Chapter 21

"Beautiful. You have to be strong. No matter what you see or hear you have to fight"

I'd heard those words before. You have to fight, hadn't that been what was said when we were inside that truck? It was like fighting an unknown force. No face to imagine nor weapon to use. An insidious evil evoked by money and power uncaring of who was hurt or killed. How the hell did you fight that?

"Beautiful, we're nearly there. There is light at the end of this. We will stop these people and then you'll be looking for the next battle. Ranger is going to be pulling out. He thinks that there's nothing more to be learned from Alina. He doesn't want to be there when Nikita turns up"

Hearing that had me turning to look at Les. Hell, I wasn't even questioning how he was here only hearing what he was saying.

"Will he be okay?"

Now worried in case Alina worked out that he was spying on her.

"Of course. Come on, you're getting wet and cold. Let's get back inside"

Why did I have such a feeling of dread then? Why did I feel that the evil wouldn't be that easy to overcome? I pushed myself forward up onto my feet with Les helping me, then with one last look out to sea, turned with Les to walk back to the house.

"Go change and be back down here in ten"

Ten minutes was just enough time to get rid of the wet clothes, dry off and redress in some joggers and a T-shirt. I really needed to shower but I didn't want to keep Les waiting. Les was stood waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs but instead of leading me to the kitchen or even another room I found myself being taken into Hector's room. A look around at the banks of screens only confirmed for me that Hector had eyes on a number of places.

"They're in place and ready"

Came from Hector without him turning around. Les came up behind me and with his hands on my shoulders guided me to a chair in front of at least ten monitors. As they came alive, I honestly had no idea what I was seeing.

"The cameras are recording from body cams, so it'll probably seem a bit jumpy. I thought that you'd want to see this. We have four teams about to infiltrate the place that you called the manor"

Was he serious? Was that place really going to get closed down? What about the women and possibly babies who were being held there? Would they be okay? I felt excited and worried all at the same time as my eyes went back to the screens.

"That's the team leader, keep your eyes on his screen, that'll give you the best overview of what's going on"

It was surreal watching what the screen showed me. There in front of me was the property that I'd come to hate. I was mesmerized as he began to move forward, looking to his sides at the rest of the men who were with him. I recognized how they were dressed, kitted out in black with flack vests protecting them, black hats and goggles over their faces, which I assumed were for night vision. Each man in view was carrying a rifle but their utility belts looked to be holding enough weapons and magazines to invade a third world country, not a large manor house. The light was fading slightly so I was sure that they'd have the advantage as they approached. To be honest I had never really seen the place up close, only from a distance, but seeing it now showed that it was an old building made from stone with tall narrow windows. A small blast at the main door gave access inside and suddenly there were men from the teams heading in every direction.

"What's the name of the man who's leading the teams?"

I asked, then immediately regretted asking thinking that perhaps they would want to be kept anonymous.

"You know him well, Beautiful. It's Tank. If you know of an area where he needs to check out press that button and talk into the microphone"

Tank, that was certainly a surprise. I wondered if he knew that I was linked into his camera. To be honest I wasn't familiar with the inside of the building, only down below where we'd been kept in those cells before we were led onto the truck.

"There's a basement with twelve cells. There could be women down there"

I didn't feel confident enough to be the one who told Tank that and listened as Les passed on my information.

"First floor's been cleared. Any women or infants are being led outside to awaiting ambulances"

I was too interested in watching Tank's progress down the stairs to ask for any more information. I watched as he stopped to take in his surroundings and as he signaled for another man to go ahead of him before turning around slightly. I jumped when I heard the small retort that came from the rifle that Tank was holding, then saw as a man fell down the stairs and past him. The clatter of a gun following him told the story. Tank had shot him in self defense. How many men would the teams encounter, and would they surrender when they saw how formidable and determined their attackers were? I hoped so. I hated the idea of anyone dying, especially an innocent person caught in the crossfire, plus they would be a good source for information.

Tank had now reached the bottom of the steps and was about to follow the other man through the door when he stopped, holding his hand up to the other man.

"That's where the cells are. What's stopping them from going in?"

"Seems there are couple of armed men threatening to kill the women if they move any further. Don't worry, there are a couple of our men coming in from the other entrance"

I looked at Les as he said that seeing him wink at me. Okay, I knew how good the Merry Men could be so now had no doubt those two idiots holding the women hostage wouldn't stand a chance. Tank was stood ever so still, was he talking, trying to distract the two men as his team advanced from behind them?

The door opening revealed two men down on the ground and the cell doors being opened. I let out the breath that I was holding so relieved to see women being released and led from the room. Tank followed them, down a short dark hallway and then outside where lights were fully illuminating the area. There were ambulances and paramedics waiting to greet the women. Nurses were carrying small bundles and women were milling around them. They were safe. The women would be taken to a hospital to be checked over and hopefully be reunited with their babies.

