Chapter 8

Making as little noise as possible and going about it really slowly, I pulled the covers back from me, pleased that I was still wearing the clothes that I'd arrived in. Being very aware of any dizziness or nausea I made my way to the bottom of the bed where I found my hoodie and bag. Checking through my bag I found some money that went into my pocket, but there were no keys for my car or my apartment. My hoodie seemed dry so after pulling it on I stood by the door and listened for any noises. The problem would be getting away from this room without being spotted by any of the internal cameras. As I stood by the door, I was aware of a black jacket and cap hung up on the pegs, which had a plan begin to form in my head.

Twenty minutes later I was walking down an alley opposite to the Rangeman building, well maybe walking was a bit of an exaggeration. I was sure if anyone saw me, they'd think that I was an old woman with how I was slumped over and using the wall for support. I could still hear the alarms piercing the quietness of the night. Okay I did feel guilty about what I'd done but knowing what was about to happen totally overruled those feelings of guilt. Guilt at stealing Bobby's jacket and cap but especially at setting off the fire alarm. The need to avoid Joe was so strong that I think I was past caring. I mean why couldn't they disturb Ranger and why would Tank want to just hand me over to Joe? Why wouldn't Bobby, Les or Tank try to talk through with me why I was so upset?

After activating the fire alarm the sound from the alarm and the pounding of boots on the corridor had given me the cover that I had needed to slip out of the medical room and mingle with the men leaving the building. I had to bite back the pain racking my body so as not to stand out, but I felt as though my life depended on doing just that. No one seemed to give me a second look dressed as I was in Bobby's jacket and my hair pushed underneath the cap, so it was easy to exit the building as though I was just one of the men. I didn't look back as I walked away from the building but as I came to the end of the alley, I did turn at seeing the flashing lights racing past.

Feeling so exhausted but thinking that I was far enough away from all of the commotion I slumped down against the wall. My headache was back with a vengeance as was that feeling in my stomach. My arm ached and the exertion from breathing had my chest shooting pains across it. I kept telling myself that all I had to do was get to the street and find a taxi, then I could go home. With my knees pulled up I rested my head on them thinking, just a few minutes then I'd make a move.

I would have screamed if I could have when someone appeared next to me, and I would have struggled and fought when I felt myself being lifted. It was the sound of a familiar voice and what they said to me that had me relaxing and allowing myself to be gently lifted and carried.

"Shush, Estefania. I take care of you, take you somewhere safe"

Hector, Hector was with me, and I knew that I could trust him, so allowed my mind to go blank.

Being conscious and aware that I was awake brought with it that feeling of panic as to where I was. I was praying that I wasn't at Rangeman or worse back at Joe's. It was what I was hearing that confused me. Laughter and children's voices but how were they speaking in a different language? Not Val's then which was my immediate thought, somewhere else. I was laid on my back with my shoulders and head slightly raised but I was comfortable and even that throb in my head was duller. Okay, I still ached, especially through my chest, but I felt ready to face the world yet again.

Opening my eyes and turning my head I was looking at an older woman sat in a chair next to the bed. She beamed at me when she saw that I was awake, and her voice was suddenly shouting out. Who to, I wasn't sure.

"Nuestra angel esta despierta"

I was aware of the door opening but instead of someone that I knew coming in I was frowning as three young girls came running into the room and were immediately leaning onto the bed. They must have been maybe five or six years old, all with long dark hair, brown eyes and dark skin. They were beautiful as they smiled and looked at me, it was almost as if they were curious with who I was and as one of them tentatively pulled on one of my curls with how I looked.

"Muchachas. You're not supposed to be in here. Go play outside"

The voice came from a young woman, maybe the mother, because she had the same looks as the children. I watched as she came over and stood next to the woman who was still sat in the chair.

"How are you feeling? Hector told us that he was sure that you were suffering from a concussion. Do you need any pain meds?"

I slowly shook my head because I was feeling better, better enough not to want any more medication. I was at a loss as to where I was and who these people were though they obviously knew Hector.

"I'm so sorry that you've ended up looking after me. I don't want to impose on your hospitality"

The older woman looked to the woman as though she hadn't understood me, but the younger woman was looking at me and quickly trying to put me at ease.

"Nonsense. I'm Reina, Hector is my cousin and he brought you here because you needed help. He'll be here soon, after he finishes work so he can explain. This is Paloma, my mother, but she doesn't speak English. Our home is your home so please be comfortable"

Wow was all that I could think because I didn't know how to respond to her. I felt overwhelmed with the kindness that she was bestowing on me, and I did feel comfortable here. Reina was talking to her mother in Spanish before the mother left the room and Reina was looking at me again.

"My mother is going to prepare something to eat. The bathroom is the first door on the right and there are some clean clothes for you on the chair in the corner. Please say if you need help or you start to feel unwell, okay?"

I smiled and nodded to Reina thinking that a shower would be welcome. I had no idea when the last time was that I'd washed.

