FADE TO BLACK

Disclaimer: As usual, all character's are the property of JE. Unfortunately she won't even let me borrow Ranger for a day or two. I am making no money yada, yada, yada.

WARNING: This story is VERYUn-Morelli friendly. If you are a Cupcake then you will absolutely hate my story. Joe is a very bad guy in this story. I'm a total Babe and it shows. It's actually extremely unkind to Mrs. Plum too. There will be adult language, violence, and situations so don't even bother reading any more if this will offend you.

Previously:

I had spoken to Jack, the DA, and learned that Joe's defense attorney's had filed motion after motion to keep the case from going to trial. Jack said he didn't want to fight them, because the only other witness to the actual crime was Ranger, and we weren't sure when he'd be back. From what Jack had said, it could be another six months before the case went to trial. In some ways, I was happy about not having to deal with it yet, but part of me just wanted it to be over.

Since Ranger had left, I'd decided to remove myself from the 'Burg, or rather, what the 'Burg was saying. It had taken a while for Connie, Lula, and Mary Lou to get used to it, but for the first time in my life, the 'Burg wasn't playing a role in my life. I had no doubt rumors about me were still flying through the 'Burgvine, but I no longer cared what was said. Without my mother throwing it back in my face everyday, it was actually quite easy to ignore, and I was definitely happier not hearing about it. Grandma Mazur still had trouble not dishing out 'Burg gossip at our weekly dinners, but she had managed to keep the rumors about me quiet.

My life was actually pretty good, if you forgot the fact that my heart was somewhere far away on a mission, and I didn't know when or if I'd see it again.

CHAPTER 25

SPOV

Four months after Ranger left, the guys set up a training exercise to see how I was progressing. It involved four different challenges. The first was a driving obstacle course Tank set up. I would have two minutes to get through it. For the second exercise, he was going to lock me inside a building with only my lock picking tools, and I would have five minutes to get myself out. Lester had rigged an obstacle course on the shooting range as the third challenge. I had to keep from shooting innocents, while taking out the bad guys, without getting myself shot in less than two minutes. Last but not least, Bobby was going to be my attacker, and I would have to be able to disarm him to finish his challenge.

The night before, I barely slept, due to the excitement of the upcoming challenge. I was still worried I would let the guys down, but for once, I actually felt like I might be capable of doing it.

The guys had each promised me a gift if I finished their course in the allotted time, but I really didn't care about that. What I wanted was to make them proud of me, and for once, to be proud of myself. Most importantly, I wanted to make Ranger proud, even if he wasn't here to see it.

I woke up at 5:00 like normal. I bet Ranger will be shocked when he gets back and sees how early I get up, I thought with a smile. These days, I started every morning the same way. I would send a silent prayer, asking God to bring Ranger back to me safe and sound, before getting up and heading to the gym. Once back in the apartment, I grabbed a quick shower, threw on a robe and headed out to see what Ella had left me.

I ate a light breakfast. Pretty much every thing I ate was healthy and light now. I still had my cheats, but I only allowed myself those indulgences once or twice a week now. I know that will be a big shocker for Ranger as well. Done eating, I dressed quickly and headed downstairs. I was nervous, excited, and ready to get started.

My first challenge would be the driving course, so I headed down to the garage to meet the guys. Together, we would then head over to the abandoned lot and building that RangeMan owned for training exercises such as these.

Tank had taught me how to spot and evade a tail, and also how to tail someone else, but he'd decided to focus on my defensive and offensive driving techniques for his challenge.

I was a little startled when I saw that most of the Merry Men who weren't on duty were waiting downstairs by their trucks. I guess I shouldn't have been, though, because they had all been supportive and helped me train at different times. It made me want to succeed even more.

We drove over to the lot, and the guys all got out of the cars to watch. Tank told me what I was supposed to do. He had set up obstacles throughout the course, and I had to get through or around them, keep control of my car and not hit anything, finishing in two minutes. It seemed like a lot, but I was confident I could do it.

