Disclaimer: All characters that you recognize belong solely to Janet Evanovich. Unfortunately so does all the money. Everyone that you don't recognized, including characters to be named at a later date, are completely made up by me, myself, and I.

WARNING: Extremely Dark Fic. Character Deaths. Swearing. Abuse.

A/N: Ok. I was debating whether or not to post this but I'm sure you know my decision. It's quite dark so you've been warned. WAY worse than LTL could ever be. This was therapy for me. I just sat down for a few hours and this is what my fingers typed. The memories are not always chronological, but written in a way I want them to be read. If you get confused sorry.

As Always, Thanks For Reading.
~Sky

The Power of Two Words

There are times when you just have to grin and bear life. There are times you are so happy you don't know what to do. The most life changing times, the times that define who you are as a person, are the ones were you just want to die.

What do you do when everything goes wrong?

I'm on my knees, blindfolded, shackled and had explosives tied to my chest. Everything happened so suddenly that it felt like a movie. This wasn't happening to me. It couldn't. Life couldn't be that cruel to me.

My phone rang. My heart was pounding. I didn't want to pick up. Didn't know what he would say. Who he had hurt now. But I had to. Every call brought us closer to taking him down.

Ranger nodded to me. He was recording the call.

My voice was shaking when I answered. "Who?"I asked.

"My, my, my." His cold voice sent shivers down my spine. "How scared you sound Stephanie. Tell me Darling, what's wrong?"

I tried to steady my voice but it didn't work. "What have you done?"

"We'll get to that my dear. First I just want to talk to you, you know how much I do adore hearing your lovely voice."

"Don't play with me."

"I don't believe you're in a position to tell me what to do sweetheart. I love playing games. They're so much fun. Hmmm. How about we meet in the middle? We'll play a little game till you figure out what's happened now!" His laugh was sinister and filled with pure joy. "Oh how I love my ideas! Let's see. . . What shall we play? Ah! Of course! Let's play I spy with my little eye! It's perfect. Isn't it honey?"

My grip was so tight on the phone, I was afraid it would break in my hand. "Why?!" I screamed at him. "Why are you doing this?!"

"Temper, temper. You know how this goes. Play by my rules or who know what might happen next. Now let's play! I spy with my little eye someone that is . . . . Old."

My breath caught in my throat. No no no no no no no. Please God NO. "You sick BASTARD!" I screamed at him.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You're not helping yourself, my sweet. Now either play or I'll hang up."

Ranger put his hand on my knee to stop another outburst from me. It took me a minute before I could speak. "Grandma Mazur." I whispered into the phone.

He was giddy with delight. "Oh yes! How right you are! Now I spy with my little eye something that is . . . . No longer in your cookie jar."

Tears streamed down my face. I prayed to God bargaining with everything I had. Please, please let her be safe. Don't let him hurt her. "My gun."

"Two for two, darling! How proud you must be!" He paused. "Now what do you get when you combined them together? Ta ta dear. Oh I almost forgot your next clue: Anderson. Till next time."

The phone slipped from my hand. I fell from the chair onto the floor in hysterics. My heart felt as if it exploded in my chest. Every part of my body shook with the intensity of my cries. The pain, anger and the heart shattering reality of the situation took over me. I pounded the floor with everything I had.

"WHY?!" I screamed as I pounded. My hands started to bruise and crack. The pain was nothing compared to what he's doing to me. "Why?! Why?! Why?!" I kept pounding on the floor until Ranger tried to pick me up. I pushed him away and yelled, "Don't touch me! Don't come near me!"

I backed myself into a corner of the room and let it all out. I screamed, cried, and lashed out at myself. I was convinced it was my fault. I had to have done something for this to happen. He was out to get me. To hurt me however he could. Using my family and friends. Drugging them so they couldn't remember what happened but forever having to live with the scars.

This was the first time he had killed. He killed her to get to me. He wants to break me. Make me give up. I don't know why and I don't care. The only thing that matters is that it's working.

I don't know how long I sat in that corner mourning her death and damning my life, but eventually Ranger came over and sat beside me. At first he just held my hand, trying to avoid another outburst to send him away. When I didn't lash out again he pulled me into his arms.

"We will find him." That was all he said.

I didn't say anything. Finding him now wouldn't make a difference to those that he's already hurt. It wouldn't change the damage he's already done to me.

I stared at the floor, not really seeing it, until Ranger spoke again. "I have Eddie trying to figure out the Anderson connection. He doesn't think it's an anagram this time."

"What happens if he wins Ranger?" My voice was low and cracked.

He tightened his arms around me. "I won't let that happen."

"You can't stop it. He won't be found until he's ready to be found."

"He'll slip. He has to."

He never slipped though. A week after learning about Grandma Mazur, he got me. It wasn't until then that we ever considered anyone at Rangeman to be a traitor. To be him.

Ranger never let me leave the building. For once I never wanted to leave.

I was in Rangers apartment when the lights went out. The backup generators never kicked in. I made my way in the dark to the coffee table when my cell phone rang.

"Babe. I'm sending Eddie up to stay with you. Do not leave his side. I'm going down to the basement to figure out what's happening."

"Ok." That was the last word I said to him.

Minutes later Eddie ran through the door. He was a couple inches taller than me, Caucasian, short blonde hair, green eyes, and spoke with a southern accent. "It's time to go darling."

"Ranger said you were gonna stay with me up here."

"He changed him mind. I told him it wasn't safe in the building anymore until the lights came back on and suggested taking you to a safe house."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door to the stairs. The stairwell was pitch black. Eddies hand tightened on mine when the door closed behind us. "Darkness surrounds you." Before I could say anything he pushed on, his voice losing his accent with every word and turning into the voice that haunted me. "I hope you aren't scared of the dark my dear."

I tried to fight and scream but I felt something touch my arm.

My mind went blank and I floated into unconsciousness.

I was in hell. My mind kept repeating everything over and over again. I remembered every detail.

It was just a normal Sunday evening. I was on my way to my parents' house for dinner. Ranger was busy with a break in and couldn't make it. I turned the corner onto their street and mentally prepared myself for the circus that is a Plum dinner.

Valerie, Kloughn and the kids were already here. I parked right next to their minivan and made my way to the door. I was surprised no one was waiting at it since I was early. Guess they were all busy making the food.

