Disclaimer: All the characters you recognize from the Stephanie Plum books belong to Janet Evanovich. The Inferna Angelus' on the other hand are solely mine as is the tiny terror tiger that rules them.


Chapter 29 – On The Prowl 2

It had become surprisingly warm and Terror and Silvio sat with their backs against the Washington Monument while Rev and Agony kept watch.

Angel, you're killing us here. How are Agony and I supposed to keep you safe if you put yourself on show?

Fuck off, Rev. I'm scanning the area every now and then. T was huffy and not in the mood to be antagonized. Her head hurt and the 24/7 nausea was getting worse by the hour. DuPuits sat in his office in the Pentagon and harassed his secretary. She was a single mom and scared of losing her job. She endured the harassment desperately thinking of providing for her daughter. What T wouldn't give to get her hands around DuPuits' neck. On another floor of the Pentagon, Ranger was about to enter the office of his handler. Keeping loose tabs on DuPuits, T concentrated on Ranger and the mind of the woman in front of him. He could have fucking told her that he had a female handler. Dammit! When Ranger left her office half an hour later, T felt like packing in her job and leaving for a nice, warm island somewhere in the Caribbean. Ranger and his handler had fucked each other, hard and plenty, in the past. The woman's thoughts were constantly returning to a naked, sweaty, grunting, groaning, moaning Ranger. That was so not what T needed. Standing up, she calmly walked to the next bin and threw up.

Fuck, Angelito, what`s wrong? Agony was next to her in a heartbeat.

Nothing. I'm just fed up with mankind. T thought while dry-heaving. When Agony tried to sooth her and stroked her back, she jerked away. Don't touch me! She snarled.

Shocked and a bit crushed, Agony stepped back and gave her room.

I'm sorry; I didn't mean to jump at you, Agony, forgive me. T felt dizzy as she made her way over to him.

Talk to me Angelito, he thought while gathering her in his arms. Rev had walked over to them, too. Something is wrong with you, Sweetie. I know it. I can feel it. The longer you keep silent, the more worried Rev and I get.

Not now, OK? Taking a deep breath she took the bottle of Blue that Rev offered her. Lester and Silvio stood a few feet away and watched them carefully. Let's get back to work. Keep Ranger away from me for a while, please.

Agony and Rev looked at each other, then at T and nodded. What the fuck had just happened? Before they could ponder about it, T lifted her hand. Something was happening.

"Williams? Garcia here," Ranger's handler said in a snippy tone into the phone. "Ranger was just here. He's still pissed about you pulling Snake away from Rangeman. You said it would be just for a week, max. Tell me he'll be back in time."

T quickly scribbled 'Williams à handler? Snake?' and pushed it to a puzzled Silvio.

"I told you it wasn't my decision, Garcia. He's one of the best trackers we have and his abilities were needed elsewhere." The man named Williams bit back.

"His ass is needed here, Williams. Get him back, NOW!" Garcia blustered into the phone.

"Listen to me, Garcia. You better behave or I'll tell the board about your extracurricular arrangements. Perhaps if you start paying for it, your worn out nympho cunt will get fucked again and I don't have to listen to your bitching."

Ranger's handler slammed the phone back into its cradle. She was fuming. T felt a new wave of nausea bubbling up in her. Taking a few deep breaths, she concentrated on the man named Williams. She had detected him just a few offices down from Garcia. Williams stood up and left his office.

T felt a nudge from Silvio. He had a picture of Williams on his screen with address, telephone numbers, cars licensed on his name and civil status. 'Save that and send a copy to Ranger,' she hastily scribbled.

"Sir," T saw Williams enter a large office with a man in his fifties behind a big mahogany desk. "Garcia is making problems because of Snake, sir. Can you confirm that he'll be back within the defined time frame? Apparently, he's needed at Rangeman."

"You know very well that I can't confirm anything. The operative, Snake, is needed for a black op and will be back when he's back."

'Superior of Williams, male, mid-fifty, gray buzz-cut?' Silvio instantly started to type away.

Williams was on his way back to his office when Buzz-cut grabbed his phone and dialed.

"General? My call is in regards to one of my operatives. . Snake. .Yes Sir, that's him. He's needed back at his company. . Rangeman. . Yes. ."

