Chapter 72: Standards, Part II
Mack’s POV—Sunday afternoon
Tank is clear.
“Body slam her at least once.”
I swallow hard. Body slam the Boss Lady? Tank is stone cold sober. “I’m supposed to be defending against her hand to hand, sir.”
Tank nods. “The CO ends up in more combat situations than most of the men in this company combined. She needs to be able to prevent a body slam and she would expect it in a self-defense assessment. I want you to do it during her hand to hand. Throw her off. I trust you with this, Mack.”
Still, that’s the Boss, yo. You want me to slam a woman. Not just any woman, but one I respect deeply.
Man, I always get trusted with the shitty stuff.
I spend the day considering how I’m going to do that and be OK with myself. At 1400, Hal motions for me to follow him. We enter his office and shut the door. I sit in the chair indicated, in front of a TV. Hal doesn’t say anything, just sets up a DVD and pushes play.
I watch in horror as a skip body slams her to the ground. She lands on the grass and just as he’s set to kick her in the ribs, reaching for something in his waistband, Ram shoots him, grazing his arm. It’s enough to startle him into slowing his roll. Tank drags the CO away from the man and checks her while Ram handcuffs the skip and removes his gun from his waistband.
She ain’t moving and, even though I know she’s OK and safe in the building, I feel my balls in my throat. Who the fuck is he? I want his name! I brought a shank with me.
Hal turns to me. “She ditched her trackers and got away from us. We just managed to make it in time. Our greatest fear is that, someday, we’re too late to this scene. Tank is not asking you to do something that’s never happened to her before. He’s asking you to ensure that she’s prepared to react if it ever happens again.”
I nod. Now I get it. I see and I’m cool within myself. The skip? Dead man if I ever learn his name.
Not too many ways to get a man once you’ve been body slammed. I’m being warned to wear a cup.
0600 Monday and I’m facing off against the CO. She looks cool, considering ways to take me down.
Come on with it, Boss. I’m ready.
She feints right. I don’t fall for it. She feints left. Again, not falling for it. She comes within striking distance and I’m watching her hands.
She sweeps my feet. Nice. Once I’m down, she punches me in the gut once and hops away, assessing. I hop up.
OK, no underestimating the CO. The battle truly begins. I sweep her feet and punch, but she rolls away and sweeps my legs. I’m up in seconds and it’s punches, kicks and jabs. She’s going at full speed. This isn’t Manny’s style and I heard Hal’s more of a boxer, so this must be Ram or someone I haven’t met yet. She’s fast but the opportunity opens and I take it.
I pick her up. That’s as far as I get because she immediately starts flailing around, eventually kneeing me in the gut and elbowing me in the head. My concentration is shot and I drop her. She rolls away from me and I immediately back away and shake my head to stop the headache. Even better, while I’m concentrating on my getting my head back on straight, her other foot sweeps my leg. I end up tripping backwards and falling on my ass.
We both jump back up, the Boss looking a little pissed. I grin, proud of her. Wrong fucking thing to do. She took that personal. This is Manny’s style now, kickboxing, so I know how to block against it. I have to step my game up to block her shots. We hop all around the mats and I’m proud. The CO could take any man she wanted to on the mats. After an hour, Tank calls time.
I assess. My ass hurts. My shins hurt. The CO punched my gut a few times and she knows how to throw a decent punch. My head is still ringing. I look at her.
“You OK, Boss?” I ask softly.
She snorts, rubbing the back of her head. “Body slam? Really?” She looks at me. “Who put you up to that? Hal? Or Tank?”
It takes everything I have not to smile. It’s painful right now. She’s got pointy elbows.
Steph’s POV
OW! OW OW OW OW OW!
Mack’s no slouch and he didn’t pull punches. The moment he grabbed my waist, I panicked because the last time that happened, Ram had to shoot Arnie Sleznick. I flashed back to that and did everything I could to prevent another shooting. By the time I looked up and saw Mack grinning at me, I realized Tank did that on purpose and I was pissed.
Tank was hiding a smile as I limped out the gym. I’m gonna get him back for that. And I owe Woody and Binkie a thank you. Mack couldn’t anticipate my moves until I switched to Manny’s kickboxing moves. Woody and Binkie kept me alive on the mats.
I limp to 7 and take a long shower. Long as in 30 minutes and I marvel over the fact that even after 30 minutes, I still have hot water in Ranger’s shower. I slip into my bra and panties and stand in front of the mirror, cataloguing bruises.
Multiple ugly bruises to the legs, a few to the arms. Thank god I already did the distraction. I take a mirror and look at my back and wince. Mack managed to kick me square in the ass once. I lie back on Ranger’s bed and let a few tears fall. That hand to hand with Mack really hurt but . . . I was still standing after an hour. I survived.
I smile.
I survived.
RangeMan Trenton is doing a crap job of keeping their faces blank. It’s clear I’m passing. The guys look incredibly proud. Hector came up to 7 and massaged my calves for me last night. He didn’t say anything, just massaged my legs until I was nearly asleep. Just as I drifted off, I felt him kiss my forehead and say “Proud of you, partner.”
