This story is based upon characters created by Janet Evanovich. I don't own them, I only play with them, and for entertainment purposes only.

A/N

This chapter is a bit longer than most, so I hope you enjoy. Thanks for the feedback! Chica.

Ranger and I arrived in the garage a couple of minutes before four o'clock and were greeted by a sea of black. In addition to the men I was expecting (Bobby, Cal, Hal, Junior, and Hector), stood Tank, and two other Rangemen I hadn't seen before. As we approached the group, Ranger cocked his head at Tank and looked at him in a way that was clearly a demand for an explanation.

"Vince and Woody are off today and wanted to volunteer to come with you on this errand." Tank said. "I was hoping to talk some sense into you. It isn't safe for her, and you know it."

Everyone stopped talking. The tension in the air was palpable as the men looked from Tank to Ranger, and awaited the fallout of a challenge to the boss. My heart started to race a little faster in apprehension. I didn't want to see Tank get hurt or in trouble, but I couldn't see Ranger ignoring his comments either, and I really didn't want Ranger to change his mind about taking me out.

"If a group of highly trained security personnel and a bullet-proof vest cannot protect one woman, then we are not the company I thought we were." Ranger said quietly. The slight menace in his voice was a clear threat to anyone who would suggest he was wrong in his assessment. "Now," he continued, turning away from Tank. "Anyone who is here on their own time will be officially on the clock as of," he looked at his watch. "One minute ago, and will be compensated accordingly. Thank you all for volunteering, but nobody works for free. Understood?"

There was a quick nodding of heads and a "Yes, sir" from the group. Tank turned around and returned to the elevator without another word. I looked around at the remaining Rangemen and I quickly realized how much manpower was being used because of my need to help a stranger. While I felt a little guilty over the wasted expense, I was secretly happy that so many people had volunteered to help me.

Ranger took my hand and led me to the passenger seat of a black SUV, buckled me in, and closed the door. When he returned to the rest of the Rangemen, he was clearly giving directions to them because they broke into groups of two and three and got into three other black SUV's. Ranger returned with Bobby, who climbed into the backseat as Ranger settled himself behind the wheel. One of the SUVs took off out of the garage, while the remaining two waited for us to leave. Once Ranger put the vehicle in gear, one SUV pulled just ahead of us and the other followed us as we made our way to the first destination.

I had no idea where Maria DeLuca's ex-boyfriend lived, so I shouldn't have been surprised that it took us over twenty minutes to get there, but apparently I'm not the most patient person. Even though I had plenty to look at out the windows, I was getting all kinds of twitchy as I sat there. Ranger reached over and grabbed my knee, stilling it from the bouncing I didn't even notice I was doing. I smiled at him apologetically. We finally arrived and parked at the curb of a worn apartment building, behind the Rangeman SUV that had been leading the way, and just in front of the other. I hadn't seen the first SUV since it left the garage and idly wondered where those guys had gone.

I made to unbuckle my seatbelt when I saw the men in front of me exit their vehicle, but Ranger held out his hands to stop me. "Remember, wait for me to come get you." He said. "The guys are going to set up a perimeter before we head into the apartment."

"Where did the first SUV go?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity any longer. "I thought they would have been here already but I haven't seen them since they left the garage."

"They pulled up one street over so they could have a clear vantage point of our path to the apartment." Ranger replied. "Ram and Junior are our best marksmen and have set up sniper positions on the neighboring rooftops in order to better observe anyone who may approach you or the area in general. We'll move in once all the guys are situated."

"Wow." I replied. "Do you really think that it's necessary to go to so much trouble? I mean, it seems unlikely that anyone would approach me out in the open, especially if they saw that I wasn't alone."

"Yes, it is necessary." Ranger said. He turned to look out of the windshield, effectively ending our conversation. A couple of minutes later his cell phone vibrated, indicating he had a text message. After reading the message, he put his phone back in his pocket and nodded in the back to Bobby before extricating himself from the vehicle. He walked around the front of the SUV towards my door, all the while his sharp eyes were looking around and searching for threats. When he got to my door, I took off my seatbelt and waited for him to let me out. He paused for a moment and then, almost reluctantly, opened my door. I took Ranger's offered hand and climbed out of the vehicle. I immediately found myself sandwiched between Bobby and Ranger as we walked quickly towards the lobby of the apartment complex.

