As we left the room after our team meeting, I turned to Dirk and Miguel and Nick. "How are the three of you doing?"

"Good", said Dirk. "I had a good nap and talked to my wife and kids. I explained to my wife what was going on, and it was her idea to continue finding the information needed to put the gang down. As she said, no child should have to live through what Eli had to live through. My wife's main concern was that I wasn't getting enough sleep as she knows that my PTSD often bothers me when I don't get enough sleep, and when I told her of the space that I was staying in and Facetimed her so that she could see that I was staying in a nice place, she said that she was reassured and wondered if she could ditch the kids and join me here." He grinned. "We only have a queen bed at home."

I laughed.

"My wife and kids are coming this evening for a few minutes to drop off clean clothes for me. As my wife said, she misses me when I'm not there, but she wants me to help catch those bastards and she is proud of me for being part of the team doing so. And she is thrilled beyond belief that I am not only making such a big difference, but that I am doing it in a research role rather than being part of the retrieval team. I know that she found it hard when I was overseas and she wasn't there to see that I was safe."

"I can understand that", I said. "I don't like it when Ranger goes away either. I have ultimate respect for spouses of military personnel. They have to be very strong people to live with that fear day in and day out. How about you, Miguel?"

"I slept for about four hours", said Miguel, "and in the remainder of the time I went home and picked up some clean clothes, took out the garbage and did that sort of thing. I brought enough clothes back for a few days, so I'm good to stay for a while. I know this might take us some time, but I feel very strongly that it is the right thing for me to do. Shutting down this gang has huge ramifications for both Brett and Eli, as well as the city in general. I am glad that Drew is letting us do the in-depths on everyone. It would have bothered me if I couldn't."

Nick smiled. "You are going to have to put up with me being stinky", said Nick.

"No, no! Not that!" I said with a smile as the men laughed. "Seriously, you can borrow some of Ranger's clothes the next time we are in the apartment. You are about the same size."

Nick laughed. "That would be good. I haven't gone home at all and honestly? I needed the break not only to sleep but also to cuddle with the kids. Eli is the same age as Ethan. I found it hard enough knowing that Ethan and the twins were physically abused, and seeing what they have had to go through as they have recovered. I feel devastated by the idea that Eli was raped every night, often more like five times a night, in addition to being physically abused."

"I know. If Tracy is good to continue to look after the kids, are you good to continue to work on in-depths?"

"Yes. I want to see these guys go down, and I want to help put them down before the TPD sends in another undercover officer. In this instance, I don't think an undercover officer was needed. He has been able to get very little data that we haven't been able to get through doing our in-depth reviews."

I sighed. "I know. That's one of the things that I am finding so upsetting about this case. It didn't have to happen. We could have done all the research that was needed to put these guys away for a long time, and Brett wouldn't have had to put himself into danger. We could have done it months ago, and Eli would have been able to avoid months of being abused. I am so incredibly angry about this."

"I know", said Dirk. "However, you and I both know that Rangeman is a company that is meant to make a profit. We do a lot of pro bono work as it is, but spending days researching in-depths for no income is a little unreasonable to expect. The problem is that the city only has so much money to spend doing research. What Ranger needs to do is talk to the city about the cost of us doing the research over the cost of keeping someone undercover. Brett has been undercover for four years and has in those four years only partially been able to do the work that we'll do in-house this week, and we won't put anyone at risk. The only thing he was able to do that we weren't able to do was to find out about Eli – and that didn't need four years to do it. Comparatively, the difference between hiring someone for four years I can guarantee would cost much more than paying us for a week. We'll charge less than twenty thousand to research everybody and get enough proof for twenty arrests. An undercover officer for four years would cost about two hundred and fifty thousand. When you phrase it like that, it doesn't make sense to do anything other than to hire us more frequently."

"That's true. It is very short-sighted of the TPD to do anything else, isn't it?" said Nick.

