3. Sugar-butt

It was one-thirty in the morning and Cal was anxiously pacing the Rangeman garage. He had spoken to Lil twenty minutes ago, giving her the final directions to their nondescript building on Haywood. Hating himself for not flying out to Nevada and driving back with his girls, it would be a relief to have them finally off the road. Cal knew his sister had to be tired. She was probably sore from all the sitting. A cross-country road trip was tough. Mix in a toddler and a dog, he didn't envy her. Just before two, a white Nissan Armada pulling a small box trailer, stopped at the garage gate. Cal hit the keypad to let her in. Directing her where to park, he was opening her door before she had the engine off.

Lil hopped out of the SUV making a shushing motion. She smiled wide, wrapping her arms around her brother. "Lilly-pad! I've missed you!" Cal tried to temper his excited whisper. "Oh Sugar-butt, I've missed you too little brother." Cal blanched, he did NOT need the other Rangemen hearing his childhood nickname. Peeking behind the driver's seat he saw Matilda in a deep sleep, her white stuffed pig in one arm and Dumbo blankie in the other. Magnus was sitting sentry, gladly guarding the precious cargo. "Cal, I would love to chat, but I haven't peed in over three hundred miles. Can you let Magnus out and grab that stuff in the third row?" Before Cal could respond, Lil was tossing a bag over her shoulder and unhooking a sleeping Matilda. "Does Magnus need a walk?" The 150 pound Rottweiler was eerily nimble on his way out of the vehicle. "Nah, HE got to water some bushes when I called you for directions." Cal opened the hatch and removed another bag and a cooler. Shutting the doors as quietly as possible, the group moved silently to the elevator. As they ascended to the fourth floor, Cal took a good look at his sister. She was just as pretty as ever. Her long hair was still strawberry blonde, pulled into a messy ponytail. Her green eyes were tired, but retained the mischievous sparkle that helped them into trouble as kids. When the elevator opened, he led them to apartment two, opening the door of their new residence.

One floor up, Junior and Binkie were staring at the monitors in a daze. They could've sworn they just saw Cal escort a woman, a small child, and a gigantic dog onto the fourth floor. That couldn't be right, could it? Junior swiveled his seat toward Binkie, never taking his eyes off the screens. "Do you think we need to call somebody?" Binkie gave a shrug, "No. If Cal is bringing a stranger here, Ranger MUST already know about it." Junior could accept that, nothing happened in this building without Ranger's knowledge. "But why don't WE know about it?" Binkie hid his smile, Junior could whine with the best of them. "I'm sure we will soon enough. It's not like that dog is gonna blend in. And that woman was very pretty." With the free show over, the men went back to the mind and ass-numbing task of watching nothing happen over twelve different screens.

The apartment door had barely closed before Lil was placing Matilda in Cal's large arms. Operating on instinct, her legs took her straight to the closest bathroom. Cal had to chuckle at her sigh of relief from the other side of the door. The little Peanut, Tilde, was the most precious thing he had ever seen. Her riot of dark brown curls had grown quite a bit since his last visit. It was almost to her shoulders. She was still very small for her age. Cal could carry her on one arm all day and never tire. He found it hard to believe she would be four years old in only a few months. He was happy she slept so soundly, even with all of the travel and commotion. Cal would be lying if he didn't admit his desire to see her eyes though. They were the largest, deepest brown imaginable. Those eyes could melt an iceberg. At that exact moment he realized the men would never stand a chance with Tilde.

Magnus had remained at Cal's side, not looking for attention, just watching his charge. Lil exited the bathroom and smiled. Her big bad-ass brother looked adorable holding Tilde. Cal was more ink than skin at this point, at least from what she could see around his black Rangeman uniform. Scanning her surroundings, the master bedroom was easy to spot. Lil walked to the bedroom doorway and signaled Cal to follow. "Put her there on the bed. She can sleep with me tonight." Cal did as he was told. The tender way he placed his niece in the center of the bed gave her the warm fuzzies. "My apartment is just down the hall, number 6, but I'm gonna crash on your couch tonight. I don't want Tilde to wake up confused while you're so tired Sis." She nodded, it was probably a good idea. Lillith kicked off her shoes and gently fell onto the bed. "OK Sugar-butt. Love you." She was asleep with her daughter before Cal could respond. He pulled the door to, leaving it open enough for the dog to roam.

