Stephanie's Rabbit Hole

by ladylibra73

AU - Steph's encounter with an FTA bomb maker's handiwork sends her down a rabbit hole where Ranger sports a goatee, smokes and is engaged to Rachel. WTF? Babe HEA.

Stephanie's Rabbit Hole

AU – Steph's encounter with an bomb maker's handiwork sends her down a rabbit hole where Ranger sports a goatee, smokes and is engaged to Rachel. WTF? Babe HEA

A/N: Thanks again to Phillygirl27 for editing another exciting story.

Disclaimer: Not my characters, just borrowing.

Chapter 1

Stephanie Plum never felt happier in her life. She and Carlos had just made the most wonderful love. It was not just the physical part, which was great, but it was the man she loved dearly. She never felt so lucky in her life. She couldn't imagine a life without him.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"What your life would've been like if you hadn't met me or if you met Rachel and decided to have a relationship with her."

"Only in an alternate universe. But I could never be in a relationship with her. I'm happy that I met you and I wouldn't change that for anything. I love you Babe."

"I love you," she said kissing him tenderly.

They got up and showered and ate breakfast. They went downstairs to Steph's office and found one file of a skip waiting for her attention: a man who stole women's lingerie at Victoria's Secret.

"Too easy. I want something challenging," said Steph.

"Well, if you find this shoplifter and bring him in right away, maybe you could swing on by and pick up Martin Driscoll with us."

"What did he do?"

"Steals people's cars, attaches bombs underneath them and brings them back and says he found their cars."

"That's terrible. Well, at least it sounds challenging. Don't start without me."

"I want you to stay in the car. I don't want anything happening to you."

"I promise. I'm off to find the shoplifter."

"Be careful," said Carlos, holding her and kissing her.

"Always," she said smiling. "I'll have Lula with me."

"Still be careful."

Steph walked down the stairs to the garage. She took the stairs instead of the elevator. She got more exercise that way. She was eating better than before. No more donuts. When she reached the garage, she stared at her beautiful navy blue Porsche Cayenne. Carlos bought it for her so she could get her skips and have a place to secure them in the backseat. She made a stop first before the Bonds office. Donuts for Connie and Lula. When she arrived at the Bonds office, she didn't see Lula's flashy red Firebird. She grabbed the box of donuts and walked in the office. Steph found Connie at her desk painting her nails fire engine red.

"Hey there Steph," Connie said, blowing on her nails.

"Hi, Connie, where's Lula?"

"Not feeling well. She says she has the flu, but I don't think so. I saw her eat at least twenty Kit Kats yesterday."

"I'll have a Boston Cream for her," said Steph grabbing a donut.

"Aren't you on a diet?" asked Connie.

"Yes I am, but one won't hurt."

"You don't have anything new. Tank came by yesterday and grabbed a few."

"I know, I only have one," Steph said, finishing her donut.

"Well, I'm off to get this guy, see you later," said Steph grabbing another donut. Steph found Clarence's house. She knocked on his door, told him who she was and Clarence easily surrendered. She took him to the police station, got her body receipt and called Carlos to say she was on her way to meet him at Martin's house. As she drove she was feeling a little nauseous. She shouldn't have had those two donuts. When she arrived at the house, she saw Carlos and the guys waiting outside the truck. As soon as Steph stepped out of the SUV, she felt lightheaded. She sat back down to let it pass and then got out of the car and walked over to Carlos.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing yet. We went up and knocked on the door and a woman answered. We asked if Martin was home. She said no, he took her car to the store earlier and he hasn't come back yet."

"Who is the woman?"

"His sister," said Tank.

"Did you tell her about Martin?"

"No, not yet."

Just then, a black Sedan came driving by and parked in the driveway.

"Let's go. You stay here," said Carlos to Steph.

Steph watched them walk to Martin.

"Martin Driscoll?" said Carlos, wanting to ID the man.

"Yes?"

"You need to come with us."

"What? Where?"

"To the police station. You didn't show up for your court date."

As the guys were talking to Martin, Steph walked over to check out the car. She looked underneath and saw a timer and it was set to go off in ten seconds. She quickly got up and yelled.

"RUN! The bomb is about to go off in five seconds!"

Steph and the guys started to run when the bomb went off and threw them through the air. Steph landed on the grass and the impact knocked her out cold.

Steph woke up looking at the blue sky. She slowly sat up and looked around and saw a swing set and a pool. The shed was nowhere to be found. She got up and walked to the front door. She knocked and a man and a woman holding a baby answered the door.

"May I help you?"

"I'm looking for Martin Driscoll."

"There is no one here by that name."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. My husband and I just moved here a couple of days ago. You have the wrong house and my daughter is in desperate need of a bath. I really hope you find this Martin person. Bye now," the lady said, closing the door in Steph's face. Steph stepped away from the door and walked down the driveway. When she reached the curb, her car wasn't there.

"Where is my car?" Steph yelled.

Steph saw a woman walk out of another house toward her.

"What's the matter?" the woman asked.

"My car got stolen. I think Martin took off with it."

"I didn't see anyone taking off in a car. It's been quiet here. And I don't know anyone named Martin. Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm fine. I need to get out of here," Steph walking quickly away.

When she arrived at Rangeman, she was sweaty and tired. She slithered in around the gate that admitted cars to the parking garage, ran to the elevator and pushed the button. The doors wouldn't open.

"Help!" she shouted into the camera.

"What's the problem miss?" came the disembodied voice of one of the monitor crew.

"Is Carlos here? I need to know if he's ok. A bomb exploded and we were thrown."

"I don't know what you're talking about miss."

"Martin Driscoll was the FTA we were after. He is a car thief. He steals them and gives them back to the owners with a bomb attached underneath. I need to know if Carlos ok," said Steph, feeling more and more lightheaded and ready to pass out.

"I don't know anything about a Martin Driscoll. Or anyone named Carlos. You'd best be on your way."

"No, you don't understand." She grabbed her forehead to steady herself. "I...I need to find..."

Steph's vision darkened and she fell to the ground as she fainted.

Chapter 2

When Steph woke up, she was lying in bed. She looked around to see where she was. Was she in a hospital? The door opened and a familiar African American guy with dreadlocks walked in.

"So glad you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Shaky and confused. What happened?"

"You fainted."

"Where am I?"

"You're at Rangeman Infirmary. You were outside the elevator door in the garage asking if Carlos is ok, something about a Martin Driscoll and a car bomb."

"Yes. Well, first of all, is Carlos ok?"

"He's fine."

"Thank God. I met him at Martin Driscoll's house who is an FTA car thief. Well actually he's a car borrower and a terrorist. He boosts the vehicle, drives it somewhere else, secures a bomb underneath it, and returns it to the owner. Who doesn't have a clue that there is even a problem until it goes off. Fortunately, no one has been in their cars when the bombs have exploded."

"Sounds like he's bad news. When did this happen?"

"This morning."

"Nothing like that happened this morning. Carlos went out to check out someone's apartment then came back, but it seems you went through something. You had a cut on your forehead, and some bruising. Shall I call your husband?"

"Husband?"

"Yeah, you're married aren't you?" asked Bobby pointing at her ring finger.

Steph looked at the ring on her finger. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Could she really be married? To whom, the Dick? Morelli? Someone else?

"This is a nightmare," said Steph, covering her face.

"I'm going to let you rest more, um. What's your name?"

"You know who I am, Bobby." He was startled that this strange woman knew his name. She said she knew Carlos, too, but he denied knowing her. Then Bobby automatically switched into Security Alert mode, narrowing his eyes, suspicious of how she knew inside information.

"No, I don't," he replied with his blank face down and tone icy.

"It's me, Stephanie. Stephanie Plum."

"Ok, Stephanie, rest here for now. I'll be back shortly," said Bobby, leaving the room. Cal was standing guard outside the infirmary and Bobby told him not to let the woman exit that room. Cal nodded and remained vigilantly at his post.

Steph will still groggy so she was glad to close her eyes once again.

'What is going on here? Why doesn't Bobby know me?'

A few hours later, when Steph woke up, a skinny woman with long brown hair and an olive complexion walked in the room. She wore a black v-neck shirt, black leather pants and black leather boots. Steph couldn't believe who she was seeing.

"Rachel."

"Uh, yes, how did you know?"

"We met while I was recuperating in the hospital, after I helped rescue your daughter when she was kidnapped."

"I don't have a daughter so how can that be?"

"You and Carlos had a one night stand and you have a daughter named Julie. She also got kidnapped by Edward Scrog, but then I rescued her."

"I never had a one stand with Carlos and we don't have a daughter."

"No?" Steph frowned, trying to make sense of it all. "What are you doing here in the Rangeman Infirmary?"

"I came down here because Bobby told me the story about what happened this morning. That you thought Carlos was going after this guy with a car bomb and wanted to know if Carlos was ok."

"Yes. When the bomb exploded, we flew through the air and that's all I remember. I woke up in someone's yard like nothing happened."

"How do you know Carlos?"

"We're in a relationship. We've been together for three years."

"How can you be in a relationship with him? He's with me."

"With you?"

"Yes, he's my fiancé."

"Fiancé? I'm definitely in the Twilight Zone."

