Lester and Bobby approach the monitors where Slick, watching the internal feed on the seventh floor, is in rapt fascination as Floyd slowly walks toward Ranger's apartment on the seventh floor. He knew how to unlock the door from the utility elevator, which he caught Hal authorizing during his last shift a few days earlier.
Bobby motions for Junior to make himself scarce as they handle Slick. Junior nods at Bobby while he leaves, passing him the recording of Slick's actions. Being Hector's partner for installations and IT services, Junior has the skills to record Slick's keystrokes and the screens he views. Junior knows Slick won't live for much longer for helping The Hunter get to Stephanie while she's inside Rangeman.
"Hey, what happened?" Slick asks when the camera feeds turn fuzzy, like when the screen loses connection to the cameras, or someone scrambles the video. He clicks on the buttons, attempting to reconnect the view. "Junior, can you help me?" Slick turns to face his partner for the shift, but Junior isn't in his seat.
"Is something wrong?" Lester asks as he stands beside Slick. He leans over and presses buttons on the keyboard to engage the camera feed. Lester knows Junior has Rodriguez monitoring the internal cameras after rerouting them without Slick noticing.
Bobby leans over Slick's shoulder and whispers, "Did you really think you'd get away with this treachery and putting Ranger's wife in imminent danger?"
Slick stiffens in fear. He drops the blank face in place as he faces Bobby. "I don't know what you're talking about. Ranger isn't married," Slick replies, forcing his voice to stay calm despite his fear of getting caught. He wonders if Tank asking him to work today is part of a setup. Slick prays that nothing will happen to Stephanie, especially if she's the boss's wife.
Lester quickly disarms Slick when he reaches for his knife. Slick is wearing a gun at his ankle and a knife in the pocket of his cargo pants. "Right. Have you heard from Marion Floyd?" Lester questions. Slick's face pales. He realizes Lester and Bobby know about his arrangement with Floyd.
"No," Slick lies. Lester rolls his eyes. Bobby smiles, thinking Stephanie will laugh when he tells her the eye roll is worthy of the Burg.
"Really?" Bobby asks. He leans in closer to show Slick a needle. "You're coming with us."
Slick tries to slip away, but Cal, Hal and Manny appear to assist Bobby and Lester. "Help me," Slick begs. "I didn't know she married Ranger." Bobby smirks when Slick's face drains of colour upon realizing his slip.
Cal and Hal yank Slick towards the elevator. Manny steps inside, keeping his back to the door. He's keeping a close eye on Slick. They take the elevator to the floor below the garage, where Rangeman has cells for interrogation.
"Please, I didn't know," Slick cries. Manny shakes his head and opens the door farthest from the door. He searches Slick for lock picks, bobby pins and safety pins. Using his knife, Manny cuts through the cargo pants at the thigh. He clicks his tongue as he removes the pick Slick hid in his pants. Hal snickers as he checks the other side, finding another pick in the seam.
"Naked it is," Cal laughs. They strip Slick before securing him to the metal chair. Slick tries to move, but the chair isn't budging. He looks at the floor, noticing the bolts keeping the chair from moving.
"Why did Floyd want Stephanie?" Hal asks.
Slick shakes his head. "I don't know. He never said why he wanted the woman, and I never asked," he replies.
"Your biggest mistake was giving Floyd access to a secured building," Cal snarls.
"No," Manny quickly disagrees while checking Slick's phone. "His biggest mistake was taking Floyd's call."
The three men laugh as they check the shackles securing Slick to the chair. "Hey, Cal. Do you know how Slick got his nickname?" Hal asks.
"I was SEALs, not Rangers," Cal reminds him. "I never worked with Slick. How did he get his name?"
"He's slippery and able to get out of trouble," Hal laughs.
Manny shakes his head and says, "I'd like to see him slither out of this one."
"You're thinking about Snake. Slick is a master of picking locks. Unless he has a pick stuck up his ass, I don't see him slipping out of those shackles," Hal says.
"Even if he can dislocate his thumb, he isn't getting out of those restraints," Manny adds. They laugh as they exit the room, leaving Slick alone in the dark. Cal locks the door with the key. He grins as Hal turns the wheel, sliding the bolts into the frame.
Tank arrives with Hector, who looks murderous. "Open the door," Tank orders.
Hal quickly disengages the bolts while Cal unlocks the door. He hands the key to Tank, who gestures with his chin toward the exit. "We had to strip him. He had picks sewn into his clothes," Manny explains when Tank opens the door. Tank raises a brow but remains stoic as he enters the room with Hector.
Removing a knife from his pocket, Hector approaches Slick. "Why did you help Floyd," Hector demands in Spanish as he strokes the blade's edge.
Understanding the language, Slick replies in Spanish, "I owed him a favour. He called to collect. I felt obligated to help him. Please, don't kill me." Slick isn't beneath begging for his life. He knows helping Floyd is an epic mistake he's unable to change. Time travel doesn't exist, so changing the past is impossible.
