Chapter 40

I was wondering if he'd spoken to his family yet and if he had how that had gone. It would have been so hard for everyone yet at the same time so emotional. As I was thinking that my phone began to ring so I reached over to the shelf next to the bed and answered it without even looking at who it might be. It was a very tentative "Hello" that I uttered into the phone.

"Babe"

I sat up quickly as I recognized Ranger's voice and the name that he called me.

"Hi"

"Have you had a good day?"

I laid back down and smiled as I thought through my day.

"Yes I have. Hector took me for a walk this morning. It's really beautiful here"

"It is. I enjoy running down to the lake especially if the weather is good"

"It was sunny and so still, I suppose peaceful"

"What else has Hector had you doing?"

"I think I could make a paella now"

"I look forward to you cooking that for me"

"Well, you'd have to be there just in case.

I wanted to know how he was doing, if he was coping with everything that he'd set out to do but then realized that this was Ranger I was talking to, of course he'd have managed.

"How was your day?"

"I went to see my parents, they were pleased to see me"

"Of course they would be. Did everything go okay with the lawyer?"

"Yes. Everything's in motion. I'm on the plane heading down to see Julie"

"She'll be so happy to see you"

"I hope so, though knowing Rachel she'll probably have something to say about what I've put Julie through"

I didn't really know much about Rachel, Julie's mother, but from what Julie said to me it seemed she didn't like the idea of having to have anything to do with Ranger. I suppose in some ways I could see where she was coming from. To have a man who was getting to know her daughter as a father must be hard to do especially given the nature of Ranger's work.

"Ignore her. It's Julie that's important and she's old enough to know that she wants to get to know you. Send her my love"

"I will. Where are you Babe?"

"In bed. Hector said I had to get my body working in US time"

I laughed as I said that knowing how much I must have frustrated Hector with my odd hours.

"In bed, between my sheets?"

"Yeah"

I heard the way his voice turned husky as though he were picturing me where I was, so I thought I'd play with fire. Hell, he was nowhere near so it was something I could do safely.

"I'm wearing this silky nightie, that's riding up my thighs"

I whispered down the phone.

"Touch your breasts Babe"

I moved my hand and then stopped as I realized what I was going to do. Hell, I was already feeling turned on just with the thought and unconsciously let out a low moan from the back of my throat. I was still listening to the noise coming from the phone and was surprised at the sound of clothing rustling in the background that had me stopping what I was doing and concentrating on the noise.

"What are you doing Ranger?"

"Babe, you're killing me here. I had to take my jacket off and lay it across my lap"

If he could have seen me then he would see me smiling widely, yeah it felt good to know that I had the power to do that to him.

"Babe, I gotta go. Don't think that I'll forget this. You owe me"

Once again, I was left with the silence from the phone and the understanding of what he meant. I had no problem with owing him and was looking forward to it. With that thought on my mind I was surprised at how easily I fell asleep.

I surprised myself by waking up early the next morning and had already started the coffee when Hector appeared. It seemed we'd fallen into a routine. After breakfast we'd take a walk and after lunch we'd work, then Hector would show me some simple recipes to cook. By the end of the third day, having tidied up the dishes from our meal of Pad Thai, I was starting to get a bit antsy at how the days were disappearing. I hadn't heard again from Ranger and worried why that was and between us, Hector and I had seemed to have exhausted any research to follow up on. Don't get me wrong we now had leads to follow up with but there were still more questions than answers. I hadn't the heart to complain to Hector because he'd been really patient with me and probably hated this as much as I did.

I was surprised when Hector came and sat down next to me holding a folder in his hand that I didn't recognize and waited for what he was going to say.

"It's time for you to get back to Trenton Estefania"

I know I frowned at him not really following what he meant.

"Tank called to say that Ranger would be back this evening and that maybe it was time for you to reconnect with people you know"

"Will they know Ranger is back?"

I was almost afraid of what Hector was going to say as he wiped his hands over his face.

"Someone saw him down in Miami so it's out. The media picked up on it"

Not what I expected, and I was sure it wasn't what Ranger would have wanted to happen. Hell, he'd have worked out and planned how his reappearance would happen right to down to the last detail. It did mean though that I could say that I'd read it in the paper so wanted to come home to find out of it was true. All I needed was a plan on how that was going to happen. I looked back at Hector to see him watching me an almost smile on his face.

"It's all planned out isn't it?"

"Yes. I'm going to take you to Baltimore Penn Station. You'll pick up the train there up to Trenton. It gets in at 17.40 so you need to have someone to meet you there"

I was still trying to work out what time 17.40 was when I felt Hector touching my arm.

