Chapter 19: Final Move

There'd been too many interruptions, too many invoices to sign, too many delays. She would be late getting to the apartment, late giving Mañoso his next dose of sedatives. She wasn't in panic mode yet. He was still handcuffed to the bed and getting weaker every time she saw him. It would be all right. As long as she got there soon.

And then her cell phone rang. Joe! What did he want now? He had refused to take her phone calls after he'd dumped her. She should refuse his call now, but she couldn't.

"What is it, Joe?" she grumbled.

"We need to talk," Joe told her. "Now."

"It's going to have to wait. I can meet you for lunch."

"That's too late, I just need a few minutes. You're going to want to hear what I have to say, Terry. It's important."

She looked at her watch. "All right. Come by my office."

"I'm not meeting you at your office. What about the apartment?"

"NO!" Terry cried, and then she forced herself to calm down. "You don't deserve to go there ever again, dickhead. Not after dumping me. Make it Columbus Park, the bench off of Hamilton Avenue. In ten minutes."

"Okay," Joe agreed.

Joe arrived first and claimed the park bench. Terry joined him a few minutes later. They sat apart, as if they didn't know each other. When Joe began talking, he didn't look at her.

"You look good, Terry..." Joe began.

"What the fuck? It's freezing out here and you want to chitchat. Why did you call me, Joe?" Terry demanded to know.

"All right," Joe said, realizing he wouldn't have much time with Terry. He hoped he could give Stephanie enough time to check out the address he'd given her. "I have to ask. Are you involved in what's going on with Stephanie and Ranger?"

Terry gave him the Bronx cheer. "Are you kidding me? I wouldn't soil my hands on that riffraff. Besides, there's no money in kidnapping, unless someone can afford to pay a huge ransom. I know your precious cupcake doesn't have any money. And while Mañoso is doing well enough, he doesn't have the kind of money that would make kidnapping a profitable venture for me."

"So, you're only about the money?" Joe baited.

"You know me," Terry said. "I'm greedy." She smiled slyly.

"If Trenton PD questioned you about the kidnapping, would you come out clean?" he asked.

"I have nothing to hide. Let them ask their questions," she smirked. "Am I on their radar?"

Joe nodded. "It looks like there's a syndicate connection to the kidnapping."

"The Grizzolis aren't the only game in town. Why would we be singled out?"

"They found two bodies, cousins with a Mob tie, and they know at least one of them was directly involved in nabbing Stephanie."

"Again, why would that lead them to us?" Terry turned to look at Joe.

"These guys were rumored to have worked for your uncle," Joe told her. "There's been talk of search warrants. If I were you, I'd prepare to be interviewed, and possibly searched."

Terry pursed her lips. "Thanks for the heads up, but there's nothing to worry about. I had nothing to do with the little bitch's ... forced vacation." Again, she grinned wickedly. She glanced at her watch and the smile disappeared. "Time's up. Places to go, people to meet..." She stood, but Joe grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going?" he blurted, hoping to delay her a few more minutes.

"You gave up the right to question me and my whereabouts a long time ago, Joe. I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. Like I said, there's nothing to worry about. Maybe you should worry about yourself and your own relationship." She gave Joe an indecipherable look. Then she turned and quickly walked out of the park.

...

Terry drove like a bat out of hell, taking the corners on nearly two wheels while she sped to her secret place. She was afraid of what she might find once she got there. Mañoso had been without a sedative for way too long. She needed to wrap this up, today. As soon as she dosed Ranger again, she would call Stephanie and set her plan in motion. It would be all over by midnight. She nodded in satisfaction. But first, she had to make sure her ace in the hole was still in the hole.

When she arrived, she pulled her BMW around to the back of the building where it couldn't be seen from the street. But she had to enter the warehouse from the streetside. The lock was stiff with the cold weather. Frustrated, she jiggled the key several times, cursing under her breath. She was desperate to get inside and upstairs, desperate to see if Ranger was still there. That had been her one fear in all of this, ever since Stephanie had managed to escape. Ranger was infinitely smarter than that dumb bitch, and if anyone could get out of her special handcuffs and ankle restraints, it was Ranger Mañoso.

Finally, the lock gave way and she yanked open the door. She slipped inside and ran for the metal stairs that led up to the second floor. The warehouse was currently empty, but by next week the open bays would be filled with boxes and boxes of large flat screen TVs, lifted from a shipment from Bangkok that had been scheduled for a New York City big box store. Wouldn't they be surprised when their truck arrived empty? She smiled at the thought of depositing another sizable amount to her secret bank account in the Caymans.

