

"He's crazy. Don't worry, he'll get what's coming."

When Steph sat on the couch, Ranger came over and sat next to her.

"Are you hungry?"

"No I'm not. I'm tired and I just want to be alone."

"Ok. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

When Ranger left, Steph took a couple of pain pills and laid down on the couch. She fell asleep five minutes later.

"So you think you can have the kidnapping and beating charges dropped?"

"Yes I can, but I can't do anything about the accidental murder of your wife and you skipping out on your bail. That wasn't smart."

They talked for about 45 minutes and Levi left the jail.

An hour later, Ranger came back upstairs to check on Stephanie. He could hear talking as he walked into the living room. Ranger noticed that Steph was having another nightmare. Then she sat up and screamed. Ranger quickly comforted her.

"Same dream?"

"Yes, but this one was worse." she said crying.

"You don't have to explain." Ranger said rubbing her arms.

"No, it's ok." she said wiping her face and turning around to face Ranger.

"This time he killed me."

"Frightening. You know it's only a nightmare."

"Yes I know and I'm not going to let something like this bother me and I don't want to be afraid anymore. What I want to do is get therapy for my ankle and then I want to learn self defense."

"I can arrange that. As soon as your ankle is healed, I will start you on both of those."

"Great thank you." Stephanie said putting her hands on his shoulders and looked deep into his eyes.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you have the most beautiful eyes?"

"No."

"Well, I'm the first."

She looked at his full luscious lips. They looked very kissable. She was just about to kiss him when his phone chirped.

"Yo. I'll be right down. Problem with a client account. I will be back later. Are you going to be ok? Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, I'm a little hungry."

"Ok. Call Ella. She'll bring you up something."

"Ok, I will do that."

Stephanie watched him leave. She would've loved to kiss those luscious lips. She called Ella and ordered her food. She even asked if she could have come dessert. Ella seemed thrilled, telling her that she would be happy to provide some. 'Hmph,' huffed Steph in her mind. 'It may not be as good as Ranger's lips, but at least I can have something else that I'll really enjoy.'

Chapter 7

A couple of hours later, Ranger walked in the apartment and saw Steph watching a movie with her leg resting on the coffee table.

"How are things?" she asked.

"Very good. We fixed the problem with a clients property and it is fine now."

"I thought you did bounty hunting."

"We do. We also provide the best security for people for their homes and businesses."

"Wow, that's cool."

"Anyways, Bobby will start your therapy after the trial. Then when your therapy is done, I will teach you self defense."

"Awesome."

"In the mean time, I can show you how to properly use a gun."

"Eww, I hate guns."

"If you want to protect yourself, you will need to know how to use one."

Later that afternoon, Ranger brought her down to the gun range. There were two other guys practicing. Ranger introduced them to her.

"Stephanie. I would like you to meet Lester and Hal. Hal is one of the men who transported Burke to jail."

"So sorry for what happened to you." said Hal.

Stephanie extended her hand and Hal's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Hal, and thank you for your help." she noticed Hal blush. Hal had blond hair and he was big and muscular.

"This is Lester." Stephanie once again held out her hand. Lester took her hand in his and covered her hand with his other one, sandwiching her small, soft one between his large ones.

"So nice to meet you, Stephanie. Sorry, too, for what happened to you."

"It's good to meet you, too, Lester. And thanks." she replied, looking him over.

Lester had the same skin tone as Ranger, but with lighter brown hair and gorgeous green eyes. She also noticed that he had the smile and demeanor of a playboy. They talked for a couple minutes during which time, Lester continued to hold her hand, his thumb constantly caressing her wrist, until Ranger suddenly growled. Both Steph and Lester looked at him and in the next nanosecond, Lester released Steph's hand and gave Ranger a smart ass grin with waggling eyebrows. Ranger's eyes narrowed and bored into Lester's. Suddenly, he and Hal turned back and they continued with their practicing. Steph swore that an entire silent conversation had just taken place. Ranger led Stephanie to a cabinet and opened it. Stephanie was amazed at how many guns were in there. Ranger grabbed headsets, eye protection, a gun and some ammo.

"This is a Glock 18. Watch and learn."

She watched him put bullets in the magazine and then he put the magazine in the gun. She followed him to a booth. They both put on their ear and eye protection. He hung a paper target and slid it to the back of the range. She watched him first then he hung a new target and she tried. She missed a few times.

"Here, let me help." he said standing behind her and taking her arms and aiming the gun at the target. She felt tingles go down her arms.

"Now, shoot."

She missed several times and reloaded the gun. She rolled her neck and began to shoot. She missed two times and hit the target with the rest. She wanted to try again, so she reloaded the gun and hit the target with each bullet perfectly. Steph ladi the pistol down on the ledge, removed her protective gear, turned to Ranger and smiled.

"You'll become a pro in no time. How are you feeling?"

"A little tired and hurting."

"That's enough for today. Let's get you upstairs."

When Stephanie entered the apartment, she immediately took a pain pill and relaxed on the couch.

"Go lay on the bed. It's more comfortable."

Ranger carried her to his bedroom instead of her using the crutches. She looked worn out. She got comfortable and fell asleep.

It seemed like the week was speeding by to Steph. It was already Wednesday, the day of the meeting with Montgomery and the city prosecutor to practice for Friday's Grand Jury session. Tank had reserved the largest conference room in the Rangeman building. Ella made sure there were cold bottles of water on the table, along with a discreetly placed box of tissues. An urn of coffee with cups, stirrers, raw sugar and Truvia packets and a basket of fat free Half 'n' Half singles waited on a credenza to one side of the room.

Tank, Bobby, Cal and Hal were already in the conference room, pouting themselves each a coffee when Ranger and Steph arrived. She had a pallor to her skin but a determined look on her face. Ranger's hand was at the small of her back, providing the soothing connection that she needed. As she entered the room, she nodded at the guys and spotted the caffeine she so badly wanted. She headed there immediately before stopping, turning toward Ranger and remarking.

"Oh my God, CONDIMENTS for coffee!" Tank, Bobby, Cal and Hal all guffawed at her snarkey observation. Ranger almost thought about smiling, glad that this wonderful woman's personality was beginning to return to her. Apparently, she comes with a supply of weapons-grade sarcasm. He was also glad that fixing her coffee was enough of a distraction to get her through her nervous anticipation of this ordeal.