I opened the door and make a left into the living room to say hi to my dad. I heard the TV but when I walked in he wasn't in his seat. No one was in there.

Must be in the bathroom I thought.

I walked through the empty dining room. The plates weren't set yet. My head tried to come up with an explanation but nothing came to me.

"Mom?" I called out. There was no answer.

I ran through the door leading to the kitchen. Not a single pot was on the stove.

"Mom?! Dad?! Val?!" I yelled. Again there was no answer.

I ran upstairs. No one was there.

"Where is everyone?" I asked out loud.

Just then the kitchen phone rang. I ran back downstairs and caught it on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

"How lonely you must be my sweet."

I tried to place the voice but no one came to me. "Who is this?"

"You'll find out soon enough. If I were you I'd be more worried about finding your family."

My body went rigid. "What have you done?"

I could hear a smile in his voice. "Nothing yet. Right now I'm still setting them up. They're safe. For now anyways."

"Tell me where they are!" I yelled at him.

"Now, now. Yelling does you no good. If you can't calm down, I'll hang up and you won't get your clue till it's too late."

"Calm down? How could you expect me to be calm when you have my family?! Tell me where they are!"

He sighed and disconnected.

I slammed the phone onto the wall and sank to the floor. My legs wouldn't hold me up anymore. Bells rang in my head and the room started spinning.

How could this happen?

I waited for the dizziness to pass before I grabbed my cell and called Ranger.

"Babe, I'm kinda busy here."

My breath caught in my throat when I tried to speak.

Ranger heard it. "Babe? What's wrong?"

Tears started streaming down my face. "They're gone." I whispered. "Someone took my family."

He didn't say anything for a minute. "I'll be there in 15."

I hung up before curling into a ball, crying on the floor.

Mom. Dad. Grandma Mazur. Val. Albert. Angie. Mary Alice. Baby Lisa.

I hear him humming Rock a Bye Baby behind me. "Down will come baby, cradle and all."

"Leave her alone." My voice sounded dead. It suited how I felt.

"But she's such a beauty, my dear. I just want to eat her up." He laughed at himself.

"You're going to die." I told him calmly.

"Mmm. I suppose I am. But so will you darling. You're practically already dead. So hollow. You feel nothing. Not hatred for me. Not sorrow for your family. Not relief that this will end soon. How can one be alive if one does not feel?"

I kept my mouth shut. Talking didn't do anything. Didn't change anything. Didn't make this end already.

He sighed. "Two more hours give or take. Prince charming will come to rescue his princess. You don't know what a thrill it is to me that he never figured it out. I knew he wouldn't but some part of me always hoped he would. The cops are stupid. I knew they wouldn't be a threat. Not with the precious Morelli in my hands." His voiced held a kid like fascination in it. "Oh he was a hard one to get. Fought every step of the way. I waited to play with him as long as I could but he tried so hard to get out. I just had to dump him. Such a shame. I would have liked to have done more to him. Oh well. No sense in thinking about the shoulda, coulda, woulda's about things."

Everyone was turning up missing. When Ranger arrived he called the police. I tried to call Morelli but he didn't pick up. I got his voicemail on his home phone, cell, and desk phone. He wasn't undercover so he should have picked up.

Big Dog was the first officer here. "Where's Morelli?" I demanded.

He tried to keep his face straight but I could see the worry in his eyes. "He got a call from an informant around noon. We haven't seen him since."

I shook my head. He went to see an informant and went to check out the lead. Don't jump to conclusion.

Ranger held my hand as I was questioned by the cops. They went door to door asking if anyone saw something. No one had any information. It was like he snatched them out of thin air. One minute they were in the house. The next he took them to God knows where.

Everyone I know was called. Two people didn't pick up. Mary Lou and Lula. Connie went to Point Pleasant this weekend with new boyfriend. She was spared.

There was no question that I would be going to Rangeman after this. I didn't want to be alone. It feels different when your family and friends lives are in danger compared to just yours. You feel more vulnerable. The pains more intense. The desperation to find them takes over.

On the way back to Rangeman my phone rang.

Caller Unknown.

I let Ranger see and he pulled over and nodded to me.

I answered and put it on speakerphone. "Hello?"

"I told you to calm down but you didn't listen. I had to hang up my darling. You need to learn. You're not in charge here. I am. Next time I won't call back either. Apologize for being so rude."

I closed my eyes and ground my teeth together. "I'm sorry."

"Much better. You are forgiven this time. Don't let it happen again. Now you know that I have your precious friends. It's ashamed I couldn't get the Italian one. Had I known the man would have taken her away I would have taken away his life. Oh well. I have plenty to play with as it is. Don't want to get greedy."

"Why are you doing this?" Ranger cut in and asked.

"Ah Ranger. I was wondering if you would speak. Why am I doing this? Hmmm. I suppose it's just because I can. No one could stop me from taking them. No one will stop me from playing with them."

"I will." Rangers' voice was deadly low.

"Not true. You'll know what I want you to know and not a bit more. Speaking of which lets move on to the reason for my lovely call. You have two days to try to find the first person. After that I'll do as I wish and dispose of them. Some might come back to you alive, while others might not be so lucky. Your first clue is in your apartment." He disconnected.My mother was the first victim. A hardware store owner in the next city had found her in the back of his shop. She was bound, gagged and drugged. He had taken her to the hospital and half an hour later we were in her room. I looked her over as she slept. She had minor cuts and bruises all along her arms. When the doctor saw us in the room, he motioned us out.

"Ms. Plum?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"You're mother is physically fine. We're keeping her overnight to monitor the effects of the drug in her system. We still haven't figured out what it is. She can't remember what happened to her. I don't know whether that's from the drug or if her mind just blocked it out." He paused and looked nervous.

"What is it?" Ranger asked

"Well during her examination I noticed some unusual markings on her back. I had them photographed." He pulled a folder out of her chart and handed them to me.

I opened the folder and stared at the top picture. The second I understood what I was seeing I dropped them to the floor and ran to the bathroom. My stomach twisted and squeezed until the last of my lunch was thrown out of my body. By the time Ranger came in I was just dry heaving. He waited until I stopped before gathering me into his arms.

