Everybody and anything familiar belongs to Janet. Mistakes are mine alone.
"Turn here," Needles said from the back seat. "There's a shithole farm at the end of the road. The shed where I stashed her is on the edge of it."
Instead of doing what he directed, like I'd take orders from him, I pulled over to the side of the road and got out my cell again. "You'd better have the information I need," I told Vince. "Walking into a trap isn't on my agenda today."
Being with me for years, he knew to have the area I'm heading to checked out if he can without me needing to give the order.
"I did do a fly-by over the areas surrounding the airport, and as close to it as my toy could get without tipping off airport security. Do you have a specific address for me now?" He asked me.
"The farmland at the end of Ferry Road."
"Is that Ranger?" I heard my wife ask Vince.
No surprise, her voice is the one I heard a beat later. "You're still okay, right?" She asked me.
"Yes. I'm just going to retrieve a woman so I can go home and kiss mine."
"I promise, 'she's' here waiting for it and you."
"Sounds like she's currently busy annoying my men," I pointed out.
"Annoy/entertain ... my presence on five is subjective. But according to Vince's extended hand and sharp eyebrow raise, I am annoying because he wants to send you what he has. I accidentally peeked over his shoulder and saw that the property looks empty, no movement and no heat signatures except for one have been detected. We're hoping that's the woman you're about to rescue. What?" She asked Vince. "Did I spoil your drone discovery? Sorry, Batman, looks like you're stuck with Vince now. Be extra careful no matter how safe he says you are. I love you, miss you, and will be pissed if you get hurt ... so don't."
"He's worked out in the gym for longer than he's been gone this morning, Steph. You're laying on the 'missing you' crap a little thick," I could hear Vince tell her, before he got back to business. "Sorry, Boss. Your wife would make an excellent pickpocket. She snatched my phone before I could stop her."
"You saying you would have stopped her?" I asked, an edge to my voice.
He sighed. "We both know there's no stopping your woman. God help us all when Olive learns all of Steph's tricks."
"She's already developed a few 'tricks' of her own. And Steph's abilities are one of the reasons why I married her. She keeps you all in line so I can kick back and relax."
Her beauty, bravery, body, brains, and banter are really why I married her, but only my wife needs to hear that.
"Do you have more than what Steph shared with me?" I asked Vince.
"Just that the farm's completely overgrown. If I were a bettin' man, I'd say Needles and his idiots are the only two-legged wildlife that place has seen in a while."
"Watch out for snakes!" Steph yelled, over his shoulder most likely. "And bugs!"
Vince didn't sigh, but I can feel how hard he was holding one back. "I should've warned you about that first. Steph was muttering about bugs and how she couldn't kiss you if you came into contact with any. It was a disturbing overhear on multiple levels."
"I'll be fine and will arrive home bug-free. Pass that along to my wife. We're going in now."
I turned onto Ferry Road and kept driving until I reached the dead end of it, which has an 'end of the world' feel to the property. Calling the place abandoned would be generous. What had once been a working farm, is now only cultivating any weed that can survive the hostile environment of Jersey. The once habitable house that sat on a slight hill overlooking the land, looks haunted by more than just your run-of-the-mill ghost.
Bobby must have been thinking along the same lines. "I think we just found a good place to dump bodies if we run out of room."
For the first time since he was put into my vehicle, I looked at Needles in the rear view mirror. "Remember that. If you do anything more than breathe while we get the woman, your body will be buried right there," I told him, pointing to a section of four-foot-high weeds beside the remains of an ancient, barely-standing outhouse.
It isn't an empty threat, because I would kill and plant him in a heartbeat, but he's so securely tied to my ride, all he can physically do is breathe and blink.
Brown's eyes ran around the place as we got out and crept up to the shed. "There's gonna be no way to dodge snakes or insects here. Guess you can still salvage your homecoming by asking Steph to check your body for ticks."
"Not funny."
Even a hint of the 'T' word and Stephanie will refuse to be in the same room with me. Getting an enthusiastic 'I'm happy you're home and alive' kiss, and then getting her clothes off later, would be out of the question.
"How do you wanna do this?" Brown asked.
"Same as when we approached the bank, minus the gunfire. Although it's unlikely, given our intel ... we can't completely rule out an ambush so we take no chances."
I felt a moment of remorse for deciding that and subsequently scaring Manden's lady. I felt even shittier since I'd just pointed out how traumatic a kidnapping is for someone who's pregnant. I had to assume her seeing a gun pointed at her by a man she doesn't know is here to free her, would scare the shit out of her just as much as when she was originally taken. While I wouldn't say my life is more important than someone else's, my daughters' and Stephanie's are, so I'm not about to risk being caught in a trap just to arrive politely.
