Okay so here's a new story. I promised I have not abandoned Parental Control: Plum Style. I will finish it. Also thanks again to Jaime for being my beta. Your feedback is very helpful. You rock my socks girl!! As usual, I do not own these characters except for my original character Chloe. She's mine, you can't have her.

Chapter One- Southern Belle gets fresh start

It was a cold day in mid October in Trenton, New Jersey. Trenton's very own Bombshell Bounty Hunter, Stephanie Plum, was sitting in the bonds' office contemplating her latest issue that no one but she knew about. Lula, the bonds' office file clerk, was engrossed in her newest celebrity gossip magazine. Connie, the bonds' office secretary, was doing some online shopping. For once not one of them was talking. The office was blissfully silent, but that silence was suddenly broken. A woman burst into the office looking distressed, but determined. Connie, ever the office bulldog, looked up sharply and said in a tone that suggested all business, "May I help you?"

Realizing that someone else must have entered the office, Lula and Stephanie looked up at the woman as she said with a slight southern lilt, "I need a job."

Steph looked at the woman and realized that she knew her, "Chloe?" she asked still a little unsure.

The woman looked sharply at Steph as she was addressed by her name, but then her look softened as she realized that she knew the person addressing her, "Oh my gosh, Stephanie Plum!! How are you?" the woman all but squealed.

Lula and Connie looked confused as to why these two women knew each other especially when the woman was clearly not from around here with that southern accent. Stephanie addressed their confusion by saying, "Chloe moved to Jersey in the ninth grade. We went to high school together, but then she left to go back to her home state to go to college. Mary Lou and I missed her so much."

"Aw, I missed you guys too, but now I'm back."

"Why are you back? The last I heard you were married," Steph said genuinely curious.

"Well, I'm now divorced. Let's just say my husband got sick of feeling like he was second fiddle to my first love."

Stephanie smiled at her, and then pulled her old friend into a comforting hug. Steph knew that Chloe still harbored feelings for her college sweetheart who left one day at the end of Chloe's freshman year to go into the Army. Chloe had never heard from him again, but she had never truly gotten over him. Steph broke the silence saying, "You want to try at bounty hunting? If I remember correctly, you were always good with a gun plus you took all those self-defense classes."

Chloe giggled, "I blame my Daddy for that. He always had to take me hunting since he never had a son. As for the self-defense stuff, Mama always thought a Southern Belle should know how to defend herself. I could definitely use a refresher in both areas though."

Connie smiled at the girl saying, "Where did you go to school?"

Chloe smiled, "I went to University of South Carolina. After all, I was born and raised there, although I did adore my time in Jersey."

Stephanie laughed, "Chloe was very popular back in high school. All those Jersey boys just couldn't resist that accent and that sweet Southern charm."

"I never could bring myself to date a Jersey boy. They just don't have the right amount of manners. My Southern boys spoiled me, I guess, for other men."

Lula looked at her and said, "So we know you can use a shotgun, but how are you with a handgun?"

Chloe smiled, "My Daddy bought me my first handgun when I was thirteen. It was a Glock 9mm, and I still have it to this day. I try to go to the range regularly as well as the gym, but unfortunately since the last year has been hell trying to get my divorce finalized, those things got pushed to the back burner. However, as my divorce cleared last week, I packed up my stuff, and decided to head back to Jersey. I've heard about Steph's adventures as a bounty hunter, and I wanted to give it a shot."

Steph sighed, "You mean people outside of Jersey know about the Bombshell Bounty Hunter?"

"Afraid so, darling. Apparently the reporter who first gave you the nickname decided you deserved a blog about your adventures. I stumbled across it one day and checked it daily to keep up with your adventures."

"Oh, that little weasel!! I'm going to wring his neck."

"Breathe, Steph. It's actually very positive. I think you're this guy's hero or something. It's actually kind of creepy in a sweet way. He seems to think very highly of you."

"You'd never know it from the way he writes about me in the papers here."

"I bet that's his editor more than him. Editors seem to think being negative sells more papers."

Connie broke into the conversation then, "Well, you obviously have the right knowledge so you know what? You are hired!"

Lula broke in saying, "But what about Vinnie? Shouldn't he approve this?"

Connie looked at Lula like she had two heads, "Vinnie is an incompetent moron. The last person he hired was Joyce. We do not trust his judgment. We are hiring this girl because we need help from someone who actually somewhat knows what they are doing."

