Janet Evanovich What goes around comes around

I had 2 men in my life.

Both were incredibly handsome, both pure muscled deliciousness and both great in bed.

But both were awfully different inside and out, heart and soul.

One was Joseph Morelli; a Trenton PD with a pure Italian bloodline of black hair, dark eyes and a temper to match.

I've known him all my life.

We went to the same school, he took my virginity when I was 16 - which made me run him over in my grandma's car at 19, we worked together to clear his name (which also earned me 10 grand) and spent a lot of time deciding whether we could stand each other as a couple.

The other was Ricardo Carlos Manoso or _Ranger_ to those who knew him well.

He's of Cuban-American descent with long black hair, dark brown eyes and mocha-latte toned muscle.

He owns a security business called _Rangeman _where only the skilled, strong and beneficial are hired.

I've worked with and for him a number of times, which helped keep the landlord off my ass, and even had the honour of being lovers with him for one glorious night which meant I was one of the few lucky women who got to see him naked. Another woman was my grandma.

My name is Stephanie Plum.

I'm blue eyed, curly brown haired and work as a bond enforcement agent, or _bounty hunter_ to simplify it, for my cousin Vinnie.

I live in an apartment where I'm the only resident under 55 with a hamster called Rex for a roommate.

During my time as a bounty hunter I've been kidnapped, held hostage, shot at, set on fire, knifed, drugged, poisoned, thrown off a bridge and had pie thrown in my face.

Because of my job, my mother constantly keeps a well-stocked whiskey cabinet which doesn't help with her constantly pestering me about getting married and having kids like my perfect older sister, Valerie.

Although, Valerie only married her scumbag of a first husband because she was pregnant with my oldest niece. 2 more nieces later, she divorced and soon eloped to Disney World with her new husband.

Hey, I was married once. I'm not that pathetic. Only it was to a guy called _Dickie Orr_. What I saw in him I'll never know.

Knowing me, I was probably on something.

Our marriage barely lasted a year when I came home one night to find him _doing it_ on the dining room table with Joyce Barnhardt – Trenton's infamous slut. 10 minutes later, we were divorced.

I should consider myself lucky that me and _The Dick _didn't have kids. My mother was probably hoping she'd finally have grandkids whose parents were still together and weren't bred from the bastard.

Morelli thought about me and him getting married – a lot. He always talked about how he longed coming home to me and miniature versions of us running around the place.

Despite his reassurance that I'd be a great mom; I could barely look after a hamster, most of my cars drove their way to the big garage in the sky and I had stalkers after me nearly every month when I was at work.

"You wouldn't have to work if you married me, Cupcake. You know I'd take care of ya." Morelli said kissing the top of my head. "You know nobody messes with a cop's wife. 'Specially mine."

I was leaning against him on the sofa as we watched a Rangers game at my apartment. "I know. But I'm still not over my first marriage, Joe. That's what _The Dick _said to me before he proposed."

The truth was I wasn't entirely sure Morelli was the right guy for me to spend the rest of my life with.

Ranger had actually taken care of me better than he did by saving my life who-knows-how many times, providing me with a new car without question, making sure I was safe by having me tracked everywhere I went and prevented my landlord from evicting me.

Although after our night together, he had told me I should go back to Morelli because I was safer and better off with him.

He admitted he wasn't the type who could hold a relationship even if he wanted to or not.

Like me, he had once been married and divorced but had fathered a daughter, Julie, who he barely saw, in Florida. Unlike _The Dick, _he was decent enough to give his name to her, pay full child support and visit when invited.

Morelli on the other hand, brought me pizza and beer, had higher testosterone levels than blood which needed filtering whenever we were in the bedroom whether I was conscious or unconscious.

_But I really liked pizza. _

I never thought I would be in a love triangle- ever.

Things didn't go down too well when Ranger and I had a job to catch an FTA at a fancy hotel on the outskirts of New Jersey.

Long story short, I had to role-play as _Batman's Wonder Woman _which meant we had to share a couple's suite.

Morelli, who knew nothing about us catching the skip, found us, assumed the obvious and both of them ended up taking it to the floor.

They soon ended up in an emergency room after I tasered them both unconscious.

I always known Morelli was the type to get jealous easily but that really took me by surprise.

"Is there any way I can help you get over your first marriage?" He grinned, pulling me closer to him, his fingers edging towards the hem of my shirt.

"Yeah, you can shoot Joyce Barnhardt for me." I smiled.