Hal stood sentry at the door and opened it when we approached. Once we were safely inside, we made our way to the hallway on the left, just past the wall of mailboxes. I was relieved to find that we wouldn't have to walk up any stairs to get to the apartment, since elevator appeared to be out of order.

As we rounded the corner, I observed that the hallway was papered with a yellow floral design that had long ago begun to fade. The corners of nearly each strip of wallpaper were pulling away from the wall and curling in on themselves, revealing a dingy mildew-covered panel. I felt dirty just walking down the hall, but tried to rally my courage and keep from shuddering where Ranger or Bobby could see me.

There were only four doors down the hall and Hector stood at the end of them, guarding what appeared to be an emergency exit. As we approached the second door on the right, Ranger pulled me to a stop behind him and pressed my back to the wall, holding both of my hands between his. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

I nodded. "Yes, I'm sure." I glanced towards Bobby, who had been bringing up the rear as we made our way down the hall, and observed another Rangeman standing watch at the end of the hallway. It was either Vince or Woody, but since I wasn't introduced to either man, I didn't know which one I was looking at. He was tall and muscular, just like all the other guys, but his light brown hair was a little longer than the average. He also had a strong jaw line and classic good looks. I had no doubt he could have been a model or an actor if he'd wanted. He caught me looking at him and offered a small smile, which I returned before bringing my attention back to Ranger. "It'll be fine, Ranger. Just stay here and let me talk with him."

I approached the door quickly, knocked, and took a step back to give a little space between myself and the door. Ranger and Bobby were standing on either side of the door, out of direct sight, and looking extremely tense. After a moment, the door was pulled open and a scruffy, mid-twenties, blond man stood just inside the door. He had blue eyes, a wary expression and looked like he had just woken up, even though it was late in the afternoon. "Yeah?" He said.

"Rick Quincy?" I asked.

"Who wants to know?" He asked, suspiciously.

"My name is Stephanie Plum." I replied. "I wanted to talk with you for a couple of minutes about Maria DeLuca."

"I've got nothing to say about her." He said. "That crazy bitch caused major damage to my ride. If I didn't have an uncle that runs an auto shop, I'd be out thousands."

"She was definitely in the wrong." I agreed.

"Damn straight she was!" He said. The tension in his shoulders began to relax. "Don't know what came over that psycho, but if she sent you to get me to take her back, she can forget about it!" I saw a small face poking out from behind a wall in Quincy's apartment. She looked so much like Maria's picture, that she had to be the cousin.

"Do you really not know?" I asked him quietly.

A look of utter confusion crossed his face as he responded. "How would I know? She never said anything to me!" He was getting worked up again, so I had to shut him down before I lost any chance at reasoning with him.

"Rick," I said softly. "She came over to surprise you when she got off of work early that day. She saw you with her cousin."

I heard a gasp and saw the cousin approaching Quincy from behind. Her eyes were wide and rapidly filling with tears. Quincy actually looked sick and was running his hands across his unshaved cheeks. "She saw us?" He asked quietly.

I nodded my head in reply.

"This is all my fault!" The cousin cried. "I never meant for her to find out this way, but Ricky and I fell in love." She looked at me pleadingly. Quincy pulled her into his side to comfort her. "Maria doesn't even love him, she just didn't want to be the one to break things off. Not that it makes it right." She said almost to herself.

"Do you really want her to go to jail?" I asked.

"No!" She replied vehemently. "Ricky, please don't send her to jail. It's not her fault, it's mine. I should have told her weeks ago."

"What am I supposed to do, Tina?" He asked her. "I'm still out at least $800 on the repair to my truck, not to mention the cost of bus fare while my truck's in the shop."

Before I even had a chance to respond, Tina chimed in. "I'll pay for it."

Both Quincy and I looked at her, stunned. "You would do that?" I asked her.

