Chapter 6

What I really wanted to know was how these men picked up my intuitive nature. I literally just met them. "Beautiful, we're the best of the best. It's why the Army always sends us on delicate or difficult missions. Over the years we've fine tuned our skills. We can read a person's personality through their body language, facial expressions and changes in their eyes. Your words to Tank also showed how quick your mind works and hinted at your intuitive nature. I have never heard anyone ask Tank, as a joke or not, if his last name was Sherman," Lester said.

I was trying to wrap my head around his words when he added, "For example, the way you're touching the laptop and the glimmer in your eyes tell me you know exactly how it works from a programmer and user perspective," Lester stated.

Damn it! They couldn't possibly know, but I finally get the message. It will be more difficult to trick this group. I'm not sure if I would even attempt to. I was itching to see if you can find that information when you search my name. He pulled my contract in front of him and wrote 'Amendment' on the blank last page.

I ignored him as I opened the laptop. Attached to the frame above the screen was a post-it note with my username and temporary password. Ranger sat beside me to walk me through the process. He was surprised when I brushed off his assistance. "I know how to use a computer." Lester nodded knowingly.

Ranger chucked, then let me work through the login and password change process. I heard him gasp as I quickly maneuvered to the Rangeman programs to run my name. "Babe. How did you know the steps to use the program?"

"As I said before, I know how to use a computer," I said, proving Lester to be correct. If only they knew I took programming courses during my EE Martin employment days. I wasn't sure how they could, I never used my real name and I couldn't use the credits earned towards a diploma. They were open to everyone, no prior high school diploma required as a prerequisite. My latest course was already paid in full. I start the final course next week. Shit! I forgot to negotiate that into my contract.

Lester was sitting across the table. From the twitch of his lip, I realized I said that aloud. He quickly scribbled an amendment before handing it back to me. I set the laptop aside as the search ran.

Ranger laughed as he read Lester's amendment. 'Rangeman will pay for all courses, past and current, upon successful completion, regardless which name was used to register. Additional course fees will be covered by Rangeman. Should a tutor be required, Manny Ramos or Hector Silva will be volunteered.' It was too much. I'm already receiving a sign on bonus, a stipend to pay my rent and a company vehicle. They are paying for my insurance, permits and weapons. He had initialed and signed the amendment. I waited for the remaining core team to sign before I finally caved and signed my name.

The computer chimed, indicating completion of my search. I was impressed with the level of detail the search provided. Smirking, I entered additional search parameters. My grades from Kindergarten to College appeared on the screen. I was impressed with my grades. "I should have requested my transcripts," I mumbled. When I graduated college, Dickie said I barely passed. My transcript definitely indicates I was in the top 5 percent of my graduating class. A quick credit check showed I was in good financial standing. No record of my computer programming course registration or grades.

I started a new search because I was nosy. Dickie barely passed his undergraduate degree. How on earth did he manage to get into Law school? When I researched further, I noticed the transcript attached to his application displayed my transcript with his name. I was furious. "That rat bastard," I shouted.

Ranger watched as I entered more information into the parameters. I uncovered an ID for Dickie that didn't contain his photo. The man in the photo, who I know is Melvin Peters, was obviously paid to write Dickie's LSAT and bar exams. Dickie barely graduated Law school. It appears someone used Daddy's money to buy his degree. I quickly printed the results. "Where does this print?" I asked Ranger after checking the default printer name.

"Tank's office," he replied after reading the printer name.

"Good. This information needs to be stored in a secure location. I have a feeling we'll be needing it soon." Tank nodded before sending a text. The guys were very quiet. I wasn't used to being around so many talking impaired people.

"Little girl, you're very good at this. We never uncovered that much information about your ex during our search," Tank said with pride.

"I'm a very nosy person. My spidey sense told me there was more to what I was reading. I've learned to follow my instincts. That is when I'm not busy hiding in denial land," I attempted to explain.

"Go ahead, search your father," Lester pressed. He must have known I stumbled across information I wanted to dig into.

