Ranger and I arrived at the airport in plenty of time for departure. He pulled the Porsche up to a gate, which was guarded by two men in navy uniforms. He lowered his window, speaking with them briefly and showing identification before pulling through the gate and onto the airport service roads. He pulled into a plane hangar not far from the gate. He exited the car, crossing in front of the car before opening my door, unbuckling my seatbelt, and pulling me to my feet.

My bloodshot eyes met his and held. I realized his eyes were full of concern, an unusual event for Ranger. I stood quietly, trying to channel all the strength I had left to muster. I was on this trip to provide professional security services, not to be a liability or a burden. I had to pull myself together. This moment felt intimate, but my heart felt very broken. Intimacy was at the bottom of my priorities list right now. Self-care was at the top. I was uncomfortable and wanted to break the spell with Ranger.

"I'm alright," I said, trying to put something pleasant on my face. "An in-flight nap, and I'll be good as new."

Ranger didn't look convinced, but his face grew solemn and he nodded. He reached for me, but I stepped back, shaking my head "no". He made no move to hide the hurt on his face as he turned away from me. He grabbed our bags from the back of the Turbo and pointed me in the direction of the plane, placing his palm on the small of my back. I pulled away again.

I tried to control the frustration that was beginning to simmer under the surface of my skin, rationalizing that Ranger had done nothing to intentionally hurt me. He was trying to be a supportive friend and a good man, but the emptiness in my chest felt too real. I was too hurt, too broken. Right now, there was no room to feel love for this man in black behind me. Did he recognize that he violated my privacy by listening from the alley? Didn't he understand I had just said goodbye to the man I thought I'd spend the rest of my life with? Didn't he realize there was a massive void in my chest where my heart used to reside? Sure, I had feelings for Ranger, but those feelings were on hold. In fact, all feelings except grief were on hold.

I tried to ignore Ranger and focus on the plane. From what I'd been told, I learned that Rangeman had chartered a private jet in Boston that stopped over in Trenton, collecting more Rangemen before traveling southbound to Atlanta. The jet was modern and utilitarian. The exterior was white with three narrow black pinstripes that ran horizontally around the body of the plane. Men wearing Rangeman black were loading bags and equipment into baggage compartments from large, rolling carts. I recognized them both—Hal and Lester. Ranger took our bags to them, and they were loaded under the plane too. Inside the hangar were two black SUVs I assumed also belonged to Rangeman.

"Board the plane. I have some things to do before I come on board," Ranger said, crossing the concrete floor of the hangar to talk with a man I did not know.

I ascended the stairs into the plane and took in my surroundings. The plane was empty, no men in black filling the seats. The interior was comfortable with tan leather seats, tan carpeting, and white finishes. The cockpit was sealed, presumably seating pilots behind its closed doors. The plane comfortably seated sixteen additional passengers. The seats were organized into four forward-facing rows, with two seats on each side of a narrow aisle running down the center of the plane. The plane also had a small galley kitchen, a bathroom, and a small comfortable seating area with a love seat and two arm chairs.

I walked to the back of the plane and took a seat by the window, pulling my cell phone from my messenger bag before dropping it between my feet. I glanced at the screen. I had several text messages and a voicemail I'd missed. I decided to listen to the voicemail first. It was from my mother. I cringed and hit "play".

Mom: Betty Bianchi just called me. She said she was at the Shop-n-Bag when she ran into Angie Morelli. Angie told Betty that you broke Joseph's heart today! She said you were done with Joseph for good, and that Joseph had to take the rest of the day off from work he was so upset. Your grandmother said you were leaving town, and that is why Rex is at our house. Stephanie Michelle Plum, you make this right! Why are you running away from Trenton? Joseph is the best thing that ever happened to you, young lady. You need to….

I wrenched the phone away from my ear and hit the delete button. A fresh wave of tears threatened to fall from my eyes, but I sniffed them back and steeled myself. For god's sake, I was a grown woman. I had the right to choose my own future. No matter how much I had cared and still care for Joe, he was not my future. I reassured myself that I had done the right thing before opening my text messages.

Grandma, 11:06 am: Kick some bad-guy ass! If you think of it, bring me back some real Georgia peaches.

Joe, 11:49 am: Steph, please reconsider. I'm so sorry.

I heaved a sigh and switched my phone onto airplane mode. I felt emotionally exhausted, and I couldn't do any more conversation. I shoved my phone into my cargo pants pocket, buckled in, folded my arms across my chest, and leaned my head against the plane window, wishing for sleep.

