Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes.

A/N: There is a SMUT warning for this chapter.

…

From Chapter 15:

I gulped and blinked a few times, focusing on the current problem. "When we got there, it exploded. He's gone, Ranger."

I was undone. Telling him made it all too real and I lowered my head. He pulled me against his chest and I pressed my face to it, feeling his heart hammering beneath my cheek, his arms like metal bands around my torso, and his body trembling. From rage or sadness, I couldn't tell. I was crushed by the horror of losing a child before ever meeting him, whether or not I'd wanted one.

…

Chapter 16

Ranger kissed the top of my head and said, "We don't know what happened. We're not giving up until we know for sure." I clutched at him and nodded, trying not to get fluids from my crying session all over his shirt. What he said made sense. After all, he'd thought I was dead. Even buried me, yet here I was. Alive. Alive.

"Okay," I said. "I know you're upset with me, but I need you to just be like this, with me, for right now." Ranger tightened his hold and slid his hand beneath my hair to hold my head to his shoulder and massage my scalp.

"Babe," he said and slid his other arm around my waist. "I'm bad with emotions, especially mine. I didn't handle our argument well." I started to speak and he squeezed his hands inward to silence me. "I'm sorry I walked out on our discussion. It won't happen again."

I smiled despite everything and raised my head to look at him when I said, "It might, but even if it does I'll forgive you." He gave me a strange look and I shook my head slightly. "I don't expect perfection from you. Just your love and honesty. We can work through anything else."

His arms encircled me and we held each other tight for a few minutes, then I felt his arms tense just the slightest bit. He said, "We will get him."

Walker, Lester, and Tank came into the room right then and Ranger asked, "Flight?"

"An hour," Tank said.

"Flight?" I asked and sat up, looking at Ranger. "We didn't miss it?"

He reached up and caressed my cheek with his hand, his other at my lower back, pulling me against him. "We changed to a later flight." With a glance at Walker, he asked, "Everything all set?"

Walker nodded. "I convinced them she's fit to fly under my care, she just has to sign some release forms and get a final exam." His eyes flicked to me and then Ranger. "Any new leads?"

Ranger went completely still and said, "Not now." Walker nodded once and Ranger said, "We need to get those forms signed."

"Okay, I'm ready." I wiped my eyes and sat up, determined to get to Rome and get my fucking life back. And more, God willing.

Lester said, "Good. You have some ass kicking to do. As long as you save some asses for me."

I nodded once. "Yes, but one of them is all mine." The last time I felt this cold and vengeful was when Kenny Mancuso had stabbed Grandma Mazur in the hand. The thought of Grandma made me sad, but I fought it off and focused on my anger. Those who preyed on the defenseless made my blood boil.

Ranger pressed me close and his lips moved to my ear. "As long as I'm there, I'll let you do anything you want." I didn't want to examine his promise too closely. I wasn't sure if he realized how close to murder I felt at the moment.

I wrapped my arms tight around his neck and moved my lips to his ear. "You sure?"

I felt his smile against my jaw. His voice was a little rough when he said, "Trust me, I look forward to it."

After the argument and silence between us, the relief I felt strengthened my resolve. He hadn't said whether or not he'd changed his mind, but it no longer mattered. We were, and always would be, a team. That much was clear.

I pushed myself away from him after a quick kiss.

"We're ready," Ranger said and pushed me up to my feet with his hand at my waist as he stood, then wrapped his arm around me, keeping me close to him.

I had to focus. Carlo. We were going to Italy for him. For me. We were going to get Adriano. And if we were lucky, we'd figure out how and why my life was turned upside down. A fire sped through my veins: the fire of justice, the need to make things right.

…

I stared out the window of the airplane as we taxied to the gate in Rome. I barely recalled boarding the plane. It seemed like one minute I was signing papers, the next we were on the plane ready for takeoff. Once airborne, Walker, Ranger, and I talked about my dream. I told them everything I remembered and mentioned the alarm and the response it triggered. "This flashback wasn't like the others. I didn't just drift off; I felt like I was being thrown into an electric fence."

Walker had pondered that for a minute and said, "It could possibly have something to do with the method used to erase your memories."

"Great, so I'm going to have to avoid alarms for the rest of my life? Can you reverse it?"

He shrugged slightly. "Hopefully. But unless we can locate those who were directly involved, we won't get answers."

"Then we'll find them."

No one had argued with me.

