Chapter 103.5 WE Run This Show
Mark’s POV
Tank calls Diego and me into his office on Friday afternoon, before we leave for the restaurant, to speak to us. He motions for us to take a seat in front of his desk.
The late afternoon sun is shining into the room and I can see Diego checking everything out. The knowledge that this might become his new home is obvious if you know Diego as well as I do. He’s trying to hold it in but he’s excited.
I expect him to do a toothbrush-level inspection. I can’t wait to call Mando!
“First, welcome to RMSA. Glad to have other members of the leadership here with us.”
Surprising. “Thank you, sir. Glad to be here,” Diego replies, getting comfortable.
Tank waits for us to get comfortable. “I’m aware that, because of my position as a member of the Leadership Core, you may find it . . . difficult to feel you are free to fully criticize this location.” He is staring at both of us, his face intense. “However, I am the XO of this location at the moment and I am not afraid to receive criticism about this location or the men. I look forward to your honest and thoughtful review.”
He leans forward onto his desk. “Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”
“Churchill,” I mutter. Tank has great quotes.
I look up and he’s looking at me with the first . . . approving look I’ve ever seen on his face. “Correct. Churchill. So you understand my meaning?”
“Sir, yes, sir!”
“Excellent. Nothing is off limits except the 9th floor. My personal apartment. Still under construction.”
We nod.
“Also, we, meaning the Leadership Core, Stephanie, Hector, and the ladies who accompanied you, are leaving for Louisiana next Thursday. Wedding planning.”
I remember that. Hell. I’m glad remembering doesn’t sting as much anymore.
“We won’t return until Tuesday. Until that time, you two, and Ches Deuce, are the ranking men here. You’ll run the branch. Ches Deuce will be named liaison at the end of this trip. I assume you know how to run a branch?”
Tank has a smirk on his face and we both laugh.
“I think we can manage, sir,” Diego replies.
“Good. Any questions?”
We shake our heads and are dismissed.
-oOo-
My last task of the day is to find Maria, which turns out to be harder than it might seem. I finally corner her in her prep area minutes before we’re supposed to leave for the hotel. She looks at me, goes bright red then smooths her apron nervously.
“Mark! It’s good to see you.”
I grin. “I’m not mad, Maria.”
“Mad?” She attempts to look innocent. “About what?”
I laugh outright. “About the truckload of lies, half lies, and the occasional bit of truth you told me.” I smile at her and she finally breaks into giggles. I open my arms and she walks into them for a hug.
“Oh, I was so nervous,” she says, wiping her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
I shrug. “Water under the bridge. I deserved to fall for it. It wasn’t my place to disrespect the leadership like that.”
She straightens up and looks at me fiercely. “Right! And that’s why I did it. You were mean to Stephanie and you didn’t even know her.”
I flush red in embarrassment. “I know. I’ve been flayed alive by everyone. I know I was wrong and I’ve apologized to her and to my men.”
“I know. I heard.”
“So can I eat snacks at this branch without worrying about being poisoned?”
She giggles. “I suppose I’ll toss the ex-lax cookies.”
I shudder. “Thanks.” I smile at her. “Let me know when I’m up for kitchen duty. I’ll chop veggies and let you tell me all about the branch.”
“Fine. I’ll keep the lies to a minimum this time.”
I shake my head and wave goodbye.
-oOo-
We hit the hotel and change. My phone beeps just as I get out of the shower.
I check the message.
Nice shorts. Nikki.
What?
She sends a picture of me in my PT shorts. How on earth . . .
Does this fall under sexting?
Only if you talk dirty to me. 😉
I put the phone down and glance in a mirror. Ears are red. I assumed as much.
The memory of Nikki as a sexy witch floats through my head and I replace it, quickly, with Hector scowling. Still doesn’t work. Nikki glaring at him is still there.
Bea Arthur, Bea Arthur, Bea Arthur . . . relief.
I put the phone down and get dressed.
There’s a knock at my bedroom door. Diego and I are sharing a suite. He sticks his head in. “Yo. Ready?”
“Two minutes.”
I finish dressing and head downstairs. Diego’s driving and we’re by ourselves. I’m still thinking of how to answer Nikki.
Can Hector pull up this conversation later?
Damn. Hector can pull up anything.
Including hamstrings. I heard what happened to Sam in Atlanta. I’d rather not.
How’s Hector Manuel?
