Chapter 28

Durrer scribbled down the information about Dr James. "We're almost done with Orr. He's willing to give everyone up for full immunity. I hate to give that prick anything, but it might be all we've got. Can you come down here later? We'll discuss a game plan," Durrer told him.

"We'll be there." Ranger disconnected. It didn't come as a surprise to anyone that the little weasel would roll over on his partners. Anyone who was capable of doing what he did to Stephanie only had loyalty to himself. It didn't matter if Orr got to skate. Ranger would make sure he would get what was coming to him after Stephanie was back safe and sound.

A guard that Stephanie had never seen before came to escort her to one of the bathrooms upstairs. She hadn't been able to shower since she had been abducted. Not only did she feel gross and her hair matted with her own blood, but she was now covered in Dan's blood, too. He supported her by the arm…none too gently…as she hobbled up the stairs. It was a very small bathroom…pedestal sink, toilet, and shower stall. Towels and clean clothes had been set out for her on the small wicker shelf. The man nodded and closed the door behind him. She spied a new toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant on the sink as well. They provided her with a simple pair of light blue terry-cloth, drawstring pants, a white tank top, and matching terry-cloth zip jacket. They also left plain white cotton panties but no bra. She guessed it didn't matter. At least they were clean and comfortable clothes. Glancing nervously back at the door, she didn't see a lock. She hated the idea of being naked and vulnerable in the shower, but needed one desperately. Sighing and rubbed her face in her hands, she caved and began to undress.

The shower felt heavenly. The water washed away the horror from the night before. In all the movies she had seen, still could not have prepared her to see a person's head explode like that. If he hadn't been trying to help her, they wouldn't have killed him. Shit. Everything she got involved in just turned to shit. Why would Ranger want to be stuck with someone like her? She wished she could just go back to her own apartment, bury herself under the covers, and sleep her life away. Okay, she mentally yelled at herself again, enough with the pity party. You have to keep it together and figure a way out of here yourself. No one is coming for you. The twins are depending on you. So, snap out of it! Hmm? Maybe if she showed them she was cooperating, they would let her outside? If she could get her hands on that phone, she could call for help. She still didn't know where she was. But, if she was able to stay on the phone long enough, Ranger could get a location on her. That, or she could just call 911. They might be able to use the GPS on the phone to find her. She at least had to try. The water began to cool. She finished rinsing away the last of the soap and turned off the faucet. After wringing the excess from her hair, she pulled the curtain open to reach for a towel. It was then she saw Khalid. The towels were on the floor by his feet. Her brain must have taken a temporary leave of absence because it suddenly hit her what he was doing.

Khalid sat on the toilet with his pants undone. He was slowly stroking himself while his eyes violated her body. Stephanie snapped to attention and covered herself with the shower curtain. It was fairly transparent, but still gave her some sense of dignity and protection. "Get out!" His lips just turned up in an evil sneer as he continued to pleasure himself. He closed his eyes as his body jerked. Grunting, he relieved himself on her towel. Now with a satisfied smile, he rose without tucking himself back in his pants and sauntered over to her. She backed up till she hit the corner of the shower. He tore the curtain from her body and off the rod. He pressed his body up against hers, feeling him on her hip. The tears poured down her face as she let out of sob.

"I can't fuck you yet, Stephanie," he hissed. "But, once they take those brats, I'm gonna have a good time with you." He grabbed her hair and jerked back her head to look her in the eye. "Count on it." With his other hand, he painfully squeezed her right breast till she cried out in pain. He ran his tongue along the side of her face before letting go. He smiled again as he stepped back and zipped up his pants. "Get dressed. You have 10 minutes to finish up here. Otherwise, I'll drag you back to your room the way you are." His eyes disturbingly scanned her body one last time before closing the door behind him.

