This story is set not long after Distraction Action. I tried to keep with the spirit of Janet Evanovich's books so any familiar characters, places, or phrases belong to her. And I've never been to the Quaker Bridge Mall so I had to rely on an online map for a general idea as to where some places were located, and on my imagination for the rest. Any, and all, mistakes are mine. Warnings for some language and smut.

I was in a state of professional euphoria for the first time since working for Vinnie. Okay, in all honesty, it was the first time ever. And I was pretty sure this was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, since I'm not all that good at my job, so I felt I had to share it with someone while it lasted.

I made the ten minute drive to Rangeman. I parked my car and took the short elevator ride to Ranger's apartment. As soon as the elevator opened I hurried to Ranger's door, skipping the intercom button altogether, and knocked impatiently. Ranger opened the door to me before I managed a second knock. Most likely someone had called from the control room and told him that I was on my way up. I waited just long enough for the door to be mostly open before I launched myself at him. Ranger absorbed the impact without moving, and wrapped his arms tight around me. I locked my legs around his waist, and leaned back to look at him.

"I did it!" I said."I caught Leon Wilsten!"

"You're this excited about catching a skip?" Ranger asked."Babe, that's what you do for a living."

I blew out a sigh and pushed against him. Ranger closed the door but he didn't let go of me.

"You don't get it," I said to Ranger."I captured Leon without any problems at all. I didn't get shot at, spit on, chased, or attacked. I also didn't roll in garbage of any kind. And my car didn't blow up."

"Okay," Ranger said,"now the excitement makes sense. This must be some kind of record for you."

"It is," I said to him."And you're killing all my happy feelings."

"Wouldn't want to do that," Ranger said, his breath warm on my neck.

My happy feelings were in danger of turning into another kind of feeling altogether.

"You can put me down now," I said to Ranger.

"I like you where I've got you," Ranger said.

"I didn't come here for sex."

"I know, Babe, but since you're here ..."

"You're impossible," I said, smiling.

I broke free of Ranger's hold and got back to my feet. I put my bag down on the sideboard next to the door, and headed towards the kitchen. Ranger had an open bottle of beer sitting on the breakfast bar. The bottle was more than half-full, and would no doubt be dumped down the drain since I've rarely seen Ranger finish a drink. And Ranger doesn't drink when he's working. Unlike me. I've found that my work actually improves after a beer, or two. Or, at least, it seems to improve. Being the economical person that I am, I couldn't justify wasting perfectly good beer so I helped myself to the rest of it.

"How was your day?" I asked Ranger, setting the empty bottle back on the counter.

"The usual. Break-ins and bad guys."

"Sounds exciting."

"Not really. And since I was away from the office for most of the day, I'll be busy this evening catching up on paperwork."

"Jeez, that's too bad," I said to Ranger."I was hoping we'd be able to spend some quality time together tonight."

He moved in close, and looked down at me with dark eyes."What exactly did you have in mind?"

Now I know I just said that I didn't come here for sex, but Rangerdidsay he had to work tonight. So I should be able to flirt all I want and still be safe, right?

"It doesn't matter now," I said."You have to work. It's a shame, too. I came up with some really good ways on how we could spend the time."

Ranger reached out and grabbed my hips, pulling me flat against him."I could spare an hour for you, Babe."

"Sorry," I said to him."I would need a lot more than an hour," I said."You're just going to have to wait."

"I'm not good at waiting," Ranger said. I could feel his lips brush my ear when he spoke.

No kidding!

He kissed the spot below my ear before moving his lips along my jawline. By the time he got to my mouth, I was the one having problems waiting. Luckily, my cell rang before I caved.

"Ignore it," Ranger said against my lips.

The phone kept ringing.

I did a mental sigh."I can't ignore it," I said, and hurried back to the front door where I left my bag. I looked at the number display. Crap. It was my mother.

"What's up?" I asked, when I answered.

"What's up?" My mother repeated."That's not how you're supposed to answer a telephone. Why can't you just say 'hello' like a civilized person?"

"Hello," I said."What's up?"

I heard my mother sigh at the other end of the line. Probably she was asking herself how she ended up with a daughter like me.

"Have you seen your grandmother?"

"No, why?" I said."Is there something wrong?"

"She snuck out of the house early this morning," my mother said."And I haven't seen, or heard from, her since."

"Maybe she's spending the day with one of her friends."

"This is your grandmother we're talking about," my mother said."Why would she sneak out unless she was going to be doing something that she shouldn't? She didn't even come home for dinner."

My Grandma Mazur, like all Burg women at that time, married young. She stayed home and raised her children. She made sure dinner was on the table at six o' clock every night. And her house was always spotless. But ever since my grandfather died, she's changed. I'd say she's changed for the better. My mother and father would disagree. And while her body is aging, her mind seems to be taking frequent dips in the fountain of youth. She's in her seventies, looks like she's in her nineties, and acts likes she's in her twenties. And when I get to be her age, I hope to be just like her. Who am I trying to kid? I wish I could be more like her now.

"Have you already checked around the neighborhood?"

"I called everyone I could think of that might know where she has disappeared to," she said."I even sent your father out looking for her. But he's probably at the lodge playing cards by now."

"I'm sure she's okay."

"Honestly, I don't know what she's thinking sometimes."

"Do you want me to come over and keep you company till she comes home?"

"Yes," my mother said."I've already ironed everything in the house."

Some people drink when they're upset. Other people take pills. When my mother is upset, she irons. She's been known to iron the same shirt for hours if the situation was bad enough.

"I'll be right over," I said, and disconnected.

I looked over at Ranger. He had come up behind me and heard my end of the conversation.

"Grandma ran away from home?" He asked, smiling.

"Looks like," I said."I have to go and keep my mother company until she gets back."

"Lucky you."

I picked up my car keys, and settled my bag on my shoulder."I don't know how long Grandma will be so I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Ranger backed me against the wall, and leaned into me. The weight of his body had me effectively pinned, preventing me from moving. Not that I was in any hurry to move. Ranger felt great pressed against me. And if I was being totally honest, leaving Ranger's apartment and going to my parents' house, missing grandma or not, was the last thing I wanted to do.

"You're going to have a lot to make up for," Ranger said

"Hey, that's not fair," I said to Ranger."I didn't tell Grandma to sneak out of the house."

"That's not what I'm talking about," Ranger said.

Uh-oh. I should know better by now. It's never safe to flirt with Ranger. He never gives up, or backs down, if there's something he wants. Fortunately, this time we both wanted the same thing or I'd be in trouble.

I wrapped my arms around Ranger's neck, and snuggled into him."I guess I'll have to put much more thought into this," I said, kissing his chin."I wouldn't want you to think I'm a tease."

I brushed my lips across his in a light kiss and somehow managed to get myself even closer to him. Ranger took over from there. His hand cupped the back of my head, and he kissed me. Our tongues touched, and I got warm in all the right places. And I might have moaned a little. Ranger never did anything by half-measures. When he did finally end the kiss, I was having a hard time standing. My heart was pounding, and my vision was a little fuzzy.

