I apologize for the longish chapter. My muse was on a roll.
Chapter 11
Les walked out of his office, his forehead creased in concentration.
He noticed that Stephanie was working in Tank's office and Ranger was in his. He could not get the thought out of his head that they looked good working there together.
He walked to Ranger's door and knocked, waiting for permission to enter. Under normal circumstances he barged in rarely taking his cousin by surprise, but usually making him set his mouth in annoyance. It looked bad in front of the men.
Les waited for the command to enter and walked in, closing the door behind him. Ranger pushed the papers aside. He could tell that Les was going to be imparting some nugget of information that was important to Rangeman.
He waited as Les settled himself in the guest chair with a file on his lap.
Les sighed.
"I need to leave for New York. Some of the chatter we have been receiving is starting to piece together and I need to be on-site for a couple of days."
He waited watching as Ranger digested the information. Tank was off-line but Bobby was there, so the core team was still functioning with a few members at the helm. He nodded his consent then spoke.
"Can you give me an idea what we are looking at or would you prefer to wait and give me the whole synopsis upon your return?"
Les hesitated. He shrugged his shoulders and flipped the folder over to Ranger, who opened the file and laid out the sheets of paper on his desk.
He was a quick reader and getting the gist of the file, looked up.
"He did that before he took on his new position?" How in God's name did he get past the screening and the background checks?"
Les shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.
"How the hell do I know? Dagney Moss is not known for slip-ups and their search engines are just about as good as ours, but once I heard the rumor, it popped up right away."
Ranger tapped the file with his pen as he thought. He wondered if he should pull the plug on Stephanie helping them at the conference. He wondered if he should warn her to cancel her attendance? He wondered if she would go even if he forbade her? Well, he knew the answer to that one! Of course she would go, just to mess with him and argue that she was in control of her life and could do what she wanted to, whether he liked it or not.
He thought of bringing in Bobby and letting him explain to her with his silver tongue, gently arguing that she might not be safe.
A myriad of thoughts ran through his brain as he sat there.
Les watched for some sign that Ranger was waging the battle inside his head but his face remained impassive, or actually completely blank, which made him wonder.
Les stood up. He had passed on his findings and now needed more in-depth digging.
He stood up and prepared to leave the office and Ranger spoke.
"Stephanie leaves in two days for Louisville. I need the information ASAP in case we need to shift her plans to attend. I need her safe, Les. I cannot let her get into danger."
Les could almost hear Ranger almost say, "again".
~~~o0o~~~
Stephanie was hard at work. She was arranging rental cars, hotel rooms and dinner reservations, setting in place all the larger details needed to attend such an important Open House.
Her client list had been advised that she would be in town and she was already receiving requests to meet or offers to be taken out for a drink. Her dinner reservations are filling up with more prospective clients and she was checking on some new leads.
The Derby was upcoming in a few weeks but there was a lot of racing before that. Breeders were lining up for decorative gear for the upcoming parades and her stock was starting to get picked over at the supplier.
Stephanie was looking at one request. The owner wanted a complete matching kit for ten horses for the Kentucky Derby Festival Parade. He had sent the horse sizes for her to bid on. This was a massive undertaking and would take some time to work up.
She looked at her spring fashions and mentally gauged whether she should add in a bid with outfits for both male and female riders. She marked down the different sizes and prices and moved on. The horses were much easier to quote as they were all within a hand difference in size.
Stephanie looked at her completed quote. It was one of those kind of bids that could put a real smile on an owner's face if successful. If she could snag this contract from others bidding it would ratchet up her bottom line considerably in addition to getting her name out with the big breeder operations.
She looked over her notes carefully, ensuring that she hadn't missed anything, crossed her fingers for luck and sent it away.
She looked at the time. It was almost lunch time already and her stomach was starting to give warning noises of its' need for food.
