My name is Stephanie Plum and I'm a Bond Enforcement agent also known as a Bounty Hunter. I work for my cousin Vinnie's bail bond agency. I got the job by blackmailing said cousin into hiring me and well I've never really stopped. At first I was terrible at my job by the end of the day I would be covered in garbage or some other slimy sticky stuff that I really didn't want to think about now. My first FTA was a guy named Joe Morelli. Morelli was the kind of boy that your mother warned you about as did my mother but that didn't stop me from going to his father garage to play choo-choo with Joe at the age of six, at the time I was pissed because he wouldn't let me be the train, after a couple year I learned why. At the age of sixteen he had taken away my virginity behind the display case of the local bakery I was working at. So when I had gotten the file I didn't have fond memories of Morelli and just wanted to get the money so I wouldn't starve. By the end of his case we had cleared his name and even found the real killers. So we started to date and a couple years latter we got engaged but before we could even set the date for the wedding I found him in his bedroom screwing Terri Gilman. A cop and a Mob bosses daughter what a perfect match. So to say the least I broke the engagement and moved back to my apartment. That was about a year ago and now him and Terri are married with a baby on the way. I was truly happy for him because that is exactly what he wanted, a stay at home wife and mom. Needless to say I wasn't going to stop Bounty Hunting or stop being friends with Ranger when we got engaged. Carlos Manoso aka Ranger was at one time my mentor, friend and one night lover. He was also a fellow bounty hunter and he owned his own security company, Rangeman. When Ranger and I had met I was pretty sure he just thought I was a stupid girl looking for an easy way out but none the less he had helped me and even found me a gun I could use. Over the years he had grown to be one of my best-friends, saving and protecting my life when I would get a crazy stalker or murderer after me. About a year and a half ago he had went in the wind as I like to call it and I haven't heard or seen him since. It was the longest time he had been in the wind since I met him four years ago.

A lot had changed since the year and a half that I last saw Ranger. After me and Joe had broken up I did a stupid thing and went after a high bond skip. Gregory Grant was a serial rapist and murderer and when he found out I was after him he had ended up almost killing me by cutting my heart out. After that I was in recovery for about a month and then I went to an unlikely friend Alexander Ramos. Alexander was an international black market arms dealer that I had met during on of my cases. He had said that if I ever needed help to come to him and he would help me and that just what he did by training me. I had spent two months with him training and shooting my ass off and by the end of those two months I had became on of the best shooters he had seen.

When I got back to Trenton and the Burg every one of my friends thought that I was going to quit bounty hunting and get married to the first guy that wanted me. Well the were wrong what I did do, was go after the highest bond that Vinnie had, Johnathan Scott, and I had him in the cop shop by the end of the week. The thing about hanging around and arms dealer like Alexander was that you would also be hanging around some pretty nasty guys and some of those nasty guys were trained hit men that had taken a liking to me and helped me make sure that I could fire my gun and even kill with out feeling any regret and they had done well with that. So once I went after Johnathan and he had taken a shot at me I wasn't to happy and fired my own gun, shooting him in his shoulder and knee after I had made sure there wasn't anymore weapons on his body I had the bullet wounds bandaged and took him to the cops. It turns out Johnathan's first shot had grazed my arm and all my friends like Eddie and Crazy Carl were worried and wanted me to go to the hospital. I just smiled and told them I was fine and in truth I was fine a bullet graze didn't really effect me that much anymore. But still even after I had went though training and proved that I could take care of my self everyone still wanted me to quit my job and just get married .That is the major reason why I don't have any real friend anymore beside Alexander and his gang because I couldn't take the judgment and harassment for my choice of jobs and my choice to not get married and have a shit load of babies.

The cold winter wind kissed my pale skin as I stepped outside my apartment complex. I took a deep breath of ice cold air and took in my surroundings. Winter and Summer in Trenton were always the worst weather it was way to cold or way to hot. Right at this moment standing in the parking lot of my apartment I was dressed in tight black flare jeans a fitted black tee and black leather jacket. I had on about eight weapons, three guns and 5 knives. My .38 S&W revolver is now in my ankle holster instead of my cookie gar. My favorite gun, a Glock 26 was tucked in to my shoulder holster under my jacket and I had a Sig Sauer P239 placed in the waist line of my jeans in the back. I had a knife in both boots and in each writs and also one strapped to my waist.

