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

A/N: Only five chapters to go! I can't believe it. Thanks so much to everyone. I'm still trying to get time to reply to reviews from chapter 24 and plan to make that happen tomorrow. Thanks to all of my readers who let me know what you're thinking and give me insight to how this plot looks to you. I've been working on it so long, it's nice to see it new through your eyes!

…

Chapter 25

I found Lula in the break room when Ranger and I got to Rangeman. I was bombarded with hellos and hugs the second I reached the fifth floor. By that time, everyone knew I was back, but most were still shocked and glad to see me alive.

She was as angry as a wet hornet and understandably so. She buzzed around the kitchen with her head shaking and slamming things: coffee cup on the counter, cupboard doors, fridge door, and she even kicked the trash can.

"Girl, I wanted to tear Tank three new assholes when he walked in here and told me you were alive. And he knew about it. That man didn't even call me or nothin'. I said, 'Now I know you didn't just tell me you kept a secret like this from me the whole time you were gone.' Unh-hunh. It's gonna take him a long time to make up for this."

I bit back a smile. Poor Tank. He'd really been trying to do what was safest for me at the time. And Lula could be a little too … open. It's hard to share a secret this big with her knowing she'd be happy and have a hard time keeping it quiet. Still, I would have been pissed if I'd been in her shoes.

"Well," I said, making an attempt to smooth things over, "just remember that for a long time, we didn't know who was behind this whole thing, so we were being careful."

"I guess that's right, but damn, I'm his wife." She looked hurt. "And your friend."

"I know. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't tell my family or Mary Lou until today. Don't be too hard on him. It was hard to know what the right thing to do was. You know how those guys are. Still, you are his wife and he should trust you." I was evil and Tank would make me pay for that remark if he found out.

"Unh-hunh."

Once she calmed down, I told her the story from beginning to end and shared with her the dreams I'd had, especially the memories of Carlo. We speculated about what Harry's big issue with me was, but didn't come up with anything that made sense. I was mostly relieved to talk to someone who knew the whole story, including the details on Harry and Carlo.

"What we gonna do about him, anyway?"

I smiled. "I have a plan." I told her what I wanted to do and said, "I need you to go shopping for me while I tell Lester and Seppe. Think you can handle it?"

"Just like old times," she said with an evil grin. "Say what you need and I'll help." Thank God for Lula. I explained to her what I wanted and she nodded. "I know just where to go."

"Thanks, Lula. You're a lifesaver."

"Hmm," she said, standing and rolling her eyes. She hated getting thanks for helping, but she deserved it. "I'll have Tank take it to your hotel before you're done with dessert."

I went to find Lester and Seppe after that. They listened to my plan, looking doubtful at first.

"Why do you want to do it this way?" Lester asked.

"I don't want to give that slime ball a chance to weasel his way out of it. It's the best way to catch him in a lie."

Lester laughed. "Either way you win."

I nodded. Damn skippy.

"I think this is brilliant, Stephanie," Seppe said. "Very, very good." I noticed he tended to slip back into Italian without realizing it.

Lester nodded. "It's a good plan, Blue Eyes. Harry won't try anything with Seppe there, and you get the pleasure of watching him squirm his ass off." His smile turned devious. "What a night this is gonna be."

Ranger and Tank returned shortly after and reported that the ME, a guy named Frank Isley, had been forced to cooperate with Harry's plan. He'd threatened his wife and their young daughter. He swore he had nothing to do with the actual plan to remove me from Trenton.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"He's telling the truth," Ranger said. Holy shit, just what had Ranger done to get the man to talk? Then again, maybe just knowing someone knew opened his mouth. Yeah, I'd go with that theory. It was easier to think about. He turned to Seppe. "His job won't survive this, but he could use some protection. He's terrified."

Seppe agreed. "I do not want to punish a man who had no choices. Going to the polizia wouldn't have been a wise choice."

I wondered if Seppe had ever done that very thing to someone else. I didn't know what standard mafia operations were, or if Seppe even participated in shady behavior. Then I mentally kicked myself. Regardless of how he felt about me personally, he still wasn't safe. He was the mob.

"My team will need to know the new plan." Seppe smiled at me. "Ranger, do you have a conference room available to us?" I was surprised to hear Seppe say Ranger instead of 'signore Mañoso' and figured Ranger must have convinced him it was best to address him that way here in the building.

