Chapter 38

I was so pleased that we spent the next day at the house. It gave me a chance to relax and also for Ranger to relax as well. The orders I had were to forget everything to do with the case and ensure that any injuries had some time to heal. Though to start with I was worried that we may miss the opportunity to talk to Chantal.

I spent my time outside walking pleased that Ranger was my constant companion, of course the furthest he went physically with me was to give me mind blowing kisses. Surprisingly I was okay with that, I felt that as a couple we were becoming closer and it wasn't just about the sex.

I slept really well cocooned in his arms and felt ready to face the day in the morning. I suspected that Ranger was making sure that plans for seeing Chantal were being put in place though I was still nervous over how Joe had behaved.

I really enjoyed the flight in the helicopter surprising even Ranger when I asked if I could sit up front with Les. The view was amazing as we rose above the house that we'd been staying in. I really hoped that I could come back here soon, just to relax and enjoy the peace and tranquility and Ranger of course. It took just over three hours before I recognized that we were nearing Trenton and enjoyed spotting landmarks with Les as he flew us to our destination. It was late morning when we finally set down on the rooftop of Rangeman and as before Tank was there to greet us.

I felt a little stiff from being sat so long but knew once I started to move, I could work it out of my muscles.

"You doing okay Little Girl?"

"Yeah, I love flying in the helicopter"

I was sure his eyebrow lifted a little, but he was quick to cover it up.

"I've had surveillance on that woman. She finishes work at 1500hrs, she started at 0500hrs so a long shift"

The plan was that I would be waiting for Chantal outside her apartment, so now we had to plan exactly what would be happening. I was pleased when Ranger led me to the elevator, and we went down to five. I didn't have anything with me other than the clothes I was wearing. Ranger had told me that seeing as we would be going up to Maine again then the clothes there could remain there. That was okay with me because I wanted the opportunity to go back.

When we walked into a conference room, I was taken aback by all the information pinned to the boards. It included all of the research that I'd done before the accident and given to Daniel but there was a lot more besides that. It made me realize how much work the men had done in trying to find me.

"Babe, you ready to start?"

As I turned, I recognized that the table was now full of men. Along with the men who'd travelled down with me there was Bobby and of course Tank. Then Ram and Cal, Binkie and Slick. I was glad there was no one I didn't recognize.

"Manny and Zero are on surveillance. All quiet there. Morelli went into work as usual and has spent the day working in his office"
I was surprised at that because Joe hated doing paperwork, so why was he spending so much time on it now? I turned to Ranger who was sat next to me as he began to talk, it seemed he wanted to get started on today's plan.

"Steph will be waiting for Chantal to get home, wired and with her watch"

I smiled as he said that because I wouldn't have gone without those two items.

"Dax, you're with Steph as she enters the building, but stay out of sight when Chantal gets there. Ram, you and Cal clear the building at 1400hrs and then stay in position one floor up. There's no elevator so anyone going in or out has to use the stairs. I want Manny and Zero to follow her home and then position themselves one floor down from her apartment"

"How many floors are there?"

"Four, Chantal lives on the second floor. Her neighbors are usually out working and normally get home about 1800hrs"

I mentally pictured what Ranger had said, men above and below me seemed secure and Dax would be outside the door. Ram and Cal would ensure that Chantal's room was empty which left one other concern for me.

"Fire escapes?"

"Hector?"

"Two at the back with platforms from each apartment"

"Tank, you and I will be on the platform outside"

"Ranger, I want to be on the roof opposite"

"Why's that Santos?"

"Let's not forget that we have a sniper out there somewhere"

"Okay, have Hal with you. Binkie, you and Slick take up a position opposite the main entrance. Everyone be dressed"

I knew he didn't mean clothes when he said that and of course all the men would be armed so what else did he expect of them?

At 2.15 I was stood in the garage trying very hard not to say something. In fact, I was closer to screaming something and stomping my feet. Hector was stood in front of me with a bullet proof vest that looked way too big and seemed way too heavy.

"Estefania it's for your own safety"

"It's too big. Hell Hector, it's far too obvious"

"You have to protect yourself"

"You find one of those things that'll fit under a jacket and I'll wear it"

I said that quickly because I knew at this late hour, he wouldn't be able to find one, but it made me feel better that at least I'd offered to wear one. I couldn't believe it though when he took the vest off the hanger and dropped it on the floor leaving another still hung there.

