Chapter 60: Liaison Week at the Beach, II
Thomas’s POV
Sharing a room with Rodney this week is going to be difficult. I want to kill him. I don’t know much about what’s going on, but I do know that Armando and Diego have worked directly with and respect the CO deeply. That’s all I need to know. Rodney should be grateful I don’t have direct experience with her. If I did, he’d need to sleep with one eye open.
I’m not much of a talker, which makes my position as liaison difficult sometimes. Diego, Armando and I have all laughed about it. Armando talks too fucking much for his position and Diego and I don’t talk at all. We’ve laughed that perhaps the wrong men are in the wrong positions.
I can tell that Diego is on his last days in Miami. His NYC work made him a star and it’s clear Armando is trying to train him to become an XO. I know Diego wants the position, he’s waiting on it, and it’s just a matter of where it will be. I’m hoping San Antonio; I’m hoping his position doesn’t come at Armando’s expense.
Armando’s a good leader. When we first started in Miami, Armando was a beast! He’s lost part of that and I hope to get some time with the CO to hip her to Armando’s difficulties. I’m sure just about everyone has thrown him under the bus, but it’s not fair to him. His problem is personal. His problem is family. He’s too fucking successful and his family is a bunch of leeches. They’ve sucked that man’s backbone away from him. He needs help and I’m hoping the CO is willing to help him.
Diego told me to be absolutely honest with the CO, hold nothing back. She’s major, he said (and I joked on him for picking up NYC slang, especially from my cousin) and she’s a woman to be trusted. Mack’s in love with her. The addition of Jorge to the branch has really made a difference. Javi’s a different man and the entire branch is coming back fast. Mack won’t tell me what the numbers are like but he keeps telling me to watch my ass. I laughed and tried to determine when I’d get a chance to talk to her this week. She’s a woman much loved by NYC, Trenton, and Atlanta and getting time alone with her will be difficult.
I wake up early Monday morning and go for a jog. Just my luck; the CO and the chief liaison are on the beach jogging. I catch up quickly and we all jog in silence. After 40 minutes, the CO heads back to the house and I nod to show I’ll follow her. Bobby nods and continues down the beach. I catch up and the CO has collapsed in the driveway. I’m ready to drop and commence CPR when she grins.
“Time me?”
I grin. Thank god, she’s OK. She does her sit-ups while I count. “Forty-nine.”
She flops back and grins. “Shoot! So close.”
“What are you aiming for?”
“Fifty-one in two minutes.”
I smile. She is close. “Next measure?”
“Twenty-three pushups in two minutes. I’ve been managing about 25, so I’m sure I’ll make this.”
I count. “Twenty-five.”
She hops up and dances a little jig, which makes me laugh. “Need me to time you?”
I nod and she times me. I’m well within standard, which makes her scrunch her nose. “Lucky.”
I laugh. “Nah. Hard work. Dedication. Determination not to have Bobby catch me slipping. My luck sucks. The chief medical officer for the company is also my boss. If I fail medical, he won’t be happy.”
“Has it ever happened before?” We’ve stretched out in the driveway, resting.
“Once. Right after I got off probation. I got cocky, thinking that I wouldn’t be tested again for a while. Monthly health check was two weeks later.” I look over and instead of the grin I expect, the CO is sober. “It was embarrassing. I was up as a candidate to be liaison for Miami and Bobby torpedoed it. Said that if I couldn’t be trusted to set an example in the shit the men could see me pass or fail every day, I couldn’t be trusted with the stuff they might never see.” The CO swallows and nods. “Armando took me to the mats and beat my ass for it. He’d put himself on the line to promote me as the liaison candidate and here I was getting caught and embarrassed. I made Ranger question his judgment. I vowed that it would never happen again.”
“So what happened?”
“I worked to get my ass back up to standard, actually well above standards, then begged Bobby to come reassess me. He refused to do it and he didn’t show for three months. I was at the 80% level and I maintained it. I still maintain it. I refuse to allow anyone to question the leadership’s judgment in picking me. I’m a former gangbanger with a record. I got enough strikes against me. I don’t need people questioning the competency of the only men to ever trust me.”
I look over at the CO and she’s quiet. Sober. I smile at her and get a small smile back. “Didn’t mean to depress you, boss lady.”
She laughs. “You reminded me of Mack right then.”
I grin. “Cousin.”
“Really?” She attempts to raise an eyebrow and I remind myself not to laugh. We’ve heard she can’t do it.
“Yeah. He maintains 80% too, just to remind himself that the bigger the fuckup, the harder the climb back.”
