Chapter Four
November 2005
I wandered around the building, noting with satisfaction all the changes and improvements. The building renovations proceeded steadily once the architect had finished his plans and I'd approved them. The range designers had been and gone, and it was a thing of beauty: five shooting stalls and state-of-the-art technology like an automatic target system with customizable training scenarios and wireless control, motorized target retrievers, and a total containment bullet trap. Our armoury spanned the entire width of the range behind the firing line and was secured behind biometric scanners. It was currently empty, but once our staffing levels were built up, we'd hire someone who could also act as Rangemaster and begin stocking some inventory.
Over the past six weeks, Celia and the contractor had finished Hector's and my apartments, the fifth-floor offices, the conference rooms, the range, and the gym. Hector and I gave up our rental condo and moved in at the beginning of November. After I answered some preliminary questions from Celia, I was happy to keep out of the way while she worked with the contractor to design my new apartment. One of my best decisions was requesting additional soundproofing in Hector's and my apartments, and the apartments still to be completed on the sixth floor. The fifth-floor control room, where we would eventually monitor all the cameras and alarms for our security clients, the fourth-floor apartments, the sixth-floor modifications, the first-floor spaces, and the medical suite were still yet to be completed.
Hector has stepped back and started working on his lair on the third floor. He's determined the best security systems for our purposes and arranged accounts with the vendors. Since he doesn't want to be anyone's boss, we decided he'd be the best man to put together security packages at various price points for our future commercial and residential clients.
Tank and I have fallen seamlessly into our old Ranger patterns. We've done several skip retrievals now for Vinnie Plum and Les Sebring's bonds offices. After tracking them down with the help of Hector's invasive search programs and Stephanie's local network of informers, the takedowns themselves went like clockwork. Les Sebring was particularly pleased that we apprehended his FTAs without injuries. His bounty hunter, Jeanne Ellen Burrows, was unhappy that she was getting fewer files, but as he explained, she brought it upon herself. However, she didn't let that stop her from flirting with me whenever we crossed paths. It didn't seem to bother her that I didn't show any interest in reciprocating her attention.
I'd been spending some time with Stephanie, though. She had proved invaluable in helping locate our skips, but when I tried to give her a cheque to thank her for her assistance, she flat-out refused to take it until I explained anyone who had helped us as much as she would have gotten a cheque. She finally accepted it but would only agree to take half the amount I wanted to give her. Her independence was an intriguing quality and one of the things I liked best about her. I've been getting to know her these past several weeks, and she has quickly become a good friend.
Of course, I was still attracted to her, but I didn't want to muddy the waters with a one-night stand, and a couple of things she had said further indicated she was not a casual kind of woman.
As I walked into the space which would become the command center, my cell rang. "Yo," I said.
"Hey, little brother," Celia greeted. "How's everything going there today?"
"Looking good so far, Cels. Are you coming in today?"
"No. Today's a shopping day. I've placed orders for the kitchen and laundry equipment for the sixth floor and am on my way to a furniture store to buy the basics for the fourth-floor apartments. Are you still sure you want them all the same?"
"Yes. The men who will eventually live in those apartments will be happy if there's a comfortable place to sleep, a couch, and a TV. I imagine they'll bring some of their own stuff, too."
"Alright, just checking. I talked to Mom last night and she mentioned she might know a couple for the housekeeping and handyman positions."
"We're not ready to hire for them yet, but out of curiosity, who are they?"
"You remember Luis and Ella Guzman? They lived next door to us in Newark. They'd babysit sometimes when Mama and Papa went out."
"Yeah, I remember them. Luis is an electrician, right?"
"Yes. He also oversaw the renovations on their house, so he's well-versed in all manner of repairs. He and Ella are now retired and looking to sell their house and downsize."
"I'll keep them in mind, but I still don't think I'll be ready to fill those positions for a few months."
"No problem. If you want to work with them, just call Mama when you're ready. The contractors are working on the sixth floor this week, right?"
"Yes."
"Have you talked to Les about joining you in your company yet?"
"Of course. He'll be finished with the Rangers in three months and then moving here. You talked to him about his apartment, right?"
I could practically hear her eyes rolling through the phone. "Yes, but I'm not doing what he wants. Did you know he wants me to set up a sex swing in the living room? He's my baby brother! I told him I would find him the black leather couches he wants, but I'm also not setting up his bed in whorish red satin, either."
I laughed. "I don't blame you. I don't want him bringing his one-night stands into a secured building; that's what motels or the woman's house is for. Set it up the way you want it. If he has a problem, I'll deal with him."
