Previous Chapter: "I'm not, Alyssa. If I can have back up, why wouldn't I take advantage of it? I'm not an idiot. Not that I'm saying, Alyssa is. She just handles things differently than I do is all."

"Ain't that the truth," Bobby grinned.

We pulled into a lit parking garage. I slipped out of the car behind Bones and continued my conversation with Bobby. "Besides, I was starting to feel like something was off. I was starting to feel a little woozy…" my head started spinning and suddenly I felt weightless as the room went black.

CHAPTER 25
(Misty's POV)

I woke to the sound of a shower running. Prying my eyes open, I realized I was in a large comfortable bed that wasn't my own. I sat up with a start and looked down and noticed I was sporting only a black t-shirt and thong.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

I grabbed the phone off of the nightstand, which just so happened to be mine. I glanced down to see who the caller was — Unknown Caller.

"Hello?"

"Rizik is dirty," a low gruff voice came over the phone.

"Tell me something I don't know. Who is this?" I sat up fully alert.

"Someone who doesn't want Alyssa in jail just as much as you don't," he continued in a low eerie voice.

"Look buddy. I need to know who you are."

"Listen to me, Bitch! Follow Rizik, he's the man in the middle of things. Follow the money," he growled back angrily.

Click.

The bathroom door flung open and Bones stepped out dripping with a single towel wrapped around his waist.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," he greeted me as he toweled off beautifully tousled wet hair. His playfulness was quickly replaced with concern. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head, "Nothing. I just got a strange phone call."

"From?"

"Wrong number. No biggie," I smiled up at him. I couldn't help but imagine what it would feel like to run my fingers through his hair. "What happened last night?"

"You were drugged. Bobby thinks they slipped the date rape drug into your drink."

"No wonder I wasn't feeling right. I can hold my alcohol. I thought it was strange."

"That was pretty gutsy of you to approach Cardinelli on your own like that. You should've told us what you were up to."

"Why so you guys could ruin my fun? I knew what I was doing and what I was getting myself into."

"You could've been raped if we weren't there to back you up," he growled.

"But you were, so no harm no foul," I smiled hopping out of the bed. I stepped up to him and trailed my finger down his chest, "Care to tell me how I ended up dressed like this?"

"Bobby dressed you when he checked you out. He's a medic so he's a professional."

I nodded in acceptance, "And, where am I?"

"In my apartment at Rangeman."

"And, where did you sleep?"

"On the couch."

"Oh," I said trying not to sound disappointed. "Mind if I hop in the shower?"

"Help yourself."

"Thanks," I smiled slyly. "I'll need a towel too," I hooked my finger into his towel and yanked it away quickly and walked off towards the bathroom leaving him standing stark naked.

So sue me, I was curious and wanted a quick little peek. Plus, I could always use a little bit of danger to start my day.

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"Good morning, boys," I greeted cheerfully as I entered into the Rangeman conference room.

The men looked at me in shock. Ranger was at the head of the table, hands steepled, with Tank seated to his right.

"Sorry, Boss. I tried to stop her," Bones called out stepping up behind me.

Ranger waved his hand, "Shut the door."

I smiled and took a seat.

"Miss Plum can debrief us on what she learned last night," Ranger replied.

"Before I tell you what I know, I want to make sure that you're going to include me on Rangeman's activities concerning Alyssa, as well. She's my best friend. But most of all, she's like family to me. If you know something or are planning something, it would be wrong of you not to include me."

Ranger rubbed his chin, "If something were to happen to you, Miss Plum. Alyssa would be very upset."

"Alyssa would be more upset if your body was found in a shallow grave, Ranger," I said coldly.

He cocked his head and looked at me with a hint of amusement in his eyes as if the idea of someone threatening his life was ludicrous. The men shifted in their seats nervously around me.

"If you thought that Alyssa was stubborn, you haven't met me yet. Because not only am I stubborn, I can and will make your life a living hell."

Bones cleared his throat uneasily.

"Ranger, I can handle myself. I've lived in the Burg practically my whole life. I know the people in this town. In fact, I know most of the people associated with this case. I could be of great help to you and your team. Wouldn't it be better that we work together rather than me running off on my own? Because I will if you don't let me be a part of your team. I think that I made it pretty clear that I know when to call for help when trouble arises from last night's little debacle."

Ranger nodded his head.

"Men, this is Misty Plum if you haven't already met her," Tank took command of the room. "She is Little Girl's friend and former colleague. She will be joining our team as a consultant. Please be sure to treat her as a valued member of the team," Tank's voice boomed. "First thing's first. We need to make sure that we have evidence that Little Girl's statement pans out. Brown, do we have the DNA results come back from the Rangeman vehicle?"

