DANGEROUS MERGERS

Chapter 17

Ranger had Big Blue's cousin running full out by the time he reached the only hospital in the area that had a maternity ward. The car was still rocking to a stop when he shut off the engine and opened the passenger door. His foot hit the pavement while he gave the perimeter a quick glance and then sprinted for the closest entrance.

He saw the receiving desk and made his way over to it, ignoring everyone and everything in his path. "I'm trying to locate my wife's room number. Her name is Stephanie Manoso; she may have been checked into the maternity ward." Ranger worked to keep his voice low; it was best to keep the name Manoso quiet at this point.

The man behind the desk took his time to search through the many pages of admittance records. "I do not have a record of anyone by that name." The man answered without looking up.

"You're sure?" Ranger could feel the muscles in his jaw tightening.

"Yes, I am sure. No one with the last name of Manoso has been admitted into the maternity ward or any other ward tonight." The man still refused to look up.

Ranger caught the elevated inflection of the name Manoso when the man answered. If Stephanie were here, others would be watching for his arrival. He didn't bother to thank the man when he turned away; instead, he gave close scrutiny to those standing around him and noticed a uniformed guard staring at him. Shit, he didn't want to waste his time with a confrontation. He reversed his steps and left the hospital. He would wait a few minutes to see what kinds of forces he was up against. He planned to search the entire hospital and the fewer people he had watching him the better.

He used the nighttime reflections in the door to check if the guard was following him. Not yet, but it was only a matter of time. He didn't bother to go back to the car; instead he walked across the street and down the block before he slipped into the shadows.

Minutes later, the guard walked through the door. He looked up and down the street and checked inside the few cars parked at the curb. Ranger watched while the guard continued to scan up and down the street and then made a call on his cell phone. Question was – which side of the Manoso family was he calling? When the guard finished his call, he turned and went back inside the hospital.

Ranger waited another five minutes, but no one else came out or arrived as a result of the guard's phone call.

Something didn't feel right. In his gut, Ranger knew the guard had called his uncle, but if that was the case, why wasn't there any back-up arriving? He gave a cautious glance up and down the street and then worked his way to the opposite side of the hospital. He picked the lock on the first door he came to and slipped inside.

The hospital was small and the staffing was sparse, making it easy for Ranger to finish his search in under an hour. Stephanie was nowhere to be found. Frustrated, he had retrieved the blue monstrosity parked in front of the hospital and driven back to the hotel. He waited until he was inside his hotel room before he phoned Will.

OOoOo

"I cannot believe you are such an idiot!" Julio slammed his fist down on the desk, his eyes flashing with anger at the man standing in front of him. "You just let him take her?"

"I have pledged to follow you and your orders, but he is your son and I have taken orders from him in the past with your approval."

Julio's scowl deepened. The man was right, but he still felt like killing him. "Do you know where he took her?"

"No, but with the way she was screaming, I would have taken her to the nearest hospital." The man shook his head with the memory of the woman's screams.

"Are you sure that she was in pain?" Julio had never been present during any of his children's births. Half the little shits he had spawned he didn't claim, so why should he be there for the unpleasantness? He was still considering shooting the man standing in front him when he punched in the numbers for Miguel's cell phone. The call went unanswered. "I cannot believe he is this stupid! Come with me, we're going to the hospital," Julio ground out the order and headed for the door.

oOoOo

Miguel turned away a split second before Stephanie's knee would have slammed him in the balls, but caught him on the side of his thigh instead. "So you like to play rough, huh? I'll remember that when the time comes for me to pleasure myself with you."

He looked down at his ringing phone and his face became a picture of disgust. His father. Damn, he needed to speed things along. "It seems my father has found out that you're no longer in his care, but I would much prefer it if your husband was the one calling me. Why don't you call him? I have a phone number for him, but I'm sure you have a better one."

Stephanie stared at the phone he was extending out to her. Should she call Ranger? Tears gathered in her eyes at the thought of hearing his voice. She watched her hand reach out and accept the phone; her mind was numb and her fingers trembled as she pressed in Ranger's number. She raised the phone to her ear, only to have it snatched from her hand by Miguel.

"I think it would be best if my cousin and I discussed business first." Stephanie drew her hand back to slap him, but he grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back, causing her to cry out in pain just as Ranger answered.

"Stephanie?" Ranger yelled into the phone.

"Hello, Ricardo. So nice to hear your voice again, it's been a while." Miguel snarled into the phone.

"You're a dead man, Miguel," Ranger's voice was low and his words rang true that he would carry out his threat.

"For your wife's sake, I would suggest that you hold your threats and listen." Miguel gave a quick jerk on Stephanie's arm and wrenched it up tighter to draw another scream from her. "Do I have your attention now?"

"Talk." Ranger seethed.

"Always so direct. I was going to congratulate you on your marriage and compliment you on selecting such a beautiful bride." Miguel knew it was dangerous to taunt his cousin, but he seldom had Ricardo at a disadvantage. "If you wish her to remain beautiful, you will meet my demands."

