Disclaimer: Most characters are borrowed from JE, any similarities with living persons is coincidental, and the title is borrowed from Bon Jovi

Thank you so incredibly much for your reviews, they mean the world to me!

Merci beaucoup to Stayce for her ongoing support, editing and suggestions, without which the chapter wouldn't be possible.

Warning: Bad language and adult content

Keep the Faith

Chapter 22

My heart was hammering so fast, I was afraid it could be heard all the way to the top of the stairs. To make matters worse, the woozy feeling I hadn't had in a few days now was back and I had the feeling the world around me was spinning a little. I closed my eyes and shook my head to clear it, willing the dizziness away. I had no time for that now.

I didn't see the hand reach out, but I heard the unmistakable click-click of the light switch being flipped up and down. I couldn't believe they would actually try the switch first. But then I reminded myself that they'd pretty much blown their cover when they'd crashed the door down, so there was no reason to be stealthy now.

I tried to hold my breath so I wouldn't hyperventilate as I waited for their next move, relying on my hearing because I didn't yet dare to peek over the dresser.

One of the wooden steps in the staircase creaked under the weight of the guy. It had to be a guy, from the way he blocked all light from the hall and his weight there was no way it was a girl. Unfortunately I couldn't remember if the stairs had creaked under my weight, I'd been too busy laying out the glass marbles. It didn't matter anyway, I already knew the guy was huge.

Another creak and then the scraping sound of a sole against wood. His foot had stepped on a marble!

Swearing loudly, he came tumbling down towards me and I finally straightened, lifting the shovel and holding it like a baseball bat.

In the dim light, I could tell by the way he fell that he was trained in 'absorbing a fall', or whatever you call it, because he landed on his feet, crouching but intact. I didn't give him time to come to his senses. I swung the shovel behind me for optimal momentum and then pulled it forward just as the man in front of me started to straighten.

And in the nano-second before the shovel connected with his head I recognized him, but it was too late to stop my swing. The shovel connected with the side of Tank's head with a loud CLANG, Tank swayed momentarily and then fell backwards like a felled oak, and I could have sworn the whole house shook with the impact when he hit the floor.

I dropped the shovel like a hot potato. "Tank!" I shrieked and knelt beside him.

"Steph!" came Ranger's voice from upstairs. "You okay down there?"

I was terrified I'd killed Tank and frantically searched for a pulse. The fact that I my hands were shaking too hard to stay put in any one place never occurred to me. Now relief washed over me at hearing Ranger's voice and tears of joy mixed with the tears of fear.

And then it hit me: I killed Tank! He'd come to rescue me and I'd killed him!

I couldn't hold back the hysteric giggle but I forced my body to keep functioning. I really just wanted to break down and crawl into a corner, but I had a life to save!

CPR, I thought, if he wasn't breathing I had to perform CPR. I reached out but couldn't even touch the middle of his chest so, without thinking, I sat up and swung one of my legs over his hips and straddled him.

I tried pushing the panic and fear back as far as possible and tried to remember how to do this. One hand on the other, right on the sternum, right? This had to work! Of course I had to scoot up higher if I also wanted to do mouth-to-mouth, because my mouth couldn't reach his from where I was sitting, even if I lay flat on his chest, which of course I couldn't do because I wanted him to breathe, not crush him. Although I doubted very much that my 125 pounds could crush him, but I didn't want to take the chance. And now I was babbling to myself. I told myself I was just nervous, I could do this.

When I pressed my hands down, nothing happened, and I was pretty sure something should move, so I leaned forward, balanced my weight on my knees, bunched my hands into a ball and pounded on his chest.

I barely noticed Ranger barreling down the stairs, slipping on yet another marble but managing to keep his balance by grabbing the railing. I only really noticed him when he grabbed my shoulders and pulled me up, shaking me gently. Tears were streaming down my face and I was struggling to get enough oxygen into my lungs to tell Ranger I wasn't the problem, I was fine, but Tank might be dead.