As Tank scanned the area, I could see a group of armed men dressed in their flak vests stood with a group of women and men. As Tank walked toward them, I recognized the two women who had dealt with me.

"What will happen to them?"

Unsure of exactly who was in charge of this raid.

"They'll be taken to Rangeman at Boston and questioned; statements taken. This whole operation is being overseen by the military in conjunction with some high ranking personel from the alphabet agencies. Once we feel that we have all the information that they know then they'll be transported to a secure facility"

I hoped it was a prison where they'd be locked up for a very long time. Those prisoners knew what was happening and were part of the ill treatment of the women, so they deserved the worst. Thinking that the connection would probably be terminated, well Tank and his teams had been successful, I was frowning as a face came into view. Wasn't that Jerome, the man who had dropped me off at the diner? He was talking to one of the paramedics so wasn't part of the group who were being handcuffed ready to be moved.

I remembered that day and now that I knew that Oscar was alive, I could picture what had happened. Jerome had told the guard with him that he had one delivery to make at the diner. At the time I hadn't questioned what he'd said because I was so grateful for the opportunity to escape. Then it hit me. When I'd got down from his truck, he'd closed the door and driven off. He hadn't moved those boxes from inside and taken them in to the diner. He'd told the man he had one delivery to make, one to the diner. Maybe the guard was unsure of capturing me on his own but Jerome had given him the information for where I would be.

"That man, he's one of them"

I almost shouted as my finger went to the screen to point Jerome out to Les. I was aware of Les talking but was keeping an eye on Jerome. Tank, well he looked to be walking in a totally different direction which had me frantically looking at Les. Had Les passed on the message? Back on the screen it seemed that Tank was talking to another man. That man approached Jerome and had a conversation with him. In my head I was willing Jerome to be arrested. Then it happened, Jerome was suddenly turned, and his wrists were cuffed behind him before being led to join the rest of the detainees.

The screens went blank which I presumed meant that everyone was moving out. Sitting back in the chair I felt utter relief wash through me. That aspect of my living nightmare was over. The women were safe along with their babies and maybe just maybe there would be something there that would tell us what had happened to the previous women who had passed through their doors.

"Food. I'm definitely hungry after that"

I smiled at Les knowing that he was trying to take my mind off what we'd just seen. Then again, I was feeling hungry.

After a meal with Les he went to relieve Hector and I headed up to the bedroom. I went through my nightly routine hoping that this time when I slept the nightmares wouldn't return. The problem was that I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned until I knew that it was pointless even trying to get to sleep. Stomping over to the closet I pulled out some black joggers and a thin grey hoodie. I wasn't sure what I was going to do at this late hour. Maybe sit with Hector if he was watching monitors. I never had found out where he was watching.

It was as I was stepping off the last step of the staircase that I heard loud voices. They were talking loudly in Spanish but even I could hear from their tone that they were panicking. Walking into Hector's room I could see Hector busy hitting the keys of his computer while Les was now on the phone. Of course they had no idea that I was stood there.

"What's happened, what's wrong?"

Les looked over to me as he pulled his phone away from his ear. His expression wasn't the usual blank face that he used when he didn't want to tell me something, instead he looked worried. Not an expression that I'd seen on him before, if I was reading him right of course.

"Nikita turned up unexpectedly"

I wasn't sure how that was a bad thing, I mean at least we knew where he was now.

"How is that a bad thing?"

Already puzzled with why Les and Hector were so worried. Then it hit me, they were worried about Ranger. But why? Ranger was there using an alias that both Alina and Nikita knew. How was Nikita turning up a problem.

"Something else has happened, hasn't it?"

That was the only explanation that made any sense. The way that Les looked over to Hector had my blood boiling. My hands went to my hips as I stared at Les hoping I wouldn't have to resort to shouting at him for him to get the message that he needed to talk.

"Okay, okay. Ranger had linked us into their systems. It allowed us to access the internal cameras and any computer usage, but after Nikita arrived it went dead. We're out, with no eyes on Ranger"

No, he had to be wrong with what he was thinking. It didn't mean that Alina and Nikita had sussed out what Ranger had done. Maybe there'd been a power outage, or they hadn't paid their internet provider. Okay, even I knew that was a stupid thing to think.

"We have eyes on the area around the property but there's been no sign of Ranger and a lot of comings and goings"

Shit, so we didn't even know if Ranger was still there. Would they move him somewhere else? But where would they move him to.

"The nightclub. Could they have taken Ranger to the nightclub?"

Was I clutching at straws in coming up with that as a suggestion? No. That nightclub was definitely right in the middle of this operation.

"Why there?"

Came from Les as though he couldn't quite believe that I'd suggested it. Ignoring Les's question, I was looking at Hector but before I could even ask the question I was going to pose, he shook his head.

"No. They use an internal security system that is totally isolated"

Didn't that say something. To me it said that they had something to hide. Well, I'd managed to get inside that place once so why not again?

