A/N: Thanks as always to Beth & Trish for editing, butt kicking and support. Thanks also to my wonderful DH for buying me books on Special Forces Equipment and not complaining at 3AM, when woken up to listen to another plot idea. Also thanks to all you wonderful people out there who are reading, enjoying and commenting on this story.

I eased my Glock from my hip and stepped closer. As soon as she hung up the phone I grabbed her around the waist and jerked her back against my body, pressing the barrel of my gun to her temple

"I am going to count to 3 and if you haven't given me an explanation I will pull the trigger. Do you understand?" I growled in Russian.

She didn't move or respond. Shit! I didn't want to have to make good on my threat.

"One."

Still nothing. She was motionless against my body and I think she'd stopped breathing.

"Two. Damn it Bailey, don't push me. I will fucking shoot you!"

"Winter. I was talking to Winter," she whispered.

I twisted her round in my arms and gripped her by the shoulders, shaking her roughly. "Tell me why," I snapped.

She glanced up at me, eyes wide and full of fear. The last time I had seen that look on her was four years ago, when I'd finally tracked her down to a dirty motel room in Arizona. She'd looked as scared then as she did now. I could see it in her face, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

"I called in a favor," she murmured.

It suddenly dawned on me that there was a lot I still didn't know about this woman. That had to end, right now. "We are going to go sit down in the dining room and you are going to tell me about Winter, about all the missing information from your government file and about who you really are."

"I can't."

"You can and you will, or I will make a phone call and you can kiss your life goodbye."

"You wouldn't…" she whispered.

"I don't make idle threats, you know that. Now move, and if you so much as reach for a weapon I will put a bullet in you."

Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she pulled away, heading for the dining room.

I took a deep breath to calm myself and to collect my thoughts. What the hell were she and Winter up to? I'd never trusted him, but Lee… I'd like to think that I could trust her. I could feel the paranoia creeping in. Was she a plant? Could she be working for someone else?

When I caught up with her she was sitting at the table, slouched down in the chair. She suddenly seemed very small and I was reminded of the fact that she was only in her mid twenties. Still so young and she'd lived through so much shit. I sat down opposite her and placed my Glock on the table in front of me. "Let's start at the beginning, shall we?"

She glared and remained silent, so I pulled my knife off my belt and placed it next to my gun. "I'm waiting."

Her arm flexed slightly and I knew instinctively that she was going for a throwing knife. "Don't even think about it," I growled as I picked up my gun, aiming at her.

She sat up slowly and looked directly into my eyes, schooling her face into her blank look. When she spoke, her Irish accent was thicker than usual. "My name is Aidan McLoughlin, I was born in Castlebar, County Derry in 1981 and I moved here in 1990 with my dad and older brother. Happy now?"

"Mother?"

"Dead. IRA bombing."

"Where's your father now?"

"Jail."

"Why?"

"He was an assassin."

"Brother?"

She shrugged and the blank mask slipped slightly. "No idea. Not seen him in years."

I put my gun down and clicked the safety on. It had bothered her when I mentioned her brother, but I could push for more info on him later. There were more important things I needed to know. "So next, your government file," I demanded

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, they left some information out. You know, the bit about you being a cyberspace menace."

"I didn't think you needed to know," she said, squirming slightly in her seat.

"You're an Internet terrorist and you've been using my equipment to carry on doing this, I take it?"

The blank mask finally slipped and she looked petrified. "Please, I'm sorry. I really needed a safe place to stay; otherwise I'd have spent all my time looking over my shoulder. I thought I'd lose the apartment in Boston if I told you, so I decided that what you didn't know wouldn't hurt you. I never meant to keep all that from you, but…"

"Bailey."

She looked away, and refused to meet my gaze.

"You think I'd throw you out for that?"

She nodded.

"Baby, you kill people for me, for God's sake. I couldn't care less what you do with your time, but I'd much rather that you had told me from the beginning. What is important is that I have your loyalty, which leads me onto asking about Winter. Why did you contact him?"

"He owes me a favor."

"Why?"

"I've done some work for him in the past."

"Like what?"

"I can't tell you. If I did…"

"You'd have to kill me?"

She smiled slightly, "Yeah, something like that."

"Fine. But you can tell me why you told him our mission details."

She sighed. "I know that you don't trust him, but believe me Ric, he's a good guy."

A good guy compared to whom? While she might trust him, I wasn't ready to do so just yet. "You still haven't told me why you spilled our secrets to him."

