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.
My thanks to you for all your kind words, I hope you enjoy what I have written.
Thank you
Valzie.
Dangerous Ground Chapter 9
Sin's POV
Hector makes his way back, his face tense. A string of rapid Spanish and Flighter pales and lets out an oath, banging his hand against the wall.
"What?" I ask
"They got Eddie and Vince" he tells me
"Fuck" I exclaim
"Exactly, now what do we do?"
"Way above our pay grade, we just pass it on and wait for the powers that be to come up with a plan"
"That's cold man, even for you" he tells me, shaking his head his face a picture of disgust.
I send him a grimace "I've been where they are and I'm not peachy keen to go back, so you'll just have to forgive me. Ranger's going to have to do something spectacular to get them out of this. Vlad 's no fool"
"Shit man, I forgot, is he here?"
"I haven't seen him"
Flighter rested a hand on my shoulder. "Let's regroup and see where we go from here"
"Yeah" I run a suddenly weary hand over my face "Yeah. We should do that"
Steph's POV
She's going to wear a hole in the floor at this rate. In comparison to her constant movement I look like a picture of calm. I'm sitting alongside Bobby on one of the beds, my feet swinging in time to the strut of our very own caged beast.
Taking my courage in both hands I jump down and stand directly in her path, so she has to stop or run into me. "Why are you here?" I ask her as she comes to an ungainly halt. I cross my arms over my chest.
"Out of my way" she tells me and waves a dismissive hand at me and steps around me to continue her pacing.
I catch her arm and spin her back round to face me, her heels making a screeching noise as they dig into the floor "Oh No, not this time. You know more about what's going on than you're telling"
She shrugged out of my hold and raised her hand as if she was going to strike me.
"Just try it" I told her haughtily and her hand dropped away and I pressed this small advantage "Your silence risks the lives of my men, tell me what you know"
"Your men?" she laughed "You mean Ranger's men, don't try to make yourself seem more important than you are" the tone dripped with venom.
"We're hers as much as we are Ranger's" Bobby's voice broke in. It came from just over my shoulder and he was two steps behind me and when I looked back Ram had made his way over and was standing a few paces behind Mel.
"What is your part in all this?" I ask.
Her phone rang, the fourth time it had in as many minutes and she looked over to where Bobby had put it when he took it from her. "Please, let me get that and I will tell you what all this is about"
She must have seen the sceptical look on my face as she told me "I promise. I need to know what's happening. Please"
I looked over my shoulder to Bobby who nodded imperceptibly and then across to Ram who added his agreement. Bobby fetched the phone and threw it over to her. She dialled and her obvious relief when it was answered gave me an idea of who was on the other end. She listened and her head dropped almost to her chest and she let out a blistering oath, something completely at odds with her genteel and cultured appearance.
Ranger's POV
At the beginning, back when Rangeman was a two bit operation, Tank brought me a photocopy of a dollar bill. Across the front, he scrawled, "THE BUCK STOPS HERE" and taped it to the top of my desk to help serve as a reminder that my decisions have consequences for myself and others. I sometimes wonder what happened to it, as right this second the weight of my choice is a crushing one. I glance around and find every eye on me.
I underestimated Vlad; there is absolutely no excuse for what just happened. I thought erroneously that my plan was foolproof. That part of the corridor should have been empty of my personnel when Vlad and his cronies reached it. And now he has two of my men. I will not allow him to hurt them.
"Why were they there?" I ask, "They should have been setting up for the next phase"
Tank raised his head from his laptop screen as he reviewed the security camera footage "They went back to collect the first aid rucksack as Vince suffered a minor head wound" Eddie was just patching him up when Astro and Vlad came through the doors"
I knew that Vlad would have removed one of the men's devices and would be monitoring our communications. "Vlad?"
"The Mighty Ranger Manoso, you had a nice set up here" his accent was thick enough to walk on but he was careful with his pronunciation, so it wasn't too difficult to understand him.
I let the barb pass unmentioned "You have two of my men"
"You have at six of mine"
I glanced up at Tank for verification and he held up both hands with only his left thumb and forefinger tucked down. So Vlad hadn't realised that his sentries were missing. That left Vlad, his second in command Astro and two others in play.
"I'll trade them"
"Your two for the six of mine?" he laughed without humour a grating noise that made me clench my teeth.