T desperately scanned the Pentagon hoping the General was within the building's confines.

"Correct, they were contracted from the FBI and DEA. . No, they are still in preparation. . Sir. . I understand, sir."

A second before they ended the call, T found the General at the opposite side of the building. He wasn't happy. He had called the Rangeman employee into action as a favor for a friend. They were in desperate need of a tracker for a FUBAR situation in Russia. It wasn't planned that this would make such waves. Taking the phone he dialed a well-known number.

"Yo."

"Ranger, this is General Henley. You're making a lot of noise."

"Sir?" T rolled her eyes at Ranger's response. For the life of her she'd never call anybody 'sir'.

"Listen. It was me who asked for Snake. His particular skill set was needed for this mission. I know that they have no chance to get in contact with him at the moment; but I will make sure that he comes back as soon as possible."

"Thank you, sir. We're running a bit tight and need him." Ranger answered.

T waited for the General's next move; but nothing happened. He sat at his desk and thought about the family gathering scheduled for the upcoming weekend and didn't waste another thought on Ranger, Snake or whoever the friend was that requested Snake. The General was a dead end. A hand on her knee made T open her eyes.

Ranger wants to know what he's supposed to do, Rev asked.

Vanish from the face of earth, T growled. The urge to throw up was simmering just under the surface.

Angel, what's wrong?

What if I say that I don't 'want' anymore, Rev? T had closed her eyes again 'cause she could feel the telltale prick of tears. She didn't know why she'd just said that to Rev. Perhaps it was the way he looked at her with loving concern.

What do you mean you don't 'want' anymore? Working tonight? We can go home. Fuck the whole situation; we can come back another night.

T snorted silently. No, it's ok, Rev. Tell Ranger I said he can go have fun with his handler. He's no longer needed until we meet at DuPuits'.

Rev frowned at her before taking the SAT phone back to his ear. A few seconds later, he put it away. He's on his way here, Angel. Also, he's sorry for whatever you may have overheard.

Three hours later, T and her team were scattered around the perimeter of the Army Navy Country Club. Zip and Zero had followed DuPuits, who was now strolling over the green, accompanied by three men who were obviously high up in the ranks.

OK guys, we need good shots of every one of those men. The moment you have one, you'll send it to Silvio. I listen in to their discussion. Silvio was silently sitting next to T in the Escalade and awaited his instructions. He'd long stopped wondering what exactly was going on between T and the rest of the crew. Soon enough the first picture appeared on his screen and he plunged into his search.

"Marshall is nervous," one of the men said. "He's asking questions."

"What kind of questions?" DuPuits asked.

"He wants to know why the moving orders Rangeman received were for shortly before the drug is distributable."

"What kind of answers does he get?" DuPuits again.

"That the decision was made at Langley due to the drug being offered as a biological warfare agent and decisions made at Langley are beyond question, as everybody knows."

"Good Jones. Keep an eye on him. Should his curiosity become a nuisance, we'll have to take action."

T's hand flew over her notebook. 'Marshall / Jones. Which bureau? What positions?' Silvio was still working on the first pictures while others were already arriving. 'Print me one picture of each man, Silvio, now.' Interrupting his other work, he chose four pictures and sent them to the little printer they'd taken with them. As soon as they came out, T wrote the names DuPuits and Jones on the backsides of the corresponding pics.

"Jarod," DuPuits turned to the tall, black man to his left. "How is the situation in your office?"

"Everything is calm. The decisions aren't mistrusted; Henry and Clark are happy that the CIA is in and the workload is dumped on Rangeman. They are strong believers in 'What you don't know won't hurt you'. I don't think we'll get any troubles from that side."

"Any news from the Department of Defense?" DuPuits obviously was in charge.

"Well, the consultant of the Minister of Defense still has this oh-so-naughty addiction that he just can't pry his hands away. I'm making sure he gets everything he needs." That was the third man who had been silent so far.

"What about the Minister's secretary?" DuPuits again.

"Martinez is taking care of her. She's so completely under his spell that she's telling him everything. He doesn't even have to ask," the man snorted.

"Martinez was a good catch. The moment I saw him at the Delta Force selection program I knew he'd be valuable for our cause." DuPuits turned to his right. "Jarod, any news from the surveillance of Rupert's secretary? Any special fondnesses? Known weaknesses? Money troubles or cases of illnesses within the family? Anything we can use to our advantage?"

