I use them for fun and not for profit. Thanks to my beta jago ji. She diligently corrects my mistakes and makes suggestions that frequently refine and enhance my story line. The only things she doesn't beta are my author's notes, and sometimes she does those retroactively! All mistakes are mine.

Chapter 1

Carlos Mañoso had a dilemma. As he stood in the doorway to his bedroom he remembered the last time he'd come home to find a woman in his bed. It had been over nine years since Stephanie found his apartment and used it as a safe house. The sight before him brought back memories and feelings long buried.

The athletic, but distinctly feminine, leg sticking out from the edge of the covers did not belong to Stephanie, but to his daughter. Tank had forewarned him he'd have company when he got home, so the sight of the leg, exactly matching his skin tone, did not disconcert him. What he hadn't been expecting was the muscular and very masculine leg, entwined around his daughter's.

There were a myriad of emotions flitting through his mind, and he was at a loss as to which one should dominate. Julie was eighteen. He couldn't decide if he was angry she was in bed with a man, or if he was angry she and her lover were in his bed. Tank hadn't mentioned she'd had a companion in tow when she'd arrived at RangeMan, and looking at the scene in front of him, he didn't blame Tank for not giving him the full story. Ranger hadn't been expected home until the next day, so Tank was probably planning on breaking the news in pieces, but when Ranger heard Julie was at RangeMan he rescheduled his last meeting. He made the trip home and arrived unexpectedly in the early hours of the morning.

The parallels between what he was seeing right now and the night he'd discovered Stephanie couldn't be denied. Both times he'd made a long drive in bad weather, and both times he'd arrived home to deal with a situation he wasn't emotionally equipped to deal with. Had Julie run away from home? Despite the good parenting of Ron and Rachel, Julie had exhibited an occasional rebellious streak. The apple didn't fall far from the tree.

He knew there'd recently been friction between Julie and Rachel over her choice of colleges, but when he last spoke with Rachel, she'd indicated she thought things were getting better. Julie had a strong will and a streak of determination that she'd inherited from him and, if her mind was set on doing something, she did it. None of that explained why she was in his bed with a man. It was unacceptable and she was going to find that out shortly.

He flipped the light on, folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the door jam. The man sat up first, eyes squinted against the bright light and Ranger reevaluated. He was a kid, not much older than Julie. He had blond hair cut short in a military style and, unless Ranger was mistaken, the slight rectangular ripple under his shirt was dog tags. Great. His daughter was sleeping with a soldier. He hoped like hell she didn't repeat her mother's mistake. He was too young to be a grandfather.

The kid blinked rapidly letting his eyes adjust to the sudden light. When he realized Ranger was staring straight at him he gulped and reached a hand out to rattle the sleeping form next to him. "Oh shit," the kid uttered. Ranger heard the softly spoken expletive and felt a small surge of satisfaction. He knew he looked intimidating and he was pleased to see the kid thought so, too. He would make short work of kicking the kid out and then he'd find out what the hell Julie was up to. What happened next took Ranger completely by surprise.

The kid threw back the covers and rose from the bed. He was wearing olive drab boxers which hung low on his hips and a grey t-shirt with ARMY in black letters across the front. He was tall, an inch or so taller than Ranger, and well-muscled. He approached Ranger with his hand extended.

"We weren't expecting you tonight, sir. I told Julie we should have gone to a hotel, but she insisted you wouldn't mind us staying here. I'm Scott Freeman, your son-in-law."

Ranger slowly unfolded his arms and stepped toward the soldier, because he was sure the kid was a soldier. It was easy to read both in his bearing and by the way he'd addressed Ranger, not to mention his choice of sleepwear. The expression on Ranger's face remained inscrutable as he silently reached out to shake hands with the young man.

Rustling covers on the bed drew Ranger's attention back to his daughter.

"Rang…uh, Dad, we didn't think you'd be back tonight," she said. She wasn't looking at her father. Her eyes were on the backside of her husband and the expression on her face caused Ranger's heart to hitch a little. He'd never been a proper father to her, although he'd been more involved in her life the past eight years since her kidnapping. Years ago, he'd turned the role of father over to Rachel's husband, Ron. Julie was looking at the man in front of Ranger with a very adult expression on her face. There was no little girl left in her anymore. He and Rachel had made a pretty child, but that child had matured into a beautiful young woman. A young woman in love with a young soldier, apparently.

