Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Sorry this has taken so long, I've had a lot of work to do recently :( And in reply to ping's review, yes I am planning to write the whole novel eventually. I got the idea from Melathwen trying to get me to write the shower scene from Ranger's POV, and it just kind of spread. And you can thank Mela's nagging for this chapter too…

Stephanie paused, thinking. She decided on this job at least partly for the money. Meaning she didn't have a lot of it spare. I could see her reach a conclusion.

"I have a few dollars set aside."

Chapter 3

After we finished lunch, I took Stephanie over to Sunny's to pick up some things she'd definitely need to survive as a bounty hunter. Sunny was a woman in her forties, who had set up a gun shop when she'd moved to Trenton twenty years ago. Most of the artillery I used came from a contractor I used to supply RangeMan, but occasionally, when I needed something on short notice or was trying out some new weaponry or ammo I didn't want in mass supplies, I got it from Sunny. She was open most of the time, and legal without asking questions or passing anything on. She also owned a gun range next to the shop, which I thought Stephanie may need, especially as she didn't even carry.

Leaving the Nova parked outside Frailoli's, we took my truck over to Sunny's, leaving it in an alley that ran between Sunny's and the next door business, parked facing the street, just in case. We got out of the truck together, and I steered her into Sunny's with one hand on the small of her back. I nodded to Sunny as we entered, and she moved along the back of the counter to stand in front of us.

"Ranger," she nodded back. "What do you need?"

"This is Stephanie Plum. Stephanie, this is Sunny. She owns this place." I said, introducing the two women. "Stephanie's looking to buy a hand gun."

Sunny looked over at Stephanie, before reaching underneath the counter and producing various different pistols, placing them on the counter and addressing Stephanie.

"Sure thing, hon. What kind of gun you looking for?"

"Uh…" Stephanie stuttered. I looked down at her, then indicated at the various guns.

"If you don't have much experience with guns," I said, "you should probably go with a revolver or a semi-automatic. Easy to use, easy to carry. Semi-automatics are slightly easier to use, but you should be able to cope with a revolver fine as well. You can get a decent revolver for around 400 dollars; semi-automatics expect to pay a little more."

"Um…a revolver sounds good then."

Sunny smiled at her. "Sure thing. We got several different makes, each in several different models." Sunny went on to talk about each of them, but from the look on Stephanie's face, she didn't know that much about guns, and pretty much most of the words went over her head. By the time Sunny had finished talking, Stephanie looked slightly more confused and no nearer to making a decision.

"Go for a Smith and Wesson," I said. "They're reliable and don't have that much kick when you fire." I had the sudden image of Stephanie firing a gun for the first time, and being knocked on her ass from the force of it. Then I remembered Tank doing the same thing years ago. I almost smiled. A Smith and Wesson sounded like a good idea. "A .38 would be the best for you, babe."

Stephanie looked relieved at having someone who knew enough about guns to make a decision with her, and started to chat to Sunny about the slight differences in the models. I wasn't overly concerned about which one she got – any of them would do fine now that I'd narrowed it down this much, and everything else was just personal preference. She ended up choosing one with a stainless steel frame and carved wood gripes, model 60 of the ones I'd picked out for her. It seemed to suit her – not as powerful as some of the other guns, but small and prettier than most, with its wood gripping, and would get the job done just as well.

Stephanie paid for the gun, bought some ammo and handcuffs at my instruction, then trooped over to the gun range so she could learn how to shoot. Steph was running out of money fast, and I could see she was worried about how much everything had cost her so far. I was hardly ever short of money now, ever since RangeMan really kicked off, but I could still remember clearly exactly what it was like to wonder whether you could afford it every time you bought something. I paid the fee for the gun range and bought the ammo, and then steered her into one of the individual booths. I explained how the gun worked, slipped ear-protectors over her head and stepped back.

"Babe," I said, shaking my head and smiling very slightly when she'd finished the round. "This time try shooting with your eyes open." I stepped up behind her, and adjusted her stance. I don't know why I had started to call her babe. I'd called her it in Frailoli's, and again in the gun shop – it just suited her. She was gorgeous, with long legs and uncontrollable, sexy hair. A complete, kick-ass babe. Or soon to be, with a little help from me. The great, near invincible Manoso, playing teacher with a wannabe, girlie bounty hunter. The idea didn't really fit my image, but try everything once, right? For some reason or another, it appealed to me, the fact that this woman needed me for something other than sex. Not that that was bad, but I could get enough of that anytime.

I stepped back, and she fired again. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad idea, after all. She was an attractive woman, and her personality and general self made me smile, not such a common occurrence for me. RangeMan was a serious business, and I worked hard to keep it running and successful. While I was with Stephanie, I still acted in my street personality the rest of the world saw, but I didn't need to be threatening. When I was with Stephanie, I could relax slightly more, smile occasionally. I'd spent the last ten years steadily gaining more and more wealth, building RangeMan into a more and more respectable and known company, one of the best. I didn't need to work 24/7 anymore. Maybe this was just a way of spending my free time.

Just over forty minutes later, I dropped Stephanie back at the curb outside Frailoli's. She still didn't like the idea of carrying a gun, but at least now she had one and knew how to use it. I still had doubts about whether she'd be able to use it when the time came. Having not grown up in a particularly good neighbourhood and after years training in the army and elsewhere, I had no problems with guns. It was looking back, and wondering whether you'd done the right thing that was the hard part.