Originally I had planned to get this out yesterday, but me an Fanfiction were having a disagreement (go figure). So here it is today!

I'm not giving up on this story, but another story is yelling at me in my head. It needs to come out. Have no fear, my faithful readers, I WILL finish this one. It just depends how much time I can spend between the two. So don't worry if I don't post next week (which probably won't happen, but I'm just letting you know in case it does).

Not mine, but oh how I wish Rangeman was real...

Also, thanks to christiebabe who gave me the idea. I wasn't sure how I was going to end this chapter, so that really helped. Thanks babe!

"I hope you realize what you're getting yourself in to." Ranger said to Anne when she sat down at the kitchen table. "He figures it out and finds out you helped and he could kill you."

She nodded. "I know. But those children…"

I squeezed her shoulder and nodded once to Ranger. I got it. Those pictures were going to haunt me for the rest of my life. Ranger nodded back. Lester and Natalie's faces were somber. Everyone in the room understood the consequences here.

Ranger handed her a phone. "Call him. We want to make sure he's there so we can take him down cleanly."

She nodded again and took the phone. Anne took a deep breath and dialed. "Hi honey." She said when he picked up. Ranger had attached the phone to a recording device so we could all hear the conversation. It wasn't that we didn't trust her.

Actually… We didn't trust her.

"Did you have fun with Stephanie?" He asked.

"Yes. We went shopping. I got a new dress."

"I bet it looks great on you." His voice went a little husky. I think I threw up in my mouth. It's not that I didn't have a problem with public displays of affection. God knows I love to give Ranger's ass a good squeeze now and then, but Richard runs guns and kills kids. He didn't deserve to play grab ass with his wife.

"Mmhmm. Listen, are you home right now?"

"Yes."

Ranger looked pleased.

"But not for long. I have to go to Las Vegas to pick up a shipment."

Ranger didn't look pleased anymore.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I just got the call. I'm sorry honey."

She looked between me and Ranger. "No, that's okay. When will you be back?"

We could hear the smile in his voice. "Don't worry, I'll be back in time for the gala. I know how important that is to you."

"Good."

"I have to go. My plane leaves in an hour. I love you."

"I love you too." And he hung up.

"I see the phone manners thing must be a black ops thing." I whispered to Ranger. He almost smiled at me and pinched my butt. "Ooh, sassy."

"Tease."

"We didn't have a secret code, I swear." Anne said, looking terrified that we might actually kill her this time.

"Don't worry. He was too smooth for you to have any kind of code. But he's not going to Vegas."

"I have no doubt." She mumbled.

Ranger called Hector into the room. Hector was going to hack the GPS and find out exactly where they were going. "More than likely, he's off to Columbia." Ranger said to the rest of us. Hector nodded and waved at me. I smiled and waved back.

"Bang, bang."

I rolled my eyes. "You'll never let me live that down, will you?"

He just grinned and shook his head. "No."

I rolled my eyes again. This time he chuckled. Ranger spoke to him in Spanish again and Hector nodded once and left.

"What's our next move?" Anne asked.

Ranger thought about it for a moment. "You're going to go home. Go about your normal day and if you hear from him again, let us know."

She nodded. "I will."

Ranger nodded once and flicked his eyes over to Hal. "Ready?" Hal nodded. Ranger turned his attention back to Anne. "Hal's going to take you home."

Anne looked relieved. She followed Hal out of the house.

That's when I pounced on Ranger. "You're just going to let her go?"

He grinned. "Yep."

"I don't understand you. I thought that…"

"Relax. The only reason that she's going home is because we bugged her house and put a GPS in her purse."

"Oh." I felt a little silly doubting Ranger.

Ranger just continued to grin and he put his arm around me. "Don't worry about it, Babe. We got this under control."

"Fine. So what's our next move?"

All of us sat around the dining room table trying to figure out what we were going to do next. We had a few good ideas, but mostly, they were outlandish and a little scary. For example, on one of them, Lester wanted to use a blow torch, pick axe and duct tape.