Ranger's grip on my shoulders tightened and I finally focused. His eyes were boring into mine and he was…grinning? Excuse me? I finally managed that deep breath but before I could say anything, Ranger chuckled.

"I sort of suspected you and Tank were close," he said, jerking his head at Tank on the floor. "But I though out of respect for me you'd keep it private."

My jaw dropped as I slowly processed what he was saying. What I'd interpreted as an intense stare was more of a…was he winking at me? I opened and closed my mouth fish-like and now Ranger chuckled and let go of my shoulders. He pulled me into a tight embrace instead.

"Tank's fine," he said close to my ear. "Give him a minute. Glad you're okay, Babe."

"How do you…"

A loud groan interrupted me and I turned my head in time to see Tank move.

"He's okay!" I shrieked and struggled out of Ranger's arms to kneel next to Tank again. "He's okay!" I repeated somewhat saner, looking at Ranger.

Ranger shook his head, still grinning. "Told ya."

Much, much later I realized Ranger had assessed the situation much faster because he had remained calm the whole time. If my hands hadn't been trembling so bad I probably would have felt Tank's pulse and noticed that he'd been breathing the whole time. Ranger said the exactly right thing to distract me and bring me back from my hysteria.

Tank slowly sat up and rubbed his head. "What happened?" he asked, looking at Ranger.

Ranger inclined his head towards me. "You found Steph."

Tank turned his head slowly and I gave him my most innocent smile and a finger wave.

His gaze fell from me to the shovel on the floor to the stairs. "Did you rig the stairs somehow?" he asked, still rubbing his head.

I stood up and dusted myself off, still in the process of calming down. "Glass marbles," I explained.

Ranger snorted and shook his head again, closing the distance between us. "Here we came to help you thinking you were the damsel in distress."

He held his hand out to Tank and helped him up. "When you were fully in charge of the situation." When Tank was back on his feet Ranger turned to me.

"Proud of you Babe," he said softly and pulled me back into his arms.

"I didn't know it was you," I said as if that wasn't obvious. "I couldn't know who would come down those stairs."

"Never a dull moment, Steph," Tank said and grinned.

Phew. Guess I wasn't going to be shipped to that third world country.

I leaned into Ranger and took a couple deep breaths. "What happened?" I asked when I felt like myself again?

"You weren't Harry's only guest," Ranger said, as if that wasn't obvious.

I took a step back so I could give him The Look. He chuckled and put his arm around my shoulder.

"Let's get out of here and I'll tell you the whole thing," he said as he nudged me towards the stairs. Tank was almost upstairs already, watching his step.

"Where's Harry? Is he okay?" I wanted to know.

"He got a couple bruises, but he'll be fine," Ranger said. "He's upstairs now, the paramedics are with him."

I stopped. "The para…you called the cops?"

Ranger cleared the lower steps by swiping his foot over it. "No."

I rolled my eyes but let him lead me upstairs without pushing for more. We both knew he'd tell me everything I wanted to know later.

Upstairs, there were a few open doors, a few decorative tables in the hall were upended, but other than that, everything looked normal. I didn't see the butler, he was probably looking after Harry.

Bobby was waiting at the front door and grinned when he saw me. "Remind me never to invite you over for lunch," he said and turned before he could see the Italian hand signal I gave him in return.

"Looks like I missed all the action," I said to Ranger, looking around in the empty foyer.

"And that's a good thing," he replied and kissed my temple before he took his arm off me and put his hand in the small of my back to guide me out the door.

Bobby waved at me from the driver's side of my Hummer and started the engine.

"You're riding with me," Ranger said as I watched Tank take the seat next to Bobby.

"Drive carefully," I warned Bobby and they both laughed at that. Even though I hadn't destroyed a car in months, it was still funny, I guess.

I glared at them but they ignored me as they drove by. Ranger held my door open for me.

