I'm sorry, I'm really sorry for the delay in posting this latest chapter. Got carried away with a couple of projects and RL which is typical but sooo frustrating at times. Can't blame my tardiness on the kids though, they've been egging me to get on with it (and my husband keeps asking when I'm going to make him rich... sigh)

As usual, you guys really know how to make a middle aged woman very happy with all your wonderful comments. Please keep up the good work and help me to sleep happy in my bed at night!

Enjoy:

Chase POV

Seven hours!

Seven fucking hours is all it's taken to confirm that Connor is the lying cheating bastard I had him down for. He deserves to rot in some third world jail for the various stunts he's pulled!

I've only worked here for about a year and we don't normally cross paths very often, but there's always been something off about him. A couple of the others, who've worked here much longer, say he wasn't always this way, especially those here on the core team.

Ha!

Team!

That's a fucking crock of shit!

(Deep inhalation of breath to calm himself.)

Anyway… where was I?

According to a coupla the guys, Ranger and Connor were buddies. Great buddies. Founding members of a security empire type buddies. 'Cept that Connor never wanted to invest but was happy to support his friend by heading up Atlanta.

Not a million years after the office went live something happened. He's not entirely sure, but Lester thinks it was all female related. Figures. Take a muscled-up alpha male, fuel him with testosterone and an over inflated ego, throw in a piece of skirt most likely with loose morals and a big mouth, light touch paper and retreat to watch the fireworks.

Ass hole!

According to the gossips after that he began to change.

Slowly but subtly.

Bit by bit.

Until that point Connor was always corporate Rangeman personified, keen on developing carbon copies of every aspect of Ranger's vision in each building. It was his idea to have seven floors for good luck. Can you believe that?

Pfft, neither can I!

Well apparently, about the time that whatever happened happened, he started to transform this place. Gradually at first, swapping out the letterhead paper to something slightly less white, altering the shift patterns, that kinda thing. Once he'd done that he focused on the fixtures and fittings and he's now remodelled extensively. He said it freshened up the building and worked better with the Atlanta client base.

But now I know better. He did it so he could pull yet more money out of the coffers to waste at the crap tables…

Whatever the catalyst, not only is that asshole about to go down for embezzlement he has also managed to create a really unhealthy workplace. His second in command, Mungo, is a really nasty piece of work and a few of the others seem to be one step up from the jungle too. Admittedly you can't tar everyone with the same brush, but with our pasts and reps, well let's just say, beggars can't be choosers otherwise quite a few of us would have walked long ago.

Me included.

Then Stephanie arrived. I'm no saint but I know one when I see one. Steph is either our guardian, or avenging angel - jury's still out on that one - but as soon as she walked in that door I knew things were about to change. She's like a welcome breath of fresh air and I for one have felt the tidalwaves she leaves in her wake. In fact, the moment she showed her feisty New Jersey colours and stunned me she I was hers.

Yeah, I know I bitched about it to anyone who would listen, but really! Who is their right mind is dumb enough to get stunned by a tiny little slip of a woman? I knew I had to bad mouth the woman otherwise I'd have had even more trouble living it down and the teasing I got was bad enough. If only the guys knew I'd fallen just a tiny bit in love with her... well let's just say I'd be beggin Manoso for a one way ticket to A-stan...

Sigh.

Why Stephanie feels the need to help a man that has treated her so badly I can't even begin to guess but that seems to be the nature of the woman. She always seems to look out for the unexpected. Perhaps she can see things in us that we can't….

I know from Rees that the two of them have been out on a date but that it went no further as there's dickhead out there that she's pining for. If and when she gets over the fucker that strung her along and then broke her heart I plan to step up and tell her how I feel.

Anyway, much as I would prefer to stay with Stephanie and show her what she means to me I'm not gonna push it. Quick shower to get rid of a little problem that has just arisen from thinking about her then off to bed. Tomorrow's gonna be a long and complicated day, I just know it.

Sigh.

Ranger's POV

I'm finally going to do what I should have done years ago. Connor is going to get the help he needs – far far away from my cash box. I've been ignoring the shameless misuse of Rangeman funds for far too long now, always giving him the benefit of the doubt. I doubt I'll get my money back but it's not really to do with that, it's what he did to my Babe. That was the prompt I needed to make me face the truth.

I hadn't realised how far down the road to depravity he's gone, but now I get it.

Connor needs help. There I've finally admitted it.

Connor for once and for all needs to put his head and his heart back together - or die trying. Oh I know he's already been there and done that, but now he needs to come back to me as a whole person again. To become the man I grew up with.

I may be a heartless bastard, but to lose your entire life just because some unbalanced religious cleric decides to rearrange part of the New York skyline and litter the ground with innocent bodies…

Well, the enormity of the loss? It doesn't bear thinking about but I get that this is all that Connor really thinks about. But he needs to end the grieving process and move on, get his life back on track. Maybe even begin to live in the real world again.

