Chapter 70: The Crown has Passed!
Ram’s POV—Monday Morning
I hit the floor at 0700. Junior is grinning. Does this man ever go home?
“Check your email?”
“Nah. Why?”
Junior is choking back laughs. “I want a Candy look-a-like. Make that happen.”
I lift an eyebrow but head to my office. Ten minutes later, I’m grinning.
FROM THE DESK OF THE CO OF RANGEMAN LLC.
RE: The Crown has PASSED!
It is my great pleasure and delight to announce that the Trenton Branch of RangeMan, LLC has taken the number one position as ‘Most Profitable Branch’ in the company. Please extend your congratulations to Hal Linden and his men for their work over the past five months. Congratulations, Trenton!
I would also like to announce that, in a stunning show of force, the Atlanta Bonds Enforcement group has taken the crown for the ‘Most Captures’, ending July with a record 98% of their bonds brought in on time and under budget. Congratulations to Danny, Marcus and the Atlanta Bonds Enforcement team for their outstanding work.
Last, but certainly not least, congratulations to Javier, Mack and the NYC ‘Redecorating’ team for capturing the crown as ‘Most Profitable’ Redecorating group in the company. NYC is enjoying a surge in success in this client offering. Congratulations, men!
These results, and the monthly rankings, will be a featured item in the new RangeWorld environment which will roll out company-wide August 15th. I encourage everyone to take a look at the monthly rankings and see what your colleagues across the company are doing.
Watch your rearview, Hal! Danny and Javier, and their men, are gunning for you! I look forward to seeing who captures the crown next.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Plum, CO
Hal comes in at 0730, grinning to beat the band. He calls for attention on the floor.
“OK, so we know Atlanta and NYC are gunning for us. I’ve gotten calls all morning. The target is on our backs. Let’s show them why we won in the first place.”
“HUA!“
Today is a party day. Everyone is grinning and no man is slacking off anywhere. We have to keep the crown! Steph made it extra special by asking Ella to ditch the healthy food for a day and serve us the good stuff. Pancakes and eggs for breakfast, sub sandwiches for lunch, and BBQ ribs and chicken for dinner. Best of all, Steph somehow managed to convince Hal and Danny to let us have the strippers. I later found out that Candy talked her and Cindy into it.
“I mean, I know my coworkers in the AC. We depend on tips to survive. Let the guys have their fun, as long as Hal understands he can’t go,” Candy said during the morning staff meeting.
Trenton leadership laughed but Hal turned red and nodded.
“No interest. Why look at that when I have you at home?” He then glared at us. “And the first person to say anything needs to show me what he has at home.”
We bit our lips to keep from smiling. Hal’s a lucky fucker but we will rib him over being whipped already. And we’ll ignore the fact that we would be too, if Candy was ours.
Hal and Danny agreed that Hal’s celebration dinner would take place in Atlanta when Candy went to review their office. After speaking to Candy, Cindy agreed to allow Atlanta to have their celebration at a strip club too, as long as Danny didn’t go. He agreed. Instead, the XOs will have a nice, adult celebration with their ladies, including dinner and dancing, while the rest of us single hooligans are getting drunk and tipping the ladies. Same thing, just a different level of intensity. No man can wait.
My phone rings. “Yo.”
“Yo!” Adam. “What’s hot in Trenton?”
“Hal’s looking for ways to get you off his back, but Zip’s pissed. Watch out. He wants his title back. Manny and Les are ribbing him.”
Laughter. “Good luck. Marcus has gone mad there. Our entire department has gone mad. There’s no way we’re letting you guys have the title back, not after everything we went through to win it.”
“NYC?”
“Mack’s a man possessed.” We snicker. “Now that he’s taken the crown in Redecorating, he’s looking for a new measure to hit us on. You know the CO approved NYC dropping Bonds Enforcement, right?”
“Really?” Wow. That’s stunning. NYC will be the only location without it.
“Well, she set a new limit. Nothing under $250,000, so that means they’re looking at maybe 20 bonds a year. It’s not profitable in NYC, so if they’re going after skips there, it has to be really big money. So he’s looking through the portfolio of active work and looking for the next thing.”
“Nice. Well, Trenton is ready. We’ve had a good day here so far. Our men are hyped. No one will come close.” Click.
Thirty minutes later, the 1200 Liaison call starts.
