This is part one of Ranger and Stephanie's Miami trip. I was hoping to keep it only one chapter long, but it quickly turned into two. Part two is already written, and I'll post it as soon as I finish editing it. I've never been to Miami, so everything in these two chapters describing the city is based on websites I've looked at and my own imagination. All familiar characters belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine.

Chapter 15

The plane landed safely in Miami, but Ranger had acquired a few nail marks on his hand, and probably a few bruises on his thigh, from when the plane hit a patch of turbulence. But all was forgiven and forgotten as soon as the sun hit us as we stepped off the plane. I could even look past each painful squeeze of my heart at every dip and shake the plane made before we touched down on solid ground again.

"You know, it occurred to me when the plane became possessed, that landing at an airport with the initials M.I.A. maybe wasn't the best idea."

"It wasn't that bad of a flight, Babe. I've lived through worse."

"But you're made of stronger stuff than I am. Maybe we can sacrifice some vacation time and drive back to Trenton."

"No."

It was worth a shot.

Ranger took my hand as we walked down the main terminal and used the escalator to get to the first floor and baggage claim. Ranger got our stuff and we were ready to leave the airport less than twenty minutes after entering it. Of course there was a guy in black waiting for us, and I was betting keys to a Porsche of some kind were in his hand.

"Silvio," I said to the man waiting."It's been awhile. How's Miami?"

"Warmer than Trenton," he said.

"And your family?"

"They're good. I heard about the wedding," Silvio said."Congratulations."

"Thanks. If you're planning on visiting us in Trenton soon, you can come to it. It's the least I can do for the guy who got me through my first official day at Rangeman."

"Babe, that's part of his job. He's required to train the person replacing him."

"But Silvio told me where the aspirin was, so I owe him big time."

"You were a quick study," Silvio said.

"Yeah, right. Every other second I was thinking of strangling myself with the phone cord."

"You did look like you were ready to run when you saw the size of the phone," Silvio said.

"Can you blame me? Nobody but the FBI and NASA have phones like the ones at Rangeman."

"You handled it okay in the end. I did feel comfortable leaving my cubby in your hands."

"Is your cubby bigger down here?" I asked him.

He smiled."I have an office."

"Good for you. I don't have an office yet, but I've mastered everything you showed me and a lot more. I can leave the dunce desk any time I choose."

"I'm not surprised," Silvio said, giving me a small grin before he turned to Ranger."Here's the keys to your car."

"Thank you," Ranger told him.

"Since you came down personally to deal with Swanson and brought Stephanie with you, we may have a job for her if she's game."

"I've been in Miami for only twenty minutes, and somebody already wants me to work?"

"He asked if you were interested, Babe, not demanding you do anything."

"Technically," I told Ranger,"Silvio hasn't asked me anything yet."

If Silvio is going to talk to Ranger about me like I'm not standing right here, then he's going to receive the same treatment.

I knew Silvio was a smart man, because he looked sheepish before issuing an immediate apology.

"Sorry, Stephanie. I should have checked with Ranger to see if it was okay, since he's the who decides when we bring in someone new, and then asked you if you'd like to help us out."

"It's fine, Silvio," I told him."What would I be doing?"

"Why don't we wait until we get to the office before getting into this," Ranger said to me.

"Sure. Does that mean I get to meet some of the Miami Merry Men?"

"You still call them that?" Silvio asked me.

"Yeah. They haven't been able to make me stop."

"Have they even tried?" He asked.

I paused for a beat, really thinking about that.

"You know what? They haven't. I wonder how come."

"Because they like that you gave them a nickname," Silvio told me."Though a few of them would have preferred something a little different. Like the 'Plum Protectors' or 'Backup Badasses'."

I laughed."Those are actually worse than The Merry Men."

"What do you expect? When I was there, Lester and Woody were the ones in charge of coming up with suggestions."

"The guys never mentioned anything to me about it, so my nickname stays."

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it?"

"Hey, it works for me," I told him.

