Chapter 44

The hallway was quiet but at least the lights were still on and after a quick look both ways I stepped out from the room and closed the door behind me. Once outside the direction I took was toward the stairs, though I was still worried in case there might be staff still working or that I'd been wrong about both Desilva and Freya being upstairs.

The silence was almost unnerving even though I welcomed it as I took one step at a time down the staircase. Suddenly hearing voices, I ducked down against the wall hoping that I was out of sight. The voices were of two women, one I recognized as the woman I'd seen on my way into the dining area. Curious I shuffled across the step I was on toward the banister and looked down to see two women wearing the same uniform as I'd seen before stood below me talking. They now closed the door to a room and were both in the hallway so I could hear what they were saying.

"Have you had a quiet day with him?"

"The usual. He became agitated just before his medication, maybe we need to talk to Miss. Daraldson about giving the medication more often"

"Has he been bathed?"

"Yes and I changed the linens. The IV is stable now so you shouldn't have any trouble"

"Are you on shift in the morning?"

"No, I'm on night shift tomorrow. I think Ada is relieving you in the morning"

"Did you buy any more magazines?"

"Yes. I forgot to bring them in from the car. I'll go fetch them for you now"

Now that sounded promising. She had a car somewhere and was ready to leave the house after her shift, so I knew I needed to get to it. If I could get inside and hide in it then just maybe I'd found my ticket out of here. I waited until the new nurse went into the room and as the other woman walked through a door, I was quickly moving down the stairs to follow her. Once through that door I found myself in a large kitchen and saw the woman just outside a door that looked to lead outside. The kitchen had an island unit so hiding behind it, so that I was out of sight of both doors, I waited for the woman to return holding some magazines in her hand.

Once she had walked through the inner door, I made my move toward the back door. It opened easily and I was soon stood outside looking around for a car. The problem was there was more than one. In my mind I had the memory of a white Discovery, when we'd been on that road, so I went toward the old looking estate car. Trying to walk quickly wasn't easy and I was grimacing all the way there. The area was covered in gravel which was painful to walk over with bare feet.

Once at the car I tried the back door, counting on the fact that the woman wouldn't have locked it if she was just taking something inside. Sitting on the seat I pulled the door closed with as little noise as possible and then maneuvered myself into the footwell so that I wasn't laid on my shoulder.

I was thankful that it was totally flat and pulled an old blanket from the back seat to cover myself. Just as I was beginning to think that maybe this wasn't her car, I heard footsteps crossing the gravel bracing myself in case it was someone else or that I'd easily be seen. The door opened and I felt the seat in front of me move before the door slammed shut.

As the engine came on there was the sound of loud music blaring all around me, it was only after a few seconds that I recognized what it was and found myself smiling at the irony of the song title. It was "I want to break free" by Queen. The woman in the front started to sing along as we drove along what must have been a gravel drive and then I felt the car slow down and turn before accelerating away.

I wasn't too sure how long we drove for; I just know that there were two more songs before I felt us slowing down and the car made several turns before coming to a stop. The engine cut off stopping the music mid lyric and engulfing me with total silence. I heard the door open and the car seemed to move as the woman got out. Once her door was shut, I stayed perfectly still, worried in case she would open the back door for something, or she was opening a garage door before she drove inside. The silence continued until I just had to try and see where I was.

As I moved the blanket from my head, I could see the lights from a downstairs window ahead of me. It seemed that the car was parked in a drive facing the house. I carefully pushed myself up so that I was level with the front window to look around at where I was and discovered that there were several single story houses set next to each other. The only lights visible were from the one in front of me so I assumed most people would be in bed asleep. I was desperate to get out but knew that I needed to wait until the lights in the house in front of me had gone out. I only hoped that the woman's bedroom was at the back of the house so she wouldn't hear me open the car door or see the interior light come on.

