Chapter 20

I was surprised when we left the hotel and walked down the street. I had been assuming that we'd eat at the hotel. Imagine my delight when we walked into an Italian restaurant where the smells were pure heaven.

We were shown to a table for two at the back of the restaurant and left with two menus. I found it so hard to decide on what I wanted, did I go for cannelloni, lasagne or even carbonara. In the end I chose ziti because it wasn't a dish I usually chose, and I didn't want to be comparing my meal with one I could buy at Pinos.

Of course, Ranger chose a salad with some sort of baked fish and water for both of us. I wasn't really in a talkative mood so was looking around at the surroundings thinking how up market it seemed to be. I was surprised when an older woman brought a carafe of water and glasses and began to talk to Ranger.
"It's so nice to see you Mr Manoso, normally you book your table in advance"
"An unexpected trip Bianca"
"Will you be in the city for long?"
"I don't think so"
"I'm glad we could accommodate you. Enjoy your meal"

The conversation piqued my interest, maybe too much, because I was wondering if Ranger brought other women here seeing as they recognized him. Ranger being Ranger obviously decided to fill me in before my imagination ran away with me.
"I usually have to be here in Washington before I start a job so stay at the hotel we're in and come here to eat"
"A job, you mean when you disappear for weeks or even months?"
"Yes. Don't worry I'm not here for that, though I do have a meeting in the morning that I have to go to"
"I, err, haven't even thought about getting back to Trenton, Jack only provided a one-way ticket"
"I've arranged for us to head back tomorrow evening. Maybe you could do some sightseeing in the morning"
"I could do that. Where would you suggest?"
"If you walk in the other direction from the hotel there are some galleries, museums and parks"
"When you will get back?"
"Lunchtime, I thought maybe we could visit Smithsonian National Zoological Park in the afternoon"

I nodded my head at the suggestion he'd made, it sounded like I had a plan for tomorrow. I enjoyed the meal I'd ordered, it tasted delicious and was probably just what I needed. The problem that I had was not being able to finish everything on my plate. I saw as Ranger looked over at it and I expected him to ask if I was ill or something. The comment he did make made me smile.

"Are you saving room for dessert?"

"Much as I would like to say yes, I'm totally full"

"Do you want to take something for later?"
Now that was a brilliant idea, so I looked through the menu again.

I'd enjoyed the interlude of being out for dinner with Ranger. It gave me a chance not to think. As we walked back to the hotel his questions circled to my experience with Sarah.

"How did you know the girls were there against their will?"
"The surveillance cameras around the building and the fact that they had to stay in sight. Sarah told me another girl had tried to escape but they killed her. Used her as an example to the others"
'What happened to Sarah?"
"I gave her 45 minutes to get away. She had money from Conrad and said she knew someone who could help her"

"Conrad?"
"Jack's client"

"Babe, how old were the girls?"

"13 to 16, which was why I couldn't walk away"

"I understand Babe, I would feel the same. How was Conrad involved?"
"Jack's client. Sarah had videos of him with her so threatened to send them to his wife"

I stopped as I started to think about what Conrad was and turned to Ranger.

"I'm glad Jack fired me because to be honest I think I would despise some of his clients. That man deserved to be found out for exploiting that girl"
"I know Babe. When I found out you were working for Jack, I had my concerns, only through rumors though"

I started to walk again with Ranger's arm over my shoulder. I suppose I hadn't had a chance to talk to him about what I was going to do when Jack first offered me a job, he hadn't been there. We hadn't really talked about it after Jinski had been killed and the whole episode with Briggs had sidetracked us. Ranger hadn't been around when Jack had called about this latest job, so again I had left without really thinking it through.

I felt calm as we entered the hotel suite and opened the fridge to put my Tiramisu inside. I'd totally lost track of the time today, the sleep this afternoon hadn't really helped so I was surprised that it was nearly 11pm. I felt tired but wasn't too sure what to do. I didn't know if Ranger was intending to stay with me or if he had booked a separate room.

Without saying anything I went into the bedroom and collected some shorts and a top from the bag. In the bathroom I started to wash my face and used the complimentary toothbrush and paste. It was then that I noticed a bag on the shelf so taking a look inside found shaving things, a toothbrush and Bulgari shower gel.

