A/N: Unbeta’d

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Tank’s POV

The morning of day three finds all of us in the field with the NYC men. We’re assessing until noon, when we’ll stop, collate the report, discuss it, and discuss our findings with the NYC men.

I’m not sure how I keep getting the bad assignments instead of Bobby, but this is the absolute last time we flip for a duty. This is the fourth client call today. Jorge’s a smart man, tough in a negotiation and firm on the details. He negotiates better than Ric, which is saying something.

NYC is making an impression on Wall Street. Ric wanted to make an issue out of the fact that NYC management wears suits and ties all day, but we watched. We got it fast. Clients walked in and out of RM-NYC all morning, starting at 0700. The men dress for the clients and Jorge gets Les’s decorating scheme. Putting our men in suits and ties, with obvious gun holsters to remind everyone that we’re still a security outfit first, means the clients walk in and are smacked with multiple reminders that this is a business and we’re business people.

We aren’t hoods with guns. We have skills and we’re willing to protect you, for a price.

Wood Foster and his three associates are staring at the contract Jorge is presenting. Jorge has three under his belt and if he closes this one, he’ll be four for four. They’ve been going back and forth on the details, but Jorge is holding firm. I’m the only other person to negotiate with and it’s clear that he doesn’t want to negotiate with me.

I’m OK with that.

“Well, I still think we need more quality control in this contract. I mean, we pay you a premium for speed, but accuracy is also important. We don’t want to get just anything back and we don’t feel your accuracy statements adequately cover our issues.”

Jorge told me he was prepared for this fight. He has five words he amends the contract with in order to cover that issue, but he doesn’t like to pull them out unless necessary.

“I really think I’d like to speak to your boss, Mr. Ortega. I want this issue to be taken seriously.” He puts the contract down. “You aren’t the only security firm in town. We can take our business elsewhere.”

“Mr. Ortega has my full confidence. He knows our proposal word for word.”

It’s the first time I’ve spoken and everyone blinks and looks over at me, as if they suddenly remember I’m in the room.

“Yes … well, I still think I’d like to talk to your boss, Mr. …”

He’s forgotten my name. How embarrassing … for him.

“Tank LaPierre. Chief Operating Officer for RangeMan.” I pass him my card.

The shock is gratifying. I’m not the bodyguard. Jorge hides a smile. “Our CEO is out of the country on assignment for our military, gentlemen, so our COO is the unfortunate substitute.”

I smile at Jorge.

Good job.

—oOo—

“Four for four. Impressive.” He got that contract signed just the way he wanted it.

“Thank you.”

My secret NYC passion? The Halal guy. Grilled chicken, rice, a spicy sauce and a little salad? The perfect lunch. Jorge and I each grab ourselves a plate and run back to the SUV to enjoy it. The windows are getting fogged by the steam coming off this lunch but I can’t help it. Every time I hit NYC, I go to the Halal guy at least once.

I put my lunch down to pull my phone and text Lula. She’s just leaving class and she misses me. I miss her too. Momma’s there with her and they’re Christmas shopping. I text my Momma not to buy the world and she laughs and tells me to hush. Besides, she’s running out of closets to hide everything I bought for the family. That’s fine but I need to hit Tiffany’s and pick up something sparkly for my Lula Bear.

I didn’t miss that Steph’s finally wearing Ranger’s Siempre ring. Bout time.

I decide to text Chenae. Bobby is picking her up from the Atlanta airport tomorrow so she can interview with his sister Friday. She’s excited. I told Momma to buy her some new suits and whatever she needed to impress Genevieve. Gennie’s tough but fair. She’ll really mentor Chenae if she finds Chenae to be worth her time. I know my baby sister is and I want her to make a good impression.

I’m grateful to my brother for making a way for her. Bobby’s been talking her up to Gennie and Chenae’s cramming as much as she can, ready to impress Gennie with her knowledge. I know she’ll do well. She’s always made me proud, even when she’s made me angry.

I put my phone away and finish lunch, my mouth burning. Jorge’s reclined the driver’s seat, sweating. Lightweight. I try not to grin. I trash both containers in the garbage container on the sidewalk and climb back in the SUV

“So.” I’m ready for a nap. “Classes. You ready?”

“Yes, sir.” He slurps the soda I pretend not to see. “I’m nervous. I mean, I just know this stuff.”

