We drove to the Rangeman offices next and parked in the underground garage. We took the elevator up to the fifth floor and went to Ranger's office. Ranger leafed through some paperwork and signed some things and I went through some samples of drapery material and bed spreads and that sort of thing.

Tank joined us, "how did it go Steph? Are you good and pregnant?"

"Well," I shrugged. "I'm pregnant. It must be good and pregnant because I weigh less than I've weighed in years. That's a good thing."

"Somehow I thought pregnancy was supposed to put on pounds and not take it off," Tank shook his head.

"Well, I'm not most women. My body is probably attempting to make room for a gigantic Manoso baby. Look at him," I said and waved my hand toward Ranger, "he's enormous. Do you think delivery of his progeny is going to be easy? I think not," I shook my head.

Tank chuckled.

"Laugh it up big guy, but poor little Lula who may have a few pounds on me…"

"She's a whole person in weight bigger than you," Tank grinned.

"Maybe so," I rolled my eyes, "but you're the size of a small building. I'm thinking that's gonna hurt."

He looked at the ceiling with pursed lips thoughtfully, "I expect it will hurt."

I shook my head, so much for men's compassion for women and childbirth.

"How did he handle it?"

"He didn't pass out or throw up or anything. He was a little green."

"You know I'm right here, don't you," Ranger asked and both brows went up instead of just one. Yep, he's definitely sprained or broken his brow raise.

"Of course I know you're right there honey," I said sweetly. I opted on a quick change of subject to soothe him. "Instead of making all the rooms exactly the same, can't we mix it up?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean let the drape and the bedspread designs be random. You know, I'll shop for them."

He shook his head, "you're pregnant."

"This is one trip to Bed Bath and Beyond," I rolled my eyes. "This is not shopping."

He sighed, "Fine. Is that okay with you Tank?"

"Hell yea," he nodded. "At least when they get in their room they'll be sure it's theirs if we do that. The way it is now…hell, I got lost a dozen times on those nights…"

"When your body wasn't a temple," I giggled.

"Something like that," he agreed with a little smile.

"In any case," I smiled. "It's a good idea."

"It is definitely a good idea," he agreed.

Lester tapped on the frame of the open doorway and the upper half of his body seemed to just bend into the room, "uh…Ranger…you've got company."

"What kind of company?"

"Government company," he said shaking his head. "It's George and Robert and they really insist on seeing you."

"They can insist till…" I crossed my arms and furrowed my brow and did my most uncompromising pout face.

"Babe," Ranger shook his head. "I'm not going back in the wind. Don't worry. I don't care what they want. I'll just blow them off."

I took a deep breath and scowled. "You better."

"I will," he got up and came around to kiss my head, "I promise."

"If you're in there for more than ten minutes I'm coming in with pink and blue swatches and I'm going to ask about nurseries," I glared up at him.

He laughed, "You do that."

"I mean it," I hissed.

"I know you do," he chuckled. He turned to Lester, "where?"

"Conference room on two," he said.

"I'll be right back," he assured me and kissed my head again before leaving the room.

I took a deep breath and sighed my most put upon sigh, "what do they want."

"Probably what you think they want," Tank said shaking his head. "But Ranger won't do it. He likes his life. He won't risk losing you again. He's done making mistakes. He promised both of us."

I sighed, "He better stick to it."

"He will," he said seriously.

Ranger's absence and our decision to shop for the linens gave me a lot of time to just pace. Yea, I tried going on the internet and shopping, but I couldn't get into it. When I can't get into shopping, you know something is wrong. Something just didn't feel right about them being here. He'd given them the brush off, it should have been enough.

Tank was sure that Ranger would say no. I wasn't sure. I also wasn't sure that they were here for that in the first place. I mean that gut feeling that I had went all the way to my famous tingle. By the way, the famous tingle feels much like when your foot goes to sleep and you realize it and have to get up and walk it off. It's like that. Small tingles are just pins and needles rushing over my flesh; big tingles are just full out pokes. This was just a little bit more than a little tingle.