"That Intel didn't look right, Ric. I mean the Columbians? It just doesn't make any sense. They've been inactive for years. I called Winter to see if he could check it out. He agreed to help and he's already on the ground in Scotland, scoping the situation out. He was calling with an update."

"And?"

"It's a load of bollocks. I was right, it's nothing to do with the Columbians. It's a bunch of ex Spetsnaz guys working on behalf of some as yet unknown independent party. The government is selling you down the river."

"Fuck." This had gone to fucking rat shit. Ex-Russian Special Forces was all I needed.

"Exactly, Winter wanted to know what was going on so he could make sure that we got in without a hitch. They know you're coming, Ric."

Double fuck. I really didn't want to die.

Bailey stood up and walked around the table. I slid my chair back and pulled her onto my lap, resting my chin on top of her head. "I'm sorry, you were right. We need to go with plan A. I don't like it, but I don't see what choice we have now. They won't think that you're connected to me," I murmured.

"Friends again?" she asked.

"Yeah, always."

"I'd never betray you Ric, no matter what."

"I know. Normally you know I would never think anything like that, but this is a total cluster fuck and I'm having a hard time trusting anyone. I didn't know who was on the phone and when you started speaking Russian it made me suspicious. My first thought was that you were selling me out. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I shouldn't have tried to hide the conversation from you. Anyway, you came up here for a reason. What did you want?"

"Junior wanted some help with some coding."

"Not a problem. I'll take a look at it. We better get back downstairs." She slid off my lap and headed for the door.

"Oh by the way, did you really jump Les?" I queried.

"What?"

"He said that you jumped him."

"Cheeky fucking bastard," she growled.

"So you didn't kiss him?"

"Well… It was kind of mutual."

"You like him?"

"Maybe," she shrugged.

"Maybe?"

"He's pretty hot."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and he's got a better arse than you."

Once we had crosschecked the new Intel from Winter with the stuff the General had sent though, it was quickly confirmed that the government was feeding us a load of shit. Someone out there wanted me dead and they were certainly trying to make sure that they achieved their goal.

With great reluctance I stood the guys down at 2AM. Nothing they could do would make this information any more trustworthy. The night shift took over from the contract workers and the other teams left. The best thing we could do now was prepare for the worst and pack as much fire power as possible. I wasn't going to get caught and run out of ammo this time.

Mac was due to land in the next hour, so I'd sent Hal to the airstrip to pick him up. The flight time from Miami in the old C-130 Hercules was about four and a half hours. That damn plane handled like shit, but had proved invaluable over the years. We'd acquired the heap of junk on a mission to Brazil a few years ago, and hung onto it, as it had made flying into hostile countries so much easier.

Even though Scotland wasn't hostile, we'd never have gotten through customs with the amount of hardware we were packing. Let alone all the illegal shit we had. Plus, arriving that way was akin to telling the whole world what we were up to. Flying in low at night in our own craft to a small, unmanned airstrip was by far the best plan of action.

The team was now arguing over equipment. What to take and what not to take. Bones wanted to go back to Boston to raid our basement bunker as we had a lot more supplies there. Tank wanted to empty with entire gun room next to the garage and leave it at that and Lester kept muttering that it didn't matter as we were dead anyway, because the Russians knew we were coming and we would stand out like a sore thumb.

Then we had the problems of vehicles. Our American SUV's would be too obvious over there, so we needed to pick something up when we got over there. Bailey had called Winter back and he'd said that he'd get hold of some Land Rover's, preferably the older and shabbier the better. He reckoned that no one would look twice at them as most farmers used them in the Highlands.

We did decide to take bikes with us. Bailey's Ducati had come over on the back of my Lariat, and Lester's Yamaha was already in the garage. We scrabbled round and borrowed another couple of bikes from two of my men.

The logic was that the roads were narrow and busy, so faster progress could be made on a bike, getting us to anywhere we needed to be in less time. Winter had also said that a group of bikers would blend in with the hundreds of others that holidayed up there, giving us a slightly better cover.

The plan was still shot to shit, seeing as the Intel was dodgy and they knew that we were coming. We decided to pretty much make it up as we went along. It was a first for me and it scared the crap out of me. We'd send Bailey in to play distraction when we knew what these guys were up to.

If they knew I was coming and bringing a team it wasn't difficult to figure out who I would take, but we were going to have to keep a really low profile. Mac would blend because he was Scottish, Bailey would pass too as no one knew who she was. Winter would be fine as well since he was not a known associate of mine. But the rest of us… we were screwed.

Zero popped his head round the door, jarring me from my musings. "Umm, boss? Steph's asleep at her desk. Do you want me to wake her up and take her home?"

