Chapter Eleven

Montero and I stood looking at each other for a minute. He bundled me to him and I clung to him for a few minutes.

"God, Plum. I don't know what to say. We are going to figure this out. I promise. I know this may change everything, but it will never change how I feel about you."

I thought that was a sweet but incredibly naïve thing to say. Montero wiped the tears off my cheeks and kissed my forehead.

We climbed into the car and drove in silence to the Freeway airstrip, each of us lost in our own private hell.

I thought I should probably call Tank and Les, but each time I picked up the phone to dial I couldn't bring myself to do it.

We pulled into the airfield and were escorted by two FBI agents. A gulfstream was parked on the tarmac. Lillian Becket descended the stairs.

Montero and I were standing side-by-side outside the car. He stood there staring for a couple of minutes and then turned to face me. His back was to Lillian.

He gave a negative shake of his head. "Plum, I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I want to do this. I lo.." I put my fingers to his lips to stop him from saying it.

I took his face in both my hands and looked deep into those startling blue eyes. "I know" I said "me too, but that is your miracle standing there. She is the love of your life and you have a chance for a do over. How many times did you wish for this moment? Now go, Lillian needs you."

He nodded and turned away and started across the tarmac. I absently rubbed my hand over my heart. My chest felt empty. Tears fell unheeded down my cheeks.

I watched them for a few minutes. He reached for her and she flinched away. I knew she had been through hell, and I knew I'd done the right thing. I wondered if that were Ranger on the tarmac, what would I have done. Would I have run to him?

Montero turned and jogged back over to me. I quickly wiped my eyes and tried to smile.

"Lillian has something you need to hear."

Lillian, Montero, and I all went into a conference room in the business office of the airport.

Lillian was tall, thin, and blond. She was striking, but she had haunted eyes. I didn't want to think about what she had been through in the last twenty-one months. I could only imagine it was things nightmares were made of.

Montero introduced us. He introduced me as Stephanie Manoso. It felt a little like a kick in the gut.

When she spoke, her voice was soft but clear and strong. "Rafe, could you please get me some coffee. I'm freezing." It was clear she wanted to speak to me alone.

Montero got up and left.

"Thank you" she said.

"For what?"

"For sending him back to me. I know he is in love with you, and I know it's selfish but I don't think I could bear it" her voice trailed off.

I reached over and took her hands in mine. They were ice cold. "Look at me" I implored "that man loves you more than anything. It was never a choice. This has just been a big shock that's all." I didn't deny that Montero loved me. Lillian was far too sharp and her gaze far too assessing.

She didn't look like she believed me. I'm not sure I believed me, but it was the only thing I knew to say because the truth was far too scary to contemplate.

She nodded her head.

Montero walked back in and sat down. He handed us each a cup of coffee just the way we liked it. I'm not sure why, but it felt far too intimate.

Montero motioned for Lillian to start.

"When we were outed by the mole, Vega's men killed the other agents immediately, but because I was a woman, they took me".

I knew where this was going and I felt sick to my stomach. My eyes cut to Montero. I didn't think he needed to hear this.

"No" Lillian said "he should stay. He should know."

I nodded.

"There was a man. I had seen him around, but I thought he was one of Vega's men. He tried to get to me, but couldn't get me out when all hell broke loose. There were too many of Vega's men. He told me to do whatever I had to do to stay alive and he would find me. I'm not sure why, but I believed him."

I felt alternately hot and cold. I swallowed hard to keep from being sick.

Lillian sat straighter in her chair and her voice came out clear "Vega's men took me. They raped and tortured me. I would have given up, but I believed that man. I believed he would come for me. There was something in his eyes when he said it that made me believe him, so I did what I had to do to stay alive. I was in pretty bad shape. I was badly beaten and pretty torn up. I thought one of Vega's men was coming to either kill me or take another turn with me, but it was the stranger. He got me out."

Lillian's voice trailed off and I wasn't sure if she was going to keep going, but she did. "He took care of me. He hid us from Vega's men. That man carried me through the jungle for days. He was gentle and so very respectful the whole time. I had a lot of wounds." Her voice trailed off again. I'd seen the kind of wounds that come from rape and torture, and I knew the fact that she had been treated with dignity meant everything.

"He took me to a family and made sure I got medical care and that I was stable before he left. He seemed to know who I was, so I figured he must also be with one of the agencies. He only asked one thing of me. He asked that I stay hidden until he sent for me. He said if I turned up in the States it would raise too many questions and I would be in danger. He said he needed time to take out the rest of Vega's operation and flush out the mole."

She stopped and looked over at Montero and then continued. "After everything he did for me, it was the one thing I could do for him. I did as he asked. Four days ago, he brought me a package with a fake passport, money and the name of a contact. And, here I am. I don't know the man's name, not his real name anyway, but Montero said you might know. That man saved my life."

I was pretty sure I knew exactly who she was talking about. "What did he look like?"

He was Latino. Dark hair, dark eyes. Tall, probably close to six feet. He had a muscular build. He was gorgeous." Lillian blushed as she said it and I saw her glance at Montero.

I pulled out my phone and pulled up a picture of Ranger and showed her. She took the phone and used her finger to trace Ranger's face. "Yes" she said "that's him. Who is he?"

"His name is Carlos Manoso."

Her eyes cut to mine. "Your name is Manoso" her voice trailed off and I saw shock and realization in her eyes.

"Yes" I said. "He's my husband." I couldn't look at Montero.

So, I thought Ranger was alive four days ago.

I asked Montero if he could have one of the agents drive me home. He said to take his car, and he and Lillian would catch a ride. I figured he didn't want Lillian or the agents to see me dragging a suitcase out of the car. Then everyone would know we spent the weekend together. I guess I was officially someone's dirty little secret now.

We said our goodbyes and I blindly drove Montero's car back to RangeMan. I wanted to cry, but I didn't think I had any tears left.

I thought about Montero. He must be feeling the same thing I was. His fiancée had been alive this whole time but had chosen not to contact him. Letting him believe for almost two years that she was dead. I knew he must feel betrayed and angry.

I couldn't believe that some cruel twist of fate had intertwined our lives the way it had. Ranger rescued Lillian and the two of them made pact to play dead. Montero and I ended up together because we thought they were dead. Now the four of us were forever linked. This was a clusterfuck of epic proportions. It was hard not to think of both Lillian and Ranger as selfish bastards, even though I knew that wasn't really fair.

Fuck fair, I was done with fair and I was done with being understanding. I certainly felt betrayed by Ranger. I was glad he was alive, but I was pissed. Ranger had a lot to answer for.