Gone Girl
Chapter 58 Resolving the Car, they drove off the bridgeA/N I had this whole asshole of a guy planned to come in and play hardball with Ranger. That was the plan, but when the writing came, he developed into a totally different character and the story went a whole different direction. That's what I mean by I've been letting the story write itself. Very little of the last 9 chapters were planned besides a vague outline. The characters are developing the story and the story is propelling them along.
This was the longest chapter I've ever written: now it is 48-pages and over 18,000 words (me editing it added a bunch more). I'm not sorry it's so long, is just so entertaining for me to write it all as one long day. Plus, this is another part of the story that just didn't break up well anywhere in the middle.
BUT I asked my daughter and she said GOD NO! Don't post like that! 8000-word chapters are long enough. I told her I asked the readers, and she said that was cheating because no reader is going to say post less. They always want more! But two readers gave the same idea of breaking it up and labeling Part 1 and Part 2 or in this case Part A and Part B. So that is what I did and I'm posting both parts on the same day, so nobody has to wait to read the whole chapter. So here is part A – now 23 pages and 8700 words.
Also, side note: Even though my betas both got me these chapters back forever ago, I deleted the chapters they edited before I realized it, and so they are basically un-beta'd. So, there may be a few errors, a ton of run-on sentences and such. But I have done my best to make them readable by adding a ton of commas, and semi-colons. But I may have only made things worse, by creating a bunch of comma splices. So, ignore all the problems, and enjoy the chapter getting out on time. Thanks.
Chapter Fifty-eight
Friday April 18, 2014 - Day 157
Ranger POV
He woke at five a.m. but instead of going down to the gym he made sweet, tender love to Stephanie and holding her securely in his arms, fell asleep again. He woke to the sound of the bedroom door opening. Julie tip toed in and went straight to the bathroom.
That was one thing he could do today. Get the renovations started on their apartment and if he paid extra, he bet they could be done by the time they came home in two weeks.
Before breakfast he had the architect and builder that did the renovations for the building on the line. Charles Montgomery was an old army buddy and understood all the security requirements that were in the whole building, but especially the requirements for his apartment.
Charles pulled out the current floorplan and Ranger told him the square footage for the whole floor, including all of the square footage they weren't using. The specifications he wanted, and that they could knock down any walls that were needed, to create room for Julie and a third bedroom. He wanted plenty of electrical outlets for each room and a bathroom with an extra-large tub. A cable connection in each room and a camera hard-wired into the baby's room. He would never intrude on Julie's privacy, but he figured a camera in the baby's room till they were a little older, like 6 or 7 years old would be good security. Much better than a nanny cam.
As he hung up the phone, he had dreams of a baby with bright blue eyes and her mother's curly hair saying, "I luv u daddy." And his heart just swelled.
They all sat down and ate breakfast together. After breakfast he made sure they were both armed, giving Julie a mini-Glock to carry in her purse. The mall didn't open till ten, so Julie was going to do some homework before they left.
He hadn't told Stephanie where he was going today, because she would want to come with, and he would have a hard time negotiating, with her big blue eyes pleading with him. Or he could see her getting outraged at the guy, if he asked for too much, and telling him to go to hell. These were delicate negotiations and Ranger knew how to manipulate the guy better than the average man.
The three-car length long SUV Limo had been dropped off at 8:00. He had to pay extra, to let one of his men drive it. But for security reasons – he was only wearing a small ankle holster today with his suit, not wanting to scare the man with a gun on his hip – and privacy reasons he wanted two of his own men in the car. Ram and Binkie were the volunteers to go with him today. Ram was driving, and he was really good with a tank in a mine field so, he expected he would be just as good with this lumbering behemoth.
Before he left, he met with Tank, and found out that about noon yesterday they took Stanley to the hospital, where he had: two broken ribs, a broken right arm, 3 fractured bones in his right hand and 2 broken fingers. He was admitted to the hospital for all his various wounds. He was held overnight because the hand fracture was going to require surgery. The surgery was scheduled for today about 10:30 a.m. Once he was released, they would contact Lula to take him down to the Police Station and get him checked back in with the courts.
Tank also explained that he already took the DVD and all the documentation down to the police station, turned it over, and got it logged into evidence. He talked to the DA about charges and made sure Stanley would not be offered bail again.
What he wanted to know was what were they going to do about Joyce? He explained that yesterday afternoon she started screaming and flailing about in her restraints and they waited two hours until she stopped, to go in there, and offer her more food and a chance to use the bathroom.