He frowned slightly and sighed. "Cupcake…"

"Or arrest her. I'm happy with either."

Morelli tucked a finger under my chin and tilted my head to face him. "Do you really think I would let her get in between us? Do you think that I would ever _do it _with her?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"I mean now! Not when I was a teenager."

I smiled at him. "Well…you did enjoy teasing me by talking about Terri Gilman…But no. Not with Barnhardt."

He smiled back and kissed me.

"And do you really think I'd _do it _with Ranger behind your back?"

Morelli pressed his lips together for a beat before answering. "To be truthful, I do get suspicious but I just hate it that he gets to spend more time with you than I do."

I giggled. "N'aw. You're sweet when you're jealous." I kissed his cheek. "Besides Joe, that's only when I'm after a skip or doing a job with him. Anyway, I've spent most of the last couple of days with you. I haven't seen Ranger recently."

"When was the last time you spoke with him?"

I thought for a moment, thinking about the last time my latest car blew up. "About 2 days ago before the Volvo got hit with that petrol bomb, he didn't call me...and I'm still stuck with the Buick. What about you?"

He shrugged lightly. "About the same, I took a skip off his hands and filled in his body receipt. He's probably hunting for a car that's indestructible for you to drive."

I elbowed him in the ribs as he laughed.

I walked into the bond's office to find Vinnie pacing back and forth with a phone clamped to his ear.

"Yeah! I know these guys are dangerous! But-…..Look one of my best agents is-….Hey! There was no need for that...Same to you! Goodbye!" He slammed the phone shut before looking up at me.

It was difficult to believe we were related. Vinnie looked like a weasel sucking a cigar.

"Have you seen Ranger lately, Steph?!" He exclaimed more than asked. "We've got 4 dangerous skips roaming free and _Batman _is nowhere to be seen!"

I blinked at him. "The last time I saw him was before the Volvo blew up. I had to drive here in Big Blue."

I looked at his receptionist, Connie, who looked like a life size version of Betty Boop. "Have you tried calling his office at Rangeman?"

"The first place I called! He's not answerin' his cell phone either."

"If he doesn't show up, we're gonna have Uncle Sam on our ass again. I have no choice but to get you and Lula to go after 'em."

Lula, my best friend and sometimes partner, sprung off the sofa. She was a plus sized African-American woman who squeezed herself into neon and animal print spandex and changed her hair style every week which always perfectly matched her ego. This week she was wearing pink leopard print pants with a matching shirt and had dyed her hair into bubble gum spikes.

"If you think you're gonna send me and Steph out to catch some no good criminals, then you been suckin' on one too many cigars, mister!" She said, hands on her hips. "There ain't no way I'm gettin' a couple a hundred bullets in ma' butt!"

I tried not to smile. If a fight broke out between Lula and Vinnie, my money would be on Lula.

Vinnie folded his arms. "Look, I ain't got a choice! If these guys aren't in the big house by next week, we can kiss bail bonding goodbye!"

"What if we got Tank and the others to help out?" I suggested before Lula threatened to sit on him. "We know we can trust him and he's likely to know what happened to Ranger."

Connie nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"I second that." Said Lula.

Vinnie looked at me then shrugged. "Whatever. As long as it gets the big guys off my ass."

I parked outside the Rangeman building and got out my cell phone to call Tank.

A minute later he came out to meet me at the main door.

"Boss didn't send you a car, Steph?" He asked, looking at Big Blue.

"No. So who won the bet?"

Every time Ranger got me a car, the _Merry Men_ at Rangeman liked to place bets on how long it would survive with me as the driver.

Tank smiled. "Hank from gun inspection. So what do I owe the honour?"

"Vinnie needs some dangerous FTAs to be brought in but Ranger hasn't been in touch. I was hoping you and some guys would help me and Lula."

He nodded. "Sure. I was actually gonna call you and ask if you've seen Boss. He hasn't been in his office and Ella said his apartment hasn't been stepped in for a while."

I stared at him. "Did he say he had to do something…important?"

"No…well not by what you mean. Last time I saw him he said he was going to your place." He tried to supress a smirk. "Me and the boys know about the Volvo and since we haven't heard from him in a couple of days…"

I felt the colour rush to my cheeks. "Yeah…and about the skips?"

He nodded. "Sure, let me go get Lester, Hal and Hector and we'll take a van."

It was too good to be true.

We got all 4 skips wanted for GBH, armed robbery, arson and mutilation in less than a day and I had 4 cheques that totalled to $75,000. I could have cried with joy.

