Chapter 25:

Ranger's POV

As I neared the pier where Chopper had set up to meet Daje, I felt a measure of relief that J was safely in my truck. There was no way for anyone to get to her as long as she didn't open the door. It was the deciding factor on my opting to use my favorite toy instead of leaving it at the house safely locked in the garage. Of course, I doubted the agent would appreciate my sacrifice in bringing my prize down here where it might get damaged.

Scanning the area as I moved forward, I had a bad feeling in my gut that all was not as it appeared. It was on one of the passes I made over the area with my gaze that I caught movement. I gave a hand signal that I knew would be picked up by one of my men as I moved forward.

The closer I got to the target spot, the more my skin started crawling with the weird vibes I was picking up. The sound of a door clicking shut was loud in the silence of the night. A few seconds later, the man I'd come here to get stepped into view, a sneering grin on his face. "Welcome, Ranger Manoso. So nice of you to save me the trouble of coming after you."

I smiled mockingly at him. "Apparently this wasn't as big of a surprise as I'd hoped."

Daje laughed sardonically. "Money talks. Even those who take oaths to uphold the law are for sale when the right price is named."

I shrugged. "Since you seem to have the upper hand, why don't you tell me who we have to thank for giving you this prior knowledge."

Daje shook his head. "I don't think so. I might have need for his services again."

My eyes narrowed, and I could feel the corner of my mouth move up slightly in a half sneer. "So you're not as confident as you might appear."

The look on his face turned to one of anger, and he went to take a step forward. His gaze darted to the general area where I'd parked the truck, and his face changed suddenly, as if he felt more confident in the outcome going in his favor. "We have something that you seem to think belongs to you. If you want the bitch back, you'll need to bring me my brother."

I stood there staring at the man, not letting anything of what I was thinking through. I couldn't help but wonder if one of his men had found my truck. Still, with A on lookout and J firmly locked in the truck where I'd left her, their chances of getting to her were nearly non-existent. I had the sudden feeling that if anyone could screw up my sure thing, it would be that little minx. I felt my unease grow as a shot rang out.

I focused on Daje. My hope now was to take the man down and secure him so we could get him to one of the holding cells back at RangeMan. I had to hope that the weapon I'd heard was Agent A taking care of whoever had found them. Blocking what was potentially happening in that warehouse from my mind, I stepped forward.

Daje swung his arm, and the battle began.

I blocked the right uppercut that he'd thrown and followed through with a right to his gut. He was big and strong, but he was also carrying fat along with his muscle, and the man was used to women being on the receiving end. I could tell my blow had a bigger effect on him than he was used to as a look of what seemed to be dawning fear crossed his face.

He scrambled back and practically screamed, "Thor!"

Daje looked around almost frantically when the other man didn't show. Of course, I knew that Thor wouldn't be helping him at all. I stepped in and continued to school the bastard on the fine art of fighting. Although I was aware of weapons being discharged and the sounds of others locked in hand-to-hand combat, my main focus was on taking down the monster in front of me. He got in a couple of good hits, but he wasn't up to my level of expertise, and it didn't take me long to have him down on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back.

As I stood looking down at the bloody mess that was King Daje, he smiled. My eyes narrowed on him as he worked his mouth, as if he were trying to speak. From the distorted shape of one side of his face, I had a good idea that his jaw was shattered on that side. Still, he was able to say what was on his mind. "I'll enjoy imagining all the horrible things Harper has planned to torture her and knowing there isn't anything you can do to find them."

The sound of a vehicle approaching had me turning slightly, enough to see that someone was driving my damn truck without permission. Before I could respond, the truck stopped a few feet away and the doors opened, with Agent A getting out of the passenger seat, followed by Agent J getting out on the driver's side.

I decided to deal with her later and turned to Daje. "Looks like they failed to grab her."

Daje laughed, but it died halfway as a coughing fit overtook him. "Don't worry. These were only the expendables. Harper and his two close minions are still out there. And they'll have her soon enough. I'd love to see your face when you get a look at his finished product."

It was all I could do not to kill the bastard then and there, but he might have information I could get out of him before we turned the two men over to Cabrerra. I'd made a promise to the man that both of the men would be alive when they got them, though, so I refrained.

Tank moved up beside me. "We got all of them."

I gave a single nod and motioned to the sick bastard on the ground. "Take them back to RangeMan and let the general know that his package is ready for delivery."

Tank grinned. "He and his men will know just what to do with this garbage."

I put a hand on his shoulder and turned to where J was leaning heavily against A. Something about her posture was niggling at the back of my mind, but I couldn't put my finger on just what the problem was. I scanned the area. Even though we seemed to have all the players all trussed up, something was still nagging at my gut.

