Disclaimer: The characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I'm making no money. Any mistakes are my own. I've tried to edit closely but this is just a hobby so it's for fun not perfection.

Enjoy!

Distance

"I didn't know you spoke Italian Steph," Lester said.

"Just a little bit, my Dad made sure Val and I could speak enough to converse with our older relatives. Joe's family spoke mostly Italian at home, so being around him has improved my vocabulary. Now I practice with my Dad, he loves it."

"I think it good, you speak your family language. It good to know who you are," Hector said.

"I hope it didn't make anyone uncomfortable," I said. "I know I always feel a little strange when I'm not sure what other people are saying."

Since no one said they were uncomfortable or even asked what was said, I guessed everything was fine.

As promised Cal took me to pick up a few things at the grocery store. I felt better about asking him to take me when he picked up a handful of things for himself. When we got back to Haywood he called up to the control room and one of the new guys came down to carry my bags upstairs for me.

This guy is literally new. Today is his first day on the job. Ranger decided about a month ago to hire 5 new guys. Tank suggested that they start on the weekends to ease them into everything. Saturday and Sunday are typically slower. This gives the guys a chance to pick up on the general feel of the building and a chance to meet a few guys before the chaos that is Monday arrives.

"I'm Stephanie Plum," I said introducing myself to the new guy.

"Todd Wells, where to ma'am?"

"Fourth floor apartment C."

"Yes ma'am."

"Please don't call me ma'am. I'm Stephanie."

"Yes ma… Stephanie," Todd said nervously. I couldn't help but notice he was shaking a little.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"Umm… Well… It's just that your well… aren't you Col. Manoso's girlfriend?"

"What gave you that idea?" I asked, elbowing Cal who was currently trying not to laugh.

"When Zip sent me down to the garage he told me to watch my step and my mouth or I would be dealing with the Colonel."

Cal was now laughing. Not a polite this is funny laugh, but a full on belly laugh. He was laughing so hard that he didn't even know that the doors of the elevator doors had opened.

"This isn't funny, do something. Cal! Cal! Stop laughing and help me, and get off the elevator."

"Angel I'm sorry. I'll talk to Zip," Cal said, unlocking the door to his apartment. "Just let me put this stuff away."

"Thanks," I said and tiptoed to give Cal a kiss in the middle of his flaming skull tattoo.

"Todd I don't want you to misunderstand. Ranger and I are friends, good friends. He does expect me to be treated with respect. He asks the men here to treat me as an equal. As long as you can do that, I don't expect you'll have any trouble with Ranger involving me."

"Sure I can do that no problem. Thank you Stephanie."

"Thank you Todd for carrying my bags," I said opening the door. "Just set them on the counter in the kitchen."

Just as Todd entered the kitchen Lester came walking in like he owned the place. He was bare foot and shirtless asking me if I wanted get sexed up. I think my heart stopped and I'm pretty sure Todd overheard every word.

"Les…Les… LESTER!"

"Beautiful, you know how I love to hear you scream my name."

Rolling my eyes I said, "You wish, Santos."

Just then Todd came walking out of the kitchen. He looked a little pale, confused.

"Have you met Todd?" I asked. "It's his first day. Tank and Ranger hired him on last week."

"Todd this is Lester Santos. He's a part of the core team." Todd's eyes grew huge and his complexion paled even more. I'm not sure if it was what Lester said, the fact that he was half naked, or just embarrassment.

Lester walked over and looked at the poor guy like his was sizing him up. Standing next to Lester, Todd looked more like a kid than one of the Merry Men. It would take two of Todd to make one Les. I wonder why Ranger agreed to hire him. He wasn't your typical hire for Rangeman.

"Todd, it's nice to meet you," Lester said. "I wasn't at your interview but I've heard good things about your communications and technology training."

"Thank you, sir."

Lester nodded once. Then his face got very serious. "I have a memo on my desk that you are to begin an exercise program Monday morning at 0500. Are you aware of this?"

