Chapter 15

Time passed without Gabe saying anything, which had my mind going into overdrive. I wasn't so sure now as I watched and waited for an answer and as the silence continued, I was thinking that I'd put myself into a situation that could be bad for me, very bad. I didn't know this guy, what if he had destroyed those meth labs and product because he was working for Grizzoli? What if he was wanting to find out what I knew so that he could get rid of me if he thought that I knew too much? I was suddenly feeling ill, my stomach rolling as those thoughts hit me.

"Steph, are you okay? You've gone as white as a sheet"

No, I wasn't alright. I was close to panicking, something that I hadn't felt like in an age. I had to get away from here before Gabe did something to me, so sweeping my legs to the floor I was up and off the couch rushing for the door. I reached the front door and pushed down the handle, but the door wouldn't open. I was yanking on the handle with tears streaming down my face and then for some stupid reason thought that hitting it with my fists would make a difference. Arms around me had me struggling, squirming to get free with my breaths coming in short sharp gulps. Oh God, what was he going to do to me?

I ended up sat on the floor with Gabe's arms banded around me and his legs crossed over mine in front of us.

"Steph, you gotta calm down. What the hell has got you so upset?"

"Please let me go. I don't know anything, I swear, please don't hurt me"

"What? Hell Steph, why would I want to hurt you? I'm sorry if you thought that"

I stilled as he said that, but could I trust what he'd said to me? I was still shaking, and the tears were still falling. I didn't know what to think. Why couldn't he just tell me the truth?

"I don't want you any more involved than you already are, that was why I stayed quiet. I had to do something about what was happening back home and get Millie out of there. I thought it would be simple. Get in, do what I needed to do and then get out. The problem is that somehow, I've got people looking for me. It's as if they knew what I was planning and then when I discovered who you were, well I wasn't prepared to trust you. I needed to know that for sure. I was here last week so did some asking around, who was running things, and the name Gilman was mentioned. I needed to know that you weren't affiliated to her"

I listened carefully to what he had to say and found an element of what he said to be plausible but if I were to trust him then I needed some more answers.

"Why here, why ask around in Trenton?"

I heard and felt him behind me as he laughed quietly.

"Grandma. She may like people to think that's she's some old woman who's more interested in baking, cooking and advising the younger women, but she isn't. She's sneaky and listens when no one knows that she's there. She also speaks Spanish and overheard that the drugs were headed for Trenton"

As Gabe gave me his explanation things began to fall into place, especially him not being sure of me. I suppose the fact that I was in that area and I was from Trenton was a bit of a coincidence so maybe I couldn't blame him for being apprehensive with me.

"Like a spy in the camp"

Was the phrase that I thought of only realizing that I'd said it out loud when I heard Gabe answer me.

"Yeah. Sorry about that"

I shrugged my shoulders because now that we'd cleared up that misunderstanding, I was feeling a lot calmer. As I made to get to my feet Gabe easily lifted me, though a slight twinge on my stomach had me cursing that the damned cut must have suffered with my meltdown. Saying goodnight to Gabe I escaped into the bedroom glad to be on my own and to think through what had been said tonight. At least I had a bathroom leading from the bedroom though it seemed that the color favored was bright yellow. I honestly didn't care, it was clean, and everything worked, much like the bathroom in my apartment.

Removing the dressing from my stomach I was disappointed that it wasn't healing quickly, and my meltdown had caused it to look red. Putting on a new dressing and a pair of pajamas I lay down on the bed.

Now that I understood why Gabe had asked me the questions that he had, I began to consider if I was in as much danger as he'd implied. Terry Gilman, huh, she and I had always stayed out of each other's way, but I was damn sure that she knew all about me and not because of her side business. So I'd followed Joe to New York and seen them together, so what? I'm sure that I hadn't been seen, but even if I had, surely I'd be seen as the woman who was checking up on her boyfriend. Nah, I was sure that she would never consider that little ole me was keeping tabs on her. As for that tit bit of information from Mooner, well everyone knew that most of the time he was as high as a kite and as he was FTA then of course I'd be the one taking him into the station.

I suppose Darren Rosner was how I came across the information from Mooner. I had no desire to even think about him, nope, not going there because I hadn't had a nightmare for ages. I needed some happy thoughts to take my mind off everything. Point Pleasant and the beach was an image that I could get with, the sound of the waves as they broke on the sand with the faint hiss of the water as it dragged the sand back into the ocean. Yeah, my happy place.

