Ranger entered the interview room to debrief with his commanding officer. Diesel arrived once Ranger recited the events leading to his extraction. It was part of the protocol for Unmentionable men or women whenever they got involved with the military operatives. Ranger creatively omitted the identities of the men responsible for Stephanie getting dumped in Mexico. "Where's the woman?" General Rogers asked. "Who is she?"
"Safe, sir. I need to protect her identity," Ranger replied. He refused to offer more details despite debriefing with this superior. Ranger didn't have to disclose Stephanie's location. Until they found the assholes who kidnapped her, Ranger refused to let anyone know where Stephanie was hiding.
General Rogers asked Diesel if he knew where to find the woman. Diesel replied the same as Ranger, "She's safe." Rogers asked Diesel for his account, though Diesel left out a few parts, like transporting Stephanie to Ranger's location and getting her to safety. Diesel explained he neutralized the target's second in command. Rogers took Diesel's report as relinquishing powers from the man poised to take over the drug ring.
"Is there a chance the woman would charge the military for the men's crimes?" Rogers asked, worried about the repercussions of the unnamed soldiers harming a civilian. The Army's top brass were already dealing with enough issues, such as sexual harassment and assault within the military branches.
"No, sir," Ranger replied, confident Stephanie would rather have Ranger and his men exact punishment. Ranger wanted to handle the men in his way.
"Do you have anything else to add?"
"No, sir," Ranger answered when Diesel said, "Nope."
"Visit the infirmary before you leave," General Rogers ordered before dismissing Ranger and Diesel. Rogers passed Ranger his lockbox containing his mobile device and wallet. After unlocking and retrieving his belongings, Ranger returned the key to Rogers for another soldier.
Ranger and Diesel remained silent as they walked to the building containing the infirmary. The medic examined Ranger for injuries and marked the abrasions and contusions in a chart. Ranger would get compensated for the injuries sustained during a routine mission.
The men remained silent until they left the base. Ranger wanted to see Stephanie. But it would have to wait. Finding Bones, Chas, Erik and Pete was the top priority. Those men needed to pay for hurting Stephanie.
"Thanks for healing Stephanie," Ranger said, his voice thick from emotion. "Have you told Stephanie why the elixir worked quickly for her?"
"No," Diesel replied. "She's at the low end of the spectrum for Unmentionables. The council isn't watching Stephanie. They're singularly focused on the upper range."
Ranger glanced at Diesel from the corner of his eye, sensing Diesel was omitting a vital detail about Stephanie. What are you hiding? For years, Ranger suspected Diesel was keeping a close eye on Stephanie. He tended to appear when he required Stephanie's assistance or when she was straddling the fine line between life and death.
"It's her spidey sense," Ranger said, breaking the silence.
"Among other things," Diesel replied. Ranger understood the implications. It was how Stephanie survived many car fires and explosions. She was always too close to the vehicles, yet she never got severely injured. Two other incidents popped into his head. Both involved men who exploded when Stephanie was a few feet away. She never sustained injuries other than a raging headache and ringing in her ears.
Ranger had always wondered how Stephanie survived those explosions. Diesel gave him something else to consider. Where did Stephanie fit on the Unmentionable Spectrum? Why didn't Stephanie run away when she detected danger? Stephanie discussed the kidnapping with him, but she left out a lot of details. Ranger wanted to know why Stephanie didn't escape sooner. Stephanie mentioned getting drugged, but not how the men accomplished it. Did they inject her with a sedative? Chloroform?
"Do you need help catching the assholes who hurt Sunshine?" Diesel asked.
As Ranger prepared to respond, his phone rang. "Yo," Ranger answered. Ranger noticed Diesel looked freshly showered. The guy got cleaned up after completing his mission. It would be a few hours before Ranger got that luxury. His desire to see Stephanie overrode his need to shower.
"I've got those assholes scheduled to work tomorrow afternoon in Miami. Got the names through Frank from Little Girl," Tank replied.
Grinning, Ranger said, "Send Santos, Rodriguez and Hector."
"Already there. Nobody knows you're back," Tank replied, then hung up.
"I won't need your help, Diesel," Ranger said. "My guys are here."
Lester stopped the SUV beside Ranger and leaned out the window. Lester's blond, spiky hair was perfectly styled as usual. "Need a ride, boss?" he asked.
Ranger turned to ask Diesel if he needed a ride, but Diesel had already vanished. Smiling, Ranger walked around the front of the vehicle, then got into the passenger seat. Rodriguez and Hector were sitting in the backseat. "I need to see Stephanie," Ranger announced.
"The car is offline, Sir," Rodriguez said. "Hector is keeping its GPS from getting reconnected at Rangeman."
"Have you cancelled your return flight home?" Lester asked, wondering if Ranger had accepted the flight arranged by the Army.
"Not yet," Ranger replied. He unlocked his phone to call Ace.