“Yo!” Thomas.
“Yo!” x4. Four?
“Miami, present.” Thomas.
“Atlanta, present.” Adam.
“Trenton, present.” Me.
“NYC, present.” Adam again.
“Boston, present.” Rod.
“San Antonio, present.” Bobby. We’re quiet.
“Welcome, sir. I guess we should’ve allowed you in after Miami,” I reply.
Chuckles. “It’s OK. The official email will go out today that we’re joining all pulse checks and our men will start being calculated in the profitability measures.”
“Hal’s going to have a fit.”
Bobby laughs. Actually, we all do. “Tell him to watch out. We’re gunning for him too. News around the company?”
“Today’s email from the CO is the biggest. It hit Miami like a storm. Our men were stunned. They didn’t even know there was a contest going,” Thomas says.
“It was a private contest between Trenton, Atlanta, and NYC, but the Miami men should still be concerned about their profitability. It just happened that Trenton tipped Boston. First time the crown has passed in four years. It called for a celebration.”
“True. Otherwise, the men want to know when the CO will arrive.”
“They do understand that we won’t tolerate disrespect of the CO, correct?”
Deep sigh. “We’re preaching it. Diego and I handed out thrashings and manual labor like you wouldn’t believe it last week. I’m praying for a miracle.”
“It’s coming. Soon. Keep an eye on your email. Anything else?”
“No sir.” Thomas sounds hopeful. I wonder what that’s about.
“San Antonio will start moving men back in the next few weeks. Make sure you don’t over hire. You still have men here. NYC’s men will go home first, to help with their rebuild. Trenton next. After that, it will be whoever yells loudest about poaching.”
Again, we laugh. Something big must be about to happen. Bobby’s in a great mood.
“I thought we were getting our men back last, sir.”
“The CO intervened. She’s tired of monitor duty.” Laughter. Hal’s insistence has paid off.
“Atlanta/Charlotte?”
“Again, the CO’s email. Bonds Enforcement is swaggering.”
“I’ve been in contact with Danny about the party. It will be serious. I will be there and I voted for Dollhouse.”
“Yes!” Adam yells. We laugh. “Thank you, sir!”
“Make sure you send a gift to Candy and to Cindy. One to Steph, too. They made it possible to have it at a strip club. I’ll make sure there’s an open bar, but don’t go crazy. I’m betting Zip wants his title back and he’ll do anything to get it.”
“We’re prepared, sir. ‘Beatings will continue until morale improves’ has become more than just a catchphrase here, sir. Danny’s eyeing the profitability numbers to take the crown now.”
We laugh. I swear, this has been the most fun call in a long time.
“Trenton?”
“Overdosing on chicken and ribs for dinner, sir.” There’s boos and laughter on the phone but the guys congratulate us. “Steph’s been in her office most of the day but the floral gifts have been a steady stream from the men here.”
Bobby chuckles. “What? Nothing for Hal?”
“Candy’s first day was today. Every man had enough to do keeping his mind on his work.”
“Oh god, yeah. I’ve seen the pics. Lucky bastard. Rumor has it you introduced them.”
“In a way, sir.”
“Introduce me to someone like that.”
I mute my phone to laugh. “Once in a lifetime stroke of luck, sir. Hal was the lucky man to get hit.”
“I’ll say. And if you men haven’t met Candy, you will soon. She is our new corporate Head of HR.”
“We’ve seen the pictures,” Rod says. “Mark couldn’t string together more than five words about her without drooling.”
I grin. Candy’s a stunner, but she’s all about her Hal.
“Trenton? Anything else?”
“No, sir. Hal’s watching the rearview. I can’t wait to tell him he has to watch for Leadership Core in another state along with everyone else.”
Laughs, then, “NYC?”
“Mack and Jorge are plotting. They’ve been in Jorge’s office all morning. The word ‘major’ has been spoken more than once by both of them. I’m actually afraid of what they might come up with.”
I swear I’m going to need aspirin after this call.
“I would be too. Jorge is a sharp man and Mack’s a sneaky fucker. Hal’s rearview is a crowded place.”
“Yes, sir. Also, I should have done this earlier, but I’d like to introduce Drake to the line. He’s auditioning for NYC liaison starting today.”
A chorus of ‘Hey Drake’ starts, along with some well-meaning advice and general shit talking as a hello.
