Janet Evanovich deserves all the credit for creating such wonderful characters to play with. She has, at the same time, made them so that we can give them our own version of personality and life.

We make no money from this but our payment is personal enjoyment from writing.

Chapter 1

Stephanie stood back looking down. She watched as the EMT's were frantically performing their job. One held the defibrillator in his hands and called 'clear'. He pressed the paddles to the body and pressed the button. He looked at the screen and proceeded to repeat the movement.

There was blood everywhere on the ground. It looked like there had been a wound to the chest.

Gauze pads soaked in blood were tossed aside. A gurney stood by ready to transport.

Stephanie looked around.

There was a ring of people watching in horror as the men worked feverishly. Their movements were getting more and more frenzied as if time was slipping away.

She could see scuffling going on. Looking closer she saw a sea of black trying to contain someone. They was not going down without a fight. She could see Bobby standing by with a syringe in his hands. He saw an opening and advanced, then stepped back. The struggling diminished and then ceased. She could see Tank holding someone in his arms. She thought she could see tears falling down his cheeks as he held someone tight to his chest. Gradually the struggling ceased.

She noticed the absolute quiet that enveloped the area. She heard a soft prayer here and there. She heard a few sniffles escape.

Traffic noises and everyday activities in Trenton, New Jersey faded away.

She wrapped her arms around her for comfort. She was starting to feel cold and fear began to cloud her mind. Her vision was getting fuzzy.

Stephanie viewed one of the EMT's move slightly and she looked at the face of the victim.

