Chapter 5 Welcome Back

TPOV - Tank's House

I got up excited for what was going to come in the next few days. I looked over at Lula still sleeping and gently kissed her forehead and whispered for her to have a good day and I would see her later. I made my way to the bathroom to get ready for the day. I set up the automatic feeders for the cats and gently cuddled all 5 of them before leaving the house for the day. I had received the notice last night that Ranger's credit card had been used on a deposit for a rental car yesterday so I knew that he would be on his way home today or tomorrow. I hoped it was today so that I could prepare him for the changes Little Girl has made to her life. I also hoped he would make it for her first competency exam. She had worked extremely hard all month to train and integrate herself into the business.

I pulled into the garage and met up with Lester and Bobby in the elevator, they must have driven in together. I wonder if they realize how obvious they're being. I suppressed my laugh as I asked them how the Giants game was this weekend. They had gotten tickets to the playoff game from a client whose wife went into labor while Bobby was with Hector fixing a broken camera. Bobby immediately took control of the situation and made sure that the client was informed and brought to the hospital in time for the delivery.

I made my way to the break room to get a bagel and cream cheese with some water before heading back to my office to start the prepwork for the payroll since it was the end of the month. Steph knocked on my door at 10 minutes to 8 ready to learn the process. "Good morning little girl, did you sleep well?"

"Yes! I slept really well. I felt a shift in the atmosphere last night so I know Ranger has to be coming home soon. I also sensed he has good news to share with us." I looked at her quizzically. It's amazing how connected those two were.

"Well I hope you're right. But with you here I almost don't need him anymore." I replied. "Now I laid out on the table the time cards each of the guys submitted for the month. The process I follow is I take the card and then I find their name on this spreadsheet." I pointed at my screen so she could see what I was talking about. "Then I enter the amount of hours for each category including regular, overtime, bonus, and vacation or leave. Overtime, bonus, and vacation hours have to be preapproved so I check with the duty rosters to ensure that the information is correct as well. Once that's done I make a done pile. Once I finish all of the payslips for the month I take the ones I have questions on and follow up with the guys so they know what changes I made if they were needed. Finally, I run the calculations by the payscale for each of the men which is already preloaded into the system. Then I bundle up the slips and store them in this locked cabinet for 3 months before I shred them." By the time I finished I looked over at steph who was looking at me with a frown. "Did I go too fast? I can go through it all again."

"No it's not that your explanation was perfect." She responded hesitating before continuing. "But you do know that this system is really stupid right? Not like stupid your so dumb but like technology exists so let's use it to its full advantage stupid."

I choked on some water I was swallowing when she shared her thoughts. "Um, no I didn't know that. This is just the way we've always done it. What would you suggest?"

"Well they make software now that can do all this stuff for you. Like online time cards and automatic inputs to the payroll system. We can do it this way this month but before February I'll do some research into a software we can purchase for all of this. Maybe we can find one that we can do the duty rosters in too!" She stood up and disconnected my laptop from the monitor bringing it over to the table next to the pay slips. She pushed two of the chairs out and motioned for me to sit down. Right now we have 2 hours to finish this before I gotta go on an install with Manny so start reading me those slips. I did as I was told until there were none left except two that needed follow up that I would deal with later. After we finished I bid her good luck on her competency exam tomorrow and Steph left exactly at 10 to meet up with Manny in the garage.

RPOV - On the road back to Rangeman

Today was going really well. I got up early and worked out in the hotel gym before grabbing my pack and checking out. I got to the Pentagon at 0800 exactly and made my way to the generals office. Capt. Sully brought out my contracts which I took time to thoroughly read before signing. Everything was in order so by 10 I had several copies of my contract for my lawyers and safe back in Trenton and was on my way to the rental car office. After getting the blue SUV I stopped at a deli and got a turkey sandwich and water for the road since it was pretty much lunch time and I was on my way home.

