Disclaimer: All characters that you recognize belong to Janet Evanovich. Not making any money, just writing this story for my own amusement. Couple of OCs will be present in this story.

Rated M, adults will act like adults. There may be smut, but since I've never written it, I can't guarantee it will be any good.

Also, there may be spoilers from the actual novels, sorry for not warning sooner.


Chapter 8

October 19, 2011 2115 EST

Bobby's POV

Driving out of the RangeMan garage, I think about what has happened in the last six hours. First, we find out that Sally has a friend that needs rescuing. Hearing Kat's story, has taken its toll on me.

While I've seen my fair share of vile, human interactions during war, Ranger has always attempted to shield me from it on most missions, claiming that a medic should be close, but never in the middle of the missions. Sometimes I feel like that protection has cost me much needed cynicism for our line of work.

Because of this, I am the member on the team that will be handling Kat's emotional state throughout the mission. It will be my job to make sure that she stays strong through the upcoming weeks and months, while we search for her rapist. I know that this is going to be a long road for her, and that the longer it takes us to find him, and the more he's able to harass and stalk her, the harder it will be for her to stay sane.

Glancing over at Lester, I notice that he's mindlessly humming a cartoon's theme song, aimlessly staring out the window.

"Got something on your mind?" I curiously inquire. During the day, he and I have been discussing our thoughts and opinions on the matter of this case, and I know that at first he wasn't thrilled with helping. Not because he feels that Kat doesn't need or shouldn't be helped, but because he is worried that he can't reign in his personality and jokes and will end up scaring her worse than she already is.

Lester looks over at me, his eyes focusing on me, losing a glassiness to them that was momentarily there. "I dunno, Brown. What if I say the wrong thing?" He confesses, and I mentally roll my eyes at his repeating this concern again to me.

"Look, man, all you can do is your job. And don't be an idiot. And you should be fine."

"OK, but let's be real, sometimes, I can be a real comedian."

"Santos, you're never funny. You think you're funny, but you're never actually funny. Just don't tell her any jokes, and you should be fine."

"So you think I should ignore her?

"Did I say ignore her? No, I said don't tell her any jokes. Honestly, you can tell her jokes, just don't tell her any overly perverted ones." I counter, but he shrugs his shoulders and stares back out of the window.

"Just, treat her like you would normally treat someone. We can warn her about how you are, if needed. But, don't touch. I'm sure she may be able to take your jokes, but I know you like to grab Bomber from behind…don't do that to Kat." He looks back at me, a huge cheshire grin on his face.

"What if she wants me to grab her from behind?"

"Yeah, like that'd happen." I snort, and then seriously tack on, "she was raped. Most likely she's suffering from psychological effects from it, probably it's PTSD. You've gone through that shit. Hell, I've gone through that shit. Time and help is what's needed. But, you mess with her Santos and tear down any of her progress, Ranger won't have to call you to the mats, because I'd already have done it. And, I'll kick your ass so bad you won't be getting any for months." I finish, allowing my promise to thicken in the air.

"Damn, got it Brown. First Tank and now you. What's with the wordy responses today?" He snickers out.

"Tank, ugh. Don't get me started on him. I can't believe what he told us at Ranger's. And then, wanting to come with us? Like this poor girl hasn't just gone through a huge event recently in her life, he now wants to show up after nine years and what, pick up where they left off? What the hell is that about?"

"I don't think he wants to pick up or start dating again. I mean, he's marrying Lula right? And seriously, you saw Kat. She's freaky looking. Who'd honestly date her? Hell, I know Lula's a bit on the chunky side, but I'd choose her over a skinny chick with all of those piercings and tattoos any day." Lester answers me.

"Don't be an ass. She's pretty."

"If you like your woman without even minimal curves, then yes, she's a knock out!"

"Well, if that's how you feel, why are you worried about joking with her? Just don't flirt, and you'll be fine. Sounds like you don't even find her attractive." I counter, and he gives me a curious glance.

"So, you really think she's pretty?"

"Yeah, I do, and we're here. Go get your ass to the plane and be a pilot." I tersely reply, ending our conversation. Lester jumps out of the SUV, grinning, and starts making his way to where the jet is housed. Grabbing our bags, I make my way over to Cal and Woody.

