"Are you busy?" Lester asked. I raised my head from my monitor to see him leaning against the door jamb.
"Not really," I replied. Lester entered my office, closing the door for privacy. He sat in the visitor's chair, and I smiled when his leg bounced frenetically. "What has your knickers in a knot?"
"They found Tomas's body, not exactly his body, body. They found his bits and pieces," Lester announced. I nodded that I already received the intel. Tomas had landed in the middle of a lion's den in Africa. Not wanting to give up freshly delivered prey, the lionesses attacked. It was easier to find Mateo's corpse. The man got dropped over Siberia. He managed to escape the crate but never realized he was floating toward the ground. The crate tipped, dislodging him from the safety of its depths. Mateo plummeted to his death.
"When can I go home?" I asked. Hector had to leave the previous morning, and I couldn't sleep without him in my bed. It felt like a piece of my heart left the building.
"Tonight," Lester replied. "We are all going home."
"Good." I shut down my laptop and packed it in my bag. Lester raised a brow. "Our counteroffer got accepted. As of one minute ago, Rangeman Atlanta sold. We're leaving the crew in place until the closed date."
"Tank said you only cleared half the staff," Lester remarked.
"Unfortunately," I sighed. It was truly horrible. In the Army, I trained with ten of the men we had to let go. They were good soldiers but needed too much prodding to complete their tasks at Rangeman. "I emailed those ten men we fired. They will work for the new security company taking over our clients here."
"Why did you do that?" Lester asked. I wasn't sure how to answer a question I never fully understood. "Why did you negotiate a position as part of the sale?"
"Oh, that." I smiled and explained my reasoning to Lester. He couldn't believe I would help men who never mentioned the clusterfuck happening inside Rangeman Atlanta. "They tried to tell us, Lester. Someone blocked their emails from sending," I explained. "Sylvestro's credentials were hacked externally. He wasn't responsible for the email fiasco."
"Who was responsible?" Lester asked. In his defence, he was out of the country with the other core members when I uncovered the security breach. Lester obviously ignored his emails.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a clear case of ADHD at its worst," I teased. "Joseph Morelli."
"Holy shit! You have got to be joking!" Lester yelled as the door to my office opened.
Ranger, Tank and Bobby entered the room. Tank leaned against the door instead of engaging the locking mechanism. "I commissioned the chartered plane. We leave in three hours," Ranger announced.
Bobby's eyes danced in amusement. "Let me guess… Lester didn't read his emails."
"Nope," I replied, popping the p. "He just learned Joe Morelli was behind the scheme."
Tank chuckled as Bobby grinned. Ranger raised a brow, which appeared to be his involuntary response. "What?" Lester asked. "I don't have the patience to read them all."
"I recommend medication to assist with your concentration," I teased. Lester tried medication to taper his ADHD, but the drugs made him emotionless. He doesn't want to be medicated when he can manage things on his own. It meant him asking for information instead of reading the emails containing the details. I got used to him asking me.
"Have you heard from Juniak?" Ranger asked. I shook my head.
"Only when he said Morelli got bumped down to street cop and put on probation. Joe can't access the database. He needs a partner on the beat," I replied, repeating the information from a few weeks ago.
Ranger watched me pack my desk. He doesn't offer to help because I have a method to my madness. I caught Ranger's lip twitching. "I love it when she does that," Lester joked.
"Ha ha ha. At least I didn't say anything embarrassing this time," I replied.
"But those are the best times," Lester teased. I smacked his arm when he dropped it on my shoulder. He moved it and grinned. The man loved to poke the bear. By the bear, I meant Hector. Lester wouldn't cross the line. His flirting was harmless to me but potentially hazardous to his health.
We were anxious to get home. Based on my research, Ranger moved a few of his trusted employees to run the Trenton office. The men knew the business inside out and temporarily filled our shoes with ease. They increased our client base, which impressed Ranger. Hopefully, those men would remain in Trenton. We could use their assistance to improve business.
