Ric woke up on a ledge in a cell. His head ached and his mouth was dry. The wave of nausea rolled over him and he swallowed hard against it. He sat up and took inventory. He was in his boxer briefs and a linen shirt. His feet were bare. He had no weapons. Tank was unconscious on the floor beside him. The cell area was well lit. His watch was gone, so while he knew it day as light came through the high windows, he had no idea what time it was. Or where he was. Or how long he had been there. And his fucking head really hurt.
Nudging Tank with his foot, he hoped to wake his giant friend without getting hit. Rubbing his sore, swollen jaw, he felt sure there had been a physical altercation… Was that why they were in the cell?
Tank moaned as he sat up. "I fucking hurt all over." The big man had multiple visible bruises. Who the fuck would hit Tank?!
"There's a lot of that going around."
"Where the fuck are we?
"Looks like a jail cell but I have only been awake for a couple of minutes."
"What did we do?"
"Fucked if I know…"
A key turned in a lock and a guard entered the area.
"You're awake. That's good news. We can release the two of you and take you to the airport."
"The airport?" Tank asked.
"The DA agreed to drop the charges if you leave today… and don't come back."
Tank looked to Ric, who raised his shoulders- I have no idea what charges but we need to get out of here- and he nodded to the officer.
"Here are clean clothes." The officer passed the folded clothing through the bars. "Your friends brought them… since, well- after what happened it wasn't like you could wear the other ones."
Ric and Tank got dressed and processed out and as they were given back their possessions, Tank caught sight of Bobby in the lobby, waiting for them. He looked a little green around the gills, had a cast on his forearm and a swollen left eye. There was no sign of Santos.
"Tank, Ric, the detective will take us to the private field, where our plane is waiting. As soon as we are in the air, I can explain everything." He handed each man a large water bottle and some tablets as they made their way outside to wait for the car.
"Before we ask anything else, Bobby, you need to tell me what day it is." Ric had not seen a date stamp on any of their documents. Which seemed off.
Bobby looked at his feet. There was a slight shake of his head as he mumbled. But Ric heard him.
"DID YOU JUST SAY IT IS SUNDAY!?"
"Ric, we really need to get on the plane." Bobby pleaded as the detective pulled up and opened the car door. "We have been ordered to leave the state." The men got into the SUV before Ric spoke again.
"I told Stephanie we would be home Saturday afternoon, in good time for the party."
"The apprehension didn't go exactly as planned."
"Ya think?" Tank muttered as he buckled on his utility belt.
"And where the fuck are Lester, Ram and Junior?" Ric rubbed his throbbing temples. Stephanie was going to kill him… if he survived this hangover.
"Ram and Junior flew the skip to DC yesterday." Bobby hesitated before continuing. "Lester headed to Miami as soon as he was cleared by the hospital. He figured he should explain to Stephanie in person why you were missing the engagement party."
Ric rubbed both his hands up and down his face and confessed to his friends. "Stephanie and I planned to get married at the engagement party."
His two friends were struck dumb, but the detective laughed out loud. "And I thought getting banned from Vegas was the worst thing that was gonna happen to you. Poor bastard."
Tank found his voice, "You and Stephanie planned to get married- at the engagement party?"
"It was Stephanie's idea." Ric remembered her first suggesting it, the idea of a big party without all the stress and drama of a fancy wedding. "It was a way to have everyone there without all the issues that come up with a big wedding."
"Yeah, a great fucking idea, had you shown up. Steph might of killed Santos when he showed up." Bobby shook his head.
"If she hasn't, I plan to." Ric rubbed his sore jaw again. "Or maybe ship him to the 'Stans…"
Vegas had been Lester's idea.
"Seriously, Tank, Vegas is a must. Ric and Stephanie planning their engagement party means we need to go now- We should do the bachelor party right beforehand. This way, if they sneak off and elope, we won't have missed the opportunity."
Which is how all the RangeMen who were not scheduled to work loaded up on the Airforce cargo plane as supernumeraries and were dropped in Vegas Thursday morning. They were at the Craps table when Ric spotted the guy who was wanted by the FBI related to a big drug ring. Yes it was a guys weekend, but this skip was worth several million if they could pick him up. And then they could go right back to enjoying themselves, with a huge payday in the mix. Ric had Junior and Ram follow the guy while he reached out to his FBI contact to square away the paperwork so they could pick up the guy. Junior called in just as the paperwork was approved.
"He's WHERE?" Bobby asked. "Well then we are going to need costumes, otherwise we will never blend in."
Two hours later, in costume, Tank was grumbling. "This outfit is giving me a wedgie. And I think I am allergic to the feathers."
"Quit bitching. I am wearing chaps with my ass hanging out." Lester walked beside him. Al least Ric looks like a normal person
"Santos, I am wearing a leather thong and a spiked collar with a leather cap. How is that normal?"
They carried a Navy and construction worker costume- hopefully they would fit Ram and Junior- and walked into the gay bar, CRUISIN', where tonight was open mic night for Seventies bands.
And Junior signed up RangeMan as The Village People.
"Why The Village People?" Ric asked at the planning session in the hotel room as they looked over what Lester brought in for them to wear.
"Because everybody knows all the words." Lester pointed out helpfully. "Who doesn't know every word to "Macho Man"?
Tank tried on the headdress. "He isn't wrong."
In the dressing room at the back of the club, Junior and Ram got into costume and discussed with the team that the best option would be to wait till the skip and his team were eliminated. They were the third team to sign up.
"Where is he?" Ric asked. Junior nodded his head toward a very impressive Freddie Mercury and the rest of Queen at a stage side table.
"And when do we go on?" Tank asked.
"We go on right after them."
Ric again remined himself that the skip was a really high bond, and the payout would be huge, and they would never be suspected as contestants. Les had explained when he came up with this lunatic plan.
Right after the skip and his team did an admirable job singing "We are the Champions", the RangeMan team took the stage, and sang "Macho Man" and shook their mostly asses to the delight of every man present.
Of course, both teams were selected in the final three, and while Queen's "We will Rock You" was delightful, it didn't outshine the RangeMan version of "In The Navy". Then when the judges asked the two teams for one additional song after they tied for first place, "Another One Bites the Dust" was absolutely no match for the "bring down the house" version of "Y.M.C.A." that had the whole house dancing in the aisles.
The judges were unanimous and named RangeMan the winner. The first place team posed for a photo.
After they left the stage, Lester asked the judges to take pictures of the Queen group as well. "They really need to be recognized." This delay allowed Ric and Tank to get in position prior to the skip leaving.
Ric shook his head. They were finally in the air and Bobby had filled them in on everything that happened leading up to Thursday night.
And clearly, they got the skip. But Ric couldn't remember the apprehension. And Tank remembered only a little more, putting the skip in the car with Ram and Junior, with Bobby driving. But he had no idea why they couldn't remember.
"What happened next, Bobby?"
"Yeah, that takes us to the early hours of Friday morning. That leaves over 48 hours unaccounted for."
Bobby took a deep breath. "If it was a movie, you wouldn't believe it." With that, Bobby told them everything that happened from the time that Ram and Junior drove away until Bobby drove Lester to the airport and then met with the DA.
"And they just let us go" Tank was incredulous.
"It wasn't like they had a choice."
"It doesn't matter. Stephanie is going to kill me, anyway."
"Yeah. When Lester called Valarie, she was super pissed."
Fucking Vegas!
Author's note: You will hear more about the planned wedding and missing 48 hours in future chapters.