Uneasy Truce, Part II
Mark’s POV
I wake at 0530 and go downstairs.
Hector’s there sipping coffee. I nod, he nods and I pour a cup.
Good coffee. I wait to see what he’ll say.
“I need to get started on the bread pudding. Fifteen minutes, maybe twenty. Just need to get the bread soaking.”
“OK. Nikki should be down in a moment. She has one turkey, I have the other.”
Nothing more is said. Nikki comes down, still yawning, and we prep Thanksgiving dinner and start on breakfast.
By 1330 I’m stuffed. Everything was excellent. Nikki’s a great cook and my tamale technique was given a tentative thumbs up.
“Nothing exploded,” Nando mutters, eating his fifth one.
Hector walks into the kitchen and every member of the family watches. Manny immediately runs in and climbs into a stool. Hector immediately checks to see he’s safe, but Manny’s clearly done this before. He’s in the seat and watching.
“Tío?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you gonna make bwead pudding now?”
Hector smiles. “I’m going to make the sauce. The bread pudding and the flan are almost done.”
Hector pulls the bread pudding out of the oven twenty minutes later and I realize Nikki had not been joking. It’s a mad rush to the kitchen. Hector pulls the flan from the fridge and I do my part and block everyone from getting any until she and Manny are served. After that, it’s open season but Hector passes me a piece of each.
Holy hell.
“Does Steph know you make this?” I ask him.
He grins. “Yeah.”
“And she let you get away?”
He smirks and passes me another piece of bread pudding. I inhaled the first piece.
Manny takes my hand and we walk back into the living room. I tune in and watch my alma mater, The Ohio State University Buckeyes, crush the Michigan State Wolfpack. I check to see how the University of Florida made out. Ouch! Decimated. I check UCF. Great. Vic and Diego are gonna gloat. My phone beeps. Vic. Right on time.
UCF is going to the Tostitos Bowl…remind me, which bowl is OSU going to?
“Vic went to UCF?” Nikki asks, peering at my phone.
“Nah. He went to Valencia Community College, which is in Orlando with UCF. So he cheers for UCF.”
“Ah.”
I text Mando. I see the swamp was chopped down by a few Indians.
I can’t wait to see how he replies.
I still don’t know what a Buckeye is.
LOL. It’s a winner.
FU. How’s Hector?
Do I tell him that Hector and I seem to be getting along?
Ouch. Asshole.
So…?
Nikki told him to be nice.
Which means?
He only spent 50% of his time glaring at me.
I laugh. Manny looks over. “Who are you talking to?” he asks curiously. Nikki and Hec both groan.
“My friend Armando.” I boost him up to sit next to me and start reading him the messages, editing where appropriate.
“Does my phone do this?”
“I don’t know. Where is your phone?”
He slides off the couch and runs upstairs. Hector follows, yelling for him to slow down and walk. Everyone is looking at me. I text similar messages to every XO to see what they’ll say.
Danny: Emory is undefeated again!
Nikki laughs. “Danny does know Emory doesn’t have a team, right?” She moves closer to me and looks at my phone in interest.
I want to see what Hal will say, if anything. I hope he chooses to respond. Maybe I can get Nikki to help me wade through his message for hidden clues on how he feels about me.
Diego: Tostitos Bowl, baby!
Congrats Diggy. Guess what? I learned to make tamales.
Dude, you any good? What did you fill them with? Better yet, just send pictures.
Nikki laughs. I told her about Diego’s tamale search in San Antonio.
Javi: NYU Undefeated yet again!
You don’t have a team.
“My phone sends words too, Mark!” Manny crows. “Tío, can you show me how?”
Hector and Manny sit down and Hector starts walking him through how to send a text message.
“There’s a disaster waiting to happen,” Nikki mutters. “Message to Mommy: toys!” I chuckle and she punches my arm then shakes her hand, wincing in pain. I laugh and kiss her knuckles.
My phone beeps. Javi.
And? No football, no futbol, we’re bored here. We’re talking about Weiner’s wiener.
LMAO. You need a list of appropriate discussion topics.
Nah. It’s either that, rent control, traffic, or a bet on which WalMart will see a death tomorrow.
New Yorkers are strange.
Still no Hal. Interesting.
“You’re taking an Intro to Computing course?”
I look up. Hector is frowning at his phone. “Well . . . yes.”
“Why?”
I look at Nikki. “Well, I want to be able to understand what Nikki and Johannes are talking about.” I shrug. “It’s an online course. No credit. I just need to understand.”
Nikki grasps my chin and turns my head. “That is so wonderfully romantic,” she says and kisses me. I hear Hector and Manny make disgusted noises while the rest of the family, well, the women, ‘awww.’
I stare at Nikki, trying to catch my breath. “I hate feeling like an idiot when you’re talking. I want to know what you mean.” I smile. “FYI, when I start with the military TLAs, stop me.”
“I will.”
I turn to Hector. “How did you know I was taking a computer course?”
He stares at me and rolls his eyes. “Think about it.”
I do then check the football scores.
Hey, it’s not my fault Kansas got their asses beat.
Careful, Mark. We take our football seriously around here.
I don’t think I’ll need Nikki’s help to decipher this message. Not too many places to go there.
So do we in Ohio, Hal. Just teasing.
My family is giving Candy a hard time for rooting for UCF.
My apologies. I did not know.
It’s OK. Candy’s trying not to gloat and my family’s annoyed.
Ouch. Tough spot.
Exactly.
I look at Hector. “How did your school’s football team come out?”
Jason laughs. “Hector went to Jersey egg-head central. They don’t have a team.”
Hector glares while everyone laughs.
“Where did you go Hector?”
“NJIT,” he replies. “I learned to fence, since we didn’t have a football team. Anyone want to try their skills against me?”
Everyone is quiet. I swallow hard.
Deadly with his blades is not a joke.
Tank’s message comes through at that moment. Awkward: Tulane grad cheering in a house full of UL-Lafayette grads. . . in Lafayette. Pray 4 me.
Hal: No 1 wants 2 hear about Tulane, sir.
Tank: Sore loser, Hal.
I text back. I agree. Get w/the program, Hal.
It’s not everyone else’s fault that Kansas got their asses handed to them.
Hal: I’m txting Hector.
I thought so, vindictive little . . . Please don’t. I found out Hector learned 2 fence @ NJIT.
Every XO laughs. I appreciate Mando’s message most and Diego’s has me laughing my ass off.
—oOo—
Now that they’ve been fed and had a nap, all of Nikki’s cousins decide to clear out. They nod at me and Hector as they leave and accept containers of leftovers.
I notice the Brussels sprouts are gone. Damn. I wanted a few of those tomorrow. My phone beeps.
i kick ball
I grin and type a message back. Kick ball now?
“Mommy! Mark sent me a message!” Manny comes running into the kitchen and holds up his phone as I’m breaking the turkey down to go in the fridge.
Nikki gives me a long-suffering look I pretend to ignore. “Great! What does it say?” Nikki asks.
“Kick . . . ball now?” he reads carefully. He looks at me and I nod. He grins at me. “Yes! Pway with me?”
“As soon as I’m done helping Mommy.”
“OK!” He runs off and I look at Nikki. She rolls her eyes. “Full speed until he’s tired.”
“I know.”