I was shuddering with the force of my tears.

"It's ok Babe. Just let it out."

I tried to speak but I couldn't form any words. He was a sick bastard. How could he do something like that! My sobs eventually tuned to quiet but tears continued to stream down my face. "H-he put it on her b-back Ranger!" I buried my face in his chest. "He c-carved a map in her b-back!"

The map led us back to the place where she was held. It was a shed in the middle of the woods. Pillows and blankets were thrown in a corner. A single chair was pushed just to the side of the only door. The windows were covered, the only light he used were candles that were scattered around the small space. Food wrappers and cups were in a barrel outside. A long table was in the center of the room. Blood covered it and the ground underneath.

There was only one other thing in the dark space. On the back wall was a picture frame. It was a picture of me sleeping in my apartment. The time stamp was the Saturday before everyone was taken.

"I need to see the back of that picture." I told Ranger. I was just outside the door. It felt like a wall was put in front of me. I just couldn't walk through the door.

He walked over to it and picked it up with gloved hands. I could see fingers twitch as he stared at the picture. He was fighting not to lose control in front of me.

I put gloves on and immediately flipped the frame over. I felt sick remembering the words sliced into my mother's back under the map.

'Always watch your back my darling.'

I took the back cover off and removed the piece of cardboard that kept the picture in place.

I knew you would understand.
Give my love to mommy dearest.
Forever Yours – Star Trek Set Lover

"Star Trek Set Lover." I repeated out loud. "That's the clue."

"Mooner?" Lester offered.

I shook my head. "No. He's got everyone he could get. It has to be a location or," I blinked back tears, "or who's next."

"I heard that Lula is recovering well," he told me. "Such a shame you couldn't have figured out the clue just a little bit sooner. Maybe then those guys wouldn't have found her first. It's quite funny that she was in the same predicament when you finally found her as she was when you first met the ex-hooker. Those guys sure were nice to leave her some money. I'm sure it'll help with the medical expenses."

I didn't say anything back to him. What he did to Lula was disgusting enough by itself, but those guys that had found her. My body shuddered when I reminded seeing her. Star Trek Set was an anagram for Stark Street. I was the one that figured it out. They tried to decode the anagram for days using the work lover in it. I kept repeating it over and over in my head. Finally my brain picked it up. Star Trek Set sounded like Stark Street and the letters matched up. Lover had to be a reference to Lula and her old days.

The police, Rangeman, and contract workers combed the whole street but we were too late. Those men had found her first. It was worse than finding her on my fire escape. Her naked body was covered in blood and body fluids. She was barely breathing.

I took my jacket off and gently placed it over her. She cried out and tried to move away.

"L-Lula, Shhh. It's ok. It's Stephanie. Remember? We work together. You're safe now Lula. You're gonna be ok."

I struggled to keep from throwing up. I held onto her hand lightly waiting to hear the ambulances siren, ignoring the tears that streamed down my face.

"LET ME THROUGH!" Tanks voice boomed sending a shiver down my spine. Tank was searching the houses further down when we found her.

Ranger kept his voice low and steady. "I can't let you man. Not until she's cleaned up."

"Fuck that! Move out of my way or I'll move you myself!" He yelled outside the door.

Lula started moving, making her cry out in pain. Tears of her own streaked down her face. Lester took his shirt off and handed it to me. Gently I wiped the tears and blood off her face with it.

"This is the last time I'm telling you Ranger! Move. The. FUCK. Out. Of. My. Way."

I didn't want to leave her sight but someone else was going to get hurt if I didn't do anything. "Hold her hand Lester." He nodded and moved to take my place.

Quickly I moved out into the hall. It was tall but narrow so unless someone had their back to the wall, you couldn't get past them. I walked up behind Ranger. "Let him see her."

He looked over at me. "I can't have him lose focus."

"He's going to lose control if you don't let him." Ranger just stared at me. "What if it was me in there?" I quietly asked him, watching his eyes go black at the thought.

I hurried back into the room with Tank right behind me. Lester got up and moved to the door way to give him some space. Tank stopped five feet short of her. I watched in pure heartbreak as he fell to his knees. His chest heaved with the rapid breaths he was taking. In that moment I would have given anything to end the pain he was feeling. Instead I had to sit and watch as silent tears ran down his face. He never moved toward her. He just sat frozen on his knees.

It seemed liked days later when the EMT's came running through the door. It was only when Lula cried out when they moved her that Tank rose back to his feet tears left forgotten in front of them. "Be careful with her!" He growled out.

The EMT's paused and looked at him before going back to tending to Lula.

I walked up to Tank as they took her vitals and slipped an oxygen mask over her face. I wrapped my arms around him as hugged him as tight as I could. "I'm sorry. I-I'm so sorry Tank." His arms stayed at his sides, his eyed focused only on Lula. "She's going to be ok," I told him and prayed at the same time. "She's a fighter. Lula's going to be ok."

When they started to wheel her out, Tank peeled my arms away from him and followed right behind them.

I sank back down to the floor in pain. I tried to tell myself it wasn't my fault but even Tank blamed me. If I had just stayed out of their lives, everyone would be fine. No one would be hurt. No one would be trapped in the hands of a psycho.

I was lifted into Rangers arms. "Stop it Stephanie." He said. "This IS NOT your fault. This is some bastards fault. He planned it. He took them. He's using them. Not you."

"He's doing it because of my Ranger! To hurt me!"

Lester walked up to us and kissed me on the forehead. "It's not your fault. Tank doesn't blame you. He's just hurting."

Because of me, I thought to myself.

After checking the apartment for any clues we left for the hospital. The doctor was talking to Tank when we arrived.

"How is she?" Ranger asked.

"She's stable. She lost a lot of blood so he had to give her a transfusion."

I jumped in. "Was there anything on her back?"

"No. Her back was clean. Her thighs though," the doctor shook his head sadly, "They're covered with cigarette burns."

My heart froze in horror.

"Is there a pattern to them?" Ranger pushed on.

"I'm afraid I didn't look at them closely so I can't say. I'll have a nurse go check."

There was no pattern to the burns on her thighs. No clue to be found on her. No clue at the apartment she was in. With no leads, I couldn't do anything but wait. Wait to hear his sickening voice. Wait for the next person.

