Thank you all so much for the review and fav/follows. I am slacking again with responding, but I wanted you to know that I love reading your thoughts on my story. You guys sure know how to make this girl feel special! Here's the next chapter and I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 10

SPOV

Waking up the next morning was a whole new experience for me. The times in my past that I'd spent a whole night with a guy, I always woke up alone on my side of the bed. I didn't like feeling trapped and usually that's how I felt in Dickie or Mark's arms. That morning, however, was different.

Les was still curled against me with his arm tucked around my waist and my head laying on his bicep. I felt secure and safe and never wanted to leave the security of his embrace. I knew there was nothing that could hurt me when I was in his arms. It was just too bad I couldn't stay there forever.

Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was still really early and wondered what had woke me up at the ungodly hour of crack-of-dawn. I was never one to get up before the sun, so I knew something had to have penetrated my sleep to arouse me. I wiggled a little and realized what that something was. It was stiff and poking me in the butt. There was no way to stifle my giggle and I couldn't help but grinding back against him. I heard him curse and groan which made me giggle again. I thought maybe I should wake him up like I wanted to the day before, but his gruff voice interrupted that thought.

"Good morning, Beautiful." It was too late for my wake up plan, so I tucked it away for another morning.

"Good morning, Sexy." I purred. Turning in his arms, I kissed his lips and smiled at him. "What time do you need to leave for work?" I didn't want him to miss something important two days in a row.

"I should leave in about an hour or so." He kissed my shoulder and moved his body over mine. I guessed that meant we had some time to play.

"There's always time to play, Beautiful." With that, he kissed down my arm and over to my taught nipples. You would think that I would have been satisfied from the night before, but that wasn't the case. I wanted more. I wanted everything Les would give to me.

Les spent that hour loving me just as he'd done the night before. He used his fingers and tongue to wind me up tighter than I've ever been and then proceeded to pound into me like there was no tomorrow to help me get my release. He made me orgasm three times before joining me in a climax that I swear made the ground shake. I think he felt it too, because of the look on his face when we finally found our breath was one of total shock.

I couldn't hold back the giggle. "You look a little shocked there, Maestro." He smiled down at me and kissed me, hard.

"You have no idea, Steph. I've never in my life experienced anything like the past twelve hours." He kissed me again and rolled off of me to get up. I watched him stroll naked, and unashamed, to my bathroom. He spent a few minutes cleaning up the best he could and then came out to get dressed. I got to watch him take his clothes off the night before and then put them back on. I have to admit, I like the taking off better.

Once he was dressed, he sat back down on the bed with me. "What are your plans today?" I really didn't have any. I needed to cash my checks and drop into the bonds office to see if Connie had any more files for me, but that was all.

"I guess I need to get more files from Connie and stop by the bank. What about you?" I was trying to remember if he said he had another day with me or not. I didn't want to assume anything, but would love for him to help me again.

"I've got a meeting with Ranger at 0900 and then I'm yours the rest of the day. Grab your files from Connie and I'll meet you at the office around 1000. I'll see if I can take you to RangeMan to introduce you to the research programs and then we'll stop in the gun range for some target practice." I grimaced. I hated guns and had no desire to even touch mine. Les caught the grimace and must have read my look perfectly because he took my face in between his warm hands and kissed me tenderly before pleading at me with his eyes and his words. "Please tell me that you'll always carry your gun with you. I just found you and I don't want to lose you too soon."

The look on his face just about broke my heart. I didn't want to think about losing him, so I knew he was truly concerned for my safety. A lump formed in my throat hindering my speech, so I nodded slowly. I decided I could carry my gun and learn how to shoot it if that meant he wouldn't worry about me.

Les let out a thankful sigh and kissed me gently again. "Thank you, I don't think Ranger will have a problem with you coming to the office so plan on spending the afternoon there. We'll research your skips and then maybe go out and pick them up after target practice. Sound good?" Sounded fine to me. I got to spend time with Les, so it was all good in my hood.