"You have to stop doing that," I whispered.

"You started it, Babe," he said.

Okay, that was true. But still ...

Ranger kissed me lightly on the lips before taking a step back."I think you should leave for your parents' house," Ranger said,"while you still have the option."

I knew a warning when I heard one.

"Okay," I said, opening the front door to leave."I'm going. I'll see you tomorrow."

I got in the elevator and pushed the button for the garage level. When the doors opened, I got out and stood for a moment breathing in the night air. By the time I got my car door open my blood, along with some other parts, had mostly cooled down.

I drove to my parents' house and parked behind my father's Buick. Since my father was home, either Grandma had come back already or his game had ended early. I was guessing the latter. Nothing would make my father happier than having Grandma Mazur disappear permanently. So the chances of him actively searching for her were not good. I heaved myself out of the car and headed inside. My father was in his chair in front of the television. I looked around the room. No Grandma.

"Did Grandma come home yet?" I asked my father.

"No," he said, smiling."It hasn't been this quiet in years."

From the moment Grandma Mazur moved in with my parents, there's been a constant battle between my father and my grandmother. They fought over the television, over the bathroom, over pretty much everything. My mother has since removed the gun my father used to keep in the house for protection. And the rat poison is no longer being kept in the garage. Not that my father would actually use one of those to off Grandma, but my mother wasn't going to chance it.

I went into the kitchen and found my mother furiously chopping vegetables. I guess she wasn't kidding when she'd said she ran out of ironing. Chopping was my mother's second coping method. Large piles of onions, peppers, and tomatoes took up most of the counter. She had three pots bubbling on the stove, and it was well past dinner time. I had a feeling we would be eating marinara until spring.

"Have you heard anything yet?" I asked my mother.

She jumped and turned to glare at me.

"Sorry," I said."I thought you heard me come in."

"Your grandmother is still missing," my mother said.

"I find it hard to believe that no one saw her leave this morning," I said to my mother."You can't get away with anything in the Burg. There's always someone who sees you and rats you out."

I knew this one firsthand. All during high school my mother would get phone calls informing her of my latest misdeed.'Did you know that Stephanie climbed out of your bathroom window again?' Or even worse, 'Stephanie was seen going into the Morelli's garage with little Joseph.' That was the one that had started the long, complicated history of Morelli and me. The list of my crimes was endless. And thanks to dedicated Burg housewives, my mother knew about almost all of them.

"Your grandmother probably has dirt on all of the neighbors," my mother said."They wouldn't dare cross her."

Knowing Grandma Mazur, that was probably true.

There didn't seem to be anything to go with the ton of sauce, so I made myself a ham and cheese sandwich while my mother started cleaning up.A half-hour later, I was helping my mother put the last of the dishes away and in walked Grandma.

"I saw your car out front," Grandma said."Don't tell me I missed something good. Did you shoot someone? Burn down a building?"

"Not today," I said.

"Oh well, there's always tomorrow," Grandma said.

I thought she sounded a tad hopeful. Grandma Mazur loved disasters of any kind. And she loved them even more if I was personally involved in one, since she would then be the center of attention at the beauty parlor or Stiva's.

She looked around the room."Are you alone?" She asked me.

"Yep."

"No Ranger?"

"No Ranger," I said."He had to work."

"That's a shame," Grandma said."It's always nice when he visits. He's such a polite young man. And he'ssucha hottie. If I was twenty years younger, you'd have some competition for that one."

"If you were twenty years younger," my father said,"you'd still be thirty years too old."

My mother shot my father a look through the doorway, and he turned back to the television.

Surprisingly, my mother accepted Ranger without too much fuss. After a few weeks of veiled relationship/marriage questions, she eventually let the subject go. I think she could tell that I was finally happy with someone, and that I wasn't going to listen to her criticize our relationship in any way. She also didn't want to run the risk of chasing Ranger off since Morelli was no longer an option.

"Where have you been?" My mother asked Grandma.

My mother's eyes were narrowed and I think I might have seen some steam coming out of the top of her head. I was happy that for once that particular look, and tone, wasn't directed at me.

"Betty Szajak, Emma Gertz, and I decided we needed a girls night out."

"Umm ... you left in the morning," I said to Grandma.

"Yeah, we wanted to get an early start."

"Where did you go?" My mother asked, looking like she didn't really want to know the answer.

"We went to Atlantic City. Emma said she was feeling lucky."

"Was she?" I asked.

"Nope," Grandma said."She lost half of her Social Security check."

"Please tell me you didn't waste all your money gambling?" My mother begged.

"I didn't lose anything. I just went along to try to pick up a hot guy for the night," Grandma said."I didn't get no takers, though."

"Jesus Christ," my father said.

"Maybe that ended being up a good thing, 'cause I'm all done in," Grandma said, yawning."I'm going up to bed."

"Well," I said,"mystery solved. Grandma's safe. She still has her check. And no cops were involved in her return. This is one of her better disappearances." I said to my mother."I guess I can head home now."

"I fixed you a bag," my mother said."It's in the refrigerator."

Disaster or not, my mother was still a mother. And she was always concerned about my eating habits. She probably had a to-go bag ready before she even got off the phone with me.

I went to the fridge and grabbed the bag. I told my mother that I'd see her tomorrow and said goodbye to my dad on my way to the front door.

Ten minutes later, I was walking into my apartment. I tapped on the side of Rex's cage and said hello. There was no shifting in the pine shavings. He must have had a busy day running on his wheel and was now sleeping it off. I could understand the need to nap afterwards, but I still couldn't figure out why Rex chose to run on his wheel in the first place.

Ever since I started doing bond enforcement people have broken into my apartment. Good guys, bad guys, it didn't matter. Everybody broke into my apartment. So I've added lock-checking to my nighttime routine. I made sure my living room windows were untouched, and all three deadbolts and the security chain were engaged on my front door, before heading to my bedroom. I looked around my bedroom. No creepy guys hanging out on my fire escape. And my windows were still locked. No bad guys to deal with tonight. I said a silent thank you to whoever may be listening, and walked into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

I took a long, hot shower and put on my usual pajamas; a knit tank top and cotton boxers, and climbed into bed.

I came awake knowing that I wasn't alone. Someone was in the bed with me. I knew it wasn't hard to pick a deadbolt, but I knew of only one man who could release a security chain from the outside. And without making any noise while doing it. Which would explain why I wasn't as freaked out as I should have been about someone crawling into bed with me.

"Don't you ever sleep?" I asked Ranger.

He brushed my hair aside and kissed the nape of my neck before answering."It's pay-up time."

I turned and looked over his shoulder at the clock on the nightstand. It was a little after twelve.

I gave Ranger a disbelieving look."You've been working almost eighteen hours straight. Shouldn't you be tired?"

"I'm not that tired," Ranger said against my lips.

His hand found the hem of my tank top and slid under it. His palm was resting against the small of my back, warming the skin underneath it.

"Did your grandmother come home?" Ranger asked.