This one looked smaller and lighter and would probably fit under my jacket. I scowled as I realized that Hector had tricked me into wearing it. As I took my jacket off, I was sure he was smiling at me as he helped me to put it on.

"That was low Hector"

"No, necessary"

As Ranger returned from talking with Tank, I was sure that Hector said something to him in Spanish. One day I was going to learn Spanish and not tell anyone so I could understand what was being said. I watched as the men left the garage so that they would be in place when I arrived. Five minutes later I was with Dax in the back of a POS car that looked worse than the ones that I would have driven. Hector was driving the car so I assumed it might be one that he used when he was on his own on the streets.

The inside of the car though looked like a spaceship, with lots of lights and controls, not that I'd ever been in a spaceship. It didn't take long to get to where Chantal lived and although it wasn't seen as a good area of town it didn't seem too bad. Okay so maybe some of the houses could do with a lick of paint and not everyone seemed to enjoy gardening. There was only one burnt out house that we'd passed so I saw that as a good thing.

The building we parked in front of reminded me of the one where my apartment was, maybe a bit older judging from the state of the brickwork and the weeds growing from the cracks. Dax opened my door helping me out of the car and together we started to walk to the front door, but I noticed that Hector drove off as we started to climb the steps. As we walked to the stairs and started to head up, I could see that Dax was listening in on his earbud. I didn't have one because Ranger reckoned that hearing voices in my ear might distract me. I suppose he was right.

Chantal's apartment was at the far end of the corridor so once we were inside, she wouldn't be able to run out on me because Dax would be blocking the doorway and corridor. A look at my watch told me it 4 o'clock so Chantal should be leaving now. I sat on the floor next to the door, out of sight from where she would exit the stairwell.

"She's on her way Steph"

I nodded my head at Dax and hunkered down to wait, working out in my head what I was going to say. In some ways I hoped that Chantal had nothing to do with Adam Langhorne, other than being an innocent woman that he chose to beat up. Then I decided that wouldn't resolve any questions that I had about why Langhorne had done what he'd done.

That she could implicate Joe had me breathing shakily, I wasn't sure I was ready to know that. I was brought out of my thoughts by the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs so pushed up from the floor and stood to the side of the door. Chantal was so busy looking through her bag that it wasn't until she was at the door with her keys in her hand when she noticed me. If she was surprised to see me, she didn't show it, instead she inserted the key in the door, turned it and walked into her apartment. I silently followed her, closing the door behind me and walked to where she was in a small lounge.

"I didn't expect you to turn up here"

She went into a small kitchen area and opening the fridge brought out two cans of coke. As she offered me one, we both sat down on the chairs that were either side of a coffee table.

"You know who I am then?"

"Yeah, I read the papers"

"Who did you expect?"

"No one really"

"You thought that because Adam was dead that I wouldn't work out that you were part of it"

She looked shocked at what I'd said which made me wonder what exactly she knew.

"Chantal, just tell me the truth"

"I never wanted to get involved, I tried to talk Adam out of it but he said with the money we could go someplace nice"

"So you faked being assaulted and had the police think that some guy named Jerome Hancock was responsible"

"Yeah. In the beginning I didn't know why and to be honest I didn't want to"

"What did Adam tell you?"

"That this man who was paying big bucks because he just wanted this woman to realize he was the one for her. I told Adam it don't work like that. The woman is the one that has to decide"

"Do you know who the man was?"

"I thought I'd worked it out. I found a file that looked real official and had info on Hancock. As soon as I saw who had signed the papers, I put two and two together"

She laughed before taking a drink of her coke and shook her head as if remembering something.

"I got five, I knew that man in black was always around you, so I had a go at Adam. Hell, that man is dangerous, it's known on the streets and I didn't want Adam involved with him. I also didn't want anything to happen to you"

"What did he say?"

"Adam just laughed at me and said I had it all wrong, that the man in black was who his new employer wanted you away from"

"Do you know who paid Adam?"

"No, and now he's dead. He weren't supposed to die, he said there'd been a few snags but they had a plan"

"Do you know how he died?"

"Some cop shot him. The police came here to let me know that the man who'd attacked me was dead"

"Chantal, have you ever considered that this man might be worried that you know something"

Chantal looked at me with wide eyes and then frowned.

"But I don't know nothing, Adam wouldn't tell me"

"Was he living here with you?"

"Yeah, but he moved out over a week ago. He said he needed somewhere to hunker down till the job was done"

"Did he take all of his stuff?"