Stephanie closed down her files and stood up, stretching. That felt sooo good to move around and unconsciously she did a few deep knee bends, hamstring stretches, and shoulder rotations to loosen up. She wondered if she had any workout gear on seven and if she had time to do a fitness routine down in the gym before they left for the hospital.
She realized with a sudden thought that she had not even considered moving back to her condo for the few days she was home. Interesting.
~~~o0o~~~
Lula shifted in bed. Her pain had levelled off but she didn't want to stay on pain meds forever. She and Tank had talked after the doctor had left.
Her lunch tray sat on the table by the side of the bed, uneaten. Her appetite was at an all-time low and she was surprised at how little she wanted food right now.
Tank was sitting on the edge of the bed and once again they were holding hands.
There was a knock on the door and Ranger and Stephanie stepped in.
Ranger's face was carefully blank but Stephanie's was full of concern. She walked over to Lula and reached over and gave her a careful hug.
"Lula, I'm glad to see you awake. I have been worried sick about you ever since I got the call from Ranger and I'm glad I made the decision to come home to see you."
Tank stood up carefully from the bed and wrapped his arms around Stephanie.
"Lula gave us quite the scare, but at least we now know what we are dealing with."
He looked at Ranger and they both nodded their heads in a conspiratory nod of understanding.
Ranger walked over to Stephanie and stood by her, wrapping his arms around her as if to protect her from any bad news that Tank and Lula cared to elaborate on.
Stephanie hitched her breath in and leaned back against Ranger.
She looked at Lula and spoke.
"Lula, whatever is wrong, you will get through it. Your boys are being looked after and they have a ton of honorary uncles and aunts catering to their every need. I phoned Mary Lou and she threatened that she was ready to put Ranger and I on baby duty. I love Mary Lou and you two a ton, but subjecting those sweet little boys to our care would be cruelty to them. I don't know the first thing about taking care of a baby, let alone two!"
Lula began to laugh but stopped suddenly and her face contorted. Tank immediately began to reach for the bell but Lula put her hand up to stop him.
"I miss my little men, but they are safe where they are."
She looked at Tank and he once again slid his hand over hers.
Lula looked at them and a tear crept it's way down her cheek.
"The doctors confirmed that I have a form of bleeding fibroids. They want to operate as soon as possible. It is called a myomectomy and if it is successful we may still be able to try for another baby."
She looked at them and sniffled but bravely continued.
"I need to really get my head around it all, but we have agreed that a hysterectomy is a last resort to take. I knew he didn't cause all of it, but I don't want it to be the last thing that Ramirez took from me."
Tank leaned over to Lula and gave her a hug for support and comfort. He continued.
"They have scheduled the operation for tomorrow morning and if there are no further complications, she can go home the next day. It is going to be hard to have the boys near her because they will want hugs and for a few days Lula will be pretty sore."
Lula looked at Stephanie and Tank looked at Ranger. Ranger nodded to the door and the men prepared to leave the room. Lula was looking like she was about to cry again, and Stephanie stepped to the side of the bed and took her hand.
Ranger spoke.
"Tank and I need a cup of coffee. We'll be back."
Both girls nodded they understood and the men left the room closing the door softly behind them.
Lula began to cry even harder and Stephanie inched closer to the side of the bed. Lula patted the bed beside her and Stephanie carefully sat down.
Her tears fell down her cheeks and landed on the sheet.
"I know I need this operation, Steph but the doctors aren't real sure it'll work. I'm black, overweight, and although I know I've got sickle cell, it never gave me no problems until now. The doctor told us that I could have had these fibroids for years. It might be the best option but I'm not ready to give up on myself yet me and Tank having another baby. It may mean two operations and I am willing to go that route. While we love the boys, I just know that Tank would have loved a little girl running around in frilly dresses playing with dolls and wanting tea parties. I could see him trying to sit on a little chair, drinking pretend tea with his big finger wrapped around the handle on a tiny tea cup, and maybe even wearing a tiara or something on that big beautiful bald head."
She balled her fists at her sides.
