Saving All My Women

by Rangerbabe21

What can Ranger do when Stephanie is taken and the threat that comes in is for all his women: Julie, his mother and sister's too. Where and how can he protect them, when the bad guys can find them where ever they go? Babe HEA

16. Chapter 16 The Escape

Chapter 16 – The Escape

Three minutes later I could see it, a small boat with what looked like the outlines of two men, and a small motor, slowly heading past our location further north around the island maybe even around to the east side, the closest beaches to the cabana's. I started texting as I heard my men moving to follow. 'Visual confirmation, 2 men, small boat moving across north side of island possibly around to east side. Running without lights. Consider hostile and armed. Prepare to greet. Try to take alive if possible.'

I took off following my men around the island knowing that through the brush we had no chance of keeping up. Eventually the boat moved around the end of the island and I could no longer see it. I broke out onto the beach and took off after them. Five minutes later I heard automatic weapons firing back and forth and we all kicked up our speed a notch.

Monday May 18 02:36

The rapid gunfire exchange lasted several seconds, there was a break, another blast of fire then all was deadly silent along the beach. Five minutes later I had come far enough around the island to see a small aluminum dingy with a tiny motor on it pulled up on shore and four men with flashlights patrolling. As I continued to approach at a run I could see they were flashing the 'All OK' signal. A little closer and I could see two of the flashlights illuminating a man who was sitting on the beach not far from the ocean's waves, hands cuffed behind his back.

As we were almost on them I could see two other dead bodies lit up lying on the sandy ground at the edges of the palmetto's. "Report" I said as I neared. "Gino, Sir, that's Mario, Ramon and Ryan. The boat pulled up on shore. Three men got out. We were hiding behind these trees. The men were carrying assault rifles. As they got to the tree-line they saw Mario and we opened fire. While we got these two, the third ran back to the boat. Ryan chased him down and shot him in the back of his right knee."

"Good job men."

I recognized one of the dead men as the Frenchman and the other as one of the men that held Stephanie up while she was getting hit. I clinched my fists, Stephanie was safer now that these men were dead but there was a part of me that felt denied because I hadn't the chance to mete out punishment for that crime before his death. I took a deep breath, centering myself and getting refocused. Everything done was by Sergio's orders and I would save most of the punishments for him.

I approached the man they had sitting on the beach and smiled when I recognized him, his name may escape me but I knew his crime. I stood in front of the Hispanic looking man and began to question him in both English and Spanish. He refused to answer any questions. Many more men showed up during the questioning, the four I had texted and ten more dayshift guys that were awakened by the gunfire. "Mario and Ramon go finish your lunches. Zip and Marc help me get the live one out to the speed boat. Zero and Ram contact Trenton, identify the dead bodies and load them in their boat. Take them thirty minutes east and dump them. Anyone that wants to help is welcome to; just don't tip over that poor little boat."

A few minutes later the dead men were identified as Filipe Batres, and Jacque LeSerable by photo confirmation from Trenton. Twenty minutes later I was hanging Santiago Menchu off the wooden swim platform in a meager attempt at some cooperation. Santiago had been the one to hit Stephanie in the face so I took exceptional pleasure in taking my time torturing answers out of him.

Finally, he gave us his name, which we already knew and explained that they flew down from New Jersey Thursday night. Boris knew early that day where we were going but they didn't have enough men to ambush us at the airport. It was decided that they would follow and look for an opening to take some women. Stephanie and Julie had been moved to number one targets to acquire.

Friday evening Boris told them the women were out of range for a week and that they were free to go do whatever they wanted till Thursday night when they were to report back in at eight pm. Sunday afternoon he called again. Said he had located the women and to get some sleep and meet up at ten pm we were going to take them at night. He had put them all up in the Peach Star motel but checked them all out before they left and dropped their luggage off at the airplane where Boris had the machine guns waiting.

Once they were armed he gave them the coordinates for the island. Told them to steal a boat and bring back as many women as they could. Harry had picked out the cruiser they were using and it was a good boat but the dingy was too small and slow, with an undersized motor. It moved too sluggish to stealthily make a move on the Island and could only bring two people back.

The plan was to shoot everyone they found but Stephanie and Julie. They were supposed to bring them back to the main boat, secure them, and call Boris for an update. Head back to Miami and then Harry was to sink the boats when they were through with them. Meet back up at the airport where Boris would have the plane waiting. I needed to know where Boris was but Santiago didn't seem to know. Only that he had flown down to Miami with them and was supposed to be waiting at the airport for them to get back.

It was obvious Boris was running the show but was unwilling to get his own hands dirty. The plan was to fly back to New Jersey where they would spend days torturing Stephanie and Julie. They would send me a DVD of their activities along with directions to find the girls. In the end I would find their dead bodies rigged with explosives to blow me up. He didn't know how Boris knew where we were, just that he had the coordinates of the island.

By the time I had all my answers, there was a good bit of blood in the water and between that and the unusually prolonged thrashing, several friends were circling ready to dispose of what was left of him. When we got back to the island I chose Zip, Zero, and Ram to pretend to be our would-be attackers. My men would return to the boat they had come to the island in to see if they could capture Harry and find out where Boris was.

While we were gone I had sent Bobby around to knock lightly on each cabana, to see if anyone had been awakened by the gunfire, let them know it was safe, and we would talk in the morning. He reported back that only my parents, Leyla, and Richard were awakened by the gunfire which was surprising, in this group of cabanas, they were the furthest away from the beach. I sent a quick text to Tank updating him on our situation. He asked if I needed a team from Miami. I texted back that we had things under control but I would contact them directly when or if we needed more men.

