Chapter Thirteen

I looked down. I was still in the navy-blue pants and blue and white striped sweater I had worn sailing. Funny how your whole life could change in an instant. A person could be alive one minute and dead the next. I could be falling in love with an incredible man one minute and his dead fiancée could show up the next. You know the little things.

I raced upstairs and threw on my standard RangeMan uniform. I strapped on my nylon utility belt and slipped in my concealed boot knife. I pulled on a Kevlar vest and windbreaker and I was ready to go.

Reyes picked me up outside RangeMan. He nodded to me when I got in the car. Reyes was all geared up too. There was something in the air tonight. Reyes also felt it.

We didn't have a tracker on Wyland so we would have to find him first. Given it was late on a Sunday night, we figured we would start with his house. I didn't ask Reyes how he knew where Wyland lived. Normally finding information on FBI agents was hard, but I knew Kincaid had seriously scary search engines and contacts. Resources even RangeMan didn't have.

We were in luck, Wyland's wannabe truck was in the driveway. You know one of those trucks that's four-wheel drive, all jacked up with big tires and never leaves the beltway.

Wyland lived in a run-down single-family home in Columbia Heights. Columbia Heights was one of DC's neighborhoods in transition and still had some affordable housing. It was a weird mix of hope and despair.

The street was pretty quiet and we settled in.

I could see Reyes eyeing me. "What?" I snapped. I didn't bother to look at him.

"I just wanted to know if you were OK, that's all."

Way to be an ass I thought. He was only trying to be nice. I turned and looked at him. I could see the concern in his eyes. Reyes obviously knew about Lillian. Dead fiancées coming back to life would have made the bullpen gossip, but Reyes didn't know the half of it. I knew he wasn't read in on Ranger. Surprise I thought.

I gave him a half smile. "I will be."

He reached over and squeezed my hand.

A few minutes later we saw Wyland come out and get in his truck. We gave him some distance and then followed him.

Wyland headed towards a sparsely populated area with several abandoned warehouses. It was either a great place to meet a drug lord or the perfect place for a gangland hit. My spidey sense was vibrating.

"I don't like this" I said to Reyes. I could see by the tension in his jaw that he didn't like it either. We were hanging back about as far as we could and still maintain the tail.

I saw Wyland's truck turn a corner in the distance. Suddenly an SUV pulled in front of us. We slammed on the brakes, barely avoiding a collision. Reyes slammed the car in reverse, but I already knew it was too late.

A Dodge Charger careened in behind us. Four men got out guns drawn.

"Fuck" Reyes said and raised his hands.

We were pulled out of the vehicle, and held at gunpoint. I was pretty sure they were Vega's men. Wyland drove up and got out.

"Well look what we have here" he drawled. "Search them and let's go."

I could see them disarming Reyes out of the corner of my eye.

Wyland walked up to me, grabbed my hair and yanked my head back so I had to look at him. "I'm going to enjoy taking you down a notch, bitch."

"Fuck you Wyland" I said and kneed him in the balls. I had the satisfaction of at least seeing Wyland crumple to the ground in the fetal position before one of the men hit me in the head with the butt of their rifle and the world went black.

I'm not sure how long I was out, but when I came to, I had a vicious headache and my hands were zip tied in front of me. I was pretty sure I was in the trunk of the Charger with Reyes. I felt a warm body behind me and Reyes' arms were around me. His hands were zip tied as well but he had managed to get them around me so my head was resting on his arm rather than banging on the floor of the trunk.

"You awake" he asked.

"Hmmm"

"Do you think you have a concussion? The bleeding seems to have stopped."

"I think I'm OK. Did they search me?" I asked.

"They took your utility belt." I could tell my question confused him.

"Good" I said "then the distraction worked. I still have my boot knife." The trunk was too tight with both of us in it to wriggle down and check. I prayed it was still there.

I felt Reyes chuckle a little. "Well thank God Plum because I was afraid you had a death wish going after Wyland like that."

I thought about that for a minute. I was surprised to realize the answer was no. That hadn't been the case very long ago. I figured I'd keep that to myself.