"Thank you, Reina. I think that I'll try to shower first"

I think Reina must have been worried how I would manage on my own because she seemed to be hovering over me as I pulled down the sheet and cover. I was surprised to see that I was wearing a long sleeved, long nightdress so wondered who had changed me into it.

"Don't look so worried. I work as a carer so am used to supporting people. I have to say though that you have some nasty bruising on your ribs"

I was pretty sure my cheeks went pink at the idea of her doing that but then again, she was probably used to seeing women of all ages and sizes. I had to push that embarrassment to the back of my mind and focus on helping myself now. I moved slowly remembering the last few times when a quick movement had shot a pain through my head and made me feel nauseous so was pleased when I achieved getting myself to a standing position. Reina stayed with me as I walked through the door and into the bathroom, handing me a towel and a plastic bag before she set the shower running. After she left, I pulled the nightdress over my head, wrapped the bag around the cast and stepped under the spray of water.

I was sure I moaned at the feel of the hot water cascading over my skin. It felt like heaven and certainly helped to ease the ache of my muscles. As I soaped myself, I was shocked at the extent of the bruising over my rib cage. No wonder I hurt, but for the life of me I had no memory of how that had happened. My last clear memory, before waking up in Joe's house, was of being in that car after those robbers took us from the bank. The water cooling pulled me from those thoughts, so I quickly dried and wrapped the towel around me. Returning to the bedroom I carefully dressed in the underwear, floral blouse and long flowing black skirt. I was teasing my fingers through my hair when there was a knock on the door and a different girl entered the room. I guessed her age at maybe early teens from the shape of her body underneath the jeans and T-shirt. She had the same dark hair and eyes as the other women that I'd met so assumed that she was another family member.

"Hi, tía Reina asked me to see if you needed anything"

I smiled back at the girl as I continued to try and detangle my hair.

"No, but thank you"

"Let me help"

Was suddenly said as she scooted across to a set of drawers at one side of the room, returning carrying a wide toothed comb and elastics. She stood behind me and was soon carefully brushing my hair. I couldn't help wincing slightly as the brush touched my scalp at the top of my head, which was where I assumed I banged my head.

"Lo siento, sorry"

She didn't stop but avoided that place on my head. Ten minutes later she stood back and then came around to stand in front of me.

"It suits you"

I was curious with what she'd done so moved my hand to touch my hair surprised that she'd braided it.

"Now we eat"

I followed her down a hallway and then down a set of stairs into a huge kitchen dining area. I was inhaling the smells that seemed to float in the air realizing that I was feeling hungry. I was amazed at the number of people in the room. The mother, Reina, the three young kids that I recognized but now there were two older boys, another woman who looked slightly older than me and two men.

"Please sit down"

I took the seat that Reina pointed to watching the movement of everyone in the room. It seemed that everyone had a job to do from placing crockery at places to setting food in the middle of the table. It was like watching a well choreographed dance. Paella was the main dish but there was fresh bread, olives, tomatoes and tapas along with jugs of water. Paloma was the one who served out the paella, though I held my hand over my bowl after the first spoonful. I may have felt hungry, but I was still very conscious of how my stomach had been reacting lately. Small and slow was how I ate. I have to say that the paella did taste amazing but after the small helping and a piece of bread I was full so sat back and observed the people around me. There was chatting, laughing and eating happening all at once. It was such a different atmosphere to what I was used to at my parents. Everyone seemed so happy and in tune with each other even with the age ranges.

"Ah, Estefania"

I turned to see Hector walking into the room and then listened as the family members greeted him. He pulled up a chair next to me but refused a bowl of food from Paloma, instead he leaned into to me.

"Are you feeling better?"

I almost rolled my eyes at his question but didn't want to upset him.

"A lot better, though I'm at a total loss as to why you brought me here"

To be honest I'd expected to be taken to my apartment, so I felt that my question was relevant, well to me anyway.

"Let's go talk somewhere quieter"

I followed Hector into a small room that adjoined the kitchen and sat down on the small couch that was facing a fire. It was a quaint room, cluttered, though that didn't detract from the room. Hector sat next to me on the edge of the seat which had me feeling nervous with what he was going to be saying.

"Who else knows that I'm here?"

I asked almost as a whisper dreading the answer that was about to come. I'd thought that being here, where Hector had brought me, would be safe from prying eyes and certainly safe from others knowing about it.

"Just me"

That did surprise me, and I was sure that I had a frown on my face as though not quite believing what Hector had said.

"Why did you leave Rangeman like a thief in the night?"

I could feel my cheeks heating up as the memory of my escape from Rangeman came back to me. It had worked, but there was still that sliver of guilt running through me for what I'd done.

"I didn't want Joe to know where I was and from what I heard there was talk of calling him. I just had to leave before that happened. I'm sorry Hector, I didn't mean to cause so much trouble"

Yes, I was sorry for the way that I'd deceived everyone in the building into thinking there was a fire.