Ranger planned to meet with the clients. I wondered if Ramon and Slick would accompany him for the introductions. They hired Jeanne Ellen to walk through a few residential accounts for camera placement when the women were reluctant to sign with Rangeman. Jeanne Ellen followed my guidelines to help land the accounts. I hoped we could count on her for assistance. She proved to be adept at putting the women at ease. I smiled at the memory of our initial encounter.
"What do you find amusing?" Bobby asked, grinning like a fool.
"Jeanne Ellen," I replied. Bobby laughed and slapped his thighs.
"We got that encounter on camera. You disarmed her within minutes," Bobby said.
"I understood her. You guys underestimated her capabilities because she was overwhelmed by the level of testosterone in the room. I saw through her facade to see who she was beneath the surface. With a little training, we can use her for distractions," I suggested. "She can handle the guys without her hormones dancing in delight."
"She's hot. I wouldn't mind hitting that," Lester said, wiggling his eyebrows.
"You're too late," I announced. "She's dating my cousin Enzo."
"The accountant?" Lester asked.
I laughed. "No, Lester. Enzo is an Engineer. He primarily works from home to care for his mother until she gets moved into a home in a few months. Jeanne Ellen met Enzo when he grabbed subs from Pino's for dinner. Enzo knew she was his other half. She feels the same."
Bobby grabbed my laptop bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Are you feeling okay?" he quietly asked.
"Yes, and I really want you to stop fussing over me," I replied. I got the impression Bobby thought I was pregnant. Anything was possible, but I knew it wasn't true. Blood tests don't lie, and I know it returned as negative. The doctor wouldn't have administered the contraceptive injection, which I had to get three weeks early, if I was pregnant.
"Sorry, but I hoped for a different result," Bobby sheepishly replied.
We left Rangeman Atlanta for the last time and climbed into one of the SUVs. I waved to the other men climbing into the other vehicles. Some are driving to Miami, and the others would take the SUVs to Trenton.
"I can't say I'm sad to be leaving here," I said to nobody in particular.
"It was our first branch," Ranger sadly replied. "I had high expectations for its growth."
"Do you think it failed because you concentrated on expanding the company?" I wondered.
Ranger turned in his seat and thoughtfully looked at me. "It was a fleeting thought. We overestimated the ability of the manager we assigned. I thought Tomas would bring more to the job than he had. His background was astounding."
"And falsified," I added.
Snapping his fingers, Ranger said, "That too. We didn't know it at the time."
"Because you were too busy earning capital to expand Rangeman," I reasoned. "Now that we have this lucrative contract with the Pentagon and the alphabet agencies, we should expand conservatively and be aware of how Rangeman impacts the areas where a branch previously exists."
Ranger stared at me before releasing his 200-watt smile. "Auxiliary offices," he said.
"Exactly," I agreed. "We have a high earning potential in New Jersey and other parts of Florida." The others listened to our banter, only offering their insights whenever our suggestions got out of control.
Much too soon, we arrived at the airfield to fly home. Hal and Cal, our newest Rangeman employees, waited for us at the hangar. "Marco dropped us off to drive the car to Miami," Hal said when Ranger raised a brow. Tank dropped the keys in Cal's outstretched hand.
"You report in Trenton after your deployment," I reminded them.
"Yes, ma'am," they replied. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and gave myself a headache.
"Sorry, Steph. We're just teasing you," Cal said. He bumped fists with everyone before climbing into the driver's seat.
"Thank you for the job. We'll see you in a month," Hal replied before getting into the passenger side of the SUV. They waved out the windows as the vehicle left the lot.
We boarded the plane and got comfortable in our seats. I closed my eyes after latching the seatbelt. Ranger sat beside me, and I shifted to rest my head on his shoulder. "Go to sleep. You're safe with me," he whispered.
"I know," I sleepily replied.
When Ranger thought I was out for the count, he asked Bobby, "Is something wrong with her?"