"Sounds perfect." He kissed me one last time and then stood to leave. "Have a good meeting with the Boss Man, Sexy." I giggled when Les' step faltered. I assumed he wasn't looking forward to meeting Ranger that morning. He turned and gave me a killer smile before leaving my bedroom. I listened and smiled as I heard the apartment door open and close and then the locks tumble locked. I wondered if he stole a key or if he was just magic. I already knew the answer to that question though. After the night we had together, I knew that he was magic.

I lounged in bed a few more minutes before finally getting up and getting ready for my day. I was, maybe, going to meet all of Les' coworkers and friends so I wanted to look good. I showered and dressed in what I assumed was a good working outfit. Blue jeans and a tight black v-neck t-shirt, I laced up my tennis shoes, threw my hair back into a ponytail and was ready to go. It looked hot outside so I refused to wear make-up. Well, maybe a coat or two of mascara, but that was it. I hated when it was hot and the crap melts on your face.

My POS was waiting for me in the parking lot when I got down stairs. I was half hoping someone stole it in the middle of the night, but looking at the car I realized how silly that was. No one in their right mind would purposefully steal my car. If the pussy didn't deter them then the penis artwork would. Sighing, I got into my car and made my way to the bonds office sweating the entire way. I prayed Vinnie had the air on in the office, so I could cool off. Luckily for me he did and the blast of cool air that greeted me as I opened the door felt amazing against my heated skin. Connie sat behind her desk smiling and looking cool, calm, and collected. I looked the exact opposite of those things, but didn't care.

"Hey Steph. How did it go yesterday?" Her knowing smile suggested that she was asking about my date, but I refused to divulge that information, so I told her about the skip blowing himself up. She had already heard part of the story from the Burg grapevine, but they left out the part about the guy being in a shaggy dog costume. We both laughed for a few minutes about the weirdness of the situation and then felt bad when we realized that the guy was dead. After a few quiet minutes, I decided to find out who my next victim was.

"You got anything new for me today?" I didn't really need money since my rent was taken care of, but I hoped she had another big skip, so I could maybe get a new car and some groceries. Her frown told me I was out of luck.

"Just one, sorry, it's been slow." She handed me a file and I opened it up to read.

Brian Holmes, age thirty-nine, arrested for assault and attempted rape. He picked up a girl in a bar and when she said no to his advances, he knocked her out before dragging her into the ally to rape her. Luckily, an off duty officer was walking by and stopped him before he was able to complete his task. Brian didn't look like a very nice guy in his mug shot and I was suddenly very glad Les was going with me to pick him up.

I studied the file while Connie filed her nails and we occasionally talked about old classmates and my new skip. We both glanced at the door when we heard the bell chime. I smiled as Les walked in, immediately picked me up off the couch and kissed me hungrily. His tongue traced my lips and I moaned as I opened my mouth for him. A clearing throat broke up our 'hello' kiss.

Connie was smiling at us and Ranger was smirking with one eyebrow raised. Shit, I didn't see him come in behind Les. I felt my face burn hot and I buried my head in Les' chest. I felt him chuckle which only made me more embarrassed.

"Don't be embarrassed, Beautiful. They're just jealous." Les whispered in my ear and kissed my head.

I heard Ranger's voice before I could respond to Les. "You have any files for RangeMan?" Connie handed him a stack and told him that Vinnie wanted to talk to him about one of the guys. Ranger disappeared into the back office and Les pulled me onto his lap after sitting on the couch.

"Who you got, Beautiful?" He took the file from me and read through it quickly. I heard a low whistle. I guess he wasn't impressed with Brian either.

"What's your plan for capturing him?" Shit, I didn't know there was going to be a pop quiz.

"I was planning on going to his house and knocking on his door." I didn't have access to the search programs and had no other clue on how to find him if he's not at home. He wasn't local, so my contacts wouldn't work.

"Let's head to the office and do some searches on him. Ranger's agreed to allow you access to the garage and fifth floor so we can do some ground work on him. I doubt he'll be at home. He lives with his parents and they put up their house to post his bail. They would turn him in if he was there." That made sense to me. I didn't pick that up in the file, so I made a note to ask Les how he found that information so fast.

