Bruno lived in a broken-down apartment complex that was, with traffic, about an hour's drive away from the bonds office. He'd been picked up on some drug charges and resisting arrest. Based on his picture from his file, he seemed easy enough to deal with. Early forties, heavy-set, and a face that looked young with chubby cheeks and a red-tinged patchy beard. Lula thought he looked cute in a disheveled kind of way.

"Wonder why he wouldn't show up for his court date. He seems on the up and up to me." I shrugged. I'd given up trying to understand why some people didn't just suck it up and go in. I guess it kept me employed when they didn't, so I shouldn't complain.

We pulled up to the curb across the street from the apartments, and sat in my car while Lula finished her fourth Boston Crème.

"You feeling ok?" she asked between bites. "You only had one donut." I debated telling her about the package and the terrifying nightmare I'd had but decided against it for now. I wanted to talk with Ranger first.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired, I guess." Lula gave me a wry smile.

"Officer Hottie keeping you up all night?" I rolled my eyes.

"I don't think I'd be looking like this if that were the case," I muttered. She got an excited look on her face.

"Hey, now that's an idea," she laughed. I gave her an eyebrow raise. "Does Morelli have any single friends?"

I shrugged. "Maybe a few, why?"

"If we could get my sister a fella while she's here, she probably wouldn't have time to lay into me so much. She'd be doing her 'laying' elsewhere if you know what I mean." She winked.

"Gross, thanks for that," I said. I glanced down at my new watch from Ranger. "Sorry to cut this stakeout short, but I've got somewhere to be. The plan seems simple enough with Bruno. I bet we could just knock on the door and grab him. Probably wouldn't even put up much of a fight."

"I'll bring Ole Trusty just in case," Lula said patting her handbag.

"No guns," I said sternly. Her shoulders sagged a little in disappointment.

"You're such a buzzkill sometimes," she frowned.

We made our way back to the bonds office. "You know where to find me for the takedown," Lula said as she climbed out of the car. "I'll either be here keeping Connie company, or I might swing by the Cluck in a Bucket for lunch. Don't forget to ask Morelli about his guy friends. It's either that or you might be posting my bail here in a few days." With one final readjustment of her tube top, she strutted back into the office.

I pulled my visor mirror down and gave myself the once-over. Other than the huge dark circles under my eyes and the fading bruise on my forehead, I looked decent enough. It wasn't like it should matter anyway. Ranger and I were just going to talk business. As far as I knew, we were nothing more than friends, and this wasn't a date. Still, whenever I met up with Ranger, I wanted to look good. He always did.

I pulled up to the garage of the seven-story nondescript building ten minutes before eleven and waved to the security camera. There was an open parking spot waiting for me next to Ranger's personal vehicles. I took the elevator to the fifth floor and smiled to myself as the doors opened. The security firm was bustling with activity, and I nodded a greeting to some of the familiar faces dressed in the Rangeman black uniforms.

Tank offered a small smile at me from across the room, and I walked over to say 'Hi.'

"How's your head?" he asked looking up from his computer. I rubbed the sore spot on my forehead. The swelling had gone down, and there was only a hint of a bruise.

"It's still a little sore, but I think I'll live." I offered a smile. "Is Ranger around? I'm supposed to meet him at eleven." Tank nodded.

"He's in his office." He leaned a little closer. "Not in the best of moods, if you know what I mean. Don't tell him I said anything." I pulled an imaginary zipper across my lips and locked it.

"Got it," I said as I made my way back to the main office.

I tapped the door lightly and walked in. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" I asked taking a seat in one of the chairs. Ranger finished typing something on his computer and looked up at me. He was dressed in a black Rangeman T-shirt and cargo pants, his usual work uniform unless he was meeting with clients. He didn't look quite as put together today for some reason, but he was still handsome as ever.

"Do you mind if we go upstairs to talk?" he asked. I felt a shiver of panic. Ranger's private apartment was upstairs, and nothing good ever came of us being alone in it together.

"Maybe it would be safer down here," I suggested.

"Think I'm dangerous?" he asked with a hint of a smile.

"Always," I sighed.

"Babe."

He took my hand and pulled me out of the chair. "We'll keep it strictly business," he said turning serious. "I promise." He crossed his heart with his finger. I rolled my eyes but gave in anyway.

