"I dunno. No, I guess." If that how this conversation was going to start, I no longer wanted to know what was this big male secret.

"Babe," He wrapped both hands around one of mine. "I don't want you guessing."

"Should I love him?" I fell back and stared at the ceiling.

"You have a reason not to. He sold you out. He cared more about money than he did about you." Ranger whipered.

"Maybe he was threatened..." I could feel the sobs coming on.

"Maybe he wasn't." Ranger said.

I turned my head and stared at him. The suspense was killing me. The fact that the man I potentially wanted to marry did something to wipe me out. Ranger's phone began to ring. He reached behind him and picked up the reciever. "Yo."

"No, no one's hurt." "Yes, I'm sure." "Nothing that can't be fixed with tub of Ben and Jerrys." "Thanks Tank." Ranger slamed the phone back down on the cradle.

He turned to get up, but I streached my arm across his chest. If he really had wanted to leave, he could have, but he stayed. "What do you mean, 'maybe he wasn't?'"

"He ever sneak out at night?" Ranger asked me. "He ever tell you where he was going?"

I tried to put these questions together. "Yeah, all the time. Said it was work and I wouldn't be ale to get a hold of him."

Ranger closed his eyes. I sensed this was a the really bad part. "Terry Gillman ever come into play?"

I was sure my heart stopped. Either that, or it broke into razor sharp shards that were lodged in my back.

"I don't think I want the hear the end of this."

"I don't think so either, but it's probably best."

"Joe's been sneaking off with Terry late at night, telling me it's cop work. Then it turns out that he gave up my 'secret' location to a guy they've been trying to catch for a week now." I put the pieces together outloud.

"This might not be the right time to say this but, I'm proud of you." Ranger sat back and tossed a sheet across my middle.

"Why?" I pulled the sheet up a few inches.

"You managed to figure it out pretty good." He smiled and continued. "I remember when you first walked in to that cafe, your first day on the job. I thought that you wouldn't last a week, but I gave you a chance. That single chance has completely changed my life."

"You're right. That wasn't the right time to say that, but I'm glad you did." I nudged his shoulder with my forehead.

He was right. He had shown me the ropes. The look on his face said all, for once. 'This Burg girl wont last 5 days.' But I had. I walked into his life. Got him shot on two occasions, flattened and burned his Boxter, and constantly put his guys in the ER. Of all the times he opened up, it was right when I realized that I was being stalked by a commercial killer, and not being able to trust Joe.

I faintly heard the locks click and then bags get crumpled. A light fipped on from the foyer and I heard Tank fumble down the hall.

"Holy..." He stopped midsentence, mouth opened wide at the shattered glass on the floor.

He turned his glase to me, then to Ranger, to the window and then back to Ranger. Ranger shook his head behind me and forced me to get out of bed. He shoved his hands in my butt pockets and led me to the couch where he ploped down, dragging down my into his lap. Ranger slid me into my own spot and turned on the television. Tank handed me a cylincaric tub of ice cream and a spoon and he walked back to the bedroom with Ranger in tow.

"What the hell happened?" Tank asked.

"Steph got a little call from Carver that scared her. He got this building wired. He knew exactly where she was at all the time." Ranger said, shaking his head.

He had only made it to the doorway. Tank had walked in the room and brushed the glass into little piles the best he could on the carpet.

"He fire the shots?" Tank asked.

"Yep."

The room fell silent. Ranger had lowered his head. He was thinking of how he could fix this without leaving too many bodies. Clearly if something gets too messy, the state has a huge cow over that. Ranger knew that from past experiences. Tank studdied Ranger for a long time.

Tank had known Ranger almost all his life. They both grew up in the getto area of Maimi. They spent their childhood, avoiding drug busts and angry druggies. After managing to escape all that, two stupid 18-year olds joined up in the Army. Ranger had made Special Forces almost immediately. Tank had to climb his way up, but they both spent years in the service.

Ranger settled down and his daughter was born short after. Tank was her Godfather. Tank had been Ric's best man. Tank was almost Ranger's twin. Ranger's life went downhill from there. His wife didn't feel Ranger was capable of being a father. He was too reckless. He lost custody of his daughter, his life. Visitation was at his ex's discression.

Ranger moved to Jersey. Tank followed him and they started Rangeman. Somehow, Vinnie had gotten ahold of Ranger and Ranger accepted this second job. He loved this sort of job. Ranger involved himself with work. That's how he couped with all of that. He kept to himself. He stoped drinking, he stoped partying, he just...simply put...stopped living all together.

Then Stephaine came along. The little girl from the burg who didn't stand a chance. But like Ranger had told her, he gave her one, and she exceeded everyones expectations. She did things that were so insanely stupid you couldn't help but laugh. Ranger's life got back inorder to a functing point. He had an occational beer. He laughed more, reperfected his smile. Tank was stunned when just last christmas, Ranger had shown up to the Rangeman company party.

"Where are you gonna go?" Tank asked, breaking the silence.

Ranger lifted his head and met Tanks eyes. There was a tear in his eyes. A tear that refused to fall. "I...don't...know"