Once I realized only the woman was inside, I quickly tucked my Glock back into my waistband and started doing damage control.
"Manden sent me to get you," I told her, before I reached out to work on the knot in the bandana keeping her gagged. As Steph has taught me, continuing to talk supposedly helps ease fear for some. "You being kidnapped may have saved his life."
My wife knows what she's talking about. Instead of freaking out, fighting back, or something way worse … crying, this woman's eyes held more curiosity than terror.
"You Ranger Manoso?" She asked, her voice hoarse from dehydration.
Bobby passed me a water bottle to offer her. She had to have been here for hours at this point with nothing to eat or drink. I unscrewed the cap and held it while she took a few careful sips, and then I made short work of the locks holding her here. That asshole had her hands cuffed together, her ankles the same, and he had looped a chain around both and wove that section of metal into a homemade storage rack that'd been bolted to the wall.
"I am," I told her.
"On the days I was terrified he'd die from what he'd done to himself or what someone did to him, Tobias swore to me that he has a secret 'Guardian Angel' watching out for him. He only mentioned who that was, and your name, one time when he was too high to realize what he was saying."
I got an arm around her and helped her to her feet. I offered support until I was sure her legs were strong enough to hold her upright.
"I take care of those who prove loyal to me. After he called me to find you, Manden swore to me that he's done with that lifestyle. He knows I'll do more than kick his ass if he fucks up the family he has coming."
"Maybe you can make it stick this time," she said to the shed floor. "God knows I haven't. He promises that every time he comes down from whatever he swallowed, snorted, or shot up, but it never lasts. I tried to leave him, but …"
"You love him and don't want to end up getting a surprise call saying he had overdosed," I finished for her.
"Yeah," she said on an exhale, tears looming in the corners of her eyes. "He can't see what a good guy he actually is. I tell him all the time that he's not like his family, but they've poisoned him against himself."
"Growing up hearing what a mistake you were, how you just being alive continues to fuck everything up, and that you don't deserve to live ... never mind be happy, has a way of making you believe it. My plan is to hook him up with the right people who can deprogram him and help him see that he has a shot of becoming who he's wanted to be. If you decide to stay with him, your well-being will also be a priority, and I'm not just talking about your pregnancy. But if you've reached your limit and want out, I can assist with that as well. You don't owe him more than what he's willing to do for you."
Bobby stayed right behind us in case she stumbled as we left the storage shed behind. I didn't want her anywhere near Needles again, so we walked to the dilapidated front porch attached to the old farmhouse to wait for the arrival of ambulances I'd requested as we crossed the property. She hadn't said another word after I'd given her something difficult to think about.
Although she's barely showing, Brown and I each held onto one of her hands as she settled herself down onto the top step after Brown spread his jacket out across it, concerned a rotten board would give out under any additional pressure and scratch her.
"We're having a little girl," she shared in the silence, curling her arms protectively around her barely-detectable baby bump.
I tried not to think back to the time I heard the words 'You're having a little girl' come from Steph's OB-GYN. I was scared, overjoyed, and so completely in love with Stephanie, Julie, and the next daughter headed our way, I wanted to shoot someone just to release some of feelings that had been assaulting me. I've never recovered from that moment if I was being honest, and I continue to take my responsibility to protect and love my ladies seriously, much to Julie and Steph's dismay.
"Congratulations," Bobby was telling the mom-to-be. "But now Ranger will be doing more than kicking your man's ass if he breaks a baby girl's heart."
Her eyes shot to me and I explained what Bobby meant. "I have a two-year-old daughter and a teenage young lady. If someone ever lets them down or hurts them, they'll be answering to me."
She tried to hide her reaction, but I saw the shiver of fear race down her body when I spoke. I made sure no emotion leaked into my tone. I didn't hide what it was ... a deadly promise to a to-be-determined enemy.
I moved into action when the 'authorities' finally arrived. I had requested two ambulances. One, because I want to ensure today's events didn't harm the baby, but I also wanted to ditch Jordy in a way that kept him away from her.
"Listen up, asshole," I said into my backseat, where Needles unfortunately didn't bleed out from his wounds. "This life isn't for the stupid or the weak, and you're both. If you do something like this again, not only will I get to you in prison or anywhere outside of it, I'll take out your brother as well as you. So you'd better think real hard while you're sitting in that cell. You pulled this shit for him, but doing anything like it again I promise will get you both killed."
"We were told there's a victim with gunshot wounds?" A paramedic said from ten feet away.
"Yes. He was tagged twice for evading capture," I said, the lie easily rolling off my tongue. "He's cuffed and cooperating, but he should still be viewed as dangerous."
