A/N: This chapter includes one of the voting options for the November Writing Challenge for the Janet Evanovich Fan Fiction Facebook page. It wasn't the winner but I decided to include it anyway.
Dialogue Prompt. "Everything here can kill you, but I can do it most efficiently."
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Chapter Thirteen
Les and Ranger rolled in a few minutes later and dropped a couple of backpacks on the table.
"Success?" Stephanie asked.
Les gave her his trademark grin. "I love this city."
"Why? Because illegal guns and explosives are sold on every street corner." Came Stephanie's dry reply.
"I was going to say all the beautiful women, but yeah that too." Les responded cheerfully. "I'm a man of simple tastes."
"Really?" Stephanie asked.
"Cold beer, a willing woman and high-grade explosives. Doesn't get much better than that." Les was grinning at her.
Ranger looked pained, like he was debating about slapping Les upside the head.
Stephanie smiled and shook her head. She wondered if there was anything Les wasn't enthusiastic about. He was like an eager puppy. Happy, playful, cute, with really sharp teeth.
He might go home with a different woman every night, but there was a sadness to Les that his forced exuberance couldn't quite mask. She had a feeling Les didn't let himself care, didn't let himself get close to anyone. She recognized a kindred spirit. Les had loved and lost. He'd bottled himself away thinking it was safe. She had news for him. Even with the best defenses people got through. Ranger had certainly torn right through her fences, leaving her well-constructed plan in tatters, and right now, she had no idea what to do about that.
Les dumped the contents of one backpack. Several blocks of Semtex littered the table. Stephanie's eyebrows climbed about three inches on her forehead.
"Got enough explosives?" Stephanie queried.
Les just shrugged. He looked like a kid in a candy store. "The Czechs invented the stuff. Really high grade." He eyed the pile on the table. "OK, so I might have gotten a little carried away."
Stephanie chuckled. "Make some shaped charges and try not to blow us up."
"Yes, ma'am." Les grinned back.
"Can we talk?" Stephanie asked Ranger.
She saw the slightly wary expression cross his face and Stephanie realized her mistake. Nothing good ever came after the phrase 'can we talk.' That usually precipitated some unmitigated emotional disaster punctuated by tears, stupid statements, and word vomit.
"About the extraction." She clarified.
Ranger's jaw relaxed, and he followed her into the study and closed the door.
"I have a…." Stephanie started to say, but that sentence remained unfinished.
Ranger closed the gap between them, snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her flush against his hard, unforgiving, perfect body. The sudden contact, his warmth, his powerful arms wrapped around her like a steel band, made her forget what she was about to say. It felt too good, dangerously good, to let him hold her, to give over control.
Their eyes locked for one brief moment before his lips found hers. He tasted like peppermint and smelled like heaven. The feel of his mouth, the stroke of his tongue, intoxicated her as his hands splayed across her back, pressing her closer, like he couldn't quite get enough of her. Stephanie was afraid the moment he let go, the feeling would be gone. He would be gone. Her fingers trailed over the muscles in his back as she pressed into him, absorbing and memorizing the feel of his arms around her. This moment, these feelings would come to a close far too soon.
Heat coiled low in her belly, igniting a fire that never seemed to dim when she was around him. He was thick and inviting, cushioned against her belly, and a little sigh escaped her lips. There was no time for this, not today. Maybe never.
Stephanie pulled back. Raw hunger was written all over his face. An emotion she knew well, as it clawed at her, begging for release.
"I missed you." Ranger said simply.
"Ditto." Stephanie smiled and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, ignoring the wildfire licking at her skin, threatening to consume them both.
"I need your help with something." She sounded winded, probably because just looking at him stole her breath. He was the definition of male perfection.
Stephanie should step away from him, but the feel of his body was too inviting. The little trail his fingertips made up and down her spine sent shivers through her. She snuggled into him, letting go for an instant. The slow thrum of his heart, the easy cadence of his breathing. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and held her for several long moments.
"What do you need?" Ranger finally asked. His voice soft against her hair.
Stephanie detailed her plan. With each word, his body tensed.
Stephanie pulled back just enough to peer up at him, but not enough to break contact. "What do you think?"
"I think that is a terrible idea." Ranger replied.
"So, you're in?" Stephanie smiled at him.
"Yeah, I'm in." Ranger sighed.
