Chapter 18

"Lester, what the hell are you doing?"

At least he realized I was here and looked up at me. He didn't even have the nerve to look the least bit embarrassed at invading my privacy. Mats, flashed through my head before I was looking at what he was doing. Though why he had those files here in my apartment was a mystery to me.

"That name. It was bugging me, like I'd come across it before. I couldn't get these out at my house, and my office here just isn't secure"

I had no idea what he was talking about or why he was looking through files that to me resembled the files that held our reports after a government mission. He must have realized that I was waiting for an explanation by the look that I was giving him.

"That name that we heard when we were down in the Ozarks. It was niggling at me, so I decided to go through some of my files. Not one of the top guys but his name was recorded as one of the men outside the inner circle, but a mean son of a bitch"

José Diego was the name that had been mentioned when we were close to the site of that first explosion, and I thought at the time that it would be significant.

"He worked under Hernández"

Oh, I remembered him. That name conjured up images that I'd rather forget. We'd been given a virtually impossible job to complete and thinking back on it we were lucky to get out of there alive. Seven years ago, Hernández disappeared, courtesy of me and my team, along with his generals. His fields and factories for producing drugs were destroyed and we even managed to free a lot of the villagers who'd been forced into slave labor.

"Are you saying that José Diego has, what, rebuilt Hernández's operation?"

"Makes sense. I logged into my official site to check out the status and according to updates the area that we cleansed shows no evidence of being used again. Maybe he relocated"

I knew from experience that you could take out one cartel just for another to take its place. I was grateful that Lester had solved that puzzle so was now wondering if this José Diego was responsible for any of the drugs that were on the streets of Trenton or if they had been from an influx from those cabins that been destroyed. Maybe Mac had been right, that José Diego had seen them as a threat so put a stop to their operations.

Lester was slowly gathering his files and paperwork and putting them inside a box by the side of the couch.

"I'll put them in my safe and then you don't have to be seen walking out with them"

The box was handed over to me as Lester walked past me and out of the door. Knowing how confidential the contents were I went through to the bedroom and opened my closet before reaching for the latch on the side wall. A door slid to the side revealing the safe so after opening it with a retinal scan I walked in and placed it on the shelf next to my own confidential information. As I turned to exit my eyes fell on Steph's phone that I'd put in here for safe keeping. Picking it up I wondered if she might call her own phone again. Powering it up I was aware of numerous messages coming in, seeing Lula and Connie's numbers along with her mother's and Mary Lou. I wasn't interested in those, but my heart beat faster when I read an incoming message from an unknown number. I stayed inside the closet but sat down on the floor as I opened the message. My hand was clenching the phone tightly as Steph's voice filled the room.

"I know, I'm a nuisance but am praying that you're back and that Connie gave you my bag. 39.796166 by 75.353125. Please, BAOYS"

I listened to her message a couple of times feeling so relieved that Steph had managed to reach out to me. Looking at the time that the message had been sent it was only three hours ago that she'd called. Thank God that I'd eventually had the sense to check her phone.

"Clever girl, Babe"

I whispered knowing that she couldn't hear me but feeling so relieved. Whereas I'd felt tired fifteen minutes ago, I was wide awake now. I slipped Steph's phone back onto the shelf and then closed and locked the safe door before heading to my office. Her voice was there in my head as though she was in the room, replaying what she'd said. I was about to boot up my laptop when her final letters hit me. Be aware of your surroundings.

I looked at the screen that held a photo of Steph and stopped in my tracks. You stupid idiot, I said to myself as I slammed the lid closed. If someone was looking for what they could find, then my laptop would be a prime place to start because it was linked into the server here at Rangeman. I was in a hurry to find out if the numbers that Steph had told me were for where she was, coordinates for her location. Going over to the bookcase I pulled out a large scale map of the area and located those coordinates, slightly puzzled at where they were leading me to. Regardless of that thought I took the time to plan a route I could take for getting there, memorizing it.

A look around my apartment showed that it was tidy with nothing on show or out of place. I left to take the stairs down to the garage wearing jeans and a hoodie but still had my weapons with me. Anyone seeing me through the cameras would assume that I was going offline and hopefully decide that it was none of their business. I had no idea what I was going to be walking into, so needed to focus on keeping safe and getting to Steph. I was unsure of who would be there when I finally reached that location or if Steph was even okay. Would she be alone, or would Morelli be with her, not that I was particularly in the mood for talking to him. As far as I was concerned, he shouldn't be with her, but then again he had left town at the same time that she had. The thought that she was being held by someone and had been forced to message me went through my mind but for some reason I was feeling optimistic. For some reason she was hiding out, who from I had no idea.

The garage was empty as I walked through it toward the Porsche Turbo, I knew there were no trackers on it or on me and I'd left my phone switched off in my apartment. No one should know where I was going but if there was an emergency, then I had a SAT phone secured in the trunk.

