Prologue

~Go and Catch a Falling Star~

"Mommy, Rex is not moving."

Her heart sinks upon hearing her son's sweet little voice. She knows too well this day will finally come, but she never expected it to be this particular day. Her child's birthday. Silently and quickly she wipes away the escaped tear. How she wishes her husband is here. She has no idea how to explain to a small child about life and death. She doesn't want to believe her beloved chubby furry pet is now dead. And she simply can't image burying Rex. She hastily dries a second drop of tears as one small warm hand grasps hold of her shaking and cold one. Is it okay to cry in front of your child and show him your weakness and fear? She looks down at her son's beautiful yet serious face and wonders. He looks so much like his father. She knows he will one day grow up and become a tall, dark, handsome and brave man just like his father. But is he old enough to understand the concept of death and loss now? Is he old enough to deal with sorrow and pain?

Suddenly she feels the familiar tingle the on the back of her neck. The door of the serene 7th floor penthouse apartment then silently opens to reveal a man. Her husband. Ranger. He's home early.

"Babe?"

Somehow the concern and love in his deep gentle sexy voice make her want to smile and cry at the same time. She picks up little Carlos and holds him in her arms, and starts walking toward the man she loves with all her heart and all her life...

She jerks awake and bolts up in her narrow single squeaky bed. She raises a trembling hand toward her face and once again feels her tears. The dream is so real that it breaks her heart every time she wakes up only to find it's but a dream. Her name is Stephanie Plum. She's a 27-year-old laid-off employee of a New Jersey lingerie company. And she has been in love with a man in her dream for over 21 years.