Chapter 8

A few weeks earlier Ella had helped me to choose an OBGYN and she had gone with me for my first visit. I think Ella cared more for me and had been kinder to me than my mother ever had in my life time.

Even my relationship with Justine in such a short time had given me more comfort and happiness than I had ever felt before with my mom. When I thought of my mother I thought words like, cold, selfish, uncaring. There is a promise that I'm making to my unborn baby and that is he or she will never associate such words with me.

It was almost the end of March now. Tank came into my office with a solemn face. "I have some news Bombshell."

"I just got word that Ranger's mission was over weeks ago. He completed it, but didn't get on the transport home by choice. No one has seen him since."

"Tank, what the hell does this mean? Is he in trouble, on another mission? Tell me!"

I don't know yet. I never should have let him go alone. We always have each other's backs. I don't know what happened."

"Is he is danger?"

"Not indicated. He just walked away and disappeared off the radar."

"If he's not on a mission how do we find him? How does he get money? Where is he staying?"

"Steph, he knows that part of the world and he has contacts. He has alias personas, money in places and countries I don't even know about. He can walk into any bank in the world and get what he needs and we wouldn't know. If he wanted to disappear he could do it."

Tank gave me an exasperated look. "The question is why?"

Ranger's POV

There is a certain winding road in the ancient walled city of Lahore, walking down which you come face to face with the real heart of life. Rising like the heat and sand of centuries past, almost as old as the Mughals (Persian tribe) themselves, it's life staring you boldly in the face: hot, humid, stark….it makes you sweat with its unblinking, almost naked intensity. I have found here the cure for any sadness that torments the human soul…. have felt my own melt into insignificance in its grimy dust.

A place of darkness….it comes alive only as the sun sets in its russet sky. The swiftly falling night blankets the poverty and dirt that lies exposed by the day. The smell of rich sweet delights mingles with that of freshly sliced coconut and sugar cane, as vendors call to the passing crowd, with wooden stalls piled high with spices, mangoes, cucumbers, and all kinds of exotic wares. Hawkers roam with strings of roses and jasmine petals, along with beggars with scrawny outstretched hands. Lurking at corners, drug dealers exchange grubby hands with loafers; shady pimps with prospective customers. Bazaars hold beauties performing the mujra dance for those who want pleasure and a one night bride…

And everywhere... the heat and chaos of breathing, sweating humanity pressed together.

This is my domain….

(Part of the above came from a blog myownworld and the rest is mine.)

Stephanie's POV

Two more weeks have passed and we have heard nothing from Ranger. Tank has exhausted his resources and contacts trying to find him. He was only able to find out one detail and he had to offer favors for the information. Tank had shared with me a part of Ranger's classified mission that could get him killed if his government handlers found out he had talked to a civilian.

Tank knows that he can trust me with his life and he told me that part of Ranger's mission had to do with that journalist who had been kidnapped in Pakistan and they had tried to behead him. He had still died and his poor wife had given birth not long after he was buried. That story had been in papers and the news.

How horrific for all of them and if I wasn't so scared for Ranger, I would be furious at him for not coming home when he had the opportunity. The only thing Tank knew for sure was that the transport left from Kurachi, Pakistan.

Tank's POV

I had received the 'error email address not found' back three times now. I growled and raising my hand I smashed the keyboard to pieces. "What the fuck, Boss?"

Brown knocked and stuck his head in the door. He looked at the smashed keyboard.

"Having a bad day man?"

"Yell at Hector and tell him to bring me another keyboard and I'll share this news with you, mother fuck man."

Bobby left for a couple minutes and came back. "Got a fucking weird email from Ranger. I tried to reply three times and the address can't be found. When Hector gets in here I'll show it to you."

Hector came in and removed the destroyed keyboard and plugged in a new one. "Tu' cabreado (you pissed)?" Hector looked at Tank and asked. "Shut up Hector and stay here for a minute."

Tank pulled up the email from Ranger and Bobby and Hector leaned over and read it.