Asking about you. You’re a giant in his world, big and tall. He wants to be as tall as you.
Six foot two is a nice height. Any hope?
He better pray for 511.
I laugh. Hector’s what? 5’9?
Yeah. Manny’s father was 511. I’m 58. I think he has a decent chance.
How’s he feeling? Finger OK?
Finger’s fine. Thank you. You made him feel better.
“Yo, who’s the new girlfriend?” I look over and Diego’s smirking at me. “We’re here.”
I look up. Everyone is out of their cars and looking at me. I climb out and join the group. “Unaware of your surroundings, soldier?” Tank asks.
“Checking on one of my men, sir,” I reply. Tank nods. I chance one last message.
Group dinner at RMSA. Txt u l8r.
-oOo-
We return to the hotel with a car full of women. I’m driving and ML, Stephanie’s oldest friend, is sitting behind Hector, who is in the passenger seat.
“How’s the candy search going?”
I moan mentally. Not with Hector sitting right there! I can’t do shit right in his eyes. I translate for him before answering. “Twenty pieces. Apparently, little Manny is mad at me now. I was supposed to help him hide the candy, not help his mommy find it!”
She laughs and Hector makes a face. Disbelief tinged with disgust. I’m trying to ignore it.
“I think it’s cute. Now, did he get any toys or games for Halloween?”
I think quickly. “No, I don’t think so.” I look over at Hector. “Mrs. Stankovic wants to know if Hector Manuel received any toys or games for Halloween? Perhaps he hid those also? I can’t remember if he did or not.”
Hector looks thoughtful. “No.”
I look at ML in the rearview. “No, he did not.”
“OK. Well, if you found all the candy, he’s probably a very unhappy, and hyper, little boy.”
I smile and translate the sentence for Hector. He grins quickly then sobers.
As long as I don’t get his blank face. That face scares me.
-oOo-
“Hello?” She sounds sleepy.
“Did I call too late?”
“No.” I hear the rustling of her sheets in the background and wonder, idly, how long it’s been since I got laid. Well, before Cecily.
And Nikki lives in Atlanta. Ugh.
Perhaps I should have given Cecily more of a go. Then again, we shared nothing in common and there was no ‘spark’ over dinner. Either of them. The sex was great and she stalked me with more effort than usual over the next few weeks but . . . I met Nikki and quickly forgot she existed.
“So, did you convince the programmer to write in Ruby?”
She laughs. “You remember that?”
“Yeah. Well?”
She tells me she had to get management involved. Now the programmer is leading a one-man strike against her. Meanwhile, another programmer, female, programmed exactly what she wanted, they presented it to the client, and the client loved it.
“Girl power!”
She laughs. “You’re laughing but hey! We managed to ‘git ‘er done’, as they say.”
I laugh. “Great Larry.”
“Thanks! I love him. I love when Manny goes to sleep and I can watch TV without watching an animal break into song.”
“Really?” I never watched cartoons as a kid. My parents worried about the effects of anthropomorphicanimals on my perception of unaugmented reality. When the ‘ninja’ craze hit, they were in the midst of writing article after article on the harm glorified violence could have on the prepubescent psyche.
My reality? I had no clue who He-Man was, had never watched Scooby-Doo, had only the faintest idea of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Power Rangers, and Looney Tunes?
Took me years to appreciate Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. My parents’ theories and beliefs on child development made me an outcast in elementary and middle school.
“Yes. I’m addicted to Glee, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal—”
“Did you see last week’s episode?”
There’s silence on the other end. “Mark, if you tell me you can cook, we might have to talk about getting burn phones to sext.”
I know my face is red.
“Meatloaf is my best dish but I’m not too bad with pot roast. I live in Boston. I’m good with casseroles.”
“Keep talking sexy to me.”
-oOo-
RINGGGG
“Yo.” This had better be an emergency. I hope Stephanie is OK. I’m still not sure I buy her explanation of that scream.
“Phillips.”
That voice is like drinking a gallon of espresso. I’m wide awake. “Sir!”
“Have you heard any noises from the CO’s room?”
“No, sir. I was asleep, but I can go check.” I’m getting out of the bed, reaching for my gun, when I hear him speak.
“No, go back to sleep. And try not to hear anything you’re not supposed to hear.”
My brain does not want to go to the automatic conclusion here. “I’m pretty certain that I can stuff the pillows against my head, sir.”
