Anything familiar belongs to Janet. The mistakes are mine. Warning for language.

Chapter 5

Thursday morning I woke up later than usual. Ranger had left for the gym, but I couldn't force myself to get out of bed until the sun was at least somewhat visible in the sky. Staying with Ranger was exciting, stress-revealing, and mind-blowing, but it was never restful. Ranger still hadn't figured out that if you were going to spend the majority of the night doing things other than sleep, then you needed to make up the time somewhere. Of course, superheroes didn't need sleep. Us mortals are the only ones who require it.

I stretched out all of my limbs, making sure they were still functioning. I didn't know how Ranger could work out first thing in the morning after a night like the one we'd just had. Maybe I was doing something wrong, because I didn't think my legs could support me for an hour on the treadmill. Heck, walking to the bathroom was looking impossible right now. And yet Ranger could still put in a full hour-long, if not more, workout downstairs. Stupid superior DNA, I thought to myself. After every last finger and toe had been wiggled, I decided that maybe I could make it to the bathroom and get myself dressed after all.

I walked into the kitchen a half hour later. Ranger wasn't there, but Ella had been and left breakfast for us on the counter. It was nice to not have to scrounge around a barren refrigerator and empty cabinets looking for something remotely food-like to eat. I didn't like the thought that the extra time I spend here doubled Ella's already heavy workload, though, but no amount of telling her or Ranger that I could do some of the things around here would stop them from trying to take care of me.

I gave Rex fresh water and a full dish of hamster crunchies, deciding to wait for Ranger to eat breakfast. He has a lot to do today before he even got to me and my skip, and I now look forward to these quiet moments of just the two of us before he had to leave and the day really started. Ranger would probably say that we could have more time if I joined him in the gym, but even if I wanted to, which I don't, there is always a Rangeman or two using the equipment. The guys use the gym whenever they have the chance, sometimes before their shifts started and sometimes after. Some of the men even came in on their days off just to use the top-of-the-line gear. That was mind-boggling to me. Only someone who worked for Ranger would waste twenty-four hours free from dealers, murderers, and strung out addicts, to lift weights and run twenty miles to nowhere. I wonder if brain-washing is part of the Rangeman training program. If it was, I sure as heck have never been exposed to it. Even knowing that I'd see Ranger sweaty, and maybe even shirtless, wasn't enough to get me to face-off against a treadmill. I'd probably be more tempted if I didn't get to see Ranger naked and slicked with sweat in the comfort of his bedroom almost every night. So it was the gym that held less appeal, not Ranger.

I heard the front door open and close and Ranger walked into the kitchen a second later. Apparently I got to see him like that in the kitchen, too. I didn't have to leave the apartment at all.

"What are you smiling about, Babe?" Ranger asked.

I let my eyes travel from his slightly ruffled hair, down his perfect chest, all the way to his low slung black sweat pants and t-shirt that he was now holding instead of wearing. Yep, breakfast is served.

"Steph, stop," Ranger said to me."I don't have enough time to do what you're thinking about this morning."

"Sorry," I said to him."I'll keep my thoughts to myself. Oh, that's right, I was keeping them to myself. You're the one sticking his nose into my brain."

"Babe, you just looked at me like I was a day-old birthday cake."

Guess he couldn't read me as well as he thought he could. He was definitely a freshly-baked cake, thirty minutes out of the oven and newly frosted. No day-old for him.

"Steph ..."

"Okay, now I'm done," I told him."Jeez, most men would be happy that their girlfriends found them attractive."

"I am happy about that," Ranger said,"but my schedule is full this morning and seeing that look on your face is going to distract me from it."

"What's on the agenda besides Cortiz?" I asked.

"Meeting, paperwork, another meeting, and then an instillation on Broad."

"You should have slept for another hour instead of getting up to work out."

"Working out helps me get my mind focused for the day," Ranger said.

I slowly shook my head back and forth."Sometimes I really think we're speaking different languages," I said to him.