It's funny that I think about Trenton as home as I had never intended it to be. I always had plans to make Miami the Rangeman headquarters but then I met Steph. I had been traveling around New Jersey hoping to get in with one of the bonds agencies in the state since my family was still in Newark and I wanted to be able to keep tabs on their safety. I had met Vinnie after striking out at all the bonds agencies in Newark. Vinnie offered me a trial run for the first few skips unfortunately I didn't have a lot of knowledge of the area so I had to rely on Connie for intel. On one of the particularly difficult skips Connie was forced to contact her aunt who she apparently despises and it resulted in a favor owed. I thought she would use the favor for a date to an event, roughing up Vinnie, or even a sexual favor so I planned to find a way to make us even as possible so I didn't have to do any of those possibilities. But, she called in her favor sooner than expected and it resulted in me meeting the naive but feisty Stephanie Plum. From there everything changed, Trenton became the headquarters and eventually became my home.

Around 1500 I pulled into the Rangeman garage. I took the door to the lobby and stopped at the front desk. Vince was working so I gave him the keys to the rental car and asked him to arrange its return to the rental service. I then quickly made my way up the stairs to the fifth floor. When I got to the floor I noticed it was louder than normal. There seemed to be a lightness to the floor that didn't exist before I left. I waved at the guys on the monitors and quickly made my way to Tank's office. There would be time for hello's and welcome back's later. I knocked on his door and entered after I heard him acknowledge.

"Welcome back Rangeman!" He got up and embraced me in a hug, what's going on normally I get a nod or a handshake. "Good to have you back, I have much to share with you!"

"Good, Report!"

"Business or Personal first?" This was weird, normally it's always business.

"Business then Personal but make it snappy." He started laughing, his booming laughter coming up from his chest.

"10 new corporate 74 new residential contracts in Trenton. 11% growth in Miami, 15% in Atlanta, and 9% in Boston. Still getting inquiries about potential expansion to several Midwest and West Coast cities. Bond's business is steady. No new government contracts."

"Any outstanding discipline, financial, or law issues?"

"Nope, everything is running efficiently. Now, since you asked I'm doing great! I started seeing Lula again and we're doing really well. I think I'm gonna ask her to marry me soon." I offered my best smile as I nodded for him to continue. "I'm 100 percent certain a certain jokester and medic are in a relationship. I saw them kissing in the basement supply room when I was doing a scan of the building cameras a week ago. Neither one of them know that I saw them. I figure they'll tell us soon."

"Stephanie?" I interrupted him. I already knew they were together. I've known since they started seeing each other. Nothing ever gets by me and I saw the way they started looking at each other it was the same way I looked at Stephanie.

"She's doing great! You'd be really proud of her Rangeman. She's dumped to cop for good and finally decided to get the training she needed." I picked up on the pride in his voice as he made the report. "She also got a new job."

"Really? Is the cop gonna be a problem? Why did she leave Vinnie's? Don't tell me she blew up another fast food restaurant. I knew something big had to change in her life I felt it around New Year's"

Tank shook his head at me and chuckled before responding. "The Cop's dating a physical therapist named Taylor. Steph caught them necking at a club on New Year's Eve. We were actually worried and were planning an intervention for January. She became very withdrawn when you were away but it seems catching the Cop sparked something in her. The year didn't start out wonderful for her though. After she caught Joe cheating she found that Rex had died so she ran away to Point Pleasant. We assigned Hal and Cal to tail her but luckily she came back on her own otherwise I would have had to send Lester and Hector to bring her home. She came back with a plan though. After officially breaking up with Joe, we're not really sure what happened cause she won't talk about it, we went over to check on her but instead of being sad she explained her resolutions to get trained, learn more about Rangeman, and start living a healthier lifestyle."

"Wow I can't believe it so does that mean she's working for us now? Did she sign the contract I had drafted?"

"Yes she's working here and No, she signed a different contract." I was a little disappointed I wanted her to be a core team member and share in the business with me.

"We wanted you to be the one who presented that plan to her. Now before I tell you anything else I need details from you."

