Hector and I invited Manny and Binkie to our wedding ceremony. Sybo had to assist with an installation since Hector wasn't on the schedule to work. I was surprised when Ranger and Tank arrived in time for us to exchange our vows.
"Our love is like the ocean: endless, deep, and full of life. When I'm with you, everything makes sense. You make me laugh and incredibly happy. You make me a better person. The idea of life without you is unbearable and unimaginable," Hector spoke in heavily accented English. I repeated the vows as we had agreed to do.
We exchanged rings and kissed. After everyone signed the marriage certificate, Hector and I were free to leave. Ranger gave me an envelope containing enough cash for Hector and me to spend the night in New York. "Thank you, Ranger," I said, amazed that Ranger would do something so generous. When I realized the gift was from the other core members, too, I thanked them.
"Stephanie, you have to take bodyguards," Ranger announced, bursting my bubble.
"Manny and Binkie," Hector stated. He chose the men I trusted the most. I don't mind Sybo, but we never connected like Manny, Binkie and I have. Manny and Binkie were like my surrogate brothers.
Dad congratulated us and kissed my cheek. He shook Hector's hand and made him promise to keep me safe. I rolled my eyes but understood that Dad meant well. Hector and I left with our bodyguards.
We arrived in New York when I received a call from Ranger telling me that my mother arrived at the city hall and made a scene. She had Joseph Morelli talk to the clerk and learned I got married three hours earlier. Sybo arrived on site at 1255 to witness Helen Plum in her banshee performing glory. I couldn't stop laughing at Ranger's description of the event.
"What's funny?" Manny asked.
"Mom's reaction," I replied. "She tried to have Morelli stop the wedding by claiming I married him. When that didn't work, Helen tried to stop Megan from registering our marriage. Megan filed the paperwork after our ceremony and told Helen she was too late."
Manny and Binkie burst out laughing. "We met Detective Morelli. The man thinks he's God's gift to women," Manny laughed.
"Do you think God offers refunds?" Binkie joked.
"He should. It was false advertising," Manny added. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard. The guys regaled me with stories of Detective Joseph Morelli's exploits. He went to the local club the previous night. Morelli had two women interested in him until Lester and Ranger arrived. The women dropped Morelli like a hot potato to spend time with the sexier men.
"I hoped they used protection," Binkie laughed.
"Ranger got a vasectomy after Julie's birth. Santos had his before joining the Army," I replied. The men didn't question how I stumbled on the intel. I offered an explanation without telling them I learned the information from Dad before rescuing them the second time. "Ranger isn't the only one to run a background check."
"Did you get your tubes tied after having Aria?" Manny asked. He maneuvered the streets of New York to get to the hotel Ranger thoughtfully arranged for us to stay. I wondered who Ranger bribed to get us the presidential suite and another two-bed room at the last minute.
"No," I replied. I wasn't opposed to having another child, but Hector and I wanted to be married for a few years before procreating. My first goal was to conclude my Army contract.
I still had almost three years on the one I signed for Dad. The contract Rangeman and I signed doesn't override the initial contract. I have a duty to America to fulfil my term. It was the downside of joining Rangeman. However, the upside was using the research programs offered by the military to find credible intel for Ranger's missions. I had permission and the clearance to know when Ranger gets deployed and the details of his directive. It would undoubtedly help whenever I had to rescue his team. Ranger hoped our access to the military's databases would help us find our targets.
Hector opened the envelope to peek inside. He removed a black American Express card and a note, which he gave me to read. "As a CM, you are entitled to use the corporate credit card. Any expenses relating to Rangeman's business, including all hotel rooms, car rentals, and food, are to be charged to credit. Alcohol expenses are not covered by Rangeman, ~R."
"If everything gets expensed to the Rangeman account, why did they give us money?" I muttered.
Manny stopped in front of the hotel. He waited for us to exit the car. Binkie grabbed our bags. I almost asked who packed for us but remained silent instead. Ella probably arranged our clothes, and Ranger delivered them. I gave her a house key after signing the contract with Rangeman.