"Yes sir."

Good grief this poor guy. He's scared to death of Ranger and now Lester's being an ass. They'll both be in the gym at that time of the morning working out like crazed Neanderthals. I've got to say something to warn him. Give him a chance to mentally prepare for it.

"Ranger has set some mile markers you have to meet to continue your employment. Are you aware of this?"

"Yes, sir."

"Have you started the running program?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I'll see you Monday 0500. Stephanie is there anything else Todd can do for you tonight?"

"No, I'm fine thank you for your help Todd," I said giving him a huge smile. I followed him to the door when he stepped out so did I.

"Todd let me warn you both Lester and Ranger workout at 0500. Ranger doesn't talk much if any in the gym. So don't let that intimidate you. It sounds like Lester is going to be training you. He's tough, and he's going to be pushy. Just hang in there; if you need to talk to someone to I'm on five from 0730-1700 Monday through Friday."

"Can I ask you something?" Todd asked.

"Sure. When I met Tank for the first interview I thought he just happened to be well… as big as a tank. Then at the second interview Col. Manoso grilled me for thirty minutes about diet and exercise. I've been out of the Army for a little over a year, I quit working out shortly after."

I held up my hand to stop him. I knew exactly what he was thinking. If I were him I'd probably think the same thing. These guys can be intimidating on a lot of levels. Physicality is one they use a lot.

"You can do it, not all the guys look like Ranger and Lester. They are all in great shape though that's a requirement of the job. I'm sure you'll do fine. Just push yourself, and remember the better conditioned you are the better you can handle the job."

"That's great advice, Babe," Ranger said walking over to where I stood talking with Todd. This poor kid couldn't catch a break. First Les, now Ranger.

"Col. Manoso. Good evening," Todd said. Ranger nodded in his direction. "If you're done here you're needed back in the Control Room." Todd tuned on his heel with military precision and rushed to the stairway.

"That poor guy, he's scared to death. Lester was giving him a whole macho routine earlier. Just the sight of you and I thought he was going to wet his pants. Why did you hire him?"

"According to his superiors he's the best at telecommunications and programming. Tank and I are concerned about him being able to handle himself in the field. He's going to need to get in better shape and not be so intimidated by everyone. You and I both know showing weakness to a skip is dangerous for you and your partner."

"That's true. So you are trying to make him tough?"

"Babe." This time Babe means you finally figured it out, thank goodness.

'I'm looking for Lester. I need him to go with me to the hospital."

"Hospital? Who's hurt?" I asked. I was running a mental list of who was working tonight.

"No one from Rangeman. There was a fight between the Blades and a rival gang. Some of them ended up at St. Francis. I want to talk to them." Ranger explained.

The elevator doors opened to reveal Tank. He was dressed in a Rangeman uniform, and was talking on the phone. He nodded hello and kept barking orders to whoever was on the other end.

"Lester is in my apartment. Do you want me to go with you to the hospital?"

"That's up to you," Ranger said

Ranger opened the door to my temporary home and waited for me to walk inside. The minute Ranger stepped into the living room behind me I felt his body tense. Lester was sitting on the couch flipping channels on the TV. He was still shirtless and he had his bare feet propped up on the coffee table. Lester gave me a look that would make a nun rethink celibacy.

I think I heard a growl come from Ranger's chest. I felt a little tingle run through my body. Making Ranger jealous was fun.

"If you don't need me to go with you then I'll just stay here tonight. I think I'll take a hot shower and maybe watch a movie," I said a yawn escaping.

"Babe." This time I think Babe means Lester is shirtless, but it could mean I can't believe you tired again, I'm pretty sure it means I'm good in the shower.

Lester gave me a fist bump and headed back across the hall. I'm hoping to put on a shirt. After all the nurses at St. Francis are just mortals.

"You'll be careful?" I asked Ranger, following him towards the door.

"Babe." This time means Babe means do you even have to ask.