Silvio cut his eyes to Ranger before shaking his head. I suppose it would be puzzling to some how a man as scary and controlled as Ranger could be tying his life to someone not at all terrifying and completely unpredictable. But like I just told Silvio, it's been working for Ranger and I, and I'm not going to mess with it.

We followed Silvio through the swarm of people wearing clothes ranging from shorts and T-shirts to three-piece business suits and out to a brand new, shiny Porsche Cayenne. Silvio stopped at his company SUV and gave us a raised hand as a goodbye while we continued on to the Porsche. I guess Miami cars are all black, too. If it was my company, I'd have picked silver or blue. Okay, I'd want red, but as I've found with Lula's Firebird, red isn't really good for blending into bad neighborhoods.

Ranger drove through the noon time traffic without laying on the horn, giving multiple hand gestures, or threatening the drivers in front of us and all their descendents. I would've been doing all three, even though I wasn't the one driving, but I was too busy acting like a tourist. I couldn't help it, the coastline is almost as drool-worthy as Ranger. Okay, that's like comparing apples to an Adonis, I know, I just meant that they're both really good in very different ways.

After the twenty-five minute drive, my eyes got accustomed to the sun, the water, and the way to Rangeman Miami. I wanted to be able to drive myself to the mall and back without getting lost. Ranger always scanned a room for threats, while I always mapped out a route to the nearest shopping mall in a new city.

Ranger took a right and pulled into the garage of his building. The Miami branch is similar to Trenton's in shape, but the outside of the one in front of me was done in a sand-colored stucco instead of red brick. It looked more like an upscale apartment building than a stealth security firm.

"Very nice," I said to Ranger, when I noticed him watching me.

"I am to please, Babe."

"Me?" I asked, feeling a little flirty. Maybe this is what non-Jersey air did to a person."Or your clients?"

"You exclusively."

"Good answer."

"And also a truthful one," he said, leaning over the console to kiss me."I'll show you the apartment before we get to work."

"Is this Swanson guy in trouble?"

"Yes. I could have let someone handle it here, but I don't like an employee of mine jeopardizing my good name, or my business' reputation. Swanson's not being let go without having to face me first."

"Uh-oh."

I'm marrying the guy, and I'd still be a little nervous about a confrontation with Ranger if he was angry about something I've done.

"You don't have a firing squad out behind the Rangeman building, do you?" I asked him.

"No. All the firing happens in my office, Babe."

"Yeah, and I'm sure everyone who has had to face you after screwing up would've preferred a firing squad."

"That was my goal. It cuts down on the amount of reprimands when your employees are terrified of you."

"I bet it does."

I can't imagine anybody in Trenton going postal anywhere near Ranger or Tank.

"If only you were still terrified of me," Ranger said, giving me a sexy grin.

"Yeah, right," I told him."You don't want me to be afraid of you."

"No, I don't, but it would make my life easier."

"If you wanted easy, you wouldn't have been interested in me."

"I'd be interested no matter what, Babe," Ranger said, looking me over and liking what he saw.

"Thank you. Same here. Even if you're a huge pain sometimes."

"I may be a pain, but you know that I can also be extremely pleasurable."

"Understatement of the year," I said quietly.

Ranger smiled.

Ranger and I got out of the car and headed inside. We didn't automatically take the elevator to the seventh floor, instead we went through the first floor entrance. I noticed when we walked in that the interior of the place was painted a softer shade of beige than the building back home. It still had a serious work environment vibe, but you didn't feel the usual heaviness that came along with what these people probably see everyday.

The guy at the front desk reminded me of Raphael. He had olive skin, dark hair, and a nervous smile. He's also just as big as the men I'm used to being around. Maybe Ranger has Ella, and whoever takes care of these guys, slip Miracle Grow into the men's coffee. I haven't spoken to anyone except Ranger and Silvio, but I already felt a little more at home in this place. Over the last couple of months, the guys have given me insight into what it's like to be them, and I have a good idea now of what an action hero's life entailed, and felt like one myself sometimes just by association.

"Mr. Manoso," the desk guy said."Welcome back."

"Mr. Manoso?" I repeated, cutting my eyes to Ranger.

