I do not own these characters. They belong to Janet Evanovich. Please hang with me. I know it is dark right now, but please hang with me. There will be a HEA I promise.

Chapter 25

Ranger's POV

We all sat around the computer, watching the video that Alverez had posted of Stephanie. As I watched her try to be brave, I was proud of her. Any other person would have been crying and begging, but Babe was defiant. A completely blinding rage came over me as the video ended. The panic finally took over and seeing Alverez touch her, in anyway, but especially in violence, made something in me snap.

Five days have gone by since the video was posted and nothing. I haven't slept, I haven't eaten. All that is feeding me is envisioning killing that sick son of a bitch. There was a knock on my office door.

"Enter."

Tank stuck his head in. "Ric, a new video has been posted."

I stood and followed him into the conference room. Lester and Bobby were already in the room. I sat down and Bobby had wired the computer into the video screen on the wall.

I took a deep breath and looked at Bobby. "Go."

Suddenly, Babe's face was on the screen. She smiled weakly, but I could see new bruises on her face. She seemed to have on clean clothes and her hair was fixed. "Carlos, I want you to know that I'm doing okay. Tony has been getting me medical care. The baby is fine. I love you. Could you please do me a favor and have Lester watch Rex for me. I'd hate for you to ship him someplace I would hate." She smiled and the picture went black. Then Alverez came on the screen.

"Ric. See I'm not such a bad guy. I am really enjoying spending time with Stephanie. I am a little worried though. The doctor I am taking her to says she has a disease called preeclampsia. Just so you know she is a trooper. When she was told that there was a good chance that I might not even have to lift a finger, and they will both still wind up dead, she only cried for a couple of hours." I kept my eyes glued to the screen. "So Ric, I might just have a change of heart and send her back to you before the baby is born. That way you can at least have what I had. You can hold the hand of the woman you love as she dies in front of your eyes." The screen when black again and the video ended.

I turned to Lester, "What was all that about Rex?" He shook his head.

"I'm trying to figure that out myself. She must have told me something and is hoping I'll remember."

I stood and hit the table. "Damn it Santos pull your head out of your ass and think." In my mind, I knew that I had come to the end of my rope, but my body was acting on its own.

Suddenly Tank and Lester stood and took a hold of my arms. I struggled, but my physical strength was coming to an end. "Hold still Ric. This is for your own good." Tank had a tone in his voice that could only be described as sympathy. I felt a sting in my arm and I turned to see Bobby removing a syringe which he had just injected into me.

"You need to rest Ric. We will keep working, but we need you back with us, not like this." Bobby slid one of the desk chairs under me and I slid into it. Blackness was creeping into my vision. I was fighting it though. But I didn't have much of an arsenal left.

"I'll figure out what Steph was saying Ric. Just get some sleep." Lester sounded like he was talking in a long tunnel. Then all went black.

When I woke up, it was dark outside. The light on Babe's nightstand was on, and my eyes slowly focused. Setting in the room was Ella, my Mom and Stephanie's Mom, Helen. I took in the room quietly. My head ached slightly, but I felt better, at least I was rested.

"Carlitos." My mom crossed the room to me when she saw my eyes were open. "How are you feeling?"

I smiled weakly up at her. I hadn't told any of the family what was going on. I guess they knew now. "Better. How long have I been asleep?"

She ran her hand across my face. "About thirty six hours. Don't worry. The men have everything under control. You take a shower and meet us in the living room." She patted my hand and walked out of the room.

Ella took her place and kissed my forehead and followed my mother. Finally I was alone in the room with Helen Plum. I had never been alone in a room with her and this was not the circumstances in which to start.

"Ranger, or may I call you Carlos?" She stood and walked over to the side of my bed and sat next to me. I shifted so I was setting up and she looked deep into my eyes.

"Carlos is fine." I was worried she would want me to justify my actions and I had no justification except that I loved Babe and our child and I was just trying to keep them safe.