Stephanie picked up a corner of the defiled towel and tossed it aside. She quickly dried off with the smaller towel as fast as her shaking hands would allow. She pulled the tank over her head and jammed her legs into the panties and pants. She had a hard time tying the drawstring and brushing her teeth because she couldn't stop trembling. She swiped the deodorant under her arms and put on the jacket. Using the same towel, she dried off her hair. Her mind raced. She was shocked, horrified, terrified, and angered all at the same time. She felt totally violated. Her tender breast throbbed. She pulled back the jacket and tank to exam herself. Angry red marks that looked like fingers would probably turn to a bruise in a little while. It was starting to sink in that Khalid truly intended to rape her. That thought frightened her…and pissed her off at the same time. She had always held the belief that someone would have to rape her dead body. Because as long as she had breath in her body, she would fight him to the death. But now what? They made their plans clear that they wanted to sell all three of them. But, could she take six months of this torture? Only to never have her children anyway? This was worse than the time MacGregor kidnapped her. Despite that fact that she was drugged most of the time, it was just her. She wasn't alone now. It was like a nightmare that she couldn't wake up from…and, she was wide awake for every moment of it. She had to figure a way to get to that phone. But how?

Although it was against his better judgment, Ranger agreed to let Frank join the meeting set up with the FBI that evening. Stephanie's disappearance was tearing him apart, so he could only imagine what it was doing to her father. Ranger, Raoul, Frank, and his core team, along with Morelli and Chief Juniak filed into a huge conference room down at the FBI office. Dickie Orr sat with his attorney at one end of the long table. He stiffened then whispered something to his attorney when he saw Frank Plum, his ex-father-in-law. Ranger noticed that Morelli kept his distance from Orr as well.

"Okay," Durrer began, "as most of you already know, Mr. Orr has agreed to fully cooperate with this investigation. He has given us crucial information into this world wide operation in human trafficking. Mr. Orr's part has been to set up meetings for potential clients looking to purchase black market babies." Ranger could feel the weight of Tank's stare to gauge his self control. He met Tank's stare to show that he was in control. Now was not the time to lose his temper. Now was the time to do whatever he had to do to get Stephanie back. He thought back to when he told Stephanie that she had to do whatever it takes to protect herself and the baby. Now, it was his turn. "Mr. Orr also took care of reimbursements to local professionals for their services, as well as handling birth certificates and passports. Loethar Henried, AKA Leonard Hanson, AKA Lars Hedrickson, whose real name is still unknown, is one of the main players in this ring. He handles the recruiting of the women for sale as well as the pregnant women. There are others that get directly involved in selling the woman as sex slaves. We're going to work the baby angle. The people looking for babies are very wealthy, unable or unwilling to have children on their own. Because of the price tag, sometimes they obtain women with similar ethnic backgrounds and match them with a male counterpart to create a custom baby. This way, it's difficult to tell that they adopted…well purchased…their baby. Mr. Orr insists he knew nothing of what happened to the mothers after they gave birth. It wasn't until the Summers' girl's body was found that he was aware."

"Why didn't you report it?" Chief Juniak demanded. Dickie smirked.

"Oh yeah…right! And what was I going to tell you? Oh…the people I am in association with killed the girl whose baby they were going to sell? Were you sniffing glue? Lucky for them that doctor was able to switch the dead baby for a live one." He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Then…that dumb cunt ex-wife of mine confronts me with that account….." Ranger felt Tank's hand firmly on his shoulder. But, no one was holding down Frank Plum. He lunged for Dickie.

"You sorry excuse for a man!" Morelli and Lester grabbed him before Frank could get his hands around Dickie's neck. "I should have taken care of you a long time ago for what you did to my Stephanie!"

"Get this loser out of here!" Dickie demanded. Ranger put his arm around Frank and walked him out.

"I want to kill him, too. But, we need him to help Stephanie right now," Ranger calmly explained. "Don't worry, Frank. That piece of shit will get his when this is all over." Frank nodded.

"I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have come. I don't want to interfere," Frank apologized. Raoul joined them in the hallway.

"Everything okay, Carlos?" Ranger nodded. Frank sighed.

"I'm going to wait out here," he decided. "You can fill me in. I know this is about my baby, but I can't stand to look at that sorry son of a bitch. I'll just be a distraction." Ranger smirked. That son of a bitch didn't know just how sorry he was going to be when this was over.

