DISCLAIMOR: I don't own any of the characters in this story but Callie Taylor.. The rest I'm just having fun with...

-Chapter Four-

Stephanie was leaning against the wall opposite the door when Ranger opened it and stepped out. "Tank said you wanted to see me?"

"Babe we need to talk," he purred, and she knew she was in trouble. Ranger never purred. Before she could ask what was up to he was reaching for the lapel of the black Rangeman jacket she was wearing and drew her close. He felt her body quiver against his as his lips softly covered her is a teasing kiss meant to tilt her off balance. "You've been holding out on me..."

"I don't know what you mean!" she said a little too fast, which earned her the quarter smile. She thought even faster trying to think of what she might have done that he found out about that she didn't want him to know... And couldn't come up with a thing.

"Don't you?" his right hand came up to tuck a stray curl behind her ear and he smiled inwardly when he heard the small kitten-like sounds she made at the contact.

"N..no.." she stammered, suddenly unable to remember her own name much less what she might have done to get him riled up. Not that anyone could tell when Ranger was riled up.. Except at times like now when he was using an unfair advantage over her. Sex... Her and Morelli were in the off again stage of their relationship and it had been over two months since they'd had any mad gorilla sex. Until he could accept who she was and respect what she chose to do for a job.. she just didn't see them "on again". She wasn't done flying yet, and there was no way she could be a Burg housewife like her mother. That would drive her stark raving looney toons.

Two months without sex was like running out of mascara just after bring told that Tasty Cakes was going out of business. Ranger, damn him, knew her hormones were out of kilter and was using it against her. Why?

"You know I could easily make you tell me what I want to know Babe," Ranger purred again, and Stephanie knew it wasn't an empty threat. If he kept touching her the way he was... She'd cop to just about anything.

"I need a donut," she muttered trying to ignore the feel of his hard body pressed against hers.

"It's not a donut you need Babe," he taunted, taking a step closer forcing her to back up until the wall behind her cut off any escape. He took another step pressing his body against hers, his hands moving slowly up her hips and under the hem of her shirt to lay against the warm skin of her back.

"It's not," Gulp! How'd his leg get between hers, she wondered. Was he going to kiss her again? Did she want him to? Dumb question. Ranger could make her want him to kiss her with just a crook of a finger. And it had been over a month since she'd broken up with Morelli. But this was Ranger.. She was half afraid of him.. More like afraid of the fireworks his touches made her feel. Joe was good in bed.. but Ranger.. He was magic. All he had to do was be in the same room as her and she needed to change her panties.

"No Babe.. You're just too scared to admit what you really want. I could show you," his warm lips hovered just a hair's breath above hers. "But I wouldn't want you to think I was poaching."

"You know damn well Morelli and I aren't seeing each other any longer!" she squawked, before realizing what she was saying. It was like giving him free range to do what ever he wanted.

Ranger gave a short laugh, his lips turned up in that full on smile. "So I can do this now if I want to without you feeling any guilt issues."

His lips came down crushing hers before she could voice any objections. When his tongue slipped inside touching hers, objection was the furthest thing from her mind. For the first time since the day they met, there was no guilt or fear clouding her responses. There was only the mind shattering emotions that only Ranger could make her feel... It was a hell of a lot better then a dozen Boston Creams..

'Okay so I'm a Slut' she thought to herself as her hands moved upwards over the rock hard warmth of his chest to circle his neck. "Okay.. you win.. I'll admit it.. I want to ah... you know.. with you.."

Ranger lifted his head. His dark eyes filled with passion, and something more. "Timing Babe.. It sucks. As much as I'd enjoy taking you up to my apartment and finally getting you willingly naked in my bed... It'll have to wait. Right now I need for you to tell me how you thought you'd get away with trying to hide Callie Taylor and not have me find out about it..."

Instead of denying any involvement like Ranger thought she might do, Stephanie's face turned fierce all of a sudden, like a lion protecting her cubs and she slammed her hand against his chest.