"Yeah," I said. I was fighting to pay attention to the question, and not to Ranger's hand."She spent the day in Atlantic City with two of her friends. Her friends went there to gamble. Grandma went there to pick up men."

Ranger laughed softly."You come from a scary family, Babe."

I know it's shocking, but that's not the first time that I've heard that.

Ranger's hand was no longer sitting still. His fingertips were lightly brushing up and down the length of my spine causing little shivers throughout my body.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"I seem to remember you mentioning something about wanting some quality time together," Ranger said.

"You know I was kidding about having plans," I said."And I didn't think you'd come all the way over here, in the middle of the night, to collect on them." I could suggest something to Ranger once and a while, and I could show my appreciation when Ranger did something that I really liked, but I'm still not a hundred percent comfortable talking about sex. And I was nowhere near the same league as Ranger when it came to flirting.

"You thought wrong," Ranger said, and kissed me. He deepened the kiss, and pulled me flat against him.

Ranger had kicked his boots off and left his gun on the nightstand, but he was still dressed in his black cargo pants and tight black T-shirt. I tugged his shirt free and slid my hands up the defined muscles of his chest. Ranger wrapped his arms around me and rolled onto his back so that I was sprawled on top of him. I kissed him lightly on the lips and pressed kisses along his jaw before skimming my lips down his neck. When I reached the collar of his T-shirt, I made an impatient noise and tugged at the shirt. Ranger laughed softly at the sound, obviously pleased with the effect he had on me. He sat up, which had me straddling him, and pulled the shirt over his head. I went momentarily breathless looking at the large expanse of flawless dark skin and rock-hard muscles. Ranger used the moment I was sitting up to remove my tank top. The air was cool on my bare skin, and when Ranger settled back down again I snuggled closer trying to absorb the heat coming off of him. Ranger's hands slid down my back catching the waistband of my cotton boxers, easing them down and off me. I could feel the material off his cargo pants against me.

"You have on too many clothes," I said against his neck. I admit that it was probably my fault that he was still dressed, since I was draped over him.

Ranger ran his fingers through my hair."I'm glad you finally admit that you want me naked."

"It took me awhile to come around."

"That's not good for my ego."

Something tells me Ranger never had to worry about his ego. Not that he had a big head, or anything, but he knew the effect he had on women. And he used it, shamelessly, to his advantage when it came to me.

"That's not what I meant," I said to him.

"I know, Babe." Ranger said."You were afraid."

"More like cautious."

"Cautious is no fun," Ranger said, rolling onto his side taking me with him. He slid out of bed and stripped off his cargo pants.

Yep, I thought to myself looking at a naked Ranger, cautious is definitely not as much fun.

Ranger came back to the bed, and gathered me to him again. He brushed the hair back from my face and kissed me. His mouth remained on mine, as his hand moved along the length of my body, cupping my breasts and brushing my nipples before moving on. When I gasped at the contact, Ranger deepened the kiss. His lips swept along my jawline, down my neck to my collarbone before giving my breasts his full attention again. He did something very clever with his fingers down there and when his mouth replaced his fingers, I think I might have lost consciousness for a moment. When it finally returned, I opened my eyes and looked up at him.

"Oh boy," I whispered, trying to suck air back into my lungs.

He lowered his head and kissed me lightly on the lips."Can't have you going back to being cautious," Ranger said.

Now that I knew what it was like to be with Ranger, I didn't think that was going to be a problem.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. My hands slid along Ranger's shoulders, down the wall of his chest and I circled him with my fingers. I had three seconds of fun before Ranger pulled back. It seems I have a pretty big effect on him, too. He slid into me, and that was my last clear thought of the night.

Ranger was still in my bed the next morning. His arm was around my waist holding me close and I was feeling very comfy. Unfortunately, I had a feeling the comfy feeling wouldn't last much longer, because the arm that was holding me had a watch with a ringing alarm attached to it. Ranger stirred next to me, and shut off the alarm.

"I thought one of the perks of owning your own company was that you could set your own hours."

"I do set my own hours," Ranger said.

My bedroom was still dark. There was no sign of the sun. As a matter of fact, there were no signs of life. It was too early for even the birds to be awake.

"And you choose to get up at this hour?" I asked."On purpose?"

"It's how I like to do things," Ranger said."Besides, if my work is done early I can have more time in the evening for more enjoyable activities."

I got a rush just at the thought of those activities.

Ranger lowered his head to mine and kissed me. When he finally broke from the kiss, I thought it was a good thing I wasn't wearing any clothes, because they probably would have melted right off. Ranger really knew how to kiss.

"I need to head back to my apartment to change clothes," Ranger said.

"See, that's what happens when you make decisions in the middle of the night," I said to Ranger."If you gave it some more thought before coming over here, you would have remembered to bring a change of clothes."

"Babe, I had plenty of thoughts before I came over here," Ranger said."But they weren't about my clothes."

Jeez. He wasn't even touching me and I could feel my whole body flush.

Ranger kissed my forehead and got out of bed. I watched as he pulled on his clothes and grabbed his gun off the nightstand. I put on my robe that was lying next to the bed, and followed Ranger out of my bedroom to the front door. He slid the gun into the waistband of his cargo pants at the small of his back, and put on his jacket, before turning back to me.

"My schedule is full for the day but I should be done by seven. Would you like to have dinner out or at have it at Rangeman?"

"Rangeman," I said. Few people could rival Ella's cooking even if it what she cooked was healthy."I'll meet you there."

Ranger walked towards me, backing me up against the counter. He leaned into me, placing his hands flat on the counter top on either side of my hips, caging me in. His head lowered and when his tongue curled around mine, I grasped the front of his T-shirt trying, unsuccessfully, to fight the wave of desire that rushed through me.

Ranger lifted his head and looked down at me."See you at seven," Ranger said, the corners of his mouth turned up in an almost smile.

"You really need to stop doing that," I said to him. After all of the times we've been together, I still had a hard time controlling my hormones around Ranger.

Ranger smiled at me, and brushed a soft kiss across my lips."We'll finish this conversation tonight," Ranger said. Then he was out the door and gone.

Now that I wasn't pressed up against Ranger anymore, my brain was starting to function. And I had a choice to make. Go back to bed, or take a shower and start my day. I looked out my living room window. The sun was nowhere to be seen. Going back to bed it is.

I woke up three hours later. The sun had finally made an appearance. I climbed out of bed for a second time and headed for the bathroom. I took a shower, and took my time getting ready. Thirty minutes later, I was standing in my kitchen thinking about what I was going to do for the day when my phone rang. It was Lula.

"What's up?" I asked her.

"I got a big date this week and I need help pickin' out the right shoes to wear with the dress I got for it."

"Since when do you care about my fashion opinion?"

Lula was a 'ho before coming to work for Vinnie. And in Lula's mind, changing professions didn't necessarily mean you had to change your wardrobe. Everything she owned, and wore on a regular basis, was either spandex, animal print, or both. And also were, at least, two-sizes-too-small. Oddly enough, the look worked on Lula.

"Okay," Lula said. "My car's in the shop and I need a ride to the mall."

