Wishing all my readers a Happy Christmas. Updates will continue though am sorry to say we're not far from the end!

Chapter 63

SPOV

I was annoyed at myself that I hadn't been able to find a link between Calhoun and Beth and was determined to find it. I probably should have told Ranger where I was going and why, but I was sure he'd have a pretty good idea. I'd never seen the name that Beth had used with me as being important, just assuming that it was a random name that she'd used for me. Seeing that email to Jari from that name and then hearing Calhoun go quiet when Ehsan asked about them had me sure that there was definitely some sort of connection between them.

I wasn't sure about them being lovers or being in a relationship though, to be honest I wasn't going to rule it out. What was the age difference? 16 years. Would Beth had been interested in Calhoun like that? I wrinkled my nose as an image of Calhoun came into my mind, he was definitely not what I would see as a good looking guy and to me he seemed too obsessed with his work to have a woman in the mix let alone Beth. No, it had to be something else.

I'd opened Ranger's office door without even remembering getting there and walked over to the desk that he'd arranged for me to have and then realized that everything I needed was in the conference room. I needed to calm myself down and get my head on straight before I ended up overlooking something important.

Sitting down in front of my open laptop I brought up the search program and inserted the name Natasha Routledge. Two names that Beth obviously had an infinity for. I'd never used that name in a search before and was beating myself up for it. Hell, when I'd done that multi complicity search I'd input full names, not just surnames. Though maybe had I done that I might have hundreds of results. This time I input three names, Edward Calhoun, his wife Emily Calhoun and Natasha Routledge. While that ran, I went to the files on the table and searched through for the one that I'd done for the passengers that had died on the day of 9/11. Sure enough, there was a passenger named Natasha Routledge and turning to the search that had just completed, it verified that information.

Now to find the link between Beth Andrews and Natasha Routledge. It was so damn obvious that I was feeling really upset with myself. How could anyone say that I was good at this? I'd missed it, something that was so damn obvious. Everyone was going to be so disappointed with me when they found out, including Ranger. I pushed the laptop with what I'd found away from me and rested my head on my arms on the table. A tear slipped out as I felt all of the confidence, I thought I'd found, slip away.

I wasn't aware of anyone coming into the room and didn't even have the energy to be surprised when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Turning my head slightly I saw that it was Hector stood looking down at me.

"Estefania?"

How could I explain how stupid I'd been, how I'd wasted so much of my time and every else's?

"Why are you so upset?"

"Because I can't do this, I'm stupid, just like everyone thinks"

"No. That's not right, you're good at finding information"

"I missed it"

Hector pulled up a chair next to me and lowered his head so that his face was close to mine, then in a voice that was softly spoken he began to talk to me.

"We follow what we see, sometimes we don't see everything at first. Other people have looked and not found things, so maybe the time is right now. What have you found that you think we all missed?"

"The link between Calhoun and Beth"

"I looked and couldn't find one, am I stupid?"

"No, of course not. But I should have seen it"

"Why?"

"Because"

"Estefania, there is a saying. You can't see the wood for the trees. You were unable to understand the situation clearly because you were too involved in it"

I suppose what he was saying made some sense, I mean I didn't do the search on Beth because I was too scared with what I'd see and Ranger had done it.

"What did you find out?"

"A woman called Natasha Routledge died on the same plane as Edward Calhoun's family. Natasha was Beth's cousin, on her father's side. Beth was eighteen when her cousin died, and she was devastated. She joined a support group"

"And met up with Edward Calhoun"

"Yeah, I suppose maybe it was why she became a psychologist"

"Helping others to manage their feelings after a traumatic event"

"Hey, you keep finishing my sentences"

"Estefania, finding this sooner wouldn't have made any sense then and after it wouldn't have made any difference to what happened"

"Maybe. I suppose it explains why she thought up the plan and how she was close to her thinking with Calhoun"

"To me she sounds like she was changed by that event. Estefania, that makes Calhoun a dangerous man for you. He may blame you for this woman's death, taking Ranger away from his missions and sending his plans FUBAR"

"FUBAR?"