"Estefania. You did good. I wasn't aware that the core team were going to tell Morelli where you were"

I was relieved to hear the praise from Hector instead of him being annoyed at me, but it did nothing to alleviate my confusion as to why they would do that.

"Why would they do that Hector, why would they call Joe?"

Hector sat back on the couch after I asked that as though considering a reason for the core groups behavior, but then asked a question that totally confused me.

"What is the last thing that you remember before ending up outside Morelli's house?"

I took a deep breath as I tried to untangle what memories I had before waking up totally confused in Joe's house.

"Being inside a car with those men from the bank heist"

Which was the honest truth. I could almost feel the fear that was coming from the old man sat next to me in that car and then the calm that had settled over me just before I passed out.

"Estefania, what about when you were hurt and in the hospital?"

I shook my head because I still had no recollection of how I had injured myself and certainly no memory of being in a hospital. Maybe there were images, voices, sounds and smells that could have been from when I was there but nothing substantial. I was surprised when Hector stood up, wiping his hand down his face before he came back and sat down next to me on the couch. The fact that he took a hold of my hand had me feeling very worried with what he was going to say.

"Four people were taken hostage from the bank. There were so many people involved in trying to keep track of where you had been taken, police, Rangeman and even a SWAT team. Two hostages were found down by the river, but no one could find you or the man with you. We think they swapped out their vehicle when it travelled through the tunnel. It was nearly two days later when you were found at the back of Pinos by one of the waiters who was locking up. Your injuries suggested that you'd been thrown from a moving vehicle"

That surprised me because I had no recollection of that happening, but it certainly accounted for how I'd hurt my head, ribs and arm.

"You were unconscious with the head injury for a couple of days, and it was Morelli who organized police guards outside your door. His reasoning was to keep you safe in case the men from the bank wanted to do you any harm. No one was allowed in to see you, only your family"

Why would Joe stop people from seeing me? Hell, my friends must have been really worried about me.

"The next thing that we knew you had been moved to Morelli's house and again he arranged for police guards and no visitors. A day later Morelli was telling everyone that you were very ill and close to a nervous breakdown, that you wanted nothing to do with your old life, that you'd realized that you needed to settle down. As far as we knew you were quitting your job, moving in with Morelli and planning your wedding"

I'm sure that I was just staring at Hector as he told me the story from an outsider's perspective. Why would Joe make up a story like that when he knew that life was the last thing that I wanted.

"Didn't anyone try and talk to me or question what Joe was saying?"

"Ranger tried to see you, but Morelli threatened to have him arrested if he went anywhere near you. Then he told Ranger that you didn't want Ranger trying to talk you out of your decision and to leave you alone to get on with your life"

I couldn't believe what had happened or that I had no idea of what was going on. How had all of that happened without me being aware of it? I would never have refused to see Ranger.

Oh no. I'd been so wrong in thinking that Ranger had just abandoned me. It was probably him who was upset with me and now he'd gone to Miami thinking that I wanted nothing to do with him.

"Estefania you have to understand that after several days and getting no word from you that people began to believe what was being said"

"Several days. How long are we talking about?"

Because I couldn't believe that I still had no idea what time scale we were talking about here. Surely if I was released from the hospital then I must have been well enough to be released so I must have been aware of what was happening.

"Two days missing, two days in the hospital and then it was the third day of you being at Morelli's house when I found you out on the street"

I did a quick mental addition coming up with seven days when I had no idea what was going on.

"Seven days? I lost seven days? How could I lose seven days of my life?"

I was so agitated with that idea that I stood up and started to pace the floor in front of the couch. Seven days! Why couldn't I remember anything for any of that time? What the hell had happened to me for me to lose those memories? Had my head injury been a lot worse than I was aware of.

"That can't be right. I would remember"

"Estefania you had a serious concussion. The only reason that the doctors agreed for you to leave the hospital was that Morelli told them that you were in serious danger and needed to be somewhere safe"

I suppose that could account for why my memory was so poor especially if I was semi conscious for most of that time. Certainly, the headaches, dizziness and sickness could be accounted for through having a serious concussion, plus if my mother and Joe were giving me heavy pain meds then that would add to my symptoms. Those days that I was missing though, I had no memory of those.

"I can't remember what happened after being in that get away car"

I felt Hector's arm come around me and pull me to him as though trying to console me.

"Concussion can do that. Those memories may come back or not. Don't worry about that for now"

That was easier said than done because I was worried, but not as worried as I was about Ranger.

"Has Ranger really gone?"

I could honestly say that I had never seen so many traits of what Hector was feeling than I had today. For some reason I was hyper sensitive to the minute nuances that his face was showing and I was pretty sure I was asking a question that Hector didn't want to answer.

"He came back as you were released from the hospital, but he was in a dark place. He was badly injured on this last job, though that doesn't normally affect him. Maybe something went wrong with the job, I don't know. He wanted to see you, but Morelli made that impossible and then when he learnt of how you were changing your life and refusing to see or speak to him, his mood worsened. That was why he left Trenton"