2. Two...
Two hours. That's how long Ranger spent going over the file on Lillith Annabelle Peyton, age 35. It was an exercise in futility. He had been tired. The take-down on Stark Street took longer than it should have. Their target ran...dumbass. Needless to say, Johnny "Bobo" Wilson was sporting a broken nose and a bruised kidney when he was dropped off at the TPD. By the time Ranger had made it up to seven and into the shower he was only interested in sleep. Instead, he sat on the couch, nursing a bottle of water and reading about Her. Initially, he tried to scan the pages quickly. Once he was a third of the way through he knew he had to go back to the beginning and do it right. Reading every word, however, did not improve his overall understanding. This woman was giving Ranger a weird feeling. Not bad. Definitely not good. Weird. It turns out that it is completely possible to have every bit of information about a person, and still not know WHO they are. And what was worse was that two people were coming. Plus a dog.
After his morning run, Ranger stared out the window in his office trying to make sense of the new information. Lillith was from Georgia, raised by what appeared to be a loving family, and then she had attended Purdue. He had to reread the section of paperwork regarding her major and subsequent career choice two times. A Master's Degree in Criminal Justice followed by a five year stint as the Security Operations Manager for one of the largest Hotel Casino's in Las Vegas. This was about the time when the phrase What The Fuck started running through Ranger's head. No wonder she had "been involved" in the attempted robbery. He was going to kick Cal's ass, twice.
Tank's knock on the door frame startled Ranger, though he hid it well. "We'll be in conference room two Rangeman. Need me to take anything in?" Ranger handed Tank the hefty stack of confusion before exiting the office. "Make five copies of this… all of it." He shook his head as Tank headed for the industrial copier. Poor fool thought they were meeting about a normal security job. Minutes later the men seated themselves at one end of the table. Ranger at the head had Cal, Ram, and Tank to his left, Lester, Hector, and Bobby to his right. The door was shut with an obvious air of 'do not disturb' and the camera was deactivated. "We have a new client. Off the books." Ranger's reluctance peaked their interest. "It's complicated." He turned to Cal with a look that clearly screamed 'your family- your circus'.
Cal cracked his neck, rolled his massive shoulders, rubbed his flaming forehead. "I have a sister. Not by blood, but a sister anyway." Lester's wagging eyebrows elicited two growls and a head slap from Bobby. "She's moving into Rangeman with her daughter and dog tomorrow night. I'm expecting their arrival around two in the morning." Speechless is not adequate enough to cover the men's reaction. A few of them were momentarily struck dumb. "I take it she's in danger?" Tanks gruff voice broke the haze of surprise. Cal nodded. "Then why come here instead of a safe house?" This was directed at Ranger. Tank thought he knew the answer though. Cal trudged on. "The possible threat is Mob related. We don't know how high up it may go." Over the next few minutes Cal explained the same basics he had given in Ranger's office. The look of malice on his bosses face was not lost on anyone. "Held a few details back, didn't you? Mats 0500."
Breaking the tension as only he can, Lester smiled. "So you're saying I'm gonna have a new neighbor in two days? A FEMALE new neighbor? Who's SO new to the area she'll need ME to show her around?" He was rubbing his hands together and laughing maniacally by the end of his outburst. No one bothered answering him. Ranger told the men to take their files back to their desks and read them, thoroughly. They were to report back to the conference room at 1100 with questions, concerns, and a plan. Cal knew he would not be going anywhere. Watching Ranger pinch the bridge of his nose after the last man left was the equivalent of him throwing a chair across the room. He wondered if his boss was regretting the offer. "Ranger, I can still take her somewhere else. I can rent a place and move in with her until we know she's safe. We can go to a safe house. It doesn't have to be here."
"Yes it does, and you know it." Ranger had accepted his decision. He might not be too happy about it, but the woman was moving into Rangeman, along with the other two. His initial hopes that this stranger would be intimidated by his employees and therefore keep hidden in her apartment were completely dashed by page six of the file. He might not know WHO she was yet, but he knew for sure that she wasn't going to stay put. "I have questions that you NEED to answer." Cal leaned forward, prepared to do as his commander asked. "The details on the police report and the bullshit paperwork from the FBI left some gaps. The report from the security office at the Wynn was contradictory in places. Explain." Cal sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Lil and her team were handling the situation when shit went south that night. She had already cleared most of the casino floor when they breached the interior doors. When Charles Erikson and his crew took the twelve hostages, she was able to trade herself for five of the civilians within minutes. Her team had men stationed at every exit and she was wearing a communications mic to record everything. Negotiations were starting to move when the FBI decided to join the party."
