Chapter 103 Who runs this show?
Steph’s POV
Ranger and I spent Sunday together not talking.
Instead, we ordered out and just had a quiet day together. I don’t want to talk about RangeMan yet and Ranger refuses to discuss the op. All I know is that “Buzz Cut” has been arrested. He and Manny discussed the charges against the ringleader, but he hasn’t been arrested yet.
I hope he’s arrested soon. I’m tired of the restrictions and the bodyguards.
I’m tired of this op.
-oOo-
Monday
I agreed to help with the intake with the former cons and bangers, so I wake up bright and early and go back to RMSA to help. This group is much scarier but they were quiet. I can tell the difference between Friday’s group and today’s.
Again, Tank didn’t cut anyone. Diego is surprised.
“Maybe we are getting better at this.”
I shrug.
I ask Mark and Diggy to meet with me while Tank and Candy do the HR review.
“OK, so thoughts so far?”
They look at each other.
“Brotherhood here is tight. You’d have to compare it to Trenton but I feel like I’m in Boston with these guys,” Mark says. “Having the Leadership build this branch made a difference.”
“Could it be replicated?”
Mark stares at me but I need to know.
“I think so,” Diego says quietly. “The most important part of what’s happened here is that the men gelled. They act as a unit. They act as a group. They have leaders for certain things but they remind themselves that they’re RangeMen first. Mando says that’s happening in Charlotte now that he, Chase, and Rod are on site. They remind the men, constantly, that they’re RangeMen first.”
I nod. Good. Then I think the plan might work.
“That’s important,” Mark says. “The men need to come together around that ideal.”
Exactly. That ideal, not the leadership.
-oOo-
I’m reviewing the contracts when Lula walks in.
“Hey, girl! You got everything you need?”
“Yeah.” I look around. “Could use some snacks though.”
Lula picks up the phone. “Hey, can you guys check with Maria and get Steph some snacks up here?” She listens. “OK, good,” she says and hangs up. “They’re on it.”
“Thanks. Who’s assigned to me?”
Lula looks at me. “Assigned to you?”
I shrug. “Yeah. Every other branch had someone assigned to me, to make sure I got what I needed.”
“Is that part of the review?”
“No. Just something they all did.”
Lula laughs. “We didn’t assign anyone. We figured if you needed something, you’d ask. I’ll check with Tank but I guess I can do that when I’m not in class.”
“Oh.”
“Why?”
“It’s a change.” And honestly, a welcome one. “I like that. Thanks, Lula.”
“No problem. I’m next door with Candy. We’re working out of my office.”
I frown. “You have an office?”
She laughs. “Well, we call it my office. It’s where I handle whatever project Les or Bobby assigns me. Redecorating, meeting with suppliers, whatever. Since Les wasn’t here, Tank took over his duties, Bobby took over some of the paperwork, and Maria, Rafe, and I started meeting with suppliers.
You know Tank. Tight with a dollar when it comes to the business. It’s about time to start renegotiating some of the standard contracts for stuff, so I’m working with Ella and Candy on that.”
“Right. I remember Tank telling me they were moving on that.” I frown again. “I didn’t realize you were working on that, Lula.”
Lula stares at me. “Is that a problem?”
“No.” I just didn’t know. “You’re working for RangeMan? I thought you didn’t want to work for RangeMan?”
Lula laughs. “I’m considered a ‘special’ employee. Candy and I did the HR review and stuff already. I was her first hire, so that was fun. Anyway, I’m here mostly as an assistant to Tank and the guys. When they get started on the next branch, I’ll be an assistant to the XO in charge, like his secretary, trying to get paperwork and stuff done.”
I sit back. That’s one of the ideas I was going to bring up to the guys, the fact that these branches need secretaries and some, like Miami and Atlanta, need Assistant XOs, but Tank’s already doing that here. I’m happy and pissed all at the same time.
“OK, well, great. Congrats, Lula.”
“Thanks! The guys assigned it to me because all the housekeepers and maintenance men are doing the bids. I pull all the info together, put it on a spreadsheet, and make sure it’s in RangeWorld. I’m in there as Candy’s assistant. I’m helping her get all the information about skills and abilities updated.” She stares at her nails. “I had to get shorter nails to help out.”
“Oh. Didn’t know that.”
She snorts. “You can’t know everything, Steph. Can’t be responsible for everything. Company-wide financials are still Tank’s job. Well, him and Ryan.”
