No One Will Come For Me
Chapter 1.
Lula and Connie both looked up as Ranger pushed through the glass door to the Vincent Plum Bail Bonds office early on a cold mid-November Monday.
"Morning, ladies. What do you have for me today?"
"Well, I'm not sure what Vinnie has, I've been gone since last Friday." replied Connie.
Connie and Lula had both just unlocked the door to the office minutes before and were busy turning on lights and opening up for a new day of business.
"Give me a minute and let me look through these files stacked on my desk.. Lula—grab up that pile of mail there on the floor in front of the mail slot. Help me go through it, while Ranger waits." Connie was quick to answer the man in black. It was easier that way for her to keep from outright hot flashing, since that's what she usually did when he came around.
"Well girl just let me put my bag down and get my coat off……hold onto your panties for a minute longer. Yo—there, Batman. How's it hanging?" Lula looked resplendent in her orange and brown autumn inspired spandex crop pants and cashmere sweater.
Ranger just nodded as he bent down by the mail slot to scoop up the pile of envelopes, and one padded manila packet, piling them on the edge of Connie's desk.
"Where's Vincent?" he asked.
"Oh, he's gone to take Mrs. 'Shirley-the whiner-Plum' down to Point Pleasant to close up their beach house for the winter. We shut the office down after last Thursday, and I have been in Philadelphia to see my cousin's new baby. It was a big family gathering. All the Italian Rissollo's were there." Connie informed them both while she was busy shucking her jacket, and hastily stowing her purse in her bottom desk drawer.
"Hey, guys, I too went for a little R& R. I took my self down to Atlantic City to that big fancy Trump Casino." Lula announced as she pranced around the office. "I want you to both to know, I played me some blackjack, and worked my arm into a cramp on the nickel slots. I was up and winning over $2,000 bucks before I lost it all on that damned Roulette wheel. I tell you now, I am one lucky gambling girl…..but you never know when your luck will leave you…..usually just when you least expect it to go. Now Tank, well, he just more than made up for my losses, if you know what I mean. A big-ole lean-mean-hunka-love machine—that's what that man is!"
The corners of Ranger's mouth just slightly twitched, as Connie glanced over to him and rolled her eyes, in a look of disbelief. "Wish I had gone to Atlantic City, myself." She said. "I mean-three days with my family can be enough to last me for awhile, Its times like that to help girls like me, and Stephanie, remember why we don't live at home anymore.." added Connie as she checked her lipstick in a small pocket mirror taken from her knee-hold drawer. She used the mirror to watch Ranger, while hoping he didn't noticed, but winced when he looked directly at her.
"Where is Stephanie ?" Ranger asked sounding cool and reserved.
"Well now Mr. Batman….I dunno know. She declined my invitation to join Tank and me at the boardwalk of luck.. Said something about taking her parents, and that baby-makin' sister of hers, the Kloughn husband, the rugrats---well---whole disorderly brood to the airport. Didn't she Connie?" Lula queried.
"Yeah, I think her folks, Val, Kloughn, and the kids all went to Chicago to visit some aging aunt living there. Grandma Mazur stayed here in Trenton and Stephanie drove them all to Newark airport in the Blue Buick. So now, she may be busy babysitting Grandma. We didn't have hardly any skips last week, things have been kinda slow. But by the looks of all this mail, business may be picking up now." answered Connie as she stapled some papers together.
"Oh shit….I bet she wishes she had come with Tank and me. I mean that aged old bat could drive you to drink after a few days of one on one." put in Lula.
Again Ranger's mouth almost curled into a smile at the thought of what the Babe and her Grandma Mazur could have gotten into left when alone to themselves. But instead he asked, "What's she driving? The Buick is parked out front?"
"Dang…I didn't even notice it out there. Did you Connie?" asked Lula as her ample orange spandex behind hopped up from the couch to peer out the front window at the Big Blue Whale sitting parked one door down by the curb.
Ranger narrowed his eyes as he thought Lula reminded him of a large round navel orange complete with her brown navel showing between two fat belly rolls bulging from the top of her very tight pants.
"No….hmmm….now, I wonder why she left it out front of the office? Oh, I bet Stephanie may be down the street at the doughnut store." pondered Connie while she booted up her computer and signed onto the web for the day's business ahead.
"Well I hope she brings me back one of them chocolate ones with those colored sprinkles. Remembering all my winnings has made me hungry." replied Lula thoughtfully.
"You mean remembering you lost over $2000 dollars has made you hungry" Connie corrected.
"Yeah, hmmph, that too."
Ranger nodded at the ladies and simply said. " Be back in a moment." as he slipped out the door.
"I bet Batman's going down to the Tasty-Pastry to see if Wonder Woman is there buying us some goodies." announced Lula as she plopped back down on the office sofa, squirming around to get comfortable.
"Hah---you wish. But yeah, he is headed in that direction." Connie cranned her neck to try and look down the street at Ranger's fast disappearing tight buns clothed in black cargo pants.
"I saw you looking ! Guess I'm looking too; that man is just the best bod on him! A girl should always try to steal an eyeful whenever she can. I envy every opportunity Stephanie gets to ogle his ass. I bet she has seen it naked, probably more than once…..ooolala." Lula fanned herself as she talked.
