Ranger holds Stephanie as she attempts to explain her feelings. "I need to make things right with Mom," Stephanie explains.
"Are you sure?" Ranger asks. He's curious about why she feels it's necessary to make her mom feel better about her choices.
"What if The Hunter gets me? I don't want Mom living with the regret of not making amends after our last conversation," Stephanie quietly replies. She stares at her fingers as she picks at her nails.
A dark hand covers hers, displaying his matching wedding band. It's both an indication of their connection and love for his wife. Stephanie reflexively strokes his ring finger. Ranger doesn't let it distract him despite the sensation moving through his arm and settling in his dick. He wills it to stand down as he tends to her emotional needs.
Slowly, Ranger uses his right index finger to gently raise Stephanie's head until she looks into his eyes. "Babe, Floyd won't get you. The men and I will ensure you're safe at all times. He will not harm a hair on your luscious body," Ranger quietly says.
Stephanie's eyes fill with tears. She wants to believe him, but the fear of The Hunter getting to her is frightening. Ranger kisses her as a tear slides from her eye. "You can't promise that," she whispers. "Did he get her?" Stephanie looks into Ranger's eyes, begging him to tell her that Terry is still alive.
"Yes," Ranger replies.
"And Vito?" Stephanie questions.
Ranger is reluctant to tell Stephanie what they found at Vito and Terry's homes. It will frighten her more than ever. She will either run to hide or face Floyd to prevent him from harming anyone else. Knowing Stephanie, Ranger will bet on her facing the murderer.
"Carlos, please," Stephanie begs. Ranger looks into her eyes. He isn't one to give into the puppy dog gaze, but he can't keep this a secret from his wife. She must know what she's getting herself into if she decides to go after Floyd with or without Rangeman's help.
"Hector found a video on Vito's computer and two on Terry's cloud server. I haven't watched them," Ranger says. "One video is the same. I'm interested in the second one, which he only sent to Terry."
"Do you think he told Terry why he went after her family and loved ones?" Stephanie asks.
"It's possible," Ranger replies. "We won't know until we watch it."
"When are you planning to watch the videos?"
"At 0900 hours."
Stephanie checks her watch. It's only 0500 hours. There's no way Stephanie can fall asleep. She's too anxious to view the videos. Stephanie needs a distraction.
Ranger grins as he moves the gun from the tie of Stephanie's robe. He tucks it beneath the couch. Stephanie raises her brows as Ranger unties the sash, holding the silk robe in place. He pulls the robe open, displaying her nakedness and making him smile. "Babe," he whispers.
"Carlos," Stephanie moans as Ranger kisses her breasts. He pushes the robe off her shoulders. Ranger kisses Stephanie as she fumbles to remove his clothes. He pauses briefly to kick off his shoes, socks and cargo pants. Stephanie pants as she waits for him to ravish her body. She groans when Ranger lifts her from the couch. In a swift motion, Ranger plunges into her as she wraps her legs around his waist. Ranger carries her into their bedroom.
Stephanie hears the alarm sounding. They have an hour to shower, dress, eat and meet the others in the largest conference room. Hector should have everything set up in time.
"Does this count as my exercise for today?" Stephanie jokes, climbing out of bed. Ranger raises a brow as he follows Stephanie. She glances over her shoulder, giving him a flirty wink before disappearing into the washroom. Ranger waits until he hears the shower starting before opening the door to join Stephanie beneath the shower spray. Stephanie lets Ranger take control. They get dirty again before rushing to clean and dress in time for the meeting.
Ranger and Stephanie enter the conference room with one minute to spare. Hector plays the first recording once Stephanie sits to Ranger's right. Stephanie wipes the tears from her eyes as she notices what Floyd has done to Vito's daughters. Ranger passes her the black handkerchief from his pocket. She smiles in thanks and returns her gaze to the screen. Stephanie gasps upon learning Floyd's parents died at his hands while in a murderous rage. Without thinking, she touches Ranger's arm, finally understanding why he didn't want to have a relationship with her for years. "Sorry," Stephanie whispers. Ranger nods imperceptibly, but she sees it.
His nightmares often make him react without thinking or realizing he isn't in some war-torn country fighting for his life. Stephanie knows where Ranger's thoughts are heading and moves to sit in his lap, giving him the connection and comfort he needs to watch the videos. She closes her eyes a second before Floyd kills Vito's oldest daughter. Ranger presses soft kisses to the nape of her neck, attempting to keep her calm.
Hector plays the second video when the first one ends. Stephanie gasps when The Hunter reveals his parents' corpses on the bed. She turns to bury her face in Ranger's neck. He rubs her back as Marion Floyd describes the demon possessing him. Stephanie doesn't need anyone to confirm what she already knows. Vito Grizolli and Terry Gilman are dead. The Hunter, in a fit of rage, takes their lives to get what he thinks he deserves as payment for selling his soul to Uncle Sam.