I woke with a start and opened my eyes, disappointed to find myself in an unfamiliar room. I'm sure that my face was flushed and was pretty sure that it had everything to do with the dream that I'd woken from. Oh my, I'd wanted some happy thoughts, but it seemed that the beach wasn't doing it for me last night, but Ranger was. How had my mind gone from the beach to Ranger, huh, what a stupid question. I'd had one glorious, mind numbing week on the beach at Hawaii with Ranger and let's just say that it exceeded all of my expectations. That I had images of that week still in my head from the dream had a smile on my face.

Give it up girl, came as a sigh, because as happy as Ranger made me feel it was only temporary, like the week that we'd had, like my dream. I sighed as I once again gave myself the talk. The talk that Ranger always used to dissuade me from ever seeing us together. He'd said that he loved me, but in his own way. A way that didn't have room for someone like me because his life didn't lend itself to relationships. Pfft, whatever the hell that meant. I didn't have time to go through the whole heart breaking scenario again. My heart just wouldn't take it. I had to get through whatever I'd landed myself in with Gabe.

Once dressed, and I hoped with a happy face in place, I went looking for coffee. I needed it to give me a mental jump start to the day because I had no idea what we'd be doing. Pouring some into a mug from the pot that looked to have been recently brewed I was sure that I heard voices. Where was anyone? Ah a back door that led outside.

"I aint going on it"

"Squirrel, it's easy. What is it that makes you scared?"

Okay, that had my curiosity piqued, so I continued through the door to see Millie stood next to a treadmill with her arms crossed over her chest. I could relate.

"It goes too fast, and it makes me feel stupid"

Gabe was obviously aware that I was watching them, and I knew what he was going to say to me when he looked toward me.

"I totally agree with Millie. I hate the things"

Well, I hated anything that was exercise, but I wasn't going to admit that. Millie relaxed and walked over to me and linked her arm through mine. Yeah, two against one was okay with me. What I didn't expect was for Gabe to open a box and pull out two skipping ropes which he held out for us to take.

"I bet Steph was ace at skipping as a child. Why don't you show Millie how it's done"

"You can skip?"

Well damn, talk about being backed into a corner. No way was I going to back out as memories of Mary Lou and I came back to me. Bring it on.

An hour later I was sat on the floor drinking out of a bottle of water. I was hot and sweaty and had a hoot teaching Millie some of the tricks that I knew. As I sat there, I actually took note of my surroundings realizing that whilst we were outside, we were surrounded by a trellis that gave us privacy, There was a rubber matting on the floor with a few choice machines for exercising. Gabe had made full use of them, making me think of the Merry Men at Rangeman. He certainly had a similar physique though hadn't gone overboard in developing muscles to make him look like a body builder. I watched as he walked up behind Millie and wrapped her in his arms.

"Proud of you Squirrel"

How was it that he reminded me so much of Ranger or was I still agitated from my nighttime dreams? And what was with this name, Squirrel, I was sure that I'd heard it before?

"Okay, how about I show you some ways to get yourself out of trouble"

That had my eyebrows going up because it sure as hell sounded like a nice way to say self defense. I watched and listened as he turned Millie and then stepped back from her.

"Your best defense is to get away from your attacker. If someone tries to punch you then step back and turn, ready to run"

In a simple move it actually looked effective and after a few practices Millie had mastered the move really well.

"What if there's nowhere to run?"

She had a point, but it seemed that Gabe had an answer.

"Duck and rush at them and then use your arms and body to unbalance them. With your foot placed behind their leg, they'll struggle not to fall over"

It was only when Gabe had Millie attacking him and showed her the move that I understood what he meant. Again, it took Millie a few goes but she got the hang of it. After that Gabe went with an attacker holding her from behind insisting that the worst thing to do was to panic and try to get free. Yeah right, I thought. That was easier said than done. I'd had plenty of experience of being in that position.

"Instead relax and go limp, but keep your feet planted firmly on the ground, that will have the assailant loosen his hold"

I was impressed with how easily it seemed to work and then watched as Millie fell into a roll before leaping to her feet and running. I clapped for Millie as she went inside the kitchen, the poor kid was shattered but looked pleased with herself.

"Your turn"

I nearly choked on the water that I was drinking when I saw Gabe looking at me. There was no way to avoid this especially with Millie now stood at the door watching me. Maybe I had more experience of people attacking me so I found that I could preempt a move, but what Gabe had shown us was definitely something that I would use.

