I felt better on Thursday. The massage gun and a long bath had helped. I packed a bag with my gym clothes for class that evening and put it in my trunk. I'd eat lunch at Rangeman, and then head to Vinnie's to pick up my new files.

I was driving a tired, white 2005 Honda Accord, which inspired fear in no one. I was fully aware that high school students had better rides than mine. Still I'd had it for four months which given my recent history with cars had to be some kind of record. It had no GPS and an issue with the oil light, but it was fairly reliable, all things considered.

Yesterday, I'd heard everyone's requests. Now came the bribes. By the end of the morning, I had four Tastykakes, a jumbo bag of M n M's and a packet of cool ranch Doritos in my desk drawer. I hadn't broadcast it at work that I was trying to eat healthier – I didn't want to say anything in case I gave up.

To go with the junk food, I also had a roster for the next month sketched out. The roster was supposed to come out one month in advance, but due to the constant changes, I'd been warned to think of it as 'aspirational' – it would need constant re-working.

I ate my lunch in the breakroom, savouring every bite of my Bolognese on whole wheat pasta. I'd covered it in parmesan cheese, which was apparently allowed as it had protein, which I needed. I sat as close to Ram as possible trying to get his attention. I needed firearms training and I'd had to give him a shift with Zero. I'd gone over and over the patrol combinations, but it was unavoidable. It was only one shift, but it meant I'd have to win him over with food. I'd brought two servings. I was going to put one in the freezer here if I could, but I now knew I'd have to sacrifice it for something more important.

"Enjoying your salad, Ram?" I asked, in what I hoped was an innocent voice. "What is that, kale?"

He looked at it in disgust.

"Bet you'd rather a nice, hot meal, right? Maybe something covered in cheese?" I gestured at my lunch with my fork.

He looked up at me, eyes narrowed, "How many shifts with him?"

"Just one. And it's not a stakeout, it's a night time patrol on Stark. You'll see so much action you won't get time to hear about him being a level twelve Palladin."

"And I don't have to eat kale right now?"

"If it was up to me Ram, you'd never have to eat kale again. I don't have that kind of power, but I can save you from it right now. All you have to do is give up your Wednesday evening next week to take me through some basic firearms training. Easy as pie."

"I want lunch next Tuesday too."

"Done," I agreed, getting the second lunch I'd brought from the fridge.

He was three bites in when Bobby entered the breakroom. He looked at us, frowning.

Before he could say anything, I jumped in. "It's not contraband. It's lean beef mince, carrot, eggplant, onion and zucchini in passata – not store bought pasta sauce – with no added sugar, on whole wheat spirals. With fresh basil and 1 ounce of parmesan," I added.

He ran through the ingredients in his head but had nothing to add to that. So he nodded, grabbed a green juice from the fridge and left.

It was time to head to the bonds office on Hamilton. I ducked down when I returned to my desk, stuffed the junk food into my messenger bag and walked out head held high, like I owned the place. I didn't want anyone to ask to see my bag.

Despite being fire-bombed multiple times, Vincent Plum Bail Bonds never really seemed to change. No matter the new décor, within a few weeks it seemed a little tired and a little seedy. Perhaps that was down to the fact that the office was inhabited by my ferret-like cousin Vinnie.

Lula was pottering around, pretending to file, while Connie sat at her desk painting her nails a brilliant scarlet.

Lula chimed in with a "Hey girl" and Connie said she was glad to see me back. There was no discussion of my recent kidnapping. After what the three of us had seen, we all embraced denial wherever possible.

I dumped the junk food on Connie's desk, "for the office stash" I explained, before asking if she had any new files for me.

She gestured at a stack on the edge of the desk with her wet hands.

"Tastykakes?" she asked. "You never put Tastykakes in the office stash. Why don't you want them?"

I didn't want to tell the Merry Men what I was up to, but Lula and Connie were different. While Connie had been on every diet under the sun, Lula refused to diet saying that she wasn't going to deny the world a big, beautiful woman and anyone who had a problem with that needed to report for an attitude adjustment.

"I just started going to the gym, that new one over on State Street? And if I'm putting in the effort to go, I don't want to undo my progress."

This made perfect sense to Connie. "The new women's only gym? What's it like?"

"It's shiny and new, it smells like gardenias and there is a distinctly noticeable lack of grunting in the weights room."

"Ugh. You're not lifting weights are you? That's so….." She trailed off, looking for the right words. "Look, all I'm saying is, Ranger's not going to pin you against the alley wall you if you get…." She held her arms out like a gorilla.

There were a few things wrong with this idea. Firstly, I didn't think I was in danger of that. I wanted to be a toned, healthy version of me, strong enough to do my job well, but I didn't have the desire to go that far. I shuddered to think of all the food groups I'd have to cut out. Secondly, I thought on the road towards my goal, there were likely several stops Ranger would be more than happy to pin me against the wall at.

"I'm just going to tone up, and get strong. I'm tired of only cardio. Besides, I heard the more muscles you have, the more food you can eat."

Lula chimed in, "Mmm-hmmm. I know all about that. It's on account of all my muscles, that I can eat so much and still stay this fine."

I left that comment alone, picked up my stack of files and flipped through them. Three low bonds and one medium one.

Rosa D'Angelis had been arrested after an incident at the Italian People's Bakery. She'd eaten four Italian cookies and then refused to pay, saying her mother's cookies were better. She wasn't so much arrested for the shoplifting as the ensuing property damage when she got into a fight with their baker.

Lou Krawczak had been arrested (again) for drunk and disorderly. He'd be at home now, still sleeping off last night.

Dougie had been busted selling handbags with questionable origins, from a trunk on Stark.

And William Hodge had put his wife Ashley in the hospital.

"Is Vinnie in?" I asked Connie.

She turned towards his closed door, "VINNIE?"

"WHAT?" he replied as he stuck his head out the door, "Oh, it's you. Finally remembered that you work here did you?" he asked, taking in my black outfit.

"You always complain about me working for you. You say I suck!"

"You can't deny that you're a walking disaster magnet." I opened my mouth to protest. "Look, what do you want?"

"If I bring Lou in now, can you bond him out again?"

"Yes, as long as it's before 4."

I didn't want to know what he was doing at 4pm. It could be anything from a haircut, to a date with Madame Lash.

I turned to Lula, "Want to come help me with Lou? He should be awake now."

"I could do that, seeing as how you need my skills and all. But we're taking your car."