Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich except for Jonathon Wescott, he's mine.

Thank you Kashy, for your support and always keeping me on my toes. You're a Godsend!

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the previous chapters, please keep your reviews coming, I appreciate each one!

Warnings: Rated R for Adult language and situations, angst, violence and character death

Hindsight

Chapter Six

Stephanie hung up the phone and fell back on the bed groaning. "That was my mother. Grandma Mazur's in jail and mom needs me to go bail her out. She'd do it herself but she's babysitting for Val and Albert while they're out of town and she doesn't trust my father to do it."

Climbing out of bed, she walked into the closet to find something to wear and wiggled into a pair of old blue jeans and threw on an oversized red sweat shirt.

She sat down on the bed and continued while she tied her shoe laces. "Officer Picky pulled Grandma's date over for suspicion of DUI. When he asked to see Grandma's ID, she couldn't find it and dumped the contents of her pocketbook out onto the hood of the car, including Elsie, her 44 long barrel handgun. She was arrested for carrying concealed."

Ranger tilted back his head and laughed. Seeing the death glare she shot his way, he ran his hand through his hair, cleared his throat and looked away. "I'll call Vinnie and get the paperwork started."

She finger combed her hair, throwing it into a loose pony tail at the nape of her neck with a scrunchie. "My mother already called Vinnie to bond her out and he'll meet us there."

Hoisting her shoulder bag onto her shoulder, she turned to Ranger. "Are you ready?"

He was dressed and leaning against the door frame, his arms folded across his chest, smiling his wolf-grin at her. "Babe, I was born ready."

Vinnie was waiting for them when they arrived at the jail. "I always knew this day would come, I don't know why they bothered to set bail for the old bat. They should do society a favor and throw away the key."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Thanks for posting her bond Vinnie. I appreciate it."

"Just make sure she makes her court date. Otherwise I'm sending you after her if she goes FTA. Just imagine for a moment what it will be like hauling your own grandmother in to jail!"

The doors buzzed and clanged open just then and a very irate Grandma Mazur came stomping out. "Well how do you like that? They didn't even strip search me! You got here too soon, Stephanie. You should have let me stay overnight."

Stephanie cringed and avoided Ranger's eyes. "Let's just get you home, Grandma."

After helping her into the Explorer, Ranger slipped behind the wheel.

"We need to stop off at a gas station," Grandma Mazur said. "I need to use the toilet something fierce. The holding cell was a large area with three steel walls on one side and metal bars on the other. There were two hookers and some old drunk broad in the tank with me and we all had to share the same stainless steel toilet without any privacy. I've been holding it since I got there."

Ranger pulled into the nearest 7-11 and helped Grandma Mazur out of the car. Sitting back in the driver's seat, he reached over and tucked a curl behind Stephanie's ear. "Your grandmother is quite the character. She's got a lot of spirit and a flair for life. You're a lot like her."

Stephanie laughed. "She's a character all right. She has a knack for getting herself into the most unpredictable situations."

"Like I said Babe, you're a lot like her. I wouldn't change a thing."

Stephanie smiled. "I suppose I am more like Grandma Mazur than anyone else in my family. My mother calls it insanity, but Grandma calls it spunk." Hoisting her shoulder bag over her shoulder she said, "She's taking a long time in there. I better go make sure everything is okay."

The bathrooms were located towards the rear of the store where there was a narrow hall that lead to three doors. The men's room was the first door on the left, next came the ladies room, and at the end of the hall was a door which was slightly ajar, marked 'Employees Only'.

Stephanie approached the ladies room door and knocked. "Grandma, are you okay in there?"

There was no answer, so she tested the door and found it unlocked. Poking her head in, she saw that the room was empty.

She had an uneasy feeling in her stomach and was about to go ask the clerk if she'd seen Grandma Mazur when she heard a muffled noise coming from the room at the end of the hall, which she assumed to be a storage room. Cautiously, she opened the door and looked inside. The room was pitch black, the only light was coming from the hallway. She heard a noise to her right and spun in that direction.

Standing less than four feet away was a man dressed all in black with a ski mask pulled over his face. He was holding Grandma Mazur from behind, his hand covering her mouth.

