105Kidnapped
Chapter 6: Labyrinth
The phone felt like a heavy weight in her hand as she stared at it, willing herself to dial the number that she really should be dialing. Stephanie knew that she had to call her mom, and by extension Valerie, but it was hard having to call when they didn't actually have Mary Alice back yet. She sighed and got into her thinking position on the bed. They were done with staying in hotels (too dangerous now in Tijuana anyways) and were in a little house on the outskirts of the city, a much poorer section of the city. The house was empty, though still looked like it had been recently lived in.
The bedroom door opened and Stephanie turned her head to the side, knowing it was going to be Ranger without having to look.
"Still haven't called?" he asked, removing the gun from his back and setting it down on the nightstand.
Stephanie shook her head, watching as he walked around the room. The sun was just beginning to set, bathing the room and Ranger in a red glow that made her breath hitch. He stripped off his shirt and set it down on the only chair in the room, rolling his neck back, trying to relieve some of the tension in his shoulders. He turned from her and Stephanie gasped at the array of foot shaped bruises across his back. He stiffened at her gasp.
"Geez Ranger," she whispered, getting off of the bed and going to him. She bit her lip and reached out to softly run a couple of fingers across the blackening spots.
"It's fine Babe."
She shook her head and the tears welled up in her eyes. "You're always getting yourself hurt for me." Thinking back along those lines, her eyes moved up to the scar on his neck from Scrog and she stifled a sob – the emotions from the day finally catching up to her.
"Babe." He turned again and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her an inch or two off the floor to bring her as close as possible.
Stephanie buried her face in his neck. "Why do you do so much for me?" she asked, mumbling the words into his skin.
No words came from him for several long moments before he finally spoke. "Do you even have to ask?"
Sometimes it was hard to remember that Ranger Manoso didn't do relationships, that he wasn't 'family' material, because the truth was that he showed her love so often that she often got swept away with the emotions that he created in her. They might have been in the middle of a drug war, in a different country all together, but it only made it harder to guard her heart.
He pulled away from her and brushed the curly hair out of her face. "You'd better call your family Babe, let them know that you saw her."
"Yeah, I know."
He kissed her on the forehead and disappeared into the little bathroom to take a shower.
Stephanie settled back on the bed, sighed, and dialed her parent's number.
"Hello?" her mother answered.
"Hi mom it's me."
"Oh, Stephanie, thank God you're alright! We've been so worried, Valerie's just beside herself. What's going on now, what's happening?"
"We saw Mary Alice today, she's alright so far… she wants to go home but you know her, she's a brave little girl." Stephanie didn't want to go into great detail with her mother but knew that they needed to know what was going on. "We don't have her back yet but we will soon, we just have to do a couple of things for him first."
Mrs. Plum sniffled over the phone and Stephanie heard the sound of a chair scraping across the linoleum kitchen floor as she plopped down. "Oh Stephanie please be careful."
"I am Mom, everything's going to be fine, you don't have to worry."
"But I'm your mother and it's my job." Mrs. Plum sighed again. The silence over the phone became thick with tension and Stephanie waited for her to say something else, she knew her mother was going to. "Stephanie?"
"What?"
"Um, Mr. Manoso…"
"You can just call him Ranger, Mom."
"Oh, well okay, just tell him thank you, I can't imagine how we're ever going to pay him or anything." Helen sounded confused, unsure about why he was helping them.
"Mom I don't think he expects payment."
"Well, he didn't say anything about it to your father, really he didn't say much of anything at all… but I don't understand why he was willing to help so readily."
Now it was Steph's turn to sigh. "Mom he's my best friend, I'd do the same for him if he ever needed me to."
Helen's intake of breath was long and slow. "I know dear, but it's just so – rare. To be that close without anything else."
She didn't feel like trying to explain their pseudo-nonrelationship and probably would never even try to explain even if she wanted to, she didn't understand it herself.
"Mom, I'd better go, we have an early start tomorrow."
"Alright, tell Ranger to be careful too."
"I will Mom, bye."
She hung up after her mother bid her goodnight. She placed the phone on the nightstand by Ranger's gun and stretched back out on the bed, waiting for Ranger to get out so that she could brush her teeth.
