Chapter 20

Ranger stared at his phone for about thirty seconds. Did he hear right? Did his ex-wife ask him if he was happy that his daughter was abducted? Ranger quickly recovered and began barking out orders.

"Hector, go check Julie's trackers, Marco, get a few guys, and look around the area between Rachel's home and Julie's school; talk to her friends and anyone who might have noticed something. Babe, I need you to come with me to Rachel's. I need someone to stop me from killing her."

"Boss, let me come with you. She hates us both so much, she won't know who to direct her anger at," Lester said, with laughter in his eyes.

"That means I'm going too. I'm the only one who can keep the two of you out of jail when the bitch is involved," said Tank.

"Really? How do you think you'd manage that?" asked Lester.

"By sitting on your sorry, skinny asses."

"Enough. My daughter is missing, and you two are joking around. Let's roll."

Ranger stood up and practically ran out of the room. He stopped in front of a closet and grabbed two additional guns, another knife, and two Kevlar vests. "Babe, put this on. It might not fit well, but it's better than nothing. I'll make sure to get you one. Men, gear up. When we find Julie and her abductors, you leave them to me. Incapacite, but leave them to me."

"Yes, boss," Stephanie heard the men respond.

"I know you're not comfortable, but take another gun. You need to be vigilant. Oh, here is your permit. Put it in your wallet."

"How did you get me a permit so fast?"

"Babe, your father is the POTUS."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. She thought being the POTUS's daughter would put her at the bottom of the list. Then again, her father supported a person's right to bear arms if they weren't military grade.

"Do you think it's a good idea for me to go with you? Could this be a setup for the General or Jessica to get me?"

Ranger stopped in his tracks. That thought did not cross his mind. However, although the General could ascertain where he lived, Julie's information was still buried. Ranger didn't ask for a new birth certificate, and neither did Rachel. He figured he'd have Julie's birth certificate changed once he was officially retired.

"I don't think the General is aware of Julie. That information is not easy to come by. Of course, anything is possible, but I would rather have you with me."

Stephanie nodded, and they continued their journey to the garage. Much to Stephanie's surprise, though, Ranger did not get into his Porsche but into one of the company's SUVs. She climbed into the passenger seat and was amazed at the car's technology level.

"My company works as bounty hunters or Bond Enforcement Agents here in Miami. We've been doing that work for quite some time and have a strong, positive working relationship with Miami-Dade Police and other local forces. When they see me pull up in a company car, they will be more open with me and less on the attack. Rangeman's reputation, along with my personal one, is held in high regard."

Stephanie simply nodded, becoming more in awe of the man she was engaged to. With each new piece of information she learned, she began to see Carlos as a much more complex person, and one she definitely wanted to figure out. Ranger drove through the streets of Miami like a man on a mission, which he was. She was amazed at how he could weave in and out of traffic, turn corners, and maneuver around without the vehicle going above 35 miles per hour. It was as if someone had hacked into the traffic light system and given them green lights like they did in the movie "The Italian Job." Ranger seemed to be lost in thought, as he was quiet and focused, but Stephanie could see that even though his outside demeanor looked calm, cool, and collected, he was anything but. Ranger was a coiled snake ready to attack, or as Stephanie preferred to think of him, a large panther crouching down, waiting to strike.

Suddenly, the SUV stopped in front of Rachel's house, where Stephanie saw at least four black and white cars with their lights on parked on the street. Rachel was talking to a female officer, but when she saw Ranger and then Stephanie exit the vehicle, she went off.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing here? This has nothing to do with you. Julie was never in danger until you showed up. And you dare to bring that piece of ass with you! Officers arrest him. He's the one who took Julie. He's the one you should be interrogating. Not me. I did NOTHING wrong. So what? I allowed my daughter to walk to school. Many other parents do. She is fine. She knew where she was going. It's all his fucking fault."

The female cop, who was a little taller than Rachel, was attempting to calm her down, but it wasn't working. Soon, her partner had walked over to Ranger and Stephanie.

"I'm Officer Hernandez. Who are you?"

"I'm Carlos Manoso, Julie's biological father and the owner of Rangeman Security. You'd know me better as Ranger. This is my fiancé, Stephanie Plum."

Officer Hernandez looked at Stephanie, his eyes widening when he realized who she was. "You're President Plum's daughter?"

"Yes, I am. However, we are here not because of who I am but because my future stepdaughter is missing, most likely due to the negligence of her mother."