“Glad to be here. Learning a lot already. I was told the liaison call is usually boring. This is hilarious.”
“You caught us on a good day, Drake. Usually, this call is 10 minutes and boring as hell,” Bobby says. “Well, report what you’re seeing and hearing.”
“Well, the NYC men are on a tear. They’re trying to figure out what to vie for next and they can’t wait until RangeWorld rolls out Wednesday, so they can see what the numbers look like across the company.”
“Good. Healthy competition in the company is the CO’s focus. Anything else?”
“No, sir. Glad to join the call.”
“Boston?”
“Quiet here, sir. Our men are stunned.”
We stop laughing. Rod’s voice is quiet and pain filled. I don’t feel sorry for the bastard but I do feel for the Boston men. They had no idea what was going on at the top levels and now they’re paying for it.
“Mood?”
“Stunned. There are no other words. The men are unhappy, surprised, stunned, confused . . . Mark’s stitches and black eye are causing confusion also.”
We’re quiet. I get a text. Hal’s handiwork?—Bobby. I reply—It was the least he could do.
“You’re aware the CO is headed your way soon?”
“Yes, sir.”
“She won’t be disappointed in the Boston welcome, will she?” Bobby’s voice suggests that Steph being disappointed would be a disaster for them.
“No, sir. Mark and Pat are beginning the prep work for her visit now, sir.”
“Good. Anything else?”
“No, sir.”
“Anyone else have anything to say about the state of the company?”
Silence. I hate ending meetings on a down note but I can’t think of anything. Thankfully, Adam steps in for me.
“Sir?”
“Atlanta.”
“I’d like to enter a plea on my XO’s behalf. We would like our men back third. The CO keeps poaching.”
Chuckles. Thanks, Adam. Click.
I walk to the fifth floor and it’s silent. Hal’s pale and stunned and every man is smiling and clapping the XO on the back. Candy’s taking pictures and smiling.
There are two boxes on the table. Inside one is a humidor with dozen cigars, Romeo by Romeo y Julieta Piramide, fresh. I pick up the note.
Every man needs a vice. Keeps him in prayer.
San Antonio joins the race tomorrow. Show me what you’ve learned.
Tank
Hal’s fingering a cigar and smiling. I look at the second box. It contains a bottle of Bollinger La Grande Année Brut Rose 2004 champagne.
Popping bottles is much more fun with the good stuff.
Lester
Thomas’s POV
At 1600, the long awaited miracle arrives.
FROM THE DESK OF THE CO OF RANGEMAN LLC.
RE: Temporary Personnel Transfers
Effective August 15, Armando Cortes, XO of RangeMan Miami, will assume command of RangeMan Charlotte. Armando will be primarily focused on getting our Charlotte branch up and running at capacity. This is a temporary assignment but a necessary one to ensure Charlotte is ready to join the RangeMan brotherhood. He will be joined in Charlotte by Chase Jackson of RMAtlanta and Rodney Johnson of RMBoston. Please congratulate Armando and wish him well in Charlotte.
As a result, Diego Garcia will assume command of RangeMan Miami as XO. He will have all the power and authority of the position of XO at RangeMan Miami for the duration of Armando’s assignment in Charlotte. Please congratulate Diego and wish him well in his assignment in Miami.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Plum, CO
I walk over to my door and lock it. I sit back in my seat and smile. I can’t stop the tears. I’m so fucking happy that it’s unreal. I pull my vodka and take two shots.
I left it in the CO’s hands and I knew she would do what was right. Now I understand why Mando was packing his office. I thought he’d been fired but he smiled and told me to trust in the leadership. Everyone thought he’d been fired but he wasn’t acting like a fired man. Mando was ripping folks to shreds today. Three fuckers have mat time with him tomorrow. He was applying thumbscrews.
After Tony got body slammed, everyone realized: Armando Cortes is not playing games. Step to him and you’re taking your life into your own hands. Best come correct if you step to the XO.
I look at the email. Wednesday is August 15th. Mando must be leaving tonight or tomorrow.
Miami ain’t ready.
Diego will fire every single one of these assholes the first moment he can and she saved Mando. I love the CO. I swear, I love that woman.
Fifteen minutes later, there’s a knock at my door.
“Yo.”
“I could get my keys.” Armando. I hustle to open the door. Diego is with him and we all sit in my office. I pass the vodka and tequila.