Ranger and Raoul returned to their seats. Dickie gave Ranger a smug look. But, it was Dickie who nervously looked away after getting Ranger's death glare in return. "Okay," Durrer continued. "We've also been told that he's preparing to open another shop, but its whereabouts is unknown. There is a mansion somewhere that houses the girls…nicknamed the Stable. We're assuming that Miss Plum was taken there."

"Do you know how to get in touch with him?" Morelli asked Dickie. Dickie looked to Durrer.

"Part of the deal is for Mr. Orr to assist us with making contact with Henried. He already has meetings set up with a few of his clients to talk to Henried about purchasing babies. I have copies of the files on these couples. There is a meeting in 2 weeks…"

"2 weeks?" Ranger interrupted incredulously. "That's too far away. Can you get the meeting moved up?"

"Can you fry a banana?" Dickie taunted. "Of course I can try…but don't you think it will look suspicious? I thought you were supposed to be this smart security man, Manoso. You're just as stupid as my ex!"

"Mr. Orr, we would appreciate you keeping the personal attacks to yourself. And, remember that your freedom is also based on the outcome of this investigation." Durrer walked around the table and stopped right in front of him. "So, let's be clear. You help us to find Stephanie Plum and take down this ring, and you will walk. But, if you do anything to hinder this investigation, not only are you on your own, but you will have some very powerful enemies on both sides. And…I'll charge you for interfering with a Federal investigation in addition to everything else."

"I think we are all on the same page. You will have Mr. Orr's full cooperation," his attorney told them. Durrer nodded.

"Good. You said the earliest appointment you had was the couple from Canada. But, what about this couple? Their appointment is in a week." Durrer thumbed through the file.

"Well, they are a very…uh…special couple. The woman…if you want to call it that…can't have children. It's a post op transsexual. They're from Spain. The man is from Germany, but it's from Columbia. They can't seem to adopt through the normal channels. Probably because they're freaks." Ranger closed his eyes and sighed. They all laughed at Lester for dressing in drag. Ranger swore he would never do it himself. But, he would do anything for Stephanie. He knew he could never go in there posing as the husband. He wasn't sure how much information Henried had on him. He could go in there in drag, and not compromise the mission.

"We'll go in undercover," Ranger told them. "I'll pose as the wife. I want to be the one to go in, but we can't risk me being recognized." Tank gave him a sideways glance. "If this doesn't work, we can have another team pose as the next couple. How does this meeting work?"

"Uh…the couple gets interviewed to find out what they're looking for. What their time frame is. Boy or girl…that sort of thing. Their background and financial checks were already done by me. Sometimes, he shows pictures of what he's got in the stable. But, most times, the couples want to meet the mother in person. Since these people are paying anywhere from 150k on up, he tries to be accommodating," Dickie explained.

"Do you attend this meeting?" Tank asked. Dickie shrugged.

"Rarely. I don't think it would be a good idea for me to be included in this meeting," Dickie suggested. "I don't think it would go over too well if that duh…uh…if she sees me." That would definitely be an understatement. Morelli looked through the file.

"Can you try to push up the meeting? I mean, these people run a porn empire. Can't you say that they had to move up their trip and were wondering if he could meet them sooner? Act like it's no big deal. If not, they'll keep the appointment they already have. It doesn't hurt to try," Morelli offered. All eyes focused on Orr.

"Well….I suppose I could try that. I have had to change around appointments in the past, so he might not get suspicious," Dickie finally agreed. "I'll just ask if he has anything sooner. If I ask for a certain day, he will think something's going on."

"We'll need the flight information on this couple in case we have to detain them," Dani said. The meeting adjourned, and the agents took Dickie back to his cell. "We've got surveillance on Dr James. I don't think bringing her in would the smart thing to do right now. We don't want to tip them off that we're on to them." Morelli agreed.

"So," Morelli began, "what's the next step?"

"I think everyone needs to take the night off," Ranger told them. "Get some rest. We'll start fresh with working on the game plan in the morning. The Feds will have Orr call to try to reschedule. Once we have the exact date, time, and location, we can finalize everything. Till then, we have to work on our cover."

Ranger headed straight to his office upon returning to Rangeman. He wanted to study the file in depth. Raoul and Tank followed him. "You're actually going to dress up as a woman?" Tank asked.