“Good.” Click.
I sit back on the bed and swallow hard.
She is his woman.
I hear the ice break under me. Here’s hoping someone saves me.
Diego’s POV
Mark looks wired.
“You sleep OK?”
He nods. “Yeah, just fine.” He sips his coffee.
I stare, pointedly, as his right leg. It’s bouncing. He stills it. I hope he doesn’t keep that up. It’ll be like having Adam around again. I’ll end up tempted to tie a weight to his leg.
It’s just the two of us today. Ranger is here so the LC and Hector are getting together. Off to save the world in eight hours, I’m sure. The LC’s got it like that.
The ladies are off to wedding shop. Tank told us we were exempt.
I was tempted to light a candle for him as a thank you.
“So, the branch or sightseeing?” Mark asks.
The branch. I want to poke my nose into every nook and crannie. Mark nods. “Sightseeing.”
“Branch.”
He shakes his head. “You get to run the show next weekend. Everyone jumping to your command. Everyone listening to your every utterance. You’ll be on deck. This weekend let’s find the restaurants and places to rest and relax. Maybe tour some apartment complexes. Stuff you won’t be able to do at any other time.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’ll be on deck as the XO.”
He shakes his head. “I’ll accept a temporary demotion.” I smile. “You’re XO. I’ll be a strategist. You run the show and let the men get a feel for you. You want the job? Let the men get a feel for what it’ll be like to work with and for you. That’s how Mando and I got our jobs.”
Now I understand why Mando listens to him. He’s good when he isn’t being an asshole.
-oOo-
We start our tour of San Antonio by finding a decent place to eat. I’ve heard about the breakfast tacos in this town so I decide to try some.
Mistake.
If the location and the branch itself weren’t enough to sell me on San Antonio, the food is. I haven’t had any really good Mexican since we left Mexico when I was a kid and the Mexican and Tex-Mex scenes are outstanding.
They have tamale shops! My mamÃ’s tamales are the only ones I really like, but they’re time consuming so she doesn’t make them often. San Antonio had places that sold them for a dollar or two each and they were good.
I’ll have to run for two hours later today but it was worth it. Mark looks bloated and tired from trying so many but even he couldn’t put them down. He asked me about my down-time hobbies. Video games and clubbing. He shook his head but said nothing.
We returned to the hotel and went to sleep.
-oOo-
We spend Sunday chilling and checking on our offices. Mark makes numerous calls back to Boston then disappears for a while. Next thing I hear, he’s laughing and speaking in Spanish.
“So did you talk to Mr. Danny about his naughty door?” Silence, then “And he agreed to put the door on punishment? Silence. “Good. Now, tell me what you’ve learned new in school.”
I stare at the door wondering if I should tell Hector. Hector’s clearly not mad about the idea of Mark as his son’s father. Instead, I call Mando.
“Yo.” I hear Alyssa sniffling. “Uh oh. What did you do to my baby girl?”
Mando snorts. “She’s not fond of the word no. Mari decided it was time for time out with Daddy.”
“Yeah, I always found you to be a punishment too.”
“Watch it, you little smart—”
“You have a baby with you.”
“Right. Anyway, what’s up? How’s the branch?”
“Man, if I could call a moving service, I would!” I give Mando the low-down and he laughs.
“Well, take Mark’s advice when he gives it. He’s no fool.”
“So I see. Hard to forget how stupid he was with Steph, though.”
Mando sighs. “Understood, but that was professional jealousy and personal curiosity mixed into a very bad combination. He’s reforming.” I roll my eyes. “So far, he’s given you good advice, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, let me add to that.” I sit; I’ve always trusted Mando’s advice. “Allow the men to see you in down time.”
“Meaning?”
“Mark didn’t suggest you guys find anything entertainment related, did he? Even knowing how you damn near live in the clubs here in Miami?”
Good point. “No.”
“Right. He did that so that you have an opportunity to ask the men what they do for fun. Let them show you the clubs and night spots. Even though I was the XO, I still partied with the men on occasion, right?”
I smile. Yeah, we could usually drag Mando with us once a month. “Yeah.”
“OK. So show them that the possible XO for RMSA knows how to party with his men. You aren’t a hard ass all the time. You know how to have fun.”
“Right. OK. Now, you want something to mess with Mark about?”
“Hell yeah! Whatcha got?”