"We may be the best and we may cost more per hour to do our research, but because we are so fast, we can be cost-efficient", said Dirk. "And we are already on retainer, so there will be no more up-front costs. It would just be the cost of the hourlies. The time until cases are closed would be drastically reduced as well. It's just frustrating to know that the situation didn't have to occur."

I sighed. "I hear you. It will be even worse if Brett is seriously injured."

"And we have to prepare ourselves for that", said Miguel. "We have to know that it wouldn't be our fault. It would just be the fault of political decisions that are made. Short-sighted decisions, but political decisions." Miguel smiled sadly and patted my shoulder. "At least we work for the 'A' team, chica, and we can do the research now to make sure that no one else is put in Brett's position again with the Death Dogs."

I nodded sadly. "I always hate seeing people hurt unnecessarily."

"I know, chica, but we are doing something to stop it." We got to our offices and Miguel gave me a hug. "Let's do this thing, okay? Let's shut these bastards down."

I sighed. "Okay, if you can each send me a name off your list, I will start researching", I said. The men smiled, and a few minutes later I had received my names, put my head down, and picked one. Teagan Taylor. Perfect. I pulled up the overview that Dirk had done, and settled into doing my review.

At five-thirty, the Research Gurus joined the ERT as the team suited up. Ranger gave the team an overview of what we'd discovered, gave me a kiss for luck, and left the building. The research team followed me through to the command center, and we sat while Hal worked the station.

As we waited until the team got in place, Hal said, "how are the four of you doing?"

"Upset", said Nick.

"Trying not to get angry", said Miguel.

"Frustrated", said Dirk.

"I feel like crying", I said. "This situation is so heartbreaking."

Hal looked surprised at our answers. "Heartbreaking?" he said.

"Brett's abduction didn't have to happen. He has been working undercover for four years. For a fraction of the cost of implanting someone in the role and for a wisp of the time that Brett has taken, Rangeman could have identified the people involved and their charges – complete with proof. If undercover work had been needed, it would have been needed for a span of days rather than years. The route the TPD chose was expensive, cumbersome, ineffective and put their staff into danger. Brett didn't have to get hurt; Eli didn't have to get abused. There are so many things that went on that shouldn't have happened."

"What do you suggest, Steph?" said Hal.

"I think Ranger should sit down and create a cost-benefit analysis table comparing the cost of our research to the cost of hiring an undercover officer for four years. Even if you just compare the costs of an officer for the last ten months, since the Death Dogs gang took over and Brett realized the danger. Then, I think Ranger should talk about the results that would have happened if we had been doing the research ten months ago, and the events that would have been avoided if we had. I can understand why the TPD can't open the purse strings, but for the price of installing Brett in place four years ago and paying him his four years' worth of salary, we could have investigated over six hundred criminals and Brett could have been used more effectively than he was and been in less danger. It just doesn't make sense. And I know I can speak for the guys when I say that it is hard to see. We know that the upset that is currently happening could have been avoided so easily, and it is eating away at us to know that people are being hurt because of the TPD's short-sightedness."

Hal smiled slightly. "One of the things that all four of you have in common is a deep caring for other people. Each one of you would go to the wall for another person. I understand your frustration with the situation, and I will definitely talk to Ranger about it. You are right – it doesn't make sense, when for the price of one officer you could investigate six hundred felons. However, the best that we can do is continue to wow the TPD with your investigative skills. By quickly doing these twenty felons and handing over the research with the comment that Brett's abduction wasn't necessary, I think Ranger will be able to make his point."

"I can work through the night again", said Dirk. "My wife is prepared for me not to come home for a few days and is bringing clean clothes for me."

"I went home and picked up a go-bag this afternoon", said Miguel. "I can also hunker down and get these felons researched."

"I would like to", said Nick. "However, my ability to hunker down will be dependent upon child care. I can't ask Tracy to look after my kids more. I don't think it is fair to her. I can work from home after the kids are in bed though, and I can still work through the night."

The ERT came online as Joe walked into the command room, and we could hear Ranger talk to Drew at the site as Joe pulled up a chair and joined our group.

