***NOT MINE, BUT I WISH THEY WERE. JANET EVANOVICH IS THE HERO HERE, NOT ME.***

Gabi POV

"Coffee." I croaked to the waitress. "Lots of cream and sugar." Les and I slumped into the café booth. We had stopped quickly off at my place so I could change. I enjoyed wearing Les' clothes, but my Rangeman black uniform (black cargoes, black CAT boots, Black Rangeman T-shirt and full utility belt) just seemed to make me feel safe.

"Coffee and a coke." Les said, as the waitress nodded and walked away coming back minutes later with our drinks. I fixed my coffee with three sugars and three creams. "Why do you even bother ordering coffee if it's mostly sugar and cream?" Les laughed, taking a sip of his black coffee.

"I like coffee." I wrinkled my nose as I took a sip of the coffee. It was bitter. I grabbed the salt shaker and tipped it into the coffee, stirred and took another sip. This time it was perfect.

"You are one weird chick, you know that?" Les had one eyebrow arched and a smile on his face.

"What?" I shook my head. "Salt takes away the bitterness."

"Anything you say, Gorgeous." He reached across the table and ruffled my hair. "So, you gonna tell me what was up with you last night?" He sipped his coffee again.

"Les, it's nothing really." I began studying the menu. I knew what I wanted, because we always got the same thing every time we came to this café. "It's really not a big deal."

"Gabi, you are a stunning woman who hasn't gotten laid in YEARS. That is a pretty big deal." He reached over and grabbed the menu from my hands. "You aren't a virgin, so you can't use the whole religious excuse. Now, what is really going on?"

"Why does it bother you, Les?" I asked, swatting his hand and grabbing the menu back. "My lack of a sex life doesn't affect you at all."

"It could." He growled as he took a long drink from his coffee.

"What can I get y'all?" The waitress asked her pen and pad primed in her hand.

"Two eggs; over medium. Whole wheat toast, dry. A bowl of fruit and a banana." I rattled off, handing her the menu.

"I want the #4. Eggs Over medium, Sourdough toast, bacon and sausage. I want the hash brown casserole instead of breakfast fries, and an order of French toast." Les handed her the menu, his eyes never leaving their gaze directed towards me. The waitress nodded and walked away. "You told me last night that you were broken."

"Shit. Les, I don't know if I can talk about this." I put my face in my hands. "It is just going to make all of you guys worry about me for no reason. Just trust me when I say that I am fine."

"Four years." He took my hands away from my face. "What happened that you haven't let a man in your bed for FOUR years?"

I took a deep breath and stared into Les' eyes. They were soft and filled with concern. "You have to promise me that you will NOT tell any of the guys. I can't let them know, if they do I swear to God that I will quit Rangeman and move far far away. Are we understood?"

"Gorgeous." He shook his head. "I swear on my mother's grave that it will not leave my lips." I knew that if Les swore on his mother that he was serious. His mother had passed away when he was 13; she had been mugged, raped and beaten. It was an unwritten rule to never bring up 'your momma' jokes around him, because he was known to snap and attack someone for insulting his momma.

"Okay." Another deep breath and I began. "I was in my junior year in college. I was dating this guy for about six months, before he asked me to join him at his frat's formal. I was excited because it was the first formal that I had ever been to. My girlfriend, Clara, and I had spent weeks preparing for it. I had dress, the shoes…well, everything. It was going to be at the Chatanoogan Hotel, with an after party back at the Frat's house."

"You dated a frat boy?" Les asked a smiled picking up the corner of his mouth. I rolled my eyes and nodded.

"The formal was amazing. Great food, beautiful venue and I looked great." I smiled remembering how beautiful the floor length gown made me feel. "We had gone in with a couple of his frat brothers and got a huge stretch Hummer. After the formal we all piled in and hit a bunch of the bars surrounding the campus. By the time that we had made it back to the frat house, everyone was absolutely trashed. I didn't live on campus, so it was decided earlier that I was going to stay with Quinn that was my boyfriend. "I swallowed hard remembering that night. Les noticed how nervous I was and grabbed my hand. "I…"

"Here's your breakfast, dears." The waitress sang happily. "Enjoy. Let me know if there is anything that I can get for you."

"Let's eat, Les." I said, poking my eggs with my fork. "We can talk in the car."

