Thanks to everyone who has taken to time to read and review. Since this is my first story, it's nice to get some encouragement! Even if you don't have time to review, thanks for reading and I really hope you enjoy.

This chapter is kind of long. I probably need to edit myself better. Sometimes I think I get off track. Hope you like it anyway.

Any characters you recognize belong to JE. I'm just taking them for a spin and will return them unharmed - I promise!


Previously:

"We'll get him," I said. "What's the plan?"

"Lester will be behind the bar, Hal will be bouncing. Cal and Bobby will be inside as customers. Tank and I will be outside to do the takedown. It's a biker place. Ella picked up some clothes for you. They're in that bag." Ranger pointed to a duffel on my sofa. "Our man has been coming in the last couple of nights around midnight. We'll need to be ready by 11, and then you'll go in after he's had a couple of drinks. I'll be here at 10:30 to mic you up."

"Sounds good." I looked at Ranger and smiled. "Thank Ella for the lunch. Tell her I loooooved it."

Ranger chuckled. "Babe."


I hung around my apartment the rest of the afternoon, cleaned, dusted, and vacuumed. Rex got fresh bedding and new soup can. Stephanie Plum…..domestic goddess! Not. I always get full of nervous energy before a distraction and I figure if anything bad happens, my mother won't be faced with the humiliation of collecting my personal belongings from a filthy apartment. At least she won't feel like a total failure. Oh God! My mother. I'm sure she's heard about me and Joe. She'll be calling to remind me that I've thrown away my last chance at a husband and a family and to remind me what a disappointment I am to her. Oh well. Thank God for caller ID. I'll just avoid her as long as I can.

After checking out the clothes that Ella sent me, I figured I better skip dinner and settled for a pint of Ben & Jerry's instead. Hey! A girl has to have her priorities. I can't get to my happy place without sugar and if I have to let some psycho feel me up in a bar, then I NEED to be able to get to my happy place.

After my ice cream and a 2 hour nap, I dragged myself out of bed to get ready. I did the shower thing, and shaved and moisturized myself until I practically glowed. I did the hair and makeup thing. Big teased slut hair, heavy black mascara and smoky eyes. Dark plum lipstick, almost black. Yikes! I wouldn't want to meet me in a dark alley at night.

I pulled on a pair of leather shorts that frankly left less to the imagination than some of my panties! Next came a leather bustier, lace up front. There was a lot of built in padding and support and even without a bra I had a lot more cleavage than God actually gave me. Finally, the pièce de résistance - thigh high black leather boots with 5 inch spiked heels. I turned to look in my full length mirror. Oh my God! I looked like biker slut Barbie. There was a lot of skin between the very low cut of the shorts and the bottom of the bustier. My barely B's had been magically transformed into overflowing C's. I turned and cranked my head back over my shoulder to try and get a look at the back. Well, my butt cheeks were mostly covered.

If my mother ever saw me in an outfit like this, she'd stroke out. Well, first she'd kill me and then she'd stroke out. At least Grandma Mazur could hold a double open casket funeral at Stiva's. She'd be the star at the Cut 'n Curl for weeks. Yeah, that's me, a "the glass is half full" kind of girl, always looking on the bright side. Okay, maybe not so much.

I sat on my bed and was getting ready to work myself into a full-on panic attack.

"Breathe Babe."

"Ahhhhh!" I screamed and jumped up, tripping over the corner of my bed and falling on my ass on the floor. "Geez, Ranger! Can't you knock like a normal person? You scared the crap out of me."

Ranger reached down and hauled me to my feet. He had to look up at me with my 5 inch heels. "Babe." We were standing toe to toe and very close. Ranger's eyes were black.

I stepped back a few inches, chicken!, and said, "Ready to get the show on the road?" I gave Ranger a nervous smile.

"Show is right," said Ranger, using my shoulders to spin me around slowly. He started at the floor and his eyes raked up slowly, pausing on my bare torso and at my not unsubstantial cleavage, finally stopping at my eyes. A very dangerous smiled played at the corners of his mouth.

"So, do you think this is the look he'll go for?" I asked.

"Unless he's dead when we get there, Babe." Ranger stepped closer again. His hands reached up and softly stroked my breasts, his fingers snaking under the leather, making me catch my breath. "Have to find a spot for the mic," he said. "R-r-right, of c-course. The mic." I was beet read and I could barely breathe.

Ranger chuckled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the tiny mic. His hands were back inside my top and he placed the mic under my right breast, using a small piece of tape to secure it to the skin. Then he swept my hair off my neck and reached up to place a tiny receiver in my ear. This would allow me to hear the guys and they could give me instructions as necessary. He nuzzled his face into my neck, tickling me with his warm breath. "You smell great, Babe." Ranger snaked an arm behind my back and around my waist, pulling me tight up against him. All of a sudden he crushed his lips to mine in a toe curling, knee weakening kiss. I mean, this guy can k-i-s-s, KISS! If I had been wearing panties, I'd have needed to change them. Then, just as quickly, he was striding across the room, dragging me behind him.

"Hey!," I said.

