This is my first fanfiction and I don't own the characters, they belong to Charlaine Harris and Janet Evanovich. I'm just making the introductions.

Sorry it took me two weeks to update this time. I ended up going on a road trip to The House on the Rock last weekend and didn't get to post.

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The world was just coming back into focus and Sookie realized that once again she was restrained. This time she was laying on her belly with her hands behind her back. The cold metal cutting into her wrists told her it was handcuffs this time and she wondered vaguely if they were silver-plated or stainless steel.

Arching her back she gazed around her and saw Stephanie similarly trussed up a few feet away. She could not hear any thoughts coming from Stephanie and she panicked for a moment before seeing the slow rise and fall of Stephanie's back. Drugs or not, she wondered how it was that Steph could be sleeping so dreamlessly in the midst such an ordeal.

The room they were in appeared to be part of a larger warehouse, the walls on two sides of the room covered with windows that looked out onto the warehouse floor. Large storage racks stood in rows on the warehouse floor and pallets of boxes wrapped in plastic cocoons sat on the racks. She shivered and wondered why she had ever decided that driving north would be a good idea. She could have driven east and south… she'd be in sunny Miami right now wearing a bikini no doubt. But instead she was in a freezing warehouse wearing nothing but a t-shirt and jeans. After all her years of wearing short shorts, tiny t-shirts, tank tops, and breezy dresses… Here she is wishing she had more clothes on. Who would have guessed it?

Sookie looked out across the warehouse. Surely it must be sunset by now… Bill and Eric must be looking for her. She was uncertain how they'd find her but she knew they would.

She heard movement and tried rolling onto her side to look at Stephanie. She immediately groaned as she rolled onto her right wrist. She rolled back and tried to pull her handcuffed hands enough to one side to view her wrist. The skin had caked on blood and was angry and swollen. As she flexed the skin felt stiff and burned with each movement.

There's all kinds of love. This kind doesn't come with a ring attached. Sookie looked back at Stephanie over her shoulder. She was moving now, broadcasting her dreams, though still not awake.

"Told her I was gonna spend the next twelve hours ruining you for all other men, and so she might as well go home."... "I lied about it being tonight."*

"We can get me out of my clothes? Are you planning on making it a group activity?" … "Figure of speech, Babe. I don't need help getting you undressed."**

Sookie felt a little bad for listening in on Stephanie's dreams. She wondered briefly if the dreams were all about the same man. Based on their conversations she would guess they were about Ranger—the strong and silent one that always made moves and then withdrew. Stephanie was moving around more now, shifting her head from side to side. Sookie could see the distress on her face. "Stephanie? Steph?"

"Ranger?" Stephanie mumbled. Her head shifted and her eyes snapped open and she lifted her head. "Is Ranger here?"

"No, I think we're alone, I haven't heard any noises."

"Huh…my neck is tingling."

Sookie listened carefully for any nearby thoughts… Nothing.

"It must be sunset by now… Eric and Bill will start looking for me again."

"Yeah…But will they get here in time? Those guys wanted to trick Ranger into believing I was merely kidnapped. If they… If they…get to him then there's no use for us anymore. Then what?"

"Were you dreaming about him?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry, it's terribly rude. I shouldn't have been in your thoughts."

"No, it's not that, I just don't know who you're talking about."

"Was it Ranger in your dreams?"

"I don't know, I don't remember."

"Does he call you 'Babe'?"

"Yeah… That's Ranger. Joe calls me 'Cupcake'."

"You sure have a lot of nicknames."

"Yeah, and I don't like most of them."

"Any you do like?"

"Mostly just Steph."

"What about 'Babe' and 'Cupcake'?"

"Sometimes I like them, sometimes I hate them. Joe uses Cupcake as a term of affection, as a sign of exasperation, or as a means of trying to get his way. Ranger uses Babe as if it were an entire language."

"And you speak this language?"

"I guess at it. Never know if I'm actually right."

Sookie looked around the room. "So Steph, any chance you know where we are?"

Steph looked around and shrugged. "Warehouse. No freeway sounds or road noises, so maybe in a warehouse district or remote place? Looks like storage or shipping rather than any kind of manufacturing."

"Lordy, how many times have you been kidnapped? You seem to have this down ."

"I don't even know at this point…" Steph sighed. Clyde, Stiva, Scrog, Abruzzi, the Slayers… do I count every time I've been held? or just the longer…She took a deep breath "Can we just say too many times?"

"Reckon you're an expert yet?"

"Ha, could be. You think there jobs for kidnapee experts?"

"You get me out of here I'll pay you." Sookie said with a small laugh.

"I'll see what I can do…"

Both ladies jumped as a bang reverberated through the building.

"Can you hear anything?...any thoughts?"

Sookie focused. Bastard, where is he? Asking me to do this without backup…Like I can't be discreet.

"Yeah, might be one of yours. Complaining about not having backup."

Steph smiled. "Must be Joe, Ranger never goes anywhere without a partner… and we'd never hear him coming."

They both stilled as they heard knocking on a door somewhere on the warehouse floor.

Won't even tell me why we're searching these locations. Probably just getting me out of the way while he and his thugs do something illegal. That's it... I'm getting out of here.

"Crap, he's complaining about thugs and it sounds like he's leaving." Sookie said, trying to roll over again despite the pulling, burning pain in her wrists.

"Definitely Joe. Should we scream or something?" Steph asked.