She nods. I decide to strike while the fire is blazing. “Permission to speak freely?”
She groans. “I’m beginning to hate that phrase. It always precedes things that make me think or depress the hell out of me.”
I grin. “Sorry. More of the same, but I’ll tell you, I want to talk about my XO.”
She looks over, intrigued. “Permission granted.”
I take a deep breath and pray I’m doing the right thing. “Keep him.”
She looks confused. “Huh?”
“Keep him. Help him. He needs help, support, encouragement, something. The man is drowning.” Her face encourages me to say everything I want to, so I let loose. “Let me back up to the day the XO was named. It was either going to be Mark or Armando. Mark had been serving as interim for months while Ranger brought up Boston. In Miami, we were praying for Mando. We like Mark, but Mark and Miami didn’t mesh just right. Mando does, or at least he did.
When Ranger returned and named Mando as XO and announced that Mark would take Boston, we partied. I mean, you’ve never seen a party like the way we partied when we heard that. Ranger and Tank looked amused by it but Mando? Armando understands Miami in a way that Mark never will. So, the first four years, Mando is going gangbusters in Miami. Then he makes a fatal mistake. He hires his cousin, Antonio, into the branch. Within six months, Diego and I are begging him to fire the little fucker.”
Steph smiles. She sits up and waves at Bobby, who staggers into the driveway. “You OK, Bobby?”
“Yeah. Shower for me, unless I need to stay?” He looks at the two of us, curious.
“Nah. Matter of fact, it would really help me if you prevent the rest from coming this way.” Bobby nods and walks inside. Yes! I’ve got her attention. Steph looks over at me. “Go on.”
“OK, so he hires Antonio and Diego and I are begging him, literally begging him, to get rid of the fucker. I mean, Miami is already a . . . difficult city for women?” I raise an eyebrow and she nods. She understands. “Antonio?” I shake my head. “That bastard is the chief womanizer and sexist in the office. I want to be rid of him so bad you can’t understand it. Diego is ready to kill him, but firings are an XO function and we recognize that Mando is in a tight spot. He can’t fire the fucker without his entire family losing their collective minds.
You see, Antonio is the baby, the favorite. They’ve spoiled that bastard beyond reason simply because he nearly died as a baby. So now, we have this spoiled, selfish asshole in our office and we have a power struggle. Antonio is charismatic, I’ll give him that. He’s charismatic and charming and you don’t see the rot in him until it’s too late and he’s managed to pull a group around him to beat Mando down all the time. Me too and I’m sick of it. Mando’s sick of it. His family is a bunch of leeches and complainers and no man can live with that for the rest of his life. “
I lie back and breathe. I’m hoping she has a solution. “Ms. Plum, I’m begging you now, and I’m not a man to beg, but when you get him here for XO week, talk to him. Help him. The XO I have now is not the man Ranger put in charge. It’s not the man he once was. He needs help badly.”
It’s quiet in the driveway now. I look over after a few minutes and the CO is staring into the sky. “The info I have about Armando is all over the place, but you and Diego have told me and Lester the same thing. Antonio has to go. I’m curious. Tell me about the psyop you guys ran on Miami. Why do you think it didn’t work?”
“Because we didn’t have any support.” She looks over, grim. I nod. “You gotta understand, we didn’t approach this half-assed. Diego is a brilliant strategist and Mando is a good XO.”
She sighs. “I saw Diego’s work in NYC. He and Manny saved that branch and Manny was clear that Diego was responsible for most of it.”
I smile, proud of Diggy. “Yeah. It was Mando’s idea in the first place. He got tired of seeing how Maria was used by the men and he wanted to make up for not setting the standards for her when she arrived. So when we started planning this, we approached it with the same intensity but we didn’t count on the level of blowback we got. So, we get started and it was supposed to be a graduated plan. Mando started by asking, telling, Maria to stop serving the men at their desks. No liquids, no food. We modified SOPs to encourage that and it appeared to be going well.
Then he asks her to modify meals. Nothing fatty, nothing breaded, nothing fried, but the men had trained Maria to what they wanted. That was the first major hurdle. While Mando is asking her to do the right thing, they’re complaining and moaning to Maria until she couldn’t take it. They’re her ‘boys’ and Maria caved to make them happy. When they started getting what they wanted again, they were happy and she was still being run around and we couldn’t get her to see that.
It was the three of us against the 80 of them and even though we have them on the mats constantly, it’s not working. The men and Maria, none of them see that Maria’s treatment is wrong. They just think we’re being assholes. Ella comes down for her review and dings Maria but she doesn’t do anything else. So no support there.