"I'm going to take a shower before breakfast," Ranger said, moving towards the bedroom."You can start without me if you want."

"No, I'll wait for you."

Ranger smiled over his shoulder at me, then was gone.

I sat down at the little table and poured myself a cup of coffee. I knew Ranger would be back in under fifteen minutes. He was pretty much wash and go. You'd think someone as gorgeous as Ranger would take longer than me in the bathroom, but he didn't. He was physical perfection and he didn't need to add anything to it.

I was pouring a second cup when Ranger came back into the kitchen. He sat down next to me and I filled his cup for him.

"I should be back in the building by two at the latest," Ranger told me.

"Okay. I'm going to go after skip number three while you're busy, and probably stop in and see Connie," I told him,"to make sure she doesn't have anyone else for me." I should just avoid the office in case she does have someone new, but there was a chance I could catch them while I was already out with Ranger. I liked earning a paycheck, but I didn't enjoy chasing down a hundred people at once. I usually had a day off in between them.

We ate breakfast while Ranger gave me some facts about Cortiz's life.

"His father took off before Quentin was born," Ranger said."Mother's an addict. Heroin. Marcus has been looking after Quentin since Marcus was fifteen, so he's very protective of him. There is a chance you'll be able to pick up Quentin without Marcus around, but I'd rather be prepared in case you can't."

"I know, Ranger," I told him."And I appreciate the help." I wasn't stupid enough to say that I wasn't apprehensive. I still had to take a deep breath before saying Quakerbridge. Going after a potentially violent skip had me thanking God that my boyfriend-I really had to come up with a better word for Ranger-was a bodyguard, or at least my bodyguard."I'm not going to turn you down no matter how much I'd like to be able to do this on my own."

"You can do this on your own, Babe, but I'm not going to let you," Ranger said, his voice serious."I almost lost you once this week, I don't want it to happen again."

"Ditto," I said.

I don't know how they do it. I couldn't even let myself relive the Scrog shooting because I couldn't bear the thought of Ranger being hurt. And I've put Ranger and Joe through much worse. I mean, Ranger walked into Spiro's house and thought my dead body had been stuffed inside a cabinet. And Morelli had to listen to shots being fired over the phone while I was talking to him when Eddie got shot by a group of gang members I'd been chasing. It could have easily been me instead of Eddie, and he knew it. So I could understand Ranger wanting to step in when he could. I felt like I owed it to him to put his mind at ease once in a while after everything he's had to endure. I knew being with me wasn't exactly without it's stresses, but Ranger didn't seem to notice, or even care about, that. He still likes being around me, something Joe debated more than once during our years together.

"Earth to, Babe."

I looked up at him."Huh?"

"What were you thinking about?" He asked.

"Honestly?" I asked him. He didn't even bother nodding. When didn't Ranger want the truth? "I was thinking about how much I've put you through."

"Stephanie, it's been worth whatever hell we've been through to be together right now," Ranger said."There are a few things I would like to have handled differently, but I don't regret many things."

"You don't regret any of it?" I asked.

"Let's just say that there are some things I'd redo."

"Like our night together after you brought in DeChooch?" I asked him.

"No, Babe," he said."There isn't one part of that night I'd redo."

"It was pretty perfect."

"The morning after could have used some work," Ranger said.

"I agree, but since I've had time to think about it, it probably helped us get here so maybe it was for the best," I told him."I don't think I was ready back then to take on everything that came with a serious relationship. Even with you."

"Now who's Henry Higgins?" Ranger asked.

"You," I said."And that isn't ever going to change."

Ranger leaned forward and I met him halfway. Our lips touched, and while I'll admit that I still have a lot to learn about Ranger and about relationships, I was sure this is what love should feel like. My disastrous marriage to Dickie and my dysfunctional relationship with Joe didn't come close to what I feel for, or with, Ranger. Ranger and I worked well together. We could share the same space without any boundaries. And the biggest thing for me was that we could actually have a conversation. Both Ranger and I have strong wills, but we could make exceptions for something important to each other. He didn't demand that I walk away from my job with Vinnie and hide in a closet for the rest of my life when something scary happened. Ranger was willing to work with me so we both got our needs met. In and out of the bedroom. When my lips were thoroughly kissed, Ranger pulled back and tucked a curl behind my ear.

