I pushed back from my desk, scrubbed my hands over my face, then stood and stretched. The control room floor was quiet today, but that was to be expected. After all, it was Christmas Eve and Rangeman was running a skeleton crew comprised of both contract workers and employees because of the holiday.

My attention drifted to the big man's locked office door. His last mission was supposed to last only two months, but as of his last check-in, some of the intel had been faulty and the mission was going to take longer than expected. I could only hope that he eventually returned in one piece. Otherwise, Steph was going to be crushed.

I mean, it's not like they're a couple or anything. In fact, it was because of how things went down between them that Ranger is gone. At some point, when we all weren't looking, our favorite burg girl finally decided she'd had enough of Morelli's shit and kicked him to the curb for good. We'd all expected Ranger to move in after that. Instead, we noticed that he began to distance himself from her.

He'd been telling her for years that when she finally decided to get rid of Morelli, they could have their someday. So, we were all stunned when his contract came up for renewal six months ago and he resigned for another three years. However, I don't think anyone was as shocked as Stephanie. I've never seen anyone give him a dressing down the way she did when she found out what he'd done. She stood right here, on the control room floor, and called him a liar and a coward, in front of everyone.

Then she did the one thing none of us expected. She told him she deserved better than to always to be the second choice or someone's side piece and she was done. Then she took his fob for Seven off her keychain and threw it at him, turned, and stormed out.

We were all pissed at Ranger for how callously he treated her. So, he spent the next week being repeatedly called to the mats by each of us. Two weeks after his contract signing, he was called into the wind. From that point forward it's been a revolving door of missions for him. At this point, I'm not sure what his motivation is. It's not like he needs the money, and he could get plenty of excitement bringing in skips. Tank seems to think he's punishing himself for not being able to commit to Steph. Whatever his reasons, without him here the rest of us have stepped up to help run the company.

My attention drifted from Ranger's closed office door to Tank's closed office door. He'd been gone nearly as long as Ranger. Only Tank was on a different kind of mission. Just days after Ranger was called away again, Tank received a phone call no son wanted to get. His mother and grandmother had been out shopping and were in a car accident on their way home.

It took less than an hour for him to get Cal to take care of his cats, pack his bags, and head for the airport. Thankfully, his mom and grandmother both survived, but their recoveries are slow. Right now, we still don't know when he'll be back.

I crossed to the monitors to check in with Caesar and Brett. "Everything status quo?" I asked as I stood between them staring at the screens. We all learned a long time ago never to mention the word 'quiet' when referring to work.

Caesar nodded. "Situation static."

Good. All I want is to get through this shift without any problems. Especially since I'm the one in charge until the shift change at five. "You guys need anything?" I asked.

They both shook their heads.

Sales were shut down until the twenty-sixth, as were installations and research. Hector and Ramon were on call in case of any equipment malfunctions, but other than monitors and patrols everyone else was off. So, the floor was pretty much quiet.

I made my way into the breakroom, grabbed a coffee and a couple of the Christmas Cookies Ella made for us, then plopped my ass into a chair and pulled out my phone. I started to call Bobby, then thought better of it. If Lester was sleeping, I wouldn't want to wake him. So, I texted Bobby instead.

How's Les feeling?

Three little dots appeared, and I waited while Bobby texted me back.

He's finally keeping broth down, but his fever is still over 102.

Damn! While I'm glad to hear that he's finally eating after two solid days of vomiting, the fact that he still has a fever is concerning. I know Bobby's trying hard not to hover, but he's worried. Of course, I'm not sure Les could get better care than he's getting right now. The only people who care as much about Lester as Bobby does are me, his mother, and possibly Ranger and Steph.

Lester and I have been field partners for a few years now and there's nobody I trust more to have my back. I know he was concerned the first time I accidentally walked in on him and Bobby kissing in the medical storeroom. I'll admit, I was a bit shocked, but after I had time to process the situation, it made sense. They'd been closer with each other than anyone else in the building. They'd been that way dating back to when we were still in the Rangers together.

For years Lester liked to tell some great fish tales to the guys about his so-called exploits with women. Some stories were so outlandish they were almost not believable, and Bobby was a saint for putting up with the open flirting and ridiculous stories. But then, he also knew Lester was trying to redirect the guys and keep their relationship secret. Sadly, their fear of backlash was valid. Being gay in the military isn't exactly welcome. Add to that being Cuban and black and it was a recipe for bigots and homophobes to attack them.

With my and Ranger's urging, we finally managed to talk them into coming out last year. Not surprisingly, nobody blinked an eye or treated them any differently here. Hector and Ramon came out not long after and still nothing else has changed. As far as I'm concerned, nothing here will ever change, because Rangeman is a family. A family I'm grateful for having. However, I will admit that on days like this I do feel a bit lonely and down.