Ranger cocked an eyebrow at me.

"What the hell was that?" I spat out at him.

"I thought you rather enjoyed that, Babe." Ranger flashed me a smile.

"Why do you do that to me? Get me all hot and bothered and then just walk away! It doesn't even seem to affect you at all!" I was getting really pissed off.

"Babe. Don't ever think you don't affect me. I'm just better at hiding it than you. And I don't think you really want me to follow through. Not yet, anyway. When you're ready, I won't stop. There won't be any going back."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "We better go, Ranger."

I grabbed my keys and my bag off the kitchen counter and we headed out the door.

Fifteen minutes later Ranger pulled into the parking lot of the bar, parking in the dark shadows on the fringes of the property.

"Where are the guys?" I asked.

"Binky and Ram are parked a couple of blocks away. They'll be listening and pull into the lot once we've secured our guy. The others came in on Harleys.

"RangeMan has Harleys, too? How come I've never seen them?" I looked around the parking lot and there did seem to be a predominance of black bikes.

"Man of mystery, Babe."

I rolled my eyes. Ranger leaned over and reached under my shirt, turning on the mic. I didn't even realize I was holding my breath, until Ranger reminded me, "Breathe Babe."

"Hey guys, can you hear me?" I asked Ranger's men who I knew would be listening. "10-4 beautiful," said Lester. "Gotcha Steph," said Hal. Cal and Bobby both responded as well. "Great. I can hear you all, too," I let them know. Ranger checked in with Binky and Ram. Tank was with them and would join Ranger in the parking lot after I went inside.

"Should I go in and wait for him to show up? I asked Ranger.

"Not yet," said Ranger. "The way you look tonight, our guys inside will have a helluva time keeping other customers away from you. Let's let Parker get inside and have a couple of drinks first. The other customers have been giving Parker a wide berth when he comes in. He'll be all over you immediately and you won't have to worry about anybody else."

"Somehow I don't find that particularly comforting," I said, shivering in my seat.

"Babe? You don't have to do this. Are you having second thoughts?" Ranger asked me.

"Not really. I'm just nervous. I'll be fine once it is show time." I gave Ranger what I hoped was a reassuring smile, but which felt more like a grimace. "So, what's he into? Any idea how I should approach him?" I asked Ranger.

"He's into some kinky stuff, bondage, group sex, that kind of thing," Ranger answered.

"Great, kinky psycho," I responded, taking another deep breath and blowing it out.

"Look sharp. Parker just passed our location," Tank's voice came through the receiver in my ear.

Almost immediately we heard the deep, loud rumble of a bike coming down the street. Parker pulled into a spot right by the front door. He jammed his helmet onto the back of the seat and headed inside.

We sat quietly for about 15 minutes. Ranger seemed to be in his zone. I was concentrating on deep breathing and calming my nerves. God I wanted a donut!

Ranger then turned to face me. "Be careful. If your spidey sense tells you something is wrong, pay attention to it. Just say the word and the guys will get you out right way." Ranger cupped my chin with his hand and leaned across, touching my lips gently with his. "Go get 'em Tiger."

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and tried to channel my inner slut. "Watch and learn boys," I said, hoping that I sounded more brave that I felt as I swung out of the car, earning me a few chuckles through my ear piece.

I adjusted my boobs as high as I could in my bustier, and made my way around the puddles in the parking lot towards the front door. I pushed my way inside, and looked around. I saw Parker leaning against the bar, talking to one of the waitresses.

"Fucking piece of shit, no good asshole!" I muttered to myself, but loudly enough for Parker to hear me, as I made my way to the bar. I saw Parker looking at me out of the corner of my eye as I hopped up on an empty barstool.

Lester was tending bar and he came over and said, "Hey sexy. What can I get you?"

"Sexy this, dick wad!" I said as I gave him my best Italian hand gesture.

"Geez lady. Do you want a drink or not?" He said.

Parker was openly watching our exchange now. "I'm sorry. Rough night. Shot of Cuervo and a Corona please."

I looked over at Parker and noticed he was staring at me. Borrowing one of Ranger's lines, I said, "See something you like?" and licked my lips provocatively.

Parker nodded at Lester and said "I'll have the same" and he slid a twenty dollar bill across the bar. "Let me get that for you. Looks like you need it." He slid down the bar closer to me, until our hips were touching.

"What's a hot thing like you doing in here alone?" he asked me.

"Forgetting a man, what else? Want to help, stud?" I was doing some heavy virtual eye rolling over my line. Instead of my inner slut, I think I had found my inner Lester. Okay, well, probably pretty much the same thing anyway.

Lester placed a shot and beer in front of me. I knew the shot would be very weak, since they always kept "fake" bottles behind the bar for my drinks when I did a distraction job. There would be just enough actual tequila in the shot to smell the liquor on my breath. I shuddered a bit at the thought of this guy being close enough to smell my breath.

Parker lifted his own shot glass and tapped mine. "Bottoms up," and he downed the shot as I did the same. I took a long gulp of beer to chase it down.

"So what did lover boy do to tick you off?" he asked me.