"Of course, ma'am. Sorry. Mr. Manoso, I have to ask, where were you between 8:00 and 9:45 am when her teacher reported her absent?"

"I was at my apartment in my Miami headquarters with Ms. Plum. At approximately o'nine thirty, Stephanie and I arrived in the conference room. All hallways, elevators, stairways, and egresses are monitored 24/7. I can show you the tapes if you need to see them."

"No, not necessary if others can vouch for you."

"Yes, I have the men on monitor duty, my man on the front desk, and the men I was meeting with. Since Ms. Plum was with me the entire time, she can also provide you with her statement."

While Officer Hernandez was questioning Ranger, Detective Esteban was talking to Stephanie, getting her statement about where she was. After he was satisfied that she could not give him further information, he interrupted Officer Hernandez, and the two men stepped away to compare notes. A moment later, Detective Esteban walked over to Ranger.

"Mr. Manoso, I'm sorry to be meeting you under these circumstances. Are you aware of today's events?"

"No. I received a call from my ex-wife shortly after ten hundred informing me that my daughter was missing and that I should be happy. The call was recorded, as is standard operations in my company, and I can have my technology specialist prepare the recording for you to pick up."

"Thank you. I will send an officer there to obtain the recording. From what we have gathered so far, Mrs. Martine and Julie got into a fight this morning, and the neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Stern, heard them yelling. Mrs. Rubio was returning from dropping off her husband at his office when she saw Julie leave the house with her backpack and start walking towards the school. She remembers shaking her head as Mrs. Martine has had Julie walk to school at other times. She didn't think Julie was old enough to walk to school alone, but it wasn't her place to say something. Julie walked down the block and turned the corner. It was after she turned the corner that she was abducted. Mrs. Torin, who lives on the block, saw someone in a van grab Julie and drive away. It was across the street from her house that we found her cell phone. Mrs. Torin is the one who called the cops. When we found Julie's phone, it appeared she was getting ready to call you. Is that normal for her?"

Ranger sighed. How does he describe their relationship? "Detective, up until a few years ago, I didn't know I had a daughter. Mrs. Martine lied to me about Julie's parentage. However, once I discovered she was my daughter, I went to the courts to have my parental rights instated and to have visitation. I have financially provided for her since that time. Over that last year, our relationship has grown, but she was not in the habit of calling me. We spent the day together this weekend, and she seemed distant, different. I felt, at times, that she was hiding something from me, but I didn't know how to talk to her. I was hoping to see her again this weekend. With Stephanie's help, I hoped to find out what was wrong."

"Mr. Manoso, I know that you can look at places we can't and find information from some areas more effectively than we can. I would like your company's cooperation in searching for your daughter."

"We'll be glad to help, but my men were looking with or without your permission."

"As I had no doubt they would be. However, I want to remind you that we cannot help you or your men if they do something that we, as cops, couldn't do," he said, reminding Ranger that they needed to stay above board.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to Rachel to determine exactly what happened this morning, but I need my cousin Lester and my friend Tank to accompany me. It wouldn't be a bad idea for you to be there too. Lately, Rachel and I are incapable of having a civil conversation. With our emotions involved, it will be harder to keep cool."

"I understand. We can make that happen if you give me some time. I have to review Rachel's timeline since some things don't add up, and I'd like to do that before she can claim you are confusing her."

"I understand. In the meantime, I will check with my company to see if we discovered anything."

With a handshake and understanding, Ranger and Detective Esteban walked in opposite directions. Meanwhile, Stephanie was talking to a few neighbors and found out that Rachel and Julie often fought with each other and that Rachel, as punishment, would force Julie to walk to school. The fights seemed to be occurring more frequently. This morning's fight was particularly volatile, though they could not make out exactly what was said. When Stephanie observed Ranger walking towards the SUV, she excused herself and walked to join him, with Lester a step behind her.

Julie was locked in a closet in an abandoned office building. She was thrown inside after she bit one of her captors. She could hear the two men talking to each other and someone else. Since she only heard one-half of the conversation, she assumed they were on the phone.

"Yeah, she's secure, but you owe us. That little bitch bit my hand," the man with a high-pitched voice said. "How much longer do we need to keep her?"

A moment later, Julie heard the click of the landline being hung up. She strained her ears to listen to what they said to each other.