"Certainly. Lester?"

Lester nodded. "Right this way."

Ranger turned to me. "If we're going to get to your parents' by six, we should get to our hotel."

I blinked. "Hotel?"

He smiled. "Tank and Lula live upstairs." Shit, I hadn't known. It hadn't occurred to me to ask where she and Tank lived. I tried to keep my expression neutral, but Tank noticed anyway..

"We're building a place and should be moved in soon. It was temporary."

I gave him a bright smile, but I was sad and surprised. Everything had changed. Tank and Lula had been using Ranger's bed—Yikes, we were changing the mattress ASAP—and it just wasn't fair. I'd never gotten to live there and couldn't stay there even now. I'd been looking forward to being in a familiar place tonight. "A hotel, huh?"

Ranger, never one to miss the subtle differences in my mood, kissed my temple and said quietly, "Come on."

"Can I drive?"

"You don't have a license, babe." He flashed me a wide grin and I rolled my eyes. Details.

…

Dinner with my parents felt normal and strained at the same time. For them, the identity of the criminal who ruined my life hung over all our heads. For me, the fact that Grandma wasn't there and my father wasn't complaining just made everything so wrong.

It was almost a relief to return to our hotel. I gingerly changed, trying to keep from moving my injured shoulder too much. The outfit was exactly what I'd wanted and I was really thankful for and impressed with Lula's shopping spree. The colors were perfect. She'd gotten a strapless cotton dress in classic red with a fitted bodice and flared skirt, very 60s in style, a wide black patent leather belt, black high-heeled sandals with an ankle strap, and a woven, wide-brimmed black hat which hid my eyes if I tilted my head down a little. While I fastened on a tiny black bolero, I gasped.

"What's wrong?"

"Ella! Where is she?" I hadn't seen her around the Rangeman building and she would have come to talk to me if she was there.

Ranger came over and wrapped his arms around me, kissing me on the back of my jaw near my ear. "D.C. She and Louis went with me when I moved."

"Coming home is more depressing than I'd hoped." I knew I sounded whiny, but didn't care at the moment. It'd been a difficult day.

He took my face in his hands and kissed the corners of my mouth, then my eyelids. "We'll get it all back and more."

I knew we would one day, but for now I was still a little disappointed with my homecoming, or rather, the changes that had altered all the constants in my life.

It took just a few minutes more to finish my look with black onyx drop earrings and some red lipstick. When I turned to Ranger, he was staring. "Every time I see you, it's like a gift. When you look like this, it almost hurts." He came very close to me and bent down to kiss over my heart through my dress. "Here." My breath hitched at the huskiness of his tone. Then he stood up and curled his hands around my hips, pulling them against his, stopping my breathing altogether. "And here." He smiled. "I never know which is worse."

I did, and I groaned. "Ranger, we have to leave and now I'm all…"

"Shh." He kissed my nose and bent his head to nuzzle my neck, breathing deeply and pressing tender kisses to the sensitive skin. "Me, too. I just want a minute."

I tilted my head back, eyes closed, and opened my mouth as he kissed his way up my neck. I could handle more than a minute if he wanted.

Too soon, he pulled away slowly with a final kiss on my collarbone and stepped back. "Time to go."

I blinked my eyes open and scowled at him. "What? That wasn't a minute. It was more like a few seconds."

"Let's do this and I'll give you all the time you want."

…

Seppe smiled in approval when he saw my outfit. "Very good choice."

"Thank you."

"Orlando—Harry—won't suspect a thing."

We all smiled. I said, "That's the plan."

Five minutes later, Seppe and I climbed into a waiting black Cadillac Escalade. There were two others parked behind it in the underground garage. Ranger and Tank were in the front seats of the one directly behind us. I was surprised that Tank was driving and not Ranger. Four of Seppe's men climbed into the back of their SUV. The last Escalade was driven by Lester, with Cal at shotgun. Hal and Ram stood beside that truck, along with two more of Seppe's men.

In our vehicle, a guy named Toni sat at the wheel and Vincenzo had shotgun. They didn't speak, merely listened and nodded to Seppe when he spoke, always in Italian. I was nervous, but more because I didn't want to blow it by getting angry and giving myself away too soon. I had to keep calm.