I did offer to split with the guys for helping us but they shook their heads and went back to Rangeman.

I was going to get them a thank you present, like doughnuts...or cake.

After I stopped off at the bank, I decided to go to the mall and get something nice for myself- maybe a nice dress or a great pair of shoes or a new bag.

But then I saw it.

I was going past a jewellery shop window when a beautiful gold locket caught my eye. It was about half the size of my thumb and the width of a quarter. It also came with a matching rope chain that was the perfect length for my neck.

I looked at the price tag. $650. Perfect. And I could still pay off my rent and bills.

I dropped by a seven-eleven to pick up some groceries and food for Rex. I decided to treat him too with a new toy and a few of his favourite treats; peanuts, croutons, baby carrots and coconut chips.

When I got home, I placed the bags on the counter and said hello to him. "Hey Rex, look what I got for you." I pulled out a yellow plastic block with climbing holes inside it and placed it in his cage.

He came out of his soup can to inspect his new plaything while I placed a few peanuts into his bowl.

He scrambled into a hole, poked his head out and looked at me.

"Do you like it?"

He disappeared inside it. I took that as a yes.

I sat at the table holding the locket in my hands. It was so simple yet beautiful without a single gemstone or pattern.

I thought about putting a picture inside of it. Of someone who was special and close to me.

I had 2 people in mind, but which one?

Who was closer to my heart?

I decided to leave it empty until I made up my mind.

Connie and Lula looked up as I walked in carrying three boxes of sugary delights; chocolates, doughnuts, cupcakes, cookies, you name it.

"Bless ma' soul!" Cried Lula. "Steph has finally popped and decided to come to the dark side of snacks!"

I laughed. "Hardly. I thought we could use a celebration treat for our success from yesterday. I already got a huge cake for the guys at Rangeman."

"What kind?" Connie asked as I set the boxes down on her desk.

"Chocolate overload." I grinned. "Help yourselves."

"Does Ranger know about it? You know how health conscious he is."

I frowned. "He wasn't there. But Tank said this wasn't the first time he's done something like this."

"Now that sounds like him." Lula said, picking up a cookie.

"Didn't ya get anythin' nice for ya'self?"

"Yeah. Didn't you? You deserve to treat yo'self once in a while instead of just buyin' Boston-Creams, girl!"

My grin reappeared; I was wearing my locket.

I pointed to it. "Uh-huh, $650."

They both stared at me.

"Girl! You ain't treatin' ya'self, ya'll ruinin' ya'self!" Lula laughed, holding it against her hand. "It is cute though."

It was past lunchtime (minus any actual lunch) when there were only a few things left. Connie left a cupcake and a couple of cookies for Vinnie in his office while Lula lay on the sofa as though she was in a sugar-overloaded-coma.

I took some cupcakes, cookies, doughnuts and a few chocolates with me in a vacant box, got into Big Blue and headed over to Morelli's house.

His car wasn't in the driveway but I always had a key so I could go in and let Bob, our wookiee hybrid dog, do his business.

Bob came to greet me with his tongue hanging out and his eyes fixed on the box before going around in circles and yapping happily.

"Do your business outside first." I said, going into the kitchen and putting the boxes down on to the counter. "Then I'll give you a cookie."

I opened the back door and he raced out into the garden. Once nature had hung up, he raced back and, as promised, I gave him a cookie.

_A cookie for the wookiee _-That was cute.

Bob barked at his empty food bowl. I swear that dog was part vacuum.

I looked in all the kitchen cupboards but couldn't find any dog food. Since I knew dogs could get diabetes, I decided it wouldn't be a good idea to give anymore cookies or anything that was high in sugar.

Morelli usually kept some spare bags of kibble in the basement so I went into the living room, unlocked the door in the back corner and went down the stairs.

I pulled the light switch, the bulb flickered and the room flooded with light. I had just picked up a small bag when I heard a low groan behind me.

I spun around and my mouth fell open.

Ranger lay in the middle of the floor with his hands underneath his back. His left leg was twisted at an odd angle and his clothes were torn and bloody.

"Ranger!"

I dropped the bag before hurrying to kneel next to him.

A large bruise stood out on his right cheek. He had a gash on his temple and blood was caked into his hair. I guessed he must have been here for a while because of the stubble covering his jaw.

My hand gently caressed the left side of his face as I felt tears prick behind my eyes. "_Ranger…"_ I whispered, trying to hold back the ache in my throat.