"What?"

"I'm telling you what happened this morning is true."

"How can it be true if it didn't happen. Are you a stalker, a crazy from the streets?"

"No! Nothing like that! I'm just telling you that is it true, what happened this morning. Check out Martin Driscoll and see if he has a rap sheet."

"Maybe I'll do that. If your story is true, then I'll believe you and if it isn't, I'm going to kick you out of here," Rachel said opening the door.

"Wait a minute. What do you do here?"

"I'm a bounty hunter just like Carlos and I also do computer work. You rest up."

Wow. Something weird happened this morning and she was going to find out what. Steph saw a bathroom next to her bed, so she could take care of some necessities. She was moving much slower than usual. Her head felt fuzzy and the rest of her body was objecting to any movement. Good thing she only had to get right back into bed and fall asleep. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to make better sense of what is going on. Steph closed her eyes and drifted off.

The next day at their early morning meeting, Bobby told the core team that the woman didn't seem to be a threat to Rangeman, she just had a skewed memory for now. She experienced of some sort of head trauma, so it's possible that she would be disoriented and not have all her memory back yet.

"She said her name is Stephanie Plum. She had no purse with her, so no ID. But I did search and she is who she says she is. Matches the picture on her driver's license, at least as much as any human can," he said, smiling, glad that Rangeman was not at risk. "How about if I send her up to you, Ranger? Just go about your day and let her tag along. See what you think."

Ranger was anything but thrilled, but he could spend a little time with her to get a sense of who she thought she was and if she up to anything nefarious.

"Alright, Bobby, bring her up to my office when she wakes up."

Bobby nodded as Ranger took a quick look around. It seemed all the men agreed to stand down the guard and just keep an eye on her. They all felt that perhaps Bobby was right. Maybe talking with several men on staff might trigger her memory.

Bobby trotted down to the Infirmary and found Stephanie awake. He checked her over and everything was good. Her head was still tender and many new bruises had appeared, dark purple witnesses attesting to the fact that something rough had indeed happened to her yesterday.

"I had Ella make you a light breakfast. Do you feel up to eating?"

Steph's mouth opened and before she could say a word, a god-awful roar came from her stomach. Bobby's eye's widened in surprise, as Steph bit her lower lip. Then they both began to laugh.

"Yeah, I'm sure I could eat something," she assured the Rangeman medic.

When breakfast was finished, Rachel came down and got Steph and she followed Rachel to the elevators. She pressed five and Steph was getting anxious to see if Carlos would know her or not. The elevator stopped on five and when the doors opened, Steph noticed that everything looked the same. She kept on walking until she bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry. I should..."

When the person turned around, she saw that it was Lester.

"Hey Lester, how are you?" she asked, hugging him.

"Fine. Do I know you?"

"No, apparently you don't, but I know you."

"How?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me either. I wish I knew what was going on."

"Oh, Les," came a soft voice from behind her.

Steph turned to see a slim woman with shoulder length brown hair and Latino looks, just like Lester.

"Ana," said Les, kissing her. "Are you ready to go maternity shopping?"

"Yes, let's go."

Steph watched them leave.

"Don't they make a cute couple?"

Steph turned to see Ella.

"Yeah, they are."

"I went to their wedding and it was oh so beautiful. I wish I was that young again," Ella said walking away.

Lester, married? Steph couldn't wait to see what other surprises would come her way. Then she felt a familiar tingle.

"Stephanie."

She turned to find Carlos standing outside his office. He still looked as handsome as ever. The only thing different was that he had a goatee. His hand was at the back of his neck, rubbing it and trying to make sense of the unusual tingle that he felt there.

"Hi," she said smiling.

"Come into my office."

Steph followed and sat in the chair in front of the desk, while Carlos sat in front of his laptop.

"Yesterday, you showed up here asking If I was here, was I ok and stating that a bomb had exploded, throwing us through the air."

"Yes. Martin Driscoll, our FTA, is not only a car thief, he plants bombs in them and returns them to the owners. He's lucky no one has been killed yet. They tracked him down via fingerprints they found on one bomb that failed to explode. The ATF is very interested in having him apprehended before he can do more damage. Is any of this ringing a bell, Carlos? We went to pick him up yesterday and the bomb he planted in his sister's car went off. The concussion from the bomb sent us sailing through the air."

"Who do you mean by 'us'?

"You, me, Tank, Lester…What?"

"None of us were with you yesterday. And none of us were after a 'Martin Driscoll'."

"You have to believe me. Look up Martin Driscoll in the system to see if he has a rap sheet."

"I've got nothing in my computer and I don't have his FTA file here. Every day I go to the Bonds office to see if Connie has anything for me. Maybe she has his file there today."

"Great, let's go."

"Wait. Are you trying to tell me what you are a bounty hunter?"

"Yeah. Same as you." Oh, shit. Steph thought, he doesn't believe me. Next he'll ask me where I work and he'll NEVER believe the truth. Think fast! She quickly stood up and indicated that he should lead the way. Ranger shook his head to clear it and got up and walked out of his office.

As they made their way to the Bonds office, Carlos pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one.

"You smoke?"

"Yeah. If it bothers you, open your window."

"How long have you smoked?"

"Since I was fourteen. I was going through bad times then. My parents died in a car accident and my abuela brought me down to Miami. After I graduated, I joined the Army. Then, when I was done with the Army, Rachel and I started up Rangeman."

"Is that where you met Rachel?"

"She wasn't in the Army. I met her through a friend of mine at a party. We talked and hit it off."

"No kids?"

"No, We decided we didn't want kids. Our jobs are too dangerous."

A couple minutes later they arrived at the Bonds office. Steph followed Ranger in. She found Connie at her desk chewing gum and blowing a bubble.

"Hi, Connie," said Steph.

"Do I know you?"

"No, you don't, but I know you."

Connie gave Steph a strange look. So did Ranger.

"You were a couple of years ahead of me in school. Your sister, Tina, was in my grade."

"Humph," said Connie. "Small world."

"You have no idea."

"Do you have anything for me?" Ranger asked.

"Ten today," Connie said, handing the files to Ranger.

"Martin Driscoll in there?"

"Is this your new bounty hunter?"

"Maybe," said Steph.

"No Martin Driscoll in here," said Ranger.

"Maybe we could go to where he works."

"Where does he work?" asked Ranger.

"Pathway Car Care. The least we can do is talk to him."

"Hey, Steph. What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon?" asked Vinnie.

Oh, shit! Steph thought, the ONE person in this Bizarro World who recognizes me is my pervert cousin! Family gatherings, I guess. Weddings, Funerals. Otherwise I would never know him. What now?

"Um, I had other plans."

"Does Dickie know where you are?"

"Screw Dickie," Steph bit off, then she looked over at Ranger who was observing the interchange with curiosity. "So, shall we go talk to Martin?"

"Yes, but I will do the talking."

Steph rolled her eyes and followed him out to his car.

Chapter 3

They arrived at Pathway Car Care ten minutes later. They walked to the guy up out front replacing a windshield.

"May I help you?"

"We're looking for Martin Driscoll," said Carlos.

"Inside, working under the hood."

They walked inside and found Martin working on a sports car."

"Martin Driscoll?" asked Carlos.

Martin turned around. Martin had brown hair with a bald spot in the back. He was a short, pudgy man.

"Yes, that's me."

"I would like to ask you a few questions."

"Ok, what about?"

"How long have you worked here?"

"Five years. I'm on probation so it was hard finding a job. Thankfully I found one here."

"What were you in prison for?"

"DUI. I was in prison for ten years and when I got out, the first thing I did was look for a job. It wasn't easy until I found this one. I haven't touched a bottle since."

"Did you attend AA?"

"Yes I did. It helped me a lot."

"Do you like working on cars, fixing them?" asked Steph.

"Yes I do, keeps my mind off things."

"What do you do when you get home?" asked Steph.

"Watch TV, read a book. Why are you asking me these questions? You could've talked to my probation officer."

"We wanted to talk to you. We'll let you get back to work. Have a good day."

"Well, what do you think?" asked Steph as she got in the car.

"He's clean, innocent."

"No. There is something that is bothering me about him. When you were asking questions, he seemed nervous."

"About what?"

"I don't know, like maybe he's hiding something."

"Hiding what?"

"I don't know yet. You've done stakeouts right?" Ranger nodded his head.

"Well, you and Rachel can come here later tonight and watch the place to see if he comes here. Come on, I'm trying to give you proof so you don't think I'm crazy."

"Why is it suddenly MY responsibility to prove that you're not crazy? My company is NOT in the business of staking out someone BEFORE they commit a crime. You're asking me to waste an entire night waiting for God know what to happen. Talk about crazy. THAT IS crazy."

Steph was reaching the end of her energy and patience here. Her head was still hurting and she couldn't figure out what had happened to bring her here into this confusing place. More importantly, would she ever be able to get back home? Unshed tears made her blue eyes glisten. Steph bit her bottom lip and turned her head away from this frustrating man whom she dearly loved in another reality. She stared out her window. She had to get a grip. Breathe in, breathe out.

"Stephanie?" she didn't answer him as she was trying to get control of her emotions.