The Rangeman housekeeper does the shopping for the core team and delivers the groceries to their apartments or homes. I was surprised to learn Tank had a house offsite. Lester and Bobby had apartments on the fourth floor. The perks of being a Rangeman partner were more than I expected. Silvio was building a laptop for me to use at the office and home. Hector would upgrade our security at the house. I needed panic buttons strategically placed in the kitchen, living room, washrooms and bedrooms. It was over the top, but Tank assured me it was necessary for the core members.
"Are you okay with the guys tracking us all the time?" I asked Hector, speaking Spanish.
"They only access the trackers when you don't check in or your vehicle goes offline," Hector assured me while answering in Spanish. I was relieved to know that they weren't following my every move.
Rangeman wanted me to drive one of the fleet vehicles whenever I went on a call. Hector and I purchased a piece of crap car for me to use while bounty hunting. The skips couldn't find my address using my plate number, then ask a friend who worked at the DMV to cross-reference.
I approached the front desk, where a pretty brunette stood smiling at the guests. Going out on a limb, I said, "Hi, Carla. I'm Stephanie Sherman. My boss, Ranger, arranged a few rooms for me and my friends."
Carla checked the computer. "Yes. I have the reservation here. Do you have the credit card he used to reserve the rooms?" she politely asked. I gave her the American Express card Ranger provided for my use. Carla smiled and verified the data. She never asked me for identification. "Your boss described you."
"That makes sense. Thank you for helping me today," I replied as Carla passed me the card keys for the rooms. I noticed the rooms were beside each other. Hopefully, the bedrooms would be on opposite ends. I don't want Manny and Binkie to hear me having sex with my husband.
We got to the elevator when Manny arrived. The doors opened, revealing two beautiful women. He grinned at us and winked at the two women who quickly brushed past him. I pressed the button for the top floor and politely smiled when the doors closed to hide us from the view of the giggling women.
On our floor, Manny and Binkie exited the elevator first. They left me with Hector as they searched our suite. Manny opened the door and motioned for us to enter, but he placed a finger on his lips, telling us to remain silent. Did someone plant bugs in the room?
Hector raised a brow and grabbed something from his luggage. He scanned the room and plucked a few small devices from the lamp, television and headboard. I rolled my eyes while Hector appeared amused. Fortunately, he didn't find any hidden cameras, only bugs. Hector removed the laptop from his bag and hacked into the listening devices using the tiny numbers etched onto the plastic. I was surprised when he replaced them where they were found.
Manny and Binkie slapped Hector on the back before leaving our room. They whispered something to Hector, who nodded. I waited until they disappeared and secured the door before turning to face my husband. With one hand on my hip and tapping my foot, I silently demanded that he explain what the hell happened and why he would allow strangers to listen to everything in our room.
Hector took me into his arms and kissed me. I assumed my Burg glare did not affect him. He chuckled and guided me to the bathroom. We stepped beneath the hot water after removing our clothes and turning on the shower. "I disabled the bugs for our room. Destroying them would lead people to our door," Hector explained.
"We should still watch what we say," I suggested. Hector nodded as he pressed me against the shower wall. I groaned as he lifted me by my thighs and entered me. He swallowed my moans and cries as I climaxed. Hector quickly followed me over the edge.
I giggled when Hector washed every inch of my body. He always thoroughly washed me after our shower escapades. I wasn't going to complain because he let me return the favour. "We sealed our vows," Hector whispered. "You and I are one."
"Forever," I replied.
During the night, Hector's laptop beeped. Someone tried to reactivate the bugs. He placed a finger on his lips to silence me. I don't know what he did, but he managed to reverse them to listen to the men on the other side of the bugs. It couldn't be what I thought. How the hell did Ranger get us into that situation?
I sent the core team a message to get their asses to New York ASAP. It didn't take long for me to arrange a chartered flight. We needed to leave for the airport within minutes of the core team's arrival. Binkie and Manny entered our room within minutes of me messaging them. They remained silent as Hector listened to the other men's conversation. I doubted they knew we were listening to their conversation.