Ranger spun around and pinned me to the wall. The weight of his lower body holding me in place, his hands splayed out on the wall beside my head. I felt my breath catch; Ranger always affects me even when I don't want him to.

Then he kissed me. His hand at the nape of my neck the kiss was soft at first, then serious and demanding. He leaned in closer and kissed me again. I felt a wave a desire wash over me. For a minute I was lost in the sensation. Then I remembered that I wasn't supposed to be kissing Ranger.

I put my hands on his chest and gave a little shove. His body never moved, but he broke the kiss. The tips of Ranger's lips curled into a small smile. He kissed my temple and pushed off the wall. We stood there for a minute and then he was gone.

Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie. You're in love with him, that's a dangerous place to be. He's never going to love you as anything more than a friend. He's told you that over and over. He's not interested in becoming anything more friendship. You're supposed to be getting over him. That's what the past few months have been about. Only it's not working. It's not working at all. Every little glance, every little touch and you're starting all over again. Suck it up. Stop thinking about Ranger all time. Stop worrying about Ranger it will only make it worse. You have to stop thinking about him all the time.

"Turns out Woody had a pretty decent movie collection. I settled on The Other Guys; Mark Whalburg and The Rock. Yum! Plus Will Ferrell is a comic genius. After the movie I washed my face, brushed my teeth and put on a cami and shorts pajama set. I checked the door to make sure it was locked, turned out all the lights and called it a night.

I woke up around eleven-thirty in a cold sweat. I sat up and threw the covers back.

"Why can't I sleep like a normal person?" I sighed into the darkness. Tears were rolling down my face. I'd been crying in my dream. I guess I'd been crying in my sleep too.

"Babe talking to yourself?"

"Ranger? What are you doing here?" I asked, hoping that Ranger wouldn't notice my voice cracking.

"I came to check on you we just got back from the hospital. Did you have another nightmare?"

"Yeah."

"Want to talk about it?" Ranger asked.

"No." I said wrapping my arms around my body. "Ranger, this can't be normal."

"It's okay Babe; I'm going to help you. We're in it this together."

I knew it was a mistake but I needed comfort. No one ever made me feel as safe as Ranger. Just this once. It'd be okay to let him comfort you just this once. Tomorrow you can start putting the distance back between you. Just take tonight.

"Will you hold me?" I asked.

Ranger stood looking at me like I'd just sprouted a second head. For a minute I thought he might runaway. Then he sat down on the edge of the bed. He bent over to unlace his boots; then he took them off. He removed his ankle holster and then his socks. Pulled the gun from his utility belt and laid it on the nightstand. Then he placed the belt on top of his boots. As he turned to lie down next to me; I tugged on his shirt. Ranger reached behind him grabbing the shirt with one hand at the neck he pulled it off in one swift movement. I nodded, and turned on my side. Ranger pulled me to him and I fit my body in that perfect cradle between his chin and feet. There was absolutely no where safer in the world.

Neither of us spoke. Ranger held me tightly. I tried to stay awake for as long as possible. I wanted to absorb as much of him as I could. Finally I slept.

The next time I woke up, Ranger was underneath me. I had my face tucked into his neck. His arms were wrapped around my back.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled. I tried to pull away but Ranger didn't let go.

"It's early still, go back to sleep." Ranger said.

The next time I woke up it was still dark outside. Ranger was beside me with his arm across my waist. I rolled back into his body and drifted back to sleep.

"Babe, wake up. Babe."

I opened my eyes and to see Ranger sitting next to me on the bed. He was dressed.

"What time is it?"

"Almost five, I didn't want to leave you without saying goodbye."

"Where are you going?" I asked still in a sleepy fog.

"I need to go to the gym."

Ranger leaned over and pushed my hair off my face. He kissed me on the forehead, and then he was gone. I rolled over and cried myself to sleep. I knew I'd never be able to stop loving him. I also knew he'd never be able to love me like I needed him to.

