I know it's been a long while since I've posted an update, but the past several months have been crazy. This was supposed to be my last semester as an undergrad, but a broken ankle in mid March (which was not properly diagnosed at first) made me miss a sh*t ton of class. Now, I need to finish up one last requirement in the Fall. The good news is that while I work on getting better I'll have more time to catch up on updating my stories;)

So, let me give you guys a quick recap to get us all back on the same page: S&R are still looking for Steph's FTA, Ranger is waiting to talk to the person responsible for intercepting his messages while he was away and to top it all off Morelli is sticking his nose in the mystery/conspiracy. The plot thickens.

Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE.

Ranger's POV

"Babe." I couldn't help but praise her skills when we arrived at an apartment complex on the outskirts of the city. Babe's a search guru. Some have qualified her skills as dumb luck, but I know better. The woman is naturally curious and her brain works a mile a minute, quite different than most of us. She has the ability to look in places others find insignificant, spotting clues others miss. It doesn't matter how long it takes or how unconventional her methods are, because Babe always gets the job done. McAdam would be no exception.

"I knew it!" Babe returned my enthusiasm with a half hug as we made our way into the building. Even from the alley we could see there was a light on in the apartment.

"Your hard work paid off." I commented as we took the stairs. This morning after we indulged in a very steamy quickie, Babe bulked up with extra clothing and a Kevlar vest so she could go into Rangeman with me. Yes, it was a risky move but completely necessary. I had to meet Morelli and she wanted to run some searches. The best and most secure network for that is my office on seven, so getting her into the building was a must. Her disguise was solid, even though she looked to be more on the chunky side rather than bulky, and I had her in and out of Rangeman without a problem. While I met with Morelli, who was nothing short of a pain in the ass, Babe ran searches like crazy. She managed to find a ticket issued by a traffic cam to McAdam's car the same night of the murder. The intersection where said infraction occurred gave Babe an idea. That mind of hers connected the dots from there. The Senator had his fair share of sex scandals in the past. It's very plausible that the Senator's death could be tied to his last indiscretion.

The apartment building on Stark where McAdam hid when she became an FTA, where the Senator was murdered, belonged to a holding company. Babe was able to trace the ownership back to the Senator. She dug some more and found a list of all the properties owned by the same holding company. One lucky address happened to be just a block away from where the traffic camera nailed McAdam. Babe and I have been doing this long enough to know that there is no such thing as a coincidence. So, we took the necessary precautions to continue the quest to capture McAdam and get some answers on this whole mess at the same time.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Babe murmured under her breath once we reached the top floor.

"Babe." I gave her a curt nod to reassure her that I'm with her.

There were two apartments on each floor, but we were able to narrow down the possibilites because all apartments were leased except one. As we approached our destination I shot Babe a glance. When she joined me, pressing herself against me as we listened for sounds inside the apartment, I squeezed her thigh. It was the moment of truth.

I silently picked the locks and had us inside in no time. Babe made sure to close and re-lock the front door as I moved further into the apartment. McAdam was busy prepping something to eat, only realizing she was no longer alone until we were face to face.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I warned, leveling my Glock her way when she shrieked and attempted to throw a knife at us. The woman swallowed and visibly paled. She thinking about running, I could tell. "You've got no way out." I warned again, because I don't like getting physical with women if I can avoid it.

"Oh god!" McAdam became hysterical, blabbing incoherent sentences. "I-I-I need…out… of here." She mumbled some more nonsense while she waved the knife around.

Removing the safety I made sure she noticed how serious we are. She's not getting away. Not again.

"If you found me, then so can they." She had a crazy look in her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Babe finally spoke, causing the woman to shift her attention to her.

"This is bigger than you know." McAdam shook her head vigorously. "I'm not safe here anymore."

"Then help us help you."

"I can protect you, but you need to cooperate with us." I added, hoping the promise of safety would get her to open up and help us finally solve this jumble. I don't care what I have to promise in order to get Babe off the hook. I'll even sell my soul if I have to.

"They will kill me and pin the murder on you if they get the chance." Something about her tone told me she wasn't lying.

"Then help us help you." Babe repeated.

McAdam pondered the offer, reluctantly accepting when she came to the conclusion that she had no other option. She grabbed the duffle bag sitting on the couch on our way out. I let them take the lead so I could bring up the rear for safety.

The situation was flowing smoother than I anticipated. I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing until running footsteps approached us from behind. Of course things couldn't be easy. Nothing concerning Babe is ever easy.

My instincts took over so that I had my gun at the ready by the time I whirled around to face the threat. The man halted his progress when he spotted my gun and in his surprise opened fire. I had no choice but to retaliate. He yelped in pain when I got his gun hand, effectively disarming him. Just to make sure he wouldn't cause more problems, I put another bullet on his right thigh. I made sure the wounds wouldn't kill him, but they'll slow him down considerably.

When I thought we were home free there was a brief tug on the back of my T-shirt just as McAdam shrieked. I turned just in time to watch Babe drop onto the asphalt. In that moment I knew that things were about to get more complicated before they cleared. The light at the end of the tunnel just moved farther away.

"I'm sh-shot." Babe locked eyes with me as I knelt. I did a quick assessment as I yanked off my T-shirt to press it against the wound on her abdomen.

"You're going to be okay, Babe." I promised as I scooped her up, all the while applying pressure on the wound, and raced towards the fleet SUV just a few steps away. I didn't even wait for McAdam. There is nothing more important than Babe's wellbeing at the moment. Nothing and no one.

McAdam chose wisely and followed. Thankfully she made herself useful and applied pressure as I pealed out of the parking spot. Once I made sure we didn't have a tail, I called Bobby so he could prep everything to treat Babe. Under the circumstances the exam room and supplies at Rangeman will have to do.

"No, no, no, no. Morelli just showed up with a search warrant and enough man power to search every inch of Rangeman." Bobby barked out instructions, saying he'd wait for me at his place. It wasn't too far from our current location.

"Fuck!" I cursed Morelli's existence as I stepped on the gas. The fucker has no idea how much his poking around can cost Babe.