DANGEROUS MERGERS

Chapter Six

Miguel paced around his hotel room. To some, it might have been considered luxurious, but to him, the room was well below his usual standards. He could have stayed with relatives, but his standard of living would have been reduced that much further. Patience, he counseled himself, although patience was not one of his stronger qualities.

He began pacing faster, and the faster he paced the uglier his mood became. A knock changed the course of his pacing and he reached to open the door. "Come in," he instructed the six large and intimidating men waiting on the other side. Each man nodded to him in silent respect as they entered the room and waited for his permission to be seated.

"Gentlemen. An interesting and unique opportunity has landed in our laps. My cousin Ricardo has gotten remarried."

He paused, checking the response. Some raised eyebrows, and there were a few looks of puzzlement. Those looks would turn to appreciation when he told them the rest of the story. Ricardo's exploits in Cuba, and those of his father before him, left a need for revenge in official, and some very unofficial, quarters. When word got out that Ricardo's wife was somewhere on the island and that Ricardo himself would be expected to make the attempt to save her, the chase would be on and Miguel would have his army in place.

Smiling, he continued, "It seems the plane Ricardo and his wife were on had an unfortunate accident on the way to their honeymoon. He and his bride were forced to parachute out. Lucky for Ricardo, he has been found alive and well in Miami." The faces that had broken out in smiles turned to frowns. "Bastardo!" (Bastard)

Miguel held up a hand for silence. "His wife, however, seems to have been blown a little farther south," he paused, waiting to see if any of the men were smart enough to realize just where she might have ended up. He smiled when he saw the look of astonishment on a few faces. "That's correct, she is somewhere here in Cuba. Since we do not know which end of the island she came ashore, we will need to spread our initial search to cover the entire north shore."

Before he could continue, a man wearing a uniform broke in, "I may be of some help: even now, the military and police are searching house to house. Our radar picked up a jumper coming in yesterday. She will be found."

Miguel frowned. "Yes, she will be found, but I much prefer that she be found by us. Not the police, not the military. She is an American. You can count on Ricardo using his resources to make that known. She will become a political pawn. On the other hand, if we were to find her, she would become a bargaining chip."

Comprehension dawned on the men. Sly smiles turned to chuckles. The man in uniform kept the briefest of smiles on his lips. "I think, Miguel, that with the correct sum of motivation, even if the authorities happen to find her first, they could be persuaded to forget."

Miguel beamed his approval. "That is an excellent thought, Esteban. That is your task, and I would advise you to move on it without delay. I'm sure you, like me, would prefer to keep the motivation within our own organization." Greed, Miguel knew, was a strong motivator. It worked very well for him, and would expect it to work just as well for the others. Having seen the beautiful woman who was the focus of their hunt, Miguel felt a veiled threat was necessary. Greed, after all, came in more than one form. He handed the man a picture of Stephanie and motioned for him to pass it around.

"Understand one thing." Miguel stopped to stare into the eyes of each man sitting in the room. "Stephanie Manoso is to be taken alive and brought to me unharmed in any way. That is a direct order, which, if unheeded, will result in the most extreme punishment or death not only for the man who commits the act, but the man who commands him. Is that clear?" Miguel watched all six heads nod in agreement.

Good, he thought. That little pleasure would be his and his alone. He owed his cousin a personal retribution for Maria and he had every intention of delivering it.

oOoOo

Tank looked at his watch, and then over at Ranger who was stretched out on the couch looking like he didn't have a care in the world. Will said he'd call back in an hour and that was getting close. Tank stood and stretched, and then walked over to check the connecting door between their room and the room the detectives were in.

"Relax, my friend." Ranger said, not bothering to open his eyes.

Both men were sure that the detectives had planted listening devices throughout the suite so they kept their conversation careful and to a minimum. They were going to have to make-do with secluding themselves in the bathroom and turning on the water for interference when Will's call came through. Not the ideal setup, but at least it wouldn't raise suspicion; at least that was their hope.

Miller didn't worry Ranger, but Lopez was a different animal. Their chat while waiting for Tank had intrigued Ranger enough to place another call after Tank had hung up with Will. The information he'd received on Lopez had him concerned. Except for being a cop, Lopez would have fit right into this operation, but with what he was planning to do Ranger couldn't risk any interference on this end. He'd get more than enough once he reached Cuba.

"I'm a little concerned." Tank raised his eyebrow in puzzlement. "You might want to keep an eye on that little problem." Ranger said and rubbed his hand over his arm and then pointed at the next room. Tank nodded, understanding that Ranger was comparing his skin to Lopez's.

Tank's other eyebrow raised. "How would you suggest I take care of that little problem when we have this other little problem?"

Ranger stared at his friend. "You can take care of that problem and I'll take care of the other one."

"If you think I'm letting you have all the fun, you can think again."

"Will and his people will be watching my back. I need someone here so that I don't get blindsided. Wouldn't go down well if my trip south was publicized, and it would go less well if it gets preempted."

"Ric, man, you're not thinking. Will can't back you up; he's stranded at the base. You don't know his people. You don't know if they're dependable."

"Will might be restricted in the physical area that he has access to, but he's free and clear with unlimited tactical coverage. He'll be the ops and communication liaison. You know him, you know his people. They're dependable. I need you here." Seeing the stubborn look on Tank's face, Ranger used a word he didn't use with many. "Please."

