Thank you all so much for your wonderfule reviews. I took them to heart and hurried up with this chapter :)

Bussis for Stayce without whom this wouldn't be a chapter. Thanks, Babe!

Disclaimer: All characters are borrowed from JE, the title is borrowed from Bon Jovi

Warning: Bad language and adult content

Keep the Faith

Chapter 20

Helped by another couple beers in spite of my antibiotics, I was able to sleep through the night. As a matter of fact, I slept so well I didn't have a care in the world when I woke up.

One of my legs was between Ranger's and my upper body splayed over his chest. I love waking up on top of Ranger!

His hand was on my back, one finger drawing lazy circles, tickling me. I raised my head and looked at him through the mass of hair that had fallen over my eyes. He was smiling down at me.

"Sleep well?" he asked, his voice still husky with sleep.

I craned my neck to see the bedside clock, it was just after eight. "You slept in!" I said smiling.

"Mmm," Ranger agreed, slipping his hand further down my back. "Thought you might want to cash in that rain check."

We didn't normally wake up together because Ranger was an early riser and usually went out jogging or something as ludicrous, and he rarely was able to persuade me to join him. So mostly, Ranger woke me after he got out of the shower, which was also quite nice, but didn't compare to waking up on top of him. I was glad we'd left Bob at my parents' house when my mom insisted he was 'no bother at all', that meant I didn't have to get up and walk him. I was all for cashing in that check.

And then the memories came back and the day before was once again fresh in my mind.

I didn't believe for a second that Ranger had forgotten about the tiny, insignificant little matter of a possible murder charge against me, which could only mean he was trying to make me feel better. Not that he needed a reason to fool around, obviously, but his priorities usually were solve the case first, have fun later.

My phone rang before I could even take him op on his offer. I frowned. What was my phone doing on the bedside table and why was it turned on? I'd turned it off on purpose to avoid calls I wasn't ready to answer.

At the moment I was only trying to avoid Harry's calls, although I was sure Lula had left plenty of messages by now too. Probably I shouldn't even listen to any of my messages and just call the people I cared about. I'd kind of neglected them the past couple days.If only it stopped ringing.

I turned my head but made no move to answer as the Ghostbusters theme song played on.

"Well?" Ranger asked, moving under me.

"They'll leave a message if it's urgent."

Ranger blew out some air and lifted us both up to reach for my phone. He flipped it open and pressed it to my ear. I glared at him before I took the phone out of his hand and sat up.

"Hello?"

"Miss Plum," Harry said, as pleasant and polite as always. "I'm so glad to finally get to talk to you in person."

I swallowed hard and sat up all the way. Ranger nudged me gently and when I looked up, he nodded encouragingly at me, mouthing 'go ahead'. He knew who'd called, I was sure. Probably he'd just sensed it. I sent him another glare. Sometimes I do have a plan, even though Ranger may not know it, and that time, my plan had been avoidance.

"Mr. Garibaldi," I said by way of greeting, stalling for time.

"You must be quite the busy little lady, Stephanie," he said in a fatherly tone. "You're harder to get a hold of than the Pope."

I tried to 'read' his tone of voice. Was he feeling as friendly as he sounded or should I read between the lines that he was pissed as hell I hadn't contacted him and much less had done my job? Tough question.

Maybe this was a good thing. Probably I wouldn't have called Harry on my own. Okay, I was sure I wouldn't have called him on my own. And I couldn't just hang up either, with Ranger watching. Ranger would give me 'the look' and I wouldn't have a good excuse.

I cleared my throat and closed my eyes to gather my thoughts. Better get this over with.

"I didn't kill Guzzarella," I said, my voice surprisingly steady.

There was a short pause on the other hand while I figured Harry was adjusting to my statement.

"I didn't say you did," he finally said, his tone emotionless. "He is not the reason for my call. But you haven't fulfilled your end of the bargain either, and it's been a week."

Ranger sat up and put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to him, allowing me to borrow his strength again.