We finished breakfast and took our time over the last of our coffee, enjoying the last few minutes we had left together. When the cups were empty we put them, along with the dishes, into the dishwasher and I walked Ranger to the door.

"Be careful today," he said to me.

"I will."

"And remember what I said, if you feel at all uncomfortable bail on Macary and we'll get him later."

"Okay, but only if I really need to," I told him."I'm not going to dump my skips on you on top of everything else you have to get done."

"This has nothing to do with your FTA, Steph," Ranger said."It has everything to do with you."

"I know. And that's why I'm going to call you if I need to."

"Thank you." He kissed me one more time and opened the door."Do you want me to call you before I leave Broad Street?"

"No," I told him."I should be here by then, but on the off chance I'm not I'll let you know. You stay safe, too."

"I will, Babe. I'll see you this afternoon."

I pressed another kiss to his mouth. Did I mention that Ranger is addictive? He gave me a small smile in return and took the stairs down to five.

It was only a little after eight o'clock. Normally I would think that was too early to go after someone. Well, too early for me to go after someone, but since I was already awake now was as good of a time as any.

I stuck both Macary and Cortiz's files into my shoulder bag, grabbed my keys, and took the elevator down to my car. No stairs for me. I figure if you spent a ton of money to put an elevator inside your building, you should at least use the darn thing.

Rob Macary lived in Hamilton Township, but had family in Bordentown so I had at least two places to start looking.

I headed across town and drove down Macary's street. He lived in a shotgun style house with dark green shingles, no yard, and a ripped screen door. Not a place I'd want to step into, never mind live in. I was hoping that Rob was just a down on his luck type of guy who may have had an off week. It happens. But considering he was arrested for violating a restraining order and criminal mischief, both involving his ex-girlfriend, it was unlikely. He didn't look like a real winner, but I was going to try to stay positive here, at least until my ass made contact with the concrete. I pulled all my bounty hunting stuff out from my bag. My gun was loaded, my stun gun was fully charged, and my pepper spray hadn't been used yet. I was as ready as I was ever going to be.

I walked to the front door and rang the door bell. I didn't hear a ring, a buzz, or anything else. Probably didn't work. I opened the screen door, praying it didn't come off it's hinges in my hand, and gave the front door four knocks. Nothing again. I knocked louder, and a minute later it was opened by an irritated, possibly hungover, Macary who was in desperate need of some hot water and a large bar of soap. Guess I knew why his girlfriend broke things off. Be fair, Stephanie, I told myself. He could just be in this state because of the break up. Some guys couldn't cope with being the one dumped.

"Yeah?" Macary said.

"Bond enforcement," I told him.

"And?"

"You missed your court date."

"So?"

"So ... that means you have to come with me ."

"Who says?" He asked.

"I do," I told him. So today's captures weren't going to go as well as they had yesterday. I was expecting this. I didn't normally have two good days in a row. When it came to skip chasing, I was lucky if I had two easy captures a month.

"Get lost, bitch," he said, and started to close the door.

I put my foot in the doorway, stopping it from moving any further. I was glad that I'd put on my Cat boots this morning. It wouldn't have been effective with my sneakers for anything other than getting my foot broken.

"Listen, it's not a big deal," I told Macary."You'll go to the station with me, Vinnie will bond you out again and you'll come back here and never have to talk to me again." Unless he didn't show up for his new date, then he'd get the pleasure of my company another time.

"No."

"Oh for crying out loud," I said in frustration,"stop being such a baby!"