"Are you at your apartment?"

"Yeah," Lula said.

"I'll be right over," I told Lula. I didn't have anything better to do. And I could probably use the exercise. Shopping is the only form of exercise I can get excited about. My idea of cardio is running through a shopping mall in four-inch heels during a one-day-only sale.

Lula was waiting for me outside when I drove up.

"This here's gonna be fun," Lula said, getting into the passenger seat."And since you were nice enough to give me a ride, I'm paying for lunch."

I turned off Route One and pulled into the Quaker Bridge parking lot. I chose a space near the Macy's entrance so we could hit the shoe department first thing.

After an hour of looking, Lula changed her mind and decided that food was more important than shoes. We made the short walk to the food court in record time and settled on pizza, and diet Cokes, before hitting the ice cream place for dessert.

We finished the last of our ice cream and were walking out of the food court area, on our way back to Macy's, when we heard a loud crack. Lula and I looked at each other. We knew that sound.

"Gunshot," we said in unison.

The mall suddenly turned into an episode of Wild Kingdom. There was a lot of screaming and people were running in all directions. We couldn't tell exactly where the shot came from.

"Whose after you now?" Lula asked me.

"Nobody's after me," I said to her."Not every bad thing that happens involves me."

"Uh-huh," Lula said, not sounding convinced."If you say so."

The noise level was still high and I could barely hear the phone ringing in my bag. I flipped my phone open."Yeah?" I asked, straining to hear.

"Tell me the electronics in your bag are wrong and you're not at the mall."

It was Ranger.

"Your gizmo is right," I said."I'm at the mall with Lula."

"We heard a call go out on the police scanner saying there's been a shooting."

"Lula and I heard the shot, but we don't know where it came from."

"The police are saying a guy violated his restraining order and is after his girlfriend who works as a cashier at the candle place."

"We just left the food court," I said, trying hard not to panic."That's not that far from us." Not to mention that it was halfway between where we were standing, and where we were headed.

Just as I finished speaking, the shooter rounded the escalator and I got a clear view of his face."Holy Crap!" I said.

"What?" Ranger asked.

"I know this guy," I said."I brought him in twice for failing to appear. His name is Randy Harlo."

"That's not good, Babe."

Tell me about it.

"Do you think he'd recognize you?"

"I don't know," I said."He was always drunk by the time I caught up with him."

"I'm on my way," Ranger said."Don't attract any attention to yourself."

No problem there.

I put my phone back in my bag and told Lula about the shooter and the restraining order.

"See," Lula said to me, shaking her head in disbelief."I knew it! I don't know how you do it, but you always get yourself into trouble. You're like a magnet for it."

"This isn't about me," I told Lula."I'm just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Again.

"That's what you always say. And what idiot would shoot someone in a mall?" Lula asked."That's just plain stupid. They got cameras everywhere. I hope he knows he's gonna be spending lots of time in jail. You can't say you're innocent when your face is caught on video pulling the trigger."

I didn't know why anyone would want to shoot another person period. Camera or not. I've had to do it myself a few times, and it wasn't my idea of fun.

I turned my body, hoping Harlo wouldn't notice me, but I was too late. He was looking directly at me. And I saw the exact moment he figured out who I was.

"Uh-oh," Lula said, watching him."That ain't a friendly look. I guess he remembers you. And not in a good way."

I had a stun-gun, and pepper spray, in my shoulder bag. Of course, they wouldn't be of any help to me unless Harlo got close enough to us to use them. Lula always had a weapon on her. Depending on her mood, or her outfit, it could be anything from a Glock to a sawed-off shotgun. The red snakeskin bag she was carrying today was big enough to house a scoolbus. I didn't think she'd be able to find an elephant in there, never mind a gun. And definitely not in time to be of any use. Lula must have been thinking the same thing, because she had a grip on my arm that was threatening my blood flow. And she was right about the look I was getting. If looks could kill, Randy Harlo wouldn't need the gun he was holding.

He was walking towards us, the gun in his hand, his hand at his side. Okay, he wasn't pointing the gun at us that's a good sign, right?

He stopped about ten feet away."I know who you are," Randy said."You're that bounty hunter bitch that started all this. You're the reason Joann left me and got that restraining order."

"I think you beating the crap out of her had more to do with her leaving."

Probably it wasn't smart to talk back to a guy holding a gun, but I very rarely did things that were considered smart by other people's standards.

"Everything thing was fine until you stuck your nose in," he said.

Yeah, right. That's why he was arrested a second time for domestic abuse.

"Joann had decided to leave you before I even spoke to her," I told him. I felt Lula grip my arm harder. My guess was that she wanted me to shut the heck up.

"My day has just improved," Harlo said."I need a way out of here without getting killed, and I think I've just found the perfect hostage."

I wanted to believe that he wasn't talking about me but let's face it, with my luck, it couldn't possibly be anyone else.

"And when I get out of here, I'm gonna teach you a lesson about meddling in other people's lives. I'm gonna shoot you till you're dead."

See, that's what I mean. I was at the mall shopping for shoes, minding my own business, and now I'm a potential hostage. Could this possibly happen to anybody else?

We were standing near the food court, which was close to a whole slew of stores and mall exits, but not close enough to make a run for it without getting shot in the back. We were trapped. There was a small group of people behind Lula and I who must have come to the same conclusion, because they weren't moving, either.

"I don't think you need a hostage," I told him."If you hurry, you might be able to get out of here before the cops show up."

And like a scene straight out of a movie, we heard the police sirens.

Harlo looked like a startled deer. I guess he hadn't really thought this through. Which was very bad for us, because now he was going to get desperate. And desperate people were the most dangerous.

Harlo pointed his gun at me."Get over here," he said.

"Are you freakin' nuts?" I said, my voice raising an octave."I'm not going anywhere near you."

He moved the gun a couple of inches so it was now pointed at Lula."If you don't get the fuck over here now, I'm gonna shoot your fat friend."

"Hey! Who you calling fat?" Lula said.

"You," Harlo said to Lula, his gun now aimed at her head."Now get over here."

"Don't listen to him, Steph. He's gonna kill you."

"How about I make this easier for you," Harlo said."If you don't get your fucking ass over here now, I'm going to shoot your friend and then I'm gonna shoot the kid."

I heard a woman's startled cry behind us. I looked over my shoulder. The woman looked to be around my age and was holding a little boy who was maybe three-years-old. Shit. I had no choice. I couldn't let him hurt a child.

"You only need one hostage to get out of here," I told him."You can let everyone else go."

"I got no problem with that. Only two people I got issues with. One, I already took care of. And you."

We knew Harlo had fired a single shot, but I didn't know whether or not his girlfriend was hit. After hearing him say that, it didn't look good for his girlfriend or me for that matter.

He waved his gun in the direction of the small crowd."Get out!" He yelled at them. He didn't have to say it twice. In a matter of seconds it was just Harlo, Lula,and I.

"I'm not leaving you with this psycho," Lula whispered to me.

