Six years. Tank searched for six years to find the man responsible for the FUBAR'd mission. He suspected it was an inside man. But which organization? The military or the FBI? Tank needed the answers. Before he left on his journey with Stephanie and Edna Mazur, Tank sent the mission details along with the names of every man or woman he contacted during the brief.
Stephanie got unnerved by Tank's silence. He nodded a greeting. Edna watched Tank on the plane. They rode in first class with Tank across the aisle from Edna and Stephanie. Edna sat beside the window, leaving Stephanie seated closest to Tank.
It was going to be a long few weeks in Nevada with Tank if he didn't talk to Stephanie and Edna. She wasn't sure how to help her gentle giant. "He'll talk when he's ready," Edna whispered. Tank could feel the women staring at him.
Did he react to anything? Stephanie couldn't tell if Tank was affected by the trip. All the others got anxious as they approached their destination. Tank appeared to be calm. Was Tank affected? Could he school his features to prevent Stephanie from reading him? She watched Tank through her peripheral vision.
Tank looked at Stephanie. She could see it. He was affected by the journey. The hardness Stephanie had seen within the dark brown depths of his eyes made her realize the trip was nearly too hard for Tank to bear. What is your secret, Big Guy?
He knew the second Stephanie read his eyes. Damn, Little Girls had skills. All of those years of reading Ranger honed her ability to read people. Stephanie claimed the men had ESP. Little did she know, Stephanie was the only person, besides Ranger, who could read him. Tank just never admitted she could.
The flight from Dallas, Texas, to Reno, Nevada, took around four hours. Stephanie noticed the slight tightening around Tank's eyes as the plane landed. Tank didn't want to be in Nevada. What happened? Why is Tank showing stress? "Are you okay, Tank?" Stephanie asked.
How does Little Girl know he's struggling? He mentally checked his facial expression. Nope. There was no way for her to know. "I'm fine, Little Girl."
Stephanie snorted. She didn't believe him for one second. Disembarking the plane wasn't the time or place to call Tank on his shit. But Stephanie would call Pierre Sherman on the load of crap he spewed from his mouth. Tank narrowed his eyes as he looked at Stephanie. What are you thinking, Little Girl? He knew without a doubt that Stephanie was assessing him. When did Little Girl become perceptive?
"My. Your hands are huge," Edna said when Tank grabbed the three suitcases.
"They're handy," Tank joked. Stephanie rolled her eyes at his stupid pun. She linked her grandmother's arm through hers as they walked toward the Enterprise rental booth.
"We have an SUV to pick up. I reserved a white Chevrolet Tahoe." Tank raised an eyebrow. His face remained blank as he pushed through the busy airport toward the car rental counter. "Hi, I have a reservation," Stephanie said when she approached the counter. Stephanie showed the number on her phone while the attendant pulled the file.
"Yes. Everything is in order. Your boss emailed your license details," she said. "It's parked in the three-tier lot across the road on the second level, section C."
"Thank you," Stephanie replied. She purchased a few maps and grabbed a few brochures for tourists. Edna grabbed another one for Burning Man. She couldn't wait until they visited Pershing County for the event.
"Are we going to visit Vegas while we're here?" Edna asked.
"Not this trip, grandma," Stephanie said. "Tank isn't allowed inside the casinos." He raised an eyebrow, wondering how Stephanie discovered his secret.
Tank thought he was safe until they got into the SUV. He hoped Stephanie didn't mention why he couldn't visit the Vegas strip. "Why can't you visit the casinos?" Edna asked. Tank refused to answer.
"He got caught counting cards with Hal. Neither man is permitted to enter any venue along the Vegas strip. Tank is a card shark," Stephanie said, grinning. Tank ran his hand down his face.
"How?" he barked.
"Hal spilled his guts when we went drinking," Stephanie replied. Tank groaned, making her laugh.
Tank drove to the Fairfield Inn, where Stephanie reserved a two-bedroom suite. As usual, Stephanie shared a room with her grandmother, leaving the Merry Man of the day to sleep in a separate room.
The suite was gorgeous but not nearly as elegant as the Sheraton in New Orleans. None of their rooms in other cities could compare. "Is the bed big enough for you?" Stephanie asked when Tank sat on the couch.
"It would do," he replied. Stephanie asked for a two-bedroom suite with a California King in one room and two twins or doubles in the other. The hotel accommodated the room for Stephanie and Edna, but she wasn't sure if they got Tank's room sorted. She wanted to check but understood he valued his privacy.
"So, how does this work?" Tank asked when Stephanie and Edna got comfortable in the living room.
"We light a circle of candles and place one in the centre. Then we turn down the lights. After we sit on the floor inside the ring of flames, we hold hands as we call upon the spirits to guide us," Edna replied. Tank's eyes widened. He didn't want to get mixed up in some weird seance. Tank got haunted enough by the ghosts of his past.