Now, fatigued from the events of the past couple of days, my eyes drooped and Ranger lightly brushed the top of my thigh with his fingertips.

"If you fall asleep, you'll miss the scenery on the way to the hotel."

"What scenery? It's dark out. It must be after nine already."

"It's 9:30. And the lights in the city are pretty impressive."

I snorted. The only scenery I was interested in viewing right now was the beaten and bloodied body of Adriano. Seeing my look, Ranger leaned over and kissed me. "Babe." He knew me so well.

Lester retrieved my small suitcase from the overhead bins and waved me off when I tried to take it. Then he started down the aisle carrying his own small duffle plus my suitcase. Walker was back a few rows having already pulled down the guys' bags from the bins. He looked like he was waiting for something. Ranger tugged me up from my seat and led me down the aisle, arm back holding my hand, and Tank followed closely behind me with Walker on his heels carrying the other three duffle bags. I quickly realized that I was under guard and decided not to complain. We didn't know who had been a part of whatever scheme it was that ripped me from my life in Trenton and chances were good that it was someone in Italy.

There were so many questions it made my head spin. Who was Adriano? Who was Seppe Marotta to me? A father figure or an enemy disguised as a friend? Who was he to the rest of the world and why were the guys so tense about my description of our relationship? How did he fit in with Adriano? And why, if he cared about me, why had he wanted me with someone like Adriano? Most importantly was the question over who had motive to ruin my life. That one bothered me the most.

Since the meeting with this Spitz character loomed ahead of us, as well as the promise of answers, my fatigue suddenly turned to nervous anticipation. I gripped Ranger's hand tighter as we walked through the terminal to the rental car station. Tank had made the arrangements so he handled the transaction.

In Trenton, though he gave the men assignments often enough, Ranger always handled his own personal business. It was odd to see him step back and hand the reins over to someone else. I realized right away that he had assigned himself to be my own personal bodyguard this time. No Merry Men guarding Stephanie Plum. No, I got Batman himself. It was something he'd never done before when I was in trouble and spoke volumes for how affected he was by everything that had happened to me and, subsequently, to him.

The car Tank rented was spacious for four adults my size. Cramming into the backseat with Ranger and Lester proved how small it really was. They're both trim enough to sit easily in narrow seats, but their muscular bulk and long legs took up all the extra room. Tank and Walker towered in the front seats, their heads nearly touching the ceiling.

The traffic in this city was as terrifying as traffic in Paris. Cars honked, people gestured rudely to each other, and cars screeched to a halt at odd angles in the street where they attempted to go around anyone and anything in their way. The cars left no space between each other and I was terrified that Tank would crash into the car in front of us, or worse, that the huge truck behind us would run us over. Tank expertly maneuvered the streets, though, and I was impressed.

Ranger must have noticed the nervous glances I cast at a few cars who'd gotten close enough for me to see hangnails when the drivers flipped us off because his chest rumbled in a low chuckle. "If you think this is bad, I should take you to India sometime."

I narrowed my eyes and looked at him. "No! We're never going there. Please tell me you don't drive there? I've seen that traffic in movies."

"Not even I am brave enough to attempt driving in that mess. I usually hire a driver. A good one."

"Still not interested," I said. "If I want hot weather, I'll find hot weather with a beach." He pressed his lips to the top of my head and I could feel the smile on them.

The hotel was beautiful. Audacious, but beautiful. The furnishings were all aged bronze, creamy marble, rich dark woods, thick patterned carpets, crystal chandeliers, frosted sconces, and leather furniture. The gilded wood on the ceiling in the lobby captured my attention immediately. In the center was a large chandelier. It was like walking into a palace and I felt completely out of place in my jeans and black t-shirt. My only saving grace was that I was wearing a pair of Marc Jacobs sandals that had magically appeared with my luggage in Paris. They made me feel not quite so ratty, even with my travel-mussed curls.

Lester handed Ranger my small suitcase and his duffle. "We going to meet for dinner and go over plans for tomorrow?"

"No," Ranger said. "You three are going to meet for dinner and go over tomorrow's plan of action. Tell me what you decided tomorrow morning at breakfast." He turned around and grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the elevators.

My eyes swept over the cast iron gates we passed through on our way into the ornate elevator. I was almost uncomfortable in all of this glitz and glamor. Give me a normal Marriott any day.