That made me smile, too.
It was easier to concentrate on work today. The word has gone out that the CO is being cleared in Trenton, so everyone wants to know how I’m doing. Everyone is being told that the new company head of HR is holding the records; not even Core Team is aware of the score. Calls with company management are going well and I’ve been in the office with Tank and Bobby going over the company direction.
The guys are happy with everything I’m doing and they’re clear about it. I was surprised when Tank looked around my office and asked, “This still looks like Ranger’s domain. Why haven’t you changed anything?”
I frowned. “It’s not my office, Tank.” I got a raised eyebrow at that. “This is a one-year contract. I’m not a permanent employee. This isn’t my office to change.”
Tank frowned and nodded. “If you were a permanent employee?”
“Let’s get through this year first, Tank.”
Bobby was frowning now. “You plan to leave us, Bomber?”
“I’m saying let’s talk about me joining the company permanently at the end of this one year deal, OK?”
The guys have an ESP conversation and finally they nod ded. “OK.”
Good. I have some changes planned for you three too. I’m slow but not stupid.
I’ve been the victim of a psyop.
It finally clicked during the weeks at the beach. The insistence that I move out of my apartment? Cutting me off from family and friends during my recovery? The job that I’m not qualified for? Staying on 7 for a year? The insistence that I get the training?
My only question is whose plan this is, Ranger’s or Lester’s? It smells of Lester. Ranger would never have done this and that’s the only reason I’m not upset with him about it. I know the guys and they know me. I never would have done this without coercion. They did it to force me to get the training. Ram’s words sunk in and I considered them in relation to everything I know about Ranger. If I got the training, then maybe Ranger would consider adding a ring and commitment with his love. I’m betting they didn’t know we’d already talked about it, but having a broken leg was just too good an opportunity for them to pass up.
I was going to be out of commission.
I was a sitting duck.
I had no other options.
Now I’m not sure whether or not to be furious or grateful. I’m heading toward grateful, mostly because by forcing me to do this now, Ranger and I can talk about a relationship the moment he gets back and our talk won’t have to include a discussion on the physical aspects he’d want me to change. Instead, we can talk about his terrible communication skills and my inability to accept anything resembling an order. Still, it was sneaky but the guys helped me with exactly what I needed, as usual.
They paired me with a partner who understands me. Hector really is my opposite and other half. I’m barely together and prepared. Hector is hyper aware of everything and is always prepared for anything. He worries; I barely pay attention. He doesn’t cringe away from violence. I can’t watch a horror movie without covering my eyes. I believe in the best of everyone. Hector is prepared to slice someone into little bits at first glance.
I accept what Bobby said as true and I agree: I love my partner. I will not give him up, even for Ranger. Ranger and I would not make good partners, work-wise. Both of us would want to be in charge and that won’t work. Hector and I shift authority based on the circumstances and we do it so seamlessly that I don’t even think about it anymore.
Ram is the other man in my life, besides Hector, who will tell me the absolute truth. He never attempts to avoid the question and he’s always concerned with making sure that I understand both his words and his meaning. His words on the beach helped me understand why Ranger has never wanted a relationship with me and it hurt. Hearing his take on Joe and my relationship with both guys was painful but again, I saw what he meant and it echoed Mary Lou’s words the night I took this job. I was bouncing between both of them. No one knew what was going on and no one could make a decision. Joe’s giving up was the best thing that could happen. It forced me to make a decision.
Ram has no idea how much his explaining the ‘entertainment’ comment helped me release a lot of hurt and anger that I didn’t even realize I had. I’m not funny; the situations I find myself in are sometimes funny. Hearing that the guys hate Trenton PD because of the way they treat me finally helped me realize that the jokes aren’t funny either. Like Ram said, if I died in one of those ‘funny’ accidents, what wouldthey do with the money?
Ranger doesn’t allow anyone to think of him as a joke but I do. Why? I need to think on that.
Hearing him say Ranger has shit communication skills for anything outside of orders made me laugh. He’s right and it felt good to finally hear someone else, who I know respects Ranger deeply, give such a blunt assessment of his communication skills. I don’t respond to orders. Ranger only gives orders. Our communication is bound to have problems if he doesn’t learn to give me words.
I finally translated his sentences from the week on the beach. He told me Spanish is his love language. He speaks from the heart when speaking in Spanish. He needs me to tell him what I need. He’ll give me whatever I want as long as I’m clear about what I need.
OK. He’s going to get a shock when I start running down Ella’s list, but I’m interested in what he’s going to tell me. He’s told me what he needs to feel comfortable in a relationship but I’m sure there’s more. Ella is right (again. I need to send her and Luis on a really great vacation): what I expect from Ranger I have to be willing to give him. I’ve given him my heart. I have his. I want words from Ranger, but when he popped up to see me in Point Pleasant, he did most of the talking. Granted, it was uncomfortable conversations, but he talked. He gave me what I needed but I have no idea if I gave him what he needed. I need to think on that.