She shakes her head. “You don’t have a clue.” Her smile drops. “We’re a package deal,” she says nervously.
I close the refrigerator. “I know.” I kiss her gently. “And I get Hector as a special prize! Lucky me.”
She laughs and walks off. I grab my jacket and walk outside to Nikki’s back deck. This townhouse is beautiful and spacious. Three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a fully finished basement. A bit big for one woman and a child, but there’s room to grow. High end carpet, marble counter tops, wood floors, Hector chose a great place for Nikki and his son and Nikki did a great job decorating. Everything’s a soothing shade of blue with black and white accents. It’s much more spacious than my cramped house. I’ve been thinking of putting my house on the market and I think I will at the first of the year.
I hear the sliding glass door open and close behind me. Mr. Rivera appears next to me, lighting a cigarillo. He puffs away. The door opens again and Manny comes out with a soccer ball. I watch Hector appear and set up his net and Manny starts kicking his ball at it. Hector walks back over to the deck.
“Can you keep an eye on him?”
Is this a test? “Sure.”
He nods and walks back inside.
“Mark! Mark! Watch me!” Manny calls.
“I’m watching,” I yell back.
Manny dribbles his ball, as best he can, at the net before putting it in. I cheer and he runs around as if he’s just scored in the World Cup. He starts up again, happy to be running around in the fresh air.
I wish I had fresh air. That cigarillo is strong.
“Are you serious about my daughter?”
The talk with the father. I wondered if that’s why he was out here. I nod. “Yes, sir. I assured Hector that I was serious when I met her. I like Nikki. She’s beautiful and driven, but nothing’s more important than her son. I respect that.”
Her father snorts. “Well, that’s good to know. I’m glad to hear it. About time Manny had the possibility of a solid male role model in his life.”
My ears perk up. “He has Hector.” I smile faintly. “Even if whatever is between myself and Nikki becomes permanent, Hector will always be there to protect him.””
Mr. Rivera snorts. “Yeah, my gay gangbanging nephew is my grandson’s ‘father’,” he finger quotes. He stares at me. “I want a real man as my grandson’s role model, someone who can teach him how to be a man. You’re not Latino but you are Catholic. You’ll do. You’re better than the last embarrassment she had.”
What the hell? Is this a test? I’m silent for a minute. I’m not sure I want to address this. No, I want to address this but I have to do it right.
“Mr. Rivera, your grandson is one of the happiest, most well-adjusted little boys I’ve ever met, thanks in large part to the constant devotion he gets from his mother and his gay formerly gangbanging cousin.” Mr. Rivera looks at me. “I never met his father, so I can’t comment on him. All I can say is that he made a handsome little boy.”
I turn to face him and spot Nikki out of the corner of my eye. She looks furious. She flashes a smile at me and glares at her father’s back. I think I’m safe so I turn back to Mr. Rivera.
“I like your daughter. I’m here instead of in Ohio because I like your daughter. She’s beautiful, smart, and funny but she’s also mature. She doesn’t play games and she says what she means. I love that about her. I like your grandson. I really like your grandson because he reminds me of me at his age. Curious about everything, happy, and smart. Hector and I have called a truce where Nikki is concerned. I won’t be intimidated from seeing her and he won’t kill me unless I completely and totally screw up with her or I endanger Hector Manuel.
If that’s what you were hoping to accomplish with this conversation, sir, let me assure you that I have Nikki’s best interests in mind and I’m well aware that a relationship with her means becoming an instant father. If that were a turn off, I wouldn’t be here. But to slight Hector for being there for Nikki and Manny simply because he’s gay?” I shrug.
“If I wanted to hate Hector, I’d find a legitimate reason, like the fact that he scares me shitless.” I snort. “And he’s my boss now. He could really make my life miserable if he chose to. But Nikki and Hector Manuel? He has nothing but my absolute respect and admiration for the part he’s played in Hector Manuel’s life. Everyone in RangeMan knows that no one, no one, is more important to Hector than Hector Manuel.”
It’s quiet on the deck. I applaud Manny when he puts another goal in.
“Homosexuality is a sin.” I look over. Mr. Rivera’s face is hard. “I believe that, as does the Holy Father. With people like you to support him, Hector will never see the error of his ways. I don’t want my nephew to spend all eternity in the burning pits of hell. I want him to repent and bask in God’s grace. I want him to marry and have children of his own. Homosexuals should not have children. It’s unnatural and his influence on Manny could turn Manny gay. Kissing him all over yesterday?” He shudders. “I don’t want that. I don’t want my grandson to be a faggot.” He takes a long drag of his cigarillo.
Wow. I don’t even know what to say here. I turn back to Manny and watch him, uncertain about what to say to that.
“You do know the rumors are that he killed Manny’s father, right?”
What’s your point? “If he did, he had a good reason. Did Manny’s father put him in danger?”
Mr. Rivera stares at me. “What kind of man are you? How can you so easily dismiss a man’s death?”
I look at him. “What kind of man am I? I’m a former soldier. Kill one man and you’re a murderer. Do it with state sanction and you’re a soldier, which is why I don’t get into the semantics.” I raise a brow. “Did Manny’s father put him in danger or not? If he did, then it’s best that he’s never in a position to do that again.”
Mr. Rivera stares at me with a stunned look on his face. I turn and watch Manny again. I’m pretty certain I don’t have the parents’ support now.
I’m thinking that’s not much of a loss anymore.
“That’s not the point.” Mr. Rivera’s jaw is set. “My nephew commits mortal sins and puts his soul beyond redemption. He says he does it in the name of a child. He needs to repent his sins.”
“What do you want, Mr. Rivera?” I turn to him, frustrated and trying to hide it. “Do you want to know if I care for your daughter? If so, the answer is most emphatically yes. I care for her and her son and I want to continue to build a relationship with them. If you want to know how I feel about Hector then the answer is, professionally he’s my boss. He’s a good man and lauded for what he does. I have no complaints with him there and neither do any of his men assigned to my branch.
If you want my personal opinion of Hector, then it’s contradictory. On one hand, I admire everything he does for Nikki and Hector Manuel. We have a truce going in regards to them. As far as my relationship with Hector, personally we’re building one. I’ve done some things professionally to make him think I’m a complete and total asshole and I earned that. What I won’t do, however, is tell him how to live his life. That’s not my business. That’s between him and God and as long as he can answer for his life, I leave him to it.”
I turn back to watch Manny dribble his ball, trying to calm down. Childhood is great. You’re completely oblivious to all the dramas around you. All Manny knows is he has a ball, a net, and his mommy and uncle close by. That’s all he needs to be happy.
“If you expect me to join the family in casting Hector out for his sins, I’m afraid I’m not going to join the team. I’m also not going to block Hector’s access to Manny if Nikki and I become permanent. I doubt either of them would be OK with that anyway.”
A snowball would have a better chance in hell.
Mr. Rivera is silent. He finally stubs out his cigarillo and walks back inside the house without another word. I stare out into the trees and wonder if Mr. Rivera and Hector now hate me. I decide to join Manny in kicking the ball around. He loves it and I pretend to defend the goal (badly) from him.
The sliding door opens and I hear yelling and screaming behind me. I turn, concerned, but Hector steps out looking grim. He walks over to us and smiles as Manny puts a goal in around me.
“Come on. Let’s walk around the neighborhood.”
