Chapter 37: Stephanie's POV

I raced into the house and rushed into the bedroom. I reapplied my makeup to be more sultry and started pulling clothes out of the closet. I'd not really come prepared to play corporate Barbie, but surely something would work. In the end, the only outfit was the one I'd been wearing when I'd first spoken to Ranger when I got into Trenton.

It was a tight gray pencil skirt, which I pulled up Steve Urkel-style to make the hemline much shorter. I changed into a pushup bra and left the top couple of buttons on the blue wrap shirt undone so you could see the edges of the black lace peeking through. I pulled on black thigh highs and positioned them so that when I crossed my legs, the top of the lace would show just under the hem of the skirt. Lethally high hooker heels completed the look.

I mussed my hair to get that afterglow hair look and tossed on a pendant necklace that nestled in my cleavage, meager though it was without the assistance of Victoria's Secret. Ironically, the underwear line was called bombshell, and that was one of my less charming nicknames.

Thirty-two minutes later, I pulled in the Blood Mary's parking lot and found Ranger and the guys planning in the back of the parking lot. I sashayed over, putting a little extra swing into my step. Ranger saw me first and he went completely still.

It was insanely awkward to see him again so soon, especially since I was wearing the same outfit as our first confrontation. So I manufactured some bravado and managed a sultry voice when I said, "Hello, boys. Corporate slut reporting for duty."

Hal and Junior turned around and let out wolf whistles. Ranger definitely had his blank face on and Tank was busy casting anxious glances at Ranger. I didn't see any other guys, but I figured there were more inside already.

"So what's the deal, fellas?"

Ranger was quiet for so long that Tank finally answered my question. "Very high dollar federal fugitive. Wanted for drug and human trafficking charges. Don't know why the hell he was able to get bail. Known history of domestic violence. Usually too smart to come out without an entourage but sometimes doesn't think with the head on his shoulders when ladies are involved."

Great, they are sending me in after a drug dealer with an entourage who likes to beat up women. Wonderful.

Ranger had finally snapped out of it and he came over with the wire in a box. When he reached towards me, I slapped his hand away and told him I didn't think so. After all the emotional turmoil of the last few days, I couldn't handle him putting his hands on me. Plus it had been almost a year and I was afraid my hormones would go out of control if he touched me.

I held out my hand for the wire and he just gave me a look. I rolled my eyes at him and he finally put the wire and medical tape in my hand.

I glared at all of them. "Well? Turn around!"

"You're no fun, Bombshell," Hal complained but I just glared at him. Once Ranger had also glared at them, they all turned around, including Ranger with a sigh when I made a go on motion at him, and I stuck the wire into my cleavage and taped it in place.

"All done now." They all turned back and Tank handed me an earpiece and the photos of the fugitive. He looked mean. So not looking forward to this. Quick comm check, everything worked fine.

"Bobby and Ram are already inside a patrons. Same as before, we'll be waiting outside of the door for you to bring him out."

I blew out a breath and shot a glance at Ranger. Blank face still on. "You guys are so gonna owe me for this."

Then I turned around and swung my barely covered ass towards the door. I'd gone several steps when I felt Ranger's hand clamp around my wrist. I turned back to look at him and his eyes were black. He reached down and tugged my skirt down a few inches and buttoned up one more button. I glanced at him in askance.

"Don't want to have to kill my own men."

I rolled my eyes and started back into the bar. I paused just inside the door to let my eyes acclimate to the lighting in the bar. It was nicer than most of the dumps that I'd been at during distractions. I got an orange juice, plain, and started wandering through the bar. People would assume that there was vodka or champagne in it so I'd blend in, but the plain juice kept me sober. And vitamin C is good for you, right?

I spotted Bobby dancing very closely with a leggy blonde. Ram was shooting pool with a couple of guys who seemed to be too drunk to care that they were losing all their money.

I spotted the fugitive on my second circuit of the bar. I turned around, fluffed my hair and whispered, "Got him. Back pool table in the right hand corner. Don't see any obvious bodyguards."

I strolled over and cut in on Bobby's dance with the blonde. I made sure to swing my hips a lot and to laugh loudly. Bobby whispered in my ear that the target was paying attention and I threw back my head and laughed with abandon. When the danced ended, I kissed Bobby on the cheek and strolled towards the pool tables. I shot a round with Ram, making sure I flashed my boobs at the target a few times. Yep, he was definitely paying attention.