"Carlos, you know that I am not happy with the profession that my daughter has chosen. Part of that is because I have been jealous of the adventure in her life. I worry about her, but I also know that she will be able to say that she has lived. I understand why you kept this from us, but I want you to know that we are here for you. I am here for you. I can't do much, but I will do anything I can to get my daughter and grandchild back." She looked down and quickly wiped a tear away from her eyes. "I know how much she loves you, and I can see how much you love her. We are family. We will get through this together." She took my hand and squeezed it. "I am sorry for the way that I've treated you, and I promise," she smiled at me weakly, "well I'll do my best to keep my mother away from you."

I was in shock, but felt relief at the same time. I felt, for the first time, that not only did I have my men, but a whole family behind me. I had always tried to keep them out of what I did, as did Steph, but now they were pushing their way into what was going on whether we liked it or not.

"I'm sorry Helen. I will get them back. I will bring them home."

She placed her hand on my cheek, "I know you will. Now get yourself ready and meet us in the living room. There has been some progress."

I took a quick shower and dressed. When I entered the living room, the sight there almost made me think I was dreaming. Setting on the couch were my Father and Frank Plum. They were having a conversation and when I entered the room they both stood. My Dad pulled me into a hug and Frank shook my hand. My mother, Helen and Ella were in the kitchen. Setting around the dining room table was Tank, Lester, Bobby and Morelli. I walked over to the dining room table and Morelli put his hand out.

"Ranger, I'm here for whatever you need. We'll get her back. That is all that's important."

I nodded at him and looked to Tank. "Report."

"There has been no other contact from Alverez. The General called and stated that there was no progress on his end." I sighed. "But Santos had a revelation earlier today."

I looked to Lester and he was smiling. "I figured out what Steph was trying to tell me. When she and I first started working together after she came back from New Orleans, we were eating lunch at Pino's. She told me that if she kept eating that way, you were going to ship her off to a third world country. I asked her if there was somewhere she really wouldn't want so I could make sure it was top on your list. She just laughed and said, Mexico City. I think she's in Mexico City."

That made sense. Alverez had a lot of contacts in Mexico. He could blend in there, as the General said and Steph would feel isolated. If she did escape, she wouldn't know the language and would be easy to find.

"OK, wheels up in two hours. Tank, you make sure our weapons are ready. Lester you are in charge of our documentation and get a safe house set up through the General. Bobby, get what medical supplies you think we need. If possible, I want to bring her immediately back her, to her own doctor. Morelli, can you be in charge of making sure that security at the airport and hospital is in place for when we arrive." Everyone nodded and went off to perform their tasks. I then turned to the family.

"The new apartment is almost ready. Do you think that you could supervise the final stages and move our things over? I want to bring Steph home to there. A fresh start. Ella, you have all the numbers and Cal has been helping Tank with the building prep. Do what you need to do. I don't know if we should wait on the baby's room." I trailed off and my mother came to stand in front of me.

"Carlitos, you haven't told us if you and Stephanie have found out if the baby is a boy or a girl yet?" She was trying to be positive and I needed that at that moment.

I smiled weakly at each of them. "We are having a boy." Everyone embraced me in a hug and I was uncomfortable to say the least. I was getting my game face on and this was the last thing I needed. I broke from their grips, "We will keep you posted and we will be back as soon as possible." I turned then and left the apartment, heading straight for the elevator. When the doors open on five, Tank, Lester and Bobby were standing by the monitor station. I crossed to them, stopped and folded my arms across my chest.

"First of all, I understand why you did what you did. I was not functioning properly. But if you ever do it again, you will be asleep a hell of a lot longer than I was." They all looked down to the floor. I sighed, "Now let's go get my girl."

Stephanie POV

When we left the boat, it was dark. I had no idea where we were, but I figured it was Mexico somewhere. Alverez put me in the back of a SUV and kept me drugged most of the time. My head was killing me and I kept begging him not to give me anything else because I was afraid of what effects it would have on the baby. He really didn't seem to care. I took a few more blows to the face and after what appeared to be two days on the road, we arrived at a house out in the middle of a field. There were no trees and it was very hot, even for April. We had gone down a dirt road that must have been about three miles long. And even through my drug induced stupor, I knew that this would have nothing on the beach house I had last resided in.

