Ranger
"I don't have my comm unit," I explained when I arrived in the parking lot.
"No worries. I've got a backup plan," Manny replied. Manny put his Bluetooth earbuds in his ears. The brown cord attaching the pieces matched the colour of his hair. He gave me the thumbs up. I dialled his number and turned down the volume on my set. Manny could hear me, but I couldn't hear him. I trusted him to relay my orders to the others. It was necessary to rescue the woman inside. Stephanie wanted me to save her. I had to do everything possible to make it happen and prayed I wasn't too late.
Counting down from ten, the men quickly got into position around the perimeter. I could have used Lester or Tank on my team. Lester was managing the client calls while Tank was watching my wife and son. I couldn't do my job if I worried about their safety. We entered the building once we got to zero. I didn't have to give the signal. My men knew their responsibilities. It was one of the benefits of hiring men I commanded during special ops missions.
Worry for Stephanie attempted to seep into my mind. I pushed it back and cleared my head. The men have Stephanie's back. Tank would keep her safe. What about Angie and Mary Alice? I mentally chastised myself for getting distracted. The woman trapped inside was relying on us to find her.
Never in a million years would I ever think Valerie would be in danger. I entered the warehouse, expecting to find a brunette with extra curves tied to the rafters. It was Silverstern's MO. He had a preference. Valerie Sutton, Stephanie's blond-haired sister, was not his type.
Inside an office on the second level, I found Valerie tied to a desk. Her face was swollen from the assault. She was only wearing her bra and panties. Her clothes lay tattered on the floor. Silverstern stood over her body. "Drop your weapons, or I'll slit her throat," he yelled. Valerie groaned, letting me know she was still alive. I allowed relief to enter my mind. Stephanie would thank me for saving Valerie.
"No," I replied. "I have you surrounded."
Lloyd Silverstern laughed, "That's what they all say."
"In two seconds, I could have my man on the catwalk shoot you between the eyes," I said, giving Manny the message to pass along to Zero. Ram and Zero were the best snipers in the special ops programs. I was fortunate to employ both.
"Two seconds?" Silverstern asked. I nodded. He laughed, then pulled the knife across Valerie's abdomen. It wasn't deep enough to spill her intestines. Blood appeared like tiny blood dewdrops along her pale skin. "I'll count for you. One. T…" He didn't finish his word.
"Too slow," Manny laughed. Silverstern slumped over, narrowly missing Valerie with the knife. It brushed against her arm before falling to the ground. I shoved him off Valerie. Manny and Bones entered the room to untie Valerie. I covered her with my jacket, lifted her and ran from the building, ordering Gene and Chas to contact the police. Manny promised to hand over the video when we returned to base.
Woody opened the back of the SUV and pushed the seats down, making room for us inside. I climbed in with Valerie with Bones and Manny on my heels.
"Carlos," Valerie mumbled. "Record." I raised an eyebrow and followed her instructions. "I want you and Steph to make decisions if I can't. Take care of Angie and Mary Alice if I die. Please."
"Okay," I replied. Valerie's eyes fluttered closed. She was unconscious again.
Bones examined Valerie. "She lost too much blood. We need to do a transfusion," Bones said, he grabbed the equipment. "Does anyone know her blood type?"
"Stephanie will know," I replied. Manny got on his phone to call Tank. He hung up within a minute.
"O-pos," Manny reported. I sighed in relief, then offered Bones an arm.
"Are you sure, boss?" Bones asked.
"Yes. Stephanie would want me to save her sister," I replied. Bones shook his head but set up the transfusion. He removed the equipment from the medical bag. It didn't take long for the blood to flow from me to Valerie. A field transfusion carries a lot of risk. Infection was high on the list.
I brushed a hair off her brow. Her eyes fluttered but didn't open. "Manny, go," Bones ordered. "Get us to the hospital fast." Bones broke the cooling pack. He worked the ingredients inside the plastic bag until it got cold enough to use. Bones gently placed it on Valerie's jaw to reduce the swelling.
Manny jumped into the front and started the SUV. He broke every traffic law to get us to St Francis Hospital. It was closer to our location than Helen Fuld.
