Chapter 54
SPOV
I watched as Ranger started to walk toward me. He had that look on his face and I was caught, mesmerized by the intensity of how he was looking at me. Dear God, I was getting so turned on as he came nearer to me. When he stopped right in front of me my body was tingling where his hands were ghosting over me, and that was from my shoulders to the top of my legs. His eyes had turned from the usual dark brown to almost black and even though he hadn't actually touched me I could feel that I was having the same effect on him as he was having on me.
"Ranger"
Someone shouting his name had me almost jumping and my hands went out to hold onto Ranger's arms. Of course, it had to be Bobby and of course my mind went to how I'd reacted to Ranger with Bobby's words ringing in my ears. "No exertion Steph" Did sex count as exertion? Yeah it probably did. I immediately stepped back from Ranger just as he did the same and turned to see Bobby watching us. Did I blush, possibly, did Bobby give me an exacerbated look, definitely. But it didn't even rate with the look that he gave Ranger.
"Two weeks, how hard can that be. Two weeks that's all I'm asking of you"
Then he literally turned around and disappeared down the hallway. Les walked past him and gave him a second look as he came and stood next to me.
"What's with him? He sounded as though he was growling"
As I started to laugh, I had to hold my hand to my chest, the pain slicing through me. I felt Ranger behind me, his arms around mine and his face next to my cheek.
"Small shallow breaths Babe"
As I did that the pain subsided and I started to relax, shit I couldn't believe that laughing would hurt so much. I felt my feet come off the floor and was suddenly being carried by Ranger toward the couch with Les tagging along behind us. As Ranger sat down with me on his knee it was obvious that Les was worried.
"Shall I get Bobby?"
"No, I'm fine"
I rested back against Ranger as Les started to talk, I was too interested in what he was going to say to let myself fall asleep.
"Okay Ferdinand. He was on a routine patrol with his team when there was reports of a suicide attack and they followed up intel of where the cell responsible for it was hidden. Maybe it was a trap, I don't know, but most of the team were killed in gunfire and three soldiers disappeared. Two bodies were found later, shot through the head so Ferdinand was thought to be dead as well. When he turned up nearly a year later, he was in a bad way. He kept saying that an angel had saved him, that it had come to him during the night and helped him to get free. He was left in front of a military base but not close enough to see how he got there. He was airlifted out to a medical facility here in the states"
I'd latched onto the word angel as Les gave us the history of Ferdinand and his time in Afghanistan. It made me think that he'd seen the tattoo of the angel on Parker's wrist and that was all that he remembered, and it left a lasting impression in his mind.
"So now we know how Parker met Ferdinand"
"Why do you think it was Parker?"
I could see that Les couldn't work out why we should say that and realized that I'd only told Ranger about seeing the tattoo.
"He has a tattoo of an angel on his wrist"
"Why was he there?"
I rested my head back onto Ranger's shoulder, feeling decidedly tired and whispered to Ranger as my eyes closed.
"You tell him what I found out"
As I woke, I really didn't know where I was. I expected to be in bed in the apartment on seven but opening my eyes I found myself looking across Ranger's office. Ranger was sat at his desk working on his computer, but it wasn't long before he looked up and at me. I was laid out on the couch with the cushions as pillows and a blanket over me and started to stretch out my muscles. I started with my feet, then my knees working up my legs to my back. It felt good to stretch but I wasn't too sure about lifting my arms above my head. Then decided that as I'd been okay with washing my hair in the shower, I would give it a go.
"You look like a cat stretching out"
"No, you're the cat and I felt like a mouse being stalked before"
"Two weeks Babe and then I'm going for the kill"
"Has Bobby been back?"
"Yes. Seeing as you were fast asleep, he couldn't very well say anything"
I slowly brought my feet down onto the floor watching Ranger all of the time.
"What did he want?"
"Seems that Ferdinand was treated by Ellery"
I know I frowned at that, I mean why would Ellery be the doctor that he was referred to?
"Ellery usually works with people who have been traumatized through kidnapping and torture"
"Is that why he treated me?"
I wasn't too sure that my experience would have warranted for me to be seen by Ellery.
"No, he treated you because Bobby asked him to and because they both had a real concern for you"
"Did he say much to Bobby?"