Please let there be something here that he'd left behind, maybe something that tied him to whoever had paid him or even where he'd gone.

"He left some clothes and some money in case I needed it"

As I looked at Chantal I watched as she lowered her eyes and looked to the side. A clear sign that she was lying.

"I'm not buying that Chantal. Did you love him?"

I saw the surprise in her eyes and then the anger at what I'd said.

"Of course I loved him"

I saw her anger dissolve as the tears came, she was trying to be so strong and I felt that she was trying to do what I would have done. Live in denial. I got up and sat on the armrest of her chair and put my arms around as she cried. I hated that it was me that was making her suddenly accept the reality, that Adam, the love of her life was gone and never coming back.

"I'm so sorry Chantal, I know you loved him"

I cradled her in my arms until her sobbing subsided and then went to find the bathroom. I was surprised that the bathroom wasn't as bad as mine and Chantal had added lots of things to make it look good.

I wet a facecloth under the cool water and returned to where she was still sat. As she thanked me, I looked at her, really looked at her. She was a pretty woman even looking as bad as she did, her eyes were red, but I could see the hazel of her eyes and the strength that lay within them. Her hair was almost black and had come out of the ponytail that she'd had it in. Her skin was darker than mine but not as dark as Lula's, maybe her parents were mixed race, something I had neglected to notice in the search on her.

"Sorry"

"No need to be, do you feel okay now?"

Chantal wiped the cloth over her face, paying particular attention to under her eyes, yeah, there would never be a mascara that could hold up to a good sobbing.

"What do I do now?"

"Let me find somewhere that will be safe for you"

"You really think that man will come after me?"

"Yes. You know something, something that would identify him"

I watched as Chantal looked down at her hands and played with the corner of the cloth. Eventually she looked up at me and started to tell me about what happened during the last she'd seen Adam.

"He came here the night before he died. He was worried that he was in too deep. He said he didn't like what he'd done but he couldn't see a way out of it"

I waited as a breath shuddered through her whole body hoping that she wouldn't return to the sobbing.

"He wanted to give me a ring. It was beautiful, but I said no because somehow, I knew that it belonged to someone else. He asked me to marry him and go away with him and I said yes. He said as soon as he finished the next day it would be over, and we'd go away. He was meeting with the man to get his final payment, somewhere where the man had arranged"

"He never called you?"

"No, that was the last time that I saw him"

"Chantal there has to be something else"

She shook her head as she looked at me and I knew she was telling me the truth. It was then that the door opened shocking us both.

"We have to go"

"Chantal comes with us Dax"

"Okay, let's go"

I took Chantal's hand and we followed from the apartment into the hallway. When we reached the stairs instead of going down, we went up but stopped at the small landing part way between the floors. Dax pushed us both up against the wall and we waited. I was almost about to ask what the hell was going on when I heard footsteps coming up. If Chantal hadn't been afraid before, she was now. I felt her gripping my hand and arm as the sound of the steps got louder.

I breathed out a sigh of relief as I heard the landing door open and slam shut. That apparently was what Dax was waiting for because he suddenly had hold of my other hand and started to go down the stairs. We didn't need to be told to be quiet as we quickly descended, but I had to admit my heart was beating fast.

I think I jumped and stopped suddenly at the sound of a door banging above us and the sound of feet running down the stairs. Chantal bumping into me brought me to my senses and soon we were through the front door and getting into Hector's POS car. He didn't tear away from where he was parked like I would have done. Instead he drove slowly out of his parking space and joined the flow of traffic. Both Chantal and I ducked down low in the back seat, curiosity of who was following us overridden by the fear of being recognized. I suppose the way Hector had left the building wouldn't cause anyone to notice us. We were just another car driving down the street.

"You can sit up now Estefania"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. We're well away from the building"

As I sat up Chantal did as well and although I wasn't sure of exactly where we were, I knew we'd be back at Rangeman soon.

Chantal never let go of my hand all the way back to Rangeman, even as we went up in the elevator and into a small conference room. There was only Hector and Dax with us, but I knew we were waiting for the others to get back.

"Dax is everyone okay"

"Yes. Ranger and Tank saw as Morelli went into the apartment and Ram and Cal kept watch. After running out of the building he went back inside. He totally ransacked the place. Sorry Chantal"

"Chantal, you could have been in there alone when he came"

"I know. Thank you for bringing me here"

Chantal looked pale after Dax gave us that information. I felt a little bit downcast at that news because that meant that Joe really had been involved in planning those things with Adam Langhorne. Whilst I was sure of it now, I couldn't help how I felt. Was this what it had come to just because I wouldn't continue my relationship with Joe. Before now I would have seen Joe as a friend because in some ways, I had trusted him not to hurt me.