"We should stop by the ER on our way back," he said and I knew he was trying for a casual tone.

"I'm fine," I said in my best 'end of discussion' tone and fastened my seatbelt.

Ranger stood in the open door, looking at me. His expression wasn't quite neutral, I thought I saw some exasperation there. I took his hand and squeezed it.

"If you don't believe me I'll let you inspect me," I said and winked, looking at him through lowered lashes.

That got an almost smile and a lot of expelled air, and he closed my door and walked around the front of the car.

"Okay," he finally said as he took the driver's seat and started the car. I hadn't really meant it as a question, but I didn't say anything.

As long as I was avoiding another visit to the ER, I was happy. Chances were they would keep me if they saw today's injuries in addition to the ones from the car crash. As if on cue, my head started pounding and I closed my eyes and leaned back. I could feel Ranger's eyes on me.

"I'm just tired," I tried, not sure if I could convince Ranger. I didn't need a doctor, I needed a hot bath and Ranger!

"We have a debriefing when we get to the office," Ranger said and put the car in gear.

I didn't open my eyes, I had no desire to see Harry's house ever again, I just wanted to leave.

"You don't have to attend though, I can tell you everything later."

I jerked my head up and winced, regretting the sudden movement as pain shot through my head again. I saw Ranger's look but ignored it. "No way! I want to know what the hell was going on!"

He cut his eyes to the road then back at me, but didn't respond. He didn't have to, 'We'll see' was the clear message. I sighed and leaned back. Now that he rescued me, again, he probably thought he had earned the right to tell me what to do. I decided not to burst his bubble and get some quiet time before we got back to RangeMan.

We pulled into the underground garage behind my Hummer, the others were behind us. I was curious what Ranger had been thinking about, ever since he'd told me his 'zone' was actually his thinking time, I wondered what he came up with, especially if we had different opinions about what I could and couldn't do.

Ranger cut his eyes to me and cut the engine. "How about a deal?"

"A deal?" I had no idea what he was talking about, but this must have been what he'd cooked up during the drive.

"Yeah, a deal. I tell you everything that happened and you let Dr. Mahoney check you out."

He got out of the car and was on my side before I could even unbuckle. He opened my door and held his hand out.

"That's not a deal, that's blackmail," I said. "You know I want to know."

The idea of a smile played around his lips. "So you agree?"

I took his hand and he helped me out of the SUV. I was wondering if he was serious. Of course, Ranger never joked about 'deals', so chances were he was dead serious. So for the moment, I chose to leave his question unanswered and busied myself with removing the wires and the mike from my body, all the while feeling his eyes on me.

We stepped into the elevator and I got an idea. I took a step towards Ranger so that our bodies were almost touching. "How about you examine me after the meeting? I'm sure you could do just as thorough a job as Dr. Mahoney."

Ranger smiled and studied me. "I should know better than to challenge you," he said at last as the elevator doors opened. "Let's see how you feel after the meeting, when you're off the adrenaline high?"

I felt that was an acceptable compromise. After the meeting, I'd know all I wanted to know and if I was still feeling crappy it probably wouldn't hurt to get checked out.

We left the elevator and Lester slapped me on the shoulder when I walked past him. "Looks like I missed the action once again. There's no such thing as a simple Steph job."

I grimaced. "You heard it all, didn't you?"

"Only until you were locked up somewhere, the signal died after that," he said and grew serious. "I was worried there for a while."

He stepped closer as if to hug me, but a glance at Ranger stopped him cold. "Glad you're okay," he said and held his fist out for me to bump with mine. A man hug, as I've come to think of it.

Ranger held the door to the conference room open for me, but I turned at the last minute. "I'm just gonna get some…uhm…water, I'll be right there."

While I was thirsty, what I really wanted was some Advil. They were kept in the kitchen's little First Aid cabinet. Ever since I requested them, actually. Ranger knew they were there, but in light of our conversation, I didn't want to alert him to the fact that I had a headache from hell.