"I just hope they don't come back down here with Grandma Mazur….she is so nosy…she'll probably start snooping into my desk or reading my files. Hey, there Lula, why don't you get up off the couch while you wait for the bakery bag to arrive, and go through this mail. Lets see what we've got in here this morning."
Meanwhile, Ranger had reached the bakery a few doors down, and after looking around the crowded shop and seeing no sign of Stephanie….he flipped open his phone to call his office and speak with one of his Rangemen.
"Yo---does anyone have a location on Ms. Plum. Her Classic Buick is parked just down the from the Bond office, but there's no sign of her. Hhmm….Really…hmmm….get back to me." And with that he flipped the phone closed. Typical Ranger, a short call, after which several unseen Rangeman employees back at headquarters most probably began to hurriedly check tracking monitors and security camera footage for any signs of the unpredictable Burg-girl Bounty Hunter. When Ranger asked for something; it got done, ASAP. No questions asked.
Ranger had just gotten back to Trenton himself very late last night, after having been away for about two weeks on another top security project. He had spent that time immersed in business and had not called or spoken with Stephanie since he had last briefly seen her the morning he left. He remembered the quick goodbye and even quicker kiss he had taken from her up against the brick wall down the alleyway to the side of the Bond office. Thinking of this, he glanced over there as he walked back to the Plum Bail Bonds entrance. It reminded him of many similar times when he had to go at a moments' notice and took leave of the Babe. She always accepted his leavings easily enough and was always here when he got back.. That she was often embeded in another FTA case; and in need of some form of his assistance to avoid getting herself killed, didn't keep him from returning. And, often he had to admit, that was what he looked forward to when working in his Trenton office location.
So, where was she now?
As Ranger pushed open the Bond office door for the second time this morning he couldn't help but notice Connie and Lula staring intently at the computer monitor on Connie's desk. Both women had scowls on their faces as they watched what must be a video playing. Connie's head gradually leaned closer with each few seconds, as though she were trying to interpret just exactly what she was seeing.
Lula still held in her hand, the now torn, manila packet Ranger had picked up from the floor with the pile of Monday morning mail.
"What the Hell is this ? Some dammed smut movie? This S&M shit is just not as much fun as people think it is. I know. I have had experience with this stuff….in my previous profession. You know its usually all fake and show…..no one really can hang forever there like that, hand-cuffed that way with their arms stretched up like that. I mean, hell, that could be really painful." Lula pronounced.
"Hush Lula!" Connie insisted. "I DON'T think this is some porn flick. Look at that woman—who is that?---could it be----surely not?"
"OMG ! Is that her?….NO….it can't be….what? OMG!" shrieked Lula.
Ranger then stepped quickly around Connie's desk to see just what they were watching.
It was a dark and grainy image of a woman with her hands shackled above her head.. Her back was turned to the camera filming the video. Her feet rested on what looked to be a wooden box. Her head was handing forward and her wild mass of curly brown hair hung tangled down over her face.
"The lighting for this thing is really dim but I think – I think – that might be Steph ! Where is she.? What is she doing strung up like that? OMG !" Lula exclaimed again.
Ranger snatched the manilla envelope from Lula's hand and examined it closely. Nothing was written on the outside. It was a padded type, designed for fragile mailings and about 5x8 inches. It had been sealed shut with tape at one end.
"I just now opened it, while I was sorting today's mail, and a disk fell out with this post-it note that says 'Watch' printed on it." Lula insisted to Ranger's unasked question and met his acquisitory glare. "How'd I know what it would be?"
As the three of them stared back at the computer screen, a hand reached out to grab the mess of curly hair and raise the woman's head up to reveal Stephanie's face. Her left eye was swollen nearly shut. Her lip was cut and looked to have bled some. She tried to pull her head back and away from the camera, but it was easy to see it was her.
Connie could see Ranger visibly stiffen and go quite still, watching. An angry heat seemed to emanating from him
A voice off screen said:
" Well. Well. Miss Plum. It looks like no one has missed you. All your friends and family have abandoned you to this fate. No one has come to get you and it seems they have all forgotten you.
Maybe we need to let them know what you have been up to for the weekend. Smile for the camera darling. Now, what shall I do with you? I'm thinking I'll keep you for myself. It doesn't appear anyone has come looking for you. I guess maybe no one wants you back. Oh well that will just give us more time together. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha……" a wicked laugh continued as the hand dropped Stepahnie's head to fall back down forward onto her chest.
Ranger's phone rang just then and he opened it quickly to snarl "What!"
Connie and Lula continued to stare at the screen watching as the video kept streaming.
As Ranger listened to what he was being told, he too watched, while the video camera moved around Stephanie's body, and slowly pulled out into a wider range. An arm appeared holding a long black leather whip. Ir was slowly raised and than sharply snapped with a loud crack.. Lula flinched.
"Oh, no…." Connie's voice squeaked as the whip was cracked again and flicked out to strike Stephanie across the her back., ripping her shirt and causing her to jerk awkwardly forward in response to the searing blow.
Connie immediately looked to Ranger to see the most horribly dark expression she had ever seen cross his face as he watched the computer screen along with her and Lula. His lips were tight and his teeth were clenched. Muscles worked in his jaw and cheek. Veins were bulging in his neck.