As she was seated next to Ranger, sipping her 'ambrosia from the gods' as she called it, Montgomery, Eddie and the city prosecutor, Carson Grant, were escorted into the second floor conference room. After all the introductions were made and all the participants had coffee and water in front of them, Carson began the meeting.

"Stephanie, the Grand Jury process is used in order to determine if there is sufficient to go to trial. There's nothing to be afraid of Friday. Everyone in this room will be there with you as all the evidence and testimonies are presented to a group of about 16-23 jurors. Neither the defendant nor his lawyer is permitted to attend. And there are no spectators. Not even a judge. These jurors will then deliberate to determine if your case will be handed over for a criminal trial. Given the preponderance of evidence collected by Rangeman and the testimonies of so many witnesses, I am confident that we will be granted to 'go ahead' with the trial."

Steph raised her hand to ask Carson a question. He smiled and assured her that she needn't raised her hand, just ask away.

"Ok, Carson, who selects which jurors will serve on the Grand Jury? It is you and Montgomery?"

"No, not us. A judge decides who will sit on the Grand Jury and who is excused. Usually, the only reason for exclusion is 'for cause,' when the judge feels the person could be not be 'fair and impartial'. Why do you ask? Do you have specific concerns?"

"You bet I do! Is there a way to exclude anyone from Chambersburg? Not one of them could be 'fair and impartial' once they know who is the plaintiff in this case and who is the defendant. Then after the Grand Jury is released, they will jump to spread gossip and slander about me so badly that there will be no hope of ever selecting an impartial jury at the criminal trial!"

"I can submit the request and we'll hope for the best, but there is an issue, we can request a change of venue for the criminal trial. It may take longer to get to trial, but we may have a better chance if the public has been infected with the gossip. One thing that we will have going for us is that Grand Jury jurors are committed, long-term jurors. They agreed to be on duty for anywhere from 3-18 months. So when they are done this one, they start the next one. Not much time for gossip. Or maybe it's just that the busybodies don't sign up for this because it would interfere with their tongie wagging time! Does that help?"

"I hope so. I guess we'll have to wait and see..." she sighed.

Carson began by telling all the witnesses that they will only be in the Grand Jury room when they are testifying.

"At the courthouse, witnesses not on the stand will stay in the Witness Room, with the admonishment to refrain from talking about the case. Stephanie, as the victim, will be in the Grand Jury room the whole time. When a witness is done testifying, you may choose to remain in the Grand Jury room or return to the Witness Room. You are required to remain there until the proceedings are finished because the jurors may have additional questions."

"For our purposes today, you cannot stay in order to maintain the integrity of your testimony for Friday. Now, you may go back to work until you are called, but please stay in the building. Montgomery will text you when you when your time is near. Please take a seat in the small conference room next door and he will come get you when it's your turn. All of you except Stephanie and Tank, who is up first, may head out. It's Cal, then Hal, after Tank, Bobby, then Ranger will be right before lunch break. Then Steph and Officer Gazarra." Looking at Eddie, Carson continued. "You are the last witness, so if you want, you may return to the police station. I figure you won't be up until at least midafternoon, so please plan accordingly. Cal and Hal, please wait next door, as you are up after Tank and it won't take long. Thank you, everyone."

Once all the witnesses but Steph and Tank had left, he asked Tank to be seated at the head of the table. Tank spoke about what they had seen at Burke's house when they went to pick him up for skipping his hearing for his wife's murder. Cal and then Hal did likewise. Bobby narrated the slideshow of injuries that Stephanie had, showing photos up on a large screen for everyone to see. Steph had to turn her face away, as she couldn't stand to see those horrible pictures.

Ranger was called next. When he entered the conference room, his eye immediately sought and found her sad blue ones. More then anything, he wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her. But it wasn't allowed, to stimulate actual conditions on Friday. As he turned to sit, he donned his Blank Face to stay in control of his emotions. He spoke about the BEA apprehension and what he saw in the house, along with reiterating the severity of her injuries and the first aid she was given before transporting her to the infirmary.

Carson suggested they have a 30 minute lunch break, just as Ella wheeled in a cart of sandwiches, pre-packed salads with dressings, fresh fruit, and more cold water bottles. Steph was glad for the time to use the restroom, splash a little cold water on her face and down a couple of Ibuprofen. She had a killer headache.

After lunch, Steph, herself, had to testify and that took the better part of the hour. There were many tears but she was determined to get through it without needing to break.

The last person to testify was Eddie. He related to conversation he had with Burke in the holding cell. Finally, Carson was ready to wrap things up for the day. All the witnesses came into the conference room for final instructions. He praised the job everyone did and felt that they had a very solid case. This practice session was vital to getting through the proceedings Friday and he thanked them all for being there today.

Ranger scooped Stephanie into his arms, as Bobby grabbed her crutches and followed them up to the apartment on seven. Ranger sat down on the sofa with Steph on his lap, her head leaning on his chest. Bobby set the crutches down in the bedroom, and got her a banana and a vanilla yogurt to eat before she took a pain pill. He gave all of them to Ranger, nodded and left the apartment. Ranger broke off pieces of the banana and placed them in her mouth to chew and swallow. He even fed her the yogurt, as she was too tired to hold the spoon. When she was done eating and had taken her pill, he carried Steph to the bathroom, set her down and told her to call him when she was done getting ready for bed. Soon, she called out to him and he carried her to the bed, pulling up the covers over her.

"Please. Can you stay and hold me while I go to sleep? I feel so safe in your arms."

"I'd be happy to hold you, Steph." as he toed off his boots and socks, removing his guns, knives and cell phone. Ranger climbed in under the covers to pull her back against his chest. He took a deep breath of her curls, kissed her head, and he smiled as he felt her relax and drift off the sleep.

Friday started early, as everyone needed to be inside the stadium-style seating Grand Jury room in the City of Trenton Municipal Courthouse by 9:00. The court bailiff called the proceedings to order and court recorder started typing away. Steph was so grateful to have had all day Thursday to rest and recuperate from the emotional ordeal of the practice session.

When she was seated next to Montgomery, who squeezed her hand in reassurance, she took a moment to look at all the jurors. By some miracle, there was no one she knew and no one whose lifeblood was gossip. 'Hallelujah!' she thought letting out a big sigh.

