Chapter 28

"Hello Nikita. Did you really think that I wouldn't find you"

The odds were definitely in my favor now as I watched Nikita turn around to face Ranger. Man, I wasn't sure who looked the most formidable. Nikita in his long black leather jacket or Ranger dressed in his black cargos, black shirt and vest. Yep, Nikita definitely hadn't planned on Ranger turning up. Then again neither had I. I knew who looked the most scared. I flattened myself against the wall as Nikita suddenly turned and came for me. What the hell?

"Nikita. I won't allow you to lay a hand on my woman"

I wasn't sure who was the most surprised at hearing that. Me or Nikita. It seemed to give Nikita an added incentive though. I was prepared for him lunging at me, moving to the side quickly before I side stepped and planted my boot in the back of his knee. Ranger was on him before my foot touched the ground and had his arm around his neck.

"Babe, go"

Came as a stern command so I knew why he was telling me to leave. He didn't want me to see him kill Nikita. That thought didn't have me wanting to run nor was there any feeling of revulsion. That man had to die, and I needed Ranger to know that I understood that and accepted it. This was a part of Ranger. The part that wore away at his soul. Stepping forward I crouched down on one knee next to Ranger and placed my hand on his back. Nikita had already stopped struggling only the sound of his raspy breath an indication that he was still alive. I told myself to look at Ranger, ignore the man that was in his grasp. Yeah, the look that Ranger gave to me was certainly one of confusion until I saw a flicker cross his eyes, almost as if he was accepting what I was offering. As Ranger pulled Nikita's head sharply sideways my hand remained on Ranger's back and I was watching his face, agonizing over the expression that came over him as the loud snap signified the end of a life. Did I flinch at the movement or sound? Maybe, but I tried so hard to keep my eyes on Ranger and not to show any form of revulsion or shock.I didn't care. I would do anything for Ranger and that included him knowing that I accepted who he was and what he had to do. It didn't stop the shakes from coming through me though, so I was glad of the warmth that I felt when Ranger stood up and pulled me toward him.

"Why did you do that?"

I suppose I expected him to ask me that. He would see it as being so out of character for me to disobey an order from him, especially with what he was about to do. I was ready with the answer because I needed for him to understand.

"To share some of the bad karma that you seem to think haunts you when you have to kill a man. But also,for the women and children whose lives he took and ruined. For their pain and so that they can rest in peace."

I took a deep breath after saying that. Wow it was a hell of a speech that I had never intended to say but they were words from my heart. He just stood there looking at me for so long that I was beginning to think that I'd done the wrong thing or said the wrong thing. I lowered my face feeling like a complete fool. What the hell had I done? He'd think so badly of me now. I felt his hands move and knew that this was it, the end of anything that I thought was between us. As his hands settled on either side of my face and tilted my head up to look at him, I was amazed to see the expression on his face. Not anger or hate, not disappointment or regret.

"You have more strength than you ever realized, and you have a heart that is so full of love. I hate what you did because I know how hard it is to carry the scars to your soul for ending a life, but you. That strength and love, is it strong enough for the both of us?"

I had tears in my eyes as I listened, and my answer, yes, came out as a whisper when I wanted to shout it out. His lips were suddenly on mine, seeking access, melding our bodies together.

"You two gonna come out of there?"

I stood back from Ranger, and I swear I rolled my eyes at Les who was stood in the doorway smiling. That was when I remembered that Calvert had left so needed to be found.

"Shit. Calvert, he was going to the house"

I hated the idea that he would disappear. He was the only one left alive who I swore would face the consequences of what he'd done. Ranger didn't seem to be in much of a rush as he guided me through the door and along a dark passageway before we were climbing the stone steps that led to the outside. A nod to Les confused me but as Les went back the way that we had come I assumed he was going to retrieve Nikita's body. Stepping out into daylight I had to blink several times to get my eyes used to the bright light. Stood in a semicircle, ahead of us, were Tank, Ram and Manny who I was sure had been the surveillance team and were probably keeping an eye on Ranger's back. Hog tied in front of them was Calvert with some colorful bruises on his face. Yeah, he probably hurt all over.