Her couch was not the most uncomfortable place Cal had ever slept. Wasn't the Ritz though. Lil started to stir around 0700. Cal frowned. That wasn't nearly enough sleep. "Morning", she yawned while entering the living room. "Why aren't you still asleep?" Lil shrugged, "The nerve pain is worse from all that dang driving. I'll try to nap later if Tilde does." Knowing his sister was in pain was a tough pill to swallow. "Why don't you take a gander around the apartment, I'll make the coffee." Lil smiled groggily. Coffee was as essential in the mornings as air. Maybe more so. Apartment two was not large, but had everything they would need. The living room and kitchen were a decent size with an open concept. A small dining room connected the two. The smaller bathroom she had ran to last night was large enough for Tilde. Next door to that was what would become her daughter's room. Lil was pleased to see that someone had already rearranged the furniture to fit a toddler bed into the room. There was ample closet space for a small child, easily enough play room. She had already poked around the master bedroom and bath this morning, as much as she could without waking her daughter. The apartment was just fine. It was decorated in neutral tones with basic furniture but without any personal touches. Their needs were modest. All Lil cared was that it was clean and safe.

Lil walked into the kitchen, irresistibly drawn to the aroma of coffee. Cal had unpacked the cooler last night. Opening the fridge she found the items she brought, plus all the basic necessities. Bread, milk, eggs, fruits, veggies. The food fairy had visited. "Did you stock the fridge Cal?" He grinned, "No, that was Ella. She was the one who prepped the apartment for you and Peanut." "Well wasn't that sweet of her! She lives here right? Upstairs?" At Cal's nod, Lil started to dig through the side pocket of her bag. "Aha!" She produced a feminine purple Thank You card and matching envelope. Lil sipped her steaming cup of fuel while hand writing a gracious thanks to Ella. Cal knew their mother would be proud. Lil placed the card in the envelope and handed it to Cal. "Can you make sure she gets this please? Today." He laughed quietly. "Sure Lil. I know she'll be tickled. In a little bit I'll start unloading your SUV and trailer. I want you to stay here with Tilde." She was ready to object but was interrupted by a sharp knock.

At Lil's raised eyebrows Cal answered the door. Ranger stood at parade rest on the other side. Knowing there was no point in putting off the inevitable, Cal invited him in. Whatever Ranger was expecting, Lillith Peyton in the flesh was a surprise. In milliseconds he had scanned her and their surroundings. He noted the few belongings that had already been brought up and the purple envelope on the counter. Those items held little importance and were therefore immediately erased from his memory. What was not dismissed, the image that would be forever burned into his brain, was the woman in front of him. She had that 'girl next door' beauty that was hard to fake. Faded skinny jeans, a worn Eagles band tee, bare feet. Her pulled back hair was mussed from sleep but still presentable. She was lean, average height, and all legs. He couldn't make his mind accept that she had been the head of a major security department. She didn't look a day over twenty-five. Internally, Ranger was thankful for his ability to catalog these things so quickly. Otherwise he would have been caught staring.

"Boss. This is my sister, Lillith. Lil, this is my boss." Lil stuck out her hand with a smile. "Good morning. Lillith Peyton. Nice to meet you." Ranger tried to shake her hand briefly, but she wouldn't let go. The woman had a grip. "Ranger." Yup, Mr. Wordy was back. Lil looked him in the eye still holding his hand. "Ricardo Carlos Manoso. I'm known on the streets as Ranger." To this Lil nodded and dropped his hand. Some people needed to be reminded of their manners. "Again. It's nice to meet you Mr. Manoso." Her lesson in decorum was interrupted by the slow shuffling of little feet. Magnus appeared at the bedroom doorway, leading a sleepy Tilde to her mommy. The little girl barely reached the dog's shoulder. Her pink pajamas were crumpled from the road trip, her eyes were only half open. Her small hand on the dog's fur was the only thing keeping her from stumbling.

