Author's Note: If you want to see Ranger's cars up close and personal, go to YouTube, search "2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S " for a dreamy commercial, and in Rangeman black at "DelcoMotorsports - 2012 Porsche 911 Turbo S - HD". Check out "2012 Porsche Cayenne Turbo - AutoTrader New Car Review " to see Ranger's Porsche Cayenne. For more try "New Porsche Cayenne Turbo S 2013 Driven Road Test " posted by CarJamRadio. Search "Porsche Panamera Turbo Review." by thechauffeurcom or "2013 Porsche Panamera GTS AutoTrader New Car Review ". This video is not as good, but here's the full tour of some of the options: "2011 Porsche Panamera 4 3.6 Start Up, Engine, and In Depth Review".

But before you go thinking Ranger's tastes are going all European sports track, check out this quick clip of a shiny, black Panamera Turbo creeping through the night life, "Slim Thug New Car, a 2011 Porsche Panamera Turbo". Yeah...there's the excitement and danger we're talking about...very Ranger.

Chapter 2

I was sitting on a bench by the empty water cooler, licking the last drop of water out of my Dixie cup. I was waiting for Gazarra to return with a fresh 5-gallon bottle, since I just drained the last one. I jumped when someone sat down on the other end of the bench, dropping my Dixie cup.

"That's twice," I growled at Ranger.

He was thinking about smiling, so I narrowed my eyes until he thought better of it.

"Babe."

"Thanks," I said, limply flashing my body receipt so he could see it. I knew I wouldn't have captured Dozer without his help. Hell, I'd have been mugged and left for dead.

Ranger gave me a single nod.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, leaning back against the cool wall. I had almost stopped sweating.

Ranger flicked his own body receipt for me to see.

"Ah," I said. My eyes were still burning globes, so I closed them and thought about taking a nap.

"Babe," he said, sounding worried again.

"I'm fine," I mumbled.

Ranger's cell chirped and he answered it. "Yo." I could hear Tank's deep bass on the other end. "Take care of it." And he disconnected.

I opened one eye, curious.

Ranger got up, and my end of the bench dropped down a couple inches. Reaching into his pocket, he produced what looked like a large flash drive on a keychain. I looked at him questioningly. He leaned over, pressing the black key fob with the Porsche crest into my hand.

"What's this?"

"I want you out of the heat. You got your man. Pay your rent and go home. Take a nap."

I squinted up at him, failing to give a true death glare.

"Please?" he said, sounding a little desperate.

"What about you?"

"I'll get a ride with Tank."

I looked down at the fob in my hand. "What's this?"

"It's just a car," he said, turning to go.

I blinked a few times to clear my vision. "This is a car key?" I asked, not sure.

Ranger was already headed down the hall. He just gave me a curt wave of his hand, which I took to mean, "You'll figure it out."

Eddie strolled past Ranger with a 5-gallon bottle of water on his shoulder. He was about to yank the empty bottle off the cooler when he looked down to see what Ranger had given me. The next thing I knew, I was splashed head to toe with cool water.

"What the...?" I spluttered at Eddie, who was standing dumbstruck, staring at me. Then his eyes darted down the hall as the door closed behind Ranger.

What the...?" Eddie stammered, pointing at the key in my hand. "He...you...that's...no way." He shook his head in disgust and disbelief. "He did not give you that car," Eddie said, still shaking his head as he slipped a little in the puddle of water.

I looked longingly at the empty cooler. I got up and squeezed a fist-full of my shirt, letting the water fall into my Dixie Cup. I tossed it back as I started down the hall to the parking lot. Ranger was right. I'd had enough for one day, I thought.

"Gazarra!" the chief bellowed from a distance.

"I know!" he barked back, equally annoyed. "I'll get it cleaned up," Eddie growled, sliding a little as he bent to pick up the broken pieces of plastic. I thought I heard him mumble something about life not being fair as I pushed through the doors.

I walked into the blinding glare of the sun and started looking for my P.O.S. I at least needed to get my things. But it was no where in sight. I spun around in confusion, catching sight of it on the back of a flat bed hauler two blocks away. "Hey!" I shouted, but no one was listening. I narrowed my eyes. Ranger had towed my car. I spun around again, then headed for the shiniest, blackest, newest car in the parking lot. I looked down at the key fob and pressed the unlock button. It chirped and I got in. I saw the key slot, but there was nothing to stick in it but the end of the fob. It looked a little like a USB drive. I pressed the key and it fit. I fiddled with it a little, and the car roared to life. The A/C was on, and I sat back in the plush leather seat and let the cool air blow on me for a few minutes. There were so many buttons and gauges and options I didn't know what I was looking at. Ranger's Turbo had always felt like the cockpit of a plane to me, but this was the Space Shuttle. I gave everything the once over, found a radio station I liked, and then backed out of the parking space and headed for the bond's office.