"I'd actually have a sex change if I thoughtit would bring Stephanie back to me," Ranger responded without even looking up from the file. "Durrer might have someone to use for the husband. I'm not sure which of you have been seen. I'm thinking that we could bring Mac down here. He's fair skinned and has blue eyes like this guy. And, he's half German. He'll let me know by morning." Ella appeared in the door. The men looked up.

"I'm sorry to interrupt. I have dinner here. Would you like me to set it up in the break room?" Ranger was just about to decline, but Raoul took charge.

"We'll eat in here, Ella, if you don't mind." Ranger raised an eyebrow. "Don't make me call Mama." Ranger groaned, but accepted his dinner plate from Ella. "Besides, I've seen Stephanie in action. She's got one helluva mean left hook. She wouldn't be too happy with us if we weren't looking out for you." Tank snorted as he took his tray. Raoul placed his on the other corner of the desk.

"Can I get anyone anything else?" Ella asked. Ranger noticed for the first time how drawn she looked with bags under her eyes. He had been so wrapped up in his own misery that he temporarily forgot how Ella regarded Stephanie like her own daughter. Ella had also been working non-stop trying to take care of all of them. And, seeing him drowned his sorrows with a bottle the night before probably didn't make it any easier for her.

"No thank you, Ella. Why don't you call it an early night? You've been working as hard as the rest of us," Ranger suggested.

"I just can't sit by and do nothing. It's easier to keep busy. I'll just take Ivy out…."

"We've got that part covered," Zip interrupted. "For those of us stuck on monitor duty, it gives us a way to do something for Steph." Ella's eyes welled.

"S-sorry," she cried. "I can't help it. What if she's been sick again? Is she able to keep anything down? Are they treating her okay?" Ranger jumped up to comfort her, but Raoul was quicker.

"It's alright, Ella. We're all thinking the same thing. We just have to think positive. Everyone is doing everything they can," Raoul explained.

"We've got some good leads today. We hope to find her and bring her back home soon. You'll be making her chocolate cake again before you know it," Ranger added. Raoul walked Ella up to 6. Ranger flopped back into his chair. "They just better hope they are treating her well, Tank. We're used to taking people out…not bringing people in. If Stephanie is hurt, I have no problem being judge, jury, and executioner." Tank nodded while swallowing what was in his mouth.

"I'm right behind you, Carlos." Again, Ranger raised an eyebrow.

"What's with you calling me, Carlos, all of a sudden?" Tank smirked.

"Because that's who I see now." He took a drink from the bottle of water. "It's been a long time since you let him come out and play. Shit, I might not have changed my name, but after all the deprogramming and getting back to normal life after the Army, I became Pierre again. The Army has a way of fucking with who you really are. They want us to be machines. We're not machines, we're ordinary people. Well, not ordinary…we can still kick ass and take names." Ranger sighed.

"So…I can't call you, Pierre? Even when you call me, Carlos?" Tank chuckled.

"Not if you want to live."

He watched as a faceless man took her from behind as she cried for his help. He had been contained somehow and couldn't move. The rage inside began to build as he struggled against the unseen restraints. Listening to her call his name tore at his heart. When the man was finished, he repeatedly kicked her. She tried unsuccessfully to fend off the blows with her arms. Her cries turned to whimpers…begging her assailant for mercy. By the time Ranger was able to free himself, she was curled up in a ball, writhing in pain as blood gushed from between her legs. He covered her with a blanket, and tried to pick her up when a tiny dead baby fell on the floor.

Once again, Ranger woke with a start and covered in sweat. Another fucking bad dream. He decided to sleep in the apartment again that night, but on the couch. He just couldn't sleep in their bed. Not without Stephanie in it. This dream was just as bad as the last one. He dreamt that Stephanie was beaten and raped till she lost the babies. Christ! The unknown was driving him crazy. He sat on the edge of the couch with his face buried into his hands. This time he couldn't hold them back anymore. A few tears rolled down his face. The bottle of Mescal came to mind. No, he couldn't do that. What if she tried to call him again? He needed to be one hundred percent for her. He was not going to fail her again. He got up and grabbed a bottle of water.