Everybody in Trenton either calls Ranger, Ranger or Sir, so this is new.

"It's a sign of respect, Babe."

"I respected you when we met, and I never called you Mr. Anything."

Of course, I also wanted to see him naked. And calling Ranger Mr. Manoso would have been a little weird and a lot creepy.

"Curtis, meet Stephanie Plum," Ranger told the guy who had jumped to his feet when Ranger started talking."Steph, this is Curtis Nuera."

"It's nice to meet you, Ma'am," Curtis said, as his hand swallowed up mine.

My head was shaking in the negative before he finished saying the last word.

"Uh-uh," I said to Curtis."I'm not a Ma'am. I'm just Stephanie, so don't try calling me Ms. Plum either."

His eyes widened slightly - the only Rangeman tell a person is likely to get - before he looked at Ranger.

"You heard her," Ranger said to him."I don't advise arguing with Stephanie. You won't win."

I smiled at both of them, and I saw Curtis relax his shoulders a fraction of an inch.

I'm going to have a great time with these guys if everyone here is like Curtis.

"Don't even think about it, Babe," Ranger said.

"I wasn't doing anything."

"You're already planning on corrupting my staff here, too."

"We don't have that much time," I told Ranger."I'm going to have to be very selective in who I corrupt."

"Pace yourself, Steph. Maybe you should hear about this job before you tackle disrupting my workforce. We'll put our stuff away and then find out who you're going after."

I followed Ranger into the elevator and immediately checked the corners. Yep, there are cameras in here, too. I didn't care what we did, or when. I was fine with anything Ranger said, since I wanted to see everything. It doesn't matter what's up first.

The seventh floor looked exactly like the lobby. At least the apartment I've been staying in with Ranger looks a little homier. There aren't a lot of personal touches yet, but you can still tell that someone lives there at least. Ranger unlocked the door and let me go explore while he dumped our bags in the bedroom.

The place is smaller, but not by much. The kitchen is one I'd still be scared to use. The living room had a large TV and what looked like a very comfy couch. I'm pretty sure that both haven't been used very often. Ranger is probably the only person on earth who didn't see Miami as a vacation town.

I stepped into the bedroom and watched Ranger move around the unfamiliar space. I always envied the fact that Ranger felt comfortable and confident in any place or situation he was in. He's the same man here as he is in Trenton, Boston, and probably the Middle East. That took a concrete belief in yourself that I haven't been able to find in myself yet. I do have hope of developing it, though, thanks to this man in front of me.

The room was painted exactly like the rest of the building. At least the bed was king size and distracting enough to make up for the beige haven, and it would look really good with Ranger sprawled across it.

"Are you going to jump me, Babe?" Ranger asked.

"I'm seriously considering it," I said, walking into the room.

"I was thinking the same about you."

"But you always see me sprawled across the bed. Sometimes I'm not even sleeping at the time."

"You're sexy even in sleep, Babe."

"Sure, I am."

"You are. Especially when you fall asleep after we've made love and your hair is messy, your lips are swollen, and you're also still naked."

I laughed."I think the naked part is what you find sexy."

"No, it's you naked that I find incredibly sexy."

"Because you know that I'm easy where you're concerned."

"That helps," Ranger said, coming over to me."Are you ready to see my office and some of the building?"

"Yes. Ravishing you will have to wait."

"I'll be counting the hours, Babe."

"You'll be too busy reaming out your employee to think about me."

"I can do both, Steph."

"See, I'm smart enough to pick a guy who can multi-task."

"I think I'm the smart one for getting you away from Morelli."

"You are smart, but let's not forget that it was Morelli that got me away from Morelli."

"That comment alone, Babe, shows that you're both beautiful and observant."

"And I'll prove that all over again when I catch this guy your Miami team is looking for."

"There's nothing left to prove, Babe. You can do anything you put your mind to."

I slid my arms around Ranger's waist and stretched on tiptoes to kiss his lips. I still have a hard time not touching him, since Ranger is delicious from top to bottom. Ranger's hands slid into my curls and he covered my mouth completely with his. Yep, he really is delicious. This kiss confirmed it.

