AN – Slightly shorter, mom yelling at me in the background. Will try to upload more over the holidays, and continue to do so after I get back to college. No BETA all the mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer – Everything you recognize belongs to the brilliant mind of Janet Evanovich

Acts of Valor

Previously: With that he got up and walked out my door, yelling over his shoulder "5 minutes conference room B!"

LPOV

I couldn't believe it, my mind was racing with possibilities, ones that I know I shouldn't foster/ those were thoughts that could get me into major trouble. I had been in love with my Beautiful since the day she walked through those elevator doors. I had been quiet about my fascination and obsession with her and never let her know my true feelings. I hid behind my previous playboy persona and let her think I had a different woman every night. That was most definitely not true. In all actuality I hadn't slept with anyone since I met Beautiful. All the other women never lived up to her. My little black book couldn't even put her out of my mind. Everywhere I went she was in my mind, Bobby was starting to notice, especially since he was not only my partner, but the man who patched me up after I got roughed up because I was thinking about Beautiful instead of paying attention.

He had asked me about it one night over beers at Shorty's and I shrugged him off.

Flashback

We were about three beers in when Bobby turned to me with a serious look on his face.

"Dude you haven't been with a woman since god knows when, hell it might have been even before Bomber came home. What the hell is up with you, and if your done being a manwhore then can I have your Black Book?"

He of course was referring to the book of names and number I kept in my desk. The book was full of women who were up for a one night stand.

I just looked at him with a bored expression and mumbled some excuse about my mom and sisters catching on and me wanting to slow down for a while. He just rolled his eyes and went back to nursing his beer and flirting with our bartender.

This news from Ranger was surprising, I had no idea what was going on with Beautiful. I had to turn my brain back the task at hand which is this god damn meeting. I hate team meetings, a waste of time if you ask me. Ranger already knows everything and the guys all talk to each other anyways. But orders are orders, even if you are one of the owners. These meeting were always like the Charlie brown teachers, the guy's mouths might be moving but all I am hearing is wah wah wah. When all of a sudden I got a hinky feeling; this is what my Beautiful calls her Spidey Sense. I got up to walk out of the meeting room, Ranger yelling "Santos, where the fuck do you think you're going!" all I had to do was point at the ceiling and take about five steps more when the alarm sounded. Red lights flashed and the sirens going off. When Ram's voice came over the speaker, "Bomber Alert, her car tracker went off line. 4567 W Baltic Ave" All the guys jumped out of their seats to follow me out the door, running to the stairwell and pounding down to our cars. Ranger jumped in my brand new Audi with me and we would beat the guys there by minutes. I even had the new PA system linked directly to my GPS, that way when the alarm went off I already had the GPS coordinates in my car.

I laid rubber and fishtailed out of the parking garage and took off like a bat out of hell following the GPS. When I got there, I jumped out of the car and took in the scene in front of me. Beautiful was sitting on the curb covered in ash and soot but my visual check revealed no obvious injuries. Her head was down and she was staring at the ground while Morelli, the dirt eating scum bag, towered over her yelling and screaming; throwing his arms about like a man gone insane. I caught a few lines of what he was yelling and trust me it wasn't good for Beautiful.

About that time he leaned down and jerked her up by her arm, I could tell from here it was going to bruise that rat bastard. I heard Bobby and Tank squeal to a stop and jump out of the car. I turned to Bobby "We got to get her out of his reach and fast, otherwise this is going to get way out of hand." With that Bobby and Tank started walking towards her and Morelli. I saw Beautiful's eyes search Ranger and me out and that pleading look was all it took and I leaned into the car.

"Ranger you got get her the fuck outta here, go to my house, it won't be traceable and no one will expect it. Here are the keys and codes; the GPS has it programmed under Beautiful." I took about five steps from the car and saw Beautiful sprinting towards us, she had gotten out of Joe's grip and now he was furious, but faced with the wall that was Tank and Bobby. I swooped Steph up and was immediately turned against; she had thought I was Joe. I talked quickly and quietly trying to get through to her and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before sliding her into my Audi. I then stood up and watched as Ranger drove my girls away.