I didn't know why they were here. The way I figured it, even if the tingle was because my entire body went to sleep and I just needed to walk it off, they were still not here for any reason that was good for me. Either they were trying to recruit my husband back into their dark and treacherous folds, or they wanted him to give or suggest a replacement. Nobody I cared about should work for those guys. They were trouble. Well, George definitely was. Robert wasn't so bad.

I also didn't know if the whole reason we were in trouble this time wasn't in some way connected to them and their nefarious past deeds. After all, someone was trying to kill someone who used to be in their pocket. Maybe someone they wronged, or set right, as the case may be was after their revenge and was going to take it out on my baby daddy. That wasn't a good thing. Not to mention the fact that it would definitely tell them that Ranger wasn't coming back no way, no how if he was dead. They probably didn't like that. They were probably concerned. They were annoying me.

I waited and paced for forty minutes. That's four times the amount of time that I promised. I grabbed a couple of swatches. Then I went down to the second floor to see Lester and Cal blocking the door in their usual 'take no prisoners' stance. "Did he tell you not to let me in?"

"Nope," Cal shook his head looking remarkably like a guard at Buckingham Palace even with his bald and tattooed head. His stance didn't change and his lips barely moved. "This is standard procedure when they're here."

"Have you heard anything," I asked.

They shifted uncomfortably.

"You don't want to tell me what you may have heard," I glared at them.

This resulted in more uncomfortable looking shifting.

"He's not signing a contract, is he?"

"Oh hell no," Lester shook his head and immediately dropped his captain of the guard stance. "He hasn't and he won't."

"Are you sure about that," I asked and narrowed my eyes to study him.

"He's not," Lester groaned. "I swear. I'd kill him myself."

"Not if I get to him first," I hissed.

"I can't make it all out," Cal sighed. "I can only hear bits of it."

"Like what," I asked.

"Someone at Rangeman is apparently a target for international terrorists."

"Right," I rolled my eyes.

"I mean it. If you want to know more, hit the com."

I nodded and went to the sixth floor where the com was now located. I walked in and Gabe and Hal were on monitors. "Gentlemen, are you watching the conference room on two?"

Gabe tapped one of the monitors.

"Is there audio?"

He nodded and hit a couple of switches.

"I hear what you're saying George, I just don't believe you. His past is unknown to almost everyone and that includes me, but he's a good man and I don't believe he'd do anything to draw attention from anyone like you're suggesting. He's not a double agent for God's sake."

I gasped and Gabe and Hal's eyes widened.

"Who are they talking about," I asked.

Gabe turned the volume down and shook his head, "they haven't said a name. They showed him a piece of paper with a name on it. They know we're listening. They arranged the paper so I couldn't zoom in on it. They don't want us to know."

I sighed heavily. "Nobody here is like that."

"We know," Hal said putting his arm around my waist. "It's nice that you do too."

"I do," I assured him. "They're barking up the wrong tree."

"I agree," he nodded.

"I will find out who they're talking about though and I will set it straight," I said and bit my lip thoughtfully.

"You're our hero," Gabe grinned. "Anyone that's fearless with Ranger is my hero."

"I'm not fearless," I said softly, "he just can't hurt me with this."

"Understood," he nodded.

"What do I do now? I told Ranger I'd intrude after ten minutes, it's been an hour."

"You're pregnant, you intrude," Gabe grinned. "You have all kinds of reasonable excuses. You're tired. You're spotting. That should scare the crap out of him. You have a craving and it must be satisfied right now. I mean it, name it…you can use it."

"You're right," I agreed. I marched back down the stairs to the second floor and went straight to the door and barged in.

"I am so sorry to intrude," I looked at the men forlornly and sighed. "I tried to hold out, but you promised me that we'd be home by now," I sighed and looked sadly at my husband. "I'm so tired honey. This pregnancy stuff is exhausting."

