Letting myself into Stephanie Plum's Trenton apartment had become second nature. Now here I was in Atlanta doing the same exact thing. This condo was a step up from her crappy little place in Jersy. Stephanie had taken the time to decorate here. There was art on the walls along with matching furniture. As I pursued her kitchen, I notice that it was well stocked with quality cookware. I laughed when I opened her refrigerator to find it empty. Her cabinets, however, were full and so was the freezer. I scanned the granite counter tops, but there was no cage. When I entered her bedroom, I was impressed. The hardwood floors were lined with a beautiful imported rug. Silk drapes hung against the windows. Carefully, I searched Stephanie's bedroom, looking for something that might give me a clue as to what she had gotten herself involved with. When I open the drawer to her bedside table, I was surprised to find a semi-automatic handgun. Just as I picked it up to see it was loaded the locks to the door front door tumbled. She was early. Stephanie was not due home for at least another few hours. I dropped the mag and slid the chamber to empty the firearm. Then I pocket the ammo and hid.

As soon as Stephanie opened walked through the door her cell phone began to ring. She answered on the first ring.

"Well, hello to you too, Blaze," she sang.

"Yes, I know. Don't you think dozens of calls are a bit much? Obviously, I could not answer my phone. Okay, I get it! I know Blaze," Stephanie sighed."Look, can we talk about this at work tomorrow? It's late and I'm tired," she whined.

Babe hung up the phone. She walked into the bedroom grabbed a towel and her pajamas then went to the bathroom. I slouched in a chair and waited for her.

When Stephanie padded back into the bedroom, her body stiffened. Slowly she crept to the drawer and, retrieved her gun. Stephanie walked over and switched the light on. She was wearing a hard angry frown. Relief flashed through her eyes.

" ARE. YOU .CRAZY !" I could have shot you," she growled.

"Babe."

"Stop calling me that," she snapped!

"Mind putting that away? Somebody could get hurt Steph."

"You know I have you mother's phone number. I'm calling to tell her that you need help," Stephanie shrieked!

" Your hair looks good pinned up like that," I complimented.

Babe tilted her head and peered at me through narrowed eyes." You know I could still shoot you, right Ranger"?

"No, you couldn't, Steph."

"Try me, Manoso."

That earned her a smile.

"Stop laughing at me. I am serious!"

"No one's laughing at you, Steph."

"What do you want Ranger," Babe groaned in frustration?"

"Are you in trouble Babe? Do you need help,"I asked quietly?

"What?"

"Level with me, Stephanie. Something is off with you. Do you need money? "

"That is none of your business, Ranger! Why don't get on a plane run back to Miami!"

"Okay, may I deserve that? The way I left after night in your apartment was wrong. I should have at least stuck around and talked about..."

"No, you did the right thing. So why don't you just keep walking?" she hissed angrily while waving the gun around?

"I can't do that, Babe."

"Why not Ranger," she demanded?

I wanted to tell her it was because I had a desperate need to keep her safe. A part of me wished I could tell Stephanie I still loved her. There was no way I was going to say that she was still tangled up in my heart and emotions or that the feelings I had for her refused to go away. No, Stephanie was not going to hear I how glad I was to have her fall back into my life, or just be around her again. There no way that I planning on letting my Babe put herself in harms way like she did in Jersey.

"Old habits are the hardest to break, Babe."

"Stop calling me that," she sighed exhaustively as she sat down the bed. Stephanie's anger had morphed into weariness. "You have to stop this. I'm not that bumbling bounty hunter from Trenton. We don't need to do that dance anymore, Ranger."

"Why did you leave the FBI? Is someone stalking you, Steph?"

Stephanie narrowed her eyes at me then shook her head incredulously. "Other than you, no."

"Steph, you seem to be keeping some dangerous men in your life, I'm ..."

"No, Ranger, you don't get to do that. You don't get to waltz back in and tell me what to do!"

Great, I had sent Stephanie Plum into full rhino mode.

"Calm down ,Stephanie. Can we talk?"

She gave me a huge Burg eye roll. A smile crept at the corners of my lips.

"Still so cute when you do that."

"Time for you go home, Manoso," Stephanie said with a hard edge to her voice as she pointed the gun at me.

"All right Steph. We will talk another time," I said.

"Hey, Manoso," Stephanie said with the gun in place. This is a bad habit you are going to need to lose. Breaking into my apartment could get a man shot."

"You're not going to shoot me , Babe, I said tossing the mag on the bed next to her.

~XOXO~XOXO~XOXO~XOXO~XOXO~XOXO~XOXO~XOXO~

The next day I sat at my computer trying to figure out the best way to get some information on this Blaze guy. I needed to know who he was and why the man was so involved in my Babes life. Before I could get started Bobby stepped through the doorway.

"I talked to Ella last night. She said she was available to come down and help you find a housekeeper."

I nodded.

"Hey, boss what's up? You look like you got something on your mind,"Bobby asked?

"I'm just trying to figure out who this Blaze dude is that Stephanie is hanging around. What kind of name is Blaze? It has to be a street name."

"You mean Blaze the fighter? "

"Who? This guy is a boxer?"

"No, MMA, man. He was huge in the sport back in the day. The man's fight stats are amazing something like 24 and 2," Bobby reported.

"Is this the guy you are talking about?" Bobby asked as he pulled up a photo from the web.

"Yeah, that's the man I saw Steph with."

"Bomber's got good taste. The guy is a multi-millionaire. He flipped his purse money into some pretty impressive investment. Word is that he owns a restaurant, some gyms, and rental property. Could be hard to confirm because part of his file is going to be classified."

"Explain."

"After he retired from MMA, Blaze went to the police academy. From there he went on to the FBI. "

I picked up the phone and dialed Paxton Morgan.

"Morgan, when you told me Stephanie Plum no longer work for the FBI, were you being straight with me," I asked calmly?

"Of course, we have been friends for too long for me to play you, man."

"What about her and Blaze, did they work together? How well did they get along?"

"She worked with him briefly. He left before she did, but the pair were really friendly."

"Left what does that mean?"

"The man retired. He had been in law enforcement since his early twenties. It's not like he needed the paycheck. He is in his mid-forties. I don't blame him for wanting cash out and have a good time while he still young," Paxton laughed.

"Thank man."

"Always good to hear from you, Manoso," Paxton told me before hanging up.