“Congratulations, man,” I tell Mando.
He grins. “Oh, you don’t even know the half of it. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you before now, so let me give you the full story.” Mando gives us the meat of his discussion with the CO and, yet again, I’m stunned by her.
I need to start thinking about praying to the CO. She gets shit done.
“So, this is really a chance to test both of you?”
Mando nods. “I’m being tested to ensure I’m not a shit XO and I’m cool with that. She’s giving me a golden opportunity to prove I’m a good XO and that’s good for me. After all, no one can deny that Javi’s a good XO now, can they?”
We shake our heads. No, Javi’s juice has been proven and certified ‘Fresh’.
“I talked to Javi before I left. He said that I need to go full-throttle in Charlotte, bring the branch up right, assess the ground conditions, ensure it’s being done right. Danny gave me the scoop on what his men have done so I’m ready. I leave tomorrow evening for Charlotte. Tank is meeting me there to review possible site locations and go over the new branch procedures.”
Diego kicks back and grins. “And I get a chance to prove I know how to run a branch. Plus, she removes the conflict of interest with Mando firing Antonio. He fucks up, he’s gone. I won’t even blink. If I’m lucky, I remove the biggest assholes in this branch before she visits.”
“Why not fire Antonio right off the bat?” I ask.
Mando smiles. “I was ready to, believe me. I was going to do it the moment I stepped through the door but she asked me to hold off. She wants to see him. That’s the only reason he’s still employed right now.” He looks at Diego. “If he fucks up under you, call her before you fire him but she said that, chances are, he’ll wait until I return to start fucking up again.”
Diego snorts. “Yeah, I know that.” He exhales. “Damn. Well, she didn’t say I couldn’t fire him, right?”
“Right. Just make sure that you call her before you do it.”
We nod. Antonio’s ass was saved by the CO and he won’t even be grateful to the woman.
Mando sits back and crosses his legs, grinning. “If nothing else, I’ve learned that the CO is a brilliant woman and she will hold on to information for weeks and months before making a move. She set Mark’s ass up and now he owes her his life. Same for me. Whatever she’s up to, I’m not screwing her plan.”
Diego and I look at each other and grin. We know she’s sneaky. OK, we’ll follow orders.
“When is she coming?” I ask.
“Mid-September. She’s staying for a while, to investigate the leak, to get some work done, and she hired a head of HR.” Mando pulls his phone and shows us a picture of Candy Taylor, the new head of HR. Hal’s girlfriend. Diego and I look at each other and shift. She ain’t my type but damn. This is Hal’s fucking year! I look at Diego. He’s drooling. Candy is his type. Mando grins.
“Hal gave Mark a concussion with one punch. I’d hate to think of how he’d treat the man who messes with his woman.”
Diego tucks his tongue back in his mouth. “Shiiiiit, the woman’s a stunner! How long will she be here?”
Mando laughs. “Not sure. At least two weeks while Steph’s here. And don’t bother. Candy’s in love with Hal. Head over heels, waiting on the ring in love. You have no chance.”
Diego smiles. “I wouldn’t step to her. She’s got a man. But hey, I can admire beauty. I admire the hell out of her but I’ll keep my hands to myself. I saw what happened to King and that was over doughnuts.”
We look at each other and laugh.
The moment we hit the floor, we note the silence. The men are looking at Diego and Armando. The ‘problem children’ know they’re short-timers now. Slowly, the men start clapping until there’s a cheer for Armando. Antonio swaggers forward. Has this motherfucker learned nothing today? Mando’s already body slammed him once today. We have our blank faces in place.
“Primo, congratulations. I wish you well in Charlotte.”
“Thank you.” Cold as ice. Mando is looking at his cousin as my Moms might look at a roach.
Tony turns to Diego. “So, you’re taking over as the big boss, huh? Well, I look forward to working with you, Diego.”
“Sir.”
Antonio blinks. Diego does not. “Excuse me?”
“Sir. You will address me as ‘sir’. I’m not your cousin. You will never be so informal with me.” Antonio looks toward Mando, but Diego cuts him off. “Don’t look at Mando. He has nothing to do with the way you will address me as XO. Make ‘sir’ a part of your vocabulary, and fast. Got it?”
Antonio is red, but he nods once and turns on his heel. Diego turns to the bull pen. “Everyone got that?”