"Brown." Woody and Cal acknowledge me. Steph and Ranger are grabbing their bags from the Cayenne, while Sally picks his bag up off of the ground next to him. Briefly, I glance over to where Lester is skipping, yes, literally skipping into the airport heading to get the jet set up for our departure. Shaking my head in disgust and disbelief at him, I watch as the rest of our group get to us.

"Santos?" Ranger questions. I nod in the direction that Lester just went. Looking in that direction, Ranger grabs Steph's hand, and we make our way in silence towards the jet. Due to constant traveling, we all know, except for Sally and Steph, where we're going. I watch in amusement as Steph whips her head around at all of the crowds swarming around us.

She's such an inquisitive person, that she can't help but eavesdrop on everyone's conversations as we pass. I grin as I notice that Ranger is all but dragging her to keep her from stopping. He catches my stare, giving me his patent blank stare with a slight glimmer in his eyes. Amusement. Of course Bomber is amusing him with her childlike wonder. It's one of the reasons we all love her.


Steph's POV

Admiring the chaos around me, I watch in fascination at all of the interactions. Everyone is displaying raw emotions as they meet their loved ones, or in some cases, say goodbye to their loved ones in the busy terminals. I sneak glances in every direction, spying on these intimate moments in their lives. Of course, it's easy to spy because Ranger is guiding me through towards wherever the RangeMan jet is.

When we get out to it, I make no attempt to stop my jaw from hitting the ground. The jet is gorgeous! It's sleek, black, and has the RangeMan logo, elegantly on the tail, and it's quite a bit bigger than I thought it would be.

"Wait until you see the inside, Babe." Ranger breathes in my ear. All I can do is nod, as I make my way slowly up the stairs, stopping in front of a grinning Lester.

"Beautiful, let me show you around. We'll start in the bedroom."

Rolling my eyes at Ranger's growl behind me, I joke, "Lester, one of these days, you're going to bait the tiger and the tiger is going to eat you." He continues to grin widely at me, and I see the wheels spinning, his mouth getting ready to form his next joke, whether it's funny or not.

"I'd much rather you eat me." I hear him say as I shove my way past him into the plane. My jaw unhinges again, taking in the interior of the jet's black leather seats and dark wood floors, with wood trimming its sides. It's stunning! I see a door that must be where the bedroom or bathroom is. Hesitantly, slightly stepping forward, I open the door, but it's just a closet.

"Bedroom's in the back, Babe." Ranger murmurs from behind me. I spin around to look at him, and notice that I'm blocking everyone else from entering the jet. Quickly moving aside, the others step in, storing their cargo and taking their seats. Luckily, Sally is here with me, and I see that I am not the only one affected by the jet's appearance.

"Girl, this is the shit!" Sally exclaims, and I nod vigorously in agreement. Forgetting all about the bedroom, I take an empty seat by a window, moaning at the feel of the leather underneath me.

Buckling in, I hear Lester over the intercom, "this is your Captain speaking, let's get this show on the road. It is now 2205, that 10:05 Beautiful, and we are about to take off. Destination: Lambert International in St. Louis. ETA: 2405 CST, 105 EST."

Ranger takes the seat next to me, while Sally and Bobby sit in front of us. The four of us are sharing a table, as a divider, and I glance in disappointment when Ranger pulls out his laptop. "You're going to work?" I groan my displeasure. He just gives me a look that says, 'I love you, but you drive me crazy sometimes'. I get that look a lot from him.

Plugging his laptop in, he opens up the internal site for RangeMan. I watch him navigate to Kat's file on the server, and I realize that the file is actually pretty substantial. "Looks like the Bug Squad's been busy." I quietly say.

"Yes they have been, and we are conferencing in with them now to go over the case so far." Ranger explains, as he opens his phone, puts it on speakerphone and dials Hector.

"Hey Bossman, We've been expecting your call." Brett's voice answers instead of Hector's, as I was expecting.

"What do you have?" Ranger barks.

