Eliza Higgins and Henry Doolittle

What if fate had dealt the cards just a little bit differently?

She made her way back to Stella's office and walked in. Instantly, she knew something was wrong. Her Spidey sense was going bonkers. She no sooner crossed the threshold when she was struck on the back of her head with a heavy object and everything went dark.

Chapter 9

Though the force of the blow was enough to knock her out, it wasn't a complete blackout. Fortunately, Stephanie began to regain consciousness before she even hit the floor. With great effort, she pushed aside the pain and struggled to sit up quickly, desperate to keep the weapons at her ankles hidden.

She looked up expecting to see the scarred, cruel face of Pete Saffron. Wrong guess. There were two men hovering over her and neither one was Pete. These must be the two guys Lula mentioned who were not from around here, but had been hanging out with Pete.

They appeared to be in their late 20s and were wearing expensive designer jeans and shirts with $200 sneakers. Stephanie was pretty sure they weren't legally earning the money for their wardrobes.

One was looking at her with a derisive smirk, clearly pleased they had her in a bind. The other had a face that was almost as blank as the one Ranger was able to conjure up for her. She suspected he was high on something.

"Get up," barked the one who had been smirking at her. "Slowly. No sudden moves, bitch or you'll be eating a bullet."

Stephanie nodded, giving a quick glance at the Glock in his hand. She slowly got to her feet and held up her hands to assure them she wasn't going to try anything. "What do you want with me and where is Stella?" she asked, keeping her voice firm and steady, but trying not to sound pushy. The last thing she wanted to do was piss them off.

"Stella, the psychic witch is in the basement waiting for you. Pete said you'd be nosy enough to show back up here to talk to her again. 'Least this time you're not wearing your little belt full of weapons. Score one for us, zero for you, stupid bitch."

A sense of relief flooded through Stephanie. They'd seen her wearing her utility belt earlier and now that she wasn't wearing it, they assumed she was unarmed. Score one for her, score zero for them.

The guy with the Glock grabbed her purse and pointed at a tall armoire against one wall. "Open the door to that clothing closet thingy," he ordered.

Stephanie did as she was told and was shocked when she opened the door to the armoire and found it had no back. The back had been removed and there was a doorway cut into the wall. On the other side of the wall was a set of steps leading downward. Apparently this was the way to the basement.

"Move it," he ordered, jabbing her in the back with his gun. "Get going before I shove your ass down those stairs."

Stephanie stepped into the armoire and held on to the edges of the opening in the wall as she carefully stepped down to the first tread. She made her way down as quickly as she could and found herself in a semi-finished basement with a bare concrete floor and cinder block walls that had been painted with a pale yellow semi-gloss paint.

Straight in front of her, against the far wall, Stella was sitting on the floor with her legs crossed in front of her. Her hands and ankles were tied with rope and the rope was tied to some copper pipes that ran almost the entire length of the wall. Their eyes met and Stephanie was relieved to see that Stella was more pissed off than scared and she didn't appear to be hurt.

"Get your ass over on the floor next to your friend," said the guy with the Glock at her back. So far, the guy who looked like he was high hadn't spoken.

Steph quickly crossed the room and sat down next to Stella, making sure her jeans kept her gun and stun gun hidden. "Do you two have names and would you like to tell me what the heck you want?" Stephanie asked, looking from one to the other. If she could keep them looking at her face instead of her jeans near her ankles, that would suit her just fine.

The guy with the Glock was the one to answer again. After tossing Stephanie's purse to the other side of the room, he turned back to give her a cold stare. "Not that you're going to be around long enough to use them, but I'm Sid and this is Jimmy," he said, nodded his head toward his companion.

"Jimmy doesn't have a lot to say," Stephanie remarked.

"You should take a lesson from him in that regard." He turned toward Jimmy, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and pulled him over to the stairs. "I got this covered. Go upstairs and call Pete to let him know we got her, then keep a look out so no one else comes in. Let me know right away if you see that bounty hunter headed this way. You remember what he looks like?"

While Sid was distracted giving orders to Jimmy, Stephanie crossed her legs Indian style then reached under her pant leg and pulled out her stun gun. She tucked it under her thigh and quickly put her hands back in her lap. Her eyes cut over to Stella and she saw the woman's mouth tilt up at the corner.

After getting his instructions from Sid, Jimmy turned and wordlessly climbed back up the stairs.

Sid came back over and knelt in front of Stephanie. "I'm going to tie your hands up like the Salem witch next to you and I don't want any trouble. Pete has plans for you, but I won't hesitate to kill you if you don't behave. Got it?"

Stephanie was utterly thankful that this guy was such an idiot. Besides not checking her for weapons, he sent his backup man out of the room before having her secured. Sid wasn't going to know what hit him.