Seppe reached over after we got our seatbelts on, and tucked my hand into the crook of his arm. "You will do fine."

"I'm ready for this," I said, more to myself than Seppe. He patted my hand and told Toni to drive.

The ride to Harry's compound took twenty-five minutes. I felt impatient and tapped my foot on the floor, itching to get there and get it over with. At least Seppe didn't appear to be bothered by my nervous habit.

During dinner, it had started to rain and now, in the dark, all of the colors muted together into an eerie camouflage. Lights blazed out with an alien glow through the wet windows. I couldn't see the landscape very well, but I knew the area enough to know when we were close.

Soon, I saw a large, white home lit by flood lights, set back from the road behind a tall iron fence. The manicured lawn gleamed with drops of rain, almost looking artificial due to its deep green hue. We pulled up to the gate and I nearly rolled my eyes at the two stone lions on either side, guarding the entrance in stoic silence.

Toni slowed and stopped near the Lion on the left, reaching out to press a call button on its hind quarters. I noticed then that there were speaker holes in a circular pattern. Dual purpose.

A voice called through the little holes, "State your business."

"The Signore to see signor Costa."

The gate swung open immediately and all three vehicles wheeled in. I'd been worried that this would alarm Harry, but Seppe assured me this was standard procedure for a visit. Toni drove slowly up the curved driveway. Sculpted topiaries in strange shapes, almost geometric, stood alongside. The green of the leaves was so vibrant and unreal, I thought they looked painted like the roses in Alice in Wonderland.

We stopped in front of the stone stairs leading to the front door. The vehicles idled. Vincenzo got out and opened the door for Seppe, who was nearest the stairs. He stepped out of the car and turned to offer me a hand, helping me as I climbed out onto the running board and then down onto the drive. It was cobbled here and circular with a fountain in the center brightly lit by spot lights pointing up to the top spire.

I felt Ranger's eyes on me as we ascended the steps. Halfway up, the front door opened and Harry came out with a wide smile on his face. Harry, though not unattractive, had the look of a man who indulged a little too much in alcohol and not enough in the gym. He wasn't a large man, but he was not fit, either. He had the same middle-of-the-road look as many middle aged men who didn't have time or didn't bother to take care of themselves. And he looked a little worried at Seppe's surprise visit. I dipped my head downward slightly to hide my face behind the brim of my hat. As expected, he gave me no notice.

He held his hands out in front of him and gripped Seppe's arms like an old friend, releasing him after he said, "Seppe, what a surprise. I didn't know you planned a visit so soon. I would have greeted you at the airport myself."

Seppe gracefully waved the comment away with his hand and said, "I wanted to pay a visit to my sister-in-law, Sophia. She's had such a difficult time since Sergio died."

Harry quickly turned sympathetic. "Such a great loss. Your brother was one of a kind."

I'd had no idea Seppe's brother died. I glanced at him, but he remained business-like and unreadable. "Thank you for your kind words, Orlando, but we both know my brother was an unscrupulous disappointment." Harsh words for a brother. Harry looked properly chastised, which made me wonder what the deal was with the brother. "I decided to check on business this evening before I began my family duties."

Harry nodded, more relaxed now. "Please, come in. I was about to pour some brandy, would you care to join me?"

"Yes, thank you."

We'd been counting on the fact that I'd be invisible to Harry and it looked like the plan was working. Seppe was known for 'travel companions' and figured Harry would assume I was just that. I kept my hand on Seppe's arm as we followed Harry into the marbled foyer and then through two tall, white double doors to the left of the main staircase, leading to a den.

The room was as ridiculous as Harry. The only normal thing in it was a white marble fireplace, fireless now due to the summer heat. There was a large black leather couch facing the fireplace with a black lacquer coffee table in between. On the two ends were matching black leather loveseats. Seppe seated me on one of the loveseats and took a seat on the end of the large couch nearest the other, most likely to keep Harry's eye from looking too closely at me.

Harry poured out the brandy into large, crystal snifters. He brought one to me, handing it to me without sparing me a glance. Then he handed Seppe's to him before returning to the bar to grab his own glass. Vincenzo had followed us into the room, but stood guard near the door. I expected this was normal behavior, as well, because Harry didn't seem to notice him. Nor did he offer the man a drink.

