I took a moment to prepare myself to phone Tank. I liked Tank and I was uncomfortable with him disliking me. He was Ranger's second in command. I didn't know all the particulars of their relationship, but Ranger trusted him implicitly.

Tank never says much, but I knew that he was extremely intelligent. And, he was obviously upset with me. Vinnie had joked about it and then Ranger went out of his way to call me and tell me to fix things.

What could he be so mad at me for? Slipping off the radar was something I'd done before. No surprises there. Sure they get annoyed by it, but no one's ever held a grudge before. I know I skipped work today, but again, this was nothing new. As long as I worked around twenty hours a week running background checks or helping with other Rangeman operations, I was good. It had to be the lying. I know that I flat-out lied to him about my location, but was that bad enough to make him hate me?

I worked up my nerve and dialed the number.

"Tank here."

"Hi Tank"

Silence.

"Listen, I'm sorry about what happened this morning."

I paused …Nothing.

"And I'll be in to catch up on work tomorrow." I rambled nervously. "But right now, I need a ride to pick up my car."

More Silence. I could faintly hear breathing though.

I gulped and continued, "Anyway, could you pick me up at my apartment around seven forty-five? The shop closes at nine."

There was a long pause, then, "Got it." And a dial tone.

Okay, he was a man of few words, but why did he have to be so damn intimidating?

I had thirty minutes to get ready. Tank couldn't yell at me if I looked hot, right? I planned on using all my feminine wiles. Hell, I might even bat my eyes at him. It couldn't hurt.

Twenty five minutes later, I stood at the front door of my apartment building waiting for Tank. I had showered, fixed my hair, applied make-up and dressed in a denim mini-skirt with a lacy red stretch top and red FMPs with a four-inch heel.

At exactly seven forty-five, a black SUV pulled up to my apartment building. I took a deep breath and walked over and climbed into the cab. The driver sat there with a big grin. It wasn't Tank, it was Santos. He was dressed in regular clothes, and looked just like your average well-built 'hot' guy.

"Well, well, aren't we all dressed up?"

"I thought Tank was picking me up."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but Tank was busy"

I wasn't disappointed. I was relieved in a way. At the same time, another part of my brain became more worried.

"So, why aren't you in Rangeman clothes?"

"I'm off my shift. I volunteered for this duty."

"Thanks," I said. "I'm sorry that you have to spend your time off for me."

"I'm not. I wanted to talk to you. Give you some advice."

Uh-oh. So now I need advice. I looked over at Santos. "Tank's really that mad?"

"Tank's been pretty overbearing all day. And to make matters worse, he's been taking it out on the guys. It's been rough"

I didn't know what to say. I just looked down at my hands.

"Look, most of these guys don't know how to relate to women. They can secure a third world country, no sweat, but you sit them down across from a woman and their brain turns to mush."

"So, what am I supposed to do?"

"If you want to help calm things down, you have to understand where they're coming from. With these guys, everything is about respect and order. They operate in the realm of commanders and troops. You don't fit into that equation."

"And?"

"You have to show respect to earn respect. You missed your firearm training today. So, make sure you don't miss the morning run and… it would help a lot if you could possibly show up at class."

"Ugh! Not at class!" It was a mixed – martial arts defense class. I did not want to be up close and personal with a bunch of sweaty, scary - looking guys.

"You know Ranger wants you there. It would make Tank's day to be able to tell Ranger that he got you to go."

When we got to DiMato's my car was parked out front. I hopped out of the SUV and walked over to take a closer look. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Nick came out of the office and started toward me looking dangerous. He was wearing expensive grey slacks with a blue dress shirt and a black leather jacket slung over his shoulder.

Cat calls were coming from the open bay doors. Two guys who looked like they just stepped off the set of the Sopranos headed toward us.

"Hey Nicky," the first one laughed. "So, this is why you worked late tonight?"

Nick looked over his shoulder, "Cool it Big Al."

The second guy's whose nametag read 'Chip' looked me up and down and smiled. "Nick never works late. Actually, he usually skips out of here early. Ain't that right Big Al?"

"Yeah, he even checked out the interior for you. Made sure everything was nice and clean. Never saw him care so much. You know?" Big Al added, while he and Chip punched each other laughingly behind Nick's back.

Nick was ignoring them. He didn't even look embarrassed. He was standing close to me staring down, smiling full dimples. The thoughts behind the eyes weren't well hidden. Warning bells went off in my head and black dots jumped around in front of me. His smile got bigger. Probably he thought I was overcome by his charisma.

"So, do you like your car?"

"Sure, it looks great," I said. Right now all I wanted was to jump into the Camaro and drive back to my part of Trenton, never to return. "Do you have my keys?"

Nick pulled the key ring out of his pocket and held them up for me to see. "I do, but I'm thinking that we need to take it for a test drive. Go get a few drinks, maybe."

So, this is how good girls become Mob girlfriends. Once you cross that line, there's no turning back. All it takes is one paintjob and you're in for life. Damn, I hate it when Mom is right!

Somehow, I had to brush Nick off without putting him down. "Gee, I appreciate the offer, but I have to get home early." The smile started to fade off Nick's face. Time to step it up a notch. "I have an appointment with my priest tomorrow. I'm thinking about becoming a nun."

"I wouldn't want to turn Nicky down, if I were you," Big Al advised me.

Chip added, "That would not be good. It's just drinks, he didn't ask you to marry him."

Probably, I looked like a goldfish gasping for air. I saw the three of them simultaneously looking over my head to something behind me. Just then, I felt a warm hand on my elbow.

"What's up?" Santos asked.

Chip and Big Al looked at Santos like he had two heads. Nick looked down at me with a blank expression. To defuse the situation I quickly said, "They were just telling me about the car. Nick here was just about to give me the keys."

I held out my hand and Nick slowly dropped the keys onto my open palm, his eyes never leaving mine. Lester pulled me away from the group and around to the driver's side and opened the door. Once I was inside, he leaned in and said quietly, "I'm following you back. You're going straight to Rangeman and checking in with Tank."

Tonight, I was definitely going to pray for protection and to ask God not to hold me accountable for that Nun part.