I thought back to what Ranger had said, that maybe Joe wanted to be the one who saved me, that that was what he thought attracted me to Ranger. Joe knew nothing about what a real relationship was, in some ways I suppose he was emanating how he'd grown up. A father who was domineering, selfish and abusive. Where his wife did exactly as he told her. In some ways I felt sorry for Angie, his mother, but she'd never had the strength to stand up against him or to leave him. No wonder Joe thought his behavior was acceptable when he saw his mother seeming to enjoy and thrive in that lifestyle.

The problem now though as far as I could work out was stopping Joe from continuing to stalk and harass me. I wasn't so sure that what we had would be sufficient evidence to turn him in. As a policeman I was sure he would have covered his tracks and got rid of any incriminating evidence and no doubt he'd have some perfectly reasonable excuse for being at Chantal's apartment and searching the place.

The door opened with Ranger and Tank coming inside the room. They were wearing their Rangeman uniforms so had obviously changed before coming in here. I was expecting the other men to come in as well, but it seemed that it was just going to be six of us.

"Chantal, I'm Ranger, CEO of Rangeman. This is Tank, my second in command, Dax who's a medic and Hector. I'm glad you agreed to come here with Steph, I think you could have been in a bad situation with Morelli arriving"

"Who was he?"

Oh, oh. I suppose she'd have to know who he was, but would she join up the dots and see Joe as the man who instigated what Adam was up to and was the one who had shot him?

"Detective Joe Morelli"

"You mean the cop who killed Adam?"

"Yes"

"Why the hell would he be breaking into my apartment?"

I laid my hand on Chantal's arm as a way to get her to calm down. Her voice was getting louder with each sentence she spoke. She must have realized what she was doing and actually settled back into her chair, but I could see that she was upset and wasn't tying everything together. Ranger looked at me as though he were checking to see if she was alright for him to continue. I nodded my head to him because regardless of how Chantal was feeling I wanted to know what Ranger had planned next.

"Chantal, do you recognize these?"

Ranger passed a photograph of a set of keys, I assume the ones that had been with Adam when he'd died. She looked at them carefully and then still holding the photo looked up at Ranger.

"These are Adam's, where are they, he always had them with him"

"They were with him, but we need to know what they open"

I watched Chantal as she looked at the photo again as though she was debating what to say. I knew then that I had to try and persuade her to tell us so placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Chantal, you can't bring Adam back, but you can help us to find whoever it was that he was involved with"

"How will this help?"

"He may have something hidden somewhere that could help"

"He could?"

"Maybe"

Chantal looked from photo toward Ranger and then back to the photo, while I was willing her to say something that might give us something to work with.

"Adam had a lock up, he got it when he first moved over here. He just never got around to needing to use any of it"

"What's in there?"

"Odd bits of furniture that his parents sent with him, maybe family things. I've never been there"

"Do you know where it is?"

"Well, I think it's west of here, just off route 1"

"Hector"

"On it boss"

"Chantal, I have two men who'll keep you safe. Babe, Ella's putting together some things together for Chantal. Hal and Slick and going to stay with her"

"What you talking about?

I turned to Chantal as she reacted to what Ranger had said and realized that as usual Ranger had assumed control of what was going to happen to her without discussing it first.

"Okay, let's go back a step"

"What do you mean Babe?"

"I think you just broke rule number one"

Ranger sat back slamming his blank face in place, while Tank scratched his head.

"What are you talking about Little Girl?"

"Just hear me out"

I turned to Chantal and took her hand, making her focus on me.

"Okay, you have some choices, and a decision to make Chantal. At this moment in time you could be in danger, either from the police or the man who worked with Adam. Both of them think you know more about what Adam was up to or could help them find evidence. You could go back to your apartment and your job and hope they're nice to you or you take off on your own and try to hide out. The last choice is for you stay in what we call a safe house. There'd be two men with you to keep you safe, amazing food and all of us here looking out for the bad guys. What do you want to do Chantal"

"You really think someone would come after me?"

"Yes Chantal. I figured it out so I'm pretty sure others could as well"

"Okay. I don't like this but now I'm scared. I'll take that last choice, somewhere safe with those men looking out for me"

"Good choice Chantal. Let's go see Ella and get you sorted out"

"40 minutes tops, Babe"

I took Chantal up to the sixth floor and found Ella at her doorway handing boxes to Hal. Once I'd made the introductions Ella disappeared and came back with a small suitcase.