"Stephanie, don't you even think about it. I know you and going in there would probably get you killed"

Since when did Les call me Stephanie. Obviously when he was annoyed at me and wanted to get my attention. Pfft, since when did I ever listen to someone trying to tell me what to do.

"I'm going tonight, you're either with me or without me"

I stomped out of that room slamming the door behind me. I felt sick knowing that Ranger was probably in trouble. By the time I left for the club then there should be news with regards to Alina's house, though by my way of thinking Alina wouldn't want him anywhere near to her. I wondered who she'd ask to deal with him or if she felt that she needed information from him first. I was pretty sure that Nikita would want to know how much of their operation was in jeopardy.

Okay, now to find out where my bike had been put. There were things inside the panniers that were going to come in handy if I was going to the club incognito.

I napped, because I could and also because I was exhausted from having no sleep. After the nap I sneaked down to the kitchen for something to eat hoping not to bump into Les or Hector. As Hector had said my bike was indeed here, parked around the side of the house, which seemed strange to me. I'd expected it to have been locked away somewhere where I couldn't get to it. Then again, I didn't seem to have any keys for it. Back upstairs in the bedroom, with a large bowl of cereal and several pieces of fruit, I went through the contents of my rucksack and the panniers from the bike. I had packed them so was pretty sure of what I would find. You guessed. I had Lula's things with me.

By 9 o'clock I was pretty pleased with my final appearance. I had on Lula's black wig with the straight hair that ended just above my shoulders and bright blue eyeshadow to detract from the color of my eyes. Foundation that darkened my skin tone with a splash of glitter. For my outfit I'd had to cobble together some of Lula's outfits, but I was sure that she'd be pretty proud of how I'd made use of them.

Needless to say, most of her clothes were far too big for me, even though they were so stretchy. A black sequined top scrunched in at the top with a tie at the side passed for a skirt and one of her purple sequined boob tubes was adapted as a top. Okay, I'm sorry Lula, but I ended up cutting a slit where my arm went through. It was the only way to keep the thing up. With a black strapless bra showing underneath the other arm, it didn't look too bad. I found a pair of black heeled shoes to complete the outfit which meant that I was ready to roll.

Heading down the stairs I'd decided to take the bike to get to the club. Not exactly ladylike but needs must. Only when I approached the bottom of the stairs Les was stood there, dressed in black trousers and shirt. Uh oh, went through my mind. Was he actually going to take me?

"Okay, seeing as there's no stopping you then at least let's try to make this as safe as possible"

I raised my eyebrows as I listened to Les, not quite believing what he was saying. Was he going to try and trick me.

"I'm sorry Beautiful but the house on Margin Street looks empty. There were vehicles seen leaving the building during the day but anyone tailing them lost them or they were distractions. We've had infrared cameras and parabolic mics aimed from every direction, but they've failed to find anyone inside the house. Tank is going to take in a team at midnight but we're wary in case they've booby trapped the place"

Which explained why Les was prepared to accompany me to the club. Was there somewhere else that Ranger could have been taken? Maybe. If tonight drew a blank, then I'd look at those as possibilities.

"Let's get you set up"

Set up meant me having to wear several trackers, though at least Les did concede that two were enough. Sheesh I didn't have anywhere else to hide them. Fortunately the wig would cover the ear piece, one that doubled as a mic and a speaker, so at least I could hear what else was happening.

"That top would conceal a holster"

I looked from Les to the black straps that he was holding in his hand then back to Les. I wasn't sure where the hell he thought a gun could be hidden underneath the outfit that I was wearing.

"It's a shoulder harness. How about on the shoulder where that top sits over your shoulder?"

Taking the holster from Les I gave it a good look. Okay, maybe he was right. The top that I was wearing was lose at it hung down from my shoulder, so it could work. As Les held a small revolver I did what had become a habit for me. I ejected the magazine to check on how many bullets it held, removed the bullet that was already chambered and pushed it in its place in the magazine. Once the magazine was relocated, I pulled the barrel to reload a bullet. Okay, it was small enough for my hand.

"Wow, Beautiful. Good to know that you can handle a gun now"

I stuck my tongue out at Les before pushing my arm through the harness and pulling it down into place. By moving my hand down my front, the gun was accessible, but there wouldn't be any fast drawers from me.

"You got lock picks?"

A stupid question to ask someone like Les, but I needed to be sure because I knew that we would need them.

"Okay. Let's get this done"

Hoping that at last we were ready to go.

"Hold on. We stay together, okay. Hector has given me a USB device if we can get to a computer. Hopefully it might give him access into their systems. We'll have backup inside the club, with a team outside at the front and rear"

Oh. Not what I was expecting. So who was it that would be providing the backup? I never had a chance to ask that question and obviously Les didn't think that it was important for me to know because he literally linked his arm through mine and was walking me to the front door. I'd expected an expensive car to be sat waiting for us, then again, the silver Jeep Cherokee, that looked second hand, wouldn't stand out.