Meanwhile, we’re in a tight spot again. The men have Maria slipping them treats under the table and they buy closed lid containers to get around our rules on drinks at desks. They’re all treating us like we’re fucking idiots and blind and we’re pissed. We’d fire them but then we’d have to fire everyone because they’re all doing it. If we fire, we have to be fair.”
I blow out a frustrated breath and look at the CO. She has a blank face on and she’s staring at the sky.
“Ranger popped into town and he was in office for about two days and everything was running right. They know better than to fuck with Maria when Ranger’s there because he won’t accept it. On the third day, Mando went to ask him how long he was staying, hoping that his presence would lend some support to our plan.”
I look at her and she’s looking at me, confused. “Ranger’s first two days in town are about catching up on the company as a whole. No interruptions unless someone is dead or dying. So Day Three is our first opportunity but by the time Mando reached his office, Ranger was already gone.”
“What?” She looks outraged and stunned.
“Yeah,” I reply, lying back on the ground. “We checked the garage and saw the tail lights of the Lamborghini leaving. So we knew he wasn’t coming back anytime soon. Then the plan went to all hell.” I swallow hard and shake my head. “Julie was kidnapped. That’s why he left like a bat outta hell. That’s why he was there in the first place, not company business but trying to get a bead on who kidnapped her. Clusterfuck because, of course, she became the priority and none of us will argue that. But it meant that by the time everything settled down again and we were ready to reinstitute the plan, Ranger was in Trenton again and once he’s in Trenton it’s fucking impossible to get him to leave.”
There are tears rolling down Steph’s face. I pass her my handkerchief and watch her smile. I wonder why she’s crying and I remember that Ranger was shot in her apartment. He was in Trenton that time trying to heal. Right.
“So we take another look, retool the plan, set the best conditions we can, and try again. This time we call Trenton in advance, to get their support from afar, but it was impossible to get anyone in Leadership to answer or pay attention. Months later we find out about the break-ins. That’s what was going on the second time we tried.” I shake my head.
“We looked at the plan and realized it was just fucking impossible,” I continue quietly. “We were dealing with ingrained habits and mindsets and we honestly had no idea how in the hell to fix that. Not just the men but Maria too. Until she saw that she was wrong, we were screwed.”
I’m swallowing hard, trying not to cry, but I fail. I feel every bit of frustration and irritation come out and a few tears slip down my cheeks. “We’re dealing with the hearts of men, Steph.” My voice cracks and she passes me her handkerchief and sits close to me, hugging me. I feel her wave someone off. I sit and breathe deep until I pull myself together.
“That’s why I want your help. We can’t take much more. Mando is close to the edge. The shit pisses him off but everyone in this is culpable. Core Team has tried but we have some blame because we allowed it to happen in the first place, and we aren’t running from our fair share of blame.
Maria? We hear Maria is becoming a force and you don’t understand how fucking glad we are to hear that. She finally sees that what happened to her is wrong and we hope that if she returns to Miami she can help us finally put them in their places. Ella? Man, for the first time we can say Ella’s name and not roll our eyes. She’s finally done something to help and we know Ranger kicked this off. Had to be and we finally realized that it happened because of you.”
I look at her and smile. It’s a little shaky and she smiles and wipes my face.
“Because he knew you were coming to Miami, he finally decided to do something permanent to help so you wouldn’t have to face that. So already, Miami Core loves you. Without coming to Miami, you’ve already helped solve a huge problem. Watching the rest of the housekeepers around the company put the men in their places has been the best entertainment we’ve had in months. Hell, years!
For the first time, we have women in that building who are giving the men a big ‘Fuck You’ and they don’t know how to take it. Mando is doing a shit job hiding his amusement and so am I. We’re thrilled because the men in the branch are finally starting to get it. Respect the women. Respect the housekeeper. Quit treating her like a fucking maid. A woman is not a lesser creature and your dick isn’t that fucking special.”
Steph falls back onto the driveway and howls. After a few minutes I join her. That was Diego’s last comment last week, with some added insults for certain members of the branch, and Mando and I laughed till it hurt. Finally, Steph calms down and looks at me, shaking her head.
“So, there’s a lack of respect for women in the branch, which I’d already heard about. I’ve heard more than I want to about Antonio. Do you truly think he’s the problem?”
I take a moment to consider. “He’s a big part of the problem.”
“What’s the other part?”