Seeing those here made me realize that Ranger was probably staying here. I changed and pulled on the robe at the back of the door before going back into the bedroom. Ranger was sat on the edge of the bed and looked up at me as I came through the door. The calmness left me, and I didn't know why, I'd never felt nervous with Ranger before. He must have known how I was feeling, maybe the robe tightly wrapped around me gave me away. He stood up and walked to me, kissing me lightly on the forehead.

"I'll sleep next door on the couch"

"Ranger"

I couldn't speak and I certainly couldn't explain how I was feeling. I wasn't sure I knew myself, unless it was the idea of having a man beside me in the bed. What if I froze if another man touched me or tried to make love to me or worse still, what if the man was disgusted with me and what had happened to me? If it was that, then I was more than a little pissed off at Jack.

"I don't"
He pressed his finger against my lips to stop me talking.

"I understand, we'll figure it out"

He used the bathroom before disappearing into the lounge, closing the door behind him. I was trying to remember if the couch was long enough for him and gave up. Ranger had always said he could sleep anywhere. Once settled in the bed with the sheets pulled up to my chin, I lay on my back staring up at the ceiling. No matter what position I lay in sleep eluded me, every time I closed my eyes, I would see Jack hovering above me and the feel of being pinned down by his body. I didn't want to sleep if that was going to happen, I couldn't relive it in my dreams.

I switched on the bedside light to see if that made any difference almost crying in despair that it didn't. I was annoyed, annoyed that Jack still had the power over me, to be able to make me feel so frightened. I got up from bed and paced several times across the room until I knew in my heart what I needed to do, I needed to shed the emotion I was feeling and there was only one person who could help me to do that.

I quietly opened the bedroom door and as carefully as I could, crept across the carpeted floor toward the couch. I was wrong about the couch, it opened out into a bed, and laid there was Ranger looking up at me. He held out his hand to me and as I crawled onto the bed, he turned so he was holding my back against his front. As his hands came around me, I held them tightly against my stomach, trying to find the words I wanted to say.

"I'm sorry"
"Why are you sorry?"
"I let you down"

"Did you ask someone to hurt you?"
"No"

"Did you fight them off?"
"Of course I did?"

"Then how have you let me down?"
"I, I didn't see it coming"

"Where were you when it happened?"

I wasn't sure I wanted to answer that, what if Ranger thought that I'd invited a man back to my room?

"Babe?"
"In the hotel bedroom"

I felt Ranger stiffen as I said that, but I had no idea why my answer would affect him, unless of course he thought that I had let them in.

"So you're saying, someone broke into your room?"
"Yes"

He didn't relax but he did turn me so that I was facing him. There wasn't enough light for me to see his face, so I had no idea what he was thinking. A stray tear slowly made its way down my cheek and I felt his thumb gently wipe it away.

"Babe did he rape you?"
I shook my head knowing how important the answer was, especially for me but I think from Ranger's release of a breath it seemed important to him as well. That made me wonder whether my reaction to what had happened was unreasonable, but then how was I supposed to deal with it?

"Babe, I know you. You'd have screamed and fought to stop him. How did you get away from him?"
"I knocked him out"
I felt his hands move from around me, not knowing what he was going to do. When they cupped my face, I think he was smiling and felt a weight lift from me at his next comment.

"Proud of you Babe. You didn't give up and kept fighting"
"Then why do I still feel so afraid?"
"It was unexpected, something that no one would have expected. You were safe in a locked room, so it'll take time to get your confidence back"

I thought that through and began to understand what he was saying. My fears seemed to be worse at night when I was alone in bed. Would that change, would it get better as time went by?

"Babe, you're tired. You're safe here, I promise"

As I smiled, I turned back onto my side, my back once more to his front, the feel of his arm around me giving me comfort.

I woke to the feel of a hand running up and down my back but couldn't work out how that was happening. My head was laid on Ranger's chest, with my hand next to my face. I knew I moved in my sleep but was surprised at the position that I'd moved to. Had I dreamt during the night, yeah I think I had, but nothing compared to the previous nightmares I'd had. It did worry me that maybe I'd disturbed his sleep.

