Boston, Part II

Maria’s POV

Boston! I have to admit, I’m looking forward to being in Boston in the heat of summer. It’s nowhere near as hot here as it is in Miami. The cooling breezes and cold drinks are keeping me hydrated and happy. I’m met at baggage claim by two handsome young men, Mark and Rodney, the XO and liaison for the branch. They fetch my bags and escort me to the waiting SUV, where they fill me in on office procedure and tell me that if I need anything, just let them know. They don’t cover grocery procedures, so I ask. Again, they have the same grocery procedures as Trenton and Atlanta.

Things I’m requiring in order to return to Miami: respect, consideration, grocery procedures.

I’m also done cooking those heavy meals. I’ve noticed something in my trip around the company: these are also very manly men and they don’t complain about anything the housekeeper cooks. Max said it best:

“Ms. Maria, if left to our own devices, we’d gorge on soul food around here. That’s part of the housekeeper’s job, to be our shield against our own bad behavior, our own tendencies. If the housekeeper serves us healthy meals, we don’t have to kill ourselves as hard in the gym to keep these bodies.”

I didn’t give his words much thought at the time, but in the days since I’ve thought about what he said and realized he was right. Part of my job was to make the diet easier for the men. The Miami boys spend hours in the gym lifting weights and running and they joke and flex and make Arnold Schwarzenegger noises, which have amused me to no end. But I wonder if the reason they spend so much time in the gym is because my meals clock in around 4500 calories, if not more. Of course, I’ve made what they asked for, which was the cuisine of my youth and it made me feel good, but I also spend all day in the kitchen. I had no free time in Miami, but in every location I’ve visited, I’ve had plenty of free time. Not cooking those heavy, labor intensive meals has freed me to go out and do other things.

I’m also done with laundry. I reread the contract and I’m adopting Ella’s laundry procedures. Armando is a married man, so he rarely takes advantage of laundry service. Thomas and Diego are both single, so I will occasionally get a load from them, but not like the rest of the boys. They wait until they’re nearly out of clean clothes, then drop loads of laundry off for me. Well, that’s over. Miami gets the Trenton laundry service model. Maria is not a maid!

Last decision I’ve made: I’m getting out and getting a social life again. I’ve spent five years mourning my husband, missing him, and treating the Miami boys as if they were my children. Well, the past six weeks have shown me that the building will not fall apart if I get out and live a little. Perhaps I can go to some salsa classes, get back out to the beach more, start doing the things that make me happy. I can serve in the church more if I make time for myself. I don’t expect to find another man like Armand and god help me if I do, but to love and be in love again? I don’t think that’s so unreasonable. I’m still a good looking woman. I still turn the occasional head. I’m going to get out there and see if I can find a handsome, polite man who can serve as my escort on occasion.

We arrive at RangeMan Boston and Mark carries my things to my apartment. He was named XO shortly before I started at Miami, but I’ve heard a lot about him and he seems nice, if a bit forceful, as I’ve heard.

“Thank you, Mark. I appreciate the assistance. What floor is the kitchen on?”

“6th floor, Maria. Susan left her binders for you and if you need any help, just let any RangeMan know.”

I smile. “Wonderful. This is just like Trenton and Atlanta.”

He smiles and turns to leave then turns back around. “Trenton? You spent time in Trenton?”

“Yes, I had a wonderful time there. Such an interesting location.”

“Really?” He smiles charmingly and sits down. “What’s it like? I was there once for the skip tracing workshop, but I had to leave right after that. We’re looking forward to the CO’s visit here.”

“OH! Well, I guess I can say that the first thing that surprised me was how military the office is. I learned later that it has the most vets and most Special Forces men, and it surprised me.” I smiled. “All those manly men and they love their granola! I was so accustomed to making pappas rellenas and pepitas that it was odd to hear that they preferred lighter fare.”