"Great. Okay, I'm at the store now, so I will let you go. We're still on for dinner at that Italian place tomorrow night, right?"
"Yep. Rossini's, eight o'clock."
"See you tomorrow."
The next evening, I was at Rossini's with Hector, his boyfriend Juan, Tank, Celia and our other older sister, Elena, who came with Celia as a surprise. I was sitting in my customary spot at the table with my back to the wall so I could observe my surroundings when I spotted Stephanie coming into the restaurant with a blonde woman a few inches shorter than her. I excused myself from the table and walked to where Stephanie stood near the hostess stand. As I neared, she reached up to her neck and looked around.
"Hi," she said when she spotted me.
"Hey, Babe, what are you doing here?"
"Picking up takeout. Ranger, this is my sister, Valerie. Valerie, this is Ranger. He does Vinnie's high bonds."
I stuck out my hand to shake Valerie's, which she offered somewhat tentatively. "Nice to meet you, Valerie," I said politely.
"Uh…um…nice to meet you, too," she nearly whispered.
"Who are you here with?" Stephanie asked curiously.
"Do you want to meet them? I know you know Hector and Tank already."
"Oh, sure. Val, wanna come?" she asked her sister. When Valerie shook her head, Steph rolled her eyes and said, "Wait here for our food, then. I'll be right back."
We walked to the back of the restaurant, and along the way, Steph said, "Sorry about her. She's not normally so shy." Her voice changed, and she added in a mumble, "Probably because you're so hot."
"What?" Stephanie had never given me any indication she even thought of me as a man before.
"Huh? Oh, nothing." Steph flushed a light, rosy glow.
I let it go, but this was something to think about. When we reached my table, everyone looked up curiously.
"Steph!" Juan leaped up and engulfed Steph in a big bear hug. "How you doing, girl?"
"Juan! It's been too long. I'm great; how are you?" she exclaimed as he let her go.
"I'm fabulous," he said, smiling brightly. "You know Carlos?"
She looked around, a little confused. "I'm Carlos, Babe," I told her.
"Oh, I guess I do," she said with a slight laugh. "But he's just been Ranger to me."
"How do you know Juan?" Hector asked.
"Oh, we go way back," Steph grinned. "We went to middle school together, and we shared most classes in high school, too."
"Steph, we'll have to catch up one of these days," Juan told her.
Celia cleared her throat softly, but I immediately picked up her cue.
"Stephanie, these two lovely ladies are my older sisters, Celia and Elena. You know Tank already. Celia, Elena, this is Stephanie. She's a bounty hunter, too."
"Stephanie?" Celia said, looking from me to Hector. Uh-oh. She remembers what Hector said at lunch all those weeks ago. "It's so nice to put a face to the name," she said sweetly. I narrowed my eyes at her, and Hector hid a grin.
"It's nice to meet you both, too. I should be getting back to my sister. We're picking up dinner. Ranger, I'll see you later. Juan, call me soon, and we'll get together and catch up. You can get my number from Ranger, right?" She looked up at me, and I nodded. She did a little wave with her index finger and returned to the hostess podium.
"So, that's Stephanie," Celia said, smiling broadly. "She seems so nice, not to mention beautiful."
"She is nice," Hector assured her. "And she damn near knows everyone in town. She's been helping us a lot in tracking down skips for the bounty-hunting side of RangeMan."
They talked a bit longer about Stephanie, and Hector asked Juan what she was like as a kid. Juan regaled us with stories—like when she jumped off the roof of her parents' garage when she was eight and broke her arm—and his admiration for her absolute lack of concern for what other people thought about her when she was in high school. Hector took his hand sympathetically when Juan admitted he was so scared to come out as gay that he moved in with a woman after knowing her for only three months to avoid the backlash he'd get from his family and community. "And my parents disowned me when I finally admitted to Jess and everyone else that I'm gay," he said. "It was a horrible situation, but Jess and I worked it out, and we are pretty good co-parents now."
We spent the rest of the evening chatting, and when everyone was done with dinner, no one wanted dessert. I paid for dinner and kissed my sisters goodbye, wishing them a safe drive home.
"See you tomorrow, Carlos," said Celia before getting into her car.
That night, as I fell asleep in bed, I thought about Stephanie. Learning she had been a bit of a daredevil as a kid solidified my impression of her now. In many ways, she seemed just like that kid Juan described tonight at dinner, and it was just one more thing to like about her.