"Okay, Gabi." He smiled, patting my hand and digging into his food. We ate in almost complete silence, Les watching me closely. When we were done, Les slapped a twenty on the table and grabbed my hand.

"I got it, Gorgeous. Let's get out of here." He drug me through the café and into the car. "We don't have anywhere to be for a couple of hours, let's go down to the park and talk." I nodded and watched as we passed through the streets of Trenton to the park. Pulling into a parking spot, we got out and began walked towards the hiking trail.

"It's a great day." I said casually looking up into the trees. The sun was peeking through the leaves, casting sunlit shadows onto the path. Les reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it gently. "Guess this means that I have to continue, huh?"

"Yep." He said, smiling.

"Okay. So, we were all really drunk and had staggered our way back into the frat house. The rest of the brothers had ordered a bunch of alcohol and were having an after-party of their own. Most of their dates were either passed out, had gone home, or were being entertained." I made parenthesis with my open hand, hoping that Les understood the type of entertainment. "Well, I was really tired, so I told Quinn that I was just going to go up to his room and crash. His roommate usually stayed at his girlfriend's house, since she had her own apartment and they wouldn't be interrupted by loud obnoxious drunks. I went up to bed, and changed into some pjs and went to sleep. The party was dying down, or at least was quiet enough for me to sleep in my drunken state so it didn't take long for me to be out." I stopped talking as a couple of mothers passed us pushing babies in strollers. I stared after them, a twang of jealously stinging my heart.

"Let's sit down a minute." Les said, wrapping an arm around me and guiding me to a bench just off the path. As I sat down next to him, he curled me into his chest with an arm wrapped around my shoulder and held my hands in his.

"I woke up to one of the brothers pulling off my shorts and panties." I sniffed back tears, and felt Les stiffen. "I can't tell you exactly what happened, except for that almost the entire house had a go at me, multiple times. They had beaten me; raped and sodomized…I was barely alive when they dumped me in the center of the quad the next night. I spent four months in the hospital, and another ten learning how to walk and just learn to live on my own."

"Gabi." He wrapped his arms around me, pressing my face into his chest. "Please tell me they were punished." I could feel his jaw clenching

"I can't." I growled. He pulled me back to look into my eyes. "There was no DNA evidence to support it. They destroyed every drop with ammonia. They poured it all over my body, and…and into me. Quinn was the only one to get punished, because they saw him dump the body in the quad. He still only got a slap on the wrist and was kicked out of school. His daddy has money, and bribed the judge to dismiss any of the other charges because there wasn't any evidence. Although, the school shut down the frat."

Les' eyes turned black and his fists clenched at my sides. "I'll kill them." He growled. I shook my head and put his head in my hands.

"Les, there isn't anything you can do about it. It's done. I have tried to accept my fate and make my life as fulfilling as I can without including that aspect of it." Les leaned his head down, our foreheads touching. "I can never have children, the ammonia made sure of that. The scarring is pretty extensive, but I have had a lot of reconstructive surgeries. The doctors have told me that a sex life is possible, but I have been too afraid to try anything. I got the tattoos to cover up some of the deep scars, the rest I have used laser treatments to lessen them. "I wrapped my arms around his chest and hugged him.

"Gabi, I am glad that you told me." Les tilted my face up to him, his bright green eyes glistening. "I want you to know that you mean a lot to me and I am here for you. No matter what it is, I am here."

"Thanks, Les." I felt a tear slide down my cheek. Les wiped the tear with is thumb, and leaned down kissing me gently on the lips. "Les, I can't do this. It's…it's too much."

"Do what? This?"" He asked, kissing me gently on the lips again. He grabbed my face gently with both hands. "Or this?" His mouth crashed down on mine, sending a surge of heat to my core. He ran his tongue across my bottom lip asking permission which sent my body into a frenzy. I let him into my mouth, melting against the feeling of his tongue against my own. I moaned softly, pulling his tightly to my chest. He responded by lifting me up onto his lap and twisting one hand in my hair while the other brought my body close to his. I could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and the reaction to our kiss in his cargoes. He tightened his grip making my stomach knot, and I felt dizzy. I quickly pushed away from him, bracing the distance between us with my hands planted firmly on his chest.

"Les." My voice was thick with fear and passion. "I can't. I just can't."