I must have fallen into a deep sleep, because I don't recall takeoff. The flight to Atlanta was uneventful and passed quickly. I woke as we were preparing for descent and found Hector bucked into the seat next to me. He was powering down his laptop in preparation for landing, shoving equipment into his black backpack. I had shifted positions in my seat at some point during the flight, and I had snuggled into his side, resting my head on his shoulder.

Hector was a small Latino man who worked for Rangeman in Trenton. I first met him when Ranger asked him to install a complicated system of locks and security features on my apartment door. I would guess he was a few years younger than me. He preferred to speak in Spanish, but was also fluent in English. Hector scared the crap out of most people thanks to the two teardrops that were tattooed under his eye, the gang display meaning you'd killed two people. I didn't ask Hector about the tattoos, and he was not forthcoming with the information. However, Hector had grown on me over time. We'd experienced a lot together, and I trusted him like family. For this reason, he often referred to me as "hermana", which I'd been told was the Spanish word for sister. He also called me "Estefania", the Spanish form of my given name.

I blinked the sleep from my eyes and straightened in my seat. "Sorry Hector," I mumbled. "I didn't mean to suffocate you."

Hector smirked. "No worries, mi hermana," he replied. "You needed your rest." He patted the back of my hand to reassure me.

"Thank you," I whispered, turning my hand beneath his to grasp it, squeezing it tight. He returned the squeeze.

I craned my neck so my head was above the level of the seat backs and glanced around the plane, taking it all in. I counted fourteen total passengers, all of us clad in all black. I recognized several of the men from Rangeman in Trenton, including Hector, Lester, Hal, Zero, and Cal. I didn't know any of the other passengers. I was shocked to find another woman was on the flight. She was seated in the front row of seats. I could not see her face, but I could tell she was a woman from the girly ponytail she wore in her gleaming, jet black hair. Seated next to her was Ranger. They were talking quietly.

I felt my chest clench with… what was the emotion I was experiencing? Fear? Longing? Sadness? Anger? This feeling I was experiencing was unfamiliar, uncharted territory in my relationship with Ranger. I sat a long moment, letting the rawness of the emotion fill me. It was only then that I could pinpoint the name that had evaded me.

Jealousy. I was absolutely green with jealousy. I sat in stunned silence.

I turned to Hector. "I didn't realize Rangeman had any female employees. Who is the woman sitting next to Ranger?" I murmured.

Hector looked at me and grinned. "You're a female employee, Estephania." He winked at me, and I blushed with embarrassment.

"I meant besides me. Anyway, I'm not full time. I'm more of a private contractor," I explained. More like Ranger's bedroom buddy, I thought.

Hector let a laugh escape his chest. It sounded like music and was infectious. I laughed too, but the smile didn't reach my eyes.

"That is Ximena," Hector explained, placing his backpack between his feet in preparation for landing. "She is second in command at Rangeman in Boston. Harvey, the first in command, stayed behind to keep operations moving, and Tank stayed behind in Trenton."

I nodded understanding, but questions flooded my mind. What is this woman like? What was her relationship like with Ranger? Was she kind and warm, or was she cold and ruthless? Had she worked for Rangeman long? What would she think of me?

The plane landed smoothly in Atlanta and taxied to a hangar, similar to the one we'd boarded from in Trenton. I stared out the small plane window, taking in the sights. A fleet of five black Rangeman SUVs were parked inside the Hangar, each with a man in black standing at parade rest at the back hatch. Rolling carts were parked nearby to unload bags and equipment from the plane.

The plane came to a stop, and a small staircase was rolled to the door. The Rangemen on the plane got to their feet quietly and exited efficiently down the stairs. I followed suit, slinging my messenger bag over my shoulder and straightening my clothes.

I followed Hector to a baggage compartment, and we began to load metal cases and tubs onto a rolling cart. Hal joined us, and we transported the items into the back of one of the Ford Expeditions parked in the hangar. None of us spoke, and we completed the task in mere minutes. The Rangemen began loading into the SUVs. I began to follow Hal, but saw he was headed for the SUV where Ranger and Ximena were settled. I turned around to flee to another SUV, and I ran directly into Hector, knocking him on his ass.

Hector landed with a sharp exhale, and I gasped in surprise.

I extended my arm to Hector and took his hand, pulling him to his feet.