"Mr. DalBo has kept me kind of busy," I told him. "He had me kidnapped, and when I managed to escape, one of his goons tried to kill me!" I had managed to keep the whine out of my voice.

Another pause on the other end.

Ranger's cell phone vibrated on the night stand and he flipped it open to read the text message, then he showed it to me.

'Conversation is being recorded,' it said, and I assumed it was referring to my current phone call.

I nodded and he texted something back, but I was too nervous to try to read it. Ranger flipped his phone shut and leaned back into me.

"Mr. DalBo is a guest in our country," Harry explained as if I didn't know. "He's not very familiar with our customs."

He cleared his throat and was obviously waiting for my response. I couldn't figure out if he was making excuses for DalBo or apologizing for him.

"He tried to have me killed," I repeated. "I'm pretty sure that means the same in any culture."

I was amazed at how calm my voice stayed and I couldn't quite believe I was talking to Harry the Hammer like that. I was sure that if I looked back on this conversation, I'd faint. And if my mom ever found out, I'd be banned from dinners for weeks. But at that moment, I was finally telling him what I thought, since I really didn't have anything to lose.

"Mr. DalBo did not act on my orders," Harry clarified.

I never thought he did, if anything I thought Guzzarella and DalBo were working together and I appreciated Harry's honesty. After all, he didn't have to say anything about it.

"I didn't say he did," I said, throwing his earlier words back at him.

"Ms. Plum," Harry said, a little louder now. "I think it would be best if you joined me for lunch today. I do not like to discuss these matters over the phone."

That made sense. Harry didn't have a reputation for being stupid. If what was said about him was true, nobody had ever been able to pin anything on him, neither murder nor extortion or even gambling.

That he would want to meet with me alone went without saying. I just didn't know if I was ready to. Even equipped with a microphone and a GPS, I wasn't sure I would be able to face Harry alone.

"Excuse me," I said. "I have a call on the other line, one moment." I hit the 'Talk' button without waiting for his answer and looked up at Ranger.

"He wants to meet me," I said. "Alone."

Ranger nodded. "That makes sense. Are you up for it?"

No, I wasn't. But here was my chance to talk to the only person who could possible get DalBo away from me. Harry probably knew more about the Guzzarella murder than even the cops. But he'd never agree to meet with me and Ranger, or even in a public place.

And then I realized what was happening. I was afraid. And not afraid of Harry either, well at least not most of all. DalBo had managed to intimidate me, and I hated being intimidated. I imagined what my Dad would say if he knew I'd let myself be intimidated by a German, although in all fairness, DalBo was a big motherfucker regardless of origin.

As if Ranger could feel the change in me, he squeezed my shoulder as I sat up straighter.

"This one's up to you, Babe," he said softly. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to."

I pushed the button to get back to Harry. "If you can guarantee my safety, I'd be happy to meet you," I said before I could change my mind and held my breath.

I'd just pretty much challenged Harry the Hammer. I knew that if he agreed, he'd consider me his responsibility and whoever would try to harm me would have to answer to him. Harry wouldn't be able to keep me safer than Ranger, but he had different connections.

I held my breath while I waited for him to reply. He didn't even hesitate.

"You are under my protection while you work for me, Stephanie. If you remember how to get to my house, I'll be expecting you at noon."

He hung up before I had a chance to reply and I let out a long breath as I slumped against Ranger.

"I'll meet him at noon."

I felt Ranger nod against me. "With any luck, he'll be able to end this whole mess."

I looked up at him. "I'm never that lucky."

He cupped my chin in his hand and brushed his lips over mine. When he pulled away, he was smiling. "That's the cynical girl I fell in love with."

I stuck my tongue out at him and he winked, then he pulled us both up off the bed and nudged me towards the bathroom.

"Let's get cleaned up and discuss it over breakfast," he said. "Rain check on the rain check?" He bent down to kiss my naked shoulder, then he closed the bathroom door behind me instead of joining me.