Mark nods, smiling. Rodney walks in and stands in the doorway, looking confused. I turn to him. “I was just starting to tell Mark about my trip to Trenton.”

Rodney’s eyes get big. “Wait a minute. Let me grab Pat. News from Trenton is rare.”

I frown and consider this. Interesting. Well, not completely unexpected. Those boys could be utterly silent when they chose to be. Patrick joins us and they nod for me to continue. They look absolutely intrigued.

“Well, I guess the thing I noticed most is how much they adore the CO. I didn’t know a lot about Stephanie before I arrived, but I got to spend a month with her there and I have to say, she’s sharp.” They nod, smiling. “She’s also very sweet and very caring. She’d just gotten out of her cast while I was there so they have her working with a personal trainer to strengthen her leg and get her up to female military standards.”

“You mean, she didn’t meet physical standards?” Rodney asks, his eyebrows furrowed.

I shake my head. “Nope. Apparently she was legendary in the office for her love of sweets, candy, cake, all contraband. The biggest part of my job was cooking for her and that little girl can put away a plate, let me tell you. But when I talked to Hal about it, he said that when Tank, Lester and Bobby come back to clear her, they want her at 65%. They don’t know what standard will be set for women in the company, if any are ever hired, so they’ve decided to work her close to the male standard.”

I see their eyebrows rise. I wonder why?

“Otherwise, she’s a sweetheart. She doesn’t miss details, she doesn’t forget nuances and she definitely cares about getting it right. She treated every single one of the men as if they were her big brothers and the boys treated her like their little sister in the building, but the moment they left the building or they were in front of ‘outsiders’, she was the boss. They were very clear about that.”

“You said she cares about getting it right. What do you mean by that?” Mark asks.

I frown and think for a moment. I’m not silly nor am I stupid. I heard the gossip in Atlanta and Trenton about Mark’s behavior toward Stephanie and I will not stand for it. Imagine! Treating that young lady like that simply because he’s upset that she was named to lead the company instead of him. I’m not ignorant that these boys are pumping me for information so I’ll give them just enough to satisfy but not enough to hurt that child.

I take a seat and smile at him. “Well, it means a lot to her that the Leadership Core put her in charge. She never expected it. Apparently she was placed on the paperwork for emergency preparedness purposes and she didn’t even know. Being asked to run the company under these circumstances was an honor to her and she’s determined to get it right.

What little I could get out the Trenton boys is that Ranger has been serving as her mentor ever since she became a bounty hunter and he considers her one of his closest friends, maybe even equal to Tank. He hid in her apartment when he was accused of murder, and I think we all know that the impersonator shot him in her apartment.”

The boys nod. That’s common knowledge in the company.

“She definitely considers him her closest friend, and the fact that Tank, Lester, and Bobby asked her to do this while Ranger was gone and they were in San Antonio,” I shake my head, “she’s determined to get it right for them. To not make mistakes. To make Tank and Lester and Bobby proud.”

The boys look at each other. Uh oh. Something I said was significant.

“Are you saying that it wasn’t Ranger who asked her to do it? That it was the rest of Leadership Core?” Patrick asks slowly.

Ah, so they thought it was Ranger. I nod. “Apparently they offered her the job but Ranger had to talk her into it. She’s never wanted to join the company, told me she was adamant about that, and was dead set on refusing their offer until he convinced her that he trusted her to do it and that if his partners believed in her, she should believe in herself.”

Something about what I’ve just said was very significant. Each man is sitting back and nodding, almost subconsciously. None of them are smiling anymore.

“So, when is she scheduled to come here?” I ask, smiling. Let see how much I can get out of you.

They look at each other. “We don’t know,” Rodney replies. “Each location learns about her plans about two weeks in advance and that’s it. She’s invited each of us to join her at the beach this summer. Pat’s up first, in a little less than three weeks.”