I nod and pull my jacket tight. Hector yells for Manny and he abandons his ball and runs over. He reaches for our hands and we set off, occasionally lifting Manny up and swinging him between us. He yells and laughs and darts down the road to a friend when he spots the little boy outside. We nod at the neighbor and watch as Manny and the boy play with the boy’s new soccer ball.
“Thank you,” Hector says quietly.
“You’re welcome,” I reply.
—oOo—
We return to the house half an hour later when Hector’s phone beeps. Mr. and Mrs. Rivera are gone. I decide not to comment on that. Nikki and Hector exchange a glance and Nikki walks over and hugs Hector. I don’t have to be told to leave. I simply pick Manny up and go to the living room while they stand in the kitchen and talk.
“Is Mommy mad?” Manny asks, glancing nervously toward the kitchen.
“No.” I smile. “She’s fine now. She and Tío need to talk.” I crouch down. “Let’s find something on TV to watch.” I think about that. “Better yet, let’s read a book.”
Manny runs over to his stack of books. I help him pick out two and we sit on the couch and he reads to me. It’s very peaceful and I find myself becoming my mother.
“And what do you think he thought?”
“How do you think he felt?”
“How would you feel?”
Crap. I shut my mouth but Manny doesn’t mind. He makes all kinds of guesses, some good, some bad, some funny as hell.
“Do you think George is being naughty?”
He turns his head to the side and stares at the page. “No. He’s being a monkey.”
I snort. Also true. We finish the books and I find a Pokémon DVD. I pop it in, sit back and watch with him.
Perhaps my parents were right. Perhaps cartoons aren’t good for impressionable minds.
I look down at Manny.
Then again, Manny makes friends with almost everyone he knows and with little boys Pokémon knowledge is currency. Manny slides down to the floor and watches, rapt, eventually standing up and mimicking the fight scenes. I grin. After ten minutes everything is forgotten except Pokémon.
“Whatcha doin?”
I look over. Manny has his hands on my knee and is looking at my phone. I pick him up and put him in my lap.
“I thought that maybe we could go to the movies.”
He lights up. “A movie?” he asks, attempting to eat his fingers.
“Yup. I’m trying to find a good movie then maybe we can talk your mommy into it.”
“OK.” He’s watching me play with my iPad, but I’m tempted to hand it over to him. Movies this year suck. No big blockbuster, nothing really kid-appropriate, and nothing really romantic. What the hell happened to Hollywood this year?
I put the iPad down. “Let’s go find Mommy. Maybe we can watch a movie together here.” I poke my head into the kitchen. “Hey. Have a moment?”
I will never forget the look of searing hatred Hector gave me at that moment. Nikki moved to shield him, but Hector had tears on his face. I know I was never supposed to see that and I vow to forget it promptly.
“Mark . . .” Nikki sighs.
“I’ll make this quick. Tradition in my family after Thanksgiving dinner is to go to the movies. The movies in the theater suck, so I was wondering if we could make this an in-house movie night. I’ll take Manny with me and hit a DVD vending machine and get a few. Do we have popcorn?”
Nikki smiles. “Yes, I always have popcorn.” I see Hector flash four fingers. “We have four packs of popcorn.”
I nod. “OK. I’ll be back.”
I grab Manny and we hit the closest DVD vending machine my iPad can find. I spend $20 on cartoons, action-thrillers and rom-coms. I duck inside the grocery store and grab chips, popcorn, and lots of bottled water.
Can you grab some ice cream?
Sure. What kind?
Pineapple coconut for me, chocolate for Hector.
No problem.
Thank you.
I look at Manny. “Ice cream?”
“Ice cweam!” he yells happily. I grab Nikki’s request then wait for him to make a decision. He finally chooses Phish Food. I read the ingredient list.
Does Manny have any food allergies?
No, thank god. Why?
He chose phish food.
LOL. He and steph ate their weight in ice cream this summer.
Safe to come back?
Yes.
I check out and return to the townhouse. I walk in and Hector and Nikki have re-inflated the air mattress and spread blankets out everywhere. I pop in Despicable Me 2 for Manny to watch and Hector pops the popcorn while Nikki dishes up the ice cream.
It’s a good night. Manny manages two movies before falling asleep. Nikki and I manage to make it through half of the rom-com after Hector disappears with Manny. The second half we missed entirely kissing in front of the TV. She falls asleep and, after checking to make sure we’re locked in tight, I turn off the TV and carry her upstairs to bed.
—oOo—
Hector’s POV
Conversation with Steph in English; with Ranger in SpanishHomosexuals should not have children. It’s unnatural and his influence on Manny could turn Manny gay.
Utter bullshit. I know that. I know it.
I don’t want my grandson to be a faggot.
Bullshit! So why did that hurt so fucking much?
I wipe tears and look at my son. My son. I’ve been here. I’ve always been here, no matter what.
Mauricio didn’t spend time with his son because he’d have to wedge you out of the way! Maybe if you weren’t snapping and growling around the child all the time, he would’ve been there for him.
I wonder how much truth there is to that statement. Did Mauricio stay away because of me? Did I deprive Manny of his father?
Nikki told me I didn’t. She reminded me that Mauricio had plenty of time and opportunity to get to know Manny when I wasn’t around and he never did.
Still, did I scare his daddy away? Am I scaring men away from Nikki? I want my son to have a daddy, but am I scaring away all Nikki’s prospects? I don’t want that. I just don’t want them hurt. We’ve all had enough hurt but if I’m hurting them more than helping, I’ll step back. I’ll not interfere. I just want my son to be happy.
My Thanksgiving was mostly miserable, as it usually is. Only this time, instead of my mother’s complaints, I had to listen to my homophobic uncle and Nikki’s asshole cousins. Only the fact that I wanted to be here this year, for my son (and to keep an eye on Mark), brought me here.
The bright spot? I can’t believe I’m thinking this, but Mark. Mark showed himself not to be a complete asshole. I had to check his attempts to sleep with Nikki the first night (or, knowing Nikki, her attempts to seduce him), but overall he’s not been bad. I can see why Nikki’s in love with him. He treats her and Manny well, very well. My fears about him are calming, but this is just month one.
This relationship is still new and shiny. Everyone’s on their best behavior. We’ll see.
My phone beeps. A message from Ranger.
You OK?
I love my brother. Every year I get the same message and once again I’m sending the same reply.
Same as usual.
I thought you went to Nikki’s.
I did.
Damn. Sorry. You alone?
Yeah.
My phone rings. Manny stirs and I rub his back.
“Yo.”
“What happened?”
“Angelita?”
“I had a disaster here too. Let’s swap stories.”
I have a tight ball in my throat. “What happened?”
“Oh no, buster. You first.”
I consider this. She is my partner. I can trust her.
I switch to English, hoping Mark’s asleep, and tell her about the past 48 hours, in detail. She hums, gasps, laughs, cries in the appropriate spots and at the end, she’s quiet.
“You know that’s bullshit, right?”
I smile. “I know.”
“What matters is that you love Manny. You’ve always loved Manny and Manny will be his own person.” She chuckles. “He has his uncle to thank for that. You’ve made it possible for him to have a very good life with a mother who puts him first. He has an uncle who adores him, friends, family, a good school, everything he needs. Only thing he needs now is a dog.”