"Hey, Ranger. Are we fuelling our jet for the flight to Trenton?" Ace asked. Ace couldn't wait to fly his plane up the coast. He had to file the flight plan with the airport control towers.
"No. We're staying in Miami for a few days. I want to visit with Stephanie," Ranger replied.
"What about the other issue?"
"Should be solved tomorrow afternoon. Our vehicle is offline," Ranger answered.
Ace gave Ranger the address for his parents' house. He promised to meet them in half an hour. Ranger ended the call and gave Lester the address. "That's around the corner from Julie," Lester said, turning the car westbound instead of south toward Ranger's house.
"Marco thinks Rodriguez and I are installing upgrades to the workstations," Hector said, speaking in Spanish. He wanted Ranger to play along with the scheme. Ranger planned to maintain distance, giving his occasional workers the impression he was still away on a mission.
Lester pulled into the driveway at General Palmerston's house. They were prepared to exit the vehicle when the garage door opened. Toby waved them inside. Lester shrugged, then started the SUV. He parked where directed, then shut off the car. "Wait!" Toby ordered as he shut the garage door.
Ranger followed Palmerston into the house, finding Stephanie in the living room with Julie. "Why are you here?" Ranger asked his daughter.
Julie hugged her dad and replied, "Stephanie invited me. She realized I lived close by." Ranger raised a brow, wondering how Stephanie got the intel. Julie giggled. "Dad, she saw me walk past the house with Mom. Her aunt came outside to talk to us. Mom said I could visit with Stephanie for the evening."
"I was going to call you later," Ranger said.
"It's okay, Dad. Stephanie already told me. Where are the rings?" Julie demanded.
Lester chuckled and pulled the velvet bag from his pocket. He assumed Ranger would want the rings. Ranger opened his hand for Lester to empty the contents into his palm. Stephanie's hand flew to her mouth. They were the ones she wore in Hawaii. The pale blue heart-shaped diamond set in platinum gold was gorgeous. Stephanie loved the ring and hoped Ranger owned it. The wide platinum wedding band fit into the V of the diamond.
"Babe, Stephanie, please wear these rings as my commitment to you as your husband," Ranger said, slipping the engagement and wedding bands onto her hand. He kept the third ring in Stephanie's size aside.
Stephanie removed the ring from Ranger's palm and repeated his words. She slipped it over his finger, giggling when it caught on his knuckle. Hector grinned as he recorded the exchange of rings. "What's this band for?" Stephanie asked, holding the third ring between her finger and thumb. Its design would fit around her wedding ring. Carlos had designed it to complement the others.
"The blue sapphires are concealing a tracker. I want you to wear this, but it's your choice, Babe. I'll return it to my safe if you'd rather not have it on your finger," Ranger replied.
Stephanie added it to her other rings without giving it too much thought. "I'll wear it to reduce your stress levels," Stephanie said. "But I want you to wear a tracker for me."
She handed Ranger a pendant to slip onto the chain around his neck. Ranger raised a brow, having recognized the charm from Julie's necklace. "Babe?" Ranger asked.
"I got these made when I helped rescue Julie. She took both pendants and held onto them until I needed yours," Stephanie explained.
"Jules?" Ranger asked.
"Yup. Steph asked me to wear mine," Julie replied. She pulled the chain around her neck to show Ranger the pendant. Ranger grinned when he noticed the Batman symbol on the front. "Stephanie's the only one with access to them."
Ranger added the pendant to his chain, then slipped it over his head. He'd wear twenty trackers if it made Stephanie feel secure. Stephanie kissed her husband, thankful he would wear the tracker for her to monitor. "Batman, you need a shower," Stephanie said, giggling.
"I wanted to see you before going home," Carlos replied.
Lester dropped a duffle at Ranger's feet. Ranger raised a brow. "You're staying here until we capture the men tomorrow," Lester replied.
"Only Hector and Rodriguez are leaving," Toby said. "Steph, your father is arriving tonight with Joe Juniak and Edmond Gazarra."
Hector and Rodriguez shrugged. "Oh. You are real," Stephanie teased.
"I enjoyed keeping you on your toes," Rodriguez replied. "It's a shame the mystery had to end."
"Why didn't you tell me you were Rodriguez?" Stephanie said, shoving Raphael, who laughed.
"It was amusing," he replied. "Didn't you make the connection when you cleared us after those kids hijacked Rangeman cameras to steal from our clients?"
Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Rangeman had three men with the given name Raphael working in Trenton. Raphael Rodriguez, Raphael Garcia and Raphael Gomez. Also, they had two men with the surname Rodriguez; you and Juan. How was I supposed to know you were the Rodriguez working in the research department?" Stephanie explained.
Someone knocked on the front door. Stephanie and Ranger ran upstairs to remain hidden. Lester shook his head before directing Hector and Rodriguez to the kitchen. They needed to get out of sight and stay quiet.