I smile at Patrick, who looks pensive. “Well, take advantage of that time to pick her brain. She’s sweet and she really wants to do what’s best for each branch and what’s best for the company as a whole. The Atlanta boys were forever asking her opinion, and knowing that she agreed with them or was giving them approval to move forward with a plan made them giddy.” I grin. “Ever since she gave them approval to set up a temporary branch in Charlotte, they’ve been walking on water.”

Now the boys look shocked. “They’re setting up a branch in Charlotte?” Mark asks, stunned.

I grin. “Whatever was in their review was so good that she authorized them to set up a temporary office in Charlotte. Danny and Hal have been trash talking each other about it because they’re determined to knock off whoever’s number one. Something about no strippers at the party and trying to decide where it’s going to be if they manage it.”

I’m well aware that Boston is number one, and the looks of panic on their faces are priceless. So they didn’t know about the establishment of a Charlotte branch. I’ll have to tell Ella I told them, but I can see that the knowledge has thrown them completely. Atlanta is already a massive branch. The addition of Charlotte means that Atlanta could very well become number one for years to come.

“Do you know how she’s doing it? I mean, what’s the standard? Is it still profitability margins?” Patrick asks.

I nod. “I think so. Hal was pouting because he complained that since she made Atlanta even bigger, they would always be the most profitable, but she reminded him that it was about percentages, not dollar amounts. Apparently, he’s edging Danny on the percentages right now and close to edging whoever’s top.” I stop, cock my head to the side and tap my lips. “Do you boys know who is number one?”

They look at each other. Mark answers quietly. “We are. Have been for the past four years.”

“Ah!” I nod. Perhaps I’m a better actress than I remember. I smile. “Well, all I can say is watch your rearview. Trenton and Atlanta are gunning for you.”

Each of the men smiles and thanks me before leaving.

---

The call with Ella was quiet at first. I wondered if I was about to be fired.

“So, if I understand you correctly, you fed them information about Stephanie. Talked to them about how she’s treated, how she’s working to meet standards, how she was elevated? You told them she never wanted to be a RangeMan? You told them about the Charlotte branch?”

“Yes, Ella.”

It’s silent on the line before I hear laughter. Quiet laughter that gets louder and louder until I hear Luis pick up the phone. “Hello? Who is this?”

“Luis, this is Maria. Is Ella OK?”

“Yes,” Ella replies, “I’m fine. Wonderful. Ecstatic even. Maria, you have no idea how you’ve just helped Stephanie. Luis, talk to Maria while I get Hal.”

Luis and I make small talk. Soon after, I hear Hal on the line.

“Maria, I hear you’re feeding information to the enemy in Boston. You know I give mat time for that,” Hal says teasingly.

“I’m sorry, Hal, but I saw that they were going to attempt to pump me for information the entire time I was here so I thought I better feed them something to keep them happy now.”

“Well, you did an excellent job. I can’t wait to call Danny and let him know Mark’s on to us. Plus, the things you told them will ease Stephanie’s way to Boston. I couldn’t have done better myself. As a matter of fact, let’s talk about how to make this work for Stephanie. I’m going to talk to Hector and we’ll call you back. Are you willing to assist us, Maria?”

I have to swallow the lump in my throat. “I’m glad I can help. I’ll do anything to help Stephanie achieve.”

“Oh believe me, Maria,” Hal says, “You did it today.”

---

Hal’s POV

Finally! A way to get some information about Boston without upsetting the apple cart. I feel bad, because I’m about to do to Boston what Boston does to everyone else, but not bad enough to stop. My goal is to protect Sis, not pander to Mark’s insanity. Ends justify the means? I hate that saying, but for the first time, I am in complete agreement.

I immediately go in search of Manny and Hector. This plan requires deviousness. I consider the situation and call Ella to join us. I am proposing using her employee. I better cover all bases.

Everyone arrives and takes a seat. Ella and I update Manny and Hector on what Maria told us. Both begin to grin.

