Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own anything. The Plum characters belong to Janet Evanovich. However, I do own Sofia.

Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I appreciate the encouragement. Also, thanks to JessicaRenae for editing this chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know if you liked it.

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Chapter 22. The Interview

Louis F. Kennel sat on a metallic chair in the interrogation room. I watched from behind the glass. It was difficult to see him answer the questions, his eyes bloodshed and swollen.

Louis's mother was found dead in my living room. I never went back to the house to find out what happened. One time was enough.

I don't want to associate my son's home with death. I don't want to see her on my carpet every time I close my eyes, a message sent to me.

"When did you last speak to your mother?" Ranger asked him.

"Yesterday," he said. "We were staying in a motel. It wasn't the best place, but it was convenient. She was going to buy us something to eat."

Louis put his head in his hand. The boy appeared distraught. He blamed himself for his mother's death. Tears pricked my eyes. The boy lost both of his parents. Who would care for him now? He was barely seventeen.

"Sofia hacked into his computer and tracked his whereabouts last night," Tank explained, shaking his head, "that woman is dangerous."

"Can I talk to him?" I asked Tank. He was standing next to me with his arms crossed, an emotion on his face that only the past could have brought. He nodded and appeared on the other side of the glass a second later. Ranger signaled me to join him.

"Can I speak to him alone?" I asked when I entered the small, cold interrogation room. They nodded and left without a question.

"They think I killed my mother," the boy whimpered. "I would never… She, my mother…"

"Louis," I soothed. "Margaret loved you."

He started crying. I rubbed his back in an attempt to calm him. It took a while for him to compose himself.

"What would you like to know?" He asked.

"We want to know everything," I answered. "What happened to Leticia, Louis?"

He took a deep breath, gulped, and leaned back on the chair.

"Leti and Sarah attended the same school when they were younger. They lost contact when Sarah moved out the country. They found each other again last summer. A group of us wanted to spent some time in the Jersey Shore. My mother thought it was a good idea. After all, she wanted to meet my girlfriend. So, she volunteered to chaperone us for the weekend."

"Why did you live in New York?" I asked.

"I have a full scholarship to a good private school," he shrugged. "My mother thought I shouldn't ditch the opportunity. I was already taking college courses."

"She must have been very proud of you," I commented.

"I hope so," he answered, a haunted look on his face. "Anyways, that's how she reunited with Sarah. The only problem was that Sarah wasn't by herself. She was in the company of an older man."

"Would you recognize him if we showed you a picture?"

"Probably," he said. "Sarah told Leticia to meet her a club."

"Midnight?"

"Yes, how did you know? We'd both got fake Ids that summer. I knew it was wrong, but I didn't think we were actually going to them. We didn't even look old enough. The bouncer didn't allow me inside. She was determined to go in by herself. When she finally came back outside, she looked upset."

"Did she ever return?"

"No," he said. "It scared her to go back, but she told me about Sarah, about the business that went on in the club. I offered to play the messenger between them."

"I think we should get you out of this room," I suggested. I leaned forward and embraced him. The young man lost so much for something selfless, for love. "I'm sure Ranger has a place somewhere in this building where you can stay until all of this blows over."

"There's one more thing," he said hesitantly.

"What?"

"Leti has a gun," he said, his words hurried. "She asked me for a gun, and I… My father had one and I gave it to her. Leti wants to kill Alonde."

"Alonde hasn't found her yet," I stated in relief.

"No," he said. "Mom and I were helping her stay out of trouble. We spoke to a police officer the first time, but we didn't have proof. He said he was going to investigate, but later he said there was nothing to find."

"Was this in New York?"

"Yes"

I thought about the two corrupted officers mentioned Sofia's report.

"Do you have a name?"

Louis nodded. As in on cue, Ranger entered the room unannounced.

"Why don't I take you to your room?" he said. "You had enough for today, and there are a few rules you'll need to learn and follow if you choose to stay here."

-RS-

"Why don't we practice your self-defense, Bomber?" Tank asked me. I nodded.

"Things between Ranger and you seem to be getting better," he remarked. "We all feel better when Ranger's not so angry."

"It's a conflict of interest," I muttered. He smiled in response.

"I don't know if things are necessarily better," I mused. "Tank, do you think Ranger and I can happen?"

"You and Ranger already happened, Bomber," he answered.

Vince and Cal were at the center of the matt, sparring. Once they finished, Tank led me to the matt and gave me instructions.

The guy towered over me, his body threatening and strong. I managed to escape three of his attacks.

I started to sweat within minutes. My punches increased in numbers. I placed more energy into each attempt, but Tank was fast. He was merciless too, never holding back. I found myself on the mat several times. I became angrier at every passing minute.

Suddenly, the memories came rushing back. The man at Margaret's house, the bat she used to strike him, protecting her son at all cause. Now, he was alone.

