Life for One-13

The ice-cold water pelted my skin like slivers of glass. I attempted to open my eyes but the force of the water hitting my face made it impossible. My body had passed the hypothermic state, and I no longer could feel my feet. I tried to move my hands but they were numb from being tied at my wrists and stretched above my head. The weight of my body dangling in mid air was causing my shoulders to feel as if they were popped out of joint. I didn't have any idea how many hours or days I had been locked in this God forsaken place, all I knew is the fight in me was quickly disappearing. I hung from the ceiling in the turret of Brewster's private castle. Mossy vines covered the walls of the room from the floor to the ceiling. Open windows framed in stone were on each side of the turret, and I could smell the salty brine of the ocean beyond the walls of my round cell.

The water stopped pelting me in the face, and I was able to open my eyes. I stared at the water forming ice droplets on the legs of my pants. I tried to concentrate on holding my body still, but I couldn't overcome the tremors. In front of me was the same plasma screen TV displaying Stephanie and Luke's picture. It was a twisted reminder that they were pawns in the sick game that Brewster was still operating from his grave.

"Nice to see you awake Carlos, it's time to have some more fun." I heard his sinister laugh vibrate through the speakers on the wall above the TV screen. I had no idea who was behind Brewster's recorded voice, but I had every intention of finding out.

I knew what his message entailed. For the last several hours, I had rotated from my present position to being dropped into a pit of hell, and told to find a way out in order to survive.

"In a few moments you will be dropped to the floor, and untied. Beyond the set of doors on your left, you will find a maze. The further you go inside, the smaller it will become, until you have to crawl to find your way. If you make it to the finish you win another portion of the game."

I braced myself for the drop to the floor below. I heard the latch open on the wench above my head, and felt myself being slowly lowered. I thought I had earned a slightly less dramatic landing, but then I heard the sound of the cable speed up, sliding quickly through the wench. I closed my eyes as my body was slammed onto the concrete. A man that made Tank look like a dwarf approached me and untied my wrists. I struggled to stand, fighting against the icy stiffness of my clothes, and the ice under my feet. My equilibrium was screwed from the repeated contact my head had made with the concrete. I grabbed for the wall trying to regain my balance. The doors on the left side of the room opened, and I walked into the darkness using my hands to feel my way through the wooden partitions. The air was thick and humid, like trying to breath through a wet paper bag. At least the room was heated. I stopped and took a deep breath trying to compose myself. My body needed to adjust to the warmer temperature and my eyes needed to focus in the darkness. I could see faint light through the cracks in the wood construction. I weaved my way through the maze, looking behind me to try to gage how far I had progressed. It was impossible to tell, every few feet I met a dead end and had to retrace my steps and find a different path. True to instruction, the further into the maze I went the lower the ceiling above me became. I knew what was ahead; I would end this game on my stomach slithering through my wooden grave like a snake.