"Only that he was very traumatized and being held captive he suffered from some debilitating conditions. The PTSD was severe though. He was seen by a psychologist but then discharged himself saying that his angel needed his help"
"It would be interesting to know who his psychologist was"
I watched as Ranger's eyes came up to mine, it seemed that he hadn't thought about that. But let's face it, it would have been an ideal opportunity for Beth and it could account for how Andrew was then involved.
"Interesting how Parker found him then?"
"I thought that as well. Remember though that Parker was an excellent hacker"
I suppose it wouldn't take much for Parker to find out where he was and maybe to start with, it was out of concern that he'd survived. Maybe hacking was a skill that I needed to learn as well.
"I'll talk to Hector about that"
"Shit, I didn't mean to say that out loud"
I needed to change the subject back to what we were talking about before I forgot.
"How do we find Parker?"
"I'm not sure, but that's not the real problem"
"Oh?"
I thought if we could find Parker then he'd be able to lead us to evidence against Calhoun and that would be it.
"Talking to him won't be enough Babe"
"Even how you talk to people?"
"No. If as you said he's changed, we'd need to find a way of breaking him that doesn't involve violence"
I supposed that he was right because I was sure that the death of Fereshteh had been the reason for that change. He'd become detached from emotions almost a machine and I hated to think what he'd been up to in Afghanistan.
"Let's find out where he is first and then work that one out"
"I have a feeling that Calhoun may have used Parker"
With what I'd just thought and Ranger saying that, it made perfect sense. Parker could move about in any of the areas of the Middle East and not arouse suspicion. Like some secret spy shit but without the black suits and martini.
"More Jason Bourne and less Bond, Babe"
I remembered those films and also how Bourne still had some humanity lurking inside of him. Maybe there was a way to persuade Parker that it was his time to come in as well.
"Babe?"
"Sorry, just thinking"
"I said it's time to eat. You missed lunch"
A look at the clock told me that it was only 4 o'clock but I was feeling hungry.
"Will Ella know?"
"I thought we could go out to eat"
"Really?"
Though I know I didn't say that with much enthusiasm. Come on, I'd eaten out twice in the last few weeks and both times had ended in disaster.
"Where?"
"I'll surprise you"
"Okay as long as it's nowhere near the Burg or any usual places"
"It isn't"
As he said that he came over to me and knelt down in front of me. As he tucked a curl behind my ear his face came close to mine.
"Do you trust me?"
"Yes"
Because I did and always would.
I felt my hand being held and then I was pulled to my feet. My skirt and blouse were a bit creased, so I was thinking that I'd have to change. Once in the elevator I stood leant against Ranger and as I heard the doors slide open, I turned and then came to a stop.
"Why are we in the garage?"
"I'm taking you out to eat"
"But I need to change"
I answered as I tried unsuccessfully to pull my blouse into shape and straighten my skirt. I never did get an answer because before I knew it, I was in the back of an SUV with Ranger driving and Les sat next to him. No one said a word as we started to move, and it was then that I noticed the lights on other cars come on. I watched as black SUVs drove ahead of us and turning to look behind us saw more. It was fascinating watching as they changed lanes or turned from the street. I knew we were taking offensive driving techniques, turning from the road, stopping in a car parking space but we were soon driving out of Trenton, away from the lights of buildings.
I'd totally lost any sense of direction but soon recognized where we were. The house ahead of us was where Ranger had brought me when I was close to a break down. The one by the sea where Fin had found us. Was it safe then if Fin had found us? As we came to a garage the doors rose up in front of us and the lights came on. There were two other SUVs already parked here but I wasn't feeling too sure of being here and my reluctance to move from the car had Ranger looking at me. He must have guessed why I was hesitant.
"Hector went into the land registry and hid this even deeper. No one will find us here and if they did, we have several teams keeping surveillance around the place"
That did have me feeling better and I suppose being here was better than a public restaurant. I got out of the car and followed Ranger to the door, with Les behind me. It was a strange feeling coming back into this house but at the same time felt comfortable as I remembered where everything was.
I walked straight into the kitchen to find Bobby at the stove and Tank sat down at the table.
"Wow Bobby, it's a bit like déjà vu seeing you at the stove again"
As he glimpsed away from the enormous pan, he smiled back at me and turned back to continue stirring.
"Paella, I've even made it from the ingredients"
It smelt good, reminding me just how hungry I was and as I started to bring dishes from the cupboard I felt that Bobby wasn't still mad at me.
