Stephanie was bored.
The recon mission, while initially having appealed to her curious nature, quickly became just another surveillance gig. The Three Bromigos, as Bobby jokingly dubbed them, listened intently to the first few moments after the meeting. Giana seemed authentically interested in getting to know Hector, and Steph's misgivings about the meeting were quickly laid to rest. Simply put, the girl seemed lovely. She asked non-intrusive questions and happily shared some nonsensical information with Hec; a perfect first meeting flow of conversation. Bobby also tired of eavesdropping after a few minutes and was currently going over an updated checklist for medical supplies for each Rangeman vehicle. Lester, however...he remained perfectly silent and still, focused on the conversation.
Just as she was about to suggest they abandon their endeavor, her cell phone rang. Seeing Ranger's name appear on the caller I.D., she yipped in distress; their little field trip wasn't exactly sanctioned. Shushing the boys ("Bromigos!" was Bobby's hissed correction), she answered just before her phone went to voicemail.
"Hey, Ranger, what's up?"
"Babe. Your tracker shows you sitting near Pino's."
"Oh yeah? Huh. Wait...why are you tracking me?" Bobby and Lester shared a startled glance; if Ranger caught them tailing Hector to spy on his date, with Steph in tow, using Rangeman resources, they'd be lucky to see daylight inside of a month. Monitor duty was Ranger's current favorite punishment.
"Got a call that a skip was spotted going in to pick up lunch. You're the closest car. Can you go in and just observe? I don't want you trying to approach him without backup."
Stephanie nervously twirled her hair, then forced herself to stop. She could usually lie like a rug; this should be a cake walk. "Ah, actually, Les and Bobby are with me. We got take-out to avoid a Morelli run-in and we're eating in the car." Ranger wouldn't be happy about the junk food OR eating in the car, but if he thought it was to avoid a scene with his wife's ex...they could probably avoid a session on the mats with the Boss.
Steph was met with a few brief seconds of silence, then, "Put Santos on the phone." She passed the phone to Les while smiling reassuringly at him. She was fairly certain they'd all live to snoop another day. After a few terse, "Yes, sir." responses from Les, he hung up and exhaled. "Man, Beautiful, I thought for sure he'd lighten up after he married you. Are you sure you're doing it right?"
After he playfully dodged two (admittedly deserved) slaps, he clapped his hands together and said, "Here's the plan - since I'm already listed as an apprehension agent on the paperwork, we go in and grab Elmer Green. That's our skip; he's out on bail for stealing TVs from an electronics store. This is his 3rd go-'round, the bond is high so Rangeman got him. Chances are he's unarmed. However, chances are high he's not going to want to go with us, so we're going to need a distraction while Bobby and I cuff him. You up for it, Beautiful?"
Stephanie nodded in agreement and they quickly hatched a plan.
A few minutes later, she strolled into Pino's and leaned against the counter next to a very nervous, very twitchy Elmer Green. She pretended to peruse the menu, then leaned across Elmer to ask what he'd recommend. As he was leering at Steph's cleavage, Bobby stepped quietly through the door and buzzed poor unsuspecting Elmer with the stun gun, quickly cuffing him before they drew too much attention.
Les was there to help Bobby load Mr. Green into the waiting Rangeman SUV just as Ranger pulled up outside, followed by a second SUV. He stepped out of his latest black Porsche and nodded at the guys, then stalked towards Steph with the barely-there smile she adored. "Proud of you, Babe." He stated before brushing his lips across hers. "Let's go inside so I can thank my snitch."
Stephanie felt her stomach plunge; if Ranger found out they hadn't gotten takeout, he'd know she fibbed about the reason why they'd been parked near Pino's. And to compound her anxiety, if Hector spotted her he was going to think she was spying on him...which she guessed was technically true, but she only agreed because Les assured her Hector would never find out. Damn Lester! Damn Pino's! Damn Ranger's need to keep his snitches happy!
Still, she didn't see an immediate way around it so she decided to cross her fingers and hope for the best. Bobby and Les, having sent Green to the cop shop with Ram and Vince, fell in behind her. She felt slightly comforted in the knowledge that Ranger would kill them before her so she might just make it to the Porsche before he caught her.
As they stepped through Pino's front door for the second...err, third, yeah, third time that day, the Three Bromigos silently agreed to keep their recon secret. That lasted for all of 5 seconds until Steph's stomach erupted in a growl so loud it was heard at the farthest table, which just happened to be where Hector was having lunch with Vaughn and Giana.
Hector had been studiously ignoring the procession of his coworkers coming and going so he could focus on his company. He was immensely relieved to find that Vaughn's sister was, in fact, just as genuine and nice as he'd described her. She was quick-witted and funny, and her intelligence was apparent in the content of their conversation. She was markedly impressed with his position at Rangeman and asked pointed questions, showing her interest was real and not just polite. So it with no little annoyance that he was startled enough by the familiar sound of his partner's stomach making itself known to look behind his lunch companion's faces.
