Because I Love You, Steph: Chapter 5
Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Janet Evonovich & the Hawaii Five-O TV Series
Lester's Point of View:
Shit! I am exhausted. Lester closes his eyes and leans back in his chair. Who knew running a security business would be such hard work? Lester takes a few minutes to think about his best friends and how much he misses Ranger and Tank. He doesn't often allow himself even a second to think about them, because it hurts. 8 months. He hasn't seen Ranger and Tank in 8 months and no matter what the Military says, he cannot, he will not, believe that they are gone. He would be able to feel it. He would know. He knows in this heart that they are alive and they will find their way home one way or another. Besides, the Rangeman here, will never stop looking for them too.
8 months ago, the Military approached the core team, all 4 of them – Ranger, Tank, Lester and Bobby – to go on a mission. They would meet up with 4 of their old team mates, and together as a team of 8 they would complete a reasonably easy mission in Damascus, Syria. It was supposed to be a 2 months and they would be back home, safe and sound in Trenton, New Jersey.
The eight of us came together for the briefing, and upon receiving all the information, we decided that this mission didn't need so many hands on deck. It would just complicate things. Besides, something felt wrong about this mission. It wasn't our normal mission, but all the intel and information checked out. So, Ranger, as team leader, sent myself and Bobby back to New Jersey to run Rangeman, while him and Tank and 2 out of the other 4 guys, went on this short two-month mission. That was 8 months ago.
A knock on my closed office door pulls me from my thoughts and a new Rangeman enters, "Sir, a parcel has just been dropped off at the parking garage entrance. It is addressed to you."
"Garage entrance? Who's it from?" That is a weird place to deliver a parcel. A shiver runs down my spine and a knot is forming in my stomach. I'm on my feet and on my way out of the office before the last question even leaves my mouth.
Cal meets me at my door, "It's from Steph. It has Rex's cage, food, her sim card and a note for you. It's really weird, Les." I look around and Rex has already been set up in the break room with a handful of Rangemen all 'coo-ing' over him. Lester unfolds the paper and Steph's letter to him just makes the already tight knot in my stomach grow bigger and fiercer.
I speed walk over to the monitors, constantly reminding myself not to run – I would look foolish. "Pull up the camera feed from the last 10 minutes on the big monitor, please." The feed on the side street comes up and everything is normal – no Steph, no Rex, no note. Yet. "Fast Forward … and stop. Play it."
On the big monitor, in front of Lester, Steph's car comes klunking up the street. She idles on the side of the road, pulls her hood up, grabs Rex's cage and jumps out of the car. She moves to the grass and places the cage on the sidewalk. She avoids the cameras at all costs. She looks awful.
Lester pulls out his phone and dials Bobby's extension. "I need you in the control room!" and puts the phone down. Les just stares at the screen in front of him, tears building up in his eyes - not that he would let anyone around them see it.
Bobby speaking pulls Les from his thoughts, "Is that Steph?"
Lester turns around to see Bobby walking into the room. A group of Merrymen have gathered a few steps back. Each of them showing levels of anger, sadness and rage in their faces and body. Steph was always so good at breaking down their barriers and walls, and showing us how to feel, and here again, she is doing that.
"Rewind and play it again", Lester snaps at the new rangeman behind the control panel. He does as his told and everyone watches the video in silence.
"Once more. Give me the controls this time." Lester watches again with Bobby standing next to him, watching for all the little things that he hadn't picked up the first time round.
As the car stops on the side of the road, Lester pauses the video. "Steph has her overnight bag on the back seat – she is going somewhere. Cal, find out where. Check airports, the train station. Anything and everything."
He looks over at Bobby and Bobby nods his head, indicating that he too sees all the bruising on her neck and face before she is able to pull up her hoodie. Lester continues to play the video and slows down the video on the Steph's walk over to the sidewalk.
Bobby moves closer to the screen, "You see that limp, she is putting barely any pressure on her left leg, she has hurt her ankle. Given Steph's tolerance for pain, I think she has a fractured ankle." They continue watching until "Notice how she isn't using her left arm. Something is wrong there. She has all these articles and she is trying to put everything down before one of us come out, but she never uses her left arm."
I hear one of the guys take a deep breath, trying to calm themselves down. I understand the pain. I am barely holding it together right now.
The video continues and Bobby pauses it as Steph places Rex's cage on the ground. "I think she has a few bruised or cracked ribs as well. She is battling to get back into a standing position and walk back to the car. Her pain level here is really high."
Cal comes marching back in, pulling us all from the video. "She is booked on a flight to Honolulu International Airport, leaving from Newark airport."
"Take Hal and follow Steph to the airport. Keep your distance and make absolutely certain that she gets to the airport and on that flight with no problems or hindrances." Lester orders.
"But…" and Cal thinks carefully about how to phrase this.
"No 'Buts'. I don't care what it takes. You buy a ticket if you have to. Steph will get on that flight. Do I make myself clear?"
The men in the room all look shocked, but Bobby is the only one that has the authority to check on Lester right now. "Are you sure about this, Les?"
"Yeah, I am. We need to keep her safe. And right now, none of us know for certain who did this to Steph or what actual happened. Yeah, I know, we are all thinking Morelli, and we will prove it, but I would like Steph not to be here when we take him down. So, for her own safety, this is best for her right now. And, besides, I know who she is going to see – Danny Williams, her childhood best friend, and I know who Danny's partner is – Steve McGarrett. So, we all know she will be safe there."
A sigh of relieve passes through the room and Cal and Hal make their way down to the garages and off to the airport.