Ranger was by my side constantly. Someone would bring information up to us, to get Rangers perspective and orders then leave. Most of the time I laid in bed tucked into his body. He tried to get me to talk about what was happening but I couldn't. How could I talk about the pain I was feeling when it was only going to get worse? With every telephone call, note, and family member found I was only getting worse.

The worst part though was having to look at Ranger. To see the pain and frustration in his eyes when I cried and lashed out. He had his whole company out looking for the bastard but it wasn't enough. He still had them. I was blaming myself. And Ranger hurt because of it.

No matter what I do or don't do I end up hurting people. Mom, Lula, Tank, Val, Morelli, Ranger and everyone else.

I heard the bastard sigh again. "Just one more hour. Time's just flown by don't you say my darling?" I didn't say anything. "You've been so quiet lately. I wonder what's on your mind. Well I suppose I should say who." He laughed a little. "Hmm. I wonder. Could it be the cop? No I don't think so. He was hardly the worst. Such a beautiful specimen he was. Strong and determined to the end of our play time. Never cried out once during the whippings. I did though. I felt his pain, the poor thing. I don't think he'll be able to lie on his back for weeks."

Morelli was the fourth person found. He was tossed out onto his parent's front porch during the middle of the night. He was gagged and drugged to an almost overdose level. It wasn't until a neighbor across the street went out to get a newspaper in the morning that Joe was seen.

Less than thirty minutes after Morelli was admitted to the hospital Ranger and I arrived.

My heart was pounding the entire time. I was in a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from. No matter how hard I tried to.

We watched in sick horror as nurses scrambled to clean, sterilize, and wrap his back. There was no way to know how many times Joe was hit. Thick red welts crisscrossed what was left of his skin. From what I could see there was no pattern. Just swelling, blood, and dirt.

"He'll be ok Babe." Ranger whispered to me.

I nodded against his chest but didn't say anything. I was scared if I opened my mouth I would lose control again. He couldn't win. I wouldn't let him. I would keep it together. For my family.

"How is he?" Ranger asked. I hadn't even noticed the doctor had walked up to us.

"We put him in a chemically induced a coma. With the amount of debris and dirt on his back, the only option was scraping it away." I flinched at his words. Ranger held my hand tight. "I was afraid he would have gone into shock if we only sedated him. So far there is no sign of infection. We'll keep him here for a few days to make sure none appear. He was slightly dehydrated so we put him on an IV. Other than that, he's fine. His back should heal but there will be scars."

"Thank you, doctor," Ranger nodded to him and we watched him leave.

Ranger and I stayed watching over Morelli. I leaned against Ranger as I studied the slow rise and fall of his chest, listened to his heart beat through the glass window. Almost an hour later the nurses finally had his back cleaned and bandaged. They made him comfortable and said we could go in for a few minutes.

When I hesitated at the door, Ranger gently pushed me in. "Go talk to him Babe. I have to call Tank."

I watched Ranger walk away to make his phone call before turning back to Morelli. My feet dragged across the floor, heavy as weights, but I pushed on. I had to touch him. Make sure that he was really here. There was a seat beside the bed. I pulled it closer and sat on the edge.

Joe had a few scratches on his face. I could see the top of a bruise on his chest that the gown didn't cover. His hair was a mess. Long and shaggy, covering his eyes with some dirt and dried blood in it.

I walked over to the tiny bathroom and soaked a small towel in water. On a rolling table were one of those large pink puke buckets so I filled that with water and brought it next to Morelli's bed. Slowly and gently I started to work the blood and dirt out of his hair.

"You need a haircut," I whispered to him. "Maybe when you're feeling better we can head over to the mall and see what Mr. Alexander can do with you." In my mind I pictured the grimace he would have if he heard me. "I know. You hate the mall." My hand paused for a moment when I saw tears soak into his thin gown. "I know you hate when I cry but I can't help it. I'd give anything to have you yell at me right now." When his hair was clean I dropped the towel into the bucket. My fingers absent mindedly pushed hair off his face. I leaned down and kissed him on his lips lightly. "This happened to you because of me. I'm sorry. One way or another, he will pay for what he's done. I promise." I stroked his face lightly before walking out the room, not even bothering to wipe my tears away.

Cal and Junior were standing in front of his door like statues. They both looked and nodded at me.

"Take care of him, ok?" I told them.

I saw them nod again before I left to find Ranger.

He laughed with anticipation when a quiet alarm went off. "They just entered the perimeter. Can't be more than half an hour till they're here."

I didn't care how this ended as long as the rest of my family was safe. Mary Lou and Dad were the only adults left. He got tired of play with my family. Said they were too easy which is why he got me early.

Baby Lisa was in the room with us, sleeping soundly in a cradle on the other side of the room. He told me Mary Alice and Angie were together somewhere together and unharmed.

"You see I went after the oldest girl first. Angie. Such an angelic face she had. She was cowering in a corner. The second I started moving in her direction," his voice held some amazement in it, "Mary Alice marched over and blocked her from my sight. Her little body shook but her back was as straight as a board. 'Leave her alone,' she told me. To say I was surprised was an understatement. I could see in her eyes that she was completely terrified for both their lives but she was determined to protect her sister. I kindly asked her to move which of course she didn't. Then I yelled at her to move and she still stood still. This child who came up to my hip didn't even flinch when I made a move to backhand her across her pretty little face. I stopped my hand before I actually hit her though." He considered what happened again. "It was her eyes. So much like yours. Well they were like yours until now. They burned so bright with anger and determination. I couldn't touch her. I wouldn't. She saved her sister and herself with one look. Amazing."

By then he had had me for three day. In my three days with him, that was the first time I cried. I saw the girls in my mind. Safe and sound. They were ok. They weren't hurt. They would live. Relief swept through my body making me weak. I collapsed to the floor and let the tears flow.

He hummed next to me. "Yes that is some happy new isn't it? Too bad about the rest of your family though."

Eventually my tears stopped. I continued to lay on the floor just breathing until he picked me up and threw me on a couch.

"You know I'm getting a little tired of that blindfold. I do wish you would take that damn thing off, my darling."