"Babe"
I looked up into his face and watched as he opened his eyes, those deep brown eyes looking directly into mine.

"I woke you, didn't I?"

"Not really, you were just moving around so I turned you to me"

I wasn't too sure to be pleased that he had that effect on me or not. That Ranger could calm my dreams terrified me, it made me dependent on him, something I wanted but knew that wasn't in his life plan. I needed to get my head away from that thinking so being a pro I changed the subject.

"When do you have to leave?"
"40 minutes"

I stayed on the bed as he sat up and then walked toward the bathroom, admiring the view as his black silk shorts sat low on his hips. What worried me the most was that looking was all I wanted to do. I got up as well deciding I was wide awake and used the machine in the kitchen to make some coffee. By the time I'd poured out two mugs I saw Ranger coming back into the room. I just watched him as he walked to the counter and picked up his black coffee.

He was wearing all black, but not the usual cargos and T-shirt, instead he had on a black suit, shirt and tie. He looked powerful, far more than his CEO look, this was a man who exuded control not just of himself but probably everyone around him. It combined danger and sophistication and meant that whoever he was meeting with it was very important. His hair was loose and fell to his shoulders, still wet from his shower and as he approached me, I detected the smell of Bulgari.

"I'll be back by noon"
"I'll take a stroll down the street"
"I don't need anyone with me for this meeting, so I've told Santos he's with you"
"Les is here?"
"I told you I always have backup. Tank stayed in Trenton to look after Rangeman, so I have Santos and Ram with me"

I remembered him saying that he always had backup, but I thought he meant it was only when he was on a takedown or working. I wasn't bothered about having Les with me, in fact it might be fun. I'd always got on well with Les and he had a wicked sense of humor.

"What time do you want Santos to be here for?"
I was surprised when a look at my watch showed me it was only 7.15. I suppose I didn't need much time to get ready.

"9 o'clock. Where will I meet him?"
"He'll pick you up here"

Having Les with me lightened my mood, to be honest, I hadn't been that keen to leave the hotel on my own. I knew the chances of bumping into Jack was slim and having read Jack's letter knew that he wouldn't be wanting to see me again, but I was still worried it might happen. Even though I still had the watch on I knew Ranger couldn't help me this morning and I wouldn't have used it to disturb his meeting. I knew Les would keep me safe, so I fetched the bag that Jack had obviously sent over with the letter and went into the bedroom to get ready.

Precisely at 9 o'clock I answered the door to find Les waiting there for me, I was ready to go so stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind me.

"I never expected you to be here Beautiful"
"I didn't know you were here either"

"Ranger has a meeting he has to attend, so he asked me come down with him"

I was really curious what type of meeting Ranger was attending, though I did remember he said he wouldn't be leaving the country. There was no way I could ask Les about it, he might not know and I was sure he wouldn't tell me even if he knew.

"Where are going?"
"Ranger suggested walking from here and maybe calling in at some galleries or museums"

"How about some breakfast first?"
"Good idea"

As we came out of the hotel, I linked my arm through Les's, and we strolled down the street. The weather was sunny and there weren't that many people around, so I felt at ease. Of course, Les knew of just the right place for us to get some breakfast. He may eat the food that Ella provided at Rangeman, but he secretly loved the same food as I did so I wasn't surprised when we took a side street and came to a small diner. I let Les speak with the waitress, mainly because I could see that she was flirting with him. I sat back as I listened to their banter, Les was being polite, using her name from the badge pinned to her uniform, but I could tell that he wasn't really interested. I'd seen Les in action when we'd hit the clubs in Trenton, and his pick up lines and flirting seemed to be irresistible.

"Not your type Les?"
"Nah, too young and why would I want to chat up a woman when I have you with me"

"That's never stopped you before"
"We leave this evening so there's no point in trying to set up a date"

"So you're coming back to Trenton?"
"Of course. Ranger asked me if I'd come down for a couple of days"

"Where's Ram then?"
He sat back and lifted his coffee to his lips before replying.