I hated waiting and was getting uncomfortable and starting to feel cold. As I was wrapping the blanket around me the light from the window went out. Feeling so relieved I decided to wait some more to be sure that the woman was settled into bed and hopefully asleep. Sitting up on the seat I carefully opened the door, wincing at how bright the interior light seemed to be, how I hadn't noticed before I had no idea, but it gave me the impetus to move quickly.

Within a few minutes I was walking along the side of the road, grateful for the grass at the edges. It felt cold on my feet but at least it was soft. Most of the drives leading to houses were smooth so I felt that I was making good progress in putting distance between myself and the car that I'd made my escape in. The problem was that I had no idea where I was or where I was going.

At a junction I just followed the grass verge and turned left, continuing to follow the road. I pulled the blanket around me conscious that I was feeling very cold and my feet were almost numb. Somehow, I had to find somewhere that would give me some sort of cover. The road was eerily dark with only the occasional lamp on the side of the road and amazingly there had been no passing traffic.

As I rounded a corner there seemed to be an area that was lit up making me wonder what was there. I didn't think that there would be any bars or restaurants open at this time of night so was hesitant to investigate. What surprised me was seeing a tall white building up ahead that I immediately recognized as being a church. Okay, so I hadn't been to church in a while. The occasional Sunday service with my mother and Grandma but I was desperate for somewhere to find some shelter and be honest I was so tired.

I crossed the road aware of the bits of gravel digging into the soles of my feet but somehow, I felt that that this would be a good place to hide, just for a few hours anyway. The large door opened easily though noisily, into a beautiful church that had wooden pews facing the alter. I felt stupid because I hadn't noticed the name of the church or the denomination as I'd walked in. It was dark inside but there was enough light coming through the large stained glass window to make out the best place to hide and rest. There were two rows of pews set at right angles to the alter, maybe where the choir would sit during a service, so moving to the one at the back I sat down just to settle myself.

It was strange how being inside a church could have such a calming influence, almost as though nothing bad could happen there. That's how I felt as I sat there absorbing the atmosphere around me, the worries that had been plaguing me fell away. I needed to rest while I could, tomorrow would come soon enough for me to decide what to do next.

I'd used the blanket around me to ward off the chill and tucked my legs up on the pew, drawing my knees up to my chest. Of course, I'd struggled to fall asleep, all kind of thoughts whizzing through my head. People that I knew who could be looking for me to do me harm or use me to threaten Ranger. The problem I was having was imagining everyone I'd come across being included in that group.

I wasn't sure where Juan was or what he was up to and then there was Troy, Ranger's team member, who'd suddenly turned up. Here in the states, there was Coleman and Craig Roberts and let's not forget about Jin. Now I was adding Freya and Desilva to the list, oh, and also some unknown stepson that Seang had found. That name brought to my mind Narong Seang and what role he had to play in all of this.

I fell asleep wanting Ranger with me, his strength and determination, but that thought had me remembering what it meant when he said that he'd kept me at a distance for a reason. How ironic it was that now that we'd eventually admitted to each how much we loved each other that here I was finally understanding what he meant. Could I disappear to protect him, to ensure that his worst fears couldn't be realized? I wasn't sure, so it was with that thought and the feeling of anguish in my heart that I must have eventually fallen asleep.

Two things woke me at the same time. My shoulder was hurting, and someone was shaking me, so my reaction was to suddenly sit up and move away from the intrusion. As I pulled the blanket tighter around me, I found myself looking up into the face of an elderly gentleman, who from the dog collar around his neck was obviously a priest here at the church.

"I'm sorry. I just needed somewhere safe. I'll get out of your way"

Blurted from my mouth. I felt embarrassed at being found, internally cursing myself for not waking up sooner. As I made to get onto my feet, I felt his hand on my shoulder, wincing loudly, as I sat back down.

"Are you hurt?"

I just nodded my head not really knowing what else to say. Hell, this priest could know Freya well, so I couldn't allude to what had had happened to me.

"Are you in trouble?"

Again I nodded my head wondering what else he'd ask me and what I could say.

