Chapter 4
Marco's POV
I was worried Stephanie was going to die. She was remarkable. It took a special breed to protect your back while injured. Stephanie took no prisoners. Although, I'm worried about how she would react to killing those men.
Stephanie told me about the two men she had killed in self-defence. She felt horrible for placing her life over that of another, despite that they wouldn't think twice before pulling the trigger. I'm glad my sister is still alive. She's my hero.
"She's exactly like you," Hawk said, breaking into my thoughts.
"I know. In a way, I'm proud."
"But you're scared of losing her too," Hawk added.
"Exactly. We just found each other a few months ago," I said.
Hawk nodded as though he had figured out something vital about my existence. "I see it now."
"What do you see?" I wondered.
"How you're different from our last mission. You look more settled. Like the missing puzzle piece got found to make you whole," Hawk replied.
"I could never figure out why I felt so lost. When Stephanie discovered my hideaway, I felt like she was my home," I confessed. "With my sister at my side, I feel we can accomplish anything."
Hawk raised an eyebrow but didn't respond to my claim. He helped me move the dead men from the grounds to inside the cottage for the clean-up crew to dispose of the bodies. General Barker would get Cal, Hal, Ram and Zero from Rangeman to clean up the Gomez mess. They were the best men to dispose of the dead.
Once they carried the final man into the cottage, they returned to Stephanie's side to find her crying in Charlie's arms. "Are you okay, Steph?" I asked, kneeling beside them.
"She's fine, Marc. I think the reality of what happened got to her," Charlie replied.
The second I touched her arm, Stephanie released her grip on Charlie to fly into my arms. I held her tight as she cried into my neck. Hawk and Charlie helped me stand when my balance wavered from our position. I had easily lifted her into my arms, carrying her back to our hidden Jeep.
"I'll drive," Hawk announced. Charlie took the shotgun position, leaving me to sit with Stephanie in the back. He drove to straight DC, only stopping to get gas. Stephanie fell asleep in my arms. "ETA ten minutes," Hawk stated as he glanced into the rearview mirror.
I nodded, not wanting to wake up Stephanie by talking. "She's tough," Charlie said as they neared their destination.
Stephanie stirred in my arms, indicating she was waking up. "You would be too if you got raised by Helen Plum," she said, her voice gravelly from sleep. "Are we there yet?"
"Another few minutes," Hawk replied.
"What are your plans after the debrief?" Charlie asked.
"It's time for me to go home," Stephanie answered. "I've been away for long enough. I can't expect my friends to continue doing my job to ensure I have money in the bank."
"You'll have a cushy account balance now," Charlie joked. I laughed when Stephanie rolled her eyes. If I was reading my sister correctly, I knew exactly how she was spending her money.
Stephanie's POV
I didn't know what to expect when we arrived at the Army base in DC. Marco held my hand as he pulled me towards the administration building. He explained I needed a temporary pass to enter the main structure for the debrief. Hawk and Charlie stayed with us as we maneuvered through the camp.
"Stephanie," Uncle Sam said, greeting me. He had waited patiently for our arrival. "You look beautiful."
Snorting, I replied, "I look like my brother." My hair was shorter than I usually wore it, but slightly longer than Marco's hair.
"Ah. Marco mentioned something about finding each other. I'm sorry that I kept the secret from you," Sam stated.
I hugged him as I quietly said, "It was necessary to keep him safe. Thank you for protecting him and telling him about me."
Louder, Sam said, "Follow me, men." The lieutenant gave me an visitor ID pass to enter the General's office to go over our mission.
It took several hours to get through all the details leading to the death of Armando Gomez and his men. We were surprised to learn one of the men was Juan Cortez. Even more shocking was to hear Cortez and Gomez were married to sisters. They were brother-in-laws of sorts. "How did Ranger miss that connection in the intel?" I asked.
"We have a team to gather the data for the missions. I heard you made the connection between the targets," General Palmer stated.
"I did. Something was bothering me about the women. After researching their pasts, I discovered they were sisters but estranged. Maribella was in love with Armando, but her sister, Sophia, stole him by getting pregnant. She got angry and married Juan Cortez, who happened to be Armando's best friend," I explained. "It didn't take long for me to find their birth records."
"How did you come across this information?" Palmer asked.
I pointed to the two family photos on the table. "Maribella's daughter looks like Sophia, and Sophia's son looks like Maribella. The only way I figured that could happen was by being close relatives. They could have been sisters or cousins," I explained.