Bobby flipped open a folder and started passing around photos. "There was large count of semen found in the back seat of the vehicle as well as in Bomber's discarded shirt and jacket. What I believe happened was the semen was wiped up with her discarded clothing. There was no sign of any attempt to cover up the scene of the crime. The results of the semen came back as a positive ID for Benito Ramirez."

The room filled with disgruntled scowls and murmurs.

Bobby continued, "However, the semen was the only liquid present within the string so we believe that it is safe to conclude that the ejaculation did not occur vaginally or orally in the backseat"

A collective sigh rang through the room.

"The backup stun gun was found lying on the driver seat and traces of mucus membrane on the passenger seat. The results of the mucus has is a positive ID for Bomber," he said slowly. "There was no sign of struggle on scene. Nothing was broken. The handcuffs that Bomber was secured in were unlocked, not torn off. The only thing is Bomber's torn clothing, which could be ruled easily as an act of passion."

"Alyssa, would never be 'passionate' with that scum, Ramirez," I barked.

"Nobody's saying that she did," Bobby retorted. "We're just saying that's how the D.A.'s office would spin it."

"I don't understand why there weren't any signs of struggle. Alyssa's a fighter. She would've fought tooth and nail to get away from him."

"You don't know the whole story?" Bobby asked carefully.

I stared at him blankly.

Ranger eyes softened slightly before he addressed me, "The detectives involved and the D.A. are trying to claim the act was consensual."

"That's preposterous!" I shouted angrily.

Ranger voice remained steady but his eyes hardened, "She went into survivor mode. She did what she needed to do, to survive. She gave into his advances and went along with him."

I gasped and instantly a rush of emotions overcame me. "She must've been terrified," I said quietly. "Shove a gun in her face and she'll charge at you like a rampaging bull. But sexual advances leave her vulnerable and terrified. She's still not over her last encounter with him. She still has nightmares and then we let it happen to her again!" I cried in outrage.

I felt Lester start to shift towards me but I inched back rejecting his advances and continued angrily, "After she caught Dickie fucking Joyce on her kitchen table, it took her three years to get over it. Three years to let a man get close enough to her to even hug her. She's beyond sexually timid." I turned to Ranger, "Are you sure that Ramirez didn't…you know…"

He shook his head, "She assured me that he didn't get that far."

"Regardless, I know she's stubborn and won't talk or ask for any help to cope. We need to get her out. She can't go through this alone." I looked directly into Ranger's eyes, "You need to make sure you get her out as soon as possible."

He nodded his head in agreement.

I turned back to the room and regained my self-control, "Bones and I went to talk to Joe's cousin, Mooch yesterday afternoon. He informed us that Joe told him once that the Feds contacted him. For what, he's unsure and he's not even clear how often he's in touch with them. He also did not know what Joe was up to and was fed the same story about how he was going undercover for an undisclosed amount of time."

Tank nodded his head, "We had our suspicions that Morelli may have been working on a special undercover mission for the Feds which would explain why his own precinct is unaware of his whereabouts. We have men trying to look into the relationship."

"Well, according to Cardinelli last night, Morelli was undercover and it was blown. That night Rizik was supposed to take Morelli out before Alyssa showed up and ruined their plans. My gut instincts tell me that John Rizik is a key player behind this mess. I went to school with the asshole. He was an asshole then and is an even bigger asshole now. He has a major gambling problem. His wife left him a couple of years ago and I wouldn't be surprised if he's got problems with bookies. He's probably on Cardinelli's payroll to help fund his gambling habit."

The bald man with the flaming skull tattoo on his forehead interjected, "Hal and I have been staking out the shipyard the last month. We've spotted Rizik meeting with various key players employed by the Cardinelli's. He's also been spotted meeting with Stratton downtown frequently."

"Cardinelli's goons were talking about some sort of deal needing to go smoothly with Stratton. They didn't discuss the details but it sounded like it was something big. What do you think Stratton Construction has to do with this?"

"We have reason to believe that Stratton is wrapped up in something illegal. Foreign dignitaries have been coming in and out of Trenton more than usually recently. We've been contracted by the Feds to keep an eye on their activities."

"Possibly Rizik is providing Stratton safe passage for these people through other dirty cops like Clemente?" I asked out loud.

"That's our best guess," Tank answered.

"So we know that Beautiful ended up foiling the Cardinelli's plan to get rid of Morelli—," Lester spoke up with a hint of anger in his voice.

"—But what doesn't add up is why Ramirez was there?" I finished off his thought.

"Ramirez is a close personal friend of Stratton's. He may have been there to oversee a transaction that was set to transpire or he may have been extra muscle," Skullhead answered.