Connie's attention was snapped back to the screen as another crack of that black whip tore through Stephanie's shirt again, this time blood seemed to spray out in a fine splatter from the red stripe left by the whip. Both Connie and Lula winced in response to the gruesome image.
Ranger was still gripping the flip-phone with the call connected to his staff back at Rangeman headquarters. In a low tone, he was barking short commands to someone.
"Ssshhh !" Lula hissed for everyone to hush---as the voice on the video began to speak again.
"Well. Well. Miss Stephanie Plum…..maybe when someone sees our little filmed moments together, well…maybe they will show some interest in your situation. What do you think.? I don't believe anyone will come to save you now, do you?"
"No….. no…..no……No…. NO!" Stephanie's voice come out, raspy and tight. It started as a strained whisper and got louder with each word. "No one is going to come. You won't get anyone here. Just let me go. PLEASE. I'll never tell anyone. No one will ever know. Don't keep me. Let me go. I'll just go back home….No one has to know. Please don't hurt any one else for me. I just want to leave." Stephanie had raised her head as she pleaded with her captor.
"I don't think so my dear Stephaine….I think I may have to keep you for myself. We could have a lot of fun together, don't you think? Beside I don't believe anyone wants you back. You have been here for two, no, almost three days now…..and no one has come looking for you yet. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha." The faceless tormentor's voice cackled.
As the whip was raised again to though to strike her, the screen went black.
End of chapter 1.
Chapter 2.
Ranger's hand reached forward and quickly extracted the disk from the computer as two black clad Rangermen came charging through the office door.
"Tank! You gotta do something. Some lunatic has kidnapped Stephanie and is beating her to death with a leather whip!" screamed Lula.
"What! Boss?" demanded Tank and Lester, simultaneously.
Ranger turned to Connie, "Where's Morelli?"
"He is away at some kind of cop training for a week. Stephanie said he was leaving last uhhmm.—Tuesday, or Wednesday, maybe, I think? She told us she was looking forward to some quiet time without any men after her doodah. Ooops….sorry." Connie answered.
"Lets Go." Ranger ordered between clenched teeth as he turned and jerked the door back to leave, both Tank and Lester immediately fell in behind him.
All three were headed out when Lula ran around in a circle grabbing her purse and coat and shouting "Wait a minute, let me get my gun, I'll go with you. That girl saved my life. She once shot a man for me. I'm going to go with you and get her out of this mess. That's what I'm gonna do!"
Ranger pivoted sharply on his heel and advanced back towards Lula. "You stay here!" he spat out between clenched teeth. "Don't get in our way, woman. Right now, my men are what I need to help me find the Babe. Go!" he barked at Tank. "I'll be in touch with you." He threw back over his shoulder to Connie as the door closed behind him and the other Rangemen.
"Well, I'll never offer to help them again," retorted Lula to the sight of two black SUV's speeding away from the curb with Lester driving Stephanie's Buick close behind.
"Should we call the police you think?" asked Connie. "I wonder who left that DVD envelope in our mail slot. And when did they drop it off?"
"I don't wanna have nothin' to do with the cops." stated Lula. "Besides, those Rangemen are more combat ready than the Trenton PD; and from what we saw on that video, Special Forces are what Stephanie needs right now."
"You're right. I'm calling that duck-lover—Vinnie, and tell him to get his self back up here." Connie picked up the phone as she spoke, "That weasel will probably be glad. He didn't want to spend too much time down there with his wife, anyway."
"Hey, where do you think old Granny Mazur is?"
Just as Lula was asking, the door swung open and in marched the Queen of Senior Fashions Burg Style. Grandma Mazur was dressed in a flamingo pink warm-up suit, white Nikes, her blue-tinged hair curled, stiffened and hermetically sealed by several layers of Aqua-Net hair spray.
"Has anyone seen my granddaughter? She was supposed to take me to the beauty parlor this morning. She was a no show, so I had to walk over there by myself. Now, I am tired from all my beauty regimen and I really don't want to have to walk back home again. But it was worth it. The talk this morning was about that Italian Stud Cop, Joe Morelli. He was seen at the Trenton City Hall Parking garage with a woman other than Stephanie, just before he left for his out-of-town "training" last week.. Guess I'll have to be the one to tell her about it, unless Mary Lou gets to her first. So, tell me, what are you girls up to today?" Grandma was swinging a red alligator leather handbag from her elbow, in which she was mostly likely carrying concealed, especially since Mrs. Plum wasn't home to hide her 9 mm Glock..
"Uh---Nope, No, we sure, uh--haven't uh, seen, Stephanie this morning. Have you tried calling her at her apartment? Maybe she overslept. Uh---When did you last see her? Have you seen her at all this weekend? And just when are Mr. & Mrs. Plum, Val and her kids returning?" Connie stammered, while glancing over at Lula, trying to telegraph an eyebrow message to her to keep quiet about that horrible video they had just watched. Connie wasn't sure Grandma Mazur needed to know about her granddaughter's situation. She surely didn't want to be the one to tell, at least until they knew more details. Like where Stephanie was actually being held captive.
Lula initially missed the coded eyebrow telegraphy and blurted out, "Stephanie didn't come for you this morning because she has been kid-----OOUUCH!! what the heck did you kick me for?" That's gonna leave a bruise for sure. Oh. Yeah….I think , uh, maybe uh, S-s-she's been k-k-kidding you about avoiding that beauty shop gossip mill, I guess." Lula turned around to hip-bump Connie's desk chair.