He had blindfolded me and stuffed me into the trunk of a car. When I got here he said I could take it off but I refused. I didn't want to see him. I didn't want to see where we were. I didn't want to see the room we were in. The only time I took it off was the first time I heard Lisa cry. For the first time, I happily held her in my arms, looking her over to make sure she was ok. She was fine. Not a scratch on her tiny body. After that he never allowed me to touch her again, so there was no point to have the blindfold off. I was disconnected with it on. Sometimes I could even pretend none of this ever happened.

I sat still on the floor. Waiting. The explosive vest on me was heavy but I had gotten used to wearing it. I was tempted to take the blindfold off to see what would happen but he had rearranged the shackled so that my hands were behind my back.

His voice was loud behind me. "Are you ready for a show little one? Only a few more minutes then you can watch the fireworks, if they don't kill you first that is." I heard him chuckling as he tickled Lisa. "Yes. Fireworks! You like fireworks don't you little one? So bright and loud. You probably won't like the noise but you'll live. Maybe.

"Let's go to the back of the room little one. That way we won't get hit by anything when they open the door. That would be bad. Can you guess which way they're coming in?" Lisa cooed. "What a smart girl! Through the door. The only door right in front of us. They're gonna try to find the power lines and cut them but do you know why that won't work? Cause there isn't any lines above grounds. Nope. I made sure of it when I build this place years ago. Yes I did. There are no power lines or windows. They have no idea what they're walking into." He laughed again. "Although it doesn't matter. It's not like I'm trapping them. No I'm not. They could walk in that door right now and take you right out of my arms no problem. Your Aunt Stephie though, now that's another story. She has that big vest strapped to her. They're gonna have to play by my rules if they want her to make it out alive. Yes they do. Yes they do."

After that a deep silence hung in the air. Lisa was happy being held. He was pacing back and forth, waiting with anticipation not with worry. Me, I was just accepting what was coming next. Whatever that might be. At least one person was going to die here. That was a given. Whether it was me or him I didn't care. Just as long as it was over. Just as long as it ended.

We were all running as fast as we could through the cemetery.

Let her be alive. Let her be alive, I kept chanted in my head.

After a few minutes, which seemed to last for hours, we were in front of the vault. Ranger quickly picked the lock. I held my breath when he swung the doors open.

There in the middle of the vault was a table. On the table was a shiny new casket. I rushed to open it but it was nailed shut.

"Ranger!" My voice was pleading.

Lester came into the room with crowbars in his hand. He handed one to Ranger and they both started working on the casket. The creak of the metal and strained wood got to me. I started to wobble but Bobby was right next to me. He pulled my into his body, keeping me upright.

Let her be alive. Let her be alive.

"Almost got it," Ranger called out.

The top half finally sprung open with a sickening thud as it broke away and landed on the floor with the force Ranger pushed it back.

"She's breathing. Val's alive Babe."

My knees completely gave out. I sagged to the floor before Bobby could get a better grip. I was happy, relieved, angry, frustrated, and worried. She was alive. We made it in time.

EMT's were waiting outside and rushed in when they heard Ranger. A gurney was rolled in when Lester popped the second half of the casket open.

When my knees could support me again, I stood up and looked in at my sister. She was completely clothed and it didn't look like he had done anything else to her. Her body was still as stone. Tears were streaming down her face.

Her lips moved but she didn't make a sound.

I leaned into the casket and held her hand, our tears mixing together. "It's ok Val. You're safe. You're gonna be ok. I promise."

"Miss Plum, we need to check her out." One of the EMT's said.

"These guys are gonna help you out of here, ok Val?" Her head moved back and forth, her tears flowing faster. "They're not gonna hurt you. I'll be beside you the whole time." Her lips moved again but I couldn't hear what she said. I leaned in closer. "What did you say?"

Val's voice was so low and filled with fear I could barely make out her words. "Hurts . . . to . . . move."

A sense of dread filled my body. What did the bastard do to her? "I'm gonna unbutton your jacket ok? I'll be real careful." My voice shook as much as my hands when I raised them. It was like time was slowing down. Each button seemed to take years to undo. My heart was pounding. My breaths were short and fast. I had to pause when I undid the last button. I pushed aside the jacket and took a deep breath. She had a black t-shirt on.

Just lift her shirt up a little, I told myself. But nothing happened. My hands wouldn't move.

"Babe," Rangers voice made me jump. I had forgotten everyone else was in here. "Maybe you should let the paramedics do it."

I shook my head. I thought I did anyways. It had to be me. I had to see what he did. What my sister would have to live with.

I mentally yelled at my hands to move until they finally did. My eyes closed when I touched her shirt. I pushed it up quickly. I could hear the loud intake of breath from everyone in the vault and my heart sank. My eyes had opened long enough to understand what I was seeing before my world went black.

He had stapled all of Val's stomach and who knows what else.

A loud boom carried over our ears. They had just shattered the door. Pieces of broken wood were thrown across the room. Some of them hitting me. Guns were cocked and feet shuffled into the room. I could feel Ranger staring at me for a moment.

"Don't take another step near her Ranger."

"Let them go and you might just make it out of here alive." Rangers' voice was low and deadly.

I could hear the grin in his voice. "Really? You'll wait until I step out of here to kill me? I'm touched."

"Why are you doing this Eddie?" Lester asked.

"That's the big question isn't it? Just why would I do this to Stephanie? To anyone at all? The answer is simple." He paused for a minute. "Just. Because. I. Can." His laugh rang through my ears.

"This is the last time I'm going to tell you. Let them go." Ranger repeated.

"I would but I just love holding this little child and Steph, well with all that C4 strapped to her chest, I don't think it would be safe for the people who live around here if she walked out of here like a ticking time bomb. That's hardly fair to them Boss."

"I'm not your boss anymore. Kidnapping and torturing my woman's family is cause for employee termination."

"How right you are. Back to the point then. I'm holding an innocent child that happens to be the niece to your woman and I don't think she would appreciate if you shot me and this precious little child broke her neck when she slipped from my arms." The room was quiet for a moment. "Now, now Ranger. You are fast but not fast enough to reach little baby Lisa in time."

"You are going to pay for this Eddie."

"Yes, yes. I'm well aware of that. Honestly if I was able to set this all up, surely I'm smart enough to realize such an obvious fact. The only thing that remains to be seen is how many people will be hurt, and possible die, until that time comes."