We rode in silence up two more stories to the seventh floor. Ranger's apartment was cool and immaculately kept by his beyond-amazing housekeeper, Ella. Ranger had claimed this space to live in, but Ella was the one who really made it a home. She cleaned, brought meals, and kept the bathroom stocked with the Bulgari shower gel that Ranger used and had become a sort of kryptonite for me over the years. The smell was intoxicating, and so was Ranger. It lingered in his apartment and reignited my growing sense of panic. I took a deep breath. As long as there wasn't another kiss like before, I could probably handle this.

"Want something to drink?" he asked heading for the kitchen.

"Considering the current state of my nerves, I would kill for some hard liquor. But taking into account my history with the stuff and the fact that it's still morning, I better stick with a glass of water." His mouth twitched in amusement as he went and poured two glasses. We both took a seat at the table. I watched him, waiting for the news on the packages.

"Well?" I finally asked. His jaw tightened.

"I have some bad news. The forensics guy didn't come up with anything."

"That's not exactly unexpected, is it?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No, but I had another package left on my car this morning." My eyes widened.

"Here?" The seven-story Rangeman fortress was under pretty tight security. Not only that, but if you did manage to break in, your fate was pretty much sealed. Ranger wasn't exactly lenient when it came to disrupting his protected and personal space.

"So where are you keeping the body?" I asked sarcastically. Ranger frowned.

"I didn't catch whoever did it. They were probably long gone by the time I made it into the garage anyway."

I raised an eyebrow. "Nothing on the security footage?"

He shook his head. "Nothing out of the norm. The package isn't on the car one moment and then suddenly it is. The cameras could have been tampered with. I'm looking into it."

"What was in it?"

"You really don't want to know." Considering the other "gifts" we'd received, he was probably right.

"Have you been home today?" he asked. I shook my head. My stomach was starting to feel queasy. Now I was almost certain the man in black hadn't been a dream. "Are you feeling ok?" he asked.

"I think someone broke into Morelli's last night." Ranger's eyes grew dark.

"Did they leave you something else?" I shook my head.

"No. At least I don't think so. I couldn't sleep so I was downstairs on the couch. I'd drifted off, and someone dressed in black with a mask appeared. I was pretty sure I was still sleeping, but I could see his eyes and feel his breath on my cheek. He said 'let the games begin.' Whoever it was somehow managed to disappear before Morelli made it downstairs to check on me because there wasn't a trace of him once the lights were flipped on. I tried to convince myself that it was just a dream, but the front door was unlocked, and now with all of this, I'm really not so sure."

Ranger's eyes were fiery and dark and his hands were clenched in tight fists. Another unusual display of emotion. I touched his arm, and he seemed to regain some control again.

"I'm working on a list of possible suspects," he said. "But considering what we have so far, this person obviously isn't just playing games. They know what they're doing. You and I both know how difficult it is to get in here. You may want to start coming up with a cover story for Morelli in case we need to move you to a safe house for a while." I slumped in my chair.

"Great." He took a sip of water.

"Listen, I know this is a lot for you to deal with right now. You could stay here this afternoon," he offered. "Take the day off, have a hot shower, grab a nap. I'd even ask Ella to whip up something in the kitchen for you if you want. And the best part is I'll be downstairs if anybody tries anything." He paused. "Or if you need someone to help take your mind off things," he smiled at me seductively. My hand almost knocked over my glass of water.

"I've gotta go pick up a skip with Lula this afternoon," I said pretending not to hear the last comment. "And I should probably swing by Morelli's. I don't want him coming home to any horrifying surprises." Ranger sighed.

"I'd feel better if you were here." I shook my head.

"Not gonna happen."

"Fine," he said. "At least let me come with you back to the house later. If someone's there waiting, I don't want you meeting up with them alone." I finally conceded, and told him I'd call once Lula and I had the Bruno thing under wraps.

Ranger walked me back to the elevator. We rode down in silence, but my heart skipped a beat when he stopped it just before we reached the fifth floor. He turned and looked at me.

"Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. Once we're past all this stuff, I really need to talk with you about something." He paused and leaned into me. I closed my eyes expecting a kiss like before, but nothing happened. Finally his lips brushed my cheek, and I heard the elevator doors open.

"I need to get back to work," he said exiting the elevator. "Call me when you're done with Bruno." I watched him walk back into the room as the doors slowly closed. Something was definitely going on with Ranger, but strange as it was, it was the least of my worries.