Disclaimer: Janet Evanovich owns the rights to the following characters. This story is only intended as artistic exercise. I am in no way profiting financially from it.

Warning: This story is intended for adult readers only; contains graphic violent content, mature themes and adult language.

This is a Babe story, and will have and eventual Babe HEA.

Breaking of Souls

Chapter 5: The Eyes of a Monster

Previously….

Stephanie drifted drowsily between consciousness and sleep. She knew that she was being sedated but that knowledge did little to combat her fatigue; her thoughts remaining clouded. She smiled sleepily as she felt a warm hand tucking a stray curl behind her ear. Her body responding automatically to the familiar touch, "Mmmm… Ranger…" she mumbled sleepily, her eyes fluttering open, sinking into chilling amber depths.

"What the fuck did you just say?" He hissed scathingly, the muscles in his face twitching with rage

Stephanie's mind whirled sluggishly, desperately seeking his desired reply, the look on his face telling her that she had just made a very grave mistake.

"Pl… Please!" She stuttered pleadingly. "I didn't mean it… Please, I'm sorry!" She had never felt as terrified in her life as she did in this moment; staring into the eyes of a monster.

"Shut up!" He screamed, his eyes wide and crazed. His hands shot forward, gripping her jaw, the bone flexing under his iron grasp as his fingers dug into the flesh of her throat; as if he could shove the words back into her mouth. He straddled her defenseless body; the mattress springs squeaking under the addition of his weight. A cry of pain hissed through her clenched teeth as she thrashed her head wildly back and forth in an effort to free herself. His hand slid across her face, his thumb pressing against her lips. She bit down hard, the copper taste of blood filling her mouth. She gasped in pain as he delivered a vicious blow to her ribs, her teeth separating, freeing his shredded flesh.

"You fucking bitch!" He snarled, His hands sliding from her jaw to her neck, leaning forward onto his arms, bearing down on her throat; strangling the life from her. The whole situation felt surreal as her thoughts detached from her body. Despite the many times before that she had been faced with life or death situations, she never once fathomed hers ending this way. She had traveled the road of denial too far.

She closed her eyes, the pressure building in her head, images of her life flashing behind her closed lids. Her hopes and dreams, her accomplishments and failures folding out in front of her. She felt a deep twinge of remorse for the dreams she had yet to fulfill. One picture flashing over and over again in her mind, the face of the only man she had ever truly loved; her soul mate, her protector. Though, even he couldn't protect her this time. She prayed that he would know how much she loved him and that he wouldn't blame himself for not being able to save her; but, she knew without a doubt that he would stop at nothing to avenge her death. She smiled internally at the thought. This man had no idea of the amount of pain and fear that awaits him in his future. Hell would come as a relief after facing those demons.

"Look at me!" He screamed his face just inches from hers, the veins bulging from his forehead. "I want you to look at me as the last breath leaves your body! I want to see the life leave your eyes!"

She refused to open her eyes. Not wanting the image of his face to be her last memory on this earth. Instead she fought harder, bucking and twisting her hips, trying to dislodge him from her; the decaying bed frame groaning with the movement of their bodies.

She could feel the push and pull of the rusting iron rail above her giving way, like the weakening joint of a soda pop tab. She pulled with all of her strength against her handcuffs, the corroded metal yielding under the force, her body tingling with the onset of unconsciousness. Her arms wrenched forward as the rail separated from the frame. She wrapped her hands around the rod instinctively like a baseball bat, swinging her arms across her body, the metal connecting with the side of his head; chiming noisily with the violent impact against his skull. His eyes widened in stunned surprise as she swung again, before he could react to her assault, the blow whipping his head to the side as blood sprayed the room around her. His eyelids drooped heavily over his dazed eyes, his lower jaw hanging limply as his body swayed on top of hers before sagging towards the side of the bed and tumbling unconsciously to the floor; like a puppet cut loose from its strings.