"I'm not going to give you any trouble," Steph lied. "I don't have a death wish, ya know."

Sid pulled a pair of handcuffs from his back pocket. "Hold out your hands."

Steph cut her eyes to Stella for a quick second, hoping to convey to her the need for a distraction.

Stephanie held one arm out first and slowly started to bring her other hand forward.

"Why does she get handcuffs and I get this scratchy rope?" Stella demanded loudly.

When Sid shifted his glare to Stella, Stephanie grabbed her stun gun and zapped the hand Sid had been holding the handcuffs in. He slumped over immediately and Stephanie grabbed his Glock then cuffed his hands behind him and drug his body a few feet away from Stella.

"Nice work," Stella told her, but what the heck are you doing here, young lady?"

Stephanie barked out a small laugh. "The only person who has ever called me young lady is my mother. She ... " Stephanie frowned and walked over to kneel in front of Stella. As she got her loose from the ropes, she said, "Stella, were you and I related in another life?"

"Shouldn't we go get that Jimmy fellow and get out of here before we discuss personal business?" Stella asked.

Stephanie threw the rope aside, stood and reached out a hand to help Stella to her feet. "Actually, I'm hoping to lure him back down here where I can keep them both stunned until the police get here. And Pete too if he shows up."

"I don't want you anywhere near Pete!" Stella said loudly, anxiety flashing across her usually calm face."

"What aren't you telling me, Stella? I'm just going to keep coming back here and bugging you until you tell me, so you might as well just get it over with."

Stella rubbed her temples and then smoothed out her long black skirt, stalling for time. "First, let's get Jimmy down here and secure him. Better he come down here on our schedule than his. If we wait too long, Pete might come down with him and then we'll have to deal with two of them."

"Smart thinking," Stephanie agreed. She walked over to the bottom of the stairs. "Cover your ears, Stella."

Stella placed her hands over her ears and Stephanie let out a hellacious scream, then ducked under the stairs.

A few seconds later, Jimmy yelled from inside the armoire. "Sid? What the hell is going on down there?"

Stephanie raised her eyebrows. Well, what do you know, he can speak, after all, she thought.

She and Stella remained silent and once again Jimmy yelled down the stairs. "Sid, what's going on? Answer me, asshole!"

"I think he's hurt," Stephanie yelled. "I'm not sure what's wrong with him. Has he been drinking?"

"What the fuck?" Jimmy said, making his way down the stairs holding his gun loosely in his right hand.

As soon as he cleared the bottom step, Stephanie stepped out from under the stairs and zapped him. Jimmy and his gun hit the concrete floor and Stella hurried over with two pieces of rope. Stephanie kicked his gun out of the way and the two women tied his arms behind his back and then tied his ankles.

Stephanie walked over to check on Sid and gave him another zap in case he had plans on coming to before the police got there. "We need to listen for Pete," she told Stella. I don't want to be caught off guard by him. Can you shoot a gun, Stella?"

Stella rolled her eyes much the way Stephanie does, with real gusto, and said, "Of course I can shoot a gun. You don't get to be my age without learning how to shoot a gun."

"Good, take Jimmy's and check to make sure it's loaded and that the safety is on."

"Still bossy, I see," Stella said with a smirk, picking the gun up off the floor.

"I beg your pardon?" Stephanie gave her a surprised look. "What is that supposed to mean?"

A battered wooden table sat in one corner of the room and Stella nodded toward it. "Sit, my child, and I'll answer some of your questions."

Stephanie placed the Glock and stun gun on the table and sat down across from Stella.

Stella checked the safety on the gun she held then placed it on the table in front of her. "I'll tell you a few things that you will probably find the most interesting, my dear. In the mid 16th century, you were my daughter. We lived in Spain and our family name was Salinas. When you were born, I named you Carmen. Your father died from an untreatable lung disease when you were sixteen. It was just the two of us after that.

"At that time, the Spanish Renaissance was in full swing and Spain was the wealthiest country in Europe. Your father had provided well for us, but I knew the money wouldn't last forever so I drew on the one thing I'd been taught as a child and became a seamstress. I began to teach you to sew too, but mostly you picked up and delivered my work for me.

"When you turned eighteen, you met a man named Carlos Montero. You now know him as Ranger. The two of you fell in love and he asked for your hand in marriage. I saw that he was a kind man who loved you greatly and treated you well, so I gave my blessing and the two of you were married.

It was shortly before the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire and in the decades leading up to the conquest, many battles were fought. Carlos was sent to fight in some of those battles. While he was gone, you would come stay with me. You hated being alone and I tried to keep you busy so you wouldn't have time to worry about your dear husband.