"You should have refused to help Floyd get inside Rangeman. Ranger has protocols for accessing the building for a reason. Using your position and someone else's credentials to scramble each camera Floyd approaches and move the utility elevator to the seventh floor," Hector says, sounding angrier with every word.
Slick shakes in fear. He knows Hector can kill him and make it appear to be suicide. It's what he did when Abruzzi went after Stephanie. Slick hangs his head, letting his chin hit his chest. Tears drip onto his thighs. The reality of his actions hit him harder than Hector's punch to his temple, which made his head ache and see stars before his eyes. "I'm sorry," Slick cries. Nothing he says will make anything better.
"You endangered Stephanie, the light of Rangeman. Nobody will let you live for this treacherous behaviour against Ranger. He gave you a job when you couldn't find one," Tank says, finally talking.
"Ranger never thought I was good enough to offer a full-time position. He gave one to his side piece," Slick stupidly says, earning another punch, but this time it's Tank's giant fist connecting with Slick's jaw. Tank hears a satisfying crack.
"Your actions with Floyd prove Ranger was right about keeping you as the contract worker. He only hires men he explicitly trusts. Something about you gave him pause. You can run the monitor station or work the reception desk, but he never trusted you to guard Stephanie. Doing Floyd's bidding put the final nail in your coffin. We know your contract is over. You don't have surviving family members, significant other or friends. Nobody will miss you or report you as missing," Tank says. "The second you agreed to help Floyd solidified your future.
"What did I do?" Slick asks.
"Dug your grave," Tank answers.
"I know," Slick sighs. "Make it quick."
"You don't get that luxury," Hector says, speaking in English, surprising Slick.
Tank leaves Hector alone with Slick, but he stands outside the door, preventing anyone from interfering. He contacts Ram and Vince, asking them to prepare for a clean-up. The men understand their orders. They will dispose of Slick's body once Hector finishes making Slick pay for putting Stephanie in danger. Like Lester and Bobby, Ram and Vince are upset and can't take out their frustration on Slick.
A few minutes earlier, inside Ranger's apartment on the seventh floor, Stephanie lies beneath Marion Floyd. "Get him off me," Stephanie groans, attempting to push the heavy man off her. "I need a shower. That blood pack is stickier than Lester said."
"Babe?" Ranger shouts, rushing toward Stephanie. Hector and Ranger yank Floyd off Stephanie. Her switchblade remains in Floyd's crotch. Ranger realizes the blood pooling beneath Stephanie is from Floyd's fatal injury.
"While falling, I pressed my knife against his crotch and pushed the button," Stephanie explains.
"Proud of you, Babe," Ranger says. He gestures with his chin to Hector, who grins and leaves the apartment. Hector and Tank will collect Slick and make him pay for helping Floyd.
Ella approaches Stephanie as Ranger checks to see if Floyd's still alive. "Are you hurt?"
"No," Stephanie replies. "Floyd tagged me in the side, but it only ruptured the fake blood packs Lester and Bobby attached to it. The idiot grinned when he felt the moisture. Carlos, is he dead?"
"Floyd is dead. Your knife cut his femoral artery," Ranger says as Lester and Bobby enter the apartment. "You're lying in his blood."
"Gross," Stephanie says. "I definitely need to shower."
"We need your sweatshirt and pants for evidence," Lester says as Bobby confirms Floyd is dead.
Stephanie removes the sweatshirt and pants. She drops them into the evidence bags Lester holds open. "Did you happen to have your forensics kit?" Stephanie questions.
"I grabbed it on the way up," Lester chuckles. "By the way, Woody said your plan of parking that undercover shit car on the street to reserve a spot for Floyd worked like a charm. Woody moved it when he saw Floyd approaching in the stolen car. Floyd never suspected it was a setup."
"The idiot likely thought it was his impeccable parking karma," Stephanie laughs. "His arrogance overrode his common sense."
Bobby examines Stephanie as she stands in her sports bra and boy-short underwear. She knows Bobby will notice, but he won't stare or comment. Stephanie hisses when Bobby presses above her right hip. "You have a bruise forming," Bobby explains.
"Feels about right," Stephanie jokes. "That's where he tagged me with his knife. I'm glad the Kevlar held."
"We'll have to test you for diseases," Bobby says, pulling the needles and collection vials from his medical bag. Stephanie rolls her eyes. Ranger stands behind Stephanie. He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her against his back.
Stephanie relaxes when Ranger whispers in Spanish. She listens to the cadence of his voice as Bobby efficiently collects the sample. "Come on, Babe," Ranger says, "Let's get you cleaned."
"I'll put a rush on this test," Bobby says. He calls Zip to collect the samples for testing in their lab on the second floor. "We should have the results by morning. For now…" he trails off.
"Yes, we know, Bobby," Stephanie says. "Use extra protection."