His eyes burned with hatred. Gritting his teeth, he hissed, "Well, well. Look at what we have here. This is working out better than we'd hoped. I had planned on taking the old bitch to trade for you!"

Grandma Mazur bit down hard on his hand. He jerked his hand back and her teeth went flying across the room.

"Who are you calling old?" Grandma asked.

He shoved her into Stephanie and they both tumbled to the floor in a tangle of legs and arms. Before she could recover, Stephanie felt her arm being jerked as she was pulled to her feet.

Kicking and clawing, she managed to kick him in the knee and the grip he had on her upper arm was loosened. She reached up and pulled the ski mask off his face. It was Jackson Ambers.

Enraged, he clenched his fist and hit her in the jaw. Her head snapped back and lights flashed behind her eyes. She started to lose consciousness when Grandma Mazur doused them both with a bucket full of dirty mop water.

Ambers sputtered, wiped at his eyes, and seized Stephanie's arm, dragging her towards a door at the opposite end of the room. Grandma Mazur grabbed the mop and, holding it like a samurai warrior, attacked him, swinging the mop into the air and bringing it down on him, hitting him in the head, neck and shoulders.

Stephanie brought her arm back and landed a punch right on Ambers nose. Grabbing his nose as blood spurted out, Ambers let Stephanie go and made his escape through the back door where a car was waiting.

Stephanie's head felt as though it had been split open with an ax. She was dizzy and thought she was going to be sick. She wasn't sure if the nausea was caused by the blow to her head or the rank smell of filth and mildew from the mop water she had been drenched in.

Grandma Mazur found her teeth, brushed them off and popped them back into her mouth. Together they made their way out of the store and back to the Explorer where Ranger waited.

Instantly Ranger was at Stephanie's side, helping her and Grandma Mazur into the car. "What happened? You were gone less than ten minutes."

"I actually have good news. I know for certainty that the lunatic after me is Jackson Ambers." Stephanie told him what had happened, explaining that Ambers had intended to use Grandma as a lure to get at her. She told him about the fight and how they managed to escape.

"He must have been staking out RangeMan waiting for me to leave and followed us. Now, by holding Grandma hostage, he's proven he'll even use my family in order to get to me."

Ranger opened his cell phone and called the control room. "Prepare a safe house and send a team to the Plum house on High Street for extraction."

Grandma Mazur leaned forward in her seat. "What does this man want with you Steph?"

Stephanie lay back against the seat and closed her eyes to the throbbing pain pounding in her head. "I don't know Grandma. I sure wish I did though."

When they arrived at Stephanie's parents' home, her mother was waiting at the front door. "Oh my God, what happened to you, and what's that smell? It smells like you've been swimming around in a sewer!

Ranger escorted everyone inside, closed and locked the front door and checked the rest of the doors and windows in the house, insuring they were all locked and secure.

Gathering everyone together in the kitchen, he explained the situation. "None of you are safe. Tonight, Jackson Ambers made an attempt to use Grandma Mazur as a hostage in order to kidnap Stephanie. I'll do my best to keep Steph safe but I can't be with all of you, all the time. I need you to move to a safe house until Ambers is apprehended."

Ellen objected immediately. "We can't just pick up and leave in the middle of the night. What would the neighbors say?"

"Shut up and listen for once Ellen," Grandma Mazur said. "Don't you get it? If we don't take Ranger up on his offer, you probably won't be around long enough to hear what the neighbors do have to say."

Frank cleared his throat and asked, "What do you need us to do?"

Ranger explained that they could each bring one suitcase with just the essentials. If there was anything else they needed it would be provided for them.

As Ellen and Grandma Mazur left to go pack their bags and get the children ready, Ranger gently touched Stephanie's jaw and frowned when he saw her wince. "Can you move it?"

"Yeah, it's sore but I'll be okay. He was caught off balance when he struck me, otherwise it would have been a lot worse."

Brett, Caesar, Manny and Binkie arrived to escort the Plums to the safe house. Brett and Caesar stayed behind to watch the house in hopes that Jackson Ambers would make an appearance. Ellen told them there was plenty of food in the refrigerator and to make themselves at home.

After making sure everything was secure and the Plums were safe, Ranger and Stephanie returned to RangeMan.

