Chapter 25- A Ring
I woke up confused and quickly realized I was in Ranger's bed. I was wearing my panties and one of his t-shirts. I didn't even remember how I got here. I didn't remember getting undressed. I must have fallen asleep on the way back from Philly. I heard the shower running in the bathroom but then it was shut off. I laid back and looked up at the ceiling. This was it. My last full day in Trenton. My last full day to search for clues in person. The last day to question people. The last day to see the guys who had become like brothers to me. My last day to spend with Ranger.
Tomorrow I would be heading far away from Trenton. It wasn't like we were going to find a miracle today. I didn't want to give up, but right now things were looking pretty hopeless. I still wanted to gather as much information as I could. I wasn't going away forever. It wasn't going to be a vacation. I had 30 days until Ranger would lose his money. I had 30 days to figure this all out. If it couldn't be done I would then make the decision to come back or to work on paying Ranger back somehow. There was no was I was going back to jail.
"Babe"
I snapped my head to the side and Ranger chuckled as I spoke. "What?"
"I could smell something burning all the way from the shower." he smiled.
My eyes scanned his body from bottom to top. He already had on a pair of jeans but no shirt. He ruffled his hair with the towel before tossing it into the laundry hamper. He walked to the foot of the bed and stood there staring at me. Then I remembered he was waiting for a response. He wanted to know what I had been thinking about.
"How did I get here last night?" I asked
"After you had your cheese steak you passed out in the car on the drive back. I had to carry you up here because you were dead to the world." he explained
"My dress?" I tried to raise my eyebrow.
"I did get to take it off like I had wanted, but I pictured it a little differently in my mind." he jumped right into the bed beside me.
"What are you doing?" I shook my head
"Trying to have a little fun Babe. You need a little fun." he crawled over to me and grabbed my sides. He dug his fingers in and started tickling me.
"RANGER! What the..." and then I lost it.
I was giggling, tossing and turning trying to escape his hands. I reached up and grabbed at his nipples to twist them. He pulled back with his eyes wide as his mouth dropped open. He rolled away from me and I moved after him. He was laying on his stomach and I jabbed my hands into his sides and tickled him. He didn't make any noises but I felt his body shake. He rolled over and grabbed me around the waist. He stood up and dragged me along with him as I squealed. He lifted me into his arms and I looked up at him. He leaned down to plant a kiss on my nose and then tossed me onto the bed as I screamed.
"Hey!" I hollered
"You always wanted to fly Babe." he chuckled
"Ranger!" I couldn't be angry and quickly found myself laughing again.
"Cannonball!" he yelled as he jumped onto the bed.
I rolled away and he crashed into the mattress beside me. We rolled to our sides facing each other and continued laughing. He slipped an arm under my neck and pulled me to him. He laid on his back and pulled me onto his chest. He kissed the top of my head and I reached my hand up and laid it over his heart.
"Thank you." I whispered
"For what?" he asked
"Starting my day off with laughter." I gave out a satisfied sigh
"My pleasure." he kissed me on the top of my head.
"You learn something new every day." I told him
"Babe"
"Now I know you have a playful side." I smirked
"Only with you. Let's not tell my men about this." he warned
"Maybe just Lester." I teased
"Babe"
"Okay Ranger. Your secret is safe with me." I moved in closer to cuddle against him.
"Today will be a long day." he reminded me
"Back to business." I pulled up and sat on the bed
"I already spoke to Silvio and Hector and gave them the new information to work on some searches." Ranger started "I also have Hector looking into more video feeds."
"That's great Ranger." I smiled
"Some bad news Babe." his face became blank
"What's wrong?" Now I was worried
"It's Lester." he said solemnly
"What about him?" I was confused and worried now.
"He got shot." he said matter of factly
"WHAT?" I jumped to my feet.
Ranger walked around the bed and stood in front of me. His hands reached out to hold my shoulders. "That old skip you had him checking out, Skye Randolph."
"Oh my God. This is all my fault. Is he okay?" I tried to pull away so I could get dressed "We need to go to the hospital."