"Yes," She replied. "She never would have done it if we had talked to her first. I can't imagine how she must have felt seeing us together. I don't want her to go to jail, she's my family. Please, Ricky."

Quincy was running his hands across his cheeks again. "What do I do now?" He asked me.

"You go to the police station and drop the charges against her." I said.

"I don't exactly have a ride at the moment." He replied back, condescendingly.

"If I can get you a ride, would you go now?" I asked quickly. Tina's eyes were silently pleading with him to agree.

"Fine." He said. "I just want this mess over with."

"Oh, thank you, Ricky!" Tina exclaimed. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

While they were distracted I looked at Ranger. He gave me a nod and started typing into his phone. A moment later, the man from the end of the hall approached and stood beside me. Quincy looked at him in confusion and Tina with obvious appreciation. I smiled at her, completely understanding her reaction. She blushed and quickly hid her eyes into Quincy's shoulder.

"I'm Vince." He said, while holding out his hand to Quincy. "I'm a friend of Stephanie's and I'd be happy to take you to the police station."

Quincy looked a little uncomfortable for a moment, but nodded his head and left to get his keys and wallet. He returned to the door and Vince and I separated enough for him to pass. It was obvious when he first noticed Ranger and Bobby because he stopped dead in his tracks and his face visibly paled. "What…what's going on?" He asked nervously.

"Don't worry." I replied. "These guys are here for me, not for you."

He nodded. "This way." Vince said. He led Quincy down the hall the same way we had come in. Tina poked her head out long enough to see the other men in black before quickly ducking back inside, shutting the door, and locking it behind her.

I looked over to see Ranger smirk at Tina's obvious nervousness. He looked back at me and pulled me to his side before planting a kiss at my temple. "Proud of you, Babe." He said softly. I smiled into his chest as we began walking down the hall, Bobby following closely behind. When we approached the lobby, Ranger pulled me gently behind him and I was once again sandwiched between the two men. We passed Hal at the lobby door and were quick to get back into the SUV.

The men from the SUV in front of us had piled in and once more led the way for us to follow. The trailing SUV veered off after our first turn and I assumed they were heading to the police station. I never did see Ram and Junior, though I guess I wouldn't if they were perched up on a rooftop somewhere.

After what seemed like forever, but was probably only thirty or forty minutes, we pulled up alongside a small Italian restaurant. Amici Milano seemed like a pretty fancy place from the outside and I worried that I hadn't dressed appropriately in my jeans and sweatshirt. Ranger must have noticed me looking at my clothes because he was quick to inform me that in the casual atmosphere of the restaurant we were perfectly dressed. I smiled at him and waited for him to open my door.

Once again, Ranger and Bobby sat quietly in the SUV, looking around while we waited for the perimeter to be secured. I noticed that more people got out of the SUV in front of us than had before and I realized that they must have come from the SUV that took Quincy to the police station. I guess it didn't take more than one person to do that job and the rest were helping to keep me safe. Soon Ranger's phone vibrated and we were on the move.

Walking closely behind Ranger caused me to misjudge the height of the curb and I tripped. Before I was even able to see the sidewalk, though, Bobby's hands were on my hips and preventing me from doing a face-plant on the concrete. "Whoa!" Bobby said. "You OK there, Bomber?" He kept his hands on my hips as I regained my footing and we continued forward at a slightly slower pace.

We were inside only a moment later and I thanked Bobby for the save and assured him that I was perfectly fine. While Bobby and I were talking, Ranger led us to a booth in the back corner of the restaurant. It was dimly lit but otherwise offered a great view of the entire restaurant; including the door to the kitchen, the front door, and the hallway to the bathrooms and exit in the back. Ranger guided me to sit in the middle of the semi-circular booth and I scooted around so that he could sit beside me on the end. Bobby positioned himself at the other end of the booth and I looked up to see that a Rangeman had taken position at each exit and another had just walked into the kitchen.

As I looked around, I belatedly realized that we were the only patrons in the restaurant. It was not quite six o'clock, but I'd lost track of what day of the week it was, so perhaps this was a slow day. Although, even on a slow day there would have been someone else dining here. "Ranger, why aren't there any other people eating here?" I asked. "Is the place closed?"