She fought tooth and nail to leave after using the bathroom, refusing to cooperate at all, and telling them they couldn't keep her locked up any more. She claimed that she was going to sue them unless they let her go now. He had sent Manny and Zip down there, and she nailed Zip in the privates with her pointed boot. So, Manny stunned her, and when Zip recovered, they drug her back to the room, removed her boots, and restrained her again. Then they turned the air-conditioning down to 63 degrees, and she has been extremely uncomfortable ever since. She still goes into fits of screaming and thrashing but she is wearing out, and they are becoming shorter and shorter.
"I have to say Ranger, after two days of wearing the same clothes and makeup. She is starting to look rode hard and put away wet." Tank finished. "What are our instructions for today? I'm assuming that she is the real threat, but we don't have anything on her. So we are going to have to deal with her ourselves."
"You assume correctly. When she is quiet this morning, feed her and take her to the bathroom, but as soon as she comes out just stun her again. I don't need her damaging my men. At some point, at your convenience today, I would like you and Bobby to go in and talk to her."
"You don't want to do the interrogation yourself?" Tank harassed.
"Hell no! She is not afraid of me. She sees me as just another rich man to conquer. When I was trying to get her to stop tailing Stephanie one time, first I threatened her, but she didn't believe I would hurt a girl. Then I told her I was going to spend the night ruining Stephanie for all other men." He laughed at the memory. "She told me Stephanie was a waste of time. Explaining that she does Kegel exercises daily with weighted balls and has amazing muscle control. She promised me a sexual experience I would never forget, swearing she can ungulate her vaginal muscles to drain my snake dry." He shivered in revulsion at the thought. "She is used to controlling the men around her with sex, and I'm sure she thinks she can fuck her way out of this situation – like she has so many others. I want to break her control, and really make her pay for what she did. I'm not going to let her loose, until Stephanie feels she has suffered enough, however long that takes."
"Does Steph even know we have her?"
"I mentioned it when she was brought in, but we were dealing with CPS and shit, so it probably didn't register."
"I think she should probably be aware of what's going on," Tank offered. Ranger looked at his watch. He needed to be leaving in fifteen minutes. He pulled out his phone and called her.
"Babe, I need you to get in the elevator right now and meet me and Tank on five."
"For what?" She asked.
"Start walking and I will fill you in."
"Okay I'm moving, talk."
"I explained to you Wednesday that Joyce was behind your car being bombed." He told her as Tank and me moved out of his office toward the elevator.
"Yeah I remember."
"Well we have been holding her down in an interrogation cell for two days and I want to go down there and talk to you-" 'Bing' the elevator pinged and she was standing there in front of him. They all got on the elevator and he continued as he took her into his arms.
"I have to leave in about ten minutes, so this has to be fast. We have been holding her locked up for two days, but no one has interrogated her yet. After she is fed and watered today, Tank and Bobby are going to talk to her. But Babe it was you she tried to kill, and your car she blew up, so I feel like you should have a say in what happens to her." The elevator opened on the bottom floor and they all got out. He led the way into the observation room and was shocked at how cold it was in there. The cold air from the interrogation room was seeping in.
"Geez it's freezing in here." Stephanie said as she walked in and then she gasped. Joyce didn't look like Joyce. All her thick black eye make-up was smeared down both sides of her face, she had no more lipstick, and her hair was flat on both sides from her sleeping on the table for two nights. Her hair piece was akimbo, sticking up and out in different directions, no longer in place. Her boobs were popping out of her brassiere as it had shifted down on her, as she had moved around and slept.
"God, she looks like shit," Stephanie said.
"When you take her to the bathroom this morning, get make-up remover and a brush from Ella and have it in there for her," Ranger offered. It wasn't much but it would make her look a lot better.
"Stephanie, she tried to have you killed, and it was just by accident that you weren't. So, you have to know what I would like to do to her, but it was your car. Bobby and Tank are going to talk to her later today. They will record it, and we can watch it when we get back home later. But I wanted you to know that we still have her and haven't decided yet what we are going to do to her."
"What are my choices?" She asked.
"My bottom line is that she tried to have you killed and blew up your car so I feel like we should both have a say. If she is repentant, and it was all a big mistake that she will never do again. We'll make her pay restitution and get down on the floor and kiss your feet – I mean that literally. Apologize to you and me and swear it will never happen again. I will let you shoot her someplace non-life threatening, maybe let Hector visit with her, and drop her off at a hospital. If she is a threatening bitch where she threatens you again or is unhappy that you are not dead. If she is threatening more death and destruction, for us holding her here. Or if she claims no knowledge and blames it all on Stanley, we will have to discuss how to deal with her."
