Chapter 36

I felt myself going down to the ground with my assailant behind me and immediately started to try and use my legs more. From the way that I was being held I knew that I was in danger and had to do everything that I could to get away. My brain disengaged as I continued to fight, my heart elevated and my breathing was fast, but my only response was to continue fighting to free myself.

I felt something around my legs and saw legs clad in jeans wrapped around them, shit, I couldn't get free but a movement changing the hold around my arms and body allowed my arm to move from below my elbow. I used the knife in my hand to strike down, sure I had hit the leg. Then as the hand over my mouth loosened slightly, I was able to bite down.

"Stop it"

Was the growl that came from beside my face, that gave me the impetus to continue to fight back. When the hand over my mouth changed its hold, covering my nostrils, that's when I realized that I couldn't get air into my lungs. My head went back, showing me dark straight hair because all I could do was stare wide eyed as I realized what was happening to me. As I struggled for air my head went dizzy, black spots appeared in front of them and my chest hurt from the inability to breathe. I felt myself become weak, no longer able to move and it was with the thought of Ranger in my mind that I slipped into the blackness.

I could hear a voice, that was the first thing that I was conscious of and being able to draw air into my lungs. I was still being held but there was no longer a hand over my mouth. I started to panic remembering clearly what had happened and my eyes shot open. Stood in front of me was Ranger, with Les and Bobby beside him, all of them holding a gun in their hands. I was looking up into Ranger's face hoping for him to somehow resolve how I was being held.

I focused in on the voice that was coming from behind me obviously aimed at Ranger. Did this man think that he could use me to get to Ranger? No way was that going to happen. I made to move my arms and felt the band around me, damn it, he still had me locked tightly to him.

"I have no intention of hurting her, I was trying to keep her safe while those men were searching the house"

"Then let her go"

Was Ranger's response, an edge to his voice that told me just how annoyed he was.

"I will, I just need to be sure that you won't kill me"

Yeah right, if I could do that, I might just try it myself. As I continued to listen, and Ranger continued to stare I was almost sure I heard a sigh come from behind me.

"Manoso, when I needed to talk to you, you weren't there to be found. It seems Miss Plum is destined to always be the one who finds me"

I knew I frowned as he said that and was now worried that it was Juan who had me but from the expression on Ranger's face, I didn't think that was the case.

"Let her go and then we can talk"

Was what I heard from Les. I heard the sound of metal falling next to me and now that I could move my head looked down to see the knife fall to the ground. It was covered in blood so maybe I'd managed to do the man behind me some damage.

I felt myself being lifted with the arm still around my waist and then suddenly I was free and diving toward Ranger. My face was buried in his chest as his arms came around me, a hand holding my head to him.

"We need to talk"

Came from behind so I slowly turned until I could see the man who had held me.

I was staring at a face that I knew, but it wasn't Juan as I'd thought. It was a skip that I'd taken in an age ago. Hell, taking him in had been the reason why Joe had got so mad at me, why the FBI had been in my apartment to get me out of the way. His name came to me as I continued to stare at him, and I watched as a small smile appeared on his face.

"Miss Plum. I have to say that you are the last person I expected to find here"

"Babe?"

I continued to look at the man as his name popped into my head.

"Chan Roan. But you were FTA. I took you into the station"

"Yes. Maybe we can sit down, while I explain why I am here"

"What do you want doing with the men inside Ranger?"

I looked at Bobby as he said that, having totally forgotten that there had been someone in the house, unsure what state they would be in and wasn't surprised with Ranger's answer.

"The one upstairs won't be going anywhere"

Which made me believe that he was possibly dead. Les was the one to step forward and it was then that I saw a bruise on his cheek and assumed that maybe he'd been involved in confronting the men as well as Ranger.

"The other one is hog tied and out cold. I'll make sure he doesn't go anywhere soon"

As Ranger released me and led me over to one of the chairs set out by the pool the sight of blood on my hands had me stopping and looking at them.

"Babe are you hurt?"

"No"

I turned Ranger around which took some doing only to see a dark wet patch on his back.

"Bobby"

I shouted to get his attention as I slowly pulled up Ranger's T-shirt following the trail of blood that was running down his back. Bobby was there straight away, though by the way that Ranger was standing he obviously didn't appreciate the attention he was getting.

"It's not as bad as it looks Steph"

Was Bobby's response as he cleaned up what to be honest looked like a minor cut.

That being dealt with we eventually sat down, Ranger pulling me next to him. I was glad of that because I wasn't too sure I'd cope without Ranger's touch, even if was just his arm around my shoulder. Les had returned and I think we were all eager to find out why Chan Roan was here and what he wanted. I watched as he sat forward on the chair, his hands held together on his knee. It gave me a chance to really look at him. He looked different dressed in a dark blue shirt and blue denim jeans and that's when I saw the blood on his thigh.

"You're hurt as well"

Was what I blurted out, sure that I was responsible for that. His smile surprised me as he looked at me.