"Yes, Mrs Mazur., let me try to call her cell for you." Connie offered. She began to quickly dial the phone while Lula stared at her with a perplexed look. "Just in case we don't reach her, I'm betting Stephanie will have arranged for someone else to give you a ride. "Oh, Yes, Hello, Ranger---its Connie…do you think one of your men could come by the office here and give Grandma Mazur a ride home….well, Yes….she is here asking about Stephanie., whom it seems may have overslept or forgotten to pick her up.…..Oh,….good. Thanks."
"Someone will be right here to take you home. Why don't you just have a seat on the couch over there, Mrs. Mazur." Connie offered.
"Oh, that's good." said Grandma. "I just love to ride with those Merry Men. They are all hot stud muffins, and I know they are always checking me out. I'm sure one of them will notice my new hair color. Its called Blue Fire. What do you think girls? Isn't it just the real me, or what?"
"Well it certainly sets off your eyes, and highlights your best features girlfriend. I think a bold hair color is always the best choice." commented Lula, who it seems had finally caught on to Connie's attempts to keep Grandma Mazur unaware of what might be a serious abduction and hostage situation for her granddaughter.
End of Chapter 2.
Chapter 3.
Stephanie's arms ached. Her head hurt. He back was on fire. She could not see out of her left eye. He bottom lip felt thick, and when she touched it with her tongue it cracked again and began to bleed. She sucked briefly on the blood and swallowed, hoping it would help her sore throat. She really wanted a drink of water. She wanted to lie down. She wanted to go home. She wanted someone to come and save her. She wanted Ranger. She wanted a Tasty-Cake. Yeah, a Butterscotch Tasty-Cake with smooth creamy icing. She licked her swollen lips again and remembered with the taste of blood that there was no cake for her now. Just some water would be a blessing.
How long had she been here ? The lunatic with the whip had said three days. It couldn't be that long, or could it? Oh, poor Rex, all alone back at home. She was not sure what day it was now. Night and day were no more. Time was blurred and confusing . She couldn't remember things well. She thought her tormentor was giving her something. Because she had been conscious and unconscious off and on now for what seemed like forever. But actually it probably was just a few days. She then thought--- no one is coming for her.
If she concentrated…….she remembered telling Ranger goodbye. As always that involved some close contact farewell time. She remembered the taste of his tongue on her tongue, his kiss on her lips. She licked her lips again and groaned, bleeding again.….she had to quit doing that.
She remembered Joe saying he would be gone for a seminar on crime scene protocols. They had had another round of words. He wanted to know if she would ever quit getting into predicaments. He said he was tired of bailing her out of troubles. Well he certainly hadn't come to get her out of this predicament. No one had. Hell, probably no one even knew she was gone or that she needed bailing. Ranger was off in another country. The Merry Men were busy keeping the Bat Kingdom running while Batman was gone from Metropolis. No one was coming for her.
She remembered taking her mother, father, Val and all of the kids to the airport. She remembered dropping Grandma Mazur at the grocery store to pick up some Entermann's coffee cake….hmmm coffee cake…..oowch..….she remembered she would not lick her lips again.
Its just as well no one had come looking for her. She did not want anyone else hurt or killed by this madman. Why did he take her? What did he want with her? She did not want to lead anyone to this place to become another shackled victim. She knew it. This time she was on her own. She would have to bail herself out of this disaster. No one was coming for her.
Suddenly, bright light flooded the room. Someone stomped over to where she was shackled and grabbed her arm. She felt a prick and yelled at them to quit hurting her. Her arm stung where the needle had been injected. She knew she would loose more time again soon. She hoped they would take her down…..oh how her arms ached. Her head hurt. Her back was on fire. She wanted a drink of water…..water……water…..the painfully bright light went out. No one was coming for her.
Joe Morelli's butt ached. He was tired of sitting in a classroom listening to someone drone on about crime scene protocols. Just let him out of here; and he would go to an actual crime scene and do his job. He was a man for action and this was not his gig. The things he had to do for his job. Some times he wondered how he kept from going crazy. But still, he really liked being a cop.
All his friends were cops. Many of his best friends were married cops. His on/off girlfriend played at being an almost wanna-be cop….ha! Bounty hunter! What a joke! Stephanie, queen of the "let me be independent!" Until she needed to be bailed out on just about an almost daily basis! When was she going to give up and realize she just was not cut out for that work? She was a walking disaster waiting to happen at any given moment.
He had to admit the Cupcake was fun. Fun in bed. Fun at Pino's with the guys. Fun to hang out with at home , or fun to go out with walking Bob the dog. She was fun for watching a hockey game on TV. Fun to bring him a cold beer in just her T-shirt and panties. Fun to buy extra condoms for.
He could not understand why couldn't she just be a grown woman about it all. Just give up that adventure in calamity she called a job, and be happy to be just his girlfriend. Quit hanging out with that dark Ranger cock. Be his woman. He really should quit waiting around for her to come to her senses. He should stop coming back for her again and again.