I made my way to my car with my 26 in my hand. Now normally I wouldn't have a gun out and ready to shoot less I was after a skip but in the last month I have had a hit out on my head. The ordered hit was by Johnathan, the first skip I had brought in when I got back. Well when he got out of the lovely slammer he ordered a hit on my head for shooting him. So those pretty nasty hit men I was talking about earlier, that taught me how to kill with out guilt well some of them were after me know. Ironically I was able to kill the men that came after me and stay alive because of the skills they had taught me.

My car was a black 1995 Honda accord not the worst car I have ever had. Believe me I could afford better now that I was after higher bonds but I still didn't trust my car karma so I didn't want to by a really nice car to just have it get blown up. I'm not the same old Stephanie Plum but I still attracted stalkers that liked to blow up my cars. I made my way to the office and managed to lose the two tails that were fallowing me. Connie was sitting on her desk filing her nails. If Betty Boop were a real person she would have a body like Connie. Lula was dressed all in green spandex that was again, a couple sizes to small. She looked like a freaking pair. I was laughing my ass off under my blank face, something I learned from Alexander. Lula and Connie were former friends of mine. I say former because after I got back from my training I was pretty sure they were scared shitless of me and my now very violent means of bounty hunting. They looked up as I made my way in but didn't smile or say anything as I made my way straight to Vinnies office. After I took down Johnathan, Vinnie was very welcoming to me from then on seeing as Ranger was gone and I was now the only Bounty Hunter to do high bonds.

"Steph just who I wanted to see I have one high bond this week and its all yours. This should be pretty easy." Vinnie said the moment I walked thought the door. He is such a creeper one time I'm afraid I'm going to walk in on him and his duck friend doing it. Ugh excuse me as I shutter. I looked at the folder and sighed as I read the name it was Alexander. Really I had reminded him that he had a court date I should have called him the morning of but I was getting shot at so I was a little busy.

"I should have him in by this afternoon. Is that it?" I asked normally there were multiple high skips every couple days. It is rare to just get one.

"Tank stopped by earlier he got the rest of the skips on Rangers orders. He said you could go to Rangeman and talk to Ranger about the high skips." My blank face was slammed down the minute I heard Rangers name. He was back apparently and he took all my skips. And I'm supposed to talk to him about the high skips what am I going to say ' Well thanks Ranger for stealing my money and oh hey how are you doing after being gone for a year and a half. I'm swell just killed a few people and I have a hit on my head but that's nothing.' I was going to need one of Alexanders boys with me so I wouldn't shoot him.

"Okay can you call Rangeman and tell them I'll be their around two and to expect someone with me."

"What am I your fucking secretary call him yourself." I raised my eyebrow up at him. Really he was trying to talk back to me now. Ha like I'm going to let him do that. I had my Glock out and pointed at his head in a matter of seconds.

"Uh...Sorry Steph forgot it was the new you." He says stammering.

"Don't do it again or I will shot you know please make the call for me." I say putting my Glock back in my holster after a moment. I bet that was a first for him having someone point a gun at his head and they say please. I smirked as he reached for the phone. I left with Alexanders folder under my arm.

I felt safe the moment I had entered the gate to the Ramos house. I was safe no matter what here. It was my only safe house in the world and it would always be. Alexander had promised that as long as I was in his house none of the boys will try to kill me till I leave the property. Most people wouldn't think that was very safe but to me it was the only place that felt like home now. I made my way to the font door and knocked. Alexander answered with a huge grin on his face.

"Stephanie! How wonderful to see my lovely daughter." He says hugging me and kissing both my cheeks and the tip of my noise. I laughed. Ramos says that he wished he had had a daughter just like me so he could watch her train and be the shit out of his boys daily.

"Alexander you missed your court date." I say looking straight at him getting serious. "But I swear I called you the Monday before and reminded you about said court date."

"Well you don't come by and visit me less I miss a court date." He said closing the door and bringing me into one of the kitchens in his huge house.

"Okay how about this if I promise to come by once a week and have dinner with you will you promise not to miss another court date?" I asked grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl.

"I'll agree." He says smiling. I have a feeling he had all of this planned but I knew it wasn't just for seeing me more. He had something up his sleeve.

"So Mr. Ramos are any of the boys that aren't trying to kill me here. I need to ask them to help me out with something."

