Chapter 58 Strategists Week at the Beach, Part II
Patrick’s POV—Wednesday
Morning activity? Amusement park. The CO ate cotton candy and rode the Ferris wheel all morning. She was a happy lady. Chase was amused. It was his idea and it was a last minute one, but she grinned all morning. We’ve been trying to think of something, besides flowers, to say ‘Thank you’ but we’re stuck. Each man is hoping inspiration hits soon.
This afternoon, it was my turn. Mark and I went over my offerings with a fine-tooth comb before I left, so I know they’re in good shape.
Wrong. The guys are vicious. I honestly think they enjoyed it. Jorge, Manny and Chase tore holes through my proposals and the carcasses were obliterated by the CO. Les was laughing his ass off.
“Pat, you look stunned,” he said, smiling.
Hell, I was. I’ve never had my ideas chewed like that and the guys were completely professional (if a little gleeful) doing it. I can see that these ‘rap sessions’ are going to be good for us. Boston is a financial town, and I think more about client service offerings than anything else. The active stuff isn’t major bank for us, so our client services stuff has to be killer. The guys tore my ideas apart and repackaged them even better.
I can see I need to develop a relationship with Jorge. The man is a former banker. He knows how his former colleagues think and he’s able to package an idea in a way designed to appeal to them. Chase is also a good guy to talk to about this, better than I expected. There are a lot of financial institutions in Charlotte and Atlanta, and he’s getting his feet wet in this world. He’s had to think about this for the first time and, as a result, he has new, fresh ideas. Yeah, my fellow strategists are a good source of support and ideas.
I kick back in the backyard and nurse a beer. Another day and a half with my colleagues to go and I will miss doing this in person. I wish I had known about the NYC rap session. I’d have busted my ass to get there. I look up and Lester is standing in front of me. How does he do it?
“Practice,” he says, sitting down. I chuckle. Blank face on vacation. He passes me another beer and we stare into the trees.
“Finding anything?” he asks.
“Sir?”
“In your attempts to dig for your XO? Are you finding anything?”
I know I’ve gone pale. How in the hell . . . then again, it’s Lester. I should expect it.
“That’s not really what we’re up to, sir.”
Les chuckles mirthlessly. “You think I’m not aware of that, Pat? Bobby and I read your reports with a fine-tooth comb. You and Rodney are attempting to save your own skins after you were warned that you’re on the ice with him. That’s clear. So what are you really searching for and are you finding it?”
I swallow hard. “Permission to speak freely?”
“Granted.”
“We’re not digging for anything to use against the CO. We were attempting to see if she really had won over NYC and Atlanta. We’re prepared to stand with the CO when she comes to visit us. It’s clear she has power, and we don’t want to be left out the loop because Mark’s being an ass.”
“And if she had not won over NYC and Atlanta? What then?” A long silence, then, “When did you begin to believe the Leadership Core was comprised of fools, Pat?”
My knees feel shaky. This isn’t going to be good.
“Why she’s been elevated is not your concern. She was. She’s your boss. You follow her orders. You don’t get to assess her. She assesses you. We, the Leadership Core, assess her. That’s the correct order of things, yes?”
“Yes, sir,” I whisper.
There’s silence, then, “Why do I get the feeling you’re running a psyop in your office? Explain.” I consider how best to keep my limbs intact. “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to worry about your limbs, Pat.”
“Sir, we’re running a shadow command, sir.”
“Explain.”
“We’ve told the men to form their own opinions of the CO. No one is to approach the XO about her until Rod and I are certain Mark has his shit straight about her.”
The silence seems to last forever. “And?”
“No, sir.”
“Explain.”
I tell Lester what we’ve been up to in Boston. He’s absolutely furious but calm.
“I’m glad you didn’t attempt to lie to me. I knew. The CO knows. Mark is hanging himself and the CO is supplying plenty of rope. After these past few days with her, do you think she’s a stupid woman?”
“No, sir. I’d say cunning and crafty would be the right adjectives for her.”
Les nods. “Exactly.” He stands and stretches. “I’ve long thought you were the most innovative strategist in the company, behind myself of course,” he smirks, “and considering the caliber of men holding the title, that’s saying something. But this shakes my faith in you, Pat, and I don’t like questioning my men.”