I think that Hector was a bit embarrassed at using that acronym because his voice became a whisper as he explained it to me.

"I apologize. A word I've picked up from working too long with ex military. It means "fucked up beyond all recognition"

I laughed because I think I'd really done a good job of that even though to start with I had no idea what Calhoun was planning.

"That's better, a smile on your face. Now go get something to eat and be with Ranger before he gets worried as to where you are"

"Thank you, Hector"

"De nada"

I quickly wiped my eyes and then leant over to kiss Hector on the cheek, before making my way upstairs.

As I opened the door to the apartment, I could hear the sound of men's voices and swore to myself. I'd wanted to come in without being seen, so pulled out the tie holding my hair in a ponytail so that my hair covered my face. As I turned the corner from the hallway, I uttered a "Hi" and literally disappeared into the bathroom but even the hot water didn't make me feel any better about myself. I went through to the bedroom and redressed in joggers and a T-shirt and then lay down on the bed in my thinking position with a pillow over my head to block out the rest of the world.

Yes, I understood Hector's reasoning, but at the end of the day I'd still missed that piece of information. We would have known who the mysterious Edward had been so much sooner and maybe have been far more careful with where we went or who we were up against. I suppose I was thinking about the events and the men who had been waiting for us at Sophia's apartment. To me they seemed more like military men so were probably sent by Calhoun. Was he that determined to get to me then as well? Shit, had I managed to totally to piss him off that much?

I almost groaned with dismay when I felt the bed dip next to me, not knowing how I could face Ranger. I held the pillow tighter to my face hoping that if he couldn't see my face then I wouldn't need to talk to him. It seemed that he had other ways of getting my attention though because I felt his hands on my rib cage.

I thought that maybe he would just rest them there but the way his fingers started to nip and pinch suddenly had me squirming because he was tickling me. Maybe I mumbled for him to stop but it just made him do it more until I literally grabbed hold of the pillow and let lose by him hitting him with it.

"Cut it out Ranger"

Came from my mouth sounding both annoyed and upset. The result was him pulling the pillow from me and suddenly being laid on top of me with my hands being held above my head. I couldn't move, but couldn't look at him, my face was turned away from him.

"I can see that you're upset. Are you annoyed with me for talking to the guys?"

"What? No"

That was the last thing that I wanted him to think. I knew that there would have to be lots of planning to deal with Calhoun's visit. I looked at him then, not sure what he was thinking, and a tear spilt from the corner of my eye. I felt my hands being released and him moving so that I was laid on my side and over him. His arms were still holding me and with nowhere to put my left arm, I laid it across his chest. My head was being held on his shoulder and I felt movement that resulted in a kiss on my head.

"Talk Babe"

I wasn't sure where to begin so started at the end.

"I found the link between Beth and Calhoun"

Thinking that maybe he'd be annoyed because I hadn't found it sooner.

"I knew there'd be one, but I just couldn't find it. It must have been a very tenuous link, you did an amazing job being able to find it"

"I should have found it sooner"

I replied knowing that my voice sounded quiet,

"Why would you think that. Is that why you're upset because you only found it now?"

"Yes. I'm just no good at doing the searches"

I felt his finger under my chin and was suddenly looking up into his eyes. I was pretty sure he was agreeing with me because his eyes had a hardness to them that they only got when he was mad.

"Don't you blame yourself for not finding it before now. Hell, Steph, we've all being looking for that link between Beth and Edwards. You have an amazing mind for following leads. I bet no one in this building could find it even knowing that there is a definite link"

"You're not mad at me?"

I asked, because I was pretty sure that he was.

"I'm not mad at you, maybe a bit at how you keep putting yourself down"

I thought that through trying to decide what exactly he meant. He wasn't mad because I'd only just found that information, but he was a bit annoyed because I had doubted myself. Okay maybe that made sense because I did have the habit of blaming myself or doubting my abilities. I knew that it had been hard since being found by Ranger and the men and I suppose those few sessions with Cassie had started me thinking about myself differently. I didn't want to disappoint the people I loved, my Dad or Ranger, so maybe I set the goals too high for myself.