The next time I woke up it was eight o'clock. Someone was banging on my door. Good grief don't these men ever sleep? I got out of bed and looked around for my robe. Huh, guess I forgot to pack it. I padded barefoot over to the door and cracked it open. It was Lester.

"Beautiful? Did I wake you?"

"Yeah but that's okay, what's going on?"

"Did you forget we have a meeting with TPD this morning?"

"Shit! What time is it?"

"It's eight o'clock the meeting starts a ten. We need to be there early. Take a shower and get dressed. I'll make some breakfast come across the hall when you're ready. I'll bring you a cup of coffee."

"Thanks Les you're a lifesaver."

I'm pretty sure I set a new world record for showering and primping. I dressed in black jeans and a black Rangeman V-neck sweater, with a hot pink cami underneath. I need color in my wardrobe. I pulled on my black boots, clipped the holster to the back of my belt and slipped my Glock 19 into place. One look in the mirror and decided I was as ready as I could get.

I ran across the hall to Bobby's place. Lester and Bobby were just finishing up breakfast. Today they were dressed in their usual uniforms. Lester smirked at me shaking his head, he pointed to an empty chair at the table. He went into the kitchen and brought me a plate of scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast and orange slices and a second cup of coffee.

"Sugar and cream are on the table. Eat. I want to get downstairs and review the folder before the meeting starts. Then you're going to put your super sleuthing skills to work. We need to know everything about the Blades. Is your laptop across the hall or in your cubical?"

"It's on across the hall. My iPad is in my bag. I brought it to take notes during the meeting," I said, between bites.

"I'll go get your laptop and bring it to the conference room." Bobby said.

"Thanks Bobby, I owe you one."

"No problem."

"Did you get to talk to the men at the hospital last night?" I asked.

"They weren't really men. More like kids pretending to be men. One of them was just sixteen years old. He joined the gang because he brother was a Blade. The gang moved him down here a couple weeks ago. He's been living in an apartment on Stark with four other guys. They're all under twenty-five. They have no one to look out for them. The food that they gave him in the hospital was the first decent meal he's had since he got here. He's been living on junk food that he's shoplifting from 7/11. Sometimes one of the older guys will take him to McDonald's, but that's been about it."

"Wow, that's terrible. You're right we need to figure it out, are there kids here younger than him here in Trenton?"

"I don't know Beautiful, it's difficult to say. That kid last night was scared; he has no one here to help him. No one came to the hospital to check on him. He's just a commodity to the gang. If he dies they don't give a shit, he's expendable. You know Ranger and I could have been like that kid. If our families hadn't cared about us so much, if we hadn't joined the Army, if…"

"We can help them Lester. First we need the information. Let's go see what TPD is bringing to the table," I said hoping my voice was reassuring.

Lester and I walked into the conference room on the second floor Ranger was sitting at the head of the table, reviewing his folder making notes in the margins. There was no one else in the room. Ranger was dressed in his usual attire cargo pants and black t-shirt.

Remember Stephanie don't make eye contact, don't touch him. Distance. He's your friend and employer. Last night was the last time. You can't keep letting yourself rely on him for comfort.

"Good Morning Ranger," I said walking past his chair to take a seat next to Lester. As I passed Ranger reached out and grabbed my wrist. I felt a shock of electricity shoot through me, for a second I thought he felt it too. Then I pulled my wrist way, putting my hands in my pockets. Ranger pulled his hand away, and looked at me questioning for a second before turning back to his work.

"Babe." This time Babe means good morning.

Tank came in to the conference room and took his seat to Ranger's right. There was a moment of silence and then Tank nodded at Ranger. I really need to spend some time working on my ESP.

"Lester you'll be second on this assignment with TPD. Tank is going to maintain the company. Stephanie will be available for research and communications."

Les nodded that he understood and accepted the new role.

"Stephanie do you want to work in the field on this?" Ranger asked.