I sighed because I envied Ranger's control. For him, the phone call had put a damper on our social agenda, it was as if he could switch his urges on and off. Of course I knew he was right, but every now and then, a little irresponsibility wouldn't be too bad for Ranger, I thought. Well tonight, I'd cash in those rain checks whether he wanted or not. And I really couldn't see him not wanting after two dry days…but I could think of plenty of ways we could make up for the long drought.

I adjusted the water and stepped under the hot spray, making a mental note to suggest the installation of a shower massager. I could always pretend it would work wonders for tensed muscles, that wasn't even too far from the truth.

When I joined Ranger in the dining room, he was dressed in RangeMan black and his hair was damp from the shower. I gave him a disappointed pout and he chuckled.

"You know we would still be in the shower if I'd joined you," he said, filling my coffee cup.

I sighed as I sat down and he handed me a file.

"You need to read this before you visit Harry," he instructed. "I called a meeting to get you miked and 'dressed', we have twenty minutes."

I leafed through the file. There was more detailed information on where and how Guzzarella had been found, but thankfully no pictures. The next section was everything RangeMan had been able to find on DalBo, including Hartung.

I put the file down and took a sip of my coffee. "Did I tell you he wants me to come alone?"

Ranger shrugged and finished his coffee. "I just assumed that was the arrangement. I can't see him wanting a bunch of witnesses, he didn't stay in business this long by being careless."

"He said I'm under his protection now. Do you think he can keep me safe?"

"It depends on whether or not he takes DalBo seriously enough," Ranger said.

"And you don't think…" I started but had to swallow the lump in my throat and wet my lips. "You think it's okay?"

Ranger stood up and walked around to my side, squatting down next to me. He put his finger under my chin to lift it up so our eyes met.

"You will go by yourself, but you will not be alone," he said softly. "We'll be outside, all around the compound. We'll be listening to every word. I will have three teams ready to get you out of there if necessary. You can do this."

I nodded. I didn't even know why I was so nervous all of a sudden. This was Harry! Harry had always been nice to me, it was his lackeys that were the problem. I had no reason to believe this visit would be any different from the last one.

That was it, I figured. My last visit, accompanied by Guzzarella and DalBo, that's what had me scared now. And I knew they wouldn't be there this time, but it didn't help.

"Babe," Ranger said into my thoughts, taking me by the shoulders. "It'll be okay. I promise."

I leaned forward, buried my face in his chest and inhaled his scent. I could feel his heart beat.

"Maybe you can come with me," I suggested. "Just you, not a whole entourage. Harry may allow that."

"He might," Ranger said, running his fingers through my hair. "But I'm of more use outside. If he is planning anything, which I don't think he is, I can get you out faster from the outside."

I pulled back my head so I could look at him but kept my arms around him. "You're not making sense. You don't think he's planning anything, but you don't' think it's safe for you inside."

"Let's start over," he suggested, tracing my cheekbone with his thumb. "Why are you afraid to see Harry? You said he never threatened you."

I chewed on my lower lip. Ranger was too rational. I doubted he understood the concept of irrational fear.

"He didn't. He never has. But his men have," I pointed out.

"One of them is dead," Ranger said. "Another cannot be found and yet another is in RangeMan custody."

"If someone tried to kill you less than 24 hours ago, you'd be a little anxious, too. It's easy for you to stay calm."

Ranger tipped my chin up again and our eyes met. "It's worse for me. Just trust me on that. And don't mistake rationality with lack of caring."

Now I could see it in his eyes too. He wasn't as calm and detached as he seemed. His eyes showed concern.

"I don't know if I can do it," I admitted.

Ranger took my hands in his. "You don't have to. Call him back, tell him it'll have to be somewhere else, some other time."

"Nice try," I said. "You think by telling me I won't have to do it I will want to do it."

"What?"

I got up and started pacing. "Excellent reverse psychology. That's it, isn't it?"

Ranger crossed his arms over his chest, the almost smile playing around his lips. "You think I'm trying to tell you not to do it so you'll do it?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Well yeah. You're counting on my rebellious side to do exaclty what you don't want me to do."