I realized that Tank was doing this on purpose. He was pushing me to release my stress. My knuckles turned white for squeezing them so tight, but I didn't complain. On the contrary, it made me happy to know that he cared enough for me to trick me into venting my frustrations.

Ranger walked in two hours later with Ricky in his arms. They sat on a bench by the door, Ricky on his lap. My son is used to watching me sparring. He knew no harm was going to come of me. However, he still didn't like it. Ricky kept this eyes fixed on us, waiting for a reason to call out my name. Instead, Tank called for a break.

"Thank you," I panted. "We should do this more often."

"Anytime, Bomber."

"Louis?" I asked Ranger.

"I gave him the spare room on the fourth floor," he said.

"He probably shouldn't be alone," I remarked. "He's grieving."

"I instructed him to join the guys at five for dinner," Ranger answered. "He also has to help Vince to fill out a report. It should keep him occupied."

Ricky stuck his thumb in his mouth and walked in my direction with opened arms. It was a child's silent request for love. I picked him up and hugged him tightly.

"My beautiful, baby." I kissed him and squeezed him. "Let's find Tia Sofia."

-RS-

Sofia moved in Lester's apartment until the house is cleared. Lester is overexcited about the prospect. I wanted to check up on them to make sure the two survived the previous night.

"Ricky," she cooed, when she answered the door. My son opened his arms to her, and she took him. "How is he?"

"His temperature is better," I said, stepping into the foyer of Lester's apartment.

"How's Lester?" I inquired.

"Lester's fine," she smiled. "He's in the shower."

Sofia grabbed an apple from the kitchen and gave it to Ricky. Then, she found a protein bar and tossed it my way.

"How are things with you and Lester?" I dared ask.

"I'm not sure." Sofia's expression faltered. "Maybe we're going too fast."

"He seems to like you," I added, "if you think things are going too fast, you have to let him know."

She nodded and started taking pans from the cabinets in the kitchen. I took Ricky from her arms and watched as she prepared dinner. I realized that I've never been in Lester's apartment before, and took the time to take in my surroundings. I always wondered what it would look like, but the reality was entirely different from what I imagined.

Lester's apartment was classy, decorated in tones of blue, white, and gray. He had a small piano in the corner of his living room. Sofia's guitar propped against the table. Cables for a gaming system lay out on the carpet in front of a plasma television. The curtains were a light creamy color, and light enough to allow the sun shine into the living room. It provided the perfect view of the sunset.

He had pictures everywhere; pictures of RangeMan and people I imaged were his family. One picture brought my attention. It was a picture of Lester and his army buddies in a jungle type of place. Ranger was in the picture too, a younger version of him. My traced my finger over the image.

"Morning, Beautiful," Lester greeted from behind me. I turned to find him standing by the door of his bedroom. He was wearing a light green shirt and dark jeans.

"It always surprises me to see the Merry Men wear civilian clothing," I joked, smiling at him.

"Yes, I know I'm handsome," he replied. I rolled my eyes.

"How are you feeling, Lester?"

"The wound still hurts, but I heal fast," he assured, walking closer to us. "How's my nephew?"

"He's better."

We both looked at Ricky. Lester followed my son eyes', now focused on the cables on the carpet.

"Why don't we bond a little?" He asked my son. Les took two cushions from the sofa and threw them on the carpet. Then, he prepared the television and turned on the gaming system.

"I hope you have something he can play," I warned. "He's too young for…"

The image of the Super Mario Brothers appeared on the screen before I had time to finish my sentence. I lowered Ricky on the cushion on the floor and left them to play their game. Lester wanted to get into my son's good graces. Ricky wasn't too happy with Lester's relationship with his aunt.

Sofia was now cutting vegetables. I told her about Louis, but she was already aware of the news.

"I found him," she said in a low voice. "Ranger came to check up on Lester earlier and said he planed to question him."

"Could you see if he has any family?"

"Already done," she responded. "He has an aunt and a cousin, but they live in Texas. I went to the house, Steph. I saw how they left her body."

"Why did you go?"

"I had to," she answered simply. "I needed to know what kind of threat we have in our hands."

"And what do you think?"

"Steph, she died at the house," she whispered so that Ricky wouldn't hear. The idea brought a chill through my body.

"I don't understand, Ranger updated the security," I reasoned. "How did they get in the house?

"Ranger didn't tell you?" She asked and shook her head.

"The alarms went off one by one that night," she said. "Most of the RangeMan employees were undercover at the club or taking care of other accounts that night. Ranger reasoned you didn't need surveillance. He planned for you to stay at Haywood that night. The bastard played us, Steph."

"Sofia," I warned.

"The set up at Midnight was a distraction so they could disable all the security censors in the house. By the time RangerMan arrived, everything looked normal. After the third false alarm, they decided that there was an issue with your system and that someone would be able to fix it the next day. The locks and windows still worked. The guys believe someone took that time to intercept the video feed from across the street and break into your house."