"5.40 Estefania. In this folder is a background for where you've been along with receipts and some tourist literature"

I took the folder as I thought about who the best person would be to call, deciding that my Dad was probably the best one. I could stay at my parent's house until it was obvious that Ranger was in Trenton and then get myself to Rangeman.

"What time will we need to leave?"

"We need to be at the station by 3.45 so we'll leave here at 2"

I opened the folder to see where Hector had me staying not surprised to see a brochure for a motel at New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Looking further through the literature I found a timetable for the places of where I'd been. Apparently, I'd headed down to the Keys and stayed in a small rented apartment before slowly making my way back up the coast until I was at New Smyrna Beach. There I'd apparently bought a newspaper and it had the news about Ranger.

I read the article twice before I realized that there was very little information, only that the CEO of Rangeman who had been thought to have died was in fact alive and well. It only said that there had been sightings of him in Miami, nothing more. I placed that back into the folder and found two train tickets. One from Orlando to Trenton that looked to have been stamped and another from Baltimore to Trenton. Okay so I'd use that one to board the train and then destroy it leaving me with the one from Orlando.

A phone call was needed next, but I needed something to drink first. Yeah I may have sworn off alcohol but a beer from the fridge wasn't the same.

"Hi Dad"

"Pumpkin, I'm so glad you called. Have you heard the news about Manoso?"

"Yeah, it was in the papers"

"When will you be home?"

"Tomorrow, though I can't believe it. I mean how can it be true. Maybe it was a case of mistaken identity?"

I knew I was trying to convince my Dad that I was upset about the whole thing but to be honest I found I didn't have to act. I was actually getting myself into a state just thinking about it, as though the last few weeks with Ranger hadn't happened.

"Pumpkin, you know you have to find out the truth, don't you?"

"I know"

I whispered back to him.

"What time do you want me to meet you?"

"The train gets in at 17.40"

"I'll be there, Pumpkin"

"Dad, please don't tell anyone else. I think I need to see people on my own terms"

"I understand Pumpkin, I'm just glad that you're coming home"

"Thanks, Dad"

I spent the rest of the evening and well into the night researching the places that would be my alibi for the last few weeks. By the time I fell asleep I could visualize every detail from the photos and Google Earth that I'd found and was sure that I had everything covered if anyone were to ask.

The morning went as the other mornings had gone, with us walking down to the lake. I was so intent in trying to remember every aspect of what I was seeing and feeling, feeding my memory with the views and feel of the place. I knew I'd be back here soon, but I'd actually miss my morning walk. It was as we were returning to the house that I began to feel nervous and of course Hector picked up on it.

"Why are you worried Estefania?"

"I don't know, maybe seeing everyone after disappearing"

"They'll understand. You've already spoken to them, haven't you?"

"I suppose and yes, they were very understanding. It's everyone else that worries me"

Hector stopped so I turned to him trying to find the words to explain myself to him.

"I hated that everyone knew what I was doing and thought that they had a right to talk about me and pass comment"

"The gossiping?"

"Yes and of course my mother's involvement in that"

I'd never seen Hector look so serious before as he held me by my shoulders and looked straight into my eyes.

"You can be in charge of your own destiny Estefania. Stand up for yourself and what you believe and let them know that"

He turned away then and continued to walk toward the house leaving me stood there thinking about what he'd said. I wanted that, to be the one who determined what and who I would be and maybe with Ranger by my side I could do that. The problem I was having was how I would go about it, I mean I had my mother to contend with, but maybe if I got her on my side others would follow.

I followed Hector back into the house going straight up to the bedroom to shower and change. I dressed in some denim jeans and a cream T-shirt with a thin sweater over the top. My hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of my neck and I wore some thin soled canvas shoes. I was trying to make sure that I looked as though I'd travelled from somewhere warmer.

I still had my rucksack with me that I'd carried around the entire trip in Cambodia but thought that it was a bad idea to have it with me when I went back to Trenton. Looking around I decided to hide it at the back of the closet on the top shelf behind some extra pillows that were being stored. Once downstairs Hector was waiting for me and pointed to a bag on the coffee table.

"Your wallet and cards for Stephanie Plum are inside along with some cash"

That had me worrying about how it would look if someone had checked my bank account. I hadn't touched it since leaving Trenton so knew that any story that I told would fall apart because of that.

"How do I explain how I paid for things?"

