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Chapter 14

They ate breakfast in the hotel restaurant on the patio Sunday morning. It had been a whirlwind weekend but unfortunately Ranger had to leave the next morning.

They sat planning their day. Just then, Ranger's phone rang. He looked at the number and spoke.

"Manoso."

There was some conversation.

"What time?"

More words.

"We'll be there."

Ranger hung up and looked at his Babe. She never ceased to be amazed how few words he could use in a conversation.

Ranger finished his breakfast and he looked at her.

"Babe, we need to be ready to leave about three this afternoon."

Stephanie thought of their plans for today. It had been tentatively penciled in as an off-day with no real activities. She noticed that he gave no details and shrugged her shoulders. Truth be told, she had made most of the plans for the whole weekend and Ranger had gone along with them, as some were work or business related.

They took their time finishing their coffee and holding hands, went for a walk in the park by the hotel. Stephanie saw a wagon selling corn dogs and her mouth watered. Ranger looked at her.

"Babe, you just ate an hour ago. How can you be hungry again?"

She smiled at him. Corn dogs were one of her very favorite foods and she would always make room for one. Squirting mustard up and down the dog, she took a big bite and moaned with enjoyment. Ranger shifted on the park bench and watched as her eyes closed and she took another bite.

He had always treated food as for sustenance only and really could not understand how it could be so very enjoyable. He tried to think of his favorite food and other than flan, which he did like, nothing jumped out, after all, it was just food.

They found a small merry-go-round and Stephanie let go of Ranger's hand and raced to it, kicking off her sandals and grabbing one of the grab bars. Ranger stood by and watched as she pushed it faster and faster then jumped on. He watched as she lay down on the spinning platform and lay with her arms and legs spread out and she looked up at the sky.

He shook his head and gauging the speed grabbed one of the handles and ran pushing it faster and faster before jumping on and making his way to her. He too lay down with his head by hers and also lay still looking at the sky as the little apparatus spun round and round. He turned his head to hers and gently kissed her on the lips. They lay that way feeling the merry-go-round slow down then stop.

They sat up and blushed as two little girls stood by watching them.

Laughing they climbed off and Ranger held her hand as Stephanie slipped into her sandals. As they walked away, they heard the little girls say to each other.

"They kissed each other. Yuuucccky!"

Three o'clock arrived and he guided her to the car. He had stated that they would need clothes for a cool outing so they had jackets over their arms and wore long slacks and comfortable shoes.

Ranger was quiet on the way, which was not unusual but he did seem a bit preoccupied. Stephanie sat back and enjoyed the ride, listening to the soft music coming from the stereo.

Ranger pulled up at the Kentucky Exposition Center, and showed his pass to the gate attendant.

Stephanie sat up and looked around. There were people scurrying everywhere preparing their giant hot air balloons to lift into the evening sky. She looked at Ranger and he grinned. She remembered that he had asked her to hold off on finding a ride and while she had wondered why, she had accepted his wish. It appeared that he had been doing some phoning himself and she started to bounce with excitement.

They parked the car and walked into the field. Ranger was looking at his phone as if following a map.

Two men came up to Ranger and shook his hand then her hand, thanking them for coming. Stephanie looked at the basket that was being dragged off the trailer. It was the standard cane material and looked about the size to hold the operator, a space for the heater in the middle and room to hold approximately three other people. She watched as two men proceeded to bring out the propane heater, then grabbing a large bag, pulled it off the trailer.

They laid it on the ground and began to unroll it, being careful not to snag it in any way. There were steel cables and they stretched them out as they progressed.

Stephanie stood transfixed as they worked. She looked at Ranger and a smile began to creep out. He had arranged for them to take a ride? He had done this knowing that she wanted to try something new?

She squeezed his hand as she watched the preparations.

The men certainly appeared to know their jobs and before long the lines were attached to the basket, which was laying on its side. A third man had secured the burner to the top of the basket.

Stephanie looked around. Balloons as far as she could see were being prepared for takeoff. It looked like everyone was waiting for a signal to start inflating. All of a sudden there were compressors starting up. Stephanie watched in fascination at the balloon began to inflate then lift upwards until it swayed gently above the basket.

Ranger took her hand and walked to the left then pointed up to the balloon and Stephanie could only take a shuddered breath. On the side in very, very large letters were the words, 'Kennedy Horse Accessories'. Underneath was her web address and the picture of a horse's head.

Stephanie turned to Ranger and he smiled.

"It's too early for your birthday, Babe, but I thought you might like the present."

He continued.

"As you know the main Balloon Glow was early on Saturday but there were so many applications that could not be processed so they scheduled another flight today."

Stephanie jumped into his arms and squealed in his ear. He had his arms around her and hugged her to him as she kissed him again and again, crying tears of happiness.

"Oh Ranger. It's such a beautiful gift. And we get to take a ride in it for the inaugural flight?"

Stephanie looked at Ranger. His facial expression gave nothing away that he may or may not have helped the planning committee to schedule another flight. She sighed. She would never know and he certainly would never divulge how close she was to the truth.

Her eyes twinkled and she wriggled out of his embrace.

Walking to the now upright basket she slid her hand over the material, looked inside, then glanced at the heater, attached above the basket pointing into the base of the balloon. She peeked up looking at how large the inside of the balloon was. She was practically jumping for joy.

Ranger took her hand in his as they walked over to the pilot operator. He gave a quick safety lesson on do's and dont's in a balloon and looked around. A few balloons were being prepared to lift off and he glanced at Ranger.

Ranger scooped her into the basket and then he jumped in. The pilot operator was already in and looking at the ground crew he turned on the heater, warming up the air. He looked around as they started to lift off the ground. Score, he was one of the first off!

They lifted and the wind started to drift them over the city of Louisville. Ranger and Stephanie held hands and looked down, marveling at the sight. Stephanie could not believe how quiet it was, except when the heater kicked on for a few seconds then off again.

Ranger held her against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. He gave her a kiss on the top of her head and put his lips against her ear, whispering to her. She wriggled and then she reached up pulling his head down to her upturned face and gave him a kiss on the lips. They looked in each other's eyes and saw only love.

They drifted along watching the other balloons also following. Some were higher, some lower.

Their pilot was on his phone and pointed to a spot. He would try to land in a nice soft field so as not to damage anything or anyone. He had taken note that there were no power lines to impede or get tangled in.

The ground crew was waiting as they softly landed. There was only a slight bump as 'her' balloon gently returned them to Mother Earth.

Ranger picked her up and set her down on the outside of the basket then putting one hand on the top railing he vaulted out.

There was one of the crew standing by with glasses and a bottle of champagne and they toasted the pilot operator and the balloon for a safe ride. Their basket companion handed them a Sim card of pictures he had taken of them during the flight.

A vehicle stood ready to take them back to the fair grounds.

Ranger watched as Stephanie turned around looking through the back window at 'her' balloon. He felt relieved that he had picked the perfect gift for her. She could take a ride whenever it went out, or rent out the basket to would-be riders. It was pretty good advertising and could go anywhere she was at for Open Houses.

They returned to their car and prepared to leave.

Stephanie held Ranger's hand all the way back to the hotel. They were mentally counting down the hours before the plane left carrying him back east.

They ordered in Room Service and spent the rest of the night in each other's arms. Sleep came only when they had reached exhaustion levels and even then they slept close, very, very close.

Morning came and Ranger had his duffel by the door. Stephanie was running back and forth from the bathroom as she was dropping him off at the airport and then heading to a meeting.

The drive to the airport was made in silence and walking hand in hand they walked into the departure area. Stephanie watched as Ranger confirmed his flight and received his boarding pass. He walked with Stephanie to the special security area for his check, stopping at the door.

"Babe, I had a fantastic weekend and I'll think of you until I see you in two weeks. We've already registered you in The London again and your wardrobe is scheduled to be delivered on the 14th."

Stephanie was holding onto Ranger's hand so hard he could feel the pressure, but he never mentioned it to her. Goodbye's were hard for her and today was no different.

He reached around and lifted her into the air, giving her a hug, and tenderly kissing her.

"I'll phone you this evening after your meetings, Babe. Be safe and I'll be counting the days until I see you again."

He put her down and made as if to stride away. Stephanie pulled back on his hand, taking Ranger slightly off-balance and into her. She reached up and put both arms around his neck and pulling his head down, looked into his eyes.

