Ranger sat me down on the sofa once we were indoors.

I was still shaking so he rubbed his hands up and down my arms; the image of the crazed man never left my head.

"I have something for you." Ranger said nonchalantly. He got up and walked into the dining room before coming back with a small black box.

He sat down and handed it to me. Managing to control the trembling in my hands, I took it from him and lifted the lid.

I breathed in as I unveiled a beautiful 3 jewelled sapphire necklace. They were cut into teardrop shapes; a small diamond hung from the centre jewel.

"…I-it's lovely." I gave him my best smile to distract the fact that I couldn't decide what to call him. I took it out the box and held it at eye level as Ranger moved my hair over one shoulder. "Haven't you spoilt me enough?"

He reached around me and took each half of the chain to fasten it around my neck. "You'll know when I've really spoilt you." He whispered, wrapping his arms around my waist before leaving long and slow kisses on my neck.

"But what's with you telling stories about me?" His hand was around my throat. "The others are scared I'll have something sticking in their stomachs…"

I felt his steady breath exhale in my ear. My heart started to thump again as the long silence increased by each beat.

I struggled to swallow as he pulled me against him. "You kind of proved that yourself when you stuck a knife in the wall this morning."

Ranger laughed softly. "I suppose so." He muttered, sliding his hand down from my neck and slipping his fingers between my breasts.

Pedro came hurrying in like a little kid on Christmas morning with a wide grin on his face. "Nightwing, we've got him on his knees with 7 broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a broken finger nail! What shall we do with him now?"

My stomach collapsed.

Ranger got to his feet and stood with his back to me. "I'll finish the job and I don't need any witnesses."

Pedro's face fell slightly. "N'aw, that's a shame Nigel. I would have loved to see you stick a table leg through his gut."

"Do you still have the basement for…visitors?"

The grin reignited. "Of course we do! It just hasn't been used in some time."

"Put him in there and I'll save you his stomach as a keepsake."

The living room echoed with laughter as I felt all the blood slither from my face. The necklace suddenly felt like a noose around my neck.

Just one slip up….Just one…

"While I'm dealing with him, look after Stephanie. She's had quite a scare- again."

Ranger turned and held out his hand to me. Feeling as though the jewels were pressing against my windpipe, I took his hand and he pulled me from the sofa before handing me over to Pedro.

"Remember my warning." He said softly as he watched us walk into the kitchen; Pedro's hand on my back.

.

.

"I assume, despite your previous incidents, this isn't the first you've been threatened to be killed – gutted like a fish." Pedro said idly, opening a cupboard door and taking out a couple of wine glasses.

He had sat me down on a marble bar in the far corner of the kitchen. He placed a glass in front of me before reaching under to take out a black bottle labelled with red writing.

"Not like a fish…" I mumbled, watching him unscrew the cap.

Pedro half smiled as he poured a golden liquid into my glass. "Ginger and honey wine. It soothes the nerves and hardens your stomach." He laughed briefly. "It won't do much good for Chapman."

I ignored that last comment as I placed the glass to my lips and took a sip. The wine was sweet and fiery. My stomach spasmed slightly but I felt as though all the icky stuff had vanished from inside it. Warmth spread over my skin like I was submerged into a hot bath.

"Better?" Pedro smirked.

I nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

He grinned and downed his own glass in one gulp.

His eyes suddenly switched towards the door but before I could see what he was looking at, he closed it in a hurry.

He turned back to me with an empty smile. "Not that this will surprise you, but it's not the first time something like this has happened."

I took another gulp of wine. "Something like this has happened before?"

He scoffed. "I lost count. We've had people like Chapman from all over the place suck their money dry for a buzz." He laughed coldly. "I once had an old middle-aged woman come to me wanting $95000 worth of ecstasy. What for? I don't know and I don't care either."

"Where'd she get that kind of money from?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Life savings I assume." He shrugged, refilling his glass. "I gave her what she wanted and she pays me with whatever she can. As far as I'm concerned, I didn't tell her to hacer un lío her life."

I could have screamed at him.

"And yet, the old hag came to the island, by stowing away in one of our…delivery boats, claiming it was I who ruined her life. Even when I tried to be reasonable with her and try to…make amends, she still tried to castrate me."