Ranger reappeared and Les and I stood off the couch. I smiled at Ranger when he stopped in front of us.

"Thank you for allowing me into your building and letting Les help me. I want to learn everything I can from him, so I can do this job." Ranger smiled a full smile at me. I felt the breath catch in my throat. He was gorgeous normally, but when he smiled...

"It's no problem, Babe. I'm glad that we're able to assist you." I smiled back at him and waved by to Connie as we all left the office.

I rode with Ranger and Les to their office. There was no way I was driving my car any more than necessary. The guys were silent on the drive and I didn't get the idea that they would like me breaking that silence, so I sat quietly in the back of the SUV and watched the passing scenery.

We pulled into the gated, underground garage of a black seven story building. There was nothing advertising what the business was so I guessed they were serious about their security. Les helped me out of the SUV and we all approached the elevator, before it opened Les decided to warn me about what to expect upstairs.

"Beautiful, before we go up I need to warn you about the guys." I probably should have been worried, but I trusted Les and Ranger. "We've never had a woman in this building except Ella, the housekeeper. Most of the guys that work here are ex-military or ex-cons and don't have a whole lot of experience dealing with the public. You might say that we're socially stupid." I found that hard to believe and furrowed my brow.

I didn't really know what to say to that, so I just nodded my head and stepped onto the elevator when the doors finally opened. Ranger was standing behind me smirking and Les looked almost sick. When the doors opened, on what I assumed was the fifth floor, I wasn't ready for the sight that I saw.

Gathered around hallway in front of the elevator were about twenty-five good-looking, muscle-bound men dressed in all black. Good Lord, is drop dead sexy a mandatory requirement on the application to work here? Les and Ranger stopped dead in their tracks and started laughing along with every one of the guys in the hallway. Leave it to me to embarrass myself to break the ice.

"Sorry, I seem to have a case of word vomit." The guys laughed again and approached us. I got to meet all the employees on duty. I couldn't remember all their names that first day because it was a lot of information all at once. I did recognize the few guys that I met the morning before. Tank and Bobby both came and said hello to me and I noticed Cal from across the office. He was on the phone, but waved at me when I met his gaze. I didn't see Hector, but Les told me he was the tech guy, so he was in the basement with his computers.

After I'd been introduced to everyone, Ranger ordered everyone back to work and the guys were back to their duties. Les led me down a hallway to an office with his name displayed on the door. I polished the silver plate with my sleeve and whistled. He gave me a Jersey worthy eye roll as he laughed and led me into his office.

Looking around, I was more than impressed. The furniture was high quality and fit the masculine feel of the office and it's very male occupant. There were two guest chairs in front of the large desk and a sitting area with a couch and love seat in one corner.

"I'm in charge of meeting with clients here and off site. I have a crap ton of appointments scheduled for the rest of the week, so I'm glad we're doing this today." I suddenly felt guilty for taking Les away from his normal job. I hated feeling like a burden to people. Les once again read my thoughts.

"You're not a burden, Beautiful. My schedule was clear today, so stop worrying about it. Besides, I would much rather spend my time with you. You're better looking than the clients that I have to deal with." His eyebrow wiggled and he smiled broadly at me. God, he looked sexy when he smiled like that. There's a couch here, so maybe...STOP it Plum. You need him to teach you search programs not screw you in his office.

A dark, lustful look came across his face and he started to walk toward me. Need a distraction fast or we'll be naked in a matter of seconds. I sidestepped his grasp and headed toward his desk.

"Oh no, Maestro, teach first and then we'll play after class." Les stopped dead in his tracks and shook his head. I guess he was removing the naughty thoughts. His leer turned into a smile and he walked toward me again, this time in control of himself.

Les plopped down in his office chair and pulled me into his lap, so I could see his computer with him.

"Okay, Beautiful, crash course in searches. Since we're a thriving security company owned by ex-military men, we have search programs that most civilians don't. I'll show you around the ones that you can buy access to, then I'll let you peak at the others. What's your skip's name?"