She peeks at the others in the room, wondering if they are capable of harming others as Floyd has done. Thinking about her Merry Men in that manner causes her skin to erupt in goosebumps. Lester sees them appear on her pale arms.
"Steph, everyone is capable of that atrocity. We've all done horrible things while under contract with Uncle Sam. The difference between us and Floyd is a therapist. We," Lester says, pointing at the others, "talked through our issues. Sure, we have PTSD, but so do you."
"Talking to Sam Wilson helps," Stephanie says. Sam Wilson, who coincidentally shares the name of the comic book hero, Falcon, is Rangeman's resident therapist. Stephanie knows Sam's father is a fan of Stan Lee's comics, naming his son after his favourite Marvel character since his surname is Wilson. Sam and Stephanie share Mr. Wilson's fascination with the Marvel universe. They plan to watch the Marvel movies during Rangeman's marathon movie night.
"When did you start talking to him?" Lester asks. Others in the room, besides Tank, Hector and Ranger, are unaware of her meetings with Wilson.
"After Clyde Cone kidnapped me and attached shackles to my ankles," Stephanie confesses. Tank raises a brow. He's unaware Stephanie went to Wilson that long ago. "Wilson saw me in the break room, picking at the label on a bottled water. He went to the cupboard above the fridge to grab a TastyKake hidden behind the granola. Wilson sent the others from the room and told Hector to stand guard. He told me about a mission where some rebels kidnapped him. After sharing his story, I told him about what happened. I've been talking to him since." Stephanie smiles at another memory.
"Babe?" Ranger asks, encouraging her to continue for the sake of the others. She hears the door open and sees another man entering her peripheral vision.
"Sometimes, neither of us talk. We sit, occupying space and enjoying the silence of each other's company. Sam understands without me needing to explain. There's nothing like the connection I have with Ranger. It's like Sam and I have kindred spirits or something. Wilson knows when I need to talk to him," Stephanie attempts to explain. "I think we were siblings in a past life."
"Steph," Wilson says, pressing a TastyKake into Stephanie's hand. She glances up and smiles at her friendly therapist. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. We can't let Floyd get away with everything he's done. The man killed so many innocent people in the past few weeks. I bet the tally is higher once the other precincts enter their cases into a central database," Stephanie replies, pressing a hand to her chest. She turns to look into Sam Wilson's face. "I know he wants me."
"Do you need time to prepare?" Sam asks, knowing Stephanie will lure Marion Floyd before he kills her family and friends.
"Yes," she whispers. "I need you, Ranger and Hector to help me lure him into the open."
"On seven in thirty minutes," Ranger says. Wilson nods and offers Stephanie his hand. Stephanie turns to kiss Ranger before sliding off his lap. She knows he will take her to the break room for an emergency TastyKake.
Ranger waits for the door to close behind them before addressing the men in the room, "Stephanie's right. She needs to draw Floyd into the open, and she's the only one who can do it."
"Why does he want Stephanie?" Lester asks.
"The same reason why we all love her," Ranger replies. "Stephanie brings happiness and light to our miserable lives. We are mentally sound because she guided us through the darkness with her light. I never thought I would remarry, but with Stephanie, I couldn't help myself. She's my better half. I am nothing without her."
"Hear, hear," the others chant, quickly agreeing that Stephanie brings joy to their miserable lives.
~~~~~~
Marion Lindsay Floyd is known as The Hunter in the military. It took him many years to earn the title. He's the best of the best, and the military is trying to find another man to take his place. Others rise through the training, but none are as good as him. Marion takes pride in his skills.
The day starts with Floyd meditating, trying to formulate a plan to infiltrate Rangeman. He searches his memory for a conversation with one of his friends several years earlier. His friend Slick is a contract worker at Rangeman. Floyd hopes to use his friend to access the building and Stephanie. He wonders if Slick will help him. There's only one way to find out. Floyd grabs his phone to contact his friend.
Slick answers his phone, wondering who's calling him this time, having just hung up after talking to Tank. Slick has a six-hour shift at Rangeman to cover the internal cameras. He's hoping Ranger is offering him a full-time job, changing his mind about the upcoming replacement for Snake, who is moving to Miami to take over for a retiring employee.
"Are you busy?" Floyd asks.
His disappointment in hearing Floyd's voice is evident as he replies, "Not yet. I have a shift in a few hours."
Floyd questions, "Where?"
"At Rangeman in Trenton," Slick replies, making Floyd's inner beast rejoice. "The boss refuses to offer me a full-time position."
"Perfect," Floyd says. "I need to call in my favour."