"He tried to fight you when you apprehended him"

I said with a smile on my face. After giving us a mock salute, I watched as the three men lifted Calvert between them and then walked around to a waiting SUV. I assumed that they would be making sure that the right people in authority took care of him. Les reemerged from the basement entrance but without Nikita which surprised me. It was when Ranger pulled me close to him, that I reacted by jumping slightly at a resounding boom that erupted from behind us, followed by a plume of dust. What the hell had just happened? Pfft, I thought when I realized the significance of the explosion. No Nikita, no body and no way for anyone to know what had happened to him.

"Did you just blow up that basement?"

I asked Les as he caught up and started to walk beside me, already knowing the answer.

"Nah, the roof must have been unstable"

What surprised me was Les heading off in a different direction to us. I hadn't had a chance to ask him about Tricia and her son and if they were okay now. As we walked slowly toward the back of the house there were other questions that seemed necessary.

"Les made sure that I had trackers on me, did you find me through those?"

Expecting that Ranger had spoken to Les so knew where I would be.

"No. Hector and I have been tracking Nikita, but it seemed that we were always following false leads. So I traced where those were coming from and it led me here. The men told me exactly where he had gone and that you were inside, so they knew that I'd keep you safe"

I stopped as the enormity of what he'd said hit me. Les could have been too late to save me. Gees, that was a really close call. Could I have defended myself against Nikita and managed to get away? There was no answer to that one, so I could only thank my lucky stars that Ranger had happened upon us. It also dawned on me that Nikita was probably responsible for the false leads that Ranger was following, or even maybe Calvert, and they'd set themselves up here at this location.

"Babe, don't overthink the what ifs. Everyone is safe and the bad guys are finished"

I suppose that he was right, and I vowed to never think again of what had happened in that basement. Yeah, denial was a sure way to put the what ifs away for good. We'd continued walking after Ranger said that to me and to be honest, I was just enjoying the fact that he was here. I assumed that he had a car parked somewhere and we'd be heading back to Rangeman in Boston. So when he opened a door that led into a large kitchen I was a bit mystified with why we were here. Maybe looking for evidence against Calvert?

I just went with the flow and allowed Ranger to guide me up the stairs. It really was a beautiful house inside, and in some ways it reminded me of Jonas's home. Expensive carpets and some refurbishment of the wooden banisters clearly showed that Calvert hadn't spared any expense. It was when Ranger opened a door that looked to be at the back of the house that my curiosity won out. He obviously knew where he wanted to be. I was about to ask what he was looking for when my feet were swept from under me, and I was being carried. What the hell? That I landed on the top of a bed with him pinning me to the mattress kinda had any thoughts of bad guys and evidence being replaced with something else. He was far too close, and I felt my brains fry as sensations swept through me and had me almost self igniting. When his mouth came down on mine, I was there meeting his passion, when his hands swept underneath my clothes, I was a goner.

I was laid on the bed with very few thoughts drifting through my head. I felt sated, satisfied and did I say sated? Ranger had always been a generous lover but in the last few hours he'd excelled himself. It wasn't that I needed a refresher of his prowess because any time that I'd been with him was indelibly imprinted into my brain through my senses. I did have a slight relapse of my happy moment though when I remembered that the last person that he had bedded was probably Alina. Had he used the same glorious techniques on her as he had on me? Was she much better at satisfying him than I was. Did he scream her name out as he came or did he use a pet name for her like he did for me?

A movement brought me quickly out of those depressing thoughts, and I was looking up to see Ranger sat on the edge of the bed just watching me. His hand moved toward me and swept my hair from cheek before he leant over and softly kissed my cheek.