"We need to stop or we'll be spending your trip inside this room," Ranger told me, moving on to kiss the side of my neck.

"And the problem with that would be ... what?" I asked.

"You want to see the city," Ranger told me,"and I do have some work to do while we're here."

I kissed his jaw before stepping away.

"Fine. Lead the way.

We headed back downstairs by way of the elevator, and Ranger opened the door to his fifth floor office. No shock. The control room is also designed like Trenton's ... and probably Boston's and Atlanta's, too. The men were different, but the layout is the same. Crappy cubicles for the poor bastards stuck typing day in and day out. Two banks of monitors with two beefy guys watching them, and I bet the kitchen is in the same spot. When Ranger found a system that worked exactly like he wanted, he didn't change it.

Ranger's office is larger here, and this one had a three-window view of the beach from his desk. After taking a cursory glance around, I planted my ass in his office chair, spun it around, and stared out at all the people enjoying the almost eighty-degree weather. How the heck did Ranger leave this place and go back to New Jersey?

"I hope you aren't going to fall asleep in my chair," I heard Ranger say.

I rolled my head in his direction before also turning the chair to face him again. Yep, this is way better than an ocean view, I thought to myself, while checking out my fiancé.

"It is a pretty comfy chair."

"I bet I can make it better," he said, before slipping his arms under and around me, and taking my seat away from me.

"Hey!" I said in surprise.

When he sat down with me on top of him, I relaxed and settled back against him, smiling. He hadn't been evicting me at all.

"You did make it better," I told him."It's now heated."

"And I'll heat up a few other things after we leave the office."

I'd complain about wanting to see some sights before we locked ourselves upstairs, but there are some sights I've already seen and would never get tired of. The look on Ranger's face right before he enters me, is one of them. His eyes go dark, his mouth gets firmer, and his face has a slight sheen from the effort it takes to control himself and his body. Control that I'm still working on breaking.

"So what did this guy you came down here to get rid of do?"

"He was caught drinking while on a stakeout," Ranger told me."He was also the man driving the car. If Emilio - Swanson's partner - hadn't been so observant, Paul could have continued and been driving around the city until his shift ended."

"Uh-oh," I said.

Ranger, and Rangeman, have a strict No Alcohol policy. If Ranger thought one of the guys was even thinking too hard about a beer, he got annoyed. To have someone completely disregard his rules, and his company's policy, is something Ranger takes personally. This guy is going to be toast when Ranger's finished chewing his ass out. There are few people I envy less at the moment than this Swanson guy.

"When do I find out about my guy?" I asked Ranger

"Right now, Babe," Ranger said, as someone knocked on his office door.

"That was fast," I said."Brain-to-brain communication must get better with copious amounts of sunlight."

"Marco is just efficient, Steph," Ranger told me, before turning his attention to the new guy.

Well ... new to me. Ranger obviously knew him.

"Come in," Ranger said to the door.

"Mr. Manoso," Marco greeted Ranger, after a firm handshake across my body.

Good thing I'm not a woman who is self-conscious about sitting on the boss in his place of business. Not much, anyway.

"There it is again," I said to Ranger."They must respect the heck out of you."

"Babe."

"Uh ..." Marco said.

Marco looked a little like Diesel to me. They both have tan skin, dark blond hair on the shaggy side, and an expressive face. Except for his size, Marco - the Miami version of Tank - is the exact opposite of Tank himself. And Marco was looking at both of us like he wasn't quite sure what to make of this Ranger. He seemed to be more surprised at our conversation than the fact that I had borrowed Ranger's chair without making him move out of it first.

"What do you have, Marco?" Ranger asked.

"We've got a male FTA, twenty six, who hangs out on the beach by the boulevard. His girlfriend works at a store close by on 54th Street. Since the skip's got nothing to do except play video games until she gets off, he spends the summer on the beach checking out the scenery."

"You don't mean the sunset, do you?" I asked Marco.

"Nope."

"So you want me to lure him to one of your guys?"