I’m staring at the empty bottle in my hands. I knew that plan was going to backfire on us.
“Yes, you did, but you still hoped it would work out.” Les sighs and shakes his head. “I’m proud of the work you’re doing in Boston. It’s solid and sustainable. But Boston’s attitude toward the CO? You’re questioning my judgment and I don’t like that.”
I swallow hard and nod.
“You will not mention this conversation to anyone. You certainly will not mention it to your XO. And you will pray the CO decides to rescue you. You are questioning her judgment also. She decides your fate.”
Les walks off and I consider his words. I know a lot about the CO but not how she might handle this situation. I realize that following my XO to the cliff might mean getting tossed with him. Rodney and I are in waist-deep doody and I can’t even warn him to watch out.
Steph’s POV—Thursday
I’m lying in the bed, wondering what this morning’s activity will be, when I hear a knock at the door. 0700. No no no! 7 a.m.! 7 a.m.!
“Steph?” Les.
“Come in.”
Les walks in and hops on the bed with me. We lie there, staring at the ceiling.
“What do you think I should do?” I ask.
Les sighs. “I told you that it’s not your job to get along with him. It’s his job to get along with you.”
I know that, Les. “There’s something else going on there, Les. I know it.”
“How’s he been lately?”
“Cooperative. He participates in the XO calls now. He isn’t a silent force of disapproval. Now that he appears to be alone in his rebellion against me, it’s almost as if he’s decided to switch tactics and start trying to learn more about me.”
“Intelligence gathering.”
“Yeah. Hal’s nervous. He doesn’t like the randomness of this ‘about-face’. I trust Hal’s instincts with people, in addition to my own.”
Hal is an unhappy man after each XO call. He is quick to admit he doesn’t have my instincts, but his knowledge of ‘the target’ suggests a problem. Hal’s delicate phrasing amuses me. It’s clear he’s trying not to bad-mouth Mark, but he wants answers. He still thinks of Mark as a threat to his ‘Sis’. Hal distrusts first; I trust first.
Les takes my hand and squeezes. “You know that he’s not in the country right?”
“Right,” I say suspiciously. I turn on my side and face Les.
“So what I’m about to say is technically impossible, right?”
My eyes widen. “Right . . .”
“He made a quick stopover to the Boston office in April. Right after you sent the recording of your call?” Les’s eyebrows lift and my eyes widen. I remember. “He handed Mark his ass. Told him that if you called us with one more problem it would be a tossup on who got his body first, me, Hector or him.” My mouth drops. “Rod and Pat were also warned. They’ve been trying to save Mark by forcing him to shut up and work with you. They’re also running a shadow command in the office. But when Maria dropped that ‘disinformation’ on them, Mark got nervous. Hence . . . “
“The current situation,” I finish grimly.
“Right.”
Now I’m furious. Mark’s a dead man.
At 8 a.m. (Ha!), we meet for the morning activity. Beach volleyball seems to be the winner, as the guys point out that no one in the house has had any real exercise for three days. So we head out to the beach and play. I’m actually enjoying it. Finally, I collapse on the sand, slather myself in sunblock, and snooze for a bit. I’m nudged awake after 30 minutes to flip over (Les covers my back in sunblock) and I toast the other side.
This is the life.
Chase and Pat serve up another tasty meal (I’m going to miss these guys when they leave. I hope the liaisons can cook) and we head to the living room. Today is Manny’s turn and, just as we’ve done in the past four days, we pick his ideas apart and look for ways to strengthen them. Half the time, Les and I don’t really say anything. We just sit back and watch the guys interact.
This is great. This is NYC redux. This is what we want to see with the strategists. They need to learn to work together as a team and bounce ideas off each other. If they’re supposed to be the idea guys, they need to trust each other.
After dinner, I head out to the beach and sit for a while. The sun is finally going down and it’s quiet. I’m joined by Patrick. He doesn’t say anything, just sits silently. I’m unsure of what to do with him and Rod. I decide I need more information to make a decision. My spidey senses are going haywire that there’s more to this ridiculous situation than I’m being told.
“Tell me about Mark.”
“Permission to speak freely?”
“Go ahead.”