"I was waiting for you to ask. The mission was a success. Took longer than expected due to an inside traitor but the situation has been handled."

"Good. Now we both know that's not the details I was looking for. Tell me you didn't sign another contract."

I hesitated on how to explain the situation. "Yes I did." Before I could get another word in, Tank got up from his disk and punched me in the face. I held up my hands for him to stop in a surrender form that I wouldn't normally take. "It's not what you think, just let me explain."

He lowered his arms and nodded at me to continue not removing the blank face that had appeared.

"I signed a contract to be an examiner at Fort Benning and also give occasional guest lectures. It's a five year contract but I don't have to leave on missions or go out of the country. I only go for one weekend every quarter of the year and I can take anyone I want with me. I also will get to run one of the events for the Best Ranger competition. They even said if I like it they'd be willing to have you, Lester, and Bobby sign similar contracts. I took it because it will allow me to get the promotion I've always wanted but also claim the life I never thought I'd live long enough to have."

He pondered my words for a minute "I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions."

"It's fine I guess there wasn't really a way to start that off where you didn't deck me."

"There were many ways you just weren't smart enough to think of them. Also, I don't take back that punch cause you still deserved it. You should've gotten out of that game a long time ago." He chuckled while returning to his position behind the desk.

"So tell me more about Steph working here if she didn't sign my contract."

"We gave her 3 options as a full time junior employee, one for part time, or one for a contract worker. Along with the employment contracts I made a schedule where she would learn different skills from each of the core team and team beta. Similar to the other new employees but with more one on one and basic training built in. For the full time position she would do the training 5 days a week and take a competency test every month. The contract and part time options were 2 or 3 days a week and competency with each other." I nodded so he knew I was still following. I really hope she choose the full time option that would mean her first competency would be tomorrow. "After a discussion with myself, Lester, and Bobby and us offering to take over the low bond skips by giving them to the new guys she agreed to the full time position."

The smile I was trying to suppress was now a full thousand watts, I couldn't help it. Everything I wanted was slowly falling into place and I barely did any of the work to get there.

"Where is she now?" I wanted to see her as soon as possible.

"She's on a client call with Lester. Then he and Bobby were gonna take her out to dinner before her big tomorrow. I know you probably want to see her immediately, might I suggest something else?" I was curious what his idea was so I listened to his plan and we worked on the logistics for another hour before I headed back to my apartment after stopping to say hello to the men on the floor. Tomorrow is gonna be a good day.

SPOV - At her Apartment

I couldn't sleep last night but I managed to get a few hours. I was too excited for the activities of the day. I had spent the last 4 weeks training on various skills. Tank has been teaching me how to review the various types of paperwork him and Ranger are always complaining about. After about week two I understood why they were doing everything in the stone age pretty much. Still doing most of the work by hand and then inputting it into the computer. I made some suggestions like creating a general form that the men could submit for their daily reports and a way to display the duty roster on the internal company server so it didn't have to be printed and posted in the breakroom every week. It was going well and Tank seemed much happier that I was able to lighten his workload.

Hector and Manny had been taking me out on installs since my second day working with them. I loved laying out the blueprints and thinking about the potential problems with the camera angles. It was like a logic puzzle and it was exciting to then be able to go and actually install my work. On my third trip with them Hector offered to let me actually install a few of the cameras but I accidentally let the drill slip and took out the light fixture the camera was being placed on. It caused the entire house to accidentally short circuit and we had to wait for an electrician to repair the damage. From then on Hector liked to call me Sparky and would tease me about it. But he did show me how to properly hold the drill so it wouldn't slip.

Things with Ram started off a little rough. At first I was still terrified to hit use my gun and would frequently back out of the proper form causing me to miss my target. But Ram was determined to find a way to get me to focus on the task and not think too much about the implications. It took a picture of Joyce Barnhart's face on one target for me to really get into the mindset. Not that I would ever consider murdering Joyce but it was nice to finally have an outlet to release all the anger I've ever held towards her. Ram even said the other day that he thinks I could beat Ranger in a shooting match if I keep progressing the way I have. I highly doubt that but I'd be willing to give it a go.

