Chapter 23
RPOV
As I lay in the dark with Steph curled up against me, I knew the moment that she drifted to sleep, aware as her breathing evened out and her heartbeat reduced ever so slightly. I almost breathed a sigh of relief knowing that for now she was safe beside me, because I had never imagined that trouble would find her so easily. That had probably been a stupid notion on my part, when had Steph ever avoided attracting trouble.
I'd had no preconceived ideas of what she would have been up to here in Milan. With Hector's help we'd chased down the company whose name had been emailed to me, Scintillante, and discovered that they were preparing to launch their new autumn range. It looked to be a successful company that had broken into the fashion market, no mean feat in somewhere like Milan where the competition was fierce.
Going to that launch seemed like the best opportunity for finding Steph, though I was curious as to how she would be involved given her job as a bounty hunter and any previous employment. I had toyed with the notion that maybe her experience working as a lingerie buyer might be a skill that would be useful to her and the company, but with Steph I just didn't know. I'd never known myself to feel so nervous before but walking into that building with no idea of what I would find was like walking into an enemy camp. No, it was worse than that because for once in my life I was walking into an unknown arena with no plan to follow. I'd purposely arrived late to the launch to avoid being detected as I'd entered the main gallery and could only stand and stare at the view around me.
My Babe was everywhere, her beautiful blue eyes looking as though she was looking directly at me. The scene of the many displays of her took my breath away. Her expressions were captured exactly as I remembered, showing her natural beauty and free spirit. From her wild curls to the pose of her body, those images had stirred something so deep inside me that I was totally captivated. I knew that she was there, my heightened senses totally aware of her presence, so much so that my groin was reacting with anticipation. I'd tamped that down knowing now was not the time to even think about that. Turning I'd seen her, her face intent on looking at the necklace around her neck, but I knew the minute that she sensed my presence and looked directly at me.
Her face displayed a myriad of expressions. Shock followed by a fleeting look of happiness but as she continued to stare at me that expression soon vanished to be replaced with sadness that even showed in her eyes. It was the look of confusion and maybe anger that I last saw before she turned to the man stood beside her. My heart had fallen as I realized that I was responsible for that, but I wouldn't give up on her so easily.
I'd watched as she'd danced with various men pleased that it wasn't the first man who monopolized her time and when the time was right, I'd stood behind her and given the man with her a look that said mine. Once in my arms and as I led her around the room, I could sense that she was anxious, her body was tense and never once did she look up and into my face making me the first to break the silence that was a heavy drape between us.
"You take my breath away Babe. You are so beautiful"
Because that was so true, even holding her made me want more.
"What the hell are you doing here Ranger?"
I suppose that I shouldn't have been surprised at her response or the tinge of anger that came with her reply but hearing her declare that she had a new life and friends and that she didn't need me in it hit me like a punch to the gut.
"I was in Trenton, but you never bothered to look for me then. Go home Ranger"
As I watched her walk away from me, I saw how her shoulders dropped showing me that she was more upset than anything and I knew that I was responsible for that. I'd decided to give her some space, being at that gallery was not the right place to talk to her so I'd left and started to plan how that might happen.
When Hector told me that she was out and about around Milan I'd contacted the restaurant close to the house where we were staying, keeping in touch with Hector as he kept her in his sights. That she was being followed by a motley crew of people annoyed me because it would make it harder for me to speak to her, let alone whisk her out of the city. I suppose I thought that maybe the fashion company were responsible for that, but Hector did a very good job of helping her to lose them, yeah, my Babe seemed to be aware that she was being followed.
I'd been so nervous as we'd sat in that restaurant knowing that this might be my only chance to explain to her why she thought that I'd abandoned her in Trenton. I'd laid my soul bare at that restaurant when I explained why I hadn't tried to see her and in true Steph fashion she'd taken on some of the guilt. That had never been my intention, but I felt overjoyed at her acceptance of what I'd said. I was determined to make amends with her and to show her that I'd do anything to make us work. Having her in my arms felt like coming home and I was very understanding of what my father had said to me. I'd found my soul mate and I wasn't going to do anything to screw that up.
It had been the following morning that had me feeling uneasy. I was supposed to meet with Steph later in the day but hearing from Hector had had a cold chill swirling through me. She'd left the city and was on a private jet to an unknown destination.
"Get Santos on it, he can use the programs at Rangeman to hack into the airport systems"
Hector wasn't pleased either and that old feeling of dread was knotting in my gut.