I was placed in the basement, a windowless concrete block with a toilet and a sink on one end and a cot on the other. In the middle was a metal bar which secured the chain and shackle that Tony attached to my leg.
"Tomorrow I'm taking you to the doctor. From now, until further notice you are Mrs. Estephan when we are out of this house. Play along and you just might survive this." He smiled and I knew that he wanted to drag this sick game out for the maximum amount of pain he can inflict. He left me then, only returning to give me a bowl of soup and a piece of bread a few hours later. He didn't return again until the morning when he threw clothes at me and barked for me to look presentable. The mirror above the sink barely showed my reflection and I saw that while I was sleeping, he had put makeup on the sink and a hairbrush. I did the best I could and when he came back down I was setting on the cot waiting for him.

"Not too shabby Mrs. Estephan. Now remember what I said. Keep your mouth shut and just smile."

I got to set in the front seat this time and I saw the signs were all in Spanish. Then I saw a sign that said Mexico City. I immediately started to think of ways that I could communicate to Ranger about where I was. I knew that I would be making another video soon. I remembered a very silly conversation I had had with Lester months ago about never wanting to go to Mexico City. Hopefully I can figure out a way to remind him of that without tipping Tony off. I knew that Lester would be with Ranger when he watched the video.

We arrived at the hospital in Mexico City and I was escorted to an office on the fourth floor. Tony greeted the receptionist and she smiled at me warmly. I returned it the best I could and we sat down in the waiting room.

"You're doing great Sweetheart. Just keep it up and you and the munchkin will live to see another day." He whispered in my ear and then kissed me on the cheek before pulling back to smile at me. I gave him a forced smile in return and suddenly our "name" was being called and we were escorted back to an exam room.

Tony talked to the doctor and both of them would turn and looked at me sympathetically. The doctor did all the same tests that I had done in Trenton, and when the results came in, Tony looked at me. While the doctor was looking at me, he looked like the concerned husband. When the doctor left the room so I could change, his look changed to one of a satisfied grin.

"Well Steph, it seems like I have another option that just presented itself. Apparently your pregnancy isn't going so well. You'll be luck to survive it, let alone the baby. Especially in our living conditions. Oh decisions, decisions."

I couldn't help it, I started to cry and he put on his concerned mask again as we left the office and returned to the car. I cried silently all the way home and Tony became annoyed. When we reached the house, he drug me from the car and was screaming at me to shut up. My head spun and I saw black spots in my vision. I tried to take a deep breath, but I couldn't get one. He pulled me down the stairs and sat me on the cot.

"Shut up I said." He connected with my cheek again, but I was numb. I just sat there as he shackled me again and left the room. I felt defeated, the only chance I had now was to try to get Lester a message he could pass to Ranger.

The next day, I only saw Tony when he brought food. I had exhausted myself, searching for objects I could use as a weapon, but found none.

The following morning, Tony came down and told me to get ready for a video message. He wanted me to look well taken care of, and he told me what to say. He wanted me to convey to Ranger that I was doing fine. I think he was changing his approach. I dressed and made myself look as nice as possible. Tony sat me in front of the camera. I said what he had instructed, trying to stay calm, and not upset him. I added the clue for Lester as discreetly as I could, hoping that he wouldn't catch on. He then turned the camera off and left the room. Tony had become a man of few words. Not having to hear him was nice, but I felt like I had a ticking time bomb under the same roof as me.

The next few days pass in loneliness. I spent my time thinking about my life. How differently my life would have been if I had just settled for Joe. But that was the whole thing. I wanted to fly, I never wanted to settle. I would not have given up any of the time that I had spent with Ranger. I would not go back and change my life again even if I could. I talked to the baby, telling him about all of the people in his life. When I told him about his Daddy, I had my hand on my stomach and I actually felt the kick against my hand. He also got very excited when I told him about his three over protective "Uncles" and his flamboyant Auntie Lula.

I didn't have any contact with Tony during this time except for the two meals a day he brought me and each time he did; he never said anything, just laughed as he set down one tray of food and removed the empty tray. That was how I marked time. Six meals since the video was made. I was starting to give up hope that Lester would have been able to pick up on my clue.

I was just starting to fall asleep when the door flew open and Tony had a hold of my arms, forcefully dragging me from my cot. "What did you do?" He screamed at me and threw me to the floor. "I don't know how you did it exactly, but congratulations. Your death has just been put on the fast track."