Chapter 36

RPOV

Tank, Lester, Ram, Binkie and Manny stayed outside the camp in case we needed their assistance. They were ordered to enter the camp if Bernstein's men fired their guns. Bobby, Mallory, Hal, Stephanie and I cautiously entered the camp, hoping to avoid confronting the armed men. A small gasp from my right indicated Babe located our target. We followed her line of sight to see the man standing several feet away from us.

The second Invictus saw Babe, his eyes brightened. I could tell he was mesmerized by her gorgeous blue eyes, as so many men before him, me included. She's a very beautiful woman even when her hair looks like it was hacked off with a knife. With her tight curls, it really wasn't overly noticeable.

Invictus looked more evil than his pictures indicated. He used to be what women would call a very attractive man with dark blond hair and steel grey eyes. His eyes were more vacant than I thought possible. More empty than the eyes of boxer Benito Ramirez. I've seen many evil men during my career, but this man was evil on a cellular level.

I really didn't like watching him slowly approach Stephanie. A small glint of a knife With a small flick of my hand, my men stayed in their positions. If we moved too soon, it would put Stephanie in the line of fire.

Bernstein grabbed Stephanie's arm and pulled her tight to his chest. "You are a very gorgeous woman," he said in French. She refused to engage him. "If you want your team to survive, you must come with me."

Speaking in perfect French she replied, "Is that a demand or are you willing to negotiate?" I was completely shocked. She could speak Spanish, French and she could swear in Italian.

He quickly switched to Italian. "I could make you a deal. Strip for me and my men. I'll let your friends go free." Not just Italian swear words. She was fluent.

My instincts told me it was a lie orchestrated to guarantee her cooperation. She obviously realized the same when she replied in Italian, "I was taught if something sounds too good to be true, it's probably not. What do I get by making myself vulnerable to you and your men?"

Stephanie Plum is one remarkable woman. I've always known she was special. If only I didn't make all those mistakes since the day I first met her. I wanted her more than anything. However, it was not meant to be. She was meant to be with the man she married. They are very well suited for each other.

"You get me, my love," he answered in English. She quickly suppressed the shiver incited by his words. I could tell she was feeling very uncomfortable. Putting all her feeling aside, she did the one thing I wasn't expecting.

"Can I at least clean up first?" she asked. "I've been sweating so bad all day and I would like to feel fresh for you my love," her husky voice purred. She used her right index finger and trailed it from his left ear to his lips.

I could tell it was all an act, but he didn't seem to think so. Babe was distracting him so she could grab a weapon. He readily agreed and grabbed her arm to pull her towards the structure they used for washing. She distracted him enough for us to make our move.

My men entered the camp the second his back was turned. Bernstein relied too heavily on his men watching his back. He thought we were outnumbered, but he was sadly mistaken. As though our moves were choreographed, we quickly neutralized the men in the camp.

Babe had Invictus pinned to the ground with a knife to his neck. Tank and I approached the man while Binkie got into position to grab Stephanie. When she gave us a tiny nod, we moved in. I slit the man's throat as Binkie pulled her into his arms. Lester took several pictures of the man to ensure we had the correct one this time.

"It's him," Babe reassured us.

"He looks different from his pictures," Ram commented.

"Bobby, come here for a minute," she asked. "What do you see along his jaw line up to his ear?"

"Fine scars. He had cosmetic changes," he answered.

"Exactly. When I touched near his left ear, I felt the small scar. He's the right man. Check his right bicep for the pitchfork tattoo with the tines pointing towards his shoulder," she directed.

We found the tattoo in the exact location she indicated, but below it were two more. One was an eclipse, the other a fox. Stephanie found him. When she first told us her plan, I wasn't convinced it was going to work. I wanted to enter the camp and quietly neutralize Bernstein's men. The second he spotted her, I knew my plan would have backfired and someone would have died.

I approached Binkie and pulled her into my arms. "Proud of you Babe," I whispered. When I tighten the grip, she moaned from pain. "Bobby!" I snapped.