"I guess that makes sense. Anyway, speaking of mob ties, Terri Gilman, who Alyssa caught Morelli with at the Bang Bang Motel, is the daughter to one of Trenton's major mafia families, which I'm sure you're already aware of. She and Morelli have a past history. They were high school sweethearts, but rumor has it when Morelli left for the Navy, Terri was less than faithful to him. Plus, her continued ties with her father's family left him with no choice but to cut ties with her if he wanted any kind of career with the TPD.

"So their newly rekindled 'affair,' as everyone keeps referring it to, is most likely a cover-up. Given their history, it makes sense for him to hook up with her to get on the inside. And Terri's deep seeded feelings for him are probably what made her agree to going along with the cover." I paused, "When a Morelli gives their devotion to you, it's pretty hard to forget it."

"Miss Plum, did you learn anything else from your meeting with the Cardinelli's?" Ranger asked.

"I just know that Rizik is dirty and they have some big meeting with Stratton. Right now Joseph is running the family business in his father's absence and the men are none too pleased. They all see him as a screw up."

"We need to split up into teams and get down to the bottom of all of this," Ranger's voice boomed, commanding the room.

I can definitely see why Alyssa always looks like a pile of mush around him. And honestly, I wouldn't mind taking a crack at the man myself, but seeing the way they look at each other — I could never do that to my girl, she deserves someone who genuinely adores her.

"Cal, Hal, keep the stake out in the shipyard. Report all movement and anything out of the ordinary. Lester, Bobby, I want you tailing Stratton and keeping an eye on Ramirez' movements. Vince, Binkie, I want both of you to keep a close watch on the Cardinelli's activities and movement with these mob rings going in and out of Trenton."

"What about me?" I spoke up.

"You keep us informed with anything you can remember or think of that could help this case."

I glowered at him, "I will not sit here and look pretty. I'm going out there and getting down to the bottom of this as well. You either let me in or I'm doing it on my own and you'll have to figure out how to clean up the mess afterwards."

He sat back in his chair and held my gaze quietly.

We sat in the stare down, which felt like an eternity, until I broke it, "I'm going after Rizik."

"No," Ranger said firmly.

"You don't get to tell me no. You're not my friend, you're not my colleague, and most of all you're not my boss. I'm being kind enough to give you the heads up so you can be prepared. I'm going after Rizik. I haven't interacted with him in years. I'm sure that I can charm him into unveiling some answers to me. Plus, I have money. There's nothing more appealing to a man with a gambling problem than a woman with money."

"Boss, it could work," Tank stated.

"No." Ranger was starting to sound like a broken record. "It's too dangerous. We don't know how unstable Rizik might be."

"That's a risk that I am willing to take. I know how to use a gun and I can protect myself."

"I will be in the shadows, Sir. I will make sure that no harm comes to Miss Plum," Bones said in a low voice behind me.

Ranger looked as if he was thinking about it for a few minutes before nodding his head. "The first sign of trouble, you're getting pulled out."

"Sure. Then you and your men can come running in all macho like with guns blazing. Not a problem," I said sarcastically.

Ranger ignored my comment and hit a button on the intercom.

"Control Room," a voice answered.

"Report Rizik's status," Ranger ordered.

"He's spent most of the day in the precinct today. No strange activity."

"No worries. I know people who may know what he's up to," I said out loud.

Ranger disconnected the phone and stood up. "Hal, help Miss Plum get dressed. Dismissed!" he barked.

Everyone immediately filed out of the room except Bones, Hal and me. I sat confused, "No offense but I don't trust a man and my wardrobe."

Bones leaned into my ear and smiled, "Not that kind of dressing."

I followed the two men out of the room. We took the elevator to the basement and into a secure room. The minute we stepped inside, I was tremendously amazed. The room was filled wall to wall with enough firepower to take down a small nation.

Hal nervously handed me a beautiful hummingbird broach.

"Oh Hal, you shouldn't have," I smiled at him and pinned it to my dress.

"It's a listening device so that we can hear everything that's going on. Bones will be directly linked to it so that he can come at any sign of trouble." He then handed me a little black square with a button on it.

"Panic button," I responded placing it in my clutch. "I'm very familiar with that piece now."

He nodded and worked very hard to avoid my gaze by focusing on the task at hand. "Push it any time you feel uncomfortable and need an extraction. The signal will go to the command room and the closest Rangemen will be dispatched to your location—most likely Bones. Keep it on you at all times within reach."

"Gotcha."

Then he pulled out the most beautiful Kahr Arms K9 I have ever seen! "Do you know how to use one of these?"

"Do I ever…" I said dreamily cradling the piece of machinery in my hand and dissembled the gun and reassembled it within minutes.

The two men gawked at me as I placed it into my purse.