"I know, I know. I'm the kind of woman that makes men drink and drive off bridges." Stephanie rolled her eyes.
"No, babe, you're the kind of woman that makes men forget about everything except making you happy and keeping you safe. You're the kind of woman men go to war over."
Stephanie's body flashed hot, and she swallowed past the lump in her throat. She wanted to make a joke and lighten the mood, but the stormy look in his eyes stopped her. This thing between them was getting way too serious, way too fast.
"Don't do that." Ranger purred as his hand trailed over her flushed face.
"Do what?" She whispered.
"Withdraw, leave me." Ranger's gaze held hers. His heart was beating steady and slow; hers was like a jackhammer in her chest.
Ranger leaned down again, nipping playfully at her lips and along her jawline. Stephanie promptly forgot why this thing between them was a bad idea. She cuddled into him, not daring to speak. She didn't want this blissful, fragile moment to end. Ranger's lips fluttered along her forehead, and he edged away from her.
Ranger reached behind him, under his shirt, and pulled out a baby Glock. He pulled the hem of her t-shirt out from her cargo pants and shoved the gun under her waistband, and draped her shirt over the gun. The gun was warm with his body heat and his fingers had been even warmer, sliding across her belly.
"You're not going in there unarmed."
Stephanie opened her mouth to argue, then closed it. Ranger was right. She was heading straight into the lion's den with little more than a wing and a prayer.
"It's a good thing I'm not wedded to common sense and good judgement." Ranger said sarcastically.
"Thanks." Stephanie batted her lashes at him.
Ranger gave her one more hard kiss. "Let's go, before I change my mind." He growled against her lips.
Stephanie nodded and followed Ranger out of the study. A sweeping sadness washed over her, but she pushed it away. She'd chosen a path, and this was only a little detour. Nothing more. Being with Ranger felt easy, it felt right. He made her happy, but happy was just a fragile illusion. She'd learned that the hard way.
Tomorrow she would be back on the main trail, and pretty soon she would forget all about the detour that was Carlos Manoso. At least that's what she planned to tell herself. Stephanie didn't do relationships, and she didn't make exceptions. She ignored the way her gut clenched and lurched and stoically followed Ranger out to the SUV. She didn't have time for warm and fuzzy. She had a deal to make with the devil.
Stephanie checked in with Jack on the trip back to the safe house. Nothing much had changed. No new players in or out. She was pretty sure her little errand had been successful, but frankly, it was hard to tell. They'd find out soon enough.
Luca gave her a sharp look when she and Ranger walked into the kitchen.
"Do I want to know?" He asked, his gaze traveled between her and Ranger, those sharp eyes taking everything in.
Stephanie winced a little. "Probably not. Just putting a contingency plan in place, if we need it."
Luca got back to work helping Les divvy up the explosive charges and checking the weapons. His stiff shoulders told her what he thought of that statement. But Luca never questioned her authority, and he wasn't about to start now. Luca would stand right next to her no matter what, even if he thought what she was doing was incredibly stupid.
No doubt Luca thought her relationship with Nikko fell into the category of incredibly stupid. Little did he know, Nikko was a boy scout compared to the devil she'd just made a deal with.
An hour later, they were ready to roll. They split up. Ranger and Santos in one vehicle, Stephanie and Luca in another. Nikko by himself, always the lone wolf.
The drive to the church was largely silent, both of them consumed by their own thoughts, their own demons. Six against an unknown number of hostiles in an effort to rescue an unknown number of hostages. Really, what could possibly go wrong. It was moments like this that Stephanie thought the button factory didn't seem like such a bad option.
Luca cut the lights, and the dark enveloped them as they bounced and pitched down the dirt road. Stephanie thought the real miracle of the night might be staying out of the ditch.
"I'm definitely going to need a vacation after this." Stephanie groused as they hit a deep pothole that nearly jarred her teeth out of her head.
"You could come to the Keys. I have a house." Luca said, his voice neutral.
"You have a house in the Florida Keys?" Stephanie wasn't sure what surprised her most. The fact he had a house or the fact he had invited her to join him.
"Yeah. It's where I live. In between jobs, anyway. Where do you live?"
Luca chanced a glance at her before cutting his eyes back to the road. Stephanie wasn't sure why; it was pitch black out and she doubted he could see a thing.