My head was spinning. Katherine, the girl at the club, died in vain. She was a chess piece, a pawn.

I walked to the closest chair and sank into it. My head was starting to throb. Sofia handed me a glass of water, which I drank with relish.

"Come have something to eat," she offered.

"I don't know if I can eat," I responded.

"Please, eat something," she urged. "You lost weight, and you should eat to keep your energy. I'll invite Ranger."

Sofia and Lester persuaded me into eating with them. Ranger walked in a few minutes later, his expression blank. He accepted Sofia's offer for my sake. He has Ella, and I'm sure she prepared something for him. And yet, he stayed for me. Together, we coaxed Ricky into eating some food as well.

"I should go down to five," I announced later. "I want to take a look at the reports we got back from the feds and the police. They interviewed the girls from the night club."

"Would you like me to keep an eye on Ricky?" Sofia asked me.

"If it's alright with Lester," I said. Les quickly nodded. Ranger took my hands in his and walked me down to the fifth floor.

-RS-

Leticia's POV

Today he saw me, his snake eyes found me watching him, and he grinned. The bastard grinned. Anger rampaged through my body like fire. I couldn't reach the gun in my backpack. I didn't have time to draw it and shoot, shoot him right between the eyes. We stared into each other's eyes with pure hatred reflected in them.

I did not give in. He was not going to intimate me. Alonde needed to know that I did not fear him. I'm not a weakling. He can't manipulate me, or play mind games, or kill my spirit.

If I die, then I'll die with dignity, but my spirit will not die. He'll know that I was whole even in my death. I might be wounded physically and emotionally, but I'm not done.

It took minutes for me to register that he sent his bodyguards after me. Adrenaline ran through my veins. I started running, finding safety in the darkness of the night. They couldn't follow me without attracting too much attention in the crowded streets.

My body ached. I haven't showered in days. The dirt on my skin made me feel icky. I missed home, my mother and father. Tears pooled in my eyes, and I squeezed them away. My father is gone. It doesn't matter what I do, he won't come back to me. And yet, I still desired revenge. I wanted Alonde to suffer, the way he made me suffer.

I can still feel his hands on my skin, pinning me down, suffocating me. Argh… I could still see my father's face when he found out, the blood on his shirt, and his eyes.

People moved out of my way. I ran a couple blocks until I lost them. I walk for miles before I reached an alley. It was dark and dirty, but it would suffice for the night.

I found a corner behind a trash bin good enough to keep me safe and hidden from the dangers of the night. I placed my backpack behind my back and rested my body against it for comfort. My eyelids became heavy within minutes. When I woke up minutes again, it was to the sound of rats competing for space. Only, it wasn't a rat. It was someone's shoe stepping on a pile of leaves.

-RS-

Steph's POV

I prepared for bed after spending a few hours reading reports. The girls' accounts were difficult to digest. I will not sleep well until we find Leticia. What if they find her before we do? What if she's lost forever?

I left Ricky napping in bed, before getting in the shower. I didn't see Ricky when I came back in the room. I dressed quickly and headed to the living room. I didn't see him there or in the kitchen. Panic started to creep up my spine.

"Ricky," I called out but got no response. "Baby, where are you?"

I knocked on the door of Ranger's home office. Maybe he had gone there when he woke up. Ranger opened the door slowly.

"He's sleeping, Babe," he whispered, opening the door wider. A gasp escaped my lips at the sight of the room.

"When did this happen?" I inquired. Ranger's office was not an office any longer. It was a bedroom, a bedroom for a child. There was a bed against the wall, dressed in a batman themed quilt. Batman's help sign was proudly displayed on the back wall. The ceiling had small bright stars that shined in the dim light. The walls were a lovely blue, color to accommodate the paintings of space on the walls.

My eyes found objects from our house too. Ricky's pictures stood proudly on the top shelf of a bookshelf with his favorite books. The windows had curtains and painted designs. He had a desk and space. The room had so much space. I glanced back at the batman sheets. My son slept on his new bed, oblivious to the world.

"It's not done yet," Ranger said. "They have to come tomorrow to do the rest. They didn't have a lot of time today.

"When did they…" I began, disbelief in my voice.

"This morning," he said. "You were at Alonde's house."

"Thank you," I said hoarsely, tears leaking from my eyes. "This is perfect for him."

"Let's go to sleep, Babe," he offered, placing soothing hand on my back.

"Are you joining me?" I wondered, knowing he gave the extra room on the fourth floor to Louis.

"Only if you invite me," came his serene reply.

"Of course," I breathed. Then, without thinking about it too much, I didn't want my courage to leave. I kissed him fully on his lips.

-RS-

Ranger: Babe, what are you doing?

Steph: I'm trying to cuddle with you.

Ranger: Okay (they cuddle)

Ranger: This is nice.

Steph: (sleepily) I love you.