"I suggested a threesome, just to add a little spark, ya know? He got jealous that I suggested his best friend. Asshole. He stormed out and hasn't been back in hours. I decided to come find some action on my own. He can go fuck himself."

"Well, I can definitely help you out then. I'm Andy. Anything you can dream up, I can make happen. Gladly." He grabbed my hand and placed it on his crotch, letting me feel that he was hard. "His loss will definitely be your gain," he said, leering at me. That generated more internal eye rolling on my part.

"So I can feel," I said, trying to look enthusiastic. "I'm Ginger." Parker leaned forward and grabbed the back of my head, crushing his lips against mine and cutting my lower lip with his teeth." I heard a sharp intake of breath in my ear as Ranger's guys saw him kiss me.

I pulled back a little to look at him, but kept my hand on his crotch, copping another feel. "Easy there big guy. I bruise easily. I'd rather those bruises be on some more private places, if you know what I mean." God, I was channeling Lester again. "You have any friends? Let's get out of here and have a party." I downed the rest of my beer quickly and hopped off the barstool. I was 6 feet tall in my 5 inch heels, but this guy still towered over me.

He grabbed my upper arm, squeezing tightly, like he thought I might change my mind and started pulling me towards the back. "Hey wait, my car is parked in front," I told him.

He continued dragging me towards the back. I looked up and Cal and Bobby had positioned themselves between me and Parker and the hallway leading to the bathrooms and an emergency exit out the back. They were acting drunk and pushing and shoving each other, effectively blocking the way. Hal, who was playing bouncer tonight, came barreling past us, shoving hard against Parker causing him to lose his grip on my arm. He pretended to break up a fight between Cal and Bobby. There was now a wall of 3 RangeMen standing between me and Parker and the back door.

Parker grabbed me again and shoved me up against the wall, pressing his body roughly against mine and leaned close. "There's a locker room in the back, I thought we could have a private party first," Parker said in my ear, and then he started kissing and biting neck. I had my hands in front of me, up against his chest. I was trying to maintain some space between us, without actually pushing him off. Hal turned his attention to Parker and said, "Back room is for employees only. You want to party, you'll have to leave."

Parker gave Hal a dirty look, grabbed my arm again, and started pulling me toward the front door. I heard Ranger's voice come over my ear piece. "We're in place, Babe. Once you get outside, try to trip and fall or duck down real quickly."

Parker pulled the door open, maintaining his tight grip on my arm. I pretended to stumble and trip as he pulled me across the threshold. As the door closed behind us I virtually dove headfirst into the asphalt parking lot, wrenching my shoulder as my arm pulled out of his grasp.

Ranger and Tank appeared on both sides of Parker, each grabbing an arm and twisting it behind him. I got up and stumbled over to the wall, not even hearing Ranger and Tank as they subdued Parker and got him into the SUV that Binky and Ram drove up in.

I was leaning against the wall, catching my breath and rubbing my arm, eyes closed. Nothing had happened, really, but I felt dirty and contaminated.

"You okay Babe? You were so great," said Ranger as he walked up to me. "He never had a chance."

"I'm okay. Can somebody take me home?" I felt totally numb.

"I have to go handle the transfer to the Feds and take care of paperwork. Lester will drive you in my car. Hal, Cal and Bobby will ride the bikes and one of them will come back for Lester's later," Ranger explained.

I nodded, not looking up. I had my arms wrapped around my upper body like a shield. I felt totally naked and exposed. I'd had skips punch me, shoot me, cut me with knives, and kidnapping and bombings were regular occurrences. This felt different. He had kissed me and left his mark on my neck. UGH! I shivered involuntarily.

"Babe?"

"It's fine, Ranger. I'm just a little cold. I'm going to go home, take a shower, and go to bed. I'll talk to you later, okay?" I looked up, but not at his eyes, and gave a vague smile.

Lester pulled up in Ranger's Cayenne and Ranger opened the door for me. I slid inside and kept my eyes in my lap. Ranger closed the door and Lester started to pull away. I put on my seatbelt and leaned back into the luxurious leather seat, eyes closed.

"You did great, beautiful," said Lester. I saw how he was groping you in the back. You really held it together well. It's a good thing Ranger couldn't see. He would have gone ballistic."

"Mmm hmm," I murmured, keeping my eyes closed. Hopefully Lester would just think I was tired, coming down off my adrenaline high.

We pulled into parking lot and Lester parked the car. He led me upstairs, checking out my apartment before letting me come inside. "Do you need anything before I leave?" he asked me.

"No, I'm good. Thanks for the ride."

Lester left and I locked and bolted the door behind him. I pealed off the sweaty leather clothes, leaving them laying scattered across the floor as I went into the bathroom. I stood under scalding hot water, my skin turning red. I washed my hair and lathered every inch of my body multiple times. Finally, when my skin was pruny and my hot water was gone, I stepped out of the shower. I dried myself off, pulled on a pair of Ranger's silk boxers that had "accidentally" found their way home with me once when I had spent the night at Ranger's, and a black tank top. I crawled into bed, hugged a pillow to my body, and let sleep overcome me.