“Mark bought a burn phone today.”
There’s silence on Mando’s end before he starts laughing. He laughs so loud Mari comes to the phone.
“Hello? Who is this?”
“Hey, Mari!”
“Diego! What on earth did you tell Mando?”
“Mark and Nikki hit it off.”
Another long silence. “We know. We saw it live and in person. How did you find out?”
“Apparently Nikki and son have decided on punishment for the naughty door. Plus, Mark helped Nikki find all of the hidden candy.”
“Oh god.” Mari starts giggling. Mando is still laughing. “Hector must be tied in knots! Mark as daddy to his son.” Mando laughs harder. “Well, if anyone can control those two men, it will be Nikki. That girl has an iron backbone.”
I smile and say goodbye. Mando hasn’t stopped laughing yet. It’s good to hear.
-oOo-
Monday morning, I assist Steph with intake for the cons and bangers. It’s standard stuff but they make her nervous, although she hides it well. After they start the HR review, I go searching for Maria.
I find her in her prep area with the men hovering around her. They just finished a grocery run.
“Maria!” She looks over and smiles. I give her a quick hug. “Need another hand?”
“You’re here on an assessment, Diego,” she chides.
“Still gotta eat,” I reply. “I’m never too busy to help my favorite lady.”
She smiles and directs me to the pantry. I step in and the men stop their work.
“Don’t stop. Just tell me how I can help.”
Gonzo stares at me. Finally, he points to the food level roster. “Can you tick that off as we call off levels?”
“Sure. Have her receipts?”
He hands them over. I get caught up to where they are and we stack the pantry in record time. I spend a few extra minutes checking actual vs. purchased (to ensure nothing disappeared) then update Maria’s paper record. I nod at the men, who haven’t moved.
“We’re clear.” They grin, high-five each other, and walk out.
Mark’s in with Maria prepping a salad and getting an update on health and safety in the branch. Everything’s great. Men are very healthy, Maria’s appreciated here, and the men help out.
“They even carry micro-fiber cloths to keep Rafe from going crazy over the fingerprints!” she says, laughing. I noticed that on my initial run-through, that this place didn’t appear to have many fingerprints. Now I know why.
“Well, that sounds great, Maria. Good to know.” Mark picks out some artichoke hearts and is popped by Maria. She takes everything to the break room and we sit and eat with the men.
We ask them to tell us about San Antonio and they dish on everything. There’s a great camaraderie here; I see what Mark means. These men are one unit and they’re ride or die for each other.
It’s beautiful to see.
It’s going to be hard as hell to replicate this.
-oOo-
Tuesday morning, I start another review of the building. I don’t have a lot of things to say about this place except that I think the conference rooms should be bigger. Otherwise, outstanding space and great setup.
The RMSA men are quiet and they follow me. Well, they don’t follow me but they pop up on occasion. Reminds me of Steph in Miami the first day. I stop, considering how I want to respond to this, when the man from the garage approaches.
“Sir.”
“Diego.”
He smiles. “Diego, sir. I’m Arlo. Do you need anything?”
“Assessing the building again.” I decide to ask the men to assist me. “So, your impressions of the building?”
He’s shocked. “Mine?”
“Yes. Good, bad, and ugly.”
He blinks. I motion for him to follow me to the stairwell and we start on the first floor. By the time I’ve made it to 5, I have three more men. They’re very forthcoming with every plus and minus to the building. This will make writing my report much easier.
At noon, I change into my PT shorts and hit the gym. There’s silence as I walk in but I nod, insert my ear buds, and hit the treadmill. 6.5mph, 20% incline and I’m going. After 10 minutes, I look over. Mark’s joined me, same speed, same incline. The men are staring at us.
I finish 90 minutes later and hit the showers. I’m back in the conference room, writing my report, when Steph appears. We take a tour of the building.
I end the tour thinking Gonzo has a big mouth but he’s funny as hell. Interesting. I’m not sure what to make of him yet.
Mark’s POV
I spend Thursday reviewing the contracts.
The contracts are great. I call Jorge and Pat, fax them copies of a few and ask them to review. They both respond that the contracts are excellent. Good profit margins and room to expand. That’s what I thought.
I look at the Leadership’s pipeline and don’t find any issues there. This class they’re training now is needed. If they continue to grow like this, they’ll need another Texas branch sooner rather than later.