I smile. Thank you, Angelita. “I know.”
“And you discovered that Mark’s not a complete asshole.”
“Shocking.”
She laughs. “Yeah yeah, I know, but I wouldn’t have told her to go for it if I thought he was a complete asshole.”
“Why did you?”
“Why did I what?”
“Encourage it?”
“Because they like each other.”
“After the way he treated you?”
She sighs. “Let’s just say I understood where Mark was coming from. He and I are more alike than I wanted to admit.”
How? That’s a mystery I need to solve.
“Right. So you endured another Thanksgiving filled with jealous people who want to make you feel bad. That’s all that was.”
I know. Thank you for putting it like that. The tight ball in my throat eases.
“I’d prefer a homosexual around my kids than an alcoholic.” That’s said rather bitterly.
“What happened?”
“My mother had a bit too much and MA caught on fire.”
I sit up. What the fuck???
Angelita tells me the story of her Thanksgiving, which included sitting in a hospital exam room for half an hour. MA wasn’t burned badly, first-degree, but Angelita and her sister finally told her mother that she has to get some kind of treatment. Mrs. Plum is balking.
“I mean, it was an accident but that’s enough for all of us.” She sighs. “I never really thought of my mother as an alcoholic, but I realize she is a functioning one. She drinks and irons to alleviate stress and, thanks to me, Grandma, and Val, she has plenty of stress.”
Another reason I don’t drink much (besides being cheap): alcohol lowers inhibitions and functioning.
I chat with Angelita for two hours and at the end she asks, “Why didn’t you call Manolo?”
We’re really not at that stage yet, Angelita. Telling him about my sister is one thing. Telling him I endured a day of homophobic taunts and jabs is another. Manolo lets those roll off his back. I can’t. Not yet. Everyone in RangeMan might know I’m gay, but I’m not exactly out publicly.
Life as a Reyes means I learned to conceal my private life pretty well. I’m still cautious.
“I don’t want to cause him trouble.”
“What?”
I sigh. “He’s already facing accusations of favoritism in his recruit class. If I start calling, even hiding my number, it will look like he has an inside advantage everyone else doesn’t.”
Angelita is quiet. “That’s sweet, Hec. Sorry. I didn’t think about that.”
“It’s OK. By the way, thank you for arranging that call with him last week.”
“No problem.”
“Was I that bad?”
A sigh. “Junior said that it was unusual for you to visibly show how angry you were.”
Ouch. OK, I was really bad.
“You know, if you need someone to talk to, I’m always here,” she says quietly. “You’ve heard enough of my horror stories. Let me be there for you, partner.”
I swallow hard. “I will.”
“Good.”
I check the time. 2300. “Gotta go. The toy rush will start soon and I’m determined to get Manny a LeapPad for Christmas.”
Angelita laughs. “Is that one of those toys of the year?”
“Yes.”
“No one should ever wonder if you love him. The fact that you’re willing to brave the crowds to go get a toy shows you love him.”
“Love is not in question, Angelita. My influence on him is.”
“Again, you’re showing him that when you love someone, you’re willing to put up with all kinds of hell to be there for them. Look at you. You spent the day with relatives you don’t like to be there for him. Now you’re about to leave the house to go stand out in the cold for a toy. If you teach Manny to think of others before himself, like you always do, you will have taught him an important life lesson. Manny will never be a selfish child.”
I smile. That’s true. I look over at my drooling son. Even his teachers say he’s very good at sharing, remarkable for a three year old.
“Right. Thank you. Gotta go.”
“Hec?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.” I smile. “I love you, Nikki loves you, Manny loves you, Mark’s afraid of you.” I bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud and waking Manny. “Ranger says he tolerates you.”
“Tell him I called him an asshole.”
I hear Angelita repeat the sentence and Ranger laugh.
“Yo.”
“Yeah?”
“Steph’s right. You endured a day of other people’s petty bullshit. Doesn’t matter what they think. Nikki is your sister, Manny’s your son, Mark … I’m sure Mark just wants to live.”
I laugh. I find my socks and put them on. “He tried to sleep with Nikki.”
“With you in the house?”
“Yeah.”
“Brave.”
“I thought so.”
“Wingman or cock block?”
I flip him a mental finger. “You tell me. Nikki’s parents were still in the house. They called her easy to her face.” I hear Ranger whistle. “I know she was probably pushing him, but he wasn’t stopping her.”
He laughs quietly. “She’s pretty persuasive.”
“I’m sure she was but I still expect better of him.”
“Been a long time for you, huh?”
Yes, but let’s not discuss that. “Asshole.”
I hear Ranger chuckle. “I’m just sayin’. If Steph started seducing me, you’d have to put a gun to my head to get me to stop.”
I grin and grab my keys and wallet.
“Anyway, I had hoped you would have a better holiday this year.”
I sigh. “I did too, hermano.”
“Call Bobby and Les. They wanna know.”
“Tank?”
“Tank’s a bit busy.”
“Gotcha.” Click.
I get dressed in my warmest clothes, kiss my son’s head, and head downstairs. Mark put the alarm on. Good job. I disable the alarm, exit, and reset the alarm.
ToysRUs, here I come.
—oOo—
Mark’s POV
I feel the bedspread lift and I’m immediately wide awake. I force myself not to move, to determine who is in the room. Nikki said Manny has a habit of climbing in the bed with her and Hector and if it’s him, I don’t want to scare him.
It’s not him.
This person is bigger, softer, and her hands are going places I doubt Manny’s ever would. And they’re moving with a purpose.
“I know you’re awake.” She sounds amused.
“How?” I whisper.
“Your breathing changed.” She slides her hands down my front and rubs. I moan. “Good morning.”
“Good morning to you too.” I’d say she has about thirty more seconds before I’m ready to go. “Nikki?”
“Hmm?”
“Manny?”
“He and Hector are out toy shopping.” She sighs. “I’ll have every toy in the world in this house come Christmas. Hec already managed to score a LeapPad. I thought that was impossible.”
I laugh quietly.
“I locked the door.”
“Good.” I roll onto my side and slide my hands around to her back.
Her bare back.
My hands have a mind of their own. They start roaming and quickly send back the message that the beautiful woman in the bed with me right now is completely naked. She tugs my hands back between her thighs and I get a new message: make it good. She responds to every flick of my fingers across her clit, every teasing drag along her lips, the slow deep thrusts my fingers make inside her.
“Headboard?”
“Consider it broken.”
“I’m a screamer.”
“Mark. God is acceptable in a pinch.”
Her laughs turn to moans as I slide down the bed and tug on her nipples, sucking and teasing her breasts, watching her eyes lock onto mine in complete trust. I thrust harder, faster, feeling her thighs tremble and her body flush and remind myself not to roll on top of her and bury myself deep. I want to. I really want to. She’s hot and sweet and oh so wet right now. I want her badly.
Watching her come in the early morning light is almost as good as being inside her.
She’s breathing heavy at the end. I start to roll off her, to give her some space, but she pulls me back on top. “I’m cold.”
I smile. “After that? Crap. I half did the job, then.”
She laughs quietly. “Oh, I’m plenty hot in the right places.”
“You’re plenty hot all the time,” I whisper in her ear. She shivers and sends her hands down my sleep pants. I lift my hips and she works them down to my knees. My dick springs free, stiffening in the cold November air.
