What do you get when Nina fakes sick because her date creeps her out? Another chapter! Everyone say thank you to sketchy Rob who wanted to take me to Medieval Times! If only I had my own Batman…
The morning light poured into their bedroom through the blinds, forcing the sleep out of Ranger's eyes. He woke and took stock of his surroundings, out of pure habit. It's morning. I'm naked. I'm in bed. Steph is lying on top of me. She's awake, her breath is irregular. She's naked. Very naked. Very naked on top of me. Steph watched as Ranger's muscles tensed and released with each thought, giggling softly at her fiancé. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly in return. The sound of her laugh was his light at the end of his long, miserable tunnel. I don't deserve her, he thought as he ran a hand down her silky smooth back.Ranger's own internal wars were more destructive than any mission he had ever been on. He spent countless hours debating on whether or not he deserved the life he was given, if he deserved his happiness, if he deserved his son or his fiancé. He had yet to figure out what reasons the higher powers had for blessing him with his son. Mateo wasn't so much of a surprise because he was unplanned, he was a surprise because in Ranger's eyes, under no circumstances did his actions warrant a gift so divine.
Steph moved farther up Ranger's body, now straddling him beneath the sheets. The fine lines around his eyes were relaxed and barely visible now and he looked somewhat peaceful. As happy as he was at the moment, she couldn't pull her attention away from the obvious signs of his stress, both mental and physical. She could feel the internal bruises and welts on his joints as she ran her fingertips over every inch of his mocha skin, teasing him at his pressure points and spots she knew would set him off. She finally focuses on his heavenly lips and kisses him sweetly, commanding him to open his eyes.
"Morning, Carlos."
"Babe."
Ranger does as he is told-lover's ESP-and stares up into Steph's piercing blue eyes, mumbling his response. Before he had left, Steph would have been the one mumbling for more sleep, begging Ranger to leave her alone and go for a run without her. Now, Ranger was eternally tired and found the same uselessness of an hour nap in a twelve-hour night's sleep. His hands went to Steph's hips and rested comfortably there, caressing her against his body. For a minute, he felt like maybe he was doing alright and that someone up there must have forgiven him. The fleeting moment passed and once again his fake contentment washed over. He had his soul mate, a beautiful boy, and was assured that never again would he leave on a mission. Yet there was a constant sorrow that held him captive. As their gaze held, Steph pinpointed every turning emotion that ran through his heavy heart. He wasn't fooling anyone, certainly not the woman that had agreed to marry him only hours before. For Ranger's sake, she ignored it and smiled back at him, still holding his handsome face between her hands. Her lips connected with his once more before she rose up off of the bed to get dressed and wake up their son. The clock beside the bed read 5:45 am. They planned on going to the lake and catching a boat ride to a beach not far down the shore line, at 6:30 am. That left Steph plenty of time to throw on a bathing suit and shorts, then dress Mateo and give him breakfast. Ranger never moved a muscle as he watched her dress, secretly ecstatic when the bikini in her left hand had won out over the one-piece in her right hand. Their comfortable silence ended as Steph left the bedroom with an I love you, and descended down the stairs to prepare a hot breakfast for his sleeping son. Every morning she had the same routine with him. First, she would cook his breakfast and set it on the table, taking exactly 15 minutes. Then she would wake him up and dress him so that he sat down to a hot meal immediately. Otherwise there was no getting that boy out of bed, much like his mother before his birth.
Ranger rose out of bed and headed to the shower. The hot water beating down on his tired body still felt just as good as cleansing himself the first night he got back. His body soaked in the heat, absorbing it and dispersing it throughout his joints. He smiled softly at the bottle of Bulgari shower gel resting on the shelf in the shower before lathering himself up. He had forgotten it but Steph had remembered. One of the most noticeable setbacks Ranger faced was his forgetfulness. He never forgot major events or memories, just simple things that would only annoy him, like leaving lights on or forgetting to close a cabinet. Not once did Steph point it out but he noticed that she followed him around sometimes, finishing tasks he had started, like zippering their suitcase and locking the door behind them as they left. Frustrated with himself, Ranger cut his shower short. The more alone time he had, the worse it was. If he had enough time to himself he would get lost in his internal battles and be out of commission for a few hours. A clean Ranger stepped out of the shower and moved into the bedroom, fishing out his clothing for the day. Black bathing shorts and a black tee shirt, two hand guns and a knife, his normal leather tie replaced with a black rubber band that wouldn't be lost during a swim. He dressed and glanced over at the clock. 6:15. Steph would be on her way to the stairs to get Mateo. And like clockwork, he heard his fiancé walk up the stairs to the hall to their son's room. He smirked softly at the thought of the once unbridled Stephanie Plum falling into such a routine with their little Mateo.