That's it, he would not come for her anymore. He'd tell her so when he got back to Trenton. Maybe he'd tell her some more. Like,…..maybe he'd give her his final ultimatum. Stop being a bounty hunter and be a normal female. Like Terry Gilman. God knows both he and Stephanie's mother had tried for years to get her to see reality. Like any other woman would that wanted to be with him, like he wanted to be with Steph. He knew plenty of women who would jump at that offer. What was wrong with the Cupcake. Couldn't she see what he wanted? Couldn't she give in?
He shifted again in his seat and started thinking about his fantasy life with Cupcake as the perfect Burg wife….hhhmmm—nice. Thinking about the times he'd seen Cupcake with nothing on, and in his visions she smiled at him,. But before he knew it, he was remembering all those times she was covered with garbage or dirt, soot or vaseline, or whatever mess she had gotten herself into again.
Then he remembered how she looked when she had ran him down with that damned old Buick boat.
Ouch! He felt that danged heartburn of his start to flare up again.
He put his fist to his stomach, closed his eyes, and next thing he recalled was the other day in the parking garage where Terry Gilman had showed up, awfully alluring in a clingy dress and sitting on the seat of his Ducati..…hhmmmm. Now that is nice. Maybe he should think about Stephanie less and Terry more. Terry would probably do whatever he wanted a hell of a lot easier and quicker than Cupcake ever would. Hhmmmm.
Suddenly Joe was startled back to reality by a loud question aimed directly at him concerning the current topic of class discussion. A question he could not answer. Shit. It was Stephanie's fault, once more. She was always getting him in hot water. No, he swore to himself, he would not be coming for her again when he got back to Trenton.
End of Chapter 3.
Chapter 4.
Stephanie knew she was awake. She did not move. It hurt to move. She did not feel like she was upright. She felt horizontal. She tried to open only her right eye. Her left eye twitched too and that hurt. Actually, every part of her hurt.
She had been out again, gone and did not know how much time she had lost. When she was out, her mind seemed to travel on its own journey, leaving her body behind imprisoned in all its' ache and restraint. While her arms were held above her head she thought about another time when she had held them up high overhead herself while Joe slipped her t-shirt up her chest to bend to kiss her bare breast. His tongue was rough and yet gently caressing, causing her to moan. As the t-shirt slid up over her head and on off she discovered she was looking into the dark eyes of Ranger. His hair was falling forward to almost hide his chocolate face. It was dark in his embrace. She felt enclosed in his arms as he laid her down. She waited for the soft bed to come up beneath her but---it felt so hard, like stone---
She forced her eyes open. It was dark, and she could see that she was in fact horizontal. She was lying on her back on the hard floor. The room was cold. She tried to move. She rolled to her side. Her should blades seemed stuck to the floor, where she must have bled from the whip cuts. It felt like her skin was being peeled off as she raised up just the tiny littlest bit. She tried to push her hand against the floor, but her wrist could not take the pressure. The handcuffs had made her wrists feel as though they were broken. Her tongue felt plastered to her lower lip. She rolled up slowly to an almost sitting position. She than realized her pants were wet. OMG….she must have wet herself. She couldn't remember when she had last been to a bathroom. And she was so thirsty.
Suddenly the door across the room started to open. Stephanie somehow found the strength to try and curl herself into as small a ball as she could while scooting her back up to the wall…feeling out behind for the corner. A flashlight came on and was shone directly into her eyes.
"Don't shine that light in my face!..…Please…..it hurts my eyes….Can I have some water?…..Can I go to a bathroom? Don't hurt me……Please. No one is going to come for me. Can I have water?" She didn't know whether to adopt a pleading supplicant tone with her captors or to try for a more strong and resilient manner. What should she do in this kind of prisoner situation? It wasn't like she had ever been trained for this. Ranger would know what to do. That was his kind of expertise. Where was he when she needed help? Then she remembered no one was coming for her, except whoever was standing behind that searing bright light at the door right now.
What now?
"SHUT UP !" A harsh and commanding voice told her.
"GET UP ! NOW !"
Stephanie strained to try to stand. Her muscles cramped as she got to her feet.
"COME ON. HURRY! GET UP! STAND!"
She fell back twice while trying to stand up. No hands reached out to help her. No one came to help her. She braced herself against the wall, and pushed with any strength she had to stand up; to hold herself upright in a sort of bent, yet standing position.
The bright light stayed pointed into her one working eye, blinding her sight.
"WALK !"
Stephanie put out her foot, testing her weight, and fell to her knee. She winced as her knee bone crunched on the floor. That would be another bruise she knew.
"GET UP I SAID. WALK."
"I'm trying! I hurt. I don't think I can walk…..Please just some water." she croaked.
A hand reached out to grab her and jerked her forward towards the open door. She stumbled as her feet felt like lead. She tripped forwards and groped out feeling for where she thought would be the door jam. She felt a hand push hard at her back. She refused to cry out in pain when shoved again. She took another step, this time passing through the doorway. There two other hands immediately wrenched her arms and began to propel her down a hallway. Leaning forward for balance, she tried but could not keep her feet under herself. She ended up being propelled forward while dragging her toes on the floor, scrapping and stumbling along.
In a few steps they came to another door way. She was shoved into another room. The light came on and the door was slammed shut behind. The sound of a lock as it clicked into a bolt.
She blinked the one eye she could open. As she squinted and adjusted to the light she realized she was in a bathroom, clinging to the porcelain sink. She cranked the on the faucet and cupped her hand to begin slurping water into her mouth.