"We have a list of numbers that have recently called her phone. One number in particular keeps coming up, and Kat confirmed with us, that that is the number the rapist calls from. Now, we're awaiting a callback from her carrier for information on that number. Once we have that information, we'll be able to hack the rapist's carrier's information for general and cell tower information. Hopefully, we get enough information that we can get a decent idea on where he's calling from." Brett reports.

"How long until we have that information?" Ranger questions Brett. In the background, I can hear the rest of the Bug Squad discussing the question in detail. They're speaking too far away from the phone, so I can't hear anything clearly, but it sounds like they're agreeing on whatever they're talking about.

"Boss, at this time, we just don't know. Since it's Friday night, we may not hear back from Kat's carrier until Monday-" Brett begins to explain, but Ranger silences him with a sharp click of his tongue.

"Can't Zero just hack the system?"

"I could, but it will still take time. And, I'm helping Brett with the panic button watches, as well as staying on standby with Hector in case the asswipe calls Kat tonight. If he does, I'm going to start working on tracing the call, so hopefully we can bypass all of this and get his location that way instead."

"OK Zero, but if he doesn't call in the next hour, I want you working on hacking her carrier." Ranger counters, and then continues, "Now, about those watches. When will they be completed?"

"We will have Kat's done by Monday. I'll have the boys' finished by Wednesday." Brett jumps back into the conversation.

"Do you still need Zero's help?"

"No Boss, I can handle the rest of it on my own."

"Anything else?" Ranger checks with the guys at Haywood. Again, there's muffling as they check with each other.

"No Bossman, that's all for now. I wish it were more." Hector answers Ranger. Whatever he said causes Ranger to disconnect the phone. Checking his laptop for a couple of items, he motions for Cal and Woody to come over to our booth.

"The technological details are being looked into, now, does anyone have anything else on their agenda that they feel needs to be looked into at this moment?" Ranger asks, gazing intently at all of us. Sally shifts uncomfortably in his seat, and then clears his throat.

"I have a suggestion." He starts, and Ranger motions him to continue. "I know that Stephanie lives at Haywood, but since I don't have a life or anything like that…well, other than the occasional band session and the usual bullshit, I was thinking that maybe I could crash at Haywood, just so Kat has a friend?" He rambles out.

"You want to stay at Kat's?" Ranger examines.

"Err, no, I don't think that would be a good idea, but, I just think she may want someone there that she knows, but if you don't think it's a good a idea then that's OK. It was just a thought, a quick dumbass thought. I just want Kat to be comfortable, and guess that maybe if I was nearby, it could be easier for her. But, I don't know, and I actually don't even know her so really it's not a great suggestion at all-"

"Holy diarrhea from the mouth, Sally." I interrupt, and he looks away blushing.

"No, Sally, it's a good idea. Which one of you will he be staying with?" Ranger challenges his employees. Now, it's Cal and Woody's turn to shift uncomfortably, pointedly not meet Ranger or Sally's eyes. Bobby just smiles.

"He can stay at my place, Ranger. No problem. I have a second room for my office anyway, so he can stay in there for the interim." Bobby states, and I give him a warm smile, while relief floods Sally's face.

Lester's voice crackles over the intercom, "We'll be landing shortly. Please make sure you are buckled in. Skies are clear, so we should have a smooth landing. See you all in about 5 minutes." The intercom crackles one more time, but Lester doesn't talk again, and I feel the jet begin to descend.

Staring out the window, I try to find the Gateway Arch. Ranger looks at me and smirks at me.

"It's about 15 miles that way." Ranger knowingly tells me, motioning behind us.

"Do you think we can go see it while we're here?" I ask, even though I know that we most likely won't have the time to visit it.

"Just a drive by or do you want to tour the museum on the Grounds and take the elevator up through the Arch?" He questions.

"I guess I just want to see it, so the drive by would be fine."

"I think we can make that happen." Ranger replies leaning in to give me a kiss, and I feel the wheels touching down onto the runway. St. Louis it's time to meet the Bombshell Bounty Hunter, RangeMan bad asses extraordinaire, and a bitchin' rock n' roll transvestite! Please God, don't let me blow up the Arch!