He didn't know where to begin. "You're married?" The question wasn't directed specifically and Scott answered.

"We were married yesterday, because I'm being deployed in two days. I wanted to be able to provide for Julie while I was gone and getting married seemed the best way to do that."

"Where?" Ranger asked.

"In Miami."

"No, I mean where are you going?"

"Afghanistan."

"And Dad," Julie interjected. "When he gets back he's going to Ranger school, just like you did when you were in the Army."

Ranger had nothing to say, or maybe he had so much to say he didn't know where to start. There was a bone deep weariness creeping over him that might have had more to do with this situation than the six hour drive in wind and blinding rain he'd just made. "I'm going to find someplace to sleep for what's left of the night," he told them. "I'll meet you back here at 0900 and then we'll talk. Ella will bring breakfast up."

He turned and walked from his apartment and was immediately grateful he'd taken Ella's advice. The two staff apartments on the other half of the sixth floor that were added when they'd remodeled the building meant he wouldn't have to go far to find a bed.

He was feeling his age when the alarm went off the next morning. At forty-one he was still in prime physical condition, but he was starting to see and feel some signs of age. He'd had four hours of sleep last night and his body was telling him he needed more. Ten years ago, four hours would have been satisfactory to recharge his batteries for the upcoming day. Maybe he should cut himself some slack. If he totaled his hours of sleep in the last two days it might be eight. It had been a quick trip, but they'd finalized all the details.

He picked up the phone and called Ella. "I've got guests on seven," he told her. "You remember Julie, my daughter?"

"Of course!" Ella exclaimed. "She's here? I haven't seen her since that awful time, when she was abducted."

"Yeah," Ranger said. "She's here and she's not alone. She brought her husband."

"Her husband! Is she old enough to be married?"

"Legally," Ranger said. "It took me by surprise as well." Eight years had gone by quickly, albeit with a lot of changes at RangeMan. It was hard to realize there'd been changes in Julie, too. She'd been a brave little girl at the time of her last visit, but she was grown now. His daughter was grown, and he was the father of a married woman.

"Bring breakfast up to seven for the three of us around nine and I'll reintroduce you."

He called Tank next. "Can you be in my office in ten?" he asked.

"Yeah," Tank said. "I wasn't expecting you back. Did you see Julie?"

"I spoke with Julie and her…husband."

"Shit, man. I was going to intercept you when you came back and tell you. I had a good talk with him. He seems like a decent guy. Hard to believe she's old enough to be married."

"Hard to believe," Ranger said. "In ten." He disconnected and pulled his last change of clothing from his bag. He didn't like living out of a suitcase when he was in his own building. Julie and her husband wouldn't be sleeping in his bed tonight. He wasn't sure what was going to happen with his daughter, but he knew he'd be talking with Rachel before the day was out and he knew he would be sleeping in his bed tonight, alone.

Tank and Ranger met on the stairway at the entrance to five. Tank handed Ranger a cup of black coffee which he accepted gratefully, but wordlessly. Ranger had come down a flight and he was betting Tank had come up four. He'd been spending a lot of time down on one lately and Ranger thought Tank and Lula were renewing a friendship they had years ago. Buying Vinnie out and remodeling the first floor to accommodate the bonds office was one of the first and best decisions he'd made when he'd expanded RangeMan, and it had proved to be one of the most profitable changes.

Years of habit had him slipping behind his desk and Tank sprawling on one of the chairs facing it. Tank shot his friend a quick look and saw the fatigue on his face. "I'm sorry you got the surprise you did in the middle of the night," he told Ranger. "I didn't know how you'd react to Julie's unplanned visit, let alone her being married."

"It's alright," Ranger said. "I wouldn't have wanted you to turn them away, but I'm going to find them someplace else to stay until I can get this mess sorted out. I don't want them around RangeMan. She needs to be back at home and starting college in a few weeks."

"I don't think she's planning on going back home," Tank told him. "She said she's moving to Trenton for the time he's deployed. Hell, man, he says he's going to Ranger school. How's that make you feel? To have a son-in-law that's a Ranger, I mean."

