Ella smiled pleasantly as I pulled up to the curb at the airport. I quickly exited the car, jogged around and took her suitcase.
"I hope you were not waiting too long", I said as opened the passenger door for her.
"Don't worry it's, fine," Ella replied.
"Sorry, Ella, the plan was to have one of the guys pick you up, but everyone went MIA at the last minute. I didn't want to have a stranger meet you at the airport," I explained.
"No need to fuss over me. I did not mind waiting," Ella said cheerfully.
Just as we pulled into the parking garage, the guys were exiting Lester's SUV. Thier mood was upbeat and playful.
"Hey, where have you all been? I had to pick Ella up from the airport" I questioned.
"Sorry boss, we had a lunch date," Bobby said.
"Yeah, if you had let us know sooner, we would picked Ella up from the airport and taken her with us," Hector said.
"Like Ella wants to go on date with you guys."
"What woman would pass on a date with Lester Santos," he bragged?
Bobby opened the passenger door for Ella and help her out of the car. He greeted her with a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek as Ella smiled fondly at him.
"Hey Ella, someone would love to speak to you," Lester told her as he handed her his phone.
I watched Ella's eyes go wide in surprise then fill with happy tears. "Is it really you? Oh, how I have missed you, Stephanie," she gushed. "What, you do? We have to spend some time together. Yes, Yes that sounds nice. Okay, I'll tell him. I can't wait to see you, Stephaine."
Ella handed Lester back his phone. "She said for you to put her number in my phone."
"No problem, Ella," Lester said as he kissed her on the cheek.
Ella retrieved her phone from her pocket and handed it to Lester.
"There you go, Ella," Lester, said as he pointed to the screen.
"Thank you, Lester," Ella beamed. "Stephaine told me she had lunch with the three of you. I guess Ranger could not make it because he had to pick me up. I'm sorry I made you miss it," Ella apologized.
"Naw, he didn't miss it. Steph only invited the three of us,"Hector interrupted.
Ella gave me a questioning glance. "So how long has she been living here in Atlanta?"
"Since she left Trenton," Bobby, answered.
We all stepped onto the elevator and went up to the fourth floor.
"I'll show Ella around," Lester told me as he looped his arm through hers and exited the elevator. Bobby and Hector followed behind them. I went up to my office. As soon as I opened the door, I heard my desk phone ringing.
"Manoso."
"Still the chatter bug huh, Ranger," Paxton joked.
"Hey, good to hear from you. I take it your calling because have some intel for me?"
"I got a call from Blaze and he wanted to know if I could get some surveillance equipment. He did not say exactly what he needed it for. It's going to take me some time to get my hands on what he wanted. Since he told me he needed it to wire your friend, I thought maybe you could help out. I know sometimes you have better toys than the FBI," Paxton explained.
"So, she sent him to ask you to ask me," I replied angrily?
"No, correct me if I'm wrong, but Ms. Plum does not even know the two of us are old friends unless you told her. Blaze came to me to cash in on a favor I owe him. I just thought that since you had feelings for this woman that you might be interested in helping out."
"Who said I had feelings for her, I never told you that."
"Didn't have to," Paxton laughed.
"What did you tell him ?"
"I told Blaze I would see what I could do, but it would take me some time to get what he needed. That's why I called you. So is it a yes or a know, Manoso"?
"Text, me what you need and I'll see about getting it to him directly."
There was a long pause of silence on the other end of the line.
"Are you sure about that, Manoso? I am sensing some tension in your voice," Paxton asked cautiously?
"It's cool," I replied before hanging up the phone.
Something was not adding up. Why would Blaze need to wire his girlfriend? What was with this guy? I needed to talk to Stephanie. Calling her would be better than just showing up at her place, but I would have to get her phone number from one of the guys first.
I could hear the playful banter and laughter from the hallway when I knocked on Lester's door. The room suddenly became quieter as the door opened and everyone saw me standing there.
"Don't let me ruin the fun," I mumbled.
"What can I help you with cousin" Lester, asked me?
"Sure I'd love to come in Les, thanks for asking," I said as I strolled in uninvited. I looked at the generous supply of food and wine spread across the table and counter. "What's this, happy hour?"
"We offered to take Ella out for dinner, but she said she just wanted to stay in and relax," Hector informed me.
"You are welcome to join us," Ella told me happily.
"No thank you, Ella, I still have some work to do. I just came to get Stephaine's phone number from Lester."
A hush fell over the room as everyone stated at me.
"If she wanted you to have it, she would have given it to you," Bobby said flatly.
"Wasn't talking to you, Bobby."
"He's right way you are getting her number from me,"Lester frowned.
"Hector, help me out here. I really need to talk to Steph."
"I can let her know, but I'm not giving you her number," Hector replied not bothering to look up from his plate.
"I'm worried about Stephanie and that boyfriend of her's. I think he is up to something. I just need to make sure..."