This apparently was the wrong thing to say. Especially to a guy who looked like he already had something to prove. Macary as a whole wasn't real attractive. Too large nose. Extremely pale looking skin, probably from spending nights in bars and days sleeping off what he drank there. His hair was thinning, and he had a wiry frame without a lot of muscle. Yup, Stephanie, definitely a dumb move, I thought as he opened the door and took an angry step towards me.

"What did you call me?" He bit out.

"Umm ..."

"I'm not a baby," he said in a way that made me think he had an older brother or sister growing up."The only reason I'm not going with you is because I ... don't ... want ... to ..." He punctuated each of those words with a finger poke to my chest.

"Hey!" I said."Hands to yourself!"

"Shut up!" He said to me."You're the dumb bitch bothering me. I told you to leave and you didn't, so I'm guessing that you just don't want to."

As I took a step away from him, he took one closer. I went immediately to my first line of defense, talk him to death while trying to calm him down.

"Threatening me isn't going to work," I said, trying to reason with him."I'm not scared of you. And I'm also not leaving, so you might as well get your stuff and come with me. You don't want to get yourself into any more trouble by doing anything to me. Trust me."

He'd just end up in jail again. That is if Ranger didn't decide to teach him a lesson first. I hope it wouldn't come to that. I didn't want Ranger to start thinking that I couldn't hold my own against the low-lifes and dickheads I came into contact with throughout the course of a day.

"You should be scared," Macary said."When I'm done with you, you'll know better than to act like you got bigger balls than me."

Oh, great. Just what I needed. A pissing contest. And here I am without the proper equipment for one.

I'd already been threatened once this week by someone much crazier than Macary. I wasn't about to be a victim again.

"Speaking of balls," I said, using my best bitch face on him,"if you want to keep yours, you may want to stop acting like an asshole for a minute."

"No one talks to me like that," he said.

"Maybe someone should have so you'd have better manners by now." I don't know what the hell got into me. The voice in my head kept telling me to shut up, but given the fact that I was still taunting him, I apparently wasn't listening to it. I didn't like being under Harlo's control at the mall and I guess I was overcompensating for the feeling now.

"Fucking cunt!" He roared. And went right for my throat. No grabbing my arm or trying to punch me. Nope. He went in for the kill, so to speak. Lucky for me, and my lungs, that just as his thumbs pressed into my neck my mind flashed back to something I saw on TV. I put my hands together in praying position (kind of fitting, don't you think?) and I jammed them upwards in between his arms toward the insides of his elbows. The unexpected blow caused his arms to open, and I quickly stepped back and kicked him in his decidedly smaller nuts. It may be my go-to move, but I did like to switch up how I got to use it every now and then. Who knew letting Ranger be in charge of the TV remote once in a while would come in so handy. I'm sure that if Ranger were here right now, he'd be proud, a little smug, and most likely pissed as hell, so I wasn't sure I'd mention this part of the apprehension to him.

While Macary was still getting his breath back, I grabbed my cuffs and snapped them on. He grunted when I did. I might have been a little rougher than I needed to be, and clicked the cuffs tighter than I usually put them, but that was his own damn fault. I told him to stop being a dick and he didn't listen so he's getting what he deserves in my opinion. I helped Rob duckwalk to my car and secured him in the backseat. I may not always know what I'm doing ahead of time, but I can think on my feet which I'm finding to be a better weapon with this job than my gun.

I took off to the police station and by the time I all but dragged Rob into the building, he was getting his bearings back and was glaring at the side of my head since I wouldn't look at the prick.

"Looks like you've got another satisfied customer," Carl said, when he saw us.

"Not again," I said."I just went through this crap with Eddie yesterday."

"Yeah, we heard all about your scratch and sniff skip," Big Dog said.

"As you can see, this one is sober, clothed, and almost clean," I said to them.

"He also looks like he'd like to separate your head from your body," Carl noted.

"He already tried that and it didn't work," I said, before I snapped my mouth shut, remembering that I wasn't going to mention anything. Ranger had eyes and ears everywhere. And in the police station most of all.

Carl's eyes narrowed."What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," I said."Can one of you take this moron off my hands now?"

