Chapter 27

RPOV

As I woke up with Steph still in my arms the memory of the day before played through my mind. I'd never before experienced such contentment and pleasure as I had done with her. There were very few words between us and to be honest there was no need. We were both lost in our surroundings and in each other. Only once did Steph show the turmoil that she felt, and I knew that it was the possibility that what we'd experienced might be lost. I felt it as well, but I was going to make damn sure that it would never come to that. If Hanley even suggested the possibility that Steph might end up in prison, then I had plans in place. Plans that would have us both disappearing forever.

Today I needed to reengage Steph, she needed to feel that she was doing something and involved. That was how she would bounce back, by putting the threads that we had together. What she'd said at Rangeman puzzled me, though I knew the other guys thought she was still suffering from the aftereffects of the drug. Me, I wasn't sure about that and it had certainly had me looking at things from a different perspective. That was how Steph worked, seeing something differently and putting information together in a very unusual way.

As I felt Steph begin to move, to wake up, I moved my hand down through her hair letting her know that I was there for her. I could only be thankful that when I built this house that I'd had underfloor heating installed as the heat from the fire had died away hours ago. We never had made it to the bedroom last night.

"Good morning Babe"

"Morning"

Was the muffled response I heard as I felt her head snuggle against my chest. Some things never changed and one of them was that she was not a morning person.

"Why don't you grab a shower and get dressed while I start the coffee and find us some breakfast?"

"Okay"

Knowing that she wasn't likely to move anytime soon I sat up, then lifted her in my arms taking her through to the bathroom. Leaving the water running in the shower to warm up I grabbed a pair of cargos from the closet and made for the kitchen, the temptation to stay and shower with her almost winning out. By the time the coffee was ready, and the scrambled eggs had cooked Steph appeared by my side, dressed in joggers and a T-shirt with her wet hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her face looked flushed and her eyes were sparkling making me think how beautiful she really was without some of the makeup on that she seemed to hide behind.

"What are we doing today?"

I looked up from my plate as Steph asked the question.

"I thought we could take another look at the main players we seem to have come across"

"Yeah, I have some ideas about that"

I was pleased that she was up for working on that and knew that I had copies of everything on my laptop. The office downstairs would be an ideal place to work from. While Steph cleared away the breakfast dishes I quickly showered and dressed before leading her toward the front door.

"Are we working somewhere else?"

Was what I heard as I pressed a button on my key fob then watched her face as the panel in front of us slid open to reveal an elevator.

"This goes down to the areas below the main floor"

There was the woman who I knew so well with the curiosity of a cat and nine lives to go with it. As the doors slid open, we were in a small lobby that had three doors leading from it. I opened the first door on the left to reveal a state of the art office. One wall held a large plasma screen that I switched on to reveal the camera feed from the back of the house.

"Wow, it's like being upstairs and looking out of the window"

"I can use it to observe any of the camera feeds from outside so can keep an eye on what's happening outside"

As Steph continued to look around the room, I switched on the interactive whiteboards that covered another section of the wall and then loaded all the photographs that we had onto the board on the right. I could see her watching as the photos appeared so now needed to explain to her how to work the screens.

"It works the same as a touch screen. You can make the photo larger or smaller using the tips of your finger, just like you do on a pad"

As I explained I demonstrated using a photo of the judge Ernest Donald and swiped the photo to side for it to appear on the screen next to it.

"Sweet"

Was Steph's response as she went back to first board and started to look at the rest of the photos. I sat to one side of the boards, my leg resting across my knee and watched. Steph was a quick learner ,and she soon had a row of photos on the second board.

"Who is Walter Lewis, I recognize the name, but I don't know why"

"He's a big property dealer, construction and renovation. He's on countless committees and is a patron of the museum. There's also talk of him running for Governor"

As she acknowledged what I'd said Steph's focus returned to the boards and she moved across three photos and arranged those into a separate row.

"How do I add writing?"

I stood up and walking up to the board touched the icon for a pen and then showed her the choice for thicknesses and colors.

"Write with the tip of your finger"

I sat back down again as she began to write words next to those three names and then she was back to moving photos across.

"I want two, maybe three images up here"

Going up to the board I touched the picture icon and moved the icon curser to create a box and then turned to Steph waiting for what picture she needed.

"I want three silhouettes of a head"

Once done I stepped back as she placed those at the top and studied what she had done so far.

In the left column she had the judge, the doctor, the detective, the property developer and a photo of the Trenton Times. The next row had Denby, Jackson and Garner with a line going from Garner to Manning. To the right of the board were Lorenzo Galbacci, Vito Grisolli, Harry and Alexander Ramos. The three silhouettes were at the top of the board. I could begin to see where Steph was going with this but wanted to see what her explanation was. After a few minutes of looking at it she stood by the board and looked at me.