I was heading for South Bridgeport Road, which was close to 50 miles away, near to Racoon Creek. I could have taken the fastest route, 130 and 295, but they had cameras, and I didn't want to be seen. Instead, I took the back roads avoiding the speed cameras, checking constantly in my mirrors. There was little traffic on the road, so I made good time arriving at my destination. South Bridgeport Road was a circular road that ended at US 322, somewhere that I didn't want to end up driving down, so I entered the road from the north and drove carefully down the street.

It was a narrow street interspersed with detached houses on either side of it, all in darkness at this early hour of the morning. At times I caught glimpses of Racoon Creek on my right, but my focus was on the properties on the left. I drove past the house that matched the coordinates that Steph had sent, seeing a house set back from the road. The whole of the plot seemed to be fenced in and there was a metal gate that allowed vehicle access to the drive that led to the house. I continued driving past the house to the end of Bridgeport Road and then turned around, deciding how to approach this.

There were no other vehicles on the street, so I parked my car on the grass verge under some trees about 50 feet away from the house where I needed to be. From there I walked the perimeter of the property checking out the surroundings, constantly looking around me and at the house. It appeared to be dark inside, but I could see the occasional rooms that appeared to have a light on. Maybe it even had tinted windows, but certainly blackout curtains. It looked to be made from wood with windows on a first floor. Not a large house but set further back from the street than any or the others. I considered my options as I continued to watch the house for any sign of movement. The fence was too high to scale, so I went back to the front and looked at the small gate next to the large one.

Taking a deep breath and being sure that my gun was within reach I turned the handle, hearing the click before the gate swung open. Okay, that was strange, and it went through my head that someone was expecting me. Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself for any possibility. Babe, I'm coming for you, was my mantra as I pushed it open. I was grateful not to hear any squeaks or groans as it moved, so quietly closed it behind me. As I neared the house, I steeled myself for the worst, expecting to be ambushed at any minute but there was silence around me, except for the sound of the leaves rustling above me. As I looked up, that was when I noticed the small camera above the front door, probably not unusual but it was unsettling, because there was no doubt in my mind that I was being watched.

I wasn't sure whether to knock or not, when the door suddenly swung open, as though someone was expecting me. I probably wasn't that far wrong if someone was watching the camera. Looking past the door was a dark and empty hallway with doors leading to the left and right and one at the end. The door to the left was open which provided enough light spilling out for me to see by. I tentatively pushed the door further open and walked into that hallway my nerves tight and muscles ready for anything. I allowed the door to close behind me and stepped over to the opened door unsure of what I was walking into. Even though I was prepared for anything the sight and then the feel of Steph suddenly against me was overwhelming. I wrapped my arms around her, my face in her hair just absorbing her essence. I was sure that I closed my eyes because I was suddenly on emotional overload. Relief, happiness, calmness that overtook my usual awareness of my surroundings.

"Babe"

Came out as a whisper against her ear, the word conveying so much more that I wanted her to know.

"I was so worried that you wouldn't come"

Came from her as I hugged her tighter, aware that she was shaking and feeling her tears against my cheek. I was about to ask if she was okay when the sound of movement caught my attention. I tensed cursing myself for being so stupid that I missed that there was someone else in the room. Was it Morelli?

"It's okay. Gabe's a friend. He's been helping me"

That had me looking over Steph's shoulder in surprise because the man now stood in the light, clear for me to see, was the man that I'd been looking for. The man wanted by the FBI. Shit.

"Carlos Manoso. I'm sorry that Steph couldn't contact you by normal means but. Well, I'm not sure that it's safe for us"

The tone of his voice was polite but reserved as he looked over to me and for the first time in my life, I wasn't sure what to do. I had no phone on me, no tracker or panic button and Steph in my arms. A second sound of a door opening had us both looking to the door.

"Gabe, I'm frightened"

A young girl, maybe thirteen, walked into the room and straight over to the man. As she hugged him, he kissed the top of her head as though to comfort her. She had the same colored hair as his, that fell half way down her back and blue eyes. Watching them closely I assumed that they were related. We were both eying each other up as I held onto Steph, my thoughts running through how the hell to get her out of here. I couldn't believe that the man we had been looking for was stood in front of me.

My attention was pulled to the present at the sound of a beeping sound that seemed to be coming from everywhere. That had the man, Gabe, rushing over to the other side of the room and opening up the doors of a cupboard at the side of a fireplace, revealing at least six screens. The images looked to be from infrared cameras and were showing various views from around the property. From what I could see from where I was stood there appeared to be men moving around outside in the grounds. What the hell? Where had they come from and why were they here? Had this been a set up by Gabe, to get me off his scent? No, because he should have no idea that I was tracking him. So who were they? Gabe's reaction was very calm as he turned toward the young girl, but his instructions were very clear.