"Someone's a little hormonal today," Carl said to me.

"Not just today," Big Dog added.

"You know, you guys aren't making police officers seem very trustworthy or dependable," I told them."And can't I ever just get my receipt and go without being hassled?"

"Why the rush?" Carl asked."You got a big date or something?"

"Since she's with Manoso, I'd say yes," Big Dog said."It's too bad, too. We could have had something really beautiful between us."

I rolled my eyes at him."So you're crazy on top of being irritating now?"

"We're just joking, Steph," Carl said."You know we love you."

"Prove it by locking this idiot up," I told him.

"Bitch," Macary said, giving me a death glare.

"Sticks and stones," I said back.

"I guess there's no love lost between you two," Carl said.

"Nope," I said to him. And I got to watch Big Dog take Macary's ass away. Three down and one to go.

I got the receipt I needed for Macary so I could get my capture money, said goodbye to Carl, and drove to the bonds office. Connie was behind her desk and Lula was modeling a new outfit in front of it.

"What's shakin', Steph?" Lula asked."I was just showing Connie what I found at the mall yesterday.

Guess Lula wasn't having the same problem I was with the place.

"It's definitely you," I told her.

"That's what I was just tellin' Connie," Lula said."It's like they knew I'd be comin' in."

She was wearing a bright orange tube-style dress that was not exactly traffic cone orange, but close enough to make my eyes hurt, and five-inch strappy gold stilettos. The dress had tiny rhinestone straps that looked like they were there solely for decoration and not up to the challenge of holding in Lula. The top of the dress was in danger of spilling it's current occupants with one unexpected movement on Lula's part.

"Well, you look good," I told her, and handed all three body receipts to Connie.

"Somebody's been busy," she said to me.

"You picked up all these people without callin' me?" Lula asked, hands on hips, which unfortunately thrust her already precariously covered chest forward."What's up with that? I thought we were partners."

I kept my eyes on Connie in case Lula's boobs made a run for it."We are," I told her,"but I didn't think I needed backup for these people."

"Hunh."

"If it makes you feel any better, Ranger wanted me to call Hal," I told her, so she wouldn't feel like it was just her I didn't want to take, which it mostly was."I didn't ask him, either."

"Hal?" Lula said."He don't know nothin' about catchin' skips."

"He knows more than the three of us combined," I told her.

"Does he know who makes the best doughnuts?" Lula asked."Which drive-thrus are the least crowded around lunch time? Or which convenience stores sell nachos?"

"Probably not."

"Then he's not the partner for you," she said."We got a good thing goin' here."

Yeah, we're both emotionally challenged, though I'm making progress, and use food to cope with our feelings. And both Lula and I will probably die of heart failure just from the sheer amount of stress-eating we've done together.

"There could never be a substitute for you," I told her. And I meant it. You couldn't find another Lula. The world couldn't handle two of her."And the next skip I get after Cortiz we'll be out catching him together."

"We'd better be," Lula said."Just because you're spending more time at Rangeman, doesn't mean I can't storm the gates and drag your skinny ass out of it."

"You won't have to," I told her. The control room would probably let her try just for kicks."Speaking of skips ..."

"None for you," Connie said."It's feast or famine around here. Today it's famine. Once you get Cortiz you'll get a lit bit of a breather."

That was the good thing, and the bad thing, about my job. I could have a few days off some weeks and then be on the lookout 24-7. The job itself was anything but boring. My mother couldn't figure out why I continue to do skip tracing and that was a large part of it. I couldn't do the same thing every day. I wouldn't call myself adventurous, but schedules and routines freak me out. The thought of being stuck inside a factory on a line with a bunch of other people checking tampons for strings had me looking for my gun and extra bullets.

"That's good to hear, but right now I still have one guy left," I told them after Connie gave me the money for the three people I did catch."It should go smoothly, though. Ranger is coming with me."

"How come?" Lula asked.

"He's picked up the skips' brother in the past."