I joined the meeting about five minutes later, just as the sheet of paper with the bullet points was being passed around.

Every 'mission', every job RangeMan went on was followed by a meeting, or Situation Report as the guys called it. I was used to them but didn't often attend since they had nothing to do with me. This time though, I couldn't wait to find out what had actually happened.

I glanced at the handout and grimaced. Tank had been in charge of naming the 'mission'. He'd chosen "Operation Bombshell" as the name. Merry Man humor. He was also in charge of the meeting. Once everybody was seated, he stood up and addressed the group.

He started out with what had been the original objective, following me to Harry's house and securing the surroundings. Then he continued to the part I wanted to know.

"We hadn't made any unusual observations when Steph's conversation was interrupted at 12:22 by an employee," he said, looking at me. "The butler alerted Mr. Garibaldi to a problem at the front gate."

Now he turned to Ranger. "The front gate was watched by Unit 1, me and Ranger. No one arrived or left after Steph."

Ranger nodded almost imperceptibly and motioned for Tank to continue.

"Unit 2 and 3 didn't report any breeches in the fence or wall surrounding the compound. That only leaves the option that the perps had arrived before Steph got there at 12:04." He looked at his notes. "At the sound of gunshots we got the go-ahead to move in."

"It was so cool," Junior interrupted, straightening in his seat. "We totally rammed the gate and stormed in with our guns drawn!"

A quick look from Ranger silenced him and I could have sworn he blushed a little. I was sure he only voiced what the others were thinking, they loved that kind of action.

Bobby cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "We alerted the police when we heard gunshots," he said. "So we were unable to question any of the four suspects."

Oh great. So we were at square one? I groaned involuntarily and all eyes were on me.

"But we were able to determine they acted on behalf of Eric DalBo," Tank added.

I gasped. "Was he there? Did the cops arrest him? It's over?" I got totally excited at the prospect and almost jumped up.

Tank shook his head. "No, he wasn't part of the team. From what I was able to get from the guy, they were rent-a-thugs, there to rob the place, scare the owner."

"Why would DalBo want to anger Harry?" I asked. "That doesn't make any sense."

Tank grinned and Ranger's lips quirked up in an almost smile. "I don't think they were there to tell Harry who hired them," Ranger said.

"Oh," I said as his meaning set in.

"We were mostly interested in finding out where he'd stashed you," Ranger said. "But the other intel came as a bonus."

Translation: Ranger and Tank beat the guy up until he told them everything they wanted to know. I hoped it was Becker, he owed me for the violent push down the stairs.

"But why?" I wanted to know.

"We don't know yet," Tank admitted. "But I'm looking into the possibility that DalBo wasn't so much a friend's son here to learn the ropes as a mole."

My eyebrows arched so far up, they met my hair line. "A mole? As in, he's a cop?"

Tank chuckled and shook his head. "No, not like that. More like a mole for a rival, planted to take over Harry's part of the pie."

"It's possible," Ranger threw in. "But I hate to speculate unless there's evidence."

Mental eye roll. Ranger wouldn't believe water is wet without proof. But he did have a point. Harry had told me more than once how DalBo Senior was a friend of his, and from what I understand, that means a lot in the mob.

"You mean his dad sent him to sabotage Harry? The German invasion?" Now all the Merry Men grinned.

"How well do you know the mob?" Hector asked, turning to me.

I was about to answer I'd grown up with the mob when I realized I didn't know all that much about them. The truth was, I knew rumors and movies. "Not much," I admitted.

"These are not some wannabe Corleones from Jersey," Hector explained. "We're running the international searches now, it could be we underestimated DalBo Junior because his disguise worked."

I didn't much like the idea of RangeMan fooled by a guy that was threatening my life. For my sanity, I had to believe nothing could fool the Merry Men.

"The disguise being…"

"An apprentice," Hector said.

