A/N: I use them for fun and not for profit

Chapter 21

They met Bobby a block down from Stephanie's apartment building. He stepped out of the nondescript beige Chevy Impala he'd been sitting in. "She's inside," he said. "Morelli's in there with her. And she's got transportation. She left the bonds office on a Harley-Davidson FXDL Dyna Low Rider, and she handled it like a pro. The way she had her thighs wrapped around…" Bobby looked up and saw dark brows pulled together and an electrically intense gaze peering out from under them. "…It's in the lot, the bike, I mean." He quickly finished his report and hopped into the SUV Tank had parked behind the Impala. The men got in the Chevy and officially began their shift.

The parking spot was a good one because they could see the back of Steph's apartment as well as the lot. She rarely used the front entrance, but they still had a partial view of the front of the building. Stephanie's bedroom faced the back of the building, and there were no lights on. Ranger knew Tank had noticed, but he was damned if he was going to comment on it. It was one thing to know she was with Morelli, but it was another thing to know she was with him now, a few hundred yards away. As he stared at the darkened window the light came on. They were in there all right.

Tank was behind the driver's seat and he shifted slightly to look at Ranger. Ranger remained still. "He's not seeing anyone but her," Tank said.

"And that's important to me why?" Ranger's voice was calm, matter of fact, but Tank saw the lines of tension at the corner of his mouth. Before Tank could respond, both men focused on the door to the parking lot. It was flung open by a strong push from inside and Morelli loped out of the building and over to his truck at the edge of the lot. He was in the truck and out on the street in a matter of seconds. It was almost dark, but Ranger and Tank were visible in the Chevy and they made no attempt to hide as Morelli zoomed by them without a second glance.

"He was in a hurry," Tank said. "Must be some trouble in Trenton." Both men settled into a comfortable silence that lasted for a half-hour. There had been many other nights where they'd sat unmoving and silent for hours and it was looking like this was going to be one of those nights. It was full on dark and the night loomed endlessly in front of them. Ranger wondered what the hell he was doing. He paid men to do this shit; he should be at home. He verbalized nothing.

The rumble of eight gas-sucking cylinders caught their attention. The big blue Buick cruised by and turned into Stephanie's lot. A small slight-built man got out, leaving the car running and the hi-beams on.

"There's a man going in," Tank said.

"I don't think so," Ranger replied. "Look close. I think it's a woman dressed like a man. I think it's Stephanie's sister, Valerie."

"Why is she dressed like a man?" Tank asked. "She a lesbian?"

"I don't know why she's dressed like a man. I think she's straight. She's got two kids and an ex-husband."

"Hunh, maybe that's why he's an ex-husband. Oh shit!" Tank and Ranger leaned forward in unison. Between the parking lot lights and the high-beams of the Buick they had almost daytime vision. Valerie was out of the building walking toward the driver's side of the car and Stephanie was behind her.

"Oh shit," Ranger echoed. "We've got trouble." Stephanie was standing next to the passenger side door. Her hair was swinging around her face in a halo of giant curls and her red lips gleamed in the halogen light of the lot. He couldn't see the black eye, either due to concealer or the fact that his eyes were tracing the path of her bare legs from where they exited her skirt, just inches below her ass, to where her feet were contained in five-inch stiletto heels. The skirt looked like black leather and it matched the short jacket she had on over a black knit shirt.

Stephanie got in the Buick and they pulled out of the lot. Tank fired up the ignition and the Impala pulled into traffic, never getting close enough to be made, but staying just the right distance to keep the tail. They followed the Buick down Brunswick Avenue and across the railroad tracks.

"Where the hell are they going?" Tank muttered as the Impala with its well-worn shocks bounced over the tracks. When the Buick slowed down and turned into a residential neighborhood, Ranger knew. The Buick stopped at the curb and Lula, dressed in tight spandex and high heels, hopped into the backseat.

