Chapter 5: Regrets a Plenty

A/N: Good morning, loves! Thank y'all so much for the lovely reviews! I'm not sure what's considered proper etiquette. Am I supposed to reply to each one? Hoard them like a dragon with gold? My initial reaction is to hoard them, but I've noticed some authors reply to my reviews and I don't want anyone feeling left out or snubbed. :)

…..

Steph's P.O.V.

I drove on autopilot while I thought about the last hour outside the bond's office. I can't believe Joe would act like that! It's like he isn't in control of his thoughts and actions anymore. Ranger, on the other hand, seems to be hyper-aware of his. I doubt he does anything without major thought put into it. Which is slightly concerning because he has really ramped up his flirtations recently and I'm feeling like the mouse in a potentially painful game with a highly skilled cat.

I pulled into the parking lot at Tasty Pastry and contemplated why I came here. Why do I always resort to sugary treats when stressed? This can't be healthy. On top of that, why would I want to go to a place that is a visceral reminder of a less-than-ideal time with Joe? Before I could open that particular can of worms, my phone started ringing. I looked at the display and saw Tank's name across the top.

I swiped the green button and said, "Hey Tank. I'm guessing Ranger called you?" Might as well get to the point, it's not like he is particularly verbose.

"Yes. I've looked at the schedule and you can begin your training in one hour if you are available." See? Not a man to ramble on and on.

"Yea. I'm ready. So I just come to Rangeman then?"

"Yes. Someone will meet you in the lobby and get you set up."

"Uh Tank…. I don't know where Rangeman is. It's not like Ranger advertises it's location. I mean I doubt it's near that empty lot he uses for his personal address and that's the only place I can think of to look for it."

He chuckled. "409 Haywood. Just park on the street in front of it for now. Wear something black that you can move around in."

"Oh ok. See ya soon!" He hung up without replying. I rolled my eyes and started my car. I headed back towards my apartment and mentally began sorting through my closet for appropriate clothes. I don't own a lot of black so it isn't hard to make a decision. I guess I should look into expanding my wardrobe if I'm going to be doing this for a while.

An hour later, almost to the minute, I parked in front of a nondescript building halfway down the block in a semi-residential chunk of Hamilton Township. I took a couple of deep breaths before getting out of my car and heading into the building. As I got closer to the double glass doors, I noticed a brass sign to the left of the doors that simple said "Rangeman, LLC". Huh. I guess it wasn't this big secret after all.

As I walked into the building, I glanced around before focusing on the man at what was obviously a security desk. Hal looked up and grinned before speaking into his earpiece. The lobby was tastefully decorated in neutrals and had a small waiting area to the left with an elevator directly across from it on the right. A small hallway started behind the security desk. I started walking towards Hal but stopped when the elevator doors opened and Tank stepped out. He looked me up and down before nodding his head towards the open elevator. I guess he approved of my outfit choice. I was wearing simple black leggings and a black racerback tank top with a black sports bra underneath and black-on-black Nike running shoes. I felt more than a little silly dressed like a sporty mini-Ranger, but I didn't want to start off on the wrong foot by not following a pretty simple request.

The doors closed behind Tank and we started to climb. I looked at the panel to the right of the doors and noticed there were eight levels: seven floors plus a button labeled P. I'm guessing there's a parking garage available and since I didn't walk up a floor to get to the lobby, it's probably an underground one.

"Very good. I see we won't have to work too hard on getting your deductive reasoning up to company standard." Well, I guess my brain-to-mouth vomit isn't exclusive to Ranger. "There are seven floors here as well as an underground garage. You'll learn what each floor is for as we go along. Right now we are heading to three where the gym is located to meet up with Hector, Bobby, and Lester for you physical assessment."

A shudder ran through me. It's bad enough that they're going to find out just how abysmal I am at anything physical, but the entire core team will be present to see it first hand. There's no way this isn't going to make it back to Ranger now. Don't get me wrong, I know they're going to keep Ranger in the loop as much as possible about me, but I was hoping if it was secondhand information to start with that it wouldn't be too detailed. I should've known better. Ranger expects the best so it follows that he would only use the best to help me.

The elevator opened onto three and we stepped out into a long hallway. There were doors on one side and an open archway on the other. We headed towards the opening. As we walked closer, I could hear some laughter and low rock music. We entered what was obviously a gym complete with free weights, machines, and a sparing mat. I'd gone through a health kick in college so I knew what most of these machines did, but I am completely lost when it comes to weights or anything to do with that mat. Lester and Bobby were waiting for us between the machines and the sparing area.

I followed Tank over to a treadmill and the guys met us there. Tank asked me to warm-up on the treadmill so I started walking at a brisk pace while they explained what was going to happen today.

Bobby went first, "Hey, Bomber. So for today, we're just going to do some basic exercises to see your range of fitness and where we should go from there. I'm going to be working with you on a training plan so that you can get stronger but won't be bored out of your mind. There's a lot of ways to have fun working out and we can try different ones to find something that makes you happy. For the assessment, though, you're going to have to run a little just so we can see where to start you. Okay?"

I nodded. I hate running but as long as it's not the only thing I do, I can deal with it. After another five minutes, I ramped up the pace until I was running at a fast jog, hallway towards sprinting. I ran like that for 15 mins with the guys watching closely. Now I know how Rex feels when I watch him run on his wheel. I slowed the pace to a walk again and tried to control my breathing. Sweat was pouring off of me and I know my face was an unattractive red. After my cool down walk, I stepped off and looked over to Bobby for the verdict. I was surprised to see Hector had arrived while I was running.

