Chapter 87: Decisions Have Consequences
Armando’s POV
I’m ready. I have everything I need and I’m prepared.
Time to fire my major annoyances. All five of them.
I pull my documentation regarding every instance in which Antonio has irritated the shit out of me in the past six months. I pull the documentation detailing his disrespect of every housekeeper in RangeMan, and Diego brings his documentation showing every attempt to disrespect Maria since her return. He also brings additional documentation, from every time he’s written Tony up and everything that’s happened since Steph arrived. I compile all the information and hand it over to Candy, who flips through and nods. I take a moment to sit down and center myself.
I’m going to enjoy this but it’s long overdue.
Finally, I call him to my office. Candy is present as the head of HR, in order to ensure that all proper procedures are followed. Diego is also present. He’s had the pleasure of the rest of them but I’m doing this one personally. Diego has his blank face in place, but I watched as he said ‘You’re fired’ to the empty chair. Candy and I laughed, but he was determined.
“I’ve wanted to say it for so long that, even though I’ll get more pleasure out of watching you do it, I’ll accept this as a substitute.”
I demanded the right to handle this one. It was my failure to do this that caused so many problems. I intend to fix this myself.
“Tony, sit.” I wait for him to get comfortable. “I told you at today’s meeting that I intended to follow through on the CO’s information. She’s proven that this office’s reputation among women is our problem, and it’s not some random information. She’s backed it up with interviews with our former clients and discussions with our current clients. It’s real, hard evidence and it underscores your performance as the head of bodyguard services.”
I lean back in the chair and remember to keep my blank face in check. I’m going to enjoy firing my asshole of a cousin.
“Your duties require you to conduct random interviews and surveys with our clients to maintain our satisfaction ratings. Do you have proof that you’ve done that portion of your position?”
Tony is looking at me in shock. “Excuse me?”
“Fart elsewhere. You say you conduct interviews with our clients. Can you produce anything to back that statement up?”
I know he doesn’t have anything. Steph has recordings and write-ups of every interview. I have my notes of every interview I ever did. Diego has his. We’ve been doing his job. I’m going to get him on job performance alone.
“I’ll take your silence to mean no. You’re also required to determine when the men are getting burned out and frustrated in their current positions, described in the position as ‘maintaining employee morale and effectiveness’. Do you conduct employee interviews, one on one, to ensure morale is high and the men feel an appropriate level of satisfaction in their work?”
Complete silence. Tony is turning red at an impressive rate.
“In five days, the CO has done your job and been able to substantiate your failures. Your failure to perform the client relations portion of your duties has directly led to the loss of nearly half a million dollars in services. That’s real losses, not paper, and we can’t sustain it. Do you have anything to say to prove that I’m incorrect in my assumptions about the quality of your performance as the head of the department?”
Tony’s gone from red to white. Fury is clear on his face.
“Mr. Delgado,” Candy says, leaning forward. “It’s important that you explain your actions, or inaction, at this time. Your job performance is being called into question and without an adequate response from you, it will be assumed that Mr. Cortes’s statements are true and factual. Do you have anything to say, any explanation to offer?”
Tony stares at her furiously. Candy has an excellent blank face and she’s pretending to look concerned. “Well, hearing none, as the head of HR, I’m forced to record your lack of response to the allegations and accept Mr. Cortes’s statements as factual.” She turns to me. “You may continue.”
I nod and turn back to Tony. “In the past six months, you have committed 15 separate acts of insubordination, the most recent being attempting to control and manipulate the housekeeper. Explain yourself.”
Tony looks at me in shock. It’s the first time I’ve ever addressed this with him.
“Mando, this is ridiculous. We had a succession of housekeepers through this building who don’t understand their place. They seem to think that it’s their right to call shots here. They’re the fucking housekeepers. It’s their job to feed us, do laundry, and keep this place clean. If you don’t know how to enforce order, shit, I’ll do it.”
I sit and wait. Antonio’s an arrogant little shit and I want to see what else he spews. Candy’s taping all of it. I don’t have to wait long.
