Hi all. As ever, thank you all for reading and to those who review. I love reading them. Real life has been kicking my butt lately, and my writing schedule has slowed, but I am still here! I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Firing Up
The next day, I was back on teleconference with Tank and Lester, with Marco also listening in. I told them everything I had found out and gave details on the licence plate and address. Tank said a man in the Miami office called Sylvio would run some computer searches on the car and house and find out what he could. Lester told me to rent a different car for a few days and drive around the neighbourhood during the day to get a good feel for the people there and the patterns of travel and behaviour.
He wanted me to scout out potential locations where they might stop the car, rather than trying to take Stiles at the carwash or house, where he had backup. I thought this sounded like an excellent idea. The streets in that neighbourhood were narrow and could be blocked off fairly easily if they were careful. The extra car could also be used in the pickup. Lastly, he wanted me to get an idea of the time it took for Stiles to drive home from the carwash.
After listening and discussing everything for about half an hour, I suggested a plan. I would check out the neighbourhood and call tomorrow with my thoughts and ideas. I would also do surveillance again on the Saturday night to see if his pattern of visiting every second day continued. If so, Tank and Lester would fly up Monday. Lester would rent a car at the airport and drive Tank to pick up Carlos' truck at his apartment.
For the pickup, I would use the other rental car to do surveillance at the carwash, and call Lester to let him know if and when Stiles left the carwash. Lester and Hector would then pick up the tail to follow Stiles' home, and Tank would set up the ambush at the identified spot. Eventually, everyone agreed it was a solid plan, and we would set it in motion. If Stiles did not come on the Monday night, we would need to repeat it on the Tuesday.
After we finished the discussion, Marco stayed on to talk to me about the technology training I was designing and how I thought it should be delivered. We agreed I would need to travel to Miami, and we could set up some facilities to train the men, but I wanted first to talk to Marco, Tank, and if possible, Carlos, about what type of training to provide, and which men needed it most by priority. I decided I would create a draft program and highlight different aspects as they applied to different areas of the business. Then we would come back together to discuss it further.
After I hung up, I sat contemplating the weird feeling I still had. Was it about this skip? Was there danger I hadn't seen? I did worry about someone so obviously criminal becoming aware of my involvement, but I hadn't felt anyone watching me or following me. I hoped it just meant something minor, but the niggle was persistent. It worried me.
On Saturday night, I sat watching in a dark blue Ford Escort at the carwash. Sure enough, at around seven-thirty, Stiles rolled in in the same silver Cadillac. This time I didn't follow him after he left. I waited ten minutes after he departed and drove carefully to his house. The silver car was parked in the driveway. I was a little comforted that his routine remained consistent. I pulled away and drove home to call Lester to let him know the plan was a go for Monday.
On the Friday, I had driven back up to Newark to swap out Carlos' truck for my own car, before driving back to Trenton. I used my car to drive from the carwash to Stiles' house to time the trip, before heading home. I changed, and then caught a cab to a car rental agency in North Trenton to hire the blue Ford. It was small, dark, and common enough to be inconspicuous. I then drove back to Stiles' neighbourhood to cruise around, thoroughly map various routes to his house, and take pictures of various places that I thought might work for an ambush.
In the end, I found a good spot about three and a half blocks from Stiles' cul-de-sac. It was far enough away that his crew should not hear anything or be able to respond quickly, but close enough that Stiles needed to drive past to get home. The road was heavily shaded with trees and would be dark at night. There was a place behind some trees and bushes that Tank could conceal his car, and there were no houses with a direct line of sight to the ambush place. It really seemed like a good choice, and I hoped the men would agree with me.
I had driven back to the office, where I spent a frustrating hour trying to draw some kind of map in Word or PowerPoint, before giving up and hand-drawing it. I then drove to a one-hour photo processing place to get my photos developed. With everything in hand, I drove back to the office and faxed through all my pictures and drawings to the Miami office and spent another hour talking through the plan again with Tank and Lester. Lester had called Hector and he had agreed to come with me for another trip on Monday morning to check it out to make sure we had all contingencies considered. I hoped I would be able to communicate enough with Hector to make it all work.
Friday night, I dressed in my favourite jeans and a silky, dark red top that tied in front at my belly button. With red heels and a blood-red lipstick, I decided I looked pretty good. Tricia and Bobby had never been to the Blue Danube, so we were going back to the restaurant so they could try some Eastern European food. We ate and chatted happily together, all learning more about each other and becoming friends. Bobby seemed like a really good guy; he was quiet and intense but with a cheerful sense of fun and a quick wit. He was obviously dedicated to his family, and I thought that Tricia seemed pretty smitten. I felt a pang again, missing Carlos enormously.