Stephanie put one arm around the back of Lula and gave her a hug.
"Oh Lula, Tank loves you so much. You made him a father and gave him twin boys, Lula. You gave him identical twin boys from your own body, delivered naturally and without any problems. They are healthy and happy little men who will grow up with a loving mommy and daddy standing by them throughout their lives. You are making him a very happy man and whatever happens in the future, you have each other. A little girl would have been icing on the cake, but you already have the cake, Lula"
Stephanie stopped talking. Her tears were rolling down her cheeks too now and she stopped to wipe them away.
Lula spoke again and her voice was almost whispering it was so quiet.
"But, if I have the hysterectomy, my Tankie will be married to only half a woman, Steph. He married a full-bodied, black woman. What would I have to offer him then?"
Stephanie thought about it. So that was the crux of the problem.
"Lula, Tank married you with his eyes fully open that the chances of you two never having children was a real possibility after Ramirez. He knew what he was getting into. He married you for you. He married you to spend your lives together, loving each other. I am willing to bet that Tank thinks that he married the most beautiful, funny, loving woman in the world. Trust me. You found a keeper there."
They both sat on the bed, crying softly but smiling through their tears.
The men walked in and stopped in confusion. Both ladies were red-eyed and smiling as they passed the facial tissue box back and forth.
Stephanie slid off the bed carefully. She reached back over and whispered in Lula's ear, then walked to Ranger and took his hand in hers.
"It's time to go and let them have some time to themselves."
Stephanie looked back at the couple by the bed.
"We'll be back before you go up tomorrow, Lula."
On that note, Stephanie pulled Ranger to the door and opening it pulled him through, allowing the men to close the door behind them.
Tank looked at his wife.
She beckoned him to sit down on the side of the bed and he squeezed in beside her. She kissed his cheek gently and spoke.
"I want to tell you how much I love you, Pierre Sherman. I will do my best to get over this as soon as possible so that we can get our family back together again and start to lead our life the way we want to once again."
Tank cradled his wife in his arms and smiled as he gave her a kiss in her hair, just over her ear. It was a favorite spot and she wriggled a little bit in pleasure at the very personal sign of affection.
Whatever happened tomorrow it would be OK. They had each other and they had their boys. God willing, there were lots of tomorrows to look forward to.
~~~o0o~~~
Ranger was working in his office but it was taking supreme effort on his part to keep on task. Unfortunately a business as large as Rangeman had pressing deadlines and agendas that needed attention. Payroll was due, clients needed someone to answer their questions and personnel needed a strong hand at the helm.
Slowly he processed the work on his desk, keeping his mutterings of all things paper almost to himself. Tank handled the office work better. Just like his stint in the military, he was a master at reducing the paperwork load on his desk. NCO's were not just a force out in the field, but the paperwork needed to run an organization was almost overwhelming unless you had a good system.
Finally Ranger sighed and leaned back in his chair. His in-box was empty for the minute, and he felt the need to escape. He stood up, adjusted his weapons and prepared to leave.
Ranger stopped at Tank's door, watching as Stephanie grimaced at something she was reading on the laptop.
He cleared his throat and she jumped, having that startled look when one is not aware of their surroundings.
"Babe, I need to get out of the building. Did you want to go for a drive?"
Stephanie looked up then her eyes drifted to the window. It was beginning to darken and dusk was upon them.
She laughed and started to shut down the computer.
"God yes, Ranger. My eyes feels like they are crossed, my ass hurts and I need to stretch in the worst way."
Just then her stomach growled.
Ranger laughed. "Babe, I can help you with the sore ass, the exercise and the food."
He stayed in the doorway as her gaze changed.
Stephanie gathered up her purse and phone and prepared to leave for the night. Since Lula was heading up early tomorrow, she assumed that it would be sometime in the afternoon before she returned to the office.
Taking her jacket off the rack in the corner, she walked to the door where Ranger was patiently waiting.