This is probably the hardest thing I will ever say to this woman and I hope I never hear it again. “Ranger is not a man who . . . makes it comfortable for you to talk to him, but it’s not anything that he actually does.” I look over at her and she nods, grim. “Ranger always seems to know everything going on anyway. Most of us are convinced he can read minds.” This makes her flop back and laugh hard. I guess she’s felt it too.
“We respect Ranger, would follow him to the ends of the earth, fight and die under his command, but it also means that you’re determined not to screw up. Not to make him question your judgment. Not to disappoint him. Ranger is a great boss and the fact that he will hire you and put you in a position of trust where most companies look at you and shred your application the moment you turn your back, I mean, it encourages you to never step wrong.”
Steph nods, a faint smile on her face.
“So there’s a reluctance to call him and say, ‘Sir, I need your help. I have a problem.’ Because it’s like saying, ‘Sir, I can’t do this. I’m not ready. I don’t know how.’ We’ll do any fucking thing to prove he was right to hire us. And there’s a respect level there that doesn’t encourage you to be intimate with the man. Same with most of Leadership Core. We know their reps and if you don’t know, you’re quickly told all the stories that reinforce the fact that we are led by brilliant men. You get in the presence of that kind of brilliance and power and you shut up and show respect. Bust your ass, do your best, show that you were a good gamble.”
“Do you find the Leadership Core hard to talk to?” she asks.
I really think about her question. “More intimidating than anything. I feel I can talk to Bobby about my liaison duties but anything else? No. I don’t really have a reason to call Tank or Lester. Ranger?” I shrug. “You want to know why the men in this company love you?”
She nods, intrigued.
“Because we feel we can talk to you. Not because you’re a woman or a soft touch or anything insulting like that. Nah, the word has gone out. Be honest with the CO and she’ll listen. She cares. She can be trusted and she is crafty, cunning, and brilliant, but she’s approachable. She wants to hear what you have to say. She’ll come up with some insanely brilliant or incredibly simple solution to your problem.
Every man in this company knows that that’s how NYC came back. Javi had the balls to call you and be honest and you listened to him. You cared and you helped him. Atlanta? You taught them your secrets to skip apprehension, then gave them permission to move on all kinds of stuff and they’re going gangbusters. That’s the word out about you, so for the first time, all these core teams finally feel that we have someone we can call. One person we can all talk to, not just one member of Leadership or another. Mack told me that after you rode along with him, and Diego told me the same thing. Be honest with the CO. She can be trusted. She’s major.”
Steph starts laughing and I can tell it was Mack’s term that did it. He loves calling things ‘major’.
“You can’t beat us up on the mats, unless Hector’s been teaching you something new and scary.” She laughs harder. “So, we’re left with a boss who we know nothing about, but what we’re learning is that when we need someone to talk to, we can call you and you’ll listen. You’ve sat out here with me for the past hour and listened to me. I couldn’t have done this with Ranger but with you it felt right. I let you know how I feel and I know that, whatever happens, you’ll do what’s right. You’ve proven that, in NYC, in Atlanta, in Trenton. I’m just gonna kick back and wait for the results now.”
She nods, smiling. “You feel you’ve told me everything you needed to?”
I nod. “Yeah. I’ve wanted to say that for at least a year. I’m finally feeling like I took this to the right person. I’ve used up all my words for the month. Maybe three months.”
She doubles over laughing and reaches her arms out. I hop up and pull her to her feet. She grins and catches me in a hug. Been so long since I’ve been hugged that she caught me off guard but I return it. It’s nice. No, that’s not it. It’s great. I squeeze and she laughs.
“Ouch! More strength than you think.” I laugh. “You could snap my arm in two,” she pouts.
“You’re stronger than you look.”
Adam’s POV
The CO finally steps into the house. She looks happy and cheerful, which is good. We were about to affect a kidnapping. Why on earth did Thomas need to keep her outside for over an hour? At one point, Bobby stepped outside but Steph waved him off, so whatever she and Thomas were talking about, it was serious. Well, whatever it was, they both look happy, so Hector is less grumpy. I swear, he was reminding me of my grandmother, walking by the front door every few minutes to check on her.
I’ll never tell him that, though.
Hector showed Ram the app on his phone he’s using to communicate with the CO and we all finally understand how they’re making that partnership work. Cool idea and we should’ve guessed Hector would be the one to find a solution like that.
Bobby agreed to take breakfast duty for the week. We laughed Saturday when he outlined the plan.
“Bobby, sir, I don’t consider corn flakes breakfast,” Ram said.
“I’ll tell Ella you said that.“
Ram laughed. “At least Ella would’ve given us some sliced fruit to go with it, maybe even some yogurt.”