"I'll be right back. It's potty time." Lil scooped Tilde up and whisked her off toward the bathroom. Magnus stared at Ranger. Ranger stared at the behemoth of a dog. Cal was trying to imagine who would win in that fight. His money was on Magnus. Lil emerged with a still sleepy girl who looked a little more put together. Her curls were brushed at least. "Mr. Manoso, this is my daughter, Matilda Louise. Everyone calls her Tilde. That, is Magnus." Lil tilted her chin to the Rottie who was still giving him 'the eye'. "Tilde, this is Mr. Manoso." Matilda blinked, not registering very much yet. She sat Tilde down and headed to the fridge. Tilde raised her big brown eyes to Ranger, slid them sideways to her Uncle Cal, then burst into giggles. She threw up her arms, smiling wide, trying to hurry to Cal. He scooped her up and twirled her around. Her little fists held a death grip to his shirt. Tilde's laugh was like tiny bells. It was hard to tell who was more happy about the reunion.

Cal brought Tilde to the counter and sat her down far away from the edge. Ranger marveled at how tiny she was. Lil placed a child's plate in front of her. "Breakfast Peanut. Eat it all and you can play with Uncle Cal some more." Tilde scanned the selection. The banana chunks won out over the dry cereal, strawberries, and sippy cup of milk. "Still loves bananas I see." Cal laughed fondly at his niece. "Ya, I think she would live on them if I let her." Ranger watched the family. The little girl was engrossed in her food, the adults were smiling at her. Magnus was watching all three. No one paid any attention to his presence. That was new.

"Cal. I just wanted to see that you are all set. Come to my office at 1300." Ranger's attempt to exit was stopped by the clearing of Lil's throat. "Mr. Manoso. Can you stay for a few more minutes please?" She caught the stiffening of his back. Noted that his blank expression had never wavered. Lil began to understand the type of man her brother worked for. He might be the best as a soldier and security expert, otherwise she was not impressed. She had to admit though, he was very handsome. "I wanted to thank you for doing this for Tilde and I. I also wanted to talk about the financial details, sign some paperwork. I find it best to have all that handled before anything else." Ranger raised an eyebrow, taken aback. Money? Paperwork? He didn't have plans for any of that. "There's no need." It was Lil's turn to raise her hackles. Cal recognized the look on her face. Twenty-six years as her brother had trained Cal to run quickly when she got that look.

"Sugar-butt, take Magnus out for me please." Cal moved like his pants were on fire. He had the dog, leash, and keys in his hand only a second before opening the apartment door. Ranger tried REALLY hard to not smile at Cal's nickname. Lil opened the larger zipper of her bag and removed a legal folder. She laid four sheets of paper in front of him. Tilde was happily munching from her banana to her strawberries. Ranger eyed the papers warily, noticing that it was really two different sheets in duplicate. "This first is a contract for the security services I'm sure you are going to insist on providing for us. I called here two days ago and asked for a quote from one of your men on the sales line. Those figures have been filled in here." She pointed to the appropriate spaces. "If my calculations are correct, this is the amount your company's services will cost for the next six months. I have added in a 20% overage to be safe. This page is a lease I drew up for this apartment. Based on the local real estate values in the area, I took a guess at a realistic rental amount." Ranger stood stock still. He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or strangle her. The numbers she supplied were correct. Actually, she was charging herself a little too much. He didn't think she would agree to a lesser amount.

"I have a check here for the six months of security and the first six months of rent. In April, if I still need to be here, we can reevaluate." Sliding the check over to him, she placed her pen on the first page indicating where she wanted him to sign. Irritated that she was taking control of the situation, Ranger grabbed the pen rather forcefully and inked all four pages. Lil signed her own name with a flourish, dated them, then handed Ranger his set. "Thank you Mr. Manoso. It was a pleasure doing business with you." Ranger nodded once and left in a huff. Lil giggled.

The door of the elevator slid open, Cal had his arms full. Ranger kept a brisk pace, his face like stone, aimed at the stairwell. "1300. My office Sugar-butt." Cal paled.