Chapter 17: Chained

Waking up was almost painful, not in a physical sense, but emotionally, because he wanted to stay in that dreamlike state forever. The vibrant, swirling colors that kept shifting overhead morphed offensively into a glaring, stark white light, and the music that had once been soothing and uplifting was now just irritating. And his head felt like it was being used for drumming practice by the ghost of Buddy Rich.

"Well, well, well. The Dark Knight awakens. How was your trip?" a woman's voice spoke from somewhere in the room, and then she laughed, a harsh, unpleasant sound.

Ranger lifted his head, trying to see who was speaking, but found his body movements were restricted. His wrists were handcuffed above his head, to a brass headboard. He looked down at his body and realized he was naked, though he was covered with a white sheet. He couldn't move his legs, but he could feel something tied around his ankles. He groaned as the reality of his situation hit him.

And then she came into view, and he groaned again. Of course it was her. His mind was still fuzzy, and he couldn't remember her name, but he knew who she was, and he knew he was in trouble.

The woman before him was slender, with short hair framing a narrow pinched face. Some might call her pretty, but he thought she looked like a cold, bitter woman, older than her actual years. Her eyes were blue, but not the deep blue he was used to, nor were they the blue eyes he desired. Her eyes were pale, like her skin, and the platinum blonde hair made her look washed out.

The woman carried a hypodermic needle in her right hand. "Are you ready for another trip?" she taunted, holding the syringe upright and flicking it with her left index finger. "You really seemed to get off on the first one."

"What izzz that ... ssssshit?" Ranger slurred, his voice hoarse. He found it difficult to form words.

The woman answered, "Special K, or more specifically, Ketaject. It's an anesthetic that also has a hallucinogenic effect. I find it to be quite enjoyable after a long day of dealing with business. My softer side comes out and I like to cuddle when I'm on ketamine. Do you feel like cuddling, Mañoso? Shall we see how you do with a second dose? Or maybe it'd be better to keep you knocked out? I have a full bottle of Nitrazepam." She reached into her pants pocket and showed him a prescription bottle for the powerful sleeping pills.

He shook his head, not wanting any more drugs to keep his mind clouded. He wanted clarity. Talking was difficult so instead of answering, he glanced around the room, taking in everything he saw. His mind was slowly clearing, and he knew he needed to find a way to get out of there and do it quickly.

"Come on now, Mañoso. We can't have you too alert. I don't trust you. No matter how strong those handcuffs are, you probably have some secret way of getting out of them if I leave you alone too long. So, be a good boy and take these pills."

She walked over to the bed he was lying on, and, after laying the syringe on the nightstand, she picked up a bottle of water and poured a small amount into a paper cup. She tapped out two small white pills from the prescription bottle, and then glancing at the man lying in bed, tapped out three more pills. When she held them to his lips, he tried to bite her hand. Without giving it a second thought, she slapped him hard with her empty hand.

"Have it your way, you arrogant prick," she snapped, grabbing the syringe and plunging the needle into his upper arm. Ranger's head fell back on the pillow and his eyes rolled back into his head. She was able to push the pills into his mouth and get him to drink some water. She checked to see that he swallowed and then turned to leave, but stopped.

He was conscious, but not aware of his surroundings. With a slow grin, she lifted the sheet. Her grin grew wider. "Impressive. I see the rumors are true, Mañoso. I may have to take you out for a test drive," she quipped, chortling at the thought. "I think I have an offer you can't refuse." She tapped the empty syringe. Her laughter followed her out of the room.

...

"I don't see what you're so upset about. I made progress. I found the place where they were keeping me. I can't believe Ranger wasn't there." Stephanie moved in front of Ranger's desk and faced the angry man standing behind it.

Tank looked long and hard at Stephanie. He weighed his words and then thought, What the hell. She's dressed like a RangeMan operative, I'm gonna treat her like a RangeMan operative.

"When this is over, and Ranger's back in the chair behind this desk, running this business, I'm gonna take you to the mats and show you just how skewed your thinking is." He wiped a big hand over his brow and crumpled his massive body in his boss's chair. He'd been in Ranger's office looking for anything that Ranger had been working on that might lend a clue to what had happened, when she'd sashayed in, full of swagger.