Seventeen minutes later I received a text: 'We found the boat quickly but there was a shoot-out and the occupant is no longer alive." I sent them instructions to drive the boat back to Miami, dump the body along the way and call RangeMan to get picked up. This island was only about forty-eight miles off the coast of Florida so they would easily be back to RangeMan before morning.

I called Tank and we discussed the merits of hunkering down and staying here, debated how long it would take Boris to gather a new crew and attack, compared to the other options given by Skylar. I would have preferred Alaska, being the furthest away, but we had missed the cruise for this week, everyone would need a new wardrobe, there was a lot less to do there and my family would be freezing cold and hate me for picking it.

Ultimately, we determined it was safest for my family and the cruise line for us to move. I called Miami RangeMan and requested thirteen additional men to add to the security detail with the list of everything each man needed to bring and advised them to expect a call for a pick up from Ram, Zip, and Zero. It was now 04:17. I was having a minor adrenaline crash and went to go hold Stephanie, setting my watch for 06:00. When my alarm went off I showered and dressed quietly, calling Skylar as soon as I was out the door.

"Skylar, the men we were hiding from found us last night and I need to move everyone. We have forty-four people, three crates and luggage, we need as many prop planes as you can find to get us back off this island, the Concorde readied, reservations for the California houses, if they are available and check to see if there are still enough openings on the cruise going up the coast." I walked to the dining room as I talked.

"How did they find you?" she questioned.

"That is still being determined. Whatever their source is, it's a good one. We are being extra cautious from here on out. How soon can you get the planes?"

"Eight o'clock at the earliest. You'll need several so it's going to take a while. But the Concorde only needs fuel so it will be ready as soon as everyone is in Miami."

"Thank you, my most brilliant, gorgeous, magnificent woman. I know I am working you hard this morning, just know I appreciate everything you are doing. In Miami, we are adding thirteen more men to the protection detail making our total 60. Keep me updated by text and call if you have any questions. Goodbye." And I disconnected.

I addressed my dayshift crew while they ate. "Last night about 02:15 a boat motor was heard approaching the north shore. It landed approximately 02:35 on the east shore. Gun fire was exchanged. Two of theirs killed, one wounded. After a short discussion, it was determined that they flew from New Jersey Thursday, in the middle of the night, to Miami. Yesterday they stole a boat and drove it three miles north of this island. Their orders were to kidnap Julie and Stephanie and kill as many others as they could along the way."

"There were seven known assailants, six are now dead, leaving the leader, Boris. We don't know how he got them but Boris gave them the exact coordinates of this island. We don't know how long it will take him to find more men, but assume that he can hire local thugs and be after us as soon as today. We are leaving the island as soon as planes can be arranged."

"After breakfast, pack your bags. Half will be guarding, half will be getting people and luggage ready. Hank north end, Manuel south end, Cal east side, Hal West side. Zip, Zero, and Ram are gone returning the stolen boat. Junior, Eric, and Eddie, guard the cabanas and assist with luggage. Lester, Woody, Bobby prepare the families and transport guns and luggage. Marc you're with me. Night shift is going to pack and then sleep till the planes get here."

"We don't know how they found us so quickly. Any leaks that you see or think of text to me. We have to investigate all possible sources. Final note: Yesterday, Stephanie and I got engaged. This doubles her value as a target if they find out. Make sure she is protected at all times and at all costs. Dismissed."

I got a few congratulations from my men as they went back to eating. I sat with Marc to discuss possible ways we were located so quickly. They flew down here mere hours after us, maybe they called Concorde headquarters and found out the plane had flown to Miami, but none of them would have known about the cruise lines. If they found out we took the cruise, how would they find out we got off on the island to stay? This discussion only brought up more questions than answers.

"Marc, they were specifically targeting Stephanie and Julie. I want you to keep an eye on them today until we are settled where ever we are going. Probably California." He nodded to me understanding that these two women were the key to destroying me and he was responsible for keeping that from happening.

I talked to the kitchen crew, explaining that due to unusual circumstances we were leaving the island today, asking them to pack our lunches to go in cardboard boxes so my men could pick them up later. I walked over to the game room and found Janice.

"Janice, my men need to borrow the jeep."

"Sorry, but that is for employee use only."

"Then let me hire some employees. We had an incident last night and have to get everyone off the island in the next two hours. Normally the cruise ship would handle everyone's luggage. I need luggage for 47 people and three crates hauled out to the airfield." I pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. "I can pay you to do it or I can pay you for the use of the jeep and let my men do all the hard work." I handed her the hundred -dollar bill and she handed me the keys.

"If anyone asks, you found them hanging on a hook by the door." She explained.

"Of course, and that is where we will return them." I smiled at her.

I went back to the cabana and packed all my stuff. At seven o'clock I woke Stephanie and got her to breakfast. I wanted to give everyone a chance to eat before I addressed them, as what I had to say could ruin some appetites. My parents approached me with questions and I told them I would talk to everyone together after breakfast. At 07:35 I stood before the room, noticing that Oshanna looked a little worse for wear and Julio was nowhere to be seen.

I explained the attack on the island last night and that all the attackers were taken on the boat back to Miami. That we didn't know how they found us but reiterated the rules that no one was to tell anyone where we were and they were not to communicate with anyone outside the group, by text, phone, or email. I told them to pack as soon as breakfast was over and expect to be back on the mainland by lunch.

