Chapter Twenty Four

We finished the tour of the Tudor house and stopped for lunch on the way to the next place.

During lunch Ric detailed the next place, stating that it is vastly different from the one we just saw. It was laid out differently and had more land.

We drove only another ten minutes before he pulled into another gated community. I knew he was concerned about safety. Both houses would have to meet his strict requirements where security was concerned.

I wasn't sure what I expected, but it wasn't what I was looking at right now. This house was more Colonial in style. It had a separate garage and what appeared to be a carriage house. It was still a huge house. Ranger escorted me inside and I found myself staring at rich wood floors and fire places in nearly every room. This house wasn't furnished, but it had character. In a lot of ways, it suited Ranger more than the first one did. I could see him living here.

"What are you thinking, Babe?" He took me into his arms.

"That I could see you living here," I replied, cuddling up to him.

"Can you see yourself living here?"

I smiled up at him. "Ric, I can see me living wherever you are."

I was rewarded with a mind-blowing kiss. When we finally broke, he said, "Let me show you the bedroom."

I followed him up the stairs. There were two ways of accessing the upstairs. There was a stairwell in the kitchen and one in the foyer. There was a library just off the foyer as you came into the house. We climbed the stairs quietly. I was secretly hoping for an elevator, but oh well.

"This bedroom isn't quite as grand as the other house, but it's still nice."

He opened the double doors to the room and I walked in. The room was large, with a fire place and a terrace. The master bath included a dressing room with his and hers closets. The room was painted a taupe color and had rich chocolate colored carpet that immediately reminded me of Ranger's eyes.

He noticed me staring at the carpet. "I know what you're thinking," he began.

I interrupted him. "It's like a sign."

"I take it you like this house?" He seemed nervous.

"No, Ric..." I hesitated for a minute. I saw his expression change a little. "No, I love this house. I can see you and me living here a long time." I realized what I said. "I mean, if that's what you want."

Ranger smiled. "Yeah, that's what I want."

We headed back to the Hayward Street office, talking intermittently about the house and what we could do with it. Ranger offered to either let me decorate or hire a decorator. He said he didn't care. He explained that he would need to update security in and around the house, but it shouldn't take too long. I was enjoying the thought of having a new home. It wasn't the Burg and I wouldn't have to become Suzie Homemaker though. Ranger offered to have hired help live on the property so that I could continue to work with Rangeman. It was like the best of both worlds. I mean, my mother would think I had grown up and I would still be free to 'fly' if I wanted to.

"We don't have to change anything because of the move, Babe. We might have to get up earlier and drive further, but that's about it."

I leaned back against the leather seat. Life was looking pretty damned good. A part of me couldn't help but wonder when the other shoe would drop. Unfortunately, I didn't have to wait long.

Ranger's cell phone rang. "Yo," he responded.

I watched as he listened. His jaw tightened and I could almost feel his repressed rage.

When the call ended, I asked, "What?"

Ranger didn't even look at me. "Anna's missing."

No, I thought, it must be a mistake. Those kinds of things happen to me, not her.

"Any clues? Are they sure she isn't just out shopping?" I was grasping at straws and I knew it.

"No, Babe, she was picked up outside the office. The camera's spotted a car that matched the description you and Lula gave of your attacker." He glanced at the side of my face. His eyes held pure rage.

"Oh, no, not that," I pleaded. We still didn't know who that guy was or why he hit me. My hand went to the side of my face instinctively. My god, she's pregnant. Surely that brute wouldn't manhandle her the same way he did me.

"Ric, we have to find her now!" There was a panic in my voice. "We can't let anything happen to her." It would kill Joe, I thought.

Ranger's hand found mine. "Calm down, Babe. We'll find her."

When we arrived at the office, I remembered the file that I had on the Brian Johnson character. "Ranger, I'd like you look at this." I gave him the file and he sat down beside my desk.

Brian Johnson had been a good cop, but there was suspicion in the ranks that he was taking kickbacks and consorting with some gang members outside the line of duty recently. So far the department hadn't pinned anything on him that could stick but he was definitely under investigation.

Ranger finished the file and turns to Lester. "Run through the contacts we have and see if anyone knows anything about Johnson. Steph seems to think he might be involved somehow. I want everything we can find on the guy." Lester disappeared with the file, but not before both Ranger and I saw the pained look at his face.

Morelli rushed into the room. "Is it true?" he nearly shouted.

I walked over to Joe. "The man who hit me grabbed her outside the office," I explained. Morelli turned to Ranger.

"Damn it, find her! Find her before someone hurts her and our baby." Joe was shaking, whether from fear or rage, I couldn't' tell.

"We'll find her," Ranger replied coolly.

The next couple of hours were a blur. All Rangeman employees were pulled from their regular duties and were tracking down all leads. Surprisingly, there were quite a few. Ranger insisted that I stay in the office or the apartment. He still wasn't convinced that the kidnapper wouldn't try for me. I had too much time to think. There were too many scenarios, too many coincidences. Somehow, Anna was right in the middle of all of it. Terry's murder happened after she came to town. I didn't' realize that at first, but it appeared that Anna had been in town a couple of days prior to making her presence known to Ranger and Lester. She was even in Philadelphia sightseeing. After that I heard she had visited Atlantic City. She didn't immediately come to Trenton. She must have needed time to figure out what to say to the guys.

If Anna was involved somehow, what could it have to do with Joe and the kidnapper? Ranger was convinced that Vito had nothing to do with my 'accident' and that made sense to me. He was ruled out. Anna certainly didn't know about Terry, and besides she was a cop. She couldn't have killed Terry. That left the other cop, Brian Johnson. He had to be involved somehow. I couldn't believe that he would kill Terry; he had no motive. There had to be a missing piece of the puzzle somewhere.

I needed air. I wasn't allowed to leave the office, but the garage was part of the office, wasn't it? I took the elevator down to the garage floor and exited. Most of the vehicles were gone. Left behind was my truck. It looked lonely all by itself. I wanted to join in the search. I wanted to feel useful. I walked toward the truck and noticed that I was no longer alone.