He put his hand on the small of her back and they walked to the elevator together.
Ranger opened the car door and Stephanie slid onto the buttery soft seat of the Turbo. He reached over and helped her with her seatbelt, gently giving her a kiss before closing the door. He walked around and slid into the driver's seat, putting on his own belt. He turned the key and the powerful motor growled to life.
Ranger drove out of the garage and turned right. Stephanie leaned back and relaxed. Right meant that they were taking a drive before supper. Right meant more time in the car with Ranger and not needing to share him as they walked into a restaurant. Right meant that they could talk in peace without ears trying to listen. Right meant more time together without all the crushing deadlines that they both were experiencing.
Ranger drove to the top of the hill and turned off the car. He pulled out two granola bars and handed one to Stephanie.
She eagerly took it and ripped the wrapping off, taking a bite and chewing appreciably.
After consuming two mouthfuls, she spoke.
"I know it is their decision, but Lula wanted to try the myomectomy first. She knows going into this operation that there is a strong possibility that it will not be successful but she is unwilling to go the final route of the hysterectomy yet. Her hope is that she could give Tank a little girl to round out their family. The doctor told her to try to get pregnant as soon as she heals because they will return."
Ranger looked out at the skyline.
"Tank is so afraid that she is putting her life in danger wanting to do that. He just wants his Lula out of pain and healthy. He feels truly blessed that they have the boys and he is having trouble getting her to realize that while having another little one would be wonderful, he worries that she is putting her health at risk wanting more."
They sat looking out at Trenton at night. The lights from the office buildings shone giving a glow above the city like an aura. It was relaxing looking out over the city where they had met oh so long ago.
Stephanie's stomach growled again. Obviously tempting her stomach with the granola bar only worked for so long.
"Time to feed that beast, Babe," Ranger murmured as he started the car. He drove back down the way they came and headed to a restaurant that he and Tank had found one night while on a stakeout..
It was a little place nestled in a Mexican neighborhood. The owners worked diligently to make a success of it and Ranger had returned to it a number of times, alone.
They walked in the door and Edwardo greeted them leading them to a table in the corner where Ranger liked to sit. He could sit with his back against the wall and observe the activity in the room.
Stephanie looked around. It looked like it had been transplanted from a little town in Mexico. The walls were a soft yellow and the colorful tablecloths were bathed in those vibrant reds, yellows and blues of the Mexican culture.
She left her menu closed preferring Ranger to choose for her. He smiled and nodded as Edwardo materialized at their table with two glasses of red wine.
Edwardo and Ranger started to speak rapidly in Spanish. There was back and forth discussion and head nodding and finally they both smiled. Edwardo walked away, heading into the kitchen and placing their order with his wife, the cook.
Stephanie looked at Ranger for some idea what had transpired. She had picked up a few words, but she needed clarification on most of it.
He smiled and took her hand in his.
"Edwardo has a menu for those who like one, but if you know him, you can find out their specialty of the day. His wife is a magnificent cook and I just let her make what she feels she wants to that day. I hope you like spicy Babe, because she cooks authentic Mexican dishes."
Stephanie's mouth watered at the thought. Lately she had had more of a hankering for Mexican meals. While she loved Italian and Hungarian fare, it felt heavy in her stomach for hours. Mexican cuisine was lighter but spicy.
They sat with their hands clasped together and chatted.
Stephanie spoke. "Ranger, I will need to head off soon. I have to get to Kentucky. The Derby Festival is coming up in a little over a week and it is really an exciting time. There are parades, a marathon and concerts and the Open Houses are very well attended."
Her eyes sparkled.
"I just found out that they have what is called The Great Balloon Glow at the Exposition again this year. I missed it last year and I am hoping that I can score a ride in a balloon this year."
Ranger looked at his Babe. He kept his face firmly blanked of all expression as he spoke.
"Babe, while I am pleased for you about the possibility of a balloon ride, I would prefer that you do not book a ride on one this year."