The next morning they rose early at six and got ready for the next part of the plan. Eyes drooping closed at every turn, she dressed and washed, not bothering with makeup or hair, since what they would be doing wouldn't require more than a ponytail anyways.
According to Ranger the house that they were in was owned (also judging by the big, black XVIII painted on the side of the house) by a Mexican street gang with ties to the Gulf Cartel and it would be their starting point. Stephanie, of course, tried not to freak out but probably failed considering the concerned look the Merry Men threw in her direction. Remembering the meeting they had had when they got to the house still made her shiver. She wasn't dealing with pissed off skips who didn't want to go to jail, she was in a world ruled by war. In the war, everyone had to take a side, whether it be a cartel or a gang and they had to take a side too, in a way, and that side would be taken through Hector.
Stephanie had watched the Discovery channel enough to know what the big Roman numerals for 18 meant on the side of the house – the 18th Street Gang. Which translated into Jersey speak as they were royally and completely screwed. But it was their 'in' and they had to take it.
If one was to look at a map of cartel territory, the lines between cartel borders wouldn't butt up against each other like states. Instead, territories extended into other territories like far reaching fingers. Even though they were in Tijuana and the Gulf Cartel's headquarters were on the other side of the country, there were Gulf workers in Tijuana.
Just before the sun touched the horizon, everyone gathered in the little living room. Someone had pushed the decrepit, stained sofa out of the way, revealing a trapdoor just large enough for someone like Tank to squeeze through. They waited for a few minutes, everyone's eyes glued to the door, before a complicated string of knocks came from down below. Hector squatted and repeated the knock, having to wait another moment before the door suddenly swung outward, revealing a deep, dark tunnel and a short, weedy Mexican man on the other side.
He and Hector spoke a few words, both men grinning, before they did a complicated handshake in greeting. The man down below moved aside, leaving the opening clear.
"Abajo," Hector said, pointing at the door as he jumped down.
Tank grumbled something that suspiciously like 'I fucking hate tunnels,' and followed Hector down. Next Lester went with a 'here goes nothing.' Stephanie sighed. "There better not be any rats down there," she told Ranger as he nudged her gently forward.
"Babe."
"Don't 'babe' me Ranger, I HATE rats."
The friend of Hector's popped his head up, looking amused. "Ratas? No Ratas."
"Oh well that's comforting," she mumbled as Lester appeared to help her down.
"It's not bad Beautiful, I promise, besides I'd protect you from the big ratas," he told her with a wink and a swarthy grin.
"Santos," Ranger warned with a glare.
Lester's eyes rolled. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, Boss. Just having a little fun."
Stephanie sat down, legs dangling off the edge, took a deep breath and thanked God for the steady pressure of Lester's hands on her waist as he guided her down. She landed on her feet with a thump, little billows of dust rising from where her boots had hit the loose dirt. The tunnel was surprisingly well made with lights strung along the ceiling and hard packed earthen walls. At first she had to stoop but Lester held onto her hand as he led her down a few steps to a slightly lower level. Here she could stand up straight, but Tank had to walk with his neck bent.
After Ranger and Ram followed them down, Hector's friend shut and locked the trap door, completely cutting them off from the above world… Stephanie shivered at the thought. Ranger moved to her side as Hector began making introductions. With a nod, Hector pointed to the man that had opened the trapdoor.
"El Primo Alberto," Hector said, and then introduced the rest of them to Alberto, pointing each out so that the new man would know who was who. "Ram, Ranger, Estefanía, Tank, y Lester."
Stephanie gave a little finger wave when Hector came to her name and Alberto nodded in return. Stephanie didn't remember a lot from high school Spanish but she was almost certain that el primo meant 'cousin.'
With the introductions over they turned and started their trek down the tunnel, following Alberto. They walked in a straight line, heading southeast; every once in awhile they would pass by tunnels off the main path, and Stephanie would peek down them, curious, but she never saw anything different.
"Ranger?" she whispered, not wanting to break the silence.
He glanced down at her and nodded for her to continue.
"What's down the other tunnels, where do they go?"