He knew Stephanie had taken off on her own. The monitoring crew had seen her leave, and by process of elimination, he'd figured out she'd taken no one with her. He'd been worried about her, which was probably why he was so pissed off now. But the fact was he hadn't had time to go hunt for her. His obligation was to find the missing person he knew was in trouble, not the person who might be getting into trouble. Being in charge meant prioritizing, and it sucked.

He sighed. "What did you find out, exactly? You found the place where you were held and presumably that will help with the investigation of your abduction. But did you come up with anything on Ranger's whereabouts?" Some of the swagger went out of her at his question and he saw her attitude for what it was, a defense against his anger. "Sit down, Stephanie. Let's talk this out."

She plopped into the chair and grimaced as her utility belt cut into her. She stood and unhooked the belt before sitting once again. "I know I was taking a risk," she said. "I tried to be as careful as I could, but I had this overwhelming need to do something. To find Ranger."

"I get that," Tank said. "But no one in this organization goes off alone, save Ranger, occasionally. And I get pissed at him, too, when he does that. You know all this, and it looks as though you went as prepared as you could. So, tell me what you think you accomplished."

She told him of her abbreviated conversation with the guy in the janitorial supply store. "I was sure we'd find Ranger, but when he wasn't there I began to have doubts. Maybe this is unrelated to what happened to me."

"Maybe," Tank said. "But unlikely. What's more likely is that they have Ranger stashed in another location."

"Then why can't we just stake out that janitorial supply store? Follow who comes and goes?" she asked. He saw her brighten at her idea.

"It's already being done," he told her. "We knew the minute Morelli called in Bouchard, and we've been watching ever since. I was hoping you might have another thought. I don't want to upset you any further, but I think time is of the essence here, and staking out Long's Janitorial Supply will likely be effective, but not quick."

She took a deep breath. "I think it's Terry Gilman." She told Tank about the lunch she and Ranger had had with Terry. "Terry and I have a history, but I thought it was ancient history. I guess not. I don't know why she would go after Ranger, but I think maybe she did. There was something about the way she was looking at Ranger during our lunch. She was … speculative. I got the impression she was wondering …" Stephanie blushed. It was one thing to listen to Connie or Lula go on about how hot Ranger was, but it was another thing entirely to say it to Tank.

"I get it," Tank said, easing her discomfort. "We'll take a good look at Terry, but there's not much more that can be accomplished tonight. I have something else to talk to you about."

Stephanie looked at him in surprise. What could be more important than finding Ranger?

"You're engaged to the CEO of RangeMan," Tank began. "What do you think would happen to RangeMan if Ranger dies?"

Stephanie eyes widened, and she swallowed the bile that had jumped into her throat at Tank's words. "Who do you think would be in charge after Ranger's gone?" he asked.

"I, uh, you," she said.

"Wrong," he replied. "You. Ranger told me recently that he was going to alter his will to give you the controlling share in the event of his death. He asked me how I felt about that. I told him I'd had a hard enough time molding him into the boss, and it'd probably kill me if I had to do the same with you … but that I'd give it my best shot."

"Tank! Why are you telling me this? Ranger's never said … I mean, I don't think …"

He could see that his statement had confused her so he went on. "I don't think Ranger's dead. I think we'll get him back and we'll get whoever did this to him. I'm telling you that you are important, to RangeMan and to me personally, and you can no longer run off to save the day on your own."

He motioned to her utility belt lying on the floor next to the chair. "No matter how well prepared you think you are, you still need backup. Always. I know you can do the job. No other operative would have done better or as well as you in protecting Grace. I'm not impugning your skill set. I'm just saying you need backup … always."

Stephanie met his gaze and then shrugged slightly. "I have no defense. You're right. I won't do it again."

"Good. Now go upstairs and get a good night's sleep, if you can. We'll start in again in the morning. And when this is over, I'm still taking you to the mats. You should be afraid."

He watched her go. Her shoulders were square and she was trying hard to be brave, but he knew she was fragile. She needed to find Ranger … and so did he. He walked down the hall to his own office and started once again to review the details of the accident, hoping some new clue would magically spring forth.