"Ummm...Brian Holmes." I flipped my file open to see how accurate the information was. Les entered the name in a search box, clicked a few options of information that we needed and sent the computer off to do its thing. He took the few minutes it took to gather the required information to thoroughly kiss my neck and ears. I almost forgot what I was there for when the computer dinged and the printer behind us started printing.

"Read over these and tell me what you find out. The most important part of doing a search on a skip is interpreting the information." Les spun around and grabbed the printed papers and handed them to me.

I spent several minutes reading the information. There was a whole lot more there than what came with the original file and I began to see patterns in the information.

"Les, are there rules about where or when we can pick up a skip?" I honestly didn't know and I thought I found out the best place to pick up my guy.

"It's open season on them once you get that file. What did you find out, Beautiful?" Les looked at me curiously.

"Looking at his credit card reports, it seems that he frequents the same bar every Wednesday around eight. I know this bar because I've been there at that exact same time, it's their speed dating night." Les looked shocked for a second and then chuckled. I rolled my eyes and went back to reading.

"You tried speed dating?" I turned around and glared at him.

"Once, and it was horrible. My friend Mary Lou made me go." I slapped his chest as he continued to chuckle. "None of the guys were even worth a second look and most of them just wanted to get into my pants."

"Their loss is my gain, Beautiful. I'm glad it didn't work out for you." Les squeezed me tight and then kissed the back of my neck. "So, what's your plan for apprehension?"

I thought about his question. I didn't want to cause a scene in a crowded bar. Innocent people might be injured if I did that, but I knew where he was going to be and when he was going to be there. I didn't want to lose that opportunity.

"I think I can wait for him outside the bar and pick him up before he goes inside. Or maybe I can fake car trouble in the parking lot and get him before he even gets close to the bar. I don't want to risk hurting people inside if I can avoid it." I turned and looked at Les who looked shocked. "What would the Maestro recommend?"

"I'm impressed. Most amateur BEA's would say ambush him inside the bar and be done with it, but you're using your head. RangeMan would either set up a distraction inside the bar or pick him up before he went inside the bar."

"What's a distraction?" I wasn't following.

"A distraction is when we use an attractive female as bait to lure the skip outside the public establishment, so we can apprehend him. She flirts and convinces the guy to follow her into our waiting hands." I wondered who they used for those distractions and if Les thought she was attractive. That would work normally I guess, but there was a flaw in that plan for this skip.

"That won't work for this skip." Les looked at me with one eye brow raised. "This is speed dating. The distraction wouldn't have the opportunity to talk to the skip one on one for longer than 3 minutes. I mean she might get his attention, but would have to wait until the long line of other guys spent time with her to try to lure him out. Plus she would have twenty-five to thirty other women vying for his attention. It would be an uphill battle." Les looked at me shocked once again.

"A distraction in the parking lot would be your best bet. Slut someone up and pop the hood of her car. The file says that Brian used to be a mechanic, so he might offer assistance and then we can grab him." Les was still speechless and had a shocked look on his face. I was either wayyyy off base or right on the money with my suggestion. His silence was making me nervous. "Or, I could just follow him to his house and pick him up when he got home. But I might lose him driving, or he might pick up the tail and run, risking other drivers." Les still looked shocked. "Damn it, Lester, say something because I'm kinda freaking out here." I was quickly heading towards my rhino mode. Les smiled at me and kissed me on my lips with a loud smack.

"I'm freaking impressed, Beautiful. You're thinking like a pro and it's only your second day!" He kissed me again and then continued to praise me. "If RangeMan had this file, we would have wasted time and money on the distraction at the bar. We would have been wrong. Your suggestion about the parking lot is a great idea. Again, I'm very impressed." It was my turn to be shocked after hearing his words. I was about to respond when Ranger walked into Les' office without knocking. I guess being the boss had its benefits.

"What's up, Boss Man?" Les didn't seem annoyed or put off by the interruption. He just held me tighter and nuzzled into my hair.