"Okay, Gorgeous." He whispered, dropping his hands to the bench seat. "I'm sorry I pushed you. I just…I have..." I dropped my hands from his chest, and sat perched at the edge of his lap. Raking his hands through his hair, and then over his face he groaned. "I'm absolutely crazy about you, and…and I want you to know that I really want to try this." He motioned his hand between the two of us. "You and me. Together."

"Les, I can't offer you a lot of things that I know that you need." I could feel myself blushing. "You are one of my best friends. I know you too well to know that you wouldn't be able to handle a celibate relationship."

"Damn." He shook his head."Am I really that much of a womanizer?"

"Honestly, yes." I smiled, tapping him on his nose. "You ooze sex appeal. Drop dead gorgeous, great body, beautiful smile, funny and overall a great package. Any woman would gladly give you her bed, even for the one night."

"Except for you?" He wasn't smiling. I pushed off his lap, and stood. He followed, and stood up quickly next to me. "Have you even tried recently? Is it physically impossible, or are you still trying to overcome the trauma?"

"Yes. I have tried." I glared at him. I could see his mind working overtime trying to figure out who I would have recently tried with. "It's gotten better. Before I came here and met all of you guys I couldn't even be in the same room with a man. Now, I can do a lot of things; kiss, make out, even some petting, but when it comes down to it…I don't know…I guess that I have flashbacks and I freak out. But even the one time that the guy worked through my anxiety attack, it hurt and I made him stop."

"Who was it?" Les' face was desperately trying to maintain that trademark Rangeman blank face, but his eyes were filled with jealousy. I crossed my arms over my chest defensively.

"Les..."

"Please, Gabi. I want to know." He grabbed my hand, pulling it from its place across my chest. "I need to know."

"Tank." I whispered, lowering my head. His grip tightened on my hand. "It was when you and a couple guys had to go to Miami to transport that FTA. I had a really rough takedown, and Steph had called to bring her to the ER. I went to Shorty's and took advantage of their dollar drafts. Shorty called Tank when I started a fight with one of the tourists. It just happened…well, didn't really happen…but what did happen just happened."

"So, he took advantage of you when you were drunk." Les nodded his head, his fists clenching.

"No." I yelled. "He didn't. He brought me home, patched me up and I threw myself at him. I was so desperate for…I don't even know…anything. To be held, loved, kissed, wanted…when I freaked out, he talked me down and made me tell him what was going on. He wasn't in the right frame of mind. He is still hung up on Lula, and didn't feel right about the whole thing. It was an embarrassing mess, but he and I have talked about it and its fine." I was rambling, trying to tell him without him really hearing.

"Gabi…" Les said with obvious hurt in his voice. "Why didn't you come to me sooner? I could have helped you. I would do anything for you. You're my partner, and my best friend." He put his hands on my shoulders, and looked into my eyes. "I would never hurt you, you know that…right?"

"I was afraid." I swallowed tears that were threatening to fall. "I didn't want to disappoint you by offering you something that I couldn't give. Or be able to actually be able to do it, and then find out that you weren't interested in anything but that."

He nodded and dropped his hands. "I guess that I understand that. I have been kind of a man-whore."

"Les…I don't think less of you. You have made your choices, and I can't hold that against you. I just also know that you have a hell of a lot more experience than me, and I am pretty sure that your expectations far exceed what I can do, which at this point is absolutely nothing. That means that even with nothing as the actual expectation, I would still manage to screw it up." Once again I was rambling, nervous that he was still listening.

"Gabi." He covered my mouth with his hand. "Stop." He was giggling softly.

"Hrmfph." I mumbled behind his hand.

"I am not asking you if I can fuck your brains out. I just wanted to be the one that you called. The one that you trusted to help you out." He shook his head as he took down his hand. "But if you want to know if I would fuck your brains out then the answer is hell yes. I would rather make slow love, but if that is what you need…then I am your man."

I slapped his chest. "Damnit Les. This is not a joke. I am fucking frigid. I will die without ever having a real orgasm…and you are making fun of me!" I was getting angry…overly dramatic...but angry none the less.

"What?" He grabbed my hands, which were waving dramatically around me. "What do you mean you will die without an orgasm?"

"God damn that Plum curse!" I screamed to the sky, raising my hands to cover my face. "Can't any of my damned inside voices stay...INSIDE!"

Les was full-out laughing and bending at the waist. I was pretty sure that if he didn't stop soon, he was going to wet himself. As I was about to yell at him, his phone rang.