Nods around the room. I’m hiding a smile.
Diego will fire every single one of these assholes the first moment he can.
Mark’s POV
Boston is silent. My men are stunned.
Their XO returned from the week at the beach with a concussion and stitches. We dropped to number three in the company and NYC is within a ¼ of one percent of us. Shit! The CO is arriving in two weeks to assess us. I have no good news for them.
Boston is shell shocked.
Worse, when I looked at the profitability numbers, I can see that the loss of the Hospitality profits was killer for us. We were making major bank off that. Now we’re in the toilet with no hope of recovery because I don’t know how long it will be before we’re allowed to count those profits again. Stephanie didn’t mention it and I didn’t ask.
I read the CO’s email this morning quietly and clenched my jaw before I remembered how painful that was. I was right about the clique. They’re going full throttle and they knocked me down. Clearly the CO knew I’d lost the crown when she beat me down. No wonder she felt comfortable saying it.
I knock back a brandy and wait. I know Pat and Rod are going to show. I’m right. They walk through the door five minutes after the email about Miami. Lucky Mando. Lucky Rod. He’s getting a chance to prove himself.
They each take a slug and sit quietly.
“The cheek and black eye?” Pat asks.
“Hal.” I explain what happened and why. The guys nod.
“Hospitality?”
“All profits will go directly to the reserves. I don’t know for how long. I didn’t ask, she didn’t say.”
Pat and Rod clench their jaws. That was the stupidest decision I ever made and I convinced them to do it with me.
“Our men are furious. They’re scared. They don’t know what the hell happened and you haven’t reassured them. You look scary right now and now we’re hearing the CO is coming soon. We need answers, Mark.”
I lean back and sigh. “I don’t have answers, Pat. Not good ones. You know what’s saving our asses right now?” I lean forward. “Atlanta and NYC. The CO was clear that we’re retaining our positions, for the moment, because she can’t handle building a third branch. Otherwise? You, me, Rod, and all the guys under us would have been fired.”
Pat blanches. Rod tucks his head in his arms and breathes deep.
“We have to have our shit together when she comes for this review. We can’t fail. We’re dead men otherwise.”
“Who’s coming with her? Hal or Hector? Or both?”
“I dunno yet. She said she’d send the info tomorrow.”
We sit in silence for a few minutes before I speak. “I’m sorry. I led you both off the cliff with my vendetta and put your jobs on the line. I shouldn’t have and I’m sorry.”
Pat and Rod look at me, furious but quiet. Finally, Rod replies. “No, we followed you off the cliff. Pat and I, we deserve what happened to us. We should have stopped you and we didn’t. We decided to follow you in something stupid. But the men? The men had no clue. You need to apologize to them. They followed you, they followed us, like good soldiers and we led them into a trap. Each of us owes them an apology.”
I nod. That will be hard. How in the hell do I explain this to my men? What do I say? I’ve thought about it all weekend, written the apology, but how does an apology make up for this massive fuckup?
“How’s your wife taking your absence to Charlotte?”
Rod swallows. “Badly. Tamika is pissed. She’s pissed all the way around by everything that happened. We had to call my mother-in-law to get the kids because Tamika was screaming at me. I copped to everything, told her I might be unemployed and she called me every name in the book. You know, she just opened her salon.” We nod. “We had the cushion to do it because of my savings. Now . . . “Rod trails off.
I look at Pat, who’s grim. “Jennifer is pissed, no two ways around it. She wanted to take a year or two off from teaching, stay home with Dani. Now she’s worried she’ll need to pick up a contract in the spring. It’s too late to get one for this year. Best she could do is be a sub.”
I slump in my seat, miserable. My men are scared and their wives are angry. That means they won’t get any relief at home or work. Miserable place to be. The phone rings.
“Yo.”
“Yo! Hi, Mark.” Is the CO ever down? Shit, every time I talk to her it’s sunny happy, unless she’s about to beat my ass.
“Stephanie. How can I help?”
“What’s the mood in Boston?” We look at each other.
“Miserable.”
“Thought so. Can you pipe me in to the men? I want to address them.”
“Certainly. One moment.” We stand, confused, and walk to the bullpen. I put the CO’s call on the speakers and call the men to attention.
“The CO would like to speak directly to Boston, men. The floor is yours, Ms. Plum.”