"Okay there are some to add but I want to start with these. These men here, they're all regarded as upstanding citizens and they're affected by the ramifications of what the mob bosses do"

I could see what she meant, the judge who had to deal with the murderers and the pushers, the pimps and the violent assaults. The doctor would have to treat the victims as they went into the A & E department at the hospital. The detective who was constantly having to chase down those criminals and deal with the fallout from a murder scene. I suppose the newspapers were constantly reporting on the crimes seeing an increasing number that never seemed to be solved. Walter Lewis, maybe his business was affected by the crime, but I was more inclined to think that his motives were more to do with his ambition to move into politics.

"Okay, I can see why you would put those men together"

"Good. These three men here are the suppliers, Jackson brings in the drugs, Denby controls the gambling and money laundering which leaves Garnett bringing in the weapons"

"Where are you going with this line of thinking Babe?"

"There are two, maybe three men who devised this plan and are manipulating what happens. Yes, they plan to take down the Mob bosses and these lot think that it's a noble cause. I think that the three suppliers are actually working for these men up here. Denby well we know how he's been bought. I think Garner is some sort of paid mercenary unless one of these men is actually a high up in some government agency and they think they're on some sort of covert job. Jackson, he's probably in it for the money. I think once the Mob is out of the way these bosses will take over their business interests"

I have to say that what Steph was suggesting seemed a bit far fetched, but not beyond the realms of possibility. There was one last question that I wanted her to answer, a question that I have to admit had been worrying me.

"Why Rangeman Babe, why involve us?"

I watched as Steph walked over to me, as she sat down sideways over my knee. I wrapped an arm around her waiting for what she would say though I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like it.

"They wanted you to be seen as a supporter to what was happening, as that man said to have you on board. I've got a theory here so please don't get annoyed with me if you disagree"

I would never do that, I might not agree with her but I would take what she said and work with it as a theory finding evidence to either support it or ignore it.

"I would never get annoyed with anything that you suggest. I might not like it but I'll always take account of the evidence"

"These men who are controlling things, I think that they want you implicated or seen to be involved so much that they'd be able to control you, blackmail you, even destroy you"

I looked back at the board working through what she was saying. Could that happen, could I be seen to be involved and guilty by association all because my company name was on several of the buildings being used. I suppose added to that the rumors being spread that I was an enforcer might support it. The thing that I couldn't understand was why.

"Why target Rangeman?"

There were other security companies around some of which had been around for a while with newer ones like us emerging into the market with more high tech equipment and faster response times. Did that have something to do with it, was it a competitor? That idea didn't feel right. Trenton and the surrounding areas had enough clients for all of us, after all security was big business now.

"You"

I heard so looked at Steph, slightly annoyed with myself for not listening to what she'd said.

"What about you, could someone be targeting you?"

As I looked at Steph my heart dropped. Hell, I'd always told her that there were enemies out there who would do anything to get to me, including using people close to me and especially Steph. I looked back at the board again at the three silhouettes wondering if she was right, wondering if one of those figures represented an enemy that was out to destroy me. Would it be best if Steph were to disappear? Afterall those men might assume that she'd died in the explosion at the museum.

"I'm probably wrong, you know how I end up looking at things and mess it up"

"It's something to think about Babe"

I could tell that Steph was beginning to regret what she'd said so I tried to take her mind off it by asking her about the photos that she hadn't used. I heard her sigh as she stood up and moved them over to the main board.

"Minions or hired thugs. I'm not sure who they answer to"

I wasn't sure either but looking at the last photo still to be used I had an idea.

"How about you go get dressed in a sexy outfit so we can go look at some cars and after we can go out for dinner"

Steph was quiet as she went upstairs to change and to be honest, I wasn't sure what she was thinking. I messaged the core team with a brief and cryptic message and asked for backup for me and Steph. The words from Steph haunted me as I made my way up to the bedroom, could one of those men be an old enemy and what would they do next to get revenge?

As I stepped into the room, I stopped to admire the view in front of me. Steph had changed into a pair of figure fitting jeans that were tucked into a pair of ankle boots. To complement the jeans, she had on a blue roll neck top which you might think as being a bit boring unless you looked at the areas of the top that were strategically missing. Whilst being long sleeved her shoulders were bare and a diamond cut out followed the shape of her breasts. I almost missed the way it skimmed the top of her jeans tempting the viewer to a glimpse of the silky skin underneath. Her hair, the long curls that I loved the feel of were swept back into two braids down each side of head.

As she looked at me, she smiled and picked up a fitted black jacket and secured a matching black leather beret onto her head. Walking up to me she looked as sexy as hell and her arms around my neck weren't helping as my body reacted to her.

"I've thought through what I said this afternoon and I remember what you used to say to me"

I pulled back to look at her face as she said that wondering what she meant. I must have looked puzzled because she was quick to remind me.

"You once said that you didn't do relationships because it was too dangerous with the enemies that you had. I won't run and hide because of that. I'm here with you for the long haul so you'd better get used to it"

"Babe, they could believe that you died in the explosion. You'd be safe then"

I so did not want to put her into danger because of something that I'd had to do in my past.

"No. Between us we'll always have enemies so they need to know that together we are stronger and that they can't win"

Now I knew why she had been so quiet, she'd been worried that I would lock her away in a safe house and then probably after the danger had been neutralized that I would once again put distance between us. In the past I would had done that, and my common sense was saying that it was the right thing to do now. She was right though, there was no way I could walk away from her now.

"I won't do that to you now, or to me. I won't send you away. We'll beat them together at their own game, but I will always put your safety first"

Just as her lips rested against mine the words that she whispered almost had me smiling.

"You are my other half Carlos, so I want you be safe as well"

After a searing kiss that took my breath away, I turned and taking her hand led her from the bedroom back to the elevator. To be honest I was very close to just forgetting about the planned outing but knew that a backup team would be waiting to pick us up as we entered Trenton. Exiting the elevator, I opened the door that led into the garage and then purposely watched Steph as the lights came on.

I saw as her expression changed, as her eyebrows shot up and her mouth opened and shut without making a sound. I think she was shocked at the range of vehicles parked up. If we were going to look at expensive sportscars then we needed to show that we might be serious and what better way than to arrive in a 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe, black of course.

As I drove, I knew that Steph was enjoying the ride. Her hand was slowly sliding up and down the leather seat next to her making me want it to be me that she was stroking. I purposely dropped gear and revved the engine and felt the power from the engine kick in, as did Steph, a low moan coming from her throat. Shit here I was feeling jealous of a damn car.

Once we were on the highway I reached over and took her hand in mine, pulling it over to rest on my thigh. I saw her look at me but remained focused on the road, catching sight of one of the teams that would be shadowing us. As I negotiated through the streets, I was pleased that her hand remained on my thigh as I changed gear, enjoying the light touch of her hand on me.

All too soon we were pulling onto the forecourt of a garage, Miracle Autosport a car dealership that looked to have a lot of very expensive sports cars. I wasn't too sure where Watson could have hidden anything here, somewhere that Steph could find and yet not be too obvious. Opening my door, I was around at the other side to help Steph up from the low seat and closing the door locked the car. I wasn't surprised when a salesman was instantly by my side and allowed him to lead us into the main showroom.

"Good afternoon sir. I'm sure we have some excellent choices for you if you're looking for something a bit different. Is a new car for yourself or?"

He stopped mid sentence and was watching Steph as she walked around the showroom, her hand gently touching each car as she passed it. I wasn't too sure how she was expecting this to play out and why she was so interested in the cars. Cars could be sold so surely Watson wouldn't have hidden anything in them, would he? No, surely the offices would be a better place to look.

"Sir?"

I looked back to salesman stood next to me, thinking how typical he looked for the job that he did. The worn suit and creased tie did nothing to inspire me and the grin that seemed to be a permanent feature of his face did nothing to inspire confidence in him. I looked beyond his balding head and overweight frame to see another man approaching me.

"Collins, I'll take over from here"

Collins looked totally pissed off as the younger man strode up to us. He looked confident, well dressed and whilst he gave the impression that he was focused on me I could tell that he was following Steph with his eyes. This was definitely not a place where I would buy a car from.

"Sir we have some excellent cars for sale at the moment. A lot are special editions with some excellent extras included. I can see you like the feel of a powerful car so let me show you what we have. I'm sure that you'll be spoilt for choice"

A lot of the sports cars on show were convertibles which to be honest, whilst nice, didn't suit my way of life. They were too exposed to trouble, which was why I had never bought one. There were a few Porsches of various models, but I feigned interest in a silver Aston Martin Vantage, opening the door to have a look inside. That was when I heard Steph shout from across the showroom.

"Oh Honey, this car is amazing"

The salesman was instantly on his way to where she'd shouted from, maybe hopeful that I couldn't resist a car if she expressed an interest in one. I followed and watched as he came to a stop, his shoulders slumping.

"Honey I absolutely love this one"

I almost smiled at the tone that she was using, similar to how she worked a skip for Rangeman, her Jersey accent being more pronounced with a touch of huskiness to her voice. As I continued to where she was, I saw her stood on a plinth looking at an extremely beautiful car.

"I'm sorry Ma'am, but that cars not for sale. It belongs to the boss and is just for show"

I saw the pout of her lips and as she leant forward against the bonnet, her backside out and her cleavage in full view.