"Santos." He gasped, struggling to compose himself and wiping tears from his eyes. "Yeah. We're on our way." He flipped the phone shut and looked at me. "We can finish this later. Now, we have to bring Steph to her appointment."

I nodded. Les took my hand and walked us back to the car, opening the door for me. "Les..." my voice was soft, and I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to tell him.

"Gabi, thank you for letting me in. I know that it was hard to tell me this, and I appreciate it. I mean it when I said that you mean a lot to me. If you want, I can help you get the help you need to overcome this. You shouldn't have to live your life unfulfilled like this because of their actions." He kissed me on my forehead. "Why don't you and I take a weekend off and go to the house at Point Pleasant. I think that both us need a break."

"That sounds good." I sat down and buckled myself into the car, watching Les as he walked around the car and got in.

"Now, let's get Steph all fixed up so she can start living her life too." He smiled and roared down the street to Haywood.

Steph POV

Ranger and I were dressed and ready to go a few minutes before Les and Gabi arrived. I was nervous, remembering that the second that I walked into the hospital the gossip train would erupt. Ella was going to be keeping Bruce while we went to the doctor, just in case Joe decided to show up. Ranger and I had talked again this morning while Bruce and I were getting ready. We had an appointment with Ranger's lawyer to start not only a criminal case against Joe, but the divorce papers. This was going to be the Burg's biggest gossip since Joyce Barnhardt was caught in a threesome with two midgets and a dog last summer. Hopefully my mother stocked up her cabinet, because I am sure that she is going to set the world's tippling record this week.

"Penny for your thoughts, Babe?" Ranger whispered in my ear as he was rocking Bruce in his arms. We were sitting side by side on the sofa in the living room.

"Just hoping that my mom has enough booze and laundry to get her through this mess." I chuckled half-heartedly. He sighed, pulling me with his free hand closer to him.

"If not, I will send Hector over there with some tequila." He sighed, kissing me on the forehead. "Don't worry about the Burg, Babe. Let's just make sure that you and Bruce are good, and then we can go over and have a chat with your mom."

I smiled, gently running my finger down Bruce's cheek. He smiled, kicking his feet and cooing. "She hasn't seen Bruce since I left the hospital. Joe wouldn't let either of us out of the house very often." I looked into Ranger's eyes. They were soft and glowed with content.

"He is going to see the world now, Babe." Ranger smiled, picking Bruce up so that he was standing on wobbly legs on his lap. "You are going to get the best of the best, son." I smiled, and felt tears sting my eyes as I watched Ranger talk with Bruce. I had caught him whispering to him when I got out of the shower this morning, and loved the way that he admired his son.

I jumped slightly when there was a knock at the door. Without waiting for a response, Ella, Les and Gabi strolled in not stopping until they reached the sofa. Les reached down and plucked Bruce from Ranger's arms and kissed him on the cheeks.

"Hey, baby Batman. Did you miss your Uncle Les?" Les snuggled Bruce into his arms, and turned to us. "Are you guys ready to go?"

"Yes." Ranger stood, helping me up off the sofa and wrapping an arm supportively around my waist. "Ella is going to stay with Bruce. I won't risk him being out and about quite yet."

"Don't blame you, cuz." Les said, looking down at Bruce who was smiling up at him. Ella came up and took Bruce from his arms and snuggled him.

"Bruce and I will eat some breakfast and then play while you are gone." She cooed walking off into the kitchen with him.

We said our goodbyes to Ella and Bruce and headed down the elevator to the garage. When the doors swung open, Hector, Tank and Cal were standing there waiting for us.

"Hey Little Girl."

"Bomber."

"Bonita." Hector was the only one who "broke ranks" and strode up to me enveloping me in a hug.

"What are you guys doing down here?" Gabi asked. "Les and I are on watch."

"There is no way that we aren't going with." Cal said softly. "Where Bomber goes…" He pointed to the three of them. "We go."

"Thanks guys." I croaked out, my voice thick with unshed tears. "That means a lot to me."

"Anytime, Steph." Tank said, placing a thick hand on my shoulder. "You are family. We aren't going to let anything happen."

We piled into the Excursion, as it's the only vehicle that would fit all of us, and headed to St. Francis. We parked in the back and came in through the employee entrance. Butterflies were bombarding my insides, but I knew that I was safe. X-rays and blood were drawn discretely before I was escorted to a patient room near the exit of the hospital. Everyone but Ranger and Gabi waited outside the room as I stripped and put on a paper gown. I began to get nervous again as I sat up on the exam table.

