Part 3

Chapter 42

RPOV

Watching Steph leave the table I felt relieved that she seemed to be trusting me once more. I couldn't blame her for being suspicious of me when our car was stopped on that road. Seeing Raynor there, with me in the line of fire from snipers, had surprised me and totally pissed me off. I was glad that Steph wasn't in the car with me and assumed that she would be hiding somewhere close by, waiting for me to pick her up. I was devastated when I couldn't find her, and it was only when I decided to spend some time alone at my house that the full impact of what had happened truly hit me.

Of course, I wasn't allowed to wallow in my misery, Santos made sure of that, convincing me not to give up on Steph. I knew the only way to do that was to find out how Raynor had known where we would be and that we had that laptop with us. I had Hector checking over every system that could access the trackers in the car but he confirmed that the tracker in the car was offline, just as I'd told Santos to do, so that ruled that idea out.

I backtracked to the booking for the jet but was confident that by using a different name and not giving our final destination until the last minute that it would be sheer luck for someone to have assumed that Steph and I were on board. I even had Hector checking out any cameras in the area surrounding the airports, but he only confirmed what I already knew as I'd avoided them, that we hadn't been picked up on any of the cameras.

That was when I went down to Miami, a visit that I wasn't looking forward to, because I wasn't sure what I would do if I discovered that one of my own men had betrayed us. It was while I was there that I got the call from Raynor, declaring that the mission was complete and that he needed my presence in Washington for a debriefing. I'd given CJ and Ethan the news that their services were no longer required by the government, but it seemed that they'd already considered any future involvement as contract workers. They could pick and choose the jobs that they did, and the government had no hold over them if they decided to quit. CJ was more than happy to continue working with me but Ethan it seemed had other plans.

It was while I was in Miami, trying to discreetly go through phone and email records of employees that Stanley Osbourne had found me. Being back in Miami, Marcus had told the family that I was in the city so I knew that I would have to visit them. My routine was to work on Rangeman business in the morning, visit family in the afternoon and then devote the rest of my time searching through records. I'd already spent time with Julie and was returning to my car from an afternoon with my abuela when I spotted Stanley Osbourne lent against my car. I'd taken our meeting to a quiet area of the beach and yes it was as I'd told Steph. I was so damned annoyed with him when he wouldn't tell me where Steph was, I had been so worried about her. Worried that she was hurt, worried where she was but most of all worried that she would have nothing to do with me again. Stanley was a force to be reckoned with, showing his characteristics of being in the army, a major, or so I found out later. I had a lot of respect for the man after finding that out and I suppose that I trusted him.

He was honest with me, telling me what had happened so far, but he was also worried. Did he manipulate me to offer him backup if he needed it? Probably, but I was willing to provide it if it meant that Steph had another layer of protection around her. I also offered to finance what they were trying to do, to disarm those damn EMPs and figure out what the hell was going on. Stanley wouldn't accept that. His excuse was that as a group they needed to be independent and to grow as a team.

So I gave him the contact numbers for a couple of people who had requested Rangeman's help, jobs that to be honest weren't the type that we did. Ones that maybe in the past I would have devoted some time to. I didn't need the extra money, business was good, the missions paid very well, and I realized that I didn't want to be away from the office any more than I had to.

It was late in the evening when I'd walked away from that beach with a very clear understanding of what the scientist Petco had designed. The only assurances we gave each other was to let the other know of anything we came across that was important.

I never had completed going through those searches, not for everyone. Of course, the first person I looked at was Silvio, because logic dictated it. I hated doing it though because I'd known Silvio for years, he was the last person I would have expected to betray me. I was so relieved when I didn't find anything amongst the data that I had, but I wasn't stupid, I'd keep tabs on him because there were always ways of contacting people.

I started to think about some of Steph's ideas and the possibility that it was the ring that had given her away? It would account for us being found on that road and her in Flores. I remembered her telling me that Stanley had given one to her, Lizbeth and Elaina as a panic button. Could someone have hacked into the program it used? The other option, which I was sure was worrying Steph, was whether it was someone close to her who had betrayed her. I couldn't quite get my head around that one, because each member of that group was focused on defusing those EMP's. Yes, their location was puzzling, a motive beyond my grasp at the moment, so what the hell were we missing?