"I don't think now is the time," Slick argues. "The boss and the core team are planning a sting."
Floyd suspects it involves him and laughs, "I bet they're looking for me."
"Not likely," Slick says. "I don't know about the operative; I only need to cover the internal monitoring station." Floyd finds the news almost too good to be true. He hopes Slick helps him enter the Rangeman building without the others noticing.
Slick suppresses a groan as he listens to Floyd's plan for getting a tour of the building and kidnapping Stephanie. Floyd neglects to tell Slick that he plans to kill Stephanie to snuff out the light his demon needs to destroy. Angry at Ranger and Tank for offering Stephanie Plum the full-time position the previous month, Slick agrees to the plan. He knows Ranger won't hire him permanently. Contract workers rarely receive full-time employment at Rangeman.
"When do you start work?" Floyd asks.
"1600 hours," Slick replies.
Floyd grins as he checks his watch, happy that he only has to wait seventy-five minutes. "Let me in at 1615," he announces and hangs up. Slick stares at his phone, hoping he didn't make the biggest mistake of his life. Ranger will kill him if anything happens to Stephanie Plum.
The Hunter tears the burner phone apart, removing everything that Rangeman can use to trace back to him. A beaker containing acid sits on the kitchen counter. Floyd drops a few pieces of the phone's circuit board in the acid. It hisses and bubbles as the plastic dissolves. He takes great pleasure in erasing himself from the device. Once he drops the last phone piece into the beaker, he retrieves his knives to sharpen.
Floyd tests each blade on paper, slicing through it quickly. He carefully wraps the knives in rough cloth and secures it with a dark brown cord. When he checks his watch, he sees it's time to head to Rangeman on Haywood. Slick will open the door at the back so Floyd can slip inside without anyone being the wiser.
He gets into the car he stole close to Vito's house the previous night. The plates are stolen from a vehicle he found near Terry's home. Nobody will trace the car back to him. He wonders if everything will go according to plan. As he drives toward Rangeman, he touches the bundle containing his knives. He smiles once he reaches Haywood. The street behind Rangeman is full; no parking spot is available. A crappy brown car pulls away from the curb a few feet away from him. Floyd parks in the place. "Is this a trap?" he mumbles to himself. He tucks the bundle in his shirt, hiding them from view if someone other than Slick is watching the cameras. Floyd knew Slick didn't tell his boss about the visit since he enters the building without interference.
Stephanie and Ranger watch the live feed from the new camera in the Rangeman's back hallway. It isn't part of the internal monitoring system, since it's new; part of Stephanie's plan to protect her and capture Marion Floyd. Hector took Stephanie's plan further and put undetectable cameras near the ones already set to monitor the building.
"Your plan's working," Ranger says. "Proud of you, Babe."
"I hoped Floyd would contact Slick. They served together for years before Floyd started working alone for the Green Berets. I'm glad Rodriguez uncovered that nugget," Stephanie replies dismissively. She doesn't think she deserves the praise for organizing the plan.
They watch Hunter enter the utility elevator at the back. It's time for Ranger to disappear into the panic room in the closet. Hector will play a video showing Ranger using the stairs to reach the third floor.
"Wish me luck, Carlos," Stephanie says. She kisses Ranger before he slips into the closet and behind the hidden panel.
"Take this," Ranger says, passing Stephanie a switchblade. She isn't willing to be up close and personal with a knife, but she takes it, slipping it into the waist of her pants.
The men think Stephanie's feeling sick and needs time alone. She knows Hector is hiding beneath the desk in Ranger's office, watching the cameras and replacing the live feed with a recording. Everyone in the operative group is wearing microphones and earpieces to listen to everything happening.
"Aquí," Hector whispers. Stephanie knows Floyd is outside the apartment door. She knows the men are protecting her, but she can't stop the fear from enveloping her.
A light knock on the door makes Stephanie jump. "Go away," she gruffly calls, sounding raspier than usual.
"It's me," Ella replies. Stephanie freezes in her place. She knows Hector and Ranger can't hear Ella's response since Stephanie isn't close enough to the door.
Stephanie pulls one of Ranger's sweatshirts over her head. She slips the knife into her hand, ready to use if Floyd is with Ella in the hallway. She puts a fake smile on her face and opens the door. "Hi, Ella," Stephanie says. She feels Floyd close by. Come in." Stephanie holds the door open wide enough for Ella to step inside.
As Stephanie moves to close it behind Ella, Floyd rushes inside, knocking Stephanie off her feet, but she grabs Floyd by the shirt and pulls him down on top of her. She feels a sting of pain from the impact. Her eyes widen as Floyd grins. Blood pools beneath Stephanie as Floyd lies on top of her. Ella screams, "Stephanie!"