Chapter 14

We got out of the car at the bar and Ranger spoke to Matt a moment and Matt looked at Mona and walked over and gave her a new mic and told her the proper way to place it and she glared over at Ranger and me. They did a mic check and Ranger told Mona to lose the chewing gum because her snapping and popping was loud and distracting. She spit it toward us and glared again. Boy, Skankella has no idea who she was dealing with and I wasn't just talking about me.

Ranger kissed my cheek and told me to be careful and walked in the bar. Two other guys went in and I nodded for Mona to follow me. The skip wasn't in the bar when we arrived, so we ordered a drink at the bar and got a table and waited. When Mona went to suck her drink down, I grabbed it and set it back down. "Clear head. We don't have a guy bartending tonight." She hissed at me, "You're a buzzkill of a bitch to work with."

Knowing that the dumb slut had already forgotten that she was miced, I said, "Ditto and this is a job in case you forgot. If you have anything else on your mind you go ahead and spill it."

"I don't know why a rich guy like that Mexican hottie Ranger would be interested in a flat chested, fat assed, fuzzy headed, homely bitch like you. He probably has to put a sack over your head just to screw you in the ass and shares you with all his men because you're ugly and pathetic and he feels sorry for you." I smiled at her and pointed to my earpiece. She raised her eyebrows and glared at me. Oh, she figured it out without me having to spell it out with pictures.

Then I heard, "We'll take care of this later Babe. Front door." I turned and sure enough it was our skip. We waited for him to walk in and order a drink and it wasn't long before he and his friend were sniffing around our table. "Can we buy you ladies a drink?"

I had poured both our drinks on the floor near the table when Lacefield and friend came in the door. I said, "Sure."

They came back with the drinks. I said, "This place is pretty dead. You guys know of a better place to go?"

"This place is fine for me."

"You guys have any smoke out in your car? I could use some."

"We don't have to go outside." He grabbed my arm and the other guy grabbed Mona's and they started toward the restrooms.

I said, "Whoa, wait a minute guys. Where are we going?"

"You want smoke and that's what we're going to do. You playing games?"

"No. I just don't want to get arrested in here. Maybe we should go somewhere else. Your place?" I turned toward the door and he grabbed my arm and started pulling and then Mona turned and ran toward Ranger and grabbed him. Oh shit. Lacefield looked at her and then at me. "What's going on here? You a couple little prick teasers? What are you up to?"

"No. My friend is just a little ditzy and I think she spotted a guy she knows. Let me go get her." I walked over to Mona. I said quietly, "Come with me. We are heading toward the door." I grabbed her hand and began pulling. We went about three steps when Lacefield started toward us and Mona stopped and began screaming. "What the hell?" He pulled a knife and looked around. Then all hell broke loose.

I tried pulling Mona away toward the door and she just stood and screamed. Two Rangemen were running up behind Lacefield and Ranger moved into action running forward and pushed me away toward the door as a scuffle began. All the while Mona just kept screaming. The Rangemen finally subdued Lacefield and his friend and Ranger grabbed Mona trying to pull her away and she was fighting him. I walked over and slugged her in the jaw and she finally stopped and swayed and he caught her and we ran toward the door.

Ranger stumbled backwards out the door with Mona and then let go. He looked at my face and smiled and then slumped to the ground. Even in his black button down shirt I could see the red stain spreading across his chest. I called for the medic, "Jeffrey!" Then I yelled out, "Someone call 911 and secure the scene!"

I sunk to my knees next to him. "Ranger!" I ripped his shirt open. The blood was spreading rapidly across his chest. I screamed, "Help us. We need help here." Blood began to seep out of the corner of his mouth and he coughed. Jeffrey was there with his bag and rolled Ranger on his side to let the blood drain. "Is he going to be alright?"

"Don't know what the knife hit yet. Could be a lung." Ranger's eyelids began to bat and close like he was losing consciousness.

"No, please stay with me Ranger. Please…" Jeffrey was checking his vitals and looked at me with a worried face. I heard the ambulance siren as it pulled into the lot. "Carlos you listen to me. I...love you and I need you…Can't lose you too." The EMT's took over and pushed me away.

Behind me, Mona snarked, "Well that sure went well! Who's the second in charge? I'll take door number two." I turned around and glared at her. "You phony, hateful, golddigging, bigot of a skank! A damn good man might be dying right now for saving your sorry ass after you screwed up this job tonight." Then I hauled off and punched her in the nose and judging by the crunch, I broke it. The EMT winced. "Don't even think about putting this slut in the same ambulance as that good man, but you can tie a rope to the back and drag her ass behind you."

I turned around and yelled. "I want this bitch and the person that hired her off the premises and out of my sight now!"

The jerk named Blaine stomped in front of me, "You don't have any authority here!"

"Are you the one fucking the skank? She just put lives in danger!"

I pulled out my phone and called Tank. "Yo?"