"Something isn't right"
An understatement from Hector before he was talking to Santos. I was busy trying to identify the people that Steph had been in contact with totally surprised when the smallest of pieces started to come together. Allegro Frusco part owner of Scintillante, daughter of Gaia Frusco, nee Paulumi. I'd seen that name before but had to contact Silvio to verify that the connection that I was making was correct.
"Silvio, can you pull up a search on Franco Paulumi?"
I'd waited, listening as Silvio hit the keys on his computer before a low whistle came down the phone.
"Err, Ranger. Franco Paulumi looks like an alias for Frank Plum, who has a daughter named Stefania that I'm sure is our Stephanie. They both have Italian passports"
"Did they both fly out of New York two weeks ago?"
I hadn't needed Silvio to confirm that because I'd seen those names on the flight manifest when I'd been checking through flight departures. What I couldn't understand was why they'd flown out under aliases or why Mrs. Plum hadn't been with them. Frank Plum had obviously been keen that his trip was kept a well guarded secret but I couldn't understand why.
"Yes"
Came back to me, so now I needed Silvio to do some additional work.
"Run searches on Allegro Frusco part owner of Scintillante, her mother Gaia Frusco and any other siblings. I'll check back with you in the morning"
"What am I looking for Ranger?"
"Everything"
I'd wanted to know who those people were and why Frank would be devious in his and Steph's travel arrangements and whereabouts. It had been lunchtime before Santos had got back to Hector and it seemed that he was struggling to pinpoint any detail about a private jet that had left Milan this morning other than it was a private jet and that it could have diplomatic cover. I couldn't believe that in less than 12 hours after talking to Steph that I was losing her again and that this time it wasn't the fault of either of us. Or had I been overreacting?
By the following morning I was frantic. Hector had spent the day watching the airport and had seen that the jet had returned to the airport, but there was no sign of Steph being on board. The same men who had left with her had returned which meant that they'd left her somewhere. I needed to talk to talk to Silvio and find out what his research had dug up.
"We need equipment"
Had come from Hector as I'd sat in the lounge area of the house that I'd rented out. I'd nodded my head at him. To be honest we'd come to Italy not expecting anything unusual to happen so had no laptops, computers or much in the way of weapons.
"Santos is bringing in equipment for field work and some fire power. I'll get the electronics set up"
I knew that I'd been surprised by what he'd said but at Santos and Ram's arrival had seen that they meant business and had taken Hector's concern seriously.
"Our girl's in trouble"
Had been the only thing that Santos had said to me before he started to unload the car that they'd arrived in and to be honest I was relieved that he was with me. An hour later and 24 hours after Steph had left Milan I was once again talking to Silvio, keen to know what he'd found out.
"There's nothing that raises any concerns Ranger. There's a brother, Dario. I chased up information on him and he's a lawyer, just got married. His finances look clean but I'm doing a more invasive search, there are a couple of things that don't feel right"
"Hidden accounts?"
Knowing that Silvio was rarely wrong but not sure why this brother would have a need to hide money.
"Maybe. The mother, Gaia Frusco, her father and Frank Plum's father were brothers. Both born in Milan but Frank Plum's father emigrated to the States in his early twenties. The mother and sister raised no concerns that I could find but I'm still waiting for the financials for the company. I also picked up the other partner in the business so that will be coming"
At least now I had a context for how Frank and Steph fitted in with this family and whose wedding they had attended. I'd been pretty sure there were other names involved and had remembered the name Tomas that Steph had mentioned, but for now we'd go with what we had. It was as I'd finished that call and looked at my phone that I'd noticed a missed call. There was no id to go with the call, so I'd been relieved when someone had left me a message. Everyone had suddenly gone quiet around me as Steph's voice had punctuated the room.
"Ranger, please, I need your help. Where am I?"
I was so relieved at hearing her voice even though she sounded frightened and had continued to listen for where she was.
"I'll take you Alteef, At Taif, it's the nearest village and there's a highway runs through there"
I was looking at Santos as he was busy typing the name into the laptop, waiting for Steph to say more but all that had come from the phone was that stupid message telling me how I could delete the message. I'd looked at Santos hoping that he had narrowed down to an area where Steph had mentioned, concerned with the frown that had settled on his face.
"Santos"
"Shit, if I heard right then she's in the middle of Saudi Arabia"
As I'd sat there trying to understand what Santos had said, he and Ram had suddenly sprung to their feet and were heading out of the room. I just couldn't understand how Steph could have been there but as the shock wore off, I was soon in the room next door with Santos and Ram. It had felt like we were back on a mission, all of us focused on what needed to be done. Ram had called a contact and had arranged for transport and the use of some equipment while I had helped Santos to pack our gear.
