Lester watched for the fuckwit foursome to leave Rangeman. They arrived in two vehicles, making Lester smile. It would be easy to track their movements. The passenger side opened wide enough for Hector to slip inside. "Are you ready?" Lester asked.
"Yes," Hector replied. "I put trackers on their vehicles. Rodriguez will follow Bones and Pete. We have Erik and Chas."
"You can speak English," Lester said. "I can't believe you had us fooled for five years."
"Really?" Hector asked. "I was born in Newark and went to the public school where they only taught in English."
"What can I say? Ranger said you only spoke and understood Spanish," Lester said defensively. Hector tipped his head back and laughed.
"I still can't believe you fell for it," Hector said.
Lester put the car in drive and then followed Erik's car. They remained far enough behind to follow but not close enough to get detected. Erik drove to the dive pub in the rough area of Miami. He parked behind the pub in the space outside the reach of the cameras. Lester grinned, thinking Christmas had come early.
Hector hacked into the security feed, placing it on a loop to obscure their activities. He smiled when Ranger, Frank and Rodriguez arrived. A few men rushed Bones and Pete, sedating them before shoving them into the back of Frank's van. Erik and Chas were too focused on getting inside the pub and missed the men following them. The men got drugged and shoved inside the vehicle within a few seconds.
Joe Juniak and Edmond Gazarra shackled the men's arms and legs to the rails along the side of the van. They sat on the benches to monitor the men. "Call it in, Frank," Juniak announced.
Frank called the men he trusted to help with the mission. Jag and Ace were willing participants. They patiently waited for their Uncle Frank to issue the orders. Ace smiled when his phone rang. "Yo," he answered.
"Start her up," Frank replied, then hung up.
Ace jumped into the pilot's seat and waited for Jag to sit beside him. They would concentrate on flying to the location, leaving the rest for Frank to manage. The less they knew, the better.
Frank arrived within five minutes. Ace and Jag grinned upon seeing everyone wearing balaclavas and gloves to conceal their identities and prevent them from leaving evidence behind.
Diesel popped into view and climbed onto the helicopter. "Why are you here?" Ace asked as Jag asked, "Who are you?"
"I'm Diesel. You need my help to find where they took Stephanie. You are taking the assholes there, right?" Diesel challenged the others to disagree.
"Yes," Ranger replied. "Thank you for helping us today." Ranger hoped Diesel would provide the coordinates but wanted to participate in the mission. Stephanie convinced Ranger to let Diesel join him.
"It's my pleasure," Diesel grinned. He wasn't worried about people seeing him since nobody could identify him. Diesel could effectively obscure his face without wearing ski masks.
When the fuckwit foursome got carried onto the helicopter and secured, Frank motioned for Ace to take off. He smiled when his old Army buddies arrived to move the vehicles. They wouldn't leave any trace of the four assholes behind. Frank trusted his friends to dispose of Bones and Erik's cars, preferably taking the vehicles to where they were staying in Miami.
Juniak and the other men wore headsets to hear each other as they talked. Ranger raised a finger before they started discussing the plan. He removed packages of earplugs and shoved them into the assholes' ears. Grinning, Juniak said, "I like how you work."
"We can't have them accidentally hear what I've planned," Ranger replied.
"Son, I'm going to hunt down Bones like he did my daughter," Frank said. "Going to use the same weapon."
"Sir?" Ranger asked, wondering how Frank got his hands on the gun Bones used to shoot Stephanie.
"Asshole had it in the trunk of his car. The calibre matches the bullet Stephanie gave you," Frank replied. "We can match ballistics, but I don't think it's necessary. There won't be anything left of him when I'm done."
"Joe and I are going after Pete," Gazarra said. "He flew the chopper to Mexico."
Lester grinned and bumped fists with Hector. Earlier that day, Stephanie uncovered that nugget Pete hid in his history. She found his license to fly small airplanes and helicopters buried. Pete obtained his license using his mother's maiden name. It didn't take too much digging for Stephanie to find those details. She briefed her dad when he landed in Miami.
"Ranger, you and your guys are responsible for Erik and Chas. Those two men could hide in the open. I believe you'll have the most fun hunting them," Frank explained. Frank nodded to Diesel, who dropped the duffle bag at Ranger's feet. "Diesel got weapons from your latest mission, son." Frank pointed to the bag.
Opening the bag, Ranger saw the weapons he saw in the compound. "I want Erik and Chas in the compound where you found me," Ranger said, looking at Diesel.