"Stephanie, please look at me." She turned slightly, peeking at him out the side of her eyes. He wasn't having it. Ranger reached over and tenderly cupped her chin. The moment his hand touched her, they both received a jolt of energy. Steph gasped and Ranger looked at her curiously. She allowed him to turn her face to him.

"I'm sorry, Stephanie. That was uncalled for. I don't think you're crazy. I believe that you have suffered some kind of trauma and for some reason you are struggling to have things make sense. I'll do what I can to help, but Rachel doesn't like stakeouts. She likes going after criminals and doing distractions."

"Yeah. Who doesn't?" Steph sighed. "Well, I'll join you. What time will you be ready?"

"You're really serious about this." Ranger was searching her face and looking deep into her eyes as he continued to hold her chin.

"Yes, I am. I'm not too crazy about stakeouts either, but this one, I will sit and watch."

"Ok. I'll pick you up at 9 tonight."

"Great." Ranger reluctantly removed his hand from this intriguing woman and started the vehicle.

"Where will you stay tonight?"

"I guess I should go to Dickie's house." Steph gave Ranger the address of her short-term home.

Ranger dropped Steph off, wondering at the odd way she called it 'Dickie's house'. Why not 'their house'? Ranger wasn't sure he liked have more questions than answers about the blue-eyed beauty. And why do I feel electricity around her? Especially when I touch her. More importantly, why do I want to do it again, soon? Shit! It reallybrought back memories to her. Ones she'd rather forget. She realized she didn't have a key. Steph turned the door handle and found that it was unlocked. When she walked in, she heard talking in the other room. She walked through the kitchen and heard a noise coming from the dining room. Oh shit, this can't be good. Please, don't tell me. I'm having déjà vu here, she thought. She walked through the doorway to find Dickie, with his back to her, leaning over the table with his pants down. She could see a woman's legs resting over his shoulders, her FMPs keeping an obscene rhythm on his back.

"What the hell is going on here?" Steph shouted.

Dickie jumped, looking behind him. "Shit!" he muttered. He quickly got up and zipped his pants. As he turned around to his wife, he moved the feminine appendages off of his shoulders and pushed them behind him.

"Oh Steph, thank God you're here. I've been worried about you. You disappeared. Where did you go?"

"Never mind that. What are you doing screwing my nemesis on our brand new table?"

"He invited me over to give me a tour of the house," said Joyce, adjusting her bra. Steph was ready to wipe that smile off her face permanently.

"Really? Seems like you never made it upstairs. I'm getting a lawyer. I want a divorce," said Steph walking upstairs.

She looked on the floor of the closet and grabbed a suitcase. All she found hanging in the closet were dresses. She would have no use for them at the moment. She looked in the drawers to see if she had jeans and shirts. She found them and put them in the suitcase, along with her bras, panties and socks. She grabbed stuff in the bathroom. After that, she went downstairs to find Joyce gone.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm leaving you. I should've never married you. You'll be hearing from my lawyer."

"You will be hearing from my mine."

Steph took off her ring and threw it at him. She opened the door to the garage and slammed it behind her. Steph spotted the Jag and put her suitcase in the trunk. She got in the car and started it. She loved the sound of the engine. She saw Dickie standing on the front steps. She put the car in gear, rolled down the window, gave him the middle finger and drove off.

"You're going to do what?" asked Rachel following Ranger into his walk-in closet.

"Going on a stakeout with Stephanie," Ranger said putting on a clean shirt and cargo pants.

"She that positive that Martin Driscoll is a car thief and puts bombs in them?"

"That's what we're going to find out."

"Well, be careful. I want you to come back in one piece and don't do anything crazy with her."

"Why would I do that?" asked Ranger, walking out of the closet and putting on his boots.

"I don't know. I just thought I'd say it."

"Do you still not trust me? I thought we talked about this. I'm not going on a stakeout to screw her. I quit doing that. Why do think I asked you to marry me? I love you Rachel."

'I love you," she said kissing him.

"I have to go. I'll be back later."

When Ranger walked down the stairs to the garage, he felt that odd tingle on the back of his neck again. As he opened the door to the garage, he found a silver Jag parked next to the Porsche. He walked to the driver's side and found Steph asleep. He tapped the window and she jumped and woke up. She rolled down the window.

"Why are you here asleep in your car?"

"I found the Dick screwing another woman on the dining room table. Needless to say, we will be divorcing. I won't put up with cheating. I packed up my suitcase, then tried to find a place to stay. That's when I remembered that I had no money, no purse, no credit cards, nothing. So I came here."

"Well, I guess you had an interesting day. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I am."

They parked across the street from the garage.

"Tastykake?" Steph had scrounged enough change in the cup holders of the Jag to buy her favorite treats.

"No. Those will kill you."

"I've been eating them for a while and nothing has happened to me."

"How long is a while?"

"A year maybe."

"Anymore than that and it will become a problem," Ranger said pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

"Do you ever think of quitting?"

"Hard habit to break."

"Some people quit cold turkey."

"I would think that would be very hard to do."

"People have done it and they never touched a cigarette again."

A couple of hours went by and nobody showed up. By 11:30, they left.

"I swear I thought he would be here."

"Your time must've been off. I was thinking, since you don't have a place to stay, I have a room available."

"I don't want to impose."

"You're not. I'm just trying to help you out. What do you say?"

"Ok."

When they got back to Rangeman, Steph followed Ranger to the fourth floor. He unlocked the door and went in. Steph set her suitcase down and looked around.

"This is nice. Very homey."

"Good, I'm glad you like it. I'll have Ella bring you a bag of groceries to stock the kitchen tomorrow. There are always sandwiches, fresh fruit and yogurt kept in the Breakroom on the fifth floor. Plus good coffee, 24/7. Well, I better get going. Have a goodnight," Ranger said, not moving.

"Yeah, thank you for everything you have done, Ranger. Have a good night." She looked up at that familiar handsome face and a wave of longing washed over her. She missed her Ranger so much. She dragged her gaze away from his look-alike with a Herculean effort. Steph worried her lower lip, looking down then back up again.

He took her in his arms and kissed her. It was sensual and deep. He gently pushed her away.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I have to go. See you in the morning," Carlos said, walking out the door. Steph touched her lips. They tingled. She smiled and changed her clothes into her nightgown and tried to go to sleep.

Carlos quietly entered the apartment. Damn it! Kissing Steph was wrong on so many levels. Hips lips still tingled after he left. He quietly walked through the bedroom and into the bathroom. He shut the door and splashed cold water on his face. He took off his clothes and left the bathroom, joining Rachel in bed. He put his arm around her and went to sleep.

Chapter 4

The next morning, Steph woke up still feeling Ranger's lips on hers. The kiss was so sensual. Even in a totally different reality, they are drawn towards each other. She wondered if he felt it, too, as she sighed heavily. She got up and showered. When she walked out of the bathroom, she heard a knock. Steph opened the door to find Ella.

"Hello dear, I thought you might be hungry," Ella said in her cherry voice, coming in with a cart.

"Yeah, I am, Ella, thanks." Steph smiled.

"I will come back later to collect everything. Enjoy," said Ella, leaving.

Steph opened the cover to find oatmeal and toast. There was a note beside the bowl.

Here is a good, healthy breakfast.

Ranger

She smiled and ate the oatmeal and toast. When she drank the coffee, she blanched. It didn't have cream or sugar. She looked in the fridge for cream, none. She looked in the drawers for sugar, none. 'Who drinks coffee without cream and sugar?' When she finished her breakfast, she took the cart up to six then went down to five. When the elevator doors opened, she saw Tank.

"Hi, Tank."

"Hi. You must be the woman that's working on the Driscoll case. Um, I forgot what your name was."

"Stephanie Plum."

"Yes, Stephanie. Ranger told me all about it."

"Oh, Tankie…"

Steph turned to see Lula walking toward them. Steph noticed that she was skinny.

"Tankie, who is this?"

"This is Stephanie Plum. She is working on the Martin Driscoll case."

"Oh, yeah. You better catch that idiot. I don't want any bombs in my car."

"I will try."

"Good. Come along, Tankie. I don't want to be late for my doctor's appointment. Good talking to you Steph."

"You two together?"

"Yes, we're married. See ya."

Another surprise there. I wouldn't think Tank would marry Lula and Lula looked good. She saw Ranger quickly walking out of his office.

"Ranger. Thanks for the breakfast this morning. The coffee tasted awful without any sugar and cream."

"You're welcome and all that sugar and cream isn't good for you. If you'll excuse me, I have a meeting I have to go to," Ranger said, quickly walking off. He didn't look her in the eye when he spoke to her. He probably felt guilty about the kiss last night. She went to Rachel's office to see what she was doing. Steph knocked and Rachel turned and gave Steph a small smile.

"Hi, how are you?"

"I'm good."

"I heard that you moved into one of the fourth-floor apartments."

"Yes. When Ranger dropped me off, I found my husband in the dining room doing it with my enemy I went to school with."

"Oh, how horrible."

"He was giving her a tour of the house. I guess they didn't make it to the bedroom."

"So, what are you planning to do?"

"I'm going to file for divorce, which I'm going to call a lawyer right now."

