Chapter 60
RPOV
In some ways I was glad that Steph had fallen asleep. It meant that as I lifted her from the car and walked toward the elevator the men who were trying to surround us were quiet.
"She's fine, but tired. I'll let you know the details in the morning"
Was what I whispered to a lot of disappointed faces. I knew I wasn't being fair ,after all they had been there for us and I knew they would have tried to get us out ,but now wasn't the time to go through everything that we'd learnt tonight.
I needed to go through that in my head and be absolutely certain that I believed what Ehsan had told us. Then there was the whole issue of actually trusting him. Ehsan was a very dangerous man and although I could relate to his experiences, did I believe that he wanted and could change?
Once inside the apartment I walked through to the bedroom and gently laying Steph on the bed removed her shoes and socks and then pulled her jeans down. Undoing the clasp of her bra allowed me to pull each strap down and over arms enabling the bra to be pulled free. Once she was under the covers I sat in the chair and watched her sleep and allowed my thoughts to run through my head.
In some ways I had been no different to Ehsan. I was cold and calculating completing my missions with a fervor that was starting to get me a reputation. To do things well my skills were being constantly updated and improved upon. I was a killer and a fighting machine and to do that I had to push all emotion deep down inside of me. That meant that I pulled away from my family and surrounded myself with like minded people. I could intimidate anyone with a look until that fateful day when Connie had asked me to help out a new bounty hunter.
The blue eyed, curly haired brunette who walked into that diner took me by surprise. She was sassy and intelligent and totally devoid of any skills needed for the job, but somehow, she fascinated me. She was immune to the walls that I'd erected to keep people at a distance, even to my blank looks and one word answers. I'd never experienced fear before her, but suddenly I was fearful for her, and would do anything to make sure that she was safe.
Okay she frustrated the hell out of me with the things that she'd do, at the situations that she got herself into. Gradually over the years that fascination developed new feelings for me, feelings that I'd tried so hard to lock down. The physical attraction was like nothing I'd ever had for a woman before and I suppose Morelli being on the scene was a useful screen between us, until I started to resent his presence. Yeah jealous that he had someone that I wanted to be with.
These last few months had me reevaluating everything that I thought and felt. What I'd said to her today while in that building was true, she was my light in a dark world that had slowly enlightened my soul. She was my angel, as Fereshteh had been to Ehsan, and I knew that if I lost her then I would plunge back into the darkness and return to the way that I used to be. I understood Ehsan and how he had done what he'd done. It surprised me, well maybe not, that he'd been affected by Steph. She held that innate quality that had that effect on people. Hell, most of my men had fallen under her spell and seen those qualities that made her who she was.
As Steph moved slightly in her sleep, I knew that I wanted to be there next to her, holding her to me. I showered quickly and pulling up some silk boxers slid into bed next to her, the feel of her moving toward me swelling my heart further.
I woke to the feeling of being watched, not something that happened to me. Opening my eyes, I found myself lost in the deep blue eyes of Steph.
"Were you watching me sleep?"
I hadn't meant to embarrass her but noticed that she looked away as though caught doing something that she shouldn't have been doing.
"I love to watch you sleep Babe"
"Why?"
"So that I can appreciate what I have, what I feel for you"
"Maybe I was doing the same"
"I don't mind, if you don't"
I watched as her face turned and she was looking back at me, a smile across her face, then as she leant forward and kissed me on my jaw.
"I'm getting up, I need to shower and then work out how to approach Mr Edelson"
"Do an in depth search on him first"
"Kay"
I watched as she sat up and got up from the bed and as she walked around the bed to go to the bathroom. My eyes scanned her body from her toes to the top of head, loving her long legs and shapely body, even her riotous curls looked sexy. The mark on her face though had a sudden feeling of anger raise its head. Morelli. He needed to be dealt with and I would have to talk to Chief Watson to find out what would happen to him once he was fit enough to leave the hospital. I smiled acknowledging the damage that Ehsan had inflicted on him.
"What was that smile for?"
"I was just internally thanking Ehsan for the damage he did to Morelli when I saw that bruise on your face"
She'd stopped by the bathroom door with a frown on her face, well at least she couldn't be annoyed with me.
"Was Joe badly hurt?"
"Yes. Every blow that Ehsan delivered either broke a bone or did internal damage"
"Good"
Her disappearing into the bathroom didn't give me an opportunity to question what she'd meant by that and I wasn't going to spend time deliberating over it.
Once dressed and in the kitchen, I was aware of Ella at the door and watched as she pushed a trolley through to the kitchen. There seemed to be more plates than usual and as usual Ella already had the answer before I could ask.
"The boys are on their way up and asked me to make sure there was enough food for everyone. Just make sure that Stephanie eats enough this morning because she missed her dinner last night"
I had no response to being told that and couldn't really be annoyed at the presumption of the guys that they could eat breakfast with us. I knew that they'd want to know what happened last night. As Ella let herself out, I watched as Santos, Tank and Bobby walked into the apartment. Ella spoke with Bobby before she left and got a nod from him, so I wasn't sure what she'd said to him. I just hoped that Steph was dressed when she came through.
As I started to unload the contents from the trolley onto the dining table, I heard Santos make a comment that had me spinning around.
"Beautiful, you look sexy and sophisticated. Are we going out on a date?"
"No, this is me dressing to impress"
"Works for me"
Fortunately, Tank was close to Santos and delivered a hand across Santos's head for me. I was too busy looking at Steph. I suppose how Santos had described her was accurate. She was wearing a deep blue knitted dress that clung to the shape of her body, clinging around her hips and thighs to end just above her knee. The sleeves were long, and the collar was high attracting attention to her face. I knew that she'd done something to cover the bruise on her face, but her makeup was subtle, her eyes emphasized by the color and the mascara. She was wearing her hair on top of her head, her appearance making her look taller. Bobby was the one who approached her and led her to the table, allowing her to sit down first before the rest of us joined her.
"Wow, there's loads here"
"Ella told me that since you missed dinner last night that you have to eat plenty"
There was no argument from Steph as she began to serve herself bacon, eggs, sausages and toast. Once she had a plate full the rest of us did the same and I poured some coffee out for Steph and me.
"Why are you guys here?"
"I think they're curious as to what happened in that building Babe"
"You tell them then because I'm feeling too hungry to talk"
I was amazed as Steph did just that, though I was sure that she would be listening and was sure to correct me if I got something wrong.
"Ethan Parker or Ehsan Parven as he calls himself was there, expecting me. He'd taken Steph away from Morelli because of how he saw Morelli treating her"
"Is he the one who hurt her when she was at that farm?"
I looked up to see the serious expression on Santos's face and recognized how annoyed he was.
"No. He was there and was the one asking the questions, but it was Jari who actually hit Steph"
"So he just allowed it to happen?"
"Yes, Bobby. Ehsan lost his wife in Afghanistan. She was beaten to death and I suppose you could say that he shut down all emotion to exact some revenge. He's an operative that Calhoun has taken advantage of and is extremely efficient at what he does. He didn't hurt Steph but was a part of it and it had the effect on him of questioning himself"
"He saw the light, eh Ranger?"
I wasn't too sure what Tank meant by that, or maybe I did because Tank had been one of the people who had constantly tried to push me to open up my feelings to Steph.
"He immediately regretted what he'd been a part of, especially as his wife would have been devastated at what he's become"
"Are you saying that he's regretting what he's done?"
"Maybe more what he's become. He wants Calhoun taken down"
"Can he do that?"
"Only with our help"
"Ranger why does he hate Calhoun?"
I looked over to Bobby and was trying to find the words to explain what Ehsan had said to us.
"He feels that Calhoun has helped to make him who he is. That Calhoun has some responsibility for the things that he's done. Ehsan wants to be the man that he was when he fell in love with his wife"
"You're saying that Calhoun has made him into a killing machine with the ops he's sent him on?"
I knew that Santos would understand what that felt like, hell, that was one of the reasons that he stopped doing any more missions and why he was constantly telling me that I needed to do the same, before the person I was becoming took over control.
"Yes. He also thinks that Calhoun wants Steph dead"
Okay that had three pairs of eyes suddenly looking at me. I didn't need for them to ask me why Calhoun would want that, because I was already starting to give them an explanation.
"Calhoun is worried about how much Steph knows about his involvement in what happened in New York. That she was at that motel the night he was there, and that Steph was looking for Shane and Sophia only adds to those ideas. Ehsan also thinks that if he got Steph out of the way that I'd continue my contract"
"Hell, he'd have two deadly mercenaries to do his dirty work"
I didn't oblige Bobby with an answer but could tell that each of the men were thinking the same thing.
"So what are the plans?"
"Ehsan is going to arrange a meeting with Calhoun for tomorrow. He's going to find out what his next job is, but also dangle the idea that he has the rest of the diamonds from the heist"
"What diamonds?"
That's when Steph suddenly became animated because this had been her idea, how successful it would be I wasn't too sure.
"I'm going to persuade Mr Edelson to leak that there were actually more diamonds than the FBI found"
"Why would he do that Beautiful?"
"To catch the mastermind of the whole plan and probably the person responsible for his son's death"
"That's if he didn't put out the order himself"
I watched as Steph thought through what Tank had just voiced. To be honest it was a thought that I'd had as well.
"He wouldn't have done it the way it happened. He'd have made him disappear; you know so the body was never found. Besides how would he explain to his wife and the mother that he offed their son like that?"
I had to agree with what Steph had said and that seemed a good argument for continuing with what we were planning.
"What do we need to do?"
"I'll need a team to accompany Steph and me when she goes to talk to Edelson"
"Anything else?"
I shook my head as I looked around at the men sat at my dining table. To be honest we wouldn't know until Ehsan had spoken to Calhoun. Everything would depend on how that conversation went.
"I suppose it explains those men turning up at Sophia's apartment when you were there and maybe who ordered a strike on our car from a drone"
I looked at Tank as he made that obvious statement, it was something that was worrying me. Just how far would Calhoun go to getting me back on his books?
Once all of the food had been consumed and the dishes deposited back onto the trolley, we all headed down to five. Steph had some research to do and I had some calls to make.
As we came out of the stairwell door onto five, I saw Louis outside my office and noticed him make a beeline for me when he saw me. I waited until Steph had gone into the office before following him further down the hall. I waited as he opened the door into what had been a storeroom before following him to look at what he'd managed to do in transforming the place.
"I'm impressed"
"Well I took some space off the gents room next door so that we could add a ladies room. There's access into it from here. By the time I got the men to move all of the stuff out of here it was actually bigger than I remembered"
Looking around I was seeing an office space that had a desk and computer at the far end with a chair, printer and shelving unit. In the middle of the room was a circular table and chairs with a door that I presumed went through to the ladies rest room. It had that feminine look that I was sure was from Ella. The walls were a pale coral color with pictures hung up on the wall and a dark blue carpet on the floor. Whilst this was an internal room there was the frame of a window in the wall that had an illuminated beach scene behind the glass, throwing natural light into the room.
"I'm sure Steph will love it"
"Good. Ella and I spoke to the agent and I've emailed through details of properties that might interest you"
"Different options?"
"As you asked. Some new, some old, some land and also unusual properties that Ella thought might have potential"
"The building next door?"
"That as well"
"I'll take a look with Steph and get back to you"
As Louis left the room, I decided that I might as well stay in there to make my phone calls. I sat in a chair at the table and made a start.
"How's it going Manoso?"
"Making headway Wilt. I need to ask you something"
"Go on, I'll help if I can"
"How many diamonds did you find and return to Edelson?"
"According to him and the documentation, all of them"
"What was the documentation?"
"Customs Invoice, Inward Cargo Manifest, Commercial invoice Bill of Lading and the Packing list. Why?"
"You're going to hear a rumor that there were more diamonds than either the documentation or Edelson said there were"
"What are you up to Manoso?"
"We're putting in place a plan to get the man who masterminded everything"
"The bombing as well?"
"Yes"
I waited patiently as Wilt considered what I'd asked, I was almost sure that the idea of catching the man responsible for the bombing would be his priority. I doubted that he was interested in the diamonds anyway.
"Go for it, I'll hold the fire back here and plead ignorance to knowing anything"
"Thanks Wilt"
"I assume you'll hand the bomber over to me?"
"I will. I might even include you on the takedown"
"Just make sure the evidence is airtight"
I returned the phone to my pocket feeling relieved that Wilt had been so cooperative. I was being serious in having him there for any takedown and just hoped that we would have the hard evidence needed to make any charges stick. I hadn't realized how long those two things had taken so made my way back to my office noticing that Steph had just put her phone away.
"I called my Dad just in case he'd heard any rumors after the hold up at the bank"
"What did he know?"
I went over to her desk and rested against the edge with my hands behind me on the desk surface.
"He knew about the hold up and had tried to ignore the rumors. Apparently, everyone knows that it was Joe that carried me out of the bank but that you'd followed him and beat the crap out of him. It was the sports car, everyone assumed it was yours. Seeing as neither of us had spoken to him he decided that maybe it was true especially as Joe was badly injured in the hospital"
"As long as your father isn't worried, I don't care what the rumors are saying"
"That's what I said to him as well"
"How did the search go on Edelson"
"Illuminating. We're meeting him at 2pm"
I raised an eyebrow at how quickly she'd managed that curious as to what she was planning.
"Are you going to tell me?"
"Nope. I know just how to handle him"
I couldn't get any more information out of Steph and wasn't sure whether to be worried or not. I was probably more nervous due to the fact that I wasn't sure what she was up to but decided that whatever it was I'd be there to back her up. I knew that Steph tackled problems differently than I would and whilst she was sure of her intentions, they did have the habit of getting her into situations that created problems for her.
We were meeting Edelson in a Greek restaurant that he frequented and as he'd suggested we ate lunch there with him then there was no need to eat before we left. I'd messaged Santos our plans, so I was confident that we'd have backup. On a whim I took the Porsche, maybe it was a macho thing on my part seeing as her last road trip had been in a Jag.
Once on the road I wasn't surprised when Steph started to talk though I was trying hard to listen to her and be aware of the traffic around us.
"That Jag was a nice car"
"Nicer than this?"
I actually turned to look at her when she didn't answer straight away.
"Different. Maybe it had a different sound to it and possibly it went faster"
"Maybe I should sell this and get one then"
Knowing from the way that she was smiling I knew that she was trying to wind me up and I was okay with that, I was pleased that she was feeling so up beat.
"Nah. I'm attached to this one. I like the feel of it better and the seats, well they hold too many memories for me"
My mind went back to that time when Steph had been desperate, so desperate that she had me pull into an alley to relieve herself of the sexual frustration that she was experiencing. Her excuse was that Morelli's grandmother had jinxed her with the vordo and Morelli couldn't cope. Who was I to refuse an opportunity like that though to this day I wasn't sure how the hell we managed to have sex in such a confined space.
I must have been smiling because Steph knew exactly what I was thinking.
"Though we could always test the Jag out"
Was what I replied just to give her something to think about.
I'd had a team check out the restaurant before we arrived and as we pulled up outside their reversing out enabling me to park close to the entrance. I got out of the car and went around to open Steph's door pleased that she'd waited for me to do that. As I closed her door, I did the sound check on my mic and earbud and looked around the area.
"Sound test"
"All clear"
Came through from Santos as I opened the door for Steph to walk through. As we walked through to the desk, I was aware of eyes watching us. I suppose with me dressed in a suit and the way that Steph looked we made an impressive couple.
"Do you have a reservation Sir?"
"We're with Mr Edelson's party"
"Certainly Sir, please follow me"
I had Steph's arm looped through mine as we followed the maƮtre d' through the restaurant and into a room at the back. I was surprised that there was only one table set out, with two waiters in attendance. As we approached, Edelson rose from his chair and extended his hand to me and then to Steph.
"Miss Plum it is a pleasure to meet you, please have a seat. I'm afraid I don't have much time so have taken the liberty of ordering for us all"
I pulled out a chair for Steph to sit on and then watched as a waiter unfolded a napkin over her knee. I think she was going to say something, but another waiter interrupted her when he started to place a variety of plated food in the center of the table. I watched as she eyed up what was there, not sure if she recognized what was being offered. I noticed that she took the same things that Edelson did and was impressed with her move seeing that Edelson was smiling at her.
"You have excellent taste Mr Edelson, these taste delicious"
"Thank you. Now perhaps you can feed my curiosity. Why did you want to talk to me?"
I watched as Steph leant forward in a conspiratory pose pulling his attention to her.
"I thought that you would want to know who masterminded the plot to steal from you"
"Why would you think that Miss Plum?"
"A common friend said that you hated being taken advantage of and that the death of your son was a blatant move against you"
I had no idea who Steph was talking about but as she took advantage of the pause in the conversation, she picked up some bread and feta cheese and began to eat it.
"He said that you were a trustworthy person Miss Plum. So, what are you suggesting?"
"To bait him, let him think that there were more diamonds that the FBI don't know about"
I watched as he considered that and took a glass in his hand to swirl the wine around in the glass.