“Right.”
Lula stands. “Anyway, I’m on the phone system. If you call ‘Lula’, you’ll get me and Candy.” She leaves and I start looking at the contracts again but something about that conversation bugs me.
I stand and go look out of the window. I guess it’s the fact that I knew everything Lula just said but I guess it didn’t register.
“Angelita?” I look at Hector, who just poked his head in. “What’s wrong?”
I exhale and look out of the windows. “I dunno.”
-oOo-
“Hey.” I poke my head into Tank’s office. He waves for me to come in and sit.
“Yo. Tell me something, Steph. Classic Bentley or limo?”
I stare at Tank. “What?”
He sighs and leans back in his chair. “I’m still trying to decide on the car for the wedding. Classic Bentley or limo?”
I think. “Bentley. Anyone can get a limo. A Bentley is hard to top.”
Tank grunts and clicks something. “OK. Thanks.” He moves the monitor. “Whatcha need?”
“You guys hired Lula?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Tank stares at me. “Is this a problem?”
“Well, no. I just didn’t know. I didn’t think she wanted to do the RangeWoman training.”
Tank snorts. “She doesn’t. The wives’ training is enough for her but we needed someone to pick up the slack when we got busy. Lula was bored and needed something to do so Les started assigning her projects. It’s worked out well.”
“Oh.” Tank stares at me. I’m not sure what my point was in this. “I just didn’t know. That’s all.”
Tank nods. “Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you have to know everything. You have a director of HR. Her job to do employee admin. The XO’s job is to hire.”
Right. Nothing changed and yet . . .
Something changed.
-oOo-
Tuesday
“Hey, I’m meeting with one of our suppliers in 30 minutes. You wanna come?”
I look at Lula. “Sure.” I grab my gear and follow Lula out. We hit the garage and Lula waves to the control room.
“Hey, let control know that me and Steph are headed to meet with a supplier.”
“Sure thing, Lula.” He salutes, she waves, and we hop in the Escalade.
“You wanna get breakfast while we’re out?”
“Yes!” I chose sex over food. Entirely logical at the time but the Beast disagrees.
“Where’s the guard?” I ask as Lula pulls out.
“What guard?”
I stare at her. “Don’t you have a guard?”
“Nope,” she says, making a turn. “Why would I?”
“Because of what’s going on. The heightened security.”
“Oh. That. Girl please, I wasn’t about to deal with that all the time. I go too many places and do too much shit to deal with having RangeMen follow me all day.” She turns to me. “I asked Tank if I could get chipped.”
My mouth drops. “What?!”
“Ummm hmm.” She zooms through the light, making other cars honk angrily. “I didn’t want to deal with it. Besides, did they tell you some gang member tried to threaten me?”
“No! What happened?”
“It was when you were in Miami. They threatened me, threatened to kidnap and rape me.” Lula shudders. “Once was enough. I’m never going through that again. After that happened, Tank and I talked. He’d already told me that, because of his enemies, this entire office is dangerous for us. Then having that guy just walk up and threaten me? No fucking way.”
“Wait, what do you mean this office is dangerous for you?” I’m still staring at Lula, stunned. She’s chipped?
She looks at me. “Some of this is stuff you’ll have to ask Ranger about, but long story short, Tank’s enemies are mostly in Mexico and South America. That’s why he doesn’t take missions down there. His face is too well known. Now look how close we are to the border. It’s dangerous for both of us but Tank’s not putting his personal issues ahead of the business. So, I gotta do what I gotta do for my man and for me. So I got chipped. That way, if something happens, Tank can find me.”
“You don’t think that’s . . . invasive?”
Lula snorts. “I’m not you, Steph. I’ve been kidnapped. I’ve been violently raped.” I shudder. “Yeah, you were threatened with a gang rape. I’ve been raped and beaten damn near to death.” Lula picks up her travel cup and takes a long swallow. “I never want that shit to happen to me again. Knowing that, if something happens, Tank can find me and rescue me makes me feel a lot safer. Plus, it eliminates the need for me to have a guard.
I’m not high profile. If someone wants me, they’ll want me because of Tank. So it’s more important to me for him to be able to find me. We talk every morning. He knows what my schedule is. I have a panic button and I’m chipped. If something happens, he knows.”
Lula pulls into a parking spot and turns off the truck. I look around.
No guard.
“I . . . you’re OK with this?”