The maze took a sharp turn to my right and I felt along the wooden wall trying to find a break in the wood so I could pry my way out. My fingers caught on the edge of a loose board and I stopped and slid my fingers along the break. I heard the far off barking of several dogs, and felt the boards under my feet vibrate. The hair on the back of my neck tingled, and a feeling of dread came over me. The sound of barking came closer and I could decipherer from the urgency, that they weren't household pets. I put my hands out in front of me and ran; I made it about thirty feet before I met a dead end. I turned around and saw two glowing eyes staring at me in the dark. I heard the distant barking of more hounds from hell, but I focused my eyes on the immediate danger. I slowly stepped toward the dog and heard a low growl that stopped me dead in my tracks. I crouched down as the dog leaped through the air. I held my forearm up in front of my face and swung. I made contact with its chest and deflected it into the wall to my right. It growled and leaped to its feet and came back for more. I kicked at his face and he grabbed onto my boot with his teeth growling and tearing at the leather. The force of his teeth was piercing through the leather and felt like a vise grip on my toes. I placed my hands around its neck and squeezed until it let go. Its head turned trying to get my wrist into its mouth; its legs were clawing at me, ripping my shirt to shreds. I could feel the sting of its claws imbedding in my skin. I jerked its neck to the side and it went limp in my hands. I let go and leaned against the wall. Sweat poured in rivulets down my face, as the sound of more barking closed in. I stepped over the inert form of the dog at my feet and made my way through the maze. I saw the break in the wood I found earlier. An idea formed in my mind and I braced my back on the opposite wall from the break. I took a run and slammed my body into the break trying to push the wood apart. The wood gave but didn't splinter. I heard the dogs coming closer, their toenails scratching on the wood, trying to find their prize. I continued to slam my weight against the break in the wood until I heard it crack. The wood broke apart in a small three-foot hole. I kicked at it to make a large enough hole for me to fit through and crawled out of the maze. I was inside a large open room. A piece of wood leaned against a nearby wall. I grabbed it and turned around to place it over the hole. A dog leaped through the hole and sunk its teeth into my shoulder. I grabbed it struggling to loosen its grip. It was a much larger dog than the one in the maze, and even with my hands around its neck, I couldn't force it to let go. My legs gave out and I fell to my knees, I tried to poke the dog in the eyes with my fingers, attempting anything to be free of the pain of his teeth biting into my flesh. Someone shouted a command and the dog let go and I fell back on the ground. I opened my eyes when I felt the cold steel barrel of a gun against my temple. Jax stood above me with a cold calculated look in his eyes.

"Don't look so surprised Ranger; it's not a good tactic to show the enemy that you're off guard."

"Not off guard, just impressed."

"It wasn't easy playing both sides of the net. Working at RangeMan as an undercover cop for the TPD. But my real alliance was with Brewster."

"So why didn't you take Morelli out before he shot Brewster?"

"Because Morelli took care of my dirty work, now this is all mine."

"You honestly think you can get by with this plan?"

"Yes, and before it's over you're going to sign over the controlling interest of RangeMan to me."

I smiled. "You have some high expectations for yourself."

The smile left his face. "You are in no position to question my ability."

"The game's not over Jax."

His smile returned. "No, but it will be soon."

He took the gun away from my temple and placed it a holster on his side. He motioned to the huge guy in the corner. He walked over to me and picked me up by what was left of my shirt.

"What do you want me to do with him?" Tiny asked.

"Hang him up to dry and then hose him down again, I have one final game for him."

I walked into the TPD and saw Mia standing at the dispatcher's desk talking to Carl. I glanced toward the row of seats against the wall. Mooner sat in the first chair, oblivious to his surroundings, staring into space.

Mia looked at me and smiled. "Hey Stephanie."

"Mooner miss his court date?"

"Yep, if the rest of the day is this easy I'll have it made."

"Any word on Ranger?"

The smile left her face. "No, a team is being assembled to flush out any leads."

"I'm surprised you're not a part of the team."

A cold glint shone in her eyes. "It's not because I didn't volunteer."

I glanced at Carl. "Is Joe in his office?"

"Yes I believe he's on the phone."

I walked around the desk and down the hall. I stepped into Joe's office and he looked up at me in surprise.

"I'll get back with you something needs my attention." He placed the phone back on its cradle and looked up at me.

"I guess you heard."

"You have any leads?"

"We're trying to work with Manuel Rodriquez to find out Brewster's hideaways."

"This is the guy Ranger turned over to you that worked for Brewster?"

"Yes."

"He doesn't know shit. If Ranger couldn't get any information out of him how in the hell do you think you can?"

Joe's lips tightened. "He can help the Nova Scotia authorities to get on the island if they determine that's where he's being held."

"So you're just turning this over to their jurisdiction, without knowing for sure that he's being held there?"

"No, I'm still waiting for the CSI team to get me information on any clues from his car."

I shook my head in frustration. "Don't you understand that for every minute that ticks by, Ranger is that much closer to dying?"

"Stephanie, he may already be dead."

"He's not dead. You don't need the Nova Scotia authorities. You've been on the island; if he's there you can find him."

"It's not going to work that way this time. The Captain is not going to allow me to operate a search out of my jurisdiction."

I stood up and braced my hands on the top of his desk. "I have a deal for you."