At 08:15 I was walking back to the cabanas with Stephanie when Skylar called me. "I can't find more than three planes right now, they can only hold a total of twenty-one people and luggage at a time. That would mean three round trips, and at least three hours to get everyone off the island. The soonest they can be fueled and over there is 9:30ish. I have another option that is sketchy but the pilots say for the right compensation they would be willing to do it."

"What is it?"

"Well the Concorde statistically says it needs a mile and a half runway. This runway is a mile and a quarter. When I talked to them they said they could do it but there would be an additional fee for the run."

"How much?"

"Fifteen thousand dollars and they could be there within the hour."

"Do it my glorious, illustrious, designer of deals." Ranger told her. "But let them know we still have to stop back in Miami on the way to California and pick up more men."

"Well they asked to talk to you about it directly. I am texting you their number."

"Skylar, one more thing. We need twelve black SUVs waiting for us in California. I think that is everything. You, my lady, are a brilliant rainbow after the devastating storm. Thank you for always being here for me and taking such good care of my family."

"Of course, Ranger, you know I would do anything for you."

"And Skylar, lovely, know I am always here for you and Danny too. Goodbye." I disconnected to find Stephanie staring at me.

"Glorious? Brilliant? Lovely?" Stephanie questioned.

"Babe, that was Skylar, my travel specialist. I have known her for many years. She is the widow of a fellow Ranger that saved my life on several occasions including the one that cost him his. Someday in the future we will have to go see her and her son Danny. She is the one making all the arrangements for this trip."

"But glorious? I've never heard you talk to anyone that way."

"Stephanie, he gave his life and saved mine. I promised him to always treat her like a princess. She works but I help pay for their son's Montessori preschool and I have her listed as a RangeMan employee so she can be on our insurance. She's very independent like you. There's not a lot she will let me do for her so I try to do all the little things she will let me."

I left Stephanie at our cabana to pack. My text message buzzed with the phone number for the Concorde pilot and I immediately called him.

"Captain Pelissier this is Carlos Manoso. You told Skylar there was a chance you could pick us up here on the island?"

"Oui, de plaan can mov 'ery fast and use less runvay, but it req'ires me to increase de acceleration more dan normal. If no one has any hart problems and can handle de q'ickly increasing velocity and pressure ve can com pick you up on de island."

"Do it. I will pay you whatever you require, but we will have to return to Miami to pick up extra men before heading to California."

"Cerdainly. De plane is fueling now. Ve can be dere in about an hour."

"We will be waiting on the runway."

I texted everyone that the plane would be here in an hour and to get packed and put their suitcases outside their cabanas for my men. I texted Lester to come get the keys to the jeep. I called RangeMan Miami and spoke to Tiny, who rivaled Tank in size. "Have Zip, Zero, and Ram contacted you for pick-up?"

"Yes sir, they called a little after 06:00. They are showered and dressed in clean clothes and ready to go."

"Have the men pack sleeping bags and six tents. I don't know how many rooms we have where we are going. I have a plane fueling to come pick us up on the island. The plane is a Concorde, let me call and see if they can board now to save us from coming back to Miami for them."

"Affirmative. I will text you the names of all the men coming from Miami." Tiny said and he disconnected.

My phone beeped with a text. 'Tony, Sport, Tiger, Billy, Red, Cade, Pace, Simon, Scott, Dillon, Francis, Gavin, Ian.'

I called the captain back. "I have sixteen men from the Miami office that are joining us. Can they board now and save us from going back to Miami?"

"Oui. Dey weel hav to drive to hanger E-22. Ve weel vait for dem."

"I will have them there in thirty minutes." I disconnected and forwarded the information back to Tiny.

There was a knock on the cabana door and I answered it to find Lester standing there with his hand out. "Lester, I haven't seen or heard from Julio this morning. Send Bobby over to make sure he is up and packed and if he needs it, offer a ride to the plane." I gave him the keys to the jeep and went to go help Stephanie pack.

When we arrived, she unpacked all of her hanging clothes and shoes into the closet and was now struggling to repack it all again. I took over packing her clothes and she packed her few toiletries and blow dryer that was still out.

An hour and twelve minutes later Lester texted saying the plane had arrived. I gathered my family up and started them walking to the airfield. I ordered all my men back from patrol to go through every cabana and make sure we had everything. In Angelia's cabin, they found little Ricky's nappy blanket and several DVDs including Fern Gulley. All the others were clean.

I brought four men over to the kitchen to get our lunches and walked to the game room, giving Janice the keys to the jeep, the liquor cabinet and all of the cabanas.

"What am I supposed to tell the cruise lines?" she asked.

"Tell them my grandmothers got scared because they saw a shark and wanted to leave."

She smiled at me. "Well your family was nice to help while you were here. Good luck where ever you are headed." I thanked her and went to meet the plane.

I got on the plane first, greeted the Miami men and told them they were now on the Manoso family detail. I explained that they would receive an email detailing the full ramifications of the situation and their direct assignments in California. Then I asked them to sit further in the back of the plane so my family could sit up front. Once my family was loaded I laughed at Julio; he had been dragged onto the plane by Bobby and sat in the last row all the way in the back, holding his head with dark sunglasses on.

Thirty minutes later all the people and luggage were loaded and the captain was talking to everyone.

