Chapter 6
I was astounded by the reception from the men after Ranger announced my promotion to a core team member. Vince approached me after the announcement, pulling me out of my chair and into his arms.
"Hands off, Vince. Beautiful is a married woman," Lester snapped, attempting to pull Vince from my arms.
"We should tell them," I said. "You know I'm right. It would make everything easier."
"Fine. I guess we don't have a choice. The guys would question when we attend events whenever Zero's working," Vince sadly replied. I knew he didn't want to spill the secret, but there really wasn't another option.
"Guys," I shouted. "Leave Vince alone. Expect to see him hanging around me when Zero works the night shift."
"Why Vince?" Bones asked.
"Because he's my second cousin," I replied, sitting back in my chair. Ranger raised an eyebrow. I thought he had uncovered this information during an intense background check on Vince or me. When I caught his eye, he shook his head slightly. Huh, I had a secret from Batman. His lip twitched as though he heard my thought.
"You may as well explain," Vince said before returning to his chair.
"Vince's mom, Belinda, was grandma Mazur's niece. We're related through the Gatlings, which is grandma's maiden name."
"You're related to Edna?" Lester asked before laughing his ass off. "I understand why it was a secret." Bobby smacked Lester on the back of his head.
"Lester, mats at 6 am. You must not wear a protective cup," I said. Lester gulped and covered his crotch. Zero squeezed my knee, letting me know he approved my action to defend my cousin and grandma.
"Zero, did you know?" Lester asked.
"Yes. Stephanie told me a month ago," he replied. I didn't keep secrets from my husband, and he didn't keep secrets from me.
"I'm not surprised Lester asked if you knew," I said to Zero, speaking Italian.
"We know everything about each other," Zero replied.
"Bomber speaks Italian?" Bobby asked.
"Does he understand our conversation?" I asked Zero, continuing to speak Italian. As I eyed Bobby, I could see he understood. But how much?
"Only one way to know." Zero leaned in to whisper, "Let's tell him something that's not true to see how he reacts. I will help us learn who else speaks it. I grinned evilly, wondering how much I wanted to bust their balls.
"We're expecting in nine months," I said, still speaking Italian.
"We're going to be uncles?" Bobby, Hal, Cal and Ram asked.
I nearly fell off the chair laughing. "Oh my gosh. That was too funny," I said. It appeared that Zip and Bones also spoke Italian. "Guys, I'm not pregnant. Zero and I wanted to see who would understand us. I would never spar with anyone if I were pregnant. I'm not stupid."
"That wasn't funny, Bomber," Bobby said. I was surprised Bobby looked upset and disappointed.
Tank slapped him on the back. "It serves you right, Bobby." Bobby had the decency to look ashamed. He apologized as I waved it off.
"Bobby, when or if I get pregnant, I'll let you know. I'm sorry for the mean prank. Okay?" I apologized, feeling guilty for giving the guys false hope.
"Okay, Bomber," he said, visibly relaxing. I would need my medic to get through a pregnancy should I decide to have a child. Hearing the disappointment around the room regarding a Rangeman baby got me thinking about having one. Huh, the thought of a child isn't making me break out in hives. Zero and I would need to have another discussion.
"She would be beautiful like her momma," Lester whispered. I was amazed at how fast our conversation fell down that particular rabbit hole. "Beautiful, we were wondering how your self-defence skills got so good in four weeks." Thankfully, Lester changed the subject.
"Vince, do you care to explain?" I asked. Everyone looked at Vince with opened mouths. They obviously didn't know he helped me. Why else do they think we spent our spare time together?
He laughed before saying, "I've been coaching Stephanie for the past six months. Have you not wondered why she could easily capture her skips? The only ones causing her grief burn, bomb or explode her cars."
I looked around the room at the men. They realized I had not rolled in the garbage for months. "Training with Zero tweaked the lessons from Vince," I added.
"Don't discount muscle memory, Babe," Ranger said. I could tell he was proud of me.
"You should be proud of yourself, Beautiful," Lester said. Why did his words mean more to me than Ranger's "Proud of you, Babe" words?
Zero squeezed my knee. He knew what I was thinking. I was incredibly proud of myself. My vacation in Italy taught me many things, including how it feels to be loved, adored and cherished. Teddy and I were equals.
"So… who is my partner?" I asked. We've addressed everything except who would be stuck with me during our shifts.
Tank took the lead by answering my question. "You have a bit more training to complete, Little Girl. Since you've proven yourself in the range, those lessons taught by Ram or Zip would teach you to fire various types of weapons. Defensive driving and how to spot a tail is with Woody or Junior. Bones or Binkie will teach you lock picking. Hector or Manny will teach you hacking. Bobby is in charge of teaching standard first aid. Lester and I will continue your self-defence lessons with Vince and Zero. Do you have any questions?"
"The Rangeman manual indicates I have to do a one week rotation with each core member. Considering I'm on the core team, do those rules apply to me?" I asked.
"Babe, they do not. However, I recommend you spend time with each team member to learn their role in Rangeman. We each take turns being on call during the weekend," Ranger explained. I narrowed my eyes, wondering if they wanted to have an extra weekend to themselves.
"It wouldn't hurt, Little Girl," Tank said. Great. I really need to learn not to speak my thoughts.
"Babe, you are invaluable to Rangeman. We wanted you on our core team for the past year, but you refused to sign a contract."
"Everyone kept asking why you weren't offered a job, knowing how much you brought to Rangeman," Cal added.