"What did you do to her!" she demanded, getting in a second push before Ranger grabbed her shoulders andpinned her back against the wall. "You better not have hurt her or I'll.."

"Drew Taylor escaped from prison a few days ago," Ranger's angry tone cut across her meaningless threat. "Word has it that he's heading here to meet up with his sister to split the insurance money from their parent's policy. We have evidence that points to her being involved in their deaths.."

"No!" she shook her head from side to side. "NO! Not Callie! There's no way in hell that she's involved with any of this except as a victim"

"Babe... We have e-mail's sent from him to her taken off her own home computer and the visitor's log at the prison shows that a Lisa Coats has been there several times in the last few months to see him."

"It wasn't her!" Stephanie insisted, forgetting for a moment that this was Ranger she was arguing with. She should have known he'd find out what she had done. She never was any good at hiding things from him when he wanted to know something.

"We know she was gone from here on the days the visits happened," he told her. "I had someone on the inside keeping track of her. Every time Lisa Coats visited Taylor in prison, Callie Taylor was off the radar and no one knew where she was. Like clock work, once a month she would disappear and Bobby could never find out where she went to."

"It-was-not-Callie!" she said again, gritting her teeth and talking back to Ranger in a way she had never talked to him before. "I KNOW Callie never left the area. I've been in touch with her ever since I found her brother trying to stab the life out of her and not a day has gone by that I didn't know where she was! Once a month I've picked her up and taken her to the hospital for therapy and then to the grave site so she could talk to her parents. She didn't want anyone to know so they wouldn't find out who she was! I'm telling you Ranger... It wasn't Callie going to see that bastard because she was with me. Someone is trying to set her up!"

She sounded so sure that for the first time Ranger had some doubts. Could she be right? Could someone be trying to set the woman up to make her look guilty of the crimes? Bobby had commented several times that he didn't think they were going after the right lead. But then he found the e-mails on her computer. Could someone else have planted them there to draw attention off of something else going on?

"Come with me," he said grabbing her arm, pulling her after him to the door he'd just come from. Before he went in he turned to her. "We need some answers and maybe she'll talk if you ask them. If she's innocent Babe, I'll do what I can to make sure she's kept safe from him."

Stephanie looked at him for a moment, then nodded acceptance. Ranger had always kept his word to her. She should have gone to him in the first place and not tried to do this on her own. She could trust Ranger. He'd proven that to her over and over since the day they had met.

"Ranger.." she looked up at him, her blue eyes open allowing him to see into her soul. "Callie had been though enough. Go easy on her please... For me. I know I'm not wrong about her. I've seen her wake up screaming from the nightmares that haunt her. When this is over and her brother is caught.. I want you to help me get her away from here to a place no one can ever find her where she can live a normal life again. Would you do that for me?"

He reached up, tucking the errant curl back behind her ear while smiling that wolfish smile that usually scared the crap out of her. "It's a big thing you ask me to do.. if I do this one thing for you .. What will you do for me?"

"Anything you ask." Gulp! Did she just say that?

"You know what I want Babe. And it'll have to be more then one night for this kind of favor," he said pushing it to see how serious she was.

Stephanie answered without even the slightest hesitation. "Do this for me and I'll become your sex slave for as long as you want."

"Deal." She was serious. If she was willing to become his sex slave in exchange for a new identity for Callie Taylor.. Maybe things with her really weren't what they might appear to be. "Let's go talk to her see what she might tell us with you here."

The door opened then and Bobby stuck his head outside. "She's asking for you", he told Ranger, and cut a quick look to the Woman standing beside him. "Said she'll answer your questions now... but I can go to hell. I don't think she loves me any more."

Stephanie shot an angry look at Bobby then pushed past him and entered the room. When she saw Callie tied down to the long chair, she almost went crazy. Instead she crossed to her and began yanking at the leather ties...

To be continued... Next Bobby & Callie have a... talk..