Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. And thank you Margaret for taking the time to read ahead and beta for me. Sorry this chapter took so long to post, I kind of got hung up on other stories :).

If you recognize them, they are not mine :)

Chapter 40‑Post Hoc

Hector's POV

Argo lived in a condominium development in Chestnut Hill, about 35 minutes from where we were currently situated. I took I-76 north while I thought about my options. I'd just killed a number of men with my bare hands and bringing all that death into a lover's bed probably wasn't a good thing. I'd need to shower somewhere and I did have a change of clothes in the car; SOP. I saw a sign for a Red Carpet Inn and exited the parkway. I quickly looked it up on my phone; I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars for a ten-minute shower. When I saw it was a $51 a night place, I winced, but went for it anyway. I'd shower with my shoes on; Athlete's Foot wasn't something I wanted to share with Argo either.

The seedy reception desk was located behind a thick sheet of Lucite with just a rectangle cut out of it for passing money, keys and credit cards back and forth. I didn't particularly care if this was the kind of place that was rented out by the hour, I didn't even care about the sheets; I just needed hot water.

I paid cash for the room and was given an old-school key. To me, not the safest thing but I had my gun and garrote with me and I'd be in and out. The room smelled like Clorox and I wasn't sure if it was the smell of freshly bleached sheets or that of semen. I assumed semen and tried my best not to touch anything. I brought my change of clothes with me into the bathroom and stripped. I turned the shower on and thankfully there was hot water; not that it mattered. In fact cold would have been just as welcomed.

I used the little bottles of bath gel and shampoo; thankfully both were a color or I would have thought twice about using them and was done in five minutes. I saw a hair dryer on the wall but decided against it; Argo wouldn't care about my hair one way or the other. I dried off quickly, dressed in my change of clothing, locked up the place and left the key in the door. They'd find out shortly that I wasn't spending the night anyway. I reached my car and texted Argo again to let him know I was on my way.

Twenty minutes later I was pulling up to the gatehouse of his development. He'd left word that I would be visiting and I was sent right through. Argo was waiting for me at the door with a cocktail in his hand. It was a nice gesture and I really wasn't expected to go back to work anyway. We all needed to do whatever it was that we did to center ourselves after a day like today. I was hoping rough, hard sex would do it.

Argo was dressed in white linen dress pants and a white T-shirt. His hair was still damp from a shower and falling over his forehead. His feet were bare and he looked really sexy.

"You look nice," I said, accepting the cocktail he handed me. He'd look even better naked but I kept that to myself.

"I'm making dinner. Pork chops au jus with baby bok choy and root vegetables."

"It smells amazing in here. Thank you," I said giving him a kiss on the lips. "I should have stopped to get some wine. I'm sorry, it's been a long day and I wasn't thinking straight." Getting the smell of blood off of me before I saw him, took priority.

"I have wine, no worries. But let me show you the recipe. I saw it on the Food Network and thought of you."

To me something as sophisticated as pork chops au jus wouldn't make me think of me, but to each his own.

I followed him back to his kitchen and he picked up his drink. "To good times," he said with a wink and I felt my dick twitch. Yes, we'd certainly be having some good times later tonight. "Here's the recipe," he added putting a print out into the hand that wasn't holding the Cosmopolitan.

I didn't have to read it because he then proceeded to tell me exactly how to prepare it.

"You make a slit along the fat end and then you combine breadcrumbs, brown sugar, butter, parsley, salt and pepper and ease it into the slit, filling the chops generously before searing them on each side for five minutes. Then you add beef broth and cook over low heat. I wasn't sure what time you'd get here so right now they need another 20 minutes while I sear the baby bok choy, parsnips and carrots."

It sounded very involved to me, but if he enjoyed doing this, I was not going to complain.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Just pull up a chair and relax. I have everything under control."

It was amusing to watch him prance around the kitchen and gather ingredients as he needed them. Every so often he engaged me in conversation and on more than one occasion he brushed his leg against mine. I hoped dinner wouldn't take too long, I was more interested in the dessert aspect anyway.

"Ok, we're ready," he said, turning off the flame under the enameled, cast-iron pan. He put a pork chop on each plate, added vegetables and topped them with the 'jus' from the pan. He handed me mine and nodded to the exquisitely set dining room table, complete with fresh flowers. When did he have time to do all of this? I'd only texted him the first time a little over an hour ago. I guess he saw me eyeing the flowers. "Freesias, they're my favorite. I have a standing order with the local florist and he delivers them weekly."

I knew Ella had flowers delivered to our reception and to Ranger's apartment on a weekly basis too, so it wasn't such a foreign concept. Just nothing I would ever do.

