DANGEROUS MERGERS
Chapter Thirteen
"Abrahan." Abrahan answered his cell phone and then listened to the voice on the other end. "No, not here. The other place." He wasn't sure if his calls were monitored, but that was no reason to be careless and name names and places when it wasn't necessary. He listened for a moment longer, then disconnected without saying another word.
Pulling his car to the side of the road, Abrahan sat lost in thoughts. Juan was dead, shot down by someone fitting Miguel's description. Manuel was on the run, along with the young boy and the woman who claimed to be Ricardo's wife.
Abrahan snorted. From the description of the woman, it was not his ex-wife. If it had been Maria, no one would have been willing to help her. So, it must be a new wife. But why had he not heard word of this alleged marriage? The thought of Ricardo remarrying without him being informed was hard to believe. The idea of the new wife being here, in Cuba, was beyond his imagination.
Abrahan put the car back in gear and turned it in the direction he had just traveled, back to Bauta, a town close to Havana. They would meet in less than two hours, and Abrahan would have his answers.
oOoOo
Ranger looked around the room. It wasn't exactly first class, but it was appropriate for the budget of a professor. Leon would be staying in the room next door. Until then, Ranger planned to take a drive out of the city. He needed to make contact with Abrahan, and using the phones here would be the same as taking out a newspaper advertisement.
Ranger was finding it hard to stay put in the hotel. His level of worry rose higher with each passing minute that he wasn't out searching for Stephanie. He decided that now was a good time to act like any other traveler: he picked up the phone and asked for room service, he'd order some lunch and unpack, then set out to find Abrahan. By the time the food arrived, he had unpacked the few things he'd brought and was studying one of the maps Will had given him.
The young hotel waiter noticed the map as he placed the food on the small table, just like Ranger had intended. "Are you planning some sightseeing?"
"Sí. I just arrived from Buenos Aires. Any recommendations on where I should go?"
They chatted for a few minutes, the young man named the usual places and a few places that were not on the tourist must-see-list. Ranger smiled and gave the young man a healthy tip.
"Gracias!" The young man smiled back. "Let me know if I can be of any more help."
"De nada, you've been very helpful." Ranger smiled and tipped his head. The young man had no idea how helpful he had been without knowing it.
One of the young man's recommendations had been the city of Los Palacios and to get there, Ranger would have to go straight through Bauta and that was where he would find Abrahan.
oOoOo
Abrahan watched in silence from behind the blinds. He checked his watch, again. They should be here any time now and he still had no idea what he was going to do.
He'd tried, without success, over the space of the last few hours to verify this alleged marriage of Ricardo's. He couldn't raise anyone, not Tank, not Leon, and not Ricardo. His train of thought came to an abrupt end when a pair of car headlights appeared through the blinds, sending sharp slants of light into the dark room.
Abrahan waited, his gun at his side, and raised one slat in the blinds a fraction to watch Manuel, a small boy, and a woman get out of the car. It was the woman who held his interest. Dressed in a traditional skirt and blouse with a shawl thrown over her head, she could pass for a Cuban at first glance, yet she had driven the car. He paid close attention to the way she carried herself, the way she glanced from side to side. She was not Cuban, but that's all he knew for certain about her so far.
Abrahan heard the side door of the small garage open and shut. He remained in the office, his eyes still watchful through the slat. No one followed them and he saw no one in the area.
When the office door to the garage clicked open, he turned and found himself face to face with one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen. He could tell she was hesitant when her eyes skittered around the room in search of trouble. Before either he or the woman could speak, Manuel pushed his way through the entrance.
"¡Juan ha sido asesinado, y no tengo los contactos para obtener la nueva esposa de tu primo a Guantánamo." (Juan has been murdered, and I do not have the contacts to get your cousin's new wife to Guantanamo.)
"Reduzca la velocidad, y me dicen toda la historia." (Slow down, and tell me the whole story.)
Abrahan sat behind the desk, Manuel in front. He waved the boy and the woman to a small couch that sat against the side of a wall. After a brief glance out the window, he directed to Manuel, "Comienza." (start)
Manuel broke out into a long string of excited Spanish, waving his hands in the air for emphasis. Abrahan interrupted now and then with a question, and then Manuel's narrative would begin anew. Stephanie found her head swiveling so fast, she felt as if she were watching a tennis match.
When Manuel ran out of the words, the room fell quiet and Stephanie felt dazed. "Point, set and match," she murmured softly.
"Que?" She looked down into Enrique's confused eyes.
Shaking her head, she said, "Not important. What was that all about?"
"He was explaining to your cousin what had happened to you and who you are."
Stephanie raised an eyebrow. "And?" Somehow she knew all those sharp questions and excited explanations went a little further.
Enrique looked abashed. "And Señor Manoso doesn't believe that you are who you say. He says his cousin Ricardo would never remarry."
Stephanie was exhausted, hungry, and scared. She'd allowed good, decent people to put themselves at risk to help her, and tonight she'd witnessed one man kill another all because of her. Enough was enough. She stood and walked across the room. The man stood as she approached him.
"Do you understand English?" She spat the words at him and placed her fists on her hips. He nodded, curious to see what she had to say.
"Listen asshole! I don't know who you think you are, but I'm Stephanie Manoso, Ricardo Carlos Manoso's wife. We were married four days ago in Las Vegas. You'd better be very sure I'm not his wife, because when Ranger hears how you refused to help us, he's not going to be a happy man."
