My inspiration for this song is Starts With Goodbye by Carrie Underwood if anyone would like to listen to it. and since I forgot in the first chapter, I do not own any of the characters portrayed in this story. Also big thanks to all my readers! You guys are the best!

Tank's point of view

My mind was blank. I had been walking into Rangeman when I got the phone call from an unknown number. I'd come to expect unknown numbers to be Ranger because even when he was forbidden to contact anyone, he always managed to check in and get updates on Steph.

Now I felt the phone fall out of my hand as I replayed the conversation over and over again. The general had just called to inform me that Ranger, my best friend, my boss, hell my brother… was dead. Just like that. He regrets to inform me that Ricardo Carlos Manoso had fallen in the line of duty. When I had pushed for more details, they told me it was a top-secret mission and all they could tell me was his car exploded. I couldn't believe it.

I immediately called in my men to go check the scene and identify the body. I wouldn't believe it till my own men proved it to be true. I sat shell shocked in my office for what seemed like ever but was only a couple of hours. Lester called in to update me. The car was in pieces covering a block and apparently the person was in the car at the time of the explosion. He didn't go into details on the body but I could picture what it would look like. There was no way anyone would be able to identify the pieces that remained. Lester told me that the licence plate confirmed it was Ranger's car and I knew it was him. Ranger never would have let anyone else into his vehicle, not when he knew people were out to kill him.

I never imagined pain like this. I felt it tear into me and couldn't stop the water pouring out of my eyes. I was curled into a ball on the floor of my office trying to stop the pain. Shit I had to pull it together. I knew the Rangeman employees where waiting for me to step up and lead. I would have to suffer later, if I let this business down Ranger would haunt me forever. Then I thought of Steph.

She came bouncing into Rangeman looking so excited. I realized that she thought Ranger had come home and couldn't believe that I had to be the one to crush her dreams. I loved Steph like a sister. She managed to make Ranger happier then I've ever seen him and I swear she brought him to life. Now here I was killing hers.

I told her the news and watched as she stared in confusion. It wasn't getting through to her. Please, I wanted to beg, please don't make me say it again. Slowly I watched her take in what I'd told her. Saw her look at me and study the men before her knees buckled. I caught her and did my best to calm her down. Something that's very difficult to do when you don't like to talk and feel like falling down beside her and joining her in her tears.

I watched Steph walk off with Ram. He was going to take her home and make sure she was alright. I then turned to Rangers- I mean my- men. Glancing over them I picked out the ones who were taking this hardest. The men that had known Ranger the best. Lester, Hal, Hector, Bobby and Cal were staring off into space numbly and I sent them home. They was no good to the business in their comatose state. Then I went back into my office and continued staring at the floor.

I couldn't tell you how much time had passed. I was barely keeping it together and the only thing making me go on was thinking of how pissed Ranger would be if I let his business down. I would be in for a date with the mats, if Ranger was around. He would want me to carry on I thought. Then I got the call that Steph's car was no longer transmitting and worse, she wasn't answering her phone. I felt that sick feeling in my stomach. If she was gone I wouldn't be able to carry on. Knowing I had let Ranger down that much would have killed me.

When I reached her location I saw Morelli getting out of his car. We must have seen her at the same time has we both ran over to her together. I lifter her up and frantically checked over her body making sure there were no wounds. I almost collapsed from relief when I realized she was perfectly fine. Then I noticed her appearance. She'd been crying and had completely wrecked her hair. "What the hell happened Steph?" I questioned. I needed to know if there was a new threat to her life. I promised Ranger I would watch Steph till he returned and I was going to keep that promise. I was prepared to kill the bastard that set her car on fire.

"Sorry Tank. I couldn't look at it anymore. It hurts." Steph whimpered at me. It took a few seconds but then it hit me, she had done it herself. She had risked her life to get rid of a car! I had enough things to worry about without her adding to it. I knew that Steph was hurting but she wasn't the only one. I angrily threw her over my shoulder and carried her to the cop's car. He promised to take her to her parents and I watched them drive away.

Apparently I couldn't trust Steph to take care of herself and I didn't have the men available to watch her at the moment. I took a deep breath and called my ex. "Lula. Its Tank, I need your help." I was crushed when Lula broke up with me. I really did love her. When I heard her voice on the line I had to smile. Man I missed her. "Lula, I need you to watch out for Steph. I'm worried she might do something reckless." I pulled the phone away while she ranted about her white girl, Batman and alcohol, then she asked how I was doing. "Not great, Lu, not great." She told me she would be stopping by in an hour then hung up the phone. Maybe I could get something out of all this pain.

Lula and I were back together. I couldn't believe it. She had come over and hugged me and then told me to let it out. I had spent so long taking care of my men and Steph that I had locked up my feelings. Lula looked at me and saw through my tough guy act and I ended up bawling like a baby on her shoulder. I cried for my best friend who died just when he was figuring out his life. I cried for Steph, a brave woman who had risked everything on a shut down man and had broken through. Most of all I cried for me. I cried about the pain of losing someone close to me, I cried for the times where I had to put my feelings away and help others and I cried for the woman I loved who managed to save me when I was on the brink. I cried myself to sleep.

The next day I woke up exhausted but weirdly refreshed. Lula was gone but she had left a note saying she was checking up on white girl and that she'd be back. I spent the rest of the day on the 5th floor. I organized the men on duty, rescheduled business meeting for a time less painful and basically got the job done. I got reports about Steph's incident at the store and smiled at the thought of Joyce getting her ass kicked by Steph. She really was something else. The only person I've seen who is able to stand with Ranger.

My phone rang and I glanced down to see an Unknown number flashing on the screen. I slowly answered. "Speak."

"Tank, I'm alive and with Steph. I'm sorry man." Ranger's voice was coming out of the phone. I felt like I was dreaming. He was alive. I felt the tears coming and cleared my throat.

"Ranger."