"You should find everything you need in here. Let the boys know if you need anything else"

"Chantal do you have a phone on you?"

"Yeah"

I held my hand out for her phone and was pleased when Chantal handed it over. I didn't want to use it, but I knew from experience that someone could be tracked through their phone. Once down in the garage I gave Chantal a hug, mind you I think she was too busy eyeing up Hal to really take any notice of me. I felt relieved that we'd managed to find her, though sorry that she'd become inadvertently involved. I hadn't noticed that Ranger had come down until he was behind me, with his arms wrapped around me.

"I didn't realize that I was ordering her"

"It's okay, it's sorted now"

"What if she had decided to go back to her life?"

"I knew she wouldn't if we explained why and gave her a choice"

"Proud of you Babe"

He turned me then and with his arm around my shoulder we started to head back toward the elevator. I knew we had missed dinner, but I was keen to know what we'd be doing next to follow up on what Chantal had told us.

"So, what now?"

"Dinner"

"No, the information from Chantal"

"I spoke to the chief whilst you were with her and explained what had happened. We both agreed that there still isn't enough evidence to bring in Morelli, so the chief is getting a warrant to open up the lock up"

"Does he have the keys?"

"Strange you should ask that, because they seem to have disappeared from the evidence store"

I stopped and turned to look at him, shocked at what he'd said. Well maybe not totally shocked, if Joe had been in the station all day could he have been inside on the guise of looking at evidence for another case.

"Damn it, he could be there now"

"We have surveillance on it"

"Of course you do"

The elevator went straight up to seven, so I assumed we were having dinner. I suppose there was nothing else that could be done at the moment anyway. The problem was I was feeling edgy, maybe the last few days were catching up with me. As Ranger brought through two plates, I collected some glasses and a bottle of red wine. I thought I needed it! The meal was lovely as usual but to be honest I couldn't appreciate it even though it smelt delicious. My small helping didn't go unnoticed by Ranger though.

"Babe, we'll find your ring. If not I'll have another one made"

I appreciated that he'd said that because up until now neither one of us had mentioned it. I was worried that he'd be annoyed that I'd lost it even though it wasn't my fault.

"What else is worrying you?"

He said as he looked at my plate and empty glass of wine.

"I just feel edgy"

"You think something's going to happen?"

"I don't know maybe it's just the last few days catching up with me"

He stood up and came behind me, his hands kneading into the muscles on my shoulder. Damn that felt good.

"Just good?"

As his lips touched my neck, I moved my head to the side to give him better access and felt as his hands moved down inside my T-shirt. The way he was slowly massaging my breasts and tweaking my nipples sent heat throughout my body. I raised one arm around his head and pulled him around until my mouth moved over his cheek to his. As our mouths melded together, I felt myself being picked up so wrapped my legs around his waist. Our mouths never parted as he as he carried me through to the bedroom, exploring and tasting, my body writhing against him with need.

My lips went to his as I lay on him, my hands tangled in his hair as I held him. He deepened the kiss and I moved to straddle his hips, I could feel myself getting more and more turned on as our tongues dueled, exploring each other. His hands were setting my skin on fire and I could feel the need for him grow deep inside of me, he sat up taking me with him and lifted me as he knelt, yes that was more comfortable and any aches I felt diminished, his hands somehow removed my T-shirt and his mouth moved to my breasts, sucking and licking until my nipples were hard and aching, shooting waves of pleasure through me. He then moved his hand up my thigh caressing the skin on his way toward my groin. I pulled the zip of his cargos down and felt his erection spring free, oh yes, I could feel his fingers caressing me, and I was so close, I needed him inside me.

As I caressed his erection, he plunged a finger, then two and moved them in and out of me in time with how I was rubbing my hands on him. He lifted my hips and very slowly, in one move he was inside me, lifting my hips to then slowly set me down again. The feeling was euphoric every inch of me coiled tight as the feeling of him moving inside of me sent pulses through me, oh how I loved this man with everything I had.