"Babe"

I wasn't too sure what to say to him without sounding stupid. And there was that word again. I closed my eyes as I tried to find the words that best expressed how I was feeling.

"I was annoyed at myself at not finding the link with Calhoun, that maybe if I had seen it things might have worked out differently"

"It wouldn't have Babe, so don't beat yourself up about it. I know that you always do the best that you can and that's all anyone can ask of you. I'm so proud of you Babe, how you've taken charge of your life. You've developed equanimity. You keep a cool head under any sort of pressure, not merely when presented with a problem, which has happened a lot in the past few weeks. Now you're on your way to developing a sense of balance and harmony in your life"

I'd never heard of that word before and wasn't too sure how Ranger could use it to describe me.

"Believe me Babe"

How could I doubt him as his mouth came down hard on mine, all thoughts of self doubt evaporating as his strength and the heat he evoked in me spread throughout every fiber of my body. My moan of joy turned to disappointment as he pulled away and I was sure I was pouting as he kissed the end of my nose.

"The men are still outside, and much as I would love to ravage you here and now, I'm not sure that they would be prepared to wait that long"

I let out a sigh knowing that I had totally forgotten that they were here when I came in. Besides, Ella would be here soon, and I couldn't wait for her to bring up our dinner. I felt a little embarrassed following Ranger back into the lounge but couldn't believe how timely it happened.

Ella was at the door, so I was the one who greeted her and helped to place the long oval platter in the center of the dining table along with two other bowls.

"There's plenty here for all you"

Was said by Ella as she started for the door, winking at me before she left. Tank, Les and Bobby were eager to sit down, and Ranger held a chair out for me before he joined us bringing glasses and water to the table.

"That looks good, what is it?"

"I think Ella said it was salmon wellington"

Of course, I already knew that, so I leant forward and started to serve the food onto the men's plates. Once the salmon had been divided up, I then watched as the bowl of baby potatoes and broccoli shoots were passed around. As I cut into the salmon wellington the aroma from the sauce and prawns smelt delicious and soon everyone was busy eating.

"This has to be one of the best meals that Ella has ever produced, or do you get better stuff than us Ranger?"

I looked to Bobby, surprised and pleased with what he'd said but wasn't going to say anything.

"No this seems extra special"

Was Ranger's answer as he looked at me. I couldn't help it, my cheeks went warm and I was sure that I was blushing so busied myself cutting some more of my meal to eat.

"Babe?"

I looked up and smiled, trying to look innocent but it seemed I wasn't going to get away with the deception for much longer, especially as Ranger raised his eyebrow at me.

"I think we need to thank Steph for the meal"

I almost felt like shouting out traitor to him until Les interrupted me.

"Beautiful, this is amazing. I thought you said you couldn't cook?"

"I, err, Ella has been helping me"

"Damn, Steph that was really good"

I looked at Ranger to see him smiling back at me and watched as his lips moved.

"Proud of you"

Were the words that I was sure that he mouthed to me.

"Okay, so we've heard what happened in that meeting, what do we do now?"

"We can only plan so much Tank. I need to hear from Ehsan"

"Do you trust him?"

Les asked the question that we were all probably thinking, and I noticed that Ranger didn't answer him.

"Let's plan for the worst, every possible scenario"

It wasn't long before the table was cleared, and the men had pens and paper in front of them. As we had no idea when Calhoun would turn up, other than the day after tomorrow then the plans would need to cover the whole day.

"Tank, have all men on duty"

"What will you tell them?"

"The truth. I want everyone on high alert"

"I'll make sure only a skeleton crew are out on patrol and have men throughout the building"

"Get Miguel working with you on it and have Slick working with the men"

"Hal would be good at sorting out rotas and positions"

Maybe I was missing something here, but it seemed to me that Tank and Ranger were bringing in three of the men to help organize things for the day.