"Got a call from the FBI asking for help with a murderer. Word is, he's in Trenton or Newark. The other guys can't find anything suggesting that he would be anywhere near here, but the FBI's informant is strong. See what you can pull out of this file. You're the best I got and need your help. This would be a 3.5 million dollar payout for us." Ranger's blank face was in place as he tossed the file on the desk and sat in a chair across from us.

Les read through the information and then handed the file to me. "What do you see, Beautiful?" Ranger started to protest, but Les held up a hand to stop him. I heard him sit back into the chair and felt his eyes on me as I read through the skip's information.

Gregory Markowitz, age twenty-five, arrested for murder. He shot his wife and two kids and then burned the house down to get rid of the evidence. He was stupid enough to brag about what he did one night when he got drunk at the local bar. He ran before the cops could arrest him. He's killed four other people across the country.

He was born in Arizona and prefers warmer climates. His credit card showed use at numerous Indian Casino's before he stopped using it. It also showed that he enjoyed strip joints, classy guy. He use to be in the Navy and bragged that he was a Seal even though he never made it that far and was dishonorably discharged. He was quoted as saying the times of his life were with his shipmates.

Nothing in his file suggested that he had ties to New Jersey, so why would come here? I started looking for other information and finally saw what I'd been looking for.

Gregory's last job before the murders was as a volunteer fire fighter. I remembered hearing something in Pino's that would catch the guy's interest. The Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City was hosting a nationwide conference for volunteer fire fighters. Free room, food and even free chips to gamble for any volunteer firefighter who registered. I could guarantee that Gregory Markowitz was one of the registered participants.

"Send a list of all his aliases to the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City. If he's in New Jersey, then he'll be there tomorrow." Les and Ranger looked at me with one eyebrow each raised. I rolled my eyes. I needed to practice that look.

"Do you guys not listen to the radio?" The both shook their heads. "That hotel is hosting a huge conference for all volunteer firefighters nationwide. That was the skips last job before committing the murders. If he registered for the conference, which I know he did, then he gets free money to gamble with. He wouldn't pass up an opportunity like that." The guys were silent, so I rolled my eyes again and continued. "Your informant said he was here? Why? This is the only thing happening around here that he would have any interest in. Send the names and his picture. He's probably already there." Ranger grabbed the file and headed out of the office. He didn't look convinced or too happy about my findings. Maybe I was off, but what did they have to lose?

"How do you do that?" Les sounded amazed.

"Do what?" Piss off Ranger or read information?

"How did you pull that information together? I looked and didn't see anything pointing to any reason that he would be around this state."

"I just used the information in the file with the information I gathered from around town." I shrugged. It wasn't that big of a deal. "My spine tingled when I read he was a volunteer firefighter. I knew then that I was on the right track."

Les looked at me intently. "What do you mean your spine tingled?"

"I can't describe it any better. It's what I call my spidey sense. It's what told me that there was danger yesterday. It helps me sometimes." I shrugged again. I thought everyone had the same type of thing.

"You have amazing instincts, Beautiful, AND you know when to listen to them. You did in fifteen minutes what the rest of the guys couldn't do in days. If that skip is in that hotel, expect a job offer from Ranger." It was my turn to look shocked. Job offer? What the hell was he talking about?

"Ranger knows to grab something that's good before it gets away. He'll see what I see and he'll grab you." I shook my head. I highly doubted that I was good enough to work here.

"Let's go to the gun range and you can show me what you got. It will take a while for the information to come back from the hotel." I sighed. I guess my living in denial about having to use a gun had come to an end.

Les sensed my hesitation and pushed me up off his lap.

"Come on, Beautiful. Let the Maestro teach you how to shoot like a pro." I laughed as he grabbed my hand and led me out of his office. I wasn't looking forward to shooting, but the feeling of Les' hand around mine distracted me enough. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

A/N - I know you all enjoy reading my PSAs but some chapters they just aren't necessary. I'm sure there will be more in future chapters, but for now...you're out of luck. =)