"Ahhh…" No water ever tasted so good before. She drank several handfulls, and decided to splash water onto her face and neck. She loved the cool feeling of the wonderfully wet water flowing over her hands. Feeling gingerly around her lips and eyes…she washed them as best she could. She drank more water. Then she turned to the toilet. The button on her dirty jeans would not give under her aching fingers, so she tore it loose. Oh, well, she had gotten them on sale and they were stained and pretty dirty now. She tugged to get the zipper down. As she finally sank down to sit on the toilet seat, she leaned carefully back against the cool lid. Her back was like fire. She remembered the sting of the whip as it was snapped across her should blades. She hoped that would not happen again. She wondered if the cuts were still bleeding, or if they had by now clotted over. Maybe she could barricade herself in here somehow. Keep those monsters out; somehow keep from letting them in to get to her. Would no one come for her?
Just then the door was jerked open and a hand reached into slap the light switch off before she could even see who was in the doorway.
"GET UP! TIME TO GO BACK!"
Stephanie stood up and began to pull up her pants hurriedly. She clutched at the waistband struggling to re-zip—forget the button. She was jerked up and out of the bathroom by the hands attached to the mean voice. As she emerged into the hallway her escort spun her around to face the wall. Another hand shoved her face directly into the wall. Well, that made her headache feel a whole lot better.
This shit was fast getting old.
"STAND STILL. DON'T MOVE."
She tried to do as she was told. It seemed much easier to stand than to try to walk again.
She overheard her escort turn and mumble something to someone. Stephanie tried to steal a glimpse out of the corner of her eye. As she barely moved her head the slightest bit to the right, she got a hot slap to the side of her face. Yup---she knew that too was gonna feel as good as her knee.
"I SAID DON"T MOVE !"
Okay, Stephanie thought, I'm a faster learner than that.
Next thing she knew a rough hood was shoved down over her head. Her hands were held behind her back.,as other hands grasped her shoulders and the stumbling-toe-dragging walk back to her room began. But, after a several steps it seemed that they kept going. Past where her room should have been. Where were they taking her? What was next? What torture game would they play now?
She knew she had to hang on. No one was coming for her now. No Joe. No Ranger. No one. Well she always wanted to be independent. Here it was. No one was coming. No savior. No Ranger and Tank, or Black-clad Merry Men here this time. No one would come. She would have to save herself.
End of Chapter 4.
Chapter 5
Tank had never seen Ranger so enraged. No mission, no job, no assault in all the past years he had spent with the man had ever been so intense as it was now. Ranger was in full attack mode searching for the missing Stephanie Plum.
After they had sped back to the control room, all of them had watched the video of Stephanie shackled and being tortured. Ranger growled orders through gritted teeth. He was in a zone that Tank had never seen him in before. Every one of Ranger's men was focused on locating the Bombshell.
They had searched her apartment. Looking for clues to where she might be. Lester took a moment to give that hamster of hers some food and fresh water before leaving a Rangeman there to guard her apartment . Lester spent some time with Darrell, the building super---who though he was aware of her comings and goings last week, was apparently clueless as to Stephanie's current whereabouts.
Everyone was trying to discover why someone would have taken her., and who might have taken her. They were all working to learn what could have occurred prior to her disappearance. Ranger had them go over her car looking for any evidence that would point them toward what had happened or where she was being held. They checked the envelope and the disk..….no clues…..but hell they weren't some forensic science lab.
They went to her parents' house and did the same as they had at her apartment. Ranger had dispatched Hal to the Bail Bonds office to read over all the files Stephanie had handled in the past few months. Searching for any angry nut-jobs who might want revenge for being picked up by a woman bounty hunter. They hacked into every surveillance camera located at any intersection or outside any building in Chambersburg, searching for any image of Stephanie in the past few days.
They had found out Stephanie had gone shopping with her old friend Mary Lou on Friday evening. They picked her up on Macy's security cameras. Cal was really good at his job. Saturday mornng she was seen eating French Fries and a Diet Coke coming out of McDonalds drive through about 8am. They saw her again on one of those new "red light" traffic monitoring cameras the city of Trenton had recently installed, at an intersection near St. Francis Hospital later on Saturday morning. She had her Grandmother Mazur in the front seat beside her, chauffering the over-sexed geriatric maven to Giovinci's market. Both women appeared to be head-banging in time to music as they motored along.
Next time they found her again was up at the Trenton police station mid afternoon on Saturday. She was dropping off old drunken Fred Detarketa on an FTA to be re-bonded. (Rangeman later bailed him out and grilled him, he knew nothing.) Afterwards, Stephanie stopped off to chat with some of her cop friends….spending several minutes talking to Gazarra. Tank figured Trenton PD would be really pissed to know Rangeman staff could access their security cameras. He worried that all this hacking could back-fire and haunt their future business. But he was not about to bring it up with Ranger. Ranger didn't seem to care about anything but finding the missing Bombshell. Even if it eventually bankrupted the Rangeman corporation. Tank knew better than to question the priority of the Hunt for the Babe.
