Thank you so very much for your feedback, I appreciate you taking the time to review.

Spaciba to Stayce, the subotnik-ing angel. Thanks, Babe!

I borrowed the title from Bon Jovi, not from the story, but I do think it fits

Disclaimer: The usual, I don't own anything, it's all JE's. Well, the plot is mine, but since I'm stealing the characters, I'm SOL. And I'm just assuming that you've read all the books, but if you haven't there may be spoilers.

Rating: R for adult language and situations. They're all adults and they talk and act like it…read at your own risk.

Living on a Prayer

Chapter 11

I felt a lot better after I was able to tell Ranger what had been bugging me. And Ranger's response had felt sincere, not as if he was just telling me what I wanted to hear.

Ella brought dinner at six on the dot. This time, she hadn't prepared comfort food for me, but the turkey breast and sautéed vegetables were still delicious. She'd even made a chocolate cake for dessert.

I looked up to find Ranger studying me as I was enjoying the cake. I may have moaned when I tasted the first bite and that's what had gotten his attention.

"Glad you're enjoying your dessert." He said and winked. I smiled back. "You should try some." I suggested. Ranger shook his head and chuckled as if I was funny and took another sip from his coffee.

"I have to leave for a client meeting in a bit. Will you be okay on your own for a while?" He asked. I rolled my eyes. "I'm not gonna run away again if that's what you're asking." I said.

"That's not what I was asking." He replied calmly. I felt my ears burn. Why did I have such a hard time accepting his concern? I lowered my eyes and focused on my cake, but I'd suddenly lost my appetite. I got up and gathered the dishes, took them over to the sink and rinsed them. I turned and leaned against the counter.

"I'll be fine," I said, crossing my arms over my chest, "I'm just gonna watch a movie." I was hoping Ranger would accept this as sort of an apology. He didn't move. "What I was asking was if you're okay by yourself and won't get cabin fever if I ask you not to leave." Ranger said. Clearly, he wasn't planning on just letting it go. I looked up, his eyes were still on me. "I know. Yes, I'll be fine. I need a little alone time." So the last part was a little fib, but I knew I was safe in Ranger's apartment; there was nothing to be afraid of.

Ranger nodded and walked over to me. "I should be back in an hour or two." He said softly. "I wouldn't even go, but this was planned a long time ago."

"It's okay, really. I don't expect you to put your life and job on hold because I can't handle…" I broke off when Ranger put his finger on my lips. "You can't make me do anything I don't want to," he said, "So quit feeling guilty." He kissed my forehead and smiled. I felt so choked up, I couldn't even tell him thank you. All I could do was nod. He was putting his life on hold for me; he was there for me 24/7. He was the best friend anyone could ever want.

"You know, if you have energy to burn, you could go to the gym on the fifth floor or to the gun range by the garage." Ranger suggested. The gym and the gun range were just about my least favorite places. "Maybe." I said. Ranger smiled as if he was reading my thoughts again. "Be good." He said and left.

I took my coffee over to the living room and picked a DVD from Ranger's collection.

I chose an 'Indiana Jones' movie because I knew it and loved it, and settled down on the couch.

Because I know the movie by heart I was lulled into sleep halfway through and when I woke up, there was a pillow under my head and a blanket over me. Either Ella had tucked me in when she cleared away the dishes, or Ranger had come back.

I felt too comfortable to get up, so I snuggled in and fell back asleep.

My dream was not a nightmare per se. The fact that I knew I was dreaming didn't make it any easier. I was sitting at the kitchen table in Joe's house, watching him make coffee. It was all so real that I could smell the coffee and could feel Bob's head on my lap. Joe was only wearing his boxer shorts, and they were riding low on his hips. I could see the muscles in his back working with every movement. As if sensing my stare, he turned around and smiled at me. I got up to close the distance between us, but I couldn't move. I tried to lift my foot but it seemed to be glued to the floor. Joe's smile grew sad and then he sort of faded.

I woke up sobbing and clutching the blanket to my chest. Suddenly aware of how alone I was, I padded through the dark apartment, into Ranger's bedroom.

He woke up when I opened the door. "You okay, Babe?" His voice was husky from sleep. I could barely make out his body in the darkness of the room; I just followed the sound of his voice and slumped down next to him. Immediately, he pulled me towards him and I let my tears fall. I didn't have to explain anything; he was just there for me, holding me. His hands were stroking my forearms, going back and forth in a soothing motion, while he whispered into my ear and kissed my hair. The images from the dream were so vivid, every time I remembered them I shivered and new tears welled up.