"He's with Bobby." Ranger explained
"I need to go check him." I argued
Ranger's lips were tight and then suddenly a smile spread across them and he chuckled.
"What the hell?" I squinted up my eyes in anger
"A bullet grazed one ass cheek." he barked out a loud laugh
"What?" I found myself smiling
"She started stalking him and saw him talking to another girl so she shot him." he was still laughing "Funny thing is she went over and took care of him and he ended up agreeing to go out on a date with her."
"WHAT?" now I exploded
Ranger dropped his hands from my shoulders and held his stomach laughing. I gave him a shove and he fell over onto the bed. I tried to glare at him but couldn't do it. He looked so sexy laying on the bed laughing. Sexy because seeing him express emotions made me very attracted to him.
"Who knew you could be so much fun?" I shook my head and headed to the bathroom
"When you get dressed meet me on five and then I'm taking you out to breakfast." he hollered through the door
"Okay." I hollered back.
Wow! Who knew Ranger had such a playful side? That was a nice way to wake up. Now I needed to keep the happiness and positive feelings going on for the rest of the day. If anything could be found I knew Silvio and Hector could get it done. I still wanted to take some time today to go through all of the new searches and see if I could spot anything that made my Spidey senses tingle. To be honest I am beginning to worry if my Spidey sense still works at all.
I threw on jeans and a t-shirt before taking the elevator down to five. As soon as I stepped off my phone vibrated. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen. It was a text from Matteo. I leaned against the wall so I could read and respond.
Are you mad at me? - Matteo
No not at all- Stephanie
You didn't talk to me much last night- Matteo
A lot on my mind- Stephanie
I want to help- Matteo
Nothing to be done right now- Stephanie
Tomorrow?- Matteo
Yes what time?- Stephanie
10:00am- Matteo
See you then- Stephanie
I shoved the phone into my back pocket and moved into my conference room. Hector was the only one in there. He was seated at the big table busy on his laptop. I stood for a minute as I looked around at my time line and other notes. I sat down and Hector and I nodded at each other. I started sifting through the searches I hadn't read yet to see if anything came up. I was more than half way through when I felt the tingle on my neck. Hands were placed on my shoulders and began to massage me gently.
I reached up and grabbed a hand covering it with mine. He stayed there as I finished going through all of the papers. I blew out a sigh and then got to my feet. Ranger pulled me into a hug and I looked up at him. I forced a smile and he shook his head at me. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. We heard a throat clear and I pulled away to see Silvio standing in the doorway.
"Good morning." he made his way to the table.
"Good morning." I told him
"Buenos Dias" Hector told him
"I really feel guilty you guys are doing so much work." I told him
"Nonsense! I wouldn't want to trade places. No way am I going out there. I like it just fine in my quiet air conditioned work space." Silvio explained
"Anything new? I just went through all of the new searches and didn't see anything that caught my attention."I explained
"I didn't see anything either." Silvio agreed "But I'm not giving up."
"There may be a time..." I started
"Not until we can prove your innocence." Hector interrupted with perfect English
"Hector" I rolled my eyes.
Hector could easily go back and forth between Spanish and English. A very small group people knew this. I walked behind him to glance at his screen. I put a hand on each shoulder and leaned forward. He was watching a video of Boogie nights. The camera was focused on the entrance. Many people coming in and out. Lots of brunette men that fit our description. It was so vague and hard to know exactly who needed to find.
"Are you both checking out videos today?" I asked
"No Right now. I am only focusing on searches and Hector is only working on videos. Vince is coming in to help him. Lester was supposed to do it but apparently he can't sit down." Silvio smiled
"Poor Les." I pouted
"We're headed to breakfast. If either of you need anything call me. I have Tiny coming in from Boston to help out with the searches." Ranger told them
"Good. The more on this the easier it will go." Silvio nodded
"Also one of you can take a day off here and there." Ranger reminded them both
"Not necessary." Silvio explained as he started tapping away on the keyboard.