“Well, at a minimum, I say we run a campaign of misinformation on Boston,” Manny says.

“OK, do you have a plan?” I ask.

“Well, the first thing we need to do is determine what our goals are. What will we consider success?”

“Annihilation,” I reply. I’m joking. Kinda. Everyone laughs and shakes their heads. “Well, we want to know what Boston is up to. What’s the mood like? What’s the view of the CO? What is Mark up to and why is he spying on her?” Well, that’s what I want to know.

Hector grins. “Hal wants to strip the Boston men bare.” He and Ella laugh but I nod.

“I don’t want Steph walking into a fight. I want to know that whatever’s going on in Boston is OK. I don’t want to see her disrespected. We already know Miami is going to do it and I’m prepared for that. Boston? I want to know what’s going on.”

“So, why don’t you boys just ask the Boston men?” Ella asks.

“Because Trenton and Boston are the only RangeMan locations with men who are completely loyal to their XO and who won’t leak,” Manny replies. I smirk. “The Boston men are as likely to give information about the Boston happenings as Trenton is.”

Ella sits back and nods.

“That’s why we need Maria for this, Ella. I know you don’t like the idea, but it would be great if we could use Maria as a mole for two weeks. Just to get an idea of what the attitude toward the CO is like.”

Ella is quiet. We can’t move forward until Ella agrees. Finally, Ella nods.

“I don’t like the idea of setting the housekeepers against the men because it’s a trust situation, but you’re right. This is about Stephanie’s protection. We need to know how the Boston men feel about her.”

“Great,” Manny replies. “So here’s what we want her to do. We just need her to quietly bring Steph up in conversations around the men. We know they’ll pump her for information, so we’ll give her a list of topics to talk about. Some of it will be true, some of it won’t. We need to see their reactions to it. Given what you said about their reactions to the news about the Charlotte branch, we need to know what other bits of company news have made it to Boston.”

Ella frowns. “Well, given that the Boston boys know about Charlotte, I think we better give Danny a heads up.”

I agree. I write that in my folio as a to-do.

Hector and Manny continue to plot and plan. I leave to handle the bridge.

Finally, we’ll have some answers soon.

---

“The boys here don’t know what to think of the CO,” Maria says.

Steph is with us this time and we’re getting our first bits of news back. Sis looks confused.

“What do you mean, they don’t know what to think of me?”

“Well, apparently, Mark was worried about your selection. Nothing about you was appropriate for the office of CO, in his opinion. You graduated at the bottom of your class, you got into this field after being laid off, from a mob-connected company no less, you had to blackmail family to get a job, and you can’t capture a skip without making headlines. None of that shows success in anything you’ve managed to do so far. The boys here checked out your background, made calls to Trenton newspapers and such, and found that it’s all true. All of this is what the boys here are telling me, Stephanie, not my opinion.”

“I’m aware, Maria. Go on.” Steph is pissed now.

“So, it seems that Rod and Pat told Mark to shut up about you and they’ve been running interference for him. The men have been told that any questions or comments that they have about the CO are to be brought to them, not Mark. The only place where they can’t run interference is the suggestions box you have, which is why you don’t get a lot of suggestions from Boston. They’re waiting to meet you, during your review, before suggesting anything.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because if Stephanie is as bad as Mark says she is, they don’t want to follow Stephanie off a cliff. If she’s much better than Mark says she is, they’ll be willing to listen. They’re trying to find out about you from Atlanta and NYC, trying to get a picture of who you are as the CO. What they’re hearing is good, so opinions here are improving. Whatever you did at Liam’s ‘exit interview’ gained a lot of respect around here from the men.”

I’m furious. Steph’s jaw clenches.

“OK, Maria. Anything else?”

“Not yet, dear. I’m keeping my ear to the ground for you.”

“Thank you, Maria. Goodnight.” Click.

Steph turns and looks at us. Everyone–me, Manny, Hector, Ella, and Luis–looks furious.