I moved my hands to feel his skin, to massage and nip his nipples, moaning at the intensity, writhing my hips against him to increase the feel of him, to feel him as his length entered me, whimpering at the loss when he pulled out only to moan when he moved back in, it felt that he was touching my heart, touching my soul and I was connecting with him in a way I had never experienced before. As the tempo increased his mouth came back to mine, hard and hungry, a hand rubbed against my folds and my orgasm hit me like a train, screaming into his mouth and feeling him spasm inside of me, my muscles clenching against him, I threw my head back as the orgasm continued, my whole body feeling the after-shocks. As my breathing calmed, he held me to him, his face in my curls by my cheek.

"I love you Stephanie, more than you will ever know, and this just reconfirms how I feel"

"That was more than sex wasn't it?"

"Yes, that was you and I, our souls joining and touching"

"I love you Carlos Ricardo Manoso"

My head dropped to his chest as he lay back down, we didn't need any more words I felt happy and content and with that feeling as I slowly drifted into a peaceful sleep.

I felt totally relaxed and limp as I woke up and was really surprised when the room was still in darkness. I couldn't work out what had woken me up, maybe the incessant screeching sound.

"Babe, we need to move. That's the alarm going off"

That totally had me wide awake as I looked around for something to put on.

"Here put these on while I try to find out what's going on"

I took the underwear, joggers and a sweatshirt from his hands and was soon dressed and slipping my feet into trainers. The emergency lighting had come on, so I was able to make my way through to the kitchen. Ranger was waiting for me by the open door and he led me to the stairwell.

Damn, I forgot that the elevators would automatically shut down when the alarms went off. I was pleased that even though I hadn't exercised recently I was able to keep up with Ranger, though I was wasn't as good at using the wall to slide down. We came out on five, to an empty corridor though Hector and Tank were soon walking toward us.

"All systems transferred to back up facility"

"Tank?"

"Men are over there now manning the monitors. We've had a total power shut down"

"Cause?"

"Not sure"

"Have we men here in the building?"

"Yes, I've put us on red alert. Men are at their stations ensuring that we're secure"

"Mics and earbuds"

"Channel 3"

I watched as Tank handed a mic and earbud to Ranger, who pushed the bud in his ear and the mic around his neck. I was still looking at Tank hoping maybe I'd be included and smiled as he held out his hand with a set for me. I quickly pushed the bud in my ear and the mic around my neck.

"Babe, use channel 4, that way you can hear me and not get confused with all the talking. Everyone will be able to hear you"

That done we went into the control room. Every screen was blank, and the room was quiet making the room feel surreal. I jumped when I heard voices behind me and turned to see who was there. Les, Bobby and Dax came into view all talking loudly and all at the same time.

"Report!"
I saw the shock on their faces when they saw and heard Ranger, but somehow they knew who needed to speak first.

"I have to get down to the infirmary, somehow Zero managed to fall down the stairs"

We all watched as Bobby left and disappeared through the stairwell door, then turned back to Les and Dax.

"Ranger, someone targeted us, the buildings on this side of the street are down as well but nowhere else, I've . . . ."

I watched as all of the men seemed to focus on their ear buds, suddenly annoyed that I couldn't listen in. It couldn't be good by the look on their faces because suddenly all I heard was.

"Move out"

"The chopper's still on the roof"

Ranger stopped and looked at Les as he said that and seemed to come to a decision. I wanted to know what was happening.

"Ranger?"

"An incendiary device went off in the garage so it's not safe to go down there or the front entrance. Babe, go with Santos and Dax, they'll get you somewhere safe"

"What about you?"

His answer was to kiss my cheek.

"Please. If I know you're safe, then we can make sure no one can get in here"

"What about Ella and Louis?"

"Fortunately, they went with Hal to take some supplies to the safe house"

"Okay, just be careful"

I could see that Ranger was pleased at me agreeing to go, but to be honest I wasn't. I knew I had Dax and Les with me but as we climbed the stairs up toward the roof I started to slow down. I felt as though I was walking toward something evil, something that made by palms sweat and my heart beat faster.

"Beautiful, what's wrong?"

"It feels wrong Les"

"But you like flying in the helicopter"

"Not that, it feels like it's a trap"

"It'll be fine Steph. No one can be up there"

Hearing Dax say that didn't allay my fears and I wasn't too sure of that as we stepped through the door and out into the cold dark night. Les quickly opened the front door to get in and soon I could hear the drumming of the blades as they began to turn. Dax opened the door for me to climb in and was telling Les that he could lift off.

That's when it happened, a shadow moved from the back from the back of the cabin and a shot was fired. I screamed as I watched Dax fall back away from the helicopter and land on the ground below us. I turned expecting to be next and came face to face with a man that I knew.