The cold look on Cal's face would have made a lesser man tremble. Ranger knew that reliving some of this had to be difficult for him, even if he hadn't physically been there during the cluster-fuck. "When the FBI came in, guns fucking blazing, bodies started to drop. Most of Erikson's crew was killed, along with four civies and a member of Lillith's team. My sister and two other security staff were shot. She coded twice on the way to the hospital. In the chaos, Erikson escaped."
Ranger was all too familiar with the way government agencies operated, often with their heads up their own asses. The FBI had screwed the pooch on that one, which was why they weren't offering her protection now. Placing her in protective custody would be the same thing as admitting they fucked up four years ago. "The only significant medical records on your sister are from the shooting. Are those injuries the reason she needs PT now?" Cal nodded solemnly. "The damage from two of the three gunshots had some lasting effects. Her doctors have been trying everything possible for years to help her. This is their only solution." Ranger tilted his head in acceptance. He had been shot enough times to know the drill. "Did you tell her she was coming here?" "Yes", Cal snickered, "she said she needed a new zip code, not twenty new body guards in a fortress. She reminded me rather forcefully that she always keeps eyes on her own six and is still a hell of a shot." Ranger's mouth lifted into an almost-smile. "I even tried to sweeten the deal for her using Ella. To which she reminded me which one of us used to do all the cooking as kids. It sure as shit wasn't me."
"Is she going to give us a hard time about shadows? Trackers?" Cal shook his head. "Negative. She might be independent, but she's not stupid. Her daughter is her whole life. Lil will do anything to ensure their safety. She would gladly move into a safe house in the middle of no where if it meant that my niece wouldn't be touched by this mess. She'll give us a hard time about a few basic things, but not safety." Ranger had saved his final private question until the end, not really wanting to ask but needing to for the sake of his business. "Did she suffer any form of PTSD after the incident? Do I need to be concerned about the men here, the easily accessible weapons?" When Cal answered his level of conviction was genuine. "No, Lillith handled the entire situation with grace and determination. She sought counseling herself before even leaving the hospital, just to make sure. When Matilda came into her life 18 months later, she had even more reason to keep her head straight." Satisfied, Ranger told Cal to hit the break room and meet back with the other men at 1100.
Ranger had told his men to come prepared with questions, boy did they. The flurry of talking from every direction was threatening to give him a headache. Cal held his own though, answering everyone in turn, mostly with tact.
"Is she cute?" (Lester) "Shut up, that's my sister."
"Does she speak Spanish?" (Hector) "Some."
"She had excellent grades in school and then was approached by the academy. Why didn't she join an agency?" (Tank) "She hates the Feds." Ranger coughed on that one, he was sure she really hated them now.
"Is she really single?" (Lester) "Santos, fuck off."
"Does she need the PT for the chest wound, shoulder wound, or both?" (Bobby) "Both I think, but you need to talk to her about it."
"Will she be okay with all of us around her and her daughter?" (Ram) "Ya, she'll be fine."
"What are her measurements? You left that out of the report!" (Lester) "FUCK YOU SANTOS."
"Is there anyone in Nevada she wants or needs to keep in contact with? Or is she making a clean break?" (Tank) "Clean. Not many friends she considers worth longevity now."
"Will she accept PT from me or do I need to start looking into other facilities and therapists?" (Bobby) "I think you can do it. Just talk to her after she gets here."
"Whats the niña like?" (Hector) "Peanut is awesome. She won't cause any problems."
"Does she still carry a gun?" (Ram) "Yes. And she is very well trained. Though she prefers to think herself out of a problem if she can."
"Think she'll date me?" (Lester) "Goddammit Lester. FOCUS."
"I know she's your girl, but will she be a security nightmare?" (Tank) "No, I told Ranger, she'll follow our lead with anything security related."
Ranger reasserted control when there was a lull in the interrogation. "Cal has already informed Ella of their arrival. She should have apartment 2 ready by the morning. Tank, I want you to establish a guard schedule for days she needs to leave the building. One man for now. Then prep a memo for a full Trenton Rangeman meeting in two days. Ram, I want you to talk to Luis about fencing off an outdoor area for the dog near the garage. Then create a sign-up sheet for volunteers to walk the beast. Hector and Santos, go over levels one through six of the building to make sure everything is child-proof. The girl will never be unattended, but just in case." The men were all in agreement, these tasks were necessary, and thankfully pretty easy. "Ranger", Cal cleared his throat, "are you still in contact with that woman who worked for Vinnie a while back, Plum?" Ranger raised his eyebrow. "I can get ahold of her, why?" "I was just thinking my sister might benefit from some other female interaction besides her daughter and Ella, especially in a new city." Another head tilt. "When time comes we'll make it happen if she wants."
With that, the men were dismissed. Ranger sat back and rubbed his eyes. Definitely getting a headache, he needed aspirin. Looking at the clock he realized, Rangeman would be permanently changed in 38 hours. Make that two aspirin.