He and his partner nodded at me and thankfully got the fucker out of my sight and out of my hair for the time being. While Bobby filled the cops in on the kidnapping attempt and the altered version of why we have Needles in our custody, I put in the promised call to the man who tied all of us together as Jordy and Manden's woman were being loaded up into separate rigs.
"Your woman is heading to St. Francis," I told Manden. "She doesn't appear to be hurt or upset, but I wanted her checked out regardless. You can meet her there."
I heard a muffled sound before he spoke. "Thanks, man," he said in-between the tears I know he's shedding.
"Don't thank me, just take care of your family. I'm not fucking around. You hurt them, and I'll hurt you more."
"I understand."
"You'd better," I warned before hanging up.
Bobby appeared at my side. "I took the liberty of calling to tell Lester that we're done here so he should think about getting that group of assholes picked up so we can all call it a day."
"I know I'm ready to head home."
"Do you need me to give you a quick insect scan so Steph will come near you?"
"Fuck off," I told him.
Steph talks a big game, but when the shit has hit the fan, there's nothing that will keep her from me even if I were covered in snakes, bugs, or a combination of the two. My wife would say that kind of sacrifice is the true definition of love. The Rangeman building is only a few miles from the airport, and with every one my odometer checked off I felt myself returning to who I was this morning when Olivia and I were welcoming the new day together. I provided myself time and silence to decompress by making Bobby join Manden's lady in the ambulance so she can breathe easier knowing she's being actively protected.
I felt even closer to normal when my wife rushed me as soon as I stepped into the lobby of my building.
"Oh, thank God," she said, running her hands and eyes over me looking for signs of a struggle. "You're here and you weren't just trying to make me feel better. You really got the girl without getting shot in the process."
I pressed my lips to hers briefly and rested my hands on her hips. "I 'got the girl' years ago. Today I just retrieved one."
"And I'm so proud of you for doing that."
"How proud?" I teased.
"Enough to give you your choice of girls to kiss … me, who's right here in front of you. Olive, who Tank stole almost immediately after we came downstairs. Or Mado, who's holding Atlas hostage over there," she said, pointing to a chair that was dragged over to the front desk, but is half hidden by it.
All I could see of One-Shot is four black-material-covered limbs sticking out from the chair, the rest of him is covered by curly gray fur. I had to assume he found a way to breathe underneath Mado's growing body. If not … at least he's keeping our cat in one place.
I tightened my hold on my wife. "You even brought the cat down?" I said into her ear.
Vince was right, as far as jobs go … this was a relatively quick one, but that didn't stop me from missing my wife every minute I was gone, as much as she wanted me back with her.
"Mado keeps her emotions pretty well hidden, but being a lot like her … I can tell she wanted to be part of our homecoming party." Her eyes scanned the lobby. "I guess the party seems to have turned into an intimate one for two, since our dogs are also with Tank and Olive."
"I'm happy with the present company," I told her, moving my mouth a lot closer to her.
Before I could kiss her like I wanted to, spectators be damned, the sweetest sound outside of our bedroom was shouted down the hall, followed by a little blur of baby.
"Daddy! Isses!"
Steph sighed just for show. "Guess I should be grateful for what I already got, since I'm about to be replaced."
"There's no replacing you, Babe."
But I momentarily released her so I could catch the magenta-dressed missile who launched herself at me with arms outstretched and her dogs on her heels. My arms closed around the active little body, and I never wanted to let her go when she kissed me with child-like abandon. Being Steph's daughter, I knew my time was ticking before she was ready to be released for her next adventure so I savored what I had while I have it.
It's always enlightening to note their differences, though. Steph's fingers typically grip the ends of my hair so I won't move, but our baby creates what Steph jokes is a 'Daddy vise' … when Olive's arms, legs, and hands tighten so it takes some effort if I want to separate us.
"Do you know what Daddy did today, Olive?" Steph asked our baby.
"Go payed."
"Lucky guess," I told her, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I did get to go out and play today."
I felt my wife do a second body scan of me. "Your knuckles aren't all busted up, so I'm glad your uniform is black to hide whatever blood splatters had to have occurred."
"Are you suggesting that I can't wrap up a job with words alone?"
She moved closer to us so she could kiss me before Olivia realized what we were up to. "No, I'm definitely not suggesting that. You can be very … persuasive, but I also know what you consider 'playing'. And your version doesn't include talking unless I'm involved and you feel like teasing me."
"It could," I argued.
"Yeah, but not when it comes to a job like today's. Olive, Daddy just rescued a princess!"
"Wom bad wagon."
"I'm afraid no bad dragons were present," I told my baby. "The threat was more of the cockroach variety. Dragons would've laughed at this bad guy."
"I want all the details … the good, bad, and the bloody, as soon as we're alone," my wife said quietly to me.
"Whatever you want, Babe, you know I'll give you."