"Nothing medical," Bobby replied. "I just received the results from her labs. Everything is normal."
"Including her hCG?" Ranger asked.
"Nonexistent levels," Bobby answered. I wanted to tell Bobby my symptoms were typical after sustaining an injury. My abilities helped me heal faster than the average human, but it came at a price.
"Bobby," I mumbled.
"Is there something I can get for you?" he asked.
"A blue-rare steak," I replied. "It's the only way to help."
"Stephanie, we had this argument before."
"You're going to lose this time," I yawned.
"Ouch," Bobby snarled.
"Are you telling me we could have fixed this weeks ago? Give the lady her damn steak," Lester snapped.
"Thanks, Lester," I replied. Ranger moved his arm, letting my neck rest against his muscular biceps. "Ah. Much better." I felt Ranger's shoulder move as he chuckled.
Bobby and Lester argued about the benefits of feeding me a blue-rare steak as I finally let the sandman take me into the land of slumber.
It felt like fifteen minutes later, which was actually closer to two hours when Ranger shook me awake. I sleepily looked at my friend and winced. "I'm hungry," I mumbled in time with my stomach protesting its lack of nourishment.
"Let's get you to Rangeman. Ella is making your dinner," Ranger said.
"Steak?" I asked, waking up fully. My stomach grumbled in appreciation.
Chuckling, Ranger answered, "Yes. She baked some potatoes with the works."
"Mmm. Bacon."
"That stuff will kill you," Ranger teased. I shrugged because our job could kill us, too.
Hector waited for us at the airport. He pulled me into his arms when I disembarked the plane. I felt better once Hector held me in his warm embrace. Ranger clapped Hector on the shoulder before climbing into the SUV and taking the driver's seat.
I clumsily got into the back because I refused to release Hector's hand. Lester climbed inside, sitting on the bench behind us. He left the empty seat beside me for Bobby. Ranger started driving before Bobby fully closed the door.
As Ranger promised, Ella had a blue-rare steak, loaded baked potato and a cheesy pasta side dish ready for me in the break room. Manny, Binkie and Sybo entered as I took the first bite of my steak. I remained silent until I ate the last bite of dinner. "What's up?" I asked, setting the fork on my plate.
Sybo grabbed my dishes. He tossed the bone in the trash and rinsed my plate before setting it in the dishwasher. I nodded in thanks. "We heard you were under the weather," Sybo said, sitting across from me.
"I told them you needed a bloody steak," Binkie replied.
"It seems to have fixed the problem," Manny observed.
"How so?" I asked.
"You were pale when you arrived. Now, you have colour to your cheeks," Manny replied, showing me proof using recording from the cameras in the room.
"Huh. Imagine that. You're right. I'm feeling better," I confessed.
"We missed you," Manny said.
"You saw me last week," I argued.
"Doesn't mean we never missed having you bust our balls," Binkie replied, making me laugh.
Sybo glanced over his shoulder. He leaned forward to whisper, "Hector was like a lion with a thorn in his paw."
"I'm sure the guys could say the same about me. I missed you nut jobs too," I teased. "Are you ready to leave on Monday?"
"Yes. I verified the locations," Manny replied. I nodded. He recognized the glint in my eye and didn't offer more intel. We needed to brief with Ranger and Lester before leaving to catch the criminal. To capture him in time, we had to leave early Monday morning. It would give us precisely seventy-eight hours to prepare. I wanted to spend most of those hours with Hector since he couldn't accompany us.
Jasper Coulridge embezzled money from fifteen corporations across the country. The FBI had problems pinning him to a location. Coulridge lived as a nomad, never settling in one city longer than required to pull his scam. He had his sights on a law firm in LA.
It was too close to my sister's home. What if he met Steve? I never trusted my brother-in-law. Something about the man set off my spidey senses. Valerie and Steve have two daughters. Angie was nine, and Mary Alice was seven. My spidey sense was screaming. How would Valerie take care of her children if Steve left? We would cross that bridge when we got there.