I could see Connie and Lula plastered to the window as I climbed out of the car. I set the alarm and pushed through the door, waiving the body receipt to Connie.

"Can I sign this over to you for cash? Please?" I begged. "I've got to pay something on my rent, and I don't want to deal with the bank today. I just want to go home and crawl in bed."

Connie acted like she hadn't heard me. Her face was still stuck to the glass.

"Say what?" Lula squealed. "You sick or something? You got THAT car...THAT car right there," she said, pointing frantically at Ranger's new Porsche, "and you're going to crawl into bed?"

"I'm seriously dehydrated," I told her, trying to yell, but only sounding miserable. "I feel sick," I mumbled, sliding down onto the leather sofa.

This got Connie's attention. She ran over to the apartment size fridge and grabbed two bottles of water for me. "Here, drink up," she said, opening one for me.

I took it gratefully and chugged it. She handed me the other, and I downed it too. Then I pressed my hand to my forehead, gasping at the brain freeze I was getting. I sucked air through my teeth. "Ow!" I growled.

"Maybe you should take it slow," Lula suggested.

I glared at her. "Thanks for the hot tip."

"Yeah, guess you could have used that one a few minutes ago, huh?" She shrugged.

"What did you have to do to get that car?" Connie asked breathlessly. "Details, Steph. We want all the details."

"Yeah," Lula chorused. "We want all the juicy Ranger details."

I rolled my eyes. "Nothing happened." I told them about Dozer.

"Well, I can see why Ranger chased him down in your car. No way I'd run down a skip with that beautiful machine," Lula purred. "Look at it. That's perfection right there."

"Do you have any idea what that is?" Connie asked, handing me a third bottle.

"No, and I don't care," I said, sipping the water.

"Whoa," Lula said, taking a step back. "Woman, that man just declared his undying love for you, and you don't care?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "Ranger said it's just a car. Those were his words."

"That ain't just a car," she said, shaking her head. "Nuh-uh. You ask any man. That's true love right there."

"I have to agree with Lula on this one," Connie said. "This I have to see." She got up and headed out the door with Lula hot on her heels.

"My check," I croaked. I relaxed back into the sofa, thinking maybe I'd just take a nap right there.

I was dozing, half listening to Connie and Lula chattering away as they looked up the Porsche Panamera Turbo S online.

"It starts at $75K…up to...oh my god…and it's turbo. I'm finding the base model at $140K, plus features...oh my god! Turbo S...holy cow!" Connie gasped. Her fingers were flying on her adding machine, the tape was hanging down to the floor, and she was still going.

"What? How much is that thing worth?" Lula wanted to know.

"I have no idea," Connie gushed. "If it's fully loaded...with all the options...it's astronomical."

"It's the Space Shuttle," I mumbled.

"Get out!" Lula squealed, looking over Connie's shoulder. "That can't be...Stephanie's car?"

"Ranger's car," I corrected her. "Just borrowing..." I said, rubbing an itch on my nose on the edge of the cushion so I didn't have to lift my arm to scratch it.

"You best be avoiding Morelli while you have that car," Lula warned. "Trust me, you can't have both at the same time."

"Again, I have to agree with Lula," Connie said. "I don't care what Ranger told you...no man gives a woman keys to a car like that without a damn good reason. That would be insane, and no one here thinks Batman is insane. Not even Morelli will believe that."

I sighed. "I'd give it back, but Ranger stole my car."

"Say what?" Lula asked.

"He had my Dart towed."

"Good for him!" Connie cheered. "Someone needed to."

"It was still running," I complained.

"It was a butt ugly death trap," Lula told me, "just like all your other cars."

"So what's new?"

"That!" they said in unison, pointing out the window.

"Can I have my capture check, please?" I asked Connie. "I mean...capture cash?"

"Yeah, sure," Connie groaned, digging out the check book. "Get over here and sign it back to me and I'll cash it."

I rolled off the couch, feeling marginally better than when I sank onto it. I scrawled my name on the back of the check, and Connie handed me $300. I rolled my eyes and slipped the bills into my pocket.

"Now what's your problem?" Connie asked.

"I need three and half more skips like that to get my rent paid up."

"No you don't," Lula said. "You got a winning ticket right there," she said, jerking her thumb at the car.

"What do you mean?"

"Girl, all you gotta do is charge admission."

"Admission?"

"Hell, yeah. Folks would pay good money to go for a ride in the Space Shuttle."

"She's got a point," Connie agreed.

"How much do you need?"

"I owe two months rent. I'm $700 light."

