Chapter 47: I just need your support
Manny’s POV
My instincts are screaming that I’ve just found the perfect strategist for Javier. Jorge sounds like exactly what Javier needs: someone who’s rash, bold, and likes to make bets. Javier would balance him out, force him to prove his assumