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Chapter 18
Sophia and Stephanie looked at each other. Was this a mass kidnapping, or was someone in the car being targeted? They both looked around surreptitiously at their fellow captives. The car held nine people but the security guard seemed to have waved off more entering for some reason and there were a few empty seats. Stephanie made a mental note to address that when, not if she got free. She looked around at everyone as they drove along. Everybody seemed shocked that this had happened to them. They didn't look like they were trying to cover up something and deep down, Stephanie was not feeling that anybody in the back was a danger to them. It appeared that they were all in the same boat together.
Stephanie moved her hand to her clutch, thinking that it was times like this that she regretted giving back the panic button. She was not sure if she could get her phone open and press the one button to Rangeman that would alert them to her danger but she was sure that she didn't want to endanger anyone in the car trying. She wondered if anybody else was being targeted with the mass exit out of both doors. Could it have been a ruse with the staff rushing in to draw attention to themselves and allow people out the back who did not want the publicity? Were these the people who someone had targetted all along knowing that they would do just that and then as the media was clamoring for something to report, they could steal away with their real target?
She hoped that Ranger and his men were getting a handle on what was happening back at the Convention Centre. Stephanie hoped that Zoe was safe. She sat still and her mind settled on Les. Had he and the men detained the woman he was hunting for or had she escaped? How many of the wait staff had been in on the disruption anyway? Had the ladies who had raced in with the paint cans changed their plans when she had found the placards and having nothing to carry into the banquet room then picked up the spray paint cans in an effort to ruin the evening dresses on the guests? So many questions and very few answers right now.
Unfortunately she needed to be alert to what was happening in their car. Charles was certainly in danger because he had the crazy woman in the front seat with him with a gun pointed to his head. She hoped that he was calm under pressure, but at first glance, he seemed to be agreeing to all the commands she was giving him. He appeared to have a calmness about him that almost bespoke of having been in dangerous occasions before. Was New York that dangerous that cabbies and limo drivers were faced with armed hold-ups on a regular basis? Had they taken special training to stay calm if things like this happened? Ferrying around VIP's maybe put them in danger more than Stephanie had ever dreamed would happen.
On the other hand, Stephanie wondered if they had been at the wrong place at the wrong time and maybe he or his limo was the target and someone didn't like him or had a beef with his color or occupation. So many questions and so few answers right now.
Her face must have been giving off signals of her innermost thoughts because Sophia watched her every move without turning her head and looking at her. She knew that Stephanie was carrying a cell phone in her clutch because she had seen her check the time at the meal.
Sophia looked at two ladies across from them and her eyes looked at them then down at Stephanie's purse then back up to them. She could see that one of them had figured out what she wanted her to do and gave a little nod of understanding.
She turned around and slapped the lady to her right on the arm and growled. "Ginny, I told you we should have gone out the front door, but you didn't want to have your picture splashed on the ten o'clock news. Now look what you have gotten us into. I swear, I'm never going for your lame-brained ideas again!"
Ginny turned to her attacker and shouted. "Me, you can't control yourself in front of a camera. You like to preen like a peacock in the sunlight. The next time you want to involve me in your plans, do me a favor and leave me out of it."
Another seat mate turned to her friend and cried out. "I can't take drama. I hate this and what we are getting into. I need out right now or I'm afraid I'm going to be sick in this car."
She stood up in the moving car and made to move to the door and tried to force it open, shielding Stephanie from the glass and the front.
Stephanie took that moment to reach in her clutch, grab her phone and flip it open, pressing the button. She left the phone open so that any conversation could be heard. She knew that Hector was back in control and would be recording her call and hopefully pinpointing her location even though they were on the move. She hoped it was enough.
Everyone was yelling now and there was a concerted effort to force open the locked doors.
A very loud voice boomed. "Shut the hell up or I shoot the driver. You in the back, don't throw up, and everyone sit the hell back down so I can see your hands. As a matter of fact, since I can't trust any of you, pass your bags through the window so that nobody gets a chance to phone anyone. NOW!"
The bags were grudgingly passed through the window and the person in front opened each one checking for a phone and turning it off. Two bags did not have one and she shouted. "Who had the bags without the phones?"
Stephanie and one lady slowly put up their hands. The lady without the phone stammered. "I don't carry one and I have no idea how to use one if I had it."
The woman with the gun turned her gaze on Stephanie and she grudgingly handed the phone to her, pressing end.
She turned back to Charles and with her weapon still firmly pointed at him told him to pull over to the curb.
Looking back through the opening in the privacy glass she snarled.
"I'm going to have the driver unlock the back door and all you ladies except for the Admiral and the stupid lady with the phone get out."
She put the gun to Charles' head and bade him unlock the doors. The ladies nearest the handles wrenched them open and scampered out, some ripping their gowns in their haste to escape.
Sophia and Stephanie were left in the car.
"Move so that there are two seats separating you and I can see you and close the damn doors."
They moved to comply all the while with eyes that were flashing with anger. She spoke to Charles.