As soon as Tank gave me the green light, I took off. I got around everything, didn't hit anything, and pulled across the finish line with ten seconds to spare. I jumped out of the truck, doing a happy dance, feeling like I'd just won the Indy 500. By the way the guys were throwing me around, you would have thought I had.

After I was congratulated by all the guys, we headed into the building. I was taken up to the top floor and locked inside a room with my hands handcuffed behind my back. I had to wait two minutes, and then get myself out of the building in under five.

Cheating was out of the question, because the entire building was rigged with cameras and other surveillance equipment, so I counted off the two minutes on the clock on the wall and got to work on my task.

Four minutes and twenty seconds later, I walked out of the building, feeling pretty good about myself. Maybe even a little smug. The guys all wore shit-eating grins as I sauntered up to them. After another round of congratulations, we headed back to the RangeMan shooting range.

I finished my shooting challenge with the same success. I had already passed my tests to carry concealed, so I was ready for the field when I was cleared for duty.

I headed up to the gym for my final challenge, the one I was most worried about. I had learned a lot in the past four months, but I was far from experienced when it came to hand-to-hand combat. This was also the challenge I wanted to win the most. This was the challenge that would prove to me that I could protect myself.

I knew I still had a lot of training to do, but I felt if I could win this challenge, I would definitely be on my way to being the person I wanted to be. I walked into the gym and started stretching.

All the guys had piled into the gym and were cheering me on. I was surprised to notice they weren't betting on me. Actually, I hadn't seen any money change hands all day. Lester was standing beside me then, and his ESP must have been working.

"We all agreed when you first started training, you'd had your life bet on enough. We know it hurts you, and didn't want to add to it, so we agreed betting on you was off limits," he explained.

I didn't know what to say. It really touched me that the guys had realized how much it hurt when my friends bet on me, and had agreed to never do it again.

"Thanks. That means a lot," I told him, almost choking on the sudden lump in my throat. He gave me a wink and pushed me towards Bobby and the ring.

"You think you can take me, little girl?" Bobby taunted as he walked into the ring with me.

"Yeah, I'm ready to take you down. The better question is, are you ready for me?" I smiled sweetly at him. He just laughed, nodded his head, and it was on.

I had never sparred with Bobby before, because Tank had wanted to use him for this challenge, so I needed to feel him out a little. I knew Bobby had the most training in Krav Maga, so I was a little worried. After circling each other for a few seconds, we finally attacked. We went back and forth for a long time, and I was starting to run out of steam.

I was starting to wonder if I could actually do this, when I saw Bobby drop his arm just enough for me to take advantage. Before he could blink, I had disarmed him and thrown him to the ground. I'm really not sure who was more surprised; me, Bobby, or the rest of the guys. There was utter silence in the gym for a few seconds, and then the entire room went wild. I couldn't even describe how wonderful I felt.

"Way to go, Beautiful!" Lester yelled, as he picked me up and swung me around.

"That was pretty impressive, Bomber." Bobby came over and gave me a hug.

All the other guys came and got their Bomber hugs, too. After they'd all congratulated me, Tank was the only one left.

He came over and gave me a big hug, then whispered in my ear, "Proud of you Babe." He paused for a second before continuing. "I know that's exactly what he'd be saying if he were here right now."

Tears immediately sprang to my eyes, but I didn't let them fall. I smiled at him, thanked him, and took a few minutes to pull myself together. As soon as I was sure I wouldn't cry, I turned and faced three of my best friends.

That's what they had become in the past few months. Lula, Connie, and Mary Lou were still there, too, but these guys had done everything to make my separation from Ranger as easy as possible. Obviously, Ranger would always be my best friend, because he was my other half, but these guys, the girls, my Dad and Grandma had given me a family just when I needed it most. Granted, it was rather unorthodox, but I never did like being normal.

"So where are my prizes?" I asked, as I put both hands on my hips and started tapping my toes. Everyone started laughing, and the three of them headed towards a bench that held the presents. Wrapped presents... I knew they hadn't wrapped them. I mean, yes, they are great guys, but they were still guys.