Ranger drained the Styrofoam coffee cup and looked across the desk at Tank. "It makes me feel old. Old and pissed off, because he treated me like I was old. I only spoke with him for a few minutes last night, but he kept addressing me as if I were a five-star."

"There are worse ways to be treated," Tank said. "There's a pretty complete report on him in your in-box. I thought you'd want it."

"Did you have Stephanie run it?"

"Nah. They showed up early evening and she'd already gone. I did it myself. I didn't think you'd want anyone to know about it." Ranger nodded in agreement with Tank's take on the situation. Tank's grin split his face. "Zero was on duty at the lobby desk. She came up to him and introduced herself as your daughter and his hand was shaking so bad he could barely ring me. It's all recorded."

"I'm going up to talk to them in a minute and then I'll call Rachel," Ranger said. "Julie's barely past the legal age to get married, but they think they're in love, I suppose. I wonder if she's prepared to deal with the man who will come home from Afghanistan, because I fucking guarantee it won't be the same kid that leaves her."

"Yeah," Tank agreed. "Quite a few of us around here know that. Changing the subject, how'd it go in Boston?"

"Okay," Ranger said. "We're getting a new employee by the name of R.C. Madrid. It's a temporary gig. I had a favor called in and I'm letting him use RangeMan as his cover. He's DEA, but the agency wants to keep this low profile. He's been working out of Newark and he's after a guy named Naldo Montara, who is involved in a number of things. Drugs, primarily."

"Montara?" Tank asked. "Is he local? I don't recognize the name."

"I think he's operating out of Trenton," Ranger said. "I need more Intel, but what I've been told is Montara is a Santerian priest and he's gaining a small group of followers. It seems cult-like. Animal sacrifice is the norm for their rituals, but Madrid is convinced there's also human sacrifice involved." Ranger paused and the sarcasm was evident in his voice as he continued, "The DEA is willing to overlook that small detail if they can get him on drug charges."

"All those alphabet soup agencies have their quotas," Tank said.

Ranger looked at his watch. "I've got to get up to seven. I'm breakfasting with my daughter and new son-in-law. I'll catch you later. We're going to have to set up a meeting of the core team when Madrid comes onboard. They, at least, need to be apprised of the op."

The newlyweds were waiting for him in his living room, their arms wrapped around one another. He thought in their position he might have been a little nervous, but if either Julie or Scott was anxious it didn't show. Julie walked to her father as he entered the room and hugged him. She was making an effort at reducing the awkward tension that had permeated the unplanned reunion the night before.

"I'm sorry we were sleeping in your bed last night," she said. "If I'd have known you'd be back we would have found somewhere else to stay, but we were so exhausted from the trip I asked Tank if we could stay here. He said it would be okay."

"You're always welcome here, Julie," Ranger told her. He noticed that Scott was watching their interaction silently. "It would have been nice to have a little advance notice, though," Ranger concluded.

"You're right," Julie said. "But the thing is, we eloped and we kind of made our plans on the way here."

"You eloped?" Ranger questioned. "Do Rachel and Ron know about this?"

"Yes," Scott said. "I asked Ron for permission to marry Julie and he said he wouldn't stand in our way, but Rachel wasn't so accepting."

"She wouldn't listen to reason," Julie said. Her stance was defensive and Ranger saw a hint of the rebellious teenager Rachel had described to him on more than one occasion.

"Rachel is a very open-minded person," Ranger told his daughter. "I can't believe she wouldn't listen."

"When it comes to me and my future, she wants everything her way," Julie said. She hesitated and then said in a rush, "She doesn't want me to repeat her mistakes." Julie stepped closer to Scott and stood waiting to see how her father would respond to her statement.

"If you are referring to my brief marriage to your mother," Ranger said, "I understand her hesitancy to embrace your marriage." He saw Julie stiffen as he continued, "I am in no position to pass judgment on the matter of your elopement, but I understand your mother's desire to see you continue your education and mature a little before you take on the responsibilities of marriage."