I nod, concentrating on scanning the street. Les hates Queens. I love it. Queens is Brooklyn twenty years ago and the vibe in this neighborhood is striving.

“Bobby knew those little things that scream ‘Class!’. How to dress, how to speak, which fork to use. Where to have your suits tailored. How to have your cologne custom curated.” Jorge hides a laugh. I smile. “Exactly. Second nature to him. He taught us.” Jorge looks over at me. I’m still scanning. “What mattered was he was willing to teach us, and keep teaching us, until we got it. Until it was second nature to us.”

“Yes, sir,” he says quietly, starting the truck.

We’re on the bridge, almost back to RangeMan, when I remember what I needed to ask.

“What do the client services men need?”

He grins. “I have a list.”

Not another one! I roll my eyes mentally. “Coordinate with Manny and send proposals. We’re listening.”

—oOo—

Hec’s POV

Something’s wrong.

On the surface, everything appears to be OK, better than OK actually. Bobby and Steph are putting the report together now. They’re just waiting for Tank’s additions before finalizing it. Les is excited and the NYC men are feeding off it. Bobby thinks Atlanta Bonds Enforcement will keep the crown for the year, unless Miami does something miraculous at the last minute, so he’s ready to get to Atlanta and party. Tank managed to score some purse Lula’s been after all year, so he’s more cheerful than usual and Ranger?

Ranger’s smiling. All the time. It’s weird but it makes me happy at the same time. Les jokes that Ranger’s moods affect the weather and he might have a point. Les’s arctic apartment feels warmer when Ranger smiles.

The only person not smiling all the time is Angelita and this is starting to feel like a repeat of RMSA. Les invites her to lunch and she doesn’t say anything. She just watches the guys laugh and joke and play tricks on each other. Les tried to get her to play chess with him yesterday but she waved him off, saying she’d heard from Ranger how good he was.

I start a game and am checkmated in six moves.

She and Bobby seem to be OK with each other again, which is a relief. His constant farting and diarrhea gave Angelita an opportunity to tease the ‘always in control’ medic. Les had gotten him in the worst way: medically. Bobby couldn’t do anything except wait that one out. They seemed to be OK even before that though. Maybe the trip into Manhattan had made a difference? In any case, they seemed to be back to normal with each other.

After Ranger’s trip into the dumpster yesterday, it seemed like the ice between her and Les had thawed. She and Les were laughing and joking with each other, but her guard is up again. It’s weird. I can see Les is confused but resigned to it. Angelita and Tank have barely spoken. Angelita looks at Tank as if she wants to talk to him, but doesn’t know how.

I finally decided to chance a fuck you and intervene during our trip back to Trenton to pick up Angie and MA yesterday. Dinner wasn’t until 2000, so we had plenty of time.

Flashback

“Everything OK?”

No answer at first. She stares straight ahead, eyes on the road. “Angelita?”

“What are your plans for Christmas?”

“I’m going to be Santa.”

Finally! A smile. “You’re a little thin, Hec.”

I laugh. “Maybe. But Manny only needs to believe Santa was caught delivering all his toys.” Nikki and (ugh) Mark are helping me. They’re setting up a camera and it’ll take pictures of me, as Santa, delivering Mijo‘s gifts.

“Is that why you want your car?”

I nod and turn her heat up on my side. “Si. I’m going to drive to Atlanta and pile the toys into my car, then drive to Boston.”

“That’s a lot of driving.”

I shrug. “Mijo.” Nothing’s too much for him. Just the thought of his happiness, the smile it will put on his face, makes the trip worthwhile. Plus, I want to see Mark’s house. Google Maps tells me it’s a modest one-story with a basement and the public record tells me he didn’t pay a lot (for Boston prices, anyway) but he paid more than I paid for Nikki’s condo.

Nikki told me it’s serious. They’re talking about their pasts now, what they like to do for fun, what they see themselves doing in the future. I asked about Mark’s answer to the last and she refused to say anything. I’m curious about his intentions.

I’d snoop more but it’s Nikki. I didn’t get between her and Mauricio (wish I had), so I won’t interfere in her (ugh) relationship with Mark. I’ll just stand by, ready to console her if needed. I love my cousin and he appears to treat her OK. I’m making peace with it.

Besides, I’ll always be Tío.

“Then what?”