Pat sighs. “I’ve worked at Boston for five years. Mark? Mark’s loved. The men regard him the way the Trenton men regard Hal, as far as we know. Under normal circumstances, Mark is calm, cool, and deliberate. He’s not a hot-head. He’s known for his strategic thinking and calm assessments. He doesn’t leap to conclusions. It’s why Rod and I can’t understand what’s going on in his head right now.”
I look over at him. Pat meets my eyes then drops his.
“You have a good idea. Level with me.”
Pat blows out a breath. “Two things. One, Mark wants to be a partner badly. He saw the financials. He sees it as the final rung in his ascent at RangeMan. He’s saved his money for years to prepare to buy in when it was offered to him.” I nod. “Two, he worships Ranger. I mean, whatever Ranger says goes. China has Chairman Mao’s little red book. RMBoston has ‘Quotations from Ranger’. It’s at that level, an almost soul-deep worship.”
I feel like Scooby-Doo. Er?
“Then why the war against me?”
“Because he sees you as unprepared to protect Ranger’s interests. Unskilled. Not serious about it. The Bombshell Bounty Hunter stories tell us you’re skilled at finding the man, but you were or are unskilled at apprehension and you did nothing, in all that time, to get any better. You’re a good detective but you caused more drama trying to apprehend than necessary. He’s worried that you’ll wreak more havoc trying to actively run Ranger’s company than if you’d left well-enough alone.”
I cringe. So, the Bombshell Bounty Hunter stories are part of the problem. My reputation for blowing things up and causing mayhem is causing Mark to wonder if I’m any good. That’s a legitimate worry, especially since I’m in charge. It’s the reason I’m so careful now.
“The moment Mark heard Ranger was starting this company, he resigned his commission in the military to join Ranger. He’s been the good and faithful soldier all these years and he’s concerned about this decision. It’s not Mark’s nature to question Ranger, but this is the first time in years he’s ever wondered if Ranger could be wrong. It’s like watching your commanding officer bring in a man from another platoon known for success but also known for constantly being under threat of court martial. Yeah, he’s brilliant, but the fallout is ridiculous. RangeMan is a company that prides itself on being low-key and under the radar. You are anything but. He’s worried about the hit to the reputation.”
Ouch. Perhaps I shouldn’t have given Pat leave to speak freely. This has a pillowcase feel to it.
“Then we found out that you were appointed by Lester, Tank, and Bobby and he got hopeful. This wasn’t Ranger’s move; at least, it didn’t appear to be his idea initially. It was the rest of Leadership Core and he decided to take a wait and see approach. Maybe there was a reason Ranger agreed to it that he didn’t understand yet. So we kept an ear to the ground and we started hearing good things. In the meantime, Mark acknowledged that he’d made a major mistake. That even if he didn’t understand why, there was no reason he couldn’t help you. So we started reaching out, quietly, trying to gauge whether or not you’d turn to us if you needed help.”
I think about what he’s said. I don’t like it but I can acknowledge it. “You and Rodney?”
Pat blows out a breath. “We don’t know you so we don’t have anything to tell the men to counter Mark’s impression. Again, deeply respected in Boston, so the men tend to believe him and whatever he says. That’s why we had to tell him to shut up but even doing that, all we’re left with is the Bombshell Bounty Hunter stories, which don’t do you a lot of favors.” Pat leans back on his forearms and stares out into the water.
“We know and understand that, at a basic level, the military response to this situation is ‘Mouth shut, follow orders’. But even in the military, men talk. They assess their leadership, from the Commander-in-Chief on down. We question their competency. We wonder at their motives, but at the end of the day, we follow orders. Reputation in the military is just as important as in the civilian world. The feeling in the Boston office is that we have a civvie in charge, and a largely incompetent one at that.”
I turn and look at Pat, stunned. He grimaces but nods.
“Like I said, you’re largely unknown as CO of RangeMan. You’re known as the Bombshell Bounty Hunter, 100% success rate but explosions, dead bodies, and mayhem follow you like stench on a corpse, no pun intended. It’s why we’ve been digging through the company trying to find out more about you. To combat that impression. To give a more nuanced view. To help the men understand that who you were as a solo BEA is not who you are as the head of RangeMan. They need to know something positive about you, other than that Leadership Core appointed you.”
“Should it matter? Leadership Core appointed me.”
