Ximena and I sat up for hours, laughing on the couch in her loaner apartment. We drank hot chocolate and got to know one another. Though I had only just met her, we quickly established a comfortable bond. I trusted her. She was lighthearted and fun, and while her cousin Manoso was the man of mystery, there wasn't much about Ximena that was mysterious. She was straightforward and honest.

I learned that Ximena Santos graduated from high school in Newark before going to the University of Massachusetts Medical School to get her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Nursing. She worked her way through college as a night shift EMT in Boston. After graduation, Ximena worked in Massachusetts General Hospital as an Emergency Room nurse. She was a thrill junkie, and the upbeat, hectic tempo of ER work was exactly what she needed to get career fulfillment. She began working for Rangeman in Boston several years ago when approached by Ranger. Previous leadership hadn't worked out, and he needed someone he could trust. Ximena was the woman for the job.

Ximena's love life was an open book too. She had dated some guys off and on, but she was more interested in pursuing her career than a relationship. She summed up her current status in one smooth phrase.

"I'm surrounded by macho men all day long, every single day. Once I get home, I need a break from the testosterone," she had said.

I could relate. I'd spent some serious time at Rangeman's Trenton Office, and it could get overwhelming. Not to mention with the exception of Lester, most of the Rangemen were men of few words.

I told Ximena about myself, too. I told her about my family and my career as a bounty hunter. I told her about my hamster, Rex, and about my friends Lula, Connie, and Mary Lou. I explained that I worked on an as-needed basis for Ranger, assisting with takedowns and research when my skill set was required. I told her about my tendency to roll around in garbage, get stun gunned by my skips who used my own gun on me, and destroy cars. She found the cars piece amusing and admitted Lester had told her about the cars previously.

I intentionally omitted any and all talk of my love life. I thought I was going to get off scot-free, but Ximena caught on pretty quickly.

"I'm so thrilled to finally meet the woman who tamed Carlos," she admitted with a grin. "I never saw it coming. I didn't think he'd ever find a companion."

"I wouldn't go so far to say I tamed Ranger," I said, picking at my fingernails and refusing to make eye contact. "Ranger doesn't do relationships."

"How the heck would you define your role in his life then, Chica? Anyone with eyes can see what's up between you two. Hell, he let you stay in his unit last night."

I thought about it for a minute before responding. Sure, Ranger and I had a physical relationship. And on more than one occasion, he had admitted he was emotionally involved. But he'd also told me the price was too high. He'd made it pretty clear he couldn't afford to have me in his life, and as much as I hate to admit it, I couldn't afford the heartbreak that was sure to follow whenever he decided he was done with me. Ranger wasn't long-term relationship material, and I wasn't sure I was genetically coded for anything else. My life wasn't on target for marriage, but I at least expected cohabitation & long term commitment at some point before my death.

"I'm like Ranger's pet. I provide companionship and entertainment at a low emotional cost. When his schedule doesn't allow, he farms me off to other caretakers until he's ready to resume his role as a pet owner." I grimaced at my own honesty, but hell, what did I have to lose at this point?

Ximena was thoughtful as she processed the information she'd received. She sipped her hot chocolate and pulled a giant marshmallow out of the bag on the couch between us, shoving it in her mouth.

"And who exactly does he farm you out to?" she asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

"Depends on the day. Tank sometimes. Any of the Rangemen from Trenton, really. Usually he farms me out to my boyfriend, Joe."

Ximena choked on her hot chocolate. She worked hard to regain her composure.

"Your boyfriend?" she asked. "You have a boyfriend?"

"Well, ex-boyfriend. Joe and I have an on-again, off-again relationship. We're currently in a semi-permanent off phase," I said.

"Define semi-permanent."

"I think it's finally occurred to me that Joe and I aren't compatible as long term partners in a relationship. We're great friends, and I've known him for my entire life. We're too tied up in a physical relationship to move back into the friend-zone right now, but I hope time can heal our friendship. I can't imagine my life without Joe in it," I admitted.