“It’s ridiculous that Ranger, the Ranger, the fucking legend himself, put a bitch in charge of his company. A woman! I can’t figure out why unless she fucked him into it, which makes perfect sense. I mean, that’s all these bitches want. Power. None of them can remember their places. Cook, clean, fuck, take care of the kids. That’s a woman’s place and they need to remember that. This fucking feminism shit’s gone too far if some bitch thinks she can run a black-ops company. And you’re rolling over for this bitch! You’re treating her little bullshit survey as if it’s real, as if that shit matters! You’ve forgotten where your balls are located.”
I’m watching my idiot cousin work himself up. He has spit foaming at the corners of his mouth and he looks nearly wild. I’m actually a little afraid of him. I think he’s finally unhinged.
“And it’s unthinkable to me that Ranger, a man known for his absolute authority, for building a company a man can be comfortable in without having to worry about some bitch screaming ‘sexual harassment’ or ‘your jokes are crude’, put a woman in charge. This shit’s ridiculous and if Ella thinks, if you think, for one moment, that we’re going to let Maria get away with dictating to us how this office is going to run, she’s out of her fucking mind.
Maria will be reminded of the order of things and she’ll do what she’s told. She always has and she always will. The CO will learn her place and if you can’t do it, I will.” He turns to Candy. “And you better figure out your place quick. You aren’t the head of shit. Your job is to do what Ryan says, not to tell him how to run a fucking payroll.”
Candy looks coldly amused. “Wrong. You won’t get a chance to dictate anything because you are no longer an employee. Please hand over your badge, gun, and other RangeMan paraphernalia. You’re fired.”
“You don’t have the authority to fire me, bitch.” He literally spat that out.
Candy’s smiling, clearly amused. “Incorrect, Mr. Delgado. I most certainly do have the authority to fire you, but if you don’t want to accept it from me, you can hear the same statement from Mr. Cortes.”
I love Candy for that. First, Tony gets fired by a woman. Now he’ll get fired by me. Somehow, Candy just made my day even better. I smile coldly. “She’s absolutely correct, Antonio. She does have the right to fire you. So do I and you’re fired.”
Tony is looking at me in complete shock. Suddenly, he lunges across my desk, but I was prepared for that. He meets my fist face on. I slam him onto my desk and hold him down. Hal bursts into my office, concerned. I can see the rest of my soon-to-be-fired employees looking on in shock.
“That wasn’t an invitation for you to attempt to swing at me, but I’ll add that to the reasons why you aren’t to be hired again. I mean what I say. I’ve had enough. You’re fired.” Hal and Diego have stripped Tony of his gun, badge, handcuffs, and all other RangeMan equipment. Hal nods and I release Tony, whose nose is dripping blood.
Diego stands next to him as Candy slides the separation paperwork forward. He looks at it and glares at her.
“Fuck you.”
Candy smiles. “No, thank you. I hear your dick isn’t big enough.” Oh, Dios I’m going to piss myself laughing at that later. “Mr. Delgado, Florida is a Right-to-Work state, as you are well aware, having been fired so many times.”
Jesus, I love our HR department. Candy is killing him, and he clearly wants to hurt her but Hal is standing behind him with a gun and a blade on his waist. He’s not that stupid.
“RangeMan is not legally required to offer you a penny in separation, but, as this is a company that cares about their employees and ex-employees, we are offering you a severance package. You can choose to take it or you can decline it but if you decline it, you are not eligible for anything later on. Your choice.”
He signs everything, furiously, then stands and walks out of the door, Hal right behind him. Every man on the floor is silent. He stops and addresses the men.
“Since we have bitches in charge of the company now, a man can be fired for any fucking thing. If you scored high on that assessment, Mando’s firing. Just expect that shit.”
He turns around and Maria’s standing there with a box containing his things. He takes the box, glares at her and turns to leave.
“Antonio?” Maria says softly. He turns and I get the shock of a lifetime.
Maria slams her fist into his face, directly into his eyes. Not some soft tap either, but a heavy blow. Tony staggers back, nearly falling, and looks at her in shock. The CO is standing behind her, smiling. Mack applauds and quickly runs off toward the prep area. The entire branch is shocked.
“I’ve wanted to do that for years,” Maria says tightly, holding her hand. “I’ve always felt I might’ve gotten more help out of the men if you were gone and I’m glad to see the back of you today. Please allow the door to hit you in the ass on the way out.”
This is the new Maria. Ass-kicker extraordinaire. I shake my head. Hal moves to draw his blade and Tony swallows hard. He glares at me, turns and leaves RangeMan Miami. Mack returns with an ice pack for Maria’s hand. She grins at him.