"Have Hector and Matthew ensure every area of the building is covered, visual and audio"

"Ranger what about Beautiful?"

Yeah, I wanted to know that as well. The problem was that I knew Ranger wouldn't want me to be here when Calhoun came, but I knew that the plan wouldn't work if he had even an inkling that I was somewhere else.

"He'll want to be sure that I'm in the building"

I saw Ranger start to talk, sure that he was going to disagree with me but then he sat back and wiped his hands down his face, a sure indication that he was rethinking whatever it was he was going to say.

"Much as I hate the idea of that, you're right. He will probably want to see you"

"We can do that and then she can leave"

"Tank, you know he'll have the place under surveillance"

"We can use that escape plan that we were once thinking of"

I was all ears as Les said that, but did I want to leave the building?

"If the bomb is a dud then why would I need to do that?"

"Beautiful, we really don't know whose side Ehsan will be on"

So everyone here was of the same mind. Calhoun could be bringing a live bomb into the building provided by Ehsan. The idea of an explosion happening here caused me to shiver. The men, they'd be hurt, how could that be avoided? How would that help to nail Calhoun if equipment was damaged?

"Babe, Ram will move the briefcase downstairs. He's an expert with explosives so hopefully he can disarm it. Otherwise we have a room that's reinforced, hopefully well enough to stop the signal reaching it and if it comes to the worst confine the explosion to there"

"So why do I need to leave here?"

"We'll use smoke bombs to give the illusion that it's worked, but I don't want you here if he sends men in"

I thought back to what Hector had said and remembered him saying that Calhoun was extremely annoyed with me for several reasons so maybe he'd want to make sure that the bomb had done its job.

"Okay, so what is this escape plan?"

Ranger looked at Les, seeing as he was the one to suggest it, but I could sense that maybe it was only a plan and not a reality.

"There were sewers that ran under the building"

No chance, I was not crawling out of here through the sewers and screwed my nose up just at the thought of it.

"Hear me out first. They were there but we decided we didn't like the idea of having a possible access point that anyone could use. We had the main sewers diverted through the back lane, but we never did anything with the old one. It's still there and is dry, all we need to do is put in a concealed entrance"

"Where does it go?"

"It goes underneath the building next door"

I could see that this idea was quickly becoming my plan of escape and decided to leave the structural changes to them, as long as.

"There had better be lights and no rats"

"Flashlights Beautiful, but I can guarantee no rats"

"What happens once I'm next door?"

"She could stay there. They'll never suspect she's so close"

I stared at Bobby at hearing him suggest that.

"No way. I'm not going to sit in the dark in a tunnel"

"Isn't there a metal grill somewhere that gives access to it?"

Okay, I was forgiving Bobby now as he voiced that question.

"No, it's a dead end. We'll have to make a hole to get out through and then if there's a car parked at the other side of the building then someone can drive Steph somewhere that's safe"

I sat back and decided that maybe it was going to be the best idea that they'd come up with. Les was given the task of overseeing that while Bobby was going to be working with Slick to ensure that the men were well briefed and ready for anything. That seemed to be the limit of my involvement and the discussion moved onto the detail, way above my head for this time of night. I had hoped that Ehsan would have contacted Ranger by now, but it seemed that wasn't going to happen tonight so with a kiss to Ranger's cheek I retired to the bedroom. Tomorrow I wanted to go down to the gym, yes, I did, and not to ogle the men's bodies.

I must have been fast asleep when Ranger came to bed and the same when he'd got up. A look at the time told me it was 7am but I remembered that I wanted to go down to the gym before I did anything else. I quickly dressed in some gym wear and took the stairs down, thinking that I might as well get some exercise in on the way. Once there I found a corner of the mats and started with the stretching exercises that Bobby had shown me.