"Well, I think $25 for ten minutes would be fair. So, you just go around the block a time or two. Do that 30 times and you're in the black."

I rolled my eyes. "And just where would I find 30 people willing to pay me $25 to drive them around the block. It's not a taxi."

"Well, I don't know. In my neighborhood..."

I held up my hand. "We are not taking Ranger's Porsche to your neighborhood," I said firmly. "Things get blown up and stolen in your neighborhood."

"That's true," Lula agreed.

"What about someplace in the Burg?" Connie asked.

"There's got to be someplace where people with money to spend, dying for a little excitement, congregate during the middle of the working day...in the Burg."

Connie and Lula looked at each other.

"Beauty parlor," they shouted.

"Oh, no," I said, shaking my head.

"Your Grandma Mazur is probably over at Clara's right now. That's an easy $25 right there," Lula said.

"I'm not charging my grandma for a ride in Ranger's new car," I told her.

"Why not? I'm sure she'd think it was a hoot," Lula argued.

"You want to make rent or not?" Connie asked. "It's that simple," she said, waiving a twenty and a five seductively under my nose.

I hated struggling with these moral dilemmas. I threw up my hands, then grabbed Connie's bills.

"Actually, I only need 28 to make rent, so that just leaves 27 more to go," I said, holding my hand out to Lula expectantly.

"What?" Lula asked, doing a palms up.

"You wanna ride, or what?"

"I'm your partner. Partner's don't pay," she complained, hands on hips. "Besides, it was my idea. I should get a percentage."

"Don't push it," I warned. "You want a ride, get going," I told her, grabbing my bag and heading for the door.

"Wait for me," Connie called. "But just once around the block. You have to drop me back here before Vinnie gets back from his Shiatsu appointment.

I was circling Clara's with three blue haired ladies on their fourth consecutive tour of the neighborhood when my cell phone rang.

"Yo," I answered.

"Trouble parking?" Ranger asked.

Crap.

"No, why?"

"You've been driving in circles around the Burg for over an hour. You're not looking for another skip, are you?"

"Not exactly."

"Babe?"

"Where are you?"

Silence. Crapitty crap, crap, crap. I looked in my rear view mirror, knowing what I would see. Ranger was behind me in the Cayenne.

"Oh," I said, giving him a little finger wave.

"Babe," he growled, sounding none too pleased.

I pulled to the curb in front of Clara's.

"One more time!" the ladies cheered, thrusting twenties under my nose.

"No can do, ladies. Sorry. Ride's over. Maybe we can do it again sometime."

They all piled out and I saw Lula and Grandma peeking out the glass door of the salon, waiting to see the action.

Ranger got out of his car and came over to me. Opening the door, he pulled me out and looked me right in the eye.

"What are you doing, Babe?" he asked, looking down a my fist full of twenties.

"Making rent," I told him, feeling a little ashamed and embarrassed, but also annoyed. He took my car. He gave me this one. What business was it of his?

"How much do you need?" he asked.

"Nothing, now," I told him.

"You're in the black?" he asked, a smile playing on the corner of his lips for a moment.

"Yeah."

"Good, 'cause you're done. I'll follow you to the bond's office."

He pushed me back into the car and shut the door. I watched him walk back to the Cayenne as I waved to Lula. She scurried out the door and hopped in. We took off, and Ranger was on my bumper all the way to the office.

When I pulled up, I could see Connie sitting at her desk, filing her nails, her eyes wide as saucers when she noticed Ranger tailing me. I waited for Ranger to get out of the Cayenne, hoping he was going to drive on. When he parked, I briefly considered taking off, but I knew he'd catch me...eventually. So I slowly climbed out, and Lula followed. I beeped the alarm on, and waited for Ranger.

"We'll be in," Ranger told Lula, excusing her while cutting his eyes to me, "in a minute."

She trotted off towards the office, giving me her "now you done it" look. I rolled my eyes.

Then he walked me to the alley and pressed me against the side of the building.

"I told you to go home," he said, a menacing tone in his voice.

I felt him remove the key from my hand as he dropped the keys to the Cayenne into my bag. He was trading me vehicles.

"I know you can't appreciate that I have a reputation to uphold," he breathed, " but you should know that I'm going to get even with you for this."

"You're going to get even with me?" I asked, incredulous. "You stole my car!"

Ranger responded by pressing me right up against the brick wall, his hands pinning my wrists on each side.

"Messing with me is dangerous, Babe. It's dangerous for you, and it's dangerous for me," he warned.

"You live for danger," I pointed out. "You love it."

His lips brushed mine as he nodded agreement. "You are dangerous," he whispered, kissing me. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would leap out of my chest.

"Mmmm," I started to answer, but he deepened the kiss. My head was swimming. Was he angry or turned on? Or both? A minute more, and I wasn't going to care.