"Well the only one here besides me is Nathan. You know he is recovering from a gun shot wound."

"Yeah a gun shot I gave him." I groan. I knew he wanted something else. Nathan Hobbes was the first payed killer to try to kill me. Well I ended up not hurt at all unlike him who had gotten away with two gun shot wounds. Days latter he had called to say he wasn't going to take the contract anymore and that he was sorry.

"You know he is sorry. He's going though a hard time right now losing Mary and all." Mary Hobbes was Nathans wife and she had been killed on a mission for Ramos months before. "Go talk to him sweets."

"Okay but please be ready in thirty minutes I have a meeting at two." he nodded and gently pushed me up the stairs.

When I had first come to stay with Alexander I was scared and nervous about everything. Nathan was the only one that was a friend to me at first commenting on how many cars I had blown up in the past couple years. He became one of my closest friend here, as well as his wife Mary. Mary was also a hired killer but she didn't see as much action as she wanted. When she went after a high power businessman she was killed by another hired and she died instantly. Nathan had been enraged that the love of his life was murdered and he set off to kill the asshole, which he did. When Nathan came back he was very closed off and not at all like the old goofy Nate. So it really wasn't a surprise when I had found out he was in the running for the price on my head. He had came into my apartment with out even a sound but lucky for me I was up freaking out about the price on my head. He had came in with guns raised so I knew he wasn't here to talk. I had made out lucky with out a scratch on me but Nathan had taken two to his right shoulder. I had called Alexander after and he came with his crew to clean up the mess.

I look up to Nathans room. We all had one it was our 'just in case we need a safe place' room. Nathan was from Mexican decent which made him look like a fucking god and he spoke fluent Spanish which made me love him even more. Thanks to him I was fluent in Spanish, and thanks to the other guys I was also fluent in German, French, and Russian. I knocked on the door with a gun in my hand.

"I'm not going to shoot Chica." Nathan said opening the door and seeing the gun in my hand.

"And I'm just going to believe you." I say my tone icy cold.

"You know the code with Alexander that we all fallow. If we are out to kill a fellow hire we tell them to there face before we start to shoot like I did a month ago." I nodded and put my gun back were it belonged.

" So you're not going out for my head anymore?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you could have killed me that night."

"Trust me I would have if I didn't think that was what you wanted."

He hung his head down in shame knowing that I had figured out about his plan. "I'm sorry sol." (sun/sunshine)

"Its okay just don't do that to me again I don't want to kill you." I say wrapping my arms around him. He was very important to me even if he tried to kill me.

"So now since that is settled.." I say sighing. "You want to go with me when I go see Ranger." I ask hopefully. The only way I was going to be able to get thought that meeting with out pulling a gun is if someone was there to calm me down.

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"PLEASE"

"NO"

"Oh come on you owe me for trying to kill me." I say annoyed that it was taking so long.

He thought about it for a few moments. "Fine but if I kill him its your fault."

"Okay thank you." I say smiling and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Nathan and I were in the Rangeman parking garage at 1: 58. I quickly dialed Tanks cell phone number.

"Yo." He said as he answered. Do all the merry men how bad phone manners.

"Yo, its Stephanie. We are in the garage where am I supposed to go for my files. Your office or Rangers."

"Rangers. I'll meet you there." I sighed as he ending the call.

"You ready Sol." Nathan asked as we got out of the car. I sighed as we got out of the car. Nathan walked over and kissed my forehead calming me down. He held my hand all the way up the elevator. As we walked the way to Rangers office on the fifth floor I could feel all of the Merry Men watching the two of us. I dropped Nathans hand as I realized they probably were staring at me because of that. Nathan knew they were looking at us to but he didn't care he was just worried about me. One night after a very scary mission Nathan and I had a few drink and ended up sharing stories he told me all about Mary and I told him about Ranger and Joe and he knew that if I let either of them push me around again I would go back to the old Stephanie that I had finally had gotten ride of. He wrapped his arm around my waist and brought me to him his lips at my ear.

"No fear sunshine. You are not the girl that needs saving anymore." He spoke in Spanish. I nodded and set my face to a blank sheet. I'm ready for this. I knocked on the office door waiting to see Ranger for the first time in over a year. It was about time to see his face again.

A/N: Just something I thought of tell me what you think good or bad.