Okay, I admitted to myself, that didn't sound much like Ranger. If he wanted me to do something he'd say 'You should do this' rather than 'It's up to you'.

I chewed on my lip some more. "You mean if I won't do it, it's okay?"

"If it's okay with you, yes."

Damn. He just had to say it, didn't he? He could have absolved me of any bad conscience by saying it was okay, but no, he just volleyed the ball back into my court. So now I had to ask myself if I was okay with being chicken.

I stopped pacing and Ranger walked over to me. "Why don't you take some time to think about this," he suggested. "Let it sink in. Then tell us when you're ready."

That sounded like a good idea, especially because it allowed me to procrastinate. I smiled at him. "Okay."

He leaned down and kissed me lightly. "Ready for the meeting?"

I checked my watch. "I have time for breakfast." The more procrastination, the better.

Ranger chuckled and turned, picking his utility belt off the chair back. "I'll see you downstairs," he said, kissed me again and left.

I turned to get something to eat out of the kitchen, but stopped when I looked back at the dining table. It looked a lot like it had the week before, my chair was pulled back, some papers were on the table. But the day after Ranger had come home from his mission, it had looked different to him. He had pushed me against it trying to defend himself from the mace I sprayed at him and that had somehow made him think he was capable of hurting me.

I shook my head, continuing my way into the kitchen. If your girlfriend sprays you, I think you have the right to push her back. That doesn't make you a wife beater. Thank God Ranger had realized that. This time, I would probably have been dead without his help.

I pulled the fridge door open and began to rummage through the contents, trying to distract myself. This was not the time to think about our relationship, I was way too emotional. I'd begun to choke up when I looked at the dining table, for crying out loud!

Ten minutes later, I met Ranger and the guys in the conference room. I hadn't heard from them since last night, but I didn't know if that was because nothing had happened or because they'd wanted to let me rest.

Lester patted my shoulder as I sat down next to him. "How're you feeling, Steph?"

"I'm okay," I said, smiling at him. "Since I know I can count on you to have my back."

I nudged him with my shoulder and we both laughed, although I hadn't really been kidding. I was so glad I didn't have to tackle this alone, although I wondered why I was so emotional at the thought of it.

Ranger started the meeting. "Steph got a phone call from Harry Garibaldi this morning. He wants a meeting."

Tank looked from Ranger to me. "Are you up for it?"

Had Ranger told him about our discussion? I cut my eyes to Ranger and he shook his head slightly, his ESP picking up my question, or maybe just being on my wavelength.

"I don't know," I told Tank truthfully. "I was hoping I'd know by noon."

Lester chuckled next to me and Hector grinned. I stuck my tongue out at them.

"What did he say?" Bobby wanted to know. Probably the transcript of the conversation hadn't been typed up yet.

"He mostly wanted an update on the…the job I'm supposed to do for him. I said his men were distracting me from doing the job and he wanted to talk in person." All true. I didn't know if Ranger or Tank had shared the details of my obligation to Harry with the guys. If they hadn't, it wasn't something I wanted to advertise, I'd never hear the end of it.

"Fair enough," Bobby said. "I wouldn't think he'd talk business on the phone."

"Right," Ranger continued. "Any news from the Trenton PD?" He looked at Tank.

Tank shook his head. "Negative. At least not the kind of news we're interested in."

He looked at his notes and smiled at me. "My guess is Steph still has a lot of friends on the department and they won't let the detectives even think about arresting her." He winked at me and I choked up again. What the hell!

When this was over, I was scheduling a girls' night with Lula, Connie and Mary Lou, I vowed. Then I'd have someone to talk about these emotional outbursts.

"Nothing new from Hartung either," Bobby jumped in. "We've been trying to talk to him, if you know what I mean, but we got nothing." He looked at Hector, then at me and back to Ranger.

"We're running out of time, since we don't want to keep him here too long in case he's missed."

"We're releasing him?" I asked incredulously.

Bobby snorted. "Not hardly. We're just letting Trenton PD take over."

"But then his lawyer will get him out on bail," I pointed out.

