Chapter 33: Communication Difficulties
A/N: This chapter begins on Wednesday and ends on Friday night.
Steph’s POV
Today is officially the beginning of my third month in charge. Ryan tells me that in the past two months, the company has grown 3.5% and is poised for more growth, which is making the accountants happy. Turns out, he and Danny are really close (Finance guys!) and Danny tells me that Ryan’s told his staff to quit leaking info or he’ll fire them. He wants everyone in the company to wonder about what I’m doing, and it works better if they don’t realize that I’m succeeding like I am.
“Is nothing sacred in this company?” I groused to Danny last week.
“Nope.” I could hear the smile in Danny’s voice. “You gotta remember, company info flows from Miami up to everyone else, and the only real company info that everyone’s interested in now is the numbers. That’s Ryan’s group, and he’s nervous about getting his group straight before you come to review them.”
“Why? Does he think I’ll fire him?”
Danny was quiet for a moment. “You should always remember to keep the threat in your arsenal. If they think there’s a possibility that the CO will fire them for non-compliance with her wishes, then they’ll work to get their areas cleaned up before you get there. Besides, you said yourself: The amount of gossip in this company is dangerous. It’s not good for the Miami guys to always be able to just drop in on the accountants and get information they aren’t supposed to have access to. That’s also how info gets up to Boston. You should treat those incidents like a leak. Ryan knows better. It’s what we were taught in school.”
Really? My next call, with Ryan, was much more interesting.
“I hear chatter that the company’s grown 3.5%.”
I could hear Ryan smile. “Yeah, it has. I can’t wait to see what happens in NYC. I know Tank and Lester told me the goal was 6% before they left for Texas, but I think you’ll hit 6% before the six month mark.”
Good, but not the purpose of the call.
“Ryan, I hear chatter that the company’s grown 3.5%.”
The line was quiet. Ryan was thinking over the emphasis. “Message received and understood, Steph. I’ll handle it.”
“Thank you.”
Hal came to my office two days later with something wrapped up. I smelled saturated fats, sugar, and fruit and I hoped it wasn’t what I thought it was. I looked at it suspiciously and he grinned.
“Special delivery from Accounting. Ella creation.”
I grinned and tore into the box. It was a 6” Pineapple Upside down cake. I frowned and slumped back in the chair, tears in my eyes. There’s no way I’m going to be allowed to eat this. I looked up at Hal, who had two forks in his hand and looked confused by my disappointment. He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and passed it to me.
CO,
All staff have been briefed on the importance of keeping their mouths shut and information locked down. All passwords have been changed. Will brief you on the change in security protocols during our next call.
Ryan
PS: Pineapple Upside-Down cake is a lightened recipe from Martha Stewart, further reengineered by Ella Guzman to meet RangeMan dietary restrictions. Hal said this was your favorite but that I should make sure it met requirements. I wouldn’t dare tease you like that.’
I looked at Hal, who grinned. “I love you, Hal.” Hal blushed. “Please tell me we can eat this.”
Hal nodded. “I didn’t shut the door for nothing.”
We ate half the cake in one sitting. It was great, like everything Ella makes.
Atlanta Bonds Enforcement has done so well in the two weeks since I left that Zip is grumbling that I need to hold a workshop for the Trenton guys. In his opinion, I taught Atlanta too much. I was their secret weapon, he grumbled, and they never should have shared my talents with anyone. Trenton and Atlanta ended Month 2 tied at 96%, so I agreed to hold a Trenton workshop.
A chocolate chip cookie was left on my desk hours later, with a note. ‘It’s a healthy cookie.’ I was tempted not to eat it on principle, but I dug out a chocolate chip. Tasted the same, so I ate the cookie. I felt great for days.
I wonder what I’m being bribed for.
Atlanta and Trenton have developed a great rivalry between them, and I can see that Hal and Danny are really good friends and colleagues. I’m glad; I know Hal was nervous about being the new guy and knowing he has support has boosted his confidence yet again. They’re in a race to see who can knock Mark off his perch first, and I told the guys that whoever wins, I will fund the party. Boston has been in the lead for almost four years and Mark needs a little more humbling.
Hal blushed deep red and said that he and Danny had agreed not to have strippers at the party. Ram and Zip looked ready to crawl under the table laughing. I wonder what happened.