Pat looks at me. “Should it matter? No. Does it matter? Yes. The reality of the situation is that it’s easier to follow someone when you respect them. If you don’t respect your leadership then you constantly question and second-guess them. You wonder if you’ll end up court-martialed. You wonder if you’ll end up dead. It’s the reason we all follow Ranger without hesitation. Ranger’s reputation is sterling. We know who he is as a leader and a man. Every man would follow him on a death march through the Sahara.”
“But you’re questioning him now.”
Pat nods. “And it’s uncomfortable. It’s not an ideal situation. For me and Rod, it’s hell. We have two levels of management we respect deeply and they aren’t in agreement. Common sense says with side with Leadership Core. Reality is we see them rarely. Mark’s every day. We love the sergeant. We obey the major.”
Tough spot.
I lean back and stare at the water. “And? You’ve had a week to watch me. I assume you’ve come up with something.”
Pat turns to me. “Cunning. Crafty. Complex. Fun. Honest. Hard-working and concerned about the men. I hate to use the word competent—”
“You’ve already called me incompetent. Please, feel free.” It’ll be nice to hear it for once.
Pat cringes. “OK, yeah. Competent. You’ve done things that made us all shake our heads. Case in point? Jorge. You gave Javi everything he wanted and approved him hiring someone directly into management from the outside. No one understood those moves and yet, after watching the man for a week, it was fuckin’ brilliant. He’s brilliant. OK, so he’s still uncomfortable with a gun. We can teach him that. We can’t teach him how to put together fee schedules or adequately price a new offering or even how to completely rip my ideas to shreds. He’s taught us that, well, how to do it better. It was the right move and yet it was completely unexpected.”
I nod. I let Javi do what he felt was right. He made a decision and was ready to stand behind it. It turned out to be the right decision. I can see Lester and Manny lurking on the boardwalk.
“So I finally have something to go back to the men with and say, ‘I’ve seen the CO in action, as head of RangeMan, and this is who she is’, and while it doesn’t erase the Bombshell Bounty Hunter stories, it gives the men a new lens to look at you through.”
I stare at the shore for a while before finally saying what I really think.
“Here’s what I know, Pat. What you’ve said to me sounds good on the surface. It sounds good on its face. But it’s a load of steaming hot bullshit and I’ve learned to recognize it for what it is.”
Pat starts and looks at me. He looks stunned. Good. Time to hit him with both barrels.
“What you’ve given me is a situation where I can’t win. It’s not my job to earn Boston’s respect. The respect should automatically be given to me because I hold the title. How would I earn Boston’s respect? Do you have a list of things for me to do, a checklist that you’re ticking off? Do I earn your respect after I manage all those items? Some of them? One or two of them? You can’t please all of the people all of the time—and when it comes to earning respect, you can’t even know what all of the people think you need to do. That’s why respect is given, not earned. It’s my job to avoid earning your disrespect, your distrust. Do you understand the difference?”
I look over and Manny’s gone. Les is leaning on the railing, smiling. I look at Pat, but I don’t wait for him to respond.
“I respect every man in this company. I haven’t had to meet each one to extend them that courtesy. I respect their feelings, their rights, their existence and I work hard to ensure they have everything they need to do their jobs. Every other office, so far, has given me their respect, and I honor it by giving them mine and trying not to give them a reason to distrust me. That’s how respect is maintained. If I fail to respect the men, if I constantly undermine them or make them feel incompetent at their jobs, then they fail to respect me. That’s how disrespect and distrust is earned.
That’s why Trenton, NYC, and Atlanta all think I’m great. Even in Trenton, site of all my explosions, dead bodies and accidents, the men respect me. You’d think they’d hate me for all that I’ve put them through but they don’t. There’s mutual respect there because I’m willing to put myself at risk for them just as they’re willing to do the same for me. Even if they didn’t respect me, they respect the judgment of the Leadership Core and they respect the position. Miami? I know Miami has a gender problem. They don’t and won’t respect me because I’m a woman. But Boston? I have to earn your respect? Is that the way the men would treat Mark in this position? Would he have to earn respect before they would follow his orders?”
I’ve gotten louder and louder during this explanation. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself.
“Tell me, Pat, what was on your checklist for me to earn your respect this week?”