"I don't understand what kind of deal?"

"Screw jurisdiction. You go after Ranger yourself, and bring him back. When you do, I'll never go near him again. I'll not fight you anymore, and I'll make us work as a family."

A muscle twitched in his jaw, and his fingers gripped the edge of his desk as he stood and looked at me. "I thought we were a family."

"You bring him back safely and we're a family for life."

"You're my wife; you owe it to me to keep our vows regardless what happens to Manoso."

"You owe this to him for screwing him over and almost costing us our lives. You refuse to do this, and I'll take Luke and walk out of your life for good."

"Even if he's already dead?"

"Even if."

I turned and walked to the door when I heard his voice.

"Where are you going?"

I turned and looked at him. "I'm going to your mother's to get Luke and then I'm going home."

"I'll call you when I find out something."

"So you're taking the deal?"

"You're not giving me much of a choice."

"You didn't give me a choice either when you decided to fake your own death."

I turned and walked out of his office.

The plane's wheels touched down on the runway and Lester looked over at Bobby. "It looks colder than a witch's tit out there."

"It's Nova Scotia in the dead of winter what the fuck do you expect?"

"I expect to find Ranger and get the fuck outta here. This place is fit for nothing but penguins and polar bears."

Cal leaned over the back of his seat. "Haven't you ever heard of snow bunnies?"

Lester looked back out the window. "A woman wouldn't do me a hell of a lot of good right now. My dick's frozen to my balls."

Hal smiled. "All you need is a woman with a hot little mouth."

"Enough fucking off, we need to get this plan in action. Grab the gear; we have a boat to catch." Bobby said.

They unloaded the plane and piled the gear in the back of the black SUV waiting on tarmac. Bobby climbed in the front seat and looked at the driver. "Everything on schedule?"

"Mr. Brown it's all ready to go."

"Good deal, get us to the boat, did the weapons all arrive?"

"You have enough artillery to blow the island off the map."

"Sweet." Lester said.

I pulled up to the curb in front of Angie Morelli's house, and shut off the engine. I didn't want to face Joe's mom, I knew she would give me an earful, and I wasn't sure I could contain my hostility. My resentment toward her had been on a slow boil since Joe and I married. Nothing I did was ever good enough. I would never be the wife and mother deserving of her son, and frankly, I was tired of tuning out her constant insults. I slid out of the car and made my way to the front door. She pulled open the door before I could knock, and stared at me through the screen door. She was holding Luke on her hip; his head was resting on her shoulder. When he saw me, he smiled and reached out his little chubby hand.

"Mama."

"Hi Baby, how's mama's big boy?"

"Why are you here, Joe said he would pick him up on his way home?"

I plastered the best smile I could muster on my face. "Hi Mrs. Morelli how are you?"

"I'd be better if I had a daughter in law that didn't chase after another man instead of being a wife to my son."

I pushed through the screen door and took Luke out of her arms. "Where is his diaper bag?"

"It's in the spare bedroom."

I walked through the hallway and into the bedroom. Luke wrapped his arm around my neck and grabbed my hair at the base of my neck. His favorite security hold. I grabbed his diaper bag and coat off the bed. I untangled his hand from my hair and slipped on his coat and hat. When I walked back in the living room Angie was still standing by the door with the same sour expression on her face. "Thank you for watching him today."

"Hopefully you got something done around that filthy house you say you keep. If Aunt Rose could see her house in such a poor state she would turn over in her grave."

I stopped in front of her. "My life has not been a bed of roses lately in case you hadn't noticed."

"Don't make excuses for your lack of organization."

"My husband faking his own death caught me a little off guard."

"Joseph had his reasons, he was trying to end a terrible crime ring, but your lack of understanding doesn't surprise me."

"We'll never see eye to eye so I don't know why I even try. " I pushed open the door and walked toward the car. I jerked open the back passenger door and deposited Luke inside. I fought with the straps on his car seat, my frustration escalating by the minute. Luke reached up his little hand and touched my cheek.

"Mama." I blinked back tears, leaned forward, and kissed him. "Love you sweet boy."