“I asked for it. Tank was prepared to put a guard on me but I’m busy. Wedding planning, school, working at RangeMan, shopping—I don’t want a guard. You’ve seen those reports they write. I want some privacy in my life. Having a RangeMan guard means Tank can pull up a report of my entire damn day. So much for buying a surprise gift for him.”
I’m thinking about this. My usual guard is Hec, which is why there aren’t many reports about me, but Lula’s right. When anyone else guards me, they have to write it up.
“You don’t think the fact that Tank can just pull up your trackers whenever he wants isn’t invasive? I mean, you still don’t have any privacy.”
Lula unlocks the doors and looks at me. “Steph, Tank is a busy man. He doesn’t spend all day staring at my tracker trying to figure out what I’m up to and even if he did, I don’t give a damn. It’s not gonna stop me from doing what I want. That chip will tell him I went to the mall. Might even tell him where I went in the mall. Will it tell him what I bought? Will it tell him how much time I spent there? Nope, but a RangeMan report might and I don’t want to deal with that.
Now, the day he can somehow put a permanent camera on me will be the day he goes too far, but the ability to, in a pinch, pull up my chip and find out I’m 10 miles from the border when I’m supposed to be in class? I’ll take that. In return, I don’t have bodyguards. There aren’t any extra cars following me around. I have a Taser, a tracking chip, a panic button and keys to his truck and that’s just what I want.”
Lula hops down to the ground and shuts her door. I follow, still stunned by her acceptance of a tracking chip. I don’t care what Lula say, she doesn’t have any freedom. I could never do that. Ranger doesn’t need to have that much control over my life. He doesn’t need to know where I am all the time.
Right?
-oOo—
I’m back in my temporary office reviewing contracts. Everything looks good. I stand and walk over to the window. This review is going really fast. Much faster than I anticipated.
“Ms. Plum?”
My nose wrinkles. I turn around. RMSA man standing at attention in the doorway. “Steph.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I cringe. “Steph.”
“Yes?”
“Ms. Lula has asked us to check on you. Make sure you have everything you need.” He checks his watch. “She’ll be back in 45 minutes but we’re supposed to check on you halfway through her class.”
“Thanks. You are?”
He smiles. “Sam. AKA Slick.”
I motion for him to sit. The RMSA men have been somewhat standoffish so far. “Tell me about yourself.”
He groans. “Can I start with ‘I hate that sentence’?”
I laugh. “Noted.”
“OK. I’m Army, infantry. Served two tours in Iraq before getting out. Proud to be a RangeMan, ma’am.”
I groan and he smiles. “What department do you work in?”
“Bonds Enforcement and Special Assignments.”
“Special Assignments?” Is this a new department?
“Yes, ma’am. I haven’t had an assignment there yet, but Les told all of us in that department that he plans to start a new line of business soon so he put us there.”
I’m not being kept informed! What in the hell is this?
“Oh. So tell me about bonds enforcement.”
Slick tells me all about bonds enforcement in San Antonio. They also have contracts for Austin bonds shops so they stay busy. Slick looks at his watch twice during our discussion.
“Problem?”
“No, ma’am.” I cringe. “Sorry. I was on lunch break when I popped in to make sure you’re OK. I want to make sure I don’t go over.”
“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t know you were at lunch. Look, if anyone asks, tell them you were in here talking to me.” I shoo him off and he waves goodbye. Bobby passes at that moment.
“Bobby!”
He stops and pokes his head in the door. “‘Sup, Bomber?”
“Got a minute?” I sit in my chair again as Bobby walks in.
“For my favorite CO?” He smiles. “Sure. What’s up?”
“Your favorite CO is not being kept informed.” He raises an eyebrow. “What is ‘Special Assignments’?”
He snorts. “Something Les is cooking up. I don’t know too much yet, just that he’s pulling together a cross-company group for it. Why?”
“Well, it would help if I knew.” I lean back and cross my arms across my chest.
Bobby stares at me. Finally he raises an eyebrow and gives me a half smile. “Steph, I don’t fully know what Les is up to yet and, quite frankly, he might abandon the project if he can’t talk Ranger into it. So there’s nothing to tell you yet.”
I feel slapped.
“Well, how am I supposed to run things if there’s stuff going on that I don’t know about?”
Bobby is quiet for a long time. He finally gets up and closes the door.
