Author's Note:
I am sorry, I had to change another thing in the previous chapter, as someone pointed out to me that I killed Cal off in Chapter 1 and resurrected him in chapter 3. Apparently I have not been paying close enough attention to my own story. So I have changed Cal to Zip in chapter 3.
Ranger's POV
"What is going on?" I question and take two steps at the time up to where Steph is standing.
"Julie is missing" Steph's face is white as a sheet of paper and she thrusts the phone into my hands.
"Hello" I say when I bring the phone to my ear and start rubbing Steph's back to calm her down. My own heart is pounding so hard in my chest that I can feel it down in my toes.
"Hello, this is Officer Declan Blake from the Te Kao Police Department in New Zealand." the deep voice on the other end says.
"My daughter is missing?" I question and pull Steph into me.
"We found Julie Manoso's rental car abandoned on the side of the road with all her belongings in it. The rental car company has advised me that this number is listed for emergencies" the officer replies. Only years of military training are helping me to stay calm, while a million possible scenarios are running through my mind. "It has been more than 24 hours since the car was found and we have searched the nearby trails. Her phone is off too."
"Mr Manoso, have you heard from your daughter at all in the last 24 hours?" Officer Blake adds.
"I haven't heard from her since she left the US about one month ago." I reply and look at Steph who only shakes her head. She hasn't heard from her either.
"What about your wife or any other relatives?" He asks.
"I am not sure. I will need to check." I answer, not bothering to correct him on the wife part. " Any sign of a crime?"
"The car was locked and only her handbag missing." the man informs me. "Could you please find out if someone has heard from her? You can reach me under this number."
"I will give you a call back asap" I nod and hang up.
"Everything ok?" Catherine questions. I did not notice her coming up the steps.
"Julie is missing" Steph answers, with a little bit more colour in her face and pulls away from me.
"My daughter" I clarify for Catherine, making me once again realise how far away I kept her from my personal life. She looks surprised by my answer, but doesn't say anything. "You haven't heard from her at all?" I look at Steph.
"No... nothing since she stopped by to give me the letter for you" She informs me.
"Ok. Go inside gather the men." I tell Steph, before turning to Catherine. "I am sorry about everything."
"We are both to blame" She nods. "I am sure your daughter is fine."
"She has to be" If she isn't, I don't know what I am going to do. With that I turn around to follow Steph inside.
The core Team is already assembled and Steph is just relying the information, when I join them in the lobby.
"You haven't heard from her?" I look at my friends and they all shake their heads in answer. "I will be on the next plane to New Zealand. I want to know everything by the time I land."
"You can take my jet" Catherine says behind me, who must have followed us inside. So much to being aware of my surroundings at all times. "It will be easier than to fly commercial."
"Thank you" I nod. She instantly takes her phone out of her clutch and I assume she is making a call to the pilot. I turn back to my men and question "Are we clear?"
Steph's POV
Our friends nod at his question, before he turns away to leave. I am standing there helplessly looking after him. A large part of me wants to go with him, make sure Julie is ok, since I love that girl like crazy.
We used to be really close and she was the only person I really tried to stay in touch with after I walked away. I wanted to be sure that she wouldn't be collateral in the fall out and that she didn't think I didn't love her to bits.
With Julie missing, I feel a little lost and I cannot imagine what Ranger must feel like on the inside. He may show that loss doesn't affect him, but I know him better. When Cal died it affected him, it affected all of us, like a close family member passed away.
But it is not my place anymore to go with him and accompany him in a crises. I gave that privilege away when I walked out. Catherine has that privilege now. I will stay and help the guys dig up information from this end.
I am just about to ask Les, if I can bunk with him in Trenton, because staying at my parents is just not an option, when Ranger turns around and looks at me a little annoyed. "Time is of the essence Stephanie" He says. "You can have your reunion later."
I look from Ranger, to Catherine and then at Les, who pushes me slightly forward. "Find our girl" is all he says. I quickly kiss his cheek, wave to the other guys and make my way over to where Ranger is waiting impatiently. When I pass Catherine, who is still on the phone arranging for the jet to be ready, her expression is guarded but her eyes show that she is hurting.
Once I reach Ranger, he grabs my hand and starts walking in long strides to the exit leaving me to try to keep up in my high heels. "Is Catherine not coming?"
"No" He simply replies. Despite all the dread and fear for Julie, I can't help but feel a little happy about that.
Rangers POV
Once we are outside, I take out my phone and call a number that I haven't dialled in a long time.
When I came back injured from that dreadful Mission, Julie and Rachel had a huge fight that same day, which had Julie packing her bags and turning up at Rangemen Miami. Thankfully Les was on his way to Miami for a site visit anyways and was able to keep an eye on her.