I don't know for how long I cried, but eventually I fell asleep in Ranger's arms. The rest of the night was dreamless for me and when I woke up, Ranger's arm was draped protectively over my stomach. I sighed and hoped I would learn to sleep peacefully by myself again at some point.

"Feeling better, Babe?" Ranger asked, his mouth close to my ear. It didn't surprise me any more that he knew I was awake the moment I woke up. My reply was a sleepy "Mmmh."

"Go back to sleep," He said softly, "I'm going to the gym and I'll wake you after my shower. We'll have time for breakfast before you head out."

Suddenly I was wide-awake. Today was the day! The first day of our plan. I would go back to my apartment and pretend I was there to stay.

I turned to look at Ranger. "I'm scared." I admitted. I didn't even know what I was scared of exactly, it was an overall feeling.

"It's gonna be okay." Ranger said and pulled me closer to him. "I have your back."

I sighed and put my head on his arm under me. "You promise?"

"I promise, Babe." He said and kissed my nose before he rolled out of bed. Ranger was wearing black silk boxers and last night's dream came back to me. "Shit!" I exclaimed when I felt tears sting my eyes again and buried my head in the pillow. "What?" Ranger turned and sat back down on the bed next to me.

"Nothing." I said, taking a deep breath. "I just remembered a dream." Ranger let his hand glide over my hair and pushed it away from my face. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

I shook my head no. "I'm okay, I just wasn't prepared."

"I don't ever want you to be prepared to cry, Babe." He said and wiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb. I took a deep breath and attempted a smile. "I'm okay." I said again and this time, Ranger believed me and got up.

I rolled over and stared at the ceiling. I was ready for this, right? It was my idea, I had to be. Ranger had trusted me enough to adopt my plan; I had to be strong enough to play my part in it.

As soon as Ranger left, I got up and took a shower. I didn't waste time checking my reflection in the mirror. Since I had slept in my clothes again and hadn't bothered with washing my face the night before, I could just about imagine how I looked. Fresh clothes were waiting for me on the bathroom counter, and I made a mental note to thank Ella personally.

I remembered to spend a little less time in the bathroom this morning; I wanted to be done when Ranger returned from his workout. It turned out I didn't have to worry, I was dressed and starting the coffee when Ranger came back, wearing a soaked-through black tank top and sweats. "Mmmm, coffee brewing when I get home, just the way I like it." He said smiling and ruffled my hair before he disappeared into the bathroom. His attempt at lightening the mood certainly worked, I had to laugh and was still smiling when he joined me at the dining table.

"We still have almost an hour, we're good on time." He said and got himself a cup of coffee. The knock on the door almost didn't startle me this time, I was getting better. Ella came in and brought breakfast.

"How are you feeling, Stephanie?" She asked. I smiled at her. "A lot better, thank you Ella. And thank you so much for the clothes, I feel so comfortable." She seemed pleased and returned my smile. "You're welcome dear. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you."

"I'm leaving today, but thank you very much." Ella looked from me to Ranger as if to ask him to explain, but Ranger busied himself with his coffee and didn't look up. Apparently, he didn't want to share the plan with too many people either.

"I'm returning to my apartment," I said, "I'm sure I will be back soon." Ella seemed satisfied with that and nodded. "Well, enjoy your breakfast and let me know if you need anything else." She said and left.

I topped off my coffee and grabbed a bagel. I was smothering it in butter before I noticed Ranger wasn't moving. I looked up and directly into his eyes. "Really, I'm okay." I said, doing the ESP thing he usually does. One side of his mouth quirked up in a lopsided grin and he shrugged. "Just checkin'" he said and helped himself to a bagel.

Ranger was in a really good mood, and it was contagious. Either he knew I needed the distraction or he was as excited as I was to finally be doing something again. I wanted to thank him for the night before, and I wanted to ask him about the second call from Joe but I didn't want to dampen the light mood. Mostly I didn't want to cry again.

"There's no need to meet with all the guys now, but I want to go over everything with you. You up for it?" Ranger asked. I nodded as I helped myself to more coffee.

"Your car is in the garage, it's been here for a couple days. There's GPS in it, but we've also put in a panic button." Ranger explained. "RangeMan's OnStar?" I asked.