"There's a card in there under your name for a different bank, it shows cash withdrawals to cover where you've been"

I had no idea how Hector had managed that but trusted his skills enough that they would hold up if anyone scrutinized them.

"Ready Estefania?"

I nodded my head not sure if I was but knew I needed to go. The car was parked outside waiting for us so sooner than I wanted we were driving away from the house. Hector drove quickly but I knew that he was forever observing what was around us. I had no idea if there was anyone else shadowing us but assumed not as that would have been too obvious.

For the entire journey all I did was go over in my head my alibi for the time I'd been away from Trenton. It didn't assuage my nerves though, especially when Hector gave me a hat to wear to cover my hair for walking into the station. I think by the time the train arrived Hector might have been as nervous as me, I mean he must know that things never really went to plan when I was involved.

"Estefania, everything will be alright. There'll be a man on the train, Arlo, he's from the Miami office and will make sure that you arrive safely"

"Thank you, Hector. I don't know why but I feel really nervous"

"Viaje seguro"

Using the ticket, I walked through the ticket barrier and boarded the train walking through the carriages until I found a seat where I could face the front on my own. I lifted my bag onto the rack and sat next to the window. All I could do was stare out of the window and then worried when a man sat next to me, I tried hard to ignore him. It was only when he touched my arm that I turned to look at him. That he was a Rangeman seemed pretty obvious to me, well come on, since when do good looking men try to pick me up? Though I wasn't stupid enough to say anything, it was going to be up to him to reveal who he was.

"My name is Arlo, I think that we have a mutual friend"

I just nodded my head and watched as he got up and moved to a seat on the opposite side of the carriage. I suppose he could keep me in sight without being obvious and still be able to see the comings and goings of people on the train. I pulled out the ticket that I'd used and looked at it wondering what to do with it. Looking around the carriage it was fairly empty, so I stood up to reach for the bag that Hector had given to me. Arlo came to his feet straight away and lifted it down for me so as we were stood facing each other I used the movement of the carriage to bump into him.

"Thank you"

Was all I said as I pushed the redundant ticket into his hand and took hold of the bag.

With the bag on my knee, I pulled open the zip to look inside surprised at the variety of the contents. Yeah, there was underwear and T-shirts and shorts along with a thick hoodie that I took out. Everything looked well worn, and some even had stains on the front making me wonder how they'd got there. What did surprise me was a plastic bag that contained small souvenirs from Key West. Key rings and small models of manatee that would be lovely to give to Val's girls. Whoever had packed this bag had done an amazing job. I knew it would add to the illusion for where I'd been, but it didn't make me feel any less nervous.

It was as the train started to slow down that I knew that we were coming close to Trenton and looking from the window watched as we passed over the river with Lower Trenton Bridge in my sights. The memory of me falling from that bridge came to me, shit I was so scared that I'd die that day. That was another time that Ranger had literally saved my life by jumping in after me.

Maybe I should have taken more notice of how often he'd done that. I mean what man risks his own life for a woman. The signs had been there even then, but I suppose neither one of us were in the right place in our lives. We had a friendship sure, a friendship had that had grown into trust and I suppose from there it had led us to where we are now. Ranger may not talk a lot or express himself well. Okay he maintained that dark mysterious side of himself, but time had enabled me to better understand him and for love that I felt for him to develop.

I was brought out of my musings by movement of people getting up from their seats and bringing bags down. It was time for my return to Trenton so taking a deep breath I stood up and started to walk down the carriage toward the doors. I noticed that Arlo was a couple of people behind me as I braced myself for the train to come to a stop. I waited as people alighted before my turn to step down came and then looked around trying to orient myself.

I recognized where the exit was and joined the crowd of people who were keen to finish their journey. Looking ahead I could see my Dad waiting for me as he raised his hand to wave. What surprised me was seeing my mother stood next to him, smiling as she saw me. Maybe there was some hope that she'd be more understanding of how I felt and how I wanted to be the one who controlled my life and follow my own dreams. As Ranger had said to be able to fly.

As I came closer to them, I could have sworn that I caught a glimpse of Les in the background. It wouldn't surprise me that someone from Rangeman would be close by to ensure my safety but surely by now my involvement wouldn't be in question. Ranger had returned so anyone involved in finding that missing hard drive would be looking elsewhere by now.

I was almost to my Dad, a big smile on my face as I made to reach him when a man was suddenly blocking my way. I honestly thought it was my fault that our paths were crossing so saying "Sorry' started to step to the side so that he could pass me. When he did the same, I stood still waiting for him to move around me and that's when my nervousness ramped into a full on spidey sensation.