"Can we see Lester first?" I asked as we walked out of the room.
"Of course Babe." he slid his hand into mine and we took the elevator to four.
I knocked on his door and he shouted for us to come in. We found him in his bedroom laying on his stomach. He had a controller in his hand. Bobby was beside him in a chair and they were both into their war game. I glanced at the screen and they were shooting through a mission. I noticed they had headsets on and were barking orders to others.
"Don't you get tired of this?" I asked
"No way! Our team is kicking butt." Bobby explained
"I just wanted to check on you." I told Lester
"I'm fine. I have a date with Skye next weekend." he glanced at me for a moment and wiggled his eyebrows
"She shot you." I was confused
"She's feisty!" he smirked
"Whatever works for you." I shrugged
Bobby took off his headset and got to his feet. "Let me check you over while you're down here."
"Great." I mumbled as I followed him out of the room and to his office.
"Well, I can already see that your lip healed up and the stitches are gone." he smiled as I slid onto the exam table.
"It does feel much better." I admitted
He lifted up my shirt and examined my ribs. "No tape?"
"I forgot to put it on." I lied
"Steph, you need to keep wearing it. I know they feel much better but they aren't done healing." he sighed and moved to get the tape.
"Why don't you check Ranger's knuckles? He never has to get checked up on." I whined
"I'll check his hands after I tape you up." Bobby agreed
"Good." I was happy with myself.
"How are you doing?" he asked
"Feeling pretty good." I explained.
"I didn't mean physically." he rolled his eyes
I let a deep breath slide out through my tight lips. "Day to day. I can't handle thinking about Tuesday."
"How are things with you and Ranger? He came home alone Friday night. Then you came back almost two hours after him." he was still looking down as he taped my ribs.
"What the hell Bobby? Are you stalking us?" I was annoyed
"Just checking to make sure everything is okay." he shrugged
I growled "If you must know he took Terri Gilman home after dancing with her and some blonde bimbo." I paused "I got a ride home with Matteo."
Bobby shook his head. "You two are so screwed up."
"Are you done?" I asked
"Yes." he said as he pulled back.
He rested a hand on either side of me and looked into my eyes. Our faces were close. He stared at me for a beat and then whispered. "Remember no matter what he does, he loves you."'
I slid off the table and he stepped back. "He's my best friend Bobby, of course he loves me. In his own friendly way."
Bobby just shook his head as I made my way to the door. I thought I heard him mumble "Delusional" before I opened the door. Ranger was right there and I nearly bumped right into his chest. He held out his hands to stop me and I looked up and gave him a smile.
"Your turn."
"Babe"
"Hey, if I have to get checked out then so do you." I moved to the side and put my hands on my hips.
"Let's get this over with." he grumbled as he moved towards the table.
Bobby walked towards me with a big smile and then proceeded to close the door in my face. For a second I was tempted to push it back open. I stood still for a minute wondering why he had closed the door in my face. Then it hit me as I started to hear his voice.
"How are your hands?" I heard him ask Ranger
"They're fine." Ranger answered
"Still a bit swollen." Bobby noticed
"They're fine." Ranger told him
"How's Steph?" Bobby asked
I could hear Ranger sigh "She's dealing with it."
"And you?" Bobby asked
"Fuck off Bobby." Ranger was gruff
"Ah too many emotions." he teased
Ranger said nothing. After a few seconds Bobby spoke again "She's going to run."
"I know" Ranger told him
"You gonna let her go?" Bobby asked
"I don't know." Ranger answered
"You willing to take the chance you'll never see her again?" I heard Bobby question him
There was silence and I waited "Maybe it's best for her."
"Best for her?" Bobby laughed
"Is it best for her to go to Greece? Best for her to be around Ramos if he loses his temper? Is it best for her to get stuck in a loveless marriage?" Bobby asked
"I don't want that for her." Ranger admitted
"You'd rather she go to Sicily? Marry into the mafia? I wonder how the Grizzoli in Matteo would handle her when she is stubborn. When she is running into bad situations to help someone else without thinking. I wonder if he will get fed up. Maybe he'll just insist on her having a bunch of babies and turn her into a housewife because we all know how much she would love that."