I couldn't believe that I'd spent nearly three hours training. I was amazed that I'd enjoyed it. Phew, Stephanie Plum exercising and training, what would Ranger think of that? Shit, why was he always popping into my head recently?

A shower and maybe something to eat might take my mind off him. Another dressing and clean clothes later I found Millie on her own toasting some bread.

"Gabe said to tell you that he had to go out but should be back for dinner"

Gabe wasn't back in time for dinner, so Millie and I had pizza that we found in the freezer section in the fridge. I was worried as I went to bed, unable to sleep. Where the hell was Gabe and was he okay? What if he didn't come back? I tossed and turned with those questions going through my mind. The sound of the front door opening had me jumping and really worried in case we had an intruder. I was too afraid to leave the bed and lay there wondering what to when I heard the beep of the alarm reengaging and then footsteps on the stairs. Gabe was back.

The following morning went the same as the day before. Well almost. Coffee followed by exercise and training. I wasn't going to sugar coat it with another word. This morning though what he added to our training was worrying. That was putting it mildly. Gabe instructed us on what we had to do should someone attack the house. I could sense that that worried Millie so I tried to make light of it. Just a back up plan, that we would never need to use. Hell, I hoped I was right.

I'd hoped that Gabe would tell me where he'd been the day before or what he'd found out but nope. He made no move or attempt to engage in a conversation with me. In fact, he seemed distracted. When I returned after showering, Millie was once again preparing some lunch for us so she didn't have to tell me that Gabe had disappeared, again. I rested against the counter as Millie covered the toast in jam before slicing some cheese on top and making a sandwich with a second piece of toast. That went into the microwave before she passed the warm cheese concoction to me. Taking a bite, I had to admit that it tasted good.

"Why does Gabe call you Squirrel?"

Go for a direct question and maybe she'll give you the explanation.

"When I was eight our Ma died, and Gabe came home. He spent time with me, getting to know me. We spent our time collecting food and he wanted to teach me how to trap animals"

I remembered the trap that Millie had used to catch that rabbit, so it had been Gabe who had shown her how to do that.

"My first catch was a squirrel, but I hated that he was going to be killed so I let him go. I like squirrels, they're fun to watch. Anyway, Gabe started to call me Squirrel after that. See, we share the name on our necklaces"

Millie pulled out a chain that had been hidden underneath her T-shirt for me to see a round pendant that looked to have a Chinese symbol on it.

"The word squirrel in Chinese is made up of two symbols. So I have the second one and Gabe has the first"

That was such a sweet thing for them to share and it made me realize just how important Millie was to Gabe. That she was stuck here with me couldn't be a good thing, not if we were in danger. That had me wondering what Gabe was doing and what he was planning to do. As I finished my toast sandwich, I realized that I felt really tired and that my cheeks felt flushed. Maybe from all of the exercise or the hot shower.

"I'm gonna take a nap, I feel tired after all the workout from this morning"

I felt better after a couple of hours sleep and woke to the smell of cooking. Now normally I'd be starving but as I paid a visit to the bathroom a feeling that I'd not had in an age came over me. I wasn't hungry. Now that was more than weird. Since when did I lose my appetite? I didn't want to make a big fuss over it so played my part as I watched Millie and Gabe set a large dish of risotto onto the table. As we helped ourselves, I made sure to take a small helping. Dinner was a quiet affair, well I was quiet as Millie told Gabe stories from home and the people that lived there. It was interesting to listen to what she was saying, and I realized, not just from my time there, that she was happy and content with how her life was. Until those men showed up. Afterwards we all stuck in to clear away, and as usual Millie disappeared leaving me with Gabe. Maybe he was ready to talk to me now, well I sure as hell hoped so.

"I'm sorry that I took off. There are some things that are bothering me, and I wanted to try and, well make some enquiries"

I suppose he was talking but he wasn't telling me anything. I was feeling quite frustrated by now and I suppose the day had taken its toll on me.

"I won't be a prisoner here Gabe. You do what you have to do, but in the morning, I'm going home"

I had no idea how, but I'd make it happen. No way was I going to sit around here waiting for Gabe to allow me to leave, nope, not happening. I was fed up and annoyed but didn't want to get into a shouting match with Gabe. Okay, so maybe he didn't trust me, well he could go to hell if that was the case. As I made to move, that was when Gabe held up his hand as though to stop me.