“You run the company in the knowledge that you’ll be told what you need to know at the appropriate time. That’s how.” Bobby’s face is amused but I feel like I was just punched. “I don’t know what Les is up to and I guarantee you that Ranger has plans I don’t know about yet. That’s their jobs. Les comes up with new product lines and Ranger manages Les. When they’re ready to move, they’ll let you, me, and Tank know. Until then, we all manage what we have.”
I’m sure my face is red. What the hell!
Bobby’s face softens. “You’re the CO, Steph, and you’re doing an excellent job, but don’t forget there’s a layer of management above you that is doing things you may or may not know about. We’ll tell you at the right time, but not a minute before.”
“Well, it’s my job to sign off on ideas—”
“No, that’s Les’s job.”
I stop. Bobby looks amused. “Every new product line going on had to have Les’s final approval as the company strategist. The new strategy in Miami had to have Les’s approval. If NYC chooses to ditch bonds enforcement, that has to have both Les’s and Ranger’s approval. You tell us if you think the ideas are good, but you don’t have final approval. That belongs to Les.”
“Then what am I here for?”
Bobby smiles. “To manage it all. To keep all the balls in the air. To ensure the men are getting what they need, to vet ideas before they pass up to us, and to ensure everything is running smoothly. To give you a metaphor, you conduct the orchestra. Leadership Core writes the music and the men play. That’s your job. To manage the orchestra.”
Bobby laughs quietly. “Be careful. You’ve become Ranger.” I frown. “You’re starting to micromanage.”
-oOo-
I return my plate to Maria’s and get caught up with her and Rafe. They look happy here and I’m glad. I tried to talk to the men while I was in the break room, but they didn’t say much beyond short terse answers to my questions. Maria teased them for being nervous and they admitted they were. They want their branch to pass my review.
This feels like the start of my Boston review, but I had Danny and Jorge to help break the ice. No one is breaking the ice here. Well, Diego is. Kinda. I’m not sure where Mark’s disappeared to.
I have to get out of RMSA. I’m going mad. I call Connie and ML.
“Connie? ML? Let’s go shopping.”
“Great!” ML says. “I’ll call Candy and Lula.”
“No,” I cut in hastily. “Let’s just go.” The line is silent. “If we tell Lula, we’ll get a guard. I don’t want a guard. I don’t want to be followed. I just want to go. Come get me.”
The line is quiet for a long time.
“Well, I gotta say, Steph, it seems kinda mean to go shopping without Lula. Or Candy or Maria. I’ve been looking forward to meeting Maria,” ML says.
“Besides, we’re in a RangeMan vehicle, with RangeMen, which means we’ll be tracked anyway,” Connie chimes in.
I slam the phone down and stare at the walls. Can’t get away. Can’t stay. This is impossible.
-oOo-
RINGGGGG
“Yo.”
“Yo, Babe.”
“Hey, what’s up?” I get up and close the door.
“The principal in the op has just been arrested but this isn’t over. Don’t celebrate yet. Just wanted to let you know.”
I lean back and sigh. Thank god. It’s over.
-oOo-
Hector pokes his head in.
“Hey.” I motion for him to come in. “I just heard from Les that the main mover in Ranger’s op was arrested. Les told me to tell you.”
I smile. “He called me and told me.”
Hec grins. “Good. We’re still watching to see if he gets bail—”
“Bail?” I’m confused.
“He was arrested for the attempted murder of Juana, Manny’s wife. It’s a capital charge since she’s an FBI agent, but we want him to make bail.”
“Why?” That makes absolutely no sense to me.
Hec grins. “Because if he makes bail, he’ll die soon after. Stay on your guard. This isn’t over.” Hector leaves and I sit back.
Thanks for the info, Ranger.
-oOo-
“Hey, Diego?” I look over at Diego, who is typing up his findings. It’s nearly five. It’s been a long day and I’m ready for it to be over.
“Yes, Steph?”
“I feel like looking around the building. I’d like your opinion of what you see.”
Diego gives me a quick grin. “Sure. Let me finish this sentence and we can go.”
We set off ten minutes later. As we’re walking to the garage, Diego says, “Overall, my findings are positive and so are Mark’s. The building makes good use of all available space, the men aren’t packed in, and it’s ideally located. Those last two things were big for Mark and, after looking at the client list and getting out and driving to some of our clients, I agree.”
I smile. “You’re not just saying that because you want to take over here, right?”