Lester calls me twice a week to catch up. He’s bored out in Texas and misses our gossip sessions. Thursday’s call starts off amusing. He and Bobby are back on the prowl, and Lester’s had to buy a new black book. He likes the old-fashioned feel of women on paper. Bobby’s putting his women into his phone. I’m shaking my head. Tank’s pretending that he doesn’t miss Lula, but it’s clear he does.
“How can you tell?”
Les laughs. “Tank’s on the mats every day, sometimes twice a day. The longer we’ve been out here, the worse he’s been. I get the idea that she’s not answering her phone or talking to him.”
“What? I thought he wasn’t calling her?” I’m stunned. Lula’s just as bad.
“Oh, he’s calling her. At least twice a week and sometimes more. Why? Is Lula saying he isn’t calling?”
I think about this. Something is going on between the two of them. “No. She refuses to talk about it.”
Lester is quiet. I can almost hear his shrug. “OK. Well, I’ll let you know when he stops calling her on my end.”
I fill him in on Trenton and Atlanta’s gossip, and he fills me in on everything else he’s hearing. The biggest thing he’s hearing: The men of the company are shaking in their boots over this ‘Management Review’ program. Armando and Mark have called to speak to Tank repeatedly about whether or not my findings are being acted on at Leadership Core level. That pisses me off.
Lester laughs. “Beautiful, take it as a compliment. Whatever you’re doing is making all the men nervous. They realize that you’re not just a pretty face, that there are some skills and abilities behind those big blue eyes.”
“Still,” I grumble, “you’d think that they would assume that what their boss does is important. Ranger gave me his authority, and you guys made it clear you backed it up. Why do they assume that I’m not in charge?”
“Because it is change and you’re a woman. It will take time for them to understand and respect the fact that what you say goes. I’m more curious about what’s going on in NYC.”
I frown. “Why?”
“Well, you know the place is leak central. Bobby gets constant reports from Liam about everything going on. Apparently, your decision to send Diego and Manny there went down like a ton of bricks on the place. The men are in revolt.”
That’s what I’m hearing from Hal, but not Javier. Interesting. “Why?”
“Well, the men were loyal to Shane and Liam so they aren’t happy about this decision. Plus, Manny may have taken Liam to the mats for no good reason, so that’s causing a problem.”
“Are you sure Liam doesn’t just have a grudge against Manny? I mean, if Manny and Liam met on the mats, there had to be a good reason for it. Plus, Javier would have called me if Manny overstepped his authority.”
“You sure about that?” Lester asks. “Javier might keep quiet to avoid pissing you off, considering you’re attempting to save his ass right now.”
Good point. I pull a legal pad and start writing notes. I can see it’s going to be one of those calls.
“I promised Manny that I would allow him and Diego time to fully assess the branch and Javier before I asked for any feedback. I’m hearing the same stuff you’re telling me from Hal and Danny, but not Javier, Manny, or Diego. So, I’m wondering why I haven’t heard from Javier or Diego if Manny were a problem more than a help. My spidey senses are tingling that someone is lying but I don’t know who.”
Lester is silent. “When is Manny scheduled to give you an assessment?”
“Saturday.”
“OK. Hold off until then and see what Manny has to say. He may have an explanation for the confusion. Otherwise, all I hear is that the pipeline is busted, Manny and Diego don’t have much hope of fixing it, and Javier has to go.”
Same thing I’m hearing from Hal and Danny but my spidey senses are still tingling. “OK, well, what do you want me to do with the NYC office if that’s true?”
Lester sighs. “I’ve started creating contingency plans, but the first thing will be to fire all management. Javier, Liam, Shane in Miami, and the heads of monitoring, client services, and bonds enforcement. They all have to go. If they weren’t fucking up, the branch wouldn’t be at the wire, so off with their heads.”
I make a note. A mass firing of six to seven people. “Wouldn’t that kill confidence and morale?”
“Yeah. Which means that I may need to leave Texas and oversee the fix myself. Tank and Bobby will have my ass because it’ll mean they have to split the duties here. But that’s all I can think of.”
“Would you consider putting me or another XO in charge?”