Stephanie chocked in a frantic breath, the air grating against the raw tissue of her throat. Black spots danced in her vision from lack of oxygen as she stood from the bed, her body trembling with pain as she stepped over his motionless form; heading for freedom just beyond the door. She lurched forward as she felt his hand clench tightly around her ankle; Startled, she kicked backwards forcefully, her heal connecting with flesh, the sickening crunch of a bone breaking echoing throughout the room. His hand fell slack, his head falling to the floor with a thud as she wiggled free of his grasp; a crimson pool of blood seeping out around his face, painting the cement beneath him.

She ran on wobbly legs to the door, wrenching it open and looking for the closest exit. She ran up a flight of stairs to the front door of a split entry home. She cursed herself as her fingers fumbled clumsily with the locks, not daring to look behind her. She sprinted through the door, the sunlight blinding her vision as she stumbled in the glaring light. She blinked rapidly, squinting against the bright light as she looked around her; taking stock of her surroundings. The rural area surrounding the house was heavily wooded without a single house in sight. She darted for the cover of the trees, not even aware of which direction she was running in as the rocks and vegetation tore into the soles of her bare feet; the voice in her mind screaming for her to, " just keep running!" She ran through the tree line, cringing from the sound of every snapped twig, every rustle of the leaves; her mind conjuring his image lurking in every dark shadow. She stumbled over the root of a tree, scraping her hands into the dirt as she fell, her balance thrown off center with her hands cuffed in front of her. She scrambled to her feet, the adrenaline propelling her body into motion.

She ran for what felt like hours until she reached a clearing in the trees; a carefully manicured lawn lining the perimeter. She slowed her pace at the edge of the woods, looking around hesitantly for any sign of danger before running towards the large colonial style house positioned on the center of the property. She ran up the wooden porch steps to the back door, pounding frantically against the metal screen door. She panicked after several long moments of no response, feeling exposed and vulnerable out in the open; desperate for a telephone and the safety of shelter. She looked around her, noticing a shovel propped up against the side of the house next to a small vegetable garden. She retrieved it, carrying it with her as she walked along the edge of the house to a basement window. She adjusted her grip on the wooden handle and swung the steel blade into the window; the shattered glass raining down upon her. She pushed the curtains aside as she gingerly climbed through the window, broken shards of glass slicing the exposed skin of her legs and arms.

She entered a large family room, the orange shag carpet and wood paneling giving away the age of the home and its respective tenants. She ran through the house, searching frantically for a telephone. She nearly cried with relief as she spotted an old mustard colored rotary phone on the basement wall. She remembered fleetingly that Grandma Mazur had kept the same telephone in her home when she was a little girl, the long phone jack allowing her to move about the house as she talked on the phone. Stephanie tore the handset from the wall, running through the open doorway adjacent to it, closing the door over the cord and setting the phone on the floor. She looked around the small, windowless storage room; plastic bins and totes were stacked from the floor to the ceiling. An aluminum Christmas tree, a set of golf clubs and ancient sewing machine filled the remaining space. She heaved several plastic containers in front of the door, feebly barricading herself inside.

She grabbed the phone, her back sliding down against the wall as she began to make the call; the spinning of the rotary dial driving her mad with its lengthy process. She placed the receiver awkwardly to her ear, her handcuffs clanking against the plastic as she listened to the sound of the phone connecting over the line.

Ranger paced the control room floor, his anger growing with every wasted moment that passed; the festering hole in his chest aching painfully with despair. The men around him searched their records frantically, looking for any possible lead; their efforts producing dead end after dead end. Thousands of men matched the abductor's profile, weeding through them all would take weeks. Time that they all knew Stephanie didn't have. Ranger looked at his men, each man's expression mirroring his own; rage, sadness, fear clearly displayed on their faces. Her loss was felt greatly.

His phone vibrating in his pocket brought him out of his musings, his brow furrowing at the unfamiliar number.

He placed the phone to his ear, listening to the shuddering of frantic breath. His throat constricting with emotion as he whispered, "Babe?"

Silence descended upon the room, twenty sets of eyes turned to stare at Ranger with baited breath; a glimmer of hope swelling in their hearts.

TBC…

*So… what do you think? Ready for the big reunion yet? I'd love to hear your thoughts so far. : )