I supressed the urge to throw my glass at him, "Nasty…"

He scoffed. "If you think that's bad, we once had a guy who traded his nieces to us for a ton of marijuana!"

My heart nearly gave out. I immediately thought of my sister's kids. Angie, Mary-Alice and baby Lisa… "H-how old were they?"

"I don't know, about 4 and 7 months old. Since none of us wanted kids anyway we managed to sell them for a few grand in Monterrey to a nice couple who longed for children. La señora sadly could not bore a little miracle that so many take for granted. So in the end, everyone's happy!"

Except the real parents of those girls…I thought as he refilled my glass. How could he not acknowledge that?

The door open and Ezio and Cortez came in with small and nasty grins.

"We got Chapman into the basement!" Ezio laughed, his eyes landing on the wine bottle.

So that's why Pedro shut the door…

"And we've left him alone with Nightwing!" Cortez cackled. "I wish we could watch!"

"How long do you think he'll be?" Pedro asked, placing 2 more wine glasses on the counter and filling them up.

Cortez and Ezio glanced at each other and shrugged.

"Who knows?" Ezio said while taking a sip from his glass. "He took his time cutting that whore's heart out but this time he promised to bring us Chapman's stomach!"

They all laughed as I felt gingery bile rise in my throat. It looked like I needed a lot more wine to stop my guts from spewing.

.

.

About half an hour later, Ranger came in with his arms and shirt soaked in dried blood. He held something round, bloody and slimy looking in his hand.

Pedro, Ezio and Cortez all stared at him, wide eyed as he dropped it on to the table. It flopped against the surface with a sick and squishy thud.

"One stomach as promised," Ranger grinned. "It was the healthiest part of him."

All of them stared at it before going into hysterics with delight.

"What did you do with the rest of him, Nigel?" Cortez asked, staring at the mess on the table with wonder.

"I skinned him, took out the rest of his organs and bones and dumped them all into a tub of lye. Nobody should go down there until his remains have completely melted."

I went lightheaded and my vision blurred. I quickly downed the rest of my wine. The fiery liquid slid down my throat like melted gold as the spices cleared my head.

.

.

.

I sat on the bed while Ranger was in the shower.

My stomach was burning but the wanting to vomit was long gone. Although after seeing part of the human digestive system fresh from the corpse, I was starting to question how safe I really was.

It was no good trying to kid myself that Ranger only mutilated the man because he had tried to kill me. Yes, I knew Ranger had killed before…but not like this…

The Ranger I knew got rid of blood thirsty villains who committed genocide and terrorist acts while saving the lives of innocent people. But Nigel seemed to dispose of pesky ex-customers who held grudges or tried to pull a fast one by cutting them up without a second thought.

A shiver went down my spine.

Who the hell was this guy?

The door of the ensuite bathroom opened and Ranger came in with a towel around his waist; clean and blood-free.

I looked down at the floor before our eyes could meet and heard the chest-of-draws slid open as he started to dress.

"You're quiet." He mused.

I felt him stand beside me. I gave him a quick glance to see he had changed into a pair of black jeans and a white shirt before staring at the floor again.

He sat down beside me. I stiffened as he placed an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him.

"Are you still upset about earlier?" He asked, lifting my chin with one finger so I met his eye.

I couldn't speak as I felt a lump lodge in my throat. I strained a gulp before nodding nervously.

Ranger's gaze hypnotised me as though placing me under a spell. He leant forward and kissed me.

My spine turned into a giant icicle at the touch of his lips; I supressed the urge to shudder as he pulled me closer until I had to lean against him with my hands against his chest.

Once we parted I noticed his dilated pupils fixed upon me.

I felt my head spin, my pulse vibrated and my chest tightened as I struggled to breathe.

"Believe me, Babe." Ranger said. "No harm will come to you. You've seen what happens when people try to take away what's mine…"

The memories of the day replay through my mind's eye.

Cortez with his hands around my neck…Chapman about to kill me…Pedro's bragging…the stomach on the kitchen table…

My whole body went limp. The last thing I remembered was Ranger catching me before I hit the floor and darkness took over.