“Thank you, Mark. Boston, I know that you’re surprised by the emails you’ve read today. I wanted to inform you personally that Trenton, Atlanta, and NYC had a private contest going on between them that your XO was unaware of until this past week. However, now that you are aware, I expect that you will join the fight and reclaim your crown. Hal’s getting cocky around here. Knock him back down.”
I look around the room. The men are smiling, some nodding. I decide to piggy-back here.
“Men, we’ve carried the crown for four long years. Now the babies are trying to run with the grown men. Time to remind them why we’ve been in the lead.”
“HUA!“
“That’s more like it,” Stephanie says. “Don’t let the new boys knock you out without a fight. Mark, I’d like to speak to Core Team now.”
“Yes, CO.” I transfer the call back to my office and we shut the door.
“Mark, Pat, Rod, you are still in the shit with me but your men don’t deserve that shock. I expect that you’ll inspire them to fight back, right?”
“Right,” we chorus. We’re stunned. The guys were right. You’ll take a sting (or wallop) to your pride in private, but she just built us back up to the men. She’s not allowing challenges to our authority.
“Great. I will arrive in Boston on the 26th and I’m coming by train. Danny and Jorge will accompany me on this trip. Pat, be prepared to both teach and expose every single thing going on in Boston to Jorge. He will be doing a thorough search of your records and client offerings before I start picking through. Mark, Danny is going to help me assess your operations.” We sit back, jaws clenched (owwwww). “I’m doing you a favor. Normally, I would be accompanied by someone from Trenton, but the anger is too high here, Mark. Consider this a gift.”
Put like that, she’s right. It’s an absolute gift. I can’t stand another concussion from Hal.
“This will also be Candy’s first trip as the head of HR. I expect her to be treated at an XO level, just as Ryan is.”
“Yes, ma’am.” We hear a groan and smile. “Sorry. Yes, Stephanie.”
“Thanks. Final gift. Because I’m being escorted by two RangeMen, I’m working on convincing Hector to stay home. Haven’t succeeded yet, but I’ll let you know.”
I could kiss the woman.
I head back out to the floor at 1730. I asked every man to be here so I could address them. I stand at the front of the room and it’s silent moments later.
I’ve been working on this speech since I came back home. I look over at Pat and Rod. Each looks solemn and scared.
“Men, I need to address the current situation with you.” I bite my lip and swallow hard. This is hard. I look up and at each man before continuing. “I owe each of you an apology.” I take a deep breath and continue. “As of this moment, the Boston branch of RangeMan is under heavy scrutiny by the Leadership Core and by the Commanding Officer. She’s not playing games. She’s sharp. She’s observant. She’s no fool and I’ve treated her like one ever since her ascension was announced.”
The men are staring at me in shock.
“It doesn’t matter what we’ve heard about her. It doesn’t matter what we think. What matters is what the Leadership Core thinks. I failed to remember that. I failed to remind you of that. I was reminded of that this past week, time and time again.
Because of my failures, the CO will visit us next for the review. Passage of the review will be entirely due to your efforts, not mine. Not the Core Team.” I clench my jaw and wince. “The CO has already informed each member of the Core Team that, due to his own actions, senior management has failed the review.”
There’s shocked murmurs throughout the room. Pat and Rod are red and swallowing hard.
“Again, our failure is due entirely to our own actions and, because we’ve already failed the review, I will tell you why.”
I look out at the room. Everyone is hanging on to my every word.
“The Leadership Core placed the individual they felt was best to lead the company as a whole in charge while they built our new San Antonio branch. I failed to respect that decision and I’ve been actively working against her elevation ever since. This was wrong and inappropriate of me and she quite rightly handed me my ass this past week.” I smile wanly. “No, the black eye and stitches did not come from her, but they were delivered on her behalf.”
No smiles in the room. Total confusion.
“I failed to respect Ranger’s decision. I failed to respect Lester’s decision. I failed to respect our senior leadership and she handed me my ass. It was not my job to assess her. It was not my job to second guess their decision. I’ve never known them to make a wrong decision and I put personal considerations ahead of doing what was right for the company. I put my own personal feelings and biases ahead of doing what was right, ahead of supporting the leadership.
