It took us almost a week to actually really end our negotiations. A week. But after that everything was settled and I had come to the realisation that Ranger had agreed to almost every single demand from me, amending a very few to more favourable terms for him and getting me to agree to co-CEO RangeMan. I still wasn't sure whether I had been drunk when I agreed to that since I really still had issues with the fact that Ranger had built up RangeMan from the scratch and I was just claiming it as mine in a way. Though, obviously not in a 'going to the papers and telling everyone it is my company'-kind of way. We worked out a deal that made us technically share the responsibility, but everyone having their own field of expertise. I was responsible for everything client related: contract negotiations and Sales, acquisition and walk-throughs as well as complaints. The K9 unit would remain my responsibility as well, same went for the project of the LA office.
Ranger would handle everything Bonds, communication with the alphabet agencies in regards of everything that they needed and the redecorations.
We shared responsibilities in regards of recruiting, expansion – should that ever come up again in the future – as well as personnel related things like evaluations, reminders of annual requalification in regards of fitness and gun control. Though it was decided I did the reminders and Ranger did the … um… 'reprimands' in case issues that I was expecting a lot of issues.
Ranger initially wanted me to remain in the office I was currently in, but I refused. While I liked his office I never saw it as mine. Also, I figured with Cal being my second-in-command and him taking over a lot more responsibilities, I needed him closer and with his own office that was more or less next to mine. So… after more extensive negotiation it was decided I would move to the sixth floor, which was a bit odd, seeing that Ranger was on the fifth, but there was simply no space on that floor except for a utility room that was too small and had no windows in order to host an office and make me a happy camper. It isn't like I had a lot of expectations, but I knew being stuck in a shoebox size office with no windows would drive me sooner or later insane. So the sixth floor was partially redone to get a few offices set up – thinking about maybe needing a few more in the distant future. While the reconstruction took place Ranger decided it would be an amazing idea if we actually made the floors topic related. So 'my' floor on six became Sales, while he named his floor Bonds on the new buttons in the elevator.
"Do I get my own Merry Men?" I asked amused one night and Ranger looked like he was thinking of smiling.
"Do you want your own Merry Men?"
"Well," I started, thinking about his question for a second. My request had been rather playful and not even thought through, but now that I actually thought about it, it made sense – to some degree anyway. "I will definitely want to recruit a few MerryBabes."
"Merry Babes?" Ranger asked still amused and I nodded.
"Well, Merry Men and Merry Babes. Or maybe I need to think about that name again. But, anyway, I need a few girls. That would make things especially with client acquisition and walk throughs easier. Well, with female clients anyway. While the Merry Men do their best, even you can't deny that their physique can be…slightly intimidating at first."
Ranger nodded at that, knowing fully well I was right. And it wasn't meant in a bad way. The Merry Men were the sweetest bunch of guys I ever got to know, but clients usually didn't have that knowledge and would require time to see that side of them as well. Maybe. It wasn't like they had a rather urgent need to express their emotions or that side of their personality to anyone really.
"Maybe we find a way of asking who'd be interested in switching back and forth between you and me. I know there are a few Merry Men who probably wouldn't quote walk-throughs and client meetings as their favourite part of the job. A few like it and a few others don't mind either way."
"And how do you want to handle the … um… MerryBabes?" Ranger asked and I could tell he found it incredibly hard to not laugh at my impromptu made-up name.
"I'd say the usually RangeMan way. The requirements should be the same, so military background or something similar. Same expectations in regards of fitness and gun handling – since you never know what you could potentially walk in on with a client meeting on site. And I guess applying two sets of standards for employees would be stupid and is reason for plenty of conflict sooner or later. One or two would be plenty in the beginning and I could actually really get some relief since I wouldn't need to do all the walk-throughs myself. Also… when doing a walk-through for a male client in the seedier parts of town, they will always be accompanied by two or three Merry Man just to make sure."
I know it seemed excessive and judging by Ranger's rather well masked expression he thought so too. But I have had plenty of experience – as RangeMan CEO as well as BEA – to know that things on Stark Street and its vicinity could easily go very very wrong if the guy you meet thought of you as nothing more than a pretty face. I had learned that lesson pretty much at the beginning when I had met Gold. Muscle behind a pretty girl made sure that the guy didn't even consider options other than this being a business meeting.
I saw Ranger doing some weird calculation in his head as well as on the paper in front of him and he was most likely doing a rough cost-benefit-analysis.
"For what it's worth I'm certain there won't be a lot of these situations and clients from Stark Street lining up. So, it could maybe be just once a month, if even that much. Just for new accounts. We can drop it the moment we actually know who we are dealing with," I tried intervening.
"Okay, let's start with one or two in regards of recruiting and see how it plays out in regards of the additional muscle. We could play this by ear and just see who would be available on the days it could be required. If push comes to shove you could always take one of the Core Team members – we can intimidate enough for three Merry Men," Ranger grinned and I had no problem imagining it. Especially Tank. He didn't even need to do much, other than breathing, and people would most likely shit their pants already and think twice about doing anything stupid.
"Sounds good. Now all you need to do is share your knowledge with me in regards of how I'm actually getting word out? I mean, RangeMan has been known so far for only recruiting men. I guess I could do the old-fashioned ad in the paper thing, but… not sure that will do the trick. Thoughts?"
"You could start by hitting up the guys here and see if maybe they have a name for you. I mean, the military has enlisted women by now since quite a few years, I'm sure some of them – at least younger recruits – might have a few names for you. Or they could reach out for you to female ex-military. If that doesn't help I could see if I can cough up some names by asking around. But obviously starting off with someone that actually is known by someone at RangeMan might make things easier. With someone who none of us know nothing about could pose a challenge when you realize all of a sudden that it isn't a good fit. And then you start from scratch."