“Thanks for the refresher, Mack.”
“Maria, for the pleasure of seeing that, I’ll teach you any fucking thing you want.”
I walk back into my office, laughing my ass off internally. Candy looks remorseful. “I’m sorry to take your moment—”
I cut her off. “No, thank you. It made the moment perfect. The sexist asshole was fired by a woman then his cousin, then insulted by the same woman. It was wonderful.”
She smiles and Diego starts drooling again. I poke him discreetly, and he tucks his tongue back in his mouth and we reenter my office.
“Severance package?” I ask her. I can’t imagine offering anyone a severance package under these circumstances.
She shrugs. “We’re firing him under negative circumstances. He needed an incentive to sign that paperwork without coercion. That’s why I had Hal put the blade away. No lawsuits. I wanted that separation to be clean. He signed all the paperwork, including full confessions, a non-compete, an agreement to take any disputes to arbitration, and an agreement to use the arbiter we choose, among others.”
She smiles and hands me the folder. I flip through and I’m flabbergasted by the amount of paperwork she had him sign in just a few moments. “I goaded him into signing away all his rights for $100. If he ever speaks about his time at RangeMan, he’s screwed. Painfully.” She grins, lovingly pats Hal’s cheek and takes her seat. Diego and I look at each other in amazement.
The women are scary.
One down. Four more to go.
The rest of the terminations were much calmer. After watching Antonio leave, and hearing his words, each man outside my office knew exactly what was going to happen once he stepped in. Candy was right; get rid of the ringleader and the others fall down.
As I fired each one, I reminded them that they could accept a termination from me or an exit interview from Bobby. That silenced each one and they quietly handed over their badges, guns, keys, and any licenses held under the company’s name. Candy had created a checklist and we ensured nothing was missed. Each man got his separation paperwork and was walked out quietly. Hal and Mack decided holding a blade near their kidneys was a way to ensure a silent exit. No more scenes like Tony’s. Mario and Deuce met with the rest of Miami leadership to review the scores while Pat kept an eye on the bullpen.
I called Mariela after Pedro’s firing, the final one. She reported that all hell had broken loose in the family. Our Google phone number was logging call after call from the family, starting 15 minutes after Tony left the building. Within an hour my mother, three aunts, uncles and cousins had all shown up at Isabella’s home. She and Jesús were stunned and furious about having their home invaded. Mariela was laughing.
“Honestly, it’s been crazy! Bella called me in tears, wanting to know what to do, and I told her that it was her home. If she was OK having visitors, fine. Otherwise, kick them out! Your mamí had a fit but Bella reminded her that it was her home and her decision. She and your mamí got into it, but they’re still there, fuming, and Bella and Jesús are upstairs fighting. I’m glad you told me about the Google phone thing. I transferred all the calls to that number and now only the important stuff is getting through.”
I logged into the Google Voice account and laughed. Twenty messages left in the past hour. I need to thank Thomas for that piece of advice. When we moved to Charlotte, we signed up for a Google Voice number and gave the family that number. Result? Our phone almost never rings from the family because we can control which calls get through.
“Your mamí called here and demanded, demanded, that you call and explain yourself to the family! Apparently, Antonio told them you sucker punched him and fired him for no good reason. I told them that I would not give you such an insulting message. You did your job and no one had the right to tell you how to do your job, especially not them. If they needed to speak to you, they could call you, but my husband was not going to be attacked for doing his job and his wife was not passing along any insulting demands!”
I grinned. My wife is a trooper for putting up with me for so long.
“Thank you, querida. How do you feel? My little man’s not giving you problems, is he?” We’re having a boy. I’m beyond thrilled. My precious little girls and now my little man. My life is improving in so many ways and Mari and I are agreed: We’re naming him Pedro Esteban, after my father and after Stephanie. Without her help (and the kick in the ass), I never would have had the strength to get my life and marriage in order.
“Nope. I’m grateful that you convinced me to go to Atlanta. We met up with Cindy this week and had fun, so anyone looking for me in Charlotte isn’t going to find me.” Wonderful. I need to thank Danny for looking out for my family.
“Good. Gotta go. Need to work with Diego on everything left.” We said goodbye and hung up.