"I may have been disappointed with my son, but I deplore the action of that coward for killing him like that. His mother cries every night for him. I will happily help you to give the illusion that there are a lot more diamonds out there if that's what it takes"
"Thank you. If you can leak that information out as soon as possible then we'll be in a stronger position to catch him"
"I'll do that as soon as I return to my office. Now Miss Plum, I hear that you enjoy desserts so you must try one before you go"
I declined dessert but opted for coffee and watched as Steph devoured the lemon bougatsa placed in front of her. I had to admit that he was enthralled with her as she continued to make small conversation with him. It was when two armed men came and stood by the door that Mr Edelson stood up from the table. He took Steph's hand and kissed her knuckles before turning to me. I was on my feet, ready for what he was going to say to me.
"She is indeed a very special young woman, Alexander was right. Take good care of her Mr Manoso because there are plenty of men who would willingly step into your shoes"
I held out my hand for Steph and nodded my acknowledgement to Mr Edelson, watching as he exited the room with his bodyguards.
"Babe, ready to go?"
"Yes, I think that went well, don't you?"
I was hoping that Santos got the message that we were now leaving and that the car was secure. I heard him respond in the affirmative so was more confident at stepping out of the restaurant into the open street. Once in the car and with the back up of two teams I was more than happy to head home. I wasn't going to ask Steph what her conversation had been about I wanted to wait for her to tell me. I had a feeling that she'd been speaking with Alexander Ramos and I wanted to know why. It wasn't long before I felt her looking at me and heard a sigh escape from her mouth.
"You're not going to ask, are you?"
"I know when you're ready you'll tell me"
"You're not annoyed at me, are you?"
"Why don't you tell me the full story"
"I did a full search on Edelson, including financials. I discovered that Ramos has the habit of buying diamonds from Edelson and figured that it must have been a money laundering scheme. I called Ramos and told him the truth, that there was a bad man who had killed Edelson's son and tried to steal his diamonds. Ramos told me that Edelson was mortified at the death of his son and that he was sure that he'd welcome the man involved caught. He even offered to call Edelson to pave my way"
"So Edelson isn't totally legitimate?"
"No. Though those diamonds at the airport were. They were a consignment that he had bought from the mining company, something about them being exhibition stones. I have a feeling that he brings in a lot of uncut stones and maybe doesn't fill in the paperwork properly for those"
"Does he deal in blood diamonds?"
I saw the confusion in her expression so assumed that she didn't know what they were.
"Blood diamonds can also be called conflict diamonds, brown diamonds, hot diamonds, or red diamonds. They are diamonds mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency, an invading army's war efforts, or a warlord's activity"
"I honestly don't know, I hope not, I kinda liked the man"
"How's Ramos?"
"Alex sounded very much in control and told me that now he was off the medication his sons were feeding him, that he's a lot better"
I was glad to hear that, not so much that Steph was on first name terms with an arms dealer though.
"So are you mad at me?"
I thought that through before answering her. In some ways I was a little annoyed that she hadn't told me what she was doing or who she was speaking to. Then again would Steph have thought that I would try and stop her? Obviously, she did which is why she'd kept me out of the loop. I needed to word my answer very carefully.
"I can understand why you didn't tell me. You thought that I would be against it"
"Would you have been?"
"Maybe initially. Babe, I know that sometimes I don't always follow the way your mind works but I'm getting there. Next time trust me enough that I won't try to stop you"
I was starting to get worried that I'd said the wrong thing when Steph didn't say anything, and a quick look showed her biting her lower lip. A sure sign that she was thinking.
"I do trust you and want you to trust me"
Ouch. I suppose what she'd said had hurt but maybe she was right.
"Let's work on trusting and supporting each other's ideas and listening to explanations"
"Okay. Did we just avoid having an argument?"
I knew I was smiling as I took her hand in mine and brought it to my lips to kiss. I suppose Steph had developed strategies to manage how she dealt with people and the way that they had constantly belittled her ideas. If she didn't tell them then they couldn't criticize her. Another aspect of her self esteem that she needed to overcome, and it highlighted to me that I probably needed to be more open and flexible if her ideas didn't agree with mine.
"No. We both have traits that we need to understand about ourselves and each other, we just needed to express our thoughts and try to understand each other's perspective"
"Okay, I think I can follow what you're saying"
Being in a relationship was going to need work, something that I had never considered before. That we had both voiced our feelings had surprised me, in a good way, because the more I understood her the more deeply I felt for her.
We spent the remainder of the journey in relative silence, I suppose both of us thinking through what would happen next. So far, the first stages of our plan were in place, now it was going to be up to Ehsan to take this to the next level. Now would be the time when I would find out if we could trust him or not.