"Nowhere really. Mostly hotels or I stay at my parents between jobs." Stephanie admitted, feeling a little like a loser now that she said that out loud.
Luca smiled. "You live with your parents?" He ribbed her.
Stephanie laughed. "OK, when you put it like that, it sounds bad."
"Seriously Steph. Come to the Keys with me. No pressure, no expectations. Just some downtime. We can crack some stone crab claws and drink beer on the beach for Thanksgiving."
Stephanie planned to head to Trenton for the holidays if her schedule permitted, but Trenton had suddenly become a danger zone. Ranger lurking around every corner, tempting her to throw caution to the wind. She needed a little space, and thirteen hundred miles, give or take, might be enough. If she was lucky.
"Yeah, OK," she confirmed.
A few days on the beach sounded good. She needed to get her head on straight anyway, and what better place to do that than snorkeling and watching the waves. Luca was easy to be with. Long periods of silence didn't unnerve him, and he never pushed her to talk, and he never pushed her to do anything else. If Luca said no expectations, that is exactly what he meant.
Luca pulled the SUV off the road and out of sight. Stephanie got out, the crisp air hitting her and making her shiver. She could see her breath frozen in the night sky. It had turned decidedly colder, and the chill in the air got her blood pumping right along with the adrenaline.
Stephanie pulled on a Kevlar vest and zipped a wind breaker over the top of it and strapped on her utility belt while Luca did the same.
Jack materialized out of the dark, giving them a soft greeting and gearing up while Stephanie relayed the plan, such as it was. Basically, they were going to storm the castle, or the church in this case, and overwhelm with shock and awe, hoping like hell they weren't out gunned and they didn't get Ashley killed in the process. As far as plans went, it really wasn't a particularly good one.
Stephanie preferred finesse to brute force, but sometimes you had to shoot first and ask questions later. Stephanie reached up and rubbed the back of her neck. Her spidey sense was tingling. It felt like she was being watched.
Maybe it was Ranger, Les, or Nikko. She knew they were out there in the darkness somewhere getting into position. They planned to approach from three sides, diffusing focus if any one team was spotted.
"We go in quiet." She confirmed to Jack and Luca. "Once our cover is broken. It is going to get real messy, real fast."
Jack nodded and headed off to join Nikko. Stephanie threw up a silent prayer they didn't kill each other, but between Luca and Jack, her money was on Jack. He didn't seem to have the same animosity towards Nikko that Luca did.
Luca and Stephanie started picking their way towards the church through the cemetery, marking each trip wire as they came to it. Their approach was slow and methodical. They were moving as quickly as possible, but far too slowly as far as Stephanie was concerned. She forced herself to remain focused and alert. This thing would be over before it started if they accidentally triggered a motion sensor.
Luca ran his fingers around the door as he slowly cracked it open, disabling another wire. These guys were paranoid and trained, which didn't give Stephanie the warm and fuzzies.
Stephanie and Luca entered the church, sweeping and scanning, looking for threats. Stephanie motioned she was heading upstairs and Luca headed towards the crypt.
The adrenaline buzzed through her veins as she crept up the spiral stairs, stopping to listen every couple of steps. Things became sharper, sound amplified. Her heart rate slowed. It always did when she hunted.
The faintest murmur of voices drifted over her as she reached the top of the staircase, her eyes scanned the area for threats. A sliver of light shone from under the door down the hall and she stealthily made her way towards it, weapon up and at the ready. The rustle of fabric alerted her someone was approaching. She pulled out her KA-Bar and tucked into the shadows, her back flush against the wall, the solid stone pressing into her calmed her. She waited and listened. The seconds ticked by at an excruciating pace.
A bald man dressed in black approached the door, paused for a moment, eyes sweeping the hall. He sensed something, and she pressed flatter against the wall. Stephanie held her breath and waited. The sound of her heartbeat seemed inordinately loud. She pushed back at the surge of adrenaline, forcing her muscles to remain relaxed. A beat went by and the man stepped inside. Stephanie exhaled a slow, steady breath and moved towards the door.
The voices were clearer now, and she strained to make out what they were saying. She couldn't quite make out the words, but the tone was angry. Something wasn't going according to plan, or maybe the guy always sounded pissed off.
"Firefly we have twenty-two packages, but no jackpot." Jack's deep voice filled her ear.
