A few days before Thanksgiving, Stephanie felt someone climb into the bed. She wasn't afraid because she felt the tingles on her neck. "Hey, Batman," Stephanie grumbled. "How long do you get to stay?"
"Four months," he replied. "We gathered enough intel to prove Javi is behind the despicable acts. Unfortunately, we don't know where he's hiding."
"Were you sent to capture him? Or investigate?" Stephanie asked. She knew the details of his deployment because she got hired to validate data and search for an accomplice and other people who may be hiding Javier Manoso.
"Hmm. Hector and I discovered Amber Meyers was helping Javi with disguises. She got everything he needed to conceal his identity, including cover names and backgrounds," Stephanie disclosed.
Carlos pushed up on his elbow to look at Stephanie. He noticed the baby bump and pillow between her knees. After gently tugging the pillow, he replaced it with his knee. "Have you shared the intel with your dad?" he asked.
"Mmhmm. Dad and I think Amber is only helping to stay alive," Stephanie explained. "I'm watching her dark web presence. Everything we learned to put us on Javier's trail, she provided. Amber wants him stopped as much as we do. Javier will kill her once she's no longer useful." Carlos moved his knee while Stephanie rolled over. He smiled when Stephanie hooked her knee over his waist. Her baby bump pressed against his abdomen. "You lost weight." Stephanie stroked his chest, appreciating that he had gone to bed naked.
"It happens during extended missions when you're eating rations and MREs," Carlos replied. He tucked a hair behind Stephanie's ear. "How are you feeling?"
"Better with you home," Stephanie confessed. "I planned to wait until you got home to announce the gender, but I thought you should know when I found out." Stephanie furrowed her brows. She was worried he got distracted by their son during the mission.
"Babe, our son kept me focused on the job. It reminded me that I had you waiting for me at home," Carlos whispered. He kissed Stephanie. It had been too long since Stephanie felt her husband. Carlos rolled onto his back. She pushed her panties aside to sink onto him. Carlos groaned, "Stephanie," as he tore her panties off. His hands gripped her ass as he pumped into her. A few seconds later, he moved his hands up her back and tugged the shirt over her head. He touched her full, sensitive breasts and stroked his thumbs over her nipples.
"Ahhh," Stephanie moaned. Carlos tried to be gentle as he made love to Stephanie. She groaned as her body shook. He tipped over the edge with her. "Thank you," Stephanie whispered.
"Why are you thanking me?" Carlos asked, moving Stephanie beside him. He slipped out of bed to grab a washcloth and towel to clean her.
"For making the ache to go away," she replied. Stephanie raised her hips for Carlos to tuck the towel beneath her. Carlos carefully washed his wife. Stephanie giggled as he gently dried her. She watched him drop the soiled linens in the hamper. "Aren't you worried about Abuela catching you?"
"Have you thought about names for our son?" Carlos asked.
"I wanted to keep the tradition of naming him Ricardo Carlos Manoso, but with your brother using Ricardo Manoso, would it endanger him?" Stephanie wondered.
Carlos climbed back into the bed, relieved they didn't leave any sticky spots on the sheets. "Babe, nobody would think an infant was responsible for killing people or trafficking women and children."
"I know. What would we call our son? Ricky? Ric? Rico? It seems strange to call him Ricky after your brother used your name," Stephanie reasoned.
"We could call him Los," Carlos replied. "Stephanie, we don't need to name him after me. We can decide on something else."
"Before our son became a reality, you wanted to name him Ricardo Carlos after you. It was important to you before your brother tried to ruin everything. Javier purposely used your name to prevent you from continuing the tradition. Carlos, we shouldn't let Javier dictate our lives. We have the right to name our son Ricardo Carlos," Stephanie argued. She placed Carlos' hand on the baby bump as she talked. Carlos rubbed her stomach and smiled when the bump shifted to the side. "Our son is reacting to your touch."
Carlos kissed Stephanie. He gently rolled her onto her left side, remembering what Bobby said about pregnancy and sleeping patterns safe for mother and child. Carlos kissed the spot behind Stephanie's ear. She moaned and pressed against him. He raised her leg and slowly made love to her. "I love you, Stephanie Manoso," Carlos whispered after Stephanie silently orgasmed.
"I love you too, Carlos," she replied. Stephanie climbed out of bed and pulled one of Carlos' shirts over her. She smiled at him over her shoulder before walking to the washroom to empty her bladder. Carlos groaned when he dropped his hand into the warm glob on the sheets. He got out of bed and slipped on a pair of boxers.