Ranger smiled. "You could say that. Just want to cover all the bases, Babe."

"No argument from me." I motioned for him to continue. "Just go home, or stop by your parents, or whatever you like to do. Just no skip tracing, please." Ranger looked at me to make sure I was okay with that. No need to worry. I felt better, but I was in no hurry to run after FTA's just yet. "Tank's team will be following you. Your apartment should be all set by the time you leave here. The plan is for you to stay at your apartment once you get there. Will that work for you?"

Ranger was making sure he asked my opinion, and I appreciated it. He'd promised me he'd try to include me, and he did. I nodded my agreement. "Can I just go to bed and sleep?" I asked. Sleeping in my own bed sounded great, I couldn't wait. "If you can wake up for the meetings." I rolled my eyes. "I will be in my apartment doing nothing." I said. "But something could be happening somewhere else. We need to make sure we're on the same page at all times." He chuckled when he saw me grimacing. "Hey, you wanted to be a part of the team!" He got me there. I did want to be a part of the team. I sighed. There would be time for sleep later. "Speaking of, is it okay with you if we change the meeting schedule? Unless there are incidents, every 3 hours should suffice I'd say." That worked for me and I told Ranger so. It was a great feeling to be included in the planning phase.

There was a knock on the door and Tank stepped in. "You're ready, Beautiful?" I blushed at the nickname; I wasn't used to it from Tank. He was holding the wire and microphone contraption I was going to wear. I took it from him and turned around to get it under my shirt. When I was done, I turned back around and Tank handed me a panic button. It looked like a small pedometer and fit nicely in my pocket. "Babe, it's not gonna do you any good in your pocket." Ranger pointed out and reached for my pocket. I took the panic button out and excused myself to go to the bathroom. I couldn't quite read the smile on Ranger's face when I returned minutes later, probably he was wondering where I was hiding the gadget. I shrugged and smiled. Tank had already left, so I shouldered my bag and started towards the door.

On the way down in the elevator, Ranger found four different ways of asking me if I was okay and up for it. One thing was for sure, I would never be able to say he hadn't given me a chance to back out. The door pinged open and Ranger pulled me close. "Be safe." He said and kissed my cheek. I hugged him back to borrow some of his strength and gave him what I hoped was a confident smile.

We arrived at the garage and stepped out of the elevator. Tank and Junior were already in their SUV, ready to follow me. I gave them a little finger wave when I got into my Mini and they nodded back.

I gave myself a mental pep talk and looked back at Ranger. He nodded and made little shooing motions with his hands. I laughed out loud and started the car. I turned left onto Haywood and then took the turn towards Hamilton, trying to make up my mind where I was going. I wanted to see Mary Lou, but there was no way I could keep the plan to myself, Mare had a way of getting that kind of thing out of me. Ever since we were in kindergarten she could tell when I was hiding something from her. Probably she was busy getting her kids ready for school. I decided to get a second breakfast at my parents, I'd make good on my promise to swing by and I'd be able to mooch some food.

When I parked in front of my parents' house in the Burg, Grandma Mazur was already standing behind the storm door. Probably alerted by her internal Burg-radar that I was coming. She opened the door and smiled at me. "Stephanie, how nice of you to come see us! We haven't seen you in a week!" She hustled me through the foyer into the kitchen, "Ellen, look who's come for breakfast, isn't that nice of her? I'll go get her a cup of coffee."

Grandma Mazur seemed a little louder than usual, but I still appreciated the effort, she was trying hard to have everything return to normal.

"Mrs. Morelli tells me you haven't been to the grave once." My mom said. I felt my throat tighten and saw little white dots dance in front of my eyes. And just like that, the light mood of the morning was gone. I sat down hard on one of the kitchen chairs because I was afraid I was going to faint.

"Was that the nicest thing you could think of to say to Stephanie when we haven't seen her in a week?" Grandma said, her hands on her hips. I love my grandmother. "It's not right." My mother tried to defend her attack, but Grandma Mazur shook her head. "Stephanie will go to the grave when and if she's ready for it, not when Angie Morelli says it's proper, you got that?" My mom's face grew red with anger. Probably she was torn between defending Burg etiquette and respecting her own mother. Grandma Mazur was the only person I knew who could and would stand up to my mother. I jumped up and hugged Grandma Mazur and she took a surprised step back. We don't usually hug in my family. She handed me my cup of coffee and nudged me over to the table again, keeping a watchful eye on my mom, who was biting her lower lip.