I can hear Les shift in his seat. “Not really. I need you assessing the entire company, and I’ve seen the reports. Two months in and 3.5% growth means I’m not moving you anywhere, Beautiful. I want you to keep doing what you’re doing. I don’t want to put Mark in charge in NYC. I might move Pat there, but three strategists at one branch might be overkill.”
Les sighs and is quiet for a minute. “I can’t wait to hear the results of this assessment. If your spidey senses are ringing that someone is lying and we have an unfixable pipeline there, it may need the both of us in NYC to investigate and start the rebuild. Yeah, on second thought I might need you to move to NYC for a while and oversee the company from there.”
I grimace. I don’t know the NYC guys, but what I hear isn’t great. Plus, Hal might have a fit. Hal thinks of himself as my big brother and biggest protector, behind Hector. He won’t be happy not having me in sight.
Hector will definitely have a problem with that fix.
“Where is the NYC office?”
“Brooklyn. Near Prospect Heights, with a satellite office in each borough except Manhattan.”
Sigh. Not even Manhattan or a cool part of Brooklyn. I hope this situation isn’t as bad as it seems.
“Me too, Beautiful, but Prospect Heights is a hot area of town now.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You’re thinking of the place 20 years ago. It’s completely different now.”
I sniff. “Well, what’s going on in Texas? How is the branch coming along?”
“We finally found an appropriate building, and we’re working to get it rehabbed and outfitted properly. Took long enough and I’m glad property out here is cheap. Hell, land is cheap but water and mineral rights?” Les whistles. “Jesus, I thought one of us might have to promise a newborn child to get those. Every location in Texas was like that. Negotiating for land was separate from negotiating for water and minerals. I’m glad Tank is a stickler for that kind of thing.”
“I don’t get it. Why is that important?”
“Oil, Beautiful. If they ever find oil or any other precious material on our land, we want the rights. May never happen, but it’s best to negotiate into the cost of the land purchase.”
“Oh. OK. Well, tell me about the location.”
“Well, the building is 9 floors, 70K sq. ft., marble and wood throughout. A former bank, so it’s very classy.” Lester drawls the last part, which makes me laugh. “Took forever to find the place but it’s a great location, and we have some rehab to do but it’s perfect.” Lester laughs. “It’s zoned correctly and comes with a safe, fully tinted bullet-proof glass and security wiring already installed. Bobby is in heaven. This place means there’s a lot less paperwork for him to do.”
They’ve started a real hiring blitz in San Antonio and there are now 60 RangeMen at RM San Antonio. Lester reports that he is finally starting to see some unity in the group and it’s encouraging. He thought he might have to fire everyone he hired before they got the idea.
Hal has been reporting the results of my progress on standards to Bobby, who can’t wait to talk about it.
“Bomber, I’m thrilled! I hear you’re clocking the minimums for sit-ups and pushups. Great job! I’m proud of you.”
It’s not ‘Proud of you, Babe,’ but it’s close enough.
“Well, Sarah and I are getting along better. Hector scares her, so she’s doing her best to make it fun for me now. She brought a rowing machine in the other week.” I can hear Bobby stifle a laugh. “Yeah, sneaky machine. I was rowing along for 20 minutes, wondering when it would become a workout before I realized my arms and shoulders were burning.” Bobby chuckles. “So, when she doesn’t make it fun, she gives me sneaky exercises. She still sucks.” Lester and Bobby start laughing.
I don’t really mean this and Bobby knows it. Sarah and I are getting along a lot better now. I guess I’m just getting used to having her around. Plus, she finally started changing the workout schedule. I got a gym membership so I could have access to a pool and we now swim and do water aerobics three times a week.
The men started a list to determine who was allowed to accompany us to the pool. Even though it means waking up extra early and having us there by 6AM, there’s no shortage of volunteers. Sarah immediately traded in the ugly one-piece swimsuits for daring bikinis and the men definitely appreciate it. We appreciate their willingness to wear short swim trunks. Sarah and I giggle in the locker room before we swim about what the guys will wear each time and who looks best. Caesar’s black trunks are the winners, but Woody’s red ones are a very close second.