They left me with Hal, who treats me as his precious little sister, giving me a sibling kind of relationship I’ve never had. Hal watches out for me, is concerned about my happiness, and is prepared to take on threats and bullies, even those in the company. Looking at Mark’s black eye and busted cheek, I realized that, regardless of how long I stayed in this company, Hal was ready to kill Mark for his disrespect. When you consider the fact that this is his new job and I might not be here past a year, it was clear that he was prepared to accept any punishment Leadership Core decided to hand out, including demotion and dismissal, for fighting a fellow XO. That’s when I realized how seriously Hal took protecting me against all threats, emotional, physical, anything.
In return, I approved his girlfriend, even hiring her, I appreciate his help, tease him like a big sister, and back him when he needs it. I listen to Hal instead of fighting with him and I acknowledge that he always does his best to listen to my opinion before making decisions that affect me. Example? I allowed him to install a security system that I still felt was over the top. He balanced my need to feel like I wasn’t under constant guard and surveillance with RMTrenton’s need to ensure I was safe and secure. Result? I ended up with a security system good enough to convince Hector to leave me alone at the beach. I wasn’t offline but they gave me space. Hal is concerned about making sure my authority is not questioned and that I can do what I need to, for Ranger and BLT.
I’ll think about picking up a monitoring shift to say thanks.
I also need to think of a way to show Manny how much I love and appreciate him. Manny has taken on any duty that I’ve thrown at him and really run with it. Plus, he’s working Ranger’s op, helping Hal with this branch, and coming up with lots of ideas to help the company. RangeWorld? That was brilliant. He’s had a lot of work dumped on him and yet I don’t see where he’s failed at anything. Plus, he and I think so similarly that he’s the person who I have the best ESP with, aside from Hector and Les. I can look at Manny and it’s ‘message received’. Yeah, I need to find a way to thank him.
I wonder if he’s feeling the itch to go chase an FTA. He did promise that once I cleared we would be back in the field.
Right now, he’s in Baltimore checking on Juana and I told him not to come home until she’s released. He argued before he left but when I talked to him this morning, he thanked me. Juana’s getting better and her memory is clearing up. She now recognizes people faster than she did last week. He wants to bring her back to RangeMan and put her under guard the moment she’s released. I told him it was fine as long as Hal and Ram cleared it and that’s what she , he thinks she might be a target.
I hung up and cried a little for him. I ordered a floral bouquet for her hospital room and then told Hal. Hal and Ram arranged flowers, chocolates, and a manicurist and a facial. Manny called back and said that Juana’s family was stunned by our support for a woman we’d never met.
The Trenton guys are my big brothers and Atlanta and NYC also love me. I’ve never been surrounded by so much support in my life and all I did was listen to other people. That’s all I do. I’m not doing anything huge or special. I listen to the men and their concerns. As a result, the men like talking to me. I learn everything I need to and I don’t have to dig for it.
I can’t remember the last time I was criticized or hurt as a RangeWoman. The ‘brotherhood’ is great. For the first time in my life, I feel like I know what I’m doing. I feel like the people around me value me. I’ve learned to really appreciate the people around me who care about me, are worried about my safety and care about my happiness. I’ve learned to care about their hopes and fears. I’ve realized that the RangeMen all have fears just as deep as mine, but they put on a face of confidence to the world and no one thinks they’re a joke.
I can’t wait to get released.
I have some things to say to quite a few people.
Tonight we’re hitting the pool hall. I tell Hal that I need Mack to take me to my parents’. I need to pick up my pool cues. Hal grins. Moments later, Javi, Mack and Danny are in Hal’s office.
“CO needs to pick up her pool cues.”
Mack grins. “Let’s go.”
I look at Hal, who is blank faced. Danny is watching Hal.
“Javi and Mack can go. I’m good,” Danny says. Javi looks worried. Danny smiles. “It’s good. You’ll be OK.”
I bite my lip. I wonder what Javi did that they’re leaving him to my grandma’s tender mercies.
We arrive at the house and Mom and Grandma are on the porch. Javi turns to me, eyes pleading. “Please tell me that’s not your grandma.”
I grin, nodding. Mack smiles.
“Yo, man, she’s what? 80? It’ll be OK.”
“Have you heard the stories?”
“Yeah.” Mack looks at him. “And?”
Javi shakes his head and exits the car. He opens my door and we walk up the driveway.
“Mom, Grandma, I’d like to introduce Javier Cruz, the head of RangeMan NYC and Mack Odom, head of Security Administration at RangeMan NYC.”
“Welcome to our home, men,” Mom says. “It’s not dinner time, but if you give me a few minutes, I can pull together something.”
“It’s OK, Mrs. Plum,” Javi says. “We don’t mean to impose.”
“No imposition. Please, come in.”
Mack jumps and turns, eyes wide. Grandma is smiling.
Mack looks at me.
I’d stop her but clearly you and Javi did something to Hal. You’ve earned this.
