A/N: And the story continues... please leave some love (or hate...jk but constructive criticism is welcome). A real reunion will be occurring soon... Thank you for sticking with me and this story. Reviews make my day and keep me even more motivated to post. Enjoy!
La Vida Entera by Camila and Marco Antonio Solis
"Un reflejo
Un mal sueño
Lo peor de mi mismo
El mejor exponente del egoísmo
Una maquina de hacer heridas
Hasta que llegaste y me encendiste con tu luz
Tu mirada poderosa y alma curandera
Tu sonrisa eterna y cuerpo de pantera
Me cambio la vida entera"
Defining Moments
Chapter 19: Light
Ranger's POV
"Marc, honey," Jeanne purrs coming up beside me, "I think we really ought to go." I look over at her as she stares intently at the screen of her phone. Dios, I can't wait until this mission is over so I never have to see Jeanne's face again. I see Steph and Quinn depart a little while ago. I know Jeanne is right. According to the GPS tracker we planted on Sebastian Ibañez, he's on the move and heading towards a shipping yard. Now in my experience, nothing ever good happens at night in a shipping yard. Jeanne and I make our way to the exit.
I can't help but let my mind wander briefly to Stephanie. She always has a way of making me lose control, and the fact that she had that power while I'm on a mission is frightening. If anyone saw or heard us that could mean death for me. But damn, my Babe is an FBI agent. My chest swells with pride. I always knew she was meant for more than she gave herself credit for. I'm just sad that she realized all of this while I was away. And with my confession of love, I'm looking more and more like a schoolboy. I truly do not deserve Stephanie Plum. If I make it out of this mission in one piece I fully intend to make her mine-if she'll have me. Nothing good has come from keeping her at arm's length and denying my feelings. Hell, people still know she's an important part of my life. I let out a small sigh which causes Jeanne's eyes to cut over to me. Stephanie isn't even here and she affects me this much.
Jeanne and I head out in a black Porsche Cayenne. What can I say? Even undercover I like my luxury cars and with this crowd, it doesn't stand out. I'm driving and Jeanne has her computer out with the tracker up.
"Towards the water. Border of New Jersey and New York," Jeanne says, "I wonder who they're meeting." She does some typing on the keyboard.
"Aha! These scum are dealing with the mob which makes sense considering the party tonight," Jeanne explains as she continues scanning through the drive she downloaded earlier. She flips back to the tracker.
"We're going close to the Bayonne Bridge. You do know where that is, right?" Jeanne asks with a smirk before switching back to the intel she gathered earlier.
"Hmm...looks like Ibañez is exchanging drugs for guns with Bianchi." Well, now I understand why Quinn and Stephanie are in on this. They must be after the mob. Using Ian as FTA is the perfect excuse to sting the whole operation. Jeanne cackles gleefully, and the hair raises on my arms. I think I'd be terrified if I had to go up against Jeanne myself. I'd win of course, but she's definitely unsettling.
"Ibañez is just using Bianchi as a pawn. I see communications here that they plan to take the Italians out as soon as they "make" the deal. If I'm reading this correctly, taking out the Bianchi's is the "big attack..." aside from trying to overthrow the already corrupt Honduran government." I'm relieved to hear that their big plan is taking out some low time Mobsters. I'd be worried about the coup if Honduras wasn't known for having an unstable corrupt government. Sadly, that is the reality for a lot of Central American countries. My jaw clenches and I inch my foot down on the pedal some more. Stephanie and Quinn are most likely following these guys to where we are going. The attack will most likely be tonight. Hopefully, my Babe is smart enough to stay out of the way although knowing her luck something unexpected might happen.
"Turn here!" Jeanne yells and I squeal around the corner. I glare over at her.
"Left here," she says, her eyes tracking the green dot intently on the screen. I turn the lights off and slow a bit. We can hear the gunfire in the distance. I jerk us to the side and we put on some vests before we get out. I can see clouds of white dust in the glow of the street lights. Looks like they're losing some of the product. I send a little prayer up hoping my Babe is safe.
We stealthily move towards the gunfire. I'll be surprised if we have to do anything. They are taking each other out for us. There are eight men, but four are already bleeding out on the ground. Jeanne and I take two well-aimed silenced shots leaving only two more standing. One of them happens to be Ibañez. We come out of the shadows. We have no orders to take him alive. Sometimes it's better working in the gray area of the law and being "off the record."
He stands deadly still as he can sense moving would mean death. Jeanne cuts her eyes over to me, and I know what she's thinking. Ibañez slowly raises his hands in surrender. Unfortunately for him, there is no good reason to leave him alive. According to our intel, he's the head of this snake. We take him out now it will look like he was just another casualty in the firefight. No trace to get back to us and no one left to take over Ibañez's cause. Of course, Jeanne and I both know another cartel will soon dissent as well. It's just a cycle. Jeanne nods at me. Our movements are so in sync, it's almost like art as we both pull the trigger at the same time. Ibañez will not be the first life I take nor is he likely to be the last. I never relish in death. It does not bring me joy or peace. Killing simply is. It's a part of my job. It's part of keeping the country safe. Ibañez crumples to the ground as does his associate. My mind briefly wanders to Stephanie and how she might think of me if she knew exactly how many times I've been in situations mirroring this. I make the same decision every time. I look up into the dark sky as I hear the faint stirrings of a chopper in the distance. A few vans along with the coroner come pulling in. Jeanne and I take steps back towards our vehicle. I feel the tingle on my neck that lets me know my Babe is near. At least it seems that she didn't get sucked into any trouble this evening. Jeanne and I watch briefly as they catalog the scene and load everyone in body bags.
Jeanne and I are able to slip away without being questioned by the Feds. I make the call into our superiors. We're due for debriefing at 0800 later today. I guess they're giving us a few extra hours of sleep. Sleep is the last thing on my mind. I drop Jeanne off at her vehicle. There's only one place I want to be. I finally arrive in the familiar area of Trenton around three-thirty in the morning. I manage to find a close parking spot, and I see her apartment is dark. I quickly make my way up to her apartment and silently pick the lock. The security chain is in the way of course, but I long ago learned how to bypass it. I lock the door behind me before heading to her room. She's already in bed and the light of the moon shines through her window. The pale moonlight illuminates half of her face and a bit of her creamy skin exposed as her familiar black t-shirt rides up. Her lips part slightly as she sighs. I don't deserve this woman.
"Proud of you, Babe." Her eyes flicker under her eyelids otherwise, she's dead to the world. I sit in the chair to watch her sleep for a moment or two. I take off my shoes and set my internal alarm clock as I gently climb into bed with her. Stephanie lets out a contented sigh before curling into my body. I relax as I soak in her warmth and goodness after this night of death. Stephanie truly is the light to the darkness within me.
I slip out of her bed long before she wakes. A few hours of sleep is all I need. Sleeping beside Stephanie always helps me rest. I pull into RangeMan at 0600. I head straight to seven bypassing all of the other floors. I quickly change into some shorts and a t-shirt before heading back down to the gym. I'm not surprised to see Tank, Lester, and a few others already into their morning workout. Tank approaches as I walk in.
"RangeMan, good to see you back," he says acting as though he knew I'd be returning today. I nod.
"Debriefing at 0800, and I'm finally finished." He claps me on the shoulder.
"Congrats. Let us know if you need anything." I nod again. We understand each other without having to say much. This mission finally completes my contract with the U.S. government. I'll be a free agent...free to live my life with the woman I love. My Babe, the woman who brings me out of the darkness and into the light. I just have to convince her that all my qualifiers were bullshit and that I'm serious about having her in my life.