"I remember him now," Connie said."I bet Ranger's afraid Marcus will be there when you go after Quentin."

"That, and Ranger knows where to look for both of them so I'll have an edge."

"Girl, you got Batman, you don't need a bigger edge than that."

I'd normally agree with her, but I tend to lower the good odds in any situation.

"I'll see you guys later," I told them and went back to my car.

It was just after noon and I didn't think Ranger would be back at Rangeman yet, so I stopped off at Pino's for a meatball sub. I'd need my strength for a potentially tough capture. At least that's the excuse I plan on giving Ranger when he asks. Lucky for me, I didn't run into Joe or any of the other guys from the station. I've had my fill of them for the next four hours or so until I hopefully dragged Cortiz in.

I paid for my take-out and drove back to Rangeman. I parked my car next to Ranger's truck and ran into Bobby who was heading out.

"Ranger's on his way back," he told me."Hal just spoke to him."

"Was he checking up on me?" I asked.

"Only a little," Bobby said."He did have something to ask Hal that didn't involve your whereabouts. But you can't really blame him for worrying about you."

"Yeah, I know. If our positions were reversed, I'd want to keep tabs on him, too."

Bobby laughed."It's good that you can keep a level head about it," he said to me."Most women would run by now."

"Rest assured, Bobby," I told him,"I don't scare easily."

"Glad to hear it. Ranger needs someone who can handle all the shit in his life."

"I can," I told him.

"We know," Bobby said."Ever since the 'redecorating' job we did together, I knew Ranger was going to be in trouble."

"Gee, thanks," I said to him.

"I meant the good kind of trouble, Steph."

"Sure you did."

He smiled and looked at something over my shoulder. I had a feeling the car I heard pulling into the lot behind us belonged to Ranger. I turned my head and watched him drive up and park. Bobby was watching me watch Ranger.

"It's good to know that he isn't in this alone," Bobby said, quietly.

"Trust me," I said to him,"he isn't."

He studied me for a moment and gave me a nod."Gotta go, you two have fun," Bobby said. And walked to one of the fleet vehicles.

I let out a breath. I hadn't felt like that since Mrs. Scarvelo, my high school algebra teacher, announced that we were about to have a pop quiz. I hope I passed whatever test Bobby had given me.

Ranger angled out from behind the wheel of his Turbo. He walked over to where I was, wrapped an arm around my waist, and kissed me. Just when I was really getting into it, he put a couple inches between us. Guess it really wasn't a good idea to make out on tape.

"Pino's?" Ranger asked me, looking at my hand.

"Yep," I said."If I would have known you were going to be back here so soon, I would have brought you something."

"No need," Ranger said."Ella left sandwiches on seven."

We took the elevator up to his apartment to eat a quick lunch before we had to leave again. I dumped my jacket on the sideboard before heading to the kitchen with my food. I could feel Ranger's eyes zero in on me when I started unwrapping my sub. I knew he viewed my food choice as Satan's snack, but staring me down while I ate it seemed a little much, even for him.

"Jeez, Ranger," I said to break the uncomfortable silence,"it's only a meatball sub. It's not even that bad for me. It may have more carbs than you'd approve of, but it's got a lot of protein and the sauce is made out of tomatoes. And everyone knows tomatoes are healthy."

He wasn't smiling."What happened today?" He asked me.

"I caught Macary," I told him."I thought you would have heard about that."

"I know about you catching him," Ranger said."What I don't know is why you have a mark on your neck that wasn't there this morning?"

Crap. Macary must have somehow scratched me with his fingernail. I couldn't think of anything else that would have caused it. Oh, double crap! You couldn't get rabies from a scratch, could you?

I walked into the bathroom and checked myself out in the mirror. After a few seconds of looking, I saw a tiny reddish line where Macary probably grazed me either when he grabbed my neck, or when I got away from him. It didn't break the skin, just the capillaries underneath it, so I didn't think I needed to worry about potential diseases. I probably wouldn't have noticed it if Ranger hadn't pointed it out to me.

