28. Tank Tuesdays

The next morning, Lil and Tilde were up bright and early, ready for her first day as an official Rangeman employee. Ella had been kind enough to drop some uniforms off last night. How that woman acquired the proper clothes in the perfect sizes is anyone's guess. She even had boots for Lil in the right size. Decked out in her black on black on black ensemble, she looked like one of the guys. Well, not really, but… Ella had also used her magical embroidery machine to turn a plain black sundress into a Rangeman uniform for Tilde, and added the same logo to a black bandanna for Magnus. The small family was a walking billboard for the company. Tilde was happy to have new clothes that matched mommy. The only thing Lil was missing was her gun. She had made arrangements to meet Ram at the range later that afternoon to handle the weapons business. Who says she has no social life.

Cal sent Lil a text informing her that a Trenton Rangeman meeting would be starting at 0800, so they headed for the elevator. When they arrived at the designated conference room, everyone else was waiting. Deja vu. Ranger gave her a smile, pointing to the seat next to his. Tilde climbed into Hector's lap. He was making a fuss over her new duds. The Rangemen who weren't aware of Lil's hiring quickly caught on, and to say they were happy was an understatement. Everyone was fond of Lil. Ranger spent the first half of the meeting going over normal morning business. Each department's current plans and schedules, new installs, etc. Then he stood and raised his hand for quiet. "Men, today we are welcoming a new member of the Rangeman team!" Cheers erupted around the room. Between Tank and Ranger, the others were given the details on Lil's new position, her duties, and how they should all expect to be working with her throughout the week. As the meeting ended with a curt 'Dismissed', each man made a point to offer her a personal welcome. She could get used to starting her days like this.

Lil gathered her daughter, not sure what she was supposed to do next. Ranger held a finger up to her as Tank showed him a file. When he approached, he gave her a slow once-over. "My name looks good on you." She quirked an eyebrow. "Come with me, I'll show you your new office." He placed a hand on the small of her back and led her out of the conference room. They reached a closed door next to Lester's office just as he was walking in. "Hey Gorgeous! Looks like we're neighbors now. Does this mean I can come by and ask to borrow a cup of sugar?" Oh Geez. Lil just laughed. Really, what could you say to something like that that wouldn't lead to trouble? Tank smacked the back of Lester's head as he entered his own office. Lil loved these men. When Ranger opened her door, she gasped.

Someone had been a busy bee in the last twenty-four hours. That Ella was amazing. Lil's office had the same desk, chair, guest chairs, and couch as Tank. But it also had a small table, chair, and play area for Tilde. Off to one side by the window was a mini-fridge and small set of pantry shelves. Both were already stocked. The opposite wall held filing cabinets for Lil, and a short bookcase filled with books and puzzles for Tilde. It was fabulous. Lil could not have designed a better space for the two of them. A tear started to fall from her eye which she quickly swiped away. Choked up, she didn't know what to say. Ranger was watching her closely. He hoped they both really liked the space they had thrown together.

Upon further inspection, Lil spotted a giant dog bed in the corner behind her desk. It was black with the Rangeman logo. Magnus found it quickly, making himself at home. Her desk had a new computer, a new tablet, a telephone, and all the standard office supplies. It was too much. Another tear escaped. She turned to him. "Thank you Carlos. This is wonderful." He wiped away the runaway droplet. "I'm glad you like it Dulce. We wanted you to be comfortable. I wanted you both to be comfortable and happy." He pointed to a door by Magnus's bed. "That's a private bathroom for you girls. It's small, but I didn't want Tilde to have to make her way through the control room when she needed to go." Lil wiped away another tear. She couldn't fathom how they had done this so quickly. Cal told her they had only agreed to hire her hours before asking. Did this mean Carlos had been working on it in private?

Tank knocked on the door frame and gave her a smile, "Is this a bad time?" Lil waved him in. Even Tank was impressed with her new office space. Ranger squeezed her arm as a farewell and exited quietly. Tank laid a stack of papers on Lil's desk. "These are all the hiring forms I need signed. Tax papers, insurance, all the normal crap. If you can get these done soon, we can move on to bigger and better things." Lil chuckled and sat down at her desk. She ran her hands over the pretty wood surface. This was way nicer than her office at the Wynn. Wow. Tilde was already sitting at her midget table, working on a new wooden puzzle. It took twenty minutes of repetitive signatures and personal numbers, but Lil finally finished her human resources work. Tank placed it all in a manila envelope and smiled. "I'm so glad you joined us. This is gonna be awesome." His smile was infectious.