"I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

Hector laughed. "I'm fine, Estephania. Let's go." He began walking toward Ranger's SUV, but paused when he saw my expression. A questioning look crossed his face, and I shook my head "no, not now". He gave a single nod of his head, grabbed my hand, and pulled me in the direction of a different SUV.

The SUVs wove through the congested streets of Atlanta. I was in the back seat of a three row Ford Expedition with Hector by my side. He was peppering me with questions in hushed tones, and I was doing my best to provide answers. I trusted him, and the truth was, I needed to get some things off my chest.

"What's going on, hermana? What's wrong?"

"I told Joe we're done for good today. It's been a long time coming I know it was the right thing to do, but my heart feels like it was ripped out of my chest," I confess.

"Didn't see that coming," Hector shared. "What's that got to do with Ranger? You're avoiding him, Estephania."

"Ranger tracked me, and he came to pick me up since my car was toast. He snooped on me when I was talking to Joe. He heard everything."

Hector thought about it for a moment. "Did he hear something you didn't want him to hear?"

I replayed the conversation in my mind, trying to conjure an answer. "Maybe? I don't know. It just felt like an invasion of my privacy. I've always tried to keep Ranger at an arm's length, out of my relationship with Joe."

Hector nodded. "I've seen that. But you care for Ranger, no?" he asked, his accent thick.

"Of course I do. He's my best friend. I trust him with my life," I admitted.

"Don't shut him out, hermana. He's a good man. He only wants to ensure your safety and happiness. He cares for you very much, even if he's not good at expressing it in words."

I nodded agreement. "I know he worries about my safety. Every car I've owned for years has had a tracker. I finally got tired to searching for trackers to remove in my purse, so I've just left them. I trust his purpose. It's just… I… my… he…" I let my voice trail off, not finishing the thoughts that threatened to spill out.

Hector sat quietly, expectantly. He took my hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

I blinked the tears from my eyes. I was afraid to say my thoughts aloud, so I whispered them. "My heart hurts too much right now. I need some time."

"Take all the time you need," Hector stated simply. "Focus on the job. This is going to be a long, hard weekend."

Rangeman's Atlanta office was located in downtown Atlanta on Walton Street near Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Aquarium, and the World of Coca-Cola. This part of town was bustling, but the Rangeman building was on a quieter side street. The building was a modern, six-story black metal and reflective impact glass structure, making the Trenton office look like a dinosaur. Similar to the Trenton building, the Atlanta office had an underground parking garage where the SUVs we rode in were parked for unloading.

We all piled out of the cars, and the men lined up to stand at parade rest in the garage. I followed Hector's lead. I saw Ranger and Ximena exit their SUV and walk to stand in front of the crew. I studied Ximena, taking the opportunity while I blended into the crowd. Her shiny, black hair was pulled back into a shiny ponytail, and her face was pretty but makeup free. Her almond shaped eyes were brown and serious, and her lips were full. Her skin was golden, outwardly announcing her Latino ancestry. Her body was small but strong. I estimated she was about my height, but she probably had fifteen pounds on me—fifteen pounds which appeared to be all muscle. She wore the same uniform as me, which consisted of black cargo pants and a black v-neck t-shirt with "Rangeman" embroidered on the pocket area. Her black boots were perfectly polished and scuff free, tied carefully and precisely. She was perfectly pressed, and she stood perfectly straight. Her body was feminine yet strong. I could see she was comfortable around Ranger, and Ranger was comfortable around her. It made sense since they were colleagues, but it still turned my stomach.

Jealously reared its ugly head once again, and I did my best to squash it down, channeling my inner strength. I put a serious expression on my face and straightened my back. I refused to be a liability on this job. I refused to be perceived as weak. The only way I knew to do this today was to be cold and unfeeling. I shut out everything, and I focused on standing tall and strong.

Ranger broke the silence, speaking to his crew. His face was serious, in the zone. "We will have a briefing in the third floor conference room in thirty minutes. Unload the equipment and load it into the second floor store room using the freight elevator, but leave your personal bags in the trucks. We will break for dinner at 1800 hours, and you will have time to check into your hotel rooms then. After the briefing, we will divide into teams to begin installing equipment along specified routes."

Ranger's eyes met mine, and I felt my heart rate increase. I stood still and solemn, working to exude a sense of belonging in this group of strong, serious men. Ranger did not acknowledge me. He turned and headed for the passenger elevator, Ximena following. I steeled myself, followed Hector, and began unloading equipment into the freight elevator.