"Where?" Manny asked.
"They're in the room down the hall, across the elevator," Hector replied. "We leave now."
Manny and Binkie collected our duffles and tossed them over their shoulders. We would need to take the stairs to the main floor. Before we left the presidential suite, Hector turned on the television to play The Godfather and returned the bugs to their proper settings. He had the men's conversation stored on his laptop.
We walked to the parking garage. Hector searched the vehicle for bugs. Once he cleared it, we got inside. "What did you hear?" Manny asked.
"Nothing good," I replied before explaining the situation to the men.
Manny drove us to the airport. The chartered plane waited on the tarmac for our arrival. We boarded the plane and patiently waited for the others. I sat beside Hector to use his laptop for research. He had the foresight to save all the Rangeman employee background checks on his computer.
Binkie and Manny sat across the aisle. They never asked what I had to research because they already knew. I engrossed myself in the minute details of Tomas Riviera's life, attempting to determine how he met Ranger. Riviera never served with Rangeman's core team. Something about the man seemed oddly familiar. Where have I seen him? I wracked my brain to make the connection. It kept escaping me.
When the atmosphere in the jet shifted, I knew Ranger and the others boarded. Hector kissed my temple before sliding out of his seat. Ranger took his place. "What did you find?" Ranger asked.
"A gaping hole," I replied, pointing to the screen. "Why didn't I see this before now?"
"You weren't looking for it," Ranger explained while reading the information on the monitor. His expression turned deadly.
"Please buckle up. I'm preparing for takeoff," the pilot announced.
Ranger closed the laptop and placed it in the pouch on the back of the seat ahead of us. He buckled himself into the seat, and I quickly followed suit. We only had to wait thirty minutes before the pilot announced we could move freely around the cabin.
I caught Hector's eye and asked, "Who ran the search on Tomas Riviera?"
Hector retrieved his laptop to search for the name listed. He glanced at Lester before returning to the file. "Someone changed it to Santos," Hector explained when Ranger raised a brow.
"How could they do that?" Lester asked. "I never leave my computer unlocked when I leave my desk. Nobody has my credentials."
"Who?" Ranger demanded. Hector clicked on his keyboard. It took several minutes before he had an answer.
"Mateo Santiago," Hector replied. I gasped. It couldn't be. I snatched the laptop from Hector to check Valerie's social media account. Ranger and Hector exchanged a silent conversation as I tapped away. I compared the photos on Valerie's wall and the stock picture in Rangeman's database. Mateo Santiago's images, in black and white, are side by side. Standing beside him was his younger brother, Tomas Santiago.
"Son of a bitch!" I screamed. "I thought I recognized Tomas. When did he change his name?" I mumbled. The Santiago family moved from Trenton, NJ, when I was a child. Their mother divorced the father but never changed her last name. Her maiden name was Guiterrez. Where did he get the name Riviera?
I was too engrossed in my research that I got startled by Ranger moving the laptop away. He snapped it closed. "Seatbelt," Ranger ordered. I rolled my eyes and did as he asked while relaying all my intel on the Santiago family.
"How on earth did those brothers become Rangeman branch managers?" I asked Ranger.
"Mateo and I go way back to basic training. We served many tours together before joining the Rangers," Ranger confessed.
"And Tomas Riviera? How did you meet him?" I asked.
"He was Mateo's first hire when he managed the Atlanta branch," Tank replied. I flicked my eyes to Tank.
"Do any of us have the final say on who gets hired at the branches?" I wondered.
"Not when we get deployed," Lester answered, grabbing my attention. Ranger was oddly silent. I could feel the anger radiating off his skin. Mateo Santiago would likely get fired before sunset. Tomas Riviera would definitely be released from his contract and blackballed from working in the security sector.
Bobby quietly processed the information before asking, "Where did he get the name Riviera?"
"I can answer that," I replied, immediately launching into the story.