Cal had taught me how to break out of handcuffs, zipties, ropes, and chains. All with my hands tied behind my back and also a few times with my legs locked up too. We also worked on breaking out of a simple door lock. I was surprised how easy breaking into a door was, no wonder no one ever had a problem getting into my apartment. I had Hector install a high tech lock that you needed to punch in a code to get into. I used Ranger's birthday combined with my own but I did it backward so it would be less obvious.

Working with Hal was always fun. Now I was able to make directional changes within seconds and not hesitate even in the Rangeman SUV's. I had also learned how to weave in between cars like I was on a high speed chase. Hal always knew when I was getting overwhelmed so he would take me to an empty parking lot and do donuts or out into the countryside to drive super fast. He had shared some stories about his sister Abby and how she was studying to be a nurse and how proud he was of her. It was really to have him open up to me and be more comfortable and less formal in our interactions.

Lester and Bobby had decided to continue with the combined effort when it came to my self defense training and exercise time. Bobby got me started on weightlifting and introduced me to cycling and the stair machine as forms of cardio. He even got me started with pilates which I was loving. Lester had graduated me from kickboxing with pads to full kickboxing. He also started me on the basics of karate and I had already received my orange belt on the accelerated training program. Zero was assisting with this since he had the highest rank at Black Belt 6th Dan. When he first joined us he shared a story about how his Grandpa was in love with an Asian woman he met when stationed in Japan in World War One. He learned that her family owned a Karate dojo and immediately signed up for some beginner classes. Following the war they were separated and not permitted to speak after Japan switched sides for the second world war. 20 years after the war ended they reunited at the world championships for Karate and started a relationship. They got married less than a year later and moved to California. They eventually adopted a young orphaned boy from Japan who was Zero's mom. They enrolled him in Karate from the age of 5 and the family tradition has carried on ever since. It was such a sweet story and I was happy that they eventually found each other again.

My favorite time of day was the time I spent with Ella in the kitchen. She had taught me how to cook several different types of soup, spaghetti, a simple baked chicken with different types of vegetables, and homemade pizza. When we did pizza we invited the guys who have been helping with my training to make personal pizzas and we all learned how to make it and enjoyed a very nice evening together. Ella had become like a second mom to me and I appreciated all of the patience she had teaching me how to cook. We even spent one Sunday making chocolate cake and brownies. We used special healthier ingredients so Tank would allow them out on the control room floor. Last Saturday Tank and Lula invited me over for brunch and Tank taught me and Lula how to make pancakes and omelets.

Outside of my training I didn't have much time to visit with friends or family but sometimes I'd stop by the bonds office and get lunch with Connie and Lula and pick up the open bond files for Tank. I haven't needed to mooch off my parents for meals either but I did make it to a Friday dinner two weeks ago. My mom was still super unhappy that I broke up with Joe but once I explained what had happened and got Hector to send me the surveillance footage from the club to share with her she understood. We had a heart to heart conversation where I explained how she made me feel by forcing Joe on me and always yelling at me about my misfortunes. She apparently didn't realize how oppressive she had been and vowed to make changes to her behavior. She was also ecstatic that I wouldn't be running after skips anymore. Grandma was upset that I wasn't gonna be going after crazies anymore but immediately changed her tune when I told her I'd be with Rangeman full time. She loved being around all that eye candy and hoped that I would bring them to dinner. My dad wasn't surprised by any of this. He knew eventually I would make those types of changes but he did mention an interest in getting together for lunch or breakfast occasionally. I had only been able to make it back to dinner once and lunch with my Dad twice since then but things were actually going well in the Plum-Mazur family universe.