We'd been wheels up within 2 hours.
That had been one of my most important missions of my life, to find Steph and get her out. I'd heard of Torres, the man who piloted the plane, as one of those men who had been responsible for getting special op teams out of some horrendous situations, so I'd had every faith in him. We'd agreed that wearing desert camo might not be the best gear to be wearing if we were seen so opted for our usual black. Sat in that plane I'd had to shut down all of the feelings that were coursing through me. Emotions blurred control and that was what I'd needed as I'd prepared myself. I honestly didn't know what I would do if we couldn't find her, or if someone had hurt her.
It had been dusk when we dropped from the plane far enough away from the town not to be seen but not too far to have to walk over the sand with our packs. Focus on the goal had become my new mantra. As we'd come close to the town, we were aware of the cars slowly driving through the single street, so Ram had taken up a position on the roof tops.
I could still hear her screams when I closed my eyes, ripping away at my soul as she struggled to free herself. Ram was taking men down with his rifle while Santos was edging closer to her. Hector and I had quickly and quietly dispatched of the ones in the cars. That single shot had had my heart stopping as I'd watched that man fire his gun. I was heartened as I watched her continue to run but a man seeing me had me ducking down behind one of the cars to avoid the bullets flying my way. I'd lost sight of Steph so was determined to finish the guy off and go and find her so while the man was focused on me, I watched with a smile as a knife from Hector hit the base of his head already turning to see where Steph had gone.
That wasn't a good night for me, seeing her with blood running down her back. I'd done what I did best and held her as Hector had removed that bullet from her shoulder.
Considering the dangerous situation that she'd found herself in I was so proud of how she had bounced back and was prepared to fight back. Even the profile of a beautiful model had never changed who she was. She was still determined and tenacious, resilient yet at the same time intuitive and I was reminded of that today. Nothing would ever change her natural instincts and I knew that I loved her for who she was, regardless of how those instincts got her into trouble. How I had taken for granted that she was behind me as we'd left that basement room was stupid of me. Steph had never been one to blindly take orders if she thought that there was something important to find.
As I'd turned to pull her with me through the rear door of the house, that was when I realized that she wasn't there. Lando must have been paranoid about security because the door locked behind me before I realized what had happened and my mind instantly went to worrying where Steph was. I'd called Tank for backup as I'd picked the lock and entered the kitchen it was to find another locked door at the top of the stone steps. By the time I'd managed to open that I was frantic with worry, worry that Lando would find her. Santos was suddenly with us at the lower locked door, and it was Tank who'd said "Fuck this" before he'd booted down the door. I'd have said that he was as worried about Steph as I had been.
I pulled Steph tighter to me as her words from before came back to me. I hadn't realized just how deep my previous words had wounded her or that she was so worried that I would abandon her. At the time that I'd said them it was to protect her, from me. I mean since when did a beautiful woman who'd grown up in an environment like the Burg even take a second look at me, a mercenary, a man who trailed death and destruction behind him and had enough enemies to take out Trenton.
I would never leave her, and I would have to tell her that every day for her to overcome those insecurities. I loved every part of her even if she did sometimes nearly give me a heart attack with what she did.
I woke early as usual to the feel of Steph next to me though I was hoping that she'd stay asleep a little while longer to give me time to get myself calmed down. We'd only made love the once since meeting and it had been fast and frantic, both of us so eager to touch and feel each other. Sleeping with her wasn't kind to me, the way that my body reacted to her was like nothing that I'd ever experienced before, but I knew that now wasn't the time. I felt bad enough at how I'd held her last night, with her arms above her head and how she'd winced when she'd moved her arm. No, the next time I made love to her I wanted to worship every inch of her body without fear of hurting her.
I was about to retreat to the bathroom, probably for a cold shower when I felt Steph moving, so stayed where I was ready to greet her and alleviate some of her worries.
"Morning Babe"
I watched as her eyes opened, those soft sleepy blue eyes looking up at me. Her face showed none of the worry that she'd had last night so maybe she was feeling less anxious after a good night's sleep.
"Morning"
I smiled hearing her response and the feel of her sigh across my chest, Christ, I needed to move before I erupted like a teenage boy, again.