He ran towards us with his medic bag. "Where are you injured?" he asked her.

"My fucking arm," she growled. It was that moment when I noticed she was holding a bloody knife in her left hand.

Bobby quickly stitched her arm to stop the bleeding. "We need to get her to a hospital. Preferably far away from here."

"Dad should be here soon," she informed us.

"Clean," I barked. The men quickly gathered Bernstein and his men. They put them into the shelter and doused it with gasoline they found on site. With a quick flick of a lighter, the fire burned bright and hot. We needed to leave this area immediately.

Hal shouted, "Over here!" He found a Jeep hidden beneath tarps.

Binkie carefully lifted Stephanie into his arms and climbed into the back. She was nestled in his lap. Manny sat beside them and pulled Mallory onto his lap when she climbed in. We could fit three men in the front and another in the back seat. The other men used the running boards on the side or the ledge at the back to stand or sit. Tank hot wired the Jeep and jumped into the driver's seat.

"Drive 20 miles to the northeast," she said before falling asleep.

"Holy fuck!" Mallory stated as we left the area.

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SPOV

The last thing I recall was feeling Binkie's strong arms wrapped around me and hearing my sister swear. I think it's the first time I ever heard her swear. Another vehicle approaching us caused me to awaken. During our time hiking towards the camp, we never crossed another person's path, let alone seeing a vehicle.

Tank stopped the car, which surprised me. I watched a familiar person jump from the still moving vehicle. "Dad," I whispered and squirmed out of Binkie's hold.

He pulled me from the Jeep and gave me a tight hug. Uncle Andy gave me a gentle hug when dad released me. I followed them to the empty Jeep and sat in the back. Mallory and Bobby followed me. Dad gave his other daughter an equally tight hug before allowing her to sit beside me. I shifted to the centre so Bobby could sit on my opposite side.

Once everyone was secure in their seats, Mallory gave the instructions leading back to our plane. Dad placed a quick call, "On our way home." I knew he was calling Uncle Bernie.

It took several hours driving over the rough terrain back to our vehicle. My skin felt sticky and hot by the time we reached the plane. I could tell I was running a fever. Bobby gave me an antibiotic shot, but I needed something to manage the fever.

Everyone, except me, worked together to uncover the plane and open the door to let us climb in. Mallory and Manny took their positions in the pilot and copilot seats. The rest of us strapped into our seats, doubling up where required. Once again, I was sitting in Binkie's lap.

Ranger kept looking at us with a confused look on his face. "I love my husband," I stated speaking slow and loud enough to be heard. "Binkie's my brother. We got to know each other extremely well during the last month," I continued to explain.

"You trust him," Ranger observed.

"With my life. I trust all of you too," I added.

"Bobby, Steph is burning up. Do you have anything for a fever?" Binkie asked.

"No. I already depleted my supply."

"I have some Tylenol in my bag," Mallory announced. Dad grabbed her duffle to search for the pills. He found them tucked into the interior pocket.

"Thanks Mal," I said as dad passed me two from the bottle.

"I'll hang onto them in case she needs more," Bobby stated.

Several hours later, I was given a few more pills. Mallory landed the plane before I required a third dose. An EMS van was waiting when we landed at a small airport. "This is where I picked up the plane," Mallory stated.

An attractive, familiar looking man was waiting near the hangar. He looked to be around our age and he only had eyes for Mallory. When she saw him, she ran and jumped into his arms. "You've always been such a spaz Mal," he said as he pried her arms away from his neck.

"Thank you so much for lending me your plane Craig. I told you I'd bring it back in one piece," she joked. As I watched their exchange, I realized she was talking to Craig Price, her younger brother. He's really our cousin, but I don't think either of them cared about the distinction.

"Will you introduce us?" he asked while staring at me.

"Sure," she answered and grabbed his hand as they walked towards me.

The EMT had me sit on the stretcher as he pulled back the bandage on my arm. "You'll need a specialist to look at this injury. Based on its location, you could have some nerve damage," he quietly told me. I wasn't experiencing any tingling or numbness in my hand, so I doubt it was that serious.