"I love you, Carlos Manoso."

With that, she let him go and watched as he walked through the doors.

~~~o0o~~~

Bobby was sitting in the hotel room as Les wearily unlocked the door and walked in. He dropped his bag on the ground and slumped onto the bed. He was tired and dirty but it was his eyes that Bobby had zeroed in on. Les had seen a lot in his life and while he was not particularly a scared man, certain situations never failed to bother him.

Bobby let him collect his thoughts. Les rolled over and sitting up, he took off his jacket and proceeded to tear a small hole in the seam. He pulled out another little recorder and flipped it to his best friend and sidekick.

"Silvio is waiting for that to be sent to him in Miami. He has voice recognition on three of the four men from my first meeting already and I hope he can figure out the fourth man. At the same time, I hope that he can zero in on a couple of female voices. One seemed to filter in and out during our 'training' as if she was trying to stay out of the day-to-day activities and one seemed to be assessing what we were good at."

He looked at Bobby and motioned for the can of pop that he was holding, tipping it to his lips and draining the last of the can.

"As far as I can ascertain, there are two main groups. One is the front, older men and women who are quietly petitioning for legislation to relax the gun rules and petitioning for the tightening up of immigrant laws and numbers. Then, and these are the scary ones, are the behind the scene people who terrorize and help to 'make problems disappear'. I apparently have been slotted into that group and let me tell you, these people are more ruthless than some of the worst terrorists we have ever encountered."

Bobby let him talk. He was decompressing and at the same time, was reporting what he had observed. Les knew that Bobby had his phone on speaker and it was being taped back at Rangeman. That too would be put into the file.

Bobby looked at Les as he lay down again on the bed. His face was still screwed up in concentration and he knew that he was processing his next thought.

"All the signs are there that they have someone or more than one someone at the Summit. There were all kinds of meetings going on and any time-line I heard had to do with the Summit. It was hard to sneak around, really impossible as there were cameras everywhere, but the odd comment or sentence in the lunch room seemed to confirm that they are close and just waiting. If I had to guess, they are targeting a select group of ladies. Since their motto is whites only or old country, I expect that they are looking at anyone black or Latino. I suggest we target that group for extra vigilance."

Bobby stood up watching as Les pushed himself off the mattress to stand and speak.

"I showed them my travel schedule and that my job was taking me out of town for the next two weeks. They advised me that when I got back, I would be contacted again, so I will make my way back to Trenton, via Baltimore."

Bobby gave him a fist bump and headed out the door. He would catch a ride to Trenton with the vehicle that had been earmarked for temporary storage and check up on how Ram had been doing. He had not received any word otherwise, and assumed that Ram had indeed not burned down the building during his absence but was running it as he had been ordered.

He put his phone back into his pocket after checking that Les' tracking chip was stationary. Les had had the medic in New York insert it before he had gone and the code had been sent to Bobby to track. They had the destination now where Les had been taken. It was an old abandoned warehouse used to store combustibles. Bobby had checked out the owner of the building and from the data it appeared that he owned a number of properties in the gated industrial area.

In his pocket had been a sedative which Bobby had slipped into the can before giving it to Les. It should be working fairly soon as there had not been much liquid left in the can. Checking, he noticed that there was now an un-uniformed guard from Rangeman New York guarding the room and Les until he emerged from the room.

~~~o0o~~~

Ram looked at the in-box sitting beside the desk. He was beginning to appreciate the hard work that the Core Team processed on a daily basis in addition to all their other tasks. He shifted as the timer on his computer rang signaling that the morning meeting was about to start in ten minutes.

Pulling the paper work needed, he stood up. He remembered that it was OK to be early to the meeting, but never, never late.

Walking into the conference room he spied almost all the chairs occupied. He looked at his watch. Two minutes to go.

Just as his watch beeped, there was the sounds of running boots in the hallway and Zeke and Lee raced into the conference room, sliding to a stop as they grimaced at every eye watching them.

Ram scowled at them and spoke.

"Gentlemen, see me after the meeting."

They visibly swallowed and slunk to their chairs.

Ram looked over the men sitting attentively. This was his first time chairing the morning meeting and although he was nervous, he stilled his face and spoke.