Tank was called first and the order was the same as yesterday. Steph was relieved that they had practiced this. It seemed so much easier to follow and comprehend, thanks to City Prosecutor Carson Grant and her lawyer, Montgomery. After all the testimonies, and just a few a few questions from the jurors, it was time to deliberate. Steph went into The Witness Room during this time and sat on Ranger's lap after receiving hugs from all of these dear friends of hers. In less time than it would have taken her to fall asleep on Ranger, the Grand Jury had made a decision. They handed the city prosecutor a 'True Bill,' which meant they had presented enough evidence 'beyond a reasonable doubt' to move to full felony criminal trial.

Stephanie felt like she had just run a marathon. Two of them, in only three days. Ranger could tell Steph was beyond exhausted. Once again, he picked her up in his arms and headed out to their SUV, flanked by Tank, Bobby, Cal, Hal and Montgomery. Ranger's goal was to get her back to Rangeman without incident and put her to bed, still in his arms. This beautiful, strong and complex woman meant the world to him.

Chapter 8

Tank parked the truck in front of the steps of the courthouse. It was the day of the criminal trial. Steph could only sit there. Hal and Cal were waiting outside on the steps. They came in separate vehicles.

"You ready?" asked Ranger.

"No, but let's get this over with." she said getting out of the truck. Ranger took her hand as all five of them walked up the steps and into the building. She felt more comfortable holding his hand. She saw her father and her friend Officer Eddie Gazarra each standing next to Montgomery. She ran to her father and hugged him tightly.

"I'm so glad you're here." said Steph.

"I didn't want to miss this. I'm here for you."

She hugged Eddie also.

"Stephanie, you look lovely. Ranger, good to see you." said Montgomery shaking his hand.

"Good to see you too sir." Ranger replied.

"Now remember, you didn't say or do anything to make Lance do this to you. He did this on his own. Be tough up there."

"I will try."

Ranger took Stephanie's hand as they walked in the courtroom. Lance and his lawyer were already present. Ranger sat in the front row behind Stephanie as Montgomery opened his briefcase. City Prosecutor, Carson Graham, was already at the table and greeted them. Today, Montgomery was ' on point' with Carson consulting alongside him. The jurors walked in and took their seats. Five minutes later Judge Grant Bartlett came out and everybody stood and then sat. Cal went up first on the stand as Montgomery asked him to tell the jury what happened that day they went to Burke's house. Montgomery asked a few questions. Then it was Asher's turn.

"Why did you all go to my client's house?" he asked Cal.

"We were there to pick up Burke to take him to the police station. He was out on bail and had Failed to Appear at his hearing for the murder of his wife."

"Move to strike, Your Honor!" Asher shouted.

"Sorry, Mr. Asher. The court will not strike that last statement because you opened the door by asking the question." Judge Bartlett replied.

"No further questions, Your Honor." Asher said quickly. 'Oh, shit!' he thought. 'This is not good.'

Then Hal, Tank and Officer Gazarra were called to the stand to testify. Asher asked very few questions of each of them when when it was his turn, not wanting to do any more damage to his client's reputation in front of the jury.

Then Ranger went up next. Montgomery asked Ranger questions, clarifying several points for the jury. Asher asked Ranger about his job and whether or not his BEA License was current, and those of the three men who were with him, looking for any loophole to prove unlawful entry or illegal detention. Then he asked Ranger if he was in a relationship with Stephanie. He simply said no, Asher somehow didn't believe him, but he had no way to refute it. After those questions were done, the recessed for an hour lunch and the trial would resume after that.

"Come on, we'll get lunch." Ranger said to Stephanie.

"I'm not hungry. I just want to be alone." Steph said making her way out of the building on her crutches. She sat on the bench and sighed. 'Shit! I wish I I hadn't walked away from Ranger. My thoughts are too chaotic now that he's not next to me. He has a way of soothing my nerves which I badly need right now.' Just as she finished that thought, Ranger joined her and handed her a turkey sandwich. He sat down next to her on the bench, their thighs touching while they ate.

"Don't let that asshole Asher bother you. You know he's going to try to manipulate you and make you doubt yourself. You can't break down, you have to be strong. You think you can do that?"

"Yes. Thanks for coming to sit with me. I do feel better, having you near me."

"Good, eat your sandwich."

She sighed and ate her sandwich. Fifty five minutes later, they walked back to the courtroom. Five minutes later, the judge came back out and the trial continued. Steph got called to the witness stand and sighed with thankfulness Montgomery was first to ask her questions. He purposely stood between Steph and Lance, so she wouldn't have to see him while giving her testimony. When Montgomery was done questioning her, Asher stood up and she looked at Ranger. He gave her a look of encouragement. Steph answered the questions truthfully. Asher was tough on some questions, but she managed to get through it. Then came the question that she knew would eventually come. Did she tell Lance to beat her? She simply said no and said he did that on his own. Asher had no further questions and Stephanie stepped down.

The prosecution then called Bobby to the stand. Bobby was asked by Montgomery to state his medical credentials. Then he was asked about Steph's injuries. Bobby narrated the deluge of photos that he sent up to the large screen for the jury to see. Most of the Rangeman there hadn't seen the photos before or known the extent of Steph's injuries. There were many clenched jaws, growls and rude exclamations beneath their breath as each photo was shown and explained by Bobby. It was also obvious that the jury was moved and sickened by the images. The jurors noticed the Plaintiff couldn't even look at the pictures. Tears were quietly running down her cheeks as she tried to stem the flow with tissues. Asher quickly said he had no questions for this witness.

"Prosecution has no more questions, Your Honor."

Then Lance, who was the only Defense Witness, came up to the stand. Montgomery was first to ask Lance questions. Montgomery had no further questions and he sat back down and rolled his eyes at Stephanie. Asher smiled when he got up to ask Lance questions.

"When you left the restaurant, she asked you if she could go to your house."

"Yes."

"So, what did you do."

"I said sure. I thought maybe she wanted a nightcap."

"So when you got to your house, what happened?"

"She asked me if I wanted to go downstairs with her and I asked her why and she said 'Does there have to have to be a reason?' So I went down there with her. When we got down there, she told me to beat her."

"So, what did you say?"

"I asked her if she was crazy."

He continued on with his story and when he was done, Asher had no further questions. Some answers Steph was satisfied with, some she wasn't. Especially the part where she told him to beat her.

"I need a thirty minute recess." said the Judge getting up.