"No. You trade them for me"
Tank's head shot up so fast that I don't know why he didn't give himself whiplash.
"I'll play Manoso; I'll trade you for your two men" he laughed again "But one sign of treachery and I'll kill you all"
"Understood"
"You'll need to talk that man mountain of yours into letting you do this" he taunted "I'm in no hurry, take your time" he crowed.
I watched him rip out his earpiece and I removed mine. I stepped towards him and the anger on his face made me pause. "Tank"
"I won't let you do this" he shook his head "I will not be the one that has to explain to her why I let you go in there and get yourself killed"
Nice to see how much I mean to him, he just fears facing her with the news of my untimely demise. "Tank" I start and he cuts me off
"No, it's grade A stupid even considering it"
"Tank" I raised my voice a decibel or two "I have a plan, I'm not going in there without one"
"Talk" he ordered "And make it good"
Steph's POV
He can't do this, that man is crazy and can't be trusted. I take out my earpiece and look over to where Mel is just finishing up her call. Maybe I can make it so that he doesn't have to. I push off from the bench I've been leaning on and walk over to where she is just returning the phone to Bobby. I push her back against the wall with my left forearm over her throat and reach down to my thigh and pull my knife; another little gift from Adam, out of the scabbard tucked into the side pocket of my cargo pants and show it to her, giving her ample time to appreciate its lovely sharp edges. I hear muffled oaths from behind me and I know that Bobby and Ram are at my shoulders and are waiting to see what I do. I give her what I hope is a chilling little smile. "The man I love is just about to put his life on the line to get his men back. You promised me answers and one way or another I am going to get them"
Mel's POV
I thought her soft and no threat, but it seems I was wrong. That's no butter knife she's waving at me. I could quite easily break her hold and take it away from her, but then I'd have to deal with Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dumber and judging by their expressions if I harm one hair on her head there will be no time for questions or answers they will simply make mincemeat out of me.
I take in a breath and let it out slowly. "This wasn't in the plan" I tell her truthfully "Vlad was only supposed to threaten, he wasn't meant to storm the place"
"Call him off" she asserts "Now" and the knife moves closer.
"That's the problem, he won't stand down" I jerk back but hit the wall. "He's no longer under our control"
"What do you want?" she spits each word at me as if it was poison, her face inches from mine and her resolve is obvious. She's magnificent, I see now why he fell for her and I know that in another time and another place we could have been great friends.
I let out a sigh and only the presence of the cutlery at my carotid stops me from lowering my head in shame. "It wasn't meant to be like this" I think the time has come to tell the truth.
Steph's POV
"Stephanie Michelle Plum" Tank's voice is quiet in my ear as he steps up behind me and gently disengages my knife from Mel's throat "Is there a reason you are threatening my guest?" his great dark voice sounds amused at my antics as he slips my knife back into its scabbard and enfolds me in his arms and lifts me back a few steps.
"She's behind this" I splutter and he rests his head on mine, his breath warm on the back of my neck.
"I know" he whispers, the pain evident in his voice. "I'm sorry" it's so low that I'm sure I'm the only one who heard it.
"She wants something and we need to know what it is"
"I know, but we have a larger problem right now"
"I was hoping that forcing her to call off her dogs would mean he wouldn't have to do this"
"It wouldn't help. Vlad needs to make a name for himself and the best way to do that is to take on the best." he tells me sadly.
He lets me go and I wheel round "You can't let him do it" I tell him.
"He has a plan" he looked over to Bobby and held out to him a folded piece of paper.
Bobby took it and opened it and his brow furrowed as he read it and then his handsome face contracted in a grimace "He's crazy" he told Tank and moved off into his small office area and I heard his safe open.
"I have to see him, I need to try to talk him out of this" I tell Tank, trying to get round him, but he shadows every step I make.
"He doesn't want you to leave here"
"I don't care what he wants" I yell angrily. "He will listen to me"
Tank nodded "I tried, I really did, I even offered to go in instead of him, but he won't even consider it"
I couldn't stop the sudden rush of tears to my eyes when I saw the worry on Tank's usually unemotional face.