"Stephanie is using herself as bait to draw out DeChooch," Ranger told Tank. "I'm thinking they're on their way to the Snake Pit."

"That's trouble then," Tank said.

"Yeah, can you get us there first?"

"You want me to stop the tail and beat them there?" Tank questioned. "What if you're wrong?"

"I'm not," he replied pulling a Blackberry from his pocket. "And if I am, Stephanie's still got a functioning tracker in her purse."

Tank turned the big car around and took back streets even Ranger didn't know about. By the time the three women were in the club and seated, their surveillance team was hidden away in a closet behind the bar. They had a good view of the women, the door and the mud-wrestling ring. It had cost a couple of crisp hundreds, but it was worth it because the view of the bar was excellent and so was their cover.

When the mud fight started Ranger wanted to rescue Stephanie, but he stayed still. He'd have to wait for the right moment. She lost her blouse almost immediately, but as long as she kept her bra on he thought she'd be okay. When Lula jumped into the ring to help her he actually relaxed a little, because she was kicking ass. She'd managed to throw Mary Maggie out of the ring. The crowd was going wild, and then, disaster. Other wrestlers joined the group and in the middle of the brawl Stephanie managed to rip a g-string off one woman. There was a strict law against total nudity. The bouncers stepped in and Lula and Stephanie were on the street in no time, one shoeless and the other shirtless.

They followed the Buick back to Lula's where she made her way into her apartment. The Buick took off again and they followed it to Morelli's. Tank cut the engine and coasted to the curb three houses up. The Buick sat in front of Morelli's for a moment. Stephanie must have called him because the porch light flipped on and Stephanie exited the car, still shirtless.

Morelli held the door open for her and stepped way back, allowing her to enter without touching him.

"Looks like Morelli's gonna let a little mud keep him from his woman tonight," Tank said.

"I wouldn't." The words were uttered so softly Tank wasn't sure Ranger knew he'd said them out loud.

"Let's go home," Ranger said in a normal tone. "I'm not sitting here all night when she's with Morelli. He'll watch out for her. Bobby can take over in the morning." Tank started the car and they drove back to RangeMan in silence.

Ranger didn't alter his plan. He waited for her call. He read the surveillance reports on Stephanie daily, and was amazed at her eccentric work style, but not her results. She was like a ping pong ball, bouncing from place to place, with no organized logic in her information gathering techniques, and yet she was successful. He thought she was making progress in her effort to find Dougie and Mooner, if not her effort to capture Eddie DeChooch. He waited patiently. He knew she would need help again, and he'd be there for her.

When the call came, it was not what he'd expected. She'd left him a voice mail and he heard something in her voice that made him return the call immediately. She didn't bother with a greeting, just launched into speech.

"There's a new problem with the DeChooch thing. He's got Grandma."

"A match made in heaven," Ranger said.

"This is serious! I let it be known that I had what DeChooch was after. Since he doesn't have Mooner he's kidnapped Grandma so he has something to trade. The swap is set for seven."

"What are you planning on giving DeChooch?"

"A pig heart."

"That sounds fair," Ranger said.

"It's a long story."

"What can I do for you?"

"I could use backup in case something goes wrong." Then she told him the plan.

"Have Vinnie wire you," Ranger said. "I'll stop by the office later this afternoon to get the receiver. Switch the wire on at six-thirty."

"Is the price the same?"

"This is a freebie. I like your granny." He listened to her plan and made no changes. He was doing only what she asked.

Ranger didn't think it was a good idea to take a cooler containing a pig heart to the mall, but it wasn't his plan. He listened to one wrong turn after another until the op was screwed up beyond repair. He was waiting for Stephanie and Lula in the mall parking lot, next to her bike, when they finally gave up on the exchange. He saw them exit the mall and make their way toward him, Stephanie still tightly hanging on to the cooler containing the ransom.