"What do you want?" Ranger knew what Miguel wanted and there was no way he would give his cousin the information.

"Tell me where Maria is," Miguel growled. His teeth were clenched so tight, spittle formed in the corners of his mouth.

"She's dead." Ranger answered. "Let me talk to Stephanie."

"She is not dead!" Miguel screamed into the phone. "It's a lie, just like the marriage you two were supposed to have had. Your skills at covering your tracks were not as good back then as they are now. The information cost me, but I did find out that the records had been forged and then she just happens to die in a car accident?" Miguel released a repugnant scoff. "You expect me to believe that?"

Ranger remained quiet. He knew that if he pushed Miguel too far, Stephanie would bear the brunt of his cousin's anger. "I will tell you what you want to know, but only after Stephanie has been released, unharmed."

Miguel's laughter was sharp. "Oh no, Ricardo. First the information and, once I have had a chance to confirm it; we will discuss the return of your wife. But I must warn you, the longer it takes me to confirm your information, the less likely she will be returned to you unharmed."

"Put her on the phone, now." Ranger ordered.

"Your husband would like to say hello." Miguel placed the phone next to Stephanie's ear.

"Ranger?" She hated that her voice quivered.

"Babe, are you alright?" Ranger felt every muscle in his body tighten from the fear he heard in her voice.

"I'm okay, but it's cold out here in this old shack." She felt the first tear slide down her cheek. It wasn't much of a clue, but it was the best she could do.

"I'll find you." He wanted to tell her how much he loved her, but it was Miguel's voice that came back on the phone.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll try, but for now, she's mine. Are you ready to give me the information?"

"I need to check a few things first, call me back in two hours." Ranger was playing for a little time.

"Two hours, but if I'm not satisfied with your information, I'm afraid your beautiful wife will suffer." Miguel smiled with satisfaction when he disconnected the call. "Your husband is so much easier to deal with, thanks to you." He reached around and captured her other hand. "I'm afraid you're going to have to stay here while I take care of some last minute business." He kicked the duffel bag closer to the bed and then shoved her face down on the dilapidated mattress. He placed one knee in the center of her back to hold her still while he reached down to pull out several sections of rope from the duffel. He laced a piece of rope around her hands and knotted them tight enough to bite into her skin.

"Damn it, that hurts!" Stephanie was tired of being ordered around; just hearing Ranger's voice seemed to have brought back her attitude.

Miguel flipped her over, grasped her feet, and secured them to the metal bedpost at the foot of the bed. "There, that should hold you until I get back." He stood and straightened his clothes and picked up his cell phone. "There is no one to hear you scream, so save your energy."

Stephanie watched him leave and then released a sigh of relief. At least she was alone, now she just needed to come up with another plan.

oOoOo

Will disconnected the phone call and kicked the nearest chair. Great, just fucking great. This was all he needed, another two players sneaking into the country. Hell, if this kept up, half of Miami would be back in Cuba by tomorrow! Leave it to Manoso to find the one woman who could inspire this many men to come to her rescue. Will righted the chair he had kicked over and sat down. Might as well give Ric the good news; he reached for his phone.

"What?" Ranger snapped into the phone.

"Let me start off by saying, I was told and not asked." Will rubbed his hand over his face.

"What?"

"Tank and his pet detective, Lopez, are on their way here. They should be at your hotel in about half an hour." Will pulled his phone away from his ear, expecting a blast of anger to come through. He heard nothing but silence. He waited a couple of seconds and then put the phone back to his ear. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Good."

"Good?"

"I'm going to need the help." Ranger proceeded to tell Will about his conversation with Miguel and Stephanie. "So what I need from you is a location. Use your contacts and my network; someone has to know where this old place is."

"I have to tell you man, I cannot wait to meet this woman. You know, she's gonna be the death of you."

"Maybe so, but I'll die a very happy man." Ranger felt a smile tug at his lips. For the first time since he'd pushed her out of the plane, he felt like this mess was coming to an end.

"Can't believe Miguel is stupid enough to double cross his father," Will added.

"Neither can I, but that's my uncle's problem, not mine." Ranger collapsed in the nearest chair.

"Just sit tight. Leon should be there a little bit before the rest of your cavalry arrives."

"Thanks for all your help, my friend, I owe you one."

"Just find your wife; meeting her will be repayment enough." Will laughed and hung up.

Ranger reached down and pulled his computer case into his lap. He needed a picture as bait for Miguel and he had the perfect candid shot of his sister that would work. He found the picture and transferred it over to his phone. His eyes began to droop and he shook the sleep away and closed down his computer.

For once, he was glad that Leon and Tank had gone against his wishes. He planned to get Stephanie back safe and sound and he was going to need some help. No way would he risk losing her now. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the chair. This should all be over in a couple of hours.