"I know you tried" I tell him, wrapping my arms around him and knowing that this was something that Ranger was going to do and neither of us could stop him. "Ask him to call me before he does this, maybe I can talk some sense into him"
Tank shook his head "He has made up his mind and nothing will change it" he looked at me and the mask slipped further and Tank the soldier was replaced with the man, the brother that would always be there to guard his back. "Don't weaken him; don't let him hear your fear" In those few seconds he was completely open to me, I could see the worry for his friend in his dark eyes and it was deep enough to drown me. "Don't split his focus; if he's worried about you then he isn't concentrating on the job in hand and he'll need all his wits about him"
It was a plea and I couldn't refuse him. In those few heartbeats I went from anger to acceptance and it was the more frightening of the two states by far. "I won't, I promise" There are times that Ranger needs to be the scary bad ass that I know he can be. He shields me as much as he can from that side of him. But his darkness is a part of him and if I am to I love all of him, I must accept and embrace that side of him too. I will do what needs to be done and send him into battle with a brave face. My fears will not be his.
"Thank you" he whispered and the shutters came down again separating me from him once more.
Bobby returned carrying something in a small paper bag. Tank nodded as he took it from him."Thanks" he turned back to me "I'll ask him to call you. We just have to trust that he knows what he's doing"
"I do" I told him "And I trust you to be at his back keeping him safe"
"Is that an order?"
"Do you need it to be?" I asked with a tight smile "Can I give you orders?"
"No and sometimes" His grin was genuine "It's been a pleasure serving with you Ma'am"
"And with you" I tell him and I mean it.
Ranger's POV
I'm almost ready to do this. There is just one more thing I need to do before I can proceed. I hold my phone in my hand for a few seconds before I dial. Thinking about what I need to tell her before I do this. Tank is close to the edge. He thinks he's hiding it well, but I know the signs. If this goes wrong she'll need to help him through this as much as she can. They'll need one another. I dial and it's picked up before the first ring even finishes.
"Yo" she says with a false brightness.
I smile "Yo yourself" I tell her and I can hear the anxiety that she's fighting to hide from me and my prepared speech sticks in my throat.
"I know you have to do this and I understand why" she paused and I knew she was fighting back tears. She let out a shuddering breath "Take my love with you"
"I will love you until the last sun in the Universe burns out"
"I know. Now go save the World Batman"
That's it, now I can go. She gave me my marching orders. Does she know how much I need and value her strength? I don't think that she ever will, but I give thanks for it and for her.
With a last check that all is in readiness and a nod to Tank to acknowledge his concern and I head into the lion's den.
Vince's POV
Please don't do this boss, please don't come in here. I can see you through the glass safety panel of the door and I shake my head, silently willing you to leave us to our fate. We are the foot soldiers. We know our place in the scheme of things and we are ready to die if necessary. This is my fault. I should have insisted that we head out of here instead of giving in to Eddie's urgings that we stop so he could have a look at my head. I should have waited until we were safe before worrying about this scratch and now it's put you in danger. I look over to Eddie and see my expression mirrored in his face. This psycho has been regaling us with tales of his favourite ways that he's killed and I would rather suffer the very worst than have you in here with us. But you ignore my silent plea and you nod to us, your face resolute as you interlock your hands behind your head as they grab you roughly for a pat down search.
Adam's POV
I've never been on duty with Ella before and heaven only knows how I ended up with the gig. We were guarding the elevator and stairwell to the medical bay where Steph is, but now that Vlad is kind of corralled, I have ended up as her kitchen slave.
I am wearing an apron. Yes an apron and not a manly black and white striped affair, no this one has what I think are peonies on it. Pink ones. I ask again, how did I end up with this gig? If anyone sees me like this, what little street cred I ever had goes up in a puff of pink peony smoke.
Thing is she is so grateful for my help that it seems churlish to refuse her. Her duties as a guard aside, she still has the important job of feeding us all and she can't do that at the top of the stairs. So I've been roped into taking the hot loaves out of the bread makers and leaving them to cool. Next job is to wash, peel and chop the vegetables for the soups. When she asked me with a smile, if I was good with a knife, this wasn't what I thought she meant.
Steph's POV
He is in danger and there is nothing I can do. I won't stay here; I can't be blind and deaf like this, not while he is in such peril. I ask and it seems that Tank cannot refuse me. With Bobby at my back, a rucksack over his shoulder, I head to the control room to watch along with the rest of Rangeman how this unfolds.