"Lock the doors again and take off, now!"
As he drove away, she tossed all the handbags out the now open passenger window watching from the side view mirror as the now released captives ran to their bags and their phones.
She gave Charles directions like turn right at the next corner, or go straight through the light. The woman put her phone to her ear and they could plainly hear the one-sided conversation.
"I have her along with the limo driver and some stupid female who tried to be a hero. Are you ready or do we need to ride around some more? I don't want to attract a lot of attention and in this area a limo will."
She listened as more instructions were passed. They were coming to the end of the business district and drove down some side streets, making the people look up from sitting on chairs and swings on their front decks and staring at the fancy car driving down their street. Stephanie could see some taking pictures with their phones or talking. If this were in the least funny, it would resemble a lot of residential streets in the Burg.
Charles turned this way and that, seemingly without a plan until eventually they passed through a large opened gate and came to what looked like a large warehouse. He stopped on command and the car sat with its engine idling as the large delivery door slowly opened. Motioning with her gun she told Charles to drive in and he crept into the darkened garage stopping when he saw a person in front of him put up his hand.
The woman commanded Charles to put the car in park, and unlock the doors. Everyone could hear the small click as the locks disengaged. Charlie's door and the two back doors were wrenched open at the same time and they were all dragged out of the car.
Black bags were put over their heads and with a hand on their arms digging into their biceps they were roughly propelled forward. They could hear the big door close sealing the car and them inside. They could hear the engine on the car being turned off.
They were pulled down what sounded like a passageway and into a room. They were abruptly pulled back and stopped and a chair was placed against the back of their legs and they were pushed down into it. Handcuffs were fitted around their wrists behind their backs locked into place and snap ties were zipped closed caging their ankles tightly to a leg of the chair. The bags over their heads remained in place, but the drawstring was pulled a bit tighter.
They could hear rustling and then footsteps were heard walking away from them. They heard someone open the door and then the metallic click as it was closed and a lock engaged. It was so silent in the room that they could almost hear each other breathing.
Stephanie sighed. She thought she was out of this game and her senses had been dulled from almost two years away from the danger. She wiggled her wrists in the handcuffs but without some kind of pick or the key she could not hope to open them. Fortunately they had not been tightened too tight and she had just a little room to wriggle her wrist around. She could feel the bite of the edge of the cuffs against her wrists and suspected that when she got them off they might be red and chaffed, especially if she kept moving.
Stephanie thought about that. Having chaffed wrists might be the least of her worries.
She spoke. "Well this is a fine mess we've gotten ourselves in. I wonder if we've been missed yet?"
Sophia swore softly. "I hate that I've put you two in danger because of somebody wanting to kidnap me. If I get out of this, my orderly is never going to let me go anywhere without him ever again."
Charles spoke. "Instead of 'if' how about we think positive and say 'when'. Unfortunately it seems that enough of the staff were acting together and right now I suspect that Rangeman and whoever else they have brought in will be trying to figure out who is good and who is not. I hear they are very good at getting to the bottom of problems and I, for one, am hoping that they have enough to come looking for us. Someone will talk, they always do, and hopefully they can lean on someone enough to get at least a heading."
Sophia shifted. She had never liked having something over her head and while she was not afraid of small, enclosed spaces, she never particularly liked to hide in tiny hiding places as a child. This was getting too close for comfort but she employed all her coping abilities in staying calm.
She turned her head toward who she thought was Stephanie and spoke.
"Were you able to send out something to someone and if so, how will they know how to find us?"
Charles spoke up. "Hopefully someone who saw us driving down around these areas will report it to the authorities as suspicious. New Yorkers are extremely vigilant at things that look out of place now and hopefully someone thought to report it. I, for one believe that at least one of the ladies who were let out could give them some descriptions and at least a direction to start looking."
There were new noises by the door and all three shut up trying to get the gist of the conversation.
A male voice spoke possibly on a phone. "Yeah, we have her but we also have a smart aleck female who thought she should play the hero and a limo driver who I don't think we need to worry about. Put it out across the web and lets get this show on the road. We need the publicity and the notoriety right now to help our cause. Besides that, I want my share of the money and I'm not willing to wait too long to get it. Every minute they are here draws possible attention and I for one want to be long gone before the authorities close in."
He paused and appeared to be waiting for someone to finish speaking.
"Naw, they're safe here and can't escape. Since we now have three of them do you want them or should we just rough them up and dump them out somewhere?"
More waiting then a "will-do," from the male.
The lock turned and the door opened and they could feel the cool draft from the hallway. Whatever this building was, it was cold in the hallway. Stephanie had the most intense idea all at once that it had the feel of some kind of packing plant. Her imagination immediately took off remembering movies of gangland murders with meat hooks and walk in freezers and she shivered.
Someone came in and checked that the handcuffs were secure and the ties were tight. They walked out again, closing the door, never saying a word.
She sent a silent plea out hoping that he could sense her.
'Ranger.'