"Velcome to emergency flight 911, flying nonstop from de Bahamas to California. Dis take off is going to be faster than normal due to a short runvay. Ve are going to go from zero to two-hundred miles per hour in a little over a mile so there is going to be higher pressure dan normal. De pressure von't last more dan a few minutes, so take a few deep breaths, hold on and ve'll get going."

The seat belt sign turned on.
The pilot went through all the regular pre-flight explanations. We were headed to California which would still be sunny and about 90 degrees. Emile and Sabine quickly walked down the aisle passing out sticks of gum to everyone that wanted some.

The flight attendants went through the emergency safety demonstrations. They went through the cabin and made sure everyone had their seatbelts on and electronics stowed. Stephanie once again stashed her phone into the pocket of the seat in front of her.

A few minutes later the pilot came back on. "Ve are ready for departure. Cabin crew pleaz take your seats." They quickly took their seats in the back of the plane and signaled the pilot that everyone was secure. A few minutes later you could hear the engines ramping up and up and up, pushing hard against the brakes of the plane and suddenly we were flying down the runway for several long seconds until we just jumped vertically into the sky.

Everyone was pushed back hard into their seats. We continued our vertical climb for several minutes, the ocean peeling away below us. The engines caught their second breath and they launched us forward again, not quite as steep as before as we blasted up into the sky.

It took almost ten minutes before we leveled off and started flying straight. The captain came back on, "Congratulations! Dat vas a fast take ovf but now vou can sit back and relax. Ve hav reached our cruizing altitude and I am turning off de seatbelt sign. Vou are free to get up and move about de cabin." I looked at my watch; it was now 09:53. We should be arriving in Los Angeles before 13:00.

During the flight I crafted a long email to the Miami men thoroughly explaining the situation from the contents of the DVD and rescue of Stephanie, to the assault on my parent's house. I described all the events that had transpired since leaving Trenton, including my engagement, explained what was expected during our next stop in California and attached the digital family album for them to get familiar with. I sent all the Trenton men a short email of what to expect next in LA.

After a two-hour fifty-three-minute uneventful flight, we were circling LAX as the plane prepared to land. Emile and Sabine turned off the kids' movies and again made sure all seats and tray tables were up. The landing was smooth and I asked Sabine to turn the movies back on while I explained to my family that we still had to get our rental vehicles. I let them know that some men would start unpacking the luggage while I took eleven men to get the SUVs. I asked Eline and Sabine to pass out the packed lunches and drinks while we were gone.

Over an hour later, after the rental company exhausted their entire fleet of remaining black SUVs, a line was formed outside of the hanger. We had eight black and four dark blue SUVs pulled up and parked next to the hanger, cars not being allowed out on this part of the tarmac. I had been patient with the long lines at the car rental agency but became irritated with Brad the inept attendant who insisted on getting Skylar on the phone to verify everything. Next he insisted on copies of every adult's drivers license. I got Bones on the line to send over copies of all the alternate driver licenses issued, even though I knew none of my family would be driving. Finally (overzealous in making the company more money) Brad wanted me to pay for all the extra drivers.

I had him call the manager and explained the security situation, this family was being protected and only RangeMan personnel would be driving. That unless every one of the thirty-three RangeMan employees was killed, the protected family would not be driving. He quickly cut through all the red tape and got us out the door but I made a mental note to tell Skylar to deal with a different company in the future. We finally got the keys and drove the SUVs back to the hanger.

Another thirty minutes passed for luggage and crates to be loaded, and the multiple back seats that had to be removed were loaded into the back of the plane. While they were loading the luggage, I prepared my family to unload from the plane, reminding everyone to use the bathrooms before deplaning, for it was over an hour drive to the houses.

During the drive I checked up on my emails and forwarded the email with all the Miami men's names and cell phone numbers to my family and Trenton men with a note to add them to the list of people they can contact.

My phone rang, I looked at the readout, it was Skylar.

"Hey Ranger, our requests for passage on the ship sailing up the coast has been declined. They don't have enough cabins for your men and they won't allow six men to a cabin. Even with the understanding that they work opposite shifts. The cruise out of Hawaii leaves Saturday and they are more accommodating. Koana Cruises will let us reserve a whole hallway that has 16 interior and 12 exterior rooms as long as we pay to upgrade the people who have already reserved the rooms. It's not on one of the top decks but the exterior rooms can hold up to five people per room and we can bring in extra roll-aways. They will let us set up any security measures we require, including double checking all passenger identities when they get back on the boat. The ship does that anyway, they will allow one of your men there during the process. Also, they will allow the men to carry stun guns onboard."

"Book it. We can stay here till Friday, fly everyone there in the afternoon. Find someplace safe for us till Saturday and Skylar you are beautiful. Thank you for all your hard work."

"Anything for you Ranger. I'm also putting together a list of activities in LA for you to approve. I'll call if anything else comes up."

"Pick out museums for families, closed places that are easier to guard. No theme parks or big open spaces."

"Okay, I'll make a list with links and send it to you."

"Thank you my most perfect specialist. You make my life infinitely easier. Good bye." Stephanie was sitting up straight staring at me during the phone call only to narrow her eyes at me when I disconnected.

I reviewed the email from Skylar that had the information on the three houses including floorplans. I reviewed all the houses and sent three long texts giving house and room assignments to my men. The first house had eight bedrooms. Every one of the four rooms on the second floor was a master with king sized beds and their own bath. On the third floor, the bedrooms were paired, sharing a walk-through bath. The next house over only had six bedrooms but each had their own bath. The third house had nine smaller bedrooms but all the bathrooms were in the hallways and were equally shared.