"Come on, let's get some air." said Ranger.

"You know all that he said is not true."

"Of course it's not man is crazy and has a history of violence. He's trying to get a lesser sentence. You have to stay positive about this."

She nodded and returned back to the courtroom. As soon as they returned the courtroom, Montgomery requested.

"Prosecution would like to recall the last witness for redirect, Your Honor."

"Very well, Mr. Burke, please take the stand again."

"Mr. Burke, the natural color of your hair is blond, is that correct?"

"Yes." Burke replied, his brow furrowed, unsure of why he would ask that.

"When did you dye your hair?"

"Objection, Your Honor, Revelance?" challenged Asher. Montgomery's inner warrior smiled, as he looked at the judge and promised.

"It goes to the state of mind of this witness during this time, Your Honor."

"Overruled, Mr. Asher." the judge agreed.

"I'll ask you again. When did you dye your hair?"

"Several weeks ago."

"Can you be more specific?"

"I forgot exactly when."

"Was it before you met the Plaintiff?"

"Yes, a few days before that."

"What prompted you to dye your hair at that time?" Hearing this question, and finally seeing where Montgomery was headed with this line of questioning, Asher was frantically trying to signal his client not to answer.

"Because I was..." Lance stopped as Asher caught his attention. Montgomery turned to look at Asher seeing Burke's attention stuck on his lawyer. He raised an eyebrow to them, then turned to the judge.

"You Honor, permission to treat Mr. Burke as a hostile witness?"

"Permission granted."

"I'll repeat the question. What prompted you to dye your hair at that time?"

"Um, I was looking for a change?" Burke made the last few words sound more like a question than an answer.

"Isn't it true that you dyed your hair because you purposely did not show up at your hearing and you were hiding from the law, the hearing for the murder of your wife?"

Both Asher and Burke jumped up, Asher yelling, "Objection!" and Burke, with an angry scowl on his face, shouting, "That stupid cow got what she deserved! She forgot to pay a bill, so I had to teach her a lesson! And if it wasn't for THAT bitch sitting right there," Lance said pointing at Stephanie, "I'd still be a free man! I just wanted to have a little fun with her, but she kicked me in my nuts! I had to teach her a lesson too..." the last word was uttered slowly and more quietly as Burke realized he just fucked up. Big time.

The audience in the courtroom erupted in cheers and jeers. The jurors all had shock and revulsion written on their faces, Montgomery saw.

Judge Bartlett pounded his gavel, restoring order in the courtroom.

"Overruled, Mr. Asher. Once again, you already opened that door during the first witness's testimony." Montgomery's inner warrior was doing a Victory Dance, as he calmly said, "No further questions, Your Honor."

"Has the jury reached a verdict?"

"We have your Honor. We find the Defendant, Lance Burke, guilty on all six charges."

"Thank you for your service." the judge nodded to the jurors. "Court dismissed," rang out as Judge Bartlett banged his gavel and left the courtroom.

The audience broke out into more cheers and applause. Stephanie was stunned and ecstatic. She couldn't believe what she heard. Lance Burke was found guilty on all counts: Kidnapping, Unlawful Detainment, Assault with Intent to Cause Grievous Injury, Attempted Rape, and Attempted 1st Degree Murder. She smiled in relief as she turned around and hugged Montgomery and on her left and Carson on her right. Then she turned to Ranger and hugged tightly.

"Proud of you, Babe." Ranger whispered in her ear. Her grin was enormous.

Her dad was next. When she pulled away, she saw Lance being taken away. 'Good!' she thought, as she was scooped up and hugged by each of the smiling Rangeman there. Steph, Ranger, Carson and Montgomery talked for a few minutes and they all left the courtroom. When they were outside, Ranger grabbed Steph's hand.

When they were alone in his SUV, Ranger grabbed Steph's hand and kissed her palm.

"We should go celebrate, Babe. What do you say?"

"Sure, Carlos. What do you have in mind? Ranger felt his chest puff out as this extraordinary woman called him by his real first name. It felt so intimate. So right. His eyes captured hers, his turning to a dark brown, almost black color causing hers to respond, darkening to midnight blue.

"I know that color!" Stephanie remarked in wonder, as she pointed toward his eyes. It's the same color of the walls in your penthouse!"

Both of them cracked up, easing the sexual tension inside the vehicle. Ranger touched his forehead to hers, saying, "You never disappoint, Babe!"

Chapter 9

Ranger drove to Mamma Flora's Trattoria.

"Pizza! You're letting me have pizza?"

"Sure, Babe. You earned it and we're celebrating."

"Thank you, Carlos" she said smiling.

Ranger found a corner booth in the back They both ordered water. When the waitress came back with their drinks, she took their order. Steph chose the Sicilian Pizza, Ranger chose the Mediterranean Salad. Ranger took her hands.

"I promise to take you somewhere romantic next time."

They made small talk as they waited for their food. Their food arrived ten minutes later. She was so hungry. She finished the whole pie fifteen minutes later.

"Good?"

"Yes very. Thank you for taking me here."

"You're welcome, Babe."

Five minutes later, Ranger paid and they left. When they got in the car, Ranger noticed Stephanie looked tired.

"Are you feeling ok, Babe?" he asked as he watched her, ever vigilant to see to her needs.

"Yes. All this excitement made me a little tired."

"You're ok right. You're not hurting?" Ranger ran his fingers down her cheek. Steph closed her eyes and leaned in his tender touch.

"My ankle hurts a little, but nothing too serious."

Ranger took her hand as he drove back to Rangeman.

"So, any dessert?" Steph asked as she walked in the apartment.

"No."

"I thought this was a celebration Maybe Ella made come chocolate cake."

"Call and ask her, Babe."

Ella came up ten minutes later with the cake, smiling like a co-conspirator who just finished a successful mission as she left.

"Mmmm, this is good. Would you like to try a piece?"

"Babe."

"Oh come on. One little piece isn't going to hurt."

Steph forked a small piece and fed it to him. They stared into each others eyes as he ate the bite of the cake.

"Good?" she asked.

He nodded. She ate the last little bit and put down her fork.

"All better?" Ranger asked asked his Babe.

"Yes."

"You have a smear of cake on your cheek."

Steph swiped her cheek.