"Stephanie?" I asked.
"Your wife and son are safe and unharmed," Manny said. "She's meeting us at the hospital."
I sat back on my heels and let my mind interpret Manny's words. Stephanie and my son were safe. I would relax more after seeing Stephanie. "Do you think Morelli called in the tip about Silverstern and the warehouse?" Bones asked.
"No," I replied. "He wasn't the arresting officer or assigned the murder cases."
"It's one hell of a coincidence," Manny said from the front seat.
"I expected Silverstern to appear on the radar," I said. "We have all seen men like him during our missions. They get eerily quiet before the desire to kill overtakes their senses. It's like a drug. Serial murderers can't control the urge to hunt for their next victim. The thrill of the chase and feeling a life slipping away in his hands."
"Have you thought a lot about killing people?" Manny joked.
"Only my enemies," I replied honestly.
Manny parked close to the emergency entrance at the hospital. My neck tingled, indicating Stephanie was near. I rushed inside, carrying Valerie. I didn't have time to talk. Valerie's life hung in the balance. Bones sutured Valerie's arm to stop her from losing more blood. It was the internal injuries that concerned me. Bruises on her ribs and abdomen appeared during the trip.
"Carlos," Stephanie whispered. I shook my head. Valerie was still hooked to my arm. We needed the nurse to stop the transfusion and see if Valerie needed more blood from storage.
I knew my rebuff hurt Stephanie, but I couldn't let Valerie die on my watch. "This way," a triage nurse said. I followed her into an examination room. "Put her on the table. What's her name?"
"Valerie Sutton. She's my sister-in-law," I replied. The nurse called for assistance.
"I'm Trisha," she said. "I asked Naomi to help."
Naomi entered the room and quickly unhooked the transfusion. She went to a fridge in the corner of the room and grabbed an orange juice from its depth. "Drink this," Naomi ordered. "What happened?" I shook my head, unwilling to tell the nurse the story.
"Her blood type is O-positive," I said. Naomi smiled, then took a sample from my arm, then Valerie's arm.
"I'm checking your levels. How long were you attached?" Naomi asked.
"Long enough to give her what she needed, but not so long to deplete my cells," I replied. Trisha giggled. "No more than fifteen minutes."
The doctor entered the room, prepared to examine Valerie. He felt along her jaw and nose, then called for an orthopedic surgeon. "Hi, I'm Dr. Curtis Strybosch. Are you the patient's husband?"
"No. Valerie's my sister-in-law," I replied.
"What happened to her?" he asked, examining the neat stitches on her arms. Strybosch motioned for the nurse to clean the abdominal wound and cover it with dressing and bandages.
"Got on the wrong end of a knife. Valerie defended herself," I replied.
"I can tell from the injuries on the arms. She has rope burns on her wrists and ankles," Dr. Strybosch observed. Trisha recorded the details on the chart. Strybosch shook his head. "The injuries are familiar."
Naomi shuddered. "Do you remember the brunette from a few weeks ago?" Naomi asked. Trisha shook her head as the doctor indicated he recalled the case. "She died from her injuries. They were identical to those on Mrs. Sutton."
"Did you catch the fucker?" Dr. Strybosch asked. Naomi disappeared from the room to grab something.
"Yes," I said.
"Valerie must have been scared," Trisha said. I raised an eyebrow. "We were in the same grade in school."
"Is Mrs. Sutton's husband available to make medical decisions?" Curtis asked.
"No. They're getting divorced. Valerie asked my wife and I to make those decisions," I said, then played the recording for them to hear in her words.
"That's good enough for me," Dr. Strybosch replied.
Trisha smiled as she passed the clipboard with papers to get Valerie's jaw wired shut and to perform other tests where patient consent was required.
"Could you step outside while I examine her?" Dr. Strybosch asked.
I nodded, then left the room. Naomi rushed back inside, carrying a rape kit. Dios! I hoped Valerie wasn't sexually assaulted too. It was protocol for kidnapping cases.