"With the police?"

"No, not exactly"

I felt him sit down next to me but didn't dare look over to him. I had no idea what he was thinking or what he would say so decided it might be a good idea to leave here.

"My name is Father Thomas Corby, but please just call me Thomas"

I saw his hand extended in front of me and couldn't ignore it so placed mine in his to shake his hand. I didn't want to lie to him but neither did I want to tell him my name. As he let go of my hand he started to talk again.

"You're cold, injured and probably hungry. I can understand that you don't want to tell me what's worrying you, though my understanding is that it must be pretty serious"

"Yeah"

Hell, what he'd said was an understatement but as a summary he was pretty damn close to the truth. Maybe if I gave some sort of explanation then he'd just let me walk out of here.

"Someone's looking for me, so I need to disappear"

"Then I'll help you"

That's when I finally looked over to look at his face seeing a slight smile on his face that highlighted the lines around his mouth. His eyes were a pale grey but looked so sincere as he looked back at me. Could I trust this man to help, could I involve him at all. What if he got caught up in my problems as well?

"Let's go through to the back room, there are clothes there that would be far warmer than what you have on now"

"Thank you"

Was all I could think to say because he had a point, the clothes I was wearing were too thin for travelling in this weather. As I followed him across and through a door at the side of the church Father Thomas was keen to explain why he had so many clothes.

"We're collecting clothes to send abroad so please find something that fits you while I make us a coffee and find something to eat"

I didn't get a chance to turn down his offer because he was already walking out through another door. As I browsed through some of the clothes, I had to admit that this area I was in must have some wealthy residents. The clothes looked like new and many were designer labels.

I found some thermal leggings and a strappy top that would do underneath something and a thick roll neck jumper that would go down to my thighs. A T-shirt to wear underneath for added warmth with a long woolen trench coat to ward off the bitter cold air. In another box there were some fur lined flat boots with a solid rubber sole and socks. The idea of having warm feet made me smile and turning I saw a sign for a rest room.

Ten minutes later I felt so much better. I'd used the hot water in the sink and the paper towels to wash then changed into the new to me clothes. I wasn't too sure about the clothes that I'd removed so folded them tightly and put them into the bottom of the trash can. As I walked past the table of boxes, I found a woolen hat and some gloves then proceeded through the door to where Father Thomas had gone.

"There's coffee on the table and some toast"

Came from one side of the room as I entered. Father Thomas was stood leant against a kitchen worktop with a mug in his hand watching as I entered. I sat down at the small table and started to spread some jam over the toast before taking a bite. I was so absorbed with the sweetness of the jam that I hadn't realized that Father Thomas had sat down opposite me. Once the toast was gone, I added some sugar to my mug, no milk but I was used to it black, surprised when he once again initiated the conversation.

"I have to take those boxes up to Boston. Why don't you come along? It's a long way from here and I know the center would welcome some help with sorting and packing the clothes for transport"

Every other option went through my head. I thought about it, trying to find a reason to refuse. Finding my own way out of here would be hard to do especially as I didn't have any money. I could try to call Ranger and have him come for me but that would bring him into the area and make him a target. It would also corroborate the idea that Ranger would do anything for me. To be honest I couldn't find a reason not to take Father Thomas up on his offer. I knew that Rangeman had an office in Boston which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how resolute I was to keep Ranger safely away from me.

"Okay"

"Good. I just need to load those boxes into the van, and we can be on our way"

Normally I would have helped but with a sling on there was no way of doing that. I was surprised at how quickly Father Thomas managed to load up the van and it wasn't long before we were heading away from the church. I stayed low down in my seat to start with, just in case there was anyone looking out for me. Father Thomas just assumed that I was tired and dozing, well maybe he did or maybe he knew that I was hiding. After a while I started to look at where we were travelling and became aware that we were north of New York City, which meant that Freya lived somewhere to the west of the city.

