Author: Feather (Flightf)

Warnings: Spoilers all the way through Lean Mean Thirteen. (I am sure at some point I will use Tanks name)

Disclaimers: I own nothing…JE owns it all….I will return everything when I am finished. I am basing the strip aerobics on two programs Shelia Kelly's the S Factor and Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease.

Rating (K-M) M Yep it's M for Adult language, adult situations, and maybe some real smut.

A/N: This is the 1st story in my Pole Dancers Diary Series. Sorry this chapter took so long. Thank you to all my friends who held my hand as I mucked my way through this chapter. Wow I guess finding the time to write was a pipe dream. I promise that I will try to do better and the story will be finished.

Chapter 13: Bombshell Alert

I joined the army at 17 looking for excitement and adventure. I wanted out of south Texas and Uncle Sam seemed like my only choice at the time. So I packed my bag and kissed my mom goodbye and left before my old man came home from that nights binge. In return for getting me the hell out of dodge Uncle Sam spent the first nine weeks turning this mama's boy into a man. After a year of training even I had trouble finding the small little bit of Rialtos Texas in me. I spent the next ten years doing whatever Uncle Sam asked without asking why. When I finally decided that I was getting too old for the shit that was everyday life in the army I followed my commander to Trenton New Jersey. I was able to use the talents that Uncle Sam taught me but with the bonus of a hefty pay check.

On days like today I still question what the hell I'm doing in New Jersey. We hit a high of 45 today and the temperature is dropping fast. The sky is gray and after 3 years I'm still not sure if it's from smog or gloom. Here I sit in an Explorer with my ass going numb waiting for Tank or Ranger, if he is still in the area, to give the okay to turn on the locate Bombshell unit. The only positive thing is that I was alone so I could turn on the radio. I shifted in my seat and checked the readout on my phone for the millionth time that hour and I started channel surfing on XM. I love Bombshell, she has a way of bringing light into the deepest darkest spots of hell. I might have stayed in the army if she would have come along with the deal. But being put on Bombshell duty when Ranger is in the wind is not a good situation. My chances of screwing up are magnified by the fact that we have no idea what the problem is. Hell I am almost guaranteed to fail. Shit, maybe I should send my address and name to that Drug Lord in South America; he would have more mercy on me than a pissed off Ranger.

The phone on the seat next to me started to vibrate.

I let out a small sigh of relief that something was finally happening. I hit the off button on XM. "Yo."

"Santo's this is the control room. Locate Bombshell has been activated to your GPS. Within 5 minutes you should have her whereabouts. Let us know if you need backup." Cal's voice boomed into my ear.

I answered with an affirmative and closed the phone. I leaned my head back, closed my eyes and forced myself to do some breathing exercises while the onboard computer did its thing. The knot in my neck had just started to unwind itself when the beeping signaling new information interrupted my trance. My eyes popped open and I reached up and hit the touch screen. I was a little more at ease when the state of New Jersey was the starting point; at least she hasn't left the state. I watched the screen fixated as the red dot got a little bigger with each interval as the GPS pinpointed her location. My eyes widened a bit when the light stopped blinking on an address in Princeton. As far as I knew Princeton was not a usual haunt for Bombshell. I called and updated the control room and then turned XM on and Sir Mix-a-Lot's Baby Got Back filled the SUV. I sang along and pulled out into traffic. There was no use trying to figure out what Stephanie was doing there because there was only one thing that you could guarantee about Stephanie Plum and that was she would always end up surprising the hell out of you. Bombshell duty isn't so bad after all.

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Bonus tidbit because 13 was really short...

I signed the last of the contracts and finally my updated will, then I mentally ran through my list. I've done this so many times in the past it's almost like second nature. Deciding that I was finished, I checked and made sure that my e-mail was synced before I shut the system down. They told me that I could bring my laptop along for this trip which was something new.

I closed the laptop and tucked it into my bag. A pair of blue eyes caught my attention. I looked at Steph's old Rangeman ID lying there on the corner of desk and couldn't stifle a sigh.

In the past when I was preparing for a mission by this point my veins would be pumping with adrenalin and excitement as the game played out, but this time all I felt was annoyance. Lately I have been thinking that it is time to hand this part of the job over to the rookies, that it's time for the General to find a new go-to boy.

I placed everything into my travel bag and with one last glimpse at the photo headed towards the door. Tank met me in the hall and with a nod we took the stairs. In the Explorer I tried to slip into my zone but it eluded me. I knew that my company was in good hands, Tank had proven his capabilities a long time ago. The issues with my Babe were giving me pause, Christ pretty soon I would sound like Morelli.

As we pulled up to the private airstrip I cleared my head of all unproductive thoughts and headed towards the solitary plane. I had a job to do and the sooner I accomplished it the sooner I could come home to my Babe.