Pat looks stunned. It’s clear he doesn’t have an answer.
“Did I pass? Do I have your respect? I guess I do because you’re willing to go back to Boston and tell them I’m not as incompetent as they think.” Pat cringes. “But we have an unequal relationship. I have shown you nothing but respect since you arrived. I’ve respected your professional ability. I haven’t made you prove you know how to do your job. I’ve respected your position and your ideas and worked to make them stronger and better.
By inviting you to the beach this week, I’ve given you an opportunity to meet with all your colleagues face to face and learn about them. I’ve given you another tool to do your job better, providing what I can when I can, but you’ve repaid my respect by telling me I’m incompetent and that you were here to assess me. That’s not your job. You’re three levels too low. That belongs to Leadership Core. You know why I’m willing to rip you a new one right now?”
He shakes his head slightly.
“Because this is unfair. What if I hadn’t shown myself to be someone worth respecting this week, huh? What if I had simply sunbathed on the beach and left you guys to work with Les? I would have been respecting Les’s position as your boss and allowing all of you time to do your thing, something that’s never been done in this company.
Would you have seen that as me creating an opportunity for you guys to work with your boss, together, as a group? Or would you have seen that as the CO skipping out on work to go have fun? Would you have gone back to Boston and said ‘Yup, she’s a disaster’? Would you have stayed silent? What would you have done? Whatever you might have done, it would have been impossible for the men to see me as anything other than a confirmed disaster.”
I flop back onto my towel. I will not cry.
“I shouldn’t have to go through that,” I say quietly. “Even I know that in the military you respect the title and the person holding it, even if you personally think he’s an idiot. Example? The President. You can hate him, hate his politics, hate everything about him but he’s still the head of the military and you salute the Commander-in-Chief and follow his orders. Even in the lower levels, you follow the orders because there’s a reason this person is your senior. Hal’s told me that time and time again. You don’t have to read his service record to know why. He has the title. He’s due the respect. If you can’t respect him, respect the title and carry out the orders.
That’s all Leadership Core asked of the RangeMen. Respect the title and respect the woman holding it. Atlanta did that. NYC did that. Trenton does that. Miami won’t because a woman holds the title. Boston? Apparently not until I prove myself. So that’s a no.”
I blow out a breath. Pat’s staring into the water, still looking stunned.
“This is a failure of leadership. Not just Mark. You and Rod too. So without even stepping into RMBoston, the senior management has failed the management portion of the review.” Pat looks over, eyes wide. “Oh yeah. You’ve had five months to tear me down. Now the men question not just me but the Leadership Core too. You think Ranger’s going to appreciate having his judgment questioned?” Pat pales. “I know Lester doesn’t and Tank and Bobby won’t. I’m in the impossible situation of having to earn RMBoston’s respect. You expect me to dance to your tune to earn your respect and I don’t like it. You may not love me but you will respect me. Why? Because those who want respect give respect.”
I stand up and brush the sand off myself and my towel. “Come on,” I tell him calmly. “Let’s go back to the house. I’ve had enough of the beach today and I need to start thinking of ways to earn the respect I should be given freely.”
And with that, I march back toward the house. I hope he liked his pillowcase.
Les’s POV
I have just watched the most brilliant dressing down I’ve ever seen. Even the ones I saw in the military don’t compare to the way Beautiful led Pat right down the primrose path then beat the shit outta him. It was beautiful.
Judging from the silence on my phone, Tank and Bobby agree. That’s why I sent Manny away. He didn’t need to see or hear his colleague get it. He still needs to respect Pat and the Trenton men are protective of Beautiful. Manny would find it hard not to plant his fist in Pat’s face if he heard what Beautiful just said. Unfortunately, it sounds as if every strategist overheard it anyway. I hear them scurrying away.
I saunter over, making it look as if I just arrived. “Hector’s not a happy man. You’re missing something, Beautiful.” I nod at Pat, indicating he should keep walking. Pat nods, almost absent mindedly and continues on.
Steph blows out a breath. “Crap. Left the phone?” I hold it up. “Thanks, Les.”
I wait until Pat’s out of sight, then open my arms and hold out a hankie. I can feel Steph cry against my chest. I rub her back as she cries and when she’s done, I hide a laugh. Beautiful is not a pretty crier and right now, I’m thanking God for it. This is enough to rip a man’s heart out, but her inability to cry cute means I can be pissed and amused at the same time.