He took Stephanie into his arms. "I love you. I will do whatever it takes to protect you." He took in a breath and huffed out. "I just wanted you to see her, and start thinking about what we are going to do to her. But don't worry about it till the guys talk to her later."
He began ushering her out of the room. "I've got to go. I'll be in New York meetings today. We can talk more about Joyce tonight."
He led her back to the elevator, kissed her soundly, and got off at the garage level.
They were leaving at 9:00, so he could go by the guys house, and get the food from his chef. He gave them the address in Maplewood, New Jersey, about half an hour away from the airport, and started checking through the cabinets inside the SUV. It was supposed to be fully stocked. There was a small snack bar with lots of different types of pre-packaged snacks. A small fridge with fruit cups, Jell-O cups and prepackaged sliced cheese and crackers. A fully stocked bar, with chilled champagne, chilled wine, room temp wine and about twenty different liquors and mixers.
Tank had sent him images for three different SUV options, and some had fancy curved seats and pink, blue and purple neon, club like lighting. But Tank told him, he selected the one the Chef said he needed; that had straight rows of black leather seats on each side. He explained that not only was he picking up the food, but a whole portable kitchen.
When they arrived at Ocalli's spacious mansion, the Chef was right out front standing next to a three-foot-long "kitchen." The chef began explaining everything to Ranger, even as his men got out to load the damn thing in the limo.
The kitchen came with three separate oven warmers, two gas burners, a small gas grill, a refrigerator, and a small freezer. Chef Gomez explained to him that if he made up the plate at home, the cold food would be too warm, and the warm food would dry out.
So, all the food was perfectly cooked, except for the steaks which had been marinating for 24 hours and were now chilling in the refrigerator. Chef Gomez passed along the strict instructions that first he was to serve Ocalli the Louis VIII Brandy - that he was to open in front of him - with three pieces of ice in a crystal tumbler. Verifying that he had an unopened bottle of the stuff, and Ranger showed it to him.
He was to time everything perfectly. Make small talk for exactly ten minutes, during which time, he would be expected to drink some kind of alcohol. Then offer Ocalli the fruit salad in a bowl, with the chicken hors d'oeuvres, which would be in the top warmer. While Ocalli ate, he would heat up the grill and only after it had been heating for 10 minutes would he serve the shrimp salad.
After 15 minutes the grill would be ready. He was to grill the steaks for exactly 3 minutes on each side, and serve them with the broccoli and potatoes, which were in separate warmers. There would be two steaks, as Ocalli doesn't like to eat alone, and only after they had finished eating, would he conduct business.
Ranger asked the Chef directly if he was available to come with them and do the cooking and serving. The Chef came back to say two things: Yes, he was, but Ocalli would not do any negotiating or business in front of the chef, so it would defeat the purpose. And second: Ocalli felt that all men should be comfortable in the kitchen; even rich men with chefs. Part of this whole thing was to put Ranger's cooking and social skills to the test.
Oh, great he thought. Stephanie was the one that managed the small talk. He could cook. He'd had to for years, and you didn't grow up in a Cuban household without learning how to cook several basic meals. But he didn't like to cook for picky eaters. He was more of a – this is what you get, and you will eat it or go hungry – kind of cook. He was only used to cooking for other men when out in the field, and most army men will eat whatever is hot and edible and be grateful for it. He hoped this Ocalli was not going to be picky, it would be ruined before they even got to the negotiations.
This kitchen had been designed to sit at the very front, on top of the bar area - facing the interior of the SUV. This left both long rows of soft leather seats on each side open, so they could comfortably sit, facing each other. Once it was set up and was belted in place, they headed to the airport. Ranger familiarized himself with the kitchen on the way and picked out a wine he would drink with Ocalli, and while he ate his dinner. Ocalli's business offices were in downtown Manhattan, and Tank had the reservations set up for the Ferrari F450, but without Ocalli's driver's license and signature, they couldn't rent it for him.
So, on the way to the offices they would stop by the rental place – Gotham Dream Cars - and Binky would then drive the rental sport car to his offices.
At 10:35 they were parked outside the airport, at a convenience store where Binky and Ram went in to stock up on drinks, snacks, and supplies and use the facilities. This was going to be at least a four-hour long trip. Ranger just used the facilities; he didn't want anything to distract from the negotiations that were going to be taking place.
Ram timed it perfectly to pull up at Delta at 10:55, and he got out with a sign that said Ocalli Ben Makton. Binky stood ram rod straight outside the limo – which was double parked far enough away from the curb to allow regular sized vehicles, to pull around it up to the curb, and then get out again. As Ranger and Ram stood more relaxed, waiting, with their sign, right inside the doors, airport security came up and were trying to make Binkie move. He wanted to know where he could move to, because no spaces in short-term or long-term parking, were big enough for the extra-extra-long SUV limo.