Shit, twenty-two girls, but no Ashley. That was a lot of women. Things had taken a decidedly unexpected turn with that news. They were definitely going to need a contingency plan. Her gut cramped at the thought Ashley might already be gone, or maybe she had never actually been here.
Stephanie backed away from the door. "Keep looking." She whispered into her comms. She wasn't giving up hope, yet.
A muffled gunshot from inside the room and startled her, making Stephanie jump. She heard the unmistakable thud of a body hitting the floor, and the voices got louder. Stephanie crept closer to the door again, the filthy faded carpet muffling the sound of her approach. The door cracked open and she saw the legs and boots of a man sprawled on the ground.
"Clean them up, get them ready." One of the men shouted. Stephanie assumed it was Vivek. "Tell your men to keep their dicks zipped up from now on. They won't fetch a good price if they are beaten all to hell. I don't give free samples of the merchandise unless it is a buyer. I'm taking this from your cut."
Stephanie's stomach roiled. The implication of their conversation was clear. A slow burning rage had started low in her belly. No way they were leaving a single woman with this piece of slime, and no way he was walking out of this church a free man. Either Nikko got him arrested or he was going out in a body bag. Stephanie kind of preferred the bag, but that was more Nikko's area of expertise than hers. She'd been a little skeptical about Nikko and his side profession, but now she mostly thought of it as a public service. Scum like Vivek didn't deserve mercy, and they didn't deserve to take another breath. Stephanie realized having these thoughts in a church wasn't ideal, but she figured even god could get on board with sending Vivek and his ilk straight to hell.
The shouting continued, with Vivek barking orders for the upcoming auction and buyer preferences. The cold metal of a gun pressed against her head, and dug into her skull. The loud voices had masked the approach of another guard. Fear snaked down her spine and she forced the icy panic that threatened to paralyze her into a box. Stephanie pulled in a calming breath through her nose. Cooperate and find an opening. That was her best shot at getting out of this alive, probably her only one.
"Well, what do we have here?" Came a heavily accented voice. "Drop the knife."
He pressed the barrel against her head harder. Stephanie dropped the knife. He pulled her to a standing position by her hair. Pain shot through her scalp as the guard ripped out a healthy chunk of hair. Stephanie didn't entirely swallow the yelp that was torn from her throat. He quickly relieved her of her utility belt and gun.
He shoved her through the door and Stephanie stumbled and blinked against the bright light. She took in the scene before around her. The tall, bald man stood to her right. His stance suggested he was trained. A sneer cut across his face when he saw her.
Yeah, asshole keep underestimating me she thought, and tried to make herself look meek and scared. The scared part wasn't all that hard considering her body was trembling.
Another man lay dead on the ground. His brains leaking out, staining the floor. The smell of death and dust hung heavy in the room, and Stephanie swallowed a gag and forced the bile back down her throat. The smell of death was something she would never get used to.
Vivek stepped from behind a desk, and she couldn't help but stare. All her mind registered was the fact he looked like a South Asian Danny DeVito. He was maybe five two with the lifts in his shoes and he was almost as round as he was tall. He had his dark hair slicked back, as much as there was of it anyway, and his eyes were flat and mean. She knew he was dangerous, but she couldn't quite bite back the thought that he looked like a weeble wobble. Hysterical laughter bubbled in her throat and she covered it with a cough.
"What's this?" Vivek barked.
"I found her in the hall." The guard that had her by the hair responded. He gave her a little shove forward. Stephanie glanced over at him. Tall, thin, pock marked skin, mousy brown hair, dead eyes. She'd never seen him before, either.
"Tell your men to sweep the area. It looks like we have company." The guard to her right gave the order. "So much for security." Vivek sneered.
"It's one woman." The bald guard responded, clearly unimpressed.
"Don't be stupid, Viselli." Vivek snapped. "The stupid bitch didn't come alone."
Stephanie filed through her memory. Viselli didn't ring a bell. Most likely a hired gun.
Vivek came forward, eyeing her. "Who do you work for?"
Stephanie could tell that bravado was a little false. Vivek was right. Stephanie hadn't come alone, and all hell was about to break loose.
Stephanie just eyed him and remained mute. He took another step towards her. The top of his head came mid-chest and his eyes level with her breasts.
"Your silence won't save you." Vivek warned.
Stephanie had a feeling nothing would actually save her if Vivek had his way, but this was not Vivek's lucky day. He should have stayed in his compound.