I tried to mend fences between them from my bed, but it didn't work. When Les flew back, Julie came with him and never left. Suffice to say that Rachel never forgave me for Julie moving in with me.
"Hello" Rachel's sleepy voice rings through the line.
"Rachel, it's Ric" I say. "Julie is missing" I cut right down to it, as I don't want to waste any time making small talk.
"What do you mean missing?" Rachel, now more alert than a few seconds ago, questions.
"Steph got a call from a cop in New Zealand saying that they found Julie's rental car but not her." I answer and drag Steph along with me down the road. I would carry her to speed things up, but that would make talking on the phone impossible. "Have you heard from her at all?"
"New Zealand?" Rachel questions in a time which tells me, that Julie didn't inform her mother of her travel plans. "And no, I haven't heard from her since Christmas…" And Rachel only got that call because I forced our daughter to, but I better not mention that now.
"Yes New Zealand" I inform her "She took of a month" I inform her.
"What did you do?" Rachel raises her voice.
"Rachel" I sigh. The very hidden and very sulky teenager in me wants to ask 'Why do you assume I did something?', but I forego that and say instead "I don't need this shit from you right now."
"Fuck you Ricardo" Rachel shouts and before she hangs up the phone she adds "You better find her alive or so help me god."
"A pleasure talking to you as always" I mutter and pocket my phone.
"She is blaming you" Steph's says more as a statement then a question, but I nod anyways. "She has some nerve…"
"Don't start Babe" I almost beg her. It is no secret that Rachel and Steph don't exactly get along. When Steph and I were still together, Rachel made it more than clear that she thinks Steph was coming between her and Julie. Which wasn't true. Rachel managed to turn Julie against herself all on her own and Steph was the one trying to get Julie to have more contact with her mother.
"You are right" Steph says and stops dead in her tracks. "Hold on one sec" She adds, takes of her shoes, before slipping her hand into mine again. "That's better."
"We will find her" Steph assures me just when we take off an hour and a half after leaving the Venue.
Since then I have made multiple calls to Officer Blake and tried to get as much information out of him as possible. I also told him to call Tank with any updates if there are any while I am in the air.
"I know" I nod, I just fear in what state we will find her.
"She will be fine" Steph laces her fingers with mine and gives my hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go. She always claimed to not be able to read me, but Steph has no idea that she can read me better than any of the core team members.
"Thank you for coming with me" I thank her.
"You are welcome." She nods. "I love Julie just as much...I tried staying in touch as best as I could."
"I know" I acknowledge. "She told me. Julie wanted me to go, find you and bring you home."
"She said so in one of her emails. I told her to let it go." Steph tells me and my heart skips a beat. So she didn't want to be found? "Because if you had, I would have followed you to wherever you would have led me. And I couldn't have that."
"Why not?" I find myself asking.
"Because I would have been just as unhappy as I was before. You wouldn't have changed. Nothing would have changed." She explains.
I let that sink in for a moment, before I confess "I did find you... just shortly after you left."
Steph's POV
He came to find me?
"I wanted to bring you home" And like I said I would have followed him had he showed up in front of my door. "But I got drunk and found Catherine instead."
"Why are you telling me this?" The last part is like a punch to the chest.
"Full disclosure" Is all he says to answer my question.
For a long while we stay quiet. Both occupied with our own thoughts. Mine is just going over and over the last words he said.
I just don't know what to say. What does all of this mean? Is he still as much in love with me as I with him? Even though he found someone else, does this mean he never forgot me?
"How can I forget you, when you were the love of my life?" Ranger turns his head to me and looks me right into the eyes. "You said that out loud" He smiles, slides his right hand along my jaw and into my hair. "Some things never change huh?"
His eyes are solely focused on me, my heart stops beating and butterflies flap their wings in my stomach. I can barely manage to shake my head to answer him. No, some things never change including his hold over me. He could ask me to jump out of this plane right now and I would do it, because I am still madly and unconditionally in love with him.
"Maybe, when we find Julie...you and I could have a talk" He suggests in almost a whisper. Once again I nod my head to answer and my eyes keep focusing on his lips, wishing he would kiss me. "Ok." He adds, removes his hand and takes out his laptop.
I take a deep breath and pull myself together. One thing at a time. First Julie then Ranger and me.
More than 24 hours later, we finally touchdown in Auckland. As soon as we step out of the plane, Ranger's phone starts ringing and he picks it up without hesitation.
"Report" He barks and starts walking towards the private terminal door.
"Thank fucking god" He sighs, stops in his tracks, bends down and puts his hands on his knees. When he looks up at me, I can see the relief on his face.
"We will be there in a few hours. Tell them to let her out of their sight" He tells to whomever is on the other end. He hangs up and says "They found Julie."
Now what happened to Julie?