Hello! So I finally got enough of the story from Ranger to post. But don't worry, I'm going to keep interrogating him ;). I haven't decided if the next chapter will continue in Ranger's or if we're going to go back to Stephanie's, so it might be a few days before I post again (POV is really driving this story!). I'm slowly learning where this story is going and its becoming a lot easier to write so it shouldn't be too long (but RL is about to pick up again with school starting in a few weeks), but I'll try my hardest.

trhodes9, thanks for idea for Hal! I love the symmetry!

Not mine, but I will gladly take responsibility for Ranger if Janet ever wants to give him away.

Ranger's POV

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Tank asked me as we walked down the hall.

"What other choice do we have?" I responded.

"Let her be. She would've eventually steamed out on leads."

"And let some rival gang kill her?" I shook my head. "Unacceptable."

He stopped me. "She's not our responsibility."

"When did we stop protecting innocent people?"

Tank didn't have a response for that. I knew he had a point, but I wasn't going to use this woman as a sacrificial lamb. A week ago, I got a visit from Joe Juniak, the current police chief. The leads had dried up with his cops and needed someone to go undercover. First he wanted names of good undercover agents that we'd used in the past.

And then he wanted me.

Long ago, I was part of a local Newark gang. A small affiliate for the local Crips. When my parents found out about it, they shipped me off to my grandparents in Florida. Thankfully, they saved me from getting arrested for life or killed in a drive by, but I kept a few contacts alive in the gang. I quietly infiltrated the gang to get more information about the murders.

This is how I met her the first time.

She was walking around, trying to find information when a rival gang found her. The boys quickly circled her and started harassing her. Most women begin to shrink into themselves, but not this girl. Her spine was straight and looked into each one of their eyes.

When one reached for the gun, I stepped in.

"There you are, Babe." I said, quickly pushing my way through the teens and throwing my arm around her. I pulled her into me and planted my lips firmly onto hers

She stiffened some more, but didn't respond. A few seconds later, she finally began to respond.

Sparks flew and my body responded quicker than ever before. When we separated, she was breathless. "Sorry I'm late." I said huskily.

"It's… It's okay."

I steered her away from the guys. I watched them move on and the woman sighed. "Thank you."

"You look like you're lost, Babe."

She shook her head. "I know what I'm doing."

I looked her up and down. "You look like a white girl who made a wrong turn looking for the suburbs and dared to get out of her Mercedes and ask for directions."

She stiffened back up. "Excuse me?"

"Look sweetheart…"

"I am not your sweetheart." She poked me in the chest with every word. A spark came with each poke. "I am looking for a killer." She told me about the case she was working on.

I crossed my arms. "Oh yeah? And what do you have so far?"

She bit her lip. "Well nothing yet, but if I keep pounding the streets, I'll find something." She said confidently. "That's what they do on TV."

"You know how when a person gets shot on TV and they die?"

She shrugged. "Sure."

"Yeah, well someone calls 'cut!' and they can get back up. In real life, you won't get back up. You'll be dead, Babe."

"I'm just looking for information that the police couldn't find. Then I'll turn it all over to the police. I'm not an idiot."

Her an idiot? Probably not. Naïve, most likely. Any stone she unturned would mostly have a something nastier underneath. Especially with gangs involved.

"Look, I know you want to help, but this is one of those situations where you need to let the professionals handle this."

She looked me up and down. I knew exactly what she saw; I was wearing black baggy pants and a black tank top. I looked like a gang member.

"How do I know you didn't kill him?"

"Because if I did, you wouldn't still be alive."

She considered that one for a moment and agreed. "You think I can't do this?"

"No. I'm sure that you can do anything you put your mind to, but this one time, you need to let the police do their thing. They'll figure it out."

Her eyes narrowed, but her hackles slowly lowered. "Fine. I appreciate the rescue. Please excuse me and let me get back to my work."

And she stomped off.

I had to admire her spunk.

Coming back from the memory, I shook my head. "Oh and remind Lester and Hal that I need to see them in the morning. I want to know who exactly had the bright idea to tase her."

"You got it."

I nodded to Tank. We needed to be alone.

I wanted to be alone with her.

Silently, I opened the door and watched her. She stiffened at the change in the room (me entering it) which amused me. The spine tingle returned as I sat down next to her.

I took the bag off her head. She gasped and her eyes narrowed. "You." She breathed.

"Babe."

"I should've known."

I grinned.

"Is it standard procedure to tase… guests?"

I raised my eyebrow at the word.

"Well I assume that you're not going to keep me wherever it is that I am so I'm not technically kidnapped." When I didn't respond, she got nervous. "Am I?"

"Babe."

"And where exactly am I? And why don't you look like a gang banger?"

Like I said, you've got to admire her spunk.

I stuck out my hand. "Ranger Manoso. You can call me Ranger."

She looked at my hand and snorted. "Ranger? What are you, an action figure?"

I grinned again. "I think the polite society response is to take my hand and say 'nice to meet you. My name is…'."

She grudgingly took my hand. "Stephanie Plum."

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." She said quickly. "Now. Ranger?"

"Nickname."

"Ah. So you know my real name and I don't know yours?"

"How do I know it's real?"

"Why would I lie?"

"Come on, Plum? Really?"

"My father's Italian. The people at Ellis Island shortened it from Plumerelli."

I knew all this, but it was fun to get the information out of her. I don't let just anyone into my building.

"Ricardo Carlos. That's what my mother named me. My father goes by Ricardo so my family and close friends call me Carlos."

"But mostly people call you Ranger?" She guessed.

"Mostly. Usually, they just wet their pants."

"Pretty full of yourself, aren't you?"

I was breaking my record for most grins in a day.

"So why am I here?"

"Do you know this man?" I asked, opening the folder Tank had given me before I entered the room. I slid the picture over to her.

She glanced down. "Sure. That's Bobby Morales. I talked to him a few days ago."

"He's the leader of the local Fifty-Fives."

"The gang?" She looked confused. "He seemed so nice."

"What did you two talk about?"

She shrugged. "I asked him questions about the dead kid. Said he didn't know anything and I left."

"You must have said something to spook him." I responded. I slid another picture over. "And this one?"

She nodded. "I don't know his name though."

"No one knows his name, but he's known as the Digger."

She snorted again. "Really? What's with the goofy names?"

"He got his name because one's he digs your grave, no one and I mean no one will find you. Ever."

She swallowed hard. "Okay, what does this have to do with me?"

"He put a hit out on you."

"Bobby?"

I nodded. "I'm not exactly a gang banger." I told her the whole story, starting from the beginning. Usually this would be a top priority to keep secret, but her life was in danger.

And for some reason, I needed to protect her.

I knew for that to happen, I needed her to trust me.

"I was on my way to meet Juniak to update him, and Morales called me. Told me about a curious puta who wouldn't let it go. That he was going to shut the pretty little mouth up for good. Maybe even keep a few curls as a souvenir to remind the next bitch who sniffs around. I knew exactly who he was talking about."

"Me." She whispered.

"You."

She shook her head. "I don't know what I said. I might have said that I had a few leads, but it was a bluff."

"Well if he's connected in any way, any threat about that case he'll want to eliminate."

Now she paled, but she stiffened her spine. "Okay, what do you need me to do?"