Disclaimer: I am not making any money from this, I promise.
My grateful thanks to JE for her wonderful characters, which I hope I haven't damaged too much.
Thanks to my readers and reviewers, you are stars!
Enjoy
Valzie
Dangerous Ground Part 4
Adam's POV
It looks deceptively calm and peaceful out there. There isn't anything that seems out of place, surely if we were marked for death there would be some sign of it? But it could be any Thursday morning. Although I have to admit that I had to think for a minute before I could tell you what day it was. Being cooped up in a safe house for the last few days has had that effect on me.
I retreat back up the stairs, to make sure that all is in readiness. Steph and Bobby join me just as I reach the top. Good, then it's time to go.
Bobby cocks his head to the side and motions Steph into silence.
She complies and we all listen, though I'm not sure what I am meant to be listening for. Bobby reaches out and plunges the stairwell into darkness just as I hear what I think he had already picked up. A scraping noise from above us and it sounds like there's somebody on the roof and they are trying to break in through the screen that protects the glass.
Vince's POV
Every alarm I have is screaming its head off and I can't figure out where the bastards are. Motion, heat, pressure, in fact all the sensors are telling me loud and clear in glorious digital stereo that we have a severe problem. Finally I catch a glimpse of the intruders, 4 in all, masked and dressed in dark tones, probably black. They move like professionals, finding and disabling all the cameras they can find. Hopefully they won't find this one; it's lodged in the centre of the ceiling fan. I switch on the audio component, but if they are as well trained as I suspect, they won't say a word. Make a mistake will you, give us a clue as to who you are, I dare you.
Adam's POV
With a nod, I take Steph's bag from her hand and start to make my way down, thankful for the paint that makes it easy to see where I am going. We move slowly, carefully, quietly. I can hear her behind me, the tap of her boots, the rustle of her jacket, the sound of her anxious breathing. We reach the bottom and a large hand hits my shoulder. Bobby wants me to stop; he steps up behind me and switches on a pen light, its weak beam only illuminating a few feet. He reaches out to the wall opposite our intended escape route and runs his fingers along the bare brick. He puts the torch between his teeth and pushes with both hands and the wall seems to shift back a few inches.
There's another way out of here. I should have known. The four that built this place were too smart to be caught out like that. It opens just wide enough to let Bobby squeeze through and then I help Steph through and hand through the bags. It's a tight fight getting through and I wonder how Tank would have managed it. Thing is I can't see him running, Ranger either, they'd stand and fight. It's my first instinct too, but I have a duty to protect that which they hold dear and I will do so.
Though I must admit, even if it's just in the privacy of my own head, that she's important to me too, I mean how could I not love the woman who gave me back my life?
Ranger's POV
They found her, but how? There are only a few people who know the location of the Batcave. I thought all of them were my friends. Did one of them betray me?
That will have to wait for now, I'm concentrating on getting her out of there in one piece. Thank Dios that Bobby is with her, she needs his calm strength right now.
Tank seems to have gone AWOL on me. His phone goes straight to voicemail and I'm not altogether sure that I shouldn't have a BOLO out on him. I'll give it another hour and then start making subtle enquiries, starting with the hospitals and the morgues.
That leaves me with Lester, all that should be left of the the guy is a greasy stain, he's working so hard to keep the place together. I always think of him as the joker of the pack, but his professionalism and loyalty can never be doubted.
My phone rings and I head for my office before I take the call.
"Ranger" I keep my voice neutral
"Carlos, my man, a little bird tells me that you were looking for me? To what do I owe this unexpected honour?"
"Anton" I swallow my pride and try to forget that I swore to put a bullet in him next time I saw him, this is for my Babe.
Our last meeting didn't go so well" he's hedging, I couldn't blame him.
"Agree to help and I'll call it quits" it's more than fair, it's better than he deserves.
"I have the information for you, but I don't trust you not to damage me"
How well he knows me "I'll send Lester" I offer
"Hell No, he'd shoot me just for the fun of it" Makes me wonder exactly what he did to piss Lester off. I must remember to ask him.
I stifle a laugh "Who do you suggest I send?"
"Any of the B team"
"B team?" I have to ask what that means.
"You, Bobby, Tank and Lester are the Alpha wolves of the outfit. I'll bolt if any of you bastards show up"
Interesting, this means that we have to drop back and let some of the younger men make their reputations, increase the Alpha wolf pack numbers to include as much of Rangeman as possible. "Ram?"
"He fucking scares me, but not as much as you do. So yeah, he'll do. I'll be at my Papa's in an hour"
"Anton, if you double cross me, there isn't a rat hole anywhere in the world that I can't find you"
"She means that much to you?" I can hear the curiosity in his voice.