Steph walked in after all the firings were complete. I looked at each gun, each badge, and each license. Years of worry, irritation, anger, frustration, annoyance, and unhappiness had just been lifted from me. I looked at Steph, walked over and picked her up. She giggled and I kissed her on the cheek before putting her back on the ground.
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
She smiled. “You’re welcome. Feeling OK?”
“Feeling great. Mariela’s been out and about and the baby’s not giving her problems, so I’m thrilled. I feel wonderful, ready to dig in with Diego to get Miami straight. I’m headed right back to Charlotte after.”
She nodded. “Is Mariela OK? Do you think you should go get her right now? Do you want to go home and be with her for a little while right now?”
I considered that and smiled. “We just talked. She’s staying with Danny and Cindy in Atlanta, so I will go home as scheduled.”
This has been an excellent day. Nothing better.
I visit my father Saturday morning and have a long chat with him. I apologize for not keeping my word to care for mamí. I tell him I had to make a hard choice and I chose my wife over my mamí. I tell him what’s going on in my life, how much I miss him, and how I wish he was here to meet his granddaughters and his grandson. I tell him I’m determined to live my life in a way that I hope makes him proud and that I hope he someday forgives me for breaking a deathbed promise. I will always honor and respect my father. My father was a man of honor and integrity and I miss him. I hope that I raise my son half as well as Papa raised me.
I hear a noise behind me, so I stand and turn. My brothers are approaching. Mateo, Ernesto and I look at the grave and, for the first time in years, we all embrace and grieve together. We all miss him. He was a good man.
We dry our tears and have a good laugh. “So, who has Mamí now?” Mamí has become the family hot potato. No one wants her.
Ernesto laughs. “Bella again.”
Mateo shakes his head and sobers. “Jesús is moving out.” We all sober. After Mamí moved from Bella’s to Bianca’s the first time, Jesús gave Bella an ultimatum: Mamí could never move in again. If Mamí moved in he would leave her.
Sounds like he wasn’t joking.
My family has been very quiet since I moved to Charlotte. Mari demanded I get some counseling the moment we moved. My family was toxic, she said, and if we ever went back to Miami I needed to be prepared to stand up to them. I needed to be able to handle them. Mari looked fierce, so I signed up for therapy and it’s been a life-changing experience.
Sheila, my therapist, agreed with Mari that my family is toxic and she pointed out that I was continuing a bad habit. I was running away from them, just as I’d gone to college in Gainesville, then the military, then moved to Flagami to get away from them.
I can’t run all my life. I have to stand up to them. The way I took a stand before we left was a good first step, but I have to be prepared to continue to do that. It might become draining, but with Mari by my side I’m ready.
Mari and I are also in counseling with the local priest to strengthen our marriage. Sundays are sacrosanct now. Nothing short of DEFCON2 gets me in the office on Sundays.
If anything, the relationship I have with my brothers is improving. My sisters are too angry with me to really listen right now. I told my brothers that I was in counseling and suggested they also get some counseling. My decision encouraged them to follow my example and they’ve started meeting with a counselor. We chat, on occasion, and they keep me up to date on what’s going on.
My decision has had some interesting effects on my family.
I got a call while in Charlotte from Jesús. He apologized for making light of my hell. Now that it was his, he was ready to kill Mamí. Mamí sniffed and insulted everything about their home, from the furnishings to the color scheme. She started tracking Bella’s cycle and prodding Jesús for babies. Jesús told her that if she didn’t shut up and leave them alone, he would send her to a nursing home. Mamí was insulted and harangued Bella for days for ‘allowing’ her hostile husband to insult her precious mamí.
“I suppose, growing up around drug dealers and open warfare, he never learned proper manners,” Mamí sniffed.
Jesús packed her suitcase and drove her to Bianca’s that night. He had the locksmith change the locks the next day. When Mamí called, he told her he was taking a page from his brother-in-law. Never again would she insult his wife in his home.
Tía Chita was banned from Jesús’s house the first time she made Bella cry. Bella burned a pot of beans and Antonio was irritated that their house smelled like burnt beans and he had nothing to eat. Jesús gave him a black eye and literally kicked him in the ass to kick him out of their house. Mari and I laughed our asses off for hours. He also sent a tape of his new routine. His new standup routine is getting a lot of attention. Hollywood is calling. They thought it was hilarious.