I couldn't hear the TV in the living room, so I had to ask. "Is Dad home?"

Grandma Mazur shook her head and helped herself to a danish. "He took the cab out early this morning, taking a friend to the airport. He should be back soon though."

Mom joined us at the table but didn't say anything. I wasn't really in the mood for small talk, so we were all quiet for a minute.

"Have a muffin." Grandma Mazur said and pointed to the pastry tray in the middle of the table. She hated uncomfortable silences as much as I did. I grabbed a muffin but only picked on it, still trying hard to bite back the tears.

"Are you coming for dinner tonight?" My mother asked. In my family, that means 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. Are you okay?' Unfortunately I couldn't accept the invitation because of my sort-of house arrest. "I can't tonight, I'm working." I could see my mom's mouth tighten to a thin line; she was trying really hard to hold back a comment. Grandma Mazur looked at me triumphantly.

"I should get going," I said, "I just stopped by to say hello and to check on Rax." I stood up slowly.

"Rex is staying with Valerie's kids," My mom said. I'd only used him as an excuse anyway. I missed him, but I knew I was going to leave again so there was no sense taking him back just yet. "What are you doing for lunch?" My mom asked. I shrugged. "Don't know."
"Let me fix you some cold cuts." She said and rushed over to the fridge. Ten minutes later, I had enough fixin's to host a Super Bowl party and my mother and I had made peace for the time being. We expressed ourselves through food in my family.

Grandma Mazur saw me out and attempted some small talk, but what she was telling me didn't actually register. I spotted the RangeMan SUV a few cars behind me when I got back to my car and sent them a little finger wave before I got in.

My cell phone chirped when I was peeling away from the curb. "I take everything back, I like your grandma." Ranger said by way of greeting. I'd forgotten about the wire, Ranger and his man were listening to my every word. Mental head slap. I rolled my eyes. "This was one of her better days." I agreed and thanked heaven Grandma Mazur hadn't brought up anyone's package.

"Where to next, Babe?" He asked. "I have the food I wanted, I'm going home." I said, and I could feel Ranger smile on the other end. "Just calling to make sure you're okay. We have our meeting at 11, does that still work for you?" he asked. I hadn't changed my mind in the 45 minutes he hadn't seen me, but I didn't say that, I just said it worked fine. "Unless something comes up in the meantime, call me or Tank anytime you have something to report." I agreed and we disconnected.

Within fifteen minutes, I pulled into the parking lot to my apartment building. My instructions were to park as far away from the entrance as possible, but really, there wasn't another option. The seniors that made up the majority of my neighbors were all at home, it seemed, so the only parking space left for me was in the far end of the lot, near the dumpster.

I took my time to get my purse out of the backseat and I opened to trunk as if to check something. The idea was for me to spend as much time as possible being visible, although my heart was beating at double speed and I was sweating like a pig because I was nervous as hell.

I locked my car and sauntered across the parking lot to the rear door of my building. Once inside, I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding and opened my mailbox. I was glad to see some things were back to normal already; my mail consisted of junk and bills. I threw everything into my shoulder bag and pressed the elevator button. It was too early in the day for Mrs. Bestler to play elevator operator, so I thankfully had it to myself. I stopped for another mental pep talk in front of my apartment door. This time I remembered the mike I was wearing and kept the monologue to myself.

I took one last deep breath and unlocked the front door, all was quiet and the way I'd left it inside. I dumped my purse on the floor and took the food to the kitchen. My answering machine light was blinking, but the messages would have to wait until I got settled. I put all the food away and looked around my apartment. I'd missed this, all of it. It wasn't much, but it was mine, and I could be by myself when I wanted to. The phone interrupted my musings and I picked it up before it went to voicemail.

"Ms. Plum?" A woman asked. "Stephanie Plum?"
"Speaking."
"Miss Plum, this is Detective Krenzler, Stayce Krenzler, from the Trenton PD. I need to ask you a few questions, is this a good time?"

Why would the TPD need to ask me any questions? "What is this in regards to?"

"Um…I'd rather tell you in person, if you don't mind. I am in the parking lot right now and would like to come up, if it's okay with you." I sighed. So much for being alone. "Sure, come on up."

We disconnected and I walked over to the living room window that overlooked the parking lot. A perky redhead was getting out of a beat-up Crown Victoria.