Detective Dembrowski found me waiting outside the examination room. "Manoso, I need your statement and clothes," he said, passing me the evidence bag and a duffle. Dembrowski removed a notebook from his jacket pocket.
He followed me into a room containing a shower. I stripped, dumping all my clothes into the bag, then showered. Dembrowski asked questions as I quickly washed Valerie's blood off my body. "Manny has a video recording of the takedown," I said, assessing his body language.
"Handy. I'll need Manny to bring it to the TPD," he replied. "Did you shoot Silverstern?" His question was anticipated and easy to answer.
"No, but I wanted to." Dembrowski smiled while recording my answer in his notebook. He didn't leave the room as I stepped from the shower. It didn't bother me. I worked hard to maintain the muscles.
"The women in Pennsylvania and Jersey can rest easy tonight. Silverstern was a sick bastard," Dembrowski said. I couldn't agree with him more. "Your wife impressed the chief."
I raised an eyebrow. "How?"
"She got irrefutable proof that her ex-husband attempted to kidnap her," Dembrowski replied. "Morelli can't get away from conviction this time. I pulled some strings and got his arraignment trial postponed for a week. That should give you time to situate the men before Morelli gets released on bail."
"Thank you. I suppose I owe you a favour?" I asked. I hated being indebted to anyone. Especially a homicide detective with the TPD.
"No," Gus said, waving off my concern. "I only want your men to chase down Morelli after he fails to appear in court. We both know he's devolving. Keep an eye out for Benny Gaspick. He's been helping Morelli."
Gus Dembrowski opened the door. Before stepping through, he added, "Take Helen Plum and Angie Morelli down with him. That's if you can manage it." I couldn't stop the laughter from bubbling to the surface. Dembrowski waved over his shoulder and disappeared with my soiled clothes.
Naomi waited outside the washroom for me to appear. "Dr. Strybosch and Dr. Kennedy are wiring Valerie's jaw shut. Dr. Kennedy removed a bone fragment from her nose. Valerie should make a full recovery," Naomi explained.
"The kit?" I asked.
"Most likely will return as negative. We didn't detect evidence of sexual assault," she replied. I was relieved. "The scans didn't show internal bleeding. Valerie was lucky you arrived in the nick of time. You saved her life."
"I appreciate the update," I said. Naomi touched my arm. She was a kind woman. I could see why Tank loved her.
"Now, go take care of your wife," Naomi said. I nodded, then walked away.
Stephanie was getting an update from Dr. Curtis Strybosch when I arrived. I wrapped my arms around her from behind, settling my hands on her baby bump. My hair tickled her cheek. She turned her head to sniff my hair. I smiled when she commented about smelling different.
Hector's partner arrived with food. I hadn't realized it was so late. Eduardo passed Tank the Rangeman credit card. My right-hand man was taking care of Stephanie and the girls. A mix of subs, tacos and Chinese food got passed around.
"Ah. That was good," Stephanie said, rubbing her stomach.
Naomi approached. She winked at Tank, making him smile like a goof. Stephanie hugged Naomi. "Thanks for taking care of my sister," Stephanie said. "Are you here about her transport to Rangeman?"
"I am," Naomi replied. "We're getting ready to move her to the ambulance bay. I assumed you'd want a man with her?"
"You assume correctly," Stephanie replied. "Hey, Ram. Can you oversee Val's transportation?"
"Of course," he replied. "Angie, I'll be at Rangeman with your mom soon. Okay?"
Angie nodded, releasing Ram's hand. She moved toward Hector and Mary Alice. Hector wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Stephanie's smile was radiant. She loved how the men interacted with the girls. "Hector has an extra accessory," Stephanie joked.
I couldn't wait to see how they handled a newborn. "Let the spoiling begin," Stephanie mumbled.
"Babe, do you mind riding back to Rangeman alone with me?" I asked. We needed to discuss the kidnapping attempt and how to handle Joseph Morelli going forward.
"Not at all. I think Eduardo and Hector are taking them," Stephanie said. She jutted her chin toward the group. Hector was carrying Mary Alice, who fell asleep after eating. Angie dragged her feet, clearly exhausted.