He let out a breath of air and his eyes opened into slits. They were bloodshot.

"_Babe…"_ He rasped; lips cracked and dry.

I sprung to my feet and turned just in time to see Bob running back up the stairs with the bag of kibble in his mouth.

I followed him, went back into the kitchen, snatched a large of bottle of water from the fridge, found a first aid kit, grabbed a cookie from the box and sprinted back to the basement.

He groaned as I pulled him up to lay his head in the crook of my arm. I unscrewed the bottle and placed it to his lips.

"Here Ranger, take a drink. You need it."

He gulped down nearly half the bottle before stopping to take a breath. He drank a little more before looking up at me.

"_Babe…_" He sighed, his voice almost back to normal. "Thank you…"

"Can you sit or stand up?" I asked.

"My leg is broken and I have a few cracked or bruised ribs but I can sit up if I lean against the wall."

I carefully sat him up and noticed his wrists were tied with hemp rope. After I pulled him against the wall, I ran back to the kitchen and returned with a knife.

My hands were shaking as he leaned forward so I could cut his hands free. I took a few deep breaths and managed to remove them without hurting him.

"I knew saving your life would pay off someday." He smiled, rubbing his wrists which were raw red. "I believe in karma."

I smiled back before turning serious again. "Did… Joe….?"

Ranger's face went dark as he nodded. "Yes. He shot me with a tranquiliser in the parking lot outside of your apartment." He looked at me and his eyes softened. "I guess he knew I was going to visit you."

I shook my head in disbelief. "I need to call 911. We have to get you out of here and-"

"No." His hand clasped around my wrist. "Then he'll know you found me. Call Tank and Bobby… I can't risk you getting hurt."

I felt my heart leap in my chest as I tried to stop the tears pooling in my eyes.

I picked up the cookie and placed it on his lap. "Eat this." I said before getting to my feet and running back up the stairs again so I could get a signal on my cell phone.

"Yo." Tank answered.

"Tank, it's Stephanie. I found Ranger and he's hurt!"

There was a heartbeat of silence before he replied. "Where are you?"

I took in a deep breath. "A-a-at M-Morelli's house, h-he's in the basement."

I heard a crackling sound on the other side. I easily pictured the phone being crushed in Tank's fist.

"Stay with him. Me, Bobby and some guys will be there soon." He hung up.

I went back down. Ranger had finished the cookie which surprised me since he could never be tempted with anything sweet.

"They're on their way." I told him.

He nodded and held his hand out to me as I approached him. I placed mine in his and he pulled me to the floor next to him. Our hands never withdrew.

His eyes fell to my neck. "New locket?"

I smiled. "I got it yesterday. You won't believe how I got the money for it."

I told him the story about Tank and co. helping us to catch the skips. He laughed softly but winced and held his side whilst sucking air through his teeth.

I remembered I brought down the first aid kit. I opened it and started tending to the wound on his temple. All I could do was clean it to stop it from infecting and cover it with a bandage until Bobby could stitch it up. I didn't even trust myself with a plastic needle my mother used for knitting.

"What happened?" I asked, afraid of what I might hear.

Ranger's face became unreadable.

"After being shot with the tranquiliser, I woke up in Morelli's trunk with my hands bound. When he opened it, he pulled me out at gun point and told me to be quiet before forcing me into his house. When we got to the basement door, he shoved me down the stairs. That's how my leg broke."

He clasped my hand. Tears started to stream down my face.

He continued.

"Morelli laughed and dragged me to the middle of the floor. He started taunting me about how you would never see me again or how you would think I abandoned you after the Volvo thing and how you were going to be all his. I spat at him. That pissed him off and he started to kick and punch me until I blacked out. I haven't seen him since I came round."

"_Oh Ranger…" _My voice shook as I tried to control the sob in my throat.

He wiped the tears away with his thumb before holding both my hands in his and kissing them. "I didn't always believe in miracles, Babe. But I do now."

"But you believe in karma."

He smiled and shook his head. "Karma is just a word for 'what go around, comes around'. Sure, I saved you and you saved me, but what were the chances of you deciding to come here and finding me before it was too late?"

Without waiting for an answer, he pulled me closer to him and kissed me.

I was careful not to press against his chest but be close enough so I could hold my hand against his cheek while he threaded his fingers through my hair.

It wasn't a flirty kind of kiss we stole when together. This was a loving gentle kiss filled with gratitude and adoration.