Bobby nodded at me with a small smile and Lester stepped closer to me saying "Okay, Beautiful. Grab a bottle of water and meet me over on the mats." Hector handed me a bottle, and I walked slowly over while sipping it. I learned years ago that running and chugging don't mix. I stopped at the edge of the mat and looked at Lester. He waved me over towards him and said, "Alright, get in a defensive position about 3 feet away from me." I stared at him blankly before coming closer.

"Lester, I don't have a clue what you want me to do. My version of self defense is to hit them with my purse," I muttered. It's embarrassing to admit it, but I'm out of my depth just talking about self defense. "That's why I'm here. I need someone to help teach me basic survival tactics so I can defend myself on the streets. I don't need to be able to take down a drug lord, just keep my purse from being stolen out of my hands." Yes, that's happened before.

"That's okay. I'll help you into the stance and then we'll work through some basic moves to help protect yourself." He stepped closer to me and demonstrated what he wanted me to do. I shifted my left foot forward slightly and held my arms up blocking my face. He adjusted their position before stepping back in front of me. "Okay, so Bobby is going to help me demonstrate what we want you to do so you can see it in action. Then I'll break it down for you so you can try it yourself."

Bobby took up the same stance as me in front of Lester and waited. Lester lunged forward suddenly and grabbed Bobby by the shoulders and tried to drag him toward the door. Bobby reached up and swept his arms up and away breaking Lester's hold on him and keeping him from grabbing his arms at the same time. They stepped back and looked at me. Lester stood in front of me again. "Do you want to try it first or have us walk you through it step by step?"

I thought about it for a second. It seemed easy enough, but this isn't something I want to half-ass. "I think I get it, but can you walk me through it anyway? I don't wannt to assume anything."

He nodded and gestured for Bobby to get ready. Bobby raised his arms again and waited. Lester grabbed his shoulders again and stopped. Bobby started talking as he moved, "So what you want to do is take both of your arms and put them straight up in the air on the insides of his arms. Then you're going to push out and away like a little arm rainbow. This will force him to let go of your shoulders and leave you in a good position to go on the offensive if necessary or to run away as well." He did the little rainbow move again and stepped back towards the others.

Lester turned towards me once again and I got into a ready stance. I nodded at him and he lunged towards me and grabbed my shoulders. I hesitated for a second before bringing my arms up and swinging them down, sweeping his arms aside as I went. He stepped back and grinned at me. Before I could say anything he walked away and Tank cleared his throat to get my attention. He nodded towards the weight machines before turning and walking towards the first one. I guess that means we're moving on.

We went thru a half dozen of different machines with me doing a couple of reps on each one to see how much weight to put on it and to see if I knew how to use the machines. Personally, I don't know how you can screw up using them since there is a little for dummies diagram on each one, but I guess they were just being thorough. Once I showed the most basic of proficiency on the machines, we stopped and walked back towards the group. The whole time we were with the machines, Tank didn't say a single word. Talk about not wasting your breath.

Once we were all gathered together again, Tank explained my new schedule and a few new rules. "You will be working daily with Lester on your fitness and gun proficiency. Hector and Bobby will be working with you on your defensive skills each day as well. Three days a week I will instruct you in advanced tracking skills and the proper ways to capture a fugitive. I don't want you doing any skip tracing for Vinnie while you're learning so we will take over your skips until you are ready. You can run background checks here and help us with the preliminary work on the skips. You will receive a paycheck and a fleet vehicle. As an employee, you will be expected to be in uniform while working and to be armed at all times, whether you're working or not. When we're done here you will meet with Ella our live-in housekeeper, who will supply you with uniforms. Any questions?"

Wow. That's a lot to take in at one time. I blinked a couple of times before answering, "I don't think so. Seems pretty straight forward. I just didn't know I would be working for you while we did this. You know you don't have to give me a pity job. I signed up for this knowing I wouldn't have an income for a bit. It's not ideal but it's worth it so I won't keep getting injured."

They looked at each other before Lester spoke up, "Steph, it's not a pity job. We've noticed you seem to have exceptional instincts when it comes to finding a FTA. We're just going to put that to work and hopefully help hone that side as we improve your physical abilities as well. It only makes sense that we pay you since you will be working searching for felons for us anyway. The car is standard for any employee."

I thought about it for a minute before agreeing, "Okay. As long as I'm not wasting all our your time and resources. I won't pretend I like have to carry a gun, but I understand why I'm expected to. I don't want to be a burden or a liability. What's next?"

Lester put his hand on my lower back and guided me towards the elevator. "First we meet up with Ella and get your uniform squared away and then we head to the firing range and work on your accuracy." Oh joy. Nothing makes my day better than having someone take my measurements and following it up with having to fire a weapon. The confidence hits keep on coming.

….

A/N: I decided to post this early because I needed something positive to happen today. I don't know if y'all have stink bugs where you live, but they're crazy prevalent here in Mississippi. I've been up all night with the baby and finally fell asleep in the wee hours only to wake up a little later to a God-awful smell. Y'all, this freaking stink bug landed on my pillow and I rolled over it in my sleep. My hair stinks! All in all, not a good way to start the morning. So, I'm hoping to encourage good vibes by posting this next chapter. :)