Today I was heading out to a warehouse that had been rented out for today's exams. Blaze from the Boston office was in town to run the exams which is apparently standard practice that one of the leads from another office does the exams for another branch. I got to the warehouse at 8:30 so I had 30 minutes to warm up. The core and beta team were already here but they were talking with Blaze and some other guys that must have been from Boston as I had never seen them before so I just gave them a finger wave. Tag, Fish, and Jace showed up about 15 minutes before the start time. Blaze walked over to us and called for everyone to gather around.

"Attention! Plum, Jacobs, Johnson, and Taylor front and center!" I moved to the front of the half circle that had formed. "Today is your level one examination. You must receive a passing score in each round to maintain employment here at Rangeman. Should you fail between 1 and 3 tests you will be put on probation for more than 3 tests you will be automatically terminated. Understand?" We all nodded but remained silent.

"The first round will be a shoot out. There is an outdoor range behind this warehouse. You will each shoot for 3 minutes at 3 different distances. There will be an X on each target that you must hit. The number of marks you get at each distance will determine your score. We will then move onto the B&E round. You will each be locked in a room the faster you make it out the higher your score. The third round will be the driving examination. I have brought three of my men from Boston to assist. You will be directed through a course told to you during the test. You will receive marks on your driving agility and how fast you can complete the course. The next round will be the physical fitness exam. You must complete a standard Army combat test including push ups, situps, and two-mile run. You will be scored on the point system for each of your respective ages and gender. You must receive at least 75 points in each test to pass this round of exams. The final exam will be the self defense round. For this month you will be given 10 minutes with each of your fellow rookies on the mats. Your goal is to take each person down the fastest. Should you not bring anyone down you will fail." I snuck a side glance at the other three and they looked a little nervous. Obviously I knew they weren't getting the one on one training I was but this all seemed like basic military testing so I wasn't sure why they were apprehensive.

We headed out the back door to the range. Lester caught up to me and put his arm around my neck and wished me good luck before walking over to the side and in the watching area. I made my way to the station farthest from the viewing area so I could focus and not be so distracted by my mentors watching me. I looked down and saw 3 different types of Glocks and two rounds of bullet for each layed out. Blaze stood behind us and asked us to face him as he explained. "You must select the proper firearm for each distance. You each have been given two rounds of bullets. You must complete both rounds so you will have to reload and complete all the rounds within the 3 minutes. You will go by turning around and beginning with the shortest distance at the sound of the horn. After each distance you must turn around and wait for the three minutes to pass. We will repeat the process until all rounds are complete."

I placed my protective gear over my ears and then took a deep breath and focused on the target in my mind like Ram had taught me. Blaze pulled out the horn and held it up giving a loud squeeze I could just barely hear through my ear protection, we should really invest in a visual cue instead. I turned around and saw the first distance was 20 yards. I picked up the 9mm and loaded it with the correct bullets. The target was labeled on the left leg so I quickly took all my shots reloaded and did it again. I turned around after I clicked the safety back on and gently placed the gun back down. I waited for what seemed like forever and I couldn't see the others due the dividers so I had no idea if anyone was still going. Blaze finally signaled for our attention and raised the horn again. The second distance was much longer at 40 yards and the target was the head. I picked up the 40 caliber and made my shots. After finishing I had another long wait before turning around for the third round. This time the distance was actually the farthest at 100 yards. I used the final rifle to complete the action. The target for this distance was the left shoulder. After time ran out Blaze and the other guys from Boston gathered together and compared their clipboards. "We will take a 5 minute break and meet back inside." Blaze said as he dismissed us.

As I was getting a drink from my water bottle and walking back inside I overheard Fish telling the other two that he had trouble getting his aim right on the 75 yard distance. I decided to do a little trash talk so I quickened my pace so I was right behind them. "That doesn't sound too surprising after all you're barely competent in water, why should we expect you to be good on land." I joked.

"What do you mean?" Fish said glaring at me trying to decipher what I knew.

"At least you didn't have to worry about working with ropes. Oh wait, that's coming up next." I winked at him and then turned away from him before he could ask how much I knew. I really just wanted him to doubt himself.