Bobby tossed him a peach. “Have at it.“
We all laughed and Bobby grinned. “This is just day one. Tomorrow we have Cheerios, Monday is Fiber One.” We’d all collapsed in laughter at this point. I never realized my boss had such a wicked sense of humor. Les is the one known for his sense of humor. “Tuesday we’ll finish off the box of corn flakes. If we get a lot of work done, I might even pick up a box of Frosted Flakes.”
The promise of sugar as a bribe had us in stitches. Stephanie walked downstairs and demanded to know what was so funny.
“I was outlining the week’s breakfast menu,” Bobby said. He repeated the schedule for Steph, who laughed with us.
“Liaisons are falling down on the job. Pat fed me bacon and eggs!”
Bobby grinned. “I’m reporting that to Ella. I see pulses in your future.”
Steph looked horrified. “You wouldn’t!”
“See? Doesn’t my breakfast plan look much better by comparison? Puts you closer to Pino’s much sooner.”
Steph considered this and grinned. “You still suck, Bobby.”
He shrugged. “Intel to the enemy, Bomber. Shouldn’t have told me what you ate last week. At least breakfast this week will be healthy. The guys can spoil you at lunch and dinner and Hector’s feeding you sugar. What more could you ask for?”
“Doughnuts, bacon and eggs,” she pouted, taking a bowl of Corn Flakes and some sliced strawberries from Ram. She hip-bumped Bobby, who smiled. “You’re cheating. The rest of the guys planned great meals. You’re doing self-serve.”
“I’m ready to administer this release,” Bobby said. “Hal keeps bragging about your skills and all I hear from Ram here is that if you shoot the paper man in the balls one more time, he’s calling in a psychiatrist.”
“You weren’t supposed to tell her that!” Ram exclaimed. “She wasn’t supposed to know until the doc started asking her to discuss her earliest memory.”
The CO was laughing through the tears at that point.
I’ve never laughed so much at work in my life. This week at the beach, with my boss and the CO, has been great. I’m learning about my colleagues and the company leadership. I hope we do this again next summer. It’s been a great way to get a lot of company work done.
Bobby passes around platters of fruit he’d sliced earlier this morning and we tuck into breakfast. Today? Raisin Bran and for some reason we’re tearing through it like little kids. Steph is laughing but it’s been a while since I’ve had Raisin Bran. I have two bowls. Afterwards, each man drifts back to his computer and gets started building RangeWorld again. I stop at 1100 to prep lunch and find Ram in my space, prepping a pasta salad. I pick a bowtie out the bowl and get popped for my efforts.
“Out, dude. Mind the grill.”
I take the prepared shrimp and scallop skewers and heat the grill. Minutes later, lunch is on. It’s the normal 20 minute torture with the CO, and Thomas and Rod shift in their seats looking pained.
Bobby smirks. “Leave when she starts eating Hector’s desserts.”
We all laugh. Watching her eat Hector’s rice pudding on Saturday and caramel flan on Sunday was more than most of us could take. We left the room or went running. Hector was smirking when we all gathered together again.
Ram snorts. “What do you have planned?” he asks Hector.
Hector’s grin is evil. “Flan. Pineapple today. Buñuelos. Rice pudding. Natilla. Bread pudding with dulce de leche. Strawberry shortcake with fresh strawberry ice cream. I’m still trying to make up my mind on the schedule.“
We’re all drooling. I love every single one of those options and I’m prepared to run a few miles. The CO looks confused.
“If you guys are drooling, I get the feeling I’m going to love it. What’s Hector saying?”
Ram translates quickly and Steph’s eyes glaze over. She pulls her phone, hits the app and says, “Kitchen! Now! Don’t promise me endless sweets I can’t see! Produce!” The app translates and Hector laughs.
We laugh and start clearing the table. Steph smiles then motions for me to follow her. I ask for a few minutes, to situate the brisket on the grill, then follow.
We head toward the beach. I’m curious about what she might want.
“I want to know how it’s going in Atlanta and in NYC. Having difficulty holding down two branches?”
I smile. “I finally learned how to juggle it, but I think I have a liaison prospect for Javi. Someone from Atlanta. Name’s Drake and he’s in client services, so he can also help Jorge. I wanted to ask you to approve a short-term transfer for him to NYC to see if he can handle it.”
Steph nods. “You think he can do it?”
“I think so. I ran the idea past Danny and he’s grumbling that Atlanta is becoming the new Trenton.” Steph giggles. I mimic Danny, fist raised to the sky. “‘She’s poaching my men! I’ll never catch Hal like this!’ I’m sure you recognize that Hal’s laughing at him now.”