Stephanie agreed as did Lula because they all knew Joyce was completely useless as a bounty hunter. All she cared about was fucking with Stephanie. Connie walked Chloe over to her desk and handed her the paper work she needed to fill out in order to become a bounty hunter. Chloe walked over to the ugly brown leather sofa and sat quietly filling out the necessary forms. Lula settled back on the opposite end of the sofa and went back to reading her gossip magazines. Connie sat back at her desk and finished up her online shopping. Stephanie flopped in the middle of the sofa and continued contemplating her most recent issue. How was she going to tell Ranger? They'd only been seeing each other for about six months, and this was happening way too fast. He was going to flip, she knew he was. After all, he did not do stupid stuff like this, he'd said it himself. Of course, he'd also said his life didn't lend itself to relationships, and he had willingly tried that out. Maybe this could be a good thing. Connie interrupted her thoughts, "Steph, call Ranger. We need someone to train Chloe. Hopefully he can spare one of the Merry Men."

Stephanie looked up startled out of her thoughts by the mention of Ranger, "Why do I have to call him?"

Lula looked at her like she had two heads, "Uh, cause he's your boyfriend. Duh. What's with you today?"

"Ugh, fine. I'll call him."

She grabbed her cell phone from her purse, and hit speed dial one. He picked up on the second ring as had become his custom when she called.

"Yo."

"Yo, yourself."

"What do you need Babe?"

"Well, we've hired a new bounty hunter. She's an old friend of mine, but she has slightly more knowledge when it comes to guns and self-defense. However, she does need a refresher so we were hoping you had a Merry Man to spare to get her trained."

"Not willing to share your own Professor Higgins?"

With her best 'Burg eye roll, she said, "You know I don't share you, Carlos. You're mine."

"Playing with fire, Babe."

"Save it for later, Batman. Anyway, bring Tank and Lester when you get here."

"And why do I need to bring both Tank and Lester? I thought she only required one trainer?"

"Duh, why do you think? Lula wants to see her man too, and Lester gets the honor of training Chloe."

"Okay, it'll be a bit. We've got to finish up a meeting."

"That's fine."

He then hung up on her. She sighed and turned to the girls, "Just once would it kill him to say good-bye? I am his girlfriend!"

Lula laughed, "That's Batman for you. He coming by?"

"Yeah, he said it be a bit. They need to finish up a meeting. He's bringing Tank and Lester with him. I figured you deserved to see your boyfriend too. Lester's going to train Chloe."

Chloe looked over at them at the mention of a man named Lester. Surely, it wasn't her Lester? It couldn't be, what would he be doing in Jersey? Just to be sure, she asked, "Who are these men?"

Stephanie smiled, "Well, the man I was talking to was Ricardo Carlos Manoso who goes by the street name Ranger. He owns the security company, Rangeman. He's also a badass bounty hunter and my boyfriend. Tank is his right hand man, and Lula's boyfriend. Lester Santos is one of the men who works for him. He'll be the one training you."

Chloe kept her face carefully blank at the mention of Lester. Her Lester. She could handle this, she was a grown woman after all. She was not going to let the presence of the man who walked out on her at eighteen mess up her fresh start. "They are going to be here soon?"

"It's going to be a bit. They have to finish up whatever meeting they were in, and it could take some time."

"Okay," Chloe said breathing deeply to compose herself.

Thirty-five of the longest minutes ever, over which time Chloe composed herself, passed before a big black Hummer pulled up in front of the bonds' office. The man she assumed was Tank, as he looked like a tank, jumped out of the driver's side. The man she assumed was Ranger hopped out of the passenger side. Then she saw him-Lester. Her Lester. The man of her dreams. If it was possible, he looked even better than he had at eighteen. The years had been good to him. He was six feet of pure, perfect Mexican muscle. His hair was longer than she remembered, and as she caught a glance at his face, she saw those perfect, beautiful green eyes. They had never failed to make her weak in the knees, and they managed to do it now, and he was not even looking directly at her. The three men reached the door, and Ranger entered first. He walked over to Stephanie and pulled her into a kiss. Tank walked over to Lula and did the same thing to her. Luckily Lester was too busy laughing at this to notice her yet.

Finally Ranger broke away from Steph saying, "Introduce us to the new girl."

Steph smiled and said, "Ranger, Tank, Lester, this is one of my old friends from high school, Chloe McDuffie."

Chloe smiled politely glad that Lester had yet to realize who she was. She turned first to Ranger holding out her hand for him to shake as she said, "Nice to meet you."

He replied in kind, and she turned to Tank offering the same gesture as he also greeted her pleasantly. She then turned to Lester who, as their eyes met, finally realized who he was looking at. He seemed almost in a daze as he offered her his hand to shake. She grabbed on to it, and before he could react had managed to flip him on his back. She smirked down at him saying, "Hello, Lester."

Recovering from his shock, he used the hand that was still holding hers, and pulled her on top of him bringing his arms around her so she could not escape him, and then smirked saying, "Hello, Mac," before he pulled her farther down to him, and planting a huge kiss on her.

TBC…

Sorry for the cliffhanger. More coming soon, I promise. Now please go review.