"No, Babe. You'll bring him to me. I'm not about to leave you alone in a new city with men you aren't comfortable with yet."

"I'm not all that comfortable partnering with Lula," I said to Ranger,"and I've known her for years."

"Lula's a special case," Ranger told me.

"That's a very nice way of putting it."

"Are you up for it, Steph?" Ranger asked."You did say that you wanted to spend some time on the beach. This way you'll even get paid for it."

"I don't know. If he's hanging around close to his girlfriend, why would he be talking to me? If his girlfriend knew he was chatting up other women, she'd probably kill him. I know I would."

"Good thing I have no desire to 'chat up' anyone else, but most men don't have a problem playing the field. And any man, young or old, would piss themselves just at the chance of talking to you. Bikini or no bikini."

"You didn't mean that the way it sounded, right?" I asked him."It's not a nude beach or anything, is it? I'd have to reconsider the job if it is."

"You wouldn't have been offered the job in the first place if it was, Babe. I meant that even if you're covered from head to toe, men still trip over themselves to get your attention. My men are perfect examples of that. And they're supposed to be disciplined in every action they take and emotion they display."

I blew out a sigh."Okay, I'll give it a shot. Do you want to do this now?" I asked them."It's not like I have anything scheduled at the moment."

"Nedarino's girlfriend works until three today and then she has two days off, so now would be good," Marco said."Otherwise we'd have to stake out her house, and there would be her two kids, and her mother, to consider if we had to do that."

"No, I'll get him. I don't want to arrest anyone in front of children. I've seen how my life has affected my own nieces over the years, and I wouldn't want to emotionally damage any more kids."

"They love you, Steph," Ranger told me.

"Yeah, but I may have scarred them for life when I sat down next to them at dinner covered in blood."

"Blood?" Marco said, both eyebrows raised.

"Don't ask," I told him."And it wasn't mine."

"But Eddie was fine, Steph," Ranger said, tightening his arms."And the girls have adjusted to your job and everything that comes with it."

"If they can live with Albert, then I'm pretty sure nothing I do now will phase them."

"Your family sounds fascinating," Marco said.

"You have no idea," I told him, picturing Grandma Mazur loose here.

"Swanson has been called in," Marco said to Ranger."He should be here in ten to fifteen minutes."

"Good," Ranger said."I'll handle him and then we can go after Nedarino."

"That's fine with me. I'll get ready while you carve out this guy's spleen," I told Ranger.

Marco paled.

"I'm kidding," I told him, before looking at Ranger."I was kidding, right?"

"Yes. Spleen removals are only for men who don't keep their vehicles spotless."

I laughed at both the Ranger-humor and Marco's face.

Ranger stood up, taking me with him, and set me on my feet in front of him.

"Stop teasing Marco, Steph. He's not used to it."

"I'll have to work on that," I said, giving Marco an evil grin.

"Go on up to seven, Babe. I'll join you after I take care of Swanson."

"Okay," I said, giving his waist a squeeze before passing Marco and heading to the door.

"Don't get into any trouble on the way," Ranger told me before I cleared the doorjamb.

"I make no promises," I said, looking over my shoulder at Ranger, and then I went back to his apartment.

I spent some time trying to put on makeup that wouldn't melt off with the sun beating down on me, and then I attempted to make my hair stay put without the help of a ponytail holder. Some guys like the out of control look of my hair, Ranger being its biggest fan, but there's a fine line between wild and crazy, and I didn't want to cross it. A guy couldn't be blown away by my overall gorgeousness, if he was busy wondering what animal is nesting inside my curls.

I'd finished my hair and makeup, and had moved onto clothes when Ranger came in. There were no blood stains that I could see, his knuckles weren't bruised or split, and there was no police coming in behind him, so either he did just fire the idiot like any other boss, or he found something a lot quieter than a firing squad.

"Do I want to know what you're thinking now?" Ranger asked me.

"Probably not. It everything all right downstairs?"

"Yes. It won't be easy for Swanson to find a new job anytime soon."

"Because you have connections? Or because he won't need one where he is now? Wait ... don't tell me. I don't want to have to deny anything."

