Stephanie's POV
Mateo and I checked in with Dad. Ranger and Lester neutralized Hernandez's men. Cruz and Perez went to Miami, hoping to find Alex or torture my family for information about my whereabouts. I was glad Bobby's and Mateo's families remained unharmed. Lester, Bobby and Ram found Sanchez near Angie and Mary Alice's school.
Unfortunately, Juan Sanchez contacted another four men to find us. He gave Lester the names, but those men were slipperier than a snake covered in oil. They could be anywhere in the US. Ranger and Lester would search in Trenton for the men, keeping them from my cousins, grandparents and Mateo's relatives in Newark. Sanchez was dead, but it meant Mateo and I couldn't go home, even if Dad and Rob Brown handled Phillips and Borland.
We had gone on the run three months ago. Alex loved camping. It was so much fun, though I craved civilization and a comfortable bed. Plus, if the lack of my monthly cycle was any indication, I was pregnant.
"Are you feeling okay?" Mateo asked. He noticed I was feeling nauseous the past few mornings. It was another indication of being pregnant. The timing was lousy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I didn't want Alex to be an only child.
Smiling at my doting husband, I replied, "I'm good. However, we need to find a midwife or clinic. We at least have to buy some prenatal vitamins."
"Which do you prefer?" Mateo understood the meaning of my requests. He watched Alex playing with the toy car we bought during our last trip to the grocery store. I hoped this baby was a girl.
"A midwife if we can find one," I answered, pausing before adding, "And prenatal vitamins."
"The vitamins are an obvious choice," Mateo laughed.
Rubbing my neck, I asked, "Do you feel someone watching us?"
"Are they dangerous?" he quietly asked. I shook my head. The person wasn't giving me vibes of being malevolent.
Our campsite northeast of Spokane, Washington, was practically deserted when we arrived. The manager said another person was camping in the area but never mentioned if they were male or female. I wanted to contact Dad again, but my phone had stopped working a few days after contacting Dad the previous month, cutting Mateo, Alex, and me off from all civilization. We had to find another phone.
"Let's get the supplies and see if one of the cabins is available for rental," Mateo suggested. "It's bound to have more comfortable beds." I reflexively rubbed my abdomen, where I felt a small protrusion already forming for our second child.
"And the person watching us?" I whispered. Mateo hugged me, turning me around to look over his shoulder. A gorgeous, tanned woman peeked from behind the tree. "Hi," I said, greeting the woman and waving my fingers.
"Hello. Do you need a place to stay?" she asked. My spidey sense indicated the woman wasn't a threat.
"We'll ask the manager if a cabin is available," I replied.
The woman frowned. "I live in the only habitable one. The other two cabins don't have running water. You're welcome to stay in mine with me. I have two extra bedrooms for you to use," she offered.
"Um…" I said.
"I'm engaged, though I haven't seen my fiancé in over two years," she sadly replied. "I heard you talking about needing a midwife. Before accepting a job in the defence logistics department, I worked as a medic, helping another soldier in the field until he moved into special operatives. We helped a few civilians deliver their children. I know what to expect and can get you through your pregnancy."
My eyebrows shot up to my hairline. "How long were you listening?" Mateo demanded.
"Not long. Where are my manners?" she said, asking herself the question. "I'm Savannah Buratti." Savannah extended a hand for me to shake. The name meant something to Mateo. He knew who she was but had never met her.
"Stephanie Plum," I replied. Gesturing to the others, I added, "Mateo, my husband, and Alex, our son."
Savannah narrowed her eyes, glaring at Mateo as though studying him. "Are you by chance Mateo Santos?" she quietly asked.
"Yes, Ma'am," he replied, not finding the need to lie. It confirmed Mateo knew of her.
"You're friends with my brother, Silvio," she said. Mateo nodded without speaking.
"Silvio loaned us the car," I mumbled, pointing over my shoulder where the car was barely visible behind the bushes.
"Follow me," Savannah ordered. "You can collect the car and tent later."
Mateo and I shrugged before grabbing our bags. I placed Alex on Mateo's shoulders, and we followed Savannah. She led us into a rough-looking cabin. Mateo followed inside after swinging Alex into his arms. We were surprised to find the space comfortable and homey. "How long have you lived here?" I asked, catching a small photograph of Savannah and a man resembling Tank with hair.