I looked over to see if I could find Tank, Lester, or the other guys but they seemed to have disappeared. I looked around the room and noticed the small cameras in various places around the warehouse. They must be in a secret room watching us so they can see all of us at the same time. Blaze and the Boston guys walked into the open area. He assigned each of us man to lead us through the next exams. Blaze assigned himself to me. He blindfolded me so that I couldn't see the room we were about to enter or get an idea of the locks or restraints I was about to be put in. He directed me into a room and asked me to sit down in the chair he had placed my hands on so I could feel where it was. I sat down and kicked my feet so I could get an idea of the legs. I felt him gather my hands behind me and the back of the chair. He used ropes to secure me into place. I then heard the familiar click of a leg chain be placed on my left leg and flexi cuffs on my right. He explained that there was a table behind me with the tools I would need for the locks. He took off my blindfold and placed it in his pocket. The room was poorly lit but it wasn't completely dark. I had a feeling by July it would be.

"Okay when the green light above the door turns on your time will begin." He nodded and made his way out of the room.

About 30 seconds later the green light turned on. I quickly accessed the knots in rope by starting finding one end and tracing it back. Eventually I determined that it was a simple handcuff knot so I was able to quickly release my hands. I reached down and found that the flexi cuffs were attached to one of the 4 legs so I was able to lean back and release my right leg. From there I was able to stand up and reach the table. I found three different lock picks but one of them was actually rounded so it wouldn't help me. I chose the smaller of the remaining picks and made quick work of the leg chain. Once my body was completely free I made my way to the door. There were 5 different locks on the door. Two were deadbolts, one was a keypad lock, another was a dummy lock and the final one was the actual door knob. I used the two picks and made quick work of each of the locks ending with the door knob. I opened the door and stumbled out into the bright light. Blaze was standing just outside the door and was recording my time on his stopwatch. He smiled and nodded at me. He motioned for me to wait in the hall. I waited about 5 minutes in silence before he walked with me back to the main room where we met up with the other guys. Fish and Jace looked a little distressed.

The next exam was the driving portion we each got directed to a Rangeman SUV. Blaze got into the passenger seat and directed me to the garage entrance. Once we got to cross street of the main road he had me stop.

"Okay the first direction is to take a right onto the main road once I say go. Then I will give you a series of commands which you must follow. If you miss a turn you must loop around and repeat the command. The faster you complete the test the higher your score will be."

I acknowledged his directions and took a deep breath. He waited about 30 seconds before saying go. "Right, Left, Uturn, Right, Left, Right, Right, Uturn." He continued his series of commands as I quickly made the directional changes. "Missed, Repeat" I missed a left turn and had to quickly make a loop and repeat the action. It only added about 15 seconds as I quickly weaved through the cars and made the correct left turn. "Left, Right, Right, Time!" We had just made the turn back onto the side road of the warehouse. I noticed the other men hadn't returned yet so they must still be on the course. I parked the car and went over to the mats and began to stretch out for the next physical tests. About 10 minutes later Tag returned and joined me on the mat. He was muttering to himself and I heard something like 3 misses. I smiled and returned to my stretching. Once Jace and Fish returned and stretched out we were directed to each take a corner of the mat.

"Okay we will start with two minutes for the push ups. Plum you will need at least 29 and You three will need 53." He blew a whistle that he hadn't had before and we began. I managed to do 45 by the time the two minutes were called. Jace had done 75, Tag had done 65, and Fish had only done 50.

"Turn over and prepare for sit ups!" Blaze commanded. The Boston guys walked over to the other guys to hold their feet for the test. Suddenly Hector appeared and gave me a warm smile before reaching down to hold my ankles. "Plum 59, Men 61 Ready!" With the sound of the whistle we were off. I completed 78 sit ups in two minutes, Jace and Tag both did 74, and Fish did 70. Hector gave me a kiss on my forehead before scurrying back to wherever he came from.