Looking up I noticed Steph as she limped out of the house. She'd changed into cut off jeans and a T-shirt and had pulled her hair back into a ponytail. It was as she approached me when I noticed how pale she was.

"Are you feeling okay Babe?"

I pulled out a chair and helped her to sit down wondering if her leg was giving her a lot of pain.

"I'm fine. I think taking those pain killers and then eating so much for breakfast has made me feel a bit nauseous"

That would account for how she looked because they were strong meds.

An hour later Hector turned up with a car to take us to the nearest port, the drive to Altamira was 350 miles and would take us about 5 hours. Santos, Ram and CJ were already with the boat, prepping it out to ensure our safety and also installing some electronic gear. Miguel was there when we left with a bag of clothes for Steph making me wonder exactly what he had provided her with. The boat belonged to a group of business men and Miguel was part of that group so had made use of it in the past but I knew that it could never be traced back to Miguel so wouldn't attract any attention and it came with a captain and housekeeper. An older married couple who were used to catering for a variety of users and who Miguel trusted implicitly.

I drove us with Hector sat next to me because Steph insisted that she could sleep in the back. That was what she did for the whole five hours. In some ways I was pleased that she slept because she did seem tired, but I was also worried that maybe that journey from Flores to Monterrey had exhausted her both physically and mentally. Driving always had me quiet, my senses constantly on alert but it did allow me some time to recount what had happened at that barn.

Maybe I'd been distracted when I came to Monterrey, the message from Miguel was annoying due to me having to take time away from what I was doing. I had honestly never suspected that it was a trap, I mean there were no reasons to consider that. That Miguel never arrived increased my anger and whilst I was as careful as I always was, the number of men in that diner hadn't alerted me to an impending assault. The diner's usual clientele were men so meeting a couple coming in through the back door hadn't seemed unusual. The speed though that they caught me on my shoulder with a tranquilizer left me with no opportunity to retaliate. I was out immediately, not unlike I had been with the tranquilizer from Correll.

When I'd regained consciousness, I was sat on the floor, bare footed and shirtless with my wrists secured with cuffs to chains from the wall. Not unlike similar positions I'd found myself in before. This time though I had absolutely no idea why. It wasn't as if I was in the area to cause damage to some cartel or tracking the whereabouts of a wanted man. The beatings were without words, no questions or accusations, just the pain of fists and feet connecting to my head and chest. I wasn't going to speak either, so endured the punishment knowing that eventually I'd discover the reasons for me being there. I wasn't sure how long I was there. At least I was given some water to drink, and a wrist was released for me to use a bucket dropped next to me.

I was pretty sure I'd survived through two nights, and it was as the sun began to penetrate through the cracks of that old wooden barn that I knew that day was going to be different. There seemed to be more men around and the sound of vehicles outside, but it was the sight of Steph being brought into that barn had my heart beating wildly in my chest. I knew that she had seen me, but she chose to ignore me, that hurt slightly until I realized that she was trying to draw attention away from me.

I had no idea who the man was who entered the barn but recognized what type of man he was. Cold and evil, a man in control, wearing his expensive suit and clean shirt. Steph obviously recognized him which didn't seem to please him, but it was when he sent her over to me that realization dawned on me as to why I was there. If he couldn't intimidate her then he would threaten to hurt me.

I could bare that pain if it meant that Steph got away. That she refused to do that without me had me inwardly rejoicing after hearing her words of love and knowing how much she cared for me, but at the same time despairing at what would unfold. Her move to pass a pin to my hand was seamless and her kiss brought with it a determination that one way or another I'd get her out of here even at the risk of dying.

I saw a side to Steph that I hadn't seen before as the man slapped her and she returned her assault. Oh, he was annoyed at that and perhaps surprised at her audacity. That he resorted to having two men hold her while he wielded a knife on her clothes had my blood boiling as I eventually managed to free one hand.