Terry reached the top of the stairs when she heard a noise downstairs. Turning, she saw Stephanie Plum slip through the door she had just come through. Damn! She'd been in such a hurry, she hadn't locked the door behind her. Terry waited just long enough to see that Stephanie was alone. She stepped into the nearest room and pulled her weapon from her Michael Kors bag. Her well-laid plan just changed. It looked like she wouldn't have to call Stephanie after all; her prey had just walked in the door, speeding up the timeline.

Stephanie stood against the wall by the door, looking around the cavernous warehouse. She slowly inched her way down the inside wall toward a set of metal steps that served as access to the space upstairs. Before climbing the stairs, Steph looked back at the door she'd entered as if expecting it to open, but the door remained closed. She paused only long enough to pull her gun from its holster and then she began climbing.

Steph got to the top, but hesitated. Joe had only said the secret apartment was upstairs, but there was a lot of space and lots of closed doors. Which door opened into Terry's love nest? And would Ranger be there? Letting instinct take over, she started down the hallway to her left. The first door she came across was partially open, and though it was dark inside, Steph could see it was furnished as an office. She moved further down the hall.

The next door was locked. What did she do now? Blow off the doorknob with a well-placed bullet or wait for Tank and his nifty set of lock picks?

Before she could decide, a voice coming from behind her made her swing around with her gun drawn.

"I see you've decided to join the party," Terry drawled, her gun pointing straight at her.

"Where is he?" Stephanie demanded.

"He's here. He's been waiting for you, but ... he's a little tied up right now." Terry chortled. "I'm glad you've joined us. I have quite the entertainment planned for both of you."

"You sick bitch," Stephanie yelled. "Why are you doing this?"

"I think I explained myself quite clearly when I had you chained up in my other playpen. You ruined my future with Joe. And now, I'm going to ruin your future with Ranger."

Stephanie paused for just a second before shouting, "RANGER! Where are you?"

Terry raised her gun menacingly. "Shut the fuck up, you cow. Drop your gun or I'll start with your kneecaps."

Steph raised her gun and aimed for Terry's chest. "If it was anyone else, this bullet would go straight through their heart, but since you don't have one..."

...

Ranger had been drifting in and out of consciousness for several hours, but for the last twenty minutes or so, he'd been awake and aware of his surroundings. He knew it was morning and he knew that Terry was overdue. He pulled at his restraints, but he wasn't getting anywhere. And then he heard a noise. She was coming. He renewed his effort to dislodge the headboard. The cuffs bit into his wrists, but he kept yanking and straining. Blood dripped down his arms; he ignored it and the pain in his wrists. He was still dizzy, but his mind was clearing slowly.

Suddenly, he heard voices, two distinct voices, both of them feminine. And then he heard Stephanie yell his name. Adrenaline shot through his system and he threw everything he had into yanking his arms up, out and down. He did this again and again, feeling the headboard give a little more each time. The cuffs opened deep cuts into his wrists, but he was oblivious.

He heard screams and went berserk, giving one massive wrenching of his arms, and the headboard finally sprang away from the bed's base. The handcuffs slipped down their individual brass rods and Ranger's arms were suddenly free, with the cuffs dangling from his wrists. He immediately sat up and reached for his ankles, throwing aside the sheet that covered him. The ankle restraints were velcroed fabric and he made quick work of removing them. But when he swung his legs to the side of the bed, he nearly fainted. The drugs were still coursing through his system, and his head was still in a fog.

Despite his dizziness, he stumbled, naked, to the door and tried the knob. The door was locked from the outside. He lurched back to the bed, fighting the vertigo that threatened to topple him, and he grabbed the loose headboard. It was bulky, but the top rail was heavy, substantial enough to get the job done. Angling the unwieldy piece of metal as best he could, he garnered all his waning strength and drove the end of the brass rail against the doorknob. The force of the blow knocked the knob out of its base. Ranger kicked the door open and grabbed the jamb before he fell down. He pulled himself up straight and looked out into the hall.

At the sound of the crash, Steph and Terry swung their heads simultaneously toward the opening door that was just steps away. Terry knew there was only one person who would be coming out of that door, but Stephanie wasn't sure if it would be friend or foe.

When Ranger appeared in the doorway, Terry immediately swung her weapon toward him and fired. Steph saw a spray of bright red blood burst from Ranger's head just before he fell back into the room, and her heart nearly stopped. She aimed her gun straight at Terry and fired off several rounds. She knew at least one of her shots had hit its mark, as she saw a spreading circle of blood form on Terry's thigh.