"She's coming up," I said into my cleavage, "Could someone check out Stayce Krenzler and let me know if she's really with the TPD?" My cell phone rang moments later and Tank confirmed he'd heard me and would check it out for me.

I barely had time to take off my boots before there was a knock on the door. Since I had no desire to repeat my stupid mistakes, I checked the peep hole. The redhead was standing in the hallway, but I didn't know if she was the real thing yet. She looked like she was about 5'8" and close to my age, give or take a couple years. I turned around and yelled "Just a minute!" to buy some time until I heard back from Tank.

I didn't have to wait long. A minute later, he called on my cell phone to tell me Detective Krenzler was legit.

I opened the door and she put a smile on her face. Her blue eyes were almost sparking. It made her look friendly and harmless. "Miss Plum?" She asked again, as if she didn't know I lived alone. "Hi." I said and stepped aside so she could enter.

"Can I see your ID please?" I asked. I didn't want her to think I was careless, although probably anyone could fake an ID these days. I nodded when she flashed her badge.

"So can you tell me what this is all about, Detective Krenzler?" I hadn't ask her to have a seat or if she wanted a cup of coffee or anything. I figured since she'd shown up unexpected, she wouldn't stay long.

"Please, call me Stayce. Like I said, I'm with the Trenton PD. I am investigating the murder of Detective Morelli and I would like to ask you a couple questions?" She produced a notepad and a pen from her coat pocket and looked at me expectantly. I motioned for her to follow me into the living room. Not because I wanted to be polite, but because I needed to sit down.

"What do you want to know?" I asked when we were both sitting on the couch. I was already trying to control my breathing, if the questions got personal, I was sure to bawl.

"As I understand it, you were Detective Morelli's girlfriend?" I nodded, biting my lip. "My condolences. This won't take long," Stayce said, glancing at her notepad. "Did Detective Morelli share with you what he was working on?" She looked up at me. I just shook my head no. "Are you aware of any threats, any enemies in his life?" Again, I just shook my head. "Here's my card," She sighed and handed me a business card, "I can see this is very stressful for you. If you think of anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate to give me a call."

She looked a little stressed out herself when she got up and I exhaled audibly. "I can assure you we're doing everything we can to find his killer. I'll see myself out." A moment later I heard the front door open and close. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. Thank God she hadn't asked me any questions about the case! I didn't have to lie to her. Technically, I had the killer's confession, something the cops may care about. A lot. But this was my mission and wasn't ready to share it with the TPD just yet. Even if that could mean trouble for me later. I'd deal with it then. And if it ever came up, I'd deny sharing any information with RangeMan. All in all, it had gone better than I'd expected. I wasn't crying. Okay, so I hadn't really said anything, but at least I hadn't lost it. My cell phone rang a few minutes later and I yelped. I was more tensed than I realized.

"Everything okay?" Ranger asked when I answered. I took another deep breath. "Yeah. I'm fine. Maybe I should ask around about Detective Krenzler, I could check if she's really working this case?" I suggested. "Tank's on it." Ranger just said. "You're doing great, Babe. I'll check in with you before our meeting. I liked that you kept our plan a secret." And he was gone. One of these days, I promised myself, I'd hang up on him first.

The more I thought about it, the more I appreciated Detective Krenzler's visit. In a way, she was my first test of how I would field questions about Joe. And I hadn't broken out in tears. That was progress, right?

I felt strong enough to listen to my phone messages. There were ten messages in all, three from my mom, two from phone solicitors and one each from Connie, Lula and Mare. The last two were hang-ups, but the time-stamp said they were from the day before and I had a feeling about them. I decided I was going to mention it in our next meeting. Then I remembered the wire and that someone was listening already. Probably the apartment was wired already, too. I had to remember that before I started talking to myself again. And I was wondering who of the Merry Men was listening. Maybe it was Ranger.

I wandered over to my bedroom and plopped down on the bed. I was glad I was home after the excitement of the last few days, but now I was beginning to feel antsy. It felt kind of wrong to just by lying here instead of looking for Teddy.

The phone woke me up an hour and a half later. I glanced at my alarm clock. Sure enough, it was time for our first meeting. Oh joy.

Since there was nothing to report other then my visitor, the conference call lasted all of five minutes. Ranger stayed on the phone when the Merry Men had hung up. "Everything okay?" He asked. "I feel sort of useless just hanging out here. Maybe I should be visible again, cruise around." I said.