"No thanks Zero. I'll deal with it," I answered. Despite the deep shit we found ourselves in at the moment, I afforded myself a small chuckle. They never broke protocol. If my men ever needed to deal with Steph they always came to me first. Did they think I wouldn't trust them around her? If any of the guys had been asleep at their desk then someone would have just woken them up. Then again, my men never fell asleep on the job. Not since Ram woke up at the end of his night shift about a year ago to find that he had no eyebrows and pink hair.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Steph was still asleep when I entered her cubicle, head pillowed on her folded arms. God she was truly beautiful and when she was asleep she looked like an angel. If she only knew how she made me feel…

I gently tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. "Babe," I whispered.

"Mmmm."

"Come on babe, wake up. Time to go home."

She looked up at me, stifling a yawn. "What time is it?" she murmured.

"Nearly 2.30AM. Get your stuff together and I'll drive you home."

"No, I'm fine. You don't need to bother, Ranger, I can drive myself."

"Babe."

"Ranger, please. I'm fine," she pleaded. Something flickered in her eyes: fear.

"Did Joe give you hassle about working late?"

She sighed, "A little, but he'll get over it."

Bastard. She didn't work weekends, she'd never done any overtime and since she'd moved in with him she'd stopped doing distraction jobs for me. So when I ask her to help me out for the first time in 10 months, the prick has the nerve to give her a hard time about it. I really wanted to take Steph home now, just to piss Morelli off. But in the end I knew it would only cause trouble for her.

"Why don't I get one of the guys to give you a lift instead?"

She thought about it for a few seconds and then nodded in agreement.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Someone needs to drive Steph home. Morelli's being a jerk so she doesn't want me to do it. Any volunteers?"

"I'll go," Bailey offered.

"No." God, that's the last thing I need right now.

"I promise to behave. And anyway, I need junk food. You guys hungry?"

"I'll call an order into Shorty's," Bobby offered, pulling out his cell.

"Shorty's?" she asked.

"Best pizza around, kid." Tank said with a grin.

"Cool, write me the address down and I'll stick it in the GPS. I'll eat whatever's good as long as it has no anchovies."

I sighed. With any luck Steph would fall asleep as soon as she got in the truck. "Behave, Lee."

She grabbed the address from Bobby and snapped me a mock salute, "Yes boss."

I pulled my truck keys out of my pocket and offered them to her. "I think you'll be needing these."

She reached in her back pocket and pulled a set of keys out, holding them up in front of me. "Got it covered."

Somehow she had gotten hold of the keys to my new, custom-built TVR Tuscan. "How did you get those?"

Bailey just grinned.

I was so tired and emotionally drained right now. Seeing Ranger with another woman was difficult. I mean it wasn't like we ever had a relationship, but then again he had always told me that he wasn't relationship material. Watching them together made me feel sick, like he had betrayed me somehow by allowing himself to let her into his life.

It also made me angry. I'd heard through the office grapevine that he'd known her for years, from before he'd even met me. For two years I'd played this stupid game with him and got nowhere. Finally, six months ago I decided that he was never going to let me into his life in the way I needed so I stepped up my relationship with Joe. I had hoped that he would distract me from my feelings for Ranger, but not a day went by without me thinking "what if."

And now, out of nowhere she waltzes right in, keeping his bed warm, working in his office and going on that damn mission with him. I wanted to shoot her.

I grabbed my bag, switched off my computer and turned round, letting out a shriek. Bailey was leaning against the entrance to my cubicle. "Damn it, can't any of you learn to make a noise?" I yelled.

She grinned, "Need to be more aware of your surroundings, Steph."

"And you guys need some new lines," I snapped. I was sick and tired of being a joke around here.

"What?"

"Oh, never mind. I can drive myself now, thank you. I'm sure you need to get back to whatever you where doing."

"No, not really. I'm on a pizza run. I can drop you off on the way."

I was so not doing this. "I'm fine now," I spat.

"Come on, Steph. I stole the keys to Ric's new sports car and I've been itching to drive it since I got here. It's as sexy as hell."

She steals his keys and shoots people, she really is mad. I just hope she doesn't meet my Grandma; my mother would be ironing for weeks.

"Well, at least I don't need to steal Ranger's keys when I need a car. He just gives them to me," I replied tartly. Oh I was in queen bitch mode. I really didn't like this woman.

She shot me a dark look and I had to stop myself from taking a step back. Grabbing hold of my arm, she pulled me towards the elevator. "You and I are going to go for a ride and on the way we are going to have a little chat. Do you understand?" she hissed.