"You look identical to my sister Emily," Craig said when Mallory introduced us.

"Craig, Em was Stephanie's identical twin," Mallory told him.

"I know, you told me the story. It just seems so… weird," he admitted.

"When do you leave?" she asked him.

"Once the plane is cleaned and refuelled," he answered. "I need to get back home."

"It was a pleasure meeting you," I said, then I gave him a quick hug. "Don't be a stranger."

"I'll be back in a few months. We can catch up then," he promised. He gave Mallory a hug before walking towards the hangar.

"He seems very nice and down to earth," I told Mallory.

"You would be correct. He's an amazing brother. Craig wants you to think of him as a brother too," she added. What's one more brother added to my collection.

I was anxious to get home to my husband. It's been too long since I felt him in my arms. Too long since we've had sex. Lester burst into laughter, "Beautiful, you need to stop thinking about sexy times with your husband." If my face was red before, it was clearly bright red now.

"Ma'am," the emergency technician said to get my attention. "We need to start you on an IV. You're severely dehydrated which doesn't help your fever."

"Fine," I grumbled as I sat back onto the stretcher. He quickly inserted the needle and attached a bag. Once the bag was attached, I was told to lay down so they could strap me in. They pushed the stretcher into the back of the EMS. Bobby followed the first man into the back. His partner put the van in gear to drive us to St Frances in Trenton.

I spent nearly 5 hours in the hospital as the emergency doctor checked me. A neurologist declared I had no nerve damage from the wound, which I could have told him. When he gave me the bad news, I practically shouted, "I don't want to stay here for observation."

"Miss Plum," he started.

"Mrs Rodriguez," I quickly corrected him.

He completely ignored my correction and said, "Miss Plum, we need to get you hydrated. The antibiotic needs time to work." I really need to get my insurance information corrected.

An orderly entered the room to move me to a private room on the fifth floor. When we arrived, I noticed my husband standing in the room looking a bit frustrated. His frustration dissolved when he saw me.

During the whole ordeal overseas, I never broke down. The minute my gorgeous husband placed my rings back onto my finger, I gave into my emotions. He climbed onto the bed to lay beside me. Minding the tubes of my IV, he pulled me into his arms. "Sweetheart, I was so scared," he whispered into my hair.

"Me too, my love… me too," I admitted. "I could really use a shower."

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LPOV

I couldn't stop myself from laughing. Of course my gorgeous wife would think about having a shower. She's probably gone several days without one. My sister in law Mallory entered the room with a nurse.

"We've come to get you cleaned up," the nurse stated. She unhooked the IV bags from the port in Stephanie's arm. Mallory grabbed the small backpack and followed them into the washroom.

When the shower started, a freshly showered Ranger entered the room. "How is she?" he asked.

"Good, but she'll feel better once she washes off the dirt from her mission," I replied. He nodded before taking a seat in the chair.

We heard giggling from the women in the washroom. Muffled conversation filtered into the quiet room. "I wonder if they'll fix her haircut," Ranger stated, his lip slightly turned into a smile.

"Me too. It looks like Binkie used her sharp knife to hack off her hair," I said with a smile.

"That's because I did," Binkie stated as he entered the room. "She needed her hair cut and we didn't have time to get scissors."

"Don't quit your day job," I retorted. Ranger leaned his head back and laughed.

"What's so funny?" Stephanie asked when she exited the washroom.

"Binkie the hairdresser," I replied.

She started laughing, "You should have seen his face when I asked him to cut my hair with my knife… priceless." Binkie started laughing too.

"Awe… they fixed it," he jokingly complained.

Stephanie gave him a tight hug before climbing back into her bed. "Let's get you hooked back up," the nurse said as she attached the IV bags back to the port. "I cut my granddaughter's hair," she explained. "She has the same curly locks as your wife," she told me.

"Thank you Nora, it looks great," Stephanie told her.

"Try to get some rest. Should I send in the crowd Steph?" she asked.

"You may as well. They won't leave until they see her first," I replied.