Sitting there I gripped my steering wheel till my knuckles were white. I the hunter was now the hunted. I told myself I was a sitting duck sitting there in my car where everyone could see me. Morelli already knew I was FTA, but the rest wouldn't know till morning. I f I could stay clear from Joe id be flying.

I hurried and drove to my apartment where I packed up some essentials and then packed up Rex my hamster. I would take him to my parents so they could keep him till I could come back. I almost cried thinking of loosing Rex.

My phone rang but I wasn't going to answer it. I knew who was on the other line and I was right.

"Steph don't do what I think you're doing" Morelli said

"I know your leaving cupcake and that a big mistake" he said on my machine

"I can't go to jail" I said back to the machine

"Dammitt Stephanie" he said and hung up

I need to hurry. Joe will be coming over soon to catch me leaving and I can't afford that. I carried Rex and my bags down to my car. I sat him in the passenger's seat and tossed my bags in the back seats.

"It's only temporary" I told Rex

"I hope" I added

I pulled out and obeyed every traffic law Trenton New Jersey had. I was not going to be pulled over. Pulling up at my parent's house, it never failed that my mom and grandmother was already standing in the front door watching me. I hauled Rex out and walked up to the door.

"What's wrong?" My mother asked me

"Nothings wrong, I just need to you watch over Rex for a while" I told her

"Why?" she asked watching me sit him down on the table

"A job I'm on, I have to be away and leave town for a bit. I'll be back soon" I tell her

I hurried and left before I cried over loosing Rex, but it had to be done. My cell rang and it was Joe.

"Nope sorry Joe, you've heard the last of Stephanie Plum" I say as I drive away.

The next morning Connie opened up Vinnie's bail office. She grabbed the new FTA files that Vinnie had brought in when he got there and sat them on her desk. It was by mid morning before she started looking thru them when she covered her mouth with her hand and screamed.

"WHAT?" Vinnie asked running from his inner office

"Its Stephanie" she said just as Ranger and Joe walked in together

Connie hurried and slipped Stephanie's file under the rest of them so Ranger and Joe wouldn't see and prayed they hadn't heard her. Vinnie saw and was just about to say something when she looked over at him and gave him the death glare.

Ranger calmly walked over behind Connie's desk where she stood and took the last file from under the stack. Connie reaches for it but Ranger gave her a look and she quickly recoiled her hand back. She flopped into her chair and buried her face into her hands. Ranger read the file as everyone was in total silence. They knew Stephanie had a soft spot in Rangers heart.

"You know about this?" he asked Morelli

"Stephanie being FTA?" he asked

"Yea" Ranger said

"Yep. I'm the one who bonded her out. She failed to show at court yesterday afternoon. The judge's entire docket didn't show and by the time she was called he blew his stack and revoked everyone's bond and issued warrants. Steph was the last person on the list to be seen and would have just gotten a slap on the wrist since it was a mistake and her first offence. Everyone knows of Stephanie thru me there so that's why she was last." Joe explained

"Thousand dollar bond, what you got riding?" Ranger asked him

"My truck" Morelli said

"What's the time she looking at?" he asked

"Six months and she'll be with some of the ones she's captured and put in there" Joe said

Ranger closed the file, placed it under his arm.

"This is mine" he said walking towards the door

If you knew Ranger you'd know he only took the high payoff bonds not the measly hundred that was offered for Steph. Joe grabbed a hold of Rangers leather jacket arm. Ranger looked sideways to him

"I know you got this thing for Stephanie, but I'm working this with you and I don't care if you like it or not" Morelli said

"Ill keep you in the loop but I for the most part work alone" Ranger told him

As he again started for the door Connie's phone rang. She picked it up and said hello.

"Connie, it's me Stephanie" I said knowing Ranger and possibly Joe was or had been there.