Steph went into another room to talk to a lawyer. It took an hour to talk to him. She walked back to Rachel's office and sat down.

"How did it go?"

"Very well. I will be hearing from him in a few days."

"Why did you marry this Dickie?"

"He said he would take care of me and love me forever. Yeah, right."

"Well, maybe the next guy will be better. Treat you right and love you forever."

Steph rolled her eyes at that.

"Are you working on searches?" Steph asked, getting up and looking over Rachel's shoulder.

"This guy walked in Victoria's Secret and stole panties."

Steph had turned that guy in already, but she wasn't going to mention that.

"He should be an easy capture. He looks like a person who will surrender easily."

"You think?"

"I do. We should go get him."

"O…kay… I will take your word that he will go easily."

She took the other files and they left. They arrived at Clarence's house and when Rachel told him who she was and why they were there, he surrendered and they brought him to the police station uneventfully.

"Wow, you were right. You do have a good read on people. I just hope you're right on Martin."

"I am. I was thinking of going to the garage tonight to see if he is there. Possibly every night."

"Do you really want to do that?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to catch the creep."

They went after three more skips and drove back to Rangeman. When Rachel saw Ranger, she gave him a long, lingering kiss. Steph looked away. He's not feeling guilty about our kiss last night. He's forgotten all about it, she thought.

"How was your meeting Ranger?"

"Good. Got everything accomplished. What have you two been up to?"

"We went after a few skips. This girl knows some epic tricks on how to catch a criminal. Things I have never thought of."

"Great. Maybe you two can work together watching this Martin character."

"Seriously? I hate stakeouts."

"Maybe you should starting learning to tolerate them."

"I am going there every night to watch and see if he shows up," said Steph.

"Good. Be careful out there," said Ranger, walking to his office.

"Thanks a lot," Rachel's snarky remark left Steph in no doubt as to how she felt about the upcoming assignment. She walked into her office and firmly shut the door in Steph's face. hat night, Rachel parked across the street from the garage.

"Nothing is happening," whined Rachel.

"Don't worry, something will," said Steph, looking through binoculars.

"Did I ever tell you how thankful I am for getting me into this?" Steph could hear the icy sarcasm dripping from every word.

"No."

"I'd rather be doing a distraction. More fun and exciting."

"Hmmm," Steph intoned non-committedly. "Wait. I see something."

Steph saw a flashlight moving around. They quietly got out of the car and as they got closer to the building, a light turned on in the garage. They approached the window as Martin opened the hood of the car and bent down.

"Follow close behind me and don't make a sound," Rachel said, pulling out her gun, slowly opening the door and walking in. Rachel could see he was fiddling with something.

"Stop what you're doing and put your hands up and turn around."

Martin turned around.

"What are you doing here so late at night?" asked Rachel.

"Fixing a customer's car. I didn't have time to finish it, so I came back. They want it right away tomorrow morning."

"What were you doing all day that you couldn't finish it?"

"I was with my probation officer."

"What are you working on?"

"The carburetor. I will probably be done in an hour."

"Does your boss know you're here?"

"No."

"Then you shouldn't be here. What is your boss' number?"

"No, please, don't call him. I can get fired."

"Then you shouldn't be here."

"Why are you two ladies here? I saw you yesterday with a man asking me questions like if I committed any crimes.

Who are you people?"

"We're bounty hunters," said Steph.

Rachel turned to Steph, narrowed her eyes and gave her a look.

"We're just watching out for you," said Rachel.

"I don't need to be watched by you two. If you will excuse me, I have to finish this car," said Martin turning back around.

They quietly left the garage.

"There is nothing on this guy. All he is doing fixing someone's car. He is doing nothing wrong."

"I still believe something will happen."

"I don't think so. Maybe you're radar is off."

"No. I know something will happen and when it does, you'll be thanking me. For real this time."

Chapter 5

The next morning, Steph got off the elevator and onto five when Ranger grabbed her by the arm and brought her to his office.

"What's going on?"

Ranger shut the door and turned to Steph.

"Rachel told me all about last night. This guy is innocent. All he was doing was fixing someone's car, not putting a bomb in it. Just because he committed a crime before, doesn't mean he'll commit another. I think he learned his lesson." Ranger said with some irritation in his voice.

"I still believe something will happen. I don't know when, but it will."

Ranger was about to speak when his phone chirped.

"Yo! Bring him up." He pocked his phone and turned to Steph. "The probation officer is here. Martin must've complained that you two were there last night."

As they made their way to the conference room, Hal brought up the Probation Officer along with Rachel. The man appeared to be in his fifties with some graying hair.

"Hi, my name is Crombie," he said, extending his hand.

"Ranger Manoso. I'm CEO of this company. This is my fiancée, Rachel, and this is Stephanie Plum. She's new here. Please, have a seat."

Ranger sat at the head of the table. Crombie sat at Ranger's right and Rachel and Steph beside each other on the left side of the table.

"Martin came to me this morning complaining about you two."

"I just wanted to make sure he wasn't making any bombs," Steph explained.

"Bombs? What makes you think that?"

"I just have a certain feeling about him. I think he picked this kind of job so he can learn where on a car to plant a bomb."

"Plant a bomb? You seriously think Martin picked a job like this so he can plant bombs in cars? Martin had a hard time finding a job after he got out of prison. Finding this job at a garage fixing cars was one that he was qualified to do. He's not going to screw that up. He paid for his crimes for ten years. He didn't get out of prison to commit another crime. So I suggest what you two ladies need to do is to leave Martin alone. He's been through enough. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another meeting I have to get to," Crombie said, getting up. "Maybe next time we'll meet under better circumstances," said Crombie, extending his hand to Ranger again.

"I hope so," Ranger said, shaking Crombie's hand.

"Ladies," said Crombie."

"I'll walk you down," said Rachel, getting up.

Ranger waited till they were gone. Once again, he found himself irritated at this odd woman. She is as tenacious as she is beautiful. Wait. Where did that thought come from? I'm engaged. I can't be attracted to someone else. I need to set the boundaries and rules clearly. Ranger's eyes bored into Steph's.

"As of now, you're no longer watching Martin. You will stay here where we can keep an eye on you. You can help Rachel on the computer."

Steph observed Ranger's body language. He was showing so much more emotion than she used to see in her Carlos before they became committed to each other. It was easy to see that this man was angry with her but there was much more on his mind. And it wasn't good. Steph was still holding his gaze when she said,

"Something else is wrong."

Ranger looked startled. How the hell can this woman know that there is more that has me concerned? She spooks me and intrigues me at the same time. Definitely not good. His hand rubbed down his face as his eyes closed. He stood silent for a moment. Letting out a deep breath, he focused his eyes on hers.

"Rachel is pregnant. We both agreed we didn't want children. She said she is on the pill, but something must've happened."

Humpf, thought Steph. Can't say that I'm surprised.

Ranger's phone chirped.

"Yo! I'll be right down." Ranger looked at Steph as he pocketed his phone. "An alarm went off in one of the accounts. I'll be back as soon as we check it out."

Steph watch Ranger quickly leave. As the elevator opened, Rachel walked out and he went in. They barely acknowledged each other. Steph watched Rachel walk into her office. Steph waited a few moments. Then she walked to Rachel's office and knocked on the open door. Rachel wiped her face as Steph entered and she noticed that Rachel was crying. Rachel did not appear to be in the mood to discuss what had her in tears, so Steph took a quick, familiar trip to Denial Land.

"Any interesting searches?"

"Just two, the rest go to Ranger," Rachel said working on the computer as Steph was browsing through the files.

"How about this one? This woman is accused of killing her boyfriend. Last seen in Wildwood, NJ. Her mother lives here in Trenton I say we go visit Marie. Don't worry, I won't be looking for Martin but I need to get out of this building."

"Ok. We'll go," Rachel said, gathering up all the paperwork. Rachel put some files on Ranger's desk and they headed downstairs to the garage. It was a silent ride to Marie's house. When they arrived, they saw a one-story, ranch style house. The yard was immaculate. They walked up to the door and Rachel knocked. A woman who appeared to be in her mid forties answered the door. She had short dark hair and was fit looking.

"May I help you?"

"Hi, my name is Rachel and this is Stephanie. We're bounty hunters and we're looking for Piper."

"She's not here and I know she didn't kill her boyfriend. Piper isn't capable of murder."

"That's why we need to find her and take her in and let the courts decide if she's innocent or guilty. Do you know where she is?"

"No, I don't. I haven't seen her in a month. She would come visit me for a week and she would go to this club called Rho Waterfront. That's where she met Robbie. They hit it off pretty good and he moved in with her a couple of weeks later. I just don't believe she would murder him. I know my daughter."

"People change. Are you sure you don't know where she is?"

"No, I don't."

"Here is my card. Please call me if you see or hear from her."

"Yes, I will do that."

"I have this feeling about going to Rho Waterfront tonight. What do you think? I believe Piper will be there tonight. It would be a good distraction job. Come on, I'm itching to do something."

"Ok, we'll go."

"Awesome! Let's go."

As they were walking back to the car, Rachel stopped and touched her stomach.

"Are you ok?" Steph asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rachel said, getting in the car.