Steph stands. “I leave for the beach Friday. Time with the family.” She grimaces. “I’ll take that call privately from now on. I have specific things I want her to check on that I don’t want all of you knowing about yet.”

Everyone nods.

Boston is dead meat.

---

Mark’s POV

Maria’s been here for one week and it’s been the best thing to happen since Stephanie took over. Finally! A way to get information about Stephanie from an independent source. The only negative is that it’s clear that Maria adores her, but at least she’s realistic about her abilities.

“I chatted with Rose last night,” Maria says, while tossing a salad. “Apparently Charlotte has cost overruns. Danny and Stephanie were a bit stunned and they’re working with Ryan to try to straighten it out, but it’s not going like they hoped.”

I’m mentally cataloging everything she’s saying right now and so is Pat. We’ve never done so much KP duty in our lives, but Maria will chat freely while cooking so it’s a sacrifice we’re willing to make. Maria is horribly indiscreet, but I’m also realizing exactly how much information the housekeepers have. I’ve never asked Susan for information on what she’s hearing about what’s going on around the company and that was a mistake. The housekeepers are a great untapped resource.

“Stephanie is trying her best to save it before it goes completely underwater, but Rose says that Ella says that Hal says it’s not looking good. Hal’s thrilled. It means Danny’s off his butt and he can concentrate on taking you down, Mark.”

I smile. Good fucking luck, Hal. You’re brand new. You’re still trying to figure out the difference between your ass and elbow.

“Well, best of luck to him,” Pat says. “We haven’t been in the lead for four years for nothing. We’ve learned a lot.”

She giggles and we set all the dishes out in the break room for the men. I motion for Maria to join me in my office and Pat and Rod join us, closing the door.

“Seriously, Maria, I thank you for telling us this. We’re concerned.” I look at Pat and Rod and they’re nodding. “We want to help the CO in any way that we can. What does she need? Men? Advice? Ideas? We all love this company. We’ll do anything we can to help.”

Maria looks surprised, but she smiles. “I’m not sure what she needs, Mark. Why don’t you call her and ask her?”

I snort and Pat shakes his head. “The CO is. . . ” he looks at me, “not exactly fond of Mark. He realizes that part of that is his own fault.”

I smile ruefully. Very true. I’ve fucked myself when it comes to her and I’m beginning to truly regret it. Just because she’s in charge didn’t mean I couldn’t help and advise her. Shit, that’s what Ranger expected of me, and I screwed up by making her feel as if I were her enemy. Then again, I’m the senior XO. She should be asking me for my advice. Instead, she’s relying on Hal, who’s brand new, and Danny, who apparently can’t build or run a branch effectively.

“As it is,” Rod says, “it sounds like she needs help now and she may not trust us or give us a chance until after our review. We’ll probably be last since we’re the best run, which means she’ll go weeks or months without what she needs. We want to help her now. If she’s having problems, we don’t want her to fail.”

“We’re sincere in this, Maria. Stephanie may not like me, and I recognize that it’s all my fault if she doesn’t, but this is still Ranger’s company. If nothing else, I want her to succeed to ensure that his company is still standing when he returns from this op. So she may not accept my help, or Pat’s or Rod’s, because of me. So would you please just quietly sound out Ella and ask if the CO is willing to turn to us?”

Maria smiles and Rod passes her a handkerchief. We’ve learned that Maria is a leaky woman. “I’ll do that. I most certainly will.” She smiles and exits my office. We hit the break room and quickly make a plate then escape back to my office.

“OK, she’s clearly in over her head,” Rod says, shaking his head. “Shit!” He looks at me and shakes his head. “I owe you an apology, Mark. You called it, like you always do. She’s unqualified and she’s screwing up. Now what?”

“We need to right the ship. If she’s steering us into the rocks, then we need to step our performance up here in Boston to offset her inevitable losses,” Pat says.

