Chapter 40

SPOV

It wasn't easy showing Ranger all the intel I gathered about his Rangeman Atlanta men. The core team he has in place were plotting to overthrow Rangeman ownership. Each core team has shares in the company, but the largest percentage of shares belong to Ranger, Tank, Lester and Bobby.

They've been claiming higher operating expenses than the other branches. It was their overtime claims which triggered something was amiss. When I researched in more depth, I discovered they were siphoning money. We could legally charge them with embezzlement, but I knew Ranger didn't want to take that route. He would rather cut off all financial support to the branch than charge his fellow soldiers with theft.

Ranger was sending Mallory into the mess to see how they interact with her. I knew they would pounce on the fresh meat to turn her against us. We told Enrique she was my sister because we didn't want to deceive family. He filed a few complaints, but we could never prove his claims.

"They can still disable the cameras using their fob," Bobby stated.

"Actually, they can't. I've disabled their fobs. They can enter the building, control room, gym and their onsite apartments. The application they use to reprogram the fobs has been removed from their server," I informed them.

"It sounds like you locked them out of everything. Is there anything they can do with the Rangeman system?" Hal asked.

"Yes, they can access the application they use to monitor client accounts. I have an email created to notify all their current clients of the change in management," I replied. "Did I overstep boss?"

"No Babe, you did not," he answered. The only thing Ranger hated more than the evil men on earth, was disloyal comrades.

Rangeman Atlanta isn't going to know what hit them. "What aren't you telling us?" Lucas asked.

"If they try to hack into the server, it will be erased. All their data would be lost. Don't worry, I have a backup copy of everything. Including information from their personal computers they used for Rangeman programs," I replied.

Based off that information alone, they could be terminated. They were to only use Rangeman equipment for programs. No exceptions.

Mallory needed to leave soon. She packed her bag, but she didn't have any Rangeman uniforms, or enough panties. I dragged her to my bedroom so the men could talk. They had some serious decisions to make.

"Why do you have so many brand new sets?" Mallory asked.

"You don't really want the answer do you?" I answered with my own question.

"None of these bras are going to fit. Can I take all your sports bras?"

"Sure. They should fit you. Some of them aren't new," I reminded her.

"Whatever," she stated. "Beggars can't be choosers." Thankfully my brand new, tag still attached, panties would fit her. She grabbed every single pair. Since we wear the same size clothes, she took all my Rangeman gear. I can get Ella to replace mine.

"You literally cleaned me out," I observed. "Let me know if you need anything else. I'll have it shipped to you."

"Thanks to your generosity, I have everything I need. I'm going to miss you Steph," she said while giving me a hug.

"I'll miss you too. I love you Mal," I whispered.

"Love you too little sis," she said before bounding down the stairs and out the front door. Manny was driving her back to Rangeman.

I rejoined the group in my living room. Juan and Silvio were heading to Trenton early tomorrow morning. We had to ensure they were completely on board with the plan. Their IT departments were put on notice. They were to only help troubleshoot client security systems. Any Rangeman program requests were to be handled by the Trenton team.

"Guys, I rerouted the numbers. If they call the Miami or Boston Rangeman numbers, we'll receive the call in Trenton. I added it to their phone system program."

"Babe," Ranger said before giving me a huge smile. When I yawned, they decided to call it a night. "Meeting 0800 tomorrow."

Bobby whispered, "Use protection for the next month. Antibiotics counteract your injection." I let them give me a hug before leaving.

When it was just me and my husband, I locked the door and set the alarm. Lucas checked the side and back doors.

"Honey, I need your help," I whined. My shoulder was feeling a bit sore. I need Lucas to help me remove my shirt. He also needs to apply the antibiotic lotion to my tattoos.

"You never have to ask me to undress you Sweetheart," he said approaching me. He gently lifted my shirt over my head. "Another tattoo?" he questioned.

"Yep. I need you to help apply the lotion," I answered. I smiled as he peeled back the bandage.

"Steph," he moaned when he saw the tattoo. He kissed the back of my neck before applying the lotion. When he replaced the bandage, he pulled his shirt off for me to help with his matching tattoo. After I pulled off the bandage, he said, "We match. Except for the charm."

"I know. It's a beautiful tattoo. Do you know what makes it more meaningful?" I asked. He shook his head. "You created it."

"Is that why you duplicated the tattoo?" he asked.

"Maybe a small part, but mostly because it's a perfect representation of our story." I applied the antibiotic to his tattoo before replacing the bandage.

He helped me with the one on my right hip. "Is this the same as Mallory's?"

"Yes," I replied. Lucas changed the bandage on my arm. It didn't look infected which made me feel better. When he attached a new bandage, he held my face between his hands and kissed me. It didn't take long for us to finish stripping each other. Before he could enter me, I stopped him. "Luke, I'm on antibiotics. Unless you want to have a baby in 9 months, we need to use protection for the next month."

Lucas reluctantly grabbed a condom from the nightstand. Once he had it in place, he lifted me onto his lap and pushed into me. We frantically made love since it's been so long. It didn't take long for either of us to explode.

He replaced the condom and made love to me again, slower this time. I poured all my love for him into our kisses and touch. In return, he poured all his emotions into our connection. I've never felt this powerful of a connection between us before now. It's as though exposing all my secrets reduced my inhibition. Lucas must be feeling the exact same way. "I love you so much," he growled as he spilled into me.

"I love you more," I reciprocated.