When we got to our room, he unlocked it with the key card and pulled me in behind him, shutting the door and flipping the security lever over the hook on the door. He dropped our luggage on the floor and tossed the key card onto an end table.

I looked around the room and noticed that there was a late meal waiting for us on a serving cart beside the small dining table in the living area. It'd been a long time since the sandwich I'd downed after my 'incident' at the airport. I looked at Ranger and, without looking at me, he said, "Tank." Bless the big-hearted romantic. He'd known what I needed, what Ranger needed.

We walked to the table and sat down. I wasn't all that interested in food, but knew I needed to eat or I'd be up in the middle of the night starving. The meal was some chicken dish with pasta and a mushroom sauce. I didn't know what it was called or if it tasted good. I had too much to think about and not enough happy to consider denial and, really, denial wouldn't work for me. Not in this instance. Nothing could make me forget what I'd lost.

Ranger wasn't talking, but it was different than his normal 'I don't have anything to say' brand of silence. He was brooding, staring off into the room at nothing. He ate mechanically, fork to mouth, knife cutting meat, drink of wine.

A little desperate for some noise, I asked, "So, how do you know this Spitz guy? The guys told me he's undercover in Marotta's organization."

He blinked and looked at me as if noticing me for the first time since we sat down. "His unit and mine worked together on a big mission. We've worked together a lot over the years."

"He's American?"

"Italian."

Okay. "So, is Spitz a call sign like 'Ranger' or is that his real name?"

He wiped his mouth with his napkin and sat back with his glass of wine in hand. "Name's Marco Spitzano."

"So, what kind of undercover work is he doing? I mean, what is he trying to find?"

Ranger eyed me for a few seconds and gave a small shake of his head. "He doesn't share information."

"Doesn't or can't?"

"It becomes the same thing." I rolled my eyes and pushed my plate away. "You finished?"

"Yeah."

Ranger stood and took my hand, pulling me into his arms. We stood like that for a long time, hugging and breathing. Finally, he said what I knew had been on his mind during dinner. "I wanted you both."

Just like that, I was crying again. "I know."

"I wouldn't willingly sacrifice him. He's my son, how could I? But I can't say I feel the same connection as you."

I didn't even understand the connection I felt myself. "We don't know that he's gone. I still want to try the drug therapy."

"I get it. Don't expect me to like it."

I nodded.

We gazed at each other for a long time and then he leaned toward me and kissed my forehead, my eyes, then kissed away my tears, the corners of my mouth, and finally my mouth. Every kiss was whisper light, but they affected me exactly the opposite. The love they expressed settled over me like a blanket on a wintry day, warm and soothing.

He broke the kiss and rubbed his lightly stubbled cheek against mine and then trailed his lips along my jaw and kissed my chin. Then he bent down and lifted me into his arms and carried me slowly into the bedroom, never taking his eyes off mine, lowering me to the bed gently, and coming down to rest beside me on his side.

Deliberately, with his eyes watching the movement, he lightly stroked his hand down my chest between my breasts until his fingers reached the hem of my t-shirt. He slid his hand underneath and stroked them around my belly button and then back up, stopping just short of my breasts and splaying his fingers out over my rib cage.

Everything inside me tightened at once; my nipples, stomach, pelvis, and my lower back. Sensual tingles hummed in my blood, intensifying with each beat of my heart, until my breathing turned labored and a little raspy.

He always knew exactly how to get to me, how to turn me on and make me desperate: make me wait. When he finally decided I'd had enough anticipation to make me crawl out of my skin, he leaned down and gently bit one of my hard peaks through my t-shirt and the thin padding of my bra. I gasped and arched my back, but he let go and pulled away.

I sank down onto the bed with a hard sigh and felt the fluttering twinges of need racing to my center and squirmed slightly.

Slowly, he raised my t-shirt up and over my chest and pulled the cups of my bra down beneath my breasts, pushing them up. The cold air puckered my nipples more and he leaned down to lick one, then the other, then blew on them. I moaned and pumped my hips upward once in response and he repeated the action. My hand went to his shoulder and the fingers dug into his flesh.

He responded by raising himself onto his knees and crawling over me, anchoring his hips on the bed between my legs, hands wrapped around my sides under my arms. He lifted my chest and bent his head to trace and tease my nipples with his tongue. My hands went to his hair and I tried with all my might to pull him closer, but he held me firm with his hands and wouldn't allow me to move.