"Here let me." Ranger said wiping her cheek with his finger, then held out his finger in front of her lips. She opened them and licked the spot off, sucking his whole finger into her mouth. 'Shit, that's so hot!' he thought. He pulled his finger out of her mouth and rested his hand on her cheek and caressing it. They got closer as Steph looked at those luscious lips of his. She had enough of thinking about it so she kissed him. She quickly pulled away and got up from the chair.

"I'm sorry, I got carried away."

"It's ok." Ranger said getting up and turning her around. He put his arms around her waist and zeroed in his gaze in her shapely, tempting lips. He slowly lowered his head, wanting to savor their first deep kiss. Their lips touched, a tingle sped down his spine and he felt like he had come home. She moaned and put her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened. She loved the feel of his oh-so luscious lips. And that special tingle she got when she was near him went down her spine at the same time heading to happy points in her lower region.

Ranger raised her arms and took off her dress. He took off his shirt as Steph noticed his eight pack abs and muscled arms and chest. He took his pants off and he heard her gasp at the sight of his not-so-little soldier. It twitched in greeting and Steph thought for sure her tongue was hanging out. He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He laid her on the bed and took off her bra. He opened the drawer and took out a condom as she took off her already soaled undies.

"You are so beautiful, Babe." his sexy, low voice uttered. "More beautiful than I could imagine."

He slowly entered her as she caressed his back. She never felt this good.

"You're so warm. You feel so good around me. I don't think I'll be able to last this long this first time." Ranger whispered in her ear, once he was fully sheated.

She smiled, caressing his hair, neck then down to his back again, as he started to move in and out. When he was sure she was used to his size, he picked up the pace. She was starting to feel pressure building inside her as she moaned, "Oh, God, yes, Carlos!" She came the second he moved his hand to flick his finger back and forth on her clit. The sound of her coming pushed all of his control out the window. He surged within her, holding himself deep inside, groaning through his pulsating release. He touched his forehead to hers as he held himself above her, "Babe, I have never felt like this before."

"Neither have I, Carlos." she panted, still tingling from the most powerful orgasm she had ever experienced.

Ranger reluctantly pulled out of her perfectly-fitted sheath, moving off of her and tucking her in to lay snuggled up beside him.

"That was wonderful." she whispered, her breathing finally slowing down.

"Yes it was, so incredibly hot, Babe." he said. Ranger's hand moved to pick up her sexy, just been fucked look curls and smoothed them back out of her eyes. He noticed his beautiful Babe had fallen asleep. Having her next to him worked to calm and complete him in a way he had never felt before. It was no surprise that he fell asleep two minutes later.

The next morning, Stephanie woke up alone. She got up, answered Mother Nature's call and put on shorts and a tank top. She grabbed her crutches and made her way to the kitchen. She found Ranger at the stove cooking.

"Uhmmm, morning, Carlos." Steph said, offering up her sweet lips for a kiss. Ranger turned from the stove, pressing his lips down, tasting her nectar. He knew he could get lost in her kiss, so he pulled back. He didn't want to burn breakfast, but he was sure burning for his Babe.

"Morning." he smiled. "Breakfast will be done in a few minutes."

As Steph sat, she remarked.

"I thought Ella did all the cooking."

"Usually, but I thought I would make breakfast for a change."

"Hmmm, what is for breakfast?"

"A surprise."

A minute later, Ranger walked over to the table and set the plate in front of her.

"Bacon and eggs?" she asked in amazement.

"Yes and these are turkey bacon and Eggbeaters. They're healthy for you. So is the wheat toast." Ranger said walking back to the kitchen and came back with a cup of coffee for her. Steph took the mug as she closed her eyes and sipped the coffee. She quickly opened her eyes, wrinkled her nose and blanched.

"This isn't coffee. Do you have cream and sugar?"

"Nope. All that isn't good for you, Babe. Ranger said smiling and kissing her. He moved his left hand, which had been behind his back, placing a small bowl of raw sugar packets and fat free half 'n' half singles, which he placed in front of her, along with a spoon.

"Here, Babe. Just kidding about not having anything. I grabbed the healthy alternative that Ella put out in the conference room the other day."

He walked back to the kitchen to retrieve his bagel with lox and shmear and coffee. Ranger returned to the table and sat down.

"Where did you go earlier? I heard you get up."

"I went for a jog and then I went to the gym. Bobby said you can start therapy next week and then in two more weeks you'll get your cast off. That's when your PT accelerates. As soon as he sees good progress, you can start your self defense training."

"Great. So what can I do to help you out in the meantime, Carlos? I just don't want to sit around and do nothing."

Ranger was impressed that his Babe wanted to help. She could easily have just sat around and watched TV. But he knew she was really smart and he wanted to apply those brains, making sure she felt challenged and fulfilled. She didn't want him to make up some task for her to do. She'd see through that in a heartbeat! 'Yep, she would be a huge asset to Rangeman if I can get her to work here full time. Hmmm. Maybe, if I offer her a perk of Noonday Delight, she's accept!' Ranger smiled and other 'other head' began to twitch in agreement at the thought of it.

"I have background searches that need to be done. They are done using our proprietary software, so you'll be sitting at a desk most of the time. I can help you get started on that today."

"Awesome! That would be great."

Stephanie finished her breakfast and took a shower. Stephanie closed her eyes and let the hot water sluice down her body when she felt arms circle around her waist. She opened her eyes and quickly turned around to find Ranger in there with her.

"I thought you might want some help." Ranger said looking at her. She smiled as she watched him pour soap into a sponge. He washed her whole body and then her hair. She did the same with him. They didn't make love, because he didn't want her to slip with that awkward cast wrapped in plastic on her leg. They just kissed and held each other. After getting totallly clean, they got out of the shower and Ranger dried her off. They both got dressed and headed out the door to get started on the day.

Chapter 10

It only took an hour to show Stephanie how the searches software worked. And even less time to demonstrate how to look over the info and evaluate where we might the skip. She caught on pretty fast. Ranger was impressed. At 10, she was getting hungry, so she got up and went to the lounge to find something to eat. She looked in the fridge and found nothing that appealed to her.

'What am I supposed to eat around here?'

Just then, Lester walked in.

"Hey, how's is going? I see Ranger has started you on searches."

"Yes. I needed something to do while I recuperate."

"Do you like it?"

"Yes I do." Steph said still looking in the fridge. Steph watched Lester grab an apple and a yogurt.

"How can you live on that?"