Stephanie headed straight for the shower and adjusted the water until it was as hot as she could stand it. She shampooed and conditioned her hair twice and scrubbed every inch of her skin until she was pink and raw. When the water turned cold she stepped out and dried off before wrapping herself into Ranger's bathrobe. She towel dried her hair and ran her fingers through her curls as opposed to styling it.

Ranger and Bobby were sitting on the couch when she came back into the living room. Ranger patted the couch cushion beside him and she sat down between them. "I want Bobby to take a look at your jaw, just to make sure everything is okay."

Bobby was gentle as he examined her jaw, and checked for loosened teeth. "You're okay, nothing is broken. You're going to be sore for a few days."

He removed an ice pack from his med kit and carefully placed it on her jaw. "Keep ice packs on it to reduce the swelling and you can take Advil for the pain."

After seeing Bobby to the door, Ranger returned to his place on the couch and gathered Stephanie into his arms. Holding her close, he gently brushed her hair back with his fingers, and placed soft kisses on her temples. Snuggling into him, Stephanie relaxed against him and absorbed his strength and comfort. Placing her hand on his chest, she felt the strong steady beat of his heart and soon drifted off into a deep sleep.

Several days passed without any new leads in locating Jackson Ambers.

Each morning, Stephanie found her inbox overflowing. She was rarely able to complete all the search requests before the end of the day. She utilized the gym, more out of boredom than the desire for exercise and after Tank gave her a few tips on how to throw a punch, she found she rather enjoyed pummeling the big bags.

The Merry Men did their best to keep her spirits up by telling her stories about the good times they had all shared. Bobby and Hal smuggled in donuts occasionally, risking an official reprimand and write-up in their employee files. It was worth the risk just to watch as she savored that first bite into a Boston crème, but often the donuts would go untouched.

Despite their best efforts, Stephanie became more depressed with each passing day. She found it harder to crawl out of bed each morning and would often escape back upstairs after only a few hours of work to take a nap. Her smiles were forced, and she began to lose weight. Denial being her friend, she tried to put on a brave front and hoped no one had noticed her lack of enthusiasm.

Ranger saw the change come over her and recognized the classic signs and symptoms of depression. Stephanie wasn't one to stay confined indoors. She needed to fly. He had been where she was now. He knew from first hand experience what she was going through and decided to do something about it. Picking up his phone he placed a few calls and made all the arrangements to throw Stephanie a surprise birthday party.

Friday morning dawned bright with sunshine. Stephanie dragged herself out of bed and quickly showered before dressing and reporting for work. When she entered the communications room, all conversation stopped and the men turned away from her. Hal had a goofy look on his face and when he saw her looking at him strangely, he smiled and found something he had to do at the other end of the room. Even Hector, who was always quick with a smile and a hug, avoided her. She knew she wasn't good company and didn't blame them for keeping their distance.

That evening, Ranger told her that he had some things to finish up, and said he'd be up in a little while. Stephanie took the elevator to the seventh floor alone and, not having much of an appetite, she headed for the shower. She was surprised to find laying across the bed, the red beaded cocktail dress she had purchased so long ago at Epic Designs. Sitting on the floor, next to the bed were the sexy jewel encrusted sandals with 4 3/4 inch heels she had also purchased just to go with that particular dress.

She didn't know what Ranger was up to, but she knew it was something special. After plugging in her hot rollers, she quickly showered. Stepping out of the shower, she dried off, and blow dried her hair before she wrapped it around the hot rollers. She carefully applied her makeup wearing two coats of mascara and red lipstick that matched her nails which thankfully she had painted the night before.

Because of the crisscrossed back of the dress, she wouldn't be able to wear a bra. She selected some skimpy red satin v-string panties she had purchased at Victoria's Secrets months ago, but had never worn. Knowing Ranger had gone to a lot of trouble for whatever he had up his sleeve, she decided to give him a little surprise of her own and put on a pair of beaded lace top, thigh high stockings.

She piled her hair on top of her head, securing it with black beaded bobby pins, leaving just enough curls hanging down her face and back to give her a soft, seductive appearance. She stepped into her dress and fastened her shoes before looking in the mirror to make sure everything was perfect.