"Point taken." Ranger told him
"Is it? Is it really? You thought Morelli was better for her and look at what happened. You already know you wouldn't force her to be something she's not. Doesn't she deserve someone like that?" Bobby pushed
"I don't deserve her." Ranger said so quietly I almost missed it
I heard movement and backed away from the door. I quickly moved down the hall and back into Lester's room. He had his headphones on and was giving orders to his solders as they prepared for battle. He was smiling and his eyes were filled with excitement. I suppose he liked being in charge and leading his troops.
"You ready?" Ranger asked from behind me
I spun around to look at him "Your hands are all good?"
"They're fine Babe" he told me as I looked over his shoulder at Bobby
"It wouldn't hurt to put some ice on them at night." Bobby shrugged
"Thanks Bobby" I smiled and he nodded
I was surprised when Ranger had decided to take us to the very diner where we met. Maybe he didn't remember. It had been almost three years now. He was still holding my hand as he led me to the table. He had been very touchy feely lately. It seemed he always needed to have a hand on me. To be touching me. It felt incredibly intimidate. I didn't know what to make of it. To be honest Ranger had been acting very un-Ranger-like since he picked me up from the jail in Atlantic City. I wanted time to sit and think about it. To think about our short talk.
And with Bobby, what did he mean by he didn't deserve me? I am a walking disaster. No one deserves to be stuck with me. Every man I am with seems the need to cheat on me so I must be lacking in some areas. More things to consider and fill my brain. Not now. I didn't want to do it right now. I needed to focus on getting answers even if everything seemed to lead to a dead end. Ugh! This man is frustrating me. He is doing things for me and taking me to places like he is trying to create memories. Then he is promising me I won't go back to jail. He risked $500,000 for me. How would I ever repay him if I couldn't find some way to prove myself innocent? It would take my entire lifetime.
"Babe"
I blinked my eyes and noticed him staring at me as his lips turned up at the ends. The waitress was at our table and she was staring at me. I closed the menu.
"I'm sorry. Can I please have scrambled eggs with bacon, ham, and hash browns? Oh and a side of white toast." I ordered
The waitress looked at me as if she didn't understand me. "He already ordered."
"I know" I nodded
"I thought you were ordering all of that to share." she explained
"Nope. Just for me." I smiled at her
She glanced at Ranger and then back to me as she shook her head. I knew she was wondering what in the world this Cuban God was doing with this white bread girl who ate like a lumberjack. Ranger reached across the table and laid his hand palm up in front of me. I lifted my hand from my lap and brought it to his. He pulled my hand in his and brought it up to his lips. He kissed each of my knuckles and the back of my hand before he laid them back down on the table. He laced his fingers inside mine.
"What are you doing Ranger?" I sighed
"Huh?" he raised an eyebrow
"You know what. Pampering, vacations, cheese steaks. You have barely left my side since you bailed me out. Well except Friday night." I informed him
He nodded "I just enjoy spending time with you."
"You think I'll run without telling you?" I asked
"You just might." he shrugged
"First I could have ran Friday night when you were busy with the fake boob twins." this got a chuckle from him "Second, I promised I would tell you first."
"Babe your promises are sometimes vague. Sometimes you purposely leave out phrases and other things to allow yourself some leeway." he squeezed my hand.
"Ranger" I sighed.
There was more truth to his statement than he realized. I was planing on telling him of course but in my own way. I was going to meet Matteo at Mercer County Airport. It was a municipal airport that didn't have any big passenger planes or any big security checks. It was for cargo and private jets. His plane would take us to Sicily. I planned on writing Ranger a letter and leaving before he woke up. I would find a way to keep busy until I had to meet at the airport. I had no other choice.
