Chapter 39

LPOV

I made sure Manny and Cal had my address before leaving the tattoo parlour. They wouldn't accept any payment for our tattoos, or Mallory's tattoo. If we happen to get more, there is no way I would permit them to wave payment.

Stephanie was already preparing dinner when I returned from buying more ingredients. She had peppers, chilies, onion, celery, tomatoes, garlic and many more ingredients on the counter. I could tell she was having some difficulty mincing the vegetables. "What are you making?" I pointed to the minced tomatoes.

"Oh, I'm making my own salsa this time. Did you get the fat free cheese Ella said to buy?" she asked.

"I did and I also bought the pasta she recommended," I answered.

"Thanks Luke. Can you give me a hand? I have so much to do." Instead of verbalizing my answer, I gave her cheek a kiss and pulled on an apron. Just as I started to mince the garlic, the doorbell rang.

"I've got it," Mallory shouted. A few seconds later, she entered the kitchen with more people than we invited.

"Babe," Ranger said as he took a seat on the bar stool.

Lester looked at the counter before asking, "Beautiful, you're making it?"

"I am, but this time I'm making my own salsa," she answered.

"Oh man. Rodriguez, do you mind if I take over helping your wife?" Lester asked. He probably wanted to learn her recipe.

"Actually Les, I could really use more help. If you plan to sit in the kitchen, then I can put you to work. We have extra cutting boards, knives and aprons. Get to work or go sit in the living room," she ordered.

Mallory started laughing when Ranger, Tank, Bobby and Manny grabbed the items and started to help. I watched her grab the cheese grater and pass it to Cal.

"Told you," Stephanie stated.

"I should have known better," I agreed.

We only invited Cal, Yvonne and Manny, but somehow all the men from the mission were helping us prepare dinner.

Around 20 minutes later, all the salsa ingredients were minced and put into a large stock pot on the stove. Ranger was stirring the salsa as it cooked. We could have used it fresh, but Steph insisted it needed to be cooked to properly mix the ingredients. He took a taste and said it needed more lime. "It doesn't need more lime," my wife argued.

Stephanie tasted the mix and grabbed the cilantro. She added a good sized pinch along with more pepper. After giving it a stir, she pulled out a spoonful to taste. With a nod, she grabbed another spoonful and offered it to Ranger. "Wow, you were right. It did not need more lime," he said.

Ram was watching the pasta cook. Stephanie decided to use the Ranger approved pasta. Mallory grabbed the casserole dishes and put them within our reach.

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SPOV

Having my friends in my kitchen helping me prepare dinner was amazing. Lester was very enthusiastic when he realized what I was planning to cook. Lucas passed around the beer someone thoughtfully brought. It was very noisy, but I wouldn't change a single thing.

Yvonne and Mallory were sitting at the table, taking in the sight of the men cooking. I started laughing when someone finally noticed Cal's wedding band.

"Took you fuckers long enough to notice," Cal snapped.

I laughed harder when someone said, "We're men. We don't notice shit like that."

"Von, how good are your cake decorating skills?" I asked. I was using our hot plate to make the fudge topping for the cake I baked when I got home.

"Pretty good. Why?" she asked.

"Do you mind icing the cake?" She readily agreed to help.

I brought the pot and decorating knife to the table. After placing the pot on the cork trivet, I handed her the knife. Mallory placed the chocolate fudge cake in front of Yvonne and let her get to work. "You have to work fast or the fudge icing will harden," I instructed. A few times I caught her eating the fudge topping.

Lucas watched as I showed Lester and Ranger how to layer the pasta, salsa and cheese. I gave every dish a quick mix and put them into the oven to cook. "Dinner will be ready in 45 minutes. Go sit and mingle," I said shoving them from the kitchen.

After taking a small washroom break, I entered the living room to find every surface was utilized. I heard a car park in the front and decided to let my additional guests into my house. "Hi Daddy, Bernie, Andy. I hope you brought your appetite."

Mallory slipped behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist. "Sorry I didn't ask first. Dad asked what I was doing for dinner."

"So you invited him," I finished. "Mal, we have more than enough food. I'm more concerned how we'll fit everyone around the table."

We walked into the living room with our arms linked together. Lucas reached out a hand the same time Manny reached for Mallory. I was pulled onto Luke's lap, slamming my shoulder into his chest. An involuntary gasp left my lips. "Are you okay Sweetheart?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Just a little sore from the tattoo," I replied. Manny started laughing. I gave him the Burg glare. He wiggled his eyebrows and I started laughing too.