"Steph ..."

"Fine, I'll stop. Now about my skip ... I decided he's not getting a bikini. If I can't land him with a tiny tank top and little shorts, then I should retire my distraction heels."

It's a good thing that I can cover my Franken-arm now with a large Band-Aid so it wouldn't raise too many questions, or scare off a skeezy FTA.

"You won't have to retire anything, Babe. He'll be putty in your hands as soon as you turn those blue eyes on him. And I'm fine with your bikini decision," Ranger said, watching me poke through my suitcase."I have plans for what you did bring. And I don't want them wasted on another man."

It surprised me that Ranger actually had some of my crap here, like he was planning on bringing me to Miami at some point. It wasn't the whole Macy's makeup counter, but there's enough to make me presentable for a couple of days, or to help me look slightly slutty for a bad guy.

"Good, because when that mocha masterpiece," I said, waving my hand up and down in front of him to show I meant his sculpted body,"hits the beach, I don't want to have to pay attention to anything else."

"Steph, saying things like that is a surefire way of not leaving here today."

"Leaving is not what I want to do right now, either, but we have a scumbag to pick up first. Just imagine how good adrenaline sex will be when we get back."

"Steph, you get sleepy after a bust. When the adrenaline wears off, your energy goes with it."

I leaned in close and traced his lips with my tongue.

"I guess we'll just have to get the guy quickly so that doesn't happen, won't we?"

Ranger closed the small distance between our mouths. After a mind-bending kiss, he let my lips go and my lungs breathe.

"An early night does sound good."

"Boy, you're in Florida for an hour or two and you're all ready to keep senior citizen hours, too?" I asked.

"If you promise to be with me, I'd be happy to go to bed right now," he said."But I hardly think the old people here are thinking of the same dinner I am."

"That could be one of two things," I said."Either you want me, or you want a rabbit food wrap. I'm pretty sure no senior in their right mind would want a tofu and sprout sandwich, or me for that matter."

"I was thinking of eating you, but the sandwich could be good, too."

"We have a takedown to complete before we can seriously discuss your various cravings."

"I have only one thing I crave, Babe."

"Sex?"

"You. I consider sex with you as part of that."

I kissed the underside of his jaw."That's a very sweet thing to say. And the craving is mutual. You had the marks on your back to prove it," I told him, before pulling away to get changed.

Those particular marks on him definitely weren't caused by a plane, either.

I felt a tad under-dressed ten minutes later, standing next to Ranger in his standard black uniform. I didn't know if he'd ever break his seven day a week wardrobe habit, but I knew he'd look a little insane swimming in that. Mental note, snoop through his drawers when we get back to see if he does own something in any other color here.

"Is anyone joining us?" I asked Ranger after we left his apartment."Or are we doing this solo?"

"We can't be solo together, Babe."

"You know what I mean."

"We'll be handling this ourselves," Ranger said,"but someone will be taking Nedarino to the Miami PD. I don't want you stuck in a police station for an hour while he gets processed."

"I don't mind. At least it'd be a different station."

"No. The men here can earn their paychecks."

I shrugged."You're the boss."

The doors of the elevator opened and we walked through the garage to the Cayenne.

"I am the boss," Ranger said, beeping the car unlocked and opening my door,"of everything but you."

"Are you trying to seduce me without mouth-to-body contact?"

"Is it working?" He asked me.

"Yes."

"Then that's exactly what I'm doing."

I rolled my eyes at him and got in the passenger side of the Porsche.

Ranger navigated the traffic, the bikes, and the pedestrians with ease so I was able to formulate a plan to capture my skip instead of thinking up various ways of sweeping everyone off the road in front of us. I wonder if they have anger management classes designed just for short-tempered drivers. If they don't, they should.

Ranger parked in a spot on the crowded street and faced me."We're going to do this a little differently," he said."I'm not waiting by the car for this one and leaving you in an unfamiliar place. I'll give you space to do your thing, but I will be close by."

"Is that a good idea?" I asked him."Aren't you going to stick out a little?"