"How many Bobby?"
"Six in here and then I'll plate some up for the others that are outside"
As I laid out plates and cutlery on the table I was curious as to who would be eating with us and even more curious as to how many men were actually here. Did that mean that Ranger was worried that there was still a threat out there? Did he think that Parker would come after us? Surely not, I mean the other members of the group could identify him and they were now locked up tight with the FBI.
I wasn't aware of anyone else who would want to do us any harm. I heard footsteps and turned to see to see who my dinner companions were going to be. Walking into the kitchen behind Ranger was Les and Hector. It seemed an age since I'd last seen Hector, so I was pleased when he walked up to me and hugged me, feeling a kiss from him on my cheek.
"You look good Estefania"
"I'm feeling better every day"
"Buena"
Which I think meant good. A few minutes later we were all sat down helping ourselves to the paella that Bobby had cooked. I knew of course that there was rice in it and identified some prawns, though apart from onion and peppers I wasn't too sure what the other ingredients were. As I ate them some were chewy but that didn't detract from the taste and I wasn't going to ask what they were. If I didn't know, then I couldn't balk at what I was eating.
It was Les and Tank who cleared away the dirty dishes and stacked them inside the dishwasher while Ranger was the one who brought mugs of coffee to the table. I leant back, my stomach felt full and yes, I had eaten a plateful of the paella. As we sat quietly drinking our coffee it was Tank who broke the silence.
"Any ideas on where this man Parker might be Ranger?"
"No. I checked through every male booked out on that flight, including airline staff. He wasn't on that flight"
"I suppose he could have flown out on earlier flight"
As Les said that I was personally thinking that he wouldn't have done that. He'd have wanted to know that the explosion had gone off and been successful at causing the chaos at the airport. It did make me wonder what would have happened to those diamonds though. Did they have a buyer waiting for them in Dubai or was Beth supposed to pass them onto Parker? For some reason I was inclined to think that he was still around, maybe not exactly here but somewhere in the country. I honestly didn't think that Parker would have any interest in the diamonds. His job had been to create the illusion of a terrorist threat and once done he'd disappear.
"He'll make a mistake and we'll find him. I have face recognition programs running 24/7"
I had no doubt that if Parker showed his face on a public camera then Hector would know about it.
"What did you find out about that farm Santos?"
"Nothing to find out. I went through the history of the owners and none of them had any connection to any of the names that we had"
I suppose it was a long shot and did it really matter now. I doubted that anyone would return there and if the FBI had that video.
"Did you tell that FBI guy about the farm?"
"Yes. They'll be all over that by now, though I doubt that they'll find anything of any importance"
"Why Babe?"
"I was just thinking that it could be a place that Parker might go"
"No. Cameras showed nothing"
I looked at Hector as another idea went through my head, it wasn't an idea that I particularly liked but maybe there might be something on it that would jog my memory.
"Could I maybe watch that video, but not when Shane was shot"
I saw that none of the guys were very happy about that suggestion but in my head, I actually wanted to know who had shot Shane. If it had been Parker, then he was probably far more dangerous than even I imagined.
"Babe, I don't like the idea of that. How about you tell Hector what you're looking for and he takes a look?"
I suppose that was one way to go about it, and it would mean that I wouldn't have to relive those awful moments.
"Okay"
I agreed.
"I wanted to know who actually shot Shane, who was stood behind him and who was stood behind me. I know that Beth was in front of me managing the laptop, but I have no memory of where Parker was"
Hector nodded his head toward Ranger basically letting him know that he would do that, though with the scarves around their heads and faces I knew it might be difficult to identify anyone.
"Parker, he had this tattoo on his wrist and an expensive watch on"
I said looking at nothing in particular but the image in my head. I was startled slightly as Ranger placed his hand on my thigh but knew it was only because he worried about me.
"I'm okay, honestly"
Not long after that I was through in the lounge area making the most of finishing that book that I'd started. The men had moved into another room and were discussing the reorganizational charts that Ranger had put together. I wasn't sure if Hector had remained with them or not and there were occasions when I would see and hear men coming into the kitchen for food. I felt relaxed as I sat on my own and was able to clear my head of everything. At 10pm I decided that I would head up to shower and get ready for bed. I wasn't too sure how much longer Ranger would be and resigned myself to the idea that their discussions could well last a long time.