"Not if the DA sees what Hartung's done," Tank said. "And we'll make sure he gets the whole story."

I sighed in relief. I needed to know Hartung was behind bars so I wouldn't look over my shoulder every moment I wasn't inside the RangeMan building.

"What about DalBo?" I asked. "Are we still looking for him? Did we hear from him?"

"Yes," Tank said. "And no."

I frowned at him and he grinned. Ranger cleared his throat and Tank sobered. "We still have surveillance at his last known residence, the Sheraton in Trenton, but he hasn't been there in days. At this point we don't know where he is."

"So he could be waiting for me around the corner?" I asked, my pulse quickening. Why did I have to give myself these mental images?

Tank lowered his eyes. I'd hit the nail on the head.

"What do we know about him?" Ranger asked, looking at Lester.

Lester cut his eyes to me before he looked at Ranger.

"I didn't get much on him in Trenton. But then I only started looking for stuff yesterday after Steph…" he gestured at me.

"Get me everything there is," Ranger instructed. "I want to know where he gets his hair cut and what he has for breakfast in the morning!"

"Everything," Lester confirmed and nodded. "If there's anything to be found I'll have it by noon."

I knew what had happened. With Guzzarella's murder, RangeMan had focused on me, not DalBo. Tank had monitored the Trenton PD, Bobby and Hector had tried to get Hartung to talk, but they hadn't focused on the one missing link, DalBo, because that had been a dead end. But I knew Lester would rather bite his tongue off than tell Ranger that. I made a mental note to help Lester out as soon as I'd decided whether or not to meet Harry.

"If Stephanie decides to do this," Ranger said. "I will need four teams for the backup."

"Count me in," Lester said at once. Bobby and Hector nodded. "I'm in," Tank said.

"Tank, we're team 1," Ranger said. "Bobby and Hector are Team 2. Santos, you'll be with Junior in the control room, Team 3." He ignored Lester's frown and continued. "According to the schedule, Zero and Hal are also available. We meet again in one hour to finalize the game plan."

"But I…" I started but Ranger held up his hand, almost-smiling.

"Regardless of your decision. If you won't go, we cancel the plan. The important thing is that we're prepared."

He nodded at Tank. "Meeting adjourned."

"You can count on me, you know," Lester told me as he got up and I smiled at him gratefully as he winked and followed Bobby and Hector out of the conference room.

"We're all with you, Hon," Tank confirmed, gathering up his notes.

"I know," I said softly, smiling at him, watching him leave the conference room. I loved the Merry Men.

Ranger cleared his throat after Tank had left and I got up to walk out with him. "Since when is he calling you 'Hon'?" he asked out of the blue.

It took me a moment to realize what he was talking about. "Tank?"
"Yes, Tank," he said, holding the conference room door open for me.

I had no idea, but I felt the need to lighten the mood after the meeting. "I don't know. Jealous?"

I raised my eyebrows and looked at him challengingly. He pulled a lock of my hair and grunted. "Just vigilant," he said.

I should have known he would find a fancier term for it, but I still suspected he was a teeny bit jealous. It was almost ironic how Lula's plan was still working without me even trying, especially now that I didn't need it anymore. Go figure.

I turned towards my cube, but Ranger held me by my elbow. "Where're you going?"

"To my desk," I replied in a 'duh' tone.

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and turned me back towards the hallway.

"How about you think about it upstairs? You don't want to be distracted right now."

"But I want to be distracted," I pointed out and turned in his embrace. "I can't think straight if I concentrate too hard."

He looked like he was thinking about trying to convince me, but then he just shook his head slightly. "I'll be in my office if you need me."

I saluted him and he rolled his eyes and pulled me towards him. He brushed his lips over mine and cupped my ass in his hands.

"Smartass," he said and kissed me, light and innocent. And then he was gone.

It crossed my mind that what I would most like to do was go shopping or get my hair cut or something like that, the total distraction. And the perfect escape. But I figured I'd have an escort if I left the building now, and honestly I wasn't too keen on leaving RangeMan anyway, not with DalBo still out there, so I just sat down at my desk and logged on to my computer.