After dinner, we went to the Ivy to dance and drink and have fun. I had caught a cab this time, so I could have more than two beers, and I treated myself to a Margarita in celebration of our class results. After about forty minutes, Tricia's friends Jess and Rebekah showed up again, and Tricia introduced them to Bobby as we continued to dance and talk. The live band started to play 80's hits and we sang along in nostalgia and danced with abandon. Nearly an hour after we arrived, Connie Risolli showed up as well. I had mentioned to Connie that we were coming here, and she had decided to join us for a drink. I was glad to see her; I thought Connie needed a break, after working all week for my sleazy cousin. Connie only stayed about an hour since she had to work Saturday morning at the Bonds office. I indulged in another Margarita, before switching to soda, as I was a lightweight with alcohol, and did not want to get too drunk. It was a great night, and I had a lot of fun. It was only missing one thing. I hoped he would come home soon.
On Sunday, I went to the movies with Mary Lou for a rare girls' day out. Mary Lou's husband Lennie had taken the kids to his parents' house for a grandparents' day, and Lou and I thought this was a good chance for a lunch and girly chat and to see a movie. I relaxed with my oldest friend, laughing, and talking. We went to see The Net, as Tricia and Bobby had recommended it. I loved it. I thought Sandra Bullock was great and the bad-guy, Jeremy Northam, was pretty nice to admire even as he was being evil. The story was really compelling and, from my experience with the computer course, seemed pretty realistic. Of course, I really didn't know that much about internet security, but I thought this was something that Rangeman may need to investigate more in future. Maybe I should take Carlos to see the movie?
I tidied my apartment Sunday evening and fell into bed.
Monday morning, I arrived at the Rangeman office at nine. I made coffee and caught up on a couple of admin tasks while I waited on Hector who was due to arrive at nine-thirty. When Hector knocked on the door, I looked up to smile and say, "Hola Hector." He grinned back at me and also said hello.
He asked in broken English, "You ready go now?" I nodded and grabbed my back and the keys to the rental car. I drove us down to the carwash, talking slowly and pointing as I explained Stiles' routine. Hector seemed to understand; I hoped so, anyway. We drove to Stiles' neighbourhood, and I showed Hector the place I had picked for the ambush, and he nodded decisively to indicate he liked the position. I then drove to Stiles' cul-de-sac and pointed it out to Hector. He indicated I should keep driving past, and I slowed when he pointed to a pull-off about four blocks further down the road. I parked and he said, "Wait, I be back."
I nodded and he slipped out of the car and seemed to disappear and blend into the trees as he went back toward Stiles' house. I sat in the car about twenty minutes, waiting for Hector to return. I nearly jumped out of my skin when the door to the rental car opened, and Hector slid silently into the passenger seat. He grinned at me, evidently amused at startling me, and I shook my head at him and rolled my eyes. He just indicated we should drive on, and saying, "Go back spot," which I took to mean he wanted to see the ambush place again. I complied and he indicated I should park in the place I had identified for Tank's car. Once again, he slipped out of the car and walked up the road a way. I guessed he was making sure Tank would be well-enough concealed. This time I was watching him as he returned, and he looked satisfied as he slipped into the seat again.
"All ok?" I asked. He nodded and grinned at me, and we headed back to the Rangeman office.
When we got back to the office, I parked and Hector gave me his now-familiar smile as he said again, "I be back." I nodded, even as I wondered if he had been watching the Terminator films and was channelling Arnie. He left to go and do whatever he was doing, while I went back up to the office to wait for Lester and Tank to arrive.
At around 11am, I heard deep voices and heavy footsteps on the stairs. Tank arrived at the office door, followed a minute later by Lester and Hector, chatting cheerily in Spanish. They all grinned at me, and Lester came forward to give me a hug and exclaim, "Hi there, Beautiful!" I grinned back at them all and waved them to find a seat. They settled down to chat for about half an hour. I ordered pizzas and cokes to be delivered for lunch, since we did not want to attract any attention by going out and about in Trenton.