"Babe, I know what every inch of your body looks like," Ranger said, coming into the room and standing behind me."And I know immediately when something isn't right with it."

My eyes shot to his in the mirror."I don't know if I want to hear that, Ranger," I told him.

"Don't worry, Steph, I love every part of your body," he told me.

"Okay, that I don't mind hearing."

"But I don't love the thought of anyone but me doing something to it," Ranger said.

Parts of the aforementioned body started sizzling, thinking of what he'd done to it last night.

He very gently traced the spot on my neck with his fingertip. He couldn't do more than that, since the damage was under the skin, but knowing that he wanted to was beyond sweet, and made my stomach feel squishy knowing that he cared so much about me. He moved his hand and kissed the spot below my ear before stepping back.

"Are you going to tell me what happened now?" Ranger asked, but I knew it wasn't really a question.

"Sure, but I want my sub before it gets any colder," I told him.

Ranger stepped to the side and let me pass so I could walk back to the kitchen. I took a bite of my food and looked at him.

"Aren't you going to eat?" I asked, when he made no move towards the fridge.

"I will as soon as you tell me what went on today."

I took another bite and finished chewing while I figured out how to word almost getting strangled so it wouldn't sound so bad.

Ranger was studying me."Forget it, Babe. Tell me all of it."

I blew out a breath and hoped for the best."Okay, Macary didn't want to come with me," I told Ranger,"and when I pushed the issue he kind of grabbed my throat." The hair on my arms stood up at the scary look on Ranger's face, and I quickly worked to defuse his anger."But I didn't act the way he thought I would, and I was able to get free and help his balls migrate all the way up his throat after I was released. He was still swearing at me when he was taken away to holding."

I saw the corners of Ranger's mouth twitch and took it as a sign that he was calmer now. I exhaled forcefully. Ranger pissed off was frightening even if you weren't the cause of it.

"Proud of you, Babe," he said.

"I was pretty awesome," I told him. His smile grew.

I finished my sub and watched as Ranger got a sandwich and two bottles of water out of the refrigerator. He handed a water to me.

"Thanks," I told him.

"You're okay?" Ranger asked me.

"Yup," I told him."I even made his ride to the station as uncomfortable as possible."

"That's my girl," Ranger said.

Those three words alone seemed to combine 'I love you' and 'I'm proud of you', and I wouldn't mind hearing those words, and being his girl, for the next sixty or seventy years. And I'm betting I'll still feel the same way about him even after all that time has passed.

"Are you still up for catching Cortiz?" Ranger asked when he finished his sandwich.

"Yeah." I said."I'm more reluctant to go to the police station than to go after Quentin."

Ranger's eyes cut to me."Morelli?"

"No. Eddie, Carl, and Big Dog," I told him."Apparently the state of New Jersey is paying them to annoy the crap out of me now every time I walk in there."

"Want me to do something about it?" Ranger asked.

I took a moment to enjoy thinking about what would happen to them if Ranger corrected their behavior, but that was as far as I was willing to go.

I blew out a sigh."No. They're just being the idiots that they are," I said to Ranger."They don't mean anything by it. And I really don't want them hurt because of it."

Ranger grinned."What makes you think I'd hurt them?" Ranger asked.

"They can't keep their mouths shut to save their lives," I told him."They'd say something, you'd get mad, and I'd feel guilty for the rest of my life for causing their deaths."

Ranger's smile grew."Babe."

"They may be assholes once in a while, but they are my friends. Well, most of the time."

Ranger downed the rest of his water and stood.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yep," I said."If we catch him today there's a real good chance my weekend will be free."

"And what exactly are your plans for this weekend?" Ranger asked.

I gave his black-clad body a thorough once-over before smiling up at him, feeling confident enough to try out a little Ranger-style flirting.

"My plans involve handcuffs, you, and that king-sized bed over there," I said, using what I considered my 'sexy' voice. And I left him standing in the kitchen.