I'd just opened the search programs when Lester came over and pulled up a chair. He was holding a thick file folder and jerked his head at my monitor.

"Is that how you decide if you're willing to go into the lion's den?"

"No," I said defiantly. "I'm going to find DalBo, that'll make my decision easier."

Lester held up the file in his hand. "I had a feeling you'd say that, so I brought what I've been able to find. Problem is," he opened the folder in the middle, "Some of it is in German. You speak German?"

I just glared at him and took the file. He knew I didn't speak any languages beside English and Jersian. I glanced at the information on the open page, then I flipped back to the first page and copied his name into the search program.

"It doesn't matter. I'm not interested in what he did in Germany, I want to find him here."

"What if he is known for carrying several guns and a knife at the same time?" Lester asked. "Would you want to know that?"
"That I would see," I retorted and stuck my tongue out.

He scoffed but smiled and made sure I filled out the necessary blanks on the application's template before I sent it off.

"I need some coffee," I announced, knowing we'd have a couple minutes before all the information would be back.

"You know Steph, I did run this one," Lester let me know. He reached for the folder but I pulled it out of his reach.

"But you don't have my Spidey sense when reading it," I said and got up to go to the kitchen.

I could feel Lester roll his eyes behind my back and heard him sigh as he got up to join me. He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me towards him.

"Good thing you're so cute, otherwise you couldn't get away with being such a pain in the ass."

I could see Ranger's office door was open, but I wasn't sure he'd heard us. Lester and I always had this innocent banter going on, but I didn't know if Ranger was in a mood today, after his comment about Tank. I didn't want Lester to get into trouble because Ranger was 'vigilant'. But it was something to keep in mind if I ever thought Ranger wasn't paying enough attention to me. And maybe, just maybe, if I played my cards right, I could convince Lester to 'distract' Joyce?

I stole a sideways glance at him. Naah, I thought, that would be cruel.

"Relax Sweetheart," Lester said, misunderstanding my tension. "We'll find him. How could anyone escape the two of us?"

It was impossible not to grin when Lester turned on his charm. I'd been right, he was the perfect distraction.

We got our coffees and each returned to our own desk. The search results were back and I printed them out rather than reading them on my monitor. I wanted to read them so carefully that I would find something between the lines that would give me a clue. A foreigner couldn't just vanish in Trenton, someone must have helped him, someone had to know.

I took the printout, the file and my coffee, waved at Lester on my way out of the control room and went upstairs after all. Now it was not to brood and to make a decision, but to work, so I actually wanted to be alone.

I sat down on the big couch in Ranger's living room and folded my legs under me, then I went to work.

Eric DalBo had a long rep sheet. How he'd gotten past homeland security was no big mystery, greasing palms was his family's business, and his family was friends with the Family here.

There were pictures dating back a few years, and he hadn't changed much. I studied them because I really hadn't looked at DalBo closely before. When I met him, he was one of Guzzarella's goons. He was there, but I hadn't paid much attention to what he looked like. He'd been the one to grab me in front of my house, and yet I had totally focused on what I presumed to be his boss. I only remembered him as huge and strong.

In the latest picture, taken at his arrival in the States at Newark Airport, he was smiling and he actually looked handsome, in an Arnold Schwarzenegger kind of way. His height was listed as 6'7" and his weight at 260 pounds. I could see him as a bodyguard, not necessarily as a killer.

Mental head slap. If every killer looked like a killer, we didn't need judges and juries, I reminded myself and continued reading.

Halfway through, I got a nagging feeling. My Spidey sense was tingling. What was it? Had I missed something? I reread everything.

"That's it!" I said out loud half way through my second re-read. "Hah! We're more alike than I thought!"

TBC

A/N: Okay ... Reader's Choice, folks ... what do you want to happen next? Smut? What kind? Sweet and romantic, hot and passionate, in bed? In the shower? In the backseat? In public? Or would you rather see action? Drama? Heartbreak?? Your reviews will decide what happens…