We parted and Ranger suddenly scowled over my shoulder. I felt my spine turn into a giant icicle.

I turned to see Morelli standing in the middle of the floor; fists clenched and glowering.

None of us said a word but the basement echoed the heavy breathing coming from his heaving chest.

"Cupcake," He said, inhumanly calm. "What are you doing here?"

The ice melted as my blood began to boil.

I remembered when I was 19. 3 years after he took advantage off me, I was in the Buick and I saw him walking down the street. The same anger and hatred I had for him burned inside of me when I slammed down the accelerator and ran him over. I took back everything I said about Big Blue.

I wasn't scared.

I was angry and beyond pissed.

How could he do this to Ranger? The man who had saved me, _his girlfriend, _so many times from a brutal death? How could he do this to _me?_

I stood up and glared through narrowed eyes. _"You son of a bitch!" _I spat. "How could you do something like this?!"

Morelli's eyes hardened. He stepped a few feet closer until he was looking directly down at me.

"Remember what I told you, Stephanie? I told you I hated it when he got to spend more time with you than I did."

He pulled out his gun and pointed it directly at Ranger.

"Now I'm going to tell you what to do. You're gonna go back upstairs with me, let my plan to let _him _rot down here to carry on and you're going to pretend this never happened or else your tonsil-hockey partner is going to have his head blown off."

I stepped back so I was in front of Ranger and the gun was pointed at me. "_Over my dead body!" _

Morelli stared at me. I could feel Ranger doing the same.

"C'mon Cupcake, don't be crazy. All I want is more time with you to help you get over your first marriage. You'll soon realise that _I'm _the guy you should marry. I did this for you, Cupcake. I love you. "

Everything turned red. "Do you really think killing the man who saved me God-knows-how-many times is going to make me want to marry _you_?!" I screamed.

"Cupcake…"

"If you really did love me you wouldn't be keeping someone important to me to rot in your basement, Joe!"

Morelli's eyes flashed as he lowered his gun slightly. "_Important to you…_ So was I right to be suspicious? Have you two been _doing it_ behind my back?!"

I took in a deep breath. "We did spend some nights together when you and I had broken up. But Ranger always told me to go back and give you another chance because he thought I was safer with you than with him. It was no more than forehead kisses and hugs after that and yet you never pushed away Joyce Barnhardt or stopped talking about the women you slept with."

Morelli's expression never faulted. "You just said he's important to you!"

I sighed. "He's one of my best friends, Joe, of course he is! All my friends are important to me and you of all people should know that."

His eye's narrowed. "I really doubt _best friends_ kiss each other like the way I saw you two."

I folded my arms across my chest. "Maybe you're right Joe, maybe best friends don't kiss like that. Maybe me and Ranger aren't best friends at all…"

"…what are you saying?"

"I think you already know what I'm saying. Maybe, despite Ranger's advice, I've been wasting my time… Looking back, I don't know why I even decided to stay with you."

"Cupcake, be careful what you say…"

"You took advantage of me when I was 16 on a bakery floor and I didn't see you for 3 years until I ran you over! I even helped save your sorry ass by clearing your name when you were accused of murder and how do you thank me? By trying to hump me every time we're in the same room whether I'm conscious or not, blowing your top when you're pissed and giving me a hard time about my job along with trying to change who I am to meet your needs!"

"Stephanie, I'm warning you…"

I ignored him and looked over my shoulder at Ranger whose eyes said a thousand words. I smiled before turning back to Morelli.

"Even if Ranger doesn't think he's the type to hold a relationship, he's still treated me better than you have, Joe."

The corner of Morelli's mouth twitched.

"He's been injured God-knows-how-many times from saving me and yet he still never thinks twice about putting his neck on the line if I'm in danger and goes out of his way to make sure I'm protected. Despite all the cars that have blown up, he's never left me to cope with the Buick or gives me a hard time about it. And, to top it all off, he never forces me into anything or expects me to change who I am!"

There was silence for a beat.

"_Babe…"_ Ranger whispered. I looked at him to see his eyes filled with disbelief.

"It's true, Ranger." I said before turning back to Morelli again. "I'm disappointed in you, Joe. I thought it was bad after you two fought in that hotel but…but I could never believe you would even think about doing something like this. What did you expect to gain from it?"

I fought the urge to burst it to tears.

"Didn't you think about what you would have put Ranger's family and me through? That their son, grandson, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and my friend, mentor and saviour suddenly disappeared without a trace? You know he has a daughter too; you were involved with investigating her kidnapping. You didn't think about how she would never know why her father started to stop visiting and providing for her."