He smiled and it put it all in perspective. It didn't matter what Angie Morelli thought of me. I had a beautiful baby. He was my life, and as long as I made him the center of my world, how could I go wrong? Life isn't always about what you do best; it's about what you put first.

I walked around the car, slid into the driver's seat, and pulled away from the curb. Luke's head was already bobbing on his neck, the instant he felt the security of his car seat he was out like a light. I turned onto a side street and cut through the alley. I needed to make a stop at the market since I was out of everything at home. In my peripheral vision, I glanced in my side mirror. A black car with tinted windows was riding my bumper through the alley .My spidey sense was telling me this wasn't good. When I pulled out of the alley, the car sped up and rammed my bumper. My heart was in my throat, I glanced at Luke in the back seat. He was sound asleep. The car had dropped back a car link behind me. The street on both sides was lined with cars, there was nowhere for me to escape. I accelerated, wanting to reach a parking lot or side street so I could pull to safety. The car sped up and rammed into my bumper again, I swerved, nearly crashing into a parked car. I heard Luke whimpering and I turned around to see if he was hurt. The car plowed into me again, and I heard tires squeal. I looked up and saw a car coming straight for me. The black car had pushed me into an intersection and caused me to run a red light. I screamed and jammed my foot on the gas pedal but it was too late the car struck mine in the side. Everything stopped as if it was all occurring in slow motion. I felt the impact, heard the horrific sound of metal tearing into metal. My neck snapped to the side and my forehead make contact with something hard. A sharp sensation scraped across my forehead and I heard myself screaming Luke's name. When the car finally stopped it's front bumper was sitting in my passenger seat. A man jerked open my door. I looked up at him and noticed I couldn't see out of my left eye. I reached up, wiped my face, and found my hand covered with blood. "Are you alright?" He helped me out of the car but my knees buckled underneath me. "My baby, please see if my baby is alright."

Another man tried to pull open the back door of the car, but it was jammed. He looked through the window, and back at me. The look on his face told me what I didn't want to know. I screamed and crawled toward the car. The man stepped in front of me, and bent down. He placed his hands on my shoulders, and looked at me. "Help is on the way, we're going to get your baby out. I promise."

I stepped into the office and saw Tank sitting behind the desk. He looked up and motioned for me to take a seat. He leaned back in the desk chair and gave me a quizzical look. "What brings you here Morelli?"

"I want to know how far you are on the investigation into Ranger's disappearance."

"It's under control; we have a team working on it as we speak."

"So you know his location?"

"We have a pretty good idea."

"Is he on the island?"

"Morelli, it's being taken care of, it's out of your jurisdiction, so I don't see why you have any concern."

"He disappeared in my jurisdiction, so it is my concern."

"Stephanie sent you here didn't she?"

"I want to help Tank."

"The best thing you can do is carry on with your life, and let us worry about Ranger. He doesn't need your involvement."

"I have resources that you don't."

"And we have ways of making obstacles disappear that you can't. Go home Morelli."

"So you decided to stay behind?" I asked.

"Still not a 100 recovered from my gunshot wound."

I felt my cell phone buzz on my hip. I pulled it off my belt and checked the caller ID. It was the Eddie. I looked up at Tank. "I need to take this call." He nodded and I flipped open the phone. "Morelli."

"Joe there's been an accident. You need to get to St Francis as soon as possible."

I couldn't make sense of what he was trying to tell me. "Why, what's happened Eddie?"

"Luke and Stephanie have been in a car accident, its bad Joe. You need to come right away." The line went dead and I stared at the phone in my hand.

"Morelli."

I stumbled to my feet and glanced across the desk at Tank. "I have to go; Stephanie and Luke have been in an accident."

The water continued to pelt me, and I silently screamed inside. Jax wanted the game to unnerve me, slowly but surely, he was getting his wish.

I heard a gunshot and the flow of water stopped. My head snapped to attention, and I glanced at the window behind me. I couldn't believe my eyes. Santos was crouched on the stone windowsill smiling like the asshole that he is. I glanced at the ground and Tiny was on his back with a bullet hole in his forehead, the water hose was across his chest, with water still flowing from the nozzle. I hoped the fucker would rot there.