"If by worried, you mean jealous, yeah we know," Lester interrupted.
"Blaze is cool. I met him," Hector chimed in.
"You guys don't want wanna help me check on her, fine. I know where she lives," I huffed as I headed for the toward the door.
"YO CARLOS," Lester bellowed! Why don't leave her alone the same way you did when you hopped a plane to Miami. You want to worry about her but I'm worried about you. This obsession you have is getting out of control. You can't keep... "
"Stalking, the word you are looking for is stalking," Bobby said.
"I'm not stalking. I'm just looking out for her. I said as I stormed out of Lester's place and down to the parking garage.
After angling into my Porche, I screeched out of there. Just as I pulled up to Stephanie's Condo I saw her headed out to her car. She was dressed to the nines. Stephanie's hair was perfect and her makeup was flawless. She was clearly in a rush, so I knew it was pointless to try to talk to her right now. I decided to go grab dinner and come back. After waiting several hours for Stephanie to come to her condo, I went home.
The next day I drove back to her place, but Stephanie was still not home. After checking a few more times that day, Babe was still not at her condo. By the next day, I was beginning to think the guys had tipped Steph off. Early that morning Hector stomped angrily into my office unannounced.
"Where is she," he growled?
"What, who are you talking about," I asked?
"Stephanie! I talked to Blaze at the gym and he said he has not seen her in almost three days. He is worried because Stephanie is not answering her phone. I went to her place and the lady that lives next door said a creepy guy matching your description was parked outside for hours the night she left," Hector yelled at me!
"And you think I had something to do with her going MIA? This is me, Hector, Ranger. You think I'm a danger to my Babe?"
"The way you flew out of here that night we would not give you her phone number. You have been keeping close tabs on her every since you found out she was living here. Ranger, you are the last person see Stephaine and now she is missing," Hector argued.
"What about that Blaze guy, her boyfriend? You don't think he might have done something and now the man is trying to cover it up. Why do trust him all of sudden? How do you know he hasn't..."
"Because, like Blaze said, she never went missing until you showed up!"
"Did you pull up the tracker on Steph's car? Has he called the police yet?"
Hector gave me a blank stare followed by a questioning look.
"Well," I demanded?
"Her car is parked in the garage of an upscale restaurant. The guy who works there said a Latino man paid him a pretty penny to keep an eye on it," Hector explained.
"It wasn't me. Look, I'm not going to stand here and wait. Blaze should have called the police and I'm going to go ask him why he hasn't.
I drove back to the building where I'd seen Stephanie and Blaze. When I got to the front door I notice it was a top of the line high quality solid steel. There was no lock, just a scanner and a camera. I hit the buzzer and waited.
"Do you have an appointment sir?" the voice on the other end of the buzzer questioned.
"I'm here to see Blaze."
"Sorry sir, he does not have any appointments on his schedule for today. Would you like to set one up?"
"Tell him that Mr. Manoso is here about Ms. Plum."
Five minutes later the door buzzed and I heard the locks open. Slowly I walked into the office space trying to figure out just what type business the building housed.
"Right this way the receptionist," told me.
Blaze was waiting outside his office. His clothes were rumpled and he was wearing days worth of stubble.
"Where is she" He demanded?
"I would like to know the same thing. And while we are at it, why haven't you called you the police?"
"Is that what you really want, man, or do you want to tell me where Steph is?"
"Is this some kind of game you're playing with me Blaze? You do something to Stephaine and then tell everyone she's missing. You are the one who asked Paxton for equipment to spy on your girlfriend. What happen, she tick you off and you ..."
Blaze lunged at me slamming my body into the wall so hard my elbow left a hole in the wall.
"So you know my old supervisor, huh. Did he tell you what a hot head I can be? How ya boy Blaze can go from zero to one twenty in a minute. Don't make you hurt you, man! "
Before I could respond ,his cell phone chirped and his desk phone rang. Blaze hurried over to his desk and looked at his cell phone. He shook his head.
"That can't be right," he whispered. He answered his desk phone and I watched his legs buckle.
"Are you alright? Never mind that, I need to know you are safe. Good," he said flopping down into his chair. "Yeah, hold on a minute. It's cool man, show yourself out," Blaze sneered.
"Is that her? Where is she" I asked calmly?
"I don't think you heard me," Blaze almost shouted at me as he pointed to the door.
"Steph you still there? No, I'm not mad at you. I'm just glad you are alright. I won't yell, just tell me where you are so I can send ... You are WHERE? WHY IN THE, HOW DID YOU ... ARE YOU CRAZY! I know, I'm not yelling. Can you explain why you are in Hawaii with him? What do you mean Pro Bowl? No, wait , hello, hello."
Blaze picked up his desk lamp and hurled in my direction. The lamp crashed into the wall behind me.
"She'll call me back when she can? I'm gonna kill that woman! Now I have to get someone all the way to Hawaii to keep an eye on her," Blaze grumbled.
"Want help" I smirked?