I shook my head and looked Morelli straight in the eye.

"Admit it, Joe. You didn't do this for me. You did this for your own selfish reasons. This doesn't show you love me, this shows how avaricious you are."

My eyes closed as I took in a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Joe, but now that I've seen your true colours, I can never marry you and I don't care for you anymore. It's over – for good this time."

Breaths and heartbeats filled the silence. Our eyes were locked. Morelli stepped closer towards me until we were only a foot apart.

"I do love you, Stephanie." He said quietly with a chilling tone in his voice. "But I won't stop at anything until I get what I want from you."

My eyes widened as he raised his hand towards my throat.

"Freeze! Put the gun down and keep your hands where we can see them!"

We all jumped when we saw Tank, Bobby, Lester, Hal, Hector and Cal at the foot of the stairs. They all scowled; their guns aimed at Morelli.

Morelli wrapped his arm around my neck and pointed his gun at my head. "Any of you move and I'll blow her head off! Put the guns down!"

None of them moved.

"I mean it! Put 'em down or she's dead!"

"C'mon boys," Tank said, putting his gun on the floor. "Do as he says. We can't risk Steph getting hurt."

All of them reluctantly did as he said while giving me apologetic looks.

"Listen to me, Joseph." Bobby said, stepping forward slowly with his hands in the air. "You know threatening Steph's life isn't going to solve anything. She's done nothing wrong."

Morelli scoffed and pressed the barrel of the gun harder to my head. "_Done nothing wrong? _She just rejected me for Manoso!"

"That's no reason for you to have her blood on your hands. You've brought enough on yourself already. If you really care for Steph, let her go and we'll talk about this."

I felt his chest vibrate as he laughed cruelly. "Do you think I was born yesterday? I'm a freakin' cop! I know what you're trying to do! You can't try pullin' the bargaining crap on me!"

"Be reasonable, Morelli." Hal said. "You've already kidnapped and assaulted Carlos. Isn't it already bad enough that you're holding a gun on the woman who cleared your name? You would've been rotting in a jail cell a long time ago if it wasn't for her."

I winced when his arm tightened painfully around my neck. "You think bringing that up will change my mind? Talk all you want! There's nothing you can say that'll make me drop the gun from her head!"

I peered at Ranger from the corner of my eye and saw the hate and anger on his face.

"I've offered everything to Stephanie." Morelli continued. "She knows I'm the guy she should have married instead of whoring herself to Manoso."

Okay, that actually hurt.

"She kept on telling me that she wasn't over her first marriage. Bullshit! I know the real reason, Cupcake. If you married me that meant you'd never get to screw around with Manoso again!"

He placed his lips close to my ear. "But remember Steph, we're both Catholic. We'd have to marry if you were pregnant with my child…"

My stomach lurched like I was going to be sick, but after that everything became a blur...

The gun was yanked away from my head as Morelli was hauled back, cursing with every word he knew, just as Lester sprang forwards to pull me out of his grip.

I turned in time to see Ranger wrenching Morelli's arm backwards at an unnatural angle. Beads of sweat dribbled down his forehead as he gritted his teeth against the pain of his broken bones.

Tank and the rest of the Merry Men wasted no time in coming to his aid by grabbing Morelli by his arms to separate the two of them.

And that was when the gun shot went off.

Ranger cried out in agony before falling to the floor.

"Ranger!" I screamed before scrambling across the floor to him. Bobby followed while the others handcuffed Morelli and hauled him up the stairs.

Ranger's eyes were clenched shut and hands grasped his broken leg which was soaked in fresh blood. Cold sweat ran down his face and neck as he panted heavily.

I placed his head on my lap and stroked the drenched strands of hair away from his face as Bobby picked up the knife I used earlier.

He sliced the fabric of Ranger's jeans before peeling it away from the bullet wound. "It looks like it's shattered a shin bone. That's not too bad but I noticed his leg was already bent at an odd angle when we arrived."

"He told me Morelli pushed him down the stairs and broke his leg." I explained. "He might have broken ribs too."

"I see." Bobby nodded, taking off his belt. "I need to control the bleeding…"

He cut the rest of the fabric off Ranger's pant leg and folded it in half before placing it over the wound and secured it with the belt.

"_Babe…" _I looked down at Ranger's pale and tired face as he moved his hand over mine.