"If I ever need to be ransomed, do me a favor and decline the job," he said as they stood in front of him. He reached under her shirt and turned the wire off. "Don't worry. He'll call back. How could he refuse a pig heart?" Ranger looked inside the chest and smiled. "It's really a pig heart."

"It's supposed to be Louie D's heart," she told him. "DeChooch removed it by mistake. And then somehow DeChooch managed to lose the heart while en route back to Richmond." He knew the details, but he didn't share that with her. The surveillance he'd placed on her had been well-timed and both Bobby and Hector's reports had been extensive and quickly filed.

"And you were going to pawn a pig heart off on him," Ranger said.

"It was short notice," Lula said. "We tried to get a regular one, but they were special order."

"Nice bike," Ranger said to her. "Suits you."

And then he was in his car and gone.

The second attempt at retrieving Stephanie's grandma was successful. Ranger delivered Edna, none the worse for her experience, to Stephanie's parents' house. Stephanie was standing in her front yard waiting for their arrival. Ranger got out of his car and rounded it to open Edna's door. When Edna was on the sidewalk Stephanie embraced her in a quick wordless hug and then turned to Ranger.

"Are you coming in with me?"

"You'd have to kill me first."

"I need to talk to you. This won't take long. Will you wait for me?"

Their eyes held and the silence stretched between them.

He nodded. He'd wait.

She turned to go into the house and he reached out and pulled her back. His hands slid under her shirt.

"The wire," he said, removing the tape, his fingertips warm against her skin. They moved of their own accord, skimming the swell of breast not covered by her bra.

She turned and ran up the sidewalk catching up with her granny who was entering the house. It took ten minutes before she could make her escape. Ranger was leaning against the side of his car, arms folded, when she came down the sidewalk and stopped in front of him.

"Ronald is probably going to take the heart to Richmond tomorrow," she said to Ranger. "And I'm worried they'll discover it doesn't belong to Louie D."

"And?"

"And I'm afraid they might want to send a message by doing something terrible to Mooner or Dougie."

"And?"

"And I think Mooner and Dougie are in Richmond. I think Louie D's wife and sister are secretly working together. And I think they have Mooner and Dougie."

"And you'd like to rescue them."

"Yes."

Ranger smiled. "Might be fun."

In the end, it wasn't fun. They left from her parents' house. Ranger made a quick call to Tank telling him of the trip and asking him to take care of Stephanie's bike. He didn't say anything specific, as Stephanie was listening to everything he said, but he knew Tank understood the surveillance on Stephanie was over and that'd he'd be offline for at least the night and the next day.

He was still careful about the personal information he shared with Stephanie and he refused to take a deeper look at his reasons for that. He shot a look at her. She was sitting quietly in the seat next to him. They had a five hour drive to Richmond and Stephanie looked wrung out from the day. She was reclined in her seat, but not sleeping. He reached out and pushed a button on the CD player and strains of Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony filled the car. It was his go to music for road trips. He looked sideways at Stephanie assessing her reaction. He knew the music was not to her taste, but she smiled at him and he turned his attention back to the drive.

She was silent for a few minutes and then she said, "You don't by any chance have a twin brother, do you?"

"No," he said softly. "There's only one of me."

"Ranger," she hesitated and then took a deep breath and went on. "Thank you for helping me with my Grandma. DeChooch said I couldn't bring in the police, so I didn't tell Joe until after things got screwed up at the mall. I was afraid DeChooch would hurt Grandma if Joe was involved."

"So, you're telling me I was your second choice?" he asked.

"No," she said emphatically, "I'm telling you…I'm telling you thanks, for always helping me. Joe and I are…" she fell silent again for a few moments.

"I have a wedding dress," she said in a rush. "My mother bought it, but Joe and I aren't engaged. We aren't even…"

"Be careful what you tell me, Babe. I'm not the enemy, but there are things you may not want me to know."

She looked at him for a long time. His eyes were on the road ahead, but he could feel her slow perusal of him and his body reacted. He waited long minutes before he turned to take a quick look at her and was relieved to find she'd closed her eyes. Sleep, Babe, he thought, there's still a lot of night ahead of us.