We talked about nothing in particular. Rangeman protocol dictates we need to take a 2 week downtime to recover from our mission. Lucas, Cal and Woody were still in charge. I was going to go crazy sitting around for 2 weeks, but I knew Mallory would be with me.

Speaking of Woody, he entered my house with a file folder. Instead of handing it to Ranger, he gave it to dad. "It's all handled Sir. You can move in whenever you're ready," he stated.

Mallory jumped off Manny's lap to give Woody a hug. "You got the house?" I asked.

"We did. Mallory's moving in with me," he answered. "It's a few houses up the road. I even have a few guest rooms."

"I'm so happy for you Dad," I said while standing up.

When I gave him a hug, he said, "It has a guest room for Craig. He's moving to Trenton in a few months. Wants to be closer to his family." There was a story revolving around Craig. I'll try to patiently wait for Mallory to tell me.

A few minutes before the oven timer chimed, Tank, Woody and Cal went outside. They carried in a few folding tables and chairs. Our living room was a decent size, so they easily fit the tables into the room. After setting up the space, they left to grab more supplies. Stacks of dishes and cutlery were carried into the house.

With help from Hector, who just arrived with Roger, they covered the table with tablecloths and place settings. As though their moves were choreographed, they had everything set up within minutes… just in time for the casseroles to be removed from the oven.

Hector, Lucas and Mallory helped me carry the casseroles to the table. Several trivets were spaced down the centre. "Help yourselves," I ordered as Mallory put serving spoons in each dish. I was seated between Mallory and Lucas. Dad sat at the head, Andy at the foot of the table.

Lester moaned when he took his first bite, "Oh my God! This tastes much better than the other one."

"It always tastes better with homemade salsa," I stated.

"If I didn't see it for myself, I would never believe you cooked this Little Girl," Tank added. "It's amazing."

"Babe, give Ella this recipe," Ranger ordered.

"I gave it to her earlier," I confessed.

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LPOV

The men were enjoying the healthier version of Stephanie's casserole. I must admit it tastes delicious. She was visibly pleased everyone was enjoying the meal. "You really made this Pumpkin?" Frank asked.

"Yes Daddy, I really made this," she replied.

"She's actually a very good cook," I added.

"Steph can cook more than this?" Ram asked.

"I can. You should taste my baked mac and cheese," she replied.

There were quite a few meals she could make. Anything pasta or rice related, I let her take control of the kitchen. Steak or roast chicken were left for me to cook. Most times we worked together to prepare our meals.

Once the final casserole dish was empty, the guys cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher. Someone thoughtfully brought small plates, forks and the cake to the table.

Mallory cut the cake into enough pieces to pass around. I thought for sure Ranger was going to pass on dessert. He took a forkful and popped it into his mouth. "Ella hasn't made this cake in months," he commented. Stephanie started laughing until she cried. "Babe?" he questioned with a raised eye.

"Ranger, Stephanie made the cake. Ella helped her made it healthier, but every chocolate fudge cake at Rangeman was baked by Stephanie," I replied.

"It's kind of my specialty," she confessed.

"Cal, I really like your friend. Anyone who could bake such an amazing cake is my best friend," Yvonne commented.

Stephanie and Mallory jumped up from the table to grab something. They returned with an armful of beer. Once everyone had one, Steph raised her bottle and said, "To Cal and Von, congratulations on your marriage."

"Hear, hear," the rest of us shouted.

She sat back and listened to everyone congratulating the happy couple. Everyone was having a great time.

Woody had to leave for his night shift. I thanked him for bringing the extra supplies. He promised to collect them in the morning.

Nobody else was in a hurry to leave. Cal and I were the only people scheduled to work the following morning. The other Rangeman employees still have a few weeks off.

"Ranger, do you have a few minutes?" Stephanie asked our boss. With a nod, he followed her into the basement. I trust my wife, so I wasn't worried about them spending time alone.

Close to 30 minutes later, they returned. Stephanie's eyes were a little red, indicating she had been crying. Ranger looked a little sad too. They must have talked about something very important. He approached Mallory and gave her a tight hug. I couldn't hear what he whispered, but it must have something to do with her sister Emily.