Bobby shot Ranger an amused look. One that said, "I told you so."

"Yes, Babe." Ranger said. "They're closed for a private party."

I looked around. "Where's the party?"

Ranger chuckled lightly. "We're the party, Babe. My friend, Antonio, owns this place, so I called in a favor."

I stared at him in amazement. Not only has he had seven of his guys guard me today, he essentially bought-out the restaurant so it would be more secure. Even if it wasn't paid in cash, it would have to be a pretty hefty favor to cover the loss of income. Then again, Ranger was probably compensating him for his time; after all, "nobody works for free." I am constantly amazed at the lengths this man goes through to make me happy. I gave him a huge smile and told him that I was a very lucky girl. "You're amazing, Ranger. Thank you."

Bobby snorted quietly, causing both Ranger and me to look in his direction. "What!" I demanded.

"Nothing!" He replied with artificial sincerity. "It's just that a couple of weeks ago you would have been pissed with Ranger for doing that; now you're all "Ranger's my hero" and shit. It's weird."

"Mats! 0600." Ranger barked in reply.

Now it was my turn to snort, which led to Bobby's snicker, which ultimately led to Rangers chuckle. Before too long we were all laughing over the silliness of the moment. The waiter came over to ask us for our drink preferences and we all ordered water. He gave a slight bow before backing away from the table and turning towards the bar. I found his antics humorous; he acted as though we were royalty or something.

After the waiter delivered our glasses of water the small chime over the front door rang and we all looked to see who had come inside. My father and grandmother walked in slowly and looked around as though they had never set foot in the place before. Ram greeted them at the door and led them to our table. Both Ranger and Bobby got up to let them slide into the booth. When my dad made to slide in next to me, Bobby stopped him and insisted that my grandmother go in first. I ended up sitting between Ranger and my grandmother, and my dad was on her other side sitting beside Bobby. I'm not entirely sure why, but Bobby seemed to be relieved with the arrangement.

"How are you, Baby Granddaughter?" My grandmother asked, wrapping me in a gentle hug. "I'm so glad you invited us to join you for dinner! This is a pretty swanky place, isn't it Frank?"

"Yeah, it is." My dad replied quietly. He looked at me then and said with all sincerity, "It's good to see you pumpkin. How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing much better." I replied. "My injuries are healing and I'm getting back a few memories here and there. It isn't much yet, but I think it's a good sign."

"That's wonderful!" He said, reaching his hand in front of my grandmother to grasp my own. "I'm so grateful that you have such good friends looking out for you." He nodded at Bobby before his eyes landed on Ranger. "So grateful."

Ranger gave a slight nod of his head in acknowledgement and then our waiter appeared with two more glasses of water and five menus. "What about the other guys?" I asked ranger. "It doesn't feel right to eat in front of them; can we order them dinner, too?"

"Babe," Ranger replied. "They're working right now. Don't worry about them; they'll eat after we're through."

"OK." I said. After a short perusal of the menu, we all placed our orders and were now sitting in silence. None of us were quite sure how to begin a conversation, but the quiet was getting to me so I decided to jump right in. "So, Dad, what do you do for a living?"

He smiled at me, seemingly pleased that I was taking an interest in him. "Well," He began. "When I was younger, I was in the Army. But when I got married and we had your sister, Valerie, it was hard to be away from home so much. Instead of re-enlisting when my contract was up, I took a job at the United States Post Service. I worked there for thirty years, retiring about three years ago. Now, I drive a taxi-cab part-time."

"Holy shit, Frank!" My grandmother said. "That's the most I've ever heard you say at one time!"

I had just taken a sip of my water when my grandmother shouted. I was so surprised by her outburst that I gasped and began choking on my water. Ranger patted my back until I had stopped coughing and was able to breathe easier again. I took a careful sip of my water to soothe my throat and swallowed carefully. "Sorry," I said to the table. "I just wasn't expecting you to curse. It caught me off guard."

My dad mumbled something under his breath that sounded like, "crazy old bat", but was otherwise quiet. Before any of us has a chance to say anything further, the bell chimes again over the door.