"Yo. This distraction just went to shit because of your man named Blaine and his skank Mona. Ranger was knifed saving the skank's sorry ass and it's bad. I told them both to leave the premises and Blaine just questioned my judgement and Matt is...hell I don't know where he is."

"Put the motherfucker on the phone!" I handed Blaine the phone.

"In case you don't know asshole, you'll be speaking to the second in command of the entire company and he can be a real scary fucker when provoked!" I heard Tank bellowing over the line for a couple minutes and then Blaine handed me my phone and grabbed Mona and stomped away and got in a truck and left.

There was nobody in the parking lot now except the medic and me to secure the scene. Then nearly the whole team including Matt came out of the bar with the two men in custody. I stood there with Ranger's blood all over me and I glared at Matt. I yelled, "Someone get the skip to the police station, secure this fucking scene and get me to the hospital now!" What a fucked up mess this was. This office needed an overhaul. Talk about unaware of your surroundings, these guys were a bunch of boobs.

One SUV pulled out of the lot with the skip and his buddy and another pulled up to me and I got in with Vic. We didn't say anything as we sped to the hospital. I jumped out and ran inside. At the desk I inquired about the stabbing victim.

"He was rushed to surgery miss. Internal bleeding. There's a waiting room on the third floor for surgery."

My phone rang. "Bomber, we're on our way. You at the hospital?"

"Yes. He's in surgery. All they said was he has internal bleeding. Come to the third floor of Mass General. Tank, he really looked bad. There was so much blood."

"Bomber, he never told you, but you and I both have power of attorney for him. If he needs authorization for any treatment, you can get it done. He's a tough one little sister. We'll be there soon."

Two hours later, Tank, Lester, and Bobby finally arrived. Kevin and Jack, the pilots, were with them. I hugged all of them. "Bobby, can you please check with someone? We haven't heard one word yet."

Tank and Lester called all the Rangemen present into a circle to get a rundown on the distraction and an idea of what went wrong. He barked, "Matt, report!" Tank was bellowing and pointing his finger in Matt's face and pointing to me and the operating rooms. Whoa, I could see steam coming off his bald head. "You didn't have fucking control of your team! Why would you let an idiot like Blaine talk you into hiring her? You didn't talk to her? You couldn't see her for what she was? The goddamn same criteria apply for women and men at Rangeman. We don't hire unqualified, incompetent people. A woman, a contract employee from out of town, ran your scene tonight and did a better job than you. I should fire all of you! My best friend is in that operating room fighting for his life! Dammit!"

Tank was stomping around in circles huffing and puffing. I finally went over to Tank. "Buddy calm down, your blood pressure is probably so high you could stroke out. We don't need another man down. Give me a hug." He did hug me and I could feel some of his anxiety releasing. "I'm going over the audio tapes and I want your version later. Heads are going to fucking roll." I didn't tell him that I had already thought about that. Lester was a pissed off mess too. When he reached for the knives in his boot and began playing with them, I had to go give him some comfort as well before he scared the shit out the hospital staff and the other waiting families.

Finally, a doctor came out. "Family of Mr. Manoso?" All of us raised our hands. He nodded and walked to the middle of the room. "He made it through the surgery. The knife penetrated one of his lungs and a pretty major blood vessel. He lost a lot of blood before he got here. He is stable, but still in critical condition tonight."

"Can we see him? Can I stay in his room tonight with him?"

"One at a time. He'll be sleeping most of the night. One person can stay."

Tank said, "Thank you doctor." The doctor nodded and turned away.

I told Tank and Lester and Bobby to go in before me. I would go in last and stay by his side for the night. The rest of the guys were told to go back to Rangeman or home. The guys headed off to a hotel and I finally got to go in and see Ranger.

He was pale and hooked up to all these softly beeping machines and they were still giving him blood. I took his hand and squeezed and for the first time in almost a month, I really wanted to cry. I couldn't imagine the void in my heart and my life if I lost Ranger. He was always there for me. His strength had always given me strength and comfort. I suddenly realized that I needed this man in my life like I need air. Losing Greg was a tragedy and I felt guilt and pain over his loss, but losing Ranger would be the end of me too.

I pulled my chair close and kept his hand in mine while I leaned back and closed my eyes. I woke a while later and looked into drowsy dark chocolate eyes. "Hey. Can I get you anything?"

"Thirsty."

"I bet. You were pretty much drained of your liquids." I poured some ice water and put a straw in and gave him some sips. "Better?" He nodded.

"I should have removed that woman. Trusted you."

"Stop. This is not the place or time to talk about that. The skip is in custody. The skank and her pimp are long gone with a broken nose to boot."

"I'm sorry Babe."

"Don't you do this. Tank and Lester are rearranging the Boston office as we speak and having a good time doing it!" He grinned a little.

"Ranger?"

"Yes Babe?"

"In case you don't know it, I love you." I kissed his hand.

"I know." His eyes were sleepy and he closed them.

I whispered, "I won't leave you."

"I know." Then he was asleep again.

TBC-

I know the whiplash thing again...