He took a seat in a guest chair, "I don't expect much to get done today. You need to get yourself settled, organized. I was thinking that you may want to devise a daily schedule for the week." Lil raised her eyebrows, scheduling was usually Tank's job. "I'm worried that if you don't have a plan in place, the men are going to be fighting for your attention like you're the only female left on Earth..." Lil snickered. She had a vision of being trapped on a desert island with all the Rangemen. Oh what a burden that would be. "So, maybe think about which days you would like to handle Core Team tasks with each leader. Do it however you think is best, I trust your judgment. When you have it settled, let me know and I will make sure the shift schedule correlates. Then we'll advise the men at the meeting tomorrow morning." Goodness, they were sure going a long way to make her feel at ease. Big ol'softies. Tank showed her a few of the computer programs she had not yet used before excusing himself. Lil took a bottle of water out of her mini-fridge and got to work. Ah, this was good stuff. Making a schedule was just like making a list. Lil loved her lists.

Ella picked Tilde up around eleven, they had plans for another tea party. When lunchtime drew close, Lil found herself in the break room with Junior and Binkie. The guys were regaling her with funny stories about some of their less than suave take-downs. Cal and Ace joined them, which meant Lil could start sharing silly stories about their childhood. The Rangemen were so amusing. And really, such nice scenery. After lunch, Lil made her way down to the gun range to meet up with Ram. He was ready and waiting for her. In fact, he seemed quite excited. After asking her some basic questions regarding her past gun ownership, he proceeded to place a bevvy of handguns in front of her. "Pick your poison pretty lady." He was enjoying this way too much. After choosing her weapon, a Ruger 380 that fit her hand well, they entered one of the range stalls. "Alright Annie Oakley, show me what you got." Yup, Ram was a little too into his guns.

Lil had no idea, but a crowd of men had gathered around the monitors in the control room. Even Tank was there. They were all waiting to see her shoot. The only person missing was Ranger. He was in his office, with the door closed and the range feed pulled up on his computer screen. No one doubted that she could shoot. They knew her history and training, had read her file. They weren't expecting her to be too rusty. Once you're used to firing a weapon, it's kind of like riding a bike. But, they had never gotten the chance to watch a woman in their gun range, let alone a beautiful woman who looked really good in Rangeman cargos.

Downstairs, Lil loaded her gun and put on her safety gear. Ram was standing close by, truly wanting to verify her stance and method. He needed to be sure she was Rangeman ready in the weapons department. Lil stretched her shoulder a few times and got into a comfortable position. She picked up the Ruger, click off the safety, and unloaded the entire clip. Smoothly, she slid the safety back into place and lowered her weapon. Ram hit a button to bring her human-shaped target forward. The paper man was very much dead. All of her shots had hit in a small grouping over the heart, no larger than a fifty-cent piece. "Holy Mother Trucker! That's some shootin sister!" Lil laughed. Upstairs, the men were straining to see how she did. Though simply watching her pull the trigger was quite satisfying. Ram tore the target down and slowly turned around. Lil thought he was placing it on the back table. He did, after holding it up briefly for the camera. Ram was getting a bonus this week. The other Rangemen spying were in awe. Ranger was having a serious blood flow issue in his office. Dios. He was really fucking glad the door was shut.

Lil returned to her office by 1400 to finish her planning. When she was satisfied, she went next door to speak to Tank. "Hey Sweetie, I have a schedule that should work. Wanna chat?" Tank smirked and waved her toward a thankfully empty guest chair. His office was looking so much better. "Lay it on me sister." Lil rolled her eyes and laughed. "OK, but really, let me know if you think any of this needs to be changed. Mondays I have set aside for Cal and Bond Enforcement research or planning. I know a lot of people jump bail near the weekend, so their bond's tend to come up at the beginning of the week. I made Tuesday's 'Tank Tuesday'. No particular reason, I figured what we worked on wasn't as day-sensitive. And it's got a nice ring." Tank was smiling broadly. She was too funny. "Wednesday's are reserved for Lester and Client Services. Past experience has shown me that big fish avoid meetings at the beginning and end of the week, their social calendars are usually too busy. Plus let's face it, it's appropriate to schedule Lester on 'hump day'." Now Tank was laughing. That suited Lester to a tee. "Then I can spend Thursdays with Bobby, Ram, or Hector, depending on who might need me. If they can't use any help, I can follow up with either Cal or Lester. Friday's are for Carlos. That way all of the reports from other offices are in for the week. We'll have a full picture to look at while we audit." Tank scribbled down what she had scheduled in his own short-hand. He looked up at her with a grin. "Done". She eyed him skeptically, "Are you sure that works? You don't want me to move anything around?" He shook his head. "Nope, it's all perfect. Well thought out, just what I'd expect from you." Awww.