We continued to chat in a mixture of English and Spanish until about one o'clock. Then we went down to pile into the Newark rental, with me in the front seat with Tank driving, and Lester and Hector in the back. I directed Tank to the carwash first. We parked about a block down, and I talked them through the layout again, pointing out various places, while Lester translated some of it into Spanish. Lester and Hector slipped out of the car and walked around the streets for about half an hour, before coming back. Lester said they had found a good spot to wait and pick up the tail on Stiles. I then directed Tank to drive out to Stiles' neighbourhood. They had all studied my maps and more generally road maps of the area, so it was easy to navigate them out to the neighbourhood. We cruised around for about twenty minutes, and I pointed out the place I had chosen for the ambush and Stiles' cul-de-sac. Everyone nodded, and Tank drove back to the ambush site and parked, as Hector had had me do, in the concealed pull-off. He got out to walk around and check out where he would be waiting and that the car was well-hidden.
We then drove to Stiles' house again. Lester mentioned they wanted to scout the house, in case the ambush did not go ahead as planned, so I drove up to the other pull-off where Hector and I had parked, and this time, all three men slipped out of the car, while I waited. They were gone nearly forty minutes, and I was shifting restlessly in the seat. Again, I jumped as the first door opened, and Tank's dazzling white grin indicated that he had seen my reaction. Ah well, I had been about to doze off in the late-summer heat and humidity, so it was no wonder I was startled. We drove back to the office, and split up, me heading back to finish off some work on the training plans, and Tank, Lester, and Hector to do who-knows-what. We would meet back up at the Rangeman office at five-thirty to get ready for the op tonight.
I worked until four, and then headed back to my apartment for a shower to wake myself up. I dressed in dark jeans and a black t-shirt, and pulled my hair back into a ponytail that I threaded through the back of my black cap. I put on running shoes and made sure I had all my defence gear and a water bottle in my bag. I stopped to pick up Pino's subs and salads for everyone and picked up a six-pack of beer to put into the mini fridge for after the operation; I thought they might want to wind down if everything went to plan.
At seven-fifteen, I sat in the same place I had been parking to watch in my rear-view mirror for Stiles. I hoped he would come; the adrenaline letdown if he didn't show up after all the planning and preparation would be enormous. Sure enough, at seven-forty, Stiles' silver Cadillac pulled into his usual parking spot in the carwash. He got out of the car and wandered over to the girls prancing around a red Hyundai and I almost gagged as I watched him blatantly groping one girl's butt cheeks and rubbing himself on her. She turned to give him a nervous smile and he took advantage to grope her breast as well. This man was an absolutely disgusting pig, and I could only hope he would meet someone in jail who might convince him to think before he touched others without permission or consent.
I rang Lester's cell to tell him Stiles was there, and then rang Tank's cell to tell him the same. Tank said he would move into position when I rang to say Stiles was leaving and I agreed before disconnecting to watch closely. Les and Hector were already in position, and I could see the edge of their taillight in the distance as they waited. Stiles stayed about forty-five minutes locked in the office with his two goons, and, when he emerged, I was distressed to see one of the men climb into the passenger seat beside Stiles. This had not happened before, and I was very concerned that it might mean the pickup would not go smoothly. I did not want anyone to get hurt. Why couldn't he have just maintained his routine and driven home alone? Quickly, I rang Lester and told him what had happened, and that Stiles was about to leave. He told me to call Tank; they would follow Stiles regardless, and Tank could call Hector on Lester's phone when he decided what to do.
I rang Tank's number and he answered promptly, "Yo."
"Tank? It's Steph. Stiles is leaving now, and Lester and Hector are set to tail him. But there's a hiccup. One of his goons left with him! I haven't seen them do that before, he's always left alone. I'm sorry, I didn't expect him to have company." Ahead of me, I could see Stiles drive past where Lester and Hector were waiting. About ten seconds later, I saw Les pull out in Carlos' truck to follow.
"Don't apologise Steph," Tank replied, "you couldn't have known. These things happen." He thought for a minute. He said, "One man?"
"Yes, definitely one. I don't know what you can do about him. Will he run off to get backup if you ambush Stiles?"
"Don't worry Steph, he won't get the chance. We won't hurt him, but we'll make sure he can't run off to tattle. If he gets into it with us, we'll take him in with us and let the cops sort it out. We'll handle it, we still outnumber them."
Tank sounded confident. They were big men, and obviously skilled in what they did, but I couldn't help worrying. I told him, "Les is driving, but he said to call his number and talk to Hector to let him know what you are doing. I guess you need to move into position." Tank agreed and hung up to the call to get moving.
The op was on!
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