He looked in her eyes as she mentally leaned back in frustration. Was he trying to dictate her life and telling her what she could and could not do? Did he know something that she didn't about ballooning and its dangers? Was he frustrated that she would be leaving him and participating in something she had always wanted to do knowing that he could not leave right now with Tank off?
A myriad of thoughts raced through her. She looked at him and nodded in resignation.
"I would have liked to have had your reasoning for why I shouldn't go but I know that you will tell me at another time why, Ranger. It was only a wish list kind of thing anyway, but I do want to try it, maybe with you with me?"
She squeezed his hand and changed the subject.
"I was wondering if maybe I could rent a tiny spot from you at Rangeman when I am in town? I realized today sitting in Tank's office how nice it would be to have somewhere stationary to chuck my stuff when I am in town. I miss talking to the guys. I seem to miss Ella when I am in town. Do you have a storage room or somewhere I can park? I don't need very much."
Ranger pretended to consider the request. Mentally he was pumping his fist in the air. He would have Luis start work on the room tomorrow.
"I'm sure we can find a place in our building somewhere, Babe. I will check with Luis and we will come up with something."
Edwardo picked that moment to arrive with a sizzling pan. The aroma from the ingredients was making Stephanie's mouth water and her eyes lit up with anticipation.
Edwardo placed the smoking hot dish on the wooden holder and laid a plate of warm, soft tortilla shells beside it. He bowed slightly and left them in peace once again.
Stephanie placed a soft tortilla on her plate and spooned a portion of the mixture onto it, rolling it expertly and took a bite. She moaned with pleasure as the spicy beef along with the vegetables disappeared into her mouth.
Ranger placed a large spoonful of fajitas on his plate and picking up a tortilla dipped it in the mixture then putting it to his mouth. He nodded at Edwardo standing back by the kitchen door to signify that it was acceptable. Well, it was more than acceptable but he would thank both Edwardo and his wife, Stella when they left. He watched as Stephanie finished one tortilla and reached for another. They finished the meal and sat back.
Edwardo was watching and swiftly removed their plates from the table. He looked at Ranger and Ranger nodded once.
Edwardo returned with a small plate which he placed in front of Stephanie. Her eyes lit up. It was a flan with two forks.
She stood up and moved her chair around the table to sit very close to Ranger and reached over to bring the flan closer. She picked up a fork and took a small cut into the corner then lifted it to Ranger's lips. He smiled and opened his mouth, accepting the gift. She took a small bite and both Stella and Edwardo could hear her moan from in the kitchen.
Ranger smiled as they peeked out from around the swinging door with grins on their faces.
They finished the flan and prepared to leave. Ranger walked to the front and Edwardo materialized from the kitchen. They shook hands and Ranger dropped a number of bills on the counter by the register.
He put his hand on Stephanie's back and escorted her out the door to the car. It was now very late in the evening and they wanted to be at the hospital before Lula went upstairs for her procedure.
Ranger drove into the garage and they headed up to seven in the elevator.
A somewhat quick shower together and they tumbled into bed. Unfortunately it promised to be a short night.
Ranger woke up to Stephanie splayed over top of him and the phone ringing on the bedside table beside him. He carefully slid out from under her, rolled toward the phone and picked it up.
Binkie was on the line. Ranger barked, all trace of sleep gone from his voice.
"Report."
He listened as Binkie relayed the reason for the call.
"Down in ten," then hung up without saying more and rolled out of bed.
Stephanie lifted her head and opened her eyes a crack. Ranger was already coming out of the closet with his cargoes on and his shirt in his hand. He was grabbing his weapons and sat down on the bed to put his socks on.
"Go back to sleep, Babe. There is a fire alarm at Mosley's Jewellers. The authorities are on the way but we need to secure the building after they are through."
She nodded her head and prepared to snuggle down.
Ranger spoke.