Ranger smirked and put his hand out to me.

I walked to him and slid onto this lap. "I'm sorry gentlemen. I keep interrupting your meetings."

Robert laughed, "Its okay. You're a lovely interruption."

"Thank you," I smiled sweetly at him.

"I didn't realize you were pregnant. Congratulations."

"Thank you," I beamed. "We're very excited."

"Do you know what you're having? I mean is it a boy or a girl?"

I smiled, "right now it looks like a kidney bean. Ranger says he can't tell if it's a boy or a girl because it doesn't have a bow or a penis."

Robert howled with laughter and Ranger delivered a small pinch to my ass.

"I have three kids," he grinned. "I have two boys and one girl and my daughter has me wrapped around her little finger. She's the baby of course. I swear I had no idea how much joy they were going to bring into my life when we decided to start having them. I love my wife and she said it's time for kids and it was. She's a very smart woman. What made you decide to do it now?"

"We didn't," I shook my head. "God did. We were taking precautions."

He chuckled, "well, sometimes those are the best ones. My daughter wasn't planned. I don't regret a thing about her. George you have a girl, aren't they great?"

"Yea, they're great," he said coolly. "Well, Ranger, we'll be in touch."

The two men left pretty quickly after that. Robert left with a warm handshake, George with a scowl. Yea, I don't like George much.

"He's an ass," I rolled my eyes.

"Who is," Ranger asked kissing my neck.

"George is," I said seriously.

Lester stalked into the room. "Why is George such a prick?"

"He's about the work," Ranger shrugged.

"Do you think he's like that with his family," I frowned.

"I think so," Lester nodded. He started mocking George with his best impression. "Margaret, I expect my dinner on the table at 1845 hours precisely. There is no excuse for tardiness. Tonight we shall eat dinner; you shall clean up after while I watch the news. We shall watch one hour of prime time television before we go upstairs and have missionary sex for twelve minutes precisely. You may then go to sleep and I shall work for a in my office until 2115 hours. Then I shall come upstairs and go to sleep."

"Geez," I winced, "all she gets is twelve minutes? There's no way she's satisfied sexually."

"I doubt he is," Lester said rolling his eyes and casting a thumb toward the door.

I giggled. "Well, I'm really glad you got out when you did Ranger. Twelve minutes just isn't enough for a good earth shattering orgasm."

"It can be," he said nibbling on my neck.

"Not in front of the children," I said with a smile.

"Dr. Davidson said it was okay," he nuzzled.

"Not in front of Lester," I grinned.

"Oh…right," he nodded.

Lester rolled his eyes and left us alone in the room.

"Can we go home," I sighed.

"In a little bit. We're waiting for Mitch to get back."

"Where's Mitch," I frowned.

"He's doing something for me at the new site. He's checking out some decisions we've made recently."

I raised a brow in question.

"You know, painting the tunnels different colors to give an indication which one you're in and to make sure the tunnel to where the boats are going to be housed is being done right."

"Ah," I nodded.

"If you're really that sleepy we can go upstairs and take a nap."

"Do you need one," I frowned.

"I am a little tired," he admitted.

"You've done too much today," I fretted. "It's been too stressful. I blame George."

"I blame George too," he chuckled. "So why don't we go upstairs and nap until Mitch finishes what he's doing?"

"Fine with me," I said getting off his lap. "Let reception know that George and Robert are to be ushered out of the building immediately if they ever return."

"I can't do that," he said turning off the light to the conference room as we left it.

"I can," I glared.

He laughed, "I can't treat them like that. Not only do I still do some business for them even though it's nothing like before, they also control my pension."

I laughed, "Like you're going to need it."

"You never know."

"I have a few million you can borrow if you need it," I said seriously.

He laughed, "It will be okay."

When we got up to seven, I couldn't resist asking him what they were talking about.

"So…I snooped."

"Am I supposed to be surprised?"