A movement from the sidelines caught my attention, and I turned to see a Molotov cocktail being lobbed into the bed of my truck. A picked up their pace, and I started moving forward to help him get J away from the fallout zone. A sudden blur that I recognized as Thor streaked from the bushes and lifted her, tucking her into the crook of his arm like she was a football, and everyone started running.

There was a boat that was in disrepair on the dock, and we managed to make it behind there before the flames reached the gas tank and there was an explosion. I looked out to see my favorite toy leap into the air and crash back down before the whole thing was engulfed in flames. I turned to where the two agents were seated. A was holding J against his chest, and something about the protective hold set my teeth on edge. Not that I didn't appreciate him taking care of her, but in my mind, she'd become mine to care for, and the sooner he learned that, the better for all of us.

I moved closer, only to have A glaring up at me. "Just stay the hell away from her. You've already done enough damage with that stunt you pulled…or did you forget that she's still recovering from a concussion?"

Brown's voice spoke up from behind me. "How bad of a concussion? What did the doctor say?"

A frowned as Brown moved in and knelt down beside J. "I recognize you from the safe house, but I have no clue who you are or what business this is of yours."

Bobby met his gaze. "I'm the RangeMan medic. I'm the equivalent of a field doctor and have the same privileges of a nurse practitioner. I need to check her out. Concussions can be tricky. Has she thrown up?"

J's voice was weak, and as relieved as I was to know she was keeping up with the conversation, her words had me feeling more than a twinge of guilt as I realized my "sure thing" to keep her safe was anything but.

She looked up at Bobby, and all I could see were her beautiful blue eyes, which were dilated and filled with a world of pain as she spoke in a tone that was barely whisper soft. "I felt like it…when I had to lie upside down…to get to the key." She swallowed, as if getting all that out had been a major feat.

The guilt was eating at me. I moved around to the other side, glaring at Thor, who was kneeling down on her other side. He sent me a mocking look before standing and moving so I could get closer to her. I sat down on the ground beside her and disregarded the arguments of the others as I pulled her over onto my lap. She looked up at me, and the impression of bruised eyes hit me hard. I felt like someone had taken hold of my heart and ripped it in two. I turned to Brown and growled, "Don't just sit there. Do something."

I glared up at Thor, who seemed to be watching the woman in my arms with a look that set me on edge. I nodded toward where I could see Juniak and Morelli running toward where we were. "Why don't you make yourself useful and run interference so Bobby can check her out."

Thor looked at me solemnly for a moment before he smiled. He turned slightly in A's direction, yet still didn't actually look at him as he said, "Come on, Agent. You can help keep the wolves at bay."

I held her in my arms as Bobby ran through some imaginary check list.

He shook his head and said, "I don't like it. I'd feel better if we took her to Massachusetts General and had them run tests to make sure there is no bleeding in the brain. I know that's over four hours from here, but they are the best with brain injuries."

I felt like I was going to throw up. Knowing I'd placed her in this danger was eating at my insides. I knew I'd choke on the words if I tried to say anything. All I could do was nod.

Bobby stood and ran over toward the nearest vehicle. I watched as he was stopped by Juniak, and the faint sound of Brown telling the others what the plan was barely registered.

I pulled her close to me and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Babe. I never meant for you to be placed in danger. That I'm the cause of this makes me sick."

She tilted her head up to look at me. The corner of her mouth tilted in a semblance of a smile. "I'm okay."

My hand came up and caressed the side of her face. "I'm holding you to that."

There was a hint of twinkle in her eyes, but I wouldn't feel any better about this until I knew she was out of danger.

About that time, I heard someone approaching and lifted my gaze to see Brown was back, withThor and Agent A on either side of him, as well as Juniak and Morelli. The look on Morelli's face was fierce as he glared at me. He squatted down beside me and reached out for the woman in my arms.

I growled, "Back off."

He gave me a disgusted look. "I'm going to hold her while you get up, or did you plan to just sit with her here on the ground and let things get worse?"

Lester stepped through the gathering crowd and pushed between Morelli and me, sitting beside me. He looked at me and said, "Let me hold Beautiful while you get up, and then you can have her right back."

I nodded. After helping him to gather her in his arms, I stood and then lifted her gently in my arms, holding her close to me. I turned and headed for the back passenger door of the SUV Bobby had pulled up.

A was there ahead of me, opening the door. Our gazes met, and he insisted, "I'm going to hold her while you get in. I need to go with."

I just stared at him, still not trusting myself to speak out loud.