Julie rolled her eyes and went to the door. She opened it wide for her parents and siblings to enter. Julie's brother, Tyler, carried a cage into the house. Sylvia, Julie's sister, followed him inside, carrying a bag. "Did she leave?" Sylvia asked.
"No," Julie replied. "I forgot to tell Mr. Palmerston you would stop by soon."
"Julie, you probably scared Stephanie away," Rachel admonished.
"I'll get her," Julie announced. She ran up the stairs to Stephanie's bedroom.
"More," Stephanie said from behind the bathroom door. Julie shoved her fist into her mouth to stop herself from giggling.
"Is she coming?" Rachel asked.
"Not yet," Julie mumbled.
Rachel almost asked Julie what she meant when they heard Stephanie shout, "Carlos."
"Never mind," Rachel said, covering Silvia's ears. Her eight year old daughter didn't need to listen to Carlos and Stephanie having sex.
Ron held his hands over Tyler's ears as they heard the removable shower head clang against the side of the tub. "Someone is enthusiastically consummating their wedding vows," Ron joked.
Paulina used the app on her phone to play background music to hide her granddaughter's activities in the upstairs washroom. She closed the main floor bathroom door, preventing the noise from travelling through the vents.
Ace and Jag arrived at the house, entering through the back door. They parked their car on the street and walked through the gate leading to the back. "Where's Steph?" Ace asked Lester.
"Getting busy despite a house filled with guests," Lester replied, waggling his brows. "I brought copies of Steph and Ranger's divorce papers." He sent the scans to Ace to file in a few days.
"We have to leave soon. Jag and I have to pick up another team. It was a last-minute extraction," Ace explained. Lester raised a brow and sent Ranger a message since Stephanie didn't have a phone.
Stephanie and Carlos appeared after Lester sent a text message, indicating they had Julie's family visiting and it was rude to have sex when young children could hear.
"Sorry," Stephanie said; her voice was small, and her face turned beet red. She hugged Jag and Ace, who announced they were only dropped by to hug her. They promised to visit whenever things settled down. Jag and Ace gave Ranger their resumes and CVs. They didn't have time to go onto the Rangeman website to apply for a job formally.
"Take care, Steph. We'll see you, Ranger. Thanks for flying with Ace and Jag Airlines. Have a great day," Ace said, making Stephanie laugh.
"We have a gift for you," Rachel said, approaching Stephanie after Ace and Jag left. Rachel hugged Stephanie, then Carlos. "Congratulations. Julie, Tyler and Silvia wanted you to have something special for your wedding present." Rachel stepped aside for Tyler to pass Stephanie the cage.
"You bought me a hamster? Why?" Stephanie asked. She looked at Lester, who lowered his chin to his chest. Stephanie realized Rex died. "Oh. How?"
Lester removed the cage from Stephanie's hand, passing it to Ranger. Hugging Stephanie, Lester whispered, "Starvation. I'm so sorry, Steph. Cal didn't tell us you never called until Friday."
Stephanie wiped a tear from her cheek. "It's not his fault. I told Cal not to sound the alarm until Friday. Rex was supposed to come with me for the first few days. I planned to call Cal to pick him up on Friday when he had the day off," Stephanie explained.
"Um… Mrs. Manoso?" Tyler asked.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Julie said your hamster liked donuts. Silvia and I picked a brown and white hamster because he was the only one to stuff the donut piece into his cheek pouch," Tyler explained.
"We're sorry he didn't live longer," Silvia added.
Stephanie lowered herself to look Tyler and Silvia in the eyes. "My Rex loved pop tarts, too," Stephanie said. "Did you know Rex was my third hamster?"
"Babe?" Carlos asked.
"Rex the first passed away three years after I bought him. The second Rex died during the time my apartment got firebombed. He seemed to survive, but I found him dead the next morning. Lester said Rex the third passed away too. Should I name my fourth furry buddy Rex?" Stephanie asked.
"No," Silvia replied.
"What should we name him?" Stephanie asked.
"Patch," Silvia begged.
Stephanie motioned for the hamster. "Patch," she said. The hamster didn't respond. "Sorry, Silvia. He doesn't like the name."
Carlos placed the cage on the coffee table. Stephanie, Silvia and Tyler sat on the floor, saying random pet names, including Rex. The hamster grabbed some food and shoved it into his mouth. "Awe. Look at his cute paws," Silvia said. The hamster dropped the food and placed his paws on the cage.
"Hello, Paws," Stephanie said.
Rachel, Ron, Julie, Tyler and Silvia stayed for dinner. It was strange for Stephanie to share a meal with Ranger's ex-wife and her family, but she enjoyed the company.
Everyone enjoyed the lasagna and peanut butter brownies that Paulina cooked. Julie returned for a second helping of dessert. "These are so good," Julie said, taking a bite.
"My favourite," Stephanie said.
"May I have the recipe?" Rachel asked. "It's uncommon for the children to enjoy the same dessert." Paulina giggled but agreed to share the modified recipe.