When Drew arrived home and saw Bianca in tears, Drew immediately told Mamí that the first time she insulted Bianca, he would put her out. He wasn’t coming home every night to find his wife in tears. Mamí was insulted yet again, but Drew reminded her that he wasn’t Hispanic and his parents were in assisted living. He would be more than happy to drop her annoying ass off in one of those facilities.
Mamí managed to hold her tongue for two weeks but I guess Drew just made good on that promise.
Josefina moved in with Bianca when Mari and the girls left Miami, but Bianca kicked her out after one month. Bianca told her that she wasn’t going to tip in and out of her house like she did mine. Lucas was simply using her as a human hot water bottle; when Josefina needed him, he wasn’t there for her but when he wanted to get off, she went running. Josefina was insulted and angry but, again, Lucas didn’t have room for her in his two-bedroom. That’s when Josefina finally got the point and Bianca allowed her to move back in after she broke up with Lucas.
Mari and I laughed our asses off. Mari was my only and I was her only. I’ve never wanted any other. It might make me old-fashioned, but I’ve loved Mari since I met her in freshman orientation and I’ve never wavered in that. She’s stood by me through everything and I hope I’m being a better husband to her. She deserves my best.
My sisters have begun complaining that it’s unfair that they’re the ones stuck with Mamí. Before Steph pointed out my sexism score, I just shrugged at that. Now I’m looking at the deeper meaning of their complaint but I also recognize that I had Mamí for years.
I did what was right. I cared for my mother as I promised my father I would.
Nope, I’m not falling for that. I told them to complain to Ernesto and Mateo. They were furious with me, but my sisters and I pointed out that they are the only ones who haven’t lived with her. Their wives immediately said hell no, so they’ve begun looking at other options. We told them that they have to take the lead. Otherwise, it’s their problem.
“Poor Bella.” I shake my head. Mamí will never be my problem again. “Assisted living?”
Ernesto cringes. “Expensive. Lacey and I checked. We’re looking at $2500 on average.”
“How is Drew doing it?” Mateo asks.
“His parents are paying for it from their retirement savings,” I reply. I asked. Drew smirked and said he was thankful that his parents had planned for their golden years. They would have spent the money travelling if his father had not had a heart attack at 61. I shrug. “$400 a month to have Mamí out of our hair. Sounds reasonable. Either that or we can pay to get Chita and Mamí a three bedroom apartment with Josefina. She’s still single. Let them all live together.”
Mateo chuckles mirthlessly. “Reasonable to you, Mando. We don’t have your salary, remember? I have to admit, the three bedroom apartment does sound like a good idea. Or at least a bigger two-bedroom for Mamí and Chita. Let them drive each other insane until they die.”
Their phones start ringing. Tony’s missing. No one has a clue. My phone rings 15 minutes later. Tía Chita. I debate answering. “Tía?”
“Antonio is missing. You need to look for him.”
I’m silent for a minute. “I’m sorry, Tía, but that sounded like an order, not a request.”
I can hear her teeth grinding. “This is no time for semantics, Mando! Your cousin is missing! He’s—”
“There’s always time for simple respect. In any case, I’m not searching for him. He’s probably trying to convince some poor woman to give him some morning delight. He’s a grown man, Tía. He’ll come home when he’s ready.”
“He’s been missing for over 24 hours. He’s not answering his phone. He’s—”
“Call the police.”
“He hasn’t been missing 48 hours.”
“Then what do you expect me to do?”
“Call the RangeMen together! Search for him.”
“He’s no longer a brother, Tía. I can’t justify spending money on him. You’ll need to wait until he’s been missing 48 hours and call the cops.”
“He’s family. You mean the RangeMen won’t help you find your family?”
“He’s a pain in my ass and he tried to swing on me Friday. He’s not family to me until he apologizes for that.”
She hangs up on me. My brothers look at me. “I have $20 on an orgy,” Mateo says, shaking his head.
I grin. “Would not be surprised.”
I brush my fingertips over my father’s headstone as we leave. I miss you, sir.
Diego’s POV
The 24 men who will eventually be fired meet with me, Steph, and Candy. I told them that they had the choice of a transfer to a different office or an “exit interview” with Bobby. Their choice. Each man immediately agreed to the transfer and they’re putting their lives in order now. They’ll be dropped off at the airport tomorrow.