Oh crap. "Um… s..sure," I stuttered. Where was Wonder Woman when I needed her?

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I trailed out of the elevator behind her, rummaging in my pocket book for my gun, stun gun or pepper spray. Hell, even a nail file would do right now. Damn bag, I couldn't find anything of use.

"Shooting me won't solve anything, Stephanie. So don't even bother. Just get in the car," Bailey said, beeping the locks open on the most amazing car I had ever seen. The TVR made the Porsche look like the Buick.

Who was I to argue with a heavily armed nutcase? I opened the door and slid into the soft leather seat. Oh this car was heaven. It already smelled of Bulgari and leather. She turned the engine over and it let out a low rumbling purr.

I turned slightly to study the woman sitting next to me. She was short, dark, practically flat chested and a little alternative looking. Whatever Ranger's type was, she was not what I would have pictured. God only knew what he saw in her. Maybe Vince was right and she was very good in bed.

She caught me looking at her and sighed. "Ask. I know you want to," she said as she pulled out of parking spot and up to the garage exit.

I waited until we hit Haywood and most of her attention was on the road before I responded. "Why?"

She glanced over and then returned her attention to the road. "Convenience. And where am I going? I haven't a clue where you live."

"Go left at the next light. What do you mean, convenience?"

"Ric and I are friends and we both have needs. It's easier than picking up some random stranger in a bar."

Oh please. "Do you expect me to believe that garbage?"

"I'm telling you what the situation is but you can believe what you like. I don't really care Steph."

"Ranger doesn't do casual sex."

She laughed. "So that night in your apartment, what was that then?"

She knew about that?? Fuck. I had no idea how to answer, so I kept quiet.

She continued, "Ric wants you, but he hasn't a God damn clue about how to go about it. He's too scared to let you in, in case you run from him what you finally get to see the real him. After he fucked you, he backed off because he was so freaked out by how much he felt for you."

"I don't understand, why are you telling me this?" I whispered. This was all making my head hurt and I was way too tired to be dealing with this.

"I love Ric, he's one of my best friends and I want to see him happy. I think you'll make him happy."

"Hang on just a minute," I yelled. "You've been sleeping with him for how many years?"

"Four, but I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"He was seeing you at the same time as that stupid deal he made with me. How can you say that he wants me when he's been sleeping with you all along?"

"Bloody hell, woman! Don't you listen to a word I say? Ric and I share a bed every now and then. We care about each other and we pick up the pieces when one of us has had a bad day. Our relationship doesn't go beyond good friends and fuck buddies. That is the truth," she ground out.

"That's a relationship."

She muttered something I didn't understand in some foreign language or other and pulled over at the curb, shutting the engine off. Turning in her seat she looked at me. "I am going to tell you a little story, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. But I don't see what…"

She cut me off. "Six months ago Ric arrived in Boston late one Friday night. I have never ever seen him so furious in all my life. He never said a word, but his mood was so dark and I could feel the anger rolling off him in waves. He walked right in and fucked me, hard. No foreplay, God, not even a hello. He was rough and brutal and I carried the bruises for over a week. I can normally handle him when he's angry, but this time it was different, and you know what? When he came, he yelled your name," she said, looking at me as she finished speaking.

I opened my mouth to comment, but I was speechless.

"A friend called me not long before Ric turned up, and said that you'd spoken to him earlier and asked for a couple of days off so you could move in with the cop," Bailey said.

"Oh my God, I had no idea he'd react like that..."

She snorted, "And then he drank himself into oblivion, and I had the joyous task of holding his hair out of his face while he threw up in the bathroom for three hours. In all the time I have know him, I have never ever seen him lose control like that."

"I can't believe he did that because I moved in with Joe."

"Do I need to spell out to you how much you mean to him, Stephanie?"

"No…"

"Just think about what you want, Steph. Seriously."

"I'm with Joe and I'm happy."

"You sure?"

"Yes!"

"Well then, I suggest that you go look for a new job, because you are breaking Ric's heart. I am sick and tired of you making him miserable. He has to work with you everyday and watch you go home to someone else at night."

"That's not my fault!" I yelled. I could feel tears pooling in my eyes. Damn it!

"You're both as stupid and stubborn as each other. Stop fucking about and tell him how you feel."

"After our one night together he told me to go back to Joe."

"And you did, you stupid cow. Look Steph, it takes a lot for Ric to let someone in and he always wondered how much Joe meant to you. He gave you a push and off you went. You didn't even fight for Ric, you just walked away. In his eyes you'd made your choice."

Oh my God. What the hell am I going to do?