"We could drop Frank, Juniak and Gazarra with Bones and Pete where I found Stephanie. It would only take fifteen minutes in the chopper to take the others to the house where I found you," Diesel suggested. Ranger raised a brow. He was surprised Stephanie wasn't too far from his location. Lester and Hector removed their prisoners' shoes and socks, leaving them without footwear as they had done to Stephanie. Her feet got cut from running. She covered them with her sweatpants and tied the ends to prevent them from exposing her feet and re-injuring them after the elixir healed them.
Diesel gave Ace and Jag the coordinates where he found Stephanie. Ace grinned as he landed in the clearing a few miles north of the dilapidated cabin. Ranger and Lester tossed Bones and Pete off the helicopter while Frank, Juniak and Gazarra followed him. They ensured the men had no luxuries before removing the shackles. Once the metal was free, Frank took his knife to cut the clothes from Bones and Pete's bodies. Gazarra dug a pit, doused the clothes in lighter fluid, then set them ablaze.
Frank chuckled, "You always loved setting things on fire."
"Old habits die hard," Edmond confessed. He watched the clothes until they burned to ash.
Frank pulled the night vision goggles from his pack, passing a pair to Edmond and Joe. The men pulled them over their eyes to see better in the dark.
Bones and Pete regained consciousness as Edmond buried the ash in the sand. "Let me go," Bones cried.
Juniak shook his head. His brow got damp beneath the balaclava, but he refused to remove it. Stepping forward, he pulled the duct tape from his pack. He drew six inches and cut it with a knife. "No," Bones said as Juniak pushed the naked man to the ground.
"Shut up, fucker," Juniak whispered, covering Bones' mouth with the tape. After a brief second of thought, Juniak wrapped the tape around the asshole's head, ensuring he got some hair stuck.
"Run," Bones attempted to yell at Pete, who staggered to his feet.
"Where am I?" Pete asked.
"You don't recognize it?" Frank asked.
Pete thought the voice seemed vaguely familiar but couldn't place the man's face. Frank grabbed Pete's arms and held them as Juniak taped his mouth and trapped hair in the adhesive. Joe planned to leave their hands free but bound them together. The men could remove the tape from their mouths and rip the hair from their heads during the process.
"Are we ready?" Gazarra asked.
"Yes," Frank replied. "Run for your lives, assholes. You have two hours before I come after you." Frank checked the time on his watch. It was already 2330 hours, but it was only 2130 hours where they were located. Night was falling. It was getting darker by the minute. Frank pulled on his night vision goggles to see his prey when he took flight.
Bones and Pete ran awkwardly through the forest, taking the same path Stephanie travelled when they hunted her. A muffled shot ripped through the woods. Bones felt the bullet pierce his leg. He groaned and fell to the ground. Blood spurted from the wound. The bullet nicked his femoral artery.
Pete tried to help Bones but got sprayed with blood. He took off, running toward the cave behind the cabin to hide. Pete tripped and fell several times, spraining his wrists and dislocating his shoulder when he slammed into a tree.
Gazarra and Juniak took off after Pete, while Frank stopped near Bones. The man was bleeding out.
"Fuck, that wasn't fun. You're going to die in a few minutes," Frank said as he checked his watch. "There's a lot of blood. It's a shame the animals won't get to feast on your carcass tonight."
"Why?" Bones said through the tape.
Frank removed his night vision goggles and pulled up his balaclava high enough for Bones to see his face. Bones gasped when Frank briefly turned on the flashlight to illuminate his features. "You tried to kill my daughter," Frank snarled. He pulled the ski mask back into place, then dragged Bones by the arms to the cabin, a few metres away, where Stephanie hid. Frank lit the lantern he found on the table and looked around the dilapidated house. It was as disgusting as Stephanie described. The stench of mould and rotting animals made the air difficult to breathe.
Bones shook his head, trying to stay awake. "Do you know why Rangeman never hired you for part or full-time work? It's because you concealed your past. You enjoy giving orders and attempting to have Ranger tossed off Rangers Team Alpha. My colleagues and I decided against putting you on Ranger's team. It wasn't his choice. You nearly caused that mission to go deadly. Your buddies hid their addictions. My daughter uncovered your dirty little secrets. Ranger didn't hire you because you weren't honest. Before you close your eyes for eternity, you must understand one more thing." Frank whispered, "Stephanie Plum is married to Ranger Manoso."