Ranger gave me a cocky grin."If I want to be invisible, Babe, then I will be. There have been many instances in my past where someone had been staring right at me and still didn't know I was there less than a foot away watching them."

I could easily see Ranger in fatigues, standing in a desert or jungle in a country half a world away, facing down armed guerrillas. I shivered thinking of how many times I could have lost him before, and probably after, meeting him.

"Steph?"

"Yeah?"

"We're here now. That's all we need to focus on."

"I know. And we're going to go get this guy so we can focus on enjoying our time here together as well."

"We'll have plenty of time for that later. Just because we're doing an apprehension here, doesn't mean that something can't go wrong."

"I know, Ranger. All the hardware you gave me is in my bag, since I think cuffs and a .38 would be hard to hide with this outfit. Wait ... am I going to get in trouble for having a weapon on me if I need to pull it out?"

"Since you are a Rangeman employee, you're covered."

"I'm an employee in Trenton," I pointed out.

"Today you're also working for the Miami branch. And we have a file with all your current information if anyone has an issue with you. Which no one will. We work closely with the Miami PD, and as long as we don't cause problems or headaches for them, we can do what we need to without interference."

"Maybe I should have let you deal with my mother," I told him,"you seem to be able to accomplish the impossible."

"You did fine with her, Steph."

"I guess we'll find out just how well when we get back home."

"Do you want me to have a word with Shorty?" Ranger asked."So your mother gets the total Shorty experience?"

"Hmm ... maybe. Or I can have a word with him myself."

"If you do, take Santos with you. He specializes in creating mayhem wherever he goes."

"Good idea," I told Ranger.

I'm still trying to picture my mother in a room with all my Merry Men without her head exploding. The guys are a little overwhelming on their own, put them together in a room and you can actually hear the phht of the testosterone uniting. Poor Valerie and Mary Lou aren't going to know what to do with themselves. It's a good thing Mary Lou is already pregnant, or she'd probably be again after she left the party. Maybe I should have a word with Valerie since she has her hands full with the kids she already has.

"That's a dangerous smile, Babe," Ranger said, tucking a curl behind my ear.

"Yep, it was. Now I have to morph it into a sexy one, though."

"You can turn anything sexy without even trying. Just don't go overboard. I don't want to fill out the paperwork that would come from me killing this idiot."

"I'll do my best."

"Go get 'em, Babe," Ranger said, reminding me of our earlier days of chasing down fugitives.

Except this one he followed up with an unhurried kiss before I climbed out of the Porsche.

I kept my phone in my hand so I'd be able to sneak a peek at the skip's picture Ranger had sent me. Nedarino is attractive, but nothing I haven't seen plenty of in my college days. After a few minutes of checking out all the guys that fit his general description, I spotted Mike Nedarino, standing with another guy, already flirting with a blonde. Damn. Now I had to deal with two morons and get Nedarino to choose me over a beach blanket bimbo.

I took a deep breath and plastered a freaked out expression on my face. Helpless always attracts smarmy men, because they have to rely on finding an easy mark. I directed my attention, and pointed my breasts, solely at Mike. Another tactic that would suck him in. It definitely feeds a guy's ego when you overlook anyone he's with and just address him like he's the only man worth talking to.

"Excuse me," I said to Nedarino, clutching my bottom lip with my teeth in a fake, but still sickening, display of nerves.

God, I was disgusting myself, but my act and my boobs appeared to have caught Nedarino's eye. Take that, Barbie, I thought to myself.

"How can I help you?" Mike asked, checking out my chest and the amount of leg my shorts showed off nicely.

Nope, I didn't need to retire my FMPs at all.

"I hate to interrupt, but my car died and my phone just crapped out on me so I can't call anyone to come pick me up or to get my car magically running again. Stupid me forgot to charge my cell before leaving the house this morning," I said, twisting a curl around my finger, meeting Nedarino's gaze for a second before dropping my eyes back down to the sand under my feet.

Yup, my feminist card is going to be taken away from me right after this little performance.

"I didn't want to bother you, but you look like the type of man who knows his way around a car, and maybe a few other things," I said, lowering my voice at the end.

