Chapter 36

"Please someone answer me." Stephanie cried into her mic..."I need you to say something."

She watched the screens with large eyes that were beginning to tear up. "Please... please." She whispered the last word.

But all she was met with was silence. Her eyes searching for any sign of life on the screen. Instead she saw the men from the SUV walking towards the house, weapons out and at the ready as they searched.

Her voice broke in a sob, "please they are going in... from the center and the right side. You have to be careful."

Her eyes still scanned the screen praying that she would see them soon. But all she saw was the men kicking through the rubble. Looking for bodies.

Stephanie decided that since begging wasn't working she would threaten. "If someone doesn't answer me right now I will call the police and leave this room to come there right now."

She waited in silence for another 30 seconds, heart beating so hard it felt like it might come out of her chest. Her mind racing with all of the possible things gone wrong. "Please answer... please." She begged as she watched the men move farther into the rubble.

Another minute passed before she grabbed her phone and dialed Joe's number. It rang twice before he answered.

"Yo." He said in a rush, "Can I call you back. We have a call about explosions."

Stephanie sucked in a breath, "That's us... Joe, they were there trying to stop the men after Timmy and I. But we thought they wanted to take Timmy but really, they wanted him dead. ... and now no one is answering me and I can't see them because three of the screens went out and Joe they are not answering me." Stephanie said hysterically.

Joe took a breath, "4512 Brick lane?" He asked.

"Yes, can you send help? I am coming to." She had promised not to leave before but now they were hurt and she was not waiting.

"There are 5 men in a black SUV with multiple weapons including grenades." She said standing up to run out of the door. But she ran right into a brick wall when the door slid open.

"Move." she yelled at the wall of muscle she didn't recognize.

"Sorry orders were you don't move from this room until Ranger says so." He said.

Stephanie ever the quick mind spoke into the phone, "Joe, I can't leave here, someone is guarding my door." She turned and went back into the room, the door sliding closed.

She heard Joe snort, "Since when do you listen."

She walked over to her purse setting on the counter and grabbed the stun gun out. "I don't, hold on."

She went back to the door and made it slide open. She watched the man raise an eyebrow and it pissed her off, "Is it only Ranger or can any of the men that can release me from the room?" She asked in a sugar sweet voice that would have raised any of the men that knew her suspicions.

She watched the man squint his eyes, "Ranger said only him." He said gruffly.

"And what if he is hurt?" She asked using the hand with the phone to point at the screens. "No one is answering on the coms."

She watched as the man lean around her to look at the screens then reached over with the hand with the stun gun. One quick zap to the neck and he was out. He fell to the ground like a massive tree falling to earth. He was going to hurt tomorrow. "Hold on Joe." She said into the phone before setting it down.

She went to his head, grabbed his arms and started to pull him into the room. "Jesus Christ, you are one big mother fucker." She muttered pulling him one inch at a time until his entire body was in the room. She was out of breath by the time she got him in.

"Joe..." She had to stop to breath, "Fuck I need to work out more." She muttered taking another deep breath.

She pulled the phone up to her ear, "Joe, are you there yet?"

"Almost, what happened?" He asked her sirens screaming in the background.

"I stunned his ass." She said grabbing her keys and taking another quick look at the screen but there were only 2 pictures left. One of the road that was now empty and one that had fallen sideways so it only showed trees. "I am on my way."

She heard burst into laughter, "I am so glad we are not together anymore. I will have to give Ranger my antacids. He is going to need them with you."

"Fuck you." She said with no heat as she ran up the stairs to the garage. She beeped the keys in her hand, turning to see Rangers Porsche beep. She had grabbed random keys off of the end table on her way down earlier and threw them in her purse.

She pulled the door open and slid into the seat, "Are you there yet?" She asked as she pulled out of the garage.

"Pulling up now." He said, "Do you hear anything from the ear bud?"

"No, its silent." She said racing down the street towards the ambush point.

"Ok I am going to hang up now. I will call you as soon as I can." He said.

She heard the phone beep and while she knew he needed to pay attention to what was going on, she wanted to hear. She turned a corner going 90 mph and was thankful she had this car. One of the SUVs would have flipped over.

"Please." She begged to no one.

"Please, let them be ok." She said in a broken voice, as a tear slid down her cheek.

Please ... we can't do this without you." She whispered a hand sliding over her stomach.

She looked up to see headlights following her sharp turns.

She looked again in the rear-view mirror and made another turn and her fear peaked when it turned with her. She strained to make out any of the features of the car but it was too dark, all she could see was the bright lights.

She pushed the gas pedal down even farther and the car behind her sped up to keep up with her. She decided to slow down to see if they would pass her in the two lane area, but they also slowed down and stayed right behind her. Now she was starting to panic, she had nothing on her except the stun gun.

She made a last minute, fast turn onto a side street and slowed down to only 25 mph. She pulled to a complete stop and turned off her lights. She watched as the car turned in behind her and slowed to a crawl. She watched the headlights following her and her heart started beating in fear, almost coming out of her chest.

When they came to a stop behind her, she did a fast U-Turn and tried to shoot past them but the truck pulled over and cut her off … the headlights blinded her. Her heart stopped ... then sped up... racing until it hurt as she watched a man get out of the truck and start walking towards her.