Ranger returned to the vehicle after receiving Binkie's text and got permission to park on the far side, but Binkie would have to leave and circle the airport to get there. While they were debating this with airport security, Ram showed up pulling two suitcases, with Ocalli trailing behind him, looking tired and well-worn, carrying a large briefcase. Ranger opened the door for him, and they all got in.
Ocalli was in his late fifties or early sixties, wearing a custom-tailored designer suit that looked a bit rumpled. He was silver haired and had lines around his eyes and on his face, but he looked incredibly pleased. "I see you got the food from my chef. That is always the best way to go." He was sitting across from Ranger, looking more relaxed. He removed his hat, loosened his tie, and took a deep breath and seemed to sigh with relief.
Ranger was sitting across from him, but closer to the front, so he could easily reach the kitchen. He wasted no time in pulling out a small crystal tumbler from the kitchen, using the metal tongs, added three pieces of ice, pouring him a drink and offering it to him.
Ocalli took the glass and after a long drink handed it back to Ranger. "Today I would like six pieces of ice and fill the glass full. It has been a long flight and I refuse to drink on an airplane. They only offer subpar alcohol and they want to limit you to three drinks. It is an almost 18-hour flight from Egypt, and I always take an evening-overnight flight. I find it is more tolerable if I can sleep for half of the trip. But the dinner is atrocious, and the breakfast little better. It is all pre-cooked, reheated food, that tastes like cardboard, and has the texture of runny mushed peas."
Ranger quickly refilled his glass and returned it to him. Then he poured himself a glass of wine and sat back to study the man.
"I don't know if you are just the quiet type, or if you don't know what to say, but I like to know my business partners a little bit better, before doing business with them. So, tell me your real name. Tell me about your life: Are you married? How old are your kids? What kind of business do you do?" He smiled genially at Ranger, and for the first time Ranger felt like he wasn't just going to get shaken down. He now understood the need for the food and drink, and he had known Ocalli was coming from the middle east but hadn't known exactly where.
"My name is Carlos Manoso. I own a security company called RangeMan with branches in Trenton, Miami, Atlanta, and Boston. I am not currently married, but I have a special woman, that I am interested in making a life with. I have an 11-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, that has recently come to live with me on a more permanent basis. What about you? The address for your company has a lot of businesses in that building. I couldn't figure out which one you worked for. Are you married? How old are your kids and what kind of business are you in?"
Actually, he had Googled and done a full background search on Ocalli Ben Makton, but all that had come back was his home address, and his wife's name Cheryl Ellaine Ben Makton. No credit cards, no bank history, no financial history at all. And Google didn't even know the man existed. There was no Facebook or Instagram or Twitter accounts to peruse. He had no idea how much this man was worth, or what he would want. His house last appraised for 3.2 million, so the man couldn't be a pauper. But he couldn't find any investment accounts or loans in the man's name.
Ocalli settled back in his seat and smiled the first real smile Ranger had seen. "I have been married now for 32 years. I met my wife in New York on a business deal, and she has worked with me off and on for the last 32 years. But she is currently dealing with cancer and is not well enough to travel. I hated leaving her here for this long trip, but it couldn't be helped. My wife is my business partner, and while I have many aides none of them can make deals the way I do. I work in International Real Estate. I have buildings that I own and rent out all over the world. In fact, I own the building my company is in, so you'll want to let your driver know, there is a parking space big enough to accommodate this limo, with my name on it and he is to park there. I love living out in the country. I know from the kitchen that you have been to my home. I have my own SUV limo and driver that I take to work most days. I enjoy being driven in New York, because the traffic is horrendous, and I can get a lot of work done in my limo, as it has Wi-Fi and a built-in phone line. I have four beautiful kids. Three are out of college and married, the fourth is in her second year at Harvard. I have three beautiful grandbabies, and we are going to visit my daughter next week, who is pregnant, with her second baby. She is not due for several more months, but my wife is trying to be there for her in every stage of her pregnancy, and so we go visit every other month." Ocalli smiled widely as he talked of his family, and Ranger relaxed a little bit more.
"Do you have pictures?" Ranger asked, leaning forward. Because in his family, you have to show pictures, to tell the story.
Ocalli gladly pulled out his phone, and showed Ranger pictures of his kids and grandkids, over the past three years. That was when he upgraded to this phone, so he doesn't have any pictures on him, that are older than that.
"May I serve you some hors d'oeuvres and fruit salad?" Ranger offered when he was done.