Stephanie returned to the bedroom, carrying fresh sheets. She helped Carlos change the bedding and dropped the dirty ones into the hamper. Carlos went to the bathroom to quickly wash his hands and brush his teeth. Having noticed the slight scent of mint toothpaste when Stephanie returned, Carlos was concerned about bad breath. He returned to bed and pulled Stephanie against him, tucking his knee between her thighs. Stephanie sighed, content to have Carlos home in bed.
"You didn't need to brush your teeth. I was the one with bad breath," Stephanie mumbled. Carlos chuckled and rubbed her baby bump.
Stephanie showered with Carlos the following morning, which wasn't easy because of the protruding baby bump. Carlos kissed her stomach as he gently washed her. "Te amo, mi hijo," Carlos whispered. Stephanie giggled when the baby kicked.
While Stephanie dressed, she messaged Hector that she didn't need a chaperone that morning, explaining that Carlos and the other men were home. Hector replied that he would meet her at Rangeman.
Stephanie went to the Rangeman building with Carlos and the others. Bobby raised a brow when he found his brother hanging drywall in the control room. "Why are you here?" Bobby asked Travis.
"Installing drywall," Travis replied, stating the obvious. "Stephanie hired me for the job. We finished the apartments last week. The painters and flooring installers should finish the apartments today."
Bobby caught Stephanie's eye and nodded in appreciation. Stephanie approached Bobby and Travis. "I tried to keep it in the family," Stephanie explained.
"What do you mean?" Bobby asked, pulling her away from Travis so he wouldn't hear their conversation. The sound of drills buzzing as the drywall got installed filled the space. Travis Brown's team was efficient. They had three people lifting and securing the boards on the wall. Another person measured and cut the drywall, when needed, to size. Once they completed the wall and one section on the next wall, the person responsible for mudding took over.
"Your brother's team passed the background checks before I signed the contract for them to install the drywall. I hired Sherman Engineering to approve the design. However, Santos Electrical Services didn't get hired because the project manager is an asshole," Stephanie replied.
"What did you say about Hugo Santos?" Lester asked. His interest was piqued when Stephanie mentioned his father's company.
"Is he the project manager at Santos Electrical Services?" Stephanie asked, knowing the man she talked to was named Jorge Riviera.
"No. That's Jorge," Lester replied. "What did he do?"
"Jorge refused to take me seriously because I'm a woman. He spent more time flirting than giving me an honest quote. Does your brother know Jorge's working as an independent electrician on the side?" Stephanie never mentioned that Jorge was building a client base from using Santos' company. It was something Lester and Hugo had to learn for themselves. Stephanie refused to hire the company because of Jorge's business practices.
Lester was furious. "I never liked that man," Lester snapped. He stomped away to contact his brother about the project manager. Stephanie knew Lester was still reacting to the intel Ranger's team uncovered about his cousin. Lester didn't mean to get mad at her. His anger and frustration were displaced.
"Silvio," Stephanie called. He peeked around the corner to see what Stephanie wanted him to do. "Send Lester the intel we collected for Santos Electrical Services."
"Will do," Silvio replied. Silvio went to the second floor, where Hector built the secured IT room. He explained his orders to Hector, who immediately went into action. Every scathing detail about the Santos Electrical Services employees got emailed to Lester.
They heard Lester scream in the stairwell, followed by the thundering of footfalls echoing in the space. Lester was furious. Riviera was stealing clients from the business. Hugo and Lester wondered why they weren't receiving new contracts. Lester was already tightly wound from the mission. "He needs to blow off steam before someone gets hurt," Silvio reasoned.
On the control room floor, Carlos inspected the space where they planned to have the monitoring station. Stephanie tipped her head to the side, resting it on Carlos' shoulder. "I know you wanted it open, but we can't afford to have the men distracted by people in the cubicles," Stephanie explained.
"You have double doors to open if needed," Carlos replied.
"Yes," she agreed, glancing at his strong jaw. "Some of the guys prefer a quiet environment."
"Oh? Do we have employees?" Carlos asked, curious about what Stephanie had completed in his absence.
Smiling, Stephanie replied, "We do. I've hired Manuel Ramos, Jon Binkiewitz, Luca Zero and Sybo Diaz. You already know about Cal Hobbes and Hal Holden. They report to Rangeman in two weeks for training."
"When is Rangeman opening?" Carlos asked, amused by his wife's impatience to launch their business.
"In three weeks," she announced. "While Rodriguez monitors the hired workers, we have an operations manual to write."
Carlos called the other core members for an impromptu meeting in their eighth-floor apartment. He wasn't surprised that Lester was unavailable. Lester and Hugo had to clean house in their father's company. "Babe, it isn't your fault," Carlos said when Stephanie chewed her bottom lip and twisted her fingers.
"I tried to tell Hugo, but he dismissed my concerns. He refused to accept the intel about his employees," Stephanie explained.