With each word, her voice grew a little louder. Her tirade ended with two sharp jabs of her finger into his chest when she said the words 'happy man'. Abrahan raised his hand and removed her finger from where it was still embedded in his chest and stared at her.
"Ranger?"
Stephanie blushed. "Yeah, well that's how he introduced himself when I first met him and it's kind of stuck."
Abrahan smiled his first smile since hearing about the woman.
"That's the first bit of proof that at least you know him. No one here knows he uses that name. If you can answer one more question for me, I'll believe you are who you say."
"Okay," her lips said the word, but her brain screamed oh, shit!
Abrahan leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Does Ricardo have any children, and if so, the names?"
Stephanie almost fainted in relief. She whispered the answer back. Abrahan broke into a huge grin, and then enfolded her into his arms. "Welcome, cousin."
Stephanie grinned back, but was curious. "How do you know I'm not just Ranger's friend or something?"
Abrahan's grin grew wider. "Because he doesn't share that information with women! He vowed only to share that secret with a woman if he planned to marry her."
Well, damn. And Ranger had told her almost two years ago. That sneaky devil had some more stuff to explain.
oOoOo
"Ricardo, relax. She only left a little over an hour ago and I know where they're headed."
"I can't relax. I'm going crazy with worry, and to have missed her by so little…" Ranger broke off, his hands scrubbing across his face.
"Relax. She was tired and hungry. By the time we get there, she'll have dined, and can sleep in your car for the journey back."
Ranger smiled, "Tired and hungry. Yeah, that sounds about right."
"And feisty too, cousin." Abrahan relayed the scene of Stephanie chewing him out, complete with finger poking. "That was my first suspicion that she just might really be your wife." When Ranger raised his eyebrow, Abrahan laughed. "Can't imagine you with some little mouse of a woman."
Ranger couldn't help but laugh. "No, that isn't Steph at all."
Abrahan was surprised at his cousin's sudden outburst of laughter. Ricardo was always so serious. "I liked her, Ricardo; I really liked her. Will she be working with us in the future?"
"Oh, shit," Ranger almost looked panicked. Almost, but not quite. "She doesn't know anything about my involvement here."
It was Abrahan's turn to laugh. "Well, she knows an awful lot now. I would not want to be you, cousin, when the time comes for explanations." He rubbed the spot on his chest where Stephanie's nail had dug in.
Ranger shook his head. "Not sure I'll want to be me then. We have another problem. I believe Miguel is here looking for her, too."
Abrahan sighed. "He is. He almost caught up with her today at Juan's. He shot and killed Juan."
"Shit." Ranger said then considered his options. "Give me the details in the car. We need to get to their hotel."
oOoOo
Stephanie and Enrique were sprawled out over the bed in the small hotel room Abrahan had arranged for the three of them to share. Manuel was assigned to the couch. When they got to their room, the first thing Stephanie did was head for the shower while Manuel went out to buy food. Despite wearing the same clothes she had been wearing for the last two days, she felt clean and was enjoying the ability to stretch her legs out straight. She was finding it hard not to fall asleep until her stomach growled, sending Enrique into a fit of laughter.
Enrique watched Stephanie in wonderment. Next to his mother, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was by far the bravest woman he had ever known! The way she had driven the car today and the way she had stood up to Abrahan had amazed him. He had never seen a woman act like that! With her eyes closed, her head resting on the pillow, and a small smile on her lips, she looked like the picture of the Madonna hanging in the old church in his village. "Are you happy that you will be seeing your husband soon?"
Stephanie opened her eyes and looked into the child's face and felt her smile grow wider. "Yes, I am." What she didn't add was that she was excited and nervous, too.
Enrique nodded, "With Señor Abrahan's help, we should reach Guantanamo in two days, three at the most."
Stephanie was just about to suggest to Enrique that it might be better if he and Manuel returned home when a knock sounded at the door. She threw a startled glance at Enrique. "Not to worry, it is just Manuel. Now you can feed your stomach! He grabbed the baby pillow from the foot of the bed and tossed it to her. "Perhaps it would be best if you were to wait in the closet just in case."
Stephanie rolled her eyes. Another closet, albeit a larger one. She had a feeling that even after she got home, every closet would remind her of Cuba. She shoved the pillow under her skirt. She had checked-in pregnant, so she'd have to keep up the appearance while they were here. She patted the pillow in place and heard Enrique open the door to the room at the same time she pulled the closet door shut behind her. The next thing she heard was a startled cry from Enrique. She opened the closet door to check on him and heard a man's voice call her name.
"Stephanie Manoso, where are you? I'm here to help." The man's English carried a heavy Spanish accent.
"My name is Julio Manoso, your husband is my nephew." Who the hell was Julio? Shaking her head in disbelief at the number of Manosos running around, Stephanie stepped from the closet.
"I'm Stephanie Manoso, can I help you?"
An older man turned to look at her. "Yes, my dear, I believe you can. I've been looking for you."
Stephanie's stomach dropped. She had a very bad feeling about this. Julio Manoso shared the same good looks that seemed to run on the male side of the Manoso family, but he had a look of cruelty about him. Shit, she thought, why did she have the feeling that she had just become acquainted with the wrong side of the Manoso family?