"Men always underestimate women" I said by way of explanation. "In particular if your tits are hanging out, but a kick to the groin works too."

"Good to know" he said. I could feel him smiling.

"So, what's the plan?" I really hoped Reyes had one because I didn't.

"Stay alive and look for an opening." I thought that didn't sound like a particularly well-formed plan but I figured I didn't have anything better so I stayed silent.

"How long have we been in here?"

"About an hour, I think." We rode in silence for a few minutes. "And Plum" he said "I definitely don't underestimate you. I want you to know, I will do everything in my power to make sure they don't hurt you." I knew he meant it, and we both knew what they were probably going to do to both of us. The moment was intense.

"Just for record, I wouldn't say no to seeing your tits." We both snickered. A little gallows humor, I guess. We both knew we were probably going to die.

The car bumped along for what seemed like an eternity. When it finally stopped, we were hauled out of the trunk. My legs were numb and it took me a minute to gain my balance. I looked around. We were on some kind of a farm. I could see a farmhouse, a barn, and what looked to be an old mill. I had no clue where we were.

I still had my RangeMan watch on so I knew the control room could track me, but they had no reason to believe I was in trouble. At least this way they could probably locate whatever shallow grave Wyland threw me I thought bitterly.

A minute later I saw Vega. He and Wyland were arguing and gesturing at us. I didn't think that was a good sign.

Wyland stalked over and grabbed me and shoved me in front of him towards Vega. I saw them take Reyes towards the barn.

When Wyland pushed me in front of Vega, I saw surprise register on his face. I vaguely wondered how Vega had slipped surveillance, but I figured Wyland had probably arranged something.

"See Vega, I told you it was the same bitch" Wyland snarled.

Vega cupped my chin in his hand and looked at my face. "So, it is" he said. "You made a convincing whore." I'm pretty sure that wasn't supposed to be a compliment. "Did Montero know?"

I shook my head "No, he didn't know."

"So why were you at the party?" he asked.

I decided to go with the truth. "My name is Stephanie Manoso" my voice was flat "and you killed my husband."

Vega sucked in a breath. Obviously, Ranger could still scare the crap out of people even from the grave.

"Idiota" he hissed at Wyland. "Have your fun and then dispose of her quickly." Vega turned and strode towards the house. The four men than had been with Wyland followed Vega.

Wyland pulled out his gun and pointed me to the barn. I was praying I wouldn't find Reyes there with a bullet to the brain. I was pushed through the door and located Reyes. He was hanging by his hands from a hook. His feet barely touched the ground. He looked otherwise untouched. We locked eyes.

Wyland pushed me forward. I was about fifteen to twenty feet from Reyes. Wyland motioned for me to stop. "That's far enough. I want your boyfriend over there to be able to get a good view. He might like the show." Wyland reached out and ran his gun down my chest. The man was a complete nut. I had a Kevlar vest on. It was impossible to even tell if I had breasts.

Seriously I thought what is it with men. Always with the sexual violence and threats of rape. I knew it was about power, but I guess I figured this is one area where men got lucky. Usually, they just got beat to death or shot.

"So, you're the mole? Why would you sell out your own teammates?"

Wyland shrugged. "Money, what else?" He looked at me like I was stupid.

"Then why did you order the hit on Vega? Why kill the cash cow?"

Wyland's eyes showed a spark of surprise. "Vega was getting squirrely and then I saw you at the party. I knew he had been compromised. I figured it was just as easy to trade-up. Besides, Vega's power was waning. I don't like to be on the losing team."

"You have been sharing information with other cartels besides Vega." It was a statement more than a question. I wondered how many operations Wyland had compromised and how many people had died because of his greed.

Wyland took a knife and cut the zip ties on my hands. "Enough talking. Take off your clothes" he commanded. I just stood there.

"No" I said.

Wyland pointed the gun at my head. "I said take them off."

"No" I said again. "You can just shoot me."

I could see Reyes behind Wyland struggling to get free, he was shaking his head and his eyes looked frantic.