"No, I'm comfortable with working in the office. After my experience with the Slayers I don't want to get involved with any more gangs."

"Fair enough," Ranger said.

I walked over to my seat next to Lester. The laptop was sitting on the conference room table. I put it inside my bag and removed my iPad. Lester was reading the reports and scribbling notes on the inside of the folder. I booted up my iPad opened the folder and started reading. After a few minutes Bobby came in with Ella. They set up coffee, bottled water and snacks. Bobby sat next to tank. Ella squeezed my shoulder as she walked past me. I looked up and smiled.

"Did you have everything you need in your apartment dear?"

"Yes Ella, thank you for everything you did to make me comfortable."

"It was my pleasure dear. I miss cooking for you, you must come have dinner with Luis and I one evening."

"I'd like that very much, thank you."

"Will there be anything else Ranger?" Ella asked.

"No, thank you everything looks great." With that she left closing the door behind her quietly.

We all sat quietly reading the information that had been compiled by Rangeman and TPD. One thing I've learned working here is that preparation begins with intel. You have to have as much information as possible so you can make good decisions.

At ten o'clock there was a knock at the door to the conference room. Lester opened the door and Morelli entered followed by Dave Joiner and a guy I'd never met. Joe introduced the new guy as Ray Roberts. Joiner was your typical Trenton dective. He looked overworked, and stressed. He was dressed in a wrinkled shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the collar open. Roberts looked a lot more like Joe. He was dressed in jeans, and a t-shirt with black Bates boots. He looked just a little shy of dangerous. It might have been his body which was only slightly smaller than Lester's or it might have been the way he carried himself. I was pretty sure he was former military. He had that swagger that said don't mess with me.

Ranger shook hands with the men and then offered them food and drinks from the table in the corner of the conference room. Joiner and the Roberts fixed themselves a cup of coffee. Joe sat down at the table next to me and started reading through the folder. He pointed to something in the folder and whispered to Joiner. Joiner nodded in the affirmative. Joe wrote something in the notebook he'd carried in with him. Roberts was busy studying the Rangemam team. When he'd looked them each over he landed his gaze on Ranger. He was studying him carefully. Ranger felt the man's eyes on him and looked back his face blank, giving nothing away.

When Roberts looked away Ranger called the meeting to order. For two hours the men exchanged information and ideas. They discussed key players in other gangs in Trenton and who they thought might be able to help. They broke down assignment for gathering information. Most of what TPD would be doing was gathering information from gang task forces in other departments. Morelli was also going to bring in the FBI Special Gang Task Force. It was decided that the next meeting would be Wednesday morning at ten o'clock.

"Cupcake, how are you today?"

"I'm good Joe. Looks like I'm going to be busy from the looks of this list of things Lester and Ranger want me to do before Wednesday."

"Think you'll be too busy to have dinner with me this week?"

"Sure I'm available any night but Thursday."

"What's happening Thursday night?" Joe asked.

"I have a date."

"With Manoso? It's about time."

"No this is with John Ludano, he's not from Tenton. But he's Italian so maybe if my mother finds out she'll forgive me for not telling her."

"Cupcake with your mom anything is possible."

"Tell me about it," I said giving a classic Jersey girl eye roll.

"Well Joiner is my ride so I better go. I'll call when I can," Joe said.

"Okay. Bye Joe."

"Stephanie are you ready? We need to get started."

"I'm ready Les. Just let me grab by bag," I said. "Are we going to work on five?"

"We can set up in my office. There's more room than in your cubical," Les said.

"Sure let's get started. The sooner we catch these guys the sooner we can go home."

"You mean the sooner we'll be sitting on the beach drinking margaritas."

"Oh yeah! That sounds fabulous!" I said smiling my best smile.

"Stephanie, can I see you in my office?" Ranger asked.

I'm going to try to wrap this story up soon. I don't want it to become one of those stories that drags on forever and ever. I've already started planning the next chapter it will be up soon. ~R