A/N: Don't expect 2-chapter posts all the time. I just had a few nights of insomnia and the story was going good… It probably won't happen very often.

By the way, so far only one person wants equal time for Joe, poor guy. It's okay with me, though, I'd rather play with Ranger!

Disclaimer: The characters and settings we all know and love belong to Janet Evanovich. The plot, such as it is, and anyone you don't recognize belongs to me. Written strictly for enjoyment – so enjoy!

Chapter 4

Back on the sofa I think I dozed for a little while, but I woke when I heard the key in the door. I had my hand underneath a pillow on my gun when I turned to see who came in.

It was Ranger, of course. I seriously doubt anyone else could make it to this door without some sort of major confrontation. Except for me, but I was sort of the exception. Ranger was followed by a small woman that had to be Julia's mother, and another man.

I stood up, uncertain what I should do. "Julia's asleep in the bedroom. She's fine, just tired."

They all headed for the bedroom and disappeared inside. I understood. They needed the reassurance of seeing her for themselves. I heard the murmur of voices, a soft cry of joy from Julia, more talking. After a while Ranger came back out and caught me straightening the pillows and picking up my gun. I quickly stuck it in the back of my jeans. The look on his face was unreadable as he came over to me and took my hands.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes taking in the scratches on my arms. I'd forgotten about those.

"I'm fine. I got scratched up when a skip pushed me into a rosebush this morning."

His lips quirked. "Did you get him?"

"Yeah. I tripped him and took him down with me…face-first."

He smiled and shook his head slightly, then he sobered again. "What happened tonight? How did you find Julia? She says you saved her."

"Actually, she saved herself. I just provided the distraction." I gave him a small grin. "It must be hereditary."

He drew me down onto the sofa to sit beside him and asked me to start at the beginning. I told him about seeing the van stopping in front of the office and the man pulling a tied-up girl out. I told him about clobbering the man with my purse, gun and bullets and all. How I had gone around the block so Connie and Lula, who hadn't seen the girl, would leave, then gone back to look for her. How she'd hidden so well I almost hadn't found her.

"How did you know she was my daughter?" he asked softly.

"Look in the mirror, Ranger. She's got your eyes."

He just looked at me for a moment, then he cut his eyes toward the bedroom and I knew he was trying to decide what he could tell me. I saved him the trouble.

"You don't have to tell me. Julia has already told me, and Joe."

"What?" His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Her idea. She said her Mamma and Dad always told her if something happened she should tell a policeman. I called Joe; he came here and talked to her, recorded a statement. She's smart, Ranger, and very observant. Joe was impressed. She gave him descriptions of the men and their vehicle, enough information to put out a detailed APB."

Ranger still looked pissed, but before he could say anything his cell phone vibrated. He looked at the caller ID and shot me a dark look before answering.

It was Joe.

Ranger listened for several minutes, speaking only a word here or there. Then he told Joe to start over so I could hear, too, turned on the speakerphone and held out the phone.

"I put out the APB, then I called the FBI since it was a kidnapping that crossed state lines. About an hour ago a FBI team showed up with Bunchy tagging along. Then I got a call that a couple of state troopers picked up two men in a blue Econoline just south of Trenton. They were pulling it over for no taillights and the driver tried to out-run them. The van crashed and they arrested the two men. On the way to the jail one of the troopers recognized them as matching the APB, and called it in.

It turns out these two guys work for some 'connected' developers in Miami that were unhappy with Ms. Martin and a couple other commissioners for blocking some new project. They decided to do their boss a favor and take out the kid, make it look like an absentee-father kidnapping with a tragic ending." He stopped to chuckle. "If they'd only known what they were getting into! Anyway, they're stuck now and the Feds are barbequing them. The bosses are suspected of organized crime and they're offering Tweedledum and Tweedledee witness-protection programs if they can provide any major evidence against them. What a mess."

"It sounds like everything's being taken care of," Ranger remarked in a neutral tone.

Joe picked up on it. "We're trying. The Feds are actually keeping me in the loop, so I'll be able to keep an eye on things. Anyway, at some point in time there will need to be a more formal statement taken from Julia, and they'll probably want one from Steph, too."

"Set it up for sometime tomorrow. I'll call in the morning."

"Okay."

Ranger flipped his phone shut. His new phone, I noticed in passing, was a different model than the one he'd crushed. I kept my eyes on it in an attempt to avoid a confrontation with him.

One of his hands still held one of mine, and it tightened slightly. "I'd have gone after them myself," he said softly after a moment.

"I know."

He took a deep breath, then sighed. "This was probably better all around," he admitted. His fingers started stroking the back of my hand gently. "You were thinking clearly and did all the right things… Thanks, babe."

"Julia has a good head on her shoulders. She didn't need much help," I assured him. "I think she'd have been fine even if I hadn't been there."

By slow degrees some of the tension left his body. He shifted, turning toward me slightly, and his hand raised and slipped into my hair. "Will you stay tonight?"

I smiled. "Stay where, Ranger? There are five people in the apartment now, and only one bed and one sofa."

He leaned closer, his voice low, and whispered the words against my forehead. "We can use one of the apartments downstairs."

"Okay." I tucked my face against his neck and leaned into him. I really didn't want to drive home, anyway.