She wipes her eyes. “OK, I get the point. I need to do the Boston and Miami reviews so I can pull those men too.”
We walk along the beach and I enjoy the time out of the house. “Question.” She turns, smiling. “Charlotte.” Her smile dims.
“Yeah, I know. I have the beginnings of a plan in mind for that. That’s why I wanted to know how you were handling two branches.”
I shrug. “We knew when you approved us setting them up that it would be an increase in workload. We prepared for it. My backup is handling most of the Atlanta liaison duties so I can focus on NYC and helping Chase with Charlotte. If Drake works out for NYC, the pressure will ease some and I can refocus on Atlanta and Charlotte.”
“Anything else I need to know?”
“I was ordered to beg you to come back soon. The men want to see you again and Jase and Danny owe Hal and Ram one.”
The CO hangs her head and laughs. “They aren’t planning to lose them in the Georgia backwoods, are they?”
“Nope. Much worse.” I grin. “Leaving them with Danny’s sons in the middle of rush hour traffic after the boys have had sugar.”
Steph laughs. “Wouldn’t faze them. They’ve met my nieces. Hal and Ram can tune out almost anything.”
We laugh and return to the house.
Steph’s POV
RangeWorld is going wonderfully and the liaisons are getting along great. Even Rod is being treated like a member of the team, but every so often I’ll catch Ram’s eye and the look in it suggests sniper cross-hairs.
Rod has not been forgiven. I know that Hal will want to break Mark, slowly and painfully.
I walk along the beach Tuesday evening, listening to the seagulls and thinking about Boston. I honestly don’t know what to do there. I know the initial response is to label all of it treason and fire everyone, but we just did that in NYC. The rebuild is going well because we kept the XO, but what happens if we remove every layer of top management?
My phone rings just as I hear someone approach me from behind. I turn. Bobby, so I answer the phone.
“Hey, Beautiful!”
“Hey, Les. Bobby’s here with me.” Bobby’s caught me in a hug and I’ve put the phone on speaker. We stand in the shallow waters hugging each other.
“I picked up Shane from Miami. He will not be missed.”
I snort. “Doubted it. Well?”
“Confessed everything he did and is hoping for mercy from you. What do you think? Your opinion changed?”
“Nope. Demotion. Anyone willing to take him?”
“Mark, Mando, and Hal have all said hell no. I’m betting Danny will too.”
“I’m saying it for him,” Bobby replies. “Don’t put him in my home branch. I’ll be tempted to kill him.”
Les sighs. “I’ll have to keep him separate from Tank. Tank’s ready to kill him too.”
It’s quiet as all three of us consider the options. “San Antonio for now,” I tell Les. “Perhaps Charlotte. Tell Tank to keep him until September. If he resigns before then, accept it.”
“Good plan.” Click.
Sigh. RangeMan phone manners. Not even worth the fight anymore. I twist around in Bobby’s embrace so I can stare at the water.
Bobby and I stand in the water for a few more minutes before Bobby chuckles. “Bomber?”
“Yeah?”
“Please tell me this is a gun. I prefer to think it’s a gun, not that you’re happy to see me because that would be disturbing.”
I crack up. I forgot that when Bobby is in a really good mood, he has a sense of humor like Lester’s.
“Yes, I have a gun in the small of my back.”
We separate and Bobby pulls my piece, a Glock 26. Ram thought it was perfect as a personal piece. I was surprised it was so small. I don’t mind wearing this gun. With the right holster, I sometimes forget it’s there.
“Where’s your standard RangeMan issue?”
Bobby means the Glock 17. “Bedroom, but I don’t like carrying it. It’s heavier.”
Bobby smirks. “Only by 3 ounces. ¼ of a pound. Hardly anything. That’s the size and weight of a chicken breast.”
“Until it’s strapped in and I start walking around. Then it feels heavy.”
Bobby puts the gun back into the holster and takes my hand. We walk along the beach for a little while.
“I know I said this in NYC, but we’re really proud of you, Bomber. Not just with the job.” Bobby turns to me, smiling. “We’re proud of the work you’re doing to pass standards too. We get feedback from Hal and Ram constantly. We can’t wait to clear you.”
“Thanks, Bobby,” I reply softly. “I can’t wait to be cleared. I miss being able to get away.”
“I know that it’s new and it feels invasive but Steph?” Bobby tilts my face up. “The men in Trenton are thrilled that you’re a RangeMan, or RangeWoman, now. All we hear are requests to partner you when you’re off probation. We’ve told them that the man that can take on Hector is the lucky one.” I laugh. “Hector will never let you go, not even for Ranger.”