Tank immediately put my curiosity to rest. "Lula wrapped them. For some reason, she was appalled we weren't going to, so she took it upon herself," he told me, obviously not understanding the whole point of opening a present.

"Well, I'll have to thank Lula later. Don't you guys know how fun it is to open gifts?" They all looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language, so I just rolled my eyes and pounced on my gifts.

For breaking out of the abandoned building, Tank had gotten me my own set of lock picks. For getting through the shooting range, Lester gave me a custom-made Elite Professional .38.

Tank had also gotten me a custom-made shoulder harness for my new .38, for getting through the driving course.

Finally, Bobby got me a brand new taser and new cuffs. I loved all my gifts, and hugged the guys, telling them how much I appreciated it. I was getting ready to grab my things so I could head up to shower, when I heard someone clear their throat.

I turned around and realized that all the other guys were still standing there, grinning at me. I tried to raise my eyebrow like Ranger did, but failed as usual. They took pity on me and finally spoke up.

"We decided to get you a gift from all of us," Hal explained. He walked over and handed me an envelope and a cake carrier. I was torn what to look at first, but the cake carrier won easily.

I was surprised and happy to find a beautiful pineapple upside down cake just waiting to be eaten. I actually hadn't had one since the last time Ella made one months ago, because I was trying to eat healthy. I knew I was going to decimate the temple tonight, though.

"Yummy. Thanks, guys!" I told them, grinning from ear to ear.

"Don't worry. Ella made it," Ram added.

"As long as I didn't make it, I'm pretty sure it will be delicious," I told then with a smile.

I heard a few of them chuckle, then I turned my attention to the envelope. I opened it up to find a gift certificate to the best spa in Trenton. It was enough to cover their most expensive treatment package, too. I was really touched the guys had done this for me.

"We've seen how hard you've been working, and thought you deserved something special," Cal explained.

I gave him a smile, then went and hugged every guy there. Since the next day was Saturday, I planned on taking advantage of my spa package and getting pampered, so that was exactly what I did.

A month later, five months after Ranger left, Tank sent me on my first client meeting without a member of the core team. I was completely freaked out about it, but he assured me he had complete faith in my abilities. I tried on at least fifteen different outfits before I finally broke down and called Ella to come help me decide. We decided on a Nine West suit, with a red contrast piped jacket and black pants. I spent an extra thirty minutes trying to tame my hair, finally putting my make up on, with four swipes of mascara. I needed all the courage I could get. Ella told me I looked wonderful, and wished me luck before I headed down to speak to Tank one last time.

Tank had made it clear he thought I could do this, but I knew he hadn't really had a choice, either. Lester and Bobby were out of town helping with a big take down in Boston, and Tank had gotten called away for an important meeting at the last minute. He was sending Manny with me in case the questions got too technical. I had learned a lot over the past five months, but I still wasn't comfortable with extremely technical questions.

Before we left, I asked Tank if everything was okay. I wasn't sure why, but I felt like something was off. I'd actually been feeling it for a few days now, but I hadn't been able to put my finger on the cause.

My stalker had pretty much gone silent, so I thought maybe it had something to do with him, but I wasn't sure. Tank just looked at me and told me I was going to be late, so I needed to get a move on. I was so nervous, I didn't even notice he'd never answered my question.

Manny was driving to the meeting because I needed to use all my concentration to focus on not hyperventilating. I was seriously wondering if Tank was out of his mind. This client could be one of the biggest that RangeMan had ever had, and he sent me to meet them alone.

The client was a small jewelry chain called Excelsior, which had about twenty different locations around the country, but they only sold extremely high-end jewelry. This account was worth millions of dollars a year, and Tank had given it to me because he felt I was ready.

Yes, I was ready, all right. I was ready to throw up. I tried to give myself a pep talk, but nothing was working.

"You know, Steph, I don't know what you're so worried about. We've already proven what a great team we were together when we got married, so you obviously have nothing to worry about," Manny told me with a smirk.