I began sending room assignments by text to my family, asking everyone to stay in their assigned room until all luggage was delivered. In the first house I put my parents, both abuelas, Marc, Tiger and Ramon, Steph and I on the second floor. Angelia and her kids in two rooms on the third floor with Francis, Gavin, Chester, Erik, Woody, and Gino. Putting two dayshift guys and one nightshift guy in each room. In the second house, I put Oshanna, Julio, Lester, Bobby, and Ryan on the second floor. Rachel, Ron, Julie, Freddie and Cassie, with Junior, Scott, and Mario would be on the third floor.

The third house was the trickiest, I put Leyla and her family in two rooms, Isabella and her family in two rooms and put the three pre-teens in a room together filling up the whole second floor. I was planning to give Rachel and Julie the option of her staying in the third house. I texted the rest of my dayshift crew requesting six men to sleep outside in tents and that the rest would share a room on the third floor of the third house. The Miami crew had packed the sleeping bags and tents and were expecting this so I heard back from them first. The tents were supposedly four men tents but with equipment it was an uncomfortable squeeze, it was why I had them bring six.

Twelve men answered back that they would sleep in tents and I made assignments. Third floor, third house: Hal, Cal, Simon; Vince, Ram, Billy; Dillon, Red, Cade; Eddie, Manuel, Chet. We would place tents on the side of the houses: first house – Tony, Ian; second house – Sport, Pace; third house – Zero, Zip. I smiled inwardly to myself knowing that Zero and Zip were big guys and preferred a sleeping bag to sharing a bed.

I texted all my men that there were three more tents and seven sleeping bags if someone on dayshift would prefer that to sharing a bed. I heard back from Eric, Manuel, Ram, and Red. I assigned Eric and Manuel to the first house and Ram and Red to the third house. I finished by sending one more text with the gate codes for the houses.

I did a little research on my phone before calling Tank while Stephanie sat beside me quietly playing games on her phone.

"I've been waiting for you to land." Tank started. "Guess where we found the King200 that flew from Trenton?"

"Miami"

"Coral Gables, just south-west of Miami."

"Does it have any listed flight plans? Can we get hold of the pilot?"

"No flight plans filed yet. I have been calling the pilot since he was identified and all I ever get is his voicemail."

"Keep trying to reach him. Tap his phone line. I want to know every call he makes or receives."

"Already done. There haven't been any outgoing or incoming calls since I was given his number on Saturday."

"That doesn't sound very healthy for him. Keep me updated. Any more news?"

"I'm sending the five guys from Miami back to Miami and pulling more men from Boston."

"Good, when I pulled the thirteen I forgot I had already pulled five. We're headed for Hawaii on Friday and it is an open carry state only with licenses for stun guns or firearms. You have to get permits separately from each of the five county's police departments. I need someone to put together a package with the DVD, the list of protected individuals and the cruise line itinerary."

"We are seeking temporary permits to carry open weapons," I explained, "either stun guns or fire arms, preferably both, only on the days we will be in port and for two extra weeks in Oahu for thirty-four men. Send all records for each man - service records, concealed carry permits, personal identification, work history. Put a copy of the video of the woman on top of the pile and emphasize that the woman in the video is already dead and the case is being handled by TPD. Include the police report from the shootings at Haywood and in Newark. I want four packages, addressed to the Police Chiefs for each Hawaiian county the cruise goes to, overnighted today to arrive by tomorrow, marked urgent and priority."

"Do you think they will even be opened and reviewed by Friday?"

"Doesn't matter. We are taking all the proper legal steps. The courts will give a slap on the wrist at best if anyone is arrested and charged. There is a minimum fourteen-day wait and that doesn't work for us. I want a letter of threat for each protected individual sent over for each man to carry, sent to my email today. "

"I'll put Bones and Williams on it."

"Tank we have to figure out where the leak is coming from. Somehow they got our exact coordinates and if they are following the plane they already know we are in LA. Nobody is safe until we can contain the leak."

"Have you checked yourself? You're still carrying the same phone. What if they are tracking you, knowing you are going everywhere with the women to protect them?"

"My number's unlisted but if they got it somehow, say from Stephanie's phone or some other source, they might be. I'll change it out now. Expect a new number for me within the hour." And I disconnected. Cojeme, if they had my signal before we left they are just following me right to the nest. I shut my phone off and took out the battery. (Fuck me)

The three-story mini-mansions, built thirty years ago, were all year-round rentals that could be combined to hold larger groups when rented for a week or more. This time they were available through Friday of this week. We pulled through the eight-foot high retractable gate surrounded by a ten-foot concrete wall into the long drive for the first house. There were high walls and metal gates around the front of each house separating them. Good for protection, but not very convenient. If there was a problem at the front of one house my men would have to go over the wall to assist.

Marc pulled all the way around to the front of the first grey house that had five stairs going up to the white front porch and red door. There were four tall columns going all the way up to the third-floor roofs, through the white railed porches that extended from the second and third stories. There was a three-car garage set-back on the right side of the house.

There were tall bushes in between the columns and small yellow and orange flowering plants in semi-circle bunches around the bushes. A property manager named Van waited for us inside the first house in the living room by the stairs and tried to insist on a walk through before signing the papers and releasing the keys for the other houses. I told him I had people waiting outside in the hot sun, after a several hour-long flight with small children, and got the keys to the other houses for Marc to deliver.