The anxious rush that had flooded his body was raging. Fuck it. He needed to walk around. He was unable to sit still. He downed the rest of the water, washed his face, and got dressed. He began to head for the door but stopped when an idea came to mind. He removed the engagement ring from its black velvet box. He picked up the pink tourmaline heart pendant from the coffee table and went back to the closet. He didn't wear much jewelry, but he did have a thin gold chain. He looped the chain through the bail on the pendant and through the ring. He clasped the chain behind his neck and tucked it into his shirt. It was kind of stupid, but they were hers. He wanted to be closer to her, and this was the only way he could think of to do it. He checked in on 5. Ivy had been sleeping under Stephanie's desk but appeared to have sensed his presence. That's when he noticed the Swear Jar on Val's desk. It had been taped and glued back together…and not very well either. It was stuffed with bills and change. He sighed. They could deal with that stupid thing after he got Stephanie back. Ivy dutifully followed him around office. Ranger went to the garage next. The #2 mobile sat between his Porsche and his truck. Despite everything that had happened, he still hated looking at that piece of shit. But somehow, he couldn't bring himself to get rid of it. Not yet anyway. The damage to the Porsche wasn't all that bad. Once it was repaired, no one would be able to tell it was hit. He didn't know why, but he found himself getting behind the wheel of the #2 mobile. What the hell was that smell? Christ! How could she stand it? In spite of it all, he felt close to her. Surprisingly, an hour flew by. He slid out of the car and closed the door behind him. A small chunk of rust broke off and disintegrated on the cement. He sighed and turned towards the elevator. Stealing one last look at the cars, Ranger headed back upstairs. Raoul was right about one thing. Having someone to come home to made all the difference in the world. His building, his office, his apartment, his vehicles meant nothing to him without Stephanie there.

Stephanie felt like she was floating in a raft on the choppy seas. Seasickness overwhelmed her. Please make it stop, she groaned. She became aware that she was slowly coming out of a deep sleep. The morning sickness had once again returned. Scrambling across the room on hands and knees, she flipped open the camping toilet and emptied her stomach. After a few minutes, she sensed that she wasn't alone. It was Khalid. "This time, I'll give you the choice," he told her flatly. "Do you want the shot…or the suppository?" She turned to look up at the stone like face. There was no way in hell she would pick the suppository. She knew he would be the one to insert it. She wasn't exactly a fan of the shot either. Not only did it hurt and burn for a while, but she would have to drop her pants to get it. The shot was the lesser of the two evils.

"I'll be okay. I don't think I…."

"The shot…or the suppository, Stephanie," he taunted.

"Shot," she whispered. He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her to her feet. She untied the drawstring and exposed as little as possible. She felt the cool alcohol swab against her skin. She slowly let out her breath as she prepared herself, but hissed as she felt the sting of the needle. He slid his hand down into her pants, squeezed and massaged her cheek, while he injected the Phenergan. Stephanie tensed, making the shot more uncomfortable, but trying to not move at the same time. She was afraid that the needle would break and get stuck inside her. As soon as he removed the needle, she pulled away from his grasp and retied her pants.

"Now that wasn't so bad now…was it?" He took a step towards her. Backing away, she lost her balance and fell on her butt. She wasn't able to put full pressure on her ankle yet. "You're afraid of me. That's good. You should be." He gave that evil sneer before he gathered the items and returned them to the med kit. "I'll have someone bring you breakfast in a little while. We'll give that medicine time to work. Maybe by then, you'll be a little more…friendly." Stephanie didn't move until he left. She rubbed the burning pain as she climbed back onto her cot. She never thought she would miss her morning routine with Ranger. She missed how he took care of her, made her tea, just all and all provided her comfort. She loved Ranger and wanted to be with him. The fact that he thought of her as just another obligation was heartbreaking. But, she still loved him, and would give anything to be with him. How pathetic was that? She was willing to beg a man, who felt like he was stuck with her, to take her back because she loved him. She wanted to cry, but nothing would fall. Trying to fight the sleepiness was a losing battle. She decided she would try to get outside when she woke up, and try to get her hands on that cell phone.