Sarah is enjoying her time around the guys, and I’m trying to figure out who’s going to ask her out first. I’m amused, but as long as they don’t interfere with the mandatory exercise time, I don’t care. Sarah is a stickler. We do a full hour non-stop, so if we have to stop for any reason, she just tacks on more time the next day. When we first started swimming, Sarah spent a lot of time hands on with me, correcting my form, ensuring I remembered how to breathe properly and reminding me to open my eyes. This is why I prefer the beach. I like to lie in the sun, not swim in the water.
Flashback in Italics
“Man, she has absolutely no interest in you,” Caesar tells Binkie. “She’s just being polite. Now me, on the other hand,” he grins, “you know she likes her Latin lovers.”
Binkie and Woody snort. “Please,” Binkie says, “you keep trotting out that accent and she just smiles at you. I get whistled at. Step aside and let a real man handle business.”
“Real man?” Caesar looks around in confusion. “Where?”
The guys trash talk each other until Hal and Zip walk in.
“Zip, these idiots think they’re gonna make a move on Sarah,” Caesar says, grinning. “What do you think?”
Zip laughs. “Nice try, boys, but I’ve nearly got that sewn up. Asking her out tomorrow.”
Hal sits next to me and smirks. I see him tap something into his phone.
I raise an eyebrow and Hal shakes his head. “Not quite, Steph.” He smiles. “Time to give them all a reality check,” he whispers.
“Reality check?”
“Just watch.”
The guys were still trash talking each other as Cal walked in for a snack. “Cal, you know Sarah. What’s her type?” Woody asks.
Cal looks at the guys then looks at me. He raises an eyebrow at me, smiles, and walks out with his yogurt.
The guys look at me with glazed looks on their faces.
“OK, that would be hot,” Woody says. Binkie, Caesar, and Zip nod.
“Ummm …no, that would not be hot. That would be uncomfortable. That would be two too many breasts in the bed.” The men groan and shift. “Sounds to me like no one is asking my trainer out.”
The guys leave and Hal’s shoulders start shaking.
“What?” I ask, bewildered.
Hal turns red, and he finally turns to me, still chuckling. “Sarah’s bi and she’s hot on Woody right now. She likes you more, but she doesn’t mix business with pleasure.”
I start to laugh. Cal was slick. He answered the question by not answering the question. “Then why didn’t Cal say so?”
“Sarah’s a friend, and she just got out a relationship. He’s protective of her.”
“So how did you know?”
Hal raises an eyebrow. “No one gets within five feet of you without me checking them out completely. Cal vouched for her, but I still needed a full background before she could meet you.”
I glare at Hal. “Does everyone I meet have to pass through your requirements before I’m allowed to say hello? That’s not fair, Hal. I’m not a child, I’m a grown woman. You can’t tell me who I can hang out with and who I can’t!” I was working up to a full tirade when Hal speaks.
“I’m sorry. Well, I am but I’m not.”
I look at Hal in confusion and anger.
“My job is to keep you safe, mine and Hector’s. You attract crazies, Steph. I don’t want you to get hurt. So yes, I do background checks on everyone that’s going to have any kind of extended relationship with you. All unknowns are going to be checked before they get close. I refuse to mess up and allow you to be hurt ever again.”
I deflate. I didn’t realize Hal was still blaming himself for my kidnapping during the Slayers drama. That took the wind from my sails.
“So I’m sorry you’re upset with me, but I’m warning you, I’ll do it again and again. I’m not letting you get hurt. Sarah’s the first person to be allowed close to you since I took over as XO. Everyone else you’re in contact with is a known individual, but not close.”
“Who else have you run backgrounds on?”
“David Pickens. He took over your job, which means you may have contact with him. Plus, I banked a favor from Connie. Never know when that might be useful.”
I was stuck between wanting to scream and acknowledging that Hal was right. I do attract crazies. I told him I’m not good at assessing threats, and if he had not told me, I would never have known he did a background check on Sarah.
My big brother. I have 40 hot, sweet, overprotective big brothers, well more than that if you add Atlanta. We need to come up with some ground rules. I need to think about that later.
My private discussions with Tank are always short. He simply reminds me that he’s certain that I can do the job and that he’s proud of me. Somehow, Tank telling me he’s proud of me means a lot. Again, not as good as ‘Proud of you, Babe’, but it works.