Ranger tugs on Stephanie's hand. They go into the shower to wash away the blood and sticky fake blood from the blister packs. Bobby, Lester and Ella wait until they're out of earshot before talking.
"We need to keep an eye on Stephanie," Bobby says. "Taking a life always hits her hard. I didn't think she'd get over the last incident."
"She acted in self-defence," Lester argues, collecting hair and saliva samples from Floyd. "Stephanie will move past this as she has the others."
Ella gently touches Lester's shoulder, "This time is different. She stabbed him with her switchblade. It's close and personal. Stephanie felt him die on top of her."
"I have Wilson on standby. He's staying in the spare apartment on the fourth floor," Bobby says. "Wilson mentally prepared Stephanie for this scenario."
"True, but it will hit her hard all the same," Ella reasons. "I'll be back once you remove that piece of crap from the apartment. Call me."
"Have you called the FBI?" Ranger asks. Bobby raises a brow, wondering why Ranger isn't with Stephanie. "She's getting dressed."
"Not yet," Lester says. Ranger steps away from Lester and Bobby. He goes to his office to collect the recording of Floyd pushing into his office and attacking Stephanie. As he waits for the video to transfer onto the flash drive, he calls Agent Severs, his contact with the FBI.
"Severs," the man answers.
"We caught your man, Marion Floyd. However, he's dead," Ranger says.
Sighing, Severs replies, "I'm sorry to hear that. We wanted to interrogate him about the other dead women."
"He has a laptop and phone in his car. You're welcome to scour those for evidence," Ranger suggests, knowing Rodriguez has copies of everything on both devices. "I'm sure your technical analyst will find everything he needs to put those families at ease."
"We could use your research team at the FBI. Your intel was phenomenal. Have you thought about joining us?" Severs asks.
"The FBI will benefit from contracting Rangeman for that purpose," Ranger says, hoping to convince Severs it's the best option for both parties. He wants to expand his client base by signing contracts with the various alphabet agencies.
"I'll take it up with the director. A team will arrive at Rangeman in thirty minutes to collect Floyd's body. Thanks for your assistance, Ranger," Severs says, hanging up.
Ranger calls Binkie, who's monitoring the reception desk. "Yo," Binkie answers.
"Have Woody escort the FBI body retrieval team to the seventh floor when they arrive," Ranger orders.
"HUA," Binkie replies. He grins when the FBI team arrives twenty-nine minutes later.
Binkie waits for Ramon to sit at the reception desk before escorting the FBI upstairs. They were a bit put off when Binkie asked to see their identification, refusing to let them enter the elevator until confirming their credentials. Two men complained while the third remained silent like the woman. She rolls her eyes, reminding Binkie of Stephanie. He smiles, earning him a wink from the woman. "Is something amusing?" she asks.
"Yes," Binkie confesses. "You remind me of Stephanie. She rolls her eyes when the men act like babies."
The woman laughs, "You got the baby part right." The men display their annoyance at Binkie and Agent Sumner's comments. She slips Binkie a business card with her personal cell number written on the back. "Call me when this case closes."
"Yes, Ma'am," Binkie replies, grinning at his luck. Agent Cera Sumner is beautiful. Binkie knows she lives close enough for them to have a relationship. If Rangeman signs a contract with the FBI, he must stay off the cases with Agent Sumner on the FBI team.
Upon arriving on the seventh floor, two agents help Bobby and Lester load Floyd's body on the gurney, leaving Agents Sumner and Casey to get Stephanie and Ranger's statements. Bobby and Lester escort the men with the gurney to the first floor and assist with placing the body in their transport vehicle.
Casey smiles when Ranger passes him a flash drive containing intel from the Rangeman cameras. "Your inside man?" Agent Sumner asks.
"We handled him," Ranger replies. She raises a brow and looks at Binkie. He shrugs.
"Military style?" she questions. Ranger answers with a curt nod.
"What does that mean?" Agent Casey asks.
"It means we don't have to arrest him for conspiracy to kidnap and torture Mrs. Manoso," Agent Sumner states. Casey wisely remains quiet. Agent Sumner is ex-military and understands Ranger's process. "Thank you for letting us come inside your home to hear your statement, Mr. Manoso." Agent Sumner turns to Stephanie. "I'm sorry you had to endure this trauma. If there's anything I can do to help you, please call me." She hands Stephanie a business card. Stephanie already likes the woman.
"Thank you for taking care of this immediately," Stephanie replies. "I'll talk to you once you close your case."
"I appreciate your men taking away the body and not subjecting my wife to more trauma," Ranger says. Agent Sumner and Agent Casey shake Ranger and Stephanie's hands and allow Ranger to escort them to the door.
Ranger catches Binkie's eye, silently asking him to call once the FBI leaves the building. Binkie nods and guides the two agents from the building.
Stephanie leans against Ranger and sighs. "Babe?"
"I'm tired, Carlos. Let's go to bed," she says. Her stomach grumbles. "After we eat."