Between Ramos and Matteo it was no contest. When I saw Alex's face after he shot Niko it scared the hell out of me. It was a mix of anger and joy. It was as if he enjoyed the violence. He was always sweet and kind to me but I figured Ranger may be right about him. If he thought I was being disloyal or I pissed him off maybe he would shoot me in the knee too. As for Matteo, I had seen his Grizzoli side but it didn't scare me. It reminded me of a cross between Ranger and Morelli.
I knew Matteo could protect me and keep me safe. The only problem would be making sure Matteo understood it was all about friendship. Of course he was sexy as hell. His green eyes and his dimples...ah. But if I was completely honest with myself he was no Ranger. Ranger told me once one of him is all I would ever need and that was very true. He also told me he would ruin me for all other men and I swear he did exactly that No other man would ever measure up to him. I wish I had ruined him for all other women.
"Stephanie" he squeezed my hand
"What?" I asked
"Where do you keep going? What are you thinking about?" he asked me,
"Just..." I stopped as the waitress came with our food.
She kept her eyes on him while she set down the plates. Then she asked him if he wanted a refill on his coffee. She never looked at me. Never asked me if my food was alright or if wanted more coffee.
"Excuse me." I interrupted
She turned to me like she had forgotten I was even there. "Yes?"
"When you're done drooling all over my fiance maybe you could get me more coffee." I glared
"Oh...uh...geez. I'm sorry. It's coming" she walked away flustered
"Babe, your fiance?"
"What? You told my parents." I smiled "By the way, where's my ring?"
He raised an eyebrow and let go of my hand. He moved it under the table and then pulled it back out. He reached for my hand and flipped it over. He slid something on my ring finger. When he moved his hand away I was completely stunned and my mouth dropped open. The ring was beautiful. There was a heart shaped diamond in the center and a sapphire on each side. I lifted my hand and examined it in the light. It fit perfectly. The diamond sparkled and it looked like it was made for my hand. Just then the waitress returned.
"I'm so sorry." the waitress stammered as she filled both of our coffee cups. She froze as she looked at my ring. "Wow! I didn't notice that before. It's breathtaking."
"Thank you." I smiled
"You sure know how to pick 'em." she said before she walked away.
I wondered if she was talking to Ranger about the ring or to me about Ranger. I laid my hand back on the table.
"Ranger!" I hissed. "What the hell? I was kidding!"
I moved my hand and he grabbed it. "Ranger I need to take it off. Where did you get this?"
"Don't take it off. Let them all believe it." he winked
"Where did you get it?" I asked
He studied my face for a moment. "It belonged to my Abuela Analena. She came here from Cuba with my Abuelo Santino. This ring is the only thing she kept all through their struggles."
"Ranger..."
"Steph, I'm not going to lie. I did change the stones but kept the setting. The three stones originally in it were all fake and worn from the years. I replaced them and gave it to my mother last Christmas." he shrugged "She handed it right back to me and told me I would need it some day." he smiled
I had to contain my thoughts when he said some day. "I can't." I told him as I reached to pull it off again.
He covered my hand with his. "No"
"No?" I questioned
"It's for you." he told me
"How does it fit so perfectly? Did Ella figure out every measurement on my body?" I asked
He shrugged "It's just meant for your finger I guess."
"It will remind you of me and our friendship." he smirked
I laughed "We're a little old for friendship rings."
"Are we?" he teased
"This is crazy." I shook my head
"Why? Are you breaking out in hives? You seem to be breathing okay." he rubbed his finger on the back of my hand.
He was right. I wasn't panicking and I wasn't flipping out. But that's easy to explain. This wasn't a real engagement ring for us. He hadn't proposed marriage and I hadn't agreed to anything. It was simply a friendship ring.
I blew out a breath.
Yeah, a friendship ring that belonged to his great great grandmother. Oh boy! I looked up at him and met his eyes. There was a hint of worry or concern. I wasn't sure what it was in his eyes but I knew I would hurt him if I gave it back. I felt like this was important to him.
I sighed "Well, I'm giving it back as soon as we fix everything."