He focused his attention on his black Nike running sneakers, tying them with a certain urgency so that he wouldn't forget anything. Double knot. Finished. Now the next one. Under, around, double knot. The mantra made him feel like a child but no way would he let himself forget to finish the last double knot on his sneaker. Just as he finished the second shoe, a blood curdling, bone chilling, gut wrenching scream broke his concentration. It was Stephanie's. The sound was enough to stop his heart momentarily, sending a shudder so violently up his spine that he wasn't sure he could walk. After only a millisecond, Ranger was on his feet and flying down the hall at an impossible speed. It took him ten steps to sprint down the 50 feet of hallway with his long stride.
As he burst through the doorway of Mateo's bedroom, he saw what had caused Steph's scream. His son's Batman sheets were soaked straight through to the mattress in blood. His pillow, the wall beside the bed, his comforter, even the bear that was tucked under his arm while he slept. Blood was pooled in every crevice and dripped off of the walls and onto the floor. Where his beautiful son should have been sleeping was a note. It didn't register in Ranger's brain to read the note right away because beside his feet was his fiancé, balled into herself and wracked with sobs. Her knees were hugged to her chest and she was shaking her head violently, rocking herself as she screamed Mateo's name, the startling sound would be forever imbedded in his memory. Ranger's shaky hand went to his cell phone and he dialed Tank on autopilot. He wasn't even sure if he spoke at all but the next thing he knew, Tank was confirming that the police as well as the entire Rangeman staff, from all offices, were on their way. The second the call disconnected, Ranger couldn't breathe. Mateo. Right beside Stephanie, he fell to his knees, rattling the floor, and grasped at his chest roughly, inhaling in openmouthed gasps. They somehow found each other through their hysterics and Ranger crushed Stephanie into his chest and rocked her, more for his sake than for hers at the moment. Steph's fists were balled into Ranger's shirt as she shook, her shoulders practically vibrating with sobs in Ranger's arms. His son was gone, his tiny bed was soaked through with blood. Ranger's eyes never left the saturated bear on the floor.
Everything around him was slowly starting to fade out of focus, the bear being the only concrete object he saw as he gasped for his breath. Had Ranger been hooked up to a heart monitor, the needle would have been through the roof. His heart rate was that of a hummingbird, beating so furiously that he couldn't make out each individual pump, though he could feel Steph's thundering pulse beneath his arms as she cried. Ranger had been shot, stabbed, electrocuted, tortured, drowned, trampled, beaten, and clawed at. Yet never in his life had he felt the pain he did while he knelt on the floor in that moment
and rocked Stephanie back and forth in their son's empty bedroom. Ranger's vision was stunned back into focus at a sharp prick on his left arm. Just as quickly as his vision had cleared, it faded again and he was overcome with sleep.
Two hours later, Ranger woke. Ranger opened his eyes but was instantly blinded by the throbbing pain in his head. He sat up slowly and looked around the room as he adjusted his vision, and saw that he was in his bedroom, alone and still dressed in his swim shorts. Confused and in pain, Ranger rose up out of bed and went to the door. The sounds of booming voices, phones ringing, computers clicking, and dogs barking filled the entire house and caused him even more confusion. Who the fuck is in my house? His question was answered once he opened the door to his bedroom. Police investigators, dogs, Rangemen, CSI's, and his Merry Men all filled the long hall that led to his son's bedroom. Mateo. Ranger's eyes scanned the scene frantically as his chest regained that dull ache, his lungs filling with lead. Ranger looked out into the sea of people and took note of the group. There were investigators in their suits and ties, officers in their blue, and a more predominant sea of black clothed Rangemen employees. Ranger had employed 105 men at Rangeman and every single one was there in the house, doing their part. At the sound of his door opening, all eyes were on Ranger. They stared at him, waiting for the spark of another panic attack. Ranger saw a medical examiner reach into his pocket and pull out a syringe, no doubt another tranquilizer. Tank stepped forward, his face tense and blank, as were all the Merry Men. The police investigators and CSI's, however, did not possess the ability to turn off all emotion in a time of crisis. Worry filled their eyes and for a moment, Ranger thought he might throw up. Before his stomach could give out on him, another door in the hallway opened up and Stephanie appeared. Ranger watched as realization hit her just as it had hit him and she sank to her knees, shaking with sobs again just like before. He pushed his way through the crowd, knocking over multiple officers in his way. He got to her and picked her up in his arms and cradled her into his chest as she cried. No one spoke as the couple came back into reality after their slumber. Ranger's anger raged inside his heart. How could he have been so weak that he had passed out? All of Ranger's thoughts from before ran through Steph's mind as well and she reached up to her shoulder to feel the injection site.