"He said that someone will be here in about 30 to take the little bitch off our hands. They will give us our next payment. But he also said that we need to dump the car and make sure everything is cleaned up, that the little bitch's father is not Mr. Martine. Her father knows she's missin' and will kill us if he finds us."

"Do we know who the baby daddy is? I don't like the sound of this. This was supposed to be an easy grab," the second man, who had a deep voice like James Earl Jones, replied.

"Dunno. I thought she said somethin' about a Texas Ranger…ya know, like that Walker guy from television."

"Wait, you said Ranger?" Julie heard a slight panic in his voice. "Are you sure she didn't mean Ranger, the owner of Rangeman Securities?"

"Ya mean that badass dude in black?"

"Yeah."

Julie heard silence and could almost hear the gears turning in their brains, pea-sized ones, mind you.

"Fuck, I think we're in deep shit."

"I think we should leave now. Leave the little bitch here on her own. Fuck the money. We can't afford to be on Ranger's shit list. I'm gonna just leave. The money isn't worth it, not if we dead."

"Okay, she's secure in there. The next guy should be able to find her. Let's wipe down the surfaces and get the fuck out of here."

"Ya sayin' the truth."

Julie heard the sounds of the men scurrying around like mice. She could picture them trying to remove evidence of their presence in the outer rooms. Julie had no idea who was coming but hoped her father would find her. She felt a headache from the stress and began to rub her temple when she remembered the special hairclip her father had given her a month ago. She thought back to that conversation.

"Jules, I need to give you something. This is a special hair clip. It has a built-in tracker inside it. If you press on the middle stone, it will send a signal to Rangeman Miami, and we will be able to find you. You know that I am in the military and often go away for months at a time. While I'm away, I do work for the United States government. That work often involves me getting on the bad side of bad people, drug lords, dictators, and the like. Many would like nothing more than to pay me back by taking you, my daughter. I've spoken to your mother about having you trained in martial arts and having a person from Rangeman with you, but she refuses. So, to keep me sane, I'm giving you this."

"How does it work?" Julie took the clip in her hand. It was one of the clips she could use to put her hair half up like she often wears it. It had five crystals: one onyx in the middle, two blue, and two clear. It was pretty and something she would wear.

Ranger took the clip from Julie. "When you press the black stone, you will turn on the tracker. Until then, it is off, and I cannot track you. I don't want you to feel suffocated or that I'm watching your every move. So, only use it if you are in trouble. Why don't you try pressing it? When you do, the control room will call to inform me that it is engaged."

Julie took the clip back and pressed on the middle black stone. It barely moved, and you couldn't see any difference from before she engaged the switch. A moment later, Ranger's phone buzzed.

"See, the control room saw it engage and knows we are here, at Panera."

"That's so cool."

"You'll wear this every day?"

"Yes, Dad, but I might need some other ones too."

"I'll work on some other discreet trackers for you, but for now, please wear them."

Julie suddenly heard the furniture scraping against the floor, which snapped her out of her thoughts. She reached into her hair and pressed the middle button on her clip. Hopefully, her father will be here soon to rescue her.

Rachel was nervous. She told Ron that he shouldn't borrow that money from those guys, that if he gave her a few weeks, she'd be able to weasel the money out of Ranger, claiming that Julie needed something. He'd cough that money up faster than you could say "deadbeat." But no, he had to do it his way. Ron assured Rachel that he was paying back what they owed, but Rachel couldn't help but think that Julie's abduction could have something to do with the money Ron owed. However, if they did ask for ransom, this would work in her favor since Ranger had more than enough money to pay for his precious little daughter to be released. It was sickening how he thought his money could buy his daughter's love.

Rachel didn't really care what happened to the little bitch. In fact, Ron had to borrow that money so they could take the kids on that Disney cruise that all their friends seemed to go on over the Christmas break. Ranger took Julie with his family on a Disney cruise last summer; the other two children have been asking for it. They, however, don't understand how expensive it is for five people. Since Ranger has been sniffing around, things in her home have gone from bad to worse. Ron is annoyed that Julie wants to develop a relationship with Ranger and feels that she should only think of him since he was the only father in her life for six years. Now, her other kids also wish that Ranger was their dad because he is cool. They don't understand that Ron is not Julie's biological father. They don't really get what is happening, but it annoys Ron. Since Ranger refuses to be a full-time dad, she'll just dump her like she should have done all those years ago.