"There was a man who lived in town who fancied himself a great painter. His name was Diego Bustillo. You now know him as Pete Saffron. Rather than being a great painter, he was a nasty drunk. Two young woman had disappeared from town and it was suspected Diego was behind their disappearance, but there was no evidence, only rumors that the two girls had sought out work, posing nude for him for his pitiful paintings."

Stephanie was totally fascinated by what she was hearing, but wanted to remain aware of her surroundings so she held up a hand for Stella to pause while she checked on the two unconscious men. Sid, who'd had two zaps was still out cold, but Steph had a hinky feeling about Jimmy, so she zapped him again and then rejoined Stella at the table. "I'm going to call the police now and you can tell me more while we wait for them."

Stella nodded her agreement and waited while Stephanie called the Trenton P.D. and explained where she was and what was going on. Disconnecting her phone, she turned back to Stella and urged her to continue.

"One time, while Carlos was away doing battle and you were staying with me, I asked you to deliver some sewing to a woman who lived in town. On your way back, you saw Diego leaving town on his horse. He had something thrown across the horse, but covered it with a blanket. You, being the nosy young woman you were, peered at him long enough that you finally noticed there was long hair hanging down, not quite covered up with the blanket.

"You immediately went to the authorities and reported what you'd seen. Sure enough, they followed Diego and found that the young woman on his horse was dead. He had raped her and killed her and was on his way to bury her body.

"Because of your quick action, he was charged and sentenced to death. This was why he had a grudge with you. Before he could be put to death, he escaped. Before fleeing town, he came to our house and waited for you to come outside. We found out later that he was scared off before anything could happen. He got away and left town.

"When Carlos came back, he was scared for you that Diego would some day come back to kill you, so he went off and tracked him down. Three weeks later, he came back and turned Diego over to the authorities. They finally carried out his execution.

"Pete Saffron doesn't know or remember any of this, but his soul does. Our soul holds all our memories. There was an inner fury when he met up with you in this lifetime and that's why he tried to kill you when you were a bounty hunter. It wasn't just the fact that you were trying to bring him in, it was more than that. He had a need for revenge against you that even he didn't understand. That need for revenge also extends to Ranger, even though he doesn't realize that Ranger is, Carlos, the man who brought Diego to the authorities to be executed."

Stephanie was captivated by the story, but it was so hard to wrap her head around it. "All these coincidences, all of us meeting up here in this life, it just doesn't seem possible," Stephanie said.

Stella reached out and covered one of Stephanie's hands with her own. "My dear, there are no coincidences. Everything and everyone in the universe is connected. It's just not always apparent."

Stephanie wanted to learn more, but she could hear sirens in the distance and knew the police would be there in a few minutes. Then, she heard the front door slam upstairs and heard loud footsteps pound across the floor. Pete.

She motioned for Stella to hide under the stairs and grabbed the Glock and joined her there. Pete came down the stairs firing his gun aimlessly. She figured he knew something was wrong. He'd probably tried to get a hold of his men and knew something was up when they didn't respond.

When he saw their bodies cuffed and tied on the floor, he paused momentarily, then started shooting again, turning in a circle. Stephanie knew there was a real chance he could hit either her or Stella and as he turned closer to where they were hidden, she raised the Glock and shot him, twice, as one of his bullets grazed past her shoulder.

He wasn't dead, but he was down, stunned and whimpering softly. Stephanie went over and booted his gun out of reach and held the Glock pointed at him. Blood was seeping through his shirt where she'd shot him, once in each shoulder. Stephanie could see the hatred in his eyes as he stared at her. She could tell he wanted to come at her again and the Glock was the only thing keeping him from following through.

There were more footsteps pounding overhead and this time she knew it was the police. She could hear one of them shouting orders to the others then heard her cousin, Eddie, a Trenton officer, call her name.

"We're in the basement, Eddie," she yelled. "Through the armoire in the sunroom."

It took a long time to explain what happened and to get their statements written out and signed. The police had a million and one questions. Pete's two goons had already been removed from the basement.

An ambulance had been called and Pete was strapped to a gurney. When the paramedics were getting ready to take him upstairs, Stella glared at him and said, "You'll be going to jail for a long time. Better hope you don't get killed there too quickly. God is already mad at you and she hates assholes."

Pete's already pale complexion developed an even more extreme pallor and he looked away from her as the paramedics pushed the gurney toward the stairs.

Stella turned to Stephanie and saw the shocked look on her face. "What?" she asked.

Steph leaned close to her and whispered. "Is God really a woman?"

Stella grinned from ear to ear. "I have no idea. But, if she is, it would stand to reason she hates assholes, right?"

A/N - Thanks for reading and for the reviews for chapter 8. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I wonder what Ranger will say when he finds out Steph captured his dangerous, high-dollar skip without his help?