"Look, Rachel. I can't imagine how you're feeling right now. I know that you're pregnant."

"So he told you."

"After you left to take the Probation Officer downstairs, Ranger got really irritated about us watching Martin. It was out of proportion to what we did, especially since we cleared it with him before we went. I asked him what's really wrong and told me. I'm sorry."

"I didn't expect it to happen. I take the Pill every night."

"You guys are still getting married, right? He loves you. He will be there with you and support you and the baby. The rest, you'll figure out."

"Yeah, but it wasn't planned."

The ride back to Rangeman was silent. Steph tried to think of something to say, but couldn't think of anything happy. Steph followed Rachel to the fifth floor and they were about to enter her office when Ranger called out.

"Where have you two been?" Why the hell is he so pissy? thought Steph. I'm getting tired of this.

"Not looking for Martin if that's what you're thinking," smart-mouth Steph. Ranger's gaze narrowed at the unwanted sarcasm. Then his eyes shifted to Rachel.

"We went looking for Piper Montgomery. She is accused of murdering her boyfriend. We went to her mom's house to see if she might be there but she wasn't."

"Her mom said when Piper visits for a week, Piper goes to this club called Rho Waterfront. She met her boyfriend there and they hit it off. He moved in with her a couple of weeks later."

"So what Steph and I want to do is go to Rho Waterfront to see if she shows up there tonight."

"Why?" asked Ranger. Steph blew out a heavy sigh and placed her hands on her hips looking every bit as angry as she felt.

"Because she is one our FTAs, that's why. The visit to her mother confirmed that she frequents this club. I have a feeling she will be there, but I also believe she didn't kill her boyfriend." Steph's attitude bordered on condescending. Ranger clenched his jaw several times. His hands, hanging at his sides, formed fists. Then he took a deep breath.Oh, fuck! Tell me she didn't just say that! This is not a good example for my men. Especially since all I want to do is grab her and kiss her senseless to stop her mouth. He needed to remove himself from her presence while he calmed down. He needed his angry desire to subside so he could figure out how he was going to deal with Stephanie's near insubordination. This was NOT good. Ranger growled his frustration and Steph's eyes widened as she took a small step backwards. He turned to Rachel.

"Rachel, may I speak to you?" he asked, walking her into his office and closing the door. Dios! I need to calm the fuck down. That woman really pushes my buttons!

Steph shook her head to clear it of the sudden fear that had gripped her. She walked into Rachel's office and sat at the computer. She typed in Martin's name in the search area and all his information popped up on the screen. Steph quickly scrolled through it. It showed when he was arrested for drunk driving, but nothing about making bombs. He has a sister that he lives with. Shit! I remember what happened the last time I showed up at that address. Better be extra careful. Steph wrote down the address and slipped it into her pocket. She cleared the screen just as Rachel walked out of Ranger's office.

"We have a no go for tonight. Carlos thinks she won't show up no what you think or feel. Besides, I can't go to a club. Rules for pregnant women who work here can't do distractions. Too dangerous."

"It's not going to be dangerous. We're just going to see if she is there and if she is, we apprehend her and take her in. How dangerous is that?"

"You never know. She could have a gun or a knife."

"I don't think she would," said Steph getting up and walking out of the office. Steph had a plan. She would go to the club herself.

Chapter 6

Steph entered the Rho Waterfront club. It was very crowded and noisy. She spotted the bar. She walked around the people and found an empty stool.

"What can I get you?"

"A Margarita."

After she received her drink, Steph looked around for Piper. Nope, not here. She then spotted Martin's sister, Anna, sitting in a corner looking at her phone. Steph got up and walked to the other side of the bar. There was a guy sitting beside her and as Steph got closer, the guy got up and Steph sat beside Anna.

"Hi," said Steph.

"Hi," said Anna, looking up from her phone and back down.

"What games are you playing?"

"No games. Just trying to get a hold of my idiot brother. I've been trying to get him on the phone for the past half hour and he's not answering. He should be out of work by now. Probably had trouble finding a cab."

"You can't go pick him up?"

"My car won't start. That's why I'm calling him. He's a mechanic."

"Do you think he's still at work? I can drive you there and take you guys home."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to. I don't want to leave you stranded. Besides, this place is too crazy tonight."

"Ok, I'd really appreciate that."

When they were both outside, Steph felt someone pull her arm and was pushed against the wall.

"What are you doing here?" Ranger asked angrily.

"I came to see if Piper was here, but she's not."

"That's because she has been captured. Someone noticed her and called the police. Come on, back to Rangeman."

"I can't. I promised Anna a ride home. Her car won't start."

"She can call a cab. Come on."

Just then a car exploded and everyone started running.

"My car!" Anna said, putting her hands on her head.

"Did anyone see anything?" Steph yelled.

"Yeah. Some guy was fiddling around with this persons car and minutes later it explodes."

"Did you happen to see who did it?"

"No. The person wore a black hoodie with AC/DC on the back."

Three minutes later, the police, ambulance and fire engines arrived. Anna gave her statement to the police. After she was done talking to the police, Anna's phone rang. Twenty seconds later, she clicked off.

"That was my brother. He's at the hospital. He got hurt at work. Could you please take me?"

"Sure," said Steph."

After they dropped Anna off at the hospital, Steph could tell Ranger was angry. He lit a cigarette.

"What possessed you to go by yourself tonight? You could've gotten hurt or killed."

"Rachel couldn't go with me and I didn't want to bother the guys so I went myself. If I asked you, you would simply say no. Nothing happened to me, so you should be happy. Take me back to the club because I drove Rache's car."

"That's just great!" Ranger said as he threw out his cigarette butt and lit another one.

When they arrived back at the club, fire engines were still there. Ranger narrowed his eyes and spat out.

"When we get to Rangeman, I'm going to lock you up in a room and you will never get out."

"You just try it!" Steph said, getting out of the truck and slamming the door shut. He watched her stomp off toward Rachel's car. He was really mad at this irritating, stubborn woman. And then he smiled to himself as he admitted how adorable she looked when she was spitting mad. And how much he wanted to pull her close in his arms and kiss her again.

Just as Steph remoted the car to unlock, the car exploded. The force of the explosion threw her back against another car.

"Shit! Stephanie!" Ranger yelled, jumping out of the truck and running to her. He dropped to his knees and put his hands on her face.

"Stephanie?"

He heard her moan.

"Stephanie, are you ok?"

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Ranger.

"Rachel's car blew up." Ranger closed his eyes, breathed a sigh of relief and reopened them.

"Yes, it did," he agreed, trying to calm his heart rate now that Steph was conscious.

"That's twice in one night that Martin blew up two cars."

"Don't talk. I need you to get you to a hospital."

She grabbed his wrist.

"No hospital."

"Fine. I'll have Bobby look you over."

"Is she ok?" a fireman asked.

"She's fine. I'm taking her to the hospital."

Ranger lifted her bridal style and carried her to his SUV. He gently placed her in the passenger seat, got in the truck and drove back to Rangeman.

An hour later, Ranger walked down to the Infirmary when Bobby stepped out of the room.

"How is she?"

"Nothing is broken. She will be sore for a few days. She is sleeping now and probably will be throughout the night."

The next morning, Steph woke up feeling achy. She tried to sit up as Bobby walked in.

"How are you feeling?"

"Sore."

"That will go away in a week. The good thing is that nothing is broken. Are you in any pain?"

"Just my left shoulder, everything else is fine."

"I will give you a muscle relaxant so you won't have any muscle spasms. Later on I will let you walk around. Are you hungry?"

"Yes I am. Do you have any donuts?"

"No, but I'll get you some oatmeal."

Ten minutes later, Ranger came in with a tray and placed it on Steph's lap.

"I thought I would bring this down and see how you are."

"I'm fine, just a little sore," said Steph lifting the lid. Cinnamon oatmeal with toast.

"You don't need to watch me eat."

"I want to apologize for the way I acted last night. I got worried that something might've happened to you."

"Well, as you can see, I'm alive and a little sore. You have someone else to worry about," said Steph as she began to eat.

"Well, I'll have someone bring the tray back up later."

Steph was still mad at Ranger.

Three days later Steph felt better than before. She was still sore, but not as much. She worked with Rachel on searches and Rachel was still amazed at what Steph did. Steph could feel Ranger was near because she felt a tingle in her neck. She completely ignored him. Since Rachel was pregnant, she couldn't go out and find skips, Ranger had Tank and Lester find the skips.

"How did you get so good at this?"

"I had a good teacher," said Steph, turning around to leave the office. She found Ranger standing in the hall waiting for her.

"I would like to speak with you," Ranger said walking toward his office.

Steph followed and Ranger shut his door. He leaned against the front of his desk.

"I have been thinking for the past couple days. I think we should go talk to Martin and ask him where he was the other night. Something in my gut is telling me to find out. The witness saw a black hoodie with AC/DC lettering on the back. If you're right about him, we'll apprehend him and if you're wrong, no more going after him. Ok?"

"Yes. And thank you," said Steph, putting her hands on his shoulders. She just needed to feel connected to him. They stared in to each other's eyes. He put his hands on her waist.