"What's happening Rangeboy?" Lester said.

"Stop the fucking chit chat and get me the hell out of here."

"I expected a nicer welcome, since I'm rescuing your pathetic ass."

He looked at our surroundings and then back at me. "Nice accommodations, reminds me of a Motel 6 I stayed in outside of Reno back in 94. The only thing missing is the vibrating bed and loose lips Lucy. Damn, that girl could suck a bowling ball through a coffee straw."

"SANTOS."

"Damn, hanging around makes you cranky."

He checked the lines around his waist and the counter weight hook on the outside of the windowsill. He looked back at me. "I'm going to repel down to the floor. I'll release the wench holding you." I nodded, and watched as he turned and backed his way down the wall to the floor. He unclipped his gear and ran over to the controls in the corner. He released the wench and I descended to the floor. My legs shook when I attempted to stand. Santos ran over to me, untied my wrists, and unclamped the cable. I lowered my arms and the pain radiating down my arms from the lack of circulation was almost too much to bear. I shook it off. "Fuck."

"Damn you look like shit." Santos said.

I looked at him. "Give me a gun, I have a feeling we're going to have company."

He pulled a Glock out of holster and handed it to me. I glanced at the Sig assault riffle on his back. "Nice gun."

"Why thank you sweetie that's what all the boys say."

He pressed the button on his headset. "I've got him, we're in the turret. Roger."

"Bobby and Cal are on their way."

I heard gunshots, and we ran toward the door. I put my back to the wall and motioned for Santos to cover me. The room beyond was dimly lit, and I could hear footsteps fast approaching. I stepped into the room with my back to the wall. I heard Santos groan behind me as his body hit the ground. The next thing I felt was a gun pressed to my chest.

"I see the reinforcements have arrived. This is going to make the game so much more interesting." Jax said. I was finished with his fucking game, and I had no idea where the strength came from but I reached up and grabbed the barrel of his gun and simultaneously elbowed him in the throat. He groaned and fell to the floor, with his hands on his neck. He gasped for air but reached out with his legs and knocked my feet out from under me. I heard my gun skitter across the concrete. His hand grabbed the back of my neck, and I tried to push him off but he had all of his weight on top of me, pinning me to the ground. I raised my legs and kicked him in the back. He loosened his grip long enough for me to twist around and grab him by the neck. He was above me, his eyes staring into mine. It was a fight of pure will and determination. The only thing fueling me was the rage I felt at all the fucked up shit he had put me through. I kicked up with my legs and threw him off me. I rolled across the floor, grabbed my gun, and turned over on my side. He was going for his gun when I fired.

"Game over motherfucker."

My eyes felt like sand paper and I had no idea how long I had slept. I saw Tank sitting in the corner, looking out of place next to the white starkness of the hospital room.

"Yo."

He smiled. "It's about time you came back to the land of the living."

I felt like my ass my on fire. "What the hell am I lying on?"

"A warming blanket, you temperature was in the polar ice cap range."

"Are the rest of the team okay?"

"They're fine; Santos is telling everybody how he saved your ass, one more time."

I smiled. "You didn't have to fly to Boston."

"Since you wouldn't come back to Trenton, I figured I had too."

"No reason to go back, I have more than enough work to keep me busy here."

"You're going to be out of commission for a few days, you might as well be in Trenton."

"I'm getting out of here as soon as I find a doctor to release me."

"Good luck with that. All the powers that be say you're stuck overnight."

I raked my hand through my hair and winched at the tape pulling at my neck. "What the hell is the bandage for?"

"Seems you had a several puncture marks in your shoulder."

"I don't care if I ever see another Doberman pinscher."

"You look like hell man."

"It wasn't that bad."

"Bullshit, you wouldn't admit it if it was."

"I can't believe Lula let you off your leash."

He leaned back in the chair and rubbed his hands over his face.

"What the hell is wrong?" I asked.

He looked at me, and I knew before he said a word that something had happened to her.

"One of Brewster's men caused Stephanie to crash her car, and Luke was with her."