Stephanie fell over laughing. "Oh my gosh, Tank. I can't believe you bought that crap. Grandma was joking." She rolled on the floor, holding her stomach until she could sit up. Stephanie sat beside Tank after her laughter subsided. "Tank, what are you expecting to happen on this trip?"
"We set up camp at the Burning Man festival. During the day, we experience art, community, and free expression as we celebrate our identity. We'd freeze off our asses at night while sweltering under the hot sun during the day," Tank replied. "After they burn the wooden effigy, everyone cleans up and leaves."
"Did you memorize the brochure?" Edna asked. "It was almost word for word."
"When was the last time you came here?" Stephanie quietly asked.
Tank didn't want to answer. When he caught the concern in her eyes, he said, "Four years ago. It was just before I signed on at Rangeman. I invested in Ranger's idea."
"Oh," she replied. Stephanie realized it was Tank's last mission for the government. She had clearance to learn the details, but it wasn't her business to know.
Edna walked to the TV stand to grab the remote. She flipped through the pay-per-view videos before settling on Steel Magnolias. Not wanting to watch a sappy movie, Stephanie and Tank went to the dining room table to play cards.
Instead of playing for cash, Stephanie and Tank played for snacks. Stephanie let Tank win a few hands to build his confidence before she smoked him. "You're bluffing," Stephanie announced. She pushed all the snacks she had previously won to the centre of the table and called the hand. Tank laid out his cards; ace of spades, two of hearts, five of diamonds, five of spades and queen of spades. Stephanie smiled before placing her cards on the table. Ace, king, queen, jack and ten. All were hearts.
"I thought for sure you were bluffing," Tank replied. "You have the best poker face I have ever seen. Where did you learn how to play?"
"At home. Daddy taught me," she replied. "Dig in." Stephanie pointed to the stack of snacks. They either had to eat them or toss everything into the trash. Halfway through the food, Stephanie scooped the rest into the garbage. "I need real food."
Tank nodded, then ordered burgers, fries, chocolate cake, pasta and drinks. They waited for thirty minutes for their food to arrive. After eating, Edna excused herself to nap. "She isn't as spunky," Tank commented as he pointed to Stephanie's room.
"Nope. She's not energetic," Stephanie confessed. "Watching her wither away is excruciating. I wish I could do more for her. We may need to rush through the bucket list."
"What you're doing for Edna is a wonderful thing." As usual, Stephanie brushed off his compliment. Stephanie didn't need accolades for helping her grandmother. She was merely returning the love. Stephanie gathered the dishes and placed them on the cart. She pushed the trolly into the hallway outside the hotel room door.
Stephanie and Tank sat on the couch to talk. She opened the internet app on her phone to log into the cloud. Without saying a word, she gave the phone to Tank. She left him on the couch to view the photos while she grabbed the pillow from Binkie.
"Why are you showing me photographs of you as a teenager?" Tank asked. He passed the device back to Stephanie. She dropped the pillow onto his lap. "The picture wasn't you."
"No. Her name is Savannah. She lives in Cincinnati with my cousin and his wife," Stephanie replied. She repeated the story to Tank and confirmed that Ranger knew about her daughter. When Stephanie shared Savannah's age, he knew Joe Morelli was the child's father.
"Is this why you don't want children? Why are you telling me?"
Stephanie shook her head, then pointed to the blue side of the pillow. "Frankie is why I don't want kids. I don't think my heart to sustain losing another child. Regardless of doing everything right, you could still lose people you love."
"Why didn't you tell us you have a little girl?"
"I'm scared of Morelli finding out. He will flip. Joe always wanted a child with me." Stephanie wiped the tear off her face. Why didn't this get easier? The pain in her heart lessened since she confessed to Binkie three months earlier, but it still hurt.
Tank pulled Stephanie off the couch. He knew only one way to push past an emotionally exhausting event. Tank moved the furniture out of the way. "Get changed. I want to see what the other men taught you."
Stephanie and Tank sparred for an hour. Tank was impressed with her skills. She even managed to pin him for a second. He showed Stephanie a few Krav Maga moves and promised to practise with her each day.
After eating a late dinner with Edna and Tank, Stephanie retired to bed. Edna stayed in the living room with Tank while Stephanie called Ranger.
"Babe," Ranger answered when his face appeared on the screen. Stephanie had used the laptop to video chat with Ranger. She placed it on the dresser to get changed for bed.
Ranger's eyes darkened as Stephanie pulled the shirt over her head. She wore a pale pink, barely there, bra and panties set. Stephanie knew she was pulling the tiger's tail when she bent over to pull on the boxers she had stolen from Ranger. She looked over her shoulder when Ranger growled. "See something you like, Batman?"