He grins. “Nope. If anything, I would be looking for flaws and things to change. If I were to take over here, I’d want to find all the areas of weakness and let the Leadership Core fix them before I had to take over.”
“Brave.”
He nods. “Maybe, but Mando told me that if I want to be an XO, I have to be an XO. That means I need to call things as I see ’em. I always did as a strategist. Now’s not the time to stop. Tank pulled me and Mark to the side and told us he expects absolute candor in our assessments. That’s made it easier and, well, freeing. We’ve been encouraged to tell the truth, so we will.”
I nod. OK, well, that’s good to know.
We start by looking at the garage. Diego points out a few things he thinks are important, but overall he’s pleased. We start a floor-by-floor assessment of the building and we notice we have a shadow. Finally, he comes over. Diego nods.
“Stephanie Plum, this is Martin Gonzalez, AKA Gonzo, of RangeMan San Antonio.”
“We’ve met,” he replies. We shake and Gonzo turns to Diego. “We noticed that you’re assessing the building again.”
“We are. I’m pointing out my findings to Ms. Plum.”
“Ah.”
They’re quiet, looking at each other. I want to keep moving, so I turn to Gonzo. “Want to join us? I would like your opinion, since you’re brand new here. Tell us what you think.”
He grins. “Sure thing!”
We keep moving and Diego gives me his impressions of space. Gonzo chimes in on occasion.
“The only issue I see with this space is the conference room,” Diego says. We step into Conference 1, the largest room. “It isn’t big enough. Once the new men are added, we’re at standing room only.”
“So, are you thinking this room should have partitions?” Gonzo asks.
Diego nods. “I think a moveable partition between Conference 1 and 2 would be a good idea. Expand the conference room if needed.”
Diego and Gonzo keep talking about it as I stand back.
I’m almost not needed.
-oOo-
“Did you know Lula has a tracking chip?”
Ranger’s playing with my hair, twirling a curl around his finger. He’s giving it the same level of consideration he gives my nipples.
I’m trying to recover.
“Yes.”
I’m silent. “Have you ever thought about asking me to get chipped?”
“No.”
I look up at him. “Why?”
Ranger sighs. “Because it’s a no-win conversation.”
I sit up. “You know, I’m getting tired of everyone automatically assuming they know what I think and feel.”
Ranger stares at me. “Right. You’re right, Babe. OK, do you want to discuss getting a tracking chip?”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“Outpatient procedure. Bobby would make a tiny incision somewhere on your body, probably your butt, and insert a GPS device. Hector will check to ensure his tracking program is picking it up, we’ll cover the incision with a Band-Aid, and you go on about your day.”
“And? Who can look it up?”
“Anyone with access to the tracking programs.”
“So . . . any RangeMan?” Ranger nods. “So any RangeMan could look you up?”
“Hector has the ability to limit who can see me right now. Only he and Tank can look me up right now.”
“And when the op is over?”
Ranger shrugs. “The brotherhood.”
“Meaning?”
“Tank, Les, Bobby, Hec.”
“Me?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Ranger is quiet. “Do you expect me to be able to track you?”
“You always have in the past.”
He smiles. “Good point. Is that what you want going forward?”
I’m quiet. I don’t know.
“Why did you say the tracking chip was a no-win conversation?”
“Because it’s permanent. You don’t get to remove it on a whim and since the Leadership can determine who has access to see it, if I order Hector to show it to me, he will. He won’t like it, but he will.”
“Not if I tell him not to.”
Ranger snorts. “I’m his boss, Babe, and his brother. He’ll make me pay for it but he will reveal your location. I simply choose to respect your relationship as his partner and never put him in that position.”
“But I can’t see your chip?” I’m pissed.
“Reciprocity. If I can’t see your chip, you can’t see mine.”
“That’s not what you said a moment ago.”
He sighs. “Two points. One, you can’t just discard this tracker. If I want to see it, I can. Two, illustrating the point that I would try my best to never put Hec in a bad position between us. If I want to see your chip, I’ll ask you, not force him, but I acknowledge that I can force him to show me your location.”
“He locked you out of the reports.”
“And I didn’t like it but I could have ordered him to allow me back in over your objection. I didn’t. I assumed he had a reason for it. Hec always has a reason for the things he does and I trust him completely.”
Oh. “So what was his reason?”