Giana and Vaughn both turned as well and were met by the sight of Les, Bobby, and Stephanie, identical looks of surprise on their faces, rooted to their spots by the door. Ranger, his business conducted, strode across the restaurant, nodding cordially at Hector's table before taking Steph's arm and saying, "I'll take her back to Haywood." Bobby shot a sympathetic look at Bomber's panicked expression as she was escorted out the door and turned to gather his partner. He was met with Lester's retreating form as he headed towards Hector's table. Bobby's brow furrowed; what was Les up to? They'd ascertained that Hector was holding his own quite well, so he wasn't sure why his partner was going over to interrupt their lunch. With a sigh, Bobby followed Les over to Hector's table.
When Lester saw Ranger take Stephanie by the elbow, his curiosity to see what The Voice looked like proved too great a temptation to pass up. He slid silently toward the back of the restaurant where the Merry Men (Steph's nickname was infiltrating his mind, he mused) always sat. As he approached, his focus was on the woman; the echo of the jolt he felt when he heard her speak was mildly irritating, like a melody he knew but couldn't place. She raised her eyes to his and he saw them widen slightly, appreciatively. It was the reaction he expected from most women. At just over six feet tall with his muted Cuban coloring and perfect white teeth, moss-colored eyes and dimples he flashed at will, Lester Santos was never short of women willing to keep him company.
"Hector! How goes it, hermano? Didn't expect to see you here...who's your friend?" Les asked, his eyes focused on the girl. 'Not bad', he thought, 'pretty hot, good tits, nice smile, and the red hair is major'. Les flashed his sexy smile, eyes on Red's as he closed the gap between them.
"You get your skip?" Hector's voice held no trace of welcome or invitation. The message was clear: move on.
Bobby walked into the foray before blood was drawn and tried to mitigate. "Hec, man, good to see you; Les, we need to finish the paperwork on Green."
Lester's eyes hadn't shifted from Red the entire time. He knew he was stepping over the carefully drawn line Hector was laying, but dammit, the buzz bugged him. He needed to work it out before it made him think of...well, things best left forgotten. "Hi there, Gorgeous! Lester Santos, I work with Hector. And you are?" And like a well scripted play, Les held out his hand and flashed the teeth, the dimples, the eyes...this was the part that generally Sealed The Deal with the women he later took home. They found it irresistible, and Les knew it.
Giana had an amused smile tipping the corners of her mouth up as she grasped Lester's proffered hand. He half expected another zing, and was relieved - and oddly disappointed - that there was nothing extra in the handshake.
"Giana. I'm Vaughn's sister." Hmmm, interesting. The Seal The Deal Smile usually elicited at least a flirty giggle. She was polite, friendly even, but that was all. She turned to Bobby and smiled in welcome so he hurriedly introduced himself to both Giana and Vaughn, then added "C'mon, Santos, we've gotta roll."
Vaughn stood and said, "We'll walk you out, we were just leaving as well."
Lester angled himself next to Giana and asked, "So, what do you do?" He was still curious about her and hey, Les was never one to pass up the opportunity to talk to a pretty girl.
"Female impersonator," she dead panned. Les felt his jaw drop and he froze mid-stride for a quick second before Vaughn's bark of laughter snapped him out of it.
"This is why I don't take you out in public!" He teased. She smiled at her brother and winked at Hector as they reached their cars. "Gia's a Physical Therapist. She's going through the application process for the new rehab center at the Veteran's hospital off Quakerbridge Road." Vaughn explained with a note of pride in his voice.
Bobby let out a low whistle. "That's impressive; the new center is state-of-the-art and they're vetting all the new hires pretty thoroughly." He quickly explained that he was the medic at Rangeman and the center was the main topic of conversation in the medical community right now.
She smiled and rolled one shoulder noncommittally. "I'm not hired yet, but it's looking promising. In fact..." She turned to Hector, "I should hear something definite by next week. Would you mind giving me the nickel tour some time? I'd like to know which areas to avoid living in if I get the job."
Hector nodded in agreement and Gia stepped forward to hug her brother goodbye. "So you'll be back at your place tomorrow, yes?" She asked. Vaughn flushed slightly and said, "Yeah, I'll leave Trenton around 2. We need to do some shopping for you." She made a sour face, then stepped forward and put her arms around Hector. The surprise at her gesture was evident on his face; not only was Hector not used to affection from anyone (other than very recently, and only from his lover), he was used to people instinctively shying from him. Hell, he fortified the stories of all his misdeeds by still making the occasional appearance down on Stark Street and fed the gossip purposefully to encourage people to stay away. His solitary lifestyle and perceived menace ensured that his past stayed in his past. But he appreciated what her hug signified and patted her back as she whispered near his ear, "I'm glad you make him happy."
With a smile and a quick, "Nice meeting you." Aimed at Les and Bobby, she climbed into her black RSX (Type S, Lester noted) as they all lifted their hands in acknowledgment and headed to their own vehicles.