Cal found the first lead. A security camera outside Pinos' Restaurant showed Stephanie coming out around 9 pm on Saturday night. She was carrying a sack and sipping on a covered to-go cup. As she walked up to unlock her monster Buick, three masked men rushed up behind her. They jumped her and wrestled her to the ground, kicking and flailing her arms all the way down. Tank enjoyed noticing one of them seemed to be bent over holding his groin. Good for you, Bombshell! Those leather-laced Doc-Martins deliver a mean kick. What looked like a stun gun was then pressed to her shoulder. She lay still and limp on the pavement by her car. A van quickly pulled up alongside and Stephanie was thrown in through the sliding door before two men climbed in after her.
The van drove off heading down Hamilton, the license plates were unreadable in shadowed darkness. The third man recovered from his crotch kick followed behind in the Buick. Call was working the video feed….trying to enhance pixels and get better view of what had happened.
Tank looked on as Ranger watched and re-watched the screens, studying the security films showing the Babe about town, then the actual kidnapping, and the disk left at the Bonds office. It was painful to see the Bombshell being hurt. Tank was familiar with torture….having had it and having given it. He knew how it felt, both mentally and physically. But he also knew how it felt to watch someone else endure pain. He studied Ranger. He had never seen that exact look on Ranger's face before. He hoped to never see it again…..but he thought it would probably be there if/when they caught whoever had taken Stephanie. He wondered if those men tossing her so roughly into that van realized how short their life span had just become. Ranger looked to be in full kill mode. Did that pyscho with the whip know he would soon die?
It was now almost 4:00 am on Tuesday morning.
Tank went looking for Ranger at this pre-dawn hour. Ranger had been like a charged locomotive going every where all day, every place they had visited while trying to track down information about Stephanie's disappearance. Tank had not seen him eat or drink anything all day. He was in hyper mode, reminding Tank of previous times during military maneuvers and high crisis situations. Tank found Ranger in his office staring at the desk in front of him, but he seemed to not really see it. His pupils were like pin dots. His hands gripped the edge of the desk, knuckles white with tension.
Tank took a slow breath and launched into his report.
"We are looking. We have a lot of men out on the streets talking to every low life we have ever dealt with. No one knows anything. No one has seen or heard anything that we don't already know. We have no idea where she is being held. We have men out driving the streets and alleyways in an ever widening radius. We have brought in staff from two of our offices in other cities to help. More will be arriving today after sun-up. Men are stationed at her apartment. We have talked to every aged resident in her building at least twice. Let me tell you now, those are some real odd old kooks living all in one place.
"We are camped out in and around the Bail Bonds office. We are even watching that weasel Vincent Plum's house. Lester found out her parents, sister, nieces, the whole dang gang is coming in today on a flight from Chicago O'Hare. They'll be expecting Bombshell to meet them. We have arranged for Connie to take the Grandmother out to the airport to fetch them all in one of our vehicles. We have had one of our younger guys babysitting the old lady. She thinks he is in love with her,and she is a hot cougar-mama. The poor guy volunteered for that assignment, I'll put in the paperwork for his raise."
Tank looked up from his report to watch Ranger who remained seated with his head down still staring at his desk. "When Stephanie's family gets here, you know eventually the questions will start coming. Word of her disappearance will get out……someone will end up calling the police. I just heard that her cop buddy is due back in town by end of the week. Do you think he'll come back earlier when he hears about this?….I mean if we haven't found her yet……by then…..I mean I'm SURE we'll get a break soon…..she can't be far away….I'm in constant contact with Lula, she calls me every hour. No one's heard anything….no new messages…no more videos….no calls…..no more packets have been delivered to the Bond office….nothing from the kidnappers……I don't know what we'll do when this all gets out…..when others hear about it…..hear that we haven't found her …..that she is gone….we…uh, uh, ……."
"ALRIGHT!! I know its MY fault. DAMN IT !!" Ranger stood up as he shouted. "I should not have left her unprotected. I should not have gone and left her with no one. No one here to keep her safe….NO ONE to watch over her….its my fault.…She must be wanting to know why I haven't come for her yet…..where I am…..HER SUFFERING IS MY FAULT!"
And with that Ranger's fist smashed into the glass window behind him and shattered it outward.
Tank was shocked to see his boss so violently angry. In all the years he had been with Carlos Manoso, never had he ever seen such an uncontrolled display of raw rage.
Ranger stood still as two men from the control room rushed into the private office after hearing the sound of the crash. A loud alarm was blaring on the Rangeman inter-office security system. Tank watched as Ranger strode from the room; pushing the two employees aside and stopping at one of the control desks to switch off the wailing alarm. Ranger proceeded to exit the area, boarding the elevator for the ride up to his apartment on the 7th floor.
When Ranger stepped off the elevator, Ella was waiting outside his apartment door. She noticed the blood dripping from his clenched hand, but said nothing about it. Instead she stepped forward to look him in the eye. "Carlos, I am praying to God in Heaven that He will send Stephanie back to us alive and unharmed. Please believe me when I say how much I care and how worried I am for her. Please let me know when you find her. I truly like her. She is a special girl."
Ranger stood just staring at his door. He wondered if he would see Babe alive. He doubted she would be unharmed. But he too, said a silent prayer to God in Heaven to just give him the chance to save her, to protect her again…...and to kill whoever hurt her.
Only then did he notice his hand was bleeding.
End of Chapter 5.
