Ram and Hal filed their reports for their assistance with Johan Smith while I retreated to Ram's apartment for the night. It was late, and I needed my beauty sleep. Hector and I would deposit my cheques into the bank in the morning and look for my new home.
I closed my eyes and drifted asleep, dreaming of the house I hoped to own. The home in my dreams reminded me of the place I had once visited as a child. It was an older home in Ewing Township, owned by one of Grandpa Plum's military friends. I attended a birthday celebration for Grandpa in that house. Was it for sale?
Much too early, the alarm sounded. I never thought to turn off Ram's alarm on the nightstand. It didn't matter. Ram should be finished his shift in thirty minutes. There was no time like the present to get out of bed and shower.
Once I dressed in my Rangeman gear, I contacted Ranger. As always, he answered after the first ring, "Yo."
"Hey, Ranger. I have a question," I said, nervous about how it would affect him.
"Babe?"
Ranger and his cryptic "Babe," which could mean anything from "What do you want" to "We're going to have sex," drove me insane. Why couldn't he speak what was on his mind? It would take the guesswork out of my interpretations.
Sighing, I asked, "What is Rangeman's fee for assisting with the transport of a skip?"
"There's no price for you, Babe," Ranger replied before hanging up. I rolled my eyes and decided not to call back to yell at him for ending the conversation without me offering some form of payment. However, it gave me time to figure out how to repay the guys. A thought came to mind, making me smile. Would Ranger be opposed to me ordering pizza and subs for the men? I wanted to call and ask but decided just to take charge, and I know who would help without tipping off the boss.
Hector answered on the first ring. I smiled and explained the situation. He promised to help. It confused me when I heard a knock on my door a few minutes later. I checked the clock and rolled my eyes. Okay, who would visit me this early? I opened the door and smiled at Ella. "What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Hector said you needed a favour," Ella replied. I laughed and stepped aside for Ella to enter the apartment. We quietly talked and decided to order pizza and subs from Shorty's. Luis would collect our order and set everything up in the main floor conference room. Ella would order another meal from Shorty's for the remaining men working the evening shift and would otherwise miss my treat.
"That's a great idea," I said, pleased that Ella promised not to tell Ranger I bought the food. We calculated how much it would cost, and I gave Ella my credit card. She tucked it into her pocket, where it would stay until she ordered the food.
Ella patted my cheek affectionately. She smiled and left the apartment to prepare breakfast for the men. I knew breakfast would consist of healthy cereal and bagels. It was the standard fare for the Rangeman break room. On special occasions, Ella would make scrambled eggs or breakfast wraps.
The thought of having a breakfast wrap with egg and sausage made my stomach grumble. I went to the kitchen to check the fridge for the ingredients. Ram had eggs but no sausage or bacon. Disappointed, I slammed the refrigerator door much harder than I wanted. I thumped my head against it when the door to the apartment opened. "Hi, honey. I'm home," Ram teased.
I rolled my eyes and turned. Ram held up a bag from McDonald's, making my growl of frustration turn into a delighted shout, "Oh my God. Thank you. I'm starving."
"There's two breakfast sandwiches for you." Ram passed me the bag after removing the food for himself. I greedily grabbed the bag with the remaining sandwiches. It took less than a second for me to rip open the wrapper and take a bite of the egg and sausage on the toasted English muffin.
"So good. Thank you, Ram," I mumbled around the food. He fixed himself a few times as I enjoyed my breakfast. Once I finished eating, I tossed the trash and washed my hands. Ram was relaxing on the sofa, awaiting my return. "What's up?" I cheekily asked when I noticed Ram had a pillow covering his crotch.
Ram chuckled and patted the cushion beside him. I sat where indicated and leaned against his arm. He repositioned his arm to wrap around me. Sighing, I rested my head on his shoulder. "I'm heading to the gym in a few minutes to run on the treadmill. Are you meeting me in the range?" Ram asked.
"What time?"
"It's 7:30 now, so how about 9:00?"
"Sure. I can be there. I'll see if Tank's available to talk now," I replied. We sat in companionable silence for ten minutes before I kissed his cheek. "Thanks for your help, Ram."
When I exited the apartment, I found Hal leaning against the wall, his arms crossed on his chest, and his right foot pressed raised with the sole on the wall. Hal looked relaxed and very sexy. He smiled after I gave him an appreciative once-over. "Are you waiting for Ram?" I asked when he didn't move from his position.
"Yup," he replied.
I touched his arm and said, "Thank you for the assistance last night."