"You're the expert."

"Well we haven't heard any of the kidnappers around…Let's go for it…" Steph said, rolling onto her side. "HELLLLLLLP!"

Sookie joined in, screaming with Steph, "HELLLLLLLLP!"

What the hell? Is that? Shit…

Steph and Sookie stopped shouting as a shot rang out and a door slammed open.

"JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOE!" Steph shouted.

Dammit… Why am I doing this again…I'm going to have a frickin' heart attack. How does she get into situations like this? At least she's shouting MY name… this time.

"JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOE!" Steph shouted again.

Joe's heavy steps could be heard pounding up a metal stairway, the sound echoing through the warehouse. A door was slammed open somewhere nearby.

What the hell is this? Crap, I'm going to have to call this in…Wait is that…?

Sookie gasped.

"What?" Steph whispered.

"Something happened. Joe's been hurt."

"So the kidnappers really are here?"

"I don't know…he just...he stopped…there was some pain and then nothing." Sookie whispered.

"Crap." Steph set her forehead down on the floor. Crapcrapcrapcrap…"He's not dead is he?"

"I'm sorry… I don't know."

Both women lay quietly without moving for several minutes.

Why aren't they in here? If they're in the warehouse… Why haven't they come in the room yet? Steph looked at Sookie, her brows knit.

"I don't know. I can't hear anyone else's thoughts," Sookie whispered.

A large clank interrupted their conversation. Below them the floodlights in the warehouse flickered on and Sookie could see a large paneled door rolling up along one wall. A car's headlights swung through the warehouse, illuminating several pallets as it drove in through the door.

"Hurry up man, he'll be here in 10 minutes and we still have to talk to the boss." Sookie heard as one of the men on the warehouse floor talked to the other.

"Shut up and close the fuckin' door. Last thing we need is Manoso screwing up our plan."

"You got some stuff man? I wanna mess him up before we kill him."

"Chill out man, Boss won't like seeing you all strung out."

"So where are we doing it?"

"No we, Boss wants to do it in his office. When Manoso gets here he'll get a text with directions."

Sookie turned to Steph, "They're planning to direct Ranger to the office when he gets here."

Steph squirmed, Are you sure he's not here? My neck is still tingling.

"Can't sense him… But not everyone is a clear broadcaster like y—" Sookie stopped as a small click was heard at their door. The door swung open and a tall, black-clad, Latino man walked into the room, gun drawn. He walked quickly to Steph and knelt beside her, running one hand through her hair.

"Babe," he whispered into her hair. He took a small key out of a pouch on his belt and quickly undid Steph's cuffs. She got up quickly sitting cross-legged. He leaned over and kissed her forehead and the inside of one wrist then turned toward Sookie.

She searched his face looking for more thoughts but found none until his hand held her wrist. As he turned the key on her cuffs his thoughts flowed into her freely, clearly. Gotta get Babe and her out. Come back for Morelli. Damn, looks like they were roughed up a little, they better not have touched my Babe. His eyes swung back towards Steph who was moving to stand up while holding up the oversized pants she wore. Shit, I can't… I don't want to know right now…Sookie could feel anger radiating through him.

No, nothing happened. Sookie thought briefly. Ranger turned quickly and stared into her eyes, a cold look on his face, just before he released her. He removed a pair of zip-ties from a pouch in his cargo pants and walked over to Steph, looking back over his shoulder at Sookie then turning back and pulling Steph's hips close. He slid the zip ties through belt loops on each side of the pants and pulled them tight.

Steph flushed as he jerked her forward and his hands brushed her skin. She let out a small gasp as the ties tightened. Her eyes never left Ranger's. "They've got Joe." She said flatly.

Ranger handed her a gun and pointed at the door.

"This was on the list of places to check out. I was scouting the exterior when they texted me to meet here. I figured he got here first when I saw the exterior door lock shot open." He nodded towards Sookie, "Take her and get out. Down the stairs to the right then straight ahead. You should see the open door." He grabbed her waist again and shoved a set of keys in her pocket. "Turn right outside. My truck is around the back of the building. Wait 5 minutes for me. If I don't show, take off and call Tank with the truck's comm."

"He's not here?" Steph whispered.

"The kidnappers said to come alone. I couldn't risk it. Tank and a team are waiting about a mile down the road. If I don't come or if anyone approaches you don't wait, just drive." Ranger slid his hand up Steph's back and kissed her quickly pulling her body up along his. Sookie shifted uncomfortably, leaning against the doorframe, unable to look away from the pair.

Suddenly Sookie gasped as she felt a cold hand quickly circle her neck and lift her off the floor. She was thrown, crashing against the far wall. Before she could figure out what was happening Steph was on the floor beside her. She saw Ranger, gun raised, and then watched as he crumpled to the floor, another man's figure crouching over him.

The crouched figure looked up at Sookie and she felt a chill go through her as Steph's fear washed over her and combined with her own realizations. The man's face cracked into a sinister smile, his teeth glowing slightly under the florescent lights.

"My lucky day…" He snarled.

Sookie felt the fear in her rising as she looked into his cold eyes. Guess Steph was wrong; there were vampires in Trenton.

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*FTS **FLF

Please review, pm, and favorite, it really inspiring me to write more. Let me know if you like it, if you see things that need fixed, or if you have ideas you'd like to see.

Bill and/or Eric should show up in the next chapter.