The XOs plan to show no mercy. They’ll be retained until the moment Ranger returns. After that, eh. I’m pissed I still can’t fire them. I’m ready but Ranger takes precedence.
At noon, Steph, Candy and Maria decide to go shopping. Ren, Hal and Etienne will go with them. Steph wants Mack to stay and work on the skills and there’s a bodyguard for every woman. Plus, Maria and Steph are trained. Candy’s the only real vulnerable.
I’m nervous but this still follows the rules. Hal said it was OK, she has men at her back, and she’s happy. Her authority was not diminished.
The screams start shortly after 1500. Over the next ten minutes, we perform the usual employee all call in a frantic mode. Every man checks for his partner. My partner is visiting his father at the graveyard and is headed to his house.
His asshole cousin is missing and the family is in a panic.
I continue to ensure all systems are functioning normally. Everyone is accounted for except Thomas, but he planned to be out. The screams are increasing in their intensity and volume. I reach out to the XO hotline, but there’s nothing going on there.
This is internal to Miami.
I finally recognize the voice. I call off the search and inform the XOs that the issue is internal to Miami. Moments later, Silvio confirms that the speaker system has been overridden. This is being piped in for us to listen to and we would listen to it.
I listen as Antonio Delgado meets his death. As he screams and pleads and shouts, I remember the man who initially applied to the branch. I thought that perhaps my XO was being unfair to his cousin. He was down on his luck. He needed a job. We could at least give him a try. Mando looked at me and said, ominously, “You’ll wish you’d never suggested this.”
Prophetic. I learned from that. I followed Mando in the military. I trusted him to keep me alive. I never questioned his calls on hiring ever again. The level of pain Antonio’s in tells me who’s handing him his last moments and he’s lost none of his skill.
Finally, after 45 minutes, the screaming lowers to choked sobs, then mumurs, then gurgles. It’s when we hear the wheezing breath, then silence, that every man lowers his head in a moment of prayer. There are tears running down the men’s cheeks. Yes, he was an asshole but he was a brother for years.
Silence reigns for at least five minutes.
The voice is soft and deadly, but partially disguised. “Ranger’s op was compromised. Four others are also missing, presumed dead, but never let it be said we’re not fair. If they can survive the trip south, they can have their lives. The next man to talk will also have a chance to enjoy my skills. I’m in need of practice.”
Click.
I sink into the chair in shock and stare at Mack. He looks as stunned as me. That wasn’t Ranger. It wasn’t Les, Tank, Bobby, or Hector.
That was Thomas. Gang nickname: Raptor.
Monday
It’s been a quiet day. Most of the men are terrified.
Hector’s here.
He’s been in a mood and I got the worst of it for my failure to guard Steph the night of her arrival. It was the worst 30 minutes of my life, but afterwards Hector sat with me and ensured I knew all protocols, all standard orders, and all XO guidelines back and front. He pointed out that from the moment I was elevated to Interim XO and given the necessary information on the op, I should have ensured that the CO was protected. No assumptions.
My body hurts but I’ll never forget Hector’s lesson. Never assume anything. Always double and triple check.
Ranger’s gift means the rest of the LC is letting me off the hook, but since that’s Hector’s partner, he’s not. His session with Mando looked just as painful. I’m not sure what Mando’s lecture from Hector was but afterwards, Mando laughed (well, he made some noises that sounded like laughter).
“Sometimes, it’s hard to remember that Hector and I are at the same level. He might as well be a part of the LC, for all that every man at RangeMan jumps to his orders.” I thought about that and smiled. True. Hector is obeyed immediately, just like the LC, by every RangeMan.
Hal’s been on the mats with him since he finished with me Saturday and he’s starting to look pained, so Mack took on Hector. He limped away after one session. Pat took a session, which is why he’s icing his calves. Thomas is the only man missing and no one in leadership has commented on it. The official story is that Thomas is on vacation.
Thankfully, it’s also the truth.
Stephanie waved everyone away this morning and we see that was a good move. He won’t hit his partner as hard. He’s training her and we see that the CO was definitely hiding her skills. She can’t take Hector down but whoever trained her in Trenton did a damn good job. She’s staying upright and occasionally getting a hit in.
When he’s not on the mats, terrifying the entire branch, he’s in the server room, tightening the security and ensuring everything’s locked down tight. Hector’s pretty much been in sight the entire time, which lets me know something’s about to happen.