"Watching us from a distance"
"I don't understand why"
"Ranger's orders Beautiful. He'd do anything to make sure that you're safe"
I wondered if Ranger had told Les what had happened to me, if he thought that my attacker was still out there somewhere and maybe posed a threat. There was no way I could ask Les what he knew in case Ranger hadn't told him. I didn't want Les saying what he would think was the right thing to say.

"Beautiful, that sniper in Toronto, he wanted to kill more than just Kinski. We're on alert, all of us, so that includes you"

I hadn't even considered the whole shooting in Toronto, let alone that Ranger would have an alert going on, whatever that was.

"What does that mean, on alert?"
"Everyone has a partner when we're working, and we keep our trackers and panic button with us all of the time"

That sounded very much like what Ranger had told me when we'd spoken about me doing some investigations on Jinski. I thought that it only applied to me, that it was because I was special to Ranger. I certainly got that one wrong.

"You ready to go hit some galleries?"

"Yeah, why not"

I watched as Les left enough money on the table to cover the bill and a large tip for the waitress. Les linked my arm through his as we rejoined the original street we'd been walking down. There were more people about now, some tourists, some business people and then those who were here to enjoy the day. Five minutes later Les was opening a large glass door for me to step through.

Once inside I noticed how quiet it was and the fact that I suddenly felt cold. Les guided me inside and we started to look at some of the paintings that were set out. I couldn't believe the prices that were being asked, especially as I really started to look at the content of the paintings. I know I'm not an art connoisseur but most of these were abstract and I had absolutely no appreciation for what I was looking at.

"Les, do you get what some of these paintings are about?"
"Some of them, maybe. I mean I like the bold colored ones that seem to swirl, but looking at a dirty mug doesn't do it for me"

I know I may have laughed as he said that, I think relieved that it wasn't just me being ignorant. As Les spun me around to look at the next painting, I was aware of women watching us. I looked around at the people here inside and suddenly felt out of place. I hadn't thought about what I'd been wearing when I looked through the small choice of clothes this morning. I'd gone with my usual, jeans and a T-shirt and now I felt totally underdressed.

"Err, Les. Maybe this isn't my scene"

Les stopped walking and turned to look at me. I don't think he had any idea of how uncomfortable I was feeling.

"I don't see why not?"
"Les look around you, look at the people in here"
He did as I suggested and looked at some of the women stood around and then looked at me.

"Okay, I have an idea, you'll love it"

I felt him take my hand and lead me back out onto the street. I had no idea where we were going but it involved a five minute walk. I found myself stood in front of a boutique, that had some amazing dresses displayed in the window. I looked at Les, I'm sure the disappointment showing on my face.

"I thought this would be a great place to get you something to wear. Don't you like the place?"

"I love the place, but I can't buy anything from here"
"Why not?"

I felt embarrassed to say that I had no money on me and the cards I had were no longer valid. Add to that, all of my own cards, id and phone were locked in a vault somewhere.

"Beautiful?"
"I don't have any money"
"Yes you do"
"I don't have my cards with me"
"That's not a problem, you can pay me back when we get back home"

I think I lost the battle with Les because 30 minutes later I was walking out of the shop in a simple but elegant dress. I actually found that places like that had great sale racks, so I didn't end up buying a dress that cost a fortune. According to the shop assistant it was a blue slate color, I suppose that gave a good description of it because it was kind of greyish blue color. It was sleeveless and was a wrap around dress, the belt from one side sliding through an opening at the waist, then tying at the back. It fit me like a glove and the pencil skirt showcased my legs. Fortunately, it didn't reveal any of the bruises on my thighs, but I would need to be careful when I sat down.

"Do I have to buy new clothes as well?"
I laughed and shook my head at Les, though it always annoyed me that men could get away with wearing jeans and a shirt.

"No, you look good Les"
"Good, just good?"
"Okay, you look hot Les, you always do"
"Better. So, can we go in the next gallery now?"
"What's so special about going there?"

"You'll see"

"Well, what do you think?"
I was stood in front of a large painting that had two women stood wrapped around each other. I suppose in some ways it was artistic.

"I appreciate it as a piece of art, but I wouldn't buy it"
"Okay, what about the next one?"
This one was the typical painting of a woman laid on a couch on her stomach with a cloth draped across her backside.

