I could barely keep my food down as they all exchanged stories about their customers.

I wanted to cry by the time Ezio bragged about how he had sold $15,000,000 worth of banned firearms to some pirates in the south.

All of them, except Ranger, were drunk and laughing like maniacs.

Pedro leaned in closer to me; his breath reeked of wine. "I once got $95,000 of a rich la mujerzuela and I got to follarla too!"

The rest of them threw their heads back and cackled like hyenas. I felt Ranger's hand on my wrist. I looked at him and his face was unreadable. I felt comforted seeing him like the Ranger I knew.

"I hope you remember that I don't share, Pedro." He smirked.

Pedro looked at him with a sleazy half grin and lazy gaze. He hiccupped slightly as he spoke. "Lo sé! Lo sé! But su mujer is so tempting, Nigel! Forbidden la lujuria makes it more…enticing."

Ranger's grip tightened so I moved my eyes to my plate. I wasn't big on Spanish and was glad of it now. I didn't want to know what was being said.

"Easy now, Pedro," Cortez said. We all looked at him. "We don't want our rare visit from Nigel to be spoiled."

He caught my eye and I was paralysed again; like a mouse caught in a snake's hypnotise.

"And we don't want Stephanie to feel…uncomfortable, either."

I gulped before Ranger took hold of my chin with a thumb and forefinger and forced me to face him. His eyes had dilated to black with a dangerous glint in them.

"No." He said. "We don't."

Ranger, Pedro and Ezio stayed sat at the table while Cortez took our plates away. As he stood behind me and leant over to take away my plate, I could feel his eyes burn into the back of my head. I could smell the wine off his breath too.

I stayed statue still and kept my eyes down. The others were too busy talking and bragging to notice.

After a while of downing another few glasses, I got up and excused myself.

I glanced at Ranger as I left the table; his eyes still had that dangerous glint in them.

When I was half way down to our room, I felt a pair of hands grab me from behind by my waist. I gasped as I was slammed against the wall and was met face to face with Cortez.

He was grinning at me with a feral blaze in his eye; his scar sickeningly creased into thin folds of tissue. His breath stunk of alcohol and gassed me with his heavy breathing.

I gulped again as his grasp on me tightened. His hands were too close to my nether-regions for my heart to stop pounding a billion beats per second. He snickered when I tried to push him away and stepped forward so his body was pressed against mine – trapping me.

"Nigel is one lucky bastard, bebé." Cortez slurred, his face inching closer. "It's been a while since I've had…some time with a woman…"

He laughed as one hand squeeze my ass and the other groped my breast.

"NIGEL!" I screamed before Cortez slammed his mouth over mine and stuck his tongue down my throat. My eyes nearly popped out their sockets at how bad his breath stunk of the wine while he began to suck my lungs dry.

I glimpsed Ranger running towards us and soon found myself gasping for air as Cortez was yanked off me.

Pedro and Ezio hurried over, both looking baffled as they switched their focus from Cortez, to Ranger then to me.

I didn't know whether to feel reassured or anxious when I saw the look on Ranger's face. Nothing but pure anger flared in his eyes as he held Cortez against the wall by the collar of his shirt.

"You were sober enough to understand that Stephanie is mine and only mine! Even if you're drunk off your ass I'm sure you'd know better than to do it with my woman!"

Cortez didn't reply. He just half-glared and half-gaped at Ranger with glassy eyes and his mouth hanging open.

Ezio stepped forward and placed a hand on Ranger's shoulder. "Nigel. Calm down, man. Cortez is pissed! He doesn't know what he's doing." He gave me a glance. "Su señora. Ella te necesita, hermano."

A few moments passed until Ranger let go of Cortez and turned towards me; his expression never faltered.

I didn't know what to expect when our eyes locked. I recoiled as he approached me; his arm seized my shoulders before he guided me to our room.

He pushed me in and slammed the door shut before leaning against it; breathing deeply. While he was getting a hold of himself, I took the time to rub my arms to cease the trembling in my hands.

It wasn't long until I felt Ranger grab me by the arm and spun me around to face him. The anger had gone from his face but his eyes held a frenzy I didn't dare to test.

"I told you not to make eye contact for a reason!" He snarled. I tried to back away from him but he wrenched me back. "You're lucky Cortez was drunk. It would have been a lot worse if he was sober!"

I was paralysed again underneath his intense stare. My mouth went dry as I felt myself start to quiver and my heart vibrated from the endless number of poundings in my chest. After a minute, Ranger breathed out and relaxed before loosening his grip on my arm. He pulled me closer to place his hands on either side of my face and pressed his lips against mine.