On a sharp inhale of breath, Bones succumbed to his injury. Frank piled the dry wooden furniture around Bones. He waited until Gazarra and Juniak brought Pete to the party. Pete looked worse than Bones. "I couldn't help myself," Gazarra said. "He called your daughter a whore."
"Do you have any lighter fluid left?" Frank asked Joe, who shook his head.
Gazarra looked around the space and grinned. "I found something better," Edmond announced. He gave Juniak the fuel can to douse the naked men. Edmond Gazarra grabbed the munitions he found beneath the loose floorboards. "These babies were beneath the loose planks with a scrap of black leggings to mark the spot."
Frank couldn't believe it. Stephanie found and hid explosives for them to use. Frank, Edmond and Joe tucked the munitions around the men. Gazarra pulled the twine from his pocket and ran it along the ground. "Do I need to cover the twine in gasoline?" Juniak asked.
"Nope. It's jute twine," Gazarra replied. "We can cover the end with fuel and ignite it with a hot bullet. How's your range, Ghost?"
"Nicked the asshole's femoral artery from one-hundred-fifty feet," Frank replied. "I can do this."
Frank followed his closest friends into the woods and discharged a single round. The jute twine caught fire. "Go," Gazarra yelled. They cleared the forest when the cabin exploded, spraying body parts and debris around the area in a fifty-foot radius.
Ranger, Lester and Hector had Chas and Erik shackled to the metal chairs inside the space where Ranger hid during his mission. The lamps inside the house provided enough light to illuminate the room. Rodriguez searched the compound for weapons. The carnage from Ranger's previous visit was evident throughout the camp. Wild animals had feasted on the dead. Nobody would be dumb enough to enter the compound.
Lester laughed when a wild dog attacked Chas. The dog avoided Ranger and the others. It was hungry for Chas' flesh. "Stay," Hector ordered. The dog sat on his hind legs, waiting for the order to kill. "Do I kill you, or does the dog get that honour?" Hector asked, speaking perfect English while revealing his face.
"You said he didn't understand English," Chas whined. A chill overpowered him, making his body shake uncontrollably.
"Everyone said he didn't understand. They obviously lied," Erik replied. "Why are we here?"
Ranger and Lester exposed their faces. "You tried to kill my wife," Ranger calmly replied.
"No. You're not married. We tried to kill Stephanie Plum," Erik stupidly said.
Lester chuckled. "So you do have a death wish, huh?" he asked. "Should I tell him who Stephanie is?"
"Be my guest," Ranger replied.
"Who was your commanding officer during Rangers training?" Lester asked.
"General Plum," Erik and Chas replied.
"Stephanie is General Plum's youngest daughter," Lester slowly said, pausing between each word.
"Shit," Erik groaned.
"General Plum is my father-in-law," Ranger added, letting his words sink into Erik's thick skull.
"I told you we should have left her alone," Chas cried.
"We leave in two minutes," Diesel said, peeking his head in the door. "The others are back."
"You won't get away with this, Manoso. Bones and Pete will search for us," Erik replied.
"Dead men tell no tales," Ranger said. He nodded to Hector, who released the dog on Chas. They watched as the dog tore the flesh off his prey's bones before Chas stopped moving. Chas was dead. The dog growled but waited for Hector's order.
Hector gave a sharp whistle. The dog lunged at Erik, biting into the juncture of his neck and shoulder. Blood got sprayed with every heartbeat. "Good boy," Hector said. "Take some." The dog barked and dragged an arm from the cabin. Hector grinned as he followed the dog outside.
Lester and Ranger worked together as they placed the dynamite and C4 Rodriguez found around the men's bodies. Ranger buried the wire as he unravelled it from the spool. He hooked them up to the detonator and waited for Lester's signal. After receiving the "all clear," Ranger pressed the button. The shack that protected Ranger during his time of need was pivotal in Chas and Erik's demise. It exploded, and the remnants burned. Ranger turned his back on the burning rubble and left with his team.
"Awesome fireworks," Ace said when the men climbed into the helicopter. "There's a bag to dispose of your clothes. Ranger, does Rangeman Miami have an incinerator?"
"It does," Ranger replied.
"Great," Jag said. "We have a change of clothes. Try to keep the contamination levels down. I suggest stepping into the garbage bags provided to keep the assholes' blood from getting into the chopper. The seats are a bitch to clean."
Everyone followed Jag's orders and carefully removed their soiled clothes. Ranger wore latex gloves as he shoved everything into the incinerator bag Jag provided. He'd get Jag to land the chopper on Rangeman's roof and dispose of the rubbish before going home with Stephanie. It was a long night.