"Sorry, Bombshell. We had to. You weren't breathing."
Lester's voice broke the silence as Steph felt her arm, now registering that they had been drugged. Completely drained of anymore tears, Stephanie stood by herself and stared up at her fiancé open mouthed, horrified, silently begging him to tell her it was all a sick joke and that their son was sitting on the couch watching Finding Nemo, ready to start their vacation. Ranger had no words for her. His eyes had the same expression as hers, though his chocolate gaze was dry. Worry and sadness flowed from his eyes, accenting the tense, tightlipped uncertainty that plagued his jaw line. He shook his head slowly and closed his eyes, not trusting himself to speak. As they held each other, the teams had gotten back to work. The crowd was once again filled with the sounds of their missing son.
As expected, multiple officers and investigators approached them for questioning, asking such questions as when they last saw Mateo, what he was wearing, who had access to the house, etc. Stephanie was rendered speechless and depended on Ranger to speak for them. For the first time in ten years, Ranger was not the one in charge. Ranger was the client, so to speak, and stood there helplessly as the men around them worked tirelessly to obtain evidence and organize search parties. The next investigator to approach them was not only carrying the usual notepad and pen, but an Evidence baggie containing a piece of paper.
"Mr. Manoso, Ms. Plum. I'm Detective Mike Lewis. This note was found on Mateo's bed and we think it's important that you read it."
Ranger had completely forgotten about the note. Reaching out for it with one arm still around Steph, he took it from Detective Lewis and held it out so that she could read it along with him. As much as he longed for his son back in his arms, Ranger feared what the note could possibly say. He had read Steph's notes from the psychos and the crazies but nothing compared to the anxiety he felt as he finally allowed his eyes to rest on the paper in his hand.
34801923.You left him there, Manoso. He was going to live but you left him there. Tell them what the number means and watch your son die.
Ranger felt Stephanie sag in his arms with a soft gasp and Lester stepped forward to take her as Ranger stared down at the note, bringing her back into the bedroom. All sounds around him closed off as he went into his zone, only hearing his heartbeat and breath as he concentrated on the scribble. 34801923. 34801923. 34801923.Tell them what the number means and watch your son die. 34801923. Number, number, tell them what the number means and watch your son die, number, 34801923, number, number…No. Not just a number . There was so much blood in the room, all over the walls, the bed, the floor. Mateo had been injured, he didn't know how badly, but he was hurt. No, he couldn't be hurt too badly because the note even promised he was alive. Ranger cleared his throat, righting himself as he looked up at Detective Lewis and the rest of the team.
"Where are the tapes, for Mateo's room? Where are they?"
Detective Lewis shook his head apologetically and shrugged, taking the note back from Ranger. He was a father himself and the worry he felt was sincere and honest.
"They're blank. The camera in Mateo's room was never turned on."
At hearing this, Tank's nostrils flared and he picked up his phone and dialed, shaking his head. Had the cameras been running in the boy's room, they could possibly know who took him. Hell, if the cameras were on, it would have been caught before Mateo was even out of the house. The Merry Men in the control room back in Trenton would have been watching him sleep. They would know how many breaths he took while he slept, if he had a bad dream, if he was in distress. Mateo's wellbeing would be only a phone call away. Ranger's breath caught in his throat at the news.
"Tank, hang up the phone."
"I'm finding out who was supposed to turn them on."
"Stop."
"Ran-"
"I was supposed to turn them on."
"What?"
"I forgot, Tank. I was supposed to turn the cameras on."
Tank's blank face returned once again and he put the phone back into his pocket. He knew that Ranger had changed since he left for his mission but he didn't think it would be all possible for him to be so negligent. Tank didn't understand that it wasn't negligence, it was his memory. Nevertheless, Tank was livid. He loved the little boy just as much as he would his own son and had a major role in raising Mateo
while Ranger was on assignment. All of the Rangemen did and took this event personally. The wave of guilt that came over Ranger added about 200 pounds of dead weight to his shoulders. He was responsible for his own child's abduction. Had he remembered to turn on the cameras, Mateo would be safely in his arms. Now, he was God knows where with God knows who. How could he possibly tell Stephanie why they had no video footage of their son's bedroom? Ranger cleared his mind for a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger, squeezing his eyes shut.
"Did you read the note, Tank?"
"Yes."
"Did you read the note, Tank?"
At his last question, Tank nodded. Ranger reverted back to the last place he felt secure, and went into leadership mode.
"Run it."
I put up some URL's on my bio for their pictures. Take a look and let me know what you think.