She was looking at herself.

~~~o0o~~~

Maybe I should back up.

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie stepped out the door of her apartment block. It was looking like a sunny day in Trenton. At least that was what the weather forecast was predicting. The smog had already settled over the city and try as it might, the sun would have a tough time coming through clearly.

She looked at her car de jour. It was a subdued forest green Toyota Camry, slightly scuffed on a few body panels and sporting a different hub cap on each wheel. Mooner had come through once again in her hour of need.

Stephanie shrugged. She had a long list of autos that had belonged to her for everything from a couple of days to a couple of months. She felt lucky that most of the time the license plate survived whatever mishap happened to the car so she did not have to learn a new plate number each time.

Her insurance broker had her file under favorites. It made life so much easier if they did not have to hunt for it every time she came in. They knew her by her first name.

Lately her luck had been deserting her and by the time she had made her way to the counter, her file was already open and waiting.

Stephanie sighed.

Her rent was due in two days and she needed some more FTA's to cover the withdrawal. Connie had earmarked a few files for her but she was needing at least one more to take it over the top.

Stephanie slipped into the car and turned the key hoping it would fire. Wonder upon wonder, it did on the first try. Actually it started the easiest of her last four cars. Could it be that her car karma was improving? Could she hold this one together for awhile?

Stephanie pulled up to the bond office and parked in the space directly outside the door. That in itself might have indicated how her day was about to go. Score! Parking karma, finally.

Grabbing her bag in one hand, and keys in the other she slipped out from behind the fuzzy steering wheel. Mooner thought she needed some cool so he had thrown in a steering wheel cover with SpongeBob SquarePants displayed in bright yellow colors.

She walked into the office taking in the fact that Lula was not there. Well, it was early for her and certainly too early for Lula.

Stephanie's stomach had wakened her up and with nothing in the apartment except for a few hamster nuggets and one almond filched from the duty sergeant's desk yesterday for Rex, she showered and dressed hoping to find a donut at the office.

Connie was on the phone and she was writing something in her day timer.

"I'll be down soon, Henry. Make sure that your brother is standing by this time, or I'll send Vinnie to talk to him."

Connie hung up and smiled as she saw Stephanie standing there.

"Morning, sunshine. What brings you out so early? Birds wake you, alley cat knock over a garbage can, a certain man in black couldn't sleep?"

Stephanie glanced around. No donuts in sight. Darn.

Connie pulled open a desk drawer. She pulled out a box of chocolate chip granola bars and put them on the desk.

"Vinnie took this in payment last night. I have a whole case of them in the back. Not sure what I'm supposed to do with them and you can help me decide. Try a couple or better yet, take the box. See what you think. Sorta like an extended taste test."

Connie watched as Stephanie's eyes locked on the box. She knew the state of her finances by her facial features and mannerisms at the end of each month. Connie knew the signs. Unfortunately, the bonds in Stephanie's range were few and far between right now.

She looked longingly at Rangeman's pile. Only a fool would even contemplate the people wanted in that pile.

Connie excused herself and headed to the washroom.

Stephanie sidled over to the pile and her hand reached out tentatively, then shot back to her side. The front door was opening.

She knew by the tingle at the back of her neck who would be passing through shortly. A hand pushed her hair aside and Ranger placed a soft kiss behind her ear.

"Morning, Babe."

She nodded but it felt like her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. More like she was trying to control her heart and a word spoken now would probably have come out as a squeak.

Connie came out of the bathroom and nodded at the pile.

Tank picked up the pile and raised an eyebrow at Ranger. He nodded then jerked his head toward Vinnie's closed office.

"He in?"

Connie cleared her throat.

"Yeah, but knock loudly before you step in." The warning was not taken lightly. Vinnie might need a moment to collect himself.

Ranger grimaced then strode to the door. He pounded twice on the door and waited.

The door opened and Vinnie looked out then nodded. Ranger was about to step in when he looked back at Stephanie.

"I need to see you after I talk to Vinnie. Please wait for me Babe."

Everybody knew that when Ranger used the P word that Stephanie would cave.

She sat down on the little red chair that she had come to believe as her own. Connie was at her desk filing one nail that really did not need the attention.

Stephanie sighed. She was cutting it really close for rent this month. She hated to ask Ranger if he needed help. He would instantly agree that there was work for her at Rangeman, but she felt she was taking advantage. She really liked to be independent and asking for help did not sit well.

She opened the wrapper on a granola bar and took a bite. Not bad; better than a pop tart, not as good as pancakes and syrup, hmmmm. Her mind was focussing on foods she loved and didn't hear the door open.

Ranger strolled out. She visibly shook himself and shuddered.

Striding to Stephanie's side he placed his hand under her elbow and assisted her to her feet as if she was unable to scramble up without assistance. She quickly took two more bites and grudgingly put the now empty wrapper in the wastebasket by the door.

Stephanie was guided out the door and around to the alley. Ranger leaned her against the brick wall, and putting his hands on both sides by her shoulders managed to lock her in. He pressed his lips to hers and her body responded instantly to his delectably muscular body. She melted into the kiss and her thoughts scrambled. What she would give to have that body in bed with her!

"Good to know, Babe, but no time right now. I reserve the right to take a rain check on that." Ranger was smiling that cat-that-ate-the canary look. Damn, did she say that out loud?

"Yeah Babe, you did." Ranger spoke, still smiling.

Stephanie's bed had been empty for two months.

Joe had screwed up again and the screaming match they had, had the Burg talking for days. Grandma Bella had given her 'the eye' but so far Stephanie had deflected everything from warts to serial killers. Her mother had ironed everything in the house and was contemplating helping her neighbors on both sides but had finally calmed down. Her father had shrugged his shoulders and had hidden behind his paper. Grandma Mazur had clapped Stephanie on her back and congratulated her on finally seeing the light.