"Okay onto the 2 mile run. Men you will be following Troy on the blue bike he will be keeping a 15:12 minute pace which is the qualification time for a pass, finish before him and you will score higher. Plum you will follow Slick on the red bike who will set a 18:42 minute pace. Please make your way to the garage door for the start." We made our way over and Blaze took his position in front of us. He blew his whistle and we were off. The men immediately separated in front of me but I wasn't worried since they had a I was able to keep about 30 paces in front of Slick on the bike which was a good pace for me. It was actually kinda thrilling to have someone chasing me but I probably shouldn't wish for that to actually happen. I was able to lengthen the distance to 45 paces in the last 500 meters as I sprinted to the finish. Everyone was back by the time I finished so I figured everyone had passed.

I made my way back to the mats and picked up my water bottle. I knew I would need to be hydrated for this last part. It was at that moment that I felt a tingle down my spine and linger at the base of my neck. Ranger. He was close. I looked around the room but didn't see anyone other than the other examinees and the Boston guys. Huh he must be hiding with the other guys from Trenton. I was hoping he was actually there but he'd been gone so long I wouldn't be surprised if I was just tired and wishing he was here to support me.

RPOV - A secret room in the Warehouse

"Bomber is killing it!" Ram said. The others nodded in agreement.

"I can't believe she completed that run in 16:45 and she almost beat Fish! For a girl who claims to hate running she's actually quite good at it!" Hal remarked.

"I'm mighty proud of her ability to get out of her restraints and pick those locks! She finished at least 2 minutes before the other guys." Cal added.

"Just wait until you see her in this final round. She may not have the true combat experience the other guys do but she managed to take Lester down at least twice in each of our sessions over the last two weeks. She's sneaky." Bobby quipped.

I smiled at all of them. I was so incredibly proud of my Babe and all of the changes she had made since I had been gone. I was nervous about our future but I knew that her willingness to get training and join Rangeman fulltime was a good sign and that I was being apprehensive for nothing. I saw the exact moment she recognized my presence as she reached for the back of her neck and looked around the room. I couldn't help the twitch in my body knowing our connection was still strong. Blaze called Fish and Tag to the center of the mat and then set the timer to ten minutes. They began sparring with Tag taking down Fish within 30 seconds of the match. The round ended with Tag getting 6 pins and Fish only getting 2. Steph and Jace were next, they tied at 3 but Jace was about 6 in taller and 150 pounds heavier than her so I knew Blaze would take that into consideration when tallying the final results. They quickly moved through Jace and Tag who tied at 5, Steph then beat Fish 4 to 3, Fish then finished with another loss to Jace at 4 to 2. The final round was Steph and Tag. Surprising us all Steph managed to roundhouse kick Tag and pin him down within the first minute. The match ended 3 to 2 with Tag getting the victory.

Blaze congratulated the four on the completion of the exams and asked them to wait in the main area while the scores were tabulated. Blaze came into the control room with the men he brought from Boston. "Well you seem to have some strong junior employees Ranger. Although Fish could work on some things." Blaze stated as he laid out the clipboards on the conference table. We reviewed the scores for each part of the exam and made notes on the areas each of them could work on before next month's exams. Hector typed everything out in a standard report card that each of them could be given.

I was becoming nervous about this next part. Tank had suggested that instead of him doing the one on one results I surprise Stephanie reading her results. We would have come in and sit down in front of Tank and focus on him but I would be the one to read the results. Then once I completed the report we would be reunited and I could finally hold her in my arms again. I had also bought her a bouquet of different types of flowers that I picked up from a local florist that reminded me of her that I would give her. The other men were sad they wouldn't get to be in the room to congratulate her but I promised they would get to say a few words before I whisked her away.