"You have excellent attention to detail," Palmer stated. "We could use someone with your talents in our research department. Would you consider working for the Army?"
"Thank you, but I must decline your offer," I graciously declined. "My life is in Trenton." I didn't want to say anything about what I hoped to achieve when I returned home. A gentle giant was waiting patiently for me. His unwavering support during the past few months was empowering. I became a better and more resilient woman than the one he knew.
"What about the other team undercover in the Cortez home?" Barker asked.
"Send an extraction team before news of Juan Cortez's death reaches the men. They would kill Ranger and Burrows instead of asking questions," Palmer stated. Barker nodded before leaving the room to organize a rescue mission. He didn't want to lose the best Ranger they had seen in years.
We signed the documents, releasing us from our mission. It felt strange singing a document that paid me almost a million dollars as a civilian to assist the military. Marco motioned for me to accept the payment for my role. I had them deposit the money into an account Marco opened in my name. He recommended that I heavily invest the cash and live off the interest. I took his advice into consideration.
A few days later, we returned to his concealed home. Charlie and Hawk returned to base to await their next deployment. Marco and I discussed my return to Trenton. I told him that I wanted to purchase a house. He didn't seem surprised by my announcement, but he was happy I wasn't returning to my unsafe apartment.
"We could buy a house together," he suggested. "I want to help you with your job. I'm sure our cousin could use another BEA for medium skips."
I grinned as I felt the excitement of keeping my brother close to me. "You'd do that for me?"
"Yes, Steph. I would do anything for you. We can keep this place as a safe house whenever you need it," Marco replied. "I'll prepare dinner while you continue looking." He kissed the top of my head before leaving me to troll the realtor sites.
Marco and I searched the listings around the Trenton area without living in the city. When I found a gorgeous three-story house, I clicked the link for the virtual tour. "Marc, you have got to see this room," I shouted.
He looked over my shoulder as I showed him the third floor. Marco laughed when I squealed. "Let me guess... you want the house because of the jumbo-sized jacuzzi tub?"
"You got it, brother," I replied. I was excited to purchase the home.
"Use the other program to check the property title and previous owners," he said before returning to the kitchen. By the time he called me for supper, I had all the information required to make an informed decision.
"I'm buying it," I announced. We discussed the pros and cons of the home, deciding the pros outweighed the cons. Installing security on the grounds and inside the house would be expensive, but Marco wasn't overly concerned about the cost.
"Steph, I can pay for the security system. Consider it thirty years of birthday and Christmas presents I didn't know to buy you," he said. When I offered to pay for half, he said, "Please, Steph. Let me do this for you."
"Okay, Marc," I acquiesced, upset that he had to use the magic word to make me cave.
He laughed. "Shit, if I had known saying 'Please' would make you cooperate, I would have used it a long time ago," he joked.
I smacked his arm. "As if you didn't already know," I sarcastically replied.
"You're right. I did know," Marco added. I was thankful he never abused the effect of the word on me. "Never, sister. I would never do or say anything to force you to cooperate."
I borrowed Marco's phone to contact the realtor. The man who answered sounded young, and I got the impression, from how he talked, that he was gay. I'm not saying I have a gay-dar or anything. It's that my spidey sense told me he was gay and lonely. He was very chipper, and I decided to put another plan in motion.
"What are you doing?" Marco asked when I mentioned calling Hector. We could have gone to the house to place our offer, but I wanted Hector to meet this man. I felt they would be good together. It's been too long since Hector dated a decent man.
"Calling Hector to see the house. He can give us security ideas," I said. I knew Marco suspected there was more to the story. He listened as I made the arrangements.
Several hours later, Hector arrived at the shed I had directed him to meet us. Hector patiently waited as we walked outside to meet him.
"Angelita?" Hector asked when he saw the man beside me.
"Hola, Hector. I would like you to meet Marco, my twin brother," I said.
Hector pulled me into his arms to hug me tight. He stepped back when I hissed. "What's wrong?" Hector demanded.
"I got shot in the shoulder," I replied as though it was an everyday occurrence. Hector held out his hand to Marco. After shaking hands, we led Hector to the secured home to handle business.
After Marco and I signed the papers, Hector kissed my cheek. He hugged Marco, whispering that he needed to keep me safe. Marco promised my friend to protect me always. I heard Marco reply that I protected him more than he got to reciprocate. We walked Hector back to the shed and watched him leave the way he arrived.