By the time we leave, I have my cues, a slice of cake, and a meatloaf sandwich. Javi and Mack have a new respect for the rumors about my Grandma.
Mack’s laughing and crying all at once. “Yo, man, I got felt up by a grannie. I feel dirty.” Javi is chuckling. “Your grannie is wild, Boss Lady. I like her. It was like being in a NYC club on Ladies Night.”
“Canasta club,” Javi chokes out and we all collapse in laughter. We walk in and Hal looks confused. He raises an eyebrow.
“Oh, she got ’em. They enjoyed it.”
Hal looks annoyed. Danny, Tank, and Bobby turn red trying not to laugh.
Mack grins. “Homie, I could look at her and think, ‘Man, I got felt up by a grannie. Eww!’ or I could think ‘Man, I’m so wild 80 year olds wanna touch the goods. Yeaaaahhhh, booyyyyyyy!’ “
Tank’s laugh is bouncing off the walls. Bobby and I are leaning on each other to keep from collapsing. Hal looks annoyed and Danny and Javi are crying.
“If that’s Trenton being grimy, you need lessons. Come to Brooklyn, yo. Peep the game when the ladies are on and you’re the only dude in there, yo. That’s getting pinched!”
I look at Bobby. He grins and whispers. “Translation: If that’s the worse RMTrenton can do, you need lessons. That was nothing, Hal. You should come check out a NYC club on Ladies Night when they’re horny and you’re the only man in there. That’s getting felt up!”
I thought Ranger was economical with words. Mack’s at an entirely different level.
Hal calms and looks at him. “This isn’t over.”
Mack grins. “Come wit it.”
We hit the pool hall later that night. Mack had his cues and we played six games straight. It was serious. I hadn’t concentrated so hard on my shots in years. The guys were impressed.
“OK, I could believe she hustled through college,” Bobby whispered to Tank. Tank nodded. I was running the table in the seventh game and Mack was nodding, proud. I sank every ball. He never even had a chance.
“Shit! The CO can hustle.” We high fived and he looked at the cues. “Nice set.”
“Little Girl, why didn’t you tell us?”
I shrugged. “I never really thought about it. I mean, this paid for college. After that, it was just for fun but I don’t get a chance to that often. I’m rusty.”
Mack whistled. “If that’s rusty, I woulda hated playing you in your prime.”
After that, I kicked back with Ram and watched the guys play. Mack swept the room.
“You should ace tomorrow’s arms assessments,” Ram said. I looked at him, confused. “I never play.”
“Why?”
Ram grinned. “Junior champ. It’s what I did before I got into guns full-time. The skill set is the same.”
I thought about that. Yup, he’s right. “Mack’s getting cocky.”
Ram grinned. He challenged Mack to a round. Five rounds later, Mack had yet to sink a shot.
“Shit! Trenton’s got hidden hustlers! This ain’t fair,” Mack pouted. Everyone laughed. Ram nodded at him and retook his seat. Bobby looked at the two of us quizzically then smiled.
“Makes sense.”
Tuesday
Ram is right. The morning arms assessment goes like a charm. I demonstrate proficiency on my Glock 26, since I’d chosen it for a personal piece, but I also pass on the Glock 17 and the Sig Sauer P226, the standard RangeMan issue. Wills from Atlanta is assessing me and Ram is smiling. Everyone in the company knows he trained me. He knows I’ll pass.
“She’s not shooting the paper man’s balls,” Bobby whispers to Ram.
“The psychiatrist is on standby.”
Bobby chuckles.
I pass. Ram is smug.
“She still has to get into the live exercise,” Wills says.
Ram grins. “She’ll pass. Trenton trained her.”
“HUA!” The Trenton men smile. I salute them, which makes everyone laugh.
The live exercise takes place in a wooded area on the Pennsylvania side of the border. Ram is a regular there and he arranged to have the exercise run from 5-9 p.m.
“We need to see you perform in day, dusk, and night,” Ram says, outfitting me. I’m ready but Ram whispers “Ranger’s watching” in my ear before clapping me on the back and leaving.
I stand stock still, eyes wide. Ranger’s watching? Hector pokes his head in the dressing room.
“Angelita?”
“Está viendo Ranger?” (Is Ranger watching?)
Hector smiles. “Si.” He makes a camera motion. Ah …they have a camera going. He’s not here. Damn.
I relax and walk out and over to my team. Johno, Nash, Mack, Wills, and Jordan from NYC are on my team. Jordan is the resident range expert in NYC and Wills is for Atlanta. They’re assessing me in tandem.
“OK, did they give us an assignment?”
Jordan smiles. “Nope.”
“Then how does this work?”
Wills grins. “Capture the flag. Tank will give us our assignment, capture or defend. You have knowledge of the terrain, so you lead. This tests your live fire abilities and your ability to lead a team in the field.”
I pout and the guys all smile. “Sucks.”
Tank appears and hands me the assignment. “Defend.” I announce.