Bobby pokes his head in at lunchtime. “Mark?”
“Sir?” Bobby is the member of the Leadership Core I like most after Ranger. I guess because he’s the most like Ranger.
“Need anything?”
I look around. “You don’t have a six- or twelve-month plan for the branch, do you, sir?”
“We do. I’ll grab it.” He leaves and returns with it. I review it versus their current capacity and I was right; they’re ahead of schedule with this branch.
I’ll bet this branch will be ready for Diego to take it in January if the LC wants him to.
-oOo-
The LC leaves Thursday at noon. It’s six hours to Tank’s home in Louisiana and they decide to make it in time for dinner. Diego calls all the men to Conference 1 for a meet and greet. RMSA and the recruits, because we have charge of the recruits for the weekend.
“I’m sure you already know this, but for those of you who don’t, I am Diego Garcia, Acting XO of RangeMan Miami. With me is Mark Phillips, XO of RangeMan Boston. Together with Chester Deuce, Acting Liaison for RangeMan San Antonio, we will run this branch until the Leadership Core returns.
What does this mean for you? Not much. I am determined that this branch will continue to operate as normal. Understood?”
“HUA!“
“Good. I am taking point as XO, Mark will act as strategist and Ches Deuce will be the liaison. Feel free to come to us with your issues and needs. Understood?”
“HUA!“
-oOo-
Thursday is quiet. Friday is interesting.
“Sir?”
I look up. Lew. “Lew?”
“We’re going clubbing tonight, sir. Interested in joining us?”
I grin. “Yes, but ask Diego. He lives in the clubs. He’ll want to know if Miami can be beat.”
He laughs. “I’ve been in the Miami clubs. The answer is no, but that doesn’t mean that the women here aren’t gorgeous.”
He leaves and 15 minutes later, my phone rings. Diggy. “Yo.”
“Yo. Going clubbing tonight?”
“Yes.”
We grab our club clothes (I’m glad I brought some) and join the men at 2000. Slick and Arlo are in charge.
The RMSA men admit they don’t club so much as club hop. We start at one club for drinks and the dance floor and move to another around 2330 for the ladies.
Diego is in heaven and the RMSA men cement their approval of him. Outside the branch they see Diego for what he is: a man willing to have a good time. He buys a round of drinks at the first club, leading the men to toast him, then gets on the dance floor and shows his best moves. We move to the second club with a group of women already attached to Diego as if he’s the Pied Piper.
The men see that Diggy is exactly as advertised: tough but fair and willing to have a good time.
-oOo-
“So how many women did Diego bring back to your hotel room?” Mando asks.
“Hold on.” I put the phone against the wall, where the passionate cries of some random woman are ensuring all of San Antonio knows my current roommate has skills in bed. I lift the phone back to my ear and Mando is laughing.
“I guess he’s testing all of San Antonio’s charms to make his decision on moving there.” I laugh and hear, “Ouch! Oh Mari, come on! Your smile was all I needed but you know Diego’s a confirmed bachelor.”
I fall over laughing. Mando comes back to the line, muttering about wives with no sense of humor.
“How are you managing?”
“I have no fucking idea,” I reply. “There’s a cold snap, so I’m not going outside. I’ve already sat in the lobby for two hours. I’m giving him another hour before I send a text that he needs to wrap it up.”
Again, Mando is laughing his ass off. I’m not upset at Diggy. Handle it, man! Good for you. If I were really upset, I would have told him yes when he asked if I minded if he brought a ‘friend’ back to our suite. I don’t mind. Hell, I’ve been there. This is the Air Force all over again.
This is how I learned to fall asleep at the drop of a hat.
Mando and I talk for a little longer. I disconnect from him, put the phone on the charger, and take my new phone out to the lobby.
“Hello?” She sounds sleepy.
“Hey. I call too late?”
“No, you didn’t. How’s the trip?”
I fill her in on the less interesting parts. She laughs at me.
“Hector called. Apparently, they’re all meeting another side of Ranger this weekend. This side competes with Les over flan, dusts, vacuums, and knows rap music.”
I stare at my phone. What?!
“Really?”
She laughs. “Yes. Tank’s mother has adopted Hec too. The language barrier isn’t stopping her. She feeds them; they eat and follow instructions. He says he feels like he’s in the Twilight Zone. Mrs. Carol Jean LaPierre rules with an iron fist and the Leadership Core have gone from in-charge military men to naughty little boys.”