I pried Lula's fingers off my arm."It's okay, just go," I said."I'll be fine." Not that I believed it. Randy had no intention of letting me go after he got away from here. The best that I could hope for was that if I did die, God might overlook my less than stellar past, and give me points for trying to prevent innocent people from being hurt.

Lula still hadn't moved away from me, and I could tell Harlo was nearing the end of his patience."Go," I said again, giving her a little push.

"Maybe I'll take my chances here," Lula said to me."I don't wanna have to tell Ranger that I left you alone with this nutcase. And Morelli will probably be out there, too."

I could see her point. No one wanted to be close to Ranger when he was in a mood. And Morelli upset wasn't pretty, either.

"You can let them know that I'm okay." At least I would be until Harlo and I got out of the building.

"Time's up," Harlo said to Lula."Get outta here now, or you'll be be sporting an extra hole in your head. I don't need two hostages."

I gave Lula another shove away from me."I don't like this," she said, then she was gone. Just me and Harlo now. Goody.

He wrapped his arm around my neck and put the gun to my temple."Here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna walk out of the building nice and slow. Then we're gonna get in my car and get the hell out of here. And when I'm far enough away from here, I can focus on getting rid of you."

Great. Not only do I have a gun to my head, I have to take a road trip with a guy who has every intention of killing me. I don't know what I did in my life to deserve this, but it must have been really bad.

My phone kept ringing while we were moving through the mall. When this happens in movies there's usually a negotiator on the other end of the line trying to reason with the captor, making plenty of promises that might get the hostage out safely. A lesser charge, shorter jail time, cigarettes to trade with the other inmates. That wasn't what happened here. I was told not to touch the phone. Harlo wanted out of the building. And he wanted to kill me. He had no plans of making a deal with the police no matter what was promised to him.

We made our way through a side entrance and Harlo had me in a death grip when we finally stepped outside. Usually, the walk from the food court to anywhere else, took about ten minutes. Today, it felt like it took an hour. I blinked, trying to get my eyes to adjust to daylight after being in the dimly lit mall. The sun was out. Birds were singing. And the sky was as blue as it could possibly get in Jersey. I didn't want to die on a sunny day, I thought to myself. Okay, so I didn't really want to die on a rainy day, either, but if I had to choose the gloom of a rainy day would be more fitting. A sunny day felt like a waste.

"My car is the green Honda in the handicapped space," Harlo said to me."You're going to walk over there with me and get into the car without any trouble. I need you to get me out of here, so I can't kill you if you give me a hard time but I can, and will, shoot you till you cooperate. It just won't be in the head."

So, not only was he psycho, he'd also stolen a handicapped parking space. How freakin' rude is that? Of course, now that I think about it, maybe he parked in the right spot. Since I would consider being crazy a handicap. And now on top of that, he's threatening to put a bunch of holes in me before he kills me. This day just keeps getting better.

I looked around as we headed to Harlo's car. There were police everywhere. And I could see two ambulances and a fire truck off to the side. Not a good sign. Officer's were standing all around the area in little clusters. Behind the police were people who were lucky enough to get out, and probably a few curious onlookers who stopped to see what was going on. A little ways off, there was a camera crew from a local TV station. Great. Now my mother and grandmother will be seeing this, too.

I cautiously turned my head slightly and saw Ranger. He was standing with Tank and Hal. All three were dressed in SWAT gear with full utility belts. I was thinking that Harlo should be thankful that the police were here, and he wasn't going to be left at the hands of Ranger and his men. I was fairly certain he would prefer jail time over whatever Ranger would have in store for him. And I had a feeling Ranger was wishing that the police would go away and let him handle this.

Most of the time I wasn't sure where I stood with Ranger's men. I didn't know if they actually liked me, or thought I was a huge pain in the ass and only put up with me because Ranger tells them to. But today, judging by the stony look in their eyes and tight set to their mouths, Tank and Hal were not pleased that someone had a gun pointed at me. Lula was next to them looking worried. She kept shifting her weight from one foot to the other, not sure what to do.

I couldn't look at Ranger until I had myself under control. Sometimes it seemed like he could look you in the eye and know exactly what was going on inside your head. I didn't want him to know how freaked out I was, so I avoided looking directly at him and focused on the chaos around me.

I saw Morelli with a couple other officers. My pals Eddie Gazarra and Carl Costanza among them. They all had their cop faces on, their expressions not giving any emotions away. And while I knew that they were cops and had to respond to any call that went out, I also knew that they would have come here today, no matter what, because I was involved. This was starting to feel like an episode of 'This Is Your Life, Stephanie Plum.' I felt my eyes fill up. And for one horrible moment I thought I was going to start crying in front of everyone. I could handle being held at gunpoint without being emotional, but knowing all these people were here because they cared about me, in one capacity or another, was enough to start the waterworks. The terror bubbling inside me subsided for a minute. If it was at all possible to get me out of this unharmed, these people would do it.

I blinked back the tears before turning my head and locking eyes with Ranger. His face was perfectly composed. It was only because I spent so much time with him that I could tell what he was thinking. Ranger didn't like not being in control. He also didn't like when someone threatened the people that he considered family. And seeing as how only a few hours ago we were in my bed together, the look in his eyes was chilling.

An officer I didn't recognize shouted over the noise of the sirens at Harlo."Put the gun down," he said."You don't have to do this. Just let her go."

"Like hell I don't have to do this!" Harlo said."You come near me and I'll blow her fucking head off!"

I was still looking at Ranger. His face didn't change except for a slight bunching of a muscle in his jaw. I sent him a weak smile hoping to reassure him. At least I was aiming for a smile, but it probably came out more like a grimace.

As we were stepping off the curb that led to the parking lot, I somehow tripped. I wish I could say that I had planned it, but it was more that my body wasn't entirely under my own control. Harlo had to quickly decide between letting go of me or falling down himself. He loosened his hold for a split second and a shot rang out. Harlo let go of me completely and grabbed his shoulder where an officer's bullet had struck. He brought his arm up making one last attempt at a get away. His shot went wild and he was tackled by police. The gun flew out of his hand, landing three feet away from us. I wasted no time getting away from him. I ran as fast as I could straight to where Ranger was standing. When I reached him, I slid my arms inside his jacket and pressed my face against his chest. I was trembling from both adrenaline and fear. Ranger tucked me into his open jacket, his arms wrapped tight around me, holding me to him. Okay, maybe his arms were a little too tightaround me, but I didn't care. The heat from his body was slowly seeping into mine, helping to still the tremors.

Ranger pressed his face to the side of my head, shielding me as best he could from the swarm of people surrounding us."Are you all right?" He asked me quietly.

"Yep," I said, against his T-shirt."Never better." I could feel him smile at my answer.

"Liar."

"I'm okay," I said, lifting my head up to look up at him, sounding a little more sure of it now. I was safe. I didn't have any bullet holes in me. And my heart was only skipping every other beat.

"We're glad that you're okay," Hal said to me, and I saw Tank nod his head in agreement. "You scared the crap out of us. Excuse the language."