"About the kiss the other night. It shouldn't have happened, but somehow I wanted to kiss you. It felt like the right thing to do and I can't stop thinking about it. I want to kiss you again, but I shouldn't," Ranger said, getting closer to her as she put her arms around his neck.

"What's stopping you? It never stopped you before. The Carlos from my reality kissed me even when I was with Morelli. My ex-boyfriend from my reality. It's a long and complicated story."

"Tell me more about this reality of yours."

"Ranger..."

"Carlos. Call me Carlos," he said, as he brought up a hand to stroke the backs of his fingers down her soft cheek. "Carlos." Steph's breathless whisper caused a silent gasp in response. His eyes darkened passionately to nearly black.

Then Ranger lowered his head and kissed her deeply. Steph put her arms around his neck to pull him close. Ranger put one his hands on her back and cupped the back of her head with the other. He deepened the kiss and savored the taste of this amazing and gorgeous woman for a few moments. Ranger stopped kissing her and pushed away a bit.

"We have to stop this before it gets out of hand," Ranger said, moving her hair behind her ear. "I just can't get enough of you."

"Neither can I," said Steph, kissing him again, then stopped.

"God! I feel like I'm cheating. I could never cheat on Carlos."

"Tell me about this Carlos."

"A lot like you. He doesn't have a goatee and he doesn't smoke. He used to, but he quit. He met Rachel on a break from the Army, had a night with her and a month later, she calls him up and says she's pregnant. He married her so that she and the baby would have Army medical benefits. And then he divorced her after the baby was born. He pays a generous child support and sends gifts. Her name is Julie and she is one beautiful little girl. Of course, this happened before we met. He has just recently started to get to know her."

"Are you and your Carlos married and have a child?"

"No. We've been together for two years. I'm not sure I want to get married and have a child. I was married before and I found my husband on the dining room table with my enemy. I shouldn't be telling you anything more. You'll think I'm crazy."

"I don't think you're crazy. I think you're a very beautiful and intelligent woman. Your Carlos is very lucky."

"Yeah he is. I'm very lucky to have him."

Steph could see some sadness in his eyes. They were about to kiss again when his phone chirped.

"Yo. I will be right there. I have a call I have to take in my office from a potential customer. We'll go to Martin's house as soon as I finish."

"Sure. Great," said Steph, as she let go of Ranger.

Rachel was watching as Steph stepped out of Ranger's office. Rachel's eyes were drawn to Steph's lips. They were puffy. They looked like they had just been thoroughly kissed. She had wondered what they were doing in there. Now she knew. How could they do that to me? Rachel was crushed and Rachel was mad.

An hour later, Ranger and Steph left to go to Martin's house as Rachel watched from her office.

Chapter 7

When Steph and Ranger arrived at Anna's house, Steph remembered how the house looked. Old and rundown. Steph noticed a black hoodie laying on the step. It looked like the black hoodie the witness saw the other night. Steph turned it over and sure enough, it had AC/DC on the back. Ranger knocked and seconds later, Anna answered the door.

"Oh, hello. I'm sorry, I forgot your name. So much has happened."

"Stephanie. And this is my friend Ranger. Is Martin here?"

"No. A friend picked him up early this morning and a co-worker of mine will be here any moment to give me a ride to work. So I have to hustle."

"Ok, this will be quick. How did Martin get hurt?" Steph asked.

"He burned his arm fixing a car. Now please, I really must get going. I will call you later," said Anna, closing the front door and locking it. She ran to the curb and jumped into the car that had just arrived. It sped off.

Steph turned and picked up the hoodie. She found the hole on the left elbow part of the hoodie and smelled it.

"This smells burned and this hole is big enough for a flame to hit. This is our proof."

"We still don't know that for sure. We need to catch him in the act."

Steph turned and noticed that the house has a cellar.

"I think we should check out the cellar."

"We can't do that. We would need a warrant and we don't do that kind of stuff. The cops do."

"I know exactly who to ask."

"Who?"

"Eddie Gazarra. He's a friend of mine from the Precinct. Let's go talk to him." They made their way to the Precinct. When they walked in, Steph walked to the Receptionist and asked for Eddie Gazarra. She picked up the phone and she said to go right in. When Steph walked in, Eddie was writing a report.

"Hey Steph, how are you?"

"I'm good. How is Shirley?"

"Who?"

"Shirley, you're wife. You know, the one I call the whiner."

"No, but why aren't you on your honeymoon?"

"Long story. This is Ranger Manoso and he works at Rangeman. We're here because we want to check out this woman's cellar. I believe her brother is making bombs and putting them in people's car," Steph said, explaining more and also about Martin's black AC/DC hoodie.

"I can get a warrant. I just need to know when Anna is home."

"She said she would call me later. So I will let you know then."

"I'll be waiting. I'll start on the warrant."

"Awesome!" said Steph walking out of the office. When they were outside the building and walking to the truck, Steph turned to Ranger.

"We should go to the hospital to confirm what Martin was treated for and find out where it occurred." Ranger looked at Steph with a skeptical expression and a shake of his head.

"Can't do that. The hospital won't give out information like that." She shrugged, thought for a moment and then grinned as she came up with an easy solution.

"They will if I tell them I'm his sister. Come on, it will work." He rubbed his hand down his face and began to follow her to their car.

When they arrived at the hospital, Steph quickly got out of the car. She was about to walk into the hospital when Ranger stopped her.

"I know you're excited, but you need to calm down. If you go in there as you are now, they'll know you are not his sister."

"Yeah. You're right. Deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. There. Ready."

They both walked up to the nurses' station.

"Hi. I was wondering if you have a Martin Driscoll here."

"Let me look. Who are you?"

"I'm his sister..."

Just then, they all heard a scream down the hall.

"Just a moment, I'll be right back."

The nurse quickly got up and ran down the hall. Steph watched the nurse run into a room and shut the door. Steph quickly sat down in front of the computer.

"What are you doing? You're not supposed to do thia," Ranger whispered forcefully.

"This won't take long. Just be my lookout." Ranger watched to see if anyone would notice what Steph was doing. Steph typed in Martin's name and found what she was looking for. She printed the information and changed the screen back to the original screen. They walked out of the hospital and looked through Martin's information in the truck.

"He was treated for a second-degree burn. He was given an antibiotic because the wound had a lot of 'particulate matter' in it. Bingo! This is our proof."

"Are you hungry?"

"I'm starved. I could go for a large pizza while we wait for that warrant."

They went to Pino's. Steph ordered a cheese pizza and Ranger ordered a Caesar Salad. Steph moaned as she ate her pizza. Ranger just stared. Steph looked at Ranger, put down her pizza and wiped her mouth.

"Sorry. I tend to do that when I eat. It's a habit."

When they were done eating and were just about to get in the truck, Steph's phone chirped.

"Hello?"

"Hi Steph, this is Anna. I'm home for an hour if you would like to talk."

"Sure, we'll be right over," Steph said, getting in the truck.

"Anna is home and I'm going to call Eddie."

Ten minutes later, Ranger and Steph arrived at Anna's house. Just as they walked up to the door, Eddie and two policemen arrived. Steph knocked and Anna answered right away.

"Hi Steph..."

Anna noticed two policemen standing behind Steph.

"What's going on?"

"We have a warrant to search your house for explosives."

"What?"

"If you'll step aside, we won't take long. Where is your cellar?"

"Right here," said Anna. The cellar entry was right in front of the door when you walk in.

The two cops and Eddie went downstairs.

"Steph, what is going on? They're not going to be any explosives down there." Anna was clearly puzzled by all of this.

""I have reason to believe Martin is behind the explosion the other night at the club. He destroyed your car and mine."

"No. He was at the garage fixing a car. He thought the engine cooled down for him to work on a part."

"Martin does wear a black AD/DC hoodie right?"

"Yes. That black hoodie smelled so bad I had to throw it outside."

"Well, someone saw him the other night fiddling with your car. They saw the black hoodie AC/DC hoodie."

"It was probably someone else."

"Anna. The hoodie has a hole in it where the elbow is. That's where Martin's burn is. He was treated for a second-degree burn. He got hit by a flame and debris when your car exploded."

"There aren't any explosives down there," said Eddie.

They checked the whole house and found nothing.

"The house is clean," said Eddie. "Sorry we bothered you, Ma'am. Have a good day," said Eddie walking to the car.

"Wait, Eddie. Could we go to the garage where Martin works and search there?"

"We can, but we need to get another warrant. I'll give you a later when it comes through."

Steph walked back to the house.

"I can't believe you think Martin would do this. He may have had problems in the past, but this just doesn't sound like him. Why would he want to kill me?"

"That's what we're going to find out. I'll call you later."

They drove back to Rangeman. They made small talk. When they entered the fifth floor, Rachel walked out of her office.

"Where have you guys been all day?"

