DANGEROUS MERGERS
Chapter 18
Leon looked at the heap of human exhaustion, otherwise known as his brother, sleeping in a chair and grinned. Damn, the man was a mess. Even though the carpet in the hotel room was old, Leon could see where Ric had been paced with worry. Wonder how many miles he had walked before fatigue had dropped him into the chair?
A faint ringing sounded from the right pocket of Ranger's slacks and before Leon could blink; his brother's gun was aimed dead center on his forehead.
"Uh, Ric…would you mind lowering the gun?" Leon's eyes were crossed as he looked upward, trying to see the spot where Ranger's gun was pointed. "Hell, man, just because I look a lot better than you do doesn't mean you should shoot me."
"Shit," Ranger hissed through his teeth and lowered his gun while he struggled with the ringing phone. "What?" he spat into the phone.
"Damn Ric! You're sounding a little uptight. Thought newlyweds were supposed to be among the most relaxed and sexually satisfied people on earth," Tank's deep voice reverberated.
"Where are you?" Ranger asked while he holstered his gun.
"Close. We should be there in about 20," Tank answered.
"Miguel has Steph," Ranger announced to both Leon and Tank. As if on cue, both men shouted 'What?' at the same time and at the same volume. "We'll talk when you get here."
oOoOo
Stephanie knew she wasn't asleep, but she wasn't sure how awake she was either. Her entire body was numb after having her wrists tied to the headboard and her feet tied together all night. The slightest attempt at moving caused her to groan with pain. Shit, how could Ranger be so perfect and have such strange relatives? Okay, so she was saddled with Grandma Mazur… Valerie, Vinnie and Shirley, but still, not one of them would have kidnapped him! Well, when it came to Grandma Mazur all bets were off.
"I see you survived the night," Miguel leered down at her from where he stood at the side of the bed.
"No thanks to you, asshole," Stephanie muttered. "I suggest that you untie me before my bladder explodes," she said with more feeling. Nope, what little sleep she had gotten hadn't helped her mood any.
"What does my cousin see in you?" Miguel's words carried a singsong note as he loomed over her with narrowed eyes. "You do nothing but bitch, your language is crude, and you have a skinny ass." Miguel studied her face; a smile bent the corners of his lips upward. "Ahh, maybe it is what you do for him in the confines of his bed." Miguel reached out and fondled her breast. "Nice," he said while he pinched her erect nipple.
Stephanie stared back at Miguel. Hot retorts of hatred surged up into her mouth. She forced herself to remain quiet and to keep all emotions from showing on her face. She would not give him the satisfaction of knowing how much she hated being touched by him or how scared she really was of her situation.
"When you're finished, may I please go to the bathroom?" Stephanie fought to maintain a detached tone to her voice. She needed to remain calm; she needed to think. She had expected Miguel to respond to her lack of anger, but the swiftness of his hand cracking across her mouth was more than she'd anticipated. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Still, she did not cry out. One way or another, she would find a way to pay him back and then some.
oOoOo
Lopez studied the changes in Tank's body language from the back seat of the car. The big man hadn't spoken a word since his conversation with Manoso, except to tell him that Miguel had kidnapped Stephanie. Lopez shook his head. If Tank was any indication of how intense this rescue was going to get, God help Miguel. Their driver seemed to sense the change in Tank's body language, too, and somehow managed to force the old car to cover the last few miles quicker than one would have thought possible.
When the driver pulled up in front of the hotel, Tank turned around in his seat to look at Lopez. "Please tell me you were smart enough to leave your badge and gun stateside." Lopez nodded. "Good, then continue to be smart and let us do our job and don't go cop on us, otherwise, things could get ugly… for you." With that, Tank extracted his large body out of the front seat and entered the hotel. He didn't bother to stop at the desk, instead he headed for the stairway and powered up the stairs two at a time with Lopez following right behind. When he reached the first door on the left, he rapped with the knuckle of his index finger and walked in. Given the situation, manners were forgotten.
Ranger held up a finger, instructing them to keep quiet. He gave Lopez an intense gaze while he listened to the person on the other end of the call. "Get back here as soon as you can." He slipped his phone back into his pocket and turned to address the questioning looks on each of the men's faces. "Abrahan is on his way back here. He's almost certain he knows where Miguel has taken Stephanie."
"How soon is he going to be here?" Leon asked.
"In about fifteen minutes," Ranger answered. "There's a small deserted cabin about 30 minutes from here, an old meeting place for resistors."