"On your visitors and the conversation," I said seriously.

"You were on the com," he asked.

"Yep," I nodded. "There is no one employed by this company that is now or has ever been a double agent in truth. If anyone here was working undercover, they were doing it for our side."

"I agree," he nodded.

"Do you think they're telling the truth?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "I had a bad feeling about the whole thing. I mean, it seemed like I wasn't getting the whole story. I am going to get Gabe to run me a copy to my email of the meeting. I want to see and hear it again. Something just didn't set well with me."

"Maybe because it sounded like they were trying to railroad someone that you trust?"

"That could be it," he said and opened his phone, "Yo."

I rolled my eyes and smiled.

"We're on our way," he said closing the phone. "We can go home now. Mitch is here."

"Yippee," I grinned.

He just shook his head with a smile.

We were almost home and I was halfway dozing on Ranger when things went wrong. The ride to our house is a little bit out of the way. The road is winding and there's nothing much on it. It's a fairly narrow road. Two Humvees would have trouble negotiating a pass situation. Because there wasn't much that way and it dead ended at the location of the new Rangeman facility, there wasn't even that much traffic. If someone was on our road, there's a chance they were either coming to see us, or they were up to no good.

I noticed that Mitch had changed speed when we took a curve and lifted my head.

"Keep down," Mitch hissed.

"Shit," I sighed.

Ranger pushed me down in his lap and fell over me.

"This is getting old," I said seriously.

"You're not the only one who feels that way," he muttered.

"There's no way I can make the compound without them acquiring us," Mitch said. "I'm going to take evasive action. Be prepared for a major bump. Buckle up Les."

"I'm buckled," he grimaced.

When we hit the next curve, he didn't take it. Instead we were in the field. This particular field ran by our property and straight down to the river. We had four wheel drive and would be all right in the field especially since we hadn't had that much rain this spring so far. I could only hope whoever was chasing us wasn't so well prepared.

"Fuck," Mitch bit out. "Hold on."

The ride got even rougher. I could feel my stomach beginning to lurch and I knew the odds that I was going to get through this without embarrassing myself by throwing everything up was pretty unlikely.

Lester was on the phone with TPD and the com. Both were dispatched to our rescue. The Rangeman guys would get there first. We had about four minutes before they would be at our position if Mitch continued at his rate of speed.

He suddenly turned to the right sharply and we slid a little bit before he picked up speed. I heard a crash behind us and he swerved and we were back on the road and heading toward our house again.

"How many," Ranger asked.

"One left," Mitch said seriously. "I lost one in the neighbor's stone fence."

"Aww…now see, I haven't even met them yet and they're going to hate us right off the bat."

"Stephanie," Ranger sighed.

"Look, we're civilized people."

"It's not our fault," he reminded me.

"Do I sound like that when I say it," I blinked.

"Yea," he grimaced.

"Crap," I sighed.

Mitch slowed long enough to flash his activator at the gate and the massive gates opened. Then he hit the emergency close on the activator and the gates began to swing closed when the back end of the truck wasn't even all the way through. We made it, but the bumper was demolished. He sped up to the house and into the garage.

"Get her inside," he barked and ran inside.

"Come on Steph," Ranger said.

"Are you coming with me," I blinked.

"No, I'm going to wait and hold them back," he said seriously.

"Do not die," I glared at him.

"I promise. You know where to go. Have you got your fob?"

"I've got it," I said and ran. I passed Mitch coming up the stairs with guns and ammunition. He passed me a glock and some ammo.

"Don't come out until one of us comes to get you. Do you hear me?"

I nodded and continued down as he continued up. I used the fob and pressed my hand to the biometric pane. The door opened and I went into the tunnel. The door closed behind me and I sank to the chaise someone had put down there just such an occasion.

I felt like we were at war. It felt like something different than anything I'd ever dealt with before. The police and Rangeman employees believed this was professional. They thought it was some government taking revenge.

I just wondered whose.