"There was a break in last night and I looked at the response times. Just because a number of senior management are not in-house doesn't give anyone the excuse to take their time responding. I expect a full report on this alarm and what transpired."

He looked down at his notes.

"Three vehicles are in for maintenance which means that there will be some juggling. As a last resort, we can shuffle a couple from another location but until that happens be aware of the absolute need to ensure that they are fueled before returning them to the garage."

He looked down again.

"Bobby let it slip that he is popping a surprise fitness test later this week. A word to the wise here, you do NOT want to be on the receiving end of Bobby's punishment. I slipped up and wound up on a macrobiotic diet for two months! Just saying...!"

He noticed one man surreptitiously trying to cover up what looked like the bandage on a new tat on his upper arm. The room became very, very quiet as all eyes checked from one man to the other. Ram walked over to him and stood watching as he slowly stopped fidgeting and sat still in his chair. Ram felt him suck in his breath as he looked at the bandage that was now under Ram's hand.

"Nicols, report to the medic!"

Andrew Nicols nodded his head as he hissed in pain, then spoke.

"Sir, yes Sir!"

He stood up to leave then collapsed, almost falling to the ground except for the fact that two men caught him before he hit his head on the table. Ram had his phone out and called.

"Stick, report to Conference Room C now!"

Nicols was now laying on the floor and there was a ring of Rangemen standing around watching as Ted 'Stick' Hanson raced in with his bag under his arm.

He moved to the fallen man and then looked up.

"What happened?"

Ram spoke.

'He was fidgeting and kept trying to adjust the sleeve on his shirt. I walked over to him and put my hand on the bandage and he went white as a sheet. I ordered him to report to you and when he stood up, he collapsed."

Stick took a pair of surgical scissors out of his bag and cut the arm of the shirt up to the shoulder, pulling it back and then he carefully peeled the cling bandage off. He softly whistled as he looked at the angry mess.

He nodded to two men and they helped Nicols to stand up and keeping from touching his arm they supported him out the door to the infirmary.

Ram looked at everyone.

"Any business that can't wait?

There was silence, so Ram nodded and spoke.

"Dismissed."

Chairs scraped back and there was almost a stampede out the door. Zeke and Lee stood up and waited for the room to clear. Ram marched to them and unconsciously they snapped to attention. He put down the folder on the table beside them and waited for one of them to speak.

There was a clearing of throats and finally Lee spoke.

"Sir, no excuses. We were in the range trying out Zeke's new weapon and sighting it in. We had our ear protection on and did not hear the beep on our phones."

Ram looked at them. As a sniper he ached to ask what weapon they were trying out. Zeke was also a sniper and was preparing to leave on a mission. He thought what would be an appropriate punishment.

"Since you obviously want to be in the range, you two can clean it from top to bottom, ensuring that all the targets are re-stocked, the cubicles are cleaned and ready for use, the alleys are free of dust, and just for good measure, the fans in the ceiling are dusted and levelled. That is to be completed before your shift. Dismissed."

The men in front of him nodded and as if counting, spun around in perfect unison and marched through the door.

Ram walked out of the room and to Bobby's office, noting that the report from last night's break-in was already on his desk.

He made a note to check on the man in the infirmary and get some information on where he had been inked. He would be following up the store conditions and the tattoo operator's health certificates. He mentally started to plug in a new partner for Andrew Nicols.

He sat down looking at his in-box that was once again over-flowing with paperwork. He hoped that someone from the Core Team came home soon.

~~~o0o~~~

Once again there was a conference call.

"We have less than two weeks before our plan is put into effect. Our sources confirm that Rangeman is providing security, so be very vigilant. Liam has worked in conjunction with their personnel in the past and he states that they can be ruthless in the field. We are depending on him to alert us to any change in plans. He doesn't believe that he has been compromised in any way and covered his tracks sufficiently. The money is in holding and our personnel have been fully briefed on their duties."

The voice added the quote, 'We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.' (The American Freedom Party)"

A/N – this author does not condone the actions of this party but used it in this story for entertainment purposes only.

I feel anger and sadness at the events that have occurred in the past few weeks to do with firing weapons at innocent people in my country or in others around the world. My heart goes out to families and friends coping with the loss of a loved one due to these senseless and unnecessary attacks.

Myrna