"Mrs. Morelli." The doctor said as he walked in, causing me to grimace. "I am Dr. Cranton."

"Stephanie, or Steph." Ranger quipped, before I could say anything. "Her legal last name is just a technicality at this point."

"Okay, Stephanie." Dr. Cranton took everything in stride. "I checked your x-rays, but am still waiting on your blood work. I would like to do a physical exam quickly to make sure that you don't have any internal bleeding." I nodded as he reached behind me to lower the back of the exam table. "I would like to do a pelvic exam as well, if that is okay with you. I received the notes from your exam last night, but we would like to make sure that nothing progressed since then."

He gingerly checked the bruises that were covering my body, before checking the bite marks. I could feel Ranger tense as he pulled the paper gown down for better access.

"Stephanie." Dr. Cranton began. "The bruising is good, in that there doesn't seem to be any permanent damage, but the bite marks are more than likely going to have scarring. If you would like I can set you up with an appointment to see a plastic surgeon. He should be able to minimize or even completely remove any marking." I again nodded, feeling like a drinky bird. "If you could lie back, I will get the pelvic exam done. Please let me know if I am causing any pain. There will be some discomfort, but pain is not necessary."

"Okay." I laid back, closing my eyes. I felt Ranger stand next to me, and hold my hand in his while he stroked my hair.

"Everything seems to be good. Your IUD is still in place, so we don't have to worry about pregnancy or uterine tearing." Dr. Cranton had placed a tender hand on my knee. "You can sit up, and get dressed. I will be back in a few moments with your blood results."

I got dressed, pulling my clothes on quickly and without so much glancing at either Gabi or Ranger.

"You okay, Steph?" Gabi asked quietly as I sat back down on the table.

"Yeah. I think so." I knotted my hands together and stared at the tiles on the floor.

"Babe?" Ranger said, tipping my head back with a finger to my chin.

"I'm just embarrassed." I said, feeling tears welling up in my eyes again. "I just need to process all of this."

Gabi took my hand and kissed my forehead. "Steph, I understand what you are going through. We can get through this. You are strong, and you have a great group of people who love you and are here to help." I squeezed her hand and smiled. Gabi HAD been through hell. More hell than I could have ever thought that one person could survive. "If you would like I can set up an appointment to talk to my doc. She specializes in trauma counseling, and even if you don't think it's a good idea now…you can always have it there to use if you need it."

Ranger looked at Gabi, his eyebrow raised.

"Thanks, Gabi. I think that I might do that."

"We have a few appointments to go to today." Ranger said, "But when those are done, we can head down to Miami for some time off."

"That would be great." I smiled, picturing the three of us on the beach in Miami sounded amazing. Ranger smiled, and kissed me gently on the lips as the door opened again.

"All your blood work came back good." Dr. Cranton said. "You are a little anemic, but I have a script for some iron pills for you to take twice a day. I would recommend hot baths and Motrin for the tenderness, and come back and see me if the pain is too much or gets worse."

"Thanks." I said, taking the slip of paper from his hands.

"Take care of yourself Stephanie." He smiled and turned to Ranger. "If you need me to come to you for an appointment, just call my office. It was nice seeing you again, Mr. Manoso."

Gabi POV

Once we arrived back to Haywood, Steph and Ranger went back up to the seventh floor. I knew they had appointments with the lawyer and the DA to file criminal charges against Joe. Les and I got off on the fourth floor to get our assignments for the afternoon. Ram was sitting at my cubicle waiting for us.

"Hey." I called, smiling and doing a finger wave. "What's the word?"

"You me, and pretty boy there." Ram pointed to Les. "Have a skip to chase, needs to come in today. Vinnie is all in a stink about it, and Connie asked Ranger if he could expedite their takedown." Ram was twirling a butterfly knife, and leaning back in my chair. "I've been waiting for y'all to get back so we can head out."

"Alright." I grabbed the back of my chair and slid Ram back a few inches before bending down in front of my desk to get my spare cell battery out of my drawer. As I did, I felt hands grab my ass. "Ram!" I growled spinning around. He was smiling, his hands woven together innocently in his lap. He quirked his eyebrow up at me and looked at me questioningly. "What did I tell you about your hands on my ass?"