Savannah picked up the picture frame and passed it to me. Alex opened and clenched his fists in a "give it to me" motion. "I miss him," she whispered. Sensing her anguish, Alex wiggled from Mateo's arms and climbed onto Savannah's lap.
"Don't cry," Alex said, gently touching her damp cheeks as I had done for him when he skinned his knee. Savannah smiled at my son and hugged him.
"He misses you, too," Mateo said. "Why are you here?"
Waving toward the couch, Savannah replied, "It's a long story."
"We have time," I kindly said, deciding to stay with the woman to increase our protective circle.
"As I mentioned earlier, I used to work in the Army," Savannah said. "My job was ordering weapons and ammunition for the special operatives programs. I'm sure you know what they are."
"Yes," I replied, touching Savannah's arm and encouraging her to continue.
"While Pierre was away, I attended a weapons demonstration. Another woman in my department insisted on attending the event. That woman was a viper. She was the first to be there whenever something interesting arose, manipulating our supervisors or sneaking into the mix. I don't know how she managed to go on the trip unless she accompanied General Phillips. He always brought a female soldier on his excursions as his security detail. This time was no different," Savannah explained.
"Oh, boy. I hope it wasn't Stevens," I mumbled.
"It was April Stevens," Savannah replied. "I don't know what happened, but when I left for my hotel room, a man grabbed me. After dislocating his balls and breaking his nose, I escaped. Thankfully, I had my identification and banking cards in my pockets. I emptied my account and left town. Whoever tried to kidnap me has been searching for me."
"How do you know?" I asked.
"My brother-in-law tagged my name once he and Silvio entered a committed relationship. As a result, I receive encrypted messages whenever someone checks my credit, banking history and other pertinent information. I'm running out of money," Savannah confessed. "And someone is monitoring my accounts."
Mateo and I exchanged a silent conversation before I removed the envelope from my bag. We only bought what we needed. "Take this. We have more than enough to survive," I said, passing her the money from Silvio. "Your brother gave this to us. He would want us to give it to you." We had removed the money Silvio had hidden in the car when someone attempted to steal it a few months earlier.
"Who's after you?" Mateo asked.
"I don't know his name. He has light brown hair, brown eyes and a slight dimple in his chin," Savannah replied. "Average in looks, and he's only a few inches taller than me but an inch shorter than General Phillips."
"Have you seen him at Fort Benning?" I queried. The man Savannah described sounded like Allan Borland.
Savannah screwed up her face as she considered my question. She closed her eyes to look inside her memories. It took a few minutes before she answered, "Yes, I've seen him near the building where General Phillips has his office."
Mateo and I burned all the paperwork we received from Silvio except the picture of Allan Borland. I had a feeling we needed the photograph. "Give me a second," I said, searching my wallet for the image. I passed it to Savannah.
"That's him. When I rearranged his nuts, he promised to hunt me down and dismember me," she said. Savannah touched the man's eyes in the picture. "He looks innocent in this photograph. In real life, his eyes are wild. They show the craziness he has inside. Who is it?" She looked into my eyes and begged me to tell her the name.
"His name is Allan Borland. He's a mercenary for hire. General Phillips is his uncle," I replied.
A tear streaked down Savannah's cheek. "I can't go home," she cried.
"Tank and our friends are working hard to ensure we can come home once they've taken care of Phillips and Borland," I explained, pulling Alex off Savannah's lap and passing him to Mateo. I hugged Savannah until she stopped crying.
"Mateo and I need to find another phone. Mine stopped working," I said when she calmed.
"There's a store in town where you can buy a burner phone," Savannah said. She wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand, then gave me an apologetic look.
"Thank you. Mateo and I should grab one. Is there anything you need?" I asked. Savannah shook her head before quickly changing her mind.
"I'm out of coffee and a few other items," she said. Savannah grabbed a notepad and jotted a few items on the list. "Do you need me to watch Alex?"
"I appreciate the offer, but Mateo and I prefer keeping him with us," I replied. Mateo and I stood at the same time. I reached for Alex, who willingly moved into my arms. "Do you have protection?"
"Yes, my service weapons and a few knives," Savannah replied.
"We'll be back within an hour," I said, following Mateo out the door.
It took us a few minutes to return to our campsite. Nothing seemed out of place. Mateo checked the SUV for trackers and other devices before we climbed inside. Alex sang happily from the backseat as Mateo drove toward town, where we could buy two disposable phones. I hoped we could buy another SIM card to activate the second device for Mateo. We needed a way to communicate if talking aloud wasn't an option.