After I beat Ram, I strolled around a bit more and finally swung my ass up on a barstool to watch the fugitive pay pool. He postured a bit and finally looked me in the eye (most of his previous glances had been aimed at my chest or legs) and smiled. I smiled back a little drunkenly.

He shot another round and then strolled over to me. "Hey sexy, haven't seen you around here before."

I shrugged my shoulders, drawing his attention to my Vicky enhanced cleavage. "I've been here a few times before. Must have missed you."

He had a large diamond or diamond-like stud in his ear so I leaned forward and touched with delicately with one finger. "Pretty."

He smiled. He looked normal, but I could feel the menace radiating off of him. My Spidey senses were tingling, telling me to haul ass out of there.

"You like shiny things, sweetheart?"

I shrugged again. He looked at my boobs again. "What girl doesn't?" It was a rhetorical question.

"So what's your name, sugar?" Gag me with a spoon, ick.

"I'm Shelly. And you?"

"I'm Jackson, doll baby." Did he have you use every single term of endearment in this conversation? "What do you do, honey?" I guess he did.

"I'm a lingerie buyer." Best to stick with something I know. Or at least knew. Seemed like a lifetime ago that I bought granny panties for E.E. Martin.

His eyes darkened somewhat. He glanced down at my cleavage again. I'd used that line before and I knew it led the skips to concentrating on what I was wearing under my slutty clothes and distracted skips are easier to manipulate.

"So what brought you into my little world tonight, baby?" I noticed that he didn't tell me what he did. Probably telling girls that he was a domestically violent drug dealer didn't do much for his dating life.

I smiled. "My belly dance class got canceled, so I thought I'd find something else to keep me occupied tonight." I leaned in closer. "I don't do well when I'm bored," I whispered. I could hear the other guys groaning in my ear. I'm pretty sure Ranger was the one who growled.

Jackson, the fugitive, looked intrigued. "You gonna belly dance for me tonight, darlin'?"

I looked around as if I was in earnest thought. "This isn't exactly the right kind of music, baby." I paused, his attention all on me. "We've been practicing to that song from the last Spiderman movie. Oh man, what's the name of that song?"

I was trying to subtly warn Ranger to be prepared for anything. We always joked that my instincts were actually Spidey senses.

I heard Ranger whisper, "Got it, Babe," in my ear.

I widened my eyes at the fugitive. "I think I have the CD in my car!" I bounced a little bit on the bar stool like I was excited at the thought of belly dancing for him and I forced myself to slide a little off the stool. I grabbed his arm to keep myself from falling. "I'm sorry! Thanks for catching me, baby."

He looked around and nodded at someone but I didn't want to turn and stare and alert him. "Well, lets go see if you have that CD in your car, sugar."

I slide off the barstool and wrapped my hand around his arm. "Alright. I'm pretty sure it's in my car, baby. Let's go check."

We started towards the car and I heard Bobby curse in my earpiece. "Shit. Two guys following. Look dressed."

Crap. This might turn into the shoot out at the Ok Corral, and I really didn't want to get caught in the middle.

"Can you detain?" Ranger asked Bobby and Ram.

"Negative without alerting the target," Ram answered.

"Shit," from Ranger. Yes, it had gone all to hell, but I was the one trapped in the middle of the shit storm. "Be careful, Babe."

We walked out the door and I caught a hulking shadow to the right out of the corner of my eye. Tank. Unfortunately, Jackson also saw Junior to the right and he had a gun pressed to my kidney before I could move away. Yikes. Well, I had two kidneys and I really only needed one, right?

"What the fuck is this?" he demanded.

I whimpered. "Who are these guys, baby? What's going on here?"

The two bodyguards came out behind us, and Bobby and Ram had guns to their heads before they could make a move towards their guns. The goons froze. Time froze.

"Bond enforcement agents, Mr. Mitchell. You missed your court date and there is an arrest warrant for you and we're taking you in to be rescheduled." Ranger spoke calmly as he stepped into view. His eyes briefly drifted to mine and I could see his pulse beating in his throat.

"Fuck no, man," Jackson really wasn't all that articulate, was he?

We stood in a Mexican standoff while Ranger tried to reason with Jackson. Are you kidding? There's no reasoning with psycho drug dealers.

"I'm scared, baby," I whispered to Jackson. "What's going on?"

When I felt the gun move away from my kidney and point towards Ranger, I made my move. I simultaneously drove my spiked heel into his loafer clad foot and my elbow into his stomach. Take that, jackass Jackson! I hope I broke his foot.

I heard a gun go off, I felt a stinging on my arm and I dove out of the way to let the men in black wrestle the skip into cuffs.