I flashed them a smile, "I told you boys that I know how to handle myself. Remember, I have a cousin on the force. I know my way around a firearm. Plus my daddy was a former Army Colonel. Remember, Bones-y?"

Bones cleared his through and grabbed my phone out of my purse handing it over to Hal. He began disassembling the phone and placed something inside of it before reassembling it back together. He handed the phone to Bones and he placed it back into my purse.

"I placed a tracker in your phone so that we know where you're at, at all times. It's just an extra precaution in case something happens to Bones."

"So, not only do I have a personal babysitter, but now you guys can hear every word I say and track my every movement? Perfect," I rolled my eyes. "So now if I got take a piss, you're going to listen in on that too? I suppose I can't get laid either, huh?"

Hal shiny white bald head turned a hideous red. The man had muscles on top of muscles and he was blushing over a few sexual statements? Interesting...

"If you flip the bird's left wing down, the mic will turn off," he replied, carefully fumbling for the pin to demonstrate.

I think he was trying hard not to touch me so I grabbed his hand and planted it over my breast. "It's a boob, Hal!" I shouted. "It's no big deal," I held his hand firmly to my chest and jiggled it.

Suddenly his hand slipped out of my grasp followed by a loud thump. I looked down and saw Hal passed out on the floor.

"I think you just scared the virginity out of him," Bones commented amusingly into my ear.

"Jesus H. Christ. A man that big and tough is scared of a little boob?" I stated in amazement.

Bones cleared his throat, "Well, it's not really 'little' and I'm not scared of it." His eyes twinkled, "Mind if I take a stab at it?"

"The only stab you are going to have is the stabbing pain of finding my knee in your groin if you come near me. Now shut the Hell up and give that big lug a hand!"

He sported a full grin as he tried hoisting Hal up and assisted him towards the elevator. Sheesh he was in a playful, good mood today. "Come on. Let's take him to the infirmary."

We took the elevator back up to the fifth floor and stepped into a room that was an exact replica of a hospital room.

"What the hell happened?" Bobby ran over to assist Bones with Hal and helped him onto the bed.

"Hal, here, decided to take a little nap," Bones answered.

"He just passed out, out of the blue?" Bobby asked concerned.

"Not exactly, something triggered it," Bones tried to hold in a chuckle.

"What triggered it," Bobby went to a cabinet and dabbed a liquid onto a cotton ball.

"Why don't you do the honors, Miss Plum," Bones passed the buck onto me.

"I just let him touch my boob, and then next thing you know, he's out," I said annoyed.

Bobby and Bones burst out into uncontrollable laughter.

"What the hell happened?" Lester called out entering the room.

Bones keeled over in laughter pointing at me, "Little Miss Muffet, over there, forced Hal to touch her breast."

Lester joined in their laughter.

"I don't see what the big deal is," I said angrily.

Bobby wiped a single tear from his eye, "Sweetheart, Hal wouldn't know what to do with a woman if one was handed to him on a silver platter. Oddly enough, he's really shy," he explained.

Lester walked over and threw his arms around me, "You hurt my feelings when you requested Bones to be your round the clock man. You know I was supposed to be a part of your rotation," he teased. His green eyes twinkled as he spoke.

I ran my hand down the length of his chest, "Yeah but we wouldn't have been able to get anything done if we were alone together. Besides, Alyssa's given me specific instructions to keep my hands off of the Rangemen's pants," I pouted, rubbing my foot up and down the back of his leg.

"Well, that's not fair," he sulked. "We could work around that so that my pants are nowhere in sight. That way you wouldn't have to worry about breaking any promises," he grinned wildly.

"Mmm…Santos, you're a man after my own heart," I cooed leaning into his ear.

"Ahem," Bones cleared his throat.

I let out a throaty laugh, "Besides, Lester. Apparently Bones isn't too thrilled about his assignment, so this is his punishment for calling me a ditz."

"You're an idiot, man. Seriously, you've got no game," Lester slapped Bones upside his head.

Bobby placed the cotton under Hal's nose and immediately Hal shot up into a sitting position and threw out a punch.

"Easy, buddy. It's just us," Bobby stepped back with his hands raised.

Hal relaxed and laid back down. I stepped up to him and placed my hand gently on his arm. He looked over at me and immediately turned an intense red. I was almost afraid his head was going to explode.

"Easy there, pal," I said soothingly. "It's going to be ok. I'm sorry if I took you off guard. But before we headed out, I just wanted to thank you for getting me dressed," I winked at him and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.

His whole body went limp.

"Holy hell," I cursed.

The guys let out a boisterous laugh.

"We'll let him sleep it off this time," Bobby amused.

Bones turned to me and walked me out the door, "Where to, Blondie?"

"Home so I can get changed out of this dress and then the Bond's Office — I need to have a word with my dear Cousin Vinnie."