"It's only a scratch but you are a hell of a scrappy fighter"

I rolled my eyes, not at the comment of how I fought, but why men always seemed to think a cut was just a scratch. As he looked around each of the guys his eyes rested on Ranger, the serious expression on his face had me worried.

"I met Miss Plum several weeks ago, as she said I was FTA. The circumstances for that came about from a car chase through Trenton. I was being followed and the other car became aggressive. I managed to lose him but got stopped by the police, hence the charges"

"My name is actually Jin Reyes I work with the National Intelligence service, South Korea. I was tasked to collaborate with special access programs, IN-SAP actually, to uncover a threat"

Okay, I had no idea what he was talking about. My knowledge of any government agencies ended with the usual, FBI, Homeland Security and the CIA. I was hoping that the guys knew what he was implying.

"USAP I presume?"

Jin nodded his head as Ranger asked that and then thankfully continued with his explanation, though what this had to do with us I had no idea.

"I was following a viable lead that suggested that a company were close to developing a program that could access sensitive information from multiple agencies"

"What exactly do you mean?"

I was glad that Les had asked that question because I wasn't too sure exactly what that would involve.

"Personnel files of agents, at home or abroad, people in the witness protection scheme, names of informers or double agents. The list is endless because it's not just the USA that could be hit. Your information and even mine would be an open book"

I felt Ranger sit back and was sure that he was thinking through what Jin had just said to us. I understood enough to know that the type of information Jin was talking about would put Ranger in immediate danger. Me, I wanted to know what he was doing in Trenton.

"So what was going on at that company, Hisence, that you worked for?"

"You have a good memory Miss Plum"

"Steph or Stephanie please"

"Okay Steph. The company is owned and run by a man named Noah Coleman. He is very good at finding weaknesses in companies, which is the basis for the company he runs. Once he had information then he wasn't averse to selling it to the highest bidder. Talk was that he was going to be selling information from this program"

Okay, I could follow that logic, the way that Coleman seemed to operate. The problem that I was having was where he fit in with what we already knew.

"How was he going to get the program?"

"The only thing that I found out was that the program was here in Phnom Pehn"

That meant that Jin was trying to find out more when he was in Trenton and was obviously in a position to do that. I felt awful that I'd caused a problem and probably interfered with what Jin was trying to do. Hell, if I hadn't spooked them at Hisence then he might have been able to find the program and Ranger might never have been caught and hurt. I looked down at my hands on my knee, full of regret for what I'd done, even though it had been unintentional. Joe had been right, and I'd deserved every word that he'd said to me.

"Babe, what's wrong?"

"It was me. I was the one who screwed it up for you Jin"

I looked up and over to Jin, waiting for him to have a go at me. Maybe to shout or say something that would make me feel worse than I did already. What would Ranger think of me now?

"No, you helped me out and it wasn't you who spooked Coleman into disappearing"

I looked up surprised, curious as to what had caused that.

"Coleman has a man inside the FBI, I don't know who it is. It was him that told Coleman about the FBI closing in. Then there was this stupid cop, asking some dumbass questions. It wasn't you Steph. In fact, having you watching the building was seen as legitimate, Coleman made me leave because he knew about the charges and didn't want any heat from that. I knew he was shutting the place down, so it gave me an opportunity to talk to my contact"

I was surprised at what he'd said and how he explained that it hadn't been me who was to blame. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it had been Joe asking around about the place, that was how he worked.

"Why are you here?"

Everyone looked at Jin as Ranger asked that question, I was more interested in how he'd found us and how those men were here.

"My job is to destroy that program and make sure it can't be duplicated and take Coleman down"

"Why are you here?'

Okay the answer that Jin had given obviously wasn't what Ranger wanted to hear and I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was getting impatient.

"I was told about the mission you were on and that one of your team had reported in. I was surprised when they said that you'd been classified as killed in action. That's not what I was expecting, so I decided to come here to Phnom Penh and start at where it all happened. I was sure that you'd be alive somewhere"

"Doesn't answer my question Jin"

"I need your help. You have a reputation Manoso as being the best of the best. I was hoping that it would be you who came after me in Trenton and then I could have spoken to you then"

"How did you find us?"

At last, a question that I could relate to.

"I was watching that derelict area, where your rendezvous was. The men gathering on the street that you passed were given a lot of money to call a number if anyone suspicious turned up. They liked the money that I offered them and gave me the number. I tracked that phone to here but was watching the place when you turned up. I had no way to warn you so followed you in. That's when I saw a woman come this way"

It sounded plausible to me but then I had thought that of Juan when I'd first met him.

"How do we know you're telling us the truth?"

Just came out because I was really low on trusting people at the moment. The fact that no one else had said anything made me think that I'd just voiced their concerns as well, the problem now was if there was any way that he could prove to us that he wasn't one of the bad guys.

"I'm not sure how I can, other than to tell you what I know"

I saw Ranger look at Bobby and Les, which had me realizing that Ram and Troy hadn't appeared. Maybe they were somewhere close keeping a watch on what was going on. I looked at Ranger as he bent forward and steepled his hands under his chin, obviously trying to work out what to do next.