Ranger smiles. “To force me to talk to you when I had time. If I wanted to know anything about the company, I’d have to go through you. So you had a chance to tell me what was going on and I couldn’t snoop behind your back.”
I love my partner.
“And?”
“I was proud, Babe. Every time you told me something new, I was proud of your work. When I finally got that hour to snoop around, I had a blast.”
I laugh. I knew he wanted to snoop around in there.
“So you decided not to ask because the chip is permanent?”
“Yes. You don’t like trackers now. Being chipped? A surgical procedure with a scalpel and needles? Babe, I can’t see you agreeing to that. Am I wrong?”
Nope. He’s not. “Maybe. If I were sold on it.”
He shakes his head. “I’m not selling you on something for your own safety. You’ll get it because you want it, not because I talked you into it. If I have to talk you into it, the first moment you’re angry with me, it’ll be my fault you’re chipped. I forced you to get chipped, not you made the decision to get chipped. No-win for me.”
I’m pissed. There’s a lot in this conversation I don’t like.
“So instead of discussing it with me, you decide to simply ignore it entirely as a conversation?”
“No. I’m using my knowledge of you and your dislike of electronic security measures, specifically tracking devices, and determining the odds of having a conversation with you about said devices that wouldn’t end in hurtful accusations and ugly silences.”
Ranger sighs and gets out of bed. He walks into the kitchen and returns with a bottle of water. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to discuss this. Let’s say I said, ‘Steph, what do you think of getting a tracking chip installed?’ What would your response have been?”
Anger and suspicion, but I’m not acknowledging that. Ranger rolls his eyes.
“So no matter what, I’m wrong. I’m wrong to bring it up and I’m wrong not to bring it up. Tell me, Babe, when do I get to be right?”
Ranger slides back into bed and goes to sleep.
-oOo-
Wednesday
“Come on.”
I look up. Lula, with a hard look on her face.
“Come on. You need time away.”
Yeah, I do. I grab my stuff and follow Lula down to the garage. Lula pulls off and we cruise to the mall.
I groan. I can’t look at a mall now without seeing RangeMen pop up like Whack a Mole in my head.
“What?”
I groan and tell Lula the story of the ‘mall escape’. She laughs.
“Damn. Figures they wouldn’t see it the same way you did.”
I grin. Lula’s the first person to see and understand my side of what happened. “No, they didn’t.” I look around. “So who knows we’re here?”
“I told Control to tell Tank we were at the mall. We’re meeting Connie and ML. They’ve been working on my registry for me.”
“Really?” This sounds like fun. I get to point a gun for shopping!
“Yeah. I mean, I know this sounds weird, but I can’t think of nothing I want. I mean, a blender? Maria’s got blenders in her prep area. Sheets? We got plenty of sheets. ML suggested china but who am I gonna have dinner parties with?”
“Hey, better to have it than not have it.”
“Maybe.” We head inside Macy’s and meet ML and Connie. They’re having a blast.
“You guys left Candy?”
Lula nods, looking at the list. “I asked her but she’s backed up with the new RangeMen, trying to enter them in the system. She’ll be done tonight.”
Connie and Lula start talking about sheets and china patterns when ML slides next to me. “Have you started planning Lula’s bridal shower?”
I look at ML in horror. I haven’t thought about it at all! “No!” I whisper. “Shit, we planned to combine her wedding shower with a baby shower for Mariela Cortes.” I groan. Haven’t thought about either one and I need to make plans for both.
ML smiles. “Need help?”
“No, I’ve got it.” I start thinking of things to do for Lula’s wedding shower. I’ll need to get the invitations out soon.
“Don’t forget: she has future sisters-in-law and a mother-in-law she loves. They’ll want to be included too.”
I groan. I need an assistant.
-oOo-
I’m staring at the walls. Honestly, I’m done with the review.
They passed. Flying colors. A few building-related things but otherwise, RMSA gets the highest score possible.
Mark and Diego haven’t found anything and they’ve been digging. They said they’ll give me a report after they run the branch this weekend but they think RMSA is excellent. The men are tight knit. The building is great, all the product lines are receiving excellent reviews, and everything I’m pulling out of RangeWorld shows that there aren’t any discipline problems.
Even the Miami guys who were transferred here, like Ben Whaley, Candy’s butt patter, are subdued. Being around BLT has been an attitude adjustment of sorts. They’re no longer openly hostile. The one time I walked by Rico and he glared at me, another RMSA man thumped him hard in the back of his head.