"Her name is Ellen Baker. She's very loyal. Married. Two children; five grandchildren. No loans. So far everybody's healthy. I'm not sure how we could approach her."

"What about Fogger, DuPuits?" Jones asked.

"He'll be back in 2.5 weeks. Once he's stateside, he'll make contact and we'll meet."

"What happened to Williams?" the third man asked DuPuits.

"He had an accident."

That was met with silence. Nobody seemed troubled about that news.

"What about the IAs second in command?"

"Taken care of," DuPuits answered. "I'm waiting for the confirmation of her death."

T felt DuPuits' anger at the lack of communication from the assassin. He obviously wasn't aware yet that his assassin was long assassinated, T thought with a smirk.

The men continued through their golf game; but changed to unimportant small talk. T kept tabs on them while she looked down at her notebook.

DuPuits - which bureau? Located at Pentagon

Jones - DEA? Superior Marshall?

Jarod - Surename? FBI? What function? Superiors Henry and Clark? Surenames?

DoD - Who is the man in the Department of Defense? In close contact with Minister of Defense. Minister's consultant blackmailed. Who? Why? Drugs? Sex? Minister's secretary played by Martinez – active or former Delta Force? Part of grouping or just paid by DoD member of grouping?

Rupert, CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence - secretary Ellen Baker, surveyed by grouping for possible blackmailing

Williams - Accident! Who was he? Which bureau? Position?

She pushed the notebook over to Silvio who was totally preoccupied with his searches. Closing her eyes, T leaned back against her seat. She felt like they were about to open Pandora's box. Was it worth it? Not that they had a choice. Now that the stress was leaving her body, another wave of nausea was crashing over her and she barely managed to open the door of the Escalade and lean out before the dry-heaving began.

It was 04:40 when they all finally lugged themselves up the stairs to their bedrooms. The raid of DuPuits' secret computer room had been a full success. The alarm system had indeed changed; but Hector was right on top of it and brought them safely into the house. Then he proceeded to check on the planted bugs and to install some additional cameras that would show them any visitors coming and leaving. Meanwhile, Silvio worked wonders on the security systems of the computers and after two and a half hours he had the computers' hard drives copied on several portable hard drives he'd brought with him. At the same time, Ranger and Lester went through the paper files and made photos of them with the cameras they brought. When they left DuPuits' home and collected Agony, Rev, Zip and Zero from their surveillance points, no stone in the house was left unturned.

T felt deathly sick. As soon as she was in her bedroom, she rushed to the toilet to throw-up once more. Her arms and legs were trembling, her body ached, her head felt like splitting and the nausea was nearly unbearable. Somehow she maneuvered her body into the shower and the lukewarm spray instantly helped her to feel a bit better. She wanted to cry but she was too exhausted. It has never been as bad as today and it scared her. After she'd braided her damp hair in a lose ponytail and brushed her teeth, she took another long pull out of a fresh bottle of Blue. Crawling into her bed, she realized she was freezing. Her whole body was shaking with the chills; but her face and upper body were sweaty. Agony and Rev were already sleeping and she didn't want to wake them; but then the shaking got worse and the nausea came back full force. Breathing against the urge to become sick again, T grabbed her cell phone and opened a new email.


Healy, Alaska, 23:00 hours, Bobby's POV

Once more, I laid outside in my sleeping bag and watched the night sky. Technically there wasn't anything to watch tonight. It had become cloudy in the course of the evening and the temperature had dropped to 25°F. It was freezing but that didn't matter; the icy feeling kept me in the here and now. I had my Blackberry in the pocket of my hoodie and was hoping for an email from Esme.

The whole afternoon I had thought of her and how she was an enigma. Rubén had told me everything of her first ten years and it had broken my heart. What a good life I'd had in comparison to them both. I knew the scars on Rubén's body, every single one of them. The scars I had seen on Esme's body nearly a week ago had shaken me to the core. Many of them were similar, some even worse than Rubén's. What sick pervert had done that to her? Why didn't she let plastic surgeons take care of it? Not that they diminished her beauty. God, she's a beautiful woman. It was in her eyes, in her smile, in the way she moved and in the way she held her body with pride and self-assurance. Without my permission, my mind wandered to her naked breasts. She had beautiful breasts; but the right one was mangled and distorted by heavy scar tissue. If I should ever get hold of the sicko who did that to her, I swear I will kill him.