I saw Nedarino grin and elbow his friend in the ribs before taking a couple steps closer to me.

"You're right," Mike said."I specialize in making things purr."

I swear I threw up in my mouth a little. Did that really work for him? He does have a girlfriend, so I guess it did.

"Do you think you could get my car purring again?" I asked, giving him a smile my dentist would be proud of."Could be the battery just needs to be jumped is all."

"I'm sure I have just what you need," Nedarino said to me, dropping an arm across my shoulders in front of the suddenly uninteresting blonde and his now jealous friend.

I'm glad Nedarino went with a proprietary arm around me instead of whipping out his dick and peeing on me.

"Where are you parked?" He asked, as he led me away from the beach, confident that he was going to get some as soon as my car was fixed.

He would be getting something all right. His whole body would be thoroughly felt up courtesy of a Miami police officer. I wondered briefly if I should have videotaped this for his girlfriend so she wouldn't waste anymore of her time on this prick, but I figured if she put up her house to bail him out again, it would be pointless. She'd only see what she wanted to anyway.

"I'm the black Cayenne over there," I said, pointing to the car Ranger and I had left fifteen minutes ago.

"That's your ride?" He asked, obviously wanting something other than me now.

I had to admit, I felt insulted. My butt is way better than the Porsche's bumper.

"Yep, this is it," I said."My daddy bought it for my birthday this year."

Yeah, right. I bought my own clunker with the money I earned doing multiple summer jobs on the shore and my time at Tasty Pastry. And my father only lends me Big Blue when I need a car that runs.

Mike's smile got wider. How come men never get called gold diggers? Because this guy clearly is one. It's hard to say what Mike likes more, big boobs or a big wallet.

I popped the hood for him, and when he bent to look underneath it, Ranger moved behind him. He pushed Nedarino down and Mike's chest came into contact with the Porsche's dipstick. Too bad his own dipstick couldn't be slammed with the hood a couple of times.

"Bond enforcement," Ranger told him, as cuffs materialized in his hands.

I would normally feel bad for the skip at this point, but I could tell that Nedarino would have slept with me without once thinking of his commitment to his girlfriend, or the family he has been included in. I kind of wish Ranger would drop-kick him or something.

"Nicely done, Babe," Ranger said to me."You got him back here in under ten minutes."

"You convinced me that an early night would be good," I said, repeating Ranger's comment.

Ranger smiled and called in one of his guys to take Mike off our hands.

After I met two more Miami Rangeman guys - Pat and his partner Martin - when we dumped our FTA on them, Ranger bought me an ice cream from one of the venders selling on the street where we were parked.

"I could get used to this place," I told Ranger, looking over the sand and bathing suit clad bodies to the ocean beyond it.

"Is that the ice cream talking?" Ranger asked me.

"A little," I said."But the scenery and temperature helped to influence me, too."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ranger told me.

When my cone was gone, we got into the Cayenne and went back to Rangeman.

I unpacked as much stuff as I could to minimize the wrinkling I knew would occur if I left everything crammed inside my suitcase, and then took a look inside Ranger's drawers and closet with him looking on from the bed. I could tell that he was amused by my nosiness. Both the closet and dresser were mostly filled with black, but there was a stray white or dark gray shirt mixed in. That would work. He shouldn't be in uniform when we visited Julie.

"Do you want to go out and do something tonight?" Ranger asked me from the mattress."Or do you want to stay in?"

For me it was a no-brainer. Didn't I just say that Ranger was laying in bed? What in Miami can possibly top that?

"Stay in," I told him.

Ranger called down to the fifth floor, and after hearing that there are no pressing problems to take care of, we settled in for a quiet night in his apartment. Just the two of us planning our day tomorrow, then helping each other get undressed

When I was lying in Ranger's arms, content, satisfied, and now sleepy, I thought back on my first day in Miami. Ranger took care of his Rangeman problem, and I helped capture one of his company's skips. Not bad for only a couple of hours in the city. And if today's anything to go by, Miami is going to be a lot of fun.