Terry stumbled backward and raised her gun again, this time at Stephanie. She got off one shot before Steph fired again, this one striking Terry in her left shoulder. The force of the gunshot spun Terry around and her body folded over the metal railing. Steph ran to catch her legs before Terry toppled over, but she was already gone. Steph looked down at the warehouse floor and saw Tank standing over Terry's sprawled body. A pool of blood was rapidly forming around her head. Steph's gorge rose but she fought it down.

Turning, Steph ran toward the door where she'd seen Ranger. With her heart in her throat, she entered the room. He wasn't there! She nearly tripped over the broken headboard, but caught herself on the railing that ran across the foot of the bed. She saw the ankle restraints attached to the railing. She saw that the bed no longer had its headboard. She saw blood stains on the sheet. But she didn't see Ranger.

Frantic, she started toward the bathroom, but strong arms wrapped around her from behind. She nearly sobbed in relief. Spinning around in his arms, she stood face to face with Ranger. He was naked and he was bleeding. Blood poured freely from his right temple. He was unsteady, but he was standing. He reached for her gun.

"I'll finish this, Babe," he whispered, his hand folding over hers.

"It's finished, Ranger. She's dead," Steph told him.

He stared at her, as if he was trying to understand what she just said, and then his face broke out into a 200-watt smile. "You never disappoint, Babe."

He wrapped his arms around her, and she wrapped hers around him. They clung together, not saying a word, just living in the moment.

"Ahem."

Ranger and Steph turned their entwined bodies to see Tank filling the doorway.

"I'd say 'Get a room'," he practically muttered as he looked around the bedroom, his eyes lingering on the unmade bed, "but the cops will be here any minute. I've called them, and they're going to have a ton of questions. I know I do."

Steph pulled slightly away from Ranger and moved to stand in front of him, hiding his nakedness. Ranger put his hands on Steph's shoulders. He was still a little wobbly.

Steph looked over at Tank. "I know your rule about always having backup, but I couldn't wait for you. Ranger needed me."

Tank nodded. "Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do." He looked over Stephanie's shoulder at Ranger. "You need an ambulance?"

Ranger started to shake his head, but thought better of it. He didn't need any more vertigo. "No. Find my clothes," he ordered. And then, slowly, he walked over to the bathroom and went inside.

Tank looked at the bed, then at Stephanie and shook his head. "No matter what happened in this room, he loves only you. Don't let this visual image get stuck in your head, Steph."

She nodded and swallowed several times. "Let's find his clothes. The police will be here soon." They found his clothes and other belongings in a dresser drawer and his shoes in the closet. They did not find his weapons.

Ranger came out of the bathroom, the blood cleaned from his head and where it had dripped onto his shoulder. The cuffs were still hanging from his wrists, but he had washed the blood away. Tank handed Ranger his clothes and gave Steph his handcuff key. Then he left the room.

Ranger sat down on the side of the bed and pulled on his pants and shoes. Steph sat beside him and unlocked the handcuffs. He let them drop to the floor. With tears in her eyes, she picked up his hands and kissed the wounds on his wrists. She leaned over and kissed the grazed area on his temple. The cuts were still bleeding a little.

"It's over, Babe." He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. When he put his hand under her chin to lift her lips to his, she pulled back.

"Not here, Ranger." She stood up and handed him his shirt. "Anywhere but here." She couldn't help but stare at the bed.

While he was buttoning his shirt, he glanced over at Stephanie. "Nothing happened, Babe. I promise you."

"You were drugged. You don't know what happened." Steph moved toward the door.

"I know that she got nothing from me. There's no way. For one, the drugs made it impossible. And two, she repulses me."

"Make that repulsed. Past tense." Stephanie closed her eyes and leaned her head against the doorjamb. "I killed her. It's like déjà vu. I've shot four people now. Four people are dead because of me."

Ranger rose and came over to her. He took her in his arms. "Four people tried to kill you. You shot each one in self-defense or to save someone else's life. They were all justified shootings."

"I know. It's just ... I didn't expect to ever kill anybody. I really don't want to do it again." She lowered her head to his chest.

"You never know what life will bring your way, but I'm glad you did what you did. I'm proud of you, Stephanie. You are a take-charge woman. You don't need anyone to rescue you. And, by the way, thanks for rescuing me."

She looked up at him, a slow grin starting. "Just trying to even the score, Batman. I have a long way to go. And, I might still need rescuing from some things." The grin was now full-blown. "I still haven't told our parents we are getting married without them."

Ranger snorted. "We'll handle that one together, okay?"

She nodded. "Can we get out of here now?"

They walked out the door without a backward glance, and went down to meet the police.