"You're going to be ok, Ranger." I whispered, kissing his forehead. "Bobby's got it handled. You'll pull through…You always pull through…"

Ranger weakly wrapped his fingers around my wrist and pressed his lips to the back of my hand.

"_Babe…" _He sighed, his eyelids drooping. _"I love you…"_

His eyes closed.

Every muscle in my body turned to stone.

I couldn't move.

I just knelt there with Ranger unconscious in my arms wondering if I had heard his last few words right.

"Steph! He's gone into shock!" Bobby yelled.

But his words never reached me.

I didn't move when he shook me by the shoulder. I didn't move when the wheels of the stretcher came clattering down the stairs. I didn't move when a team of paramedics approached us.

They strapped an oxygen mask over his mouth before lifting him out of my arms to secure him onto the stretcher and wheeled him up the stairs with Bobby alongside them.

I was left alone; kneeling in the middle of the basement staring at the bloody floor in a deafening silence.

I didn't hear Lester approach me when he lifted me to my feet. He wrapped his arm around my waist and held my hand in a comforting grip as I supported myself against him.

"It's okay now, Beautiful." He said gently. "Morelli's half way to the Police Station and Ranger is in safe hands."

I nodded but a shudder made a sob escape from my throat and tears spilled down my face.

Lester held me closer to him as I cried into his shirt. He took off his jacket and draped it around me.

I felt every ounce of strength leave my body.

My knees buckled from my dead weight but Lester scooped me up into his arms and carried me up the stairs with my face hidden against his shoulder.

"Tank!" Lester called. "Steph's in no shape to go the station. She needs to rest."

I peered up to see Tank looking at me with a grim expression.

He nodded slowly, "Yeah, you're right Santos. Take her back to Rangeman so she can relax. We can manage a statement for the shooting on our own. Until then, we'll let Boss decide what to do after he recovers."

But then I remembered….

"….Bob…" My voice was hoarse but Tank knew who I meant.

"We'll take him with us and find someone to look after him while you recuperate, Steph."

The next 2 weeks had flown by.

Ranger was recovering nicely despite being rigid from the discomfort in his ribs. Thankfully, they were only bruised and not shattered. His leg, however, had been broken in 2 places from when he was pushed down the stairs but the bullet wound only skinned his shin bone. The gash on his temple was disinfected, stitched and healing nicely while the bruise on his cheek began to fade.

We were both able to provide a statement not long after the ordeal. Investigators found a tranquilliser gun and darts in Morelli's car and the same dart used to sedate Ranger which went down well with an analysis of the basement and the testimonials from the Rangemen.

Joe Morelli was put behind bars charged with the misuse of a sedation tool, kidnapping, assault, false imprisonment and attempted murder - all in that order.

Bob was now a resident at Rangeman and loved that he was constantly surrounded by people. I didn't know what Ranger thought about it but I could tell a lot of the guys loved the wookiee-hybrid-vacuum. Bob was especially helpful with animal based therapy since he loved everyone – especially those who brought him food.

I made my way up to seven with hesitation in every step and Ranger's words echoing in my head.

I had kept making up excuses to help talk myself out of visiting him like; _He needs his rest. He needs to recover. He needs time, _despite the Merry Men, Ella, Lula and Connie's better judgement.

But there was one thing I couldn't deny; I had to know if he had really meant what he said before he passed out.

Did he really love me or was it because he thought he was going to die?

I approached the door, looked down at my locket, took a deep breath and knocked.

"_Enter."_

I went in and found Ranger on the sofa with his casted leg resting on the coffee table. Despite that, the wound and bruise were barely visible.

He gave me a gentle smile as I shyly walked over to the sofa. "Babe…"

My cheeks flared scarlet. "Hey." I whispered before looking to the floor.

He caught my eye when he swung his leg off the coffee table and pushed himself off the sofa. I was about to protest until I realised he had a walking cast on – black to match his outfit.

It took him little effort to shuffle/trudge over to me. Once he was in reaching distance, he enveloped me into his arms and held me close.

I pressed myself to him with my ear against his torso; taking in the steady rhythm of his heartbeat as I wound my arms tightly around his waist.

"I was hoping you would stop by." Ranger said, kissing my forehead. "I didn't want to bother you in case you were still recovering."

He held me at arm's length and searched my eyes before caressing my cheek with his hand.

"I was worried about you. Lester said you took it badly after I passed out."

I nodded, unable to find the words to speak. I leant into his hand; enjoying the warmth and scent of Bulgari Green Tea that lingered on his skin.