She did sleep. He made the rest of the trip in silence except for the quick call to Tank. They'd need motel reservations and he put Tank in charge. She awoke as he pulled the car to a stop in front of what his GPS told him was Louie D's house.

"Are we here?" she asked him groggily.

"Yes, and I'm going to take a look. Stay in the car."

It didn't take long to make his assessment. He returned to the car and was pleased to see she'd followed his instructions and stayed put. It was unusual behavior for her, and he realized, despite her sleep on the way down, she was tired.

"The place is secure. Locked up tight and alarmed. I could get in, but I'd like a little Intel before I try that. I had Tank get us rooms. You can have a couple hours to sleep and get freshened up. My suggestion is to knock on Mrs. D's door at nine and finesse ourselves into the house."

"Works for me."

They had side-by-side rooms in a comfortable two-story chain motel. Ranger opened her door and made a quick inspection.

"I'll be next door if you need anything," he said. "I'll come for you at eight-thirty. We can get breakfast and then say hello to the ladies."

"I'll be ready."

He pulled her toward him, lowered his mouth to hers. The kiss was slow and deep. His hands were firm on her back. She grasped his shirt and leaned into him. His body responded, and he knew she felt it.

"Shit!" she said.

"That's not the usual reaction I get when I kiss a woman," Ranger said.

"Okay, here's the truth. I'd really like to sleep with you, but I have this stupid wedding gown . . ."

Ranger's lips swept along her jawline to her ear. His words were soft and seductive. "I could make you forget the gown."

"You could. But that would create really terrible problems."

"You have a moral dilemma."

"Yes."

He kissed her again. Lightly this time. He stepped back and smiled at her, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. They were somber. "I don't want to put any pressure on you and your moral dilemma, but you better hope you can bring Eddie DeChooch in all by yourself because if I help you I'll collect my fee."

And then he left. He closed the door behind him, and waited to hear her slide the lock. He cursed Tank for reserving two rooms.

Eighteen long hours later, Ranger was back in his car, this time in the passenger seat. Dougie and Mooner were in the backseat, quiet. They'd been held hostage by Louie D's wife in the basement of her house, and they were glad to be on their way home. His arm hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, but he gave no indication. To some extent he welcomed the pain, because it kept his mind off of Stephanie.

It had been touch and go at the police station. He had been able to tell the story in a way that kept RangeMan out of it, and they'd used Stephanie's capture papers for DeChooch to lead the police to believe he'd been their objective. Finding Dougie and Mooner was just a fortunate side benefit.

Again his attention turned to the professionally dressed wound on his forearm. It was throbbing with a strong and painful intensity considering the superficiality of the wound. This was the second bullet he'd taken because of Stephanie. He couldn't say he'd taken them for her as both times the shooter was aiming straight at him. Both times he'd had his mind on her safety, and it had diminished his focus on the job at hand. And it had cost him. He needed to define his feelings for her and then slot them away. He thought he'd be successful with his deal. It was just a matter of time until she made her decision and called for him to bring DeChooch in. When that happened the game was on.

It was several days after he returned to Trenton before he talked to her again, but Tank continued to file reports. Sophia was still on the loose and it bothered him, so he reinstated the surveillance on Stephanie. Tank was in charge of the roster and he was the one giving reports. It was a closely guarded secret, but a highly amusing one that Vinnie and Stephanie had had a shoot-out with DeChooch inside Pin Wheel Soba's empty house. The house was destroyed and DeChooch got away, and according to the report, the cop was livid.

When the call came it was almost midnight. Ranger was in bed and deeply asleep, but the ringing of his phone brought him to immediate alertness. He should have been expecting what he heard, but still it took him by surprise.

"I need help," she said. "But it's a little strange."

"It always is."

"I'm here with Eddie DeChooch, and he doesn't want to be brought in by a girl."