"Yes please. I am more than hungry." Ocalli replied.
Ranger made quick work of serving him, and he ate greedily, proving that he was indeed hungry. Ranger started the grill warming, and set a timer to let him know, when it had been fifteen minutes. When Ocalli had finished he offered him the shrimp salad, and he gratefully took it.
"I eat a lot of lean protein, fresh fruits and vegetables. It is best for my heart. But occasionally I like to splurge on a good steak and cheesy mashed potatoes. My wife knows I eat them, but as long as I don't have them too often, she allows it. I've had high cholesterol and have two stents. Right now, it is under control. If I manage my diet closely and take my medicine; I should live a long and healthy life. The trick is my chef. He uses low fat foods and foods high in the good HDL fats. He can make almost any meal healthy and taste good. I know if he has made it, I can eat it in moderate quantities." He smiled at me as he dug into the shrimp salad, that I noticed, had a noticeably light dressing and lots of fresh vegetables.
At exactly 15 minutes Ranger put both steaks on the grill, and he knew it was ready for them, because the grill was glowing red. He set his timer for 3 minutes and tried to make some small talk while they cooked.
"So, my nickname Ranger, and my company name RangeMan, came from my time in the armed services. I was a commander in the Rangers, and I led more successful missions, in my time, than any other unit commander ever had. It became common to ask for Ranger when a particularly complex mission would come up, because I had a way to solve problems, and get mission objectives completed. They found that the more leeway they gave me to solve a problem, the more creative I would become to make sure the mission objectives were met. The men I worked with were very loyal to me because they knew if I planned the mission, it was with the goal of everyone coming back alive. I didn't do 20% mortality ratings. Or 50% mortality ratings. I took my men on missions that none of us should have survived, but my men, trusted me and followed me, and I got them back safely. Not that I didn't lose men ever, but I had the highest survival rate of any Ranger Commander, in recent history. A lot of the men that work for me now, served under me, or heard about me, and follow me willingly. I tell you this, because I want you to know I am good at solving problems and making sure that everybody wins."
"Good to know soldier. I will also tell you that I too like to make fair deals, where everybody wins. I have people that have been doing business with me for 30 years, because they know I will find a building that will work for them, or land they can build on that will work, and tell them the kind of budget they need to expect and plan for."
Ranger held out his wine towards Ocalli's glass and he clinked with him and said, "To fair deals."
"You sound surprised that I'm not going to try to take you to the bank." Ocalli said.
"Well sir to tell you the truth. When you left the message for me about the car, the food, and the drink, I was afraid you were going to be unreasonable about solving this problem. Now I understand that you are just hungry, tired, and thirsty, and no matter who picked you up this is what you would have requested." Ranger explained.
"Oh, of course. Yes, well I own two stretch SUV limos, and both have been modified with built in kitchens. When my children were younger, they all went to private schools in the city. The chef would ride with us and cook breakfast on the way to school, have afternoon snacks ready when the limo went to pick them up, and cook dinner for us on the way home. That way when we got home at seven o'clock, we had all eaten, and were ready to do our evening activities. The children came to my offices after school, and would sit and do homework, or help me around the office. I had many, many copies made of things, that didn't need copying, because it was good entertainment for the kids. As they got older, they liked to read or write, or my daughter loves to paint, and I got space set up for them, to do what they loved. I had hoped that one of them would go into the business but each of them had interests of their own. Finally, my youngest is getting a business degree, and her New York and New Jersey real estate licenses, and has told me it is her dream to take my business further and build it up bigger. Honestly, if she just kept it the way it is, she will be happy and well taken care of." He smiled wide, obviously immensely proud of the business he had built.
Ranger thought he was being grandiose, requesting an SUV limo, but now he understood Ocalli just wanted to be comfortable, and have what felt familiar around him. He took a moment to text Ram where to park, and for him to let Ranger know 10 minutes before getting to the car rental place.
He served them some lunch and refilled Ocalli's drink but this time he only wanted it half full.
"I am going into the office today, to take care of some paperwork, that couldn't wait, but I'm not staying all day. It will only take me about thirty to forty minutes, and then I look forward to driving home."
"If you prefer, we would be glad to drive you home." Ranger offered.
"Thank you, Carlos, I appreciate that. But after being in Egypt these past few weeks, and cooped up on an airplane, I need to feel the speed. On the highways and backroads, I can usually hit 120 to 140 mph, and it is exhilarating! Nothing makes you feel so alive, as flying down the highway." His smile glowed, and obviously this was a great pleasure in his life.