I have to say that I was totally absorbed in her movement as she used the men to rotate backwards, her only hesitation was to where to go when she was free. That she moved away from me I knew it was to give me time and I used it to free myself of the last cuff. By the time I was looking for her I was so afraid of where she had gone and that a man was in pursuit of her. The suited man, Lukavic as I recalled, was fuming, all composure lost as he tried to control the situation. I was in motion, the first man totally unaware of me behind him, an arm around his neck and a hand pulling his head to the side quickly incapacitating him. I was in the process of repeating the same maneuver when I heard gun shots and a scream.

At first, I thought that someone had shot at Steph but quickly realized that it seemed help had arrived. Lukavic was nowhere to be seen and any of his men were quickly killed. The scream had come from Steph and as I ran to her, pushing men out of the way, I have to admit that I was panicking. I was instantly by Steph's side, so fearful at seeing so much blood pooling on the floor. Pulling her off the man, it seemed that he had died as he hit the floor, the knife now in his side a contributing factor. I removed the knife and handed it to Miguel as he knelt down beside me, unsaid words between us.

Yeah, those few minutes in that barn had seemed like an eternity and if it hadn't been for one of Miguel's informants alerting Miguel, I'm not sure what would have happened. I looked in the rearview mirror to observe Steph now, yes, she was hurt, but at last she was with me, and I was pretty confident that she would remain with me, as long as I didn't do or say anything stupid.

"Gael sees her as a heroine, he's completely besotted with her"

I turned and looked at Hector as a streak of jealousy ran through me and then held back when I realized that that was the effect that Steph had on people.

"He said that how she handled herself in that barn was unbelievable. Has she been training?"

I nodded my head remembering what I'd seen her do. She may not appear to be strong, but she'd used the skills that she'd learnt to her best advantage, and she'd thought through what she was doing. I hoped that she had, though I wasn't too sure what would have happened if Miguel hadn't arrived when he had. Though I was never in any doubt of how determined she could be.

"You always said that with training she'd be unstoppable"

Again, I just nodded to Hector really wanting him to stop the current topic of conversation, Steph always hated it when she was the subject of talk, and I wasn't going to be part of doing that to her. Another look through the mirror and I saw that she was still asleep, maybe she would feel more refreshed for when we reached the port.

"Babe"

I whispered as my hand swept down her cheek. We were ready to board the boat and the captain was keen to set sail. Even I was surprised at the sight of the boat, or should I say yacht. It had an elegant line to it, almost majestic, as it sat moored up to the quay and certainly looked large enough to afford privacy for when we needed it. I felt Steph move beneath my hand pleased when she started to open her eyes.

"We're here Babe"

I moved away slightly as her hands came to her face and rubbed her eyes and then watched as she suddenly started to sit up.

"Already, we're at the port?"

Her eyes were wide as she looked around, though I wasn't too sure what she was expecting. With my arm around her waist, I lifted down to the ground and turned her to toward the boat. Of course, Santos was heading toward us with a smile on his face.

"Beautiful, let me take you on board and show you around"

I was shaking my head as Santos took over looking after Steph, as his arm went around her waist to support her. I knew he was only doing that because her leg was still hindering her, well I sure hoped that was the only reason. I carried the bags from the car onto the yacht taking them below deck to where the cabins were. I wasn't too sure where I would be sleeping only that Steph would be there with me.

"Signor"

I turned at the sound of a woman as she came out from one of the rooms seeing an older lady dressed in black trousers and a black T-shirt. She was petite but had a look about her that reminded me of Ella. Yeah, I had no doubt that this woman would be more than efficient, she'd be the one who got things done the way that she expected.

"Señora"

"Por favor, llámame Clara. La cabaña al final del pasillo es para usted, señor. Si necesita algo, por favor pregunte. La cena será en el camarote a las 2000"

"Gracias"

I watched as she turned and left me then followed her directions to where it seemed I would be sleeping. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the door to a reception room that featured a working area to one side and a lounge area to the other. I continued through the door to one side to the sleeping area finding a sprawling king sized bed, offset by silk-lined walls and contrasting gold and mahogany plush cushions. This master suite oozed quiet opulence which I was sure Steph would enjoy. An opening to the left of the bed revealed a large bathroom with a bathtub, large shower cubicle, toilet and double sinks. Curious I returned to the bedroom noticing the large flat screen TV opposite the bed and walked through the glass door to the right of the bed onto a private deck, kitted out with loungers, perfect for relaxing and watching the sun set across the ocean.