I entered Daddy's name and received confirmation regarding his first wife. Grandpa said I should ask Daddy for the details, but I really didn't want to be blindsided. My spidey sense was on high alert. His first wife was named Pilar Garcia. She died on October 12, 1980 while giving birth to her son, who died a few days later. I read her medical history to discover she was only 24 weeks pregnant when she went into premature labour. The doctors were unable to stop the contractions.

Something struck me as odd when I searched the funeral records. Pilar was buried in Washington beside her son. A side note from the funeral director indicated the son's coffin contained a baby boy who was not genetically her son. Their mitochondrial DNA didn't match. However, the boy was still related to Pilar.

I must have sighed because Ranger asked, "What did you find?"

"It's strange. Dad was married before he met Mom. I already knew," I quickly added. "His first wife died during childbirth and his son followed a few days later. When I searched the funeral home, I found a note indicating the child buried was not her biological son. I'm trying to understand why the funeral director drew samples for a DNA test. To my understanding, it's not their typical protocol."

"Maybe he couldn't see the resemblance between mother and son. Most funeral directors in the DC area take samples to map the genetic information of the deceased," Bobby reasoned.

"Why would they want to do that?" I could only assume they made it protocol in case they received a body mislabeled or unidentified.

"Our fallen comrades are sent to DC for burial. Some are unidentifiable due to fatal injuries sustained during battle. Each sample is mapped then entered into a database. The military has a program to identify the person based on the results." Bobby knew a lot about the process.

"I'm an Army medic. Before we leave on a mission, our handler collects a blood sample. It's stored until their charges miss 3 consecutive check ins. At that time, our handlers send the samples for DNA mapping along with name, rank and serial number. The government lab technician enters the data into their database and flags the soldier as MIA. Many times I had to collect samples from men we had to leave behind," he explained.

"If you had their dog tags, why collect a sample." I had no idea soldiers had to endure this level of mental trauma while serving our country. Seeing so much death and destruction must cause them to have a lot of nightmares.

"Imagine there are several fallen soldiers who died from encountering an IED. Their body parts and tags are blown several yards apart. How do you correctly identify them?" Lester asked. His visual caused me to shudder.

I was lost in thought for a few minutes before asking a few follow up questions. "Are we assuming there may be circumstances where they aren't wearing their own tags? Or they located tags not belonging to their team?"

"Anything is possible," Ranger added. I never considered other options, but I guess you shouldn't rule out probable contingencies.

"Even having a record of their soulmate markings aren't reliable for identification purposes," Bobby threw out.

"Okay. You guys have made your point. Even if they found a fallen soldier still intact, there's no guarantee they're wearing their own tags. DNA is the most accurate way to positively identify fallen soldiers." I had to shake the image of dismembered body parts from my mind.

"Correct," they all replied.

"So back to my brother... I think he's still alive." I was reading more information about the funeral homes.

"It's definitely a possibility. The hospital also could have switched 2 babies who died," Bobby offered. My spidey sense told me my brother was still very much alive.

"I feel as though I'm onto something. My spidey sense says my brother is still alive. Do you think I could have some privacy? I want to search through the information without the possibility of interruptions." I looked at the men around me, hoping they would grant me the privacy I desperately need.

"You can use my office," Lester offered. He was scheduled for client meetings for the rest of the day.

"Thank you." I initialed and signed the remaining documents. Henry arrived in time to retrieve them.

"Expect a copy by the end of day," he announced as he placed the copies in his briefcase. He quickly swept from the room wearing a huge grin. I guess he noticed the addition to my contract. Hopefully I didn't bite off more than I can chew. Training with these men was going to be a real eye opening experience.

Ranger directed me to Lester's office. "It's now 1730, Ella will have dinner ready for us at 1930 in my penthouse. I'll collect you at 1915."

"Thank you. I'll see you then." He kissed me before leaving and closing the door.