"This Boss wants us to eat healthy.

"I can't live on rabbit food."

"You work here, you have to." Les said leaving. She grabbed an apple and went back to work.

Ranger had asked her to work full time at Rangeman and she had agreed. Steph knew that the physical training and regimen his men followed were to help them stay safe out on the streets. She wondered if she would ever be good enough partner with one of themon a takedown. She had been allowed to do some surveillance work woth several different guys. She also did shifts watching the monitors. But her forte, by far, was using her knowledge of people and their relationships in the Chambersburg area. She cut the time it took to locate a skip in half, and every one of her assessements of the best place and time to nab the skip were always correct. On top of that, she had an uncanny ability to connect the dots when reading over the background searches that she printed out. She also had what she called her spidey-sense, kind of like intuition on steriods. Everyday, Ranger had yet another reason to be thankful he had his Babe. Her infectious humor and warm heart had brought Rangeman together more like a family than a company. Some of his men hadn't smiled in years, but the moment she came near, they returned her smiles and maybe even stopped to chat. Nothing short of a miracle. Steph was passionate. Whatever she did, she put everything she had into it. When it came to their love life, she was playful and saucy and always ready to try something new. Ranger couldn't get enough of her, nor she, him. They were perfectly matched in those adventures and were often seen touching each other or exchanging a kiss throughout the day. All the men considered Ranger a lucky bastard.

During the past six weeks, Stephanie had practiced her shooting at the gun range. She got better and more consistent with her shots. At the end of the sixth week, Bobby took off her cast. Her skin looked very dry, so Bobby used a damp cloth and put lotion on it. Bobby slowly moved her ankle, testing her range of motion.

"How does that feel?"

"It hurts a little."

"Use the crutches and try walking on it some. I'm going to give you a resistance band. Work your foot back and forth. That should help it and work it every other day. You can even exercise while you're working. As soon as its feeling better, we'll start you on self defense."

"Great, I can't wait."

They talked a few minutes more and Steph went back to work. She printed the document and as she was waiting for the printout, she put the band around her foot and started the exercise. It hurt a couple times, then it got better. For the next two weeks her ankle improved. She did walk with a bit of a limp. Bobby had her walking on the treadmill too. She felt that special tingle and turned her head to see Ranger come in the gym.

"How is everything, Babe?"

"It feels ok. I know it will get better."

"Good. I want to start teaching you self defense. We can begin with defending yourself with your arms and upper body. Then when your ankle is fully functional, we'll include your legs. Self defense is an order of magnitude more effective when you have the option of using ALL of your limbs."

The treadmill stopped and she joined him on the mat. He showed her all the moves, but when she made a turn without thinking, her ankle hurt.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, it was just a twinge."

""We're going to quit for today. You need to put ice on that."

"Ok." said Steph walking out of the gym. Tears were starting to form in her eyes. When she got in the apartment, she got an ice pack out of the freezer. She sat down on the sofa, put the ice pack on her ankle and began to cry. A few minutes later, the door opened and she quickly wiped her eyes as Ranger sat down beside her.

"Is everything ok, Babe?"

"No, Carlos. I thought my ankle was getting better, but I guess it feels like it regressed about three weeks that one move."

"You've been working it too hard. I know you want it to get better, but you have to rest it also. I'm going to give you the afternoon off. Watch a movie, read a book. Just stay off that ankle. I'm going back to work for a couple hours then I'll be back up." Ranger said kissing her. Steph turned on the TV and found the movie Ghostbusters.

Steph took it easy on her ankle for a month. Bobby gave her an ace bandage to wrap and support it. That helped a lot. She exercised her ankle and still used crutches. She did walk on it eventually and it finally did seem better. By the middle of the next month, she was able to start self defense training once again. She became a kick ass star apprentice. She kicked even kicked Lester's ass in one of her bouts. Everyone clapped and she high fived all her guys. They all left and she handed Les a bottled water.

"Thanks for volunteering, Les."

"Hey, no problem."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else what happened."

"Thanks. The guy will be brutal enough for weeks to come." said Lester drinking his water.

"I'll leave you to lick your wounds." Steph said smiling leaving the gym. She took the stairs instead of the elevator. She had no problem. When she entered the apartment, she found a dozen red roses in a vase. She found a note in them.

Babe,

Wear something nice tonight. I'm going to take you out on a real date.

Carlos

Stephanie smiled and searched the closet for something sexy to wear.

Chapter 11

She chose a maroon Linden Off the Shoulder Bandage dress. She got in the shower and when she got out of the stall, she looked at herself in the mirror. The bruise beside her eye was almost better. The ones on her arms and legs were fading. She covered the one beside her eye with makeup. She blow dried her hair and left it down. She put on the dress and admired herself. She looked really good. She left the bedroom and walked in the living room and found Ranger. He looked so handsome in Giorgio Armani Soft Basic two piece suit. His hair was slicked back and loose, also. It was all she could do to stop herself from running her hands through it.

"You look so handsome in that suit, Carlos." she said, unconsciously licking her lips.

"Thanks, Babe. You look very beautiful." he replied as his eyes darkened in arousal.

"Thanks." she said smiling.

"Shall we go?"

"Yes. So, Carlos, where are we going?"

"Up on the roof."

They walked up the steps and when Ranger opened the door, Steph was totally amazed. The roof was decorated with romantic lighting all around. A small table stood in the middle of the roof with a candle in the centerpiece and soft music playing.

"This is very beautiful."

"Ella and Luis did this earlier today.

"They did a wonderful job."

"Yeah they did, Babe."

He took her hand and led her to the table. He kissed her hand, his eyes capturing hers as he helped her sit and pull her chair up to the table. He moved her hair aside from one shoulder and nuzzled her neck from behind, smiling as his delectable woman reacted with shivers. He then stepped aside to his seat and sat down.

"Wine, Babe?" Ranger asked as held up a bottle of Domaine Besson Chablis.

"Yes, please, Carlos" she smiled, as he poured the dry white wine from France into their glasses.

Setting the bottle down, he picked up his glass and so did she.

"To us." he said, he said, raising his glass and so did she.

"To us." she repeated, as they clinked glasses and sipped their toast.

Ranger lifted the lid on her plate. Chicken and rice with black beans. Ranger removed his own lid and set them down.

"It's a classic Cuban meal of chicken, rice and black beans."

"Mmm, this smells so good. What is it called?"