The torture didn't last long, though, because he had mercy on me and began to draw them into his mouth, stroking and circling with his tongue, using pressure from his mouth to compress and stretch them out. Somehow he worked my shirt and bra off me, as well as his shirt, but I had no idea when or how he'd done it.

I had no control over my vocal chords or any noise they produced. My emotions were strung high and tears of relief, mingled with love and grief, leaked from the corners of my eyes and down my temples into my hair.

He stopped, lifting his head and placing one last kiss on my nipple before he got up and left the bed. I sighed in frustration when he left the room. What the…? He came back seconds later with our luggage and unzipped his duffle, pulling out a box from inside. When he returned to the bed, he tossed the box onto the nightstand and I understood. Condoms. Because we weren't protected anymore. I was both grateful and disappointed. Shit, it'd take some getting used to. Still, condom sex was better than no sex.

The sight of Ranger removing his cargos distracted me and I watched, mesmerized as the black material revealed his creamy light brown skin and my favorite part of his anatomy. My mouth watered and I leaned over to kiss the tip, drawing a hiss from him.

He gently pushed me back and climbed onto the bed, resuming his previous position. He trailed his mouth down my body to the waistband of my jeans and unsnapped them, inching them down with his hands, following the progress with his mouth, until they were off and I lay before him in only my pale blue lacy panties and my evaporating tears.

With agonizing slowness, eyes holding mine, he lowered his head and touched his tongue to my clit through the thin silk. I forced myself not to close my eyes and tilt my head back, but to watch him because I knew he wanted it. From past experience, I knew he'd stop if I closed my eyes and I didn't want him to stop.

His mouth opened wider and his tongue stroked the length of my sex, ending with a small wiggle on my clit that sent a rush of heat through my entire body. He closed his mouth over the cleft and massaged the nub firmly with his tongue, making my muscles contract and my hips flex.

Just when it was feeling really good, he stopped and slowly inched the soaked panties off me. I groaned and gripped the thick comforter in my hands, teeth clenched together. God, I was going insane! He moved back up to kiss me and reached over, grabbed a packet from the box, and ripped it open. I took it from him and reached down between our bodies to circle my hand around him, sliding it up and over the tip, squeezing, then back down before rolling the condom on.

His breathing had increased and I could see the pulse hammering in his neck, eyes intense, jaw tight. Raising my legs, Ranger lowered himself until he was poised over me. I gave a light moan and he went still. He held my gaze as he inched his way inside, making me squirm for more. He moved slowly, deeper and deeper, until we were pressed together hip to hip. His muscles twitched to continue, but he remained still, staring into my eyes.

"Stephanie," he whispered.

"Yeah?" I whispered back.

"I love you."

Tears blurred my vision again and slipped over the rims of my eyes. I blinked them away and nodded, gazing solemnly at him. "I love you, too."

"Forever."

"Yes, forever."

He groaned and began to move then, unhurried, as if he wanted to do our declarations justice, consummate them. He was driving me crazy, deliberately taking his time, pushing me up and up and up to the edge again. With an agonizing pace, he stroked, bending down to lightly scrape his teeth over my breasts and nipples, circling them with his tongue, and finally drawing them into his mouth. Back and forth, he moved between each, increasing their sensitivity and my euphoria all at once.

He urged me on, whispering to me, encouraging me, and urging me further and further until I suddenly exploded, crying out and clinging to him as my body moved and rippled beneath his. A few seconds later, I heard his low growl as he, too, climaxed, arms around me, still moving within, drawing out my orgasm as long as possible.

We lay together, spent and breathing, hearts beating rhythms against each other, slowing, calming, settling. His fingers played with my hair and he kissed my shoulder and neck several times before he finally raised his head to look at me.

"What's wrong, Ranger?"

His brow furrowed slightly and he dipped his head down to kiss the hollow of my neck, then the top of each breast. He raised his head again and said, "I thought I would never feel this again; didn't want to look for it." I ran my fingertip softly down between his eyebrows, smoothing out the skin there, but his eyes were still a mixture of happiness and pain. He leaned down to flick his tongue over my nipple and nuzzled his face against the side of my breast.

Then he moved to his side and pulled me with him, arm around my waist, hand cupping my breast. His fingers idly stroked my flesh and his warm breath warmed the skin. We lay like that for a long time, not speaking, just connecting. Somewhere along the way, we fell asleep.

