The men passed their BEA tests with flying colours. Lester was excited to capture another criminal. Despite healing from a gunshot wound, he still participated in the capture. He enjoyed learning the process hands-on. It was the same for Tank. Looking at Tank and Lester, you never would have guessed they got injured. Neither man grimaced or favoured their injuries. It was as though they never got hurt.
"Why did Bill at Johnstone Bail Bonds let us go after Jose Almirez and the others without a license?" Lester asked. Everyone had gathered in Abuela Rosa's living room. They knew Rosa wouldn't disclose details of their conversation.
"He had his partner Wally Jansen oversee the captures," Stephanie replied. "Bill was in his car when we captured Hernandez. Wally met us at the precinct when we returned them to the system. We operated under their license until we wrote the tests. Hector and I have our credentials for capturing skips in Florida."
"Tank and I applied to capture the skips nationally," Carlos announced. "We don't want too many Rangeman employees chasing criminals around the country."
"Are you taking advantage of the downtime? How long until Tank and Lester get cleared for duty?" Stephanie asked. "Speaking of injuries, we need protocols in the Rangeman Manual for injuries and compensation."
"I'll write that up," Bobby volunteered. "I can remove the stitches in a few days. Tank and Lester should be cleared for duty in two weeks."
Stephanie yawned while she nodded. They had too many early mornings and late nights getting everything prepared to open Rangeman Miami. The cameras Stephanie ordered and tested weren't what she envisioned to use at the businesses they hoped to secure. Rangeman could use the stationary cameras in some areas, but she wanted others they could move remotely to change the angle.
Ranger told the men about the conversation with Joseph Morelli and the rumours he heard from his Navy buddies. "Why the sudden concern?" Vince asked.
"It was what Morelli didn't say when he mentioned someone was using my name and ruining my reputation. Morelli said the man's name was Rico or Ricky. What if he's using my name, Ricardo Manoso?" Ranger asked.
"Ranger, it's Javier. He's trying to be you," Stephanie sleepily replied. "Javier wants your life."
"Babe, my life wasn't glamorous. Abuela Rosa had stricter rules than Mama and Papi."
Stephanie let her spidey senses guide her words. "He was the first Manoso born male, yet he wasn't named after your father. Javier was your other grandfather's name. Your mom doesn't have brothers, and Javier was the first male born in that family, after generations of females. Your late grandfather and father were named Ricardo Carlos Manoso. Both were the first male born in the Manoso family," Stephanie explained. "Why didn't your parents name him Ricardo?"
Hearing their conversation, Abuela Rosa offered her interpretation, "Carlos, your parents never planned to carry on the tradition. After my Ricardo had his heart attack, Maria became pregnant with another son. She decided to name the boy after his grandfather." Rosa placed the tray containing drinks and snacks on the coffee table.
"I never liked my name," Ranger said. "It got too confusing when people called me Ricardo or Ricky."
"And that's why you prefer us to call you Carlos or Ranger," Abuela Rosa said, gently tapping Ranger's cheek. "What are you going to name your son?"
"Surprisingly, we're sticking with tradition," Stephanie replied. "It's much too soon to determine gender."
"You're having a son. I know these things," Rosa said before leaving the living room.
"Ranger, if Javier is behind this, and I know he is, he can only be stopped one of two ways," Stephanie said before yawning.
"How?" Lester asked.
Ranger replied, "By detention or death."
Stephanie fell asleep on Ranger's lap as the men discussed ways of making Javier pay for his crimes. She dreamed of a boy with Ranger's skin colour and her brilliant blue eyes. A curly-haired girl with blue eyes chased after the older child in the backyard. Stephanie smiled at the children. She felt someone cover her mouth. The man dragged her away from the others. He never spoke. Stephanie's children were vulnerable. Nobody else was around to rescue her or protect the children. The sense of kill or be killed entered Stephanie's mind. She fought for survival as she kicked his knee. He grunted in pain before tightening his grip. Stephanie felt a prick in her arm before everything faded to black.
"Babe, it's me. Wake up. You're having a nightmare," Carlos said, concerned about Stephanie hurting herself as she kicked and screamed. "Babe!" Carlos shouted.
Slowly, Stephanie woke up and opened her eyes. She noticed the concerned eyes staring at her. "The dream seemed real," Stephanie cried. Carlos wiped the tears off her cheeks and pulled her against his chest, attempting to calm her angst. Stephanie told the men her dream. They promised to keep Stephanie and the children safe while Carlos was away. Stephanie appreciated their offer, but she knew it was impossible to watch her every hour of every day.
"Who kidnapped you in the dream?" Bobby asked.
"I couldn't see his face, but the cologne was Javier's brand," Stephanie replied. The men discussed protocols and operation procedures to keep Stephanie and the children protected. Stephanie found it annoying. "It was just a dream, guys."
"Stephanie, your spidey sense is tuned into Javier. We think your dream is a premonition," Bobby said.
"Fine!" Stephanie grumbled as the men continued discussing the protocols.