"How bad is it?"

"Luke is in intensive care, he had to have emergency surgery, and he's in bad shape. Stephanie cut her head, and they think she lost her vision in one eye."

"Fuck."

"Yeah it's not good."

"Is Morelli there or is he pulling his bullshit?"

"I don't know what's going on with Morelli. He went after the guy that caused the accident, and killed him. He unloaded his gun on the guy, and the dude was unarmed. Morelli is on administrative leave, pending an investigation."

"Can't say that I wouldn't have done the same."

"Yeah but the guy would have never been found if you did it."

"You have a point."

"So does that convince you to come back to Trenton?"

I looked at him. "No it convinces me that I'm exactly where I need to be. Just keep me informed."

"You're finally done with her."

"I have to be, it's not my place to pick up the pieces anymore."

I looked up from my desk and saw my secretary come through the door. "I'm skipping lunch today so I can make my afternoon appointment with the new client." I said.

"Mr. Manoso there's a woman in the waiting area that doesn't have an appointment but she insists on seeing you."

"Who is she?"

"Stephanie Morelli."

It had been a month since the accident, and I knew that she and Luke were doing well, so I had no idea why she would be here.

"Tell her to come in."

"Mr. Manoso, you have another client waiting."

"I know, I'll make this quick."

She nodded and backed out of the room. I leaned back in my chair and waited. The door opened and she walked in. She was thinner than I had ever seen her. Her cheekbones and eyes were sunken, and her skin tone was far paler than I ever remembered.

"I know that you have clients waiting, but I need to see you."

I had no idea what this was about, and personally, I was beyond caring. When she walked away the last time, something inside of me shut down, and nothing that she could say would ever repair what was lost between us.

"Stephanie, I was sorry to hear about your accident, and I'm glad to see you are well, but I don't have time for a meeting, I have clients waiting."

"You don't understand, this is really important, can I schedule a meeting with you later today?"

"What do you need?"

"I don't need anything, I just need you to swallow your pompous ass attitude and listen to me."

"If this is of a personal nature we have nothing to discuss."

My words were like popping a balloon. She deflated in front of me, and turned to walk toward the door. When she reached the door, she turned and looked at me. I could see the tears shimmering in her eyes.

Something inside of me cracked. "Babe, just say whatever it is that you came all the way here to say."

She white knuckled the doorknob and I thought she intended to leave without another word, but I was never more wrong.

"For future reference, Luke is your son."

She turned and was out the door before I could get out of my desk chair. I followed her into the waiting area and grabbed her by the arm as she reached the door. I spun her around to face me.

"What the hell did you just say?"

She looked at the man eyeballing us from his seat in the corner. "You have clients waiting."

I pushed her into the hallway.

"Explain."

She looked down the hallway in both directions and I applied pressure with my hand to her upper arm. She looked at my hand and I let my arm drop to my side.

"While Luke was in the hospital, we found out that with his blood type there was no way Joe could be his father."

Her words were like a fist to my gut.

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"On the night of RangeMan's charity benefit, I had too much to drink and I spent the night with you. I left before you woke up the next morning and we never spoke about it afterwards."

"You said at the time that you were on the pill, and we used a condom."

"Things happen Ranger."

"I thought about the timing when you found out you were pregnant. I counted up the months after that night and it didn't add up." I said.

"Luke was born early."

"You've known this all along and never said anything to me."

"I never had any reason to believe that you were his father."

"I'm not his father."

"You're welcome to have paternity testing done."

"What do you really want from me Stephanie?"

The anger in her eyes blazed at me.

"Not a damn thing, I just wanted you to know that you have a son."

She pushed herself away from the wall and walked toward the elevator. I caught up to her and grabbed her arm. She twisted out of my grasp and punched the button for the elevator. The doors opened and she stepped aboard. I blocked the electronic eye with my foot and held the door open.

She looked at me. "Let me go Ranger."

"We need to discuss this."

"There's nothing to discuss. You don't believe he's your son, and I don't feel the need to convince you. I made it in this world alone before, and I can do it again. Back off."

I stepped away from the elevator and let her go.