This follows immediately after 'A Leap of Faith' but from a different point-of-view.

Lester's POV

I've always known that Ranger and Beautiful belonged together and I never begrudged their time together, but I was not looking forward to this trip at all. Tank called me into his office earlier this morning to tell me I was needed in Atlanta. A customer wanted to see the owner but Ranger was busy last tonight.

I asked Tank what Ranger was up to, but he was reluctant to say, so I guessed and said, "Is he finally out with Beautiful?" Tank didn't really confirm or deny, but I was happy for them. They've been dancing around their feelings for years and it was almost like torture watching the pain on their faces when they were apart.

Ranger spent more time down in the gym when Beautiful with on again with Morelli, and Steph always moped when Ranger was in the wind. It was sad to watch and that's why I always goaded Ranger whenever I got the chance. I hoped it would push him to say something that he couldn't take back in the presence of Beautiful. Unfortunately, he just kept taking me to the mats instead of dealing with his feelings.

Now, I am on my way to talk to a customer who really wants to talk to Ranger. I know Ranger is hoping that I can charm this customer so he doesn't have to head down to Atlanta, but I had my doubts. I read the file for this particular customer and they seem to think that they should get special treatment. In fact, they refused to sign the original contract unless Ranger went down and personally saw to it.

I remember that Ranger was reluctant to do this, but in the end, he went down and spent about 15 minutes with the customer. During that time, he made it very clear that no special treatment would be given to them and that he, Ranger, would not come down to Atlanta for every small problem. The customer didn't like this but accepted it. Ranger hasn't been back since.

I think he's hoping that this time, they'll see me as a way of getting more senior attention, but not Ranger himself. I have no idea if this will work, but if it gives him and Beautiful time to sort out their relationship, I'll just suck it up and schmooze this customer as best as I can.

My thoughts went back to Beautiful and Ranger. If I'm 100% honest with myself, I'm jealous of him. I always have been a little jealous of Ranger. Everything seemed to come to him so easily. I love Beautiful, but I am not really in love with her, so I'm not jealous of that aspect of their relationship. I'm more jealous of the fact that they have a relationship at all.

I know what you're thinking. I'm a playboy who is the king of one night stands. You're not wrong there, but I behave that way because I've never really met that one special woman to tame me and mend my ways. I look and I look hard, but I'm beginning to think that I'm getting too old to go clubbing ever free night in an attempt to find miss right. Also, the types of girls that go there aren't really the ones I'd want to take home to Mama, if you catch my drift.

Maybe I should talk to Beautiful when I get back to Trenton. She might have an idea of where I could meet some nice ladies like her. I started to think about the qualities I would want in a partner and I got kind of side tracked. I was brought out of my reverie by the pilot announcing that the plane was making its final descent.

The plane would be landing in about 20 minutes, so I gathered the files on the client together and put them back in my bag. I was standing and waiting at the door when the plane came to a stop, eager to get this meeting over with. I am wearing my best suit because it's the only one tailored to hide my shoulder harness. I'm sure it won't be needed, but I'd rather be dressed for success than regret it later.

I was told that a RangeMan car would be waiting for me when we landed so I wasn't surprised to see a black SUV waiting on the tarmac when I climbed down the stairs. I carried my bag over to the SUV and climbed into the back seat behind two guys I didn't know. They smiled at me and welcomed me by name, so I sat back and closed my eyes.

I was dragged out of my slumber when the driver slammed on the breaks and yanked opened the back door. I realised at that point that something was wrong because I saw that the driver wasn't wearing a RangeMan uniform. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to do anything. Before I knew it, I was plucking a tranquiliser dart out of my arm as I reached into my pocket searching for my panic button. Everything went black before I was able to press the button.

When I awoke later, I was bound and gagged in a dark room, tied upright to a chair. I looked around the room looking for anything to indicate the time or my location, but there were no clues. Based on the dampness and the smell, I was in a basement or a cellar. I held my breath and tried to listen to see if there was any noise coming from anywhere. All I could hear was my heartbeat, so I started breathing again.

I fought against my the ropes binding my hands but there was no wiggle room at all. Whoever tied me up knew exactly what they were doing. I struggled against the ropes binding my feet and found that there was a bit more promise there.

I felt my chair with my hands and felt that the seat was metal but the back and legs felt like they were made of wood. I could use that to my advantage if given the opportunity. For now, I'll just relax and try to get as much rest as possible so I can reserve my strength. If nobody comes by in the next 24 hours, I'll have to come up with something else because going that long without food and water will sap my strength.

I rested as best as I could, keeping an ear out for any change in the sound or the atmosphere of the house. I must have slept some, but something woke me up sometime later. I kept my head down and moved my eyes around the room to see if there were any changes. I couldn't see anything but I could hear a dull mechanical noise that wasn't there when I woke up the first time.

I sat still and listened hard and after about 5 minutes, I decided that the noise must be a generator or a heating unit of some sort. This indicated to me that other people might be here or they would show up eventually.

I was proven right a few minutes later when I heard footsteps and voices upstairs. They were speaking Spanish, but a specific regional dialect that was very familiar with. Ranger, Tank, Bobby and I spent two years crawling through the mountains and jungles of Colombia. The men were speaking the Paisa dialect that is spoken in the central and western parts of Columbia.

That area was where we were operating during our missions, so it appears that they have found us. The question now is whether they were after me or Ranger.

Who do you think did it? Would you like more?