Don't ask.

In the end, we decided the plan would stay the same. We'd wait for him to return from his 'trip' and nab him then. After making sure we could make a clean getaway, we'd spirit off into the night. And so we waited. Two days later, we were putting our plan into action.

"I can't believe you're making me wear pantyhose." I heard Natalie grumble over the mic. "It's like a hundred degrees out here."

"It's what a True Texan wears." I said to her. At least, that's what the ladies told me. They were worried I wasn't going to dress appropriately.

How nice of them.

"What is this? The nineteen fifties?"

I was wondering that myself as I adjusted my thigh high back up. Ranger watched me as I switched legs on the dashboard, his eyes dark. What she doesn't know won't kill her.

"Come on, they're not that bad." Lester said.

There was a pause. "I don't want to know how you know that."

"No, you don't." Tank said, chuckling. "But if you ever do, I have pictures."

"I thought you deleted all of those!"

"Sure. The one's I could delete. You never said anything about the ones already printed."

"I am going to kill you later."

Tank just chuckled.

"Can we please be serious children?" Ranger asked. There was a chorus of yes's. I snickered and rolled my eyes. Ranger looked at me and grinned. I swear, my brain stopped. Ranger smiling was trouble. But putting him in a tux? Complete murder on my brain cells.

"Babe." He said, his eyes flicking to my uncovered leg which was still on the dashboard.

"What? She's right. It's hot."

"In more ways than one." Ranger mumbled. His hand moved up my leg, reaching the free skin. My eyes were on their way to being good and crossed when he pulled his hand away.

I moaned in frustration. Ranger's eyes darkened again.

"Jesus. I swear, if you two have sex in that car…" Natalie grumbled.

"You're just jealous."

"Damn right I am."

Hector joined in and said something in Spanish. Ranger nodded and looked at me. "Ready?"

"He's here?"

"Just entered."

"And Anne?" I asked Tank.

"Holding up fine. She looks a little stiff though."

"Well yeah, her husband's a killer." Bobby said. "That's not easy."

We had hit one last snag. His plane was late getting in and we were doing this in public.

At the big Texan dance.

Nothing like having a big audience for a takedown.

Natalie and Lester were sitting inside, acting as our inside back up. Tank, Bobby, Hal and Hector along with a few ATF agents were a street back, watching from a van. They were the emergency team. The plan hadn't changed. We were going to get him into a room, cuff him and get him to the local ATF office. We had them and the Department of Justice on standby to take his statement. If he could help the DEA with the cartel, we were going to get all the information we can.

The scene in front of me could only be created in Texas. Everything was red, white and blue.

"I think we wore the wrong colors." I whispered to Ranger.

"We're fine."

"It looks like the American flag threw up in here."

"It's because we're Texan, dear, dear people from New Jersey." Julia said as she came up behind us. "I'm so glad you two could make it."

"Julia, this is my husband, Carlos. Carlos, Julia."

"It's nice to meet you." Julia said, looking him up and down.

"Same. Where's your husband? I've only heard good things."

"He's around here somewhere." She said, looking around the room. "Well let's mingle." She shooed us into the room.

Ranger kissed my hair. "Got that?" He asked Tank through my hair.

"Loud and clear. We'll find him."

I felt him nod as I locked eyes with Natalie. She raised her glass to me and turned back to the conversation she and Lester were having with an older couple. The minute we knew something, they would be right behind us.

Ranger led me to the dance floor. "What…?"

"I promise you'll love it." His voice lowered. "I'm good on the dance floor."

I shivered. "Plus, a good vantage point?"

He looked surprised. "Hey, look who's learning."

"Never say that the TV show Castle doesn't teach me anything."

He just grinned as he turned me around the floor. Ranger was right, he's very good. This must be where he gets his rhythm for… oh my.

Ranger shifted our hips closer. I could feel him growing hard. "You're blushing."

Well, no use in hiding it. "Yep."

"Good. Remember that for later."