"Babe, if I'm late, I'll meet you at the hospital. Get someone to drive you over. We could be there for awhile and there is no need to have an extra vehicle sitting in the hospital parking lot."
Stephanie nodded again and her eyes closed. Ranger looked at her wondering how much she had remembered of the one-sided conversation. He mentally reminded himself to leave orders on five to have someone drive her to the hospital. He figured that she might also need a wake-up phone call. He reached over and gave a soft kiss to the top of her head then stood up again.
He walked out of the bedroom, softly closing the door behind him and headed to the hallway chair to put on his boots. He checked that he had everything and walked out of the apartment, heading for the stairwell.
Stephanie stirred then reached out to find the sheets beside her cool to the touch. She lifted her head and blearily looked around. She was laying in the middle of the king-sized bed alone. She did not hear the shower on in the bathroom nor movement out in the kitchen. Just then the phone rang by the bed and she picked it up.
Binkie was on the line.
"Morning, Steph. Ranger asked me to give you a wake-up call. He had to head out on a call and has not returned to Rangeman yet."
She thought about it for just a minute and remembered Ranger mumbling something about a fire and meeting her at the hospital. She looked at the alarm clock on the side table and gasped at the time. They had wanted to be at the hospital before seven and it was almost six.
She spoke. "Thanks Binkie," and hung up.
She jumped out of bed and raced into the bathroom doing her business and then turning on the shower. It was one of her quicker operations and dashing out with a towel wrapped around her she headed to the closet to see what she had stashed away.
Ella had obviously been filling it as there were a number of new outfits to choose from and carrying one out, she raced back into the bathroom to tame her hair into a ponytail, do her make-up and lotion up. She came out of the room dressed and prepared to head right out the door to her car.
Jed, another new hire was standing by the elevator as she reached the basement with her keys in her hand. He looked at her keys then up at her.
She blushed, remembering that he said that she should get a ride and put the keys back in her bag. He was holding a travelling mug of coffee in one hand and handed it to her.
She smiled at his thoughtfulness and took a sip. Just the way she liked it. She was wondering who had written down her favorite portions. First Charles and now Jed.
Jed pulled up at the Emergency Entrance and Stephanie prepared to hop out. Jed spoke just as she was ready to close the door.
"Stephanie, Binkie just relayed that Ranger is on his way here and will meet you in the waiting room."
Stephanie smiled and spoke.
"Thanks for the ride. I really appreciate it and the fact that you had coffee ready for me. I'll get a ride back with Ranger."
With that, she closed the door and walked into the busy entrance and the black SUV pulled away.
Stephanie headed for the waiting room and was surprised to see Tank sitting in the room. She walked to him and sat down beside him.
"I thought that you would be in there as they prepped her, Tank."
He looked at her and shook his head.
"Lula had a really bad night. Her fever spiked and they don't know why. They suspect that she's battling an infection and they have postponed the surgery. Right now, a bunch of techs are in there drawing blood and whatever else they are doing. I got told to leave for awhile while they do their thing."
Ranger walked into the room and one eyebrow raised in question. Tank repeated what he had just told Stephanie.
Ranger sat down on the other side of Tank.
"Sorry to hear that, man. I assume that it may be awhile before she can have the procedure?"
Tank nodded.
They sat there in silence as personnel went in and out.
Finally they heard footsteps coming their way and a nurse stood at the door. He looked at Tank as if questioning whether to impart the information in front of others but Tank nodded at the nurse.
"They're family . Do you have the results?"
The nurse nodded and spoke.
"The Doctor would like to talk to you in Mrs. Sherman's room. Mrs. Sherman wanted you to be there when he released the results."
They headed to the room and walked in. The doctor was standing waiting for them dressed in his surgical scrubs and he had a sheaf of papers in his hand.
"I wanted to tell Lula our results but she wanted to have you in the room while I report what we believe."
He spoke without looking at the papers.