Wyland put the gun to my forehead and stared at me. I waited calmly for him to pull the trigger. Maybe I was wrong, maybe I still had a death wish or maybe I just didn't expect I'd ever be old, and that was OK by me.

Whatever Wyland saw in my eyes it must have convinced him that I was serious. He stepped back from me. He looked a little stumped. Wyland was never the brightest bulb in the pack.

He swung the gun to Reyes. "Take off your clothes or I'll kill him."

"Don't do it Steph, he's going to kill me anyway" Reyes said. His voice was calm and clear.

"No" I said and stepped between Reyes and Wyland. "I'll do it. Just don't hurt him."

I stepped slightly to the side. I needed Wyland to take his focus off of Reyes. Wyland turned towards me and motioned with his gun to get on with it.

I undid the straps of my Kevlar vest. I was moving like molasses. I knew Reyes was working to get loose and I wanted to give him as much time as possible.

I pulled the vest off and tossed it to the side.

"Your shirt" Wyland barked. He was clearly enjoying the power.

"Steph please don't do it" Reyes implored. "He is going to kill me anyway."

"Shut-up Reyes, you are not dying on my watch." I locked eyes with him willing him to understand.

"Shirt NOW!" Wyland bellowed.

I took the hem of my t-shirt. My stomach was roiling. I hoped I didn't puke. I pulled it up and over my head.

I was still wearing the stupid lacy pink bra that Les had bought for my weekend with Montero. God, had all that just happened today? I thought about how happy I'd been this morning, and now I was about to be raped and murdered by a dirty FBI agent, and he would probably get away with it. They always did.

Wyland clearly liked the bra. He was hard and rubbing himself. I actually did gag at that sight.

He took the gun and ran it over my breasts and down my belly. He motioned for me to keep going. He held the gun on me with one hand and unzipped his pants with the other. I risked a quick glance at Reyes. He was at least making progress.

I reached behind me and unhooked my bra. I wasn't sure I could do this. Maybe Reyes was right. I should just let him kill us both and get it over with. I took a deep breath and pulled my bra off.

Wyland grabbed my breast and yanked hard on my nipple. I didn't flinch and I didn't make a sound. I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. He kept squeezing and twisting for what seemed like an eternity. I stared straight ahead and didn't move. I knew if I lived, I would have quite the collection of bruises.

Wyland grabbed my hand and pressed it to his erection. "Feel that baby, that is all for you."

I looked him in the face. "Actually" I said "I don't feel much of anything." Now I at least understood his unnatural obsession with his gun.

He sucked in a sharp breath jerked away from me and pistol whipped me. I could taste the blood in my mouth and blood was starting to trickle out my nose.

"Pants now" he growled.

I stood there frozen. He pointed the gun at Reyes. "Ok" I said and reached for the snap on my cargo pants. I unsnapped and unzipped them.

Wyland put the gun to my temple and took the other hand and shoved it down my pants. He pushed his fingers inside me and yanked me forward. I cried out from the shock and pain. He shoved his fingers in and out of me. "Do you like that bitch." I stood statue still. I would not give him the pleasure of seeing me react again.

Frustrated, he stepped back. "Take off your pants."

"I need to take off my boots" I said with my voice trembling. I didn't even have to fake the tremor.

"Fine."

I bent down and pretended to start unlacing my boot and palmed the knife. I glanced at Reyes. I knew he'd seen the move.

I stood up. "No" I said. I needed Wyland to take the gun off me for just a second. Predictably he swung to point the gun at Reyes and I pounced.

I shoved the blade into his throat. Wyland dropped the gun and started clawing at his throat. He was making gurling sounds, his eyes wide with shock.

I got right in his face and looked him in the eye. This is for Lillian I said and twisted the knife and then pulled it out. He fell backward still clawing at his throat gasping for air. He was a dead man, he just didn't know it yet.

I raced over to Reyes and cut him down.

I saw Reyes' eyes focus behind me. He wrapped his arms around me and swung me in front of him shielding my body with his. I heard the gunfire and felt Reyes' body jerk twice when he got hit in the back. I prayed the bullets had hit Reyes in the vest, and not somewhere more vital. We went down with a bone jarring thud.