"Can I please just sit in her, she is soo beautiful"

The salesman looked back at me, so I raised my eyebrow at him hoping that he'd allow her to sit in the car just in case he upset me.

"Yeah okay, but don't touch anything"

Steph had zeroed in on a 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder, so she obviously thought that anything left by Watson might be inside. It was a good call seeing as the car never left the garage and the name shouted out a possible link. I coughed to get the man's attention and returned to the Aston Martin pleased that he followed me allowing Steph some privacy.

I was so relieved when Steph showed up, the man was driving me nuts spewing out facts about the damn Aston Martin. I smiled as she approached me and as she linked her arm through mine and gave the salesman a small smile.

"I'm not sure Honey, I like the idea of a vintage car but how would my friends and I go shopping. Maybe I need to rethink what I want"

I heard her sigh as she looked up at the salesman biting her bottom lip and looking up through her lashes. Christ she looked so sexy when she did that. I held out my hand to the salesman, pleased when he turned his attention back to me.

"Sorry to have wasted your time. I think my little princess needs to think through what she wants"

With my hand at Steph's back I guided her back out to the Porsche and helped her into the seat, then leant over her to fasten her seatbelt brushing my lips across hers. I could see from the expression on her face that she'd found something and was anxious to tell me about it. I checked in the mirror as I pulled out away from the garage, pleased to see our shadow with us. As I anticipated Steph talking, I placed a finger over her lips, concerned that someone with equipment like ours might be able to listen in to what we were saying. Steph understood but it made her nervous so once again I pulled her hand into mine holding it on my thigh.

I didn't want to go back to house because I didn't want to compromise its location, plus I needed to catch up with the core team and find out what they'd decided to do with Denby. As I drove, I knew Rangeman would be the safest place but took the decision to gain access through an alternative entrance. I sent a message to Tank having made that decision and took a turn into a back street and then turned down a small alley.

I was sure that Steph was curious as to where we were going. As I hit my fob I watched as a set of garage doors started to roll up and timed it to allow the car to pull inside. I knew that when the car passed the infrared sensor the door would close, and the lights would come on. Steph was looking around us, probably very curious as to where we were. I opened my door and then hers to help her out and with her hand in mine walked over to a door at the back of the parking area. Again, I used my fob to open the door and walked through the short hallway and turned into a large room where the guys were sat waiting for me.

"Err, where are we?"

"Lower basement in Rangeman Beautiful"

I pulled out a chair for Steph to sit on before sitting down next to her noting how her eyes were scanning the room around her. Yeah, not a room that she was aware existed because this was where we normally came prior to missions or agency jobs. It allowed us to plan and discuss options and housed all of the equipment that we would need. The weapons were on display along with boxes of ammo and grenades stacked on shelves. There were vests and jackets and bags already packed though for me there were no more government missions, others within Rangeman still took them on. It was also extremely high tech, similar to the office at my house and had absolutely no connection with Rangeman systems.

"Babe, this is a pre op planning room. We use it prior to agency or government jobs so it is totally secure and very few people know of its existence"

I watched as she nodded her head and then looked around at the men sat with us. Tank, Santos, Brown and Hector, all with files in front of them, except Hector who had a laptop instead.

"Denby?"

I asked because he might be key to finding out who his contact was that had basically blackmailed him into the position he was in now.

"Officially, dead. Unofficially he's down in Miami in a safe house. There's no way he could play both sides, he just doesn't have the backbone for it"

"How?"

Came from Steph as she looked intently at Tank.

"Seems they found a human remains in the museum, underneath a lot of debris. A half burnt drivers license and some credit cards identified him as Denby"

I almost smiled at the ingenuity of that but hoped that who ever was running things didn't bring in someone else.

"Won't someone claim the body or go see him or something?"

"Steph, the body is unrecognizable"

I was sure that Steph was thinking about the man who'd died and if family or friends would be sure to miss him, but the deed had been done now. I needed to move on with the conversation and draw her away from where she was thinking.

"Jensen, any idea on who he is?"

I watched as Santos looked at Tank and back to me before he started to talk, making me very sure that I wasn't going to like what he was going to say.

"We think so. The name Jenson isn't a usual name to come across unless you start looking at a father's name"

That had me frowning, trying to figure out how the hell they'd worked that one out. Hell, there were thousands of men who that could apply to so how had they homed in to one man.

"Hector hacked into the prison system and took a look through the records for when Denby was inside and noticed that he had one man who visited him three times prior to his release. Alfred McCann"

Alfred McCann, I ran the name through my head trying to remember if I'd ever come across him before but had no immediate recollection.

"You don't remember him do you Ranger?"

I didn't, but the way Santos said it, then it seemed as though I should. I looked back at Santos, slightly annoyed that he was drawing this out.

"Who the fuck is he Santos?"