"Where's Ashley?" Stephanie enquired.
She saw Vivek's eyes flit upward for just a second and relief washed over her. Ashley was here, most likely upstairs, otherwise he would have just laughed and taunted her for being a stupid woman. Dying a needless death for a woman that was long gone.
Vivek slapped her across the face. The sound louder than the sting. Stephanie gave him a feral smile and lunged towards him. She saw him recoil, and she laughed. Two could play the intimidation game.
Sweat was misting Vivek's brow and his eyes darted around like he expected the Army Rangers to repel from the ceiling at any minute. Maybe Vivek wasn't as stupid as she thought.
"Look around you. Everything here can kill you, but I can do it most efficiently." Vivek taunted, the slight tremor in his voice betraying him. "Now tell me what I want to know."
Stephanie failed to stifle her incredulous snort or the world class eye roll. It was like his head had been replaced by a yapping little yorkie. She momentarily wondered if she'd gone insane, and blinked a couple of times to clear the image. When he stamped his foot, she almost lost it. She reminded herself not to bait him. She still had two armed mercenaries holding her at gunpoint. It wasn't like she was out of the woods just yet. She could still end up dead on the floor.
"Take her. This one you can have fun with, make it painful." Vivek snarled at her. "Find out what I want to know before you kill her." Vivek gave a dismissive wave of his hand, like he was shooing a fly away.
Vivek planned to bug out the minute they dragged her out of that room. She could smell the panic on him.
Viselli and the other guard each grabbed an arm. Rage bubbled through Stephanie and she used the guards' hold on her to her advantage, kicking her leg up, her boot connecting with Vivek's face. She heard a sickening crunch and Vivek crumpled like the sack of shit he was. Stephanie was pretty sure she'd just shoved Vivek's nose through his brain. Oops.
She had little time to dwell on it. She capitalized on the momentum and the shock and shoved Viselli against the wall so hard she rattled her own brain.
The audible clack of his teeth told her she'd scrambled a few neurons. He gave a grunt as she knocked the wind out of him as he connected with the hard stone wall. Stephanie grabbed for his gun and simultaneously kneed him in the balls. He gave a high-pitched wail and slumped down on the wall.
Stephanie shoved the gun under her arm and pulled the trigger, ignoring the searing heat of the barrel. The second guard's grasp on her tightened, and she fired again. He dropped like a stone, taking her with him. Stephanie scrambled to untangle herself and get to her feet when a sharp crack to the back of the head, caused white hot pain to blind her.
Stephanie dropped back to her knees and a heavy boot kicked her to the ground. Her vision blurred and shadows danced around the edges. Darkness threatened to take her. The minute she lost consciousness; she was dead. She did her best not to black out, willing the nausea away, but she was quickly losing the battle. Stephanie heard a gunshot and vaguely wondered why she didn't feel any pain. The hazy figure standing over her collapsed in a heap. His sightless eyes staring at her in surprise. Three more gunshots rippled around her in quick succession and then silence.
A man squatted over her. His hand pushed the hair off her face and she moaned when he checked the back of her head. His touch was gentle and it seemed so familiar. She fought through the shadows to clear the spiderwebs crisscrossing her vision.
"It's OK baby. You're going to be OK." The voice said as his hand continued to stroke her hair. Everything seemed so far away, it sounded like she was underwater.
His face briefly swam into view between the dancing white dots blurring her vision. "Gabriel?" She whispered, confused.
What was Gabriel doing here? Gabriel was dead, wasn't he? She'd seen it with her own eyes, she knew it was true. No, this man wasn't Gabriel, she just wanted him to be.
She vaguely wondered if this was what death felt like? The pain in her head suggested she wasn't dead, but then she'd never been dead before, so she really didn't know. She'd always hoped death was more peaceful, maybe a little less painful. Her head throbbed in time with her heartbeat.
Muddled thoughts twirled around in her head in a jumbled mass. She couldn't seem to focus, as each thought, each memory slipped away from her without fully forming. The man faded from view, and she wondered if he had ever really been there. Confusion swirled around her like a pool of dark water. Maybe Gabriel's spirit looked after her, she'd like to think he did. She felt warmth pulse through her, and her eyes got heavy. She had so many questions. So many things she wanted to say.
"Wait," she rasped, but Stephanie couldn't fight any longer and the inky blackness took her.