"If you knew this was going to happen why the fuck did you do it?" Tank yelled across to him.

He sighed. "Perhaps if you spent more time listening to me and less time thinking about the whore you love, maybe you would know."

"Son of a Bitch!"

There was a rustling of clothes in front of me. "Tank! Focus! If you kill him she dies!" Ranger yelled at him.

A growl came from probably Tank.

"Sorry Tank. Didn't mean to offend." The lie made Tank growl again. "Down boy."

"How do you see this ending Eddie?" Ranger asked.

"With my death of course, as well as Stephanie's."

"I won't let that happen."

"You're too late. She's already dead. Just look at her."

"I can see her breathing."

"Yes, yes, yes. She's breathing. But that's it. Notice how she hasn't said a word. It's her eyes that are covered, not her sweet lips." The room as they processed what he said. "She's not talking. She's not fighting. She's not truly alive anymore. She's not the same Babe that you love and admire. She's an empty shell. You can see that now, cant you Ranger?"

"What have you done to her!"

"I've broken her. I did what every person in this room thought was impossible. I've broken the amazing Bombshell Bounty Hunter. I've taken away her fight. Her spirit. Her hope. Being the cause of a family's pain tends to do that to someone." There was a grin to his voice.

Lester spoke out again. "She's not the reason for all this! You are you sick bastard! You hear me Stephanie? It's his fault! He set it up! He did it! Not you! It's not your fault!"

I said nothing.

"Babe." Disbelief clouded Rangers voice. "Babe. Stephanie. Say something." Everyone waited. "Please." This time his voice was pleading.

Still I said nothing.

"Do you believe now? I've won." I heard shuffling behind me and another gun was cocked.

"Put the gun down!" Ranger yelled.

Take me, I asked God. Spare Lisa and take me. She has too much life to live.

"I don't think it's fair that you get to have many guns and I don't even get to have one. Surely you can see the mathematical reason for one of my own." Lisa started to cry. "Ah, sweet Lisa, what's wrong? Are you tired? Do you want to take a little nap? Hush little baby don't say a word. Eddie's gonna buy you a mockingbird. If that mockingbird don't sing, Eddie's gonna buy you a diamond ring."

BANG!

A gun went off.

"Sticks and stones can break his bones if you don't hurry up. Ta ta, my darling."

One minute the phone was in my hand, the next it was on the floor in several pieces. I screamed out loud for as long and as loud as I could.

When I was done I didn't feel any better. I just ended up giving myself a headache.

"We'll find him Babe."

"That's what you keep saying but we never find them before he hurts them!" I snapped at Ranger. I took a deep breath and tried to focus. "Sorry."

He pulled me into his arms. "It's ok Babe. It's not your fault."

"He didn't give us anything new to go on." I whispered against his chest as a few stray tears fell from my face.

"I know Babe." His arms tightened around me. "I know."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Three days later we still didn't know if it was my dad or if it was Albert that he was talking about. We couldn't figure out where the next hiding place was either.

It was late morning when the control room alerted Ranger that an envelope addressed to me came in with the mail.

Cal brought it up. "Negative for any poisons."

I took it from him and looked it over. The return address was Valerie and Albert's house. I ripped it open and a piece of paper fluttered to the floor. I picked it up slowly, terrified of what it might say.

Time's up. You lost again.
Come find what's left.

I felt the blood drain from my face as colorful dots swam across my eyes.

Ranger noticed. "Cal, tell the guys to get ready. Call the police and the paramedics. We're leaving in 5."

Cal nodded and promptly left.

Ranger lifted me up carefully and placed me on the couch. He pushed the back of my head down between my legs. "Push against my hand."

I did as he said. Slowly my vision cleared and I didn't feel sick anymore. Not physically anyways. Mentally I felt like I had died a hundred times over.

"You ok?"

I shook my head. "No," I whispered. "Not even close." I wasn't sure I ever would be.

"We're getting closer to finding him. I can feel it Babe."

"How many more of my friends and family will he hurt until we do find him, Ranger?"

"I don't know, but the sooner we leave here, the sooner we can find him."

"Let's go then."

The car ride to Val's was horrible. My nerves had every hair on my body standing up. All I could think is how desperately I wanted my father to be safe. I'd rather have Albert be in that house than my father. That fact tore at me from the inside. I'd rather walk in to see my sister's husband hurt than my father, the rock of my family. I never hated myself more as I did at the very moment that that thought crossed my mind.

The second Ranger parked the car, I was out the car and running towards the house. Ranger was right on my heels. I tried the door but it was locked. I pulled my keys out of my pocket, dropping them to the floor when my hands started shaking. Val had given me a spare key just in case.

Ranger picked the keys up and swiftly unlocked the door, pushing it wide open. I burst through the door, faintly hearing the sound of police sirens and an ambulance in the distance. The living room was clear. I was about to check the rest of the first floor but a muffled sound caught my attention upstairs. I took the steps two at a time, hearing the sound get louder with every step. The three bedrooms were wide open and empty. That only left the bathroom.

The bathroom door was open a crack so I just gave it a small push. It creaked open, the sound sending shivers down my spine. The muffled sound was definitely coming from in here. The only place someone could be is in the tub. . . .

I slowly took the few steps into the bathroom and gripped the shower curtain. My hand slid to the left, moving the curtain with it. My heart sank and filled with relief at the same time, making me dizzy.

Albert was in the tub, face up with tears streaming down his face. His body wasn't tied up but his mouth was gagged.

I untied the gag and with a lump in my throat I tried to comfort him. "You're ok now Albert. You're safe." I went in to reach for his hand but he shrieked in horror.

"D-don't touch-ch me! P-please!" He struggled to breathe as his tears started flowing faster. "B-b-broken. B-boned are b-broken."

It was then that I noticed all of his fingers were bent at awkward angles. . . so were his legs.

Only one shot was fired. Lisa started crying louder. Feet started scrambling around me.

"Babe!" I could feel Ranger struggling to untie my blindfold. When he finally got it off I slammed my eyes shut. "Babe. Open your eyes. Please." He looked over the vest strapped to me after he released my shackles. "Hal!" he yelled out.

"Sir?"

"You're the explosives expert but I don't think this is active."