Hal pushed off the wall and lowered his arms. He stepped toward me and raised his right hand to tuck the hair behind my left ear. I closed my eyes when his fingers trailed along my jaw. "Anything for you, Steph," he quietly said. Ram exited his apartment, interrupting our private moment. I stepped away from Hal and walked to the elevator to take it up a floor.
Tank was waiting for the doors to open on five. I smiled as I exited the cart. "Do you have a few minutes?" I asked.
"Follow me," he replied. I watched his ass as I followed him into the office. Why haven't I noticed Tank had a sexy, firm ass? How big are his thighs? Tank remained silent, and I assumed I kept my thoughts to myself. When he closed the door, he said, "I never measured them."
"Crap. How much did I say out loud?" I wondered, feeling embarrassed as my face heated.
With a raised brow, Tank asked, "I only heard "how big are his thighs?" Did you ask something else?"
"Nope," I lied. Tank chuckled in disbelief. He knew I was lying. I wasn't about to tell him what I thought, and he wasn't planning to call me out.
Tank waved his hand, gesturing for me to explain why I wanted to meet with him. "Last night, I captured Johan Smith. The FBI was also searching for him, and I received three million for his apprehension," I explained. Tank nodded. His lip curled into an almost smile. When I said, "I want to buy a house in Ewing Township," Tank leaned forward on his elbows, forming a steeple with his fingers.
"You want Rangeman to secure the house," Tank reasoned. It was one of the things I liked most about the big guy. He got straight to the point.
"Mmhmm," I replied, confirming his assumption. "When I attended Grandpa's birthday party, we visited an older home on Honeysuckle Drive. It's a two-story yellow brick house with a double garage." Tank tapped on his keyboard.
Displaying his pearly whites as he turned the laptop for me to see, Tank said, "You're in luck, Little Girl. The house is for sale. It's one of Rangeman's residential accounts."
"Yes!" I grabbed the notepad from the neat stack on Tank's desk. He gave me a pen to copy the name and number of the agent who listed the property. "Could you do me a favour?" I asked.
"Anything," Tank replied. I loved how my Merry Men said yes without asking what I wanted them to do.
"I want to go away for a few months. It's been too long since I've seen the beach and sand. Could the Rangeman lawyers handle the closing?" I asked, hoping Tank could arrange it for me. Tank nodded and composed an email for Hunter. "Thank you. I need to organize my vacation. Did Rangeman need me for the next few days?"
Tank studied me for a few minutes before replying, "We have a few files for searches. You're our best researcher. Once you finish the files, we can pick up the skips."
"Let me know how much I owe Hunter for his expertise," I said before standing. I rounded Tank's desk to kiss his cheek. He blushed slightly and gestured for me to leave.
I went to my cubicle, finding over fifty files. Damn! It was the least I could do for Ranger, who has been supportive. I silently cursed Rodriguez as I logged onto the computer. It took over five hours to get through three folders. At this rate, I would be here for another week.
Tank found me reviewing the results of my search for Barry Gunther. I shook my head at the way he treated his late wives. He inherited their estates, having coerced the women into changing their wills. Barry stayed married to the women for at least a year as he worked to create rifts between his wife and their children. I couldn't believe what Gunther had done. He made Steve, Valerie's ex-husband, look like a saint. Every one of Gunther's wives had died before two years of marriage. The coroner always ruled the deaths as natural causes. Barry Gunther was a Bluebeard, the male version of a Black Widow. He preyed on the emotionally vulnerable women.
"Little Girl, what is bothering you?" Tank asked.
Pushing the file towards him, I replied, "Barry Gunther is despicable. He lives at Shady Pines, but you can find him lingering outside the Bingo Hall tonight." Tank grinned as he read the highlighted sections.
"Do you think he would cause any issues?" Tank asked.
"No. Catch Gunther before he takes advantage of another woman," I replied. Narrowing my eyes, I asked. "Are you here for a reason?"
"I contacted the agent. You have a viewing in fifty minutes. Hunter is here to accompany you. Take Hector," Tank said. He turned on his heel and walked away. Hector appeared at my desk within a few minutes.
"Hola, Hec," I greeted, making him grin. I held up a finger, asking him to wait a minute while I printed my resignation letter for Vinnie. After reading it a few times, I added my signature. Hector smiled when I printed a copy and left it in the outbox for Tank, with the signed copy of my Rangeman contract. Tank would file them in my personnel folder. I tucked my copy of the contract and the letter to deliver to Vinnie in my purse.