“Feel better?”
“No. Feel crappy. How do I win here, Les?”
I have no clue.
“Santos.” Tank.
“Is that Tank?” I nod and put Tank on speaker.
“Little Girl, you OK?”
“Bomber, you OK, baby girl?”
“Yeah,” she sniffs.
“Liar,” Bobby says softly. “I, for one, count that as the most brilliant dressing down I’ve ever been witness to.”
“Agreed,” Tank says.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t solve the problem. What do I do with Boston?”
We’re all silent. Finally, Bobby speaks.
“Bomber, we’ve told you, you have leave to fire Mark at any time. Your judgment in the past five months has been stellar. Do what you feel is right.”
I nod and Beautiful looks at me, uncertain.
“Are you going to be here next week, Bobby?”
“Oh yeah. After what I’ve just heard, I want to be on-site. Plus, I want to meet with the liaisons as a group too. I’m flying into Newark tomorrow morning.” Click.
I hang up and walk Beautiful back to the house. I tuck her into bed and lie with her until she falls asleep. It’s been a long day. Hell, it’s been a long week.
Manny’s POV
Pat steps back into the house looking stunned. He’s met by four furious faces.
“Please tell us we’re wrong. Please tell us you didn’t have the balls to come here this week and think you had the right to assess her.” Diego is fuming.
Unfortunately for Pat, we were all on the boardwalk when Wifey ripped Pat a new asshole. Les sent me away, but I ran into Chase, Diego and Jorge on my way back to the house. Hector was calling, unhappy that Steph’s personal trackers and her cell phone were not in the same place. Until they were reunited, he was not going to rest. We tried telling him that Lester was with her but since I couldn’t reveal that Pat was getting his ass handed to him, the guys were determined to go ensure she was safe.
Rock, meet hard place. We fear Hector and Les equally. The guys overheard enough of Wifey’s speech to want to kill him. My fist feels itchy and Pat’s face looks like a good place to relieve it.
Pat sighs and sinks into a chair. We’re all staring at him, fuming. I’m keeping an eye out for Les and Wifey’s return, but I’ve warned the guys that both of them are sneaky.
“I completely understand,” Pat begins, but he’s cut off by an angry Diego and Jorge.
“Bullshit!” They both yell. They look at each other and Jorge cedes to Diego.
“You don’t understand a motherfucking thing,” Diego snarls. “If anybody in this room was the likely candidate to question that woman, it would be the Miami office. I’m the one from the office of sexist assholes, but I respect the position. I respect the woman and carry out her orders. I don’t question the Leadership Core because it’s not my job to second-guess their decisions. You mean to tell me Boston couldn’t do the simple shit?”
Again, blunt with no filter.
“You’re supposed to be the office with the XO who worships Ranger and you couldn’t stop your XO from questioning the leadership?” Chases asks, amazed.
“I did. We did. We—”
“Bullshit,” I reply calmly. “You allowed your XO to beat her down for weeks before you put a stop to it. Now you’re in the position of hoping she saves your ass. You deserve everything you get.”
Pat looks at all of us sadly. He knows we’re right. He looks at Jorge.
“Don’t look at me, fucker.” Pat cringes. “I might not be military but even in corporate, you don’t beat down the management. You got problems with the boss? You take it to HR. In this company, Stephanie Plum is your HR, your next step up. You should’ve had the balls to call her and say, ‘Ma’am, we have a problem’. Document it and call it in, if not to her, then to Leadership Core. Now you’ve created an even bigger problem for yourselves.” Jorge is looking at Pat coldly.
I spot Les and Wifey coming up the driveway. “They’re back.” The phone rings and I answer it.
“Hello?”
“She approaching the house?” Hector.
“Yes. She’s with Lester.“
“Remind her of the agreement.” Click.
Les and Steph step in. We’ve all composed ourselves and Diego has grabbed beer. Wifey nods and heads up to her bedroom.
“CO?” She turns. “CIO said to remind you of the agreement.” Wifey nods and continues up, followed by Les. Neither returns. We all sit and look at Pat, who looks as close to crying as a man will allow himself to get in the presence of other men.
