The Price is Right

When we left Secretary of HLS Elaine Hamilton, she was saying, "So Carlos Manoso actually has a wife and kid. How can we use this?"

Marshall was shocked. "I'm a middle-aged fool. I'm embarrassed. But I'm not an idiot and I do not have a death wish!"

Hamilton giggled. "This is gonna be perfect!"

And enterprises of great pith and moment,

With this regard, their currents turn awry,

And lose the name of action. "

Hamlet's soliloquy/ Wm Shakespeare

Chapter Nine ~ Sometimes Plans Go Awry

.

.

.

Zoë wanted an Italian ice after ballet class. My own sweet tooth warred with what I perceived as The Right Thing for a mom to do and of course my sweet tooth won that battle. Zoë has her daddy's metabolism so she is slim and energetic and at age four I really refuse to obsess about every little thing she eats. God knows how many calories she just used up at ballet. I know I was exhausted and I just sat there watching. So we ditched our bodyguards a block from Rangeman and sent them home ahead while Zoë and I had a lemon ice.

I knew better than to invite them along and feed Ranger's men ice cream. He may tolerate his princess eating that stuff but for the guys, he had rules. The two hot young men laughed and said they'd wait outside. Of course they would. Another of Ranger's rules was that Zoë was never left unprotected. Never. Not ever. Like presidential Secret Service guards, these men would die for this little girl before they'd let her come to harm. And with Ranger "off-line" this week, the entire Rangeman crew was being extra vigilant.

That was what made the following events so upsetting.

Anyway Zoë and I sat in the little pizza parlor eating our ices and sharing a slice. Diet cokes on the side. I told her it was dinner since her daddy was "out of town" and she smiled and nodded, went back to chattering about the upcoming recital next month and another performance at Christmas. Seems she has her heart set on being the lead fairy in the Nutcracker thingy in December. I vaguely recalled seeing the Nutcracker with Val and my Grandma when I was about ten and I didn't recall any fairies exactly….

"We will be Sugarplum Fairies, mommy."

"Oh! Okay…" Of course you will, what was I thinking!

"And my sugar outfit can be pink like cotton candy with silver sparkles...no! Sprinkles? Spangles! And I will have pearly wings and a crown!"

"That's awesome, baby."

"But only if I am the head fairy! Otherwise I will have to be blue or green!"

"Blue is nice."

"I will not be blue, mommy!"

Well, Zoë, I hope—"

"Excuse me. Mrs. Manoso?" A voice interrupted our discussion. We both looked up and saw a classic man-in-black type—not Rangeman black—but a fed-looking guy who was flanked by another guy who looked just the same. Both of them waved credential wallets in my face and said, "We have a message for you from Colonel Manoso."

"Omigod, did something—" I cut myself off, aware of Zoë's wide eyes. I forced myself not to hyperventilate or choke on my pizza.

The man made patting motions with his hands and said, "Everything is fine, ma'am. Colonel Manoso is alive and well. We are just his errand guys, bringing you a message."

I really wished he didn't mention Ranger being alive and well in front of Zoë. She was smart enough to extrapolate the underlying message that someday he might not be alive or well. I narrowed my eyes and said coldly, "Can I see the credentials again?"

"Sure."

I looked at the IDs. Agents Wallace and Purcell. The IDs looked good to me but who the heck can tell? I for one knew well that badges and creds were easily purchased online. EBay, anyone? I glanced through the rather grubby window of the little pizza stand and could see the two Rangeman guys flanking the door, alert as always. So I guessed they had let these guys come in. Or the feds came through the back, from the parking lot.

Zoë began a rhythmic kicking against our table's single pedestal. In her sneakers, it was silent but annoying. bong. bong. bong-bong.

"What do you want?" I asked the men. I sent a tiny frown to Zoë who ignored me.

"We have a message from your husband. He wants you — and the little girl — to come to a safe house that he uses in Deal, on the beach. He has to be in DC for debriefings all next week and he was hoping to see you ladies, spend the weekend at the shore."

"It's October," I said.

"Guess the Jersey shore is pretty nice in October, ma'am."

"Oh mommy! Let's go! Daddy will want to hear all about the ballet play!"

"I don't know…" I mumbled.

"I miss my daddy! Don't you miss him, mommy?"

Of course I did. I nodded. Zoë stared at me hard, her big brown eyes filling with tears. I nodded, said to the two feds, "Ok, sure. Sounds like fun."

One of them said, "We have to leave right away."

"I need to pack…" I said.

"I have to bring my Mr. Cuddles Bear!" chimed in Zoë.

Huh? Mr. Cuddles Bear? Zoë's favorite stuffy was a big grey velveteen elephant named Babar with pink satin ears and a red bowtie.

"No time! We'll just leave through the back door there, the car is waiting."

Zoë and I locked eyes. I nodded and said, "Are you done eating, baby?"

"Uh huh. But, mommy, I have to make a pit stop." I just loved the phrases her Uncle Lester taught her! Pit stop! She jiggled a bit like kids do when they have to go to the bathroom.

"We just have to stop in the little girls' room before we leave," I told the agents.

"No time, ma'am. We'll stop on the road."