I call Lula after I hang up on Tank. Lester’s comment that Tank is calling her but she’s not talking to him doesn’t make any sense.
“Lula, are you OK?”
Silence on the line, then, “Yeah, I’m fine. Why? Why you think something’s wrong?”
I decide to skirt around Tank. “Because you haven’t been yourself for weeks. You’re moody, irritable, and quick to snap. I thought you might be PMSing, but this has been weeks, so what gives?”
I can hear Lula sigh. “Ain’t nothing wrong. I’m just bored and tired, that’s all. David’s an asshole but he knows how to bring in his skips, so he don’t need my help. Ain’t nothing to do there. I finished all my classes at school and the next semester don’t start for a few weeks. The men I meet all assholes, so I ain’t met no one new. Life sucks right now, White Girl. I actually did some filing last week.”
Connie must be in tears. I’ll bet she can’t find anything. “You talk to Tank?”
“Why? It’s over between us.”
“You sure?”
“Hell yeah. He took his ass off to Texas, and all he said was he’ll call me when things settle down. So how long is that supposed to be? He think I’m just gonna wait around for him to call? Who does he think he is? He ain’t that damn great.”
Lula keeps grumbling, and I’m struck yet again by RangeMan communication. It sucks. Tank told Lula the same thing he told me, but he forgot that Lula hasn’t hung around RangeMen long enough to be able to translate that sentence like I can. I’ve been around them long enough to know that Tank was trying to be thoughtful and considerate and let Lula know that he was going to be busy all the time and that if she tried to call, he might not answer. All Lula heard was ‘I’ll talk to you when I get ready,’ and considering Tank’s not exactly known for the gift of gab, that probably did sound like a kiss off.
“Well, has he called, Lula?” I hear a sniffle. Oh no. “OK, so he has called.”
“Yeah.”
“So why not talk to him? Things must have calmed down if he called.”
“How often do you talk to him?” Uh oh. There’s no good answer. I glance at the clock. It’s 7PM. Yeah, this is OK. I throw on my jeans and find my flip flops and head down to 5.
“Not often. We have calls with Bobby and Lester at 7AM, but that’s it. And that’s just them telling me what they need from me or what’s going on with the branch.”
“So he got time to call you at 7AM but he can’t call me?”
“Lula, are you awake at 7AM?” I’ve found Hal, and I write him a message to find Hector and tell him I need to go to Lula’s ASAP. She needs me. Hal calls Hector.
Silence.
Hal passes me a note. Hector’s out and about, and they have a take-down planned. Hal will take me to Lula’s if I swear I won’t leave. I know Hector’s watching my trackers so I nod. I make a note that I need to stop for ice cream and Tastykakes. Female emergency. Hal looks slightly disturbed, writes ‘TMI’, and nods. We head to the garage.
“Lula, I don’t even like being awake at 7AM for this call, but it’s the only time all day I’ll hear from them. Usually it’s Bobby talking. Lester’s training the guys, and you know Tank doesn’t really talk.”
Lula sighs. “I know.” Finally, there’s a quiet, “I just miss him so much.”
I smile. “If he’s calling, Lula, I’m sure he misses you too.” Hal escorts me into the store, where I grab Ben & Jerry’s, Tastykakes, and half a pie. On the way to Lula’s house, Hal swings through Cluck in a Bucket and orders a full bucket, which makes me grin.
“Where are you, White Girl? That sounds like Cluck in a Bucket.”
“It is. I’m getting provisions. I got ice cream, Tastykakes, a pie, and I’m grabbing a bucket. I forget anything?” We pull away and head to Lula’s apartment.
Silence, then, “Nah, sounds like you got everything. Where you headed with that loot? Sounds like you might need some help. You too skinny to be able to put all that somewhere. You need some help with that?”
“Maybe. Open the door. My hands are too full to knock.”
The door opens and Lula is grinning. I can see the dried tears on her face.
“Well, damn White Girl. You came with dinner and dessert.” She looks behind me to Hal, who has the chicken and the pie. “He staying?”
Hal shakes his head and raises his phone. RangeMan goodbye. I grin and wave him out. I turn back to Lula, who’s making a plate.
“OK, so let’s sit and you can tell me what’s going on.”