Thor moved up beside us. "We're both going." His eyes met mine as he added, "And if anything happens to her, your worries are over, because you'll be dead."

I nodded. "I'll hold you to that."

His eyes widened as I moved past him with J in my arms, climbing into the back of the vehicle with Brown climbing in beside us. Thor took the driver's seat, and A got in the front passenger seat.

Before the front door was shut, Morelli had hold of the door, asking, "Which hospital?"

Brown responded with the name of the hospital, and then the door was shut and we were on our way.

Lester's POV

I left Junior in charge of the cleanup as Bones and I headed for the SUV. Ranger had given me the location where we were heading, and I wasted no time in getting there. I called Tank on the way to see where he was setting up the perimeter so that when we pulled into Trenton a short time later, we could park close enough without making anyone suspicious. There was a street three blocks over that would be ideal for parking, and I headed the SUV in that direction.

I'd learned from Tank that Juniak and Morelli would be joining us at the pier, as well as Bobby and the group at the safe house minus the civilian, Mooner. Lula was keeping him under wraps so he'd be out of harm's way.

As we neared our destination, I turned to Bones. "Any luck on finding that house?"

Bones shook his head. "Not yet. Once the City Clerk's office opens in the morning, I'm betting I'll have more information."

My fist clenched on the wheel. It bothered me that I was no closer to finding the woman that had stolen my heart in London. I'd never believed in love at first sight, but one look at Tina, and I was a goner. I prayed that we'd find her in time. My eyes narrowed as I made a mental promise to myself that the men who took her would pay for what they were doing to her. As much as I hated watching them torture her, I hadn't been able to look away, because as much as I hated the pain she was going through, I was assured that she was still alive.

I pulled into the area I'd been making for and parked on the street. Both of us made sure we were fully armed before getting out of the vehicle and jogging the short distance to where we would be positioned. As we made our way, I caught sight of Ranger's F150 truck that he was so fond of. Bones and I were able to get into position before Ranger started making for the rendezvous.

It was as Ranger was moving toward the meeting area that I picked up the hand signal he sent out to us. I scanned the area and picked up movement that was too clumsy to be one of the guys. For one thing, we knew better than to let someone see us. I signaled to Bones, and we moved out to neutralize the threat since we were the closest to them.

I trusted Bones to take care of his target and focused on mine. The man was bopping up and down behind a barrel, as if he were trying to get a good angle from which to take a shot. I moved in silently, and when he popped up again, my Glock was pointed at his face.

I watched as his face paled and he swallowed hard. He backed up, and I followed him, motioning for him to take a seat on the ground. He didn't seem to understand my gestures, so I swept his feet out from under him to help him get the message.

My eyes narrowed on him as I asked, "How many of you are there?"

He gave me a puzzled look, and I sighed with disgust. I took out a couple of zip-ties and fastened his hands behind his back before tying his ankles together. To make sure he wouldn't easily get out of them, I intertwined his wrists and ankles. With that done, I turned and surveyed the area to see if I could pick up any other un-friendlies.

I caught sight of Ranger facing Daje, and from my vantage point, I noticed movement behind Ranger at the warehouse in the background. Daje seemed to acquire a smug look, and I had to wonder if he'd picked up the same thing I had. I was too far away to hear the conversation between the two of them, but from Daje's posture, I got the impression he thought he was in the catbird's seat.

I knew Ranger would handle Daje, so I turned my focus to the area around me, once more scanning to see if I could pick up anyone that wasn't a RangeMan. There were three men barricaded near the end of the pier, but just as I moved in that direction, I saw Cal's body shoot from the water, causing the three to swing in his direction. Hal moved in from behind them, and I knew between the two of them, they would have no problem with the trio in their sights.

The sound of fists connecting with flesh was strong all over the pier, and as I looked around once again, I saw the guys were all involved in hand-to-hand combat. I felt a little put-out that I wasn't seeing some of the action. After all, I needed to hit somebody in the worst way. It would be a way to let out some of the anger I was feeling at not knowing where Tina was so I could go and rescue her.

Tank was fully engaged with three men in funny garb that had the same crest on the clothing that Prince Raje had worn when we'd picked him up in London. As I continued my scan, I saw that Bobby and Woody were each exchanging punches with other men wearing the same emblem. Ram, Binkie, Erik, and Rodriguez were busy with a group of seven men of their own. Something about the men they were fighting was calling at the edges of my mind, but I couldn't put my finger on why quite yet. I noticed that Bones had his target all trussed up as well, and I was just about to get upset about missing out on all the fun when it dawned on me just what it was about the men that had drawn my attention. I tore off in their direction.