"Jin, I'm having a hard time trusting anyone at the moment. That rendezvous, it felt like a set up to me but I'm not sure which side was responsible"

"Do you have the hard drive?"

Ah, the question that everyone wanted the answer to and there was only Ranger and me who knew the answer to that.

"Okay, stupid question. It doesn't matter as long as it doesn't get into the wrong hands"

"Jin, surely the person who wrote that program could just write another one"

It seemed a reasonable question for me to ask, I mean surely that man Coleman would know wouldn't he?

"I don't know who that is or why they wrote it in the first place"

I zoned out remembering what someone had said to me, but I couldn't remember if it had been Juan or Ranger, saying that Seang had realized what he'd done and didn't like what could happen with it. Shaking that thought I focused back to what Jin was saying.

"While working at Hisence I found out they were sending money out here for the construction of a high-tech facility. I think that was where Coleman was looking to base his operations. Somehow the place was destroyed, though the villagers around there are being very cagey about what they might know. It would have taken a computer genius to break through their security so maybe whoever wrote the program was responsible for that"

I almost smiled as he said that but quickly stopped myself, annoyed slightly as I heard Les laugh. Did I want Jin to know what I'd done and that it was me responsible for doing that. I felt my hand being taken by Ranger and watched as he lifted it to his lips before he turned back to Jin.

"You don't know Steph that well, do you?"

I wasn't sure what Jin thought of Ranger suddenly asking that question but maybe it would give me an idea of what his impressions of me were.

"I did a search on her after I'd met her, it didn't say anything about being an ace at computers"

"Steph has a way of looking at something and solving the puzzle and then comes up with solutions that are, creative"

As Jin looked at me I lowered my head, not knowing if that was a compliment from Ranger or not.

"I read that things tend to explode around you"

I looked up quickly at hearing that, my face going hot, was he implying that it was my fault that happened.

"She uploaded a virus into the system that brought it down. The locals were then able to get in. It was them that flattened the place"

"Creative, as you said Ranger. I apologize if I implied that you wouldn't be capable Steph"

As I acknowledged what he'd said that had me remembering that man from Ronteah and I was keen to change the subject away from me.

"What does Coleman look like?"

"Brown wavy hair, brown eyes. I'm not too sure about skin tone because he was very much an outdoor man. Why do you ask Steph?"

"The man at Ronteah was a tall well built man with dark hair that had been neatly cut. He was wearing a cream suit that looked expensive and contrasted against the darker tone of his skin. I had no idea what his eyes looked like because he was wearing blue tinted glasses"

"Coleman trains, he's mid height, maybe my build, it could have been Coleman that you saw"

Okay, so maybe the man that I met at Ronteah was Coleman, it made sense if he was moving operations to Siem Reap.

"Steph, Coleman was a ghost as far as searches went. He obviously went to great lengths to keep his anonymity. I never did find out much about his personal life"

Okay maybe my face gave away what I was thinking of doing. Afterall a search could uncover all sorts of information. It wouldn't stop me from trying, though I might have to do it in a roundabout way. If Hector had found anything on Ronteah and could tie in Hisence then that might also give us a lead to follow.

I wasn't too sure what Ranger wanted to say to Jin. I think maybe he felt the same as me, not quite ready to fully trust him. I almost jumped when Ranger stood up, obviously he felt the conversation was at an end, but it also looked as though he'd made a decision about something.

"We'll be returning to the States in the morning"

Okay, not what I was expecting.

"You'll have to debrief Ranger"

Lester had a point there, in fact the whole story of him being alive would have to come out. That would mean his family would need to know.

"What will you tell them Ranger?"

"The truth, Jin"

"I know how this works Ranger. It's not what you say but what you don't say that will be important. Just make sure the other men on your team are on the same page"

We all watched as Jin stood up and then as he started for the door, as he disappeared his voice floated back through to us.

"See you in the States"

I took a deep breath as I started to realize what that meant for me. I hadn't planned that far ahead and to be honest wasn't sure that I wanted to.

"Babe?"

I looked up to find Ranger squatted down in front of me and suddenly felt so uncertain of the future.

"What's wrong"

He pulled my lip down from where I was chewing on it, so maybe that was what gave me away. I wasn't too sure how to explain how I felt, the worries that I was suddenly feeling and went with what he'd see as reasonable.

"I'm worried about you and what will happen"

"Nothing will happen. I'll tell them what happened at the rendezvous but not that I was given the hard drive. Afterall that man didn't actually give me it. I'll explain about being captured and my escape with the Cambodian villagers. I waited until I was recovered and came back to Pnohm Penh where I met up with Troy. They won't hear anything about you from me or what your involvement has been"

"How will we get back?"

"I'll sort that out"

Not the answer I wanted but I knew it was all I was going to get for now.

"I'm going to have a little chat with the man we have and then sort things out with the men. It'll probably be better if you try and get some sleep"

I wasn't sure if that was Ranger's way of protecting me from just how they would have their little chat or not, but I stood up and without saying a word kissed Ranger on the cheek and went upstairs.