"Some are drug routes over the border and others lead to other houses or businesses friendly to the Gulf," he replied.
Stephanie was silent for another moment, thinking. "How long do these tunnels go on Ranger?"
"Miles."
"And Alberto knows where he's going right?" she couldn't help but ask, imagining them being lost down there… for days.
"Babe."
She guessed that meant of course Stephanie.
The group was silent after that as their trek continued; they turned to the right after five minutes, and then the left, and then the right again. The tunnel seemed endless… totally endless. Every once in awhile they would spot water and sewage pipes dipping down from the roof before curving away. Stephanie figured they must still be under the city but it felt like they had been walking for so long… mustn't they by out in the desert by now? Besides the sound of their footsteps and breathing, the tunnel was eerily quiet, too quiet really. Stephanie felt a shiver shoot up her spine and her breath hitched. Something was off. She didn't know what, but all of a sudden, with every step they took, a feeling of foreboding tingled through her veins.
Without really thinking, she slotted her hand into Ranger's and squeezed. Ranger turned his head to her, eyebrows cocked in surprise. "Babe?"
Christ, she could really use a doughnut right then.
"Something's off Ranger, something ahead." She couldn't believe that she'd actually spoken it aloud, self-doubt was eating away at her right then… more than likely she thought she was wrong.
Ranger held up his hand, palm out, and the group stopped abruptly.
"Your spidey-sense going off Bomber?" Lester asked, putting his hand on his gun.
Stephanie nodded, tense.
Ranger strained to hear anything that might be ahead; thousands of scenarios flying through his head. There could be police ahead (though Hector had insured that this tunnel hadn't been found), a rival cartel, or another gang even. There were way too many enemies in Tijuana.
After a long, anxious moment they heard the sounds of rapid, angry Spanish from maybe three people several yards down the tunnel, just around where it bent sharply. With a quick hand gesture, Ranger silently pointed back the way they had come and they all turned, walking quickly. They reached one of the offshoots and they turned down it. This tunnel was newer, probably just recently dug out and there wasn't any lights strung above their heads. As soon as they were a few feet away from the main tunnel they were thrust into total darkness. Stephanie, fear suddenly suffocating her, grabbed tightly onto Ranger's right arm, her heart beating rapidly.
In the inky blackness, the tunnel seemed to close down upon her, the walls collapsing inward, cutting off her breathing. Suddenly they stopped and everything was still. Her back was against the earthen wall and Ranger was in front of her. Her hands curled into his t-shirt, grounding herself against the scream that was crawling its way up her throat. Ranger's hands came up to cover hers then, giving her what she needed, warming her suddenly ice cold body from her arms down. It felt like she was in that cupboard again, and he was the light.
They listened hard as the men in the tunnel passed by them, just a few feet away – they never even looked in their direction.
"Cártel de Tijuana," Alberto whispered after several long tense moments.
They waited for another minute, waiting to see if anyone else would pass by… or come back. Once the coast was apparently clear they entered the main tunnel again and continued on. They were moving much faster now, Ranger's hand clamped in hers as he pulled her along. The feeling of almost there was growing amongst them, and Stephanie could almost cry from thankfulness.
They made one more right and then stopped a dozen yards later at what looked like a dead end, but when Stephanie looked up, she realized that there was a trap door, just like there had been back at the little house. Alberto came forward and banged a complicated set of taps on the wooden planks. Soon after there was an answering five raps and Alberto stepped aside, the trap door swinging down.
A shaft of bright light illuminated the tunnel before a ladder was lowered down. Stephanie was the third to make the trip up the ladder (preceded by Tank and Lester, in that order). She emerged into sunlight, finding herself in an old, dilapidated warehouse. Mostly it was empty, except for several crates around the edges… and a man standing several feet to the right holding a sidearm, with a 'G' prominently tattooed on the man's neck.
They were now officially in Gulf territory.
A/N: Even though updates for Kidnapped may be sporadic at times, an update will always come... even if it's two months down the line. I have the end all plotted out in my mind, and I promise it will be finished. If you're ever curious about the progress on another chapter feel free to send me a message at any time. And of course thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter ;).