Van walked me around pointing everything out. This house was over 8000 square feet with a great room that had dark grey tile throughout the main area, a large twelve-person, light grey three-sided sectional, a large dark oak dining room table with twelve chairs, and an open kitchen with a lot of counter space a large long bar with two counter top stoves, five stools on the dining room side. There was an oversized fridge, industrial sized dishwasher and two stacked ovens built in to the walls.

He then walked me through all the side rooms; on the right side of the house was a library and den with open arched doorways, on the left side of the house was an office with a big desk, computer, color printer, copier, scanner and fax machine. After the office was a small conference room with a long table, eight chairs and a whiteboard mounted on the wall; following that was a bathroom. The back patio was almost as long as the house with an oversized grill on one end. Two long glass tables with umbrellas, six chairs each and four loungers. The ten-foot tall concrete walls ended a few feet from the back of the houses, with a large wooden gate. Encompassing the front and most of the side yards. There were no walls in the back of the houses so you could walk from one back porch to the next, I noted, as I followed Van's lead.

The second house was tropical with a bamboo and palm tree theme that ran through the downstairs. This house had a smaller kitchen with a breakfast table and six chairs. It had a formal dining room with a large white table and eight chairs. There was a larger family room with a large screen TV, tan sectional and brass pineapple lamps, a smaller formal living room with cream-colored leather couch and loveseat, bamboo coffee table and end tables with bamboo styled lamps. The rear wooden patio was a lighter and slightly peach shade of stain.

The third house seemed like it was designed for a frat party. With bright primary colors and odd shaped furniture. The kitchen table and ten chairs were yellow, the bar stools at the island were each a different color: red, green, yellow, and blue. In the sky-blue kitchen, the counters were light red and the cabinets deep tree green. The downstairs living room area had sunny yellow walls with arched doorways of fuchsia and blue. The furniture was low: a slouch red couch, curved shaped like a gaming chair and sitting directly on the floor, next to it was an aqua couch, also with no legs and a dozen pillows, there was a super low white coffee table and six different colored bean bags scattered around. Against the wall red, white and aqua storage cubes, six wide and three high, filled with movies, an Xbox, four controllers, and games, upon which a large screen TV sat.

"This walk through is to show you what all is included in all the houses and that there is no damage to anything." Van said as he led the way back to the first house. He had a thick contract on the table. He led me through signing and initialing every page including the lists of furniture, bedding, pots, pans, dishes, silverware, electronics and several thousand books, movies and games. Disclaimers of no liability for house or beach usage. He made it clear there was no damage and emphasized everything must be returned in its original condition. Van made it clear the ten-thousand-dollar deposit against damage and the price for the houses for one full week, even though we were using them for only five days, was non-negotiable and the deadline to be out of the house was Friday at 2:00 pm so cleaners could prepare the houses for the next week's occupants.

By the time Van was done, made me a copy of the thirty-page contract and left; the luggage was delivered and my family was preparing to go play on the beach. I lined my men up in front of the second house and broke down California orders.

"My family has not met any of you from Miami. For their ease and convenience, I want all men wearing your badges around your neck with lanyards, like the Trenton men have been doing. It will make them feel more comfortable as they get to know you, to see your name and badge. They will be inside on the kitchen counter. When everyone is at the houses, eight men per house. Three out front, two inside, three out back, hourly check ins. Men out front and back will carry LSATS and 100 rounds of ammo. Nine men on nights, three per house. One man out front, one man inside, one man on the back patio."

"Marc is always assigned to Stephanie, Junior you are always with Julie. They are primary targets and will have a man on them at all times, day and night. Ramon, you will serve as guard for Stephanie at night. Mario, you are with Julie during the night shift. Night men with assigned targets round the house once an hour with check-ins. Any time the targets are moving two men to a target. Any group of three or more gets an extra man."

"This is going to be different, but I had Ella make up new beach uniforms. Trenton guys be nice and share one uniform each with the Miami crew. This uniform is shorts and a tank top with the RangeMan logo on it. They can be worn here in California on the beach and when out with the family if you prefer. I have a few extra sets I will put outside my room for anyone who needs them."

"Gun laws in California – On these premises you are always armed with full gun belt; guns and stun guns. Outside patrols will carry LSAT machine guns with a hundred rounds. Offsite we can't carry guns anywhere, but carry stun guns and see if you can get away with carrying them where ever you go. If they are a problem, leave them in the car and carry a collapsible baton and if you can a knife. I am going to try to arrange approved activities like museums and tours for the week. You will carry ID and a gun belt with a radio at all times."

"You have to remember that you are protection, not on vacation. Your job is security and if there is any whisper of a threat get them back here. Safety trumps fun at all times. If they found us on that island they could find us anywhere, so keep your guard up. Watch for a leak. Somehow, they are finding us and we need to figure out how. If you have any ideas let me know immediately. I am off to get a new phone myself in case they are tracking my old number." I gave each man their assignment, which house they were assigned to, which woman they were assigned to, who their partners were and dismissed them.

I gathered all the women by text in the dining room to discuss meals, while fathers finished preparing rambunctious children to go out to the beach. I didn't want my family to plan to cook for my thirty-three men, but knew at least for lunch and breakfast my mother would prefer to cook rather than order out. A shopping list was created and I sent four men with my mama and Leyla to do the shopping for the family, and another four men to do grocery shopping for the men and gather menus from nearby restaurants.