The guys groan. “Shit. Sitting ducks,” Mack says.
I grin. “Says who?”
Javier is the first to go down. As Jordan explained it, lethal shots got you counted out. So I arranged for the team to hide 500 feet from the target and attack anyone coming. They could choose their hiding spot as long as it was low. They looked at me in disbelief but complied.
I duck under a log and set up. I plan to move around every twenty minutes.
Javi doesn’t even see me. He steps right by me, within 10 feet, and I check around me before I fire at him. Square to the back. I duck back down and listen.
“What the hell?” I hear an exaggerated sigh. “Shit. I hate live fire.”
I watch him leave, grinning.
“Oh, so that’s where you are. Good move. Tuck in your feet, Steph,” he whispers.
OK, let’s not get cocky. I tuck my feet in and wait. I listen as shots pop off in all directions, but no one comes close. I roll and look for Jordan. I signal that I intended to move and he shakes his head once. Someone coming. I duck back down and wait.
I hear the paintball whiz by me and “Fuck!” Danny. I look around and he grins. “I was ready to get you too.”
I smile and look back at Jordan. He nods, so I sprint for the trees.
Tank’s POV
This is unreal. Steph’s doing wonderfully. She set her team out in a classic circle defense and each man is covering the men on his flanks while she roams. Excellent! It’s an old technique, rarely used, but classic and well-played in this area.
Bobby and I are grinning. Ram’s cocky. It’s clear he trained the CO well.
“You teach her this technique?”
He shakes his head. “Too many ways this can go wrong. I rarely use this. I’m betting that’s why she went for it.”
I nod. I would have expected Steph to be in the trees, since she’d been trained by a sniper. Snipers like to be up high and, clearly, that’s what the men expected. Finding the defense settled in low to the ground and shooting up is throwing them off.
Time for some refresher exercises.
Each eliminated man comes over and continues to watch the screen. Steph is moving to her fourth position, between a boulder and a tree.
“She’s good,” Javi says.
Bobby and I nod. We’re waiting to see how she fares against her partner. We kept Hector outside, so he doesn’t know her method, and asked him to jump in two hours into the assessment. She won’t expect that and Hector’s sneaky. If anyone can suss her out, he will.
Damn, I wish I could get in there. This looks like a helluva lot of fun.
Finally, we watch Hector join in. Hector would have made a great Ranger. Hell, we gave him as much Ranger training as we could over six months. He’s belly crawling the perimeter and he eliminates Mack first. Mack’s stunned but walks off.
Steph moves to another position and Hector eliminates Nash.
Johno gets a shot off, grazing Hector. Hector pops one to his chest and one to his leg. Eliminated.
Steph’s just realized half her team’s gone and I can tell she’s doing some quick thinking. Ram is watching, worried. Steph doesn’t have to eliminate Hector and she doesn’t have to eliminate everyone. This is a matter of leadership and strategy. So far, she’s passed with flying colors, but how will she regroup when half her team is gone?
I watch as she quickly signals Wills and Jordan. They must have had some prearranged plan because Wills and Jordan immediately move into the trees. I see Hector watch them, assessing. He knows, so he’ll steer clear of them and search for Steph.
I look for my Little Girl. She’s circling back around. Ha! OK, so the plan was to distract Hector long enough for Steph to move and it worked. Now he’s not sure where she moved and since the circle is gone, he’s back to square one. Every man watching is grinning.
I watch as Hector moves out of range of the snipers in the trees and goes to ground. His moves are so subtle that I can’t tell what he’s doing. I also lost sight of Steph.
Damn, they’re both doing a spectacular job. One trained by Rangers, the other trained by a sniper.
“You see her?” I ask Bobby.
“Nope. You?”
“Nope . . . Wait, yeah. There she is.” I point and everyone nods. Slick.
I watch Jordan drop from the tree, paint on his back. Marcus got him. Moments later, he and Jordan high five. Steph got Marcus and she’s moving again.
Every man laughs. I turn and count the men in the room with us. Damn! Hector, Steph, and Wills left in the field. We wait. This is gonna be epic.
Finally, the moment arrives. I see both Hector and Steph moving fast in each other’s direction. They duck down, Wills drops from the trees and I hear two shots. Wills pops up but there’s no paint on him. Instead, Steph and Hector each pop up, paint on their chests. They popped each other and both look disgruntled. Wills grins and grabs the flag.
Steph and her team successfully defended their flag. She passed.
The cheer in the observation room is loud and raucous. Everyone is thrilled. Hector and Steph look at each other and laugh, then walk to the observation room arm in arm. Ram throws open the door and picks her up, twirling her around and transferring paint onto himself.
Hector walks over. “She sacrificed herself. I was aiming for Wills.”
Bobby and I look at each other. Classic Steph.
Ram’s POV—Wednesday
The party on Haywood to celebrate the CO’s performance in the live fire exercise was intense. The beer flowed, the wings were piping hot, and we played poker all night. The CO was toasted again and again, but she bowed out at midnight.