He brought his son and Mijo has lifted the mood in this office. All the men love seeing his happy little face appear next to them, asking a million questions and demanding to see the monitors. They point things out to him and show him what they do. Stephanie and Hector didn’t even have to tell us to keep an eye on him. We’re happy to. Having him around provides some balance. We’re scared shitless of Hector but little Manny is providing lots of smiles.
The transfer RangeMen are starting to trickle in. Atlanta’s arrived first and Stephanie and Hal have been out trying to find short-term apartments for them until I can hire enough men to stabilize this branch. The men we had in San Antonio have come home and the men who remain in the branch are grateful to have kept their jobs, so we have a session this afternoon to brainstorm what we, as men and RangeMen, can do to combat the sexism we have in this branch.
The current branch score is right at 2.5 and the hostile sexism average is at 2.0, but we need to get that down. Hal allowed me to review Trenton’s scores with him. Trenton’s scores were excellent: 1.12 hostile, 2.55 benevolent. It made me feel slightly better. They average out fine, but their benevolent is higher than the cutoff. I know that there’s no perfect score on this, but seeing that my branch isn’t the only one that will need to do some soul searching to get their scores down made me feel slightly better.
Hal’s ticked and looking to see who his offenders are.
I have plans to begin meeting with all the clients whose contracts we lost and telling them, personally, that I am working with the Managing Director to combat the rampant sexism in my branch. I’m sure I’ll face a lot of hard and angry questions about why it took so long, questions that are well deserved, but I think we’ve done what’s necessary to start improving the reputation of the branch. Knowing that I could discuss the fact that we’d found a way to test for it and removed the worst offenders will help. We begin a series of HR seminars on Wednesday to improve attitudes around here and that should also help.
I met with three crisis shelters and offered RangeMan’s services, pro bono, to assist in their extraction efforts. I also touted our ability to help hide and shelter those in need, and the shelters were stunned. Over and over, the shelter directors cried and thanked me for my offer.
As a result, I have voicemails from four more shelters in the area to assist them.
The word is getting out and I’m going to have to figure out how to balance the requests. I learned that they usually get about five calls a month on average per shelter, and I think we can handle the three we currently have.
The CO said we have to fix the problem. I’m lighting a candle for the branch this time.
Ranger’s POV
I’m listening to the chatter in the networks. The rumors are high that I’m stateside. My handler is fielding calls up to five times daily but thankfully he knows how to handle himself. They won’t get any information from that direction.
Hector returned to Miami for a short visit. He hopes by pulling attention onto himself, instead of me, the interest will die down. I asked him not to, knowing how he values his life, knowing that whatever is going on is a trap to catch him, but he was in Miami before I could stop him. Sigh. I didn’t have a better plan at the moment. I love my brother. I know he will happily throw himself into danger in order to save my life. I just can’t get him to understand that, this time, the threat is against him.
I snort. Hector and Steph. Only people I know who will run into danger heedlessly. Difference? Hector is strapped and prepared when he does it. Steph is running on instinct. Or at least she used to. Dios, I hope that’s changed too. Les is in NYC, presumably to help the NYC branch but really to help run this op in the north. I’m going to concentrate on the south. I’m giving Morelli a lot of latitude and allowing him to filter through the intel from Boston. I want to make sure he can get a job wherever he wants (preferably away from my Babe) when this is over. I sent ‘Sharon’ to Boston to join him. Morelli needs a partner and she’s my second-best. I’ve been thinking of partnering them for a while and I think it will work.
Plus, Tank thinks ‘Sharon’ is his type. Some proximity should do the trick, in his opinion.
Madame Secretary has also been informed and she’s prepared to cover me from the government’s end. The fact that I’ve lifted 21 dirty agents off the streets so far gives her cover to give me cover. I tell her I’m close to pulling the ICE agent in Tampa but he’s tied deeper than I can prove at the moment. I also inform her that I have the ringleader, an FBI agent. I have him on tape ordering hits on private citizens and an undercover agent, but there’s something else going on. I can’t determine his motivation. I have a laundry list of small charges. I probably have enough to get White and Knox on RICO and CCE charges, but I want it airtight.