“I’ll make my way back to Miami like you and Ranger, doing a quick stop in every office to check on my men.”

“Oh. So you’ll be in Miami when?”

“Not sure. Before Ranger leaves. Why?”

She slumps in her seat and grabs the Big Gulp from the cup holder. “You know when Tank’s starting his tour of the company?”

“No.” Why all the questions?

“Or when Les and Bobby are leaving?”

“They’re leaving January 8th.”

She nods. “Bobby, Les, and Ranger are leaving. Tank’s wherever. You’ll be in Miami at some point.” She glances over at me. “How can anyone make plans and decisions when top management is never in place?”

I raise a brow. “Ranger is the only person not available. Everyone else can be reached by phone and email. Why? What decisions do you need to make?”

I don’t get an answer until we clear Newark.

“I’m thinking about quitting.”

I hope I heard that wrong. “What? Why?!”

“Because I can’t get any help or support when I need it.” She sits up again. “That’s a common problem in this company. Where’s management when you need their help? And nothing’s gotten better! It’s only gotten worse.”

“Really? I thought it had gotten better.”

“How?” she shoots back.

I shrug. “Tank’s always talking to the XOs. He participates in their calls and they have lots of plans in the works. Strategists too. The liaisons have a retreat in the new year to talk strategy.”

“The liaisons are talking strategy?”

“Si. RangeWorld means they can move info in seconds rather than hours. Leaves them with more time to do the client relations stuff and help with the internal stuff. So Bobby told them that he wanted to regroup, talk about how their jobs were going to change and redefine the position.”

Her mouth has dropped. “When did you hear this?”

“Over the past two weeks. Ram’s looking forward to a trip to the Bahamas in January.” Her mouth opens in a small ‘O’. “Ranger asked me if I had a long-term plan for IT I wanted to discuss and, since my men have been passing me more ideas since I joined the LC, I’m trying to decide what to push first. I’m learning the job of the CTO is to read for hours each night.”

“Instead of learning French?” she says slyly. “Or”—cough, cough, snooping cough—“researching?”

A mock scowl only gets laughter, which I’m glad to hear. “Yes.” Angelita is cruising now, looking more thoughtful. “I thought everything had gotten much better. Everyone’s talking. The discussion boards in RangeWorld are very funny.” I look over at her. “You two haven’t talked about it?”

“No,” she says cautiously.

“Oh. Well, discussion of the changes they want to make is on the agenda for discussion at the management meeting tomorrow. Les and Bobby have been working on their plans since their trips to the beach this summer. Ranger’s trying to finish his and Tank has one last meeting with the XOs tonight to discuss their priorities.”

“No one’s said a word,” she says quietly.

I lace my fingers with hers and squeeze. “Everything you did this summer, at the beach, in Miami, in Boston, it was all good. They want to keep the momentum going. Les and Bobby left the Jersey Shore full of ideas but they wanted your assessment of all the branches before they made major changes. Tank too. Only Trenton’s left and you said you weren’t going to assess them.”

“Right. Mando, Les, and Chase will review Trenton.”

“OK. So, do you have any plans?” She’s known since RMSA that this meeting was coming.

“Yes. My plans have been ready for months.”

“Then you’re ahead of all of us.” I ignore the churning feeling in my stomach that says I’m missing something. “And you’ve been on vacation since Ranger came back,” I point out. I get narrowed eyes as a response. “So, what help do you need? You haven’t told me what you need yet.”

She says nothing for thirty minutes. We’re in Princeton, nearly back in Trenton, before she answers.

“I haven’t seen a single thing that tells me that anything’s changed. I need to see that something’s changed for me to stay at RangeMan and I don’t want promises. I want proof.” She turns to me. “The fact that they’ve all been making these plans and I’m the last one to know is just more proof that they wait until the last minute to include me in the discussion. Like that Special Assignments Group. I never know anything in advance—”

“You’ve had plans ready for months and no one knows what they are.” I turn the heat down. “You do things and don’t tell anyone what you’re up to, but everyone trusts that you’ll tell us when you’re ready. Mark? Mando?” I raise a brow.

“But I tell them I plan to do something, Hec. They know I’m planning something when I get started. They’re never caught completely off-guard like I am.”

“So does this mean I’m in trouble too? You don’t know what my plans are and I didn’t tell you I had any plans to discuss at the meeting, but I do. I’ve been working on them since I was made a partner. So are you mad at me too?”