"I know what you mean sir. I prefer Porsches, and I get mine going too fast, all too often. Most of the local police know my car and ignore me, but one of them tries to catch me every time he can." Officer picky Gaspick was on my shit list for that. The last time he did it, Ranger got him in trouble with the Chief for something else he did, and he was on School watch for six months. Which is directing the traffic, at the local private elementary: "Our Lady of Lourdes" every day. Mornings from 7:30 till 9:00, and every afternoon from 3:30 till 5:00. Rain, snow, or shine. Picky hasn't bothered him since.
"I have two young officers that try to catch me, and I pay them $1000 cash every time they can. The funny thing is that if I'm already going 140 mph. They know they can't catch me, and just wave as I go by. If they are scanning the right way and get up to speed in time, I'll pull over for them and they show me pictures of their kids, and what they are going to spend the money on. They know I'm a safe driver, as I haven't had an accident in over 15 years. It's just the principle of it. They remind me to do the speed limit, and I remind them to wear their bullet proof vests, and we go our separate ways." He chuckled.
"Officer Dave has three kids," Ocalli continued, "and last year I bought presents for them, and went speeding up and down the road, for three days, waiting for him to pull me over, so I could give them to him. He was really surprised, and I will do it again this year; but this year he said he'll be watching for me."
We were finished eating, and Ranger stacked the plates up, and put them back in the warmers, that he turned off. He didn't mind driving him back home. He was just realizing that they had to go back to his house, to drop off the kitchen.
"Can I get you anything else?" Ranger offered, though unless there was dessert in the freezer, they had decimated all the food that was brought. The chef knew exactly, how much to make, to feed two people, and he found there wasn't any extra. Probably with him watching his cholesterol, he wasn't supposed to be eating too much of these foods or having seconds.
"I would love a good cigar, but I can't have those anymore either, and that's the one thing if my wife smells on me; she will give me hell for." He smiled at Ranger again. "Well I guess it's time for us to talk turkey. You can start by explaining to me, why you want to make this go away, for this person, and why I should let you. Because honestly son, if I were here, and someone stole my car, I would be making sure they spent the longest time in prison, that they could." Ocalli leaned back into his seat, ready to listen to his crazy story.
Ranger told him about Julie, and that someone that was close to him, took her out of the country, to protect her, from her stepfather, and he played him Ron's phone call.
Ocalli sat forward in recognition. Shocked by what he was hearing, and putting it together, with the news reports, from months ago.
"I saw that on the news when that happened. They were making a big deal of it, because it was the second time, she had been kidnapped, and the woman that kidnapped her was from New Jersey. The rumor was, that she might show back up here in New Jersey. So, they kept showing her, and the kid's photo, on the news, for days. I thought I knew you, from somewhere. You were the one they were looking for, a year ago, saying you had kidnapped your own daughter. Then it was on the news, that you got shot, trying to save her, from someone that was trying to take over your life. The news didn't carry the story long enough, for us to get the outcome, but obviously you survived." He waved his arm at Ranger and damn. He hadn't wanted to bring Stephanie into this too soon, or at all, but if he saw it on the news; he already knew.
"What you didn't see is, that I was out of the country, on an assignment, for the government when it happened. I was gone for five months. But once I was back, and they found out I was back, they were trying to get my daughter home to me. Now I don't want to call them stupid, because they were doing me a favor. But all they had to do was call me, and I would have made the arrangements. But they were in the Dominican Republic, and a hit had been put out on her and on my daughter."
"That's right, my wife told me about that, that they took my car, and the FBI agent was looking for them, and chased them, and rammed my car. Which I haven't seen yet, by the way. But it pushed them over the embankment, and the little girl made it to the surface, but the woman died. The FBI guy was paid two and a half million dollars, for the hit, so he was arrested." Ocalli recited.
"Yeah, like I said, I don't want to call them stupid, but they knew they didn't have a credit card, to rent a car, and they knew the police were looking for them, and they would be arrested if they were found, so they planned to steal a car, and drive to my office building. The funny thing is that some guy – who has never been identified - actually stole your car and was at the airport to pick someone up. So, this guy, got out of your car, and left the door open. My friend and my daughter saw him walk off, and they walked up to your car, and realized it didn't have keys in it, and it had already been stolen. So they decided to take it."
"So, your friend stole my car, that had been stolen?" Ocalli laughed at the irony.
"Well, she thought of it as more of a joy ride. She just wanted to get to me fast, before she was arrested, and or killed. Like I said, there were people after her, that were trying to kill her and my daughter."
"Wait, they were trying to kill your daughter?" Ocalli was astonished, and he sat forward, trying to get all of the story.