That actually made me giggle a little and helped ease the knot in my stomach.

"You're right, Manny. Thanks," I told him as we pulled up in front of the jewelry store.

I took a deep breath and told myself I could do this. I wasn't going to let Ranger and the rest of the guys down. I repeated this mantra until I was introduced to the owner, and we went into the conference room to make our presentation.

The owner of the jewelry store was an older man, probably in his late 60s, named Jess Graham. His son, Jason, was at the meeting, too, evidently being groomed to take over when his father retired. I was instantly charmed by Mr. Graham. He had an old Hollywood glamor to him that I found very appealing. He was very kind to me, and made me feel comfortable within minutes.

"So, Ms. Plum, how is it you came to work for RangeMan?" Mr Graham asked.

"First, please call me Stephanie. To answer your question, I met Mr. Manoso when I became a bounty hunter several years ago. In addition to my bounting hunting job, I worked for his company occasionally when they needed an extra hand. A few months ago, I had an unfortunate accident that made it impossible for me to keep my job as a bounty hunter, and Mr. Manoso offered me a full-time position within his company," I explained, hoping I'd made our relationship sound professional enough.

Jason decided to speak up when I finished. "So why is it that Mr. Manoso can't be here today? I would think he would want to be present, considering the amount of money he could possibly be making from us." He didn't seem annoyed or angry, just a little curious, and it really was a valid question.

"I assure you, Mr. Manoso would be here if he could. He still works with the government on a regular basis, and was called away approximately five months ago," I explained.

They both nodded in understanding, and we continued with the meeting. Everything was going pretty well until Murphy reared his ugly head. As I was handing each man the bid proposal, I accidentally caught my jacket on Mr. Graham's tie clip. I hadn't noticed, so when I went to sit back down, I yanked his tie forward, causing him to fall into the snacks that had been put in the middle of the table. Of course, I was instantly mortified and jumped up to help clean him off, but I evidently moved too fast and lost my balance. When I tried to steady myself with my hand, I accidentally knocked over the coffee in front of me and spilled it all over Manny's suit. Fortunately, Mr. Graham was a complete gentleman about it, and after I spent the next five minutes apologizing and cleaning up my mess, he still let me present my presentation.

Two hours later, I walked out of the office in shock. I had just closed a twelve million dollar a year deal. I was so stunned, I couldn't even say anything on the way back to the office.

I finally started wrapping my mind around it about the time we pulled into the garage. I jumped out of the car and ran to the elevator, anxious to get upstairs.

Manny laughed at me as I bounced up and down on my feet, willing the elevator to go faster. I was so proud of myself, and I thought the only thing that would make this day any better was if I could actually hear Ranger say, 'Proud of you, Babe.'

As soon as the elevator doors opened, I dashed out and headed straight towards Tank's office, hoping he was back from his meeting. I saw the door was open and the light was on, so I ran inside without knocking.

As soon as I saw Tank's face, I knew something was wrong. When I saw Lester and Bobby sitting there, a day before they were supposed to come home, I knew it was really bad. I tried to focus my attention on Tank, willing him to tell me Ranger was fine.

"Bomber... Steph, why don't you sit down for a second," Tank said as he walked towards me.

I backed away from him, shaking my head. "No, Tank. Tell me what's going on. Is Ranger okay?" His blank face was firmly in place, so I had to wait until he said the words.

"Steph, Ranger is missing. He missed his last check in four days ago, and the mission was supposed to have been over the day before yesterday, but he still hasn't made any contact," Tank said quietly.

I looked at each of their faces, praying that it was a sick joke, that my mother's awful words weren't coming true, but all I saw was concern, fear, and uncertainty.

I tried to push the little black dots away and focus on what Bobby and Tank were saying, but my heart hurt too much and I couldn't seem to breathe. I felt my legs go out from under me, and the rest of the world faded to black.

TBC...

A big thanks to Connie and Jenny as usual. Their ideas and encouragement has been amazing.