I used the following three days to relax and fell into a routine fairly quickly. I would wake up with Ranger with me, never really sleeping that late, and we would make our own breakfast. Yes, Ranger was showing me different ways to cook eggs and produce something that tasted good. I was getting better at keeping an eye on things that I would normally have forgotten about. Checking what was cooking regularly so nothing burnt and being sure that appliances were turned off, especially the gas hobs.
After breakfast was the opportunity to at last walk along the beach together, though it felt strange knowing that there were men everywhere watching us. After a light lunch I would take the opportunity to take a nap and Ranger would meet with the core team to continue thrashing out their work. Dinner, I left to other people to prepare, though it became obvious that Ella had sent prepared meals for us. The evening was spent watching a film or when Les got his way playing poker. It was at those times that I was happier just to watch and perhaps learn the ins and outs of winning.
It was on the fourth day, after Ranger and I had returned from our walk that Hector was waiting for us and insisted on speaking to both of us somewhere quiet. I wasn't too sure whether what he had to say was good or bad news as I sat down next to Ranger because I was feeling nervous. We were sat in a room at the back of the house that overlooked the garden area beyond. It was where Ranger referred to as his office, but it did have some comfortable upholstered chairs that we could use. I waited for Hector to start to talk, realizing that he probably hadn't spoken to Ranger first.
"I looked at video, carefully. The man who held the gun and shot Shane, I am sure is Jari. I used a program that compares facial features and am confident that it was him"
I wasn't sure why, but I felt relieved at knowing that. I wasn't sure if it was because Jari was dead or maybe if it was knowing that it wasn't Parker.
"The man who you said was behind you, he was never caught on the video"
I wasn't sure what to say to that and was still puzzled as to why that had happened. Turning back to Hector I smiled because I knew he would have spent hours doing that work.
"Thank you Hector"
"De nada. Now I have things for you. Try not to lose them this time"
I watched as he pulled a small rucksack that had been sat on the floor onto his knee and as he started to look through it. He brought out a watch that he handed to me, which to be honest looked exactly like the last one that I'd had. As I fastened the metal strap around my wrist, I looked down at it seeing that it was totally different to the ones that I'd had before.
"I keep losing these don't I?"
"It happens. This one is different. It works like an iwatch. It can measure your blood oxygen level, monitor your heart rate. I can call up the displays and know exactly where you are and how you are reacting. Retina display to activate. You just need to synch it to your phone and then you can reply to calls and messages right from your wrist. The metal strap is not as easy to cut through"
"Does it have a panic button?"
"Yes, as before press the button on the side"
Wow, this looked an amazing piece of kit, though I would need time to work out how to use it. I leant forward and gave Hector a kiss on the cheek. I felt like a kid at Christmas being given this and then watched as Hector gave one to Ranger as well. I suppose technology was becoming so advanced now that watches like these could be bought by anyone, though knowing that Hector was accessing the information from it made me feel a lot easier. Hell, was that me saying that? Six months ago, I would have hated the idea of being tracked or knowing that someone could monitor my vital signs. But now, I felt okay about it.
After Hector left Ranger insisted that we make some sandwiches for our lunch, although I was too excited to eat. I wanted to set up my new watch so insisted that Ranger was with me when I did it. I brought out my phone and together we went through the step by step process. It was very easy and didn't take as long as I thought it would. I wasn't surprised when Ranger left me to play with it and he went in search of the core team. After exhausting everything that the watch could do, I sent a message through it to Ranger, dictating the message just to show myself that I could work it.
"Sitting in hammock with book"
I went via the kitchen for my book and poured some juice to take with me before walking out onto the deck and down toward the hammock. It was a beautiful day, not too hot and with a breeze coming in off the sea. I didn't have much of the book to read and was determined to reach the end.
The hammock was swaying slightly as I touched the screen for the last page and started to read, that's when I was aware of movement to my side and seeing someone wearing black. I just ignored it as it was probably one of the Merry Men returning from doing surveillance.
It was as I finished the page and pushed the power button that I looked up again. I was so shocked by who was standing by the gate looking at me, that as I tried to get my legs free of the hammock, I ended up twisting and falling onto the ground. I screamed not because I was frightened, but because of the fall and instantly regretted it as a pain shot through my chest.