He put his finger to his chin and pretended to be deep in thought. "To make sure that I always give a reach around and grope the promise land as well?" Les reached across and smacked him on the back of the head.

"Exactly." I smacked his shoulder playfully. "Now, get off your ass, and leave mine alone. We got shit to do."

We strode down to the garage, before filing into my car and head to the bond's office. Connie was sitting at her desk, a cup of coffee in one hand and a doughnut in the other.

"Morning." I said, plopping down into the visitor's chair in front of her desk. "Who are we going after?"

She put down her doughnut and grabbed a file off her desk, handing it to me before picking up her doughnut again. "Mack Drilsky. He was arrested for attempted murder, kidnapping and possession…as well as a bunch of weapons charges that are still pending." She looked Ram up and down before biting into her doughnut. "He's not the nicest guy in town, but you shouldn't have that much trouble with him. His current home and work address are correct, and I have his daily schedule in the file."

"Wonderful. Thanks, Connie." I flipped through the file. Connie was good at getting information that wasn't in our computer programs, even if they were the best out there. She had the Burg behind her, and had contacts that I only wish that I could have. "Are you still going to Atlantic City next weekend?"

"Yeah." She looked up at Ram. "Just me and Lula. If you want you are more than welcome to come with. We have a huge suite, and would love for you to come."

"I will have to see what my schedule is." I looked around, finally noticing that Lula wasn't there. "Where is Lula, by the way?"

"She is off picking up some of the lower-level skips. Since Steph left, Vinnie has to depend on her for quite a few skips. She's good though…when she doesn't shoot them." We all laughed at that. Lula was constantly eager to shoot a skip, no matter what the circumstance.

"Got any more coffee, Connie?" Les asked, grabbing the file from my hand.

"Yeah, I just put a fresh pot on a couple minutes ago." Connie said and watched as Les and Ram hurried back to the back room to get Connie's famous coffee. "Those two are hooked." She giggled.

"I think that it's the almond extract that you put in it, Connie. Makes the whole place smell divine." I said, taking a big whiff of the air. It did smell fantastic. "Hey when the guys come out, tell them I will be right back. I have to run next door to the book store. Mr. Jenkins was holding a book for me."

"Yeah, sure." Connie said, and went back to typing. I stepped out the door and headed towards the book store. Suddenly, I felt my feet leave the ground and my head was cracked against the brick wall. Bright white stars flashed in front of my eyes, and it took me a second to focus them.

"Where the fuck is she, you stupid bitch." Joe Morelli growled in my ear. He was holding me up by my throat; my feet dangling inches off the ground. "I will kill you right here if you don't bring her to me, now." I clawed at his fingers which were cutting off all of my air.

"Stop." I gasped, trying desperately to get enough air into my lungs.

"Not so tough are you, you little cunt." Joe smiled and dug his hands into the back of my jacket and tucking my guns into his pants. "How about you and I go for a little walk?" He grabbed both my hands in one of his and released my throat only to slam his cuffs onto my wrists, twisting them behind my back. He flipped me over his shoulder and carried me around the book store to the alley where his truck was parked. Taking my handcuffs out from my utility belt, he connected the cuffs I was wearing to brush guard attached to the front of his truck.

"Now…tell me where she is." Joe stepped up to me, his chest touching mine.

"Fuck off, Morellii." I spat, standing up on my tippy toes to get as much into his face as I could. "She isn't going back with you ever again. You are NEVER going to be able to even look at her, let alone put your hands on her."

Joe quickly grabbed me by my throat, arching my back against the brush guard. "She is mine. I am her husband; you can't keep her from me." His eyes were black as sin, and filled with crazy hate. His free hand roughly wound itself in my hair, as a sadistic smirk spread across his face. "Although, if you want to…you can take her place for a little while." The hand that was at my throat slowly started making its way down my chest, groping my breasts before grabbing me between the legs. "I know that you can take it." He whispered in my ear. "I know you like it rough. And I bet I can get a couple friends to come help if you'd like."

"Get your hands off of me you fuck-wad!" I screamed, tears prickling my eyes. This only seemed to motivate him as he began laughing and tugging at the buttons of my cargoes. I screamed as loud as I could before the hand that was wound in my hair clamped over my mouth. I kicked and yanked my restraints as he tried to detach me from my pants. Seeing he wasn't going to get anything without a fight he slammed his body against mine, crushing me into the truck. I could feel his 'excitement' in both his pants and his eyes.