“Really?” I’m stunned and happy about that. Hector is my partner. I don’t want to let him go either.
Bobby nods. “Being partners is more than just getting along. The two individuals really have to learn each other’s strengths and weakness. They have to learn to rely on each other and how to anticipate how the other will respond. Ranger and Tank? Damn near psychic to each other. Same for me and Les. I know how that idiot will respond in a heartbeat.”
I grin. I’ve never thought about it but I see it more and more. Bobby and Lester are mirror images of each other.
“I can see it in you and Hector. Hector likes to be needed but he’s an incredibly independent person. You like to be independent, but you enjoy being needed and you respond quickly when someone does need you. It’s a nice balance. You both trust and respect each other and you love each other. You both care about a few people very deeply and you’re intensely loyal to those people. He knows how you will respond and, if you think about it, you know how he will respond.
You two mirror each other so well that I’ve been surprised this week. I thought you’d still be working through your partnership. Instead, you two manage to do nearly everything without speaking a word.” Bobby smirks. “And I think we both know Hector is perfectly capable of communicating with you when the need arises.”
I stare at Bobby in shock and he grins. “We allow Hector his deception at Leadership Core level because it keeps mine and Tank’s Spanish skills sharp. Otherwise we’d get rusty because we wouldn’t have a real reason to speak it.”
“Thanks. It means a lot to him,” I reply softly. I also appreciate that he didn’t ask me to confirm that Hector speaks English. It’s Hector’s secret. I would have done my best to lie, which is impossible with Bobby.
Bobby nods. “The idea that Hector only speaks Spanish also goes a long way to reinforcing his rep. It works for everyone. We love the fact that he’s teaching you. If you want another language,” he looks at me and smiles, “Italian. It’s the language we use when we want to keep things secret. Just about all the men know Spanish, but only about 3% of the company knows Italian and that’s mostly Trenton.”
I nod. I’ll think about it. Dad would love it if I finally learned Italian. “So, if having a partner you know and trust is so important, why did you guys break up Manny and Caesar? Ram and Woody?”
“For the sake of reporting in the office, we broke them up. If we ever took Ram on a mission, we’d take Woody, not Manny. In reality, Ram’s ‘official’ partner is Manny. His de facto partner is Woody. Even now, when Ram has to do things, Woody is the person he calls in the office, right?”
I think about this and Bobby’s right.
“That’s why Hal’s partner remained Junior. Hal and Junior have that relationship. Danny and Marcus have that relationship in Atlanta. Armando is going to be in a world of hurt in Miami because we’re taking Diego to San Antonio if you recommend him. That’s why he appears to be leaning on Thomas more. The XO usually leans on someone outside the Core Team as his partner. Mando’s the only one who doesn’t. Javi’s childhood friendship with Jorge means that he turns to Jorge first, but his de facto partner in that office is now Mack. The three of them have become a tight partnership, damn near a triad.”
I grin at that thought. “Boston?”
“Mark and Victor. Rodney and Pat.”
I blow a breath. “I’ve been walking the beach trying to figure out what to do with Boston. Why did Ranger put Mark in charge in Boston?”
Bobby is quiet. “We all agreed on Mark. When we first started the company, Mark was a superstar. It was a tossup on which branch to give him but we finally decided Mando was a better fit to Miami. Now we’re wondering if we made the right call. Mando would do a much better job away from his family and Mark could probably control home office better.
Anyway, Mark was outstanding. Loyal, quick to follow orders and anticipate needs, quick to float ideas up and make suggestions. We could leave him in charge without needing to worry about anything. That was crucial when all four of us went on missions. We needed someone who understood military chain of command. You know how Tank is the point man when Ranger goes solo?” I nod. “Mark is still officially the point man when all four of us go. Or at least he was until we installed you.”
My eyes widen. “I don’t know anything about military command!”
Bobby exhales and we start walking again. “I know, but your instructions also include directions to reach out to Mark and Hal. Mark’s not to be the point person for communications, but between the two of them, they can walk you through.”
Bobby stops and stares into the water. “I’m not sure when the change happened but it was apparent when we installed Javier in NYC. Mark went down and damn near took over his office. Tried to order Javi around. Javier was already feeling nervous about performing at our standards and having Mark in his office, intimidating him, didn’t help. We were surprised and Ranger took Mark to the mats. Afterwards, it was like having the old Mark back. He was back in his place. He understood what he was supposed to do.”