"Everything? That may take a while." he chuckled
"So, what's on the agenda today boss?" I changed the subject.
"I have some places for us to check out." he explained as we finished our breakfast.
"Lead the way." I told him as I got to my feet.
He placed some cash on the table as he placed his hand on the small of my back and led me to the door. Damn! I couldn't even afford to buy breakfast. I had all of $4.58 in my purse and nothing in my bank account. I looked down at the ring on my finger. I had seen a lot of rings shoved in my face by proud Burg women over the years but I had never seen anything like this. Simple and beautiful. I was a bit curious about the exact size of each gem because the diamond seemed pretty big. My phone vibrated as he started the car.
What's up?- Brett
Not much-Stephanie
What are your plans for today? - Brett
"Brett wants to know what our plans are for today." I told Ranger
"You really like him." Ranger noticed
"He's helpful and he's fun to be around." I smiled
"Tell him to meet us for lunch at Point Pleasant around 1:00pm" he said as he stared forward
"Really?" I smiled
"Why not? It's on our list of stops." he kept his eyes forward as I went back to my phone.
How about meeting for lunch?-Stephanie
Definitely! Where and when?-Brett
Point Pleasant 1:00-Stephanie
I'll get a ride just text me where to meet around 1:00-Brett
Will do- Stephanie
"Where are we?" I asked Ranger as I looked up to see we had stopped in a parking lot.
"You'll see." he told me as he got out of the Porsche
It was a tall building with the words 'IFly' on their sign. He came around to my side as I was getting out and took my hand. He led me to the building and we went in the door. We had to fill out paperwork and then we were led to another room. We suited up in what seemed like bulky wet suits and then we were lead into yet another room for them to explain directions. We were skydiving! We were indoor skydiving! I looked at Ranger in surprise and he just nodded. Here we go again with him filling my so called bucket list. He thought these were our last days together whether I ran or went to jail he was trying to fill my last days with happy memories. I didn't know whether to be happy or pissed off.
I looked at the giant tube looking thing. The instructor had called it a wind tunnel. He pulled me in and I did what the instructional video told me to do. I put out my hands like Superman and the wind lifted me up. I was flying. Sure I was wearing a helmet and goggles but I was flying none the less. Whenever I started to move in the wrong direction the instructor would grab me and steer me back in place.
The feeling was incredible. I closed my eyes and I was flying. I pictured the clouds and the brilliant blue sky. Looking down at the buildings and the people as I flew above them. Finally I know what it feels like. Finally I was really flying and not just jumping off of my roof. The instructor pulled me out when my time was up and I dove straight into Ranger's arms. He pulled me in tight and I rested my head against his chest for just a few seconds before I pulled away.
"That was amazing. I was flying. It was so intense. Exhilarating. Phenomenal. Incredible."I was smiling so big it was hurting my face.
"Lots of adjectives Babe." he smiled as his hands linked around my waist.
I leaned in and kissed his cheek and then turned around to watch the others. He stayed behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist. His chin was resting on my shoulder. When the instructor pulled out the next guy it was Ranger's turn. I watched him walk over to the tunnel. Even in these baggy flight suits he looked hot. He was pulled in and went straight up. He looked relaxed like he had flown a million times before. The instructor never had to readjust him and he never went of course. He was magic. Magic in every way.
I was still smiling ear to ear as we made our way to the car. He opened my door and I slid in before he closed it behind me. Once he go in we sat there for a moment reflecting on what we just did. We looked at each other at the same time and he reached over to run the back of his hand up and down my cheek.
"Did you have fun Babe?" he asked
"I definitely had fun." My smile was still plastered across my face.
He gently used his fingers to tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear. He leaned in as I did and we met in the middle. His lips were on mine and the kiss quickly became deep and demanding. He grabbed the back of my head and pulled me in closer as our tongues danced together. I melted into the seat and let out a soft moan. He cupped my face as he slowly pulled away. He leaned back in and gave me a peck on the cheek and then another. Every time he tried to pull back his lips returned to mine. Finally he sat back into his seat as we both worked to regain our regular breathing.
