Author's note: Remember when Connie called in the favor and had Stephanie get her training from Ranger? Ever wonder why he owed her?

Trenton, One week after the shootings

Connie:

Before Connie worked at the bonds office, before she got married to her uncle's enforcer and divorced his cheating ass, before her father died and she had to move home to take care of her mother, Connie met Ranger.

A fact that neither of them ever brought up.

While hidden away in the family compound, Connie found herself thinking back on the days when she was in Rutgers and first met Ric Manoso, as Ranger was known in those days. He was the youngest person in the advanced business administration course and was assigned to her work group. Also in the work group was Ana Montenegro, a charismatic redhead who lit up a room when she walked in. She was lithe, ageless and beautiful, but also as sharp as a whip. The fourth member of the work group dropped the class due to a family emergency, so the trio spent long hours completing the business prospectus for their new company.

When Ana and Ric started sleeping together, Connie thought the mismatch a little odd. It was obvious that Ana came from big money, and equally obvious that Ric was a kid from the street. Ana was fond of telling him that her life didn't lend itself to long term commitment, but Connie could tell Ric was falling and falling hard. When the three aced the course, Ana invited them both to her "uncle's" beach house on the shore. Connie didn't mind being the third wheel and spent two weeks laying on a private beach working on her tan while Ana taught Ric everything she knew about seduction.

Ana described it to Connie in detail. Way too much detail.

Ana told her how she whispered in Ric's ear, "Babe, roll over. I need to feel you snuggled up behind me."

The oversharing was embarrassing, and Connie blushed every time Ric surfaced, which was not often.

Ric and Ana had been in bed for two days, coming up for air only to eat and use the bathroom. She talked of washing him with luxury soap, massaging him all over and proving once again how flexible she was. She mentioned that while Ric was not without experience, this was certain to be the most erotic adventure of his young life.

By the end of the beach house visit, Ana confessed they were completely through the karma sutra and Ric was saying he was certain he would never feel this way again.

The end was bad. Ric confided in Connie that he wanted to marry Ana, age difference be damned, and Connie could only urge caution. Something about Ana didn't add up. Connie went to visit to her uncle Jimmy in Trenton, who advised her to wave off her young friend.

"If he is important to you, you owe it to him to protect him from himself. This relationship is dangerous for him."

Jimmy went on to explain that his sources discovered Ana was actually Anoushka Smirnov, daughter of a Russian oligarch, who was out of favor with her father for marrying a Lebanese gun runner named Felix Montenegro. Felix stashed his wife in the US while negotiating terms with her powerful father.

In other words, Ric was in way over his head and these men would kill him if he didn't get out before anyone found out. When she got back from Trenton, Connie asked Ric to meet her at her dorm in Quad II as soon as possible. She then told him everything she had found out about his already married lover and the danger Ric was in by being with her.

He was heartbroken. And concerned for his family and their safety.

"I need to be sure my family is not in the line of fire."

"Then you may need to back away from them." Connie recommended. "If nobody is close to you, they can't be used to get to you."

"But what does that look like? If I am here in Newark, I will be expected at family functions."

"Ric, you wanted to join the Army, so do it. Do it now. Go and be the best soldier you can be and forget about Ana and all she dragged you into. Anybody asks about the beach house, we both say it was you and me hittin' the sheets. We deny everything between you and Ana till death. It's the only way to protect you."

Ric left the campus directly after dropping his classes and enlisted the next day. He stayed away from his folk's place in Newark until he left for bootcamp. It was a narrow escape, and he told Connie he owed her big time.

Connie called in the favor years later, when her sister Tina's school friend, Stephanie Plum was out of work and wanted to catch Joe Morelli who was FTA and worth $10K. Stephanie and Joe had history and Steph really needed the money, but Connie was worried she might get hurt.

The rest was history. Though the first time she heard Ranger call Stephanie "Babe", Connie felt a cold chill run through her.

Like a ghost walked over a grave…

Virginia, the same day.

Tank:

Tank looked at the report in disbelief.

"Charlotte, are you sure? How good are the sources on this?"

"The shooter is tied to Smirnov. We have confirmation. Does that mean anything to you?"

Tank muttered an oath and asked the wonder twins to dive in deep on all known associates.

Fuck.

He looked at the calendar and confirmed the suspicion. It was the anniversary. Damn it.

He remembered the first time the anniversary bit Ric in the ass. It was our first night on leave and Ric drowned himself in tequila. Then he hooked up with a very young little Catholic virgin, Rachel. And everyone knew how that worked out.

Tank knew all about Ana. Ric told him after Tank brought him the message that Rachel was pregnant and Ric was contemplating what marriage would mean. Tank warned him to lock it down or it would destroy him and could kill his team. "LOCK IT DOWN!" he barked.

Ric got married, the baby and mother had insurance, and Rachel became his beneficiary. After they divorced, he paid child support, even after Rachel's second husband adopted the child.

And Ric spent the majority of his military time running Black Ops. In the sand. In the jungle.

Taking such stupid chances. Taking government assignments that were suicide missions. But he succeeded. Because he lived like he didn't care if he died. Then there was the anniversary when Ric was chasing a skip with Ramon and followed the skip off the bridge to make the capture. Tank took him to the mats after that fiasco.

Tank worried but said nothing. It was Ric's demon to slay. He just didn't know what would give first. And then Ric met a lingerie buyer who wanted to be a bond agent and the darkness in Ric moved to the shadows. Stephanie brought light in and Tank saw the change in his friend. It was remarkable. And Tank wondered if this was what Ric had been like before Ana.

Then Ric called Stephanie "Babe".

The rest was history.

And now, when they were engaged to be married and Ric was finally happy, this shitstorm had come down on them.

And someone got inside.

Tank was determined to find out how!