"Enough that I'll forgo the pleasure of shooting you"
"That much huh?" he laughs "Hope this helps Ranger, I really do"
"Thanks"
Lester's POV
It's not easy, being the one left in the office trying to hold it all together. Usually it's Tank that's sitting here and I barely appreciated the strength he has. It's taking every ounce of willpower I have not to saddle up and take the bastards out. I know that if we do nothing to respond, they may think that they got bad Intel. Hell I've fallen for the same ploy myself a time or two.
We've heard nothing from Bobby and that's a good thing, I think. They should have dumped their phones by now as we have to face the possibility that they were found through something as simple as cell phone trace. It's doubtful, but it's difficult to know what capabilities they have until you know who you are up against.
Sin's email comes through and I open it and peruse it, sending copies to Ranger, Tank, Bobby, Hector and Chuck in the Miami office. He's our resident cryptographer and his input on the symbols will be invaluable.
My stomach hits the floor and I curse inwardly. Sin's lucky he survived his encounter with this lot. Rangeman takes the best of the best. Turns out that someone else has been recruiting as well and only the worst of the sociopaths and psychos need apply.
We ran into Vlad, the ostensible leader of this crew five years ago, real name Miroslav Sidirov and he bragged that it was because Vladimir means 'Owner of the world'. When it really came from his brutal habit of impaling his victims like the reincarnation of 'Vlad III' or as we more commonly know him 'The Impaler' watching gleefully while they died in agony. His ego was the size of a planet when we last ran into him, heaven only knows how bad it is now he has his own ' crew'. He's also totally narcissistic and completely paranoid; never a good combination at the best of times and this certainly can't be described as that.
Sin says that they are all stone cold killers and they don't care what collateral damage they cause along the way. I'll be surprised if the Batcave is still standing when they are through as things just seem to go on fire when they're in the vicinity, looking at the various arson reports that he has included.
His report is competently and professionally done and I wonder what his background actually is. The information he has on file for them is thorough and up to date. Looks like they mostly worked in Europe, but he suspects they may be trying to make their mark here in the US.
It's going to fall to us to send them back to Europe with their tails between their legs, as we don't want them getting a foothold here. I mail Ram to ask him to check our stock of small to medium arms as I think a show of overwhelming force maybe required to get their attention.
Steph's POV
The passageway is damp and freezing and my ragged breathing seems loud and harsh in the enclosed space. Bobby is in front of me and Adam behind. Each has hold of one of my hands, the warmth of their touch seeps into me and even though I'm terrified I feel strangely sheltered. We seem to have been waking forever, but it can't be more than fifteen minutes. Bobby ignored my whispered enquiry squeezing my hand to engender my silence when I asked where we were going.
He stops so quickly that I run straight into his broad back. He lets go of my hand and reaches behind me to pull me into him. I rest my cheek on the soft down of his jacket between his shoulder blades and a little of my fear dissipates. He lets me go and turns to face me and pulls me a little closer. I feel rather than hear him ask for my phone and I pull it out of my pocket and hand it to him. His torch flicks on and he hands our phones to Adam and I turn round.
Adam gives a couple of hand signals his fingers seeming to dance in the weak torch light and Bobby makes one emphatic one back. I really need to learn what they mean. Adam leans in close and brushes my forehead with his lips. This is the very first time he's ever done that and I'm touched and frightened by it.
"Adam?" I don't know what to ask, I hope he understands, somehow.
"For luck" he whispers
"Aren't you coming?" I ask, worried now.
"I have something to do first, I'll join you later"
"Promise?" I sound like a frightened child.
"Promise" there's amused affection in that whisper, I'm sure.
He hands my bag back to me and I grab his as well. My way of making sure that he keeps his word and catches us up.
"Habibbi Nour El Ein" he tells me and I turn to ask Bobby if he knows what he said.
"Beloved, you are the light in my eye" he tells me softly.
I turn back to thank Adam and find him gone. "That's beautiful" I tell Bobby.
"Come on" he holds out his hand and I take it "We're not out of the woods yet and Ranger will be frantic"
"Frantic?" I ask, trying somehow to equate the adjective with the man and failing badly.
"You know what I mean" Bobby laughed softly "He'll raise the left eyebrow instead of the right one and the entire office will get all discombobulated"
"Discombobulated?" I repeat, managing a small laugh.
"Great word, huh?" he held out his hand "Time to get you safe"
I took it gratefully "Lead on Mr Brown"
"This way Miss Plum" he started off along the tunnel again.
Tank's POV
I feel like I have been playing hooky. But I can't regret a single moment spent with her. It's rare to meet a woman who understands me the way she does.
I watch her step out of the elevator, her sober and well cut business suit a contrast to the indulgent and frilly underwear I watched her don thirty minutes ago. Heads turn, and well they should, she gives off a dangerous vibe, a combination of barely controlled violence and a deadly sexual energy.