"I have to go. Les will be here in thirty minutes to pick you up"

I only noticed that he was fully dressed, and that his hair was wet as he stood up and walked away from me. I felt like someone had just thrown a cold bucket of water over me. He was gone, again, with no conversation, no sweet words that you'd expect after having been in bed with someone for the last, what, three hours. Why did he do that to me and why did I let him? Okay, I knew that I could never refuse Ranger's advances but this time I think that he had gone too far. All the euphoric emotions that I'd been feeling drained from me like bath water running down and out through the plug hole. And my feelings were just like that swirling water, going around and around in my head.

Les was going to pick me up made me feel like some prostitute who was ferried to and from a client. Les! Shit, he was going to be here, like soon. I was up and out of that bed collecting my clothes as though someone was after me. I didn't care that I was naked, but I did care that I was covered in sweat and probably stank of sex. Shower. If Ranger could use the shower, then so could I.

After the fastest shower of my life, I came out redressed in the dirty clothes that I'd been wearing and took a look around the bedroom. That it was furnished in expensive items wasn't what I was interested in. The bed caught my eye as the aroma of sex drifted from it making me panic with what I should do. What if the police or the FBI came in here and took samples? I'd never live down the humiliation of that. Collecting the sheets and the towels from the bathroom, a last look assured me that the room looked pristine. I knew that I hadn't touched anything beyond the bed and that now had a cover over it smoothed down flat and tight.

With my bundle I went in search of a washing machine pleased to find a small room off the kitchen that housed everything that I would need. With the machine loaded and switched on I ensured that the back door was locked before heading down the hall to the front door.

A few minutes later Les pulled up and just looked at me. I was sat on the threshold of the door with the door still open behind me.

"Are you getting in?"

Came from Les through the open window.

"Is it safe?"

I wasn't sure why Les looked as though he was trying to stop himself from laughing but I took that as a yes to my question. After slamming the front door shut, I ran across to the car and was soon sat in the seat next to Les.

"Dogs. I remember Tricia saying that there were dogs that guarded the house and I wasn't sure if they were still out there"

The last thing that I needed was to be chased and savaged by dogs.

"Gone. We had someone from animal protection come and collect them"

Of course they had. Why would I think otherwise.

"You okay Beautiful?"

No, I was definitely not okay. I smelt like roses but was dressed in dirty clothes. My lips were swollen, my nipples were tingling and my doodah, let's just say that I was aching in places that I didn't know could ache. To add to that Les knew precisely what I'd been doing, which was embarrassing. On top of that I felt used and abandoned. So no, I was not okay.

As Les drove, the silence was eating away at me. It gave me too much time to think through what had just happened and that was making me feel miserable.

"Is Corey alright?"

I asked trying to lighten the atmosphere with a sensible question. I felt ashamed that I hadn't asked after him before now.

"He's fine. After the flash grenade went off, he was a bit disorientated before he made it to the doors at the back of the van. He assumed that was where you'd gone but as he climbed out someone stunned him. He's sleeping off the after effects back at Rangeman"

At least he hadn't been badly hurt. I had a feeling that it was Nikita who had stunned me so no doubt he was responsible for stunning Corey.

"We were on our way back with Tricia and the baby when I realized that the comms had gone down, but assumed that Corey had shut them down seeing as we'd been successful. It was Cal who alerted me that we had a situation. Rider and Rapp drove the girls back, but your trackers were down. I had no idea that Ranger was there until Tank told me that you were both inside that basement"

Sheesh considering all of the planning we'd done it seemed even then I had managed to get myself into trouble. Had Tank seen me being taken into that basement?

"So Tank saw where I'd been taken?"

Wondering why I'd had to stay down there and try to distract Calvert for so long.