"I hear that a lot," I said to him. I wasn't sure if I was talking about the language or the part about scaring them, but I guess it didn't matter. I was covered either way.

"I could have taken him," Lula said, to no one in particular.

There was suddenly a lot of commotion behind us. I looked over my shoulder to see what was going on. The police were putting Harlo inside a cruiser and a reporter and camera guy were attempting to get close enough to get a good shot, so more officers were being called in to help hold them back.

I noticed Eddie Gazarra waving his arm at me, trying to get my attention."I'll be right back," I said to Ranger, and eased away from him.

"I'm going with you," Lula said."What if that idiot gets away from the police and comes after you?"

"He's in cuffs, sitting in a locked patrol car with police guarding him." I said to her."He's not going to get loose."

"He could try," Lula said."And this time I'm gonna be ready."

I blew out a sigh but I didn't argue. Sometimes it was just easier to give in when it came to Lula.

Morelli was still standing with Eddie and Carl. He looked at me for a long moment without saying anything."Are you okay?" He finally asked.

That seemed to be the question of the day."I think so."

"How come nobody's asking me if I'm okay?" Lula asked, hands on hips, starting to look pissed."He held a gun on me, too."

"Yeah," Costanza said,"but you were standing outside, out of danger, by the time we got here."

"Hunh," Lula said."Steph made me leave. Otherwise, I would have popped a cap up his ass."

Hard to pop a cap up someone's ass when your hands are shaking and you can't find your gun.

"What the hell happened?" Gazarra asked me."We got the call about a hostage situation, but we didn't know it was you until we got here."

I filled them in on the gunshot we heard while in the food court, and my past experiences with Harlo. I also told them that Harlo blamed me for the restraining order, and that he was planning on killing me after he got away.

"Unbelievable," Costanza said.

"How do these things happen to you?" Gazarra asked.

I hoped he was asking the universe, or God, because I sure as heck didn't have an answer.

Morelli wasn't saying anything. Which is understandable considering this was the type of thing that was instrumental in our break-up. Or break-ups. We've broken up a lot. And I'm sure seeing me pressed up against Ranger didn't help the situation or his mood.

"You're going to have to come down to the station to make a formal report."

"I figured as much," I said to Gazarra."Do I have to do it now?"

"No," he said."Tomorrow will be okay. There were a lot of witnesses that saw what happened. We'll probably be busy for the rest of day with them."

Good deal. I wasn't up to reliving the whole ordeal yet.

"I'm not going to no police station," Lula said."I'm allergic. I get irritable bowel if I go anywhere near a police station. If someone wants anything from me, they'll have to meet me somewhere else. Someplace that sells burgers. And fries. I'm gonna need fries if I have to talk about this."

"What about his girlfriend?" I asked. I haven't heard anyone mention her. Of course, my mind hadn't been on other people's conversations. I was busy trying not to get dead.

"She was shot in the head," Morelli said, not looking at me, his expression still grim,"but the bullet just grazed the side of it. She has a concussion and she'll need stitches. Other than that, she should be fine."

"Lucky for her, the impact of the bullet knocked her out cold," Gazarra said."If she was moving at all Harlo would have finished her off."

Not a good thought to dwell on. Things could have been a lot worse for the both of us.

I assured everyone that I really was okay, and Lula and I walked back to where Ranger, Tank, and Hal were waiting.

"I'm taking you back to Rangeman with me," Ranger said."Probably you won't agree to being locked up in a safe house, so I'm going to settle for having you safely tucked away in my building. Tank and Hal can take Lula home."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I whispered to Ranger. Tank and Lula were engaged for about a minute a while ago. The break-up wasn't nasty, but I wasn't sure if being stuck together in a small space was good for either of them.

"They'll be fine," Ranger said.

"What about my car?" I asked.

"I'll have one of my men pick it up and bring it to Rangeman for you."

Tank and Hal loaded Lula into a black Rangman SUV and motored off to Lula's place. At least, Hal and Tank thought that's where they were going, but if I knew Lula she was going to make them stop at a drive-thru on the way to get something for her nerves. Lula was a stress eater. Actually, Lula was an everything eater. If she was happy, sad, pissed-off, or just plain bored, she ate. And she ate a lot. Not that I could judge. But I do try to keep my binging to a minimum. I didn't have money to spare for a larger wardrobe.

Ranger wrapped an arm around me and moved me toward his Turbo. He settled me in the passenger seat before angling behind the wheel. He rolled the engine over and looked over at me.

"There were a couple of moments back there where I thought I was going to lose you," Ranger said."That was the longest thirty minutes of my life."

"This was nothing," I said to him, trying to lighten the mood."Remember when Con locked me up in Spiro's house? Or the time Edward Scrog kidnapped me, and no one knew where I was?"

His eyes narrowed. Ranger didn't want his mood lightened."You're not taking this seriously."

"I'm trying not to take it at all," I told him."I'm blocking it out until tomorrow when I have to do a play-by-play for the police."

"You're having too many close calls, Babe," Ranger said.

"But this one really wasn't my fault." I know I sounded whiny but I figured, at the very least, I was entitled to a little whining today.

"If things had turned out differently you would be dead right now," Ranger said, pulling out of the lot."It wouldn't matter whose fault it was. You're not something that I can replace. You're going to have to be more careful. And you're going to have to make staying safe a priority."

"Lula's should be the one getting lectured," I mumbled."She's the one who wanted to go to the mall in the first place."

"I heard that," Ranger said.

I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes."Good," I said.

We were almost at Rangeman when my phone rang."Are you okay?" My mother asked me.

"Yeah."

"Marta Nazzolli called and said you we're being held hostage by some lunatic."

I thought lunatic was a good word to describe Randy Harlo."Everything's fine," I told my mother."The guy is in police custody. And I'm going home with Ranger."

"Why do these things always happen to my daughter?" She asked."Irene Slavinski's daughter never gets held at gun point at shopping malls. Only my daughter. Why is it always my daughter? What did I do wrong? First, your grandmother. And now this. What were you doing?"

"I wasn't doing anything," I told my mother, taking turns glaring through the phone at her, and over at Ranger. They've obviously decided that this was my fault."I was shopping with Lula and somehow got caught in the middle of it."

"What do you mean you somehow got caught in the middle?" My mother asked."This never happens to anyone but you."

"It's a gift," I said to her. I could almost see her making the sign of the cross.

You would think I'd be getting special treatment or something. I mean, I could have died today. That should be worth something, right? But instead I'm being blamed for being there in the first place. I'm telling you, I can't catch a break. The only way I was able to cut my mother off mid-rant, and get off the phone, was by promising her that I would be over as soon as I could. I dumped the phone in my bag and rested my head against the seat again, closing my eyes.

We pulled up to the Rangeman gate, Ranger keyed it open and parked in one of his private spaces near the elevator. I heaved myself out of the Turbo and started walking to the elevator. At least, I was trying to walk to the elevator. My legs were still a little shaky and I stumbled. Ranger caught me around the waist before I hit the ground.

"Do you want me to carry you?" Ranger asked.