"Sir, if I might speak?" Scott Freeman was standing at attention, Ranger noticed. "You can speak," Ranger said, secretly amused despite his intention not to be. "You may be in the Army, but I no longer am. You don't have to ask permission." Before he could continue he heard the door open and the enticing aroma of Ella's breakfast announced her presence.

There was a short but heartfelt reunion between Ella and Julie. They hadn't known each other well, but Ranger marveled at the ease with which they spoke. It gave him time to observe his daughter. She was articulate and very socially practiced. It was a skill he, himself, didn't have. He had no need for social niceties, and no desire to engage in them. He had to keep reminding himself she was only eighteen. Her stature and looks as well as her manner proclaimed her to be much more mature than his idea of an average eighteen-year-old.

After Ella left, the three of them sat at the bar in the kitchen, eating in silence. Julie was the first to pick up the conversation. "Mom is worried about me," she said flatly. "She thinks if she keeps me close to home she can channel my education into something safe and simple. She wants me to be a teacher."

"There is nothing wrong with being a teacher," Ranger said.

"That's true, but I want a different career. I told her months ago that I wanted to live near you. I'd like to train for a job in, um, law enforcement, and that doesn't suit her plans at all. She wants me married and settled near her, with a tidy little job and a house full of her grandchildren."

Scott smiled at his wife. "She got her first wish, Babe."

Ranger started at the endearment, and then he took a good long look at the man sitting across the breakfast bar from him. He wouldn't dishonor him by thinking of him as a kid any longer. He was about to be deployed to Afghanistan. If he wasn't fully a man when he left, he'd be one when he came home.

"The reason Mom dislikes Scott is she knew, the minute she met him, he would take me from her. We decided to get married and come to Trenton, so I could be near you while he was deployed. You don't mind if I'm here, do you?"

Ranger thought for a moment. It had never crossed his mind that his daughter might have a need to get to know him better, or that she could be interested in his business. Despite her proclamation she wanted a job in law enforcement, he realized there was possibly another reason she'd come to RangeMan.

"I don't mind if you are in Trenton, but you can't stay in my apartment. We'll have to find somewhere else for you to live. And you will have to make peace with your mother. You may be eighteen, but she raised you and you owe her an explanation. You might want to have a solid plan lined out for your near future when you call her."

"We do have a plan, sir. Julie will find a place to live and a job, and then she will take classes part-time. My orders call for me to be in Afghanistan, and after that I'll be at Fort Benning. Our plan is to make Trenton our home base and Julie will travel with me when she can."

"I was hoping," Julie said quietly, "that Stephanie could help with our hunt to find a place to live and help me find a job." Ranger was surprised at the mention of Stephanie's name until he remembered Rachel telling him that Julie had stayed in contact with Stephanie. Stephanie had helped Julie get over the nightmare of her abduction by the crazy bastard, Scrog.

"Stephanie works for me," Ranger told his daughter. "I'm sure she would be happy to help you find a place to stay, but you won't need to work." He'd told Julie to have a plan lined out before she talked to Rachel. He needed a plan as well and the seeds were sprouting. "I'll pay your tuition and you can go to school full-time. That should appease your mother to some degree."

Scott stood from the breakfast bar and stared at Ranger. He was obviously struggling with what he was going to say. Ranger waited to hear whatever thought was formulating behind the sincere green eyes of this young man, who had proclaimed himself his son-in-law last night.

"Sir, I mean no offense and we do appreciate your offer, but Julie is my wife, and my responsibility. We can't accept your offer of tuition, and we can't afford for her to go to school full-time yet. But when we can you will be sure I will see to it that she finishes her education, if that's what she wants."

Ranger wasn't sure he liked his son-in-law, but the kid had backbone. He simply nodded his head and turned to Julie. "I'm sure Stephanie would be pleased to have the opportunity to help you. I'll give her a call this morning."

"Will you give us a tour of RangeMan?" Julie asked. "I'd love to see it. Tank didn't show us much last night when we got here."

Ranger looked at his watch. Although he was home a day earlier than anticipated he had things to attend to, and Julie would probably enjoy spending time with Stephanie. And then there was the real reason. He didn't want to show Julie the inner workings of RangeMan. He would examine the reasons behind his feelings later, but for the time being he knew what had to be done. He picked up the phone and called Stephanie.