So that's what I did. I composed an e-mail, initially planned for the Trenton Merry Men but decided on making it a company wide one. For one it would show that we actually tried going a new way and also opened up possibilities for more names and hits. People within the military tended to stay connected and just because someone was living and working for RangeMan Houston didn't mean they didn't know female ex-military that wasn't living in Trenton or willing to make the move.
I was surprised when I got replies in regards of how many actually seemed to think they knew about good fits, or – at least in regards of the heads of the other offices – inquired what was up with me looking for female employees. After my reply to most of them, I was almost certain they'd soon start looking into that option as well. Well, after I was done with my list of names, they could gladly take whoever was left….
Three weeks after I had gotten a ton of possible names and asked a few of the Merry Men whether they'd be okay with establishing a first contact in my name, I was proudly writing another email to the Trenton Merry Men, introducing Rebecca and Mackenzie, who both ironically had requested to do the normal and full initiation to RangeMan. The same one the newest male recruits would do: shifting back and forth between various duties. When I explained that this wasn't necessary since not really part of their job, they both told me that they didn't want special treatment and just wanted as the guys needed to do. Fine by me. So we worked out a schedule where one was shadowing me for a few days, while the other did the MerryMen routine and then we switched.
Ranger mentioned that this way would work even better, since it meant that technically if I should ever have less to do and they would get swamped they could just switch and join his 'department' for a few days.
It seemed everyone was happy and I finally had some female support at RangeMan – not that I really needed it, but sometimes it really was good having women around this bunch of guys and a little less testosterone.
It seemed as if my idea to get a few female co-workers, started a whole frenzy with the other offices. Not in regards of the girls itself, but rather the possibilities they all of a sudden seemed to realize they had. Especially since my distraction job for the Denver office it seemed Collins had taken to the idea of at least one or two female employees. It wasn't like they were generally opposed to the idea before, but… and I got it, the idea of female co-workers posed a certain risk. A lot of the bad guys saw women as easy targets. Especially if they didn't look like a female copy of Ranger or Tank.
On not work-related news, living with Carlos was…easy. In fact, we were so in sync it was almost scary and we quickly established a very comfortable routine. While he went for his run – all by himself – I tagged along with Cal, keeping him on as my running mate and occasionally humouring Carlos by letting him infiltrate our duo. At first I had been worried he might be disappointed that I technically choose Cal over him as my work-out buddy, but it wasn't like he wasn't my number one guy in general and that I wasn't seeing him three days a week right after I had finished my run with Cal in order to meet him for a round of sparing. And not spending every single second glued together was most likely the reason why our relationship blossomed the way it did. Especially seeing that we shared an apartment and worked in the same building and were technically fulfilling all requirements for spending every waking moment together. But the moments we spent together were… sizzling. Even Rebecca and Mackenzie took only five minutes to realize that. Not that my relationship with Ranger ever came up really. But according to them, even a blind guy could see that Ranger was undressing me with his eyes each time we were in a room together – or at least in close vicinity to each other. Well… it wasn't like they were wrong.
And every time we actually met without spectators, he did unsurprisingly undress me. Not just with his eyes. And thing… well, things went a natural direction. Sometimes I think the undressing started before the elevator door up to seven even had fully closed. During these moments I just hoped Carlos was scrambling the feed. Well, I would have thought of it if thinking any coherent thought would have been possible. But Carlos pressing himself into you and you therefore against the nearest wall made thinking sort of hard and almost impossible. And let's be honest, we had a lot of catching up to do. Like almost two years of his disappearing and a few years before that as well, when neither of us had been able to pull our heads out of our asses.
Also, we had by now enough time for all the catching up we felt was necessary. And Carlos was just too happy to oblige with whatever hunger or need I was feeling, not that he usually was fare behind with his own need and hunger for me.
Sometimes I couldn't help but smile when thinking about the past two years and the things I and we had accomplished. The roads we took and travelled on. It might not have always been easy for me, but it took me a long way to realize that even the hard times when I not only felt like crying, but actually did, I managed to grow stronger and grow up. Everything that was brought up against me, my parents, Morelli and everyone else who thought I couldn't do it made me realize that before Ranger and RangeMan I hardly ever had anyone in my corner and someone who actually believed in me. And if it hadn't been for Carlos's uncertain departure, I wasn't sure whether I wouldn't still be with Morelli now, thinking this was it, this was how it was supposed to be like and our relationship and more importantly him were normal and – even worse – acceptable. That his behaviour was acceptable and the norm at some point.
Leaning into Carlos behind me, taking a sip of the glass of wine he had just handed me a moment prior and letting another day come slowly to an end I was grateful for the realisation that what Morelli and me had was more of an arrangement than me and Carlos ever managed to do. While our relationship was to a certain degree an arrangement as well it was based at least on respect and love – though it took us a while to realize that. And while I don't doubt Morelli didn't love me as well, he loved me more in his own way than Carlos ever did. Morelli had technically more qualifiers than Carlos could ever have come up with – the difference being Joe was shitty at actually following through. Whenever he realized I wasn't going along with his general life plan of us getting married and me popping babies and becoming the typical Burg housewife we split, just to find our way back to each other at some later stage once more, assuming now we could work out. Which of course it didn't because nothing ever changed. It was anything but healthy, but I never really realized it until now really. And wasn't that some conclusion? All it really took was for Carlos to disappear, me taking on RangeMan and then for Carlos to reappear almost two years later.