Father Thomas was good company on the journey, he seemed to know not to push me for any personal details, so the conversation tended to revolve around his travels as a priest. He'd spent a lot of time down in South America and had me laughing at some of the stories that he told me. It certainly helped to pass the time and it wasn't long before we were pulling up in front of what looked like a warehouse. There were other vans already parked up with people moving boxes into the warehouse. Following Father Thomas, I couldn't believe just how much had been collected. I was in awe of the organization of the men and women as they collected and stacked each of the boxes and it wasn't long before Father Thomas's van was empty.

"I have a friend to see before I leave and head home. I spoke with Hannah before and she's more than happy to provide somewhere for you to stay until this project is finished. After that maybe you'll have a better idea of what you want to do"

I hadn't thought through what would happen here, but it seemed that Father Thomas had. In fact, the more I thought about it the more unsure I was of myself and what I was doing. When Ranger had disappeared, I'd done everything that I could to find out what had happened to him. If I'd found out that he was hiding from me I would have been heartbroken. Had I made a stupid mistake by staying away from him? Would we be stronger working together to solve what was happening? Oh god, what had I done?

Looking up through tear filled eyes I was aware of Father Thomas looking at me, sure that he hadn't a clue what was upsetting me.

"Are you going into Boston Father?"

"Yes. You look as though you've just made an important decision"

"I think I have. There's someone that I love and I thought that I needed to stay away from him to keep him safe"

"It doesn't work like that. Love makes you stronger when you're together"

I just nodded my head understanding for the first time in my life what he meant. I was surprised when he took me by my elbow and led me back to the van. He never asked me anything else but agreed to drop me off in the center of Boston. I wasn't prepared to involve the Father any further so wouldn't tell him where my destination was going to be. Instead, we said our goodbyes outside of a library that was on the way to the church that Father Thomas was visiting Though being given $100 to help me get a taxi to where I wanted to be was beyond gracious of him and I promised that I would pay him back.

Once inside the library I used a computer and found the address for Rangeman here in Boston and was soon sat in the back of a taxi heading there. I couldn't bring myself to look at where we travelling, everywhere we passed was a blur. Paying the driver, I scooted across the seat and got out of the car. Once I was stood outside of the building was when the nerves hit me. I looked up at the outside noting how much glass the building had compared to Trenton, though it didn't seem to have as many floors.

There was no large sign to say what was housed inside just a small brass plaque attached to the wall next to the main entrance. I couldn't see an entrance to a garage so wondered where that was. As I pondered such mundane thoughts the glass door to the lobby opened in front of me and a well built man dressed in the black uniform of Rangeman was stood in front of me.

"Ma'am, is there a problem?"

"Maybe"

"Why don't you come inside and see if I can help"

I had to say he was very polite and for him to invite me in took me by surprise. If an unknown woman had stood in front of the lobby in Trenton, I'm not so sure they would have been invited inside. I followed the man into the lobby and looked around, surprised at how similar it was to the lobby at Trenton. The same black shiny desk where the man was now seated behind, down to the marble on the floor. I could almost imagine someone I knew coming through the door at the back from the stairwell or elevator.

"Ma'am?"

My attention went back to the Rangeman behind the desk as I tried to put into words why I was here.

"I really need to speak to Carlos Manoso"

Okay he could raise one eyebrow as well. Was it a requirement of being a Rangeman? I ploughed on with trying to say why I needed to talk to Carlos but as I didn't know anyone here, I was reluctant to give too many details.

"Could you just get a message to him then, it really is important, and he really needs to get it"

"Ma'am it isn't protocol to contact Mr Manoso"

"I understand that, but I think he'd be more annoyed if you didn't"

I could see that he was really uncertain with what to do and watched when he eventually picked up a phone. I couldn't hear what he was saying but hoped that maybe he was asking for someone to come down and deal with me. After he replaced the phone on the cradle, he walked around the desk and was once again stood in front of me.

"Ma'am, my boss has told me to escort you off the premises"