“Check your face, fucker,” he growled. “Top management is just that and you better show respect.”
I smiled and walked off, not interested in hearing the rest of the conversation, if there was any. Bobby was right; the attitude is not appreciated around the company. The men are regulating each other.
There’s just nothing wrong in this branch. So I’m going to change tack. When I talk to the guys, I want to know where they intend to take the branch. They’ve set it up fine.
-oOo-
I pull out a piece of paper and get started on Lula’s wedding shower.
“Stephanie!”
I look up. “Hi, Maria!”
She comes in and hugs me tight. “I’ve tried not to interrupt you while you do your important work,”—I smile—”but I’m ready to make cookies. Want to join me?”
“Sure!” I follow her to the kitchen and sit in her prep area. “I’m working on Lula’s wedding shower, trying to get an idea of what to do for her and who to invite.”
Maria laughs. “Hold it in New Orleans. She loves that city, most of her future in-laws love that city, and she’ll love the food. Or Vegas! She’d love to see Vegas again.” She giggles. “She said something about the first time you two went to Vegas, Tank was supposed to go with you but he got caught by security at the airport?”
I laugh, remembering that. “Yeah. He didn’t have any suitcases and the bomb sniffing dogs picked up gunpowder.”
Maria laughs and gets started on the cookies. Three RMSA men walk in.
“Hey, Maria!”
“Hello! Need something?”
They smile. “Nope. We came to ask you if you needed anything.”
Maria looks around. “Well, if you guys want to pour that flour into the bin, that’s the only thing I need to happen around here.”
One of the men looks around. “No cleaning needed? No chopping? Nothing else?”
“No, I’m fine.” She smiles and the men nod. They pour the flour into her flour bin, then leave.
“How is the transition working out?”
Maria smiles. “The men partied when we came back. My job is much easier because you see their enthusiasm.” I nod, smiling. “I really don’t have issues. If I have issues, I take them to the housekeeping committee and that’s the last I hear of it.”
“What about the Miami men who transferred here?”
She snorts. “The RMSA men took them to the side and told them that the first time I was made unhappy by any of them, they would have to take on the entire branch.” My jaw drops. “I haven’t had a single issue. The Miami men here are very respectful.” She chuckles. “The attitude to insubordination here is the same attitude I saw in Trenton and Boston. Don’t. Not unless you have a death wish.”
-oOo-
Lula’s in my office, helping me type up notes, when three RMSA men walk in with a bag.
From Mi Tierra.
My mouth starts watering immediately. Lula looks over and smiles.
“OK, what did y’all do wrong now? And don’t expect me to clean it up with Tank. I can’t cover everything y’all do with him. But if you brought pastries to bribe me, I’ll accept the pastries in order to listen to you.”
The guys are laughing and they hand the bag over. There are five pastries. Lula hands me two of them and I immediately bite in.
The sweet potato empanadas. They’re fabulous and they’re warm. Lula inhales one and gets started on the second.
“We waited until they brought some warm ones out for you, Lula,” one guy says.
“We did it because we love you,” another says.
“Uh huh. I’ll believe that if you believe I was born yesterday,” Lula replies. “Steph, this is Mitch, Con, and Dee. Guys, Steph Plum, the CO and my best friend.”
They nod at me. “Hello, ma’am,” Dee says. I cringe. “Sorry.”
“No problem. Want to join us?”
They shake their heads. “Nah, that’s OK, Ms. Plum.” My shoulders slump. It’s impossible to get the RMSA men not to say ‘ma’am’, Ms. Plum, or Miss.
They turn to Lula. “Lula, you know we love you—”
“I know you’re about to ask me a favor,” Lula says, finishing the second pastry. “Out with it.”
“Well, we had a takedown near RiverWalk,” Mitch begins.
“Hence the delicious and nutritious snack,” Dee says, smiling.
Lula groans. “That I have to report to Maria. Thanks. So this treat ain’t no treat. This treat is meant to make me feel guilty enough to join your little conspiracy. Well, I’m a strong woman. Pastry doesn’t turn my head! Go on.”
The guys are grinning. “Anyway, we had a skip down there and the apprehension went fine,” Dee says.
“But the car got a little scratched,” Mitch says.
“Maybe a lot scratched,” Con adds helpfully.
“Which is why I had to go pick them up,” Dee says, smirking.
“You parked illegally?” Lula asks.