I suppose it's to be expected when the only blood family you have lives across the country and refuses to speak to you. The sad part is, that all I would have had to do to keep in good standing with my family was to not go into the military, stay in California, and take over the family business. Since I wasn't willing to sacrifice my wants for my family's money, I quickly became an outcast. Little did I know how much being in the military would cost me physically and emotionally.

Which is why I volunteered to head the day shift on Christmas Eve. Vince was going to cover the night shift and Cal would man the day shift on Christmas. With any luck, Lester's fever would break tonight, and Bobby would be able to leave him for tomorrow night's shift without worry. If not, I'll be covering tomorrow night's shift too.

"Um." Caesar's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked up to find him standing in the doorway. If he was off monitors looking for me that meant something had happened and our peace was over.

"What?"

"The tracker on Bomber's Toyota went offline. Fire and police have been dispatched to the same location where we last had a signal from her."

Shit! I pushed up from my chair, stuffed my phone in my pocket, and raced out of the breakroom. While Steph and Ranger weren't a couple anymore, that didn't mean the rest of us didn't still care about her. Somehow, despite Ranger being an ass, Lester and Bobby managed to sweet-talk her into keeping a couple of her trackers. Thank God.

I followed him to the monitors to take a quick look. "Where?"

"South Clinton near Pearl Street," Brett said.

"I'm on it," I said as I turned and raced for the stairs. The one thing that happened when Ranger and Steph split, and he disappeared to lick his wounds, was the worry for Steph's well-being was shifted to the rest of us. Though, I'll admit, even when they were sort of a couple I worried over Stephanie. I mean how couldn't I care? She's smart, beautiful, daring, and brave, yet sensitive and caring. She's everything a man looks for in a woman. Morelli and Ranger are both idiots for letting her getaway.

My heart raced the entire way to the scene and for a split second, my fear spiked when I spotted the fire engines and police cruisers. Then I saw Steph standing off to the side a few feet away. Morelli, the prick that he is, was there. From the way his arms were moving, it appeared that he was giving her one of his famous Italian fits.

Time to save her. I just hope she didn't kill me for what I was about to do. I put the SUV in park, killed the engine, and exited the vehicle. As I ran toward her, I shouted "Steph!" Her gaze immediately tracked my direction and her eyes widened. The moment I was close enough, I reached out and pulled her to me, holding her tight against my chest. "Thank God you're all right, sweetheart. I was so worried."

Much to my surprise, she lifted her arms, wrapped them around me, and squeezed. What shocked me even more was how right it felt to be holding her. Running on instinct alone, I pressed a kiss to her hair.

"What the hell, cupcake?" Morelli grumbled. "You've resorted to sleeping with Ranger's men now?" He shook his head. "I always knew you were slutting yourself out to his men."

His verbal barbs at her had me seeing red. Before I realized it, I had pushed Steph behind me, creating a protective barrier between her and the asshole. "You might want to think before you speak," I growled at him.

"Or what?" he challenged. Damn! Did the man have a death wish?

My fingers curled into fists as I prepared to do battle. While I'd happily defend her honor against anyone, I was glad it was Morelli. He'd been needing a good beat down for a while and I was just the man to do it. "Or by the time I'm done with you, you'll be sucking your meals through a straw."

Morelli narrowed his gaze. "Are you threatening me?"

Steph grabbed me by the arm and tugged. "Eric, he's not worth it."

The sound of my real name coming from her had my thoughts skidding to a halt along with other parts of my body taking note. My mind careened into another direction with all my thoughts now focused on the idea of hearing my name tumble from her lips in a cry of passion. I jerked my attention to her face to study her. "Forget him," she said as she stared up at me. "and take me home."

No way would I ever deny her any request that wouldn't harm her. Getting her away from this asshole could only help the situation. Without another word to Morelli, I turned, dropped a hand to her lower back, and began guiding her to my vehicle.

"Now wait a minute," Morelli protested from somewhere behind me. "We're not done yet."

I turned to glare at him even as Steph stopped short, whirled around, and marched back toward him. "When are you going to get it through your thick skull that we were done nearly a year ago," she yelled. "That means I'm no longer your responsibility or your concern. So, why are you even here?" she challenged.

"It's my job," he replied through gritted teeth.

"You work homicide, Detective Morelli." She looked around at the firemen and her vehicle. "I don't see anyone dead here. So, I ask again. Why are you here?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but when I took a menacing step toward him, he closed it again.

"That's what I thought," Steph said, then turned to face me. "Let's go."