Maybe I was smiling as I made my way to the upper deck in search of where everyone was, feeling the engines and movement under my feet. I found the men leant against the rail watching as we left the marina, with Steph tucked between Santos and Ram. At least they were keeping her out of view from the people intent on watching as the yacht pulled out away from its mooring while allowing her the enjoyment of being able to watch the view of the port.

As I approached, I saw her turn and look at me, the smile lighting up her face.

"This is a beautiful boat"

She sounded surprised and pleased with what she had seen making me wonder what she had expected.

"You sound surprised"

"Yeah well, the last boat that I was on was more like an old fishing boat"

I remembered Stanley telling me how he had got Steph out of America after their trip to New York wondering at the time how she had coped with the boat but most of all the subsequent plane journey.

"Let's get freshened up. I have a surprise for you"

Once in front of the master suite I placed my hands over Steph's eyes as I stood behind her.

"Open the door Babe and walk inside"

A moment after fumbling with the handle I guided her into the first section and then through the opening to the bedroom before removing my hands. I waited patiently as she looked around, her eyes seeming to take in every aspect around her. I waited as she disappeared into the bathroom and then followed her as she moved toward the glass doors.

"Is this for real, it's amazing

I sat down on one of the loungers and then pulled her down onto my knee, feeling her lean back onto me. We spent an age like that, just watching as the sun sank down in the sky, the yellow hue slowly changing through to an orange haze until the red ball seemed to be swallowed up by the ocean. As dusk started to change to night, I was aware of Steph tensing slightly in my arms. At first, I thought that maybe she was cold, but then I remembered her experience on Pavkov's boat. Damn it, I'd been stupid to think that being on this yacht wouldn't conjure up some bad memories for her. Rising from the seat I placed her on the floor and led her back into the bedroom. Turning the lights on I went and sat down next to her on the bed.

"I'm sorry Babe. I never even thought about what being on this boat would feel like to you"

I watched as she shook her head and then turned to look at me.

"It's okay, I think it was because it was so dark, and I could hear the waves around us"

I'd need to remember that and ensure that she wasn't in that situation again. A look at the clock on the wall had me remembering what Clara had told me.

"We have twenty minutes before dinner is served. Why don't you check out the clothes that Miguel sent with us?"

At least that idea brought a smile to her face, so I lifted the bag onto the bed next to her and then moved away to go and shower.

When I came out of the bathroom it was to see Steph stood in front of the mirror pulling her hair up on top of her head. The dress that she was wearing, if you could call it a dress, had me just staring at her. The back dipped down to just above her backside while the front had folds that skimmed the top of her breasts, the whole thing clung to her hips before floating around her legs to finish just above her ankle. I caught Steph looking at me in the mirror so turning my attention to her face saw that she looked worried.

"I, err, wasn't sure if this would be okay"

I heard the hesitation in her voice and saw the worry on her face.

"You look absolutely beautiful"

Though I was having second thoughts about the men up top seeing her dressed like that. I wasn't going to give her any reason to doubt herself so walked up to her and kissed her neck, still looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"I'm not sure what Miguel was thinking when he acquired some of the clothes he sent. They're far more risqué than I would ever think of wearing"

I raised an eyebrow as my imagination went into overdrive and squeezed her shoulders feeling the need to move.

"I think Miguel knew exactly what he was doing. He saw a beautiful woman and knew how good she would look in this dress"

I was pleased to see that some things hadn't changed, as Steph's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She had grown stronger in the last few months in so many ways but her self confidence still ruled her at times. I'd make sure that she continued to grow and could see herself as I saw her, a woman who was in my eyes already amazing.