She reddens and starts chewing her lip. “No.” I can tell she really means ‘yes’. “I need your help tomorrow in the management meeting.”

“What do I need to do?”

“I came up with a way to save Mark, but I need someone to back him. Would you?”

Why?! “Don’t make me vomit.”

She laughs. “Admit it; he’s less of an asshole to you.”

I refuse to admit that. “What else?”

She fidgets in the seat. “Honestly, I want a sincere apology for being manipulated—”

“You’ll never get that.” My voice is hard and harsh and she swallows hard. “Your chances of ever getting that died with ‘Fuck You’. What else do you want?”

“Some appreciation would be nice.”

I look over at her. “Appreciation?”

“Yeah. I mean, I rebuilt the company, I put a training program into place, I smoked out a mole, I built an office—”

“You did your job.”

“Hector—”

I shake my head. “You did Ranger’s job. He doesn’t get special accolades for that. It’s his job. It’s your job. We had this discussion in San Antonio, right?” She nods. “You will not be praised for doing your job. I don’t get praise for doing mine.”

“Yeah, but I went above and beyond!”

“And Tank, Les, and Bobby all thanked you in San Antonio! They voted to make your position, at your level, permanent and told you that you were their candidate to fill the role permanently! They handed Ranger his ass! Even he acknowledged how well you did the job and made a new job for himself! They put you in the partner pipeline! So what do you want, Angelita?! Do you want to stay?”

“I want them to support me!”

“How?” I rub my forehead. “How are they supposed to support you? How am I supposed to support you? What do you need that you aren’t getting, Angelita? Because I don’t know.”

She’s quiet for a long time. I can actually see the sun moving in the sky, the shadows of the winter sun moving across my legs. We finally pull into Trenton and I start scanning the streets intently.

“I want to support you in therapy,” I whisper, “but you have to tell me what you need. I don’t know. All I can do is guess. I’m not a woman. Comfort does not come easily to me. I guess at what you need. I’m winging it.”

“You do a good job,” she replies softly.

Honestly, I do what I think Mijo or Nikki would like. That’s my secret.

“I want an apology for being manipulated,” she finally whispers. “I don’t care that you think it’s wrong. That’s what I need and I want the guys to say thank you. I worked for them and did Ranger’s job and only been thanked once and blamed and made the scapegoat for everything ever since.” She sits up. “And I want everyone to stop blaming me for everything that happens around here! I almost expect someone to say ‘The sun set. It’s Steph’s fault because her apprehension skills are so bad she can’t catch the sun!'”

I smile in spite of myself. “Well, he does keep getting away from you …”

She glances at me, my smiling face, and breaks into giggles. “Thanks. I needed that.”

“Yeah, I hear you.” I raise a hand to cut off her protest. “I didn’t say I understood or I know. I hear you.” She nods, mollified. “Drop me at my apartment and be careful driving back.”

—oOo—

Les’s POV— 12/18, 1500

Tank, Bobby, and Steph are smiling. My brothers seemed to have recovered well from their interesting day yesterday. Ranger, especially, glared at me while trying to remove that crap from his hair but he’s hiding a smile now.

Until next year, guys.

“Do we really need to go through this point by point?” Steph says.

“Yes,” Javi says, leaning forward. “We want all our threats and weak spots.” The guys look eager to know.

So am I. I’ve tried my best not to read Bobby’s notes but I’m dying to know.

“OK,” Ranger says coolly. “This office is growing much faster than projected, which is of concern. The men are tight-knit, but I’m concerned about that Newark branch office and whether it will retain that brotherhood. The men there are a combination of Trenton and NYC and too far from either office to really feel connected to any of the leadership.” He looks down at his notes.

Everyone’s slumped back in their seats but I know Ranger.

“That’s all I have as concerns and the first is an issue for the Leadership Core. It’s a compliment to you that this office is growing too fast. Anyone else?”

“Yeah.” Everyone looks at me. I throw a pencil at Ranger, which he ducks. “Quit fucking with my men!“

Everyone starts laughing. NYC Core looks relieved and finally start smiling. Ranger is grinning.

“Couldn’t help it.”

“Try,” Tank says.

“This office has come back well,” Bobby says. “The deficiencies I noted when I first arrived to fire Liam are either gone or have improved to the point that I see they’ll be gone soon. Tank?”

