Things are about to get interesting for everyone. Enjoy.

Ranger's POV

I woke up and my first thought was the exact same as my last thought the night before. I missed my Babe and I wished she was here with me. I didn't want to waste time away from my Babe so I rolled out of bed and dressed. It was still pretty early, so I went down to the hotel gym and stepped onto the treadmill.

Thirty minutes and 5 miles later, I was back in my room showering. I always have enjoyed running. I use that time to contemplate my life or work out a problem I was having. This morning, I used that time to think about what I would say when I confronted the General. I was furious with him and if he was anyone else, he would have disappeared by now without a trace.

I couldn't meek out my usual revenge so I would have to be content with removing him from his powerful position. If I could do that, he would no longer pose a threat to this country or the men and woman who risk their lives on a daily basis for this country.

When I asked the others to join me at 0900, I told them that I'd order breakfast. I looked at the menu and ended up calling room service and telling them that there would be 5 people for breakfast. They said that they would bring up enough food for 5 and plenty of coffee.

Lester was the first to arrive. He looked around my room as if he was looking for someone. I laughed and said, "I'm alone Lester. Who did you think you'd find skulking under my bed?"

"I was just seeing if I was the first person here. I didn't expect to be the first."

I smiled, knowing that he was looking for LeBlanc, but I never had a chance to tease him about it. There was a knock at the door and when I opened it, two young men wheeled in trolleys filled with food. They placed the food on the table and handed me the bill to sign. LeBlanc, Williams and Polanski arrived while the door was still ajar and we each grabbed a plate and served ourselves breakfast.

My room wasn't huge, but it did have a sofa and two chairs. I sat on the edge of the bed while Lester and Fiona sat on the sofa. The other two sat in the chairs while we ate mostly in silence. When everyone returned their plates to the trolley, we sat and faced each other.

I looked at each of them and said, "I just want to make sure that we're all on the same page before we head to the General's office this morning. The goal is to confront him about trying to trick me into coming back to work for him and for lying to each of you to get you to go along with that. Does everyone agree?"

All heads bobbed in agreement and I said, "Let's meet in the lobby at 10. You three can check out of the hotel. You can go back to your own homes after we meet with the General."

Everyone left my room so I tidied up the remaining breakfast dishes and wheeled both trolleys into the hall. I didn't have anything to wear other than RangeMan gear and a pair of black trousers, so I pulled on the trousers and a black button up shirt. I was trying to look respectable, but I wasn't sure I was pulling it off. In the past when I visited the General, I wore either my army uniform or a suit. Now, I felt a little underdressed, but this was the best I could come up with, so it would just have to do.

I went down to the lobby a few minutes early. I found Lester already down there, pacing back and forth across the open room. He saw me as I walked into the room and nodded at me, but continued his pacing.

"What's up with you Lester? Why do you seem so nervous?"

"I don't know. I have a funny feeling that things aren't going to go as planned today. I can't really pinpoint what bothers me exactly. I don't know if it's a person or one of the agents with us, but something doesn't seem right."

Now that I heard it out loud from Lester, I had to admit that I also had some misgivings about the whole situation. I normally listen to my instincts, but this time, I didn't even notice that they were there. I was too caught up in getting home to Babe that I neglected what was going on around me. It was too late to do anything about it now so I said, "Les, don't worry. Everything will be fine."

Les nodded but he didn't stop his pacing. I sat and watched Lester walk back and forth until all three agents joined us in the lobby. Lester was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the others join me. Fiona looked at me and asked, "What's with Santos?"

"I'm not sure. He says something feels off about today but he's not sure what."

Fiona watched as Lester turned away from them and said, "I'll go talk to him and see if he can give it a rest for a while. We should get going or we might miss the General's morning hours."

I watched as Fiona walked over to Lester. She put her hand on his shoulder and he stopped mid-stride. He looked at her and I saw her say something. Lester nodded and then looked in our direction after Fiona pointed our way. Lester nodded, followed her and we all piled into van that the valet brought forward.

When we arrived at the government building in downtown D.C. where General Matthews had his office, the three agents used their badges to get through security. Since Lester and I no longer worked for the General, we had to go through the typical guest security and get visitor passes.

Les kept looking over his shoulders looking to see if we were being followed through the building, but nobody ever appeared. Fiona directed us to the elevators that took us to the General's floor. We ascended in silence, and when we reached the correct floor, we followed the agents to the General's office.

Fiona turned to us and said, "Please wait here for a moment. I want to see what kind of mood the General is in before you go in."

Lester and I stood in the hallway and waited as LeBlanc, Williams and Polanski walked into the office. We waited about 5 minutes before Agent Polanski poked his head out and waved us in. The General stood when he saw me and walked around his desk to shake my hand.

"Captain Manoso, it's nice to see you again. Now that your man is safe and sound from the Colombians, I think you owe me a new contract."

I laughed and said, "I don't think so General. You know as well as I do that it was not the Colombians who kidnapped Santos."

The General smiled his smarmy smile and said, "I don't know what you're talking about. All of our intelligence indicates that Ramon Díaz was the culprit."

"Then your intelligence is as wrong. Ramon Díaz had nothing to do with Santos' abduction." I looked around the room and then said, "Isn't that true Agents?"

Fiona nodded but Williams and Polanski paled under my glare. The General looked up at me and then over at Fiona and grinned. He stood once again and puffed out his chest before saying, "I'm sorry to say Captain Manoso, but you and Miss LeBlanc are under arrest for treason. You plotted to oust me and now you will have to pay the price."

I barely had a chance for the General's words to register before the room was filled with men dressed in army uniforms. They cuffed me and Agent LeBlanc and then dragged us behind them. I could hear Lester yelling at the General. He was getting louder as we got further away, but once we were in the elevator, the sound of his voice was cut off.

I looked down at Fiona and she looked terrified. I leaned down and whispered, "Don't say a word to anyone. I will have my lawyers handle this. The General has no cause to arrest us, even if we were plotting to oust him as he says, that's not treason. I'm sure Lester is already on the phone to the lawyers. Just sit tight and keep quiet."

Fiona nodded and pursed her lips. She was silent for a moment and then said, "I can't believe Williams and Polanski, those treacherous bastards."

I nodded at that sentiment and then let the guards lead us to a van. I assumed they'd take us to Fort Meyer or some other Army facility, so I sat back and relaxed as best I could knowing that my lawyers and the rest of the guys would bend over backwards to get me and Fiona out of there.

What nerve that nasty General has. What will happen next? Update to follow shortly.