She smiles. “Hello.”
I blush. “He doesn’t get enough air time.”
She laughs and I’m captivated. She’s beautiful, her nipples hard points in the cold air, goosebumps breaking out across her body. I kick my pants off and put them within arm’s reach at the side of the bed. I roll onto my back, pulling her with me. She curls up on top of me and I cover her with the blanket. She’s still stroking my cock and she starts sliding down the bed.
“I’m not so sure this is a good idea,” I whisper.
She stiffens. “Why?”
“Because this is only the second time we’ve seen each other.”
“After what we just did?” She arches an eyebrow.
I know my ears are red. “That was different.”
“How?”
Yeah, how dipshit? You fingered the woman to an orgasm. She wants to suck your dick. At some point there’s going to be actual sex. How is this a bad thing? My dick is definitely wondering if I’ve lost my mind. I’m tired of aborted missions. Let’s do this!
“We’ve been talking non-stop for a month, Mark. I’m ready for this.”
“Yeah, but is that really enough time to do this?”
“Oh please don’t make this a big thing.” Nikki moans and the sound shoots right to my groin. She stares at me. “No, wait. I take that back.” She cups my balls. “Please make this a big thing.”
I laugh in spite of myself. “Almost there.”
“So I see.” She looks vaguely apprehensive. My dick is pleased at the look on her face and stiffens further.
“Nikki?”
“Good god . . .” She moans. She looks at me. “Look, I haven’t had sex since Manny was conceived. That was over four years ago. I’m overdue and I’m attracted to you. If you don’t want me, fine, but I’m willing.” She throws her hands up. “I bought condoms!””
My dick is wondering what in the hell is wrong with me.
She’s willing! She’s upfront about it! She bought protection! Manny and Hector are both out of the house! And you want her! Why are you hesitating man? Go for it! “You’re sure about this?”
She cups my balls and runs a finger between them. My entire body shivers and my dick decides to think for us both.
—oOo—
Nikki’s POV
I’m trying to recover from the best fucking I’ve ever gotten.
Santa Madre, Mark was magnificent! He was so close to the edge he skipped any more teasing foreplay and went straight for a hold-on-to-the-headboard style pounding. I held on for dear life but he made it worth it. I want to thank whoever taught Mark to find the G-spot. Missionary, doggy, on-top, he flipped me around the bed and let me have it and I want more of it!
I’m going to be sore later but I’ve never had sex like that! I’ve missed out. Mauricio didn’t know a damn thing but Mark wasn’t satisfied until I came twice. If not for Manny, Mauricio would have been a complete waste of time. Hector was right: waiting for the right man to appear meant the sex was meaningful and good.
Of course, when he said that, both he and I watching a movie marathon, eating popcorn, and lamenting our shitty former relationships. I was still breastfeeding and Hec refused to speak of Tomás by name. I think I’ve found my man and, from what Hector will tell me, he might have found his.
Good. Hec needs love more than anyone I know. Me? Mark’s excellent in bed and I want more.
I roll over and he’s on his back, staring at the ceiling. Blank face. Wonderful. I flick a fingernail across his nipples and watch him flinch.
Great. I’m sure if I open the dictionary to the word ‘complicated’, Marcus Phillips’s face will appear.
“What’s wrong?”
He looks over, troubled. “Are you OK?”
I grin. “Can I get another round?”
“I . . . you . . . enjoyed that?” He looks surprised.
“Did you not hear me say I haven’t had sex since Manny was conceived? Mark, I loved it! Thought it was great! Please do that again.” I grin. “I need to write a thank you note to whoever taught you to find the G-spot.”
“Trial and error. I thought I might have been too rough.” He smiles. “Then again, my hearing is shot.”
He reaches over and pulls me closer.
I laugh and slide my hand across his belly then make my way slowly down. What a difference! Mauricio was soft and pudgy, but what did I know? I was seeing a penis for the first time. Mark’s body is beautiful. A light dusting of dark blond hair across a body sculpted by gods. Rock hard abs that are just barely tensing under my touch. Incredibly long legs, not too hairy, not too smooth. His biceps bulged with the strain of not crushing me under him and his entire body flushes red the closer he gets to orgasm.
And he talks! Not a lot, but enough for me to know I’m doing something he likes. Just looking at him makes me hot. “If you had been too rough, I would have told you to ease up.”
He sighs. “Of course you would. You’re upfront.”
Steph told me I’d have to be with you. I see she was right.
“You didn’t bring the flight suit, did you?”
He laughs. “Fetish?”
“Maybe.”
He rolls on top of me, kicks the blankets off us, and parts my legs wide. I blush and he smiles. “Beautiful,” he murmurs. He inserts one finger, strokes for a minute and my back comes off the bed.
“Mark!” What in the hell did he do?
He laughs. “Hold on.”
Last words he speaks for at least twenty minutes. Between his fingers and his tongue, I lose my mind. I end up with a pillow over my face, screaming, crying, wishing he lived in Atlanta and could do this every day. I’m coming off the second orgasm when he slips the condom on.
I’d do anything to keep him right where he is right now.
—oOo—
“Nikki?”
“Hmm?” I stretch and smile.
He chuckles. “Good nap?” I feel his muscles tensing under me. He’s inside me already and moving slowly. Mauricio? Mauricio who? “How long is Hector going to be out?”
“Why?”
“I’d hate to have Manny walk in on this.” He taps my clit and a full-body shiver rolls through my body. Oh god, Hec can have Manny all day. Please. Stay away! I’m trying to make up four years, years, here.
I lean forward and reach for my cell phone. Mark’s buried his face between my breasts and is blowing lightly. I’m shivering.
Yo.
Yo.
Not too many toys.
I’m Tío. I buy all the toys I can find.
Mommy will have to hide them later. I don’t want to be the bad guy.
LOL. Sux to be you.
Manny?
Mark’s tongue is doing things to my nipple, his hips haven’t stopped moving and his hands . . . I drop the phone and shudder.
“I dropped the phone.”
“Damn.” He stops moving, rolls over and grabs the phone from the floor, staying inside me the entire time. He hands it to me and rolls back onto his back and starts moving his hips again. I nearly drop the phone a second time.
“Mark . . .”
“Dropped it again?”
“Almost.”
He laughs. “Make it quick.”
I check Hector’s message. Making big decisions. Lots of Legos or just an obscene amount of Legos? Hmm… *taps chin*
*sigh* How long are you going to be out?
Please say a few hours.
You just met him.
He treats me very well. You’ve seen that yourself.
Suspicion is necessary. I have my own grievances against him.
I moan. “It’s hard to type when you’re doing that. I need my wits for Hector.” Mark’s hips stop moving. “Don’t stop. Just give me a few more minutes.”
“Three. Then I’m flipping you over and making the most of our time.”
I love a decisive man.
Enough that I should stop what I’m doing?
The reply takes a few seconds. No.
Then keep them to yourself. Right now, he’s taking care of Mommy.
ICK. DID NOT NEED TO KNOW. Call me when it’s safe to come home.
Perfect.
I grin. Nothing less interesting to Hector than hetero sex. He’ll stay away all day to avoid subjecting Manny to it.
“Hector’s taken care of.”
“Will I have my balls later?”
“Are you really worried about that?”
“Right now? No.”