It was neither a soft nor a hard kiss. No tongue wrestling either but it felt like I was being branded. I couldn't detect any of the wine we had at dinner either.

He pulled away and looked down at me with an ascertain glare before wrapping an arm around my waist to press me against him. I tried to control the shaking I did as my hands lay on his chest. My eyes barley blinked as I stared up at him. My heart was about to give out for sure.

"Be careful when you're on your own. I'm not prepared for them to use you as some common whore."

"But he…" I gasped when his fingers fisted through my hair and tugged my head back slightly.

I made shallow pants as Ranger's face became ominous with fury. "I said be careful." He whispered. "Don't make eye contact and don't speak unless spoken too."

Tears pooled in my eyes as he let go of me. He kissed my forehead before walking out the door.

I hurried to the ensuite bathroom and locked myself inside. The tears came streaming down my face as I slid down the door and hid my face in my hands.

So many questions buzzed through my head the confusion made me nauseous.

Why did Ranger...Nigel… or whoever the hell he was, save me so many times back in New Jersey and practically threaten my life here?

Was he really trying to take down these guys or did he just bring me along as his toy?

If I was here just to keep him entertained…What would happen when he got bored of me?

Were we really here for only a week and a half?

Did he really mean it when he said he didn't share?

I never thought about the other guys…

Goosebumps ran across my skin at the thought of Cortez's mouth over mine. I shuddered as I got to my feet to grab a tissue. After drying my eyes, I caught sight of myself in the large mirror that took up half the wall over the sink.

My mother would have a stroke if she saw me wearing this dress. I didn't realise how skimpy or revealing it really was even when I tried pulling the hem down.

Did Ranger blame me for what happened? He did tell me to dress nice but maybe the eye contact is what set Cortez off.

I shook my head violently and Sensible Stephanie echoed in my head.

No Stephanie! Remember all that information about rape victims? They may feel like it was their fault but that's not true! You may have been lucky not to be raped but it wasn't your fault if Cortez couldn't keep it in his pants. If Ranger wanted you to look sexy…no…if YOU wanted to look sexy and feel good then there's nothing wrong with that!

I smiled in the mirror. I did look sexy and I did feel good in the dress.

I didn't want to go back to the dining room so I washed away the tear stains and tied my hair back into a braid before going back into the bedroom to find something to sleep in.

I didn't know what to expect to find in the bags Ranger brought; probably some baby doll night dress that was skimpy or see-through or both; possibly the underwear too.

I opened the door and nearly screamed when I found Ranger on the other side. He was holding his black t-shirt…his Rangeman trade mark.

His face was unreadable again but I felt too scared to move.

"You can sleep in this." He said bluntly, handing the shirt to me with our eyes locked again.

"…thank you." I whispered.

Ranger studied me for a couple of micro-seconds. "Babe, it wasn't your fault."

Then he left.

I glanced out the window to see pure darkness and suddenly felt the energy drain from me. After closing the bathroom door, I stripped to my panties and pulled the shirt over my head.

It was the same shirt he wore on the plane. The smell of Bulgari still lingered as I inhaled it.

I went back into the bedroom, hung up the dress and hid my bra in the back of the chest-of-draws before climbing into bed.

The sheets were soft and stroked my skin with feather-light caresses. The pillow was just right; not too hard and not too soft. I felt like royalty lying in a bed that made the one back in my apartment look like a spring-sandwich.

I closed my eyes and thought about everyone back home.

Least my family knew where I was (theoretically speaking) and my mother was always worried about me anyway. Dad didn't seem to care what I did; he had more faith in me and Grandma would be eager to hear the big story because I was the more exciting granddaughter.

I thought about my misadventures with Lula and I swear we should have our own T.V show looking back at what we got ourselves into.

And Rex…I couldn't stand the idea of him being orphaned and I was debating whether he should keep his Uncle Ranger. I was comforted by knowing Ella would keep his cage immaculate and feed him food that was healthier than the crap they sold in the pet store.

I heard the door open and then closed shut before footsteps merged towards the chest-of-draws, there was rustling of clothes being tossed on top of the wood.

I felt the sheets being drawn back just as the back of my neck tingled and Ranger pulled me against him with an arm firmly around my waist and his fingers inches away from the girls. His lips touched the nape of my neck before leaving a trail of kisses just below my ear. I kept my eyes closed.

I couldn't move despite the goose-bumps that covered my arms and the shivers that went up my spine.

"I know you're awake, Babe." Ranger whispered, planting more kisses on my neck and jawline. "And you should know. I won't let the filthy-minded bastards touch you."

I didn't know whether to be relieved or concerned.

"Because, you're mine…."