"Mommy, I have to go peepee, right NOW!" bellowed my daughter, drawing laughs from the other customers and smiles from the federal agents.

Purcell, I think it was, threw up his hands and said, "Hey! No problem, ladies. We'll wait right here by the door to the parking lot."

I grabbed my purse and Zoë's hand and we scuttled off to the bathroom in the back hall.

… … …

Purcell watched the mother and child hurry away and thanked his lucky stars that he was not the proud owner of a rug rat like that. He said to Wallace, "I'm just gonna check in with the boss." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed. "Madame Secretary. We have the subjects in our control. ETA 2 hours." He hung up. In DC, Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Hamilton smiled gleefully at CIA director Alison Marshall and said, "I love it when a plan comes together."

"I think you're making a mistake."

"We won't hurt them! We are just — just teaching that arrogant prick Manoso a much needed lesson."

"But….."

Hamilton scoffed. "He thinks he can toy with you? He thinks he can yell at me then leave me on hold like an idiot? He thinks it is okay to hold up the US government for huge amounts of money? I don't think so. He is going to learn that he is not perfect! Or indestructible! That he has weak spots too. Manoso is vulnerable, even if he won't admit it. I can hurt him…and if I must, I will."

"His daughter is maybe 4 years old, Elaine. It's wrong."

"Please. Do the ends justify the means? Don't they always justify the means? We have to be tough, Allie. Tougher than men. We have to be willing to do it all!"

Marshall looked into Hamilton's zealot's eyes and agreed.

… ... ...

Back in Trenton, Stephanie locked the bathroom door and leaned against it. Zoë said, "Mommy, those men weren't nice."

"No. Um, do you wanna pee quick?"

"No. I just said that. It seemed like a good idea."

Steph stared at her daughter's pretty face, seeing her Ranger's eyes, eyes that saw everything despite her tiny age. And Steph knew well that the brain behind them was just as smart. She smiled at Zoë and said, "It was a very good idea."

Steph dialed her cell phone, calling the Rangeman bodyguards. She whispered, "Two tangos in the pizza parlor, dressed like Billy Bob Thornton."

Brett said, "Who?"

"Men in Black? They had a dog like my Killer? I think his name was Frank—the dog, I mean."

Zoë said, "Frank was a Muppet."

"Shhhh!" said Steph.

"He was a something-tron," insisted Zoë.

In her ear, Brett, the Rangeman guy, said, "Oh. The film? The pug was an animatron?"

"Yeah. Anyway, the two inside the pizza place are bad guys so me and Zoë are climbing out the little window on the north side of the building here. Come into the ally and stand there, I'll hand Zoë down to you. The other one of you should cover the alley from both ends, but they said they're parked in back."

"Ten-four. Coming now," said Brett calmly.

"And call Tank for back up."

"Did it already, Steph."

Stephanie climbed up on the trash can and wrenched open the little frosted window. She boosted up Zoë who scrambled through into the Rangeman guy's waiting arms. "Ok, Steph, got her. " Steph followed suit, going out backwards, wedging her hips through the tiny opening and cursing when she heard her jeans rip."You better not be laughing, Brett," she hissed.

"No, ma'am." His hands grabbed her hips and pulled her on through. The other man, Zero, had Zoë in one arm, his weapon drawn in the other. He watched the alley opening on Haywood and counted, "Three, two, one! Go! Go!" A black Rangeman Explorer pulled up and the rear door was flung open. Steph, Brett and Zero carrying Zoë all ran to the black SUV and piled in. As they pulled away from the alley, their backup arrived in force — not just Rangeman but TPD, too, sirens blasting, lights flashing red-white-and blue.

They drove away to the echoes of "Freeze, freeze, drop your weapons! Freeze."

… ... ...

A few days later, Ranger held Steph in his arms. He was home safely and they had made love in front of the blazing fireplace in their big bedroom in the renovated and expanded penthouse loft at Haywood Street. Ranger said, "Your spidey sense came through, babe."

"I know! And Zoë's too — she knew they were wrong."

He nodded and kissed the top of her head, saying nothing.

Stephanie said, "So — any info? Was it just some crazy guys?"

"Not sure yet. I just got back in country a few hours ago, babe."

"But surely Tank was checking?"

"Yeah, he did." Ranger's voice was icy cold, so frigid Stephanie had to suppress a shiver even though his fury was not directed at her. Ranger said, "So far, all we know is that they really are federal agents. Not FBI, Secret Service….And they thought their mission was legit, that I'd be waiting for you both in DC. They knew Deal was a scam, but that's all...and they were horrified when they found out that they'd — crossed me. Or mine. But trust me, babe, I'll find out what happened, who sent them. And someone will pay."

Steph hugged him and after awhile said, "It's okay, we're okay. You don't need to kill anyone, or anything rash like that. Right?"

"Hmmm."

"And just think! Zoë is gonna be the lead fairy in her ballet play!" Stephanie exerted her right to live in denial and looked for happy thoughts.

Ranger let a silence grow, then he said — maybe just a teeny bit sarcastic, Steph thought — "Yeah, babe. Life is good."

tbc

a/n: Zoë and Stephanie have a pet dog, a tiny beige and black Pug named Killer.