It was after 1:00 am when I woke to the pleasure of his tongue circling my nipple again. This time, he made love to me with a ferocity that would have shocked me if I hadn't been right there with him. After that, he didn't stop there, but kissed his way down my body in a repeat of our first ever sexual encounter following the DeChooch deal, and drawing out an incredibly off-key version of the Hallelujah Chorus from me.

…

"Ready for Rome, babe?" he asked as we stepped out of the shower and began toweling the moisture from our bodies.

"I'm ready to get back to my life, our life." Making up with Ranger dulled my fears back down to the 'strong concern' level. I refused to dwell on what we didn't know about Carlo. Instead, I chose to hope that he could be alive and to be thankful that Ranger and I were a team again. I knew I could do anything, even face my unknown demons, as long as I had him at my side.

We dressed quickly and met the guys next door in Tank's room for breakfast. Lester and Tank looked a little worse for wear and each had slightly blood shot eyes. "Oh no," I said as I took my place between Ranger and Tank at our table, which was full of room service food. "You guys didn't get drunk last night, did you?"

Lester looked up at me with a disgruntled look, his mouth in a grim line. "No. We had rooms next to yours. Did you know that you," he slid his eyes over to Ranger, "both of you, were very loud? All night. I admit, I don't always need a full eight hours, but three is a bit short for me."

Tank nodded in agreement while he dumped half a bottle of ketchup on his eggs.

"Santos, you're walking the line—"

"Can it. Next time we stay in the same hotel, get the penthouse suite so you have zero neighbors." Lester took a large swallow of his juice grabbed the pitcher to refill it.

My face was hot so I knew it was probably red enough to blend in with the red brocade fabric on the back of my chair. I stared at Lester in wide-eyed horror and, when he caught the look on my face, his expression changed and the look in his eyes softened. "Sorry, Blue Eyes. I'm happy the two of you made up – for your sake."

Ranger shot daggers at Lester with his eyes and I put my hand on his thigh and gave it a squeeze. He relaxed at my touch and proceeded eating his plain fat-free yogurt, berries, and lox on a croissant with Gervais, a soft creamy cheese similar to the cream cheese we were used to back home. He'd also decided to have coffee this morning and I suspected it was because he needed the caffeine boost.

I leaned toward him and murmured, "I love you, but don't be grumpy. They're helping us and they don't have to."

He gave me a slight nod and looked up as Walker entered the room looking well-rested and possibly a bit smug.

"You look like you slept, man," Lester mumbled to him.

"Sure. I knew better than to take a room anywhere near theirs," he cocked his thumb toward Ranger and me. "I took the one that wasn't in our room block." He grinned at the two tired men and then asked, "Did you confirm the meeting with Spitz?"

"Where's the meeting at?" I asked.

"Sent him a text, waiting to hear back," Lester said and flipped Walker off.

Ranger leaned toward me and said, "A little restaurant a few miles away." I nodded at him.

Lester couldn't leave it alone. "You two did sort of sound like a live porn film last night." He winked at me, and Ranger scowled.

Tank's laughter boomed out, startling me mid-pour as I tried to put milk in my cereal. It sloshed over the linen tablecloth and I quickly grabbed my napkin to mop it up. "You'd think these two would be more tired than you, Lester, but maybe it's harder work when you have to do it all yourself?"

Ranger said, "Santos doesn't take long enough to wear himself out."

Lester looked like he wanted to be angry, but burst out laughing.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't want to hear about any solo X-Rated activities in any of your rooms last night." I picked up my spoon and shoveled a huge bite of cereal into my mouth.

The guys continued to banter, but I got my cereal down in record time and then stood. "I need to do something with this mess," I said, pointing to my hair. "I'll see you in a half hour." I got up to head back to the room and Ranger caught up with me in the hallway.

"You ok?"

"Sorry, I'm just nervous about this meeting for some reason." Maybe it had something to do with the fact that every time I found out something new about Camila, it was horrible? I hugged him and moved my lips to his neck and pressed a soft, tender kiss against his pulse point.

"I'll be right there. Marco can be trusted. If not, I wouldn't have a business relationship with him."

I nodded. It wasn't Marco I was nervous about, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. "Well, not that I need you to hold my hand, but I'm glad you'll be there holding my hand."

"Is that all I'm good for?"

"I could think of a few other things." We smiled at each other and he kissed me before I walked into our room to get ready for a day of answers. Hopefully.