I was pleased that I had no aches or pains and really pushed myself as I went through the routine. Once done I was at a bit of a loss at to what to do next. I suppose I could go onto the treadmill but that felt too much like running. I wasn't too sure about the machines having never been shown how they worked so was about to leave when Hector came in. He was dressed in a Rangeman uniform, but then I'd never seen Hector in the gym before so was curious why he was here. I watched as he waited at the door and eventually got the message that he was waiting for me so walked over to him.

"What's up Hector?"

"New skills for you to learn"

Two hours later I felt I'd accomplished something that I had never dreamt that I could do. That I seemed to be able to pick up what Hector showed so quickly surprised us both. I mean how many times had I been handcuffed and not been able to get out of the damn things. As long as I had something with me to pick the lock with then I'd be okay.

Having accomplished that so quickly Hector then handed me a knife, similar to the one Ranger had once given to me. Where the push of a button released the blade. Hector took me through how to hold the knife and the best way to defend myself. Though I did tell him that hurting or killing someone with a knife held less appeal than using a gun. His answer was that it was better than getting knifed myself, so he showed me how to block an arm with a knife at the end and to use my new knife by pressing it to the chest and then releasing the button.

Okay so I was pleased to have learnt that but hoped that I'd never have to do it.

Once in the apartment I noticed that Ranger was in his office, busy on his laptop but he hadn't heard me come in because of the earphones that he was wearing. I took advantage of him being busy and grabbing a Rangeman uniform then went for a shower grimacing slightly at how sweaty I was and whether Hector had noticed. As I towel dried my hair I went and stood in the doorway to the office watching as Ranger was making some notes. As he looked up ,I could see that he was in a serious mood and was about to turn and leave when he beckoned me to him.

"Ehsan sent an audio tape"

"Is that his way of talking to you?"

"Listen to it, he explains his reasons"

I sat on Ranger's knee as he removed the connection between the laptop and the earphones and then pressed play for the file to open and start.

"Sorry Ranger but I think I'm being followed and am probably under surveillance. I wouldn't blame Calhoun for not trusting me, I wouldn't. He's picking up the briefcase in the morning, so I'll deliver it there late tonight. It will be locked but if he does open it and check it out then it will look like a viable bomb. It won't be, I promise, but when he sends the signal it will fire open and emit smoke. I have no idea when he plans to visit you. I'll stick around until I know that he's been dealt with"

"That's it?"

I expected something more, but wasn't sure what, deflating slightly that we knew no more now than we did last night.

"We go ahead with our plans"

"What do you want me to do?"

"I think he'll be here soon after picking up the briefcase"

"I presume you have surveillance on the motel?"

Okay, I deserved the look he gave me, but at least we'd have some notice of the time when he arrived.

"When he arrives I want you wearing something sexy and be in my office with me when he arrives"

"Why, what image are you going for?"

"I suppose that you are pretty to look at but not that intelligent"

"I'm not dying my hair blonde"

I knew he wouldn't ask me to do that, but I was curious why he wanted me to give that image.

"He'll expect me to go somewhere with him, where I'm not too sure. I want to give him the impression that you're a plaything, not that we're in a serious relationship. If this doesn't work, I don't want him going after you again"

"You're not going to agree to a new contract, are you?"

The idea of Ranger doing that brought a pang of fear to my heart. Would Ranger do that just to throw Calhoun off the idea of coming after me? I suppose it might but there was no way I wanted Ranger going somewhere dangerous where he might get killed. I needed him in my life.

"No, but I'll give him the impression that I'll give it some serious consideration"

"What about Rangeman, he'll know what the company means to you"

"I'm reorganizing to give me more free time"

"Time to do assignments"

"If that's what he reads into it"

I suppose if Ranger let him see the new organizational charts then Calhoun might believe him. That didn't help with nailing Calhoun though. The idea that the man might just outsmart us and walk out of Rangeman didn't sit well with me.

"Babe, we'll get him. One way or another"

"I know. I just don't like it. So who's going to be with me in the sewers?"

And just like that I changed the conversation.