"Babe" was all he said as he started the car and began to drive.
"No more bucket list things. I feel like you think I am dying." I shook my head
"I just want you to have fun. I know we have some more investigating to do. I was hoping the adrenaline rush would really wake-up your brain." he was quickly back into the zone before I could speak.
As he drove I did feel like my senses were more alive. I glanced at the ring again and bit my lower lip. I just couldn't get a grip on his thoughts. Was he trying to make up for the promise he knew he would have to break? The kissing. Oh boy the kissing. That was amazing and perfect. His lips, his tongue and the heat from his body all felt very Rangerlike. Trying to split my brain between figuring out Ranger and figuring out y case was driving me crazy. I couldn't just think about one without considering the other. I was surprised when I felt the car stop and Ranger's hand was on my shoulder gently shaking me.
"Where are we?" I asked as I sat up and tried to get my barrings.
"Back at the Bayview Motel." he told me as he got out of the car.
I opened my door an moved out onto the cement. My legs felt a bit wobbly. I stretched and looked around. Ranger walked around to the back of the car and I followed him. He took my hand and led me across the parking lot to a Denny's restaurant. We went inside and he asked to talk to the manager. He asked him about the camera outside in the parking lot and soon persuaded him to hand over the memory stick. He grabbed my hand and led me back into the lot.
"How did you know?" I asked
"We didn't notice the camera the first time because it was hidden behind that sign." he motioned to the street light.
I looked up and saw the remove your valuables sign and spotted the lens just above it. I moved back behind the sign and saw the rest of the camera. I was excited about the new potential evidence. He handed me the stick and I practically ran back to the car. We were on the road and headed back to Rangeman as I clutched the stick in my hand. My body was humming with excitement as I leaned forward in my seat the whole drive.
We took the elevator and burst into the conference room. I ran to Hector who had looked up when he heard us enter. I handed him the stick and he immediately inserted it into his laptop. I watched as he typed a few commands and the video popped up. He had it set to last Friday night and fast forwarded the video to start at 10:30pm.
I was glued to the screen and completely on edge. I felt Ranger's hand on the back of my neck and my body relaxed. Hector kept slowly moving the button to fast forward as we watched people walk by. Parking their cars, coming out of the restaurant, and in the distance you could see the motel. We watched as my car pulled up and he stopped fast forwarding and played it at regular speed.
My car sat for a few minutes before my door finally opened. You couldn't see my face only the shadow of my body. I walked towards the sidewalk in front of the doors. I moved towards a column holding up the walkway above. A man appeared behind me and moved behind the column with me. we were both hidden for an entire minute. Then he stepped out from the column and I followed him. I had something in my hand as I continued to follow him off the screen.
"Can you zoom in?" Ranger asked him
"I'll try. This isn't the greatest quality video." Hector was typing away at the keyboard again.
He rewound the video to when the man appeared and zoomed in. The picture was grainy and dark. There wasn't much light in front of the motel. The only light was coming from the parking lot. I knew it was me by the shape of my body but you couldn't make out my face. I studied the man. I couldn't make out his face and he didn't look familiar. I looked his body up and down. He seemed average. No big muscles and not overweight, just a typical build. He seemed to be about 5'10". He appeared to be the same man Noah had described when we spoke to him at the Premier dance club.
"Why am I following him?" I asked out loud.
No one answered me as Hector moved from frame to frame and we tried to get a better view of faces. Hector froze the screen as I came out from behind the column.
"Gun" Hector said quietly
I looked into my hand and saw it. My gun was hanging from my hand. Not aimed at anyone. I was following this guy but I had no idea this video didn't bring any memories back. I stepped away and blew out a breath. We finally had something but at the same time it was nothing. Grainy pictures of a man that I wittingly followed with a gun in my hand. Who the hell would I follow and why would I have my gun in my hand? I wasn't drugged, we all knew that. If anything I guess this video might make me look worse because I was carrying my gun and headed towards Latty's room.