"First, we went to Anna's house to talk to her, but she had to leave to go to work. Martin already left for work early that morning. Anna said she would call me later on in the day. As we were leaving, I saw Martin's black hoodie laying on the step. I picked it up and found a hole on the left elbow of the black hoodie. It smelled burned and smoky. Then I noticed the house has a cellar and I thought we should check it out. We didn't want to do that without a warrant, but then I thought of a friend of mine. He's a cop and he can get a warrant. So we go to the Precinct and talk to Eddie Gazarra. I tell him everything and he said he would get a warrant. While Eddie was doing that, we went to get something to eat. Just as we were leaving the restaurant, my phone rings and it's Anna. She says she has time to talk, so we go over there, followed by Eddie and two other cops. They searched the house and found nothing. So I asked Eddie if he could get another warrant to search the garage where Martin works and he said he would get it. So now we're back here, waiting."

"Seems like you two had a productive day. Let's hope your instincts are right."

Ranger's phone chirped.

"Yo."

Ranger went into his office to talk to whoever was on the other end of the line. Rachel walked back into her office and sat down at the computer as Steph followed.

"So, have you enjoyed kissing Carlos?" Steph froze. "When you walked out of his office this morning, I noticed that your lips were swollen. It was clear that you were doing more than just talking."

Steph let out a heavy sigh while thinking what she should say to Rachel.

"You're right. I was just happy that he was willing to help me. I didn't mean to kiss him like that. It didn't mean anything. I'm not here to come between you two. I'm just here to catch Martin and once this is over, I'm gone," Steph said, walking out of the office. Steph quickly pushed open the door to the stairs and walked down to her apartment. She entered her apartment and slammed the door. She marched into the bedroom, laid down in her thinking position on her bed and cried. Her tears of frustration and missing her Ranger slid down her cheeks and onto her pillow.

"I just want to go home. Can anyone here me? Carlos, are you out there somewhere? I need you so much," Steph asked the empty room.

Then she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and she heard beeping. She gasped as she sat up, cupping her head where it hurt. The pain stopped as swiftly as it started and so did the beeping.

"I just want to go home," sighed Steph quietly. Damn it! I just want to BE home with you, Carlos.

Chapter 8

Ranger walked out of his office and into Rachel's.

"Where did Steph go?"

"I don't know. When you took a call, she followed me in here and we talked."

"About?"

"About the day you two had. So glad you're making progress." Rachel's voice was dripping with sarcasm as she scowled at Ranger.

"What's bothering you?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit!" Ranger challenged, pounding the desk. Rachel jumped.

"I know you two kissed. I mean, really kissed. When I saw her walk out of your office, her lips were puffy. Seems like you two did more than just talk."

"That's what we were doing when I told I her I would help her with Martin. She hugged me and kissed me. We just got caught up in the moment and realized what we did was wrong, but there seems to be an inexplicable connection between us."

"So you'd rather be with her."

"I didn't say that. But I have been thinking about it. About us. I don't think we should get married. I will support you and the baby. You can stay here and have the baby, but I would like you to look for another place to live. You can still work here until then, but I would like you to find another job, as well. All this tension is beginning to be too much. And it can't be good for the baby, either."

"I didn't get pregnant on purpose, Carlos. It just happened. Regardless, I do agree about what you said. We shouldn't get married. What I don't agree with is staying here until after the baby is born. That won't work. I need to find a new job immediately. I will head down to Miami, Florida NOW and live with my parents while I look."

Ranger rubbed his hand over his face and nodded, "I'm glad we have that settled. There is another empty apartment on the fourth floor, so I will have Ella move your things down right away."

"No thanks, Carlos. I will go pack a bag for a few days. Have Ella meet me up there to box up my things. I'm leaving now. Hopefully, I'll get a flight tonight. If not, I'll stay at the Marriott at the Philadelphia Airport and get on one tomorrow."

Ranger nodded and left her office. Tears came down from Rachel's eyes. She couldn't believe this was happening. She swiped at her tears. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she turned to her computer, pulling up Rangeman's travel website to book a flight to Miami.

Ranger made his way downstairs to Steph's apartment and knocked. No answer. He pulled out his master key and went in. The place was dark so he turned on the lights.

"Steph?"

Ranger went in the bedroom and noticed Steph was tossing and turning. He also noticed she had her hands on the back of her head. He sat down on the bed next to her.

"Steph, what's the matter?"

"The back of my head hurts."

"Show me where."

"Here," said Steph, guiding his hand and putting it on the middle of the back of her head.

"Why does it hurt?"

"I don't know."

"How long has it been hurting?"

"Since I got up here thirty minutes ago."

"I'll have Bobby check it out."

Five minutes later, Bobby arrived and felt her head.

"No swelling or anything. Let me look in your eyes."

He checked her eyes, which appeared normal.

"Feeling nauseous, light headed?"

"No."

"I'll give you something for the pain and let me know how you feel in the morning. If it's not better, I'll have to do a CT scan. This injection will help you sleep."

A few minutes later, Bobby left and Ranger got comfortable on the bed with Steph.

"How does that feel?"

"It's getting better. Why did you come down here?"

"I know you and Rachel had a conversation about the kiss. She told me she noticed how puffy your lips were so I confessed what had happened while we were in my office. I guess we got caught up in the moment. The truth is, I really enjoyed it and I feel there is a strong connection between us. Something Rachel and I never had. I called off the wedding…"

"What?" Steph interrupted, almost getting up.

"Shh, relax, Babe. We're better off this way. I will support her and the baby. Rachel knows that. She agreed about not getting married. She's going to go back to Miami, Florida to live with her parents and find a new job there."

"I didn't mean to come between you two," Steph said as she yawned.

"You didn't. Rachel and I were headed for disaster anyway. I don't think we would've made it to the first or second day of marriage."

When there was no response, Ranger looked over at Steph. She had fallen fast asleep.

The next morning, Steph woke up alone. She sat up and felt that her head was better. She was about to get up when she heard the door open. Ranger walked in the bedroom pushing a cart. She noticed he shaved off his goatee.

"Morning."

"You shaved."

"Yes I did. How are you feeling?"

"Better."

"Bobby will be up in a few minutes to look you over. Here you go, breakfast in bed," Ranger said, setting the tray on her lap. She opened the lid on her plate and found eggs and toast. Instead of coffee, she found a large glass of juice. Ranger joined her and he had his usual bagel and lox. When breakfast was done, Bobby came in.

"How are we feeling?"

"Better."

Bobby checked her eyes and felt behind her head.

"No pain this morning?"

"No."

"Headache?"

"Nope. Not that either."

"Relax today. All this running around going after Martin is stressing you out. Couple days rest will help."

"So I have to stay cooped up here?" Steph looked first at Bobby, then at Ranger.

"No, you can come up to five later and help with the searches but that's about it."

"Where is my phone? Eddie has probably left me a message about finding explosives in the garage where Martin works."

Steph found her phone on the dresser. She listened to Eddie's voicemail. Two minutes later, she turned off her phone.

"Eddie didn't find anything at the garage. They even checked his locker. Nothing, nada."

"Well, rest up, you need it," said Ranger. "I'm going to take the cart back upstairs to Ella and then I'll be back."

Bobby left with Ranger. Steph got back on the bed in her thinking position. She stared at the ceiling and closed her eyes. Where else would Martin hide explosives?

"How was breakfast?" Ella asked Ranger as he brought the cart into her kitchen.

"Very good. She ate up everything."

"So she must be feeling better."

"Yes. Don't know what happened. Her head started to hurt last night and Bobby checked her over. Didn't find anything. Checked her again this morning and everything looks good."

"Probably just a fluke thing. Anyways, I boxed up all of Rachel's stuff. So sorry things didn't work out for you two."

"No need to be sorry, Ella. Thank you for making Steph some breakfast and for packing up Rachel's things."

"You're welcome, Carlos. Do you want me to arrange for Rachel's boxes to be sent to Florida?"

"Yes, please. I'll text you their address," Ranger said as Ella nodded.

Ranger walked back down to the fourth floor and entered Steph's apartment. When he walked in the bedroom, he saw her sprawled out on the bed, asleep.

"That's my girl, rest up," whispered Ranger, kissing her forehead. He quietly walked out of the room and out of the apartment. Steph opened her eyes and thought of another idea. What if he hashidden the explosives underground? Steph got up, put her hair in a ponytail, walked out of the apartment and down to five. When Steph entered Ranger's office, he was on the phone. She down and waited. After twenty minutes of waiting, he finally got off.

"How was your nap?" Ranger asked looking at watch. "Only ten minutes?"

"I know where Martin is hiding the explosives."

Ranger sighed.

"Ok, where?"

In the backyard. He buried them somewhere behind the house. We have to look."

"I don't think Eddie would want to dig up the whole yard."

"He doesn't have to. All he has to do is find an area where the grass has been disturbed. At least try.

Ranger thought long and hard. His eyes met and held hers.

"I'll call Eddie about expanding the original warrant. Now, I have a meeting I have to attend." Ranger said, getting up and leaving the office. Steph sat there for a moment and thought of a plan. She left the office and went down to the garage. She opened the door to a maintenance closet. She turned on the light and found a shovel sitting in the corner. She grabbed it, shut the door and put the shovel in the trunk of the Jag. She turned on the car and drove to Anna's house. She was going to dig herself if she had to. But at least she could start looking around for a likely spot.

Chapter 9

Ranger walked out of the conference room feeling happy. The meeting was a success. He walked to what was Rachel's office to talk to Steph. Rachel had gathered all her paperwork from the printer and arranged them on her desk before she left yesterday. It was all still there when Ranger walked in. Clearly, Steph hadn't been working in here today. He strode over to Tank's office.