Once she was seated in the passenger seat, I glanced over at her as I started the vehicle. "Want to tell me what happened?"

A heavy sigh followed my question as she settled into the cushions. "So, I bought Lula a small Christmas gift and wanted to give it to her. We got together for lunch at Cluck in a Bucket because that's where she picked. Then, as I was driving her back to the bond's office, I spotted Gino Spadaccini walking up the road. He's one of my FTA's worth a thousand dollars to me. His bond is up on the thirty-first."

I glanced over at her as I drove us toward her apartment. "So, you decided to go after him on Christmas Eve?"

She shrugged. "He's been avoiding me for weeks. I figured why not?"

"And how did your Toyota catch fire?"

Her expression slid into one of embarrassment. "When Lula and I bailed out to go after him, I forgot to lock it. He had a good lead on us before we'd ever started after him. Lula broke a heel, and I lost him in an alley. We were heading back to my vehicle when Gino suddenly appeared from the alley closest to where I'd parked. He was holding a Molotov cocktail. I started running toward him shouting no, but it was too late. He opened the passenger door, lit the damn thing, and threw it inside."

I couldn't stop the grin that crossed my face. Ranger always worried about his enemies getting to Steph, but the truth was, some of her most dangerous encounters came from her list of low-bond skips. What in the hell was it about this state and this town in particular that brought out the crazies?

"Stop laughing at me," she grumbled as she folded her arms over her chest.

"I'm not laughing," I replied.

"Well...you're thinking about laughing."

I couldn't argue that point, so I deflected instead. "What happened to Lula?"

Steph rolled her eyes. "What do you think happened? The moment the Toyota caught fire she was gone."

"You really need to find a more reliable partner," I said.

She cocked her head to the side as she studied me. "Are you volunteering?"

The tone in her voice screamed double entendre at me and once again parts of my anatomy took notice. "Maybe?" I replied.

"What about Lester?" she asked then frowned as it appeared that a new thought caught her attention. "Speaking of Lester...where is he? It's usually him and Bobby who come to my rescue now a day."

"Lester is in bed with a vicious bout of the flu,' I informed her. "Since Bobby is taking care of him, I volunteered to run the day shift today."

"That was nice of you," she replied. "No Christmas cheer this year?"

I shook my head. "No Christmas cheer most years. I'll have to tell you about it sometime."

She frowned. "Sadly, I get that. I mean, I do have family here who celebrate, but most of the time it's just another excuse to bash my life choices or try and set me up with some loser who didn't have a better offer for Christmas dinner."

I wrinkled my nose at her description. "Wow, that just sounds so appealing."

She nodded. "Right? If you ask me, Christmas is completely overrated."

I pulled into her parking lot and we got out. She looked over the hood of my SUV at me. "I'm a big girl Ram. You don't have to come in."

Why did the sound of her once again using my nickname generate such an overwhelming feeling of disappointment? "You know the rules, Steph."

She gave my answer an award-winning eye roll. "Fine. Come check for depraved dust bunnies and terrifying trolls."

Her pithy reply pulled another smile from me as we made our way upstairs to her apartment. Once I deemed it dust bunny-free, I took a good look around. She wasn't kidding about her opinion of the season being overrated. No tree. No wreath. No garland. Not a single holiday decoration adorned her sparse apartment.

"Wow, you weren't joking about hating the holiday."

She shrugged. "I just don't see the point of putting up a tree and going through the motions when it's just me."

"Do you even own a tree?" I asked as an idea began to form.

"Nope," she said. "Real trees are expensive and I don't really have the room to store a fake tree and decorations."

Oh yeah, I definitely had the beginning of a good idea. "Well, I hate to bail on you, but I need to get back to Rangeman."

"Thank you for coming to rescue me," she said, then leaned into me and pressed a kiss to my cheek. "I really appreciate it."

Take the chance, Ramsey. Ask her the question.

"No problem at all," I replied, then took a deep breath, and steadied my nerves. "Are you going to your parents tonight?" Please say no.

She shook her head. "I'm not in the mood to sit through another dinner of unmet familial expectations."

Mentally I was giving a fist pump at her answer. "I'm off at five. How about I grab a pizza and some beer, and we spend Christmas Eve together?"

A slow grin tipped her lips. "I'd like that."

"I'll see you later then," I said as I opened the door.

"Looking forward to it," she replied. "In the meantime, I'm gonna call Bobby and check on Les."

"I'm sure they'll be happy to hear from you."

Once I was back in my SUV, I pulled out of her lot with a new mission. I was going to bring the Christmas cheer to Steph tonight. The first stop was to get a Christmas tree.