I toss the phone back onto the floor and sit up. Mark licks his lips and lifts his hips quickly. I rock and his eyes roll backward.
“Good.”
—oOo—
I’m looking at the pile of toys in shock. Manny’s taken his new car indoors and is playing.
“Did you just buy these?”
Hector rolls his eyes. “Of course not. I scored these when I bought the LeapPad.” I gasp. “Well, what else was Santa going to bring him?”
Mark is grinning. “Santa’s a rich old bastard.” He and Hec high five, then stare at each other in shock, disturbed.
I roll my eyes. “Where am I supposed to put those?”
Hec raises a brow. “In the house? Where my son can play with them?”
Mark smiles. “Great. I can’t think of a single thing to buy him now. You bought everything.”
I smile at him. We haven’t known each other a month and he’s thinking of buying Manny a toy? A Christmas present? My heart thumps painfully. Please oh please oh please don’t let him be an asshole! He’s perfect! He fucks, he cooks, and he likes my son!
Hector looks at Mark, who stares back. Hec shrugs. “This is the best part of being Tío.” He grins. “Besides, isn’t he outgrowing some toys?”
“Yeah . . .” I’m suspicious.
“OK, so hide a few. If he doesn’t notice they’re gone, donate them and rotate the new toys in.”
“So I guess this means Mommy gets all the boring stuff, like clothes and shoes?”
Hector’s mouth twitches. His answer is ‘Yes’, but he knows better than to say that.
“What about Hot Wheels?” Mark says.
“Oh, hell no,” I reply, groaning. “I’d never find them all. Manny would fling them all over the house. No way.”
“They were taking special orders for the Mercedes truck you can ride in,” Hector says slyly.
I stare at him.
Mark nods, thoughtfully. “It is a two car garage.”
I look at him. Is this the same man who played me like a guitar two hours ago? “Keep it up and I’ll start tossing Hot Wheels at your head,” I reply, stalking off.
“Told you,” I hear him reply, and I shake my head.
—oOo—
Hector’s POV
Manny’s thrilled with his new car. Nikki kept him occupied so Mark and I could put all his toys in the basement closet and lock the door.
I’m still willing to slice him for the way he treated Angelita, but I see why Ranger keeps him.
He’s honorable, just stupid when he gets on a tangent. But why is Angelita keeping him?
“Nikki won’t end up presenting me with another nephew or a niece, will she?” I ask quietly, as we place the last presents in the basement closet.
Mark looks at me. “Is that really any of your business?” he replies, shoving the door closed.
I stare at him. I want to body slam him but, again, I’m impressed by his balls. I lock the door and motion for him to follow me. I walk outside to the deck, closing the sliding door behind me. Nikki looks over, concerned, but I shake my head.
Mark’s had the talk with Tío Ramon. I’m left.
“Perhaps.”
He looks at me. I see a combination of fear and resolve on his face. “No.”
I want to know. I need to know. I decide to ask.
“Nikki tells me you treat her well,” I tell him quietly. “I see this. Manny likes you. I see this.” I look at him. “I’m having problems making sense of the man I see here in Atlanta and the asshole I’ve heard about. Explain.”
Mark’s jaw clenches. He looks off into the trees and sighs.
“I’d always hoped that I would impress Ranger enough to stand by his side. Be his right hand. I’ve never admired anyone more.” He swallows hard. “Ranger saved me in Afghanistan. He told me to alter course fifteen degrees, which wasn’t the way I wanted to go. He’d never questioned my decisions before, but this was the first time he told me to do something not previously agreed on.” He looks over. “He was right. The Huey just missed an ambush.”
I suck in air. Mark’s face looks haunted.
“I specialized in flying up high, jets not helos. Eagles and Falcons, not Hueys but —”
“Is that how you got the nickname?”
His ears redden and he nods. “I wasn’t a ground skimmer, but if I put it in the air, it came naturally to me. When I learned to fly helos, I liked them. I liked being able to skim over the ground. I like being high in the air. Didn’t matter, as long as I was in the air.” He shrugs. “Anyway, we had a countersurveillance op and I was flying, but the moment Ranger said divert course, I did. It saved everyone’s life on-board, but Ranger didn’t want praise. He praised me.” He looks at me. “I did nothing except follow his command and he saved my life.
When he told everyone he was getting out and starting a firm, I resigned my commission. I told him I’d follow him. He told me he’d be proud to have me.” Mark smiles. “Our first mission by ourselves was with the DEA in Afghanistan. We did eight of those contracts. Me, him, and a DEA team to do counter-narcotics and surveillance on the poppy trade there and it was just like last time. I would put her up and twice he told me to divert course X degrees. Everyone survived.” He looks at me. “You ever get the feeling he’s not quite human?”
I smile. “Finely honed instincts.”
“The best. Anyway, we were back on base after a run when he told me a little about the RangeMan plans. He said he thought he and the Leadership Core might add one more partner position. They weren’t sure how far and wide they wanted to expand.” Mark smiles ruefully. “He started picking my brain, running scenarios by me. I was honored he’d even ask me and we talked late into the night.” He sighs. “A lot of what Ranger has done I can trace back to those late night chats. I was the only other man with a management degree. I thought he was telling me that so I would be prepared.”
I’m quiet. Idiot, but I finally understand. He wanted the same thing I did: to pay back the man who saved him. It seemed as if Ranger was confiding in him. Out of character for my brother, but as Les has said, Mark is Ranger without small but crucial mistakes in his life. I might have assumed I was being groomed for that last position too, in his place.
I get it. Mark is Ranger’s protégé just as Hal is Tank’s. Mark is honorable but when he has gotten himself stuck in a situation, like Ranger with Angelita, he can’t figure out how to get out. Or, he knew how to get out but couldn’t, in Ranger’s case. His brothers had to help him get past the impasse with Angelita, once they made the commitment.
Mark did the same thing. He got stuck thinking Angelita was incompetent and, wanting to protect Ranger, couldn’t see past Angelita’s deficiencies for her skills. Rod and Pat forced him to shut his mouth and pay attention but, unlike Ranger, he’d ruined his relationship with his peers, the only other men who would have been able to save him.
I think I see what Angelita is up to now and I think I understand why. I’ll never forget what he did, and why, and for how long, but for the first time, I understand.
Ranger won’t see the parallel until too late. Crap. I consider warning him then decide to keep my mouth shut. Angelita has already said she intends to discuss Mark at the full management meeting. I want to see if I’m right.
I’ll refrain from killing him. Plus, I don’t think Nikki would appreciate me harming him.
And Mijo likes him. Sigh. Only for Mijo will I refrain from removing his head from his body.
“Do you understand the difference between what you did and what Ranger would have done?”
He nods. “Should’ve kept my mouth shut. I should’ve trusted his instincts, as I always have.”
I shake my head. “No, you assumed, Mark.” He looks up. “You’ve been annoying the shit out of everyone for years.” He turns red. “That didn’t just start with Angelita. You assumed and you didn’t trust his judgment. The other XOs, they are your brothers, not lesser than you.” He nods, embarrassed. “Ranger gives his brothers his opinion. He doesn’t order them to do something. He respects their right to choose.”
“Right.” He clenches his jaw. “I just thought that maybe they needed guidance. You know, divert course fifteen degrees if you want to live.”