I studied Harry out of the corner of my eye while swirling the dark amber liquid in my glass, taking occasional sips. I wasn't going to drink the whole thing, but sipping, or pretending to sip, gave me something to do besides wait.

Seppe sat back, placing an arm casually along the back of the couch and crossing his legs. He sipped his brandy and waited until Harry seated himself in the loveseat opposite me.

I tried not to stare too long at any one thing in the room, but it was so '80s porn' that I had to concentrate hard not to shudder. From the tiger skin rug on the floor beneath the coffee table to the stuffed game on the walls, it was tacky to the max. I couldn't help but wonder why someone with such a beautiful home would have such an ugly room and then wondered if the rest of the rooms were as gaudy and distasteful.

Seppe sipped, staring into his glass, contemplating. Harry sipped, waiting for Seppe to speak. When he did, he'd changed to a grieving man. If I hadn't known this was part of the plan, I would have wanted to comfort him. "We've handled the burial with Camila's ashes. Her stone has been placed. You will, of course, want to see it when you come to Italy next."

"Naturally," Harry answered. Small beads of sweat popped out onto his forehead, probably nervous about lying so openly to his boss. I clenched my teeth and pretended to take another sip to look more relaxed. Naturally, my ass.

Seppe nodded. "You remember Alfredo?"

"Yes, your manservant."

"Well," Seppe said, sitting forward, his brow knit with consternation, "he showed me something that was simply amazing earlier when we arrived. I wanted to ask you about it."

Harry gulped down the rest of his brandy, sloshing some onto his navy polo shirt. He was in preppy mode, wearing khaki colored dress pants and expensive brown leather loafers. His dark eyes were beady little orbs in his head that swiveled around the room constantly. He looked at the wall, the floor, my ankles—eww—and Seppe in between. Very shifty.

His voice wasn't quite steady when he asked, "Oh, really?"

"As you know, when I have not been to a place in a long time, I like to see what I have missed. It's a good way to keep track of the competition, among other things."

Harry stood and went back to the decanter, raising it to Seppe in question. Seppe shook his head and Harry poured himself a generous amount and asked, "Is there something that worries you about the business here?"

"No, Orlando. I'm quite satisfied with the way you've run the accounts."

Rather than looking pleased, Harry looked a little panicked and gulped down half the contents of his glass, waiting.

"He showed me an article with this bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum, and I think she looks very much like Camila. Did you know she went missing about a year ago?" Seppe asked the question casually, but the look he leveled at Harry said anything but casual.

Harry's hand was shaking so badly now that he set his glass down and shoved the hand into his pocket. "You know, I don't pay much attention to the locals who don't give me trouble."

Now Seppe stood, setting his glass on the slick, black coffee table. "Orlando."

Sweat poured from the other man's head now, running down the sides of his face. He leaned heavily against the bar, sitting on a stool, and mopped his forehead and face with his hand. "Seppe, I must apologize for the deception. I had to remove the woman to protect someone I love very much."

Protect someone he loved? I wracked my brain. I had no idea who he could be talking about. There was no reason for anyone to need me gone. I didn't want to hurt anyone. Had some relative of his been bonded out before I was taken? Was he afraid I'd take the case and capture him … or her?

I clenched and unclenched my hand, holding myself completely still so I didn't fly across the room and tear the man limb from limb. The way I felt, I could probably do it.

The change in Seppe's face was instantaneous. Anger and outrage screamed out from every plane on his handsome face. "You lied to me. If you needed to remove the girl, lying was not a necessary step. More than that, you made her lie to me, as well. I loved her like a daughter, Orlando."

Harry stood and came over to stand near Seppe, stopping in front of the loveseat he'd vacated. He was worried, caught in a lie so deep he didn't know how to fix it. "I told her it was the only way she would not be killed."

I bit my teeth together firmly to keep from shouting at him and then, I no longer had to hold back my temper. Seppe turned to me and nodded, giving me the go ahead to jump in.

Standing slowly, I set the snifter down beside Seppe's and removed my hat. "Did you, Harry?" His eyes flew to me, horrified. "In fact, did you say anything to me at all?"