“No,” Mitch says.
Lula sighs. “Is it in your report?”
“Yeah.” They hand the report over and Lula barks a laugh.
“A school bus side swiped you?”
“On one side. Hit and run on the other. We had to climb in and out through the windows,” Mitch says.
“So there might be a little skip damage . . .” Con says.
“Skip damage?”
“You know, we told him to let us help him. That drop to the ground outside the police station was embarrassing,” Mitch says.
“And painful,” Dee adds. “He might scream about pain and suffering.”
“Wait, help me out here. Why did you need to climb in and out of the windows?” I ask.
Con smiles. “OK, so we pick up the skip. We get back to the truck and we’ve been side-swiped. That was the school bus.” I nod. “So we climb in on the other side. We head over to the Market District to grab some pastry for Lula, and we come back to the truck and the other side’s been side-swiped.”
I start giggling. Lula has tears running down her face. I remember that the streets near Mi Tierra seemed a bit narrow for Texas.
“So now we have to climb in and out of the windows,” Mitch finishes.
Lula and I are laughing now. The guys blush. “Yeah. And you know the county isn’t gonna pay. We’re afraid when Tank sees the sides of the truck, he’ll flip.”
Lula motions for the men to follow her and leaves. She comes back laughing.
“Girl, you should see it! Tank and Bobby were already down there looking at it. They were ready to flip but the guys had their report and the police report.”
“So what happened?”
“Truck’s being carted off to the body shop.”
I shrug. “Sounds like standard procedure. Why did they get you involved?”
Lula smiles. “One, they were near RiverWalk. Everyone knows the procedure. Bring me back something because that’s a banned area for me. I’ll get down there and go wild if Tankie isn’t with me.” I smile. “Two, Tank won’t get as mad if I’m around. They know they’re in trouble, but if I’m standing right there, he holds back on the really devious punishment.”
I laugh.
“Three, they know I hate being left out of a good laugh. That was a damn good laugh.”
“You know, that sounds like something that might have happened to us.”
Lula smiles. “That’s just what I was thinking.”
Thursday
Hector’s POV
I finally figured it out.
Angelita‘s sulking. She’s not the most important person around on this trip.
Lula and Maria are the most important women in this branch and that makes sense. Lula and Maria live here. Angelita doesn’t. Angelita is important to the men because she’s upper management. Because the other branches like her, they’re determined to make sure she has a good time and that they pass review, but they aren’t going all out to get to know her and make her feel good like the other branches did.
They’re trying to rise in the rankings in RangeWorld. They’re trying to get to know people from other branches. Angelita just doesn’t rank high for them. They’re more interested in getting to know Diego and watching him.
Diego says something and they hop to it. He looks at something and they stare at it later, trying to figure out what was so important about it. They take his suggestions, the few he’s given, very seriously.
I watch Tank watch all of them. Diego will be named the head of RMSA. He’s solidified himself with the men. They like him and he likes them.
Finding out that Lula is chipped threw her. She couldn’t believe it and she couldn’t believe the amount of freedom Lula has. If Steph goes somewhere without Lula, she has to take Mark, Diego or me. Watching Lula come and go as she pleases has been a shock for Angelita.
All in all, this trip isn’t going like Angelita expected. She’s not the most important person in the room because she’s outranked all around. By the Leadership Core, by Diego, and by Lula.
Her presence in San Antonio is just not a special occasion for the men of RMSA and they’ve taken that attitude to her from Tank, Bobby and Lester. For the guys, it’s great to see her, they’re interested in her feedback, and they’re happy to spend time with her again, but they aren’t going to party with her. They have a new class of recruits to train. That’s where their focus is. Steph’s here to do a review. They assume that’s where her focus is.
This branch is great. They’ll pass review. It’s set up well, has good product lines going and good men working here. They’re a tight knit bunch. So there isn’t the intellectual challenge of rooting out problems like she had at every other branch. She’s looking for something, anything, but she hasn’t found a single problem yet.
She brought Connie, ML and Candy, so there’s no need for the RMSA men to entertain her. Her off-time is spent with Ranger or her friends, so the RMSA men don’t have to come up with fun things for her to do or try to figure out how to keep her happy. So they’ve continued to work as they normally do, answer her questions, and be polite, but it’s just not a special occasion. Plus, this is a brand-new branch. No skeletons in the closet here.
Angelita is not the star of the show in San Antonio.