Hector's POV
I knew when Stephanie left town that morale inside Rangeman would spiral into the dark abyss once again. It took a few months, but I discovered she had moved into Marco Barker's home. The man resembles mi Hermana, making me wonder if they were siblings. I smiled from the thought.
Bones noticed my grin and ran down the hall, getting as far away from me as possible. I couldn't resist the laughter bubbling from my mouth. "Pollo," I mumbled. Bones grumbled something about not being a chicken when all the other men were equally afraid of me.
I contacted the men, Buck and Tim, living across the hall from her apartment. They are a cute married couple. Both men served in the army with Ranger, Tank, Lester and Bobby, but they were in a different battalion. Neither applied for Ranger training. They were more conditioned to be career soldiers and comfortable in their troops.
Buck and Tim told me they had fallen in love at first sight but had to keep their relationship secret during the "don't ask, don't tell" years of military service. I'm glad the times changed for men in the army. They deserve the same happiness as heterosexual couples.
My phone rang, pulling me from my thoughts. "Hola," I answered.
The most beautiful voice speaking in Spanish replied, "Hi, Hector. I missed you."
"Angelita, I missed you too. When are you coming home?" I asked.
"Soon, brother. Can you do me a favour?" she wondered.
"Anything, Angelita. What do you need?"
"I need to say this part in English because the words will get lost in translation," Stephanie stated before laying out her plan. Stephanie and a man named Marco were buying a house outside Trenton. She needed someone to collect the paperwork for them to sign. After a side conversation with a man, she returned to the call. "You must come alone. Please, disable your GPS before you drive to the coordinates I'm sending."
"Angelita, your safety and secrecy are important to me. I will honour your request," I replied. She made kissing noises before hanging up. My phone pinged, indicating a message. I raised an eyebrow when I noticed the location wasn't too far away from Rangeman headquarters. She was hiding right under our noses.
I met with the real estate agent at the house to collect the paperwork for the offer. Stephanie and Marco purchased a three-story home. It had six bedrooms with a large loft on the third level. "Would you like a tour?" the man asked. I could see him staring at my ass in the reflection on the wall oven door.
"Si," I replied. "I would enjoy looking around my sister's future home." It would also give me an insight into how I could help Angelita secure her home. I wondered if Marco was her boyfriend. Tank would be disappointed if he learned Stephanie had moved on. I quickly dismissed that thought because he was probably her brother.
Even though the agent kept staring at my body, he remained professional. He was attractive in the typical boy next door fashion. I was amazed he didn't balk at my teardrop tattoos. Emilio Gonzales was Mexican. He was the first in his family born in the states and the first to attend college. Emilio mentioned he got estranged from his strict parents when they learned he was gay. My heart raced with excitement. Most of the men I had met recently were bi-sexual. Although I appreciate attractive women, I was not interested in them sexually.
His hand brushed against my hip as we walked up the stairs to the loft area. Emilio explained the many uses for the room. I assumed Stephanie would use it as her bedroom. The loft expanded the distance of the house. It was mostly open, with walls separating the room into distinctive spaces. I could see Stephanie closing off the back, giving her a spacious bedroom. The only room encased by solid walls was a large bathroom with a jacuzzi tub that Stephanie likely loved at first sight. "Stephanie will love this room," I stated.
Emilio laughed before saying, "She said it was the best feature." I grinned at his words. He continued to show me the remaining rooms on the second level before showing me the unfinished basement. "Marco wants to convert this space into a gym and entertainment area," Emilio explained. I could see it too.
We returned to the kitchen, where Emilio passed me the folder with the home offer. "I'll get their signature and return the papers tomorrow," I promised. I wanted to know about the relationship between Stephanie and Marco, but I refrained from asking. Stephanie would tell me when it was time for me to know.
"Sure thing. When our business is complete, will you be available for dinner?" Emilio asked, hoping he didn't offend me. I raised an eyebrow but didn't answer. "I'm sorry. I should have known you weren't gay."
As he turned away, I grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to face me. I slammed my lips against his mouth, feeling the electricity flow between us. Pulling away from the attractive man, I said, "I'm available. But I don't mix business with pleasure."
"Duly noted," Emilio breathlessly said as he stroked my teardrop tattoos. The only other person to touch them was mi Hermana, Stephanie. I removed a business card from my wallet, added my personal cell number and placed it in his hand.
"Call me a day after our business is complete," I whispered before lightly kissing him again. I could feel his eyes burning a hole into my ass as I headed toward my car. After I verified the trackers were still disabled, I left Trenton to meet up with Angelita and Marco.