The following five weeks had passed in the same manner. They discussed Rangeman procedures and protocols. One significant change was insisting the patrol teams wore panic buttons. However, the core members had to wear them at all times, except during deployments for the Rangers.
Stephanie continued having her nightmare. It was the same, but the venue was different. In her dreams, she got kidnapped from Rosa's backyard, the beach, inside her Ewing Township home and from the mall.
"Why are you watching me sleep?" Stephanie asked, keeping her eyes closed. She could feel Carlos watching her.
"You calm the beast inside, Babe," he replied.
Suspecting Carlos had to leave on a mission, Stephanie opened her eyes. "I'm the calm before the storm?" Stephanie teased.
"Always," Carlos answered. He kissed Stephanie passionately. They made love before he climbed out of their bed. "I love you, Babe."
"I love you too, Batman. Now, go save the world, one mission at a time." Stephanie watched Carlos bend to grab his pants off the floor. She loved staring at his naked ass. It was a sexy ass, and it belonged to her. "Don't get shot," Stephanie said as he left the bedroom.
"Don't go crazy," he automatically replied. "Sweet dreams, my love."
Carlos returned to the bedroom to kiss Stephanie and the barely noticeable baby bump. She giggled when he took a two-minute shower, then ran downstairs to meet the others out front. The alarm clock showed it was 0535. Carlos spent thirty minutes with Stephanie instead of preparing for the mission.
Stephanie tried to get a few more hours of sleep, but it evaded her. She climbed from the bed and took a shower. The space between her hips showed the tiniest of bumps. "Daddy just left to save the world, mi hijo," she said while washing her abdomen.
When Carlos climbed into the car, Tank asked, "How long are we gone?"
"I don't know. Frank never gave an end date. We could be gone for two weeks or six months," Ranger replied. "Frank is meeting us at the Air Force base in thirty minutes."
"Is he coming with us?" Lester asked.
"Not if he can avoid it," Ranger answered. The others thought about the cryptic message. Who were they supposed to find?
Frank was on the plane when they arrived at the base. Ranger and his team climbed aboard. They sat on the benches near General Plum to receive their brief. "I've heard things about Ricardo Manoso from the other handlers. A man claiming to be you, Ranger, is committing unforgivable atrocities in several third-world countries. We're attempting to identify the traitor," Frank said.
"Stephanie thinks the man is Javier Manoso," Ram said.
"Your brother, Ranger? Why would he do that to family?" Frank asked.
"Jealousy, greed and Stephanie suspected he wants my life," Ranger replied. Ranger was concerned for Stephanie and their unborn child.
"How long do we have?" Tank asked.
"It's July 6th," Frank replied, checking his watch. "I anticipate you should return between Thanksgiving and Christmas."
"Why so long?" Ranger wondered.
"You're travelling to three countries to gather clues, starting in Cuba. Ranger, contact Ace directly when you want to leave. He will bring Zip, Cal and Hal for the extraction. Ace will drop you in Colombia. Once you've finished collecting intel in the area, Ace will fly you to Brazil. The only men aware of your mission are on this plane," Frank explained. "Do you have questions or concerns?"
"Sir, you know Stephanie is eleven weeks pregnant. Hector, Silvio and Rodriguez are watching her while we're gone. However, Stephanie doesn't know how long we'll be gone," Ranger replied. Ranger was disappointed to miss the obstetrician appointments with Stephanie. He wanted to see the image of their child on the sonogram.
"When it's safe to call, check-in. One man checks in for the team. I'll contact Stephanie so she doesn't worry," Frank replied. "Ranger, concentrate on your mission. Stephanie will be fine."
"Why Cuba first?" Ranger asked.
Frank took a few minutes to think about how to warn Ranger. "Smoke and Zip dropped Darcy Cooper and his team in Cuba. His men returned. We don't know if Cooper is dead or the man impersonating you," Frank confessed.
"Which way are you leaning?" Lester asked.
"Dead," Frank replied. "He never contacted his handler." Frank passed the men satellite phones to check-in. Ranger checked the numbers hard-coded into the phone. Contact nine was a direct line to Frank. Contact five was to call Ace for the extraction.
Frank helped Zip prepare the men for their jumps. Ranger and the others grabbed their assigned parachute packs and secured them. As they neared the target landing zone, Zip attached the ropes to the ring attached to the side of the door. He opened the door wide enough for the men to jump.
Ranger pulled the ripcord for his parachute. It broke off in his hand. He grabbed for the emergency release, but it was gone. The ground was moving closer at an alarming speed. Ranger plummeted toward the earth as his life flashed before his eyes. Suddenly, when he thought all was lost, someone wrapped their arms and legs around him. One arm let go to pull on the ripcord. "I've got you," Lester yelled over the rushing wind.
Lester instinctively reacted when he noticed Ranger's parachute didn't deploy. He angled his body to pick up speed. They were getting too close to the ground. Lester plucked Ranger from the air and snapped a clip to Ranger's pack. For good measure, Lester wrapped his arms and legs around his cousin. Once Lester secured Ranger, he pulled the ripcord and gave the ropes to Ranger to steer the chute. They descended quickly from the added weight. A second before Ranger's feet touched the ground, Lester unwrapped his legs and arms.