“I have no idea what you guys have planned for 0600, so I need sleep.”
We waited until she left to toast the fact that we’d converted her to military time.
I called Hal in the middle of the live fire exercise and told him to execute ‘Beau Brummel’. He’s been grinning all morning and we’re waiting to see the results. Atlanta and NYC don’t quite get the idea, but they will now.
We’re hung over and hurt this morning and we love Steph all over again. She had Ella and Maria get us ‘The Cure’. We thought it was an urban myth, but McDonald’s fries, a large Coke and two Tylenol cleared my headache faster than anything else I’ve ever tried.
Every man grinned at Maria, welcoming her back, and she smiled. I dunno but Maria isn’t the same woman. The walk, the carriage, the attitude, Maria’s a force. This isn’t the woman who cried over everything when we first met her. This Maria could kick someone’s ass. We’re proud.
It’s noon and every man is following Candy around like a puppy. We want to know how Steph is doing. We’re proud. The gift has to be appropriate to the occasion.
Steph hits the fifth floor and yells. “WHERE ARE ALL MY CLOTHES?!“
We grin. “In your closet,” I reply. Tank and Bobby have tears running down their faces and Danny and Javi are shooting us the bird. Every man in Trenton is grinning, cheering and taking pictures and the men from the other offices are applauding.
The CO is in RangeMan Trenton gear from head to toe. Even her scrunchie has RangeMan Trenton on it. She looks great and the cheers are deafening. Hal stands and walks over with a windbreaker. He raises his hands for silence.
“We heard that Mack told you that you were too ‘major’ for basic black”–everyone laughs and Mack grins–”and we realized he’s right. We’re tired of the other offices pointing out that we failed to ensure that the CO always looks like the boss. So…” He turns the jacket around so everyone can see the back. It says
RangeMan
Stephanie Plum
Managing Director
With all the locations underneath. Trenton first, of course. Tank, Bobby, and Hector (where’s he been all morning?) are taking pictures and laughing.
Junior walks forward with a bouquet of red roses. “Steph, we sincerely apologize. Will you forgive us our mistake? We made sure to get you a month’s worth of RangeMan attire.”
Now the guys from the other offices are booing and every Trenton man is grinning. Steph laughs and slips the jacket on and we all crowd around her for pictures. After the impromptu photo session, she walks to her office and gasps. Hal turns to Danny and Javi and smirks. “That’s how caring for the CO is done.”
We bought a florist shop. I’m sure of it. Steph’s office has 10 bouquets of yellow roses, 10 separate orchids in different colors, flowers from every man, and gift certificates everywhere. We have another impromptu photo session in her office. Manny left three different styles of Ray-Bans and we printed a picture of him and Juana waving from her hospital bed. I left 10 movie tickets and an invitation to be my ‘hot date’ inside an empty carton of Half Baked, one of my favorite movies and ice cream flavors. Steph beams and teases me about rom coms.
God no. I’m going to start choosing our movie.
Danny’s been smiling but Hal told him not to get cocky. We’re still keeping an eye on the bottom line. As a result, he’s back on the phone with Atlanta office, trying to get a pulse for what’s going on. So is Javi. The liaison call was short and sweet. The only thing of interest around the company is how the CO is doing. We don’t know, so we can’t tell, but we know she’s passing.
All that’s left is swimming, lock picking, knife skills, self-defense and driving. At noon, Tank appears and drags her off to the gym. He and Maxwell (Atlanta) start the lock picking assessment and Steph clears that fine. She had some trouble once her arm was suspended (‘Shower rod, Tank? Really?’ ‘It happened.’) but she managed fine. Maxwell tests her in knife skills and she accidently slices him. She drops her knife and immediately pulls out a handkerchief, splits it, and wraps his arm.
We’re dumbfounded and not quite sure how Bobby and Tank will assess that.
Bobby shakes his head. “Pass.” Steph looks thrilled. “I mean, she not only sliced him, but she used her mandatory hankies to create a bandage.” Bobby smiles. “Not bad, Bomber.”
Bobby motions for Max to follow him to get stitched up while Steph looks at Tank. He nods and Candy marks it as passed.
Hal and I look at each other and go to his office. The gift has to be appropriate.
Javier’s POV
I’ve already been pinched and felt up, so I’m not quite sure why I’m escorting the CO to dinner at her parents’ house today, but Hal said it was mandatory. Company leadership was going.
I’m learning to look gift horses from Hal in the mouth. Bastard is sneaky.
We piled into two SUVs and headed to dinner. Tank, Bobby, and Steph were in one. Hal, Danny and I were in the other and Mrs. Plum looked thrilled to see Bobby.
“Robert!” Bobby tensed. “It’s good to see you again.” Bobby relaxed and smiled. Mrs. Plum stopped and looked around for Steph anxiously. “Have you been hurt?” She asked Steph. “Injured?” She immediately began checking the CO.
“I’m fine, Mom. The guys are doing my clearance, which is why they’re here.”