"Um...chicken and rice with black beans?" he grinned at her.

"Cuban smartass!" she retorted, the grinned herself.

They made small talk while they ate. When they were done, Ranger took her hand.

"Dance with me."

Steph got up and put her arms around his shoulders while he put his arms around her waist. He caressed her back as she did the same.

"It's such a beautiful night." said Steph.

"Yeah it is." Ranger said pushing back to look at her. "But you're more beautiful." he said kissing her. He stopped, cupped her face with his hands and looked into her eyes.

"I love you Babe." Ranger said while smiling at her.

"I love you too, Carlos." she said smiling in return.

They kissed deeply and continued dancing for another hour. They went back downstairs and made love. The next morning, Steph woke up with Ranger still in bed with her. She looked up at him and smiled.

"You're still here."

"Where did you think I'd be?"

"Jogging, or in the gym."

"I thought I would stay here. I was enjoying being near you and seeing your gorgeous face."

"How long have you been watching me sleep?"

"For an hour." Ranger said moving her hair away from her forehead then caressing her face. He was about to kiss her when his phone chirped. Ranger reached for his phone on the nightstand.

"Yo. Shit! When? Do they know how yet? Keep me posted. Thank you for telling me." Steph could see Ranger clenching his jaw, a sure sign of bad news.

"Is there a problem?"

"Lance Burke broke out of prison. That was Officer Gazarra."

"Shit!" repeated Steph as she got a scared look on her face.

"Don't worry, you're safe here. He's probably far away by now. It wouldn't make sense to stay around here. We're going to keep our eyes open, though." If there's one thing dealing with Burke has taught us, it's that he is not a rational man. We will be ready to deal with the unexpected." Ranger said kissing her and getting up to go to the bathroom. She really hoped Burke was far away from here. And he would stay there. Steph thought as she jumped on the Denial Train for a ride.

Chapter 12

A few days later, Steph sat looking at the computer.

"Babe."

No response.

"Babe."

"What!?"

"You seemed far away. You ok?"

"I just can't stop thinking of Lance breaking out of prison."

"Like I said, everybody is out there looking for him. I know you're on edge, but he will be found and brought back to prison. Now, I need to go check out a warehouse in Princeton that we provide security for. I'll be back after that, shouldn't take me long. I love you." Ranger said kissing her.

"Love you." Steph replied back.

Steph tried to get back to work, and she managed to get it done. She turned off her laptop and brought the files to Ranger's office. She realized it has been an hour since he had been gone. She went to Tank's office.

"Hey Tank, Ranger hasn't come back yet and I'm beginning to worry."

"Did you try calling him? He's probably still busy at the warehouse."

Steph left Tank's office and went upstairs to the apartment. She dialed and went directly to voicemail. She left a message hoping he will call back soon. She turned on the TV and found a movie. An hour later, he never called. So Steph dialed his number again, voicemail. She turned off the TV and went downstairs. Tank was still in his office.

"Tank, it's been two hours. I called him when I went upstairs. I left a message hoping he would call me back and he didn't. I called him again a few minutes ago, still no answer. I'm really getting worried now."

"Give me five minutes and we'll go." Tank said stepping out.

Her phone rang and she quickly answered it.

"Carlos! Thank God you called. I've been so worried..."

"Hi Stephanie. Do you remember me?"

"Lance?"

"You get to go ahead of the class! I miss you."

"What do you want?"

Tank came back in the office. Steph put one finger in front of her lips to keep Tank silent.

"I want you of course. You probably already know I have your boyfriend Ranger. Yeah, I messed with the security here in the warehouse in Princeton. I see him opening the door, walking in, looking around for the problem. I sneak up from behind and knock him out. It was so easy."

"I want to talk to him."

"Here, your girlfriend wants to talk to you."

"Babe."

"Carlos, are you ok?"

"Yes I am. Lance knocked me out..."

"That's enough. Let's trade, you for him. Meet me at the warehouse in Princeton in an hour and come alone. If I see anyone of your Rangeman friends, he's dead." Lance said clicking off.

"I'm going."

"What? No you're not."

"Yes I am." said Steph taking her gun out of the drawer. When she arrived at the garage, Tank, Lester, Bobby Ram, Zero, Cal and Hal waited by the trucks. Everyone was fully 'dressed' with weapons, and wearing Kevlar vests. Tank held a smaller one, and helped Steph into it.

"We're going with you. We'll stay out of sight and watch real close. Ram and Zero are world class snipers and will watch over everything from a higher vantage point." said Tank.

"Ok, good. I just want this son of a bitch back in prison!"

"Noted. But in the interest of transparency, Steph, I couldn't care less if that bastard arrives in a pine box. Let's go." commanded Tank.

They parked at a corner where they couldn't be seen.

"We'll sneak in from the roof of the warehouse and get in quietly. Ram and Zero are getting into position up on nearby rooftops, so they'll have our backs if Burke makes it outside. Be careful, Little Girl." said Tank.

"I will."

The guys made their way to the back of the warehouse to silently climb up the fire escape, while Steph drove to the warehouse. She opened the front door and entered, it was dark.

"Lance, I'm here."

"Come to the back."

Steph quickly walked down the aisle and came to an opening. She saw Lance crouching next to Ranger on the floor. Ranger was handcuffed to a railing. His face was swollen and bruised. His Rangeman t-shirt was sliced open and she noticed cuts on his chest. He looked to be unconscious.

"I see you're looking well again. That will change."

"I'm here, now let him go."

"I have to unlock the cuffs to let your boyfriend here go. Then I'm going to take you out of here and I can have my fun. "

"He needs medical attention. You just can't leave him here."

"Oh don't worry, someone will be by to pick him up. Let's go." Lance said grabbing her and Steph pushed back, slamming Lance against the wall.

"Oh, you're feisty, I love that. Hopefully you will be like that later... now come on." said Lance, looking down to take out his gun from his pocket.

When Lance turned and lifted his head back up, there he found himself staring down the barrel of a very large handgun, wielded by an angry, tall, muscular, dark-skinned meance.

"Let her go." growled Tank. "You're surrounded so don't try it. Don;t even think about it!" As Lance Burke was disarmed and cuffed by Lester, Tank keyed his mic and radioed the rest of the team.

"Stand down. Repeat. Stand down. Target secured." Lester walked Burke out and secured him in the back seat of a Rangeman SUV, awaiting the arrival of the TPD.