"I think your car in the lot is visibility enough." Ranger said. I'd expected as much. "Watch some TV, relax." Ranger suggested. "I guess." I said and disconnected. And then I grinned and could barely hold back a "Gotcha!". I'd hung up first. I half expected Ranger to call back, but he didn't.

I tried watching TV for a bit, but I was too restless. I packed a bag for my stay in Point Pleasant and while I was at it, I cleaned my closet. Throwing out old shoes and clothes that were torn or no longer my size made me feel better. An hour later, I was exhausted but calmer. My phones stayed quiet for a change.

At the next meeting, there was still nothing to report. I started thinking my idea of higher visibility was the way to go, but I didn't want to bring it up again. It was decided that we'd only have emergency meeting until the next morning, but all teams would stay in their locations.

I'd just settled down in front of the TV and some cheesy Lifetime movie when my phone rang. Caller ID said the caller was unknown and my pulse sped up. "Unknown caller." I said into my bra and waited for the third ring before I picked it up. "Hello?" There was silence on the other end, so I tried again. "Hellooo?" I thought I heard breathing. Then I heard his voice. "Angel? Is it really you?" I sat down on the floor and closed my eyes. "Y…yes, it's me." I said, my voice shaky.

I couldn't remember if my phone was bugged, so I pressed the record button on the answering machine. "You made Daddy very angry." Teddy said. I didn't know how to respond, but I knew I had to keep him on the line so the call could be traced. "I'm sorry." I said. It was the only thing I could come up with. "I know," He said and his voice sent shivers up and down my body. "You're confused, Angel. I just want us to be together forever and to keep you safe."

My mouth was dry and my hands were sweating. "So when Daddy comes to get you, you won't run away again, right?" What was there to say? "Mmm."

"And didn't I tell you to stay away from the mercenary, Angel? He doesn't love you, not like I do. And he can't have you." He'd gotten louder and louder during his speech, he was almost screaming now. The sound of his voice brought back the terror I had felt in his house and the desperation I'd felt in my dream about him. Tears were streaming down my face. What was the right thing to do? Should I make him angrier and lure him out or play his game and appease him. I decided on door number one.

"Ranger is my new boyfriend and I love him." I said and I sounded awfully shrill to my own ears. "HE CAN'T HAVE YOU!" Teddy screamed and hung up. I was breathing hard. Without thinking, I ran into the bathroom, and ripped the mike and the wire off my chest. I threw it into my bedroom and slammed the bathroom door shut. I could hear my cell phone ring on my nightstand but I couldn't answer it. Everyone on the team had heard at least one side of the conversation; I hoped they knew I needed a moment to myself.

I sat down on the floor and hugged my knees to my chest, trying to calm down. Teddy's voice was in my head now, I should have known better than to tempt him, now he really was angry. And if he couldn't get to me, he would go for Ranger. I didn't even notice I had started sobbing.

It seemed like hours until I could get a grip. I got up and washed my face, taking deep breaths. I needed to call Ranger, he would know what to do, I decided.

I opened the bathroom door and sucked in some air, totally surprised to find Ranger sitting on my bed. In my panicked state, I'd seen Teddy in his place for a split second.

"Feel better?" Ranger asked. I couldn't move. I was afraid my brain wanted to see Ranger but it was really Teddy sitting on my bed. Maybe I wanted it to be Ranger so much I was imagining it.

When I didn't answer Ranger got up and walked towards me, but I shrunk back into the bathroom.

"Babe, you're okay?" He asked. I shook my head slowly. "Is it really you?"
Ranger frowned. "Babe, I heard the call. It's okay, I'm here. You're safe." He said.

I wanted to believe what I was seeing and hearing, but I didn't trust my senses. I was freaked to the max.

"Let's try this." Ranger closed the bathroom door behind me and stayed in the bedroom. "Is that better?" He asked through the door. Somehow, that gesture was what I needed to trust my senses. I opened the door slowly and looked at Ranger.

"Teddy called." I whispered. He nodded "I heard. Your phone is bugged, we have the whole conversation on tape."

"He's mad at me." I said and Ranger nodded again. "He's not too fond of me either from what I understand."

Ranger was slowly leading me over to my bed and I sat down on it. "But there's more." I looked up, searching his face. What else could there be?

"Detective Krenzler is not who you think she is…"

TBC