Mrs. Plum calmed. “Oh OK. Good. Well, let’s see.” She looked at everyone. “I know Tank, Robert, Henry, and I met Javier today.” She stared at Danny. “Daniel, correct? Atlanta? Southern accent?”
Danny smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Of course. I remember those dimples.” We smirked. “Well, come in. My mother is at her apartment tonight.”
Everyone released a breath.
Mr. Plum greeted everyone and we sat down to dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Plum were interested in knowing how the clearance was going but we told them we couldn’t say anything with Steph sitting there. That didn’t stop Mr. Plum.
“Tank, lo so che parla italiano, modo da poter parlare con me. Come sta?” (Tank, I know you speak Italian, so you can talk to me. How is she doing?)
Tank was calm. Finally, he replied, “Lei sta facendo estremamente ben. I punteggi ufficiali sono detenuti dal nuovo responsabile delle risorse umane, ma sta passando con facilità.” (She’s doing extremely well. The official scores are being held by the new head of human resources, but she’s passing with ease.)
Everyone at the table was confused.
“Lui sa?” (Does he know?)
“Noi lo stiamo inviando il video notturno.” (We’re sending him the video each night.)
Mr. Plum nodded and concentrated on his meal. After a few minutes, when it was clear that Mr. Plum had an excellent blank face, Mrs. Plum started asking Steph to describe what she was doing. Steph tried to downplay it, but we started jumping in to fill out her stories. At the end, the Plums were beaming and Mrs. Plum presented a chocolate torte. Danny’s eyes gleamed.
“Mrs. Plum, I’d love the recipe to this, if I could get it. I dreamed about this torte for weeks after I left.”
Mrs. Plum beamed and immediately went to the kitchen and pulled the recipe. As she copied it for Danny, we each cut a slice and dug in. I had a second slice. It was spectacular.
Mr. Plum looked at me, assessing. “If there was only one piece left, what would you do?”
I looked at him. “You appear to be the sort of man that would encourage me to leave it right there.”
He stared at me, gave one short, sharp nod, and looked at Steph. “You can bring him back.”
We laughed.
We left the house and set off for the building. Within five minutes, I could see why we had all accompanied Steph to dinner.
Driving assessment.
The other RangeMen had gotten together to run a three car tail on the CO. She bobbed and weaved through town, cutting through areas with ease. Danny whistled.
“She has the advantage here. She grew up here. She knows the area. The guys aren’t going to catch her.”
After 30 minutes, we could see what they were up to. This wasn’t a three car tail, it was a five car tail, complete with gunshots once we hit the highway. The guys were slick; none were in black SUVs. It was a variety of cars, which meant Steph couldn’t be sure who was friend or foe. Add in the late summer evening, with the sun in her eyes, and this was a true test of her skills. Steph immediately hit the left lane and started running evasion techniques, but after a while, she got on the surface streets again and moved into aggressive driving. Thank god we’d moved to a quiet area. She called for backup and the RangeMen not in the exercise moved to cut off the RangeMen who were in it.
It took 90 minutes of active driving before she was safely back in the building. She was shaking when we reached her.
“Gunshots?”
“Rubber bullets,” Tank said. “We weren’t going to put the public at risk.”
“And that crazy driving I just did didn’t put anyone at risk?”
“Were you in control of your vehicle?” She nodded. “Were you aware of other drivers, pedestrians, and enemy vehicles?” She nodded. “Did you complete the exercise without injury?” She nodded, calming. “Then it wasn’t crazy driving. It’s happened to you before. We’re testing you using scenarios that have happened to you before. Trenton PD was informed.” Tank smirked. “They didn’t like it, but since it’s you . . . “
She stuck her tongue out at Tank, who laughed. “That was a combination of about six things that have happened to me.”
Bobby grinned. “It was hard to pick just one.”
Steph’s POV—Thursday
0600 and I’m in the pool. Bobby looks good in his swim trunks. Candy’s here, smiling and giving me the thumbs up.
“Ten laps, Bomber. No stopping.”
I nod and start. Sarah’s made me do this and I know I need to hit at least 12’30”. No more than 13. I get started and finish the 10 laps in good time, I think. My lungs are burning.
“OK, Bomber, last item. Self-defense.”
I haul my tired body from the pool and nod. I pull on my sweats and sneakers and climb into the SUV to go back to RangeMan. I walk into the gym and stop.
Every RangeMan is there and Danny’s stripped to the waist in the middle of the mats.
Ugh. I’m too tired to even appreciate it.
I hold up a finger and Tank nods. I hit 7, shower quickly and change into a sports bra and shorts. I return to the gym and nod. Ready.
Danny immediately comes at me and he doesn’t let up for the entire hour. I dodge and break out of holds, avoid getting body slammed (again!?) and concentrate on looking for a way to take him down. ML, Connie, Lula, Monica, and Cindy are all cheering for me and that’s the only noise in this gym. The RangeMen are silent. The Trenton men are blank-faced and worried. I’m tired. After swimming for 12 minutes, I’m beat and trying to fend off his attacks is more than I can handle.