In keeping with how Steph was dressed I found some clothes in the closet that would fit me, Miguel had said that he kept a selection on the boat for when he used it. We certainly made an entrance as we walked out onto the middle deck to meet with the guys and have dinner. It took several minutes and me giving threatening looks before they eventually settled down.

"Beautiful, I rest my case. I knew the name I gave you was right for you"

Even Steph laughed as he said that, I'm sure the rest of us thinking of the other names that the men at Rangeman had given to her, well everyone except CJ.

"So the name Bomber, how did that happen?"

I watched as Steph rolled her eyes before turning to CJ, with the rest of us interested in how she would answer him.

"There have been a number of incidents where something would blow up around me, but the newspapers picked up on the explosion at the local funeral home and decided that I was responsible for it. The headline was Bombshell Bounty Hunter"

"So you really blew up a funeral home?"

I knew that everyone thought that it was Steph, but I believed her when she told me about her grandmother firing off a gun that snowballed every weapon in the place to explode. I sat back because I was interested in what she would say.

"Nah. Grandma pulled a pistol from her handbag and opened fire, inadvertently hitting one of the caskets where guns were being hidden. That's what caused the explosion that burnt down the funeral home"

I wasn't too sure what CJ thought of that, or what he thought of Mrs Mazuur. Of course that precipitated the guys telling CJ all about the antics of Steph's grandmother and why they tried to avoid her. All of this happened as we ate the meal that Carla had prepared for us, Red Snapper served with roasted vegetables and brown rice. As I sipped on a coffee the others were devouring what was called an Eaton mess. The only part of that dessert that I would touch when Steph offered me some was a strawberry, even then I was hit with the sweetness from the meringue.

"Where are we actually sailing to?"

I looked at Santos because he and CJ had been the ones who had spoken with the captain. I was just keen to get Steph out of Mexico safely so hadn't been involved with the itinerary.

"We should arrive in New Orleans in about four days. We'll have time to enjoy some diving, snorkelling and fishing on the way. Beautiful, there's a place at the front of the boat with your name on it, where you can just relax"

It seemed a reasonable plan to me and New Orleans wasn't somewhere that I thought someone would expect us to be.

"After a couple of nights there then we'll sail over to Key West. Ram"

Everyone turned their attention to Ram, so I assumed that he had planned out what was happening there.

"I've arranged for five bikes from Key West, so we'll drive north. An old friend of my parents have a place called Terra's Key. It's a gated Caribbean island located at Mile Marker 79.7 in Islamorada. There are two properties, 5 bedrooms and 4 baths, pool, cabana, dockage, and a tennis court. The site is 15 acres with a single road leading to it with a security gate at the entrance. It's ours for four weeks"

I was going through in my mind the wisdom of doing that but to be honest I couldn't come up with any reasons against it. No one would think to tie us into the place, seeing as it had nothing to do with Rangeman or Ram. With Hector with us he'd beef up the security and set up a secure internet access that would allow us to communicate. I looked at Steph to try and gage her reaction and could see that she was also looking at any problems that it would create.

"That sounds amazing Ram"

Was the most that she would commit to, making me wonder what it was that was bothering her.

"Babe, what are you thinking?"

"That we can't hide forever"

She was right but we wouldn't be doing that.

"While we're there we can plan on how we move forward. I know you're worried about the others, Elaina, Lizbeth, Ethan and Stanley but Hector will work out a way for us to communicate with Ethan and Stanley. We have a lot to work out so it'll give us the opportunity to try and figure out what our next move will be"

I felt Steph relax as I said that. I knew that she wouldn't be happy just relaxing, there were too many questions worrying her. I nodded my head to Ram to express my agreement with his plan and could see that the others were relieved that Steph and I had agreed to what we would be doing. Obviously the four of them had spent some time figuring this out. At Steph yawning I decided that we needed to head to our room, it had been a long day for all of us and we all needed our sleep, though it seemed that even being out in the middle of the Bay of Mexico that the four men had devised a rota for keeping watch. My turn would come tomorrow night, for now I was happy to be able to wrap Steph in my arms as she slept.