I blew out a sigh. Talk about humiliating. I almost lost it in front of a bunch of strangers. Now I'm tripping over my own feet. Not exactly the image I was going for. I wanted to prove to everyone that I was in control. That I could handle these kinds of situations. After all, I've had more than enough practice. There was no way I was going to let Ranger carry me up to his apartment like some helpless, frightened, female. I've been called many things in my life. Helpless was not one of them. I'm as far from helpless as a person can get. And while I'll admit to being frightened back there, I didn't want anyone else to know it. I didn't need to be carried, or coddled. And definitely not when Ranger's whole control room would be watching.

"No," I said."I was just a little wobbly there for a minute. I'll be fine."

Ranger kept his arm firmly around me as we got into the elevator. He hadn't bothered removing his utility belt before leaving the lot, and I could feel the hardness of his gun against me. I took a deep breath and waved at the minicam that was in the corner of the elevator. I knew every set of eyes in the control room would be on me.

Ranger noticed the wave."I'm not the only one here who likes you," Ranger said."When the call went out about the shooting, and we confirmed that you were at Quaker Bridge, I almost lost half my work force."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that the men I hire to man the control room are supposed to be able to handle a crisis," Ranger said to me."But when they knew you were in danger, they lost their focus. The entire fifth floor wanted to stop what they were doing and come with us. Not good when a large percentage of your business consists of watching security monitors. Hal was the worst. He seems to have a thing for you."

I think being the only woman in an all male organization brings out the protective instincts in the men. The men of Rangeman feel obligated to watch over me. Ella does work here, so technically I'm not the only female in the building, but she's not monitored the way I am. Probably because she's older than me, happily married, and she isn't involved with the boss. Or maybe the men are just afraid Ranger will shoot them if they let anything bad happen to me. Either way, they don't like it when I'm in trouble. Unfortunately for them, I'm in trouble a lot.

"Hal's sweet," I told Ranger.

"I didn't hire Hal to be sweet," Ranger said.

"Hey," I said to Ranger,"don't get mad at me. I've never said, or done, anything inappropriate around your men. I can't help it if I'm likable."

"I think you could help it if you wanted to, Babe," Ranger said."And you don'thaveto do anything for men to be interested in you. For the sake of my clients, I did call the control room while you were talking to Costanza and Gazarra to let everyone know you were safe."

I noticed he didn't include Morelli in the group I was talking to.

The doors opened to the seventh floor. Ranger keyed his door open for me, and followed me into the foyer. He shrugged out of his jacket, peeled mine off of me, and put them away in the hall closet.

"Would you like a glass of wine? Or something to eat?" Ranger asked, taking his gun belt off and setting it on the sideboard."I can call Ella and she'll make you whatever you want. Or you can look around the kitchen for something."

"No," I said."I think I just want to go to bed and try to forget this day happened." I looked over at him."Are you coming with me? Or do you have to go back to work?"

"Babe," Ranger said to me,"if I get into a bed with you right now, you won't be sleeping."

Heat rushed into my chest, and a few other places."And?" I said. What better way to forget the feel of Harlo's gun against my head, than to feel Ranger against the rest of me.

Ranger wrapped a hand around the nape of my neck, pulling me to him, and kissed me. When my mouth opened to Ranger's, Harlo was the last thing on my mind. With just his hand on my neck, and his mouth on mine, Ranger walked me backwards toward his bedroom. He stopped when the back of my knees hit the bed. He broke from the kiss just long enough to peel my shirt off of me, and remove his. Then I was back in his arms being lowered onto the bed. He kissed me again as his hands slid down my body removing my bra before unbuttoning my jeans and pulling them off. His hands were everywhere. My breasts, hips, and my belly all received Ranger's personal attention. When his fingers finally settled on one particularly sensitive spot, I might have blacked out because when I opened my eyes Ranger was stripping off the last of his clothes, and I didn't remember him leaving the bed. He came back to bed, gathered me close, and kissed his way up my neck. He kissed my chin, my temple, the tip of my nose before he focused on my mouth again. His kiss had started off gentle, but quickly turned demanding. I wrapped my arms around him, pressing closer, while my legs moved restlessly. Ranger broke from the kiss and looked down at me. He was smiling. Not the usual half-smile, either. But the full-on Ranger smile.

"What?" I asked. Not sure that I wanted to know what was behind that smile.

"Are you in a hurry, Babe?" Ranger asked."Because I've got all day."

Uh-oh. Not that hours spent in bed with Ranger was a bad thing. It's just that I had a hard time controlling myself for three minutes around Ranger. Never mind hours. His self-control was way better than mine. I narrowed my eyes at him.

Ranger laughed softly. He bent his head back to mine. He took his time, kissing me over and over again. Hard to be annoyed with someone when they had their tongue in your mouth. Ranger dipped his head, working his way down my body again. His lips skimmed the length of my belly and moved lower still. I could feel his breath against me. Then his mouth. It was a good thing Ranger's apartment was an entire floor with no neighbors around to hear because not only did I lose control of my body, I lost control of my voice. And the volume of it. I felt Ranger slide into me, and that's the last thing I remember.

We laid there quietly, just holding each other. My head was pillowed on Ranger's shoulder, our legs tangled. My face was pressed into his neck inhaling the sexy scent of Ranger mixed with Bulgari. This had been a very strange day. It had started off good, then I almost died, and now I'm back in bed with Ranger where I had started out this morning. There was still light coming into Ranger's bedroom windows, so I knew it wasn't that late in the day. I wanted to know what time it was, but lifting my head seemed like a lot of work. I really should invest in a new watch. That way I wouldn't have to lift my head. All I would need to do is open one eye. I thought, at the very least, I could manage that. My body felt relaxed and boneless. Between the adrenaline from the hostage thing, and Ranger, I never wanted to move again. I did finally muster enough energy to lift my head, and look at the bedside clock. It was only four o' clock in the afternoon. I blew out a sigh.

Ranger brushed a stray curl back from my face, and hugged me to him."Don't like the sound of that sigh, Babe."

"Just thinking about how strange today has been."

"Considering how your days usually go," Ranger said,"you should be used to strange by now."

"Very funny," I said to him.

"All kidding aside," Ranger said,"you've been in danger many times since you started working for Vinnie, but today was one of the worst. Seeing a gun pressed to your head doesn't make me happy. Maybe you should start thinking about a less risky job; like working full time for Rangeman."

"Wow," I said."You're the last person I'd expect to tell me to quit bond enforcement. You're starting to sound like my mother."

"You've given your mother plenty of reasons to worry."

"I've noticed that you seem to have two constants with me," I said to Ranger."Lecturing me. And trying to get me naked. And sometimes it's hard to tell which one you enjoy more."

"Babe," Ranger said,"if you can't tell which one I enjoy more, I must be doing something wrong."

I can say with absolute certainty that Ranger wasn't doing anything wrong.

"And if you don't stop doing that," Ranger said,"we won't be leaving this bed at all today."

I looked down at my hand. Sometime during our conversation, I had started absently stroking my fingers across Ranger's chest.