I heard Hal walk circles around me. "No connecting wires. No trigger. No transmitter. It seems safe Boss."

Ranger's voice turned hard. "Seems? Are you willing to risk her life on it?"

"S-sir. I-I would risk m-my life on i-it. Sir."

Without another thought Ranger started to un-strap the vest. "Come on Babe. Open your eyes. I just want to make sure that you're ok." He finally got the vest off me and tossed it somewhere. "Please Babe." His voice was pleading with me. I kept my eyes closed but leaned into his chest. My body was wrapped in his arms in a tight hold. "It's over Babe. It's over. He's dead. Lisa is safe. You're alive and safe." Ranger whispered into my ear. "Open your eyes for me. Prove that you're ok."

I couldn't do that. I couldn't open my eyes. I couldn't prove that I was ok. Because I wasn't. Six of my friends and family have been tortured and scarred. One of them is dead. Three children were brought in along with two other family members.

All in my name.

All because of me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Weeks Later – Rangers POVI'm at a loss. I have tried everything I could think of but nothing has made a difference. Stephanie still blames herself.

Eddie had shot himself in the head. He was standing over the baby cradle near the back wall so thankfully Lisa slipped from his hands and softly bounced on it. Eddie was dead before Tank even made it across the room to him. When we searched the place, a box under the couch contained four different addresses. Angie and Mary Alice were at the first one. Steph's dad was at the second. Mary Lou was at the third. All four of them were unharmed.

At the fourth address we found Grandma Mazur. Two weeks later, after the official investigation closed, I literally dragged Stephanie out of the apartment for the funeral. We stood behind everyone. When I tried to get her to move further up, she dug her nails into my skin making me bleed. I gave up then just holding her in my arms. She was tense the entire time and kept her eyes glued to the ground. Everyone tried to console her but she said nothing back. One person made a few tears run down Steph's cheek.

Frank, who surprised everyone with his own tears, walked up to us and stared at her for minutes on end. When he finally spoke his voice was thick with emotion. "We buried your Grandmother today but we might as well have put you in next to her. You're letting him win when you act like this. I guess you're not as strong as I thought you were."

"Mr. Plum." It was hard not to growl out his name. "With all due respect sir, this is your daughter."

His eyes flickered to me for a moment. "No this isn't. I don't know this woman in front of me. My daughter would fight to be strong for her family right now. This girl has given up." And with that he walked away.

Steph refused to go to therapy after that and wouldn't even talk to me about it so I decided to bring therapy to her. Dr. Garcia tried for two weeks to get Stephanie to talk. When the therapist suggested admitting my Babe somewhere, I fired her. There was no chance in Hell I was sending her somewhere to some loony bin. She wasn't crazy. She just hurt.

I could force her to take care of her body, but how to help her mind I didn't know how to. The food she ate was minimal. Whatever I put in front of her she ate. I doubt she even tasted it.

There were only three places in the apartment she ever went. The table to eat, the bed to sleep, and the couch to just sit. If she wasn't standing up, Steph was curled into a ball. Feet bent and tucked against her body. Arms wrapped tightly around her legs. Head resting on her knees.

The woman I love was living in Hell and I couldn't help her.

My men tried every day to help her. Bobby, Lester, Tank, Hal, Binkie. Even Hector sat with her every night, humming Spanish melodies, never saying anything until she finally fell asleep.

"She mourns," he would say to me in Spanish. "The light in her will come back when she is ready."

Every night I would nod wishing I was the believer he is.

One day my mother called asking what I got Abuela Rosa for her birthday next week.

"Shit." I looked at the date. A whole month passed without me even knowing.

"Watch your language, hijo!" She scolded me.

"Sorry Mama. I haven't gotten Abuela anything yet."

"Why not? This is your Grandmother! She only turns 70 once in her life!"

I sighed and resisted the urge to hit my head against my desk. "I know Mama. I didn't realize how much time has passed."

Flags immediately went up in my Madre's mind. "What do you mean how much time has passed? What is going on?"

"Mama-"

"Don't give me any lies, hijo! I'll know! Tell me. What happened?"

Truth is, I was a little glad that she asked. I needed to get it all off my chest. I needed to clear my head. Put everything out there so that maybe I could figure out what I can do for my Babe.

She was silent when I finished telling her. "Mama?"

I could hear the shock in her voice. "Carlos. . . Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to introduce you to Steph before everything happened."

"I don't care about that right now, hijo!" My mother went from shocked to outraged. "How could you not tell me you were going through all that?! I may not know her, but you are my son! That is the woman you say you love!"

"Madre-"

"Don't you dear Madre me right now, Ricardo Carlos Manoso! I am talking now! I'm your mother. That means I am to know what is going on in your life! Comprende? No child of mine will go though such horrible things without me! You hurt. I hurt. Right now you are still hurting because of this mujer of yours. I'll there in one hour. You better be there." Click.Shit. I tried calling back but I got the answering machine.

Just under an hour later I met my mother downstairs in the lobby. "Hola Mama."

She made a noise in the back of her throat. "Bring me to her. I'll deal with you later."

"I don't think this is such a good idea Mama. She doesn't know you."

She walked straight to the elevator and hit the call button. "Bring me to her. Now. " When I didn't say anything she told me she'd just have Lester do it.

With a resigned look on my face, I stepped onto the elevator and used my key fob to bring us up to 7. When the elevator opened my mother didn't bother to wait for me and walked right in, looking around for Stephanie. She was curled up on the couch with the TV on, even though she wasn't watching it.

Madre sat down on her left side. I went sit on her other side but my mother sent me a look daring me to intrude. Shit. I ended up sitting in one of the armchairs in the corner.

When my mother saw that an old horror movie was on she channel surfed until she found Pretty Woman on. "There. That's much better."

That was it. That was all she said. She never looked at Stephanie, just watched the movie. Stephanie never looked up to see who was next to her. Just continued to stare blankly ahead.

We all sat in silence. When the movie ended, my mother flipped through the channels again settling on Guarding Tess, an older movie. Half way through it Stephanie glanced at my mother and did a double take before looking in my direction.

My mother noticed. "Oh my dear! I've been rude! Please forgive me for not introducing myself! My name is Marisol Manoso. I am Carlos' mother." Then she turned back to watch the movie and Steph went back to looking at nothing.