The pork chops were fantastic as were the combination of vegetables I thought I would hate. Argo was an excellent cook and once we were done I found myself drawn to the male nipples that were pebbling under his T-shirt. It wasn't cold in here so I made the assumption he was just as turned on as I was and leaned over to kiss him. Our kiss quickly became heated and the table that had, seconds before held plates of food, now held two half-naked men.

Stephanie's POV

We were waiting for Dr. Meyers to make his way to the hospital. He was the only one who had the jurisdiction to sign me out. Thankfully both Bobby and Carlos thought I'd be better off as far from this place as humanly possible, so we were heading to Belmar once the doctor sprung me.

Finally the man himself came into my room with a number of files in his hand.

"All of this points to hypothermia," he mumbled to himself. As if Bobby didn't tell me that more than three hours ago. "How are you feeling Stephanie? I've heard why your fiancé and the Rangeman medic want you out of here but until I run you through some tests, you're staying put."

"Chances are good she'll be killed in her sleep if she stays here. Do your tests, give us the ok and if she has a setback we'll come in again tomorrow," Bobby told him.

"It says here that her core temp dropped below 95°."

"I was the one who noted it and we've been re-warming her slowly for the last two hours. Her temperature is back up to 98.6 and her responses are within the normal range. I see no reason for you to keep her."

"Let me be the judge of that, why don't you two step outside."

Neither Ranger nor Bobby moved but Ranger spoke, "The last time she was left alone, two men made off with her. We're not going anywhere, she's my fiancé and Mr. Brown is a qualified health professional."

I had a feeling Dr. Meyers wasn't too happy with any of us right now.

"I've asked the nurse on duty to bring in a rectal thermometer that registers low temperatures and I'd also like to get a blood sample. I don't think she would like you two standing here while we checked her temperature rectally, but make yourselves comfortable if you want."

"Carlos, Bobby, um the doctor's right. Can you give me a little privacy? If you're on the other side of that door no one can come in and abduct me."

"We'll be right outside Babe. Call if you need us," Carlos said stepping out when the nurse entered with the blood collection tools and thermometer.

The whole thing took about five minutes and wasn't as horrible an experience as I remembered as a kid. Dr. Meyers opened the door to let the nurse out and Carlos and Bobby back in. "Shaleen is taking the sample straight to the lab, we should have the results in twenty minutes. Stephanie's body temperature is normal."

I could see Bobby was holding his tongue. He'd been monitoring my temperature since they got me out of that building and told me and the staff an hour ago that I was stable. I could almost hear him silently cursing the pompous-assed doctor.

"I had Steph's bloods taken over an hour ago. If you're going to put a rush on anything put the rush on that," Bobby told his arrogance, "I ran the whole profile not just the ABG."

"Then follow Shaleen to the lab and see if yours are ready. I don't care who's comes in first, I just need to see the arterial blood gas levels. If they are not elevated she can go home."

I couldn't take him anymore. "Excuse me, I'm right here and my name is Stephanie not 'she'."

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I'll be in my office down the hall if you need me."

Once I knew he was out of hearing distance I let it fly. "Who the fuck does he think he is? And why did he have to re-do everything that you did?" I asked Bobby, getting more and more pissed by the minute.

"I don't have my MD and technically I can't even order the blood work. I'm here so often that they know me and let those kind of things slide. We need him, even if he's one of the most arrogant men I've ever met. I'm going to go check on the labs and believe me, the only results to come out of there will be mine. Arrogant son of a bitch."

I'd never heard Bobby like that before. He's usually unflappable.

"Carlos, what does Bobby need to get his MD?" I asked once he left the room.

"He's been going to school for the last six years. I think he has another couple to go. The good news is that his military residency and surgical credentials will count."

"No way to make that go faster?"

"Yeah, if he went to school full-time. I've offered to keep him salaried and on our insurance if he opted for that, but he says he won't take charity."

"Oh boy. Sounds like someone else we know."

"Yeah and she's sitting right in front of me. Speaking of you, have you checked your phone? Your mother left a message on mine but I didn't listen to it yet. She usually calls you first."

"I'll check. Can you hand me my bag?"

I had 16 new texts and 7 voice messages. I scrolled through the messages and found the one from my mother.

"Stephanie call me when you get this. Mrs. Ciak's son just brought her tonight's Philadelphia Inquirer. Your picture is on the cover. Trenton's Bombshell Bounty Hunter Abducted From Local Hospital. Please tell me this isn't true." "Why me?" she added before hanging up.

Oh boy.

"You're not going to call her back, are you Babe?"

"Who me? Ah, ah, no way. She called you too; you can call her back."