Vlad thinks he disabled all the security cameras but one still survived, one of a new type that Rangeman was trialling and I for one am glad that they are almost invisible. There is no sound, but Sin can lip read, a strange talent for a soldier, but one I am grateful for.
Vlad's POV
This is a glorious day, one I have dreamed of for a very long time. Growing up as poor as I did in the Motherland before the fall meant a harsh and unforgiving upbringing, but it has stood me in good stead for the life I now live. I was not born I was forged in the cold of my bitterest Siberian winters. Now I will stand in the sun.
I am a soldier, a leader and I have successfully stormed the stronghold of my enemy and now he is at my mercy, he kneels at my feet waiting for me to decide not just his fate, but all of his men. Those who will not join me will be eliminated and I am sure that this land of opportunity will have as many places to disappear those who would oppose me as the land of my birth.
Joe's POV
He's willing to hand himself over to save his men. I didn't think he would, but I was wrong. As much as I've misjudged the men of Rangeman, I think I've misjudged their leader more. I just hope I get the chance to tell him. I catch sight of her too pale face, as she looks at Sin with rapt attention, hanging on his every word.
Ranger's POV
The old saw 'What goes around comes around' was an adage that my third grade teacher, Mrs Lydecker loved to use. I haven't thought about her in years. She looked and seemed ancient to my young eyes, but she couldn't have been much older than I am now.
Talk about overconfidence. I was caught out once by an assassin from the old Soviet bloc, who kept a needle thin stiletto in his hair, braided carefully in to his queue. Now I have used it to get my weapon of choice in here with me. He seems to think that having me on my knees with my ankles crossed and my fingers interlocked at the back of my head puts me in a subservient position, when all it does it makes it easier to reach for it when the time is right.
Vlad and Astro are known to me by reputation, but the other two identified by Vlad as Medvedev and Arcady are unknown quantities. Will they rush to defend their boss or will they stand down when he is disabled? I take a second to search their faces, seeing there more fear of Vlad than anything else.
It's time, not because I am in any real hurry to do this, but more than I can't bear his arrogant bragging any longer. Shifting my thumbs slightly I feel the edge of the small glass cylinder that I have concealed in the elastic band that holds my hair. I break into his musings with "Can I put my hands down now?" I ask "I'll keep them in view" He nods, making an obvious face at what he sees as my weakness. He is on my left side, so I roll the glass into my right hand and cast it to the floor by his foot, covering the sound of its breakage at his feet with a hearty sigh as I distract him by shaking out my arms as if are painful.
I let him prattle on as I concentrate on stretching out my fingers, hoping that the guys are paying attention.
Eddie's POV
Do you know when you see something without actually seeing it? When the knowledge downloads itself directly into your brain without you being aware of it? I'd heard of it, but never experienced it, until this moment.
The message 'BE READY' drifted lazily across my mind and for a second I didn't know where it had come from. Then the rest of me caught up and I realised that those weren't random hand stretches that Ranger was using, it was American Sign Language and now I see why he wanted us to be fluent in it.
I cast my eyes around my floor being careful not to move my head too much and give the game away that something is about to go down. Then I spot it, the glint of light on glass, just at the edge of Astro's foot. Some sort of nerve agent. Depending on the amount just released and the size of the room it could take anything from a few more seconds to a few minutes for it to have any effect. I get my answer with almost the next breath. I concentrate and realise that the background hum of the air con is gone as the room starts to waver and dance like I'm in a heat wave and I can't seem to get enough air in my lungs. I'm glad I'm sitting down as I slide sideways into Vince and knock him over and he too seems to be in the same state as me. Nice plan boss, hope we live through it.
Bobby's POV
I watch as Eddie and Vince start to show symptoms. Grabbing my rucksack and almost ripping it open in my haste, I pull out the two gas masks. Throwing one to Tank who takes up his position just out of sight of the door with his gun drawn. I don the other and slip the metal case carrying the antidote into my pocket. We don't have long to get them out of there. It's a delicate balance between ensuring that the agent does its work and leaving them there to die. Ranger, I swear, your predilection for the flashy solution will be the death of me. My eyes are on Lester as he counts down the precious seconds, his eyes have never left the monitor and I know that the millisecond that Vlad's and his men hit the ground he'll drop his arm as my signal to go and he'll crank up the air con and ventilate that area.