When Rachel first found out she was pregnant, she was so happy. She thought the baby was Ron's. Yes, she put holes in Ranger's condoms, but she had her period after he left. That was before she and Ron started to date. However, she was crestfallen once the doctor gave her Julie's due date. She knew that Ranger, the guy she was dating to get Ron's attention, was her baby's father. She didn't plan to tell Ranger she was pregnant, but Ron insisted, saying that since he was in the Army, she could benefit from him. Rachel truly believed that Ranger wouldn't care or want the child and let her go, but no, he insisted they were married and put her up in a home on that military base. She hated it there. It was during that time that she and Ron devised their plan. Tell Ranger, after the kid was born, that he wasn't the father. He'd give her a quickie divorce, and they would be free of him, without any hospital bills.

When Julie was born, and Rachel saw her resemblance to Ranger, she knew she couldn't ever let him see the child. So, she wrote a letter and left it in the home he provided for her. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that she'd run into one of Ranger's siblings or that they'd see the resemblance. That fucking day ruined her life. She was hoping that the police didn't find out about Ron's loan because then she might be held responsible for the brat's kidnapping. She couldn't let that happen. Ron, why were you such a stupid man?

She saw Detective Esteban approaching her and took a few calming, deep breaths. It's time to turn on her acting skills. She started to wring her hands to look a little frantic. "Detective, did you find her? Do you know where she is?"

Esteban noticed Rachel's change in demeanor as he started to walk in her direction. He could tell that she was putting on a show for him. It always amazed him how many people thought that they could pull one over on him, and other detectives and cops, for that matter. They weren't stupid and learned how to read body language. He was well-skilled and knew that Rachel was hiding something, but he wasn't sure what it was. The cops who were canvasing the neighborhood said many children would walk that way in the morning, as the middle school was only a block away from Julie's elementary school. Often, those kids were solo like Julie. So the question became, why Julie and why today?

"Mrs. Martine, I'm sorry, but we haven't learned anything yet to determine where she may be or who may have taken her. We do have cops searching everywhere for the van, and once we find something, we'll let you know. You still have not received a phone call for ransom?"

"No, the phone hasn't rung at all," Rachel said. "Is that unusual?"

"Not necessarily. Sometimes, those who abduct children for ransom won't call right away, not wanting to have the police too close to interfere. It could also mean that they are not after a ransom."

"Oh, I see."

"Mrs. Martine, I know the morning has been rough, and you are upset about your daughter, but I need to clarify a few things. I will ask you a few more questions. Please take your time in answering them. If you are unsure, I'd rather you say that instead of guessing or hypothesizing. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand," said Rachel, as Esteban noticed she looked a little nervous since her eyes were darting all around.

"What time did Julie leave the house this morning?"

"She left at about 8:30 am."

"What did you do after she left?"

"I finished getting my younger children dressed and then drove them to school. I guess we left around 8:45. I went to the store for some groceries and arrived here as my phone rang with the school, informing me that Julie never made it to school."

"Does Julie typically walk to school?"

"No, usually I take her, and sometimes my husband, Ron, will take her. She very rarely walks."

Lie number one, Esteban thought. According to the neighbors, Julie walked to school at least once a week, sometimes more. "Why did she walk to school this morning?"

"My husband, Ron, got called into work early. He couldn't take my younger children, so I had to bring all three to school. Since I was unprepared for that scenario last night, I didn't have the younger two ready to leave when I had to leave to take Julie to school. So she wouldn't be late, I told her to walk to school."

Esteban looked back in his notes and saw that Officer Hernandez confirmed Ron was scheduled to be at work at 7:30 this morning. It was not a last-minute call-in, as Rachel was insinuating. There was lie number two.

"Your neighbor said that she heard you and Julie arguing this morning. Was that true?"

Rachel was taken aback by that question. Nobody could have possibly heard her and Julie fighting. It has to be something he's making up to have her look like a bad parent. Rachel was NOT a bad parent. "We disagreed about her trying out for the school play. I didn't have time to drive her to and from rehearsals, and I didn't want her to try out. She got mad and ran upstairs in a huff to get her school supplies."

"I see," Esteban replies. "Kids can be very headstrong sometimes and don't understand how different activities affect the household schedule. Did you decide she walked to school as punishment for her reaction to you?"

"No, absolutely not. I would never use that as a punishment for my children. Julie is acting like a typical fourth-grader, and we would be fine by this afternoon. She would see that her participating in the play was not the best scenario for the family."