Steph ran to Ranger, followed by Tank. Bobby came up beside Steph and checked his pulse.

"It's strong." Bobby said calling 911. Steph looked Ranger over. He looked like he was in a lot of pain. She wanted to touch his face and hold him but Bobby wouldn't let her. He was concerned that there may be forensic evidence traces that he didn't want to mess up. Five minutes later, she heard sirens and then paramedics arrived. Bobby explained the need to preserve evidence. They nodded and took extra care when examining Ranger, who was still out cold. The paramedics always donned gloves anyway when working on a patient, so there would no contamination from them, Bobby knew. He jumped into the back of the ambulance with Ranger and off they drove, to the hospital. Steph looked around and saw Rangeman guys mingling with the Trenton PD, who were writing out statements and taking pictures of the scene.

"GUYS?" shouted Steph, loudly. Everyone froze. "I am going over to St. Francis now. Is anyone going with me?"

"I'll take you Little Girl. I have to be there to fill in Ranger's paperwork since I hold his Medical Power of Attorney."

"Right, Big Guy. Let's roll!"

Chapter 13

Stephanie was sleeping on the brown leather couch. Tank shook her to wake up. She opened her eyes and realized she wasn't at the apartment. She sat up quickly.

"Is Ranger ok?"

"He's still in surgery. said Bobby.

"They've been working on him for three hours. Did the doctor tell you what's wrong?"

"The nurse told us they did x-rays and an MRI. He got hit on the head pretty hard, so they had to check to see if there was any bleeding inside There was and it has been taken care of. He has three broken ribs and bone bruising." said Tank.

"So he's going to be ok?"

"We'll know when everything when the doctor is done. Shouldn't be much longer."

"Lance?"

Taken back to prison and in a more secured cell. With the new charges stemming from his assault on Ranger plus his escape, he'll never get out on paroleor be able to break out again." said Tank.

Steph got up to look out the window.

"May I speak to Stephanie Plum?"

Steph turned to find the doctor standing in the waiting room.

"How is he?"

"He'll be fine. We managed to stop the bleeding in the brain and he's going to be in a good bit of pain from his ribs for at least a few weeks. He's in excellent health and should recover quickly."

"May I see him?"

"Sure, but he's not conscious. He's just down at the end of the hall to the left.

"Thank you." she smiled and quickly walked to the room the doctor indicated. When she entered the room, Steph noticed that Ranger was hooked up to a bunch of wires. She sat in the chair beside his bed just watching him. His arms were above the covers. His face was bruised, just like she was. She laced her fingers through his and whispered in his ear.

"I'm so glad you're alive. I don't know what I would've done if you died. "I love you Carlos."

She put her head down on the bed and fell asleep.

Steph woke up three hours later when a door closed. She saw Tank walk to the other side of the bed.

"He hasn't woken up yet." she told him, a furrow of worry on her brow.

"No, but I'm sure he will. You don't wake up to something like this right away. Don't worry, he'll wake up tonight or tomorrow morning. Go get something to eat. I'll call you if anything happens."

Steph went to the cafe to get something to eat and felt better afterwards. She went back half an hour later with no change. She sat back down in the chair and took ahold of his hand once more. She must've dozed off again. When Steph felt something on her hand, she opened her eyes to find Ranger slowly caressing it. She lifted her head and noticed he had woken up.

"Carlos." she whispered.

"Babe."

"You're awake. I didn't know how long you would be out."

"How long has it been?" Ranger asked, still a bit disoriented.

"A day. How are you feeling?"

"I've felt worse. Has Lance been taken care of?"

"Yes. He's been put in more secured cell and with the additional charges from breaking out and assualting you, he should stay there for the rest of his miserable life."

"That he will." Ranger said trying to get more comfortable.

"Are you hurting, do you need the doctor?"

"No, I'm fine. I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"When Lance beat me up, all I could think about was you. You kept me going. I never felt this way before. I was never into relationships, until I met you. You're someone I see a future with." I never want to be without you."

She smiled, softly running her fingers through his hair and moving it off his face. Ranger lifted her other hand and kissed her fingertips.

"I know it's only been a couple months since we've known each other, but it seems like a life time, like I've always known you in my heart. Will you marry me?"

"The drugs are talking, Carlos. I think you should wait til later to ask."

"I'm thinking very clearly and I'm serious, Babe" she searched his gze and saw that he was, indeed, lucid and very, very serious.

"Oh, ok. Then I say yes." she said smiling and kissing him, trying to avoid any bruised or swollen areas on his inviting lips.

"Ow. I guess we have to be careful for a while." Ranger said as he smiled briedfly, but even that hurt right now.

Ranger was released three days later. The doctor wanted him to stay a full week, but he needed to be close to his Babe. He figured he could sit in his apartment and continue to let his ribs heal there just as well as he could in his hospital bed. Damn! He hated rib injuries. They seemed to take forever to stop hurting. Well, at least he'd have plenty of time to do all the paperwork that he put off doing. Tank, Lester and Bobby helped him into his apartment. They set him down on the couch, as Steph sat beside him.

"Thanks." Ranger said to his Core Team.

"Here are your pain pills" said Bobby as he nodded to his friend. " Take good care of him, Steph."

"I will." she said smiling, so glad to have him home. "Is there anything you need?" she asked as she raised his legs onto the couch.

"I need something from the safe. The combination is 10-12-87."

"What am I looking for?"

"A navy blue box."

She found the box and handed it to him.

"It's yours, you open it." said Ranger, smiling at his gorgeous Babe.

She opened it and found a sparkling diamond ring. She gasped at the unexpected token of his love.

"It's very beautiful. When did you get this?"

"After we made love. I felt something inside me change. You're the one for me."

She put the ring on and admired it.

"So what do you say, Babe? Six months? Make it a New Years Eve wedding celebration?"

"That would be awesome. Anyplace special for our honeymoon?"

"I've got a few places in mind." Ranger replied kissing her thoroughly.

Ranger and Steph went to The Bahamas for their honeymoon and following their New Year's Eve wedding. All of Rangeman were there. Ranger having called in contract workers to handle the monitors and man the emergency crews. Everyone said that it was the best way to end one year and usher in the new one that they've ever had. Carlos and his Babe more than agreed. They were thrilled to be officially starting their happy life together.