"You love him," she said openly.

"I love Ranger too," I said defensively. "I just don't think he loves me in the same way. Maybe I need to get both of them out of my bed and Go Fish," I admitted sadly.

"Don't count Carlos out yet, Chica. He's fiercely loyal, even if he doesn't know what the hell he wants. It's clear to anyone who has eyeballs that he loves you," she said.

"In his own way," I qualified, as Ranger had done many times.

"Is that what he told you?" she said, annoyed.

I nodded.

"What an ass," she sighed.

"In his defense, he seems to see more good in me than I see. He sees potential. I see a chronic fuck-up," I admitted. "I'm not sure I'd want to establish anything long-term with me either."

"Chica, I've been hearing about you for years from Lester. If you think you don't have anything long-term with my cousin, you're delusional. He's mentioned you at family gatherings a time or two, and he always smiles like you hung the moon talking about you."

I felt my heart stutter in my chest at that admission. Ranger talked about me? To his family?

"You're smiling like the Cheshire cat!" Ximena laughed. "Girl, you're smitten too. Why the hell are you in this apartment and not in his bed?" She waggled her eyebrows, just like Lester.

I shrugged, noncommittal.

"Seriously, what's up? Not that I'm not thrilled to have you here, but why did you land on my doorstep? And what was up with you earlier? Ranger was being Mr. Secrecy, but you were in a state. Spill, Chica."

I hugged a throw pillow from the couch to my chest. I wasn't sure where to start, so I started from the beginning.

I told Ximena about telling Joe it was over for good, and how Ranger had heard the entire conversation. I told her about coming to Atlanta to escape my feelings in Jersey. I omitted the parts about sex with Ranger, because who really wants to hear about their cousin's sex life? However, I did come clean about my feelings for Ranger. I told her about how Joe got shot on the job and about the unknowns of his condition.

"I think my reaction really bothered Ranger," I admitted sadly, blinking away tears that were threatening to spill. I wiped my nose with the hem of my shirt and sniffed. "I don't think he understands I meant it when I told Joe we were through. In my defense, Ranger has been part of the problem. He's always tried to send me back to Joe to patch up our relationship. He tells me he's a 'good cop', and that he can give me the things I want. Ranger takes what he wants, then he sends me back."

Ximena sat in thoughtful silence as I shoved my mouth full of marshmallows.

"Ranger has a lot going on in his life," Ximena said quietly. "Don't take his reaction too personally right now. Maybe give him some time and some grace. He'll eventually come around."

Her response caught me off guard. She knew more about the man of mystery than I did, and for some reason, that gave me a sick feeling in my stomach. I raised an eyebrow in question.

Ximena's eyes met mine, and some unknown emotion crossed her face.

"Ranger hardly talks about his life," I said bitterly. "I wouldn't know."

Ximena considered that. She seemed unsure whether to respond. She blew out a sigh.

"Carlos's mom is undergoing chemotherapy treatments for colon cancer. Her prognosis isn't great. He's taking it really hard. He's buying her the finest treatment money can buy, but sometimes it isn't enough," she admitted. "His brother is in some trouble again, too. From what I hear, it's grand theft auto, but we suspect he's taking drugs again. Carlos has had men tracking him down and keeping tabs on him for months, but you can't help the unwilling. Last I heard, he's out on bail but trial is coming up."

I sat dumbfounded. Ranger never spoke of his family or of his feelings. I felt like I was being introduced to a Ranger I'd never met before. I was speechless.

"Try not to take it too personally that he's a bit out of whack. He got an update on his mom's condition this morning, and that sent him into a state. I figure that's why Lester got the hulk smash treatment earlier. He's quiet when he shuts down. It probably has nothing to do with your ex-boyfriend cop, especially if he's got Rangeman monitoring the guy's room. He knows you care about him, even if you aren't together. He had a lot to deal with when he got out of the service. He needs to go see a shrink again to get his shit together. The one thing I'm absolutely certain about Carlos is that he's a control freak. If he can't control his circumstances, he's sure as hell going to make an effort to control Lester's behavior."