She’s so laughing so hard she almost didn’t get the end out. Meanwhile, I’m considering that.
Nah . . . that’s hard to believe.
-oOo-
That’s the tone for the weekend. Diggy ensures the branch is moving along and keeps an eye on the new batch of recruits. I get out with some of the men Ches says comprise the branch leadership, like Arlo, Slick, Gonzo, and Lew. I pull my suit and go in search of more contracts. I’m able to follow up on two Bobby had in the works and get them signed Monday afternoon.
This branch should pass review fine. Nothing wrong here.
We ask Candy to join us after realizing that she’s also here with us this weekend. She doesn’t know about Ranger being in the country and the trip was just for the wedding party, so she couldn’t go. She was thrilled and relieved to get out of her hotel room and do something new.
I’m glad I met Nikki. I can finally look at Candy and not want to steal her from Hal. Talk about never getting a break.
Diego’s search for the best tamale shop in San Antonio continues all weekend. My respect for Candy grows watching her eat them. She works her way through those tamales like a pro.
“Do they have spicy ones?” she asks after working through a few jalapeño beef tamales.
Diego and I gape. I ate one and gave Diggy the other two. She smiles. “Miami native, guys. I grew up eating these too and these are the best I’ve had in years.”
Diego’s clearly in love. Proximity to Candy is dangerous for him.
We decide to check out the mall. Mistake. A mall with a woman in tow?
Candy shops like a pro.
My phone rings after three hours. “Yo.”
“You took Candy to a mall?” He snickers. “You’ll never get away.”
Hal. My eyebrows hit my hairline. “Advice?”
“Negotiate. Any other malls in the area?”
“Yeah. Three.”
“Promise to take her to those. Otherwise, you’ll be there until the mall closes.”
“Right. Thanks.” Click.
Diego raises an eyebrow.
“Hal. He said she’ll hit every single store if we don’t put limits on it.”
He nods and speaks to Candy, reminding her he was running the show all weekend and there was a better mall in town. He has to promise to take her there before she’ll leave.
I stare at my phone. Is that the sound of a rope hitting the water? I’m still under the ice floe but maybe, just maybe, the ice is thawing.
-oOo-
“Mando, you should see it, man!” Mando and Mari are laughing as I update them on RMSA. “Diego’s taken over. Firm hand. Hector updated him in RangeWorld so he had XO status in there—”
“Oh god, Hector will never get him out,” Mando chokes out.
“Never! Diggy went diving in. He can quote the current contracts damn near by heart. He realized Tank really set this up as a test for him. The schedule for the men had been left for him to do. He got it done today with Ches Deuce. He ran today’s staff meeting like a boss. He sat in on the departmental meeting and listened carefully. If the LC decided to never come back, Diggy is prepared.”
Mari laughs. “Well, if he wants it—”
“If?” Mando says. “Diggy’s determined!”
“I know. If he wants it, he better show Tank he can handle it.”
Diego’s POV
We—Mark and I—meet with Bobby, Les, and Tank Tuesday morning and give them a weekend status report. Mark hands over the signed contracts, I update them on the status of the men and the recruits, and we hand over our reports.
We’re dismissed and told to come back in an hour.
We return and the LC motion for me to sit. They motion for Mark to leave.
I try not to let on I’m nervous.
“Diego, this is good work,” Tank says. He sits back. “Impressions of San Antonio?”
“Good city. Expansion into north Texas is a possibility at some point but RMSA should be able to rake in the money for South Texas for years to come.”
Les nods. “Men?”
“Men are excellent. Tight knit, smart, flexible. Good bunch.”
“Contracts?” Bobby asks.
“Stable with plenty of room for growth.” I’m wondering why they’re asking me. That’s part of Steph’s review.
“Good.” Tank stands so I stand. “Meet me back here at 1700 Friday.
“Yes, sir.”
A/N: I’ve lived on the road for the past four years. There is one hotel chain, that I will not name, whose walls are so thin that the nighttime amorous activities of the couples around me were my nighttime ‘white’ music. Not once. Not twice. At least 50 times over the past four years. Like Mark, I learned how to go to sleep ignoring that. Also, given the reviews I just read for 103, the LC asking Diego for his impressions of the branch have nothing to do with Steph’s review. It’s a review of him, for their purposes, which will be revealed soon.