I stared at my mother trying to figure out what she was up to. She wanted to see Stephanie but she's not even bothering to talk to her.

This time when the movie ended my mother shut the TV off and turned towards Stephanie. She looked at her, studying every inch of her, before speaking. "When I was 27 I miscarried my first child at 10 weeks." I sat up in my chair. My mind started reeling. I never heard that before but my mother would never lie, especially about something like that. "We, Carlos' father and I, didn't even know I was pregnant. My periods were always irregular, sometimes even skipping months, so the possibility of being pregnant never entered my mind. One night I woke up to horrible cramps and lots of bleeding. My side of the bed was covered in red. I began to cry because of the pain. Ricardo, Carlos' father woke up and saw me crying, holding my stomach surrounded by a sea of red."

My mother wiped a tear away from her face before continuing. "He took me to the emergency room. They took one look and knew that I was miscarrying and there was nothing they could do. I never cried so hard in my entire life. A child that I never even knew about was lost. The physical pain was nothing compared to the pain in my heart and soul. A part of me had died along with my child.

"Weeks after I was still feeling the same pain in my heart. Ricardo was worried about me. He had mourned with me but there came a point where he hurt more because of the pain I was in than because of the child he never got to hold. He tried to get me to talk about it but I refused. I didn't want to talk about it. Talking wouldn't bring my child back. Nothing would. I couldn't find the reason in why an innocent child's life was taken and I was left to live. Ricardo had told me that it wasn't in God's plan. I got angry with him. If it wasn't in God's plan then what was the point of being pregnant in the first place? More weeks had passed. Family and friends came over, trying to make me see the light. I couldn't though. It was almost as if I didn't want to, no matter what they said. All I saw was darkness around me. Around life in general. Everyone started to get mad at me at that point. They said what happened to me was horrible but that I needed to move on. I was still alive but I wasn't living life. I did what I did best; I ignored them. Eventually they stopped coming over. They stopped calling. Only Ricardo was still by my side, terrified because I wasn't doing any better than that day.

"Then. . . . Then it happened. One of Ricardo's aunts flew up because of a friend's wedding. She stopped by to see me a few days after the wedding. She sat beside me on the couch, almost exactly like we are sitting now. She turned to me and said something that has stuck with me after all this time. Words that I will never forget, and have used every time something bad happened to me. She told me that it was ok. Not that losing my baby was ok, but that how I was feeling was ok. It was ok to be mad and hurt. It was ok to hate God. It was ok to hate myself. It was ok."

My eyes were flickering between my mother and my Babe, the entire time Mama spoke. I watched in amazement as tears started falling from Steph's eyes. Her body began shaking. I saw the fight in her. Her mind telling her to keep it together. Her body unable to.

My mother wrapped her arms around Stephanie, holding on tight to her. She was crying opening, letting the tears flow freely. Her voice was firm and accepting at the same time. "It's ok, hija. It's ok to be mad and hurt because of what has happened. It's ok to hate God for putting you though something so terrible. It's ok to hate yourself for having to be a part of it. It's ok."

Stephanie completely broke down. Her sobbing echoed in the room, as her body shook with the force. Her fingers gripped onto my mother's shirt like it stopped her from breaking into a bunch of different pieces. Her face was buried in my mother's neck.

"That's it hija. Let it all out. It's ok. It's ok."

Something wet touched my hand, shocking me. I brushed my face with the back of my hand. I was crying. I couldn't remember the last time I had cried.

For the first time in weeks I heard Stephanie's voice. It was loud, heartbreaking, and shaken. It was the most beautiful thing I ever heard. "I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!"

My mother smiled into her hair. "I know hija. I know."

"It's not fair! Why me?! Why them?! WHY?!" Stephanie continued to scream.

"Let it all out, honey. Let it all out."

For over an hour my mother rocked Steph in her arms, letting her cry and scream all she wanted. Encouraging her to do it.

I continued to sit in my chair with watery eyes, staring at the two women who mean more to me than anything cry together. I wanted nothing more than to thank my mother and take Steph into my arms.

Finally Stephanie began to quiet. Her tears continued to flow, but she was no longer sobbing. My mother didn't seem to mind the death grip Steph had on her shirt, just continued to rock her in silence.

No more than five minutes later my mother looked at me. "She's a sleep now," she whispered across to me.

I stood up and quietly made my way over to them. Gently I gather Steph into my arms and carried her over to the bed. My mom pulled back the covers and I tucked Steph in.

I took a step back and looked at her face. It no longer had that suffering look that I had grown used to. She looked innocent. She looked like my Babe again.

I turned to my mother and hugged her almost as tight as Stephanie. "Gracias Mama. Gracias" I didn't even recognize my own voice. It still carried the feeling of tears in it.

Two words were all my mother needed to say.

Who knew the power two such simple words had.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Weeks Later – Ranger POVIt's impossible to express how grateful I feel towards my mother.

That day she had stayed the night talking to me. Not only had she brought my Babe back into the light, but she had made me realize it wasn't my fault Steph hadn't gotten better. She wasn't ready and I wasn't the right person to help her. No one understands loss and pain like a women, she told me, no matter what kind it is.

I stayed up the whole night looking at Steph's face, praying she would still be my Babe in the morning. When her eyes finally fluttered open late morning, I was amazed by the brightness of her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Thank you God. Thank you Mama.I shook my head. "It's ok now, but if you ever do that to me again I'll make you eat salad for a month."

The sides of her lips twitched and I did was I was longing to do for months. I kissed her putting everything into it. My tongue. My heart. My soul.

My mom stayed for a few days, getting to know Stephanie. Four days after that night, I saw Steph genuinely smile when she left the apartment to see the guys downstairs. The next day I heard her laugh. I memorized everything about it. The way it sounded. The feelings it caused to surge through my body.

There were still days I heard her cry in the shower.

Still days she found it hard to smile.

But with every day that passed, the bad days came further and further apart.

A/N: I want to thank everyone who read this far. It started out dark but I always end with a happy ending. Otherwise, what's the point of going through all the pain? That's just my view on life.

Thanks for reading. Love you all *blows kisses to everyone*

* mujer – woman
* hija/o – daughter/son