"Tank, You and Steph are in charge of Rangeman indefinitely. Don't waste resources or funds by sending a team. I can't come home and I'm asking you as my friend to look after Stephanie and her baby."

Ranger

"What makes fucking sense about this? First he just volunteers for this mission alone which is against our brothers code. Then he doesn't get on the transport home and he fucking disappears. He does this knowing that his woman is pregnant and waiting for him to come home. Get Santos in here too. I want him to see this and we need to talk before we go to Bombshell with this shit."

"Hector, I'm forwarding you this. Call Silvio in Miami and send him a copy. See if you have any way to find out where this came from. And, Hector this is eyes only. Relay that to Silvio."

Lester walked in with Bobby. "Close the door. I know you're closer to Stephanie than Bob and me. You read this email from Ranger and then if you know anything that we don't you better spill it or I'll beat it out of you," I growled.

Lester read the email and stepped away from me. "I might know some of the reason why he took the mission. It has to do with her leaving last September. But, I promised Stephanie that I wouldn't tell what happened."

I pounded my fist on the desk and growled at him. "Well you are going to tell us because we are his best friends and now we are responsible for her. Before we talk to her about this, all of us need to understand what the fuck is going on here! So spill!"

Lester jumped and made a face. "If she finds out she will never trust me to tell me about a problem again. I don't want her to feel like she can't confide in me."

"Lester, me and Bobby love that little doll and the secret will never leave this room."

Lester sighed and nodded. "Did you view the video from that day?" Bobby and I both nodded. "Bobby, she played a prank on him because she was upset about being our entertainment all the time. She wanted him to have an idea of what it felt like. She doesn't understand that all that stuff she does is part of the reason we adore her so much. She tricked him and left him naked in his office cuffed to his desk chair and then took the cuff key to Tank."

Bobby grinned picturing that.

"Ranger took her from Luis and Ella's apartment up to seven. In the audio, you can hear her fear and crying. He lost his shit man. He handcuffed her, stripped her, and forced himself on her. He scared and humiliated her. That's why she ran out of here and went to Virginia. Remember the black eye and bruised face? One was from me and one from Nash."

I was shocked and hit with an overwhelming pang of guilt. "Ahh dammit! I unlocked him and got him clothes. I knew how angry he was and I could have stopped him. I had no idea that he would hurt that little girl. I thought they just had a bad fight."

"Ella knows and feels guilty too. She found Steph's shredded clothes and Stephanie had begged her and Luis to help her when Ranger was dragging her out of the apartment," Lester said.

Bobby said, "My God, this puts all the pieces together about that whole thing."

"She has forgiven him but, I don't think the relationship is the same. They are not really a couple again yet. To this day she won't go up to seven. When she caught him leaving for the mission without telling her and asked him why he would volunteer to go, his answer was 'atonement'."

I ran my hands down my face, "Stupid mother fucker! He thinks making this right is leaving and gettin' killed over in that hell hole or abandoning her with a baby on the way?" I looked at Bob, "Has he lost his mind? Could he be suffering PTSD or some shit?"

"Tank I'm so stunned right now. I'm just trying to think. I don't remember any signs or strange behavior back around that time. I can't even recall him losing his shit stateside before. He lost it with her over a prank?"

Lester said, "He had some words for her that day. She said that he treated her like a possession and told her he demanded respect under his roof. After she met Nash, she wouldn't have come back.

He basically got a second chance and now he's blowing it."

"He's my brother but I would leave his ass too. That poor woman has been through so much. What are we going to do?" Bobby frowned.

"We need to find him and drag his sorry ass home for his own good. The transport he was supposed to catch was from Kurachi. Mission was complete. If Hector or Silvio can find out anything about where that email originated, we'll send a team. As far as Bombshell, I think we should wait a few days before we show her the email."

Lester said, "I don't think we should show it to her. I think we just tell her that we got news he's okay, period."

"I agree. We don't know her state of mind right now either," Bobby said.

"Alright, dismissed."

TBC