The table was small and intimate and had the best view of all the surrounding dining options. Nick smiled proudly as we took a seat at the table.

"Please," he offered. "Have a drink on me. The Penicillin's a classic here. Or if you're a little more adventurous, I'm a fan of the Spicy Concombre. The wine's good too. Kate, here, refuses to order anything other than the Sauvignon Blanc. But please, order whatever you're in the mood for."

I glanced at the menu. Alcohol wasn't usually a good idea for me. Like seriously. Ever. One glass of just about anything gave me a pretty good buzz. Two glasses, and it was guaranteed that I'd somehow find a way to embarrass myself.

Ranger rubbed my back and gave me a subtle smile. It was nonverbal permission to order whatever sounded good. Guess he felt pretty confident about the meeting so far. Like he could handle things on his own if need be. Still, I decided to avoid the hard alcohol and went with a glass of the recommended wine. Ranger ordered the same.

We all sipped our drinks casually and watched the crowds ebb and flow nearby. The men seemed occupied with their silent assessments, so I decided to try and strike up a conversation with the woman Nick had referred to as Kate.

"The wine's amazing," I said as I took another sip.

"You think the wine's good," she smiled, "you should try the bacon macaroni and cheese. Of course Nick will try to persuade you with something more…sophisticated. But honestly, the mac n' cheese is to die for."

I couldn't help but smile. Finally! Someone with good taste! Maybe we could be friends after all.

"Oh, and save room for dessert too," she added. "The white chocolate bread pudding is life changing. Trust me."

Despite our uncomfortable first moments together, I was beginning to really like this Kate woman. She seemed to have her priorities straight, at least.

I leaned closer to her over the table in order to have a more private discussion. "You seem like a strong, intelligent person. What are you doing running around with this clown?" I asked, nodding toward Nick.

She stifled a laugh with her hand. Then she shrugged. "He's hot."

I glanced over at him. Truth be told, he wasn't unattractive. If you went for the unpredictable and shifty types, that is.

"How about you?" she asked, glancing at Ranger. "How'd you end up with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Mysterious?"

I thought for a moment. How did we end up together? It wasn't the universe's strangest pairing, I suppose, but it was probably close. Talk about your opposites attracting.

I did a hand's up gesture. "Just another one of life's great mysteries, I guess."

The waiter suddenly appeared to take our order. He was young, tall, handsome. Probably a struggling actor who currently made his rent and grocery money moonlighting as a bartender/waiter at this trendy bistro. I gave a wistful sigh thinking back to my bounty hunting days.

Then I snuck a glance at Ranger. The man had completed my life in so many ways. People were always saying how I was constantly skating by in life on random strokes of luck. Winding up as the wife of the incredible man currently sitting next to me was probably the biggest stroke of random luck of my entire life.

I mentally chuckled as the orders were completed. Ranger stuck with his usual healthy palette preferences and went with the pan roasted salmon. Nick ordered the slightly more exotic Ahi tuna tartar, and Kate and I went fine dining casual with the bacon mac n' cheese. After all, you can't not order something like that when it's rumored to die for, right?

Our food arrived quickly, and Nick decided after a few bites of tuna that it was finally time to get down to business.

"So…," he began, his eyes twinkling with a hint of excitement. "Rumor has it you two crazy lovebirds are looking for a case. And someone you know thought I might be able to help you find it. Am I correct so far?"

Ranger shifted his weight and gave a subtle nod of affirmation.

Nick's smile grew. "What's so special about this case? Rumor has it that you're willing to go to a lot of trouble to find it."

I waited a moment for Ranger to reply, but he didn't. He just sat and watched Nick while he continued to eat his dinner.

"It's…complicated," I offered.

"Are we talking quest-for-the-Holy-Grail complicated or possible-revenge-situation complicated?"

I shrugged. "No idea."

"Well, what exactly do you know, sweetheart?"

Ranger watched me, probably wondering how I was going to play this one. Curious to see if I was trusting enough to give up some details. Or if I was going to play this one cautiously, keeping our new "partners" on more of a need-to-know basis.

I still wasn't sure how I felt about this Nick Fox, but Kate was giving me a good vibe. Plus, she hadn't lied about the mac n' cheese. It really was to die for. Eventually, I decided it couldn't hurt to take a small risk.

"A while back, I was in a relationship with a guy who helped 'complete' the contents of this rumored case. Sounded like he probably even knew where it was at some point, but apparently his partner wasn't really all that fond of him. Sort of made sure he couldn't access its contents. Probably for good reason too. He kind of wound up dead. Well, I guess they both did."

Nick sipped his drink. "I see. You have any names to go with this little bedtime story of yours?"

"The guy I dated went by the name Ben Johnson, but later I came to find out that his 'real' name was Barney. He never gave the name of his partner."

"Barney, huh? If you don't mind me asking, do you remember what he looked like?"

I almost cringed thinking back to all those terrible months I'd spent with Ben. "Tall. Near six feet probably. Fit. Lean. Could've been early to mid-thirties. He had dark, short hair, light skin, brown eyes. And a very deceptive smile."

Ranger reached for my hand under the table and gave it a gentle, comforting squeeze.

Nick frowned. "Honey, those details could probably describe half the men in the country, myself included."

"I'm pretty sure that was the point. He conned me for ten months. Probably wanted to hedge his bets in case I figured him out."

Nick smirked in amusement. "Classic long con."

"Didn't pan out so well for him," I added with a glare. "He never found the key. And he wound up with a few extra breathing holes, if you get my drift. He's now conducting his 'art of deception' meetings six feet under."

"I see." Nick gave Kate a subtle look.

The waiter stopped by with two to-go boxes with dessert for me and Kate, and handed the check to Nick. I watched as he slipped a card into the folder and clapped it closed.

"Well, that's that I guess," he stated dryly. "Hope you both enjoyed your dinners. We'll be in touch."

And just like that, the dinner was over.

Ranger guided me out on to the balcony again for one last look at the skyline while he briefly slipped away for a moment. Maybe to have a private chat with Nick. Eventually, we made our way back down to street level.

"That was interesting," I said as I slid into our rental car.

"Agreed," Ranger replied, still sporting the vacant expression he'd had all through dinner.

"Think he knows something?"

"Yes."

I gave him a look. "What makes you say that?"

Ranger glanced over at me before pulling out of the parking garage. "He paid for dinner with my credit card."

My jaw dropped. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "And this isn't our rental car."

I looked down. The car looked exactly like the one we'd been driving all over LA. "Sure it is." Isn't it? I looked for signs that might indicate a different vehicle. Admittedly something felt off, but I had no idea what. "Ok, but how can you tell?"

Ranger tapped the gauges above the steering wheel. "Mileage. And the VIN doesn't match." Of course Ranger would notice things like that…

"So…what exactly does all of this mean? Why all the games and deception?"

Ranger shrugged. "Power play. He wants us, me specifically, to know who'll be running the show from here on out. Brace yourself, babe. I think we might be in for one bumpy and wild ride."

Oh boy.