Hector offered me a hand and pulled me to my feet. We walked to the elevator, waiting a few seconds before the door opened. I hoped we could stop by the bank to deposit my cheque. Anticipating what I wanted, Hector removed it from his wallet. He watched as I tucked it into my change purse. I hoped we wouldn't have trouble depositing the cheque and using the funds to purchase my home. "We should stop at the bonds office to collect my fees," I suggested when I climbed into the car.
"How close is your bank to the bonds office?" Hunter asked.
I smiled at the handsome man and replied, "Around the corner."
"We have time."
Like all the other Merry Men, Hunter hit every green light and parked in the spot closest to the bonds office's front door. Hector accompanied me into the office, leaving Hunter waiting at the curb.
Connie smiled as I opened the door. "I heard you got Johan Smith," she said.
"No thanks to Lula," I grumbled.
"What was that?" Connie asked. I glanced at her. Connie's eyes narrowed as she grabbed the book to give me the cheque for Smith.
"Nothing. It doesn't matter," I replied. "Do you have any skips for me?"
"Not today. It's been slim pickings lately," Connie explained. I interpreted the "slim pickings" as Lula and Joyce Barnhardt receiving the files. It didn't matter to me. I was quitting once I cashed my cheques. Hector raised a brow when we left without seeing my cousin Vinnie.
"Did you hand in your letter?" Hunter asked, reading a message from his phone.
"Not yet," I confessed. "I wanted to ensure the cheques cleared first."
"Let's take care of that now, and we'll stop here long enough for you to hand over your resignation to Vinnie," Hunter said.
"Do we have time?"
"Yes," Hunter succinctly replied. I was surprised when Hunter and Hector accompanied me inside the bank. When I approached the teller, who was my cousin, Marion, Hunter said, "Ms. Plum would like to see the manager." I raised my brows but didn't contradict him. Hunter must have a reason for requesting a visit with the branch manager.
Marion politely smiled and left to get her boss, who I recognized from high school. Gary Marsden grinned as he approached. "This way, Stephanie," he said. I wasn't surprised Hector and Hunter followed me.
Hector gently pushed me to sit in the chair. Hunter sat beside me, leaving Hector to stand. He closed the door and leaned against it to prevent others from entering the office. Once Gary got situated behind his desk, he asked, "How can I help you today?"
I removed the cheques from my wallet and slid them across the desk, keeping my fingers on the edge to pull them back. Hunter said, "I'm Stephanie's lawyer, Hunter Jacobson," while passing Gary Marsden his business card. I recognized the Rangeman logo. Only Hunter's name and phone number are on the front. "Stephanie would like a high-interest savings and chequing account."
Gary glanced at the cheques and nodded. "Similar to Rangeman's accounts but personal?" Gary asked.
"Yes," Hunter replied, answering for me. I trusted him to negotiate a reasonable interest. Hunter proved he had done his research when he asked about the account.
Smiling, Gary entered his credentials into his computer before turning the monitor so we could view it. "Which account would you like?" he asked.
Hunter and I quietly discussed the options. I decided to go with the one offering one percent interest and no fees if I maintained a 2000 balance. We also opened an account for the house. "I need a letter to prove there's enough money to offer a cash payment for the property Stephanie plans to buy," Hunter answered.
It took nearly all of our available time to get everything set up. "Will there be a problem for Hunter accessing the funds for the house, or can he come here to organize the transfer to the seller?" I asked.
"Hunter only needs the letter to confirm the funds are available for a cash sale," Gary replied. I nodded.
"You'll have to sign the closing paperwork and the offer," Hunter added. He glanced at his watch. "We have an appointment soon. Could you print the balances and have Stephanie sign the account paperwork?"
"Sure," Gary replied. He printed the two chequing and one savings account balance sheet. "Would you be keeping your current chequing account, Ms. Plum?"
"Stephanie," I quickly corrected, "No. I want that one closed and the balance moved to the one for the property."
"Very well," Gary said. He completed the transaction and printed the document for me to sign. Hunter double-checked everything before I signed up for my accounts. It seemed overkill, but I knew Hunter only protected my assets.
"How soon can I access my accounts?" I asked Gary.
He smiled and had me enter a pin into the device to activate my cards. "You have immediate access. Your permanent cards will arrive in the mail within five business days," Gary replied, passing me the card to access all of my accounts. "For now, you can access all three accounts from that card."
"Thank you," I said before standing.
"Let me know if there's anything I can do for you," Gary offered.
"Only one thing," I said, smiling. "If you or your tellers mention how much money is in my account, I will remove every cent."
"Rangeman would follow in Stephanie's footsteps," Hunter threatened. Gary's face paled. I knew he couldn't afford to lose Rangeman's business account.