Chapter 6
Stephanie couldn't figure out what was happening. They had half walked, half dragged her out of the building she was being held in---to a garage, maybe?? Even with a hood over her head, she could tell it was a place where vehicles were kept. She could hear more than one motor idling…and exhaust fumes were filling the room air. She was again shoved into what she thought was a van. They began to move. First backing-up and then pulling forward. Where were they taking her? What now must she endure? This whole ordeal was becoming too bizarre. It was rough riding on the van floor. She tried to sit up, but felt a tingling kind of flash and knew she had been zapped with another stun gun.
She couldn't move, her body felt fried and frizzled. The hood over her head was keeping her from getting a good breath of air. She wanted to shout to them to take it off of her….but she couldn't speak, couldn't move…..then wham….the van stopped abruptly. The sound of the doors sliding open. Someone yanked her up from the van floor and she was then pushed out the door of the van onto the cement sidewalk. She lay crumpled there, not yet able to control her arms or legs. The van sprayed her with gravel as it peeled out and sped away.
She tried to sit up, but all she could manage was to roll about halfway over. She lay there and waited impatiently for the effects of the stun gun charge to wear off. After a few minutes she began to feel like her appendages were alive again. She slowly uncoiled herself, and holding her throbbing head sat up on her butt with her feet sticking out straight in front of her. First she pulled that stifling hood off her head. Blinking she looked around.
Where was she? Oh no, could this be Stark Street? Great! Her history down this road was not good. Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire. After a few more minutes she got up on her knees and started to try to stand. Just as she was about to get upright a red TransAm screeched to a stop hopping the curb and nearly hitting her. As Stephanie staggered back hoping she would not have survived her abduction ordeal to be mowed down by a crazed driver; Lula climbed out and came running around the still-idling muscle car to grab her in a smothering embrace.
"Girl ! You're alive !"
Lula was blubbering, tears and snot were flying from her face. She slapped both her hands to each side of Stephanie's face screaming at her "You're alive---damn I'm glad !"
Stephanie began to cry and shake uncontrollably. Yes, she was alive! Damn, she realized she was glad too, even though her cheeks stung where Lula had clapped on!
"Girl I got this weird text message on my cell phone to come down here to Stark Street and pick you up. I drove like a crazy woman to get here as fast as I could. I can't believe you were kidnapped like that. I called Tank on the way over here----bet we'll see some mad Batman and Rangemen here soon"
Stephanie stumbled backwards and away from Lula, grabbing out wildly with her hands.
She could not let Ranger come here. What if those tormentors came back and she got Ranger killed. No one could come for her. She needed to get off the street. She needed to run, to hide…no one could come for her. She could not let anyone be hurt like she had been. She wanted to tell all this to Lula….but her mouth and her brain were just not working together. Her lips began to bleed again. Her tears burned them. All she could do was shake and cry.
Hearing more tires squealing and engines revving….she backed away from the curbside to the wall behind her as 2, 3, 4, and more black SUV's and black pick-ups came racing towards them both there on Stark Street. One by one each slammed to a stop in front of her. Rangemen began to jump from the vehicles and all rushed towards Stephanie. She was crying, waving her arms wildly, frightened and almost hysterical.
"Get back. Go away. No. No One can come for me !" she start to scream at all of them.
Just then a black Porsche skidded to a stop on the curb directly in front of Steph and between her and Lula. Ranger leaped from the driver's side and ran towards Stephanie.
"NO! Ranger. Stay away. No. Go! NO ONE can come for me….its too dangerous!"
"But Babe ! Babe ?"
"No Ranger……go away…..you'll be killed……you'll all be hurt. Stay away from me…..Get away…..they'll come back……go….No No Noooooooooo……she began to bend over, her hand stiff-armed out in front. She was holding her sides and sobbing.
Tank flanked her from behind, watching as Ranger held his arms out to her. He could not understand why Stephanie was resisting their help. She looked horrible. Tank could see the dried blood on the torn stripes of what was left of her shirt. He jeans were filthy and her hair was flying wild around her head. She had to be feeling pretty bad. He wondered when she had last eaten or if she was hallucinating due to a lack of sugar. Lula was begging the Bombshell to let someone help her.
"No one can come for me. Just let me go. No one. Noooooo……" Stephanie sobbed as she collapsed down to her knees. She pleaded with Ranger, trying to make him and everyone else understand. She was shaking so hard her bones hurt. Everything on her hurt. Why couldn't they see and trust her fear. "No one can come for me."
Ranger just stepped forward and scooped her into his arms.
She pounded at him with her fists, her wrists beginning to ooze bloody fluid from the abrasions made by the handcuffs that had kept her restrained for so long.
Babe was crying and quivering in his arms.
The Rangemen stood by and watched silently. No one said anything.
"Its all-right Babe. I have you now. You are safe now. Lets get you off the street"
Stephanie stopped to look Ranger in the eye.
"You ARE here? Are they gone? Am I really safe ? No one came for me."
"Babe you are safe with me now. I've come here to get you."
"Oh God….Ranger. You came….you came! No one came for me…but now you came. You really are here now. Thank God."
"Yes, Thank God." Ranger echoed.
Babe leaned into his chest and relaxed into Ranger's strong arms. He carried her to the Porshe Cayenne SUV, and climbed into the back seat as Tank angled in behind the wheel to drive off with a quick nod to Lula.
End of Chapter 6