Thirty minutes later everybody was out on the beach enjoying the California sun, sand, and waves. I watched the kids playing in the sun like we were on some grand adventure. There were real waves here crashing on the shore and several of the kids including Julie were body surfing. The smaller kids played in the sand, Oshana and Stephanie were laying out on the blue and white striped loungers on the patio getting some sun, Julio and Diego were setting up the volleyball net. Big men in black patrolled the sand and the front of the house with machine guns, Marc stood just off the porch, LSAT in hand.

We were one step ahead of the bad guys, but I worried about how soon until they regrouped and managed to find us again. I went over to Stephanie. "Babe, I have to go into town. I'll be back in time for dinner."

She nodded to me. "Okay." I leaned over her and gave her a kiss. I left, borrowing Lester's phone and used the GPS to find the nearest cell phone store. An hour later I was on my way back with new sim cards and new phone numbers for myself and Lester. I texted Tank and every RangeMan along to use the new numbers only. I texted everyone in my family to add the new numbers to their contact list and delete the old ones.

Mama, Leyla, Isabella, and both abuelas were in the kitchen of the third house making tacos for dinner and I snitched a taste of guacamole that was in a big bowl as I made my way through.

Leyla called out to me. "We didn't have to use our passports when we got to California." She stated. "Is that legal? Are we ok now?"

"The pilots filed a flight plan from Miami to California. Their little detour to pick us up on the island was not recorded anywhere so as far as anyone knows we never left Miami. It is all legal and we are as safe as we can be for now."

I found Lester out back where most of the family was playing volleyball. I got his phone, installed the new sim card, gave him the new number and told him of my suspicions of being tracked through our phones. He asked me why I didn't replace all the men's phones.

I explained that no one knows which men were assigned to this mission except Tank, all the numbers are unlisted, but my cell phone is used for the company and is more widely known. I reminded him that he hands his number out to every pretty girl he meets so it would be easier to get hold of our numbers. I told him, honestly, that I didn't know how they found us but they followed us immediately to Florida and only took two days to find us on the island so they must be tracking us somehow.

I slipped into the office and set up my laptop. The printer was on the house's wireless network. I logged on using the Manoso network and downloaded the forms declaring the women in mortal danger. They outlined the threat to each woman, what had already happened, and detailed who made the threat and the ongoing danger. I searched the office and found a USB cord to connect my computer to the printer directly and printed six copies for each woman. I put them all in a folder, planning to pass them out to my men in the morning.

While the women were fixing dinner, I took Stephanie up to our room for some peace and quiet. Marc stood at parade rest just outside our door. I handed her the Sat phone. "Babe you know you're just going to worry about it till you tell your mom."

She sighed, rolled her eyes, and dialed the phone. "Hi Mom," she rolled her eyes.

"I'm doing okay."

"No, we're safe. We keep moving around so no one can find us."

"No, I was calling to tell you something else." She hesitated.

"Mom, I don't want you to be upset. I want you to be happy for me 'cause I really want this." She took a deep breath and looked at me.

"I got engaged yesterday." She blurted out.

"Yes, I really did get engaged." She repeated.

"No Mom, not to Joe. You heard correctly. Joe and I broke up." She explained. Now I could hear the raised voice coming through the phone.

"To Ranger, I got engaged to Ranger."

"Yes Mom, I know you think he's the reason I got kidnapped."

"It's not his fault when bad people target him because of his service to this country."

"But, he's a great guy. He loves me more than Joe ever did, and he owns his own multi-state company and has a lot more money than Joe." She said.

"I think it does matter that he loves me more than Joe." She huffed.

"It's complicated." Her voice got quieter.

"No, I love him more than I loved Joe. Besides it's over between me and Joe so if you want to see me get married in the next decade it's going to be to Carlos." There was a brief pause.

"That's his real name, Carlos. And Joe had been sleeping around, not just when we were broken up but also sometimes when we have been together and I just can't handle that. It's like Dickie all over again." She said.

"I didn't know, nobody told me. I have been being faithful to him even when we were broken up and he's been running all over town." There was a short pause.

"No, I haven't been sleeping with Carlos." She exclaimed.

"Well, I have slept with him a few times in all the time I've known him, but I haven't been running to him every time Joe and I break up." She clarified.

"No Mom only a few times total." There was another pause.

"Well yes, we may have done something when we were in Hawaii."

"Joe chose not to come to Hawaii in the first place and Ranger came because of a skip. We were mostly working." She was getting angry.

"You're gonna have to let Joe go. I have and we are never getting back together again."

"Mom can't you just be happy for me? You've wanted me to settle down and get married for a long time and now that's exactly what I'm doing."

"Well his family doesn't think I am making a mistake. They are happy for me and they have already started planning the wedding. I'll just let them plan it and we'll get married in Newark and you don't have to be involved."

"Yes, they even started a Pinterest page for it. One of my sisters-in-law even pinned the ring he gave me. Or at least one like it, mine has a three-carat diamond so it is a lot bigger than the one she found."

"The colors are blue and black, and we're going to have hearts, feathers and balloons."

"Yes, Mom, we really are engaged, and we really are going to get married. I love him. I have for a long time."

She told her mom the information to get on to Pinterest so she could see what my mom and sisters had been doing. "This way you and grandma can add to the page and make comments."

"We haven't picked out any dates. You're going to have to call around and see what dates are available. We're open." 'Not during the winter' I mouthed to her.

