Recap: Ranger, Steph, and Lester bask in afterglow. Lester reveals that being conspicuous on Friday might make the Saturday capture easier.

Tank

I had been a little surprised that Stephanie and Ranger had invited Lester into the room with them, but there are two things that will make men truly close. Knowing each other since birth, and knowing each other while risking death. I had one, Lester had both. Lester obviously had a crush on Bomber, but I hadn't known she harbored any feelings herself.

Maria coaxed the 5 of us away from the room Lester, Ranger, and Bomber had gone into. Lula didn't want to go, unsurprisingly. She kept trying to get back to the window and look inside. I figured Stephanie might prefer to not have everyone in Trenton know what she was up to, so I decided to come to the rescue.

I whispered in Lula's ear "It has been forever since we went out dancing. Would you do me the honor?" I held out my arm in a Gentlemanly manner. Luckily she took it, and we walked to the dancefloor a couple rooms away, and I wrapped my arms around her. Bobby and his date, whose name I hadn't caught, were doing the same nearby. Maria seemed to have disappeared.

Lula and I had dated a while back, but it hadn't worked out. Technically we had broken up because she was allergic to my cats, but beyond that, she was just barreling along way too fast for me. Somehow we had gotten engaged, but I had no memory of it. I just woke up one day and she had on a ring and was planning a wedding. Eventually it was obvious that she had bought it herself and told me I had proposed, but I was in so much shock it didn't occur to me immediately.

Even once I had figured it out, I still had a real dilemma. Breaking off the 'engagement' would probably end the relationship, and it had been a while since I'd had one. Most women found me intimidating just because of my size. Add to that the security guard demeanor necessary for the job, and the rest of them stayed away. None of that bothered Lula, she just barged ahead to get what she wanted, and what she wanted was me. So I'd wavered, trying to decide if maybe I did want marriage. I decided to try it out, the whole domestic thing, and got some cats.

Turns out Lula is allergic to cats, but I bonded with them almost instantly. She wasn't willing to live with them, I wasn't willing to give them up. So the relationship ended. But we still had feelings for each other, and it was nice to sway on the dancefloor to Bon Jovi belting out I want to laaaaaay you down on a bed of roses, for tonight I sleep on a bed of naaaaaaails.

Lula's large breasts were pressed against my chest and I rested my chin on her head. My eyes still darted around, taking in our surroundings. It was a habit most of us had so ingrained in us that we would do it lying in a hospital on our deathbed. Motion at the corner of my eye caught my attention, the buffet food was being switched out, and my stomach rumbled at the sight of fresh chafing dishes being displayed.

"Hungry?" I asked, ever the chatterbox.

Lula glanced over at the steaming trays. "Oh, they have eggs and bacon and hashbrowns! I love bacon and eggs and hashbrowns."

She barreled her way to the serving trays, clearing a path with her voice. "Coming through, Lula needs bacon!"

I followed in her wake, somehow less effective at clearing a path despite being a foot taller. She was loading up a plate by the time I got there, piled high with fresh breakfast food. I got my own, then sat down next to her at the bench seat against the wall.

"Excuse me, do you have the time?" A sweet voice asked. The couple we had watched through the window, the black guy with dreadlocks and his white girlfriend, were settling down at the table next to us. I gave the guy the nod, then glanced at my watch.

"Three minutes past balls" I said, forgetting to translate into civilian time.

The guy nodded, the girl rolled her eyes while smiling widely. "One of these days, I'm going to meet someone who just says 'twelve-o-three' like a normal person. That's what I get for forgetting to put on a watch since I have to leave my phone in the car. You'd think I would have learned by now."

"Do you come here often?" I can't believe I said that. It sounded like a stupid pickup line. Especially awkward since I'd already seen this girl naked and having sex with both a man and a machine at the same time.

She nodded. "Anytime we're in town. It's our favorite. Especially the Sybian room."

It's a good thing that we were in the dark, and that I have such dark skin, because otherwise I'm sure she would have seen me blush.

"Yeah, we caught the early show, though Tanky here wouldn't let us watch the main attraction."

I wasn't sure I wanted to get into that conversation, but talking to someone who knew the place well could provide some information, provided it was framed right. "So what would happen if there was a fire in this place? It's dark and a bit maze-like. How would we get out?"

"There's a couple exits." the guy said. "Used to fight fires in the Navy, so I keep an eye out for them. The room with the 30 feet of mattresses in a row? There's a door there that leads to a parking lot, though I havn't tested to see if it's locked. And you see that door beyond the second bar?" he said while pointing behind him. "That goes to a sex shop. You can buy toys or extra condoms or lube, that kind of stuff. But it's open to the outside. If you're in the private rooms I think there's just the way you'd usually go to the main door, unless one of the utility rooms has an outdoor exit I don't know about."

I nodded. Useful information. I looked in the direction he was pointing, and saw Marie sitting with a couple, her hand on the woman's leg. Seemed she'd made friends.

"Is the sex store just for people from the club?" I asked, hoping it wasn't.

"No, anyone can go, but you do get a discount if you come from the club. And the clerks have to buzz you back in, though once some guy followed us. I'm assuming his mind was blown once he saw the dancefloor."

And with that, a plan formed in my head. I knew how we would do the takedown.