Bobby flops down in the sand and I follow. We stare into the water until Bobby picks up. “When we started scouting Trenton, it started again. This time, Mando and home office and again, Mark had to be body-checked by Ranger to back off. That’s when we realized he was aiming to be a partner. That’s when we realized he knew too much about the company for his own good. By the time we had the Haywood building up and running, Les and I were begging Ranger to fire him. He was spinning out of control.”
Bobby leans back, shaking his head. Bobby’s words have confirmed my suspicions. I can’t wait to speak to Mark.
Rodney’s POV
Today’s the last day and I’m pleased with all the work I accomplished. This morning, we took a tour of the new RangeMan corporate site and got an idea for how reporting to top Management will function from now on. Steph has incorporated IT, Accounting, and the housekeepers under her umbrella, so we needed to understand how their spaces were set up.
It’s slick. The CO has spaces for each branch to submit their weekly reports electronically, a master calendar for company events, and a suggestion box for those emails she gets from around the company. Hector did a great job building her space and she looks ready to dive in.
We spent the morning discussing how the next phase of the build should operate. Ram suggested a corporate IM.
“For those times when you want to get someone quickly but don’t want to phone. Plus, we might be able to cut back on the number of conference lines we pay for. If we could do the pulse checks via IM call, that would be great.”
We wrote that as a suggestion. “How many conference lines do we have?” Thomas asked.
“Six. XO, liaison, strategist, mine, and two general purpose ones that can be used for anything,” Steph replied. “It’s about $800 a month in conference line charges.”
Wow. Never knew that.
That wasn’t Ram’s last idea of the morning. He kept calling stuff until finally, Bobby said, “Is this all the stuff you thought of months ago but never got to present?”
Ram nodded, grinning. Bobby laughed. “Damn. We should’ve asked you for the list months ago.”
“Well, if we get a vote on these, then I agree with the corporate IM,” Adam says, “and I’d like to throw another vote to the InfoPath thing he was talking about. A standard web-based form product that would not only handle those client requests, but could also be used for travel and expense reporting? Incident reporting? All the forms we currently have to fill out? That would be great. And according to what I’m reading online, those forms could automatically fill in our new RangeWorld lists and libraries.” Adam grinned. “Great payoff there.” He and Ram high-fived.
Steph laughed and wrote it down. “Ram, you write the ideas up and work on a case for why we should use each one.” Ram groaned and we laughed. “We’ll send it out for a vote so Hector can prep the men for each option. Meanwhile, let’s talk about the company.” We set the laptops aside and faced her. “I’m pleased to see the decrease in gossip around the company. It’s nice to know that when I hear news now, it’s more likely to be facts than fiction. Anything else I need to know?”
We all thought about it. Finally, everyone shook his head. “OK, good. Well, as always I’m ready to listen whenever you need to talk to me.”
“Same for me,” Bobby said. “I was here this week not just to work on RangeWorld, but also to spend some time with each of you and let you know how much the Leadership depends on you and your work in the company. We’re proud of you and we read your submissions very closely.” I hope I didn’t squirm. “We pay attention. I know that many of you don’t hear directly from us, or me, very often, but it doesn’t mean we’re not watching. You can always call me for anything you need. Don’t hesitate. RangeMan brotherhood applies to all of you.” We nod, small smiles on our faces.
The party breaks up and we all packed to go home. I had a four hour ride ahead of me, on a Friday. Make that five hours, since I would have to pass outside NYC during rush hour. I decided to take one last stroll along the beach and ran into the CO. She smiled.
“I’m giving you and Pat a reprieve until I talk to Mark.” I smiled, grateful. “Don’t mistake me. You’re still in the shit with me.” Smile gone and I nodded. “What I need to know, no lying Rodney, is why. Why on earth did you and Pat choose to do something so foolish?”
I looked the CO in the eye. I knew she’d ask and I’ve been ready for the question. “Because we didn’t think you’d notice or care. Because we wondered how closely you really pay attention to the company. Because the only spot in the company where we aren’t number one is in Bonds Enforcement and now we’re hearing that we’re about to slip in Redecorating, Bodyguard Services, and Client Services. We were stunned and desperate to show that we were still number one. We didn’t want to slip. We didn’t want Ranger wondering when we’d lost our edge.
Then we heard the company was in trouble, or at least Charlotte, a branch we knew nothing about, was in trouble. We know you hate Mark or at least that you don’t like him. We assumed you wouldn’t turn to us for advice or help. We wanted to help right the ship. We didn’t want Ranger wondering why we did nothing to help.”
