The Gift of Grace

We use them for fun and not for profit.

AN: There is an old country song titled "That was a River, This is the Ocean." Sonomom heard the song on the radio and told Jago-ji, "There's a fanfiction story in that song." A short time later, Chapter 1 appeared in Sonomom's inbox, and she smiled widely, because Jago-ji apparently thought so, too. The subsequent chapters flew rapidly between both writers' inboxes, and soon a new story was born. Now posting under the name The Pardo Girls, Sonomom and Jago-ji hope you're smiling by the time you finish the first chapter! A new chapter will be posted daily, M-F, until done.

Chapter 1 - Saving Grace

After disconnecting his phone, Ranger leaned back in his chair, a frown marring his normally expressionless face. The call had left him with conflicting emotions.

At first, he'd been delighted at hearing her voice, but her words–her plea–had aroused his protective nature. Indeed, it had aroused more than that. He hadn't seen her in years, but her voice could still stir deep feelings in him. And now, she was asking for his help. He couldn't refuse her.

He got up and walked out of his office and into Tank's. He closed the door behind him as Tank looked up from his computer screen. "Is the safe house on Alameda available?" Ranger asked.

"Yeah, it's still in our inventory," Tank replied, shoving back from his desk and stretching out his huge frame. It was late in the day, and Tank had been sitting for hours doing the quarterly reports. "Do we have a new client?"

Ranger took one of the chairs in front of Tank's desk and straddled it. "Yes, but it has to be kept under the radar. You and me only." Ranger tilted his head back and sighed. "And Stephanie."

"Stephanie?" Tank asked. "You're putting Stephanie in a safe house? Does she have another stalker?"

Ranger's mouth twitched at the thought and then shook his head. "The safe house isn't for her, but I want Stephanie to stay with the client, at least for part of each day; she will require special care."

"She? A woman, huh? What kinda care are we talking about?"

"She's injured and has bandages that will require daily changing," Ranger explained.

"Bobby could do that. That's in his wheelhouse."

"I want this case kept quiet. The fewer people that are involved, the better. And I think Grace will be more comfortable with a woman changing her dressings."

"Grace...?" Tank left the question hanging.

"Grace Galloway. She witnessed a murder, and the perp got a good look at her. Until he is captured, she needs to remain in hiding. She was uncomfortable with the protective custody offered by the local law enforcement, so she called me."

"She doesn't trust the Trenton PD?" Tank laughed.

"This didn't happen here. Grace lives in Georgia and she believes the local sheriff's office in her county has been compromised. They were protecting her but, somehow, someone found out where they'd stashed her and she was nearly killed. That's how she got injured."

Tank rubbed his jaw and loudly blew out a breath. "I don't think I'd be too comfortable either, if that happened to me. Well, we'll keep her safe. I'll see to that."

"I knew I could count on you. With the three of us taking eight-hour shifts, we can cover each day sufficiently. Steph'll take the day shift, you the evening, I'll do the graveyard shift. That way, we can keep RangeMan manned during the day. And Tank, this is personal. Grace is a ... friend of mine. We'll be doing it pro bono."

Tank's eyes widened slightly. "Okay. Under the radar all the way. I got it. Do you want me to contact Stephanie?"

"No. I think I should handle that myself. It may take some convincing to get Steph to agree to stay in a safe house all day. Even if she isn't the one under guard." Ranger stood and returned to his office. His next task was going to take some finesse.

Stephanie got to her phone on the second ring. "What now?" she groused.

"Babe?"

"Oh, sorry, Ranger. I didn't look at my caller ID. Vinnie has called me three times in the last hour to tell me how piss-poor I am at my job. He's got six clients right now that are FTA. I brought in two today, but he's ticked because I didn't make better progress on his list."

"Sounds like you could use some time away from the bonds office."

"Yeah, maybe." Stephanie took a moment to fantasize about a vacation from Vinnie. "Unfortunately, my meager bank account makes work a priority."

"I've got something that may help you do both. A job. At RangeMan."

"Thanks, Ranger. I appreciate the offer, but…" Stephanie hesitated while she tried to formulate the words. "I like the money and the perks at RangeMan, but spending my day in front of a computer doing security checks isn't exactly my forte."

Ranger laughed. "It is your forte, Babe. You're intuitive and detail-oriented and you do a great job with searches, but as it happens, I've got something else in mind. I need you to stay with a client, at a RangeMan safe house. The pay is better than doing searches. And it might be a lengthy assignment."

That sounded much better than chasing skips, but Stephanie knew Vinnie would never go for her absence.

"I'll send one of my men to work for Vinnie while you're working for me," Ranger said, proving undeniably he could read her mind. "This is a sensitive operation and I need you. Tank and I are the only ones I trust to care for this lady, other than you." Whoa, Steph thought, Ranger needs me? A warm glow settled in her stomach as Ranger continued. "She's been roughed up pretty good and she needs some daily first aid. Bandage changes, mainly, and I think a female touch would be a good thing. I'd like you to spend your days with her for the next few weeks."

Stephanie thought about working for RangeMan one on one with a client. It would be a steady paycheck and that would come in handy. As a matter of fact, it sounded like the answer to a prayer. She could get caught up on her rent and probably pay off her credit card.

"Babe?"

"I'm thinking," she told Ranger. "Who exactly would I be babysitting? You said a lady. The last time I babysat for you I had to chauffeur a snot-nosed little sheik around. I almost shot him!"

"Not this time, Stephanie. This is a potentially serious situation. A nice lady has been hurt and bad people are after her. We need to keep her safe. You'd be spending your days in the safe house. And you'd be undercover. People will just have to think you're working at RangeMan. You'll show up for work every morning, and Tank or I will take you to the safe house. No one can know."

Stephanie was intrigued. And curious. "A nice lady? Young, old, in the middle?" she asked.

"In the middle," Ranger said. "She's a good friend, and I want you to help me take care of her. Will you?"

"Yes, I will." The decision was spontaneous, and it would probably create problems with her personal life, but she'd have to deal with those problems as they came. Ranger didn't ask much from her, but she sensed what he was asking now was important. She wanted to help him. And she was curious. She'd never met any of Ranger's friends that weren't connected to RangeMan.

"What's her name?" she asked.

"Tomorrow. Be at RangeMan tomorrow. 0700 hours, and come dressed. You'll be briefed and then taken to the safe house."

"What will I tell Vinnie?"

"Don't tell him anything. Bring your skip papers tomorrow and I'll give them to whomever I send in your place. Any other questions?"

"Not a question, just a request. Send someone that will be nice to Lula, like maybe Cal. Lula has a crush on him."

She heard Ranger's chuckle as he disconnected. And then she went to her bedroom to see if she had enough black clothes in her closet. If not, she'd go shopping ... she could afford to do that with a steady paycheck.