"Aunt Steph?" Angie asked. "Do you think Mom would get upset if we don't visit her tonight?"
"Not at all, sweetie," Stephanie replied. "Your mom would want the swelling in her face to go down a bit. I'm sure she wouldn't want to scare you and Mary Alice."
"Okay. I'm going with Tio Hector and Tio Eduardo," Angie said. "Uncle Cal is driving. I'll see you at home." Stephanie kissed Angie's forehead. My Babe watched her friends taking care of her nieces.
I held Stephanie's hand as we left the emergency room. The hospital knew to bill Rangeman directly for Valerie's medical bills. Taking Valerie to Rangeman would significantly reduce the cost. Bobby and Bones are paid well for a reason. It reduces the cost of the medical expenses incurred by spending unnecessary time in the hospital.
Stephanie slid into the seat of my Boxster. She smiled when the leather seats moulded to her body. "Where do I start?" Stephanie asked when I started the car.
"The beginning," I replied.
"Okay. It all began when Valerie asked me to babysit. She gave me her address, and I recognized the area. Connie Rosolli, the receptionist at Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, had an Uncle living on that street. His name is Giuseppe Rosolli. He was an exceptional assistant district attorney back in the day. After campaigning and receiving the backing of Mayor Juniak, Governor Hastings and the State Senate, he got elected as a judge for New Jersey Superior Court. Justice Rosolli didn't preside over Morelli's case since it was more of a DUI than a murder scenario. I know he was disgusted that Morelli got off without serving time or community service hours. He said if I ever found myself in need of assistance, he would help. I was happy to learn Valerie's house was across the street. Justice Rosolli happened to call Rangeman for a quote. Everything fell into place," Stephanie explained.
"And how did you know Morelli would come after you?" I asked.
Stephanie giggled. "Valerie mentioned Mom worked for Parker's Dry Cleaning. It was Morelli's favourite place to get his suits cleaned. Justice Rosolli said Morelli got a court order to testify on a case."
"The reason to stop at the dry cleaners," I said.
"A few days before his scheduled appearance, yes. I expect the prosecutor would drop him as an expert witness," Stephanie excitedly said. "Valerie confirmed Mom was working. It's like the stars were aligned. The time was ripe for Morelli to act inappropriately and break the law. Justice Rosolli insisted I get video proof of Morelli's actions."
"You let yourself get kidnapped?" I asked, wondering if my wife was brilliant or losing her mind.
"I did with little resistance. Joe cuffed my hands behind my back and used duct tape to seal my mouth. The idiot used his teeth to tear the tape and he wasn't wearing gloves," she replied, shaking her head. "It was the only way to send Joe to prison. He needs to pay for his crimes."
"What if I never got called away?"
"Then my plan wouldn't have been necessary. I had a feeling you'd have to leave. It's why I arranged everything while you were on surveillance with Lester," Stephanie confessed.
"You kept our son safe?"
Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Seriously? You had to go there?" she snapped. "I promised to keep him safe. Enough people were watching my back, ensuring I didn't get injured. I wouldn't have done it if they weren't with me. Everybody was exactly where they were supposed to be."
"You planned," I replied.
"Down to the latex gloves, baby oil and Q-tips in Jeanne Ellen's purse," Stephanie said, making me laugh.
"Wouldn't the baby oil destroy evidence?"
"Not the way I planned. Jeanne Ellen only used a tiny amount around my lips. Joe's fingerprints and saliva were still on the tape. Jeanne Ellen was careful, and Bobby recorded everything," Stephanie replied.
"You are amazing," I said.
"I know, but it's still nice to hear." Stephanie grinned. "The only person we have to worry about is Helen." Stephanie chewed on her bottom lip and twisted her fingers - a sign she was stressed about something.
"Babe? What's going on inside your brilliant mind?"
"Are you mad?" she quietly asked. I couldn't believe it. She was worried I was upset about her part to record Morelli in the act.
"No. But next time, I'm not leaving your side."
Stephanie grinned. "Batman, you've got yourself a deal."