“Agreed. You’re almost growing too fast.” The guys smiles dim but they nod.

Steph smiles. “The office is growing, the men are tight-knit, I don’t see divisions and you currently hold the crown as most profitable branch. And you have a plan to restructure. All in all, I call this a pass. Guys?”

“Agreed,” they chime.

I jump out of my seat and party! Everyone laughs at me but hell, this is the best way to end the year! NYC passed, we’re headed to Atlanta for Mrs. Brown’s annual Christmas party, and I’ve had three nights of fun and stupidity with my bros. How could this get any better?!

We head out to tell the men and I finally understand what Ric means when he says NYC is a reflection of me. The men party like I do, jumping, high-fiving, and talking shit about the other branches. We make RMSA look tame!

“Yo, Les!” Levi yells. “Where’s the party?”

“You pick it!”

“40/40 club?”

That gets a round of boos. Jay-Z’s club is boring.

“Let’s take over Bembe tonight. On me!” OK, that gets way more interest! Plus it’s close by, so everyone can get happy and liquored up before I ship ’em home. I turn to the guys. “You in?”

Tank and Bobby both look over at Ric quickly. He grimaces, as close to sorry as his face will make, but I shake my head. No, primo, you‘re way more important.

He gives me a wry smile. Go have fun with your men. You want to. I can see you want to.

Not without you. The reminder that mi primo has to lie low deflates my happy mood. No party for me tonight. Besides, the men passed, not me, so they can go party hard. My treat.

Ric looks at Steph, who shrugs. “I’m headed to get the girls. We’re going to Central Park tonight.”

I turn around in time to see Mark arrive. Steph hurries to greet him and, instead of bringing him onto the floor to speak to us, they both disappear from view.

Weird.

I turn back around and concentrate on partying with my men while I can. They’re gonna blow NYC up tonight!

We passed review!

—oOo—

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

Ric picks me up and hoists me over his shoulder to force me to attend the management meeting. I don’t wanna go! I wanna party with my men, who are rapidly making plans to spend me broke! The sight of me slung over Ranger’s shoulder gives them all a good laugh, but I scowl and they stop laughing until I’m out of sight.

Ric puts me down, points to my chair, and I slink over, annoyed. Everyone is laughing at me again but I roll my eyes. You fuckers just wait. That party I’m planning with Trenton for January is going to be live! The sight of Mark reminds me that I need to get up to Boston and come up with a pretext to give them a party. They held the crown for four years and they’re coming back strong. They need to get some recognition too.

Ric’s at the head of the table, as usual, with Tank on his right and me on his left. Bobby’s next to Tank and Hec’s next to me. Steph’s at the other end facing Ranger.

“OK, last full management meeting of the year,” Ric says, grinning and shaking his head at me. “Present are all partners and the CO of RangeMan, LLC. I’d like to reflect in our minutes that we have Hector joining us for the very first time.” We cheer and Hec blushes. “Also, Steph is joining us for the first time.” We cheer for her. The party vibe is still running strong. We’re all mentally jamming to the good vibes in this building right now. “We have a full agenda to get through, so let’s get started.”

“Question,” Steph says. We look over. “When was this agenda compiled?”

“I’ve been adding to it since the last meeting,” Bobby says.

“Which was?”

“Six weeks ago. San Antonio. Why? Need to add something?”

“Yes. I’d like to address Mark now.”

We all look at each other. We’ve been dying to know the answer to that! We look at Ranger.

“We have a request to add this to the agenda. Any objections?”

“Nope,” Hec says quickly. “Let’s make this item one.”

“Agreed,” Tank says.

“Hec, you have any items you want to add, while we’re taking additions to the agenda?”

“Nope. I agree that we should address Mark now.”

“All in favor?” Bobby asks. Every hand shoots up and we turn to Steph.

She stands and walk over to the door.

Mark walks in.

“Mark, you had something you needed to present?” she says.

Huh?

Mark removes an envelope from his pocket and presents it to Ranger, standing at attention behind Tank. Ranger opens the envelope and his blank face falls into place.

“Mark?” Ric’s voice says he better have a damn good explanation for this.

“Yes, sir. I have informed Ms. Plum of my intention to resign from RangeMan and I’m here to present my resignation letter, effective immediately.”