I blow a breath. “Your job is to go back to Boston and salvage her reputation. Get the men to worship her. Ensure they understand that Leadership is to be obeyed, regardless of whether or not they understand or agree with the orders.”
Pat nods. “We’ve been doing that—”
“No,” Diego says, “you’ve still undermined her. You allowed Mark to beat her down with no reprisals then you call yourself putting a stop to it. How did you put a stop to it?”
“We told him to shut up,” Pat says, wearily. “Work with her. Pull his ass back from the chopping block.”
“In other words, you let the status quo stand?” Chase asks.
Pat thinks about it then slowly nods. He looks at Diego. “Why do you get to be so high and mighty about this? Your office is no fan of the CO. Where do you get off lecturing me?”
“Because I haven’t beat the leadership down. My men will disrespect her for her gender, not her leadership skills. Not her competency. They will disrespect her for the simple fact that she can’t piss standing up.”
We all blink at Diego, then snigger, then laugh. Even Pat. Diego is blunt, but occasionally he’s good to cut the tension.
“So no, we aren’t in the same position. There are men in that office that respect the CO as they should and will carry out her orders as they should. And there are men in that office who will question her and attempt to make her dance to their tune. And when that happens, Armando, Thomas, and I are prepared to beat the shit outta them. No questions. No hesitation.”
We nod. That’s the correct way of handling this.
“You’ve contributed to the idea that she should be questioned. I haven’t, and when she visits Miami I won’t stand for it. I’ve worked with her. I respect her abilities, her juice, but even if I had not, she’s still the CO. Leadership Core appointed her. Even Armando came back from the initial announcement in Trenton understanding that, although the men would have a problem, she was still in charge. He didn’t step to Ranger questioning whether or not she should be the leader and he didn’t bring that up when he spoke to Thomas or me. His only concern was that the men would disrespect her for her past when she visited and he didn’t want to be on the hook for that.”
Diego sits back in his chair and takes a long sip of beer. “Since then, we’ve decided that the men will see a steady diet of thrashings, just as Manny and I handed them out in NYC, to remind them that they aren’t the CO. She is. The men got a steady diet of ass whoopings until they understood that Javi was to be respected. They needed to be reminded of their place. That’s what will happen and is happening in Miami.”
Again, we nod. That’s the correct way of handling this.
Pat tilts his head back and stares at the ceiling. “I’m a dead man walking.”
And you’ve earned it.
Jorge’s POV—Friday Morning
I’m packed up and ready to make the trip back to NYC. Javi was right. This was a great week and it’s made even better by the fact that I get to pick up Annalise on my way in. I can’t think of a way this could be better.
“Jorge.”
Shit. Spoke too soon. Lester smirks. “Work on your face. Get it airtight.” He looks at my hands. “And stop picking your cuticles.”
Shit! How did he know? “Yes, sir.”
He chuckles and motions for me to walk with him. “How are you settling into NYC?”
Javi told me never to attempt to anticipate Les’s questions. Simply answer what I’m asked. “Very well, I think. I understand the job and I’m working on the standards.”
“So I hear.” He smirks. “Never stayed strapped in Tremont?”
I laugh. “No, sir. Parents woulda had my ass if they saw a gun.”
He nods, smiling. We stop at the end of the driveway and he turns to face me. “I want you to work on getting up to the standards faster.” I nod and make a mental note to buy a treadmill. “I’m incredibly impressed by you. Newest strategist and the one making the most bank.” I blink and smile. I can’t help it. Les grins. “Yeah. Incredibly impressed. I want to see you off probation and into the job fully. Your ideas and enthusiasm have been noted and we’re eager to see more. Make it happen.”
“Yes sir,” I grin. Les sticks his hand out and I get a firm handshake.
“Off to grab the daughter? Annalise, right?”
“Yes, sir.” How does he know that?
He nods. “Enjoy this time. When you’re ready to take on custody, let me know. We’re stockpiling the evidence needed to get joint custody when you’re ready.”
My smile drops. I’m stunned. Les looks at me, sober. “Nothing I hate more than watching a child be a pawn in an adult feud. I’ve seen it and I know the toll it takes. We’re prepared to help.”
If I could get past this lump in my throat, I might respond. RangeMan brotherhood. It’s deep.