"I'm sorry Steph. I've been trying to find some things out, but I have to admit that I'm hitting dead ends"

Okay, I could relate to that. How many times had I struggled to find a skip and had to resort to asking someone for help. What was annoying me about Gabe was that he wasn't telling me what it was that he was looking for. I knew that he'd disrupted the operation in the Ozarks but surely that was to help his family and the people who lived down there.

"Are you trying to close down the drugs coming into Trenton?"

Because that would take more than one man and a very knowledgeable understanding of who was involved and how they worked. Gabe shaking his head surprised me because I had no idea what else he was trying to figure out.

"No. For some reason I'm being tracked, and I have no idea why or who it is. It started before I left home, back in Europe, so I've been very careful with my movements to throw them off"

Hmm, Europe. I had never even imagined that Gabe didn't live here in the States, and it did have me wondering what his work involved.

"Did you tell your boss that you were coming here?"

Gabe sitting back in the chair had me assuming that he was either thinking about answering me or going through who he might have told.

"Not my boss. I took some leave that was owed me, but I may have mentioned that I was concerned about my sister to one of my colleagues"

He was being vague with his answers and that had my imagination running in all directions. Why wouldn't he just say what work he did? Maybe I needed to just ask.

"Gabe, what exactly is your job?"

A small smile was not what I expected.

"I can't say Steph, suffice to say that it's important"

How was it that I managed to meet men who had secrets to keep. Ranger was the same. I could appreciate that he couldn't say anything about when he went in the wind, but I wasn't stupid. I'd overheard the Merry Men talking and reminiscing over their time when they'd worked a contract for the government. No, it was the small things that I was curious about, like his favorite film, book or music. Stories about his childhood. Hell, he knew everything about me, yet he was so secretive about himself.

"Steph, Stephanie?"

I looked up to see Gabe with a questioning look on his face. Okay, so I was lost in thought about Ranger, but it gave me a moment to pause and consider that.

"When I need help or I'm in trouble there's one person that I cany rely on. I trust him with my life"

My heart not so much because he didn't know how he chipped away at that. I looked at Gabe because if I could persuade him to let Ranger help us, we'd have a much better chance of staying alive and just maybe, Ranger could help out with Gabe's other problem.

"Trouble?"

Surely if Gabe had done his research on me then he'd know of the problems that I could attract. Unbelievable, because now I was going to have to give him some examples.

"He was mentor when I started bounty hunting. His company bring in high bond skips so they know the ropes. Anyway, for some reason I seem to attract trouble. Like when a gang took out a contract on me. He let me stay in his building and worked like crazy to stop someone from killing me. Then when I was helping a neighbor look for her daughter and granddaughter, well this mad man got involved. He terrorized me but Ranger helped me. He's made sure that he has connections, in all areas of Trenton, it helps with aspects of his business. He once"

"Ranger? Who uses a name like that?"

I was about to include the redecorating job that I'd kinda helped with as a way to explain that Ranger also helped me out when work was slow. The interruption took me by surprise so maybe Gabe did know of my disasters.

"His name is Carlos Manoso. I think that the name Ranger came about when he was in the army, but he uses it as his street name, and I suppose most people know him as that"

Including me. Damn that sounded so pathetic. Here I was professing to love the man when I was never invited to call him by his real name. Was that Ranger's way of keeping me at arms length, probably.

"Manoso"

Gabe repeating the name had me looking at him and frowning. Now what? What was so wrong with me knowing Ranger so well, well intimately really?

"Can you get in touch with him?"

My first instinct was that of shock with a grain of suspicion thrown in. If Gabe had doubts about Ranger and who he was would he try to hurt him?

"Steph, you said that you trust him. Maybe he could help us"

My eyebrows shot up in surprise as my heart did a little skip. I so wanted Ranger to know what was happening and was sure that he'd help us out. I missed his calmness and how he approached a problem, but most of all I missed my friend, my confidante.

"When I left Trenton, he was out of town, on a job. Hopefully he's back and he has my phone. I left a message on it for him after I left"

I stopped there because I didn't want to even think about what I'd seen just before I'd left Trenton. Lula, goddamn her, getting out of what seemed like a Rangeman SUV. Then Terry talking to whoever was driving it. I just hoped that Ranger was back home and had the sense to check through my bag and find my phone. Would he have looked through my messages? I hoped so, would he have understood what I was trying to tell him when I was cut off? The idea that I couldn't trust someone at Rangeman was, well, devastating. Especially if that meant that Ranger had a bad apple in the building, he'd be furious. Maybe not as furious if I was wrong.

"Do it. I'll give you our coordinates"