'When Grief brought me to the US, I was a mess. I had just survived hell; but as a result I was deaf and mute. I was afraid of the dark. I couldn't stand to be alone; but I also couldn't stand anyone else but Grief around me. I didn't know any English and could barely write in my mother tongue Portuguese.'

I had thought her scars were from an imprisonment in the course of her work for the Inferna Angelus; but her email sounded like it happened before she came to the US. She was twenty when I met her the first time and at that point she'd obviously been here for a while. What the fuck happened to her? She was so amazing. I couldn't even start to imagine how scary it had been for her to come here to this country. She must have been a teenager. Did she know Grief or was he a stranger to her? How did she manage to trust him? How had she learned our language being deaf-mute? How did she overcome her fears? How did she learn to trust people again? How did she manage to become such a carefree and positive person?

The questions circling in my mind made me dizzy.

I remembered that afternoon when Rubén and I cooked for her and she ran from us. The way she stood at the door later with Pain behind her, his hand on her shoulder. She looked so scared and lost. That afternoon something in me clicked and she became mine to take care after. It was in the way she trusted me and came with me. She was so scared; but she trusted me, me! What followed was one of the best afternoons of my life. Sure, we played with food. Something Rubén and I would normally never do; but seeing her losing her fear and enjoying herself was so worth it. Esme was laughing so hard she could barely breathe and man was her laughing infectious. The way the tears were running down her face and her body was contracting with her silent laughter.

Suddenly my face started to hurt and I realized I was smiling; broadly. Holding on to the picture of her literally rolling on the floor laughing with Rubén on top of her tickling her to the moon and back. I enjoyed the slight tugging I felt in my heart. It wasn't a hurtful tugging, on contrary. Watching them both had made my heart swell in my chest. I knew it was me who could bring them both out of the prisons their minds' tend to be sometimes. I wanted that back. I wanted them both back. But how? I felt so powerless; everything seemed insuperable.

Bowing to the coldness, I retreated to my room. How could I overcome my issues with Muerte? I thought while I stepped into the shower. Is Muerte actually the problem? I soaped up and stood under the hot spray wondering what my problem was exactly. Could I deal with Rubén and Esme becoming a couple and me being their friend? Was I angry with Esme for stealing my Rubén? No definitely not. For one, she hadn't stolen him – they were friends – and should it maybe happen one day, I swear I'll be happy for them. They had an understanding for each other I could never have. I envied Esme for being able to help Rubén where I couldn't. Was that the problem? That once more I was inadequate? The moment the thought of my inadequacy took form I felt a devastating despair crash over me. I had given everything for Rubén, had tried so hard to be enough for him, to help him, to get him to love me again; but even giving my best I wasn't enough, I wasn't worthy of his love. It was my childhood all over again. Without being able to stop it, my 6'3" frame sagged to the floor of the shower and I wept. There was so much hurt in me that suddenly it clawed at my heart. My sobs became more and more violent. That was it, right? All those years I gave my best; but my parents made me feel inadequate, not worthy of their love. Now, I'd given my best for Rubén but again I was inadequate, not worthy to be loved. It seemed my parents had been right all along and I'd been an idiot to think otherwise.

Hours later, the sound of a baby tiger roaring startled me out of a troubled sleep. One o'clock in the morning. What the fuck… The moment my brain got its bearings, my eyes shot open. That was the alarm for an email from Esme! Dazed I scrambled out of the bed and stumbled over to the table where I had left my Blackberry. Once back in bed I took a deep breath before opening the text.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To: Bobby
From: Esme
Date: May 19 2012, 05:11
Subject: I'm so scared

Dear Bobby,

I probably shouldn't write you an email each day. I'm probably annoying you; but I need someone to 'talk' to and you're safe. You are far away (I guess) and I can't see the judgment in your eyes. Also, the chance of you appearing on my doorstep with a club in your hand is more than unlikely. Have I said you are safe?