“Fine. Say that and leave it alone. Not only that but trust their instincts. They might have trusted you and confided in you more if you had respected their ability to do their jobs.” I smile faintly. “Who’s better at assessing a man, Ranger or Tank?”
“Tank,” he mutters.
“Who is better at coming up with a madcap plan to get everyone out alive?”
He snorts. “Madcap is right.”
I grin. “Who knows how to set a broken bone and communicate a situation in the fewest words possible?”
He nods thoughtfully.
“Who knows how to bring down the entire RangeMan network in fifteen minutes?”
He’s quiet, looking off into the trees.
“Ranger trusts me to do the job. Ranger told you what he wanted and left you to do the job. What you didn’t see is that he trusted your judgment.” He looks back at me. “He praised you for saving everyone’s life because you didn’t have to divert course. You were the pilot with training and experience. He picked you because you were the best and you had your own instincts. That was the requirement to be on his team, right? You had to be the best in your field and have stellar instincts, right?” He nods. “Right. You could see what was going on from the cockpit. Ranger might have been wrong. What he thought was the enemy might have been nothing more than a fluttering piece of fabric, but you had to make the choice to follow him and his instincts. You did. That’s why he praised you.”
Mark’s red and thoughtful. Nikki knocks on the door, startling both of us.
“Coming in? More turkey!” She grins and we both smile.
“Coming,” I reply. She nods and I see Mijo run for the kitchen. I sigh and turn to Mark.
“That’s why you’ve angered everyone for years. You failed to respect anyone else’s judgment. That’s why Ranger is angry with you. You failed to respect his judgment when he has respected yours.” I exhale heavily and chuckle.
“You got lucky.” He looks at me. “Stephanie is accustomed to having everyone question her judgment, so that part of your character didn’t surprise or intimidate her. She was able to see past that, which is the only reason I have not killed you.” Mark swallows hard and I slip the ‘psycho’ blank face into place. “She thinks I do not know about your actions. I know. I know about everything you’ve done but I choose to trust my partner and whatever plan she has going.
You remain alive because of her grace alone.”
—oOo—
Mark’s POV
Hector walks back in and I’m left out on the deck thinking.
And shaking. No one does menacing quite like Hector.
Hector knows and has probably known for months. Probably since before August.
Well, at least he verified that Stephanie is trying to save my ass with Ranger. That’s more than I deserve. More than I really expected. There’s no way I can thank her for it.
And I can’t understand why she’d do it.
—oOo—
My phone beeps. “Yo!”
“Yo!” Danny. “We could use some help here at home base.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Every female with a RangeMan connection in Atlanta heard we were babysitting and dropped her kids off. We’re bombarded and could use reinforcements.”
I look at Nikki. “Do you have any Black Friday shopping to do?”
“Yeah,” she says, sighing. “But I don’t want to subject Manny . . .” She grins. “Willing to watch Manny?”
“Yeah. Plus Danny’s calling in reinforcements.”
“Sounds good.”
“OK,” I tell Danny, “I’m headed in. Probably with Manny.”
“And me,” Hector says. “Might as well.”
We pack up and head to RangeMan. It’s a madhouse. There are children running around everywhere, hopped up on sugar, no doubt. I look for Danny and find him in his office with his youngest, David, who is teary eyed.
“Yo.”
“Hey,” Danny says tiredly. “Thanks.”
“No prob. What happened?”
Danny looks at son. “I’m not sure yet.” I raise a brow and Danny shrugs. “I know it’s Devon-related so far.”
I crouch in front of David. “What happened?” I ask softly. He purses his lips and refuses to speak. “OK, well, tell me what you’ve done so far today? Had fun?”
He still refuses to tell me anything, so I start telling him about one of my worst Thanksgivings as a kid. He and Danny laugh and I pretend to be mad. “OK, so unless you lost your shorts to a mini schnauzer, your Thanksgiving wasn’t worse than mine. So what happened?”
The entire story comes pouring out. Devon was picking on him and wouldn’t let him join in his games with the older kids. David doesn’t know a lot of the other kids and he wanted to stick close to his brother. I look over at Danny and he rolls his eyes and smiles. I nod and leave.
I head to the gym. It’s not in use and the kids need a contained area to play in. I find Adam and suggest moving the workout equipment against the walls and utilizing the gym for the kids. He agrees and we get a group of men together to help move the gym equipment.
An hour later, all the kids are screaming their heads off in the gym, including David. Danny introduced him to some kids his age and they’re playing Red Rover. Manny’s been draped in an old t-shirt to finger paint. He’s happy. I lean against a wall and keep an eye on everything with ten other RangeMen.
“This is much easier,” Marcus mutters.
I look at Danny’s partner. “I left instructions for Boston to do this.”
“Really?”
I nod. “I asked my mother for ideas.” Marcus raises a brow. “Child psychologist. She knows how to entertain and interrogate at the same time.”
“And you?” He grins.
“I give one word answers now,” I reply, smiling.
Marcus laughs and texts something. His phone beeps minutes later. “Every RangeMan office is doing this now.” He shakes his head. “Boston coulda told us.”
I shrug. “I didn’t know what plans you might have. Didn’t want to stick my nose in to get it chopped off.”
Marcus stares at me. “Well . . .”
—oOo—
Hector’s POV
I head to the server room and stand outside for a moment. Nate’s establishing his authority.
“We had an attempted breach over this weekend. Although I’m relatively sure that was Hector checking to see if we were paying attention, it doesn’t matter. We need to remain on our guard at all times. I plan to meet with our CTO to establish some new guidelines, but the guideline that emergency plans need to be followed until contact with the CIO and the CTO can be established needs to remain in play. You don’t need to contact management to do that. Follow your emergency plan until you reach us. Better safe than sorry.”
“I did execute my plan,” I hear Johannes say. It’s a phone conference.
“I know. Great job, by the way. I reviewed everything that happened and I think we handled the possible breach well, but well isn’t good enough. We all know Hector’s standard. It will not fall under me.”
“HUA!”
I walk in on that. “Yo.”
Nate whirls around and the entire Atlanta team comes to attention. “Sir.” Nate swallows hard.
“At ease.” Everyone relaxes and looks at me curiously. “I assume you’re addressing yesterday’s attempted breach?”
“Yes, sir.”
I nod. “Boston, you were the target because your XO is here and I’m sharing space with him. Congratulations.”
Everyone laughs and Johannes groans. “Really? Mark didn’t say anything.”
“I told him not to. I wanted to see how quickly info would reach him then me. It was fast, less than five minutes.” I glance at Nate and he writes that down. “Excellent response. Nate, I’ll wait on you in your office.”
“Yes, sir.”
I nod at everyone and leave.
Mark’s words during that breach struck me. Nate’s the CIO now. What does that mean? I did some research and learned what the industry accepted standards are and I’m not so sure I like this new role. Everything I love to do is the CIO role. I talked to Nikki when Mark was watching Manny kick his soccer ball, grumbling about my role, and she frowned.
“Well, the guys made you the CTO because a lot of what you’ve been doing since you joined is CTOish.” I raised a brow. “You’re focused on the technology for the jobs, regardless of what it is. You also rebuilt their tech structure and implemented a major tech platform, SharePoint, in only a few months. It takes most companies a year or more to get that up and running. You’re a true data architect when it comes to programming tasks, but you have a greater responsibility and you always have. The guys just formalized it.” She smiled. “You don’t want to give up power, Hec.”