By the time I'd gotten there, Erik sent the man he was fighting sprawling.

I placed my knee on the man's chest and had my gun at his temple. "Where are the rest of your friends, you little bastard?!"

He smiled. It was a sick smile, as if he enjoyed getting me to show emotion.

Erik moved toward us, and I motioned him away. With my free hand, I grabbed the arm with the tattoo and demanded once more, "Where are you holding her?"

The laugh that escaped from him made my skin crawl. His words had me wanting to tear him limb from limb. "You'll never find her in time. And soon, she will have the other one to keep her company."

I was vaguely aware that the sound of battle was getting fainter. I pulled back, squeezed the trigger slightly, and was rewarded with a change in his face. There was a hint of fear in his eyes. I leaned in close and whispered harshly, "You'd better pray that I do. Because you are going to a holding cell, and whatever is done to her, I can promise you that you will receive the same treatment."

There was the sudden strong smell of urine in the air. I smiled before I turned to Ram and said, "Make sure this one gets to a RangeMan holding cell."

Ram stepped forward. "My pleasure. He'll be there waiting for you."

I looked around and was a little deflated that the fight was over already. I caught sight of Bobby and frowned as I asked, "Was there a gun shot a couple minutes ago?"

Before he could answer, the sound of a vehicle closing fast was heard. I turned to see Ranger's pride and joy heading toward where he was standing on the pier. When Beautiful and her partner got out, I wondered what Ranger was going to do about her driving his baby. Before I could do more than form the question, a Molotov cocktail was lobbed into the bed of the truck. I saw Agent A trying to get Agent J safely away and knew they weren't going to make it at that pace. Before anyone else could act, Thor lifted her like a football and started running with her.

I turned my gaze in the direction the bomb had come from and saw a guy on a motorcycle racing away. Ranger was too distracted to act, so I took it upon myself to step in. One word was all I needed to say, and I said it. "Ram!"

A single shot rang out, and the man on the motorcycle was dead.

Tank's POV

I stood watching as the SUV left the scene. I was pissed that the little toad had gotten past our men, and I was determined to find out the reason for that. I'd thought all of Daje's men had been accounted for. According to the intel we'd gotten from Penelope, we had them all. When I got back to RangeMan, I intended to make an international call and get to the bottom of this. Too many things weren't adding up, and I was beginning to think we had a second mole besides Critter. We knew he was dirty from what Agent A had told Woody when they were on their way back to the hotel a few days ago. The fact that the little bastard had followed Shep here was pretty damn suspicious. I think it was time we found out just why he'd made the trip.

I signaled the men, and when they joined me, I gave them all their cleanup detail. I was just giving out the last assignment when Hector and Junior arrived. I watched them exit the vehicle and head my way.

Hector motioned with his head toward the prisoners. "You want me to take care of this garbage?"

I shook my head. "I need you to handle a special detail."

Our eyes met, and I could see by the way his turned fierce that he understood. He gave a single nod and was gone.

Junior seemed to realize he'd just been left and turned to me. "Where do you want me to help?"

I searched the area before glancing back at him to say, "You can help Cal."

He was gone in a flash, and I was once again alone with my anger that we'd been set up the way we had. I smiled as I thought about the man that I'd just let loose on the one I suspected was responsible. I hoped Critter was in shape…because with Hector after him, there would be no place for him to hide. I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to find that one of the men we'd caught was trying to sneak away. I smiled as I moved over to show him he would have been better off staying where he was. One punch was all it took, and everything was over before it began. Seeing nothing else to take my frustration out on, I moved over to the nearby shed and threw a punch at the wall. The entire structure crumpled to the ground in front of me.

Lester snarked, "Geez, big guy. What did that poor little shack do to you?"

I whirled around, ready to go at him, but his hands were up in the air in a surrendering motion. Something about the look on his face had me pausing, when at any other time, he would have gotten a well-earned blow. I paused, waiting for him to speak, and was rewarded for my effort with a direction to focus my anger.

"How about you help me question those guys over there? They're part of the group that kidnapped Tina."

I gave a single nod, letting him know I was on board with the plan. Shep was one of us, and I was as anxious to get his sister back as the next guy. Besides, if I was lucky, I might get to do some pounding on flesh and use up some of this anger that was straining for release.

A/N: In case you'd like to get a better idea of what the characters in the story look like, I'm setting up a Pinterest board. My co-conspirator for the story has been instrumental in finding just the right pictures of the people in my mind. The board isn't totally complete yet, but there is quite a bit there. You'll have to put the link together but here it is:

http (colon) (slash) (slash) .com (slash) christibabe (slash) the (hyphen) runaway (slash)