I have paid and am paying dearly for my mistake. We are now third in the company and, based on what I heard last week, soon to be fourth.” Sharp intake of breath around the room. “NYC is coming back fast and with a vengeance. Trenton and Atlanta are growing so fast they’re running out of space in their buildings. The CO has proven that she can handle this job and she has already surpassed my best growth percentage in half the time.”
There are shocked gasps through the room. I give the men some time to accept that information in light of what they know about her.
I bite my lip and look at Mase. “The profits from Hospitality will not be counted in the branch figures but we still have to honor the contracts.”
That gets the first actual outburst in the room. Everyone is livid. I raise my hands for silence.
“Again, my mistake but instead of paying for it alone, I’ve dragged all of you into it. I’m sorry. I have failed you and I don’t know how to fix this.”
It’s silent in the room again. The men are a combination of angry, irritated, and stunned. Mase looks livid.
“Each member of the Core team is on probation right now and the CO has made it clear that she will fire us if there’s another infraction. I’m under direct supervision by the CO. In a few days, Rod will join Armando in Charlotte.” I look over at Rod, who nods. “It’s not simply an exercise to assist him in building the Charlotte branch. It’s Rod’s chance to save his job. Pat will join the CO in Miami when she goes to assess them. We are all under heavy scrutiny.
So, I am sorry. I apologize to each one of you. I led you wrong. I did not respect the leadership’s decision in this and I’ve been proven wrong. All they asked of me, all they asked of each of us, was to follow them as we always have. They’ve never led us wrong. They felt that appointing Stephanie Plum CO was the right thing to do and she’s proven that it was the right thing to do. Regardless, we should have backed her from the beginning. We should have made sure she knew she could count on Boston.”
I swallow hard. I think I covered everything.
“I don’t know how many of you are praying men, but right now, your leadership needs prayers. If you aren’t praying men”–I shrug–”do whatever you do to save us if you want to keep us. We aren’t in the frying pan and we aren’t in the fire. We’re at 10,000 feet without a parachute or a net and falling fast into a ‘Stan. Questions?”
None. The room is simply too stunned for words. I step down and look at Pat. He takes my place on the dais and begins his apology.
Steph’s POV
I end the call with Boston and sit back. My office looks like a florist shop unloaded in here. The men have presented me with flowers all day. Ella took panoramic pictures with my phone.
I enjoyed writing that email last night. I knew when the guys arrived that Hal had tipped Boston and I was dying to tell him, but that would’ve meant telling Danny that Atlanta Bonds Enforcement had tipped Trenton. I decided to wait until today, but I did tell Hal that he’s ahead by 2%, mostly because he’s down so many men. Hal paled, but straightened. He knows that his success in maintaining the crown will have to come from developing more business.
It’s the first time I’ve been thanked for poaching.
Hal’s been smiling all day. Candy started today and I think he enjoyed popping down to 3 to see her in her new office. Plus, they disappeared for 90 minutes at lunch and the men were wondering what they were up to, but I stopped by Candy’s office. They had a picnic in her office and Hal was helping her set up. I arrived just as Hal was presenting her with a new folio and a ‘Congratulations’ cupcake. It was so cute I just backed away and let them have it. The cigars from Tank and champagne from Lester just topped his day.
Ram’s a happy man. He says the liaison call was good. I know; I listened and I’m glad I put the phone on mute because I laughed through nearly all of it. Manny has been on a tear. He and Zip spent the day holed up in Manny’s office trying to figure out how to get their Bonds Enforcement crown back. After Zip left, Manny spent the rest of his day reviewing every single client offering in Trenton with Hal and Ram. They’re determined to retake the number one position they lost and maintain the lead. Knowing that San Antonio is joining the race has made them determined. Tank’s message to Hal redoubled his determination not to fail.
I’m glad Manny has something to take his mind off the op. I’m keeping an eye on him and I’m not the only one. Hal tried to give him some time off and he declined. “I need to do something, Hal.” Hal said to take the time if he changed his mind. Trenton Leadership is rallied around him right. Caesar, Ram and Manny have been in the gun range every day and Caesar is the one who lets us know if it’s safe to approach Manny.
The men here are intent on keeping the crown. I advised Hal to hold a workshop on the profitability math, just as Javier did in NYC. Hal sent the email out at 1700 about that and the men are looking forward to it. I’ve heard from just about every other XO today. Their men are ready to fight. Tank says San Antonio is ready to join in and they’re excited. My email has caused all kinds of excitement around the company.