After a brief pow-wow with his staff as Ranger directed what he wanted his team members to do, they swarmed the house and entered. And a few short minutes later they had cleared the building, the Rangeman team medic was providing aid to Brett, and the police were taking over the investigation. The paramedics carried a stretcher into the house and up the stairs. "Sitrep", said Hal.

"Roscoe isn't here", said Ranger. "The only person here is Brett, and it looks like they left him here to die. He's in pretty rough shape, but we got to him in time and Chris says that he should make a full recovery. Another few hours, and we would have been too late."

"Thank God we made it", said Hal. "Do you have more work with the police?"

"Drew is supervising things that are happening here. As soon as Brett is on his way to the hospital, our team will be coming home. Everybody, I will be collecting earbuds in about ten minutes at my car."

"Debrief is in an hour in the large boardroom that we used this morning", said Hal. "Good job, guys, and we'll see you back at the ranch. I am stopping transmission and I'll see you soon."

Hal turned to Joe. "Steph's team and I have been talking about a few things. First, now that we know that Brett is going to be okay, we can let Eli know that Brett was saved and the prognosis is good, and we can let him know that it was his help that largely saved his friend. I think that will make him feel better. The other thing that we have been talking about is that the Gurus want to hit the research of the other gang members hard. Dirk and Miguel have rearranged their week so that they can help continuously until the project is finished. Nick is interested in helping as intensely, but would be relying upon Tracy's good nature to cover for childcare and he thinks that isn't very fair."

"I doubt Tracy will mind", said Joe. "I'll ask her, but I suspect that she won't have a problem with it. The last time I talked to her she said the kids were wonderful to look after and that it helped that she knew them so well. She said she feels like they are family and she is their aunt, and she has always loved the idea of large families. She also said that Eli was relaxing with having the other kids around, and it was a joy to hear him laugh. She thinks the other kids will play a big role in helping Eli recover."

"If you could ask her?" I said. "If she has a problem with it, she will be more likely to be honest with you than she would with me. She's such a helpful person she would never tell me no, even if it was a big problem for her."

Joe smiled. "I'll definitely ask her, but you also have to realize that I will be mostly there to help her care for the children. Since I am protecting Eli, I figure that I will be splitting my time between helping Tracy look after the kids as well as monitoring what is happening here. I will let you know though."

I smiled. That was so typically Tracy that she would enjoy the time with the kids. Tracy had the biggest heart of anyone that I had ever met. She loved people, and especially children, and they loved her in return. She also looked at my family as being members of her family. Joe put up with his family but got frustrated with his brothers' womanizing ways and failure to cherish their wives and children. His grandmother hated Tracy and his mother was so busy trying to contain the different upsets in the family that she didn't have time to be warm and welcoming. What that meant was that Joe had grown away from his family. Likewise, Tracy was an only child and had been the kind of person to do what her parents wanted just to keep the peace and to ensure that her parents didn't get upset. However, when she met Joe, he encouraged her to do what she wanted, what was important to her, even if it wasn't what her parents wanted. It was eye-opening for her to have someone care enough about her to encourage her to do what would make her happy just because it would make her happy. Her parents, however, weren't so pleased with this new attitude. Because of this, the relationship with her parents had been strained since she had insisted on doing what she and Joe wanted for her wedding. Personally, I thought that was sad.

What has come out of that is that Tracy and Joe, like Ranger and I, are creating their own family. Joe and Tracy; Tank and Amelia and their kids, Michael and Mia; Hal; Nick and his kids, Ethan and Evan and Edie; Dirk and his wife and kids; Miguel and Kate; and our family got together most Saturdays for dinner. We created a wonderful family that had supported us through thick and thin, and I often thought that our bonds were stronger than blood. Since I didn't get along with my sister and Ranger's family was all located some distance away, we were enjoying having close ties to our adopted family – and we got the impression that our adopted family loved having those close ties just as much.