Eric may have given me that impression at first, because he was Guzzarella's muscle, but after reading the report on him, it had been pretty clear he was not just starting out. I shared my findings with the group. Except the part where Eric was a food addict, I wanted to talk about that with Ranger first.

"He's not as new at this as we and Harry may have thought then," Tank said.

Ranger threw his papers on the table. "Time to talk to Hartung," he said and got up. "Meeting adjourned. Until we have more facts we're wasting our time."

Tank nodded. "We're running the tests now. The next SitRep is at 18:00 to go over the results."

Hector got up as well. "I'll talk to our friend." He smiled so evilly, I almost felt sorry for Hartung.

Tank rubbed his neck as he got up and I could tell he was happy the meeting was over. He was probably off to score some Advil himself, his bones would have to be as sore as mine from the fall.

Everybody shuffled out of the conference room back to their assignments. I didn't have an assignment, but I really needed some down time. Ranger caught up with me at the elevator.

"Trying to avoid me?" he asked, pushing me into the elevator when the doors opened.

I was pressed against the wall and his face was an inch from mine before I knew what was happening.

"I thought I'd go home and check in with Rex. He doesn't have daycare like Bob," I said, although when Ranger was so close to me, I found it hard to find anything else important. Another minute of this and wouldn't know what I was doing in the elevator.

"Trying to avoid me?" he asked again, a smile playing around his lips. "Rex is taken care of along with Bob."

And then he kissed me. Soft and warm at first, then his hand snuck under my shirt and the kiss grew more demanding.

The doors pinged open on the seventh floor and I hadn't even realized Ranger had pushed a button. He broke the kiss and pulled back half an inch, his breath tickled my lips when he spoke.

"You promised me a thorough examination and I have this rain check to cash in…" he whispered, lowering his mouth to my jaw and tracing my jawbone with his tongue.

And just like that, I wasn't exhausted anymore and my headache was gone. Well, maybe the headache had gone away a while ago, when the Advil kicked in, but I couldn't help noticing how great I felt. And I figured if I was going to be sore in the morning anyway, I might as well have fond memories instead of a fall down some stairs.

Ranger nudged me towards his front door and keyed it open. He dropped his keys on the sideboard, slammed the door shut behind me and pinned me against it, strong but gently.

He locked eyes with me, his hands on either side of my head, and grew serious for a moment.

"Promise you'll let me know if anything hurts?"

"Only if it's in a bad way," I murmured and fused my lips with his.

I knew he was concerned, but at that moment, I didn't want to hear it. I wanted Ranger, and I wanted all of him. After what I'd been through, I deserved an orgasm! After all, there are all kinds of dealing with a traumatic event.

I moaned into his mouth when he opened it for me and slid my tongue inside. His hands fisted in my hair at the same time I grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him flush against me. I felt him react to me and my heart sped up.

Without breaking the kiss, Ranger let his hands slide down, pulling me away from the door and into his arms, then he lifted me off the floor and I wrapped my legs around his hips.

He carried me through the apartment, kicked the bedroom door open and lowered me onto the bed. I knew he still didn't believe I was feeling okay because I'd expected him to throw me playfully.

He pulled his shirt out of his pants and over his head, letting it fall to the floor, then he knelt on the bed and hooked a finger through the belt loops of my slacks.

"Too many clothes," he said softly as he began to tug.

I smiled and lifted my hips, unbuttoning my pants and sliding down the zipper so he could pull the obstacle off me. My pants joined his shirt on the floor and he slid his hands under my shirt.

I sucked in a breath when his fingertips brushed over my pebbled nipples, straining against the lace of the bra.

Ranger lowered himself over me, balancing his weight on his elbows and kissed me. This time, there was no gentle beginning, his mouth stroked mine with a passion that almost made me come on the spot and my hips moved against his involuntarily.