She and the Attorney General met and asked to review my full information. I spent the past two days and nights with Trent in Fairfax, going through every wiretap, every piece of paper, every piece of evidence I’ve collected. Trent, a trained lawyer, was stunned. I’ve been able to document exactly how deep and widespread the problem is and he immediately called Madame Secretary in late last night to review all the evidence.
That’s when I got White’s motivation.
“He’s applied to be Deputy Director and he’s insinuated that if he had the resources he could prove a major government consultant is dirty.”
“I assume he means me, sir.”
“I would believe so.” The AG, on by telephone, is quiet for a moment. “I have to admit, if he were able to set you up, there’s no way I could avoid promoting him.”
“Why haven’t you, if I may ask?”
“Arrogant.”
I snort mentally. Yeah, I believe it. “I think he intends to set a trap for me and my employee, who he believes walked on murder, even though all investigations into the allegations ended years ago. Just so we’re clear: I don’t hire murderers.”
“Your reputation and integrity is not in question, Mañoso.”
Good, because that was a massive lie. Hec’s moves in New Jersey were self-defense. Atlanta? That was cold-blooded murder but it fell into my moral gray area. Hector Manuel’s near kidnapping justified that in my mind.
“I also believe that he intends to deliver you the leadership of two major gangs. With that kind of coup, you could hardly avoid promoting him, but I can prove he’s an active and involved member in one. He’s actually using them right now to determine who is behind this sting. He doesn’t have clean hands.”
The line is silent for a moment. I’ve pointed out something they know but don’t want to acknowledge: The legal doctrine of ‘clean hands’. Everything from White is tainted because he’s an active gang member. He has a conflict of interest, conflicted loyalties. The push in Operation Community Shield is to break and capture all transnational gangs, not just the ones besides MS-13, but lately all the arrests on the East Coast have been Latin Kings, Crips, Bloods, and certain Mexican cartels.
“True.” The AG sighs. “That’s very true. A true hit on the war on crime and a justification to Congress to continue to fund Operation Community Shield? There’s no way I could avoid the promotion.”
“Normally, I would agree. Unfortunately, he’s suborning perjury, extortion, kidnapping and murder to bring down his targets and this isn’t an official sting, unless I’ve been misinformed.” I end that sentence as a question. Les has already delivered my threat in person but if I’m being double crossed, there will be hell to pay.
“No, he’s not running a sting. I’ve taken him off stings for a while. The evidence has been kicked out of court for being illegally obtained too many times. He can’t run a clean operation, which is why I’ve had him running the training classes. He’s a brilliant instructor, can teach the agents everything to look for, but he can’t run a clean operation on his own.”
I make a note to review all the information I have on his cases again. He’s a gang specialist. His stuff has to be cleaner than most because gang cases are almost always circumstantial when you’re trying to topple the top leadership. Hell, they’re using RICO statutes to do it these days, so if his evidence is being kicked out of court, his info is definitely dirty.
So this is a ‘Hail Mary’ pass for him. Me, Hec, Piman, and Damian? It would prove he’s a good agent and provide justification for a promotion. Yeah, he’ll use any means necessary to bring us down. He won’t stop. My info against him will have to be air-tight.
It’s quiet for a moment before the AG asks, “So what would help your operation most, Aguilar?”
I think for a few moments. This is a moment where I really wish I had Les at hand. “I need him unaware of my next move. Ask him to start pulling together his plans for this sting. The agents he would choose, the moves he would make. Have him collect his evidence. I’ll submit my list of agents still under monitoring or suspicion. If his list matches mine, then you know who your dirty agents are and I just need to start putting them away.”
“OK. I’ll pull him here to DC and get him working on that.”
“Make sure he’s desk-bound and tap all his methods of communication. I need him unable to move. That will force him to rely on whatever men he’s pulled in to help and ensure we have the evidence needed to put them away.”
“Right.”
We chat for a little longer before disconnecting. Trent continues to review evidence while I sit back and smile. Eight months. I might finish this one much earlier than expected. Good. I miss my Babe.
My Babe.
“Yo!”
“Yo.” Hec. “Your company problem was taken care of.”
I stare at the phone. “How?” Fuck, I was looking forward to it.
“Raptor. He’s on vacation.”
I can’t help the smile that curves my lips. “Let him know RangeMan brotherhood applies. He will be protected.” Click.
I shake my head. My men are loyal and smart.
And deadly.
Very deadly.