Prying into Dad's personal life was a bit intimidating. It felt like an invasion of his privacy. He never kept his first wife a secret. I discovered a paternity test among his medical records. Results from a few other men were included in the report. I was completely astounded. Why did they include the other men in his report? Shouldn't the results be confidential? I quickly researched the lab used. In their mission statement, they indicated a customization option for the results. If more than 2 samples for paternity was provided, for a small fee and signing an authorization letter, you could request the results to be provided on the same report. All interested parties had to be in agreement. Multiple copies are issued to provide results to all parties involved.

Could this be the reason Joyce hates me so much? I saw who was listed as her biological father and I wondered if she knows. The date of the test was a few weeks prior to my Trenton return date. At some point in the near future, I'll have to confront her. In the meantime, I sent the information to my email and filed it away to deal with on another day.

I entered Pilar Garcia's name into the search engine. The detail of information available was surprising. I discovered she was the niece of a prominent Mob boss. Her cousin Juan and wife gave birth to a boy on October 12, 1980. She went into premature labour at 26 weeks. Her baby remained in the hospital for 6 weeks before he was released. I entered the child's name into a new search.

My brother has been living in Trenton for the past year. I can't wait to meet him. When I pulled up his DMV photo, I saw a man strongly resembling Dad. The only difference was his nose and hair.

Ranger entered the room as I saved and sent a copy of the results to my personal email. He read the name in my search. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. The family attempted to bury it, but it didn't prevent me from uncovering the truth. Dad thought he died. He would be excited to meet him."

"When do you plan on telling your father?"

"Not until after I meet my brother. I have a feeling the introduction to Dad would be easier if he already knows his sister." I logged off and powered down the computer.

"Leave it here, Hector will collect it later. He's at your apartment installing a security system. I'll show you how it works when I drive you back home."

Ranger guided me to the elevator where he hit a button on his fob. The elevator immediately rose to the seventh floor. When the doors opened, I saw a tastefully decorated lobby area. A long skinny table with a floral arrangement was directly across from the elevator doors.

"Ella insists on having fresh flowers throughout the building." I could tell from his smile he was more than willing to indulge his aunt.

"They're pretty," I said as I took time to smell them. "Nice fragrance too."

He grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the door I didn't readily notice. His apartment was very masculine. I smiled as I looked around the living room. The kitchen was separated from the dining room by a bar counter. Elegant black bar stools were on the side closest to the dining room.

A dark mahogany with seating for 8 was set in the dining room. I ran my hand across the table surface. "I have extra leafs to expand the table to seat 12," he said as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Have you ever invited 12 people for dinner?" I asked, not convinced he shared the table with more than his core team.

"No. Only my core team, Ella and Luis have been in my apartment."

"Why such a big table, Batman?" I purred.

He lifted me onto the table as a light knock sounded on the door. I could swear I heard him mumble, 'Damn woman is never late.'

I quickly got off the table to greet Ella at the door. "Hi, thank you for cooking dinner for us. I'm sure you had better things to do."

"I enjoy cooking for my boys." She wheeled in the cart filled with covered dishes. I followed the tantalizing aromas to the dining room.

"Do I smell sausage Alfredo?" I asked as my stomach growled in anticipation.

"Yes mi hija. Sausage Alfredo for you, Chicken, rice and broccoli for Carlos." She placed the covered dishes on the table before placing a smaller covered dish into the refrigerator. Ella exited after reminding us to leave the dishes for her to grab in the morning.

I raised an eyebrow, or at least I tried to, as I looked at Carlos. "What can I say? My body's a temple." Oh boy, I can't wait to worship his temple later. "Babe."

"Out loud?" I asked.

"Babe." Okay, that must mean 'obviously.'

We ate in companionable silence, well Carlos did anyways. I was busy moaning my way through my delicious dinner. After we finished eating, we took our dishes to the kitchen to rinse and load the dishwasher. I heard his phone chime.

"Hector's finished installing security at your apartment. I'll take you home to show you how it works."