Ranger's POV

I pulled up to the diner twenty minutes prior to the meeting time I'd set and cut the engine. Meeting some new wannabe bounty hunter was the last thing that I wanted to do today, but Vinnie had insisted that I train this new guy who would pick up his low and mid-level bonds or he would continue to send them my way. I don't have the time or the manpower to waste on bonds that aren't worth big money, so I finally agreed to give up a couple of hours of my time.

I made myself comfortable in the back booth, facing the door as always, and watched the people coming and going. A dark blue SUV pulled up and my jaw dropped when I saw the woman from the bust at E.E. Martin get out of the vehicle. She was dressed for action with a fully-loaded utility belt and boots.

Could this be who I was meeting? This might just be the in that I need to get her on a horizontal surface. I suppose the alley would work, too – I wasn't going to be picky.

She walked through the door and looked around for someone. Yes, she was definitely here for me. She looked my way and her eyes widened when we made eye contact. She straightened herself and began walking toward me, her face not showing a hint of emotion. Normally women were falling all over me, but she still didn't seem to be affected by my presence. The challenge just appealed to me even more; I always get what I Want.

"Ranger?" she asked when she stopped in front of my booth.

"In the flesh, Ms. Plum. I didn't expect you to be the new BEA that I was meeting, or I would have cleared my schedule for longer," I flirted with my patented thousand watt smile. "Have a seat."

She sat down across from me, but didn't thaw any with my smile. "And I didn't realize that you're Carlos Manoso, but here we are," she finally replied. "Teach me not to ask for legal names when getting help from someone."

"Something to eat or drink? My treat." I asked, now intent on drawing this meeting out. I would pollute the temple to turn this into a business lunch date, regardless of how long I'd have to spend in the gym tomorrow to work it off.

"No thanks, I'm good," she replied instantly. Looks like I'll have to work harder.

"Alright, then I guess we'll start with bounty hunting 101. I see you're fully dressed; do you know how to use any of it?" I asked. I couldn't even begin to imagine that the woman I met at E.E. Martin had any experience with a loaded utility belt or takedowns.

"All of it. Quite proficiently," she answered.

I raised one eyebrow and gave her a questioning look. "I find that hard to believe," I shot back.

"Name the time and place," she replied confidently.

"My office building, now. We have a range and a gym to spar. Unless you have someone waiting at home, that is," I offered. I wanted to know if she was still seeing someone that I would have to be mindful of.

"There's no one waiting at home," she said with a frown. "Alright, let's go."

She stood and headed to the door, not even looking back to ensure that I was following her. I hate being dismissed like that. I walked up to her and placed my hand on her back as I opened the door for her.

"Follow me to the office, Babe," I said when we got outside.

"I know where I'm going; I'll meet you there," she answered quickly as she got into her car. She knows where my office is? What the hell?! I feel like I'm missing a piece of the puzzle here.

She was out of the lot before I even made it into the Turbo and I tracked her as she drove right to RangeMan HQ. Very interesting. How did she know where my office is? I drove by where she was parked on the street and rolled the passenger window down.

"Follow me through the gate and park in the spot next to mine," I directed her. I decided to give her a little taste of her own medicine and didn't even look back to ensure she was behind me before pulling into the garage and driving to my parking place. Perhaps some indifference would make her work for my attention.

I met her at the front of our vehicles and ushered her into the elevators where I pressed the button for the basement. "First things first, let's visit the range," I informed her. She nodded her assent and we exited in the basement.

I took her through the paces with her side arm and clutch piece as well as several other of my choosing and I wouldn't admit this to anyone else, but I was impressed. She was easily on-par with Ram, our range master, and myself. After barking out orders for her to break them all down and clean them, I led her back to the elevator. There was definitely a lot about this girl I didn't know, but I'd get to the bottom of that with a background check.

I hit the button for three and led Steph into the gym. Day shift had just gotten off the clock, so most of that team was working out in the gym now. Everyone stopped what they were doing and all eyes turned to me as they saw me walk in with a woman, but I never could have predicted what happened next.

"Hey there, Beautiful," Lester Santos, my cousin, called from across the room. "I haven't seen you in a couple of hours. Did you miss me?" he said with a laugh. What the hell?

Steph laughed and ran over to him, and his arms opened instantly to hug her. Before I knew it, she was surrounded by half of my men who were all hugging her and asking how she was holding up. And I repeat…what the hell?

I walked over to where they were all standing and whistled to get their attention. "Anyone want to tell me what the hell is going on?" I asked, giving them all a serious look.

"Just saying hello to a friend," Les replied with a smirk. He knew he was pulling the tiger's tail.

"And how do you all know Steph?" I pressed.

"He doesn't know?" Les asked, giving Steph a questioning look.

"Nope, it's been all business," Steph replied.

"Know what?" I barked out. I was quickly losing patience.

Les put his arm around Steph and I had to fight my desire to pry it off her shoulders. Instead I schooled my face and remained impassive. "This is Cal's woman," he explained with a smile.

Fuck me. Looks like I have some competition. I wouldn't normally move in on one of my men's women, but I have to have Steph at least once. If Cal's away…well, I'd take advantage of the time to train her until he returns. I'm sure I could win her over and be a good diversion while he was deployed.

"You said there was no one waiting at home," I told Steph without even thinking.

"That's because there isn't – you know that Cal's deployed at this moment. I also told you no to sharing a meal; the reason is irrelevant," she shot back. I saw the looks on my men's faces and I didn't like this at all. I needed to gain the upper hand here.

"Enough stalling, let's see how much work I have to do before you're fit for the field." I looked around at my men and smirked. "Les, since you know her so well, you're up to spar with her," I ordered.

Steph and Les immediately took off toward the mats and before I knew it Steph was successfully blocking Les's attempts to take her down. Twenty minutes in, she did the unthinkable and put him on his back. That background check couldn't happen soon enough; this woman had secrets. I would find them all and use them to my advantage. I will be fucking her before Cal is stateside again.