"And to us," Hal said. His face flushed pink. "Steph, you treat all of us like we're undamaged. Your light and kindness showed us that we didn't make our sacrifices in vain. You healed us." Hal approached me and turned my hair to kneel in front of me. He wiped a tear off my face before embracing me and whispered, "I love you, sister."
"I love you too," I whispered, then kissed his cheek. I found myself pulled from my chair and passed around the room. Zero grinned as the guys let me know how much I meant to them. I had no idea they saw me as the person who brought them back from the edge. "You guys certainly know how to make a woman feel loved and appreciated."
"Ditch Zero, and I'll show you how I love a woman," Lester joked.
"Santos, mats 0700," Ranger snapped. I had already called him to the mats. Lester lowered his head and mumbled an apology.
Tank issued the assignments for the week, announcing that I would spend the week with him learning the office management part of the Rangeman business. "Dismissed," Ranger called out. "Babe, a moment, please."
Zero chastely kissed me before leaving the conference room. "Yes, boss?"
"The men need to know you deserve the same level of courtesy as the other Rangeman employees. As a core member, it's imperative to demand respect from the men. They can joke with you in private, but joking during a meeting is disrespectful," Ranger explained. "Lester knows better."
"I understand, Ranger. Lester constantly jokes around me. I'm used to his silliness, but he should show some restraint during our meetings," I said, showing I truly understood his concern.
Ranger imperceptibly nodded. "Proud of you, Babe," he replied, pulling me into his arms.
"Are you mad?" I whispered. Now that we were alone, I needed him on my side. I didn't want to lose my best friend.
"No. I can't give you the type of life you want or deserve. I must admit I was surprised you got married again." Ranger brushed his fingers over my cheeks, wiping the tears that spilled from my eyes. "Theodore is a good man. I see you two have a connection stronger than our bond."
"I didn't set out to get married while in Italy, but neither of us could ignore what fate decided. We didn't want to hurt you. You're my best friend, and I need you in my life."
"Your happiness is all that matters, Babe. I would do anything to protect your relationship with Zero. Remember, there is no price." Ranger kissed my forehead before leading me out the door.
The day was hectic. I had no idea Tank had that many responsibilities to manage each day. He was in charge of payroll, scheduling, and equipment orders, among other mundane chores. My ass hurt from sitting in the uncomfortable chair. "I placed an order for a new one, Little Girl," Tank said, interrupting my thoughts. "You're sharing an office with Lester until we convert the storage room."
"Oh. Okay," I replied. "Thanks, Tank." I returned to the spreadsheets and database I created on my laptop.
"What are you working on?" he asked.
"I've created a database for everything in Rangeman, including equipment, supplies and employees," I replied. He moved his chair to sit beside me. "Everything in this database is linked to these spreadsheets. I'm using PowerPivot tables and queries to update the sheet." I moved the mouse to click on the spreadsheet Data tab and selected the refresh all option.
"How did you learn this?" Tank asked when he saw the tables in the spreadsheet update with the information I had in the database.
"It was part of my business course during college," I replied. "Each tab on the workbook represents a different department in Rangeman. When someone uses a box of ammunition in the range, Ram enters the information in the current application. Every morning, before you start your day, refresh the workbook. I'm getting Hector and Manny to create a staging application that automatically updates the database at 6 am daily. You just need to remember to refresh the workbooks to show the data."
"What happens if someone enters the incorrect information?" Tank asked.
I smiled and replied, "That's the function of the staging program. I've asked Hector to build in checks and balances. For example, Ram enters a number of ammunition rounds higher than our stock indicated. The inconsistency gets emailed to the person entering the data. It's their responsibility to correct the current application."
"Does the staging program automatically run?" Tank asked.
It was a valid question. "I can ask Hector if he can program the automation to run after the error gets corrected. I've also got him to set up emails to inform you when to place orders for equipment and other supplies."
Knocking on the door interrupted our discussion. "Enter," Tank said. The door opened, revealing my husband.
"Are we still picking up Mooner?" Zero asked.
I checked the time. It was close to 5 pm. We'd have enough time to pick him up, go to TPD and have Connie bail him out again. "We are. I'll need to call Connie on the way. I know you're supposed to come with me, Big Guy, but it's Mooner. I'll be fine." Tank hugged me before I left to retrieve my skip.
"Three o'clock," Zero said as we entered the TPD with Mooner. I rolled my eyes and approached Robin sitting at the desk.
"Hey, Steph. I heard you got married," Robin said in greeting.
"Yup. Robin, Theodore is my husband," I replied.
"Um… isn't that Zero?" she asked.
"Zero is his nickname. His name is Theodore. We've known each other since birth," I answered. I could see Joe off to my right.
"That's bullshit, Cupcake, and you know it," Joe snarled. I patiently removed the photograph from my purse. My grandma gifted me the original copy of us at age four from the photo album.
Robin accepted the picture and flipped it over. She read our names, ages and the date off the back. "The ink is blurry like it had been sitting in an old album. It looks authentic to me," Robin said for Joe's benefit.
Joe ripped the photo from Robin. I was relieved it didn't get damaged. He hung his head and passed me the picture. "I can see you loved him when you were children. Is it really over for us, Cupcake?"
"Yes, Joe. I'm married and I know this one will last," I quietly said. Nobody needed to hear our conversation. Joe held his arms open for a hug. I wrapped my arms around his waist and put my head on his shoulder. "Your future wife is out there waiting. Now that you're not tangled with me, maybe she'll make herself known."
"If you hurt her," Joe said to Zero. He nodded, saying he got the message. It wasn't the first shovel talk Zero received, and I doubt it would be the last.