"Yes, an unbelievably bad man, who hated me and wanted me dead, put out a two and a half million dollar hit on the woman, and a two million dollar hit on my daughter. This FBI agent was in town, looking for clues to where they were. He figured that she had to be in contact with someone, and he just had to figure out who. Anyway, he sees them, and gives chase, and he is shooting at them, and trying to run them down. If anyone asks, he would just say that he was doing his job, but the truth was, he had heard about the hits, and on top of those hits, he had an agreement with her step father, to kill my daughter for one million dollars."
"So, he was really working hard to find them?" Ocalli questioned.
"Yes, and just like you heard, he rammed their car, and they ended up in the river. Well my daughter came right up, and she told everyone that the other person was right behind her and must have drowned. So, everyone is crying, and all upset, but the FBI agent had a burner phone that was ringing and ringing, and my daughter was a little conniving. Because she grabs his regular phone, and looks up his bank account, and announces to everyone, that he has just gotten a deposit for two and a half million dollars. The FBI agent in charge tells him to answer the burner phone, that was ringing and ringing. Turns out to be her step-dad, wanting to know what happened, because he was supposed to kill the kid, not the woman. Anyway, the FBI agent gets arrested, they pull your car out of the river, and everyone goes home." Ranger finished.
"And so, was she dead?" Ocalli looked really engrossed in the story.
"No, my daughter tells me, after we get home, that she got her to the surface, and then swam downstream, so she wouldn't get arrested. She was afraid if she went to jail, someone would try to kill her, because of the hit. So, she ran away. I found her, a few days later, hiding out in New York City. We left and dealt with the guy, who put the hits out on both of them, because they were not any safer here in the US than they had been in the Dominican Republic. We had hit men, driving around the outside of the building where I worked, because it was also where I lived, and they were trying to catch my daughter leaving." Ranger exaggerated.
Okay, so this was a total exaggeration, we only spotted one hit man on the cameras, but it was enough to scare Julie into staying in the building and put all my men on high alert.
"Don't tell me he removed the hits?" Ocalli seemed astonished.
"Honestly, this is just between you and me." He looked at Ocalli sincerely. Ranger felt like he owed him more truth, than anyone outside of Haywood would ever hear. So, he gave him a sanitized version of the story.
"Of course." Ocalli willingly agreed.
"Well, I go over there to take him out, and end up getting captured, and having a nice chat with him. The purpose of the hits, were to get me to come over there and try to kill him. Once he caught me, he removed the hits, because he didn't see the point of them anymore. Anyway, some of my men came over, and got into the building to rescue me, and the guy ended up getting killed in the crossfire, so he is not a threat anymore." Ranger lied.
"My word you live an exciting life. I've never served in the armed forces, and never killed anyone. So it all seems foreign to me. But for you, it's just another day on the job." He said waving his arm at me.
Well if the take down had gone as planned, it would have been just another day on the job, but getting captured, threw the ball all out of the game, and Stephanie getting involved, and killing Ivan, never showed up on the play board. Ranger remembered thinking how crazy Anton's plan was for Stephanie to drug Ivan, and that it would never work, and she would get caught. Plus, he couldn't protect her if she were hanging out like that, but she did it. She made it work. And as many times as he has saved her, he never expected her to save him, and it was almost overwhelming to know, that she loves him, as much as he loves her and she would go to any lengths, to save him, just as he would go to for her.
"It's true, that I'll never know how many men I have killed in the line of duty, but I don't ever take any life lightly. Because I know the price you pay when you kill. It's not something I ever take for granted." Ranger paused to gather his thoughts.
"Now that the threat has been taken care of, and I have my daughter back safe and sound. I'm trying to get my friend out of trouble. I can't say I support all the choices she made. I mean I was out of the country, but I have a number two, and she could have gone to him. All she had to do was call me. I know that's hard to do when out of the country, because she no longer had my phone number, but I still had the same email address. But she felt she had to do this alone. Partially because she knew the FBI agent was after them, and she knew Julie's stepdad was after them, and she knew there were hits, and any number of people after them. She was just running scared and flying by the seat of her pants. Now, she has gotten tickets for how fast she was going in your car, but because she didn't actually steal it, and since you have been out of town, she hasn't been charged with anything. The police chief is okay with me working it out with you. That if I can make you happy, and you don't press charges, he is not going to pursue charges. So, I have to ask you: what will it take to keep you from pressing charges? I know what your car was worth, and I'm willing to pay you that amount, plus take care of a rental until you can find a new car. I know they aren't making that model anymore. Is there another car you would prefer?" Ranger wanted to get to the point of this meeting, and start the bargaining, while they still had a good bit of time to bargain.