"Will do."

He looked me in the eyes for a moment, then whipped me around. "What do you see?"

I looked to the corner. All three husbands were meeting. "A cartel meeting happening in public."

"And?"

Julia's husband's face was red. Christine and Mary's husbands looked annoyed. "They don't look happy."

"Yep. Time to move."

We broke through the crowd and found Anne and Richard. She was wearing the dress she had made up on the phone. And it did look good on her. She paled when we reached her. "We have something we want to show you two." I said to them.

Richard was looking past us, clearly distracted. "What now? It's a party."

"I have some contracts…"

"I'm not working now. I want to spend time with my wife."

I looked to Anne for help. "It's okay. I think you should do it."

He was breaking down. "No…"

"We can all go together."

He sighed. He probably figured we weren't going to go away. "Fine. Five minutes."

The four of us moved quickly to the second floor where we found an empty drawing room. The room was done in an odd shade of coral with windows wrapped around all three walls. Not exactly what I was expecting, but somehow, it worked.

"Baby, just listen to them." Anne said.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

I cut in as Ranger made sure the rest of the floor was clear. "We know about the cartel Richard."

"What?"

"We know you've been selling guns to them."

"You knew? Who the hell are you people?"

"It doesn't matter. If you want to save your wife, you'll tell the DOJ everything you know. We want to help."

He swallowed and looked for a way out. I got in his face. "There is no time for that now. We have a way out, but your friends don't look happy."

"They shouldn't be."

"Why's that?"

Richard looked at Anne. "Ask her."

I looked at Anne. "What did you do?"

She shrugged. "I… I just moved some money. For when we go into witness protection. I figured we could use it until we got the rest since they can't give it to us all at once. They can only give you so much."

Richard looked angry and apparently he was ready to spill. "You moved the cartel's money! They think I stole it! That's what took so long!"

Oh shit. And just when things couldn't get worse…

"I didn't know! It was in my account!"

"Jesus Christ… "

Ranger came back into the room. "What's going on?"

"Anne moved the Cartel's money."

Ranger briefly closed his eyes. "When?"

"Two nights ago?"

"No wonder they looked pissed."

Ranger looked at Richard. "You're going to help us, right?"

Richard sighed again. "I don't have another choice. I need to keep her safe. Even if she did something completely stupid."

Anne just glared.

"Uh, guys? You have a pissed cartel boss coming your way." Lester said.

"Stay on them." Ranger turned to me. "Keep them here."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to call ATF. Tell them we need them now."

"Don't get shot."

He smiled. "Don't go crazy." And he left like the wind. I just rolled my eyes. Figures he'd walk out like the wind. I smiled at the memory of the first time he did that. We were apprehending a skip at a club and one minute he was there, the next he was gone.

The mystery of Ranger.

As if he could hear me thinking about him, Ranger came back into the room and spoke to Anne and Richard. "ATF is going to meet us downstairs. There's an outdoor staircase over there. Take them. Now."

They nodded and hurried out the door. Natalie and Lester came into the room a few minutes later.

"I want the two of you to go and watch over them." He said to me and Natalie. "Make sure they get into the right hands."

"Is this because I'm a woman? Because I can handle myself."

Ranger's face softened and he cupped my cheek. "What I can't handle is worrying about you and who is going to come through that door. It's a sure way to get us all killed."

Made sense. I nodded and gave him a swift kiss (okay, and I copped a feel of his ass. So sue me!) and followed Natalie out the door.

We stayed a few feet behind them and I felt a tingle go up my back.

"What is it?" Natalie asked me.

"Something's not right…" And that's when I saw Julio. He was holding cell phone and smiling.

Now I knew something wasn't right.

Just ahead, they were about to reach the agents. Julio dialed.

"Adios, mis amigos." He said.

"NO!" I yelled. I went to grab Anne and Natalie went for Richard. "DOWN!" I yelled to the agents.

The last thing I remembered was thinking about how I was finally flying.

And then the world went black.