"I'm heading for a shower before we go down to find out what Hector learnt from Lando's place"
Yeah, that had her wide awake as she stared back at me. I know it was low of me but it had the desired effect of her suddenly moving away from me and making a dash for the bathroom before I got there. I was about to follow her in but stopped myself, patience was a virtue that I prided myself on. I waited until she came out almost groaning when I saw her with only a towel wrapped around her body but then I was looking at her shoulder and the top of her arm. I was soon out of bed and standing behind her ran my fingers gently over the bruise on her arm.
"Is my wound okay?"
Came from Steph as she turned her head to look at me. I couldn't resist but to kiss her shoulder and then her neck.
"It's looking good Babe. I was looking at the bruise on your arm. Did Lando do that?"
I watched as she ran her hand over the exact spot as though trying to remember.
"Probably, though for some reason everyone seems to have grabbed me there. I've had a bruise there since that thief broke into Allegro's apartment"
I kissed the bruise before passing her and heading into the bathroom satisfied with what she had told me. Hopefully Lando was seeing the error of ways by now. While Hector had wanted the man to disappear, Tank had been the one to persuade him that not being on our home turf would cause us problems and add to that he could be an important witness. In the end we'd locked him up in his own prison with enough food and drink to last him a few days.
When I came out of the bathroom Steph was gone, no doubt already downstairs trying to find out what Hector had found. I quickly dressed and was downstairs collecting some mugs and the coffee pot from the kitchen. I was pretty sure that Steph would have bypassed getting anything for breakfast.
As I stepped into what was now our workroom I could sense that Steph was annoyed and it looked as though Hector was responsible for that. Deciding to let them both calm down I returned five minutes later with some plates and had Santos and Ram behind me carrying some bread, cheeses and fruit. I wasn't sure what had happened while I'd been out of the room but Hector was just stood there holding onto Steph. She must have sensed that I was there because she turned out of Hector's arms and into mine.
I could feel the wetness from her tears through my T-shirt so knew that the look that I gave Hector implied that I was pissed off with him.
"It's not his fault, Ranger. I managed to trick him and got to the laptop"
I still couldn't understand why Steph was so upset until I heard Santos as he and Ram were looking at the laptop facing away from me.
"Holy shit. Man, he's a predator"
"Santos"
I said loudly enough for Santos to look across to me.
"No, it's okay. I'm okay now. I just didn't. Those young girls"
I wasn't sure what Hector had found but I could only assume that they were maybe photos that Lando had taken.
"It looks like he was grooming them and making them pose for him. Maybe they were used to encourage bidding on a site. I've got a program running through his laptop and computer looking for the sites that he visited or even set up"
As if on cue one of the other laptops started beeping and Hector was moving to look at it. Steph stepped away from me and used the bottom of her T-shirt to wipe her face and then stood and looked at Hector. His eyes met mine and he nodded slightly which meant that he had managed to find what he was looking for. Even as Steph started to walk toward him, I knew that I had to give her the choice of not looking.
"Babe, you don't need to see that"
"Yes, I do"
I watched as she walked around the desk to where Hector was so followed her, no way was she looking at one of those sites on her own. I was holding Steph from behind as we looked at the photos, instantly recognizing Elisa the young girl that we had managed to rescue. At least she was safe now, but I wasn't too sure how much emotional damage had been done to her by Lando. It was like looking at pornographic images, which I suppose they were with Elisa dressed in various costumes in various positions showing aspects of her body on full display.
"What's that?"
Steph pointed to a counter in the corner which was slowly ticking backwards.
"Time for people to bid. When it reaches zero the bidding finishes and whoever has entered the highest bid, well they"
I didn't think that I needed to finish what I was saying, yeah some sick fuck would be buying the young girl thinking that he could do anything to her.
"Anything to tie Lando to Dario?"
I watched as Hector kissed Steph on the forehead and whispered "Si" before he opened a second tab that contained emails between Lando and Dario.
"How do we get him arrested?"
I knew that Steph wanted Dario arrested and jailed, me I just wanted to make him to suffer and die a very slow death.
That had us sitting down and as we drank our coffee and ate the breakfast, we started to plan out what to do next, and part of that planning was in establishing who else was involved.
As plans went, I wasn't too sure how it was going to go work out, especially as Steph had insisted that she was part of the plan. The problem was that what she suggested was probably a decent idea if it wasn't for the fact that she would have a key role to play. Much as I wanted to keep her safe, when I saw the determination on her face, I knew that I couldn't be the one to stop her. She needed to do it and although it went against every instinct that I had, I wouldn't be the one to hold her back, but I'd be the one to make sure that she was well prepared. I wasn't going to be like Morelli, I'd let her fly and be there to catch her.