"Girls, we have to leave. Go get your things"

What the hell. The idiot. Didn't he realize that we were surrounded. If people were after Steph and Gabe, it wouldn't be easy to get us out of here. Steph immediately pulled away from me and I watched as she and the girl ran from the room. That was when Gabe moved on me quickly, like a demented man, his hands clasped tightly around my neck.

"Did you bring them with you? Were you followed?"

I relaxed against his hold because I could see in his eyes that he was ready to beat the shit out of me. I could maybe take him, but not easily, and my mind was reeling from the implications of what he was saying. Plus, my priority now was Steph and for some reason she seemed to trust him.

"No, they aren't my men, and I took every precaution to ensure that I wasn't followed. No trackers or phone"

Was all I could say to defend myself.

"Believe me when I say that if it weren't for Steph, I'd kill you here and now"

I had no doubt that he could try, but I wouldn't make it easy for him. To prove my point, I used my hand and squeezed him hard with my thumb, digging into his Median Nerve, the nerve located on the inside of his forearm just at the base of his wrist. The effect was immediate and as his grip on me released I used the palms of my hand on his chest to push him away from me.

"We're ready"

Came from the young girl as Steph looked on at the way that Gabe was staring me down. Maybe she could feel the tension between us, or saw how we were staring at each other, because there sure as hell wasn't a lot of trust between us. Gabe stepped back and then turned toward the young girl and Steph, before he ushered them through to the hall and then began to move a rug.

I followed and watched, wondering what the hell he was doing. If we had armed men outside, then we needed to defend ourselves. I was about to pull out the gun from the back of my jeans when he pointed a controller at the floor, and I watched as a section of the floor came up. A safe room maybe? He pulled the hatch up and then helped first the girl down and then Steph.

"Ranger, you have to come, please"

No way was I going to be leaving Steph now. Not when I'd just found her. I looked at Gabe who just nodded his head, so I followed Steph down the ladder. We were in a small area barely high enough to stand up in with only just enough room for the four of us. As Gabe followed me down, he closed the hatch behind him and then was pointing his controller at the floor. The floor was covered in debris from bits of wood to pieces of concrete, so I watched fascinated as a section once again opened up. The sound of water was the first thing that I was aware of, the second thing was an electronic timer just below this new opening that shone with a red light. It was a timer that was counting down, which had a very uneasy feeling coming over me. Gabe had a hold of the girl in front of him and whispered something to her before turning to me.

"Hold Steph to your front. You need to drop into the water and let the current take you. When that timer gets to ten the door will automatically close"

I didn't even want to think what would happen when it reached zero. Gabe disappeared with a splash sounding as he hit the water. Turning to Steph I could see that she was terrified, but time was running out and we had to move. I pulled her in front of me folding my arms around her.

"Babe, I won't let go, I promise"

I dropped over the edge with Steph held tightly against me, feeling her tense below my arms. I cleared my mind of everything I knew, my sole goal was to get us out of this alive. The water was cold but not freezing as my body hit the water but instead of touching the bottom as I expected, my feet were suddenly swept from underneath me. I was aware of the concrete hatch closing behind me but was too concerned with keeping us face up.

We were in a very dark tunnel with no light penetrating the inside which gave me no idea of what we were travelling inside of. At times we seemed to skim against the sides making it difficult to keep my feet facing forward, and us above the water. Splashes kept hitting my face and I was sure that Steph was feeling the same. I needed to keep her calm as I held onto her so between breaths tried to keep her focused on me.

"I'm with you Babe, you're safe"

The sound of rushing water was all that I heard as we careered down what I could only assume was a tunnel. I had no idea where the water was coming from or where it would take us and really didn't want to think how clean it was. The speed of the water never let up and it took me by surprise when I suddenly felt myself falling. I caught a glimpse of reflections catching on ripples before we were suddenly dropped like stones into yet more water. No current or underpull made it easy for me to kick with my feet up to the surface. I took in a deep breath aware that Steph was struggling to get her breath but at the same time concerned that we might attract the attention of the men from the house. Turning Steph to me I held her face up above the level of the water while I trod water to keep us afloat.

"Breathe with me Babe. That's it. We're okay, we're safe"

As her breathing calmed, I looked around us to work out where we were. The water was calmer now and black as ink but through the darkness I could hear the soft lapping of water against the sides.

"Over here"

Came the soft whisper that sounded so loud in the darkness and quiet that surrounded us. With Steph held once again on my chest, with her head resting on my shoulder, I swam on my back toward where the voice had come from.

"Under the dock, there's a boat tied up. Get inside as quietly as you can"

Turning my head, I saw the dock but also the soft red glow that seemed to be filling the sky. The sound of sirens in the distance only confirmed my suspicions of what had happened. That timer was set to blow the whole house up with anyone who was stupid enough to have gone inside. As I reached the side of the boat, I saw Gabe leaning over the side, so moving my hands to Steph's hips pushed her up into his waiting hands before hoisting myself out of the water. As my feet touched the boards, I was seeing Steph being carried by Gabe wondering what the hell had happened to her.