I hoped Reyes was just knocked out and not dead but I had no idea. I scrambled for Wyland's weapon and fired at the gunman taking him down.

There were at least three others out there plus Vega. I was sure they heard the shots and would be coming. Reyes was too heavy to move and there was nowhere to hide him anyway.

I didn't know if Reyes was dead or alive, but I knew if I didn't draw the others away from him, he would for sure be dead.

I scrambled up. I didn't bother with my shirt I just grabbed the Kevlar vest and threw it on and ran to the barn door.

There were three men running towards the barn, weapons drawn. I made sure they saw me and then took off at a run towards the outbuildings.

They were firing at me. It was clear their orders were to kill on sight. Apparently, Vega didn't have any grand plans for me. That, I guess, should be a relief.

I ran towards the old mill and burst through the door. I looked around in a panic. Shit. There was nowhere to hide. Clearly this had not been the best laid plan. I grabbed the ladder and climbed up to the loft. I figured I might be able to get the drop on them. I checked the gun. I had four bullets left, and probably seconds to live.

If I could take out the men following me, I could use the beam to cross from the loft to the small window. I might be able to jump into the water, swim to shore out of sight and get the drop on Vega. Assuming I didn't break my fool neck it might work. It wasn't much of a plan but it was all I had.

The three men burst through the door looking around. It is a well-known fact humans rarely look up. I'd read that somewhere and it turns out it was true in this case. I took out all three of them in rapid succession and started across the beam towards the window.

As bad luck would have it, there was a fifth guy. He burst through the door as I was trying to balance my way across the beam to the window. I was a sitting duck.

He fired at me. Lucky for me he wasn't a particularly good shot. The first bullet grazed by me, knocking me slightly off balance. I kept going. I wasn't so lucky with the second bullet. It hit me square in the back and I lost my balance and fell.

It is funny how your mind works when you are about to die. As I was falling, I thought this is probably really going to hurt.

I hit the rotted wood with a crash, it splintered and gave way. Suddenly, I was enveloped in icy cold water and inky blackness. I was in a cistern.

The bullet had knocked the wind out of me and the fall had done the rest. I was disoriented. I had no idea which way was up and I had no breath left to figure it out.

The Kevlar vest was heavy and dragging me down. I was about to lose consciousness. I knew I was going to drown. I thought belatedly that maybe that dream hadn't actually been a nightmare. Maybe it had merely been a premonition.

I closed my eyes and let go and started to drift down. It would be a good death I thought.

I felt hands grab onto me. Strong, warm arms wrapped around me, but I knew I must just be mistaken. I let the blackness take me.

What the hell, someone was shaking me. Why was someone shaking me. I was dead. Of course, I was surprised that my lungs burned and it was cold when you were dead, but what did I know. It wasn't like I'd been dead before.

The shaking was insistent, and I swear I heard "Babe, come on wake up."

I knew that wasn't possible. Ranger was gone. Ranger had been gone for a long time.

"Babe, I need you to wake up." I felt warm strong arms holding me and I felt safe.

I popped open one eye and then the other. Ranger's face swam into view. I knew I must be dead for sure. "Am I dead?"

I saw Ranger smile. "No, you are going to be just fine" and Ranger kissed me. I kissed him back and desire swirled through me. If this was a dream, I was really liking it.

"Hey there" I said and burst into tears.

Ranger held me and rocked me for a minute. He pressed his cheek to mine and held me. "You're Ok. You're safe" he said over and over.

The Kevlar vest was gone, and I was wrapped in Ranger's windbreaker. I was still shaking. I saw someone hand Ranger a blanket that he wrapped around me.

It was Roman.

I sat up. I cradled Ranger's face in my hands and kissed him. I put my forehead to his.

"You have a lot to answer for" I said and held him closer.

"I know."

We sat there for a couple of minutes until the shakes subsided. Ranger and I stood up. I needed answers and we needed to finish this.