Tank nodded hello at Leon and walked over to the small side table and selected a bottle of water. "Ric, why don't you take a quick shower before Abrahan gets here, you look like hell."
Ranger started to say no, but took a second look at Tank's expression and changed his mind. His friend was right; he needed to clear his head before he came face to face with Miguel. "I could use some coffee," he said in Leon's direction.
Leon smiled and headed toward the door. "The man always drinks coffee when he's in disguise."
oOoOo
Stephanie's eyes searched the small room for the second time, desperately looking for anything that could be used as a weapon. Damn, there had to be something! The bathroom was way past primitive; no running water, just a cistern style toilet and a hand pump at the sink to draw water. Compared to this, a port-a-potty on the side of the road could be considered luxurious. She held her hand under the small trickle of water she had managed to pump into the pipe and splashed it on her face.
Miguel stood outside the shabby excuse of a bathroom door with his ear pressed against it. His cousin's new wife appeared to have a lot of fire to her actions, very different from the first Mrs. Manoso. The thought of Maria caused Miguel to fist his hands in anger. Yes, he would enjoy taming the wild spirit of Ricardo's new woman between the rough sheets of the little bed across the room.
"You've been in there long enough." Miguel banged his fist against the brittle planks of wood. "I think it's time you met the better side of the Manoso family."
Nausea swayed her body as the full meaning of his words played through her mind. Dear God, she needed to think of something. The grip of her right hand tightened on the handle of the pump and she raised it with more force than she intended to. The rusted bolt holding the two pieces of the pump together bent.
The bolt's movement surprised her and she released the handle. She looked at the crooked bolt and smiled. With renewed hope and strength, she forced the handle up and then brought it down hard; using all the power she could manage. Again the rusty bolt bent.
The flimsy door almost collapsed as Miguel hit it with his fist. "I said get out here!"
"I'll be right out." Stephanie closed her eyes and prayed that the bolt would give before the door. She raised the handle and then pulled it down in one strong, swift movement. The bolt gave way, the handle of the pump felt heavy in her hand.
She stared smiling at the handle. She had a weapon! Miguel kicked the door open. The sharp cracking sound of splintering wood caused Stephanie to whirl around. Miguel was trying to pull his foot back through the hole. For one split second, she was tempted to raise the pump handle and beat on his foot. She flexed her fingers around the handle and pulled in a deep breath of courage, then his foot disappeared and she hurried to hide her weapon in the abundant material of her skirt.
Miguel kicked higher on the door this time and it sprang open. He reached inside and pulled her out of the small room and began dragging her toward the bed. "Now you will learn how to obey a man," Miguel said as he grabbed a handful of her long hair and turned her to face him. "When I'm done with you, you will know how to respect me or you will be dead!" He caught a tight hold of the thin material of her blouse and ripped it in half to expose the small lacy bra she wore.
She didn't consider the outcome of her actions; she just clutched the heave piece of iron in her hand and swung it in a full arch back and over her shoulder. With the first strike she delivered, Miguel's lecherous smile was erased from his face; a look of horror and shock replaced it as he stood dazed by the blow. Stephanie didn't wait for him to recover. She swung the handle again and Miguel crumpled to the floor.
She stood frozen, never hearing the ringing sound of the pump handle when she let it fall to the floor. "Oh shit… I've killed him," Stephanie whispered while she looked at the large puddle of blood pooling around his head. She looked around the dilapidated shack, expecting to see a hoard of witnesses. She seized her shawl from the foot of the bed, covered her exposure, and ran out the door.
With the first breath of freedom, her steps faltered. "You should find someone to help him," she said to herself. She stopped and turned around, not sure what to do until that little voice of self-preservation spoke up inside her head. "Like hell you should, he kidnapped you and was going to rape you. Take a look around, woman! Does this look like 9-1-1 territory?" The little voice won out and she started running along the dirt path that served as a road. Her knees began to shake and bile burned in her throat. She had no choice but to stop.
"Now is not the time to argue, especially with yourself. Think!" Taking several slow, deep breaths calmed both her legs and stomach. "The first town I come to, I'll make sure someone comes back to help him." Maybe it wasn't much of a plan, but it was enough to calm the guilt attack that was rising inside her.
oOoOo
Leon heard the sound of running water when he returned to the room. He was balancing four cups of coffee and a small plate of fruit on a tray. Tank was sitting slumped in the chair and Lopez was staring out the window. He set the tray down on the coffee table, picked up a cup of coffee, and walked over to nudge Lopez in the back. The detective turned and accepted the hot brew.