Joe was currently chasing a lab tech. The way Stephanie was feeling, she hoped that this Abigail person would be practising on him with needles and implements of medical torture.

He had been off on an undercover assignment. Bob had been staying at Steph's house and she was somewhat successful in keeping him from eating her out of house and underwear. She found the secret to stopping his disgusting habit quite by chance.

She had come home to him wandering around the apartment with what was left of her current favorite thong around his neck. She had been so angry that the child's toy she had in her hand for baby Lisa got squeezed in her anger. It had both roared and the lights of its eyes shone. Bob had taken off into the kitchen and lay cowering under the table.

Lisa never received that toy. When Bob did something stupid, or wrong, the tiny tiger roared at him. He had never learned a trick so fast in all his life. Her underwear stayed intact after that, and her furniture didn't sport any more holes.

If Stephanie left for the day, she placed the tiger prominently on the coffee table and miraculously everything was still in it's place when she came home.

Lisa never missed the toy and received a Raggedy Ann doll instead.

Stephanie had received a phone call from Joe late at night. She had been asleep and groggily her arm had inched its way out from under the covers as it rang by her ear. She had mumbled a 'hello' and while trying to shake the cobwebs from her mind and speech, she could hear giggling in the background.

Nothing can wake up someone faster than a quiet, 'shush' coming over the phone lines and Stephanie was no different. She could hear rustling in the background as Joe talked, telling her how much he loved and missed her. He had said that the case was wrapping up and while he had his head buried in work day and night he had been thinking how soon he would be returning to her and her arms.

Stephanie had hung up after Joe had professed his love a few more times and sat up in bed digesting the phone call. Obviously he had not been as lonely as he professed.

By the time he arrived at the apartment a few days later, Stephanie had cleaned every vestige of Joe from her tiny apartment, and the plastic bags on the dining room table showed the efforts of her work.

Joe had shown up expecting a night of passion and instead was dodging his possessions aimed at his head. He had grudgingly taken Bob on his leash and his possessions and scurried away.

She had not seen him except at the police station and one look at her eyes and he had headed the other direction.

She knew that money had changed hands once again.

He had waited for two weeks then attempted to stop her as she was at Giovanni's picking up her mother's order. Once again she had unloaded on him in front of all the ladies patiently waiting then marched out. She heard later that Joe had run a gauntlet of handbag laden ladies all the way to the door trying to protect his head from further injury.

Unfortunately, he had not taken into account that a few ladies from the Cut N Curl were in the store and besides being the topic of the day, he had been wounded by a gun laden purse to the jewels. It was only his masculine pride that kept him from writhing on the ground vomiting.

Ranger had been away checking on the other branches and Stephanie was being loosely followed by a Merry Man. She had phoned Tank and when she questioned why, since she believed she currently had no stalkers or serial killers after her, he had only stated that The Boss had ordered she be kept safe. In his mind, that meant either locking her down, or a tail. His calmly voiced explanation rarely booked an alternative and she had given up. Tank was not a gray kind of guy.

She was glad he was back. She vowed to speak to him as soon as her mind cleared and her tongue could form words again. Ranger was like that. He could take a perfectly planned idea and with one of his mind-scrambling kisses, make any well thought out plan fly out the window.

Soon, but way too soon, Ranger leaned back a few inches and looked into her eyes.

"I was wondering if you could do some searches for me, Babe. The guys are really short-staffed and we are getting behind. Ram and Cal are on assignment and Woody isn't back yet from Texas. Les did something stupid and is on bed rest.

I took the liberty of phoning Ryan and he is processing a couple of days of work through for you on this pay period."

She pushed on his chest so that she could see his eyes better. He gave nothing away that he might know the sad state of her finances.

"I have some FTA's that need rounding up, Ranger, and their return date is getting close. I might be able to squeeze in some time, but you shouldn't have assumed I would automatically come in. I will help you but I'm going to keep track of my time spent until I make it up to you."

Ranger grimaced. He had not handled that as well as he could have. Now she was feeling like it was a pity payment. He could see that her independent streak was starting to rear it's ugly head and he prepared for a well deserved tongue lashing.

He wondered how long it would take her to figure out that Tank had taken her car and filled it with gasoline.

Unfortunately for her, he was always cognizant of her financial state. Near the end of a month he routinely checked her balance. He did not think of it as prying. He was wired that way. He needed and wanted information and had the resources and means to find out. He tried to assume nothing and he had always prided himself on trying to solve a problem before it became a problem.

Stephanie pushed him farther back and stood up, straightening out her clothes.

"I'll be in in a couple of hours. I have to pick up Freddie Prince and Mooner needs to re-book again."

She pushed past him and headed for the bonds office, opening and closing the door solidly enough he knew that she was pissed.

Ranger sighed. He was very well respected in the mercenary world. Unfortunately in the world of Stephanie, he put his foot in his mouth more times than he cared to admit. He had riled her feathers.

He thought about it. Ella was her weakness and if he could placate her with a meal later on seven, he might get back on her good side.

He stopped short of heading to her apartment to check out her food supplies. He could see on her banking information that she had not shopped for a couple of weeks and chances were that her cupboards were bare. He cringed as his first thought was to have Ella shop for her and stock up. She would never ever forgive him for that.

Ranger walked out of the alley and noticed that Stephanie's car was back in place. He assumed that beside gas the new tracker was now in place. Unfortunately she had been running around the last week untracked as bad luck had interferred with the op. Every time one of his men had attempted to place it, there had been someone near who could watch the proceedings and better yet, tell somebody.

Ranger slipped into the passenger seat of the Hummer and they drove away.