"Give your boss a message." He said, grinding himself into me. "Give me my wife, and nothing will happen to you. He can keep that little bastard kid of hers. But if I don't have her back in my home by the end of tonight, you are NOT going to like what happens to you. I know how close you and Steph are, and I am pretty sure that she understands what is going to happen to you if she doesn't show up." I groaned painfully into his hand as he squeezed my breast hard. "Remember, tonight. Or it's not going to be pretty for you." He reached behind me and uncuffed one set of cuffs, detaching me from his bug-guard by still restraining my hands behind my back. I fell to my knees as he jumped into his truck and backed out of the alley and down the street. I stood there, tears starting down my cheeks, my wrists bleeding from the tight cuffs and my pants partially undone. Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet and headed towards the back alley entrance of the bond's office. I slammed into the door with my shoulder a few times before sliding down and sitting on the cement slab in front of the door. I knew that someone would have heard me, since the door was steel and echoed throughout the entire office.

I heard the door handle click and the door swing open, slamming into me and knocking me onto the ground. I groaned and just laid there waiting for help up.

"What the fuck!" I heard Ram yell. "LES! Get over here!" I felt hands at my shoulders, as he pulled me up to my feet. "What the hell happened, Gabi?" He asked, reaching into his pocket for his handcuff keys.

"Fucking Morelli." I growled as Les ran to my side.

"What the fuck!" Les whispered as his gaze slid down the length of my body. Once he noticed my unbuttoned pants he growled deep in his chest. The second that Ram unstuffed me Les picked me up and carried me back into the bond's office and laid me onto the sofa. "Did he touch you, Gorgeous? Did he..." Les whispered in my ear, running his hands over my arms and legs to see if there was any damage.

"No." I shook my head. "He was just trying to scare me." And it worked. I thought, pulling my hair from its pony tail and running my fingers through it. Joe had messed it up as he wound his hand through it. My scalp ached from where he had pulled. "He's one persistent bastard, isn't he?"

"Do you want me to call the cops?" Connie asked, peeking her head around Ram's shoulder, who was kneeling next to my feet by the sofa. All three of us looked at her.

"No." I said, closing my eyes. "But I could really use a cup of coffee." Connie nodded and hurried back to the back room.

"What happened?" Ram asked. I sighed and told them, shivering as I explained that I had until tonight to produce Steph.

"Yeah. Like he could get close to you to hurt you now." Les growled. "I could kill him in my sleep with my hands and legs tied together."

"But he didn't…you know…hurt you. Did he?" Ram asked gently, taking my hand in his.

"He only copped a good feel." I scoffed, rubbing the breast that he had squeezed. "Although, someone should teach the man how to touch a woman. I am pretty sure that I am going to have a hand-shaped bruise on my boob." I smiled, but unfortunately humor was not appreciated by either Les or Ram. "Come on guys, I am fine. I say we go pick up our skip, get some lunch and then head back to Rangeman so Tank can call TPD to report Joe's crazy-ass behavior."

"We are going to call Tank and have them send out Binkie and Cal to get this guy, and then we are going to head back to Rangman." Les said standing up and extending his hand for me to take. "Bobby is going to check you over, and then we are going to figure out what the hell we are going to do."

"Fine." I said, letting him pull me to my feet. "But I want ice cream."

"I suppose we can do that." Les said, chuckling.

"Oooh…" Ram smiled ear to ear, almost jumping up and down. "Can we stop at that frozen custard place? I am so craving a Reese's concrete."

"Ram." I clapped a hand on his shoulder. "That is a great idea."

***AUTHOR's NOTE***

Okay, so I understand that it has been a long time since my last update. RL can be such a pain in my butt. I have a HUGE paper due soon and have been trying to get a start on it…but I have a feeling that it's going to be an all-nighter the day before. Also, if anyone is on the reading list for my other *uncomplete* story…I am utterly stuck. I have the last few chapters done, but I am stuck on how to get there from where I am now. So, please be patient with that one.

Also, I have had a couple of requests to add to Sexless and Stircrazy…let me know your thoughts.

Lastly….thanks for all the reviews. You guys are AMAZING! Please keep up the reviews...they are like crack and keep me going through all the slow days.

Happy Reading.

R.A.