(I somehow found my way onto a relationships advice column, and since I'll read just about anything, I started to read. And it said there was a top four reasons to dump a man. Each reason has subcategories, like number one which is "He isn't supportive" but also includes things like simply not helping out with housework. Personally, unless we specifically agreed he'd do something, like wash the cars, and he completely ignores that chore and leaves it for me to do, I don't think I'd really expect him to help out with every little thing (Hi, Mom!). Also, I find people that do expect your help with everything, or want to help you with everything, or just want you to know their entire schedule, as extremely suffocating. Then again, I'm thirteen and I'm not allowed to leave the house unless my mother's within a twenty foot radius, so what do I know? Number four was also particularly interesting. "He doesn't get along with your friends and/or family." From what I gather in the books (and we should have all known this would eventually lead to my analysis of Steph's "relationship" with JoMo) Joe needs a lot of convincing to attend family dinners at the Plums' residence, and even though Steph considers Ranger a good friend, he can't stand him. Then again, I guess if I was older and found Jackson, say, kissing Sarah or something, I'd be pretty pissed and rude to Sarah, too, even if we're practically sisters. But that's also kind of different, because. . . . ya know what, just enjoy the chapter! (This is why I'm never the leader of a team at school, I take too long looking at stupid shit to get anything done. . . .)

Chapter 10 - Alive & Well

I dropped my gaze to the ground, and felt my lips press together. "Have you ev-" I never got to finish my sentence. At that moment, Grandma stepped out of the apartment just as one of the gangbangers lifted his gun and fired.

The next few seconds were a blur. I remember spinning around and pulling my glock out of the waistband of my jeans. The burning need to assure myself that while the Incident and seven years of calm had allowed me freedom of movement, they hadn't taken my skill levels. The sounds of bullets firing probably only lasted about a minute or two; almost every automatic gun unloads their entire magazine in exactly two seconds, but reloading the guns took a little bit longer, and they had plenty of extra, it seemed. First I heard one eerie thud, then another. Almost a second later, there was the burn of a bullet grazing my upper left arm, and then against my right hip. One at a time, the teenage boys either dropped as my bullets struck them in the thigh or shoulder or various other non-lethal areas, or dropped their guns and scattered like roaches once you turned the lights on.

When the last kid had disappeared from view, I glanced over my shoulder. And felt myself go on lockdown.

*W*R*

Ranger's POV

I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes and scrubbing my hands over my face. I had forgotten just how much we had learned to rely on Stephanie when she worked here. Distraction jobs made apprehending skips so much easier, and the money it had cost us to repay all the bar and club owners for property damage might as well have paid for her next three blown up cars. If the cars were all Bugatti Veyron Super Sports. I smiled at the idea; there was no way Stephanie would ever allow me to get her one of them. They might the fastest street legal cars on the market, and she might be able to practically achieve orgasm just sitting in my Porsche, but priced at over $2,000,000, my babe wouldn't want to breathe near one for fear of it exploding.

Then, picturing her in a sports car lead to picturing her in a sports car naked aaaaand I need to get laid. I snorted and stood. What I needed was to get the hell out of this building before I started to throw things.

I moved quickly getting out of Rangeman. I knew that the minute I was out of sight of the cameras, when I would disable the trackers, Hal, who was on monitor duty, would report my disappearing location. Everyone else would be curious, but no one would say anything. When one of my employees went missing, it was trouble. When I went missing, it meant, "I got shit to do; stay the fuck out of it."

I had just pulled into the parking lot of the bonds' office when my cell phone rang. I frowned when I saw the number; it was an old friend of mine from Mexico.

"Hola." I greeted.

"Sí, Ranger, hola a ti también. Oye, todos, desde Rangeman Boston a tus contactos la calle he oído estado buscando para algo. En realidad, alguien, ¿verdad? Y una persona bastante en eso."* Not only had Alejo and I grown up together, but when he moved to Mexico, we stayed well in contact, and I knew I could depend on him, and his net of employees in a less tan legal business, to watch out for skips that thought Mexico was a safe haven. Not from me. I chuckled at the thought, before answering.

"Amigo, no me jodas. Si la has visto, yo quiero estar allí para ella lo más pronto posible."**

"Cierto, cierto. Hubo un tiroteo en Hermosillo alrededor de dos horas. Tres mujeres que viven en un apartamento juntos fueron disparados por un pocos pandilleros. Uno de ellos disparó hacia ellos y consiguió la mayoría de los punks de dispersión, pero mientras ellos seguían haciendo lo suyo, los otros dos cayeron, y hasta la perra dura-culo picó con uno. Están en un hospital cerca del centro de la ciudad, pero ustedes saben la atención médica aquí. La anciana y la rubia de la que no podría hacerlo."*** I'm not exactly sure what I thought when I heard this. I don't know what I wanted to think. All I knew was: I was on a flight to Mexico two hours later.

*"Yeah, Ranger, hello to you as well. Listen, everyone from Rangeman Boston to your street contacts have heard you been lookin for somethin. Actually, someone, right? And a pretty someone at that."

**"Dude, don't fuck with me. If you've seen her, I want to be down there for her as soon as possible."

***Right, right. There was a shootout in Hermosillo about two hours ago. Three woman who live in an apartment together were shot at by a few gangbangers. One of 'em shot back at them and got most of the punks to scatter, but while they were still doin their thing, the other two went down, and even the tough-ass bitch got stung with one. They're in a hospital near the center of town, but you know medical care here. The old lady and the blond might not make it.

Translations via Google Translate. I also ran them through a Microsoft Word grammar and spelling Spanish (Mexico) check, but errors might still be in there since I can't speak Spanish. Maybe French, soon, but that's not Spanish.