"Nah, boring"

As we moved through the gallery the paintings became what I would call risqué, and in some cases I found them quite depraved in how that portrayed women. To be honest I felt uncomfortable looking at them.

"I really don't like these Les"
"Yeah, I agree"

Some looked quite sadistic, especially where they portrayed a woman who was being hurt. Even the abstract paintings seemed morbid to me. As we followed the one-way system through the gallery, I was relieved to see the door that lead outside. The last painting that we came to actually appeared to be normal, a young woman laid amongst wildflowers. The texture of the painting seemed weird though and the canvas wasn't flat.

It was as though the canvas was folded like a corrugated roof. The effect was dramatic as we walked past it, showing the woman now amongst dead and decaying plant life. I stopped to look at the name of the painting "Different perspective" and looked for the name of the artist. As we continued walking, I turned back to look at it again and felt a shiver pass through me. From this angle the scene was of the wildflowers again, but this time it was if the woman's body was dead and decaying. I was so glad to be back out in the sunshine wondering why Les was so keen to go inside.

"Les please tell me you aren't thinking of buying one of those"
"Not any of those, but I do want something that's erotic"
"Erotic?"

"Wrong word, sensual. I want something like this"

He took out his phone and brought up a picture, which I have to admit was very beautiful. The model was wearing a silk dress that blended with folds of silk material that almost merged into white clouds.

"I'm not too sure who the artist is but the original cost in the region of $500,000. I want an original painting, not a print, so thought maybe that gallery might have something"

"Okay, I can appreciate that, but I didn't like any of those in that gallery"
"Me neither"

"How did you find that one?"

"I, err, was looking on the internet"

I raised my eyebrows at that answer. Even I knew that Les looked in places that most normal people couldn't get into"

"It wasn't a porn site. More of an auction site, I took a photo with my phone hoping to go back to it later, but the whole place seemed to have disappeared"

Les stopped talking as he took his phone back out from his pocket and read a message that had obviously just come through, then he looked at me as he replaced the phone. Why did I think that message had something to do with me?

"What's wrong Les?"
"Nothing, just Ranger to say the meeting's going to take longer than he thought"
"So he won't be meeting us this afternoon?"
"No, sorry, you're stuck with me"
I didn't know whether to be disappointed or not, yes, I'd been looking forward to spending some time with Ranger, but it happened so rarely I never built up my hopes for it to happen. I turned back to Les, with a smile on my face, it wasn't his fault so I couldn't take it out on him.

"So where are you taking me next?"
"Well it's Sunday, I think you'll enjoy Georgetown flea market"

I loved the market and all of the stalls that were set out. It was really busy with people there, spending their Sunday afternoon strolling and viewing the goods on sale.

Antiques, jewelry, paintings and old furniture, housewares, knives of all types and sizes and Asian imports. The atmosphere was friendly and the vendors, although constantly trying to get us to buy something, were pleasant with their banter. I loved looking through the vintage clothes while Les was determined to look through any original paintings.

As we approached the end of the stalls Les's arm fell away from my shoulders and he suddenly became quite serious. I looked around wondering if he'd seen something unusual and came to a halt at the sight of Ranger lent against the wall.

He'd changed into jeans and a long sleeved T-shirt, though he'd pushed the sleeves up and had his hands in his front pockets. As he noticed that I'd seen him he pushed away from the wall and walked toward us, though I had no idea what mood he was in as his blank face seemed to be in place. Before he reached me, I walked toward him and once within reach I went up on my tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. Just because he wouldn't show any emotion didn't mean that I had to behave the same way. Imagine my surprise when as he turned me around, he gave me his 200-watt smile before laying his arm around my shoulder.

"I'm sorry about this afternoon"
"It's okay. Les kept me out of trouble"
"Where did you go?"

"After we had breakfast he took me to this gallery"
"Did you enjoy the artwork?"
"Some was okay, others were too weird for me"
"Is he still looking for a specific painting?"
"I suppose he is, thankfully he didn't like any of them either"

"The dress is new; it looks good on you Babe"
"Thank you. I needed to be better dressed for visiting galleries"

"Then you are perfectly dressed for where we're going"

"Not the zoo then?"
"No not the zoo"