"Babe, the men you flagged as problematic are employees Hugo hired. Nobody wants to believe they made a mistake during their hiring process," Carlos reasoned, tugging Stephanie's bottom lip from her teeth. He gently kissed her. Resting his forehead against hers, Carlos asked, "Did you run a background check on the men you hired?"
"Yes. I also asked Hunter and Theo to interview them. Mostly, I trusted my spidey sense," Stephanie confessed, focusing on her shoes. "Manny, Binkie, Zero and Sybo are honourable men. Manuel Ramos is related to Alexander Ramos, a weapons dealer in Deal, NJ. Most of his business is legitimate, but he has a dark, illegal underbelly where he sells guns to the street gangs."
"How is Manny related?" Carlos asked.
"Nephew," Stephanie replied, suddenly concerned about how hiring Manny Ramos would affect the company. "But he doesn't condone Alexander's criminal activities."
Carlos gently lifted Stephanie's chin. He brushed a loose hair behind her ear. The men inside the room silently watched the tender moment between Carlos and Stephanie. "I trust your judgment, Babe." He chastely kissed Stephanie, aware the others were watching them.
"Enough gawking," Stephanie ordered. The men quickly looked around the room, pretending they weren't paying attention to Carlos and Stephanie. She shook her head and motioned for Carlos to begin the meeting.
Everyone offered suggestions for the Rangeman protocols. Since most employees were currently active in the military, Carlos instituted a rule on exercise. Bobby quickly concurred, deciding on the number of hours required to remain in shape. He jokingly said Stephanie could only walk around the indoor track and do yoga. Stephanie confessed it was all she could manage during the pregnancy. She didn't use the treadmill, afraid she'd fall and hurt her baby.
Stephanie took copious notes as the men tossed around ideas. She thought assigning the monitor shifts in four-hour increments was ideal. It would prevent the men from falling asleep and her ass from aching when it was her turn. Everyone had to work a shift on the monitors. Being on the core team was not an excuse to avoid the job. "Why should we monitor the accounts?" Bobby asked.
"We have to set the example for the employees," Stephanie reasoned. "They need to know we're willing to work the grunt jobs too." She tugged at the shirt stretched around her abdomen. It was getting too restrictive for her expanding stomach.
"What about vacation time?" Tank asked.
"Three weeks of paid vacation for full-time employees. We can increase it to a maximum of five weeks after ten years of employment. I doubt any of us will take the time allotted," Stephanie replied.
"Are we hiring a Human Resources employee?" Bobby asked.
"Tank, I hoped you would fill that role until Rangeman operates in the black," Stephanie replied. Carlos readily agreed.
Stephanie removed a file from her purse. She tossed it on the table for the others to review. Carlos was impressed Stephanie found businesses and residences to secure. "Have you installed the cameras?" Carlos asked.
"Not yet. Hector and Silvio are supposed to work on it next week," Stephanie replied. "I also contacted a dealership for vehicles. We have SUVs for the team."
"Purchase or lease?" Tank asked.
"I paid for them with the Rangeman funds. We have three SUVs at our disposal. The dealership offered us a discount if we use them exclusively for purchasing our company's fleet vehicles," Stephanie explained. "Rodriguez researched gun manufacturers and dealers. He gave us a list of places to purchase weapons for the Rangeman gun range and employees."
"Legal?" Carlos asked.
Stephanie rolled her eyes and replied, "Yes."
Carlos flipped through a few more documents before stumbling across one for a bail bonds office, specifically Johnstone Bail Bonds. Stephanie had negotiated a ten percent fee for bonds below fifty thousand, twelve percent for fifty to one hundred fifty thousand and fifteen percent for anything higher. "Babe," Carlos sighed. "You are amazing."
Stephanie made a fist and looked at her knuckles. She blew on it and rubbed it against her chest. Negotiating the terms and signing a contract for capturing the skips took a few days. "I only signed with Johnstone. We can visit other bond offices if you want to expand the BEA department," Stephanie suggested.
"We'll try this for six months and see how the other men feel about capturing skips," Carlos replied.
Giggling, Stephanie said, "Hector, Silvio and Rodriguez enjoy the challenge. It's helping us perfect our search program parameters."
Hector explained the program and items they added to ensure the information the team collected was accurate. Carlos was impressed with everything Hector, Silvio and Rodriguez created. Stephanie smiled when Hector described the application they built for monitoring the clients' accounts. "Response time?" Carlos asked.
"Between five and fifteen minutes," Stephanie replied. "We had a few dry runs."
Pleased with their meeting, Carlos dismissed everyone for them to write up their portion of the operations manual. Stephanie promised to edit the documents before printing and binding them.