She walked into the living room just as there was a soft tap on the door. Opening the door, she found Ranger standing in the hall. He was dressed in a black Armani suit, and white shirt, the top three buttons open. In his hand, he was holding one perfect long stemmed red rose. The effect was unsettling and Stephanie felt a flush that spread all the way down to her toes.

"See something you like, babe?" Ranger beamed his 200-watt smile.

Entering the apartment, he put the rose to his nose and inhaled its scent before handing it to her.

Blushing deeply, she took the rose and found a vase sitting on the counter to put it in. Ranger had thought through every last detail. When she came back into the living room, he was standing by the couch where a bottle of champagne sat chilling.

After pouring and handing her a glass he raised his glass, lightly tapping hers and said, "Happy Birthday, Babe."

She laughed and said, "I totally forgot that it's my birthday, thank you so much Ranger….for everything!"

After drinking their champagne, he took her glass and set it on the coffee table with his own. Slipping his hands around her waist, he pulled her to him. Taking her chin in his hand, he lowered his mouth to hers. With his tongue, he outlined her lips, sending shivers down her back, until it slid between her lips. Whimpering into his mouth she clung to him.

Nothing else in the whole world mattered when she was held in Ranger's arms. She felt the strong rapid beat of his heart against her chest.

When he broke the kiss, she looked up into his face and saw his desire for her burning in his eyes.

He lifted his head and brushed soft kisses across her eyes, cheeks and nose. Lowering his lips to her throat, he felt her tremble and groaned deep in his chest. His hands traveled down her body to rest on her hips as his lips moved down over her collarbone.

Huskily, he whispered in her ear. "We have reservations, if we don't leave now we'll never make them."

They took the elevator to the first floor and when the doors opened, Ranger led her through the lobby and out onto the street where a stretch limousine waited for them. Making her self comfortable against the leather sofa, she looked around the interior of the car. There was a TV, VCR, and state of the art stereo system. Looking up she could see the stars shining through the moon roof.

Excitedly, she turned to Ranger. "Everything is beautiful. I've never been in a limo like this before."

Gathering her in his arms he looked into her eyes and lightly brushed his lips across hers. "We need to broaden your horizons, Babe. It's a bit of a drive to get to where we're going. I wanted you to be comfortable."

In her best sex kitten voice she asked, "I don't suppose you'd tell me where we are going?"

Laughing, Ranger sat back in his seat and laced his fingers behind his head. "Others have tried to get me to divulge top secret information and have failed. If you used the right tactics you might be able to drag a clue or two out of me."

Stephanie leaned across his hard muscled chest and traced a finger around his lips. "That sounds like an invitation."

Ranger growled deep in his throat, wrapped his arms around her, and shifted in his seat, pulling her onto his lap. His lips found hers and his tongue drove deeply into her mouth then traced the contours of her lips before finding her tongue and dancing with it. His fingers left a trail of fire as his hand moved up her body and cupped her breast. Raising his head, he looked into her eyes and saw the twin pools of desire as she gazed into his eyes.

Running her hands across his chest Stephanie felt a bulge in his inner pocket and knew it wasn't his gun. "What's this?"

Setting her back in her seat, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a long slender velvet box and handed it to her. "Happy birthday, Babe."

Stephanie's hands trembled slightly as she lifted the lid. Gasping in awe she stared into the box. Nestled against a soft bed of black velvet, was a beautiful pendant. It had with a glittering band of 9 brilliant diamonds intertwined with 8 stunning red rubies which formed a heart.

Removing the necklace, Ranger slipped it around her neck and fastened the clasp. "When the jeweler told me the design symbolizes everlasting love, I thought of you and had to buy it."

Bringing her hand up and softly caressing the necklace, Stephanie turned to him with tears in her eyes. "I love it, and I love you Carlos, more than you know."

He tilted her head back with one finger and searched her eyes. "It's about time, Babe."

She knitted her eyebrows in confusion. "It's about time for what?"

He smiled his full on smile, all 1000 watts. "It's about time you called me by my given name."

The love she felt for him shone in her eyes as she looked into his handsome face. "Carlos."

