A/N: Thank you for choosing to read this story. I hope you enjoy it. Many readers would like to know about the pairing and if it will be a HEA. Unfortunately, I am not going to divulge that information. You must read along as I publish or wait until the story is marked complete and check the comments. Please save your time and DO NOT ask me for this information. This is a story I've been planning for a while, and I am excited to start posting it. I hope you appreciate it as much as I do. Please remember that this story is marked AU, which means Alternate Universe. It WILL NOT follow canon. The characters and their personalities and backstories may differ from canon. If this is not the type of story you like, please skip this one. For those with a more open mind, enjoy the ride.

Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Janet Evanovich. Thanks a million times over for allowing us to play with them. All new characters are mine, along with any mistakes. This story does not have a beta, so if there are mistakes/typos I missed, I apologize in advance. Grammarly only goes so far. ?

Xxxxxx

Chapter 1

"What do you mean Quinn is retiring? We are in the middle of an investigation! How are we going to finish this? The information is hard to find, and he's the best. We'll need three people to replace him." said Ranger to Supervisory Special Agent Curtis Meyers, the FBI's senior agent in charge of their firearms division.

"Ranger, I know the timing isn't great, and this is not what Irvin expected to happen. But the fact is, his wife has breast cancer. Her prognosis isn't good. Since his children are in high school, they need their father. As much as it pains us to lose him, what would you do if it was your wife, Rachel?"

Ranger sat down. Meyers was right that Quinn's place was with his family. He knows he'd do the same thing if he were in Quinn's shoes. Rachel was his life. He met her in boot camp and immediately fell in love with her. They didn't plan on having children, but when Rachel told him she was pregnant, he immediately proposed, wanting to give Rachel and his unborn child support on his Army salary. Once Rachel was his wife, housing, health insurance, and a death benefit would go to her and his child. That was eleven years ago. Julie is in fifth grade and heading into sixth grade in September. Javier and Isabella, the twins, are nine and in third grade, going into fourth grade. They will finish the school year in Miami before joining Ranger in Trenton in two months. His kids will go to school in Jersey if they don't solve the case by September.

"You're right, but I don't like it," Ranger finally responded. "Was Quinn's replacement selected yet?"

"Yes, we have his replacement. Agent Plum is a junior analyst, but she has great potential."

"She? Agent Plum is a woman?"

"Yes, she is. You don't have a problem working with a woman, do you?"

"No, I don't. It's just, well, I don't employ many women working here. My men can be crude and uncouth since there are few women employed. There's a lot of locker room banter, and having a female agent here could lead to problems for Rangeman."

Meyers shook his head, wondering why Ranger only worked with him for the hundredth time. He respected the man's skills and Rangeman's professionalism but didn't need the additional headaches.

"I understand, but the FBI is still mostly a man's world. Most offices and men compose teams, while we employ more female agents today than ten years ago. I'm sure that Agent Plum is used to remarks that men make when amongst themselves."

"What do you know about Agent Plum?"

Fuck thought Meyers. He expected this question but hoped Ranger didn't ask so soon. "Agent Plum joined the FBI in college, initially working as a NY office file clerk. She graduated from Pace University and then applied to the Academy. She got hired into the crime lab, but soon, her supervisors determined that her expertise was computers and information gathering. So, Agent Plum joined the cyber task force and, within three years, was one of the top ten analysts in the Bureau."

"Where is she from?"

"Classified."

"How old is she?"

"I believe she's 32."

"Fuck! You're sending a kid in to work on this case. Do you have any idea what problems we could face? But, listen, Agent Meyers, I trust you; you never harmed my team. I can't work with someone who is a mystery. If you don't tell me more, I'll order Hector to dig."

Meyers smiled and laughed. Ranger's eyebrow lifted as he looked inquisitively at the agent. "You can let Hector try, but I doubt he will discover anything. Agent Plum buried her information deep, with the Bureau's blessing."

"No one is that good, Meyers."