She's so different to the woman, who came undone in my arms not long ago, this creature before me is as dissimilar as silk is to, say, an assault rifle. And I've seen her handle both with the same lethal elegance. She is simply magnificent.
Even Ranger is wary around her. I watch his worried face slip into his blank mask as she approaches and he holds out a hand in greeting, his smile barely reaching his eyes and I know that she is mirroring his expression.
"Thanks for your help" he tells her.
"I have some contacts in the gang that put out the contract on the cop" she tells him, "Maybe the right word in the right ear can help"
Ranger nods "Tank can get you whatever you need "he tells her.
She glances over her shoulder at me and her smile speaks of secrets yet to be shared "Good. Lucky me"
I haven't blushed since I was 13 and my Mom caught me, well never mind what she caught me doing, I'm glad my dark complexion hides my embarrassment and I look down at my feet and when I look up again Ranger's eyes are amused. There's a question there, one that I'm not willing to answer just yet.
"There have been a few developments since you left" he tells me blandly and my heart sinks. And it gets nearer and nearer my boots as he relates the nightmare he's been living with while I got my happy on in a hotel room. By the time he's through I can't even look at him, I'm sick with shame that I left him to handle this alone.
"I'll get Mel set up at a work station" I tell him with my head down "Then I'll relieve Lester and send him to get some rest"
"Thanks Tank, I was starting to worry about you" His hand lands on my shoulder in a gesture of friendship that makes my heart crash in my chest "Glad to have you back in one piece"
"Right Boss, sorry" I mutter and lead Mel away.
He asks for me for nothing for himself, only that I help keep her safe and I let him down. He's had to face all this alone."
I hadn't even realised I had said it out loud until her hand slipped into mine "This is my bad, not yours, I took advantage of you"
"You couldn't have stopped me if I'd wanted to call, but I wanted you more. I'm the selfish one" I let go of her hand and clenched my fist.
Her hand snaked out and grabbed my wrist "The best thing we can do to make it up to him is to work out a way to persuade these assholes that picking a fight with us is a very bad idea"
Adam's POV
The phones we had are now decorating the inside of a dumpster and I'm waiting to be met with our new ones. A step behind me makes me turn and a familiar and dreaded figure steps into the alley, his hands up. "Ad, my man, you hurt my feelings when you ran out on me without saying goodbye"
"I told you I was only working for you until I made the money to get me here"
"Are you telling me that you being here is some sort of cosmic coincidence? That you being with our target isn't your attempt to get back in my crew? Why else would you lead us right to her?"
"You were following me?"
He laughed a chilling sound in the darkness, his scraggly brown hair blowing round his hair like some demonic version of a halo "You're still wearing the gift I gave you"
I followed his gesture to my wrist and the watch that he gave me when I joined up and my stomach contracted " There's a tracker in here?"
His face, one that not even a mother could love cracked into a parody of a smile "Too fucking right, I like to know where my people are and whether they lie when I ask where they have been"
I felt my shoulders slump and I threw out my arm until my wrist hit the nearest wall, smashing the glass and then I stripped what was left of my former time piece off my arm and ground it under my booted foot. "Fuck you" I told him
"What a way to treat an old friend" he told me sourly "What gratitude from a member of my core team"
"I was never really yours, Vlad" I told him" I've moved on and found somewhere I truly belong"
He held up a hand and the movement behind me ceased "Go back to your new boss and tell him what you did and see if he forgives you for almost getting her killed"
My indecision must have been clearly displayed on my face as he laughed "He'll kill you himself when he finds out"
"Then I'll die" I adopted a fighting stance "But not by your hand"
Another chilling laugh "No, I won't kill you, I'll let Ranger throw you out and wait until you come crawling back to me"
"That will never happen" I told him.
"We'll see" he told me airily.
I let out a long breath when I was finally alone in that stinking alley.
I leant against the wall, sliding down it until my butt hit my heels, resting my suddenly aching head against my knees. I was still like that when Cal found me. I never even heard him approach.
"Adam, man, you OK?"
I raised my tear stained face "No" I wiped my eyes roughly "Give me your phone"
"Sure" he handed it over and I hit speed dial one.
"Ranger" His voice is clipped, tense.
"Just listen" I tell him
"Adam? Is Steph OK?"
"She's fine, she's with Bobby. I know how they found her and it's my fault"
"What?" I can hear the fury in his voice and he hasn't heard the worst of it.
"I didn't mean to, but I led them right to her"
"Get back here now; send Cal to the safe house"
"Yes Sir" I hand a startled Cal back him phone and raise myself up to my feet.
"You have to take the phones and go to the safe house; I'm to return to Rangeman"
"Adam, what did you do?" Cal asked his voice dark and ugly.
I sighed and started to explain, I needed to make him understand so that he could tell Steph and hope that she could somehow forgive me. I'll never see her again, but it's important for her to know, that I would never intentionally betray her.