The hour felt more like minutes and they arrived at their destination. Holding her hand as she stepped out of the car, Ranger watched her face light up as she looked at the elegant yacht before her.

In astonishment, Stephanie gasped. "You've got to be kidding me, Carlos you shouldn't have."

Smiling, he took her hand in his and they stepped onboard. He showed her to the stairs which led to the upper deck, and followed close behind as she climbed them.

When she reached the landing she was astonished when she heard the shouts of "SURPRISE!"

Mary Lou, Connie, Lula, Ella and all of the Merry Men who weren't currently on assignment, were there.

Her eyes filled with tears as she looked into the faces of her friends and laughed. Looking up into Ranger's smiling face, she asked, "You did all this for me?"

Ranger chuckled. "It was a joint effort, babe. Everyone here loves and cares about you. This is just one small way we can show it."

Hal was standing close by with a goofy grin on his face. Stephanie playfully poked him in the ribs and asked, "Is this what all the sideways glances and whispers were about all day?"

"It sure was Bombshell," Hal said, "With that spidey-sense of yours we were certain you'd figure out what was going on. We had to stay clear of you if we were going to pull off this surprise!"

As the boat slipped away from the pier and began its way around the harbor, Stephanie looked around the room. She saw the elegant and beautiful mahogany bar with ambient lighting. Large plants added a touch of elegance to the formal dining area. The floor was a highly polished hardwood floor. The tables were set with fine china and crystal glasses. Along one wall, a buffet was spread out laden with all of her favorite dishes, including several desserts. Music played over surround sound speakers and there was a large area for dancing. One table, near the bar, was filled with gifts.

A cake stood off to the side, on a small table by itself. The borders of the cake were decorated with blue and white frosting and on top sat a tiny '53 powder blue and white Buick. Standing next to the car was a miniature of herself holding a red fire extinguisher in one hand and a pair of handcuffs in the other.

After taking their seats at a table, Ella brought them each a plate loaded with their favorite foods. Stephanie devoured her Spaghetti and meatballs while Ranger enjoyed a fresh Italian green salad. The wine flowed and the evening was well underway, spent in the company of good food, and great friends whom she thought of as family.

The stereo played a mix of Rock, Latin, Country and Jazz. Ranger stood, bent down close to her ear and asked her to dance. She placed her hand in his as he led her to the dance floor. The next song couldn't have been more perfect.

Taking her in his arms, Ranger held her close. Their bodies pressed flush against one another as he took her right hand and placed it over his heart, holding it there.

Raising her eyes up to meet his, she searched his eyes and saw the love he felt for her as they swayed slowly to the music.

Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling

Do you feel my heart beating

Do you understand

Do you feel the same

Am I only dreaming

Is this burning an eternal flame

I believe it's meant to be, darling

I watch you when you are sleeping

You belong with me

Do you feel the same

Am I only dreaming

Or is this burning an eternal flame

Say my name

Sun shines through the rain

A whole life so lonely

And then you come and ease the pain

I don't want to lose this feeling

Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling

Do you feel my heart beating

Do you understand

Do you feel the same

Am I only dreaming

But is this burning an eternal flame

- Eternal Flame by the Bangles

The world fell away and Stephanie melted into Ranger's protective and loving arms. She could feel the strong even beat of his heart under her fingers and knew she had found what she didn't know she was searching for, a love that would last for all eternity.

Ranger held her closely, leaning his head against hers knowing he would never let her go.

To everyone else there that night, it was obvious that these two lovers were meant for one another.

When the music stopped and she stood looking into his face, she saw the love he felt for her shining in his warm brown eyes. He tilted her face up to his and softly kissed her lips before escorting her back to her seat.

Her dance card was filled for the rest of the night as she was passed from one Merry Man to the next. Lester was an excellent partner for the Sambas and Latin dances and Bobby could swing dance better than anyone she knew. Every slow dance was shared with Ranger.

At midnight, Ranger guided her over to the cake. After lighting the miniature of Big Blue on fire, he presented her with a can of whip cream in the shape of a fire extinguisher. Giggling, Stephanie confessed that she had always wanted to blow up Big Blue!

She depressed the button and the whip cream sprayed out extinguishing the flames. After close examination, she found that even after being burned and buried in whip cream, the miniature of Big Blue still appeared unscathed.