"Sorry," I said, taking my hand away.

Ranger caught my hand and brought it to his mouth, brushing my knuckles with his lips."Nothing to be sorry about, Babe, but if you're going to want to get out of this bed anytime soon, you're going to have to stop touching me."

"I thought you liked me touching you," I said to him."But I'll try to restrain myself in the future."

"Steph, the last thing I want you to do is restrain yourself."

"Are you sure?" I asked, kissing the line of his jaw.

"Yeah," Ranger said."I'm sure."

I kissed him lightly on the mouth before sliding my body over his. I felt his body respond, and smiled against his neck. Two could play at this game. I kissed his neck, then slid lower, pressing kisses along his chest to his washboard stomach. I wrapped my hand around him, lowered my head and flicked him with my tongue. Ranger went very still as I set out to make him as crazy as he made me. Suddenly, I was flat on my back and Ranger was inside me. Needless to say, we didn't leave the bed until much later.

I had insisted we get up before Ella brought supper. I didn't want to give Ella the impression that Ranger and I had spent the day in bed together, even if that's exactly what we did. Ranger was dressed in his usual cargo pants and T-shirt, but I had decided putting on clothes took too much effort, so I was wearing Ranger's robe again. Probably my wearing Ranger's robe wasn't going to help in convincing Ella that we were doing other things up here besides making love.

Ranger opened the door to Ella, and took the tray she was holding. As soon as Ella's hands were free she rushed in and hugged me. She asked me if I was all right, hugged me again, then let herself out closing the door quietly behind her. Ranger carried the tray into the kitchen and I set the plates out onto the breakfast bar. Ella had made grilled chicken breast, roasted vegetables, and seasoned rice for two. It was very pretty. Very healthy. No dessert. Not that I was surprised by this. Ranger never ate dessert. But after the day I've had, I really needed dessert. I told myself that this was better for me, but I wasn't convinced.

After we put the leftover food in the fridge, we migrated to the den to watch television. We were sitting on the couch watching news coverage of the shooting. I was curled up next to Ranger, my head resting against his chest. His arm was around me, holding me close.

"Well," I said,"at least my hair looked good on TV."

"Out of everything, that's what you notice?"

"Uh-huh," I said. What can I say, I'm from Jersey. And women from Jersey pay attention to the important things in life; like how their hair looked on national television.

The day was catching up to me. By the time the footage of Harlo being taken in to custody came on the screen, my eyes wouldn't stay open any longer. I must have fallen asleep, because when I opened my eyes I was in Ranger's arms and he was carrying me to the bedroom. He set me down next to the bed, took off the robe I was wearing, and tucked me in under the blanket. He shed his clothes before climbing in next to me.

He gathered me close, and pressed a light kiss against my temple."Go back to sleep," he whispered. I thought that sounded like a good idea. I cuddled closer to Ranger, and closed my eyes.

The next thing I knew it was morning and I couldn't move. I was surrounded by Ranger. We were lying spoon fashion. Ranger's arm was thrown over my chest and his leg covered mine. I lifted my head a little and surveyed the bed. The blanket was no longer on me, having been kicked off sometime during the night, and was now laying in a tangled mess on the floor. Luckily, I still had the sheet covering me. Well, most of me anyway. I don't remember having any nightmares last night. I also didn't remember anything amazing happening after we had gone back to bed, so I can only assume that I, alone, was responsible for the state of the bed. That would also explain why Ranger had me in a full-body hold. To keep me from landing on the floor next to the blanket.

I tried rolling over, but only my head was able to move freely."Hey!" I said, looking over my shoulder at Ranger.

"Hmm," Ranger said, eyes still closed.

"I can't move," I said."You have me in a death grip."

Ranger opened his eyes and smiled at me."And you have a problem with that?" He asked, nuzzling my neck.

"Yes."

Ranger let go of me and I flopped over onto my back."Did I keep you awake all night?"

"Not all of the night," Ranger said.

"Sorry."

"Babe," Ranger said."You were held at gunpoint. You're allowed to have nightmares about it."

"I don't remember having any," I told him.

"You slept for an hour or so without moving. Then you started beating up the blankets."

I smiled."They deserved it."

Ranger laughed softly."Of course they did, Babe."

"What are you still doing here?" I asked Ranger."You're usually downstairs working by now."

"I wanted to know where you were going today before I leave," Ranger said.

"Why?"

"Why do you think?"

"Yesterday was a fluke," I said. Okay, so that was kind of a fib because these sorts of things happen to me all the time. But I didn't want Ranger to worry. When Ranger's worried, he assigns one of the hulking masses of Rangeman muscle to follow me around. And I can say from past experience that this wasn't at all desirable. Ranger kindly refers to his men as 'security specialists'. I call themwhat they are; scary. And they can also be extremely annoying, because once Ranger gave them their orders, nothing short of death or dismemberment would get his men to stop tailing me. And whoever Ranger hired would have to be the one to get dead, or dismembered, seeing as how everyone at Rangeman would happily choose death over having to tell Ranger that something had happen to me on their watch.

"I have to go to my parents' house so my mother can fuss over me. And politely listen while she gives me a running list of everybody she knows that don't have daughters who get held hostage," I said."And Grandma Mazur is going to want details. After that, I'll have to go to the police station and give a report." Going to the police station today was at the very bottom of my want-to-do-list, especially since Morelli will likely be somewhere in the vicinity."And I should probably stop in at the office and check on Lula."

"I don't suppose you'd agree to stay here at Rangeman today?" Ranger asked.

"Nothing bad is going to happen to me," I told Ranger."Harlo is in jail. And, as far as I know, no one else is after me."

"Yes," Ranger said,"but it's still early."

This was true. I had no comeback, so I did what any self-respecting person would do, I narrowed my eyes and gave him a ten second death glare.

Ranger brushed the hair back from my face, and grinned down at me."You're cute when you scrunch your face up like that," Ranger said."In fact, that scowl could even be considered sexy, since I know it's the only thing you're wearing."

"I've got a sheet," I said, taking a firmer grip on it. It's a good thing the sheet didn't get kicked off like the blanket, I thought. I would have had a real hard time having this conversation naked. As it was, I could feel my body heating up under Ranger's suddenly hot gaze.

He brushed his fingertips along the edge of the material, and lowered his head to mine."You could lose the sheet," he said, against my lips.

"Don't you have to get ready for work?"

"Yeah."

"You're going to be late," I said.

"Babe, I'm already late," Ranger said."I should make the most of it."

"What about Ella?"

"I figured you'd want to sleep in this morning," Ranger said."I called Ella last night after you fell asleep and told her I'd let her know when we'd be ready for breakfast."

"Boy, you think of everything, don't you?"

"Yes," Ranger said."Would you like to know what I'm thinking now?"

I had a pretty good idea.

Ranger's lips were now nearing the edge of the sheet."Well," I said,"you are already late ..."

That was all Ranger needed. In seconds Ranger's mouth was on mine, his tongue deep in my mouth, his hands skimming my body. I lost the sheet and possibly my mind.