When he finally ended the kiss, he looked me in the eye as he spoke. "I don't need my enemies thinking I've gone soft. Word gets around, especially in the Burg."

Didn't I know it. And everyone knows who drives the expensive, shiny black cars, I thought.

"I'm sorry," I said, meaning it this time. "I didn't think."

"Next time, just tell me what you need, and I'll take care of it," he said, releasing me. It sounded strangely like a promise.

I knew I should have felt relief. My rent would get paid. I would always have a car when I needed one. I wasn't going to starve. But inwardly, I groaned. That's the problem, I thought. Part of me wanted to be cared for and taken care of, but part of me wanted to be independent. Maybe I even felt like I didn't deserve to have Ranger taking care of things for me. I felt a little bit competitive with Ranger. I wanted to prove myself to him, but how could I do that if he was paying my rent because I wasn't up to taking down the big skips? Sure, I'd brought down some seriously bad guys, but most of the time the windfall didn't last long. To keep up with my debts and get ahead, let alone move to a nice place and have a new car every two years, I'd have to be chasing high bond skips on a regular basis. Ranger was so far ahead of me, I couldn't even dream of catching up. I sighed.

"Come on," he said, throwing his arm around my shoulders and pulling me back from the shadows towards the office.

When we walked in, Lula and Connie stopped talking. Connie dropped her nail file and busied herself with a stack of skip folders.

"Ranger. I'm glad you stopped by. I've got a file for you," Connie said, clearly flustered.

Ranger walked over to her desk and held out his hand for the file. He opened it, and let me have a glance. The FTA was "Rah Rah" Robbie Robinson, 26, wanted for dealing heroin, known to frequent a seedy area down by the river known locally as Dead Man's Wharf. It wasn't unusual to find bodies floating face down on the water front when the sun came up.

"Wanna help me with this one?" Ranger asked.

Despite my momentary bravado, I was glad to pass up that kind of trouble. I shook my head. "No, he's all yours," I told him, reaching out for the file Connie was handing me.

My FTA was Gordon Graham, aka "Golden Graham". Graham was charged with committing a daylight robbery with a BB gun. He made off with $25 and a pitcher of ice cold lemonade from two little girls with a stand on the street corner. I rolled my eyes, and Ranger broke into a full smile, trying not to laugh. Graham was being charged with malicious mischief and could expect probation. Should be an easy capture.

The door opened, and I could see from the look on Connie's face that it was Morelli.

"What's up?" Connie asked nervously.

"Oh, just saw Ranger's new ride outside and thought I'd drop in," he said, his voice just a tad too jovial.

I felt my blood run cold. He'd heard about my touring the Burg in Ranger's new Panamera.

Ranger cut his eyes from me to Morelli.

"What'd that beauty set you back?" Morelli asked.

Ranger didn't answer. There was some unspoken communication between the two. I wasn't sure about the details, but it looked like they were sizing each other up.

"Business must be REALLY good," Joe said, shaking his head. "I had no idea installing security alarms was so lucrative." His tone was mildly threatening.

Joe had always had doubts about Ranger, and we all knew it, but would he really go snooping to verify his suspicions this time?

Ranger was unfazed. He appeared to be slightly amused by Morelli's thinly veiled allegation.

"I hear that's the kind of car women really go for," Joe continued, rocking back on his heels to glance back at it out the window. "I'll bet you could get three women in a car like that, easy...they might even pay for the privilege." He was really pressing it now.

"They might," Ranger said. The corner of his mouth twitched.

Morelli took a menacing step towards Ranger. Ranger pushed me back behind him.

"Funny, from what I hear, it seats four. Four women were seen in that car earlier today." Morelli cut his eyes to me.

"Then what are you so worried about, Morelli?" Ranger asked, his tone low and measured.

"Nothing," he growled. It sounded like a challenge.

"Good," Ranger responded, his voice low, clearly taking up the challenge. A smile played at the corner of his mouth as he turned to the door. "Later, Babe," he said to me, his eyes still on Morelli.

Joe stood stock still, watching Ranger as he walked out the door. His eyes grew darker as he watched Ranger walk down the street. I was surprised when he slid behind the wheel of the Cayenne and took off, leaving the Panamera behind. I looked at Joe and Joe looked at me, his suspicion growing by the second. He reached out and grabbed my bag, pulling out the key to the Panamera. He let it drop back into my bag and threw the bag back at me.

"I hope you know what you're doing," he spat, stomping out the door. He tore out down the street. Horns honked as he cleared the intersection with his Kojak light on the roof.

"I hope you know what you're doing," I mumbled.

"Oh, boy," Connie sighed.

For once, Lula was speechless.