"Babe, are you alright? You haven't said a word."

A smirk morphed onto my lips. "Yes I have. I said 'hey'."

Ranger smiled and shook his head lightly before turning serious again. "How have you been after what happened? I haven't seen you for 2 weeks."

I shrugged a shoulder. "I'm okay. I just had a gun pointed to my head- nothing new. But…but I was scared."

His eyes darkened. _"Of Morelli?"_

"No, I knew him too well to be afraid of him. I was scared of…of…"

My eyes closed as I breathed out a sigh when his thumb stroked my cheek. "Scared of what, Babe?"

"…Of losing you."

I wasn't ready to see his reaction.

He didn't say anything and before I could stop myself, I asked, "Do you remember what happened before you fell unconscious?"

I felt his hand slide down my jaw; his finger and thumb held my chin. "Stephanie, look at me."

It took a while for my eyes to open, but when they did Ranger was smiling at me.

He brought his face to mine and our lips met. It was the same kiss he gave me when we were in the basement – but better.

I let my hands slide up his chest and wrap around his neck as his free hand snaked around my waist before letting go of my chin to cradle the back of my head.

"Of course I do." He breathed as we parted for breath with our foreheads touching. "I never thought I could love again after marrying Julie's mother and it wasn't until you found me, with my life hanging by a thread, I realised I was wrong."

I felt a tinge of uneasiness go through my chest. So did he really say that just because he thought he was going to die?

He continued. "At first, when I asked to spend the night with you, I thought it was nothing more than lust I was feeling. I thought if I could get it out of my system then things would go back to the way they were; I would be the man who showed no emotion and bring down scumbags who don't show their faces in the courtrooms."

He held my face with both his hands whilst locking his chocolate brown orbs onto mine. My arms slid from his neck to keep him in place as he kissed my forehead again.

"But after that night, I realised I was wrong. All those times after I saved you, I was scared to death that I was so close to losing you."

He paused for a moment while closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"Then again, I thought I already had when I told you to go back to Morelli. That was when I decided to keep those feelings aside."

His eyes opened again.

"There was nothing more I wanted than to have you by side every morning when I woke up. But then I thought_; how could I with the way I run my life?_ The thought of my old FTAs going after you to get to me made me sick…it still does.

"When you were with Morelli, the best I could do was steal kisses and hold you in my arms whenever I got the chance, but I was too big of a coward to tell you how much you mean to me. After Morelli kidnapped me, my biggest fear wasn't dying on his basement floor,"

He kissed me again but with more love and meaning put into it. When we parted his eyes had filled with longing as his knuckles brushed against my cheek. "I feared I would never get to tell you, that I love you."

Tears ran down my cheeks. Ranger wiped them away with his thumbs.

"I do Stephanie. I love you."

I smiled before standing on tiptoe to kiss him. "You know how you said that you believed in karma when I found out you?" I sniffed, wrapping my arms around his waist again and leaning my head against the crook of his neck.

"Yes."

"What goes around comes around, right?"

"Right, I saved you a number of times and you saved me that day."

"You saved me on that day too, Ranger."

He didn't answer straight away; I could feel him thinking. "…Babe?"

I looked up at him.

"You knew Joe wanted me to marry him. If he escaped with me at gun point and then…you know…and…and got me pregnant, I wouldn't have a choice. You know what my mother and his family would be like if I was carrying his baby out of wedlock."

I slid my hand up to caress his face.

"You saved me from a horrible marriage and life with _him_. I know it would have been worse than my first one when I was married to Orr."

Ranger smiled one of his rare smiles only a handful of people saw. "I never thought about that."

I smiled back before looking down at my locket then back up at him. "Remember when I told Joe you were important to me?"

He nodded.

A blush heated my cheeks as I held the gold heart in my hand. "Well…I thought about putting a picture of someone close to me- someone I love - inside my locket. I had two people in mind but one of them turned out to be an asshole. So…"

I opened it and Ranger stared in disbelief.

I had put in a picture of us my niece Angie had took when she and her sisters came to my apartment; I stood in front of him with his arms wrapped around me and his head rested on my shoulder; he had even smiled for the camera.

Ranger met my eyes and smiled the same smile from the picture.

He took my face in his hands again, "I love you, Stephanie."

I closed the locket and slid my hands around his neck, "I love you, Carlos."

Our lips met and we kissed.


End file.

Janet Evanovich, Hurt-Comfort, Romance