Seriously, the real reason is because I trust you. I like you a lot and while others easily evoke defiance in me, I've never had that feeling with you. This may sound stupid to your ears; but I hope you like me, too. I don't know. For some reason I feel insecure about that.

Anyway, the reason I'm writing is that right now I'm mortally scared and I hope that writing it down and sharing it with you will help me clear my mind. I think I'm ill. I constantly have a headache and I'm nauseated 24/7 and today I had to throw up several times. The scariest thing is that I've been running a constant fever for weeks. The others haven't noticed it cuz I'm always hot; but it's getting worse. Today Agony and Rev pressured me to tell them what's going on with me. They are sensing something is wrong. I'm scared that when I tell them, they'll bring me to a hospital. Bobby, I'm so scared of hospitals. What am I going to do? I know you can't understand my fears; but I just can't go there. It has something to do with Brazil and what happened there. I just can't; but everyday I'm feeling worse. Half an hour ago I had to dry-heave again and now I have the chills and at the same time, I'm sweating. What if they will keep me in the hospital? I wouldn't survive having to stay there. What if something is seriously wrong with me? I've never been ill in my whole life. I don't know how to deal with all this. I'm so scared, Bobby. If something is wrong with me it will scare Pain and he's ill himself. He needs to rest and not worry about the problems I'm always causing. It will scare Agony and Rev and they've already been through so much because of me. Then there's Furor, Rage, V and I don't want to scare them either because they are my family. I can't do that to them.

Please, don't feel like you have to answer cuz I'm not expecting that you will respond. I just needed to talk to someone and as I said, you are safe. I hope you are well and enjoying your time. Take good care of yourself.

Your slightly choked up friend who nevertheless sends you a smile,

Esme

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I couldn't believe it. Why the fuck was Rubén not with her? How many weeks, exactly? How could we not notice? Why did Carmen not notice anything? Oh Esme, why didn't you talk to me earlier? Fuck! And now I'm four-thousand miles away. How could she think that she's annoying me? My sweet darling angel – of course she didn't expect an answer. I bet she didn't expect anybody ever doing anything for her. Fuck! All those motherfuckers who had hurt her in the past; who had given her the feeling she's worthless. I could kill them.

I felt pure, undiluted anger coursing through my veins and I wanted nothing more than to pull Esme into my arms and hold her tight. She surely would start to cry, she tended to do that, and I would hold her until she was finished. Then, I'd dry her tears and we'd plan out how to deal with the situation. I needed to do the best I could from the distance. The way the email was written – she sounded like a small child. Rubén had been right; whatever happened in Brazil, she was severely traumatized.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To: Esme
From: Bobby
Date: May 19 2012, 02:37
Subject: I'm here for you

My brave Esme,

have I ever told you how much in awe I am of you? Obviously not 'cause otherwise you wouldn't have all those doubts in you.

1: You are not now or ever annoying me. Your emails mean so much to me. Please send them whenever you want, several per day. You even have your own alarm-tone. It's the roaring of a little baby tiger. It makes me think of you in a very, very positive way.

2: I will always be safe for you; whether I'm thousands of miles away or standing right in front of you. You will never find any judgment in me and surely I'll never appear with a club in my hand on your doorstep. Well, I might; but only because there'd be a bad guy threatening you. Esme, my sweetheart, whatever troubles you I'll always be there for you! Never, ever doubt that.

3: You don't know what it means to me to read that you still trust me - after everything I've done (abandoning you and so on). You don't sound stupid when you tell me that you like me. I love hearing that from you. I like you, too. More than that – I love you as one of the best friends I've ever had in my whole life. Right now, I wish nothing more than to be with you, holding you in my arms and consoling you while you struggle.

Which leads me to your scare.

The only way to conquer your fear of having a serious illness is to visit a doctor and get answers. Honestly, I could live with the headaches and nausea. Considering the amount of work you pack away, the lack of sleep and nutrition, it's understandable that your body is sounding an all bells alarm. Esme, the fever and repeated throwing-up is what has me alarmed. Fever is always revealing of something majorly wrong and due to the throwing-up your body loses fluid. When it becomes too much for your body to handle, your arms and legs start to shake and you feel weak and dizzy. Should that happen, you'll need an IV with fluid to replenish what your body needs to function properly.