Tank didn't get a chance to state his case because the phone rang. He followed Ranger into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Ranger turned the water on in the tub before he answered the call.

"Yo." Ranger listened for several minutes, nodding every now and then. "No problem, Leon can make the delivery. What are the coordinates?" Ranger closed his eyes. Tank knew he was making a mental picture of the received information.

Eyes open again, Ranger asked, "When?" He sighed. "Can we make that later by two hours?" A pause. "I have a tag team." He shook his head. "No, a couple of cops. Tank's going to keep them out of the way, but it will be easier if it's later. One of them is pretty sharp. We're gonna have to dull him down a little."

Ranger kept his eyes lowered. "Of course he does, but I need him here. Why don't you explain it to him? And Will? Thanks." Ranger passed the phone to Tank and sat on the closed lid of the toilet, head in his hands. He rubbed his fingers across his face. Damn, he was tired. He hadn't had any real sleep since the nap on the plane.

The next thing he knew was Tank's hand pushing on his shoulder. "Ric? You okay?" When Ranger looked up, Tank could see the weariness and strain in his eyes.

"I'm fine. Did Will give you all the details?" Tank nodded. "Good, I have an errand I need you to run for me. Slip out and head over to the office, pick up my standard weapons and communications. Bring an extra gun and enough clothes to last a week. Also pick up some knockout drops."

"What the hell do you want those for? You plan on knocking out Steph so she'll come without a fuss?" Tank grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

Ranger scowled. "It's for the cops. While I'm catching some sleep, you're going to be entertaining them and making very, very sure that they sleep sound tonight. While you're out, I'll call Leon and fill him in on the details."

"I still don't like you going in alone. Too much can go wrong," Tank glowered.

Ranger sighed. "I told you, I need your backup here." He looked down for a moment before raising his eyes to look at his friend. "Besides, if I don't make it, it's not going to matter to me anymore. But Steph will still be stuck there. I need you to promise me that you'll go in after her, that you'll take care of her for me."

Tank stared back. "You'll make it."

Ranger held Tank's gaze with his own. "Just promise me."

Tank blew out a stream of air. "I promise."

Ranger nodded and rose, then did something else that didn't often happen. "Thanks, man." He folded his arms around his large friend and hugged him.

oOoOo

Stephanie hadn't understood a single word that came through the thin walls, but she sure understood the tone. Her Samaritans were being questioned and badgered about her. She held her breath, praying that their kindness would hold up through the interrogation.

Enrique was quick to put his finger to his lips. Stephanie rolled her eyes. It was like sitting in church with her mother. The kid was cute and it was comforting to be able to communicate with someone, but she could just tell that, over time, he could become a major pain in the ass. No swearing, no talking, who knew how many more 'no's' were in his vocabulary?

They sat in silence for another good ten minutes until the closet door was opened, and then the second small door, and Emilia's face appeared. She motioned for them to come out.

It took Stephanie a minute to work the cramps out of her legs. When she was settled back in bed, she looked over at Enrique. "What the hell was that all about?"

Enrique looked pained. "Please, Senora Manoso, it is upsetting to hear such a great lady speak so many bad words."

Stephanie wasn't sure why the phrase 'great lady' caused her to think of her hair, but her hands flew to her head. She groaned as she felt the matted mass of tangled curls. She closed her eyes and chastised herself for worrying about such a small thing when she had bigger problems, like finding Ranger.

Enrique patted her on the cheek, trying to comfort her. "Those were the police. They are searching for someone who was detected coming through the sky by parachute. They questioned my friends, demanding to know if they had seen or heard anything."

"What did they say?" Stephanie felt uneasy.

"Nothing, they know nothing. Say a prayer that none of the neighbors say anything."

"My pack! Where's my pack?" She screamed.

"Pack? What is a pack?" Enrique was confused, he wasn't sure what had her so excited.

"I had pack, a pouch, a satchel, a bag when I was washed ashore. Where is it?" She used her hands to show the size of the pack.

Enrique turned to Manuel and translated the information, using his hands, like Stephanie had to show the pack's size.

Manuel answered the question with a stream of rapid Spanish; however, he used his hands not to show the shape of the pack, but what had become of it.

Enrique wasn't sure how to translate all that Manuel had done, but he had to try. "He says he tossed all the contents back into the water and then he burned the cloth. He was afraid the government would come looking for you and find… "

"Evidence." Stephanie completed the young man's sentence.

"Yes, evidence." Enrique repeated.

Stephanie sighed, remembering where she was. "It's not just me in danger, is it? You could all be in danger, too."

Enrique's eyes turned solemn, too solemn for a child his age. "Si, es verdad." He caught himself and gave her a beautiful smile. "Forgive me. Yes, that is true."

Wow, Stephanie thought. There must be something about this island that grew such heart-melting smiles. The thought caused a moment of pain to flicker through her eyes. Ranger. God, she hoped he was all right. He had to be safe, she'd know it in her heart if he wasn't, right? She needed to find a way out of here, needed to find him. "So, what do we do next? Do they want me to leave?"

Enrique relayed the question to Emilia, who looked horrified. She shot off a rapid-fire stream of Spanish that had Stephanie gaping.

"No! It would dishonor the household to turn away the wife and daughter-in-law of two of Cuba's heroes!"

Stephanie stared at the boy, confused. She didn't know what to say, had no idea what he was talking about. So, she said the first thing that came into her mind. "Huh?"