Adam's POV
I allow Ella to manoeuvre her trolley out of the lift and step on to the control room floor to find an absolute silence. Steph stands alone, her body visibly trembling, her eyes flicking between the monitor and Lester. And Bobby seems to be wearing a gas mask. I cross to her and slip my hand into hers and she grips my hand tightly. I look up at Les just as his hand drops and her attention whips to Bobby as he and Tank take off running. She's still for a few seconds and Lester hollers at me to stop her until its clear and I catch hold of her arm and pull her back into my arms "What's going on?" I ask Lester as she struggles in vain against me for a few seconds before she bursts into sobs and buries her head into my chest.I listen in awe as Lester lays bare what's been happening while I was playing Ella's Commis Chef.
My attention is distracted by Bobby hauling Vince by one hand and Eddie by the other as Woody, Ram, Joe and Cal rush forward to help him with his burdens. Tank follows, Ranger slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He lays his precious load carefully down as Bobby strips off his mask and throws it to Cal who follows Tank as Bobby bends down over Ranger injects him with something and checks him over. Steph struggles in my arms, needing to be with him and I let go, knowing that I have no right to keep her from him. She's at his other side in seconds and Bobby lays a gloved hand gently on her cheek and nods to her, telling her that he's going to be fine. She's grabbed Ranger's hand and is talking softly to him, tears pouring down her face as she looks down at the man she loves. I hope he knows what he has there; she's quite something our Stephanie.
Bobby injects Vince and Eddie and examines each in turn and seemingly happy with them. He stands up and waits for Tank and Cal to bring out Vlad and his men. Administering the antidote and examining each one before they were cuffed and carried away, still unconscious.
He gets up and stands, pressing his spine against the wall of the control room and sliding down until his butt hit the ground. Hanging his hands off his knees, he allows his head to fall forward. Tank crosses the room to him and holds out one of his hands and Bobby takes it allowing Tank to pull him to his feet.
Bobby's POV
That was close, closer than anyone knows. I'm exhausted; the stress of this day is finally catching up with me. But my work is far from over. The guys are starting to stir and my short break is over. I take Tank's offered hand and he pulls me up. Augmenting my waning strength with his. He knows, he was there with me and realises that we were almost too late. A minute, maybe ninety seconds and I'd have lost them all.
Vlad and his men are in the custody of the General and I, for one am glad they are off our premises. That just leaves one more problem to solve.
Mel. Why is she here and what does she want? Why did she set Vlad and his band of psychos on us? What is so important to her that she needs to threaten all of us to get what she wants?
Flighter's POV
And that my friend is why Ranger is the top dog. That was a crazy plan, one that wouldn't have occurred to me, even if I'd had the rest of my life to come up with it. I look to Sin to ask him what he thinks, but he's in motion, heading across the control room stripping off his belt as he goes. What the hell is he doing?
Sin's POV
He's here, he's actually here. I have waited so long to look this guy in the eye and that moment is finally here. I tap his shoulder and he turns to face me. His puzzled expression tells me that he recognises me but can't place me yet. I hold out the hand that clutches the belt I just removed and he takes it, holding the stained leather in his hand before it dawns on him who I am. He raises his eyes to mine and his face splits into a grin "You made it"
I can't help it, his relief at finding me alive is infectious and I return the smile "Thanks to you"
"I did nothing "he says modesty pouring out of every pore, his hand rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"I was bleeding out. You stripped off your shirt and belt and used them to staunch the wound. You bought me the time for the medics to reach me."
He shrugs "I couldn't leave you like that"
"Thank you" I paused "The guy that shot me, Frog, what happened to him?"
"Dead, you nicked his femoral artery and we didn't know how bad he was hurt. He died in the truck back to our compound"
"If he was your friend, I'm sorry"
He looked away "He was an animal; you did the world a favour"
"I always said that if I ever saw you again, I'd buy you as much beer as you could hold and tell you about the life you saved"
"I think I'd like to hear that" he held out his hand and I took it "Looks like we are on the same side now" he smiled "I'm Adam what's your name?"
"Sin" he shook his head "Sorry, Jamie"
"Well Jamie, let's get this over with and you and I have some talking to do"