Sigh.

When my team and I finally tracked Bin Laden down, I had the honour of sending him to hell and I did so with Megan's name dripping from my lips. Yeah, I know everyone thought it was the Seals, but hey, there isn't even a name for me and my team, we just do what has to be done and let everyone else take the glory. Not that I'm complaining, they can keep the glory – they didn't get paid 1/10th of what we received.

Ha ha…

Sigh.

People think I don't know what's been going on. I know about 6 accounts that Harrison, our accountant, said were down just over $865,000. I've been monitoring things on and off for a while now, but I've been hoping against hope that my former best friend would come clean.

But it would seem that Babe is not the only person who can live in Denial.

I'm normally such a good judge of character but I let my loyalty to the man who was not only my closest childhood friend but who saved my life, get in the way of my judgement. I should have called him out years ago.

My Babe had him sussed out in less than 48 hours from their first encounter! Thanks to her I can now let him go off an heal safe in the knowledge that he will get exactly the help and support he needs – as with everything she does, her plan is simple but effective.

I just wish our relationship was that too.

Lester has been giving me shit about the way I've treated my woman, both before and after I let her run off to Boston. There, I've said it.

My woman.

I've manned up to myself even if I've not told her how I feel. Maybe I'm like a recovering alcoholic – admitting it to myself is half the solution.

I seem to be having quite a few epiphanies at the moment and here's another one… I'm a coward and I should have been honest with Steph rather than feed her some bullshit lines about 'condoms not rings' 'line items under entertainment' and my absolute favourite 'go back to Morelli and fix your relationship'.

I am such an emotional and spiritual dessert. What on earth did I ever do to deserve Steph in my life? If I ever have the luxury of her trust again, I promise to cherish her and tell her how I feel, tell her how much I need her in my life, how I can't function at 100% without her.

If the fuckers on Stark could see me now! Ha! How the Mighty Manoso has fallen under the influence of a piece of white bread from the 'Burg… White skin, creamy white skin. Blue eyes, bright deep blue eyes. Big heart, such a fucking wonderful, big heart…

(Cough and subtle movement of pants to accommodate rising situation followed by blatant ignoring of hopeful looking stewardess who is current eye fucking him.)

The plane lands in just over 15 minutes and I expect to be in my building by 0730. I doubt my Babe will be up but I am guessing Connor won't have slept much.

Fucker!

Where was I? Oh yeah. My other plans for today.

The games we've organised are far more in line with Ella's suggestions. She was right, the tasks had to highlight a woman's skills and showcase the reason for doing this in the first place. Don't get me wrong, we won't be doing strategies based on 'How to survive Black Friday (or whatever the hell it's called) in one piece' or even 'the noises to look out for to alert you to the fact that Babe is eating a pizza with extra cheese'. No, the tasks we've come up are far more simple and effective.

There's that phrase again – simple and effective. Maybe that is how I should approach getting my Babe back into my arms. Yeah, right, simple and effective are not words to describe anything remotely related to our relationship. I tried the simple bit but not the effective bit last time and look where it got me.

Sigh... again.

I miss my woman so much. I need to be part of her life again. In any way she'll have me. I just worried that she'll kick me into touch once I've helped her out. After all, she thinks I think she's a mill stone round my neck – how far from the truth can you get! I love her so fucking much and every time she does something to defend me or mine it makes my heart swell with pride.

I just hope she lets me in. Lets me be her friend again.

I can't take back the past – my stupid comment, my need for control and how immaturely I reacted to her pulling away from me, but now I'm ready to man up. I'm tired of trying to pretend that all I need is a nameless fuck. I'm tired of all the make believe I've invented.

I want her back and I'll do anything to prove it to her.

Sigh.

If that air stewardess tries to stuff her tits in my face one more time I swear I'm gonna throw her out the window! Dios!

Rees POV

So D-Day is here. I doubt any of the players have a clue about the agendas the other people have.

Steph wants to heal people and inveigle her way back into Ranger's heart.

Connor wants to come clean, admit he's fucked up and to get the help he so desperately needs for whatever his problem really is. I also think he's ready to submit to whatever punishment Ranger dishes out so that he can begin to claw his way out of the abyss he's in, hanging on by his fingernails.

Ranger wants to prove to Steph he can love her for who she is and to show that he is the right man for her. I think he'll start with trying to understand Connor and help him.

And Chase? He's already half in love with one of my best friends and wants to prove that he too can support and love Steph.

OMG what a cluster fuck with Steph stuck right in the middle. If they're not careful they'll rip her to shreds all in the name of love.

FUBAR?

Not even close!

SNAFU is more like it.

When it all goes tits up, I wonder who will walk away standing?