I was breathless when he released my mouth and ran his tongue over to my ear, caressing its shell before stroking the sensitive spot just below it. His fingers worked their way around me and unhooked my bra and I arched against his hand when he cupped my breast. I was so close and we weren't even undressed yet.

As if on cue, Ranger's cell phone rang on his belt. He pulled back, cursed and took his phone off his belt.

Ugh! Was there always going to be an interruption? I was totally taken aback when Ranger pulled his phone off his belt and threw it across the room. I laughed out loud, surprised because that had never happened before. Ranger always took his calls.

"Not this time," he said, pulling out his belt and then my shirt. "The next one who tries to interrupt will get shot."

It always turns me on when he talks rough, but fueled by the adrenaline and the unbearable need for him, I couldn't hold back a moan. He quickly relieved me of my shirt and pulled my bra away in the same movement before he crushed his mouth to mine again and gave me a taste of what he was going to do to other parts of my body in a little bit.

My panties were soaked through by the time he pulled on them until they snapped. He splayed his hand on my abdomen, kneading his way down and I dug my fingers into his back, pulling him closer. I wanted him in me, I needed him to fill me completely, and I wanted it now.

I worked my hands down his back, into the waistband of his pants and around to the front. Ranger pulled his head back to smile at me, or maybe just to watch me, for just a moment, and then I think I lost consciousness for a second when he pulled my nipple into his mouth and let his tongue roll around it. I felt him moan against my skin when my hips came off the mattress and pressed into his and he lifted himself up enough to open his buttons and wiggle out of the last obstacle between us.

"Now," I whispered, not embarrassed about the begging tone in my voice.

I felt him smile against my skin as his mouth traveled from my left breast to the right and he captured the nipple.

"Now," I repeated, a little louder this time, a little whinier.

"Not even close," he whispered and ran his tongue to my sternum and down my belly.

"Ranger, pleeeeaaase," I begged, but he put his hand on my hip and pressed it into the mattress as he French kissed my navel.

By now I was panting, desperate for release, my hands fisted in his hair. But he had pinned me under him so I couldn't move, I couldn't even get a hold of his cock that was pressing hard into my thigh until he lowered himself and let his tongue swirl deeper and deeper until it his ground zero and I came with a scream.

Ranger didn't let up then, his tongue kept on its ministrations, prolonging my orgasm until I thought I was hovering above the bed and a million stars exploded behind my closed eyelids.

His mouth finally traveled up my body again and as soon as he released my hips, I arched into him, grabbing his ass with both hands.

He smiled his 200 Watt smile when he settled himself between my legs and I immediately wrapped my legs around his waist.

"Now," he whispered, and thrust his tongue into my mouth at the same time he thrust himself into me and I could already feel the next climax when I felt him fill me.

He stilled, allowing my body to adjust to his size, swirling his tongue in my mouth, engaging my tongue in an erotic dance. The he pulled back slowly, almost all the way, and thrust into me again with a force that made us both moan.

With every thrust, he buried himself deeper into me and I arched into him as much as I could, feeling the wave coming, needing the release again, breathless in anticipation.

I came undone when Ranger thrust into me, his chest vibrating with a growl. I could feel my walls clenching around him and lifted my hips up as far as I could to meet him.

We both came then, screaming each other's name, my fingernails digging into his back, my hips fused to his, and I stopped breathing for a long moment while the waves crashed over me.

Ranger collapsed onto me for just a second, his ragged breath hot on my moist skin, then he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me with him, still inside me.

When our heart rates had returned to semi-normal, I felt his hand in my hair. He kissed my temple, still holding me close to him.

"You were right," he said and I could feel him smile. "You're fine."

I smiled and lifted my head so I could reach his mouth. "I am now."

And then I kissed him, rolling myself on top of him, preparing him for round two.

TBC

A/N: A chapter late, but I managed to get the smut in, so all is well, right? But here's the challlenge: The next reviewer to suggest the right fly in the ointment is going to get their name into the next chapter! So what problem/hiccup do you foresee?