Ranger began to laugh softly in a rare sound of real enjoyment.

"It's not funny," I said.

"It's perfect."

"Are you going to help me out here, or what?"

"Where are you?"

"My apartment."

Twenty minutes later, Ranger was at her door. He was dressed in black fatigues, with a full utility belt. If DeChooch didn't want to be brought in by a girl, he was going to give him the full RangeMan treatment. He glanced at Stephanie and did a double take before a slow grin split his face. She had on slim black jeans and a form-fitting red sweater, and her hair was a wild blond cloud around her head.

"Blond?"

"It was one of those impulse things."

"Any other surprises?" It was just a conversational gambit, but he saw her eyes widen and he knew he'd struck a cord. There was something else.

"Nothing I want to tell you about right now," she said firmly.

He walked farther into the apartment and raised an eyebrow at DeChooch when he saw the man was missing part of his ear and had blood dripping from the wound.

"I didn't do it," she said.

"How bad is it?"

"I'll live," DeChooch said, "but it hurts like hell."

He left her apartment and with Tank's help took Eddie to the hospital and then called the police. It was one-thirty before he was able to make his way back to Stephanie's apartment. He made short work of the lock and closed the door quietly behind him. He walked confidently through the dark apartment to her bedroom. He stood leaning against the door jamb listening to her breathing and he decided she wasn't sleeping. He knocked on the jamb.

"Are you awake?"

"I am now. You scared the hell out of me."

"I want to see you," he said. "Do you have a night-light?"

"In the bathroom."

He got the light from the bathroom and plugged it into a baseboard outlet. It didn't give off much light, but it was enough for him to see clearly.

"What's going on? Is DeChooch okay?" she asked.

Ranger removed his gun belt and dropped it on the floor. "DeChooch is fine, but we have unfinished business."

"This is sort of sudden," she said. "I mean, I didn't think it would be tonight. I didn't even know if it would be any night. I wasn't sure you were serious. Not that I'd go back on a deal, but, um, what I'm trying to say is . . ."

Ranger raised an eyebrow. "I make you nervous?"

"Yes."

He sat in the rocker in the corner. He slouched slightly, elbows on the arms of the chair, fingers steepled against each other. He remembered the day they met. She'd eaten her dessert first. Not the entire piece of cake, just one bite. He wasn't like her. His dessert, when he ate it, was at the end of the meal, when everything else was done and he could take his time and savor it. He walked over to the bed.

"I'm going to give you your one bite of cake," he said.

She looked up at him, puzzled. Her blond hair was a soft cloud around her shoulders. She looked different than he was used to and he thought taking a taste was a good idea, if only to reassure himself it was really her. She nervously licked her lips and the urge to feel them moving under his mouth was uncontrollable. He bent over her and placed his lips on hers, lightly at first. He tasted and nibbled, and used his tongue to trace the outline of her mouth and then he plunged. There was no other contact between them. Her hands were under the covers pulling them tightly under her chin. His were on either side of the pale hair spread chaotically over her pillowcase. When he pulled back he saw the desire, and something else in her eyes. Maybe fear. She would have to lose that fear. There was no place for any distrust between them.

"You can relax. I'm not here to collect on the deal."

She blinked. "You're not? Then why did you drop your gun belt?"

"I'm tired. I wanted to sit and the belt is uncomfortable."

"Oh."

He smiled. "Disappointed?"

"No."

The smile widened.

"So, what's the unfinished business?" she asked.

"You're going to spend the night with me. I won't force the issue, but don't think it won't happen. One night, Babe. If you don't come to me, I'll come to you. And I won't take no for an answer."

He saw her bristle in the dim light. She didn't like being told what to do, he knew from experience and she didn't take direction well.

"Well, really. I don't go back on my word, Ranger. But you can hardly make me…"

"Goodnight, Babe," he interrupted. He stood and picked up his utility belt and walked from her apartment. His smile was wide.