Cal, Yvonne and the generals thanked us for dinner and left. Stephanie saw them to the door. Roger and Hector gave her a quick hug before following them through the door.

The only people left were the ones involved with the main mission and me. I was going to leave them to talk, but Ranger said I should stay. Some of the information gathered during the mission directly affects Rangeman.

Stephanie grabbed her secure Rangeman laptop. I kept her searches running while she was away. The last of the searches were started when we got home today. "You'll be very pleased to know all the full and part time Rangeman employees in Trenton, Boston and Miami cleared the in depth checks. I have some concerns regarding your Atlanta branch," Stephanie told Ranger.

She took a seat beside him to show him the results. "Who?" he asked.

"I'll get there. First I want to show you the other branches. Trenton, as you know, was the first branch I cleared since they knew about your mission. I cleared Boston next. Even the contract workers we use for Boston and Trenton are cleared. With the exception of Dietz, all Miami contractors passed, as did your full and part time employees," she paused.

"Atlanta?" Tank asked.

"Well, I know you've been having problems with the management you left in charge. There's a very logical reason. Read this," she said passing Ranger her laptop.

The more he read, the angrier he became. He eventually slammed down the eerily calm face I know Stephanie hates. Ranger passed the laptop to Tank. When he finished reading the intel, he passed it to Lester. Bobby was sitting beside him, so they read the information at the same time.

"Time to cut our losses, primo," Lester stated. Tank and Bobby quickly agreed.

"I'm sorry Ranger. I know how you feel. Tell me what I need to do," she said as she touched his arm.

"Mallory, would you be willing to infiltrate Rangeman Atlanta?" he asked.

"Anything to help boss," she replied. I listened as they planned out her task. She would be trading places with the only trusted employee in Atlanta. It wasn't going to be easy for her to pull off, but being under probation, his plan will definitely work.

Stephanie retrieved her laptop and started typing away. Since everyone knows she's a programming wizard, she wasn't afraid to use her talents. Ranger raised an eyebrow as he watched her work. "What did you do?" he asked.

She smiled before answering, "Someone set up a firewall to prevent Hector from accessing the onsite server. Every time he removed it, someone would replace it with another one. It's as though they had their own programmer to continuously watch for any IT security protocol changes."

"When Hector rolls out a new protocol, someone removes it?" Tank asked, trying to make sense of what Steph stated.

"Exactly. Effective immediately, all employees of Rangeman Atlanta lost their credentials. None of them can access or modify their server. Expect a lot of complaints," she warned them. "I've already sent messages to Silvio, Hector and Juan warning them not to help."

"Have you frozen salary increases and hiring?" Lester asked.

"Yes and overtime. They aren't permitted to call in contract workers," she said with a smile.

"What was the program you placed on the system?" Ranger asked.

With a smirk, she replied, "A Rangeman nanny cam."

"Nanny cam? What exactly is that?" Ram asked.

Hal started laughing, "It's a live feed parents use to spy on their nannies or babysitters. Wouldn't they notice the cameras are on?"

"The cameras are always on within the building. Each cubical and office has a hidden camera. Unless you scramble the feed, every action is recorded," she replied.

How on earth did she discover this? All the men know our laptops have webcams, but how did she know our cubicles did too? Very few people were aware of these cameras. Only Ranger, Tank, Lester, Bobby, Hector and I knew. It was part of the internal system design. This was the precise reason these men would oversee all construction in the Rangeman Control room and offices.

"When?" Ranger decided to ask. I noticed he didn't bother asking how she found out.

"My first day working in the cubicle," she proudly answered. "Can you call your brother on speakerphone, Les?"

"Sure," he replied and placed the call.

"Yo bro," Enrique Santos answered. "What's up?"

"Are you in a secure location?" Les asked.

"Is home secure enough for you?" he joked.

"Hi, my name is Stephanie Rodriguez. I work with your brother in Trenton. We have an unusual request. My sister Mallory Price will be trading places with you starting tomorrow. She'll work your surveillance and monitor jobs, you'll come here to help me with my project," my wife told him.

"Were you Stephanie Plum?" he asked.

"Before I got married," she quickly replied.

"Wow. I've heard so much about you. I would love to help you. Should I tell the boss?" Enrique asked.

"All the required people know," Ranger announced. "I'm sending Price on a chopper tonight. Meet her at Cafe Mimi at 2300."

"Will do boss. See you soon bro," he said before hanging up.