“Nope,” I grumbled. I like knowing what’s going on under me. I don’t want to lose control, but I saw her point. Working at RangeMan meant having to learn about more than just computer stuff. The binoculars Les just used in his role? The security cameras and how they feed back to our monitoring stations? I do more than program now.
“You put Nate in the role because he’s ready. What that means is he gets the grunt work. Hiring, skills assessments, making sure that what’s being done is what the company needs, that kinda stuff. He gets the internal problems.” She grinned big. “You get to go to the main tech conferences and scout new stuff.”
I perked up. Nate can handle what we have and I trust him to do it.
“True,” I muttered, thinking. I’m no longer just a data architect now. I’m a CTO. I need to do more high-level stuff, like Ranger said.
I was glad I chose to grumble to Nikki. She’s my only real colleague in this business and she’s the person I turn to when I need to bounce ideas. She’s right; I haven’t been to a major conference in years. I need to start attending more conferences and networking with my peers.
Who are my peers? There’s a good question.
“OK, so sit with Nate, figure out what you’re willing to pass off and what you’re not. Just remember that you can always join in the effort to program something but you’re a high level manager now. Honestly, you’ve always been a combo CTO/CIO. This just means that Nate moves up to your old level and takes some jobs off your back.” She poked me, smiling. “Won’t it be fun not to have to approve timesheets?”
Sold! The memory makes me grin just as Nate walks in.
“Sir. Good to see you here,” Nate says, smiling.
He motions for me to take his seat, but I shake my head and sit at his table. “Thanks. Anyway, time to talk about your position.”
“Sir?”
“What does CIO mean to you?” I smile. “I’ve had to think about what CTO means to me. Time for us to carve out authority and responsibility.”
—oOo—
Nate and I join the rest of our RangeMan brothers two hours later, after we’ve gone through all of my duties and his and decided what each of us will handle.
“I can almost hear the collective sigh of relief from every man who auditions for tech,” Nate says, looking at me.
“Until they find out you do MMA for fun,” I reply, smirking. Nate was one of the few men who wasn’t completely wiped out after a mats session with me. I had to switch to Krav Maga moves with him.
We join everyone else in the gym and Manny immediately runs over to me. “Tío!” He holds out his hands and I immediately grasp them and hold them up and away from me.
“Mijo, what have you been doing?” I ask, grimacing. It’s as if he dove head first into paint.
“Finger painting, Tío! Come look!” He runs back to his little easel.
“Whose bright idea was this?” I mutter. Nate claps my back, laughing, and walks off looking for his daughter.
“Not mine,” Mark mutters. He’s covered in paint. Mijo painted every available part of his face and arms. I grin and whip out my phone.
Mark groans. “Like everyone in Atlanta hasn’t already taken pics. Nikki and Steph have texted to tell me I don’t look good with blue face paint. Steph told me not to audition for Braveheart 2 and Nikki told me I looked like an Avatar reject.” I’m biting my lip to keep from laughing. He closes his mouth as Mijo chooses to paint his cheek green. Mark swipes his finger in the paint and paints a swipe of red across Mijo’s forehead. I grimace; Mijo’s already covered in paint!
“I’ll strap you to the top of the rental.”
Danny walks over and shakes his head. “Look, we’re OK if you choose to wear makeup, Mark. Just blend, OK? Blend it in. You look like Mimi right now.”
I bite my cheek to stop laughing. Mark rolls his eyes. “Everyone’s got jokes.” He turns to Mijo. “Manny, I think it’s time to clean up.”
“No!!” Manny runs back to his easel.
“Manny!” Mark sighs. “OK, but if you’re dirty Mrs. Rose won’t share her goodies with you.”
“Goodies? What goodies?” Manny peeks around his easel.
“I dunno but we need to clean up and go find out.” Mark stands. “Showers in use?” he asks Danny.
“Yell first, but it should be clear.”
Mark holds his hand out and Manny takes it. They walk off to the shower talking about what treats Mrs. Rose might have.
I watch, feeling . . . weird.
“Not sure if you like this or not?”
I look over at Danny. The look on his face is knowing. I put my blank face in place and I’m pleased to see he does the same.
“Point?”
He shrugs. “Manny talks about his friend Mark a lot when he’s here. My men aren’t sure what to think either. Manny’s not a stupid child.” I nod. “This is the first time they’ve seen Manny’s friend Mark. It’s the first time I’ve been comfortable leaving him and not worrying that someone would knife him in a stairwell.” He nods at Marcus. “His official bodyguard, just in case I was wrong.”
Thank you for reminding me of why I like you, Danny.
—oOo—
Monday
“So?”
Nikki grins. “Do you want the details?”
I grimace. “Please. No. Spare me.”
She laughs. “Spectacular. Wonderful.” She grins. “Will I get a play by play when you get Manolo laid?”
“You want one?”
We stare at each other before she laughs. “Honestly, no. I just want to know he’s gentle with you.” She pokes me and I glower. “I don’t want your first time to be scary.”
She runs for it and I chase her. I catch her and tickle her until she begs for relief.
“First time my ass.”
That causes her to laugh harder. I rethink the sentence and roll my eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Mark?”
She sighs. “I don’t want to say I’m in love with him.”
“Are you?”
She stares at me. “If it’s not love then I’m definitely infatuated.”
“I saw.”
“What do you think?”
I look at Nikki and consider my son. I’ve thought about this a lot since Mark left. And again, it would be easy for me to stick my nose in, but . . .
“It doesn’t matter what I think. It’s your relationship with him. Do you trust him? Do you feel he’s a good man? Is he good to Manny? Then continue to see him. I will always support you and I’ll always be there for my son.”
Nikki smiles. “I love you, Hec.”
“I love you too, Nik.”
We sit back against the sofa and stare at the blank TV.
“He invited us to Boston for Christmas.”
I look at her. “OK.”
“All of us.”
“I think I might bow out. You OK going to Boston alone?”
“I don’t know.” She bites her lip and turns to me. “If I say yes, what would you do? It won’t feel the same without you.”
Good question.
I don’t know.
—oOo—
Mark’s POV
I nod at Pat and head outside. It’s noon and I’m taking Mando’s advice. I’m headed out on my run.
The ‘fan club’ has realized I have a new jogging time and they’re out on the benches watching me. I nod as I pass by and they whistle. I shake my head and clear my thoughts of everything except my issues with staffing the new office.
Mando’s right. By the time I make it back to the office, I’ve solved the problem. I’m going to allow Mike to take point on this. He knows South Boston and the financial district best. Plus, it’ll be good practice for him. He’ll learn how to run an auxiliary office, handle staffing and schedules, and control budget. He’ll be the boss there.
Problem solved.
I slow to a walk about half a mile from the office and spot the “fan club”. I nod but don’t stop.
Cecily says he has a girlfriend.
Really? Damn!
Wait! Wasn’t she seeing him?
Yeah. I wonder who this girlfriend is.
You think he really has a girlfriend? Or is she just saying that to keep us away from him?
Lots of indistinct gabbing. I’m far enough away that none of it matters anymore.
None of it matters anymore.
I’m waiting to find out if Nikki and Manny (and Hector) are coming to Boston for Christmas.
That’s what matters.