"Yeah, but he was aware that Ranger was close by. Ranger gave the orders that he would be the one to get you out and for Tank to apprehend Calvert"

Oh well. There was no point in dwelling about what could have happened, I had enough problems to sort through and worry about. After requesting that I was dropped off at my apartment I was ready to spend some time by myself. I'd literally just walked through the door when I heard footsteps behind me. My first reaction was that it was Ranger, so I was disappointed to see Oscar, Jerome and even Jonas troop in behind me. As they sat on the couch, I went to the chair wondering why they were here. Okay, maybe I was a little nervous that I'd gone to Rangeman with my theory about Calvert without telling Jonas. I suppose he had every right to be annoyed with me and knowing how strict he was in upholding his protocols and procedures I was preparing myself for the worst.

"Annie, I feel responsible. You somehow knew that there was another perpetrator responsible for those women disappearing, but I ignored the signs. I've had a serious conversation with my contact at the FBI. He agrees that for one of their men to be involved is inexcusable and reprehensible. Calvert gave no indication of being involved in trafficking women and babies. He was always talking about his wife and their new baby, an act that totally belied his involvement"

I listened quietly as Jonas spoke. He was talking softly but from his expression he showed that he was very concerned. I could get behind that. An agent from the FBI should be someone that you could trust, but Calvert had worked it out that by giving the illusion of being in a happy marriage with a young baby then no one would ever suspect him of anything. That was why he'd kept Tricia at the house, a cover story in case anyone ever suspected him. I was back to breathing normally now, hopeful that I still had a job, but was still waiting for Jonas to say that he didn't like how I followed leads in an investigation. As he sat back in to the couch, I wasn't sure what to expect. He seemed almost relaxed, what was with that?

"We've discussed how you work. The way that you follow through on a thread that most of us would ignore. What we concluded was that you're regularly on the right track but"

Oh. I knew how this worked, give out praise, build someone up and then throw in how you just don't fit in with what they want. Looking at Oscar he wasn't giving anything away. Hell, he'd make an amazing Merry Man with his blank face. Jerome was obviously aware that he had no control over his expressions so was sat with head down in his hand. I resigned myself for what was to come. I'd been knocked down before so I could get back on my feet again, somehow.

"I realized that I was very naive with where this case would lead and how dangerous it would become. I'm not young enough to be out in the field and there are times when a three man team is inadequate. Because of your uncanny way of sourcing out the truth which seems to attract attention to you, I've decided to take up a proposal of a partnership. It won't affect our day to day running, but will provide a level of support for the more complicated cases"

I wasn't sure what that would entail or even who Jonas was talking about but at least he hadn't said that I was a liability. Thinking back to how this conversation had started I was wondering if he was talking about support from the FBI. Now that would be interesting. What kind of support were we talking about? Would I end up with someone always looking over my shoulder at what I was doing? Would I have to explain every move that I wanted to make to some unknown man? Geez, that sucked.

It seemed that this impromptu meeting hadn't allowed for any questions to be asked because Jonas was standing up. I stood up as well, hoping for some small tidbit of information, but it never came. Instead, I was showing Jonas out of the door.

Going back through to the lounge area I was surprised to see Jerome in my kitchen making coffee while Oscar was working with the microwave.

"What was that all about?"

I asked, hoping that at least one of them knew something.

"I think that whole business with the women shocked him. It was supposed to be a job based on research in order to discover Lisa Harcourt. The whole thing was so much bigger than that. He was gutted that Kiera was involved because he trusted her, she was family after all. He's right though, you have a way of ferreting out information, so he wants the security that if something like that happens again then we have a strong support team"

I understood how Oscar had explained it to me and couldn't really come up with an argument against what Jonas had decided.

"Who is the support team? Please tell me that it isn't the FBI"

Oscar shrugged his shoulders before opening the microwave and pulling out a dish. I had to admit that I was slightly distracted by the smell coming from it.

"He did have an intense meeting with them"

Crap. Okay, I'd manage but come on, the whole idea had me feeling undervalued as a member of the team. I could go somewhere with half a dozen men watching my back and still end up in trouble. Resigned to the inevitable I homed in to the dish now sat on the table. Mmm, pasta Carbonaro.