Great. Now, I’m tired. I don’t want to think of anything else RangeMan for a few hours. I leave my office and head up to 7, take a shower and change. I pull out Ella’s list and add my new items to it.
1. What do I want from the man I love? Support, encouragement, love, the ability to make my own decisions, acknowledgement, speech, openness, honesty.
2. What am I willing to do for him? Exercise, carry consistently, I will accept a RangeMan partner if I continue as a bounty hunter. We can discuss my working for the company at the end of this year.
3. What compromises am I willing to make? We can discuss kids and marriage. If we have kids, a compromise he must make is that he will not accept any more missions longer than six months and no six month missions back to back.
I’m not ready to get married yet, or have kids, but the one thing I’ve learned, as CO, is that I will always have support. It’s not like the Burg, where marriages like ML’s are rare. The RangeMen would rally behind me and I’m sure Ranger would be by my side. Marrying him wouldn’t be like marrying Dickie or Joe, and spending time with Hector Manuel has shown me that I might be OK as a parent. He likes me and he’s cute and well behaved. I wasn’t afraid to spend time with him.
I will not be a single parent but I know Ranger loves missions. He has to, to do so many. I’m willing to compromise here. But I’m not ready for kids and marriage yet. I think, like Lula, we better try living together first.
4. What do I need to be happy? Support, love, the ability to make my own decisions, acknowledgement of my successes and no judgment when I fail, sex, sugar, meatball subs, pizza, and the occasional family dinner and time with friends. Also, time away from RangeMan and all RangeMen.
5. What’s non-negotiable in our relationship? Love. Sex. Support. Honesty. Friendship. Encouragement. Trust. Sugar.
I look at the list and smile. My demands are getting there. I know what I need. Basically, I need Ranger to be a little less mysterious. I get it. I know he will always be mysterious. I know I will never know everything about him. There will always be grey areas and things he will never tell me. There will always be some part of him in reserve. But if this is going to be permanent, I need to feel I know him, not that I have a really good guess. I don’t want to know all his secrets because I won’t share all of mine, but I do want to know about the things that will affect me.
The problem I have is how to get him to communicate. I’ve been thinking about what Ram said during liaison week, that Ranger’s specialty is giving orders and the rest of his communication is shit. I agree and that’s a problem. I don’t like mysteries and Ranger is the original mystery man. It’s what I love and hate about him. I look at the list; I put speech in #1, but I need to make it clear what I want. He needs to understand what I want. I start thinking and add ‘no more one word sentences’ to #1. Otherwise I might have to take a hint from Candy and start stripping.
I smile. That would backfire. Ranger would love that.
The phone rings. “Yes?” This is rare. Normally the guys leave me alone once I head to 7.
“Steph, you have a package,” Ram says.
It must be important. “OK, I’m coming down.”
I exit the elevator on the 5th floor and run right into Candy. She grins. “This has been the best day.”
“Great! I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”
“Hal told me about the standards I have to meet, so I’m headed to meet with Binkie and Cal about it.”
“OK. Oh, you’ll meet top leadership this week. They’re coming in to administer my release. You can finally meet Tank.”
Candy grins. “I can’t wait. It’ll be hard not to kiss the man over my salary.”
I double over laughing. “I’m not even sure if I’m that brave. You’ll shock him speechless.”
She grins and waves goodbye, so I head to Ram’s office. Ram smiles and points to a box.
The leather peep-toe Cole Haans are in the box along with a pair of Christian Louboutins. Vendome, in blue suede and a nearly 5″ heel. Sex in stilettos. I’ve been lusting after this shoe.
I can’t imagine Ranger shoe shopping. What did Hal say? ‘Not without a Presidential Order’?
I search for Ella. “Ella, did you purchase these?” I hold up the Louboutins.
Ella smiles. “Nope. Les picked up a special order from Barneys.” My mouth gapes and Ella smiles and closes it. “I can’t remember the last time I saw those,” she says, pointing to the Cole Haans. She pats my shoulder and walks off.
The Cole Haans were in my closet. My Miami closet.
Ranger went (internet) shoe shopping for me.
A/N: Two Side stories: Armando’s Had ENOUGH! (Sat) and Humbled, Part I (Mon). A One Shot on Sunday: I Leave the Burg. Val-focused. A deleted scene will be posted to my website Saturday at noon EST.