"Lula has an infection as we suspected from the high fever. As you know, we have postponed the operation until we can knock this down. I am putting her on a powerful antibiotic and the earliest we can schedule anything is at least fourteen days from now. Lula, if you can keep mostly in bed and off your feet, I will approve you leaving tomorrow to recuperate at home."
He looked up at Tank. He was a slim wisp of a man, but he had the confidence needed to carry out his job.
Tank nodded and put out his hand to shake with the doctor.
"I know Lula misses the babies and we can set up where she has the care needed but can be more comfortable at home."
The doctor cleared his throat.
"I do want to caution you though, and I have previously discussed this with Lula. In two weeks I do not think that we will be looking at the myomectomy. I suspect that that door will have closed and we are looking at the hysterectomy."
He nodded at them and walked out of the room.
Tank pursed his lips and nodded at Ranger and Stephanie.
They looked at each other and headed for the door. There would be no operation today or anytime soon. Tank would stay with Lula and they needed some time alone together without an audience.
~~~o0o~~~
Ram stepped onto five dressed in his Rangeman uniform. He had had a restful sleep and felt like he was ready for whatever Ranger wanted him to do.
He stood by the closed door and knocked twice, stepping back and assuming a parade rest position. He waited patiently for the word, 'Enter' then opened the door and marched into the office.
Ranger was sitting working on more paperwork and he almost looked like he was scowling, but being Ranger who did not show emotion, Ram was thinking that he maybe had not had as much sleep as he thought.
Ranger waved him to sit down in the chair in front of his desk and leaned back.
"I'm sure you heard that Tank is off-line while Lula is recovering and I would like to slide you into his spot on a detail we will be working on in New York the second week of May."
He slid a file folder over to Ram and motioned him to take the time to read it.
Ram looked up at Ranger and shrugged. He was not usually tasked with a duty such as this, but as they all had been trained, one takes the detail and finishes it to a proper conclusion.
He re-read a page, put the folder on the desk, then spoke.
"I see that we are performing a cavalcade of duties for the Summit and while I will accept any assignment you give me, I'm not sure what I can bring to this party."
He gestured at the folder.
"I see a lot of mingling and observing and trying to keep four hundred women safe. Sounds like an interesting but unlikely scenario for trouble, if you ask me, Ranger. So, what's got your radar pinging and how can we diffuse it without drawing attention to ourselves?"
Ranger smiled at Ram. He had completely hit the nail on the head the first time and spoke.
"Stephanie had already been accepted to attend the Summit before we requested that she attend. Her job is to do what she planned to do anyway. Take in the different presentations, involve herself in some workshops, smooze at the social gatherings, in other words, do what she wanted to do anyway. While doing that she will see if anything hinky starts to rear itself. We checked and there is some traffic and chatter out there that there will be a disturbance at the Summit. Sort of like a black eye on New York to make them the centre of attention again. Our job is to neutralize the situation and prevent a media nightmare."
He stopped and looked at Ram.
Ram was nodding his head.
"Funny thing, Ranger. When I was 'out' I heard that someone was interested in a disruption that would be a media frenzy. I couldn't find out anything else without drawing attention to myself but it sounds like it may be one and the same as what you are hearing."
Ranger leaned back in his chair and thought.
"Les is heading to New York to see if he can identify the chatter a bit better. Tank was going to be at the control centre but since he is off the detail as long as Lula is ill, I would like to put you in charge there. You have a keen sense of picking out minute details with your training and I want you to use that knowledge to sit back and try to enlarge and piece it together."
Ram shrugged his shoulders. While he had not taken on a job like this, he frequently had to piece together details to finalize his target area for completion of the mission.
"I can do it, Ranger. Let me know when and where you need me. My schedule is clear right now and I don't anticipate any phone calls for the forseeable future. I'm on my own time now and can choose what I want. Just to let you know, I refused to sign again and while they dangled some pretty big bucks my way, I want a life without those phone calls."
Ranger nodded. He certainly could understand Ram's thinking. It was time to let the younger men take up the challenge.