"Yes." He was thankful to be inside his Rangeman apartment. Dios! Ranger set his laptop on the dresser. He lay naked on his bed. Stephanie noticed and licked her lips. She quickly locked the bedroom door before returning to the bed. Stephanie removed her bra. Ranger longed to touch her soft porcelain skin. Dios, she was beautiful. He stroked his hardened length as Stephanie touched her breasts. Neither said a word as they watched each other pleasure themselves. They silently orgasmed together.
Stephanie's face turned bright red when she realized what she had done. "I can't believe I did that. Why did you let me?" she whined.
"Babe," he replied. "Whenever you want to do that again, I'm game." Ranger used his shirt to wipe off his abdomen. Stephanie groaned as she imagined licking Ranger clean. Dios! She holds all the power. Watching her touch her breasts as her fingers pumped into her core was hot.
~~~~~~~~~~
Six little soldier boys playing with a hive; A bumble bee stung one and then there were Five.
At first, it was just a game to figure out where the man went. When will he return from his rounds? When will he be alone? Until it becomes something more? Something that he can control? Tank used the stairs to avoid the cameras inside the elevator. And then he just waited, concealed in the shadows.
When he came into the warehouse office, Tank pounced. It took one second to snap the enemy's neck. When Tank looked into his vacant, lifeless eyes, he wanted to tell him that he deserved everything he got. All he ever wanted was for his team to survive.
That's when Tank felt the knot in the pit of his stomach. He knew someone had set up the team. Tank confirmed the man was dead. He lifted the man's limp body and set it on the chair behind the desk. Tank almost smiled when he found the butane lighter and gas container inside the desk drawer.
Decision made. He poured the gas over the desk, soaking everything on top before leaving a trail to the door. Tank bought his time to do what he does best. He ignited the gas, then disappeared.
As he passed the unconscious man in the hall, Tank placed the butane lighter in his hand, then transferred fingerprints onto the gas can, making it appear that he set the inferno inside the warehouse. The man would be dead by the time Tank got outside. Tank disappeared. He called over his comm unit to his men. Nobody replied, confirming his suspicion. Tank was the sole survivor. He set off the explosives his teammates planted. Every movement. Every action. Every man killed got recorded on Tank's hidden device.
"Where were you that night?" Tank asked. He suspected the agent was a spy. Tank lacked the evidence to prove it.
"I knew you guys wouldn't believe me, so I asked Agent Rodney to cover for me," Agent Bauer replied.
"That's what you agents do, right, cover for each other?" It was the same with the Rangers. They covered for each other. However, if a teammate crossed their team, they got court-martialed or dead, whichever the commanding officer felt adequate.
"Exactly. If you actually had any evidence, you would have arrested me. I have a recording proving Agent Rodney arranged for your team to get killed. Do you really think the jury would believe he didn't get killed for double-crossing you?" Bauer argued.
"Was it just a chess game to you? One move of your rook overtaking the king to set up the checkmate within a few moves?" Tank didn't like the debrief. He had more questions than answers. With his video, the FBI director, Sam Miller and General Spencer Vogel knew Tank was not responsible for killing the ten men.
"Well, if it was, I'd have won with my next move. If you think I did it, I'd like you to prove it." Agent Bauer left the conference room. He had nothing to add to the debrief.
"I hate that agent," Tank grumbled.
"Me too. Having to prove Agent Bauer was responsible is tedious. He had it all planned. Every play was carefully orchestrated to lead the government to believe you were responsible. By the way, how did you manage to escape getting arrested?" General Crawford asked. Crawford and SSA Linder were the COs for the mission. They would remain at home base to feed intel to the field agents and Rangers. Tank was in charge of his Rangers, while Agent Masterson was in charge of the FBI team. Since Tank was more experienced, Masterson let him take charge.
"I wore a camera on my front and back, recording the events as they played out. The government knows I neutralized our target, Emilio Hernandez. I was not responsible for killing the members of my team. Most of the men got shot in the back. I was in the lead." Tank had nothing to hide. He did nothing wrong.
"Who was at the back?"
"Agent Rodney." Crawford sucked in a breath. Rodney wasn't the best FBI agent.
Attending the funeral for five fallen comrades was torture for Tank. It was the first time he lost an entire team on a mission he commanded. One or two deaths was difficult, yet manageable. Ten? Was unbearable. He had known Jeremy Brier, David Bale, Leonard Zelman, Sergio Russo and Peter Deaton since basic training. Losing the five men from team beta was a hit to the Rangers. Other men would rise in the ranks to take over.
"Tank. Pierre. Wake up. You're safe. Big Guy, open those gorgeous brown eyes," Stephanie quietly said. She touched Tank's face, hoping her gentleness would override his sense to pin her to the bed. Tank's eyes fluttered. "That's it, Big Guy. It's Stephanie. You're safe."
"What?" Tank asked when his eyes opened.
"You were having a nightmare. Would you like to talk about it?"
"Not really." Tank reluctantly shared the dream with Stephanie. He never mentioned names, only the events.
Stephanie tugged on Tank's hand. "Follow me. I have something to show you."