Danny gets me pinned to the mats and I can’t figure out how to get out of it. Just as Tank appears in my line of sight, I hear Lula scream “Charlie Wolenski!” Bingo! I bring my knee up to attack and Danny moves into position.
I head butt him and roll away, clutching my head. I hop up. Both Danny and I are clutching our foreheads.
“Time!” Tank says. I can see him look back at Lula, who shrugs.
“What? I didn’t tell her what to do.”
“Steph, we gotta teach you how to execute that properly,” Danny says.
My eyes are closed. “I don’t care. I got out of it. Ella! Can I get a Tylenol?”
Candy’s POV
Watching what Steph just went through, I’m astonished and a little scared. I need to do all of that to be cleared as a RangeWoman? Good god. I look at Hal. Thank God my boyfriend can train me. That was insane and it was spread out over a few days. I can’t imagine trying to clear in just a day or two.
I move to my temporary office to assess Steph’s scores. I pull the sheets and calculate her PT score. I grin; Hal’s gonna flip. Hmm. I stick my head out the door and motion for Tank. I show him her time for swimming.
“60 points,” he says, and leaves.
I record her points and grin. I’m writing the official company email and I can’t wait.
FROM THE DESK OF THE HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES
RANGEMAN LLC.
RE: The Commanding Officer’s Official Clearance
It is my great pleasure and delight to announce that Ms. Stephanie Plum, Commanding Officer of RangeMan, LLC, has officially passed the Basic Physical Standards and Skills Assessments!
Her scores are as follows:
Basic Physical Standards:
Sit ups: 60 for 81 points.
Pushups: 28 for 77 points
2 mile run: 18:30 for 82 points.
Swimming: 500 yards at 13’30” for 60 points
Total on the PT: 300 points, averaging at 75 points
Skills Assessments:
SOP Knowledge: 100 questions, 97% correct
Range and Live Fire: Passed
Lock Picking and Knife Handling: Passed
Self-Defense and Hand to Hand: Passed
Driving Assessment: Passed
Sincerely,
Candace Taylor, SHRM
I check the email carefully for spelling errors and double check the math. Everything’s correct. I press ‘Send’.
Ninety seconds later I hear the yells and I’m grinning.
I walk up to the fifth floor and the party is live in there. The men are grinning and Steph’s staring at the email in shock. I walk over and hand her the hand written scores. Ella immediately takes them from me.
“Oh no! We have to get these laminated!”
All the men are hugging Steph and passing her from man to man. I’m thrilled for her and I slide over to Hal, who hasn’t stopped smiling.
“Will I need to do that too?”
He nods. “Most of those assessments will never be done again, but the first time you clear, all of them are.”
“What gets done again?”
“All the PT stuff, Range assessments, and hand to hand. Once a year. Every man has to clear. Well, every man and woman.” He smiles.
“So, what’s checked monthly?”
“Health. Weight and running. The two things we’re called on to do the most. Push-ups, sit-ups, and swimming are done quarterly.” I nod.
I watch Steph. The tears are running down her cheeks and I’m a little confused by her outfit.
She’s wearing her RM Trenton swag and those Louboutin platforms.
Meanwhile, somewhere far away…
Ranger’s POV
I’m watching Babe’s hand to hand assessment and I’m in love. This is the best RangeMan clearance I’ve ever watched. She’s passing, that’s clear, and she’s doing extremely well. She buckled down and worked to master everything I would ask of her, everything I’d ever want from her.
I’m finally starting to consider what having her in my life will be like and I’m realizing that I need to spend some time with her once this op is over to figure it out. We need to talk honestly about what we each want. She’s done everything I could ever ask of her and I want, no, I need to know what she needs from me.
The woman I’m looking at on these tapes has my heart and she could stand at my back. All our moments together have been short and sweet, away from the world, alone with no distractions. That’s my life but not hers, and I recognize that I can’t get everything my way. I’ll have to make some changes. I’m just not sure what they’ll be yet.
Diet? I cringe. OK, family dinners at her parents’ once a week. I can see that in my future. She’s eating my ‘healthy crap’, as Hector said. I guess I can eat her ‘unhealthy crap’ once a week.
I need to give this some more thought.
When the email from the head of HR arrives (Head of HR? What? When did that happen?), I stare at it, astonished. Babe? I’m not even fighting the erection. Holy hell, just the idea of her being that fit and ready makes me hot. Shit, she blew the RangeMan standard out of the water. That’s Army Basic PT at 80%! Holy hell, I can’t wait to watch these videos!
I immediately pull up the video of Steph’s live fire exercise. At the end, I’m grinning and I’m glad I already ordered her gift. I knew she would pass. I believed in her, but this? These scores? Shit! I really hate that her gift isn’t what I would want her to have, but it’s perfect for her. It will have meaning for her and it’s what she would want. She’ll know what I’m trying to say. I text Hector additional instructions.
His reply? “I don’t get it.“
“Don’t worry. She will.”