"You can believe what you want." Meyers stood as Tank, Ranger's right-hand man, entered the office. Now, Meyers was not a tiny man. He towered over most people at 6'4" and 200 pounds, but next to Tank, he looked average. Tank was only two inches taller but had at least 50 additional pounds of muscle. Meyers was glad that Tank was on his side. Standing next to each other, they make an impression. Because of his Anglo-Saxon heritage, he was pale, with blue eyes and blonde hair, while Tank was dark as night, with deep, expressive brown eyes.

Ranger was in between the two extremes. He has long dark brown hair that he pulled back into a low ponytail, chocolate brown eyes, and a complexion akin to a mocha latte. His Cuban heritage allotted his good looks, which often came in handy when dealing with women. Ranger was faithful to his wife, Rachel, and only flirted with a mark. He told Rachel, of course, receiving her blessing, as she understood that getting the bad guys was in Ranger's DNA.

"Meyers, I want an out clause added to the contract. If we don't find Agent Plum up to standard, I want the ability to remove her from the team."

Meyers sighed but quickly agreed, knowing that once they met Stephanie Plum, there would be no way that they were kicking her off the team. "Fine. I'll send over the revised contract when I get back to Quantico. Expect Agent Plum here with me when I return on Thursday. She needs a place to stay with your top-of-the-line security. Don't ask why. I'm not privy to that information, but the Director demanded that. If there are questions, contact the Director. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Ranger watched Meyers walk out of the office, then placed his head in his hands. "This has clusterfuck written all over it."

"What's going on?" Tank asks, perplexed, as he sits in the chair recently vacated by Meyers.

"Quinn is retiring, and his replacement is a woman, a 32-year-old skirt named Stephanie Plum. Santos is going to blow a gasket. There is no way this arrangement will ever work. We need to provide her with a place to stay. What am I, a realtor now?"

"Call the Director and see if you can pull some strings. But, Ranger, you realize the Director values us more than Meyers and his team."

"I do, but assuming Meyers is right, we will bite our noses to spite our face. Meyers has never misled us, and I don't think he'd start now."

"So, let Hector work his magic. He's always successful, and I don't see him failing now."

"What do we do about Santos? He hates dealing with women? Ranger asked.

Tank sighed. Lester was one of his closest friends and Ranger's cousin. They were all in Ranger school and served on a few missions. He was someone you wanted on your team. However, he was rough around the edges where women were concerned. He had little respect for them. In his opinion, they put women on this planet to scratch his itch, and that was it. He wasn't always this way, but he didn't want to work with women, especially those within ten years of his age, since she burned him. He's okay with older women, and he loves Julie. But he treats anyone who could be a potential conquest like dirt unless she spreads her legs. A female agent working with us could open Rangeman up to a lawsuit.

"We have to lay down the law. Maybe we'll luck out, and she'll be butch and bat for the other team." Tank said.

"Somehow, I don't think we'll be that lucky." Ranger picked up his phone. "Mi oficina, ahora!"

Two minutes later, there was a sharp knock, then the door opened. Hector walked in. His teardrop tattoo seemed more prominent, and he wore his gang clothes. No one would ever guess that he was one of the greatest hackers. Hector was small, 5'8" and 170 pounds, but just as deadly as Tank. Hector wasn't in the military. Instead, he was a former gang leader. Hector learned to fight and survive on the streets. He taught himself how to hack and has a natural knack for electronics. If Hector can't find the data, it doesn't exist.

"Sí, jefe. ¿Qué necesitas?"

"Necesito que averigües todo lo que puedas sobre la agente Stephanie Plum, FBI."

"Considérelo hecho. ¿Algo más?"

"No, eso es. Gracias," Ranger said. Hector nodded and left the room.

"Why won't Hector learn English?" Tank asked, frustrated that he couldn't communicate with him for the umpteenth time.

"Because he chooses not to speak to everyone," said Ranger. It amused Ranger that people always thought that Hector didn't speak English. That man was born in the US to second-generation Mexican Americans. English was his first language. He prefers Spanish because he is an introvert and secretive. He likes to let people think he doesn't understand them because they talk without a filter, and he finds valuable intelligence. Hector let Ranger and his cousin, Lester Santos, in on his secret, but no one else.

"When is Santos returning?"

"Thursday. I hope he arrives before Meyers and Plum do," Ranger said.

"You can say that again."