"Carlos says not during the winter. We want to have it when the weather's nice. Maybe this fall."

"Well honestly we haven't discussed it," and she looked directly at me. "But we are both Catholic so I expect a church wedding and where ever you can find that's big enough for the reception. He has a very large family so the biggest place you can find."

"Just be happy for us. This is a good thing and I will be safer with him than I ever was with Joe."

"Yes, well that's one way he'll keep me safer."

"Look Joe insulted me and told me I make his bed unsafe. That it's all my fault he got attacked."

"These were not MY bad guys! They were not after me because of anything I've done. They are just trying to hurt Carlos for the good work he has done for the government. Not because of anything bad he has done. It's just something he has to live with, that he did good things and now bad people are coming after him for it."

"Mom, it's going to be Ok. He has a security company. He can keep me safe and his apartment is really safe. It'll never get fire bombed. It is monitored 24/7 and no one can break in."

"I will bring him to dinner when we get back and occasionally after that. But I will tell you right now he's never going to come to dinner once a week. You're going to be lucky if it's once a month." This peaked my attention. At least she realized right off the bat that I wouldn't be conforming to Burg norms, this was something I wasn't looking forward to addressing with her because it's the kind of thing that could start unwanted disagreements.

"Because he runs an interstate security company with four branches and over 200 employees. He's really busy."

"Mom, honestly he only sees his own family a few times each year, so I can only promise you to bring him to visit as often as we go see his family." I can live with that. I leaned close to her and whispered four times a year.

"Let's say four times each year and Christmas and major holidays when we don't go see his family." She repeated.

"I don't know what holidays he sees his family."

"Yes, we'll try for Thanksgiving." I leaned over to her again.

"Babe I work all the major holidays so I can give as many of my men time off as possible."

She covered the hand set, "Even Thanksgiving and Christmas?"

"Especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. I work double shifts on those days. Easter and Christmas Eve gets spent with my family. But I promise to come eat with your family four times each year and around Christmas and Thanksgiving. Like the Sunday before or after, your mother's choice."

She took her hand off the phone. "Carlos just told me he works double shifts on Christmas and Thanksgiving so he can give his men the day off but he will come to dinner the Sunday before or after. Your choice."

"Well Mom he already has a daughter. We're going to have her up to visit, cause she lives in Miami and I promise to bring her over when she's in Jersey."

"Well, um, honestly we haven't talked about more kids, but I don't think either of our lives are ready for kids any time soon."

"For now, can't you just be happy that I'm engaged to get married? Let's take this one step at a time." She rolled her eyes again and I knew she was getting frustrated.

"I love you. Tell Dad and Grandma I love them too. Don't worry because we are all just fine. We are having fun. This is like one big family vacation."

"I'll talk to you in a couple of days."

"Bye."

She handed me the phone back and smiled. "Well she's absorbing the news. She wants to be happy because she said she has been waiting for this day a long time, but she's worried that I got engaged to you rather than Joe. Due to the danger and the running for my life she's not sure if she approves."

I took the phone. I could see both sides of the argument. My family is happy, they never thought I would settle down. But I wouldn't want Julie anywhere near a man like me and to be in danger her whole life.

I took her into my arms and kissed her. Her mother was probably having a drink right now. Then she would be calling the VFW hall and reserving it. To be followed by doing some laundry and ironing the sheets, towels, Frank's boxers, undershirts and socks.

To be continued…

A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. They are all appreciated. They let me know you like the story and keep me motivated to keep writing. At this point we are about half way through the story. I am expecting it to go about 30 chapters.

The family has made it safely to LA. Love flying on the Concorde. Wish they would make more commercial planes that go that fast! What should happen to the family now? Can Ranger relax enough to let his family have some fun? Please read and review.

As always big THANK YOU to my beta Sassysaint who gave me the encouragement and support to start posting my story. THANK YOU! Wouldn't have, couldn't have done it without you!

Second Big THANK YOU to my sister, Jonelle. Who is giving my stories a thorough technical analysis (ie deep proof reading) Thank you for fixing all my commas, apostrophes, and all my many other little mistakes.

Ranger's Family Album

Mother's Mother – Abuela Rosa, Father's Mother – Abuela Sanja Manoso

Mother – Maria Father – Javier

Siblings and family in age order

Leyla (35) & Richard Gonzales– Rebecca (Becky) 12, Margaret (Maggie) 10, Richard (Ricky) 7, Michael (Mikie) 5

Angelia (34) & Jordan White – Shanna 5 – Kendrick (Ricky) 3

Ricardo Carlos Manoso (32)– Ranger

Julio Manoso (30) Ex Allysa – Jacob 2

Isabella (27) & Diego Diaz – Chris 8, Shylia 6, Parker 3

Oshanna Manoso (22)

Rachel & Ron – Julie 12, Fredrico (Freddie) 9, Cassandra (Cassie)6

Trenton & Miami Merry Men Assignments (33 Men)

Abuela Sanja – Vince, Ian

Abuela Rosa – Manuel, Gavin

Maria – Erik, Francis

Leyla – Hal, Tony

Angelia – Woody, Dillion

Isabella – Cal, Red

Oshanna – Lester, Sport

Rachel – Eddie, Pace

Julie – Junior, Scott

Stephanie – Ranger, Marc, Tiger

Extra's – Bobby, Ram, Zero, Zip

Night's – Chet, Chester, Gino, Mario, Ryan, Ramon, Billy, Cade, Simon