“I agree. The problem is we don’t know exactly how badly she’s miscalculated,” I reply. We take a few minutes to dig in while considering what to do. “Look, I know this. I fucked up badly with her, but I love this company. I’ve been here since the beginning, done everything I could to ensure its survival and care deeply about its profitability and long term success. I’ve never questioned Ranger’s decisions before and I’m not questioning this one. I’m questioning Lester’s decision here. If this had been Ranger’s idea, I’d ignore my gut and let her do her thing.”

“But it was Lester’s,” Pat says, frowning. “I mean, Les is brilliant too and he’s no idiot. Plus, he and the CO are supposed to be close friends. Now that I’m thinking about this, I’m finding it hard to believe that she wouldn’t have mentioned this to him, at minimum.”

Rod starts nodding slowly. “I agree. Something’s not right here. The entire LC believes in her. No way she hides something like this from them and even if she does, Danny and Bobby are pretty tight. Danny isn’t crazy enough to allow her to screw his branch and Charlotte without saying something. And we all know Ryan will call Tank in a heartbeat. Those two are both tightfisted when it comes to money.”

We sit back and think. Rod and Pat have made excellent points.

“Fine. Then where is Maria getting her information? How likely is it that she might lie?” I ask. Pat chews his lip and Rod stares into the distance. “What would Maria’s motivation be? It’s clear she thinks Stephanie is a darling. She would be more likely to lie on her behalf than say something false.”

Their shoulders slump. That Maria adores the CO is perfectly clear to every man in Boston. No way she lies about her. We sit in silence and try to determine what to do.

“Plus, we know that she’s been given carte blanche. Anything she wants to do, she has the authority. So why run her decisions by LC if they’re going to back her anyway? Danny and Ryan might be in the same position I am: unable to say anything because the LC is going to back her up. Look at how Tank handled the Miami petition. He backed her without even listening to it the first time. I mean, Armando was thrilled, but in the long term it means that decisions we feel are questionable are going to have their support regardless of our objections.”

“Yeah, but it’s Miami,” Pat says. “What was that petition about?”

“Dunno,” I reply. “Armando said it was some bullshit he tried to stop, which is why he was thrilled when they backed her without listening to it, but the greater message is this: If you can’t even take a petition to upper management, a petition 70% of the men have signed onto, and get a hearing on it, then why should we, the Core Teams, believe that we have a shot at being heard by them? They’ve always listened to our petitions. Now, because of Stephanie, they won’t?”

The guys are grimacing and slump in the seats. That petition thing has been bugging me for a while. Does that mean I couldn’t get Ranger to listen to me if I disagreed with one of Stephanie’s decisions? There has to be a review process. There has to be a way for men to express disagreement with management and be OK. I have it here and if the men don’t like my decision, they were able to take it to the Leadership Core. Now they would take it to Stephanie, but if Stephanie just backed me without even listening to them, well . . . this is Boston, birthplace of the American Revolution. That spirit is still strong here. We like being able to present our grievances.

That is one of the many things that has made RangeMan such a great company to work for. You could always present your grievances to Ranger or Tank. They might not agree but at least they heard you out. The very fact that you could get 70% of the men to sign on to something meant they had to take it seriously and they always did.

I sigh. “So far we know she might be in over her head and attempting to save a branch that’s failing. So let’s see if she really pays attention to the company. If she does, then I’m sure she’ll call. If she doesn’t, then she’s in over her head and our actions will help right the ship. If she doesn’t call, I’ll confess our actions during the XO week at the beach.”

I go to my desk and pull my folder of top ideas. Pat and Rod slowly begin smiling.

“Pull your best ideas, Pat. You too, Rod. We’ll quietly implement one and see how it goes.” I riffle through my folder and spot one. A massive grin takes over my face and I hold it up. The guys grin.

“Let’s make sure Ranger’s company doesn’t go down the tubes. I’ve never allowed that before and I won’t allow it now.”