After the cake was cut and devoured, Ranger escorted her over to the gift table and held the chair for her as she sat down. He pulled an envelope out of his inner suit pocket and gave it to her. Carefully opening the envelope, she found two tickets to the Broadway play, 'Pygmalion'.

He bent down, grazed his lips across hers and said, "I'm proud of you Eliza Doolittle."

She remembered just a few years ago, when Ranger had first begun mentoring her in the bond enforcement business, he'd refer to himself as Professor Higgins from Pygmalion and she was his Eliza Doolittle. Tears of joy filled her eyes as she stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck hugging him close.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Professor Higgins."

Sitting back down, she dried her eyes and opened the rest of her gifts.

There was an anonymous gift of a year's supply of chocolate, promised to be delivered to her door on the first of each month. She was certain the whole RangeMan team had chipped in to buy it for her.

Ella presented her with a photo album filled with pictures of Ranger and the Merry Men, taken during the good times they had all shared together. She encouraged her to ask Ranger to tell her the story behind each picture.

Lester held Connie's hand as he presented her with a thin wrapped gift, 12 inches by 12 inches, and told her Connie had arranged everything. Her curiosity piqued, she tore at the ribbon and paper. Her mouth dropped open as she stared at the wall calendar she held in her hands. On the cover was a group photograph of all the Merry Men with Ranger standing in the middle.

She flipped it open and found Tank as Mr. January. He was dressed to the nines in a custom tailored tuxedo and was holding a fluted glass of champagne, a rare smile played at his lips and the caption at the bottom read, "Make it a great New Year, Bombshell".

She quickly flipped through the calendar exclaiming over each photo and stopped when she came to October. She laughed and threw Ranger a bright smile. Ranger was Mr. October. He was holding the cake they had just eaten. The caption at the bottom of the page read, "Happy Birthday Babe."

She was awed at the trouble all the men must have gone through in order to create such a unique and thoughtful gift.

Mary Lou gave her a day of pampering at the Ocean Place Resort and Spa in Long Branch. She told her she wasn't to go without her so they could make a day of it together and afterwards share a pitcher or two of Margaritas.

Lula presented her with her gift next. Stephanie ripped the wrappings off the box and laughed when she saw it was the Justice League of America Monopoly Game. Included in the playing pieces were Wonder Woman, Batman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Superman and more. She wondered if she might be able to get Ranger and all the Merry Men together for one night to play her favorite game since childhood.

As the boat docked back at the pier, Ranger led her to the dance floor for the last dance of the night and wrapped her in his arms. She nuzzled her face into his neck, inhaling his scent of Bulgari and Ranger.

"Thank you for tonight, Carlos. You always seem to know just what I need the most. You know me better than I know myself!"

He tilted her head up until her eyes met his, then he slowly lowered his mouth to hers, tracing her lips with his tongue before parting them and driving his tongue into her mouth, drinking her in. She tasted sweet and inviting from the wine she had been drinking. Her tongue danced with his, keeping time with the rhythm of the music as heat pooled in her abdomen and flooded her with melting desire.

Tank had his arms wrapped around Lula, her back pressed against his chest as they watched Ranger and Stephanie kiss on the dance floor.

Connie stood next to them and sighed deeply. "It's about time those two figured out how they felt for one another." She smiled. "If they ever have a daughter, they should name her after me. After all, I'm the one that introduced them to each other."

"Hmph," Lula said. "I'm her partner. It goes without saying they would name her Lula, after me!"

Tank gently squeezed Lula. "Aren't you two moving a little fast? Come on, help me clear this crowd out of here and give the love birds some time alone."

Jackson Ambers stood in the shadows of the pier and watched as Stephanie and Ranger danced under the stars. He patted his pocket where he held a small square box wrapped in plain brown paper. 'Stephanie Plum' was written across the top in thick black letters. Timing was everything. He'd been patient for so long and now everything was finally coming together. Soon, Stephanie Plum would meet her fate and at last, all debts will be paid in full.

TBC

What do you think Jackson Ambers has in the mysterious box? Is Stephanie closer to meeting her fate?

Please keep reading and reviewing and let me know what your thoughts are.