"One of us will have to keep a constant eye on him when we find Miguel," Tank said and jerked his thumb in the direction of the bathroom. "And if the fool has laid a hand on Bombshell, it may take all three of us to keep him from killing the man."
"I know my brother can be intense when it comes to his beliefs, but this is a side of him I've haven't seen since Julie was born." Leon spooned four scoops of sugar into his cup of coffee.
"Have you ever been in love, Leon?" Tank asked. Leon raised a solitary eyebrow in answer. "Neither have I, at least not the way Ric loves Stephanie. The way he looks at her… man, it almost makes you hurt." Tank popped a piece of mango into his mouth.
"Well, maybe they'll provide momma with another grandchild soon. Sure would take the pressure off you…" Leon grinned as he blew into the hot coffee.
"Me? I'm not a real part of your crazy family. Not my fault your momma likes me better than you. Besides, what the hell's wrong with you? Your dick not working?" Tank reached for his own cup of coffee.
"My dick's working fine, very fine as a matter of fact." Leon smiled and took a sip of coffee. "I'm just not ready."
"Ready for what?" Ranger was standing in the bathroom doorway, his hair wet and dressed all in black. His disguise was gone.
"Marriage and the pitter patter of little feet," Leon shuddered.
Ranger ignored the subject. "Have you heard any more from Abrahan?"
"No," Tank said. "Sit down and drink your coffee and eat some fruit."
Ranger lifted the coffee to his lips and took a sip, savoring its strong taste. Tank lifted the plate of fruit and offered it to him. Ranger shook his head no.
"When was the last time you ate anything?" Ranger didn't answer. "Shit, Ric! You need to eat something. After all, how is Batman supposed to save Batbabe on an empty stomach?"
Leon snorted with laughter and coffee blew out his nose. "Batbabe!?!?!"
"Damn, boy, straighten up!" Tank yelled and reached for a napkin.
"Sorry," Leon said with a laugh. "But it was your fault."
Tank glared at him and Leon's good humor disappeared.
Lopez cleared his throat and all eyes flicked in his direction. "I have a question."
Ranger lifted an eyebrow, giving him permission to continue.
"Would someone please explain to me why Miguel seems to have such a hard-on for Stephanie?" The minute the phrase hard-on left Lopez's mouth, the other three men went rigid. Shit, that was the wrong thing to say! "Sorry, I just mean he didn't even know about her until now. Why would he be so foolish to take her out from under his father's nose?"
No one spoke. Ranger turned away from Lopez and resumed loading up his pockets with the items necessary for a rescue. His hands stilled and he turned back to face Lopez.
"Maria."
A collective 'oh shit' came from Tank and Leon.
"And who is Maria?" Lopez asked.
Ranger paused and took a deep breath. "Short version. After my father was killed, my mother packed up all of her children and fled Cuba with another family by the name of Fernandez. Maria was my age and their only child. She was young and beautiful and made the mistake of becoming engaged to Miguel." Ranger stopped and flexed his hands. "Miguel was obsessed with her. When she tried to break off the engagement he raped and tortured her. Another man by the name of Ricardo Alvarez helped her escape from Miguel's clutches. They fell in love. She didn't want to leave him when her parents told her they were leaving Cuba. I promised her that somehow I would find a way to smuggle the man she loved into the States if she'd just go with her parents."
Ranger took a gulp of his coffee and made a face at the cold swill.
"It took me a year to find a way, but I kept my promise to her. Once Alvarez was safe in Miami, they planned to be married. She was Catholic and wanted to be married in the church, so he pretended to be me and the priest married them. Two days later, her parents were killed in an automobile accident. She begged me to arrange it so that she was also reported as one of the casualties of the accident so that she and Alvarez could disappear." Ranger washed his hands over his face. "I went along and used some of my father's old contacts to establish new identities for her and her husband. Last time I checked, she and Alvarez are happy, raising their three children in Brazil. Miguel has hated me ever since. End of story."
The room fell silent until Abrahan burst through the door. "Sorry, did I interrupt something?"
Tank popped another piece of mango into his mouth. "We just filled Lopez in on Maria."
"Oh, shit," Abrahan said and shut the door.
Ranger checked the safety on his gun before slipping it inside the back of his waistband.
"Gentlemen, it's time to rescue my wife."