Esteban nodded but didn't buy a word she was saying. He hoped she might be more truthful when speaking to her ex-husband. Something in his gut told him that Ranger could get the truth out of Rachel simply because they seemed to hate each other. "Ms. Martine, your ex-husband wants to speak with you about this morning. I will sit in on that meeting because I have been informed that you and Mr. Manoso are not on very good terms presently."

"That's an understatement," Rachel quipped. "I don't want to talk to him."

"I suggest you do. After all, Mr. Manoso is your daughter Julie's father and has a right to understand what transpired here today."

Rachel sighed, finding it hard to hide the contempt in her voice. "Ha, that's rich. Her "father" didn't even bother with her until she was in school. Sure, send him over."

Detective Esteban made a note of her statement. Something was off there, and he would find out. A talk with Ranger should clarify her statement. He signaled for Ranger to come over and watched as Ranger walked over with Lester, Tank, and Stephanie by his side. He noticed that Ranger was working hard to keep his temper in check and knew that if he blew up at her, he would not get the answers he needed to find his daughter.

"Mr. Manoso, let's go over the timeline together. At about 8:45 this morning, Julie left the house to walk to school after arguing with her mother. As she turned the corner, someone abducted her. Ms. Martine took her other two children to school at about 8:50, ran a few errands, and came home to hear her phone ringing, with the school nurse informing her that Julie hadn't made it to school on time. Is that true?"

"Yes."

"Rachel, why were you arguing with Julie?"

"She wanted to audition for the stupid play and school, and I said 'no' to her."

"Bullshit, Rachel. Julie told me over the weekend how she had callbacks last Friday and hoped to find out what role she was cast in today. You gave her your blessing to audition two weeks ago. Why were you arguing with Julie?"

Rachel paled as Ranger called her out. Damn, that girl for telling everything to her father, even after she told her to keep it a secret.

"We were arguing because the little brat wants to live with you and to have a relationship with you. I don't know why. It's not like you were part of Julie's life for the first six years anyway."

"And who's fault is that, Rachel? Yours. You are the one who told me that Julie, the 'little brat,' was Ron's daughter, not mine. You are the one who had Ron's name put on her birth certificate. You are the one who left me while I was deployed to be with Ron. I never cheated on you or deceived you. I stepped up and married you when you told me you were pregnant with MY child. I treated you with respect and dignity, and you repaid me by denying me access to my flesh and blood. If it weren't for Celia working at that school, I would never know that I had a daughter."

Esteban was surprised when he heard the details. That seemed to explain a lot of the animosity between the two. It also proved to him that Rachel was a liar and that he and his team would have to look at her and her husband because something wasn't adding up.

"Oh, please, get off your moral high horse. You only married me because of the brat, not because you loved me."

"You're right, I did. I married you to make sure that my child would have what they needed, that YOU would have health insurance and a place to live. That if I died, you and my child would receive my death benefits. I was only looking out for my child's and their mother's safety and well-being. But who were you looking out for, Rachel, you? Tell me what is happening because I don't believe this was a chance abduction."

Rachel was trying to control her stress and her nerves. Before she could respond, one of the men who worked for Ranger came running over to him.

"Boss, we are getting a signal from Julie's tracker."

"What the fuck is he talking about? Are you tracking her? Are you fucking out of your mind? How dare you track the movements of MY daughter! I can't believe you would do something like that behind my back after telling you I disapproved."

If looks could kill, Rachel would be dead. Instead, Ranger clenched his jaw, quickly looked at the GPS location, and told his men to fall out while showing the location to Detective Esteban. He nodded and ordered the cops to follow Ranger, and they were off to rescue Julie.

"Detective Salazar, please stay with Mrs. Martine. I have several more questions for her."

Rachel was beyond angry. She was going to pay Ranger back for going against her wishes. Rachel vowed to do whatever she could to ensure that Julie did not ever live with Ranger. Now, if only she could get a few minutes alone to contact Ron. They needed to get their story straight. But with the cops constantly around her for the last hour and a half, she had no way to contact her husband. Hopefully, the shit doesn't hit the fan.

A/N: Thank you for your patience. My goal is to complete this story before 2024 rings in. So please continue to read and review; I hope to update more frequently. Many of you know of my mom's crazy story, especially if you are on Facebook, and I thank you for your support, thoughts, and prayers. I hope the end is near, and I will update you as things progress. Love you, Babes!