LPOV

I thought I already loved Stephanie with my whole body, heart and soul, but I was mistaken. Our recent intimate connection blew my initial thoughts out of the water. Not having any secrets between us and our Rangeman friends opened up a whole new level of emotions. I've never been so completely in love as I am at this moment. Stephanie, my gorgeous wife, is my everything.

She fell asleep after we made love for the third time. My wife needed me as much as I needed her. I would love to have a baby with her, but with everything going on at Rangeman Atlanta, I thought it was best to wait. We've talked about having children. Neither of us are in a hurry, but we also didn't want to have the 'oops, I'm pregnant' type of accident. When we have children, I want them to be planned. I also want to be married to her for at least a year before we try.

Sleep came much easier to me tonight. Having my wife in my arms quickly lulled me into dreamland.

Stephanie wasn't in bed when I woke up. I could hear our shower running. Grabbing a condom, I left my warm bed and joined her. "Took you long enough," she said as I pushed into her warmth.

"Lucas," she screamed as I flicked her clit. I growled out her name as her muscles milked me. "Honey, we're going to be late and technically, you're still the boss."

She was right of course. I need to make a good example. Stephanie was attending the meeting to go over the new protocols with Juan, Hector and Silvio. I had a feeling Ranger was going to put her in charge of the department. He doesn't realize Steph doesn't want to work in the IT department. She loves her current job.

Confirming my thoughts, she said, "Luke, Ranger better not do something as stupid as making me the IT department head. I have no interest working in that department. My job with BEA and client relations is more suited to my personality."

"What if they only ask for help when required?" I suggested.

"I'll continue offering them support, and program rewrites, but I will not do more than absolutely necessary to keep Rangeman secure. To keep our men safe," she sternly answered.

"You're always taking care of everyone else. It's one of the many reasons I love you so much," I said while parking the car at Rangeman. We still have 15 minutes until our meeting.

She grabbed my hand as we walked towards the elevator. Her fingers entwined with mine. We held hands until we entered the conference room. Ranger motioned for me to take the seat to his right. Stephanie sat next to me, grabbing my hand again. I know she felt like she was being too needy, but I found myself needing to touch her too.

"Report," Ranger ordered.

Tank stood in front of the group and notified everyone about the situation with Rangeman Atlanta. "Under no circumstances are we to offer them any technical support unless it involves repairing a client's security system. Once we get an unbiased handle on their operation, we will be selling the branch. Any questions or anything to add?" he asked.

Snake, one of the transfers from Atlanta added, "New recruits are required to follow the revised Rangeman protocol. I still have a hardcopy of the manual if you wish to review it." Ranger nodded. He wants to know exactly how many changes were made.

Stephanie's phone chimed during the meeting. "Sorry," she stated. "You guys need to see this." She used her phone to lower the screen and project the live video Mallory was sending. I noticed she muted our side of the conversation. What we saw and heard was absolutely appalling. Not only did they disrespect Rangeman protocol, they said the most unflattering things about Stephanie. Everything they said were complete lies.

When one man appeared on the screen, Stephanie said, "Wait a second, is that your branch manager?" I wasn't sure what she was asking. Hector was typing away on his laptop to pull the file and project the image onto the screen. The photo in his file was old. It was his photo from his early Navy days. "He's Joe Morelli's best friend from the Navy."

"Are you sure?" Lester stupidly asked.

"Positive. Sonya set up a blind date for me a few years ago. He was the man," Stephanie replied. I heard her mumble, 'An egotistical tyrant who ripped my shirt off me before I beat the fucking shit out of him.'

"He said it was a skip," Snake said while laughing. "It must have been a real blow to his ego."

"Ranger, isn't that around the time you started experiencing management issues in Atlanta?" Lester asked.

"It was," he snarled. "How many?"

Stephanie had Hector's computer running through all associates of Greg Dixon. All his core team and department heads were in the Navy with him. It appears most of the men employed at our Atlanta branch were friends of either Dixon or Morelli. No wonder that branch is underperforming and causing Ranger grief. I wouldn't be surprised if Morelli himself was sabotaging Rangeman through his friends.

"All of them except for Enrique Santos," Stephanie replied. She sent a message to Mallory to discontinue the live feed, but to continue recording their activity. Lester quietly slipped from the room and returned a few minutes later with his brother.

I moved from my chair and pulled my wife onto my lap. She winced before shifting forward to relieve the pressure against her right hip. Lester took my seat, Enrique took his seat, placing a manual on the table.

Ranger looked at Enrique and barked, "Report."

"Dixon rewrote the Rangeman manual," he pushed it towards Ranger. "Most of the original men either transferred to other offices, left or fired. The only reason I survived so long is because I'm related to the boss. All my privileges were revoked a few months ago. I can receive calls, but I can't place calls. When I asked our IT department to fix my phone, I was told it was your order. They gave me paperwork with your signature."

Steph asked, "Do you have a copy?"

He unlocked his phone and passed it to my wife. She grabbed the offered cord from Hector and plugged the phone into the computer. With a few keystrokes, she removed the security restrictions from the phone. All emails containing file attachments appeared to be deleted. Stephanie smiled and searched the mail server for the duplicates. She gave Hector a wink before she pulled the files.

"It's definitely your signature Ranger, but do you see this mark here?" she asked rhetorically, "It also appears on everyone one of these documents."

"They made a digital copy from another document and replicated it for their own purpose," Lester practically yelled.

"Enough!" Ranger yelled. "Enrique, welcome to Rangeman Trenton. You are officially transferred. Tank, bring Mallory home. Now!" he ordered. Apparently this was the final straw.