"Do you think she's telling the truth?" Mateo asked as he parked in the lot of the store Savannah mentioned.
"Yes," I replied. "My spidey sense indicated she was truthful. I don't know why I asked her about protection. It was like my mouth talked without permission."
"What does your gut tell you?"
"That we need to get back as soon as we're finished here," I said before exiting the car. I removed Alex from his car seat. He wrapped his arms around my neck and held on tightly. Mateo nodded. We conducted our task with silent efficiency and were headed back to the campsite only thirty-five minutes after leaving. I never questioned why Mateo decided to buy extra fish line, ammunition and pulleys. He had his reasons, which I expected had everything to do with my warning.
The ten-minute drive felt like forever, but Mateo and I relaxed once we returned to our campsite. We quickly tore down the tent and packed everything into the back of the vehicle.
When we arrived at Savannah's cabin, we noticed her crying and dragging a body into the forest. Mateo rushed to assist. I sat in the cabin with my gun in my right hand while holding Alex on my lap. In case I had to discharge my weapon, Alex wore protective headphones to prevent damage to his ears.
I raised my gun when the door of the cabin opened. Mateo raised his hands and shook his head. "It wasn't Borland," he stated, hoping to answer my unasked question.
"I never thought it was. Who was he, and what did he want?" I asked, looking at Savannah.
"He asked if I saw you, Stephanie," Savannah replied. "When I said no, he broke my nose."
"Did he contact his friends?" I asked.
"His phone line was open. He said Juan Sanchez hired him to kill you and sell your son," Savannah whispered. "I'm sorry, Stephanie. We have to leave before the other men arrive."
"Why? We're in a secluded area. I say we let them come here, and we can pick them off," I suggested. There was a remote possibility that the man Savannah killed hired more people to find me. However, I thought that was unlikely. "Where's his phone?"
Mateo produced the item from his pocket. "They can track his GPS," Mateo said. I grimaced and accepted the device. After fiddling with it, I grinned.
"What have you looking so happy?" Savannah asked.
"We can track them," I laughed. "The idiots haven't deactivated their GPS beacons. One man isn't too far away."
"Mi hijo, you must stay quiet and in the house with Mama and Savannah, okay?" Mateo asked our son.
"Si, Papa. I stay with Mama and Saban," he replied. Alex still had trouble pronouncing his Vs despite spending several hours practicing since we left Miami.
I kissed Mateo after he dressed for the job and before he left the cabin. He didn't have explosives to protect himself, but he had fishing lines and rifles. "What is he doing?" Savannah asked as we watched Mateo climb the tree behind the cabin.
"Setting traps for our expected guests." We watched Mateo climb a second tree to set up a similar trap. He rigged the rifles to discharge if someone tripped the wire. When I noticed the concerned expression on Savannah's face, I said, "He won't put any in the front or side since we may need to exit the cabin through the front door or side window. The traps prevent anyone from attacking us from the back by entering through the bedroom window."
We only had to wait for three hours before the three men descended on the cabin. They made too much noise, and Mateo had time to text me the trio of criminals' pending arrival. Alex cooperated and hid beneath the counter, behind the pots and pans, promising to remain quiet. He moved stealthily into position, a feat I never would have accomplished at his age. I kissed my fingers and touched his cheek. "I love you, Alex," I whispered.
"Lub you, Mama," he replied.
I trained my weapon on the door, knowing Mateo was sneaking behind him. Savannah quickly checked on Alex before returning to my side. She pulled her dagger from the sheath on her thigh. I gestured to her gun, which she refused to remove from its harness.
"We need to remove the bullets," she hissed, twitching her knife. I nodded my understanding.
Two men set off the traps behind the building while the other tried to enter the cabin through the front door. Mateo neutralized the man by breaking his neck. He rushed to the back, ensuring the other two men were dead. We took them to the dilapidated cabin where Savannah and Mateo hid the other body. I stayed with Alex in Savannah's cabin while Savannah and Mateo dealt with the others.
"Do we go home?" Mateo asked.
"Not yet, mi hijo," I replied. "We have to wait for Abuelo to tell us it's safe."
I called Dad to ask about the situation. He expressed his pride in us handling the other men after us. My hope of returning home disappeared when Dad said, "It will take a little longer. We're still looking for the secondary target."