Please, please, Esme, I beg of you to go see a doctor. You mean too much to me and it hurts me to hear you are suffering. The hospital may keep you there for observation; but your brothers won't leave your side and I'm pretty sure half of Rangeman will be there, too. Remember Princeton?

Sweetheart, I promise you from the bottom of my heart, we will discuss what the doctors find and make plans on how to deal with it should it come to that point. I'll be at your side every step of the way. No discussions! I will be with you through this. You have my word.

Esme, your family is already worried. Every day that passes without them knowing what is wrong, causes them to become more upset. Talk to them. They love you more than anything else in the world. The moment you have a diagnosis, they'll be able to make plans. Believe me, as a man, when I say they'll feel so much better when they know the enemy and can plan a strategy to defeat him.

BUT, so far we don't know whether something is seriously wrong at all. Perhaps you suffer through all this fear for something perfectly harmless that can be treated with some pills, sleep and regular food… wouldn't it be nice to know that?

Please talk to someone, Sweetheart. I can call Agony or Rev for you and explain your fears to them from a medical standpoint. Also, I can just as easily come home to be at your side, will you tell me please? I admit it feels good to be away from everything for a while; but right now you are more important to me than anything else in my life. I can be on the next plane home to you. Please Sweetheart, be honest with me and tell me what you want.

BTW, I am in Healy, Alaska right at the Denali National State Park. It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, Esme. I hope that one day you will allow me to bring you here. I'm sure you'd love it.

Please email me soon and let me know what you decide.

Love from your friend who just realized how much he misses you,

Bobby


T looked shocked at the display of her smartphone. Bobby had answered. Suddenly, the world started to tilt over. T stumbled out of her bed to get to Agony and Rev; but fell down on her knees. The room was spinning around her and a new attack of dry-heaves wracked her body right on the floor next to her bed. Somehow she managed to call up Rev's contact details and touched the connect button. Within half a minute Agony and Rev rushed into the room.

"SHIT!" Agony pulled her up and quickly carried her into the bathroom where he sat her down next to the toilet and held her as she continued to be sick. When T was finally finished, he helped her up; but she was no longer able to carry herself.

"Rev," he called out, "I need you man." Immediately Rev appeared in the doorway. He had cleaned up the little sick that was on the floor. "Can you hold her upright while I help her to clean up?" Agony asked him.

"Of course." With two long strides he was next to them. "Hey Angel. Don't be scared, do you hear me? Everything will be fine." He signed to her before he gently pulled her into his arms and held her body weight while Agony washed her face and helped her brush her teeth. Afterward, they brought her downstairs in their bedroom and placed her between them on the bed.

"Angelito, mi querida, please talk to us." Agony begged. He was long passed worried. Seeing his little angel suffer was killing him.

T no longer had the strength to lift her arms to sign so she simply pushed her cell phone over to him.

"What Angelito? You want me to look at that?" Agony questioned her.

T nodded.

Agony helplessly looked at the phone. The last action had been calling Rev's number. Suddenly, he felt T's hand on his stomach. She was writing something. Agony concentrated. 'Email'

Within seconds, he had opened the inbox of her email-program. An email from Bobby was at the top.

"You want me to read Bobby's email?"

T nodded again but the movement was barely perceptible. Exhaustion was pulling her under and she felt the darkness rapidly closing in on her. Through the fog in her mind, she was aware of Agony reading the email and getting pale before she thankfully welcomed the darkness and went limp in Rev's arms.

"Fuck!" Agony cussed.

"What's wrong man?"

Instead of answering, Agony signed his partner to be still. He had T's cell on his ear and apparently waited for someone to answer. "V man, we have an emergency with T. Where are you? Good, we'll meet you at the bay to the Emergency Room in thirty."

Rev was already out of bed and putting on clothes. "I'll wake up Ranger and tell him what's happening."

Within seconds, Agony was dressed and pulled one of his hoodies over T's limp form. From the bench at the end of their bed, he took a snugly blanket and gently wrapped her up in it. Just when he came down the stairs with T cradled against his chest, Rev emerged from the nearest guest room with Ranger hot on his heels. Ranger looked worried as he saw T limp in Agony's arms and vanished in the other guest room.

"Come on, let's go. Ranger will wake up his men and they'll meet up with us at the ER.