Ocalli smiled at him and said. "Now son you are getting to the heart of the problem. See I buy me a new car every five years, and I already have a car picked out and on back order. I was going to keep my car until the new car was ready. The problem is that the car is special order only, and it won't be ready for delivery until February of next year. Now I only drive cars that can go at least 150 mph, so any old car won't do, and you know how much it is to rent a car like that."
"Yeah, the Ferrari costs $1200 a day, including the extra insurance." Ranger knew you could rent a Porsche, but he hadn't realized there was such a demand to rent these high-end cars. That there were whole dealerships dedicated to it.
"Well I can get you a little bit better rate than that. I have a standing account at Gotham Dream Cars. But still you don't want to be paying for a rental for the next year. That would be as much as the car I have ordered." Ocalli offered.
"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of car do you have ordered?" Ranger was wondering what he liked.
"A brand-new Ferrari 488 Spider. With the specific features I have chosen, it's going to cost me about $355,000. Almost twice as much as that Audi cost me." Ocalli was honest.
"Well sir you were driving a four-year-old car. I have a friend that runs an Automotive Import business that deals in high-end used Sports cars. Maybe we could go pick something out for you that wouldn't be too expensive, and I will buy it for you. Then after you get your new car next year you can sign it back over to me, and we will call it a done deal." Ranger was excited that this could be fixed reasonably.
"You would do that?! Buy me a car to drive for the next year?" He looked a little shocked.
"You've been honest with me, so I will be honest with you. I'm willing to spend up to $250,000, to keep my friend out of jail, and that will buy a lot of car when they are slightly used." Ranger was looking determined. This would be an easy fix if he agreed, and he knew Kyan, at the dealership, would get him a good price.
"Well, son, are you prepared to do that today?" Ocalli looked really interested.
"Yes, sir I have my checkbook with me. But honestly, I have my black Am Ex, and they like that even better." Ranger smiled back at him, because maybe just maybe he could get out of this even cheaper than he had planned.
"Where is this car dealership?" Ocalli wanted to know.
"Well it's here in New York, but it is outside of town, closer to the New Jersey border. Part of why their prices are so good is because they are not in downtown. But people are willing to drive to them to get the better prices." Actually, it was in Brooklyn, but some New Yorkers had problems with that part of town.
"Are you sure you can get a good car there? We can go down to the Ferrari dealership, and see what is used on their lot." Ocalli offered.
"Sir, I told you my price limit, and I'm willing to go where you want, but I know the guy that owns the place, and my company provides round the clock security for them, including a security man on site at all times. It has saved them thousands in car damages and attempted stolen cars. So, he will give me a better price, than what it says on the tags, and I can buy you a whole lot more car there, than anywhere else." This is definitely the solution that he would prefer.
"Ok son you got a deal. Take me to my offices, and when we are done, we will go to your dealer, and see what specials we can find." Ocalli agreed and Ranger smiled at him again.
Ranger texted Ram to skip the rental car place for now. They would wait for him to be done at his place of business, and then were going to Sports and Imports Auto's to find him a new car. He texted Kyan the situation, and that they would be there this afternoon to pick something out. Ranger knew they had a lot of good options on their lot and was certain they could find something that would make Ocalli happy. In less than an hour they were turned around and headed to Sports and Imports Autos.
Sports carried the best used sports cars, at the best prices, because they were in the outskirts of Brooklyn. Not the best place, for high end automobiles, to sit around, waiting to get vandalized or stolen. He was having a real problem with kids climbing the fence and vandalizing the cars for fun. Plus at least once a month some gang members would target a car and steal it off the lot. He had security guards but found the last one sleeping in the guard's office. He was losing almost $20,000 to $200,000 a month in stolen cars and damages, driving up his prices. The owner, Kyan had been in the Armed Services with Ranger, and he'd complained to him about the problem. Ranger offered him a solution: full time protection from the control room, and a RangeMan trained guard always on premises.
Since they started this new protection, he has only had three cars damaged by kids throwing rocks, but even that was cut short. The minute it was spotted on in the control room, they called the guard, and he immediately showed up. Not one car keyed, bashed in or stolen since they started, and it has saved him so much money, he practically gave Ranger his last Porsche. See the guard is on duty, always walking the border, but the dealership is so big with multiple buildings that he can't be everywhere at once. So, the cameras in the control room watch it also, and together there has not been one major vandalization in three years.
First half over, that went faster than you expected, didn't it?
Doesn't it feel like it ends in the middle? It's why I hated breaking up this chapter there was no good spot to split it.
Please continue on to Chapter 58 Part B.
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