"Where's Stephanie?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen her all day."

"Maybe she went back upstairs," Ranger said, running to the stairs. When he reached her door, he knocked. No answer. He walked into her apartment and to the bedroom and Steph wasn't there. He ran out of the apartment, up to five and to the control room.

"Has anyone seen Stephanie?"

"She left fifteen minutes ago. She went to the closet, took out a shovel and drove off," said Hal.

"Tank, Lester, and Bobby. Come with me. I just hope we get there in time before Anna or Martin decide to come home," said Ranger.

When Steph got the shovel out of the trunk, she looked around. She walked behind the house and saw a spot that looked like it had been dug up recently. It was next to a tree.

"Jackpot!"

She began to dig when the back of her head began to hurt. She stopped and rubbed it. When the pain stopped, she continued to dig. Ten minutes later, she found a black garbage bag. Sure enough, there were explosives in there. She pulled the bag out of the hole and opened it. Steph found tons of explosives. She pulled out her phone to call Ranger when she heard a click. Steph froze. She then slowly turned around and found Martin with a gun aimed at her.

"I see you have found my stash."

"Yes, I have. Now you will go down."

"No, you will. You had the cops search the house and at the garage where I work to see if I had explosives stashed there. It was embarrassing. You will go down," said Martin as he aimed his gun at Steph and was about to shoot her when he heard a car drive up. Martin hit Steph in the head with the butt of the gun. She fell to the ground as Martin walked to the front of the house.

"Anna. What are you doing home?"

"I always come for lunch. What are you doing home?"

"My boss let me leave early."

"Great. Could you do something with this piece of shit? It's not running right and it's making a noise. It should be put out of its misery. I still don't know why some asshole had to blow up my car. That one ran well, not like this."

"Sure. I'll take a look at it."

"Good," said Anna, walking in the house.

"I'll take care of the problem. That problem is you," muttered Martin, retrieving the bag of explosives. He didn't see Steph where he left her. He didn't have time to look for her, so he walked back to the car and started to work on it. Steph hid behind a bush when Martin went to go talk to Anna. She regained enough consciousness to move and find a place to hide. She recorded what Martin was doing with her phone. She sent the text to Ranger. Hopefully, Ranger would here soon.

Ranger's phone chirped and checked the message. It showed Martin putting a bomb in a car.

"Drive faster. I need to contact Eddie."

"I made your lunch. Did you fix the problem?"

"Yeah, I did. It won't be a problem now."

"Good, I'll be home later than usual. There is a frozen dinner in the freezer," said Anna, opening the car door. Steph jumped out of the bushes.

"Anna! Don't start the car! Martin planted a bomb in your car."

"Stephanie?" Anna asked, moving away from the car. "What are you doing here?"

"Stopping you from getting blown up. For the second time, it seems."

"What?"

"Martin was tone one that blew up your other car when we were at the club the other night. After the car exploded, he was running away from the crowd. A flaming cinder from your car landed on his arm. He got burned from that, not from fixing a car."

"She's lying," snarled Martin.

"I have proof right here," said Steph, showing Anna what she had recorded.

"Why do you want to kill me? What have I ever done to you? I cook for you, I do your laundry. Why, Martin?"

"You can be a pain in the ass. It's always: Martin, do this, do that. It's getting annoying. Maybe shooting the both of you is better," Martin said, aiming the gun. He was about to shoot when Ranger and the guys showed up, with Eddie right behind. Eddie and the two cops jumped out of the car. They shielded themselves using the squad car doors, cocked their guns and aimed them at Martin.

"Martin Driscoll. Put down your gun and put your hands up," Eddie called out.

Martin threw down the gun and raised his hands. One officer cuffed him while the other read him his rights on the way to the cruiser.

"You ok?" asked Eddie, as he put his hand on Steph's shoulder.

"Yes, I am. Thanks, Eddie."

Eddie nodded and went to go talk to Anna. Ranger came over and pulled Steph into his arms.

"I'm so glad you're ok," he said as he kissed her head and breathed in the scent of her curls. His chin rested on top of her head, and he was trying to calm his heart rate.

"I told you I could prove it," came a small, soft voice that was muffled by his strong chest.

"I never said you couldn't," Ranger averred, pushing back so he could look at her. He was about to kiss her when she touched the back of her head. She hissed and squeezed her eyes shut.

"What's the matter? Head hurting again?"

"Yes. Like a song of a bitch!"

"Let's get you to Rangeman," Ranger said, lifting her easily and carrying her to the SUV. He got them into the back and Steph laid her head down on his lap.

"You will feel better soon. I'll have Bobby take a CT scan and give you something for the pain."

"It's getting worse. The pain and the sound of beeping," gasped Steph, clutching her head.

"You'll be alright," assured Ranger as he stroked her hair.

Steph looked at Ranger and everything began to fade.

Steph felt like she was floating. She heard beeping and the sound of Ranger's voice.

"Come on, Babe. Open those pretty blue eyes of yours."

Steph slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling then focused on Carlos.

"Carlos?"

"Babe," Carlos said, taking her hand.

"Where am I?"

"In the hospital."

"I thought we were going back to Rangeman to get a CT scan. Why am I here at the hospital?"

"You don't remember, do you? You wanted to join us on the apprehension of Martin Driscoll. We were waiting for him to get home. When he showed up, we were going to take him until we heard you yell. "Bomb!" We ran and dove for cover. It blew and we all flew through the air from the blast. You saved our lives. We only have bumps and bruises, but you took a hard landing and hit your head. I immediately brought you here. You have been out two and a half days."

"Then it must've been a dream. It seemed so real. When I woke up, I was in the same spot where the blast threw me. You and the guys weren't there."

She told him the whole story and he was absolutely amazed.

"You were even engaged to Rachel. You broke off the engagement because after she got pregnant, you knew there wasn't much between you. Of course, Carlos and I shared a kiss. I told him I felt like I was cheating. This dream I had felt so real."

"I'm glad you're back with me," Carlos said, kissing her tenderly.

"I missed you," she said, as tears started to fall. "I thought I wasn't ever going to see you again. I love you, Carlos," Steph affirmed, kissing him deeply. They broke apart when they heard the door open. Tank, Lester, and Bobby walked in.

"Hey there, little girl, you're awake. How are you feeling?" asked Tank.

"Good. Just feeling a little sore. While I was sleeping, I dreamed that you were married to Lula."

"What?"

"It's true. She was even skinny."

"Wow."

"Lester, you were married to a gorgeous Latino woman and you were expecting a baby."

"Really?"

Just then a nurse walked in the room. Steph noticed her nametag read 'Ana'.

"How are you? I will get the doctor as soon as I check your vitals."

When she done, she eyed Lester up and down, smiled and left.

"Remind me to find her later, Beautiful." They all had a laugh with her. She was glad that some thing never change.

The doctor came in five minutes later.

"Hi. How are we doing today? So glad you're awake. How are you feeling?" the doctor asked standing beside her bed.

"Feeling sore on just my upper body."

"Any head pain, dizziness?"

"No."

The doctor looked in her eyes with a flashlight and felt her head.

"Everything seems to be good. Keep improving like this and we'll have to kick you out of here tomorrow morning.

"Awesome." Steph was sporting a big smile now.

The doctor left.

"Well, I have to go find me that nurse. See ya', Beautiful." Lester kissed her cheek and left the room.

"Lula and I married? I don't want to think about that," said Tank, kissing her cheek and leaving the room.

"I'm glad you're alight, Stephanie," said Bobby. He, too, kissed her and followed the others out of her room.

Carlos and Stephanie were alone again when the doctor walked back in the room.

"I have some news to share. It says here that you're three weeks pregnant."

"What?" Steph's eyes were huge. She hung on to Ranger's hand.

"Yes. I take it this wasn't planned?" asked the doctor, looking back and forth between them.

"No, it wasn't. It was something that just happened." She looked dazed and was frowning as she processed this new information.

"Well, congratulations to you both," said the doctor, leaving the room.

"Are you angry?" asked Steph, biting her lip and not looking at Carlos.

"Angry? Why would I be angry?"

"Well, you didn't want to be with Rachel when she was pregnant. You had to marry..."

Carlos turned Steph's face to look at him.

"I didn't love Rachel. I married her so she could have the army benefits for the baby. I divorced her after Julie was born. Rachel and I never had a connection like we have. I love you, Stephanie. Having a baby with you is fantastic. Don't compare yourself to Rachel. I will always love you," Carlos declared, sealing it with a kiss.

The next morning, Steph left the hospital with Carlos. The doctor told her to take it easy for a week, then she could go back to normal activities, except for going after skips. She would be doing searches. All the Merry Men greeted her when she arrived on five. She was their new hero. She had saved their brothers lives. They would always watch over her and the new baby when he or she arrived. Steph blushed at all the attention, then smiled and hugged each one. As she planted a kiss on each one's cheek, it was their turn to blush. Steph grinned at this wonderful family that was hers now, too.

That night, Steph cuddled with Carlos and dreamed of a long and happy life together.