She winked and cracked a smile.

I smiled back too, but my heart wasn't in it. My heart ached for Ranger. I learned more about his personal life in five minutes than he'd divulged in the years we had worked together. I was absolutely certain he cared for me and trusted me, so why wouldn't he have shared any of this information with me? His poor mother, and the stress of his brother? Not to mention he'd evidently received some psychiatric care in the past.

"Shit, Chica!" Ximena exclaimed. "It's almost 1:00 AM. We have an early morning wake up call. We better get some sleep. You're welcome to crash on the couch here."

"Thanks for the offer," I said. "I'll have to take a rain check on the slumber party. I'm going to head next door. I'll see you bright and early."

"Night, Chica!"

I pulled the door to 6C closed behind me and fobbed my way into 6A. I was still in my Rangeman uniform sans shoes, which I was carrying. I padded through the bedroom to the bathroom and closed the door, flipping on the light. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and stripped out of my bra, pants, and socks. I slipped into bed wearing a tee and underwear.

In seconds, Ranger had pulled me into him, holding me close. He was warm and smelled wonderful.

"I missed you," he whispered, placing a kiss above my ear.

"I know," I said earnestly.

I knew Ranger well enough to know he was thinking about smiling.

"I love you," I said in a whisper.

"I know," Ranger said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

A laugh escaped my chest. I playfully hit him as I snuggled into his body. Within seconds, I was drifting into a dreamless sleep.

I woke to Ranger standing over me. He was fully dressed in Rangeman black fatigues with a utility belt strapped around his waist. The light on the table next to the bed was on, and the clock on the table read 4:02 AM.

"Urngh," I grumbled.

"Up and at 'em, Babe," Ranger said, setting a cup of coffee on the table. "I let you sleep as long as I could. You're going to pay the price today for hours of girl talk last night."

"Five more minutes," I whined, rolling onto my belly and shoving my face into the pillow. I could feel sleep luring me back when Ranger ripped the covers off the bed, exposing my bare legs to cool air.

"Eek!" I shrieked, huddling into the fetal position. "Cold!"

I shoved the pillow over my face, willing the light to shut off and Ranger to disappear.

I was drifting off to sleep when I heard the shower turn on. Ranger caught me off guard, ripping the pillow off my face and hauling me over his shoulder like a sack of sand. Before I could respond, he thrust me into the warm shower, clothes and all.

I shrieked, and Ranger smiled.

"You've got five minutes until breakfast. I suggest you use them wisely," he encouraged, hanging a towel over the glass shower enclosure.

I was conditioning my hair when the glass shower door opened, and Ranger set my coffee in the soap nook. "Two minutes," he said, tapping his smart watch and closing the door again.

I rinsed the conditioner out of my hair, shut off the water, swallowed my coffee in one giant slurp, and wrapped myself in a towel. Ranger came into the bathroom again holding muffin on a white plate.

"Breakfast, courtesy of Maria," he explained, setting the plate on the counter and watching me dry my hair.

I gave him a glare. "Privacy?" I asked, speaking loudly over the roar of the hair dryer.

Ranger shrugged. "Pretty," he said, smiling. He motioned to my body in the towel, then placed his hand on the back of my neck.

I felt heat travel from his hand to the tips of my toes before landing low in my belly. I think I inadvertently moaned.

"Babe," he said, stepping closer to me. In seconds, the towel was gone, and he was kissing me… everywhere.

I tried to be the voice of reason. "We have to be downstairs in ten minutes," I said, looking at my uneaten muffin and at Ranger on his knees before me.

"I'm up for the challenge," he said. "You can take the muffin with you." He smirked before going back to the task at hand.

Oh boy.