Lester brought in Jace first for his report. He passed all of his tests but scored low on the B&E and Driving portions of the exam. He would be required to work with Cal and Ram at least one hour 3 times a week to improve. Fish was next; he struggled on shooting and B&E but he still passed both of them. He didn't receive enough points to pass the physical fitness tests by only doing 50 push ups and running the two mile in 16:15. He also failed the sparring round by losing all 3 of his matches. He actually passed his driving exam and didn't miss any commands so he was put on probation with mandatory additional training assigned to in each of the categories he missed marks in. Unfortunately for him that also meant mandatory desk duty for the month. Tag entered next. I hadn't actually met him yet since he was on boarded while I was still on my mission but I immediately picked up on his arrogance. He was going to be one we would need to watch. Just because he passed all his tests doesn't mean he's automatically a good fit for the company. I will need to make sure I schedule extra one on one time with him to evaluate my assessment. He left with a smirk on his face but I saw a hint of anger in the corner of his eyes as he hadn't placed first in a few of the categories he thought he had.

It was finally time for the surprise. I made my way to the dark corner of the room behind the door so she wouldn't see me when she walked in. She walked into the room and sat at the table looking across at Tank. She looked more gorgeous than ever. She was practically glowing from the events of the day. Once I closed the door I stepped behind her and began the report.

"Stephanie Plum. Shooting 25m distance 12/12 rounds 1 minute 12 seconds placement first, 40m distance 11/12 rounds 1 minute 26 seconds placement 2nd, 100m distance 12/12 rounds 1 minute 65 seconds placement 2nd. B&E time 5 minute 6 seconds placement first. Driving 1 miss 15 minutes 32 seconds placement 2nd. Physical Fitness pushups 45 for 92 points, sit ups 78 for 98 points, and a 2 mile run time of 16:45 for 95 points. That's a total of 285 out of 300 you received first place. Sparring One Win, One Tie, One Loss you received 2nd place. You have passed your first month exams." I made my way to face her on the other side of the table. "Proud of you babe."

She practically jumped over the table and embraced me in a mind numbing kiss. She immediately wrapped her legs around me as she moved so she was sitting on the table. I quickly deepened the kiss, swiping my tongue across her lips requesting entrance. She opened up to me and I immediately took control. As we kissed she began to grind herself against me and I could feel my dick harden. I moved down to begin to suckle on her neck but was interrupted by a coughing noise coming from the doorway.

"Geeze let a girl breathe Rangeman." Lester said with a quick eyebrow wiggle. Steph and I broke apart but I kept her in front of me to hide the problem I was having south of the border. Steph turned around to face the rest of the guys who had filtered into the tiny room.

"So how do you guys think I did?" Steph said as she wiggled back against me, the little minx.

"It was amazing, Bomber!" Hal exclaimed.

"Yeah you've been holding back on me at the range" Ram said.

"Awesome! Inspiring! You, Beautiful, are a true Queen!" Lester said while animatedly moving around the room and stopping to give Steph a hug.

"I think you'll be breaking the men's scores if you keep pushing on your physical fitness. You ran an 8 minute mile today!" Bobby added.

Tank, Hector, and Cal added in their own congratulations.

"Well I couldn't have done it without you guys! I can't wait for what the next few months of these exams bring! But how long have you been keeping this one hidden from me?! She proceeded to turn and playfully punch my arm."

"Less than 24 hours, Little Girl." Tank responded.

"We also told him to get you these Sparky!" Hector pulled the bouquet of flowers from behind his back. I'll have to ask about the nickname later.

"So what do you say? Beautiful let us take you out for a celebratory round of drinks at Shorty's?"

"Hmmm" She looked back at me and winked "Okay one drink! But we should invite the others. We wouldn't want it to seem like I get special treatment." She winked at all of us.

The others filtered out of the room and we watched them leave to ask the others to join us including the Boston guys. They would take the SUV's over. I would take Steph in the 911 I had parked discreetly on the side of the building. Before we headed out to the car though I pulled her armed and turned her around to face me.

"I truly am proud of your hard work today Steph and everything you've done leading up to it. We have a lot to catch up on Babe. Will you go on a date with me tomorrow?"

"Absolutely" she sealed it with a kiss then we headed to meet the guys at Shorty's.