"Report," Tank demanded when he landed beside Lester and Ranger.
"Someone sabotaged my pack," Ranger replied. "The ripcord was partially cut, and the emergency one was gone."
Lester helped the others repack the parachutes while Tank and Ranger checked the cords on Ranger's pack. The parachute pack was useless since they didn't have supplies to repair them. Ranger hoped Zip and Ace had spares on the airplane.
"Did you use your issued pack?" Tank asked.
"Yes. I'll get a new one when we debrief and take it with me," Ranger replied. "The same goes for the rest of the team."
"Is that an order, sir?" Tank asked.
"Yes," Ranger replied. Tank relayed the order to the other men.
Ranger took the lead and hiked toward Havana. It took a few days to get close to the area where Darcy Cooper's team had seen him last. The houses were several miles apart and resembled shacks more than homes. They got waved down by a woman. "Help me, please," she called, speaking Spanish.
"How can we help?" Ranger asked, continuing the conversation in Spanish.
"Follow me," she replied. The woman pointed to the shack behind her house. "Do you see the flies? Someone is dead inside."
Ranger grabbed a handkerchief to tie around his nose and mouth. It was a precaution from the stench and to keep from inhaling the flies. Bobby followed Ranger. "He's been dead for three days. Rigour mortis dispersed, and the stench isn't as bad as it usually gets after four or more days. There isn't any foam leakage from the mouth," Bobby explained to Ranger. "Ma'am, do you have a place where we can bury him?"
"Not here," she said, shaking her head.
Sighing, Bobby asked the guys, "Do you have tarps? We have to wrap him and take him back to the States."
"Did you see who killed the man?" Ranger asked the woman. She hesitated for a minute, then ran into the house. A few minutes later, she brought Ranger a digital camera. Ranger removed the device he remembered to pack to grab the images off the memory card. She confessed to stealing the camera from a tourist and taking photographs of people infringing on her property. "Do you know his name?"
She replied, "Ricardo Manoso was the man chasing the criminal. I heard about Manoso. He kills criminals and leaves them to rot, hidden in people's yards or houses to get them into trouble. I don't want to be responsible for murdering a soldier. I found his tags."
Ranger wasn't amused. He wondered who was using his name. Only one person came to mind - Javier Manoso. "Do you have a picture of Manoso?" Carlos asked.
"Yes, it was on the camera. He was changing his shirt."
"Can I delete them from your camera?" Ranger asked.
"Yes," she replied. "I don't need them."
Ranger didn't look at the photographs of the soldier or Ricardo Manoso. Bobby found the tags beneath the body when he rolled him onto the tarp. "We found Darcy Cooper," Bobby announced.
"Thank you," Ranger said, returning the camera to the woman. Ranger quirked a brow when Bobby removed a body bag from his pack.
"I'm always prepared. We needed the extra wrapping to prevent leakage," Bobby explained. Ranger removed money from his pocket. He gave it to the woman and said it was for her silence. She thanked him and went into her house. Ram kept an eye on the woman from his perch in the tree. Vince tapped Ram on the shoulder and motioned it was time to go.
Tank contacted Ace. There was an abandoned road wide and long enough for Ace to land the plane and take off. Ranger sent Ace the coordinates. They hid in the brush until Ace landed the plane. Bobby and Lester carried the body. Ranger waited until everyone climbed aboard before getting into the plane. Zip helped pull the men into the cabin before closing the door. "Go," Zip yelled.
Ranger reviewed the images he copied from the woman's camera. His face hardened when he saw a photograph of Javier Manoso with his back to the camera. The tattoo on Javier's left shoulder was recognizable. His right shoulder had a red bullet wound from where Stephanie shot him. "He's dead," Ranger snarled.
"Who's dead?" Bobby asked.
"Javier isn't dead yet, but he will be," Ranger replied. "Zip, is there another parachute pack?"
"We have extras. What happened to yours?"
Ranger tossed it to Zip, who checked for the ripcords. Zip shook his head as he opened the pack to examine the chute. "Check the spares before you use them," Zip suggested. Lester and Ram checked the parachute packs to ensure they were in working order. Ram examined the ripcord and gave the new pack to Ranger to use.
"Zip, you and Ace take Cooper's body back to the base," Ranger ordered. "Do you have your phone?"
"Yes. What do you need me to do?" Zip asked.
"Send these photos to Smoke. She would know what to do with them," Ranger replied.
"Should I take them to General Plum?"
"No. I want to deliver the pictures," Ranger said. Zip nodded and completed the task. He didn't review the images he forwarded and deleted them once he received confirmation that Stephanie had received them.
It was glaringly obvious that someone was setting Ricardo Carlos Manoso up for their crimes.
Ace flew over Colombia. He motioned to Zip that it was time to jump. Zip passed the men the cash they needed once they landed. "Catch that asshole," Zip said as Ranger jumped from the plane.
Lester watched his cousin for signs of distress and was relieved Ranger's parachute opened. The others followed suit and guided their chutes to their landing zone.