I turned back towards Morelli and let out the monster that had been threatening to burst out since I got the alarm. My face was a mask of pure hatred and a desire to kill. This was my monster; the one that made me so sought after as a military man and by the government for their search and destroy missions. The monster was what kept me safe and alive on those missions, but now he was out to protect what he thought of as his; Beautiful. He was focused on Morelli and this was not good. I tried to reign him in just a little bit, but it was not happening. Bobby saw it coming and pulled his emergency syringe out. It was full of his own personal mixture, one that he had made specifically for Rangeman because it was the only thing the he could knock us out with. Well shit! All I knew was blackness, and there was no more.

RPOV
The alarms went off and Ram's voice came over the speaker "Bomber Alert" That was all I heard because my mind had shut down into the chant "Get Babe, save Babe, help Babe" I just raced after Les and jumped in his car. I knew that the Audi would put us there well ahead of anyone else that had actually listened to the rest of the alarm. After all Les had just hooked this thing to the PA somehow. I was barely buckled down when he floored it, laid rubber and fishtailed out of my garage complex. It was a fast paced two wheel corner trip that landed us at the scene right as everyone had reached her. Babe was sitting on the sidewalk about 500 feet from her latest POS car, which was now a smoldering hunk of twisted metal on the side of the street. Morelli was towering over her yelling and swinging his arms around trying to drive his point home. His famous Italian temper was on full view for anyone who cared to see it. I didn't bother getting out of the car since Les already had, but I almost did when Morelli jerked Babe up by her arm. I had my hand on the door handle when she searched me out in the crowd and sent a look that screamed save me. By then Santos had shoved his keys and codes in my hand and set the GPS for somewhere I didn't recognize. Once I realized that this was his house that he had set, Babe was sprinting away from Morelli and towards the Audi. Lester grabbed her and she tried to fight him, probably thought he was Morelli, by the time her got her quieted down he had her in the car seat and I was peeling away from the crime scene. Following the GPS towards Santos' place wasn't hard; it was keeping my anger in check. I was furious at Morelli, he had deliberately hurt Stephanie and he was going to pay. I had no doubt that my boys would take care of that, but how would be the question.

My mind was sorting through all the ways that Morelli could be hurt, and believe me it was a long list, when we pulled up the massive gates that lead to my cousin's house. The long driveway was paved and the front was covered in massive, no doubt bullet proof, windows. I pulled out the key card and slid it through followed quickly by the pass code Les had given me for the gate. I drove slowly down the driveway, the gate shutting quickly behind me. I pulled up out front, not knowing the pass to his garage and parked his baby. Looking over to the woman sound asleep in the passenger seat, I felt my anger melt away, she was safe.

I slid out of the car and over to her side opening the butterfly doors that Les had installed. I reached down to shake Steph and get her out of the car. She awoke with a start and started flinging her arms out catching me in the jaw before I had a chance to get her in my arms. That had actually hurt; I might have a light bruise there tomorrow. Damn it all to hell. Speaking quick Spanish in her ear to help her realize it was me. She calmed down enough to push on my chest and open her eyes. She was still pushing on my chest so I backed up and let her get a view of her surroundings. Her eyes widened considerably when she saw the massive house in front of her. I knew her question before she even asked it "Ranger, where are we?"

I explained that we were at Lester's house, less inside cameras, better security. I knew she would appreciate that, but what I didn't expect was the look of pure joy and safety that crossed her sooty features. I felt a pang in my heart when I realized that this was not caused by me. But by the fact that this was Lester's place. I knew then that this was the end, she was no longer mine. I had to back off, this was over and I was no longer an option for her. I had blown my chance when I sent her back to Morelli. That was when this damn thing started, she had slowly gotten less comfortable with me, stopped coming to my apartment and refused to let me kiss her behind the bonds office. She was becoming independent I had thought; no she had just become dependent on someone else. That someone else was my cousin.

That stung like a bitch, to know that she didn't want me anymore. I don't even know if she knows she loves my cousin because she sure doesn't show it. She is just aware that I no longer make her feel the way I used to. That much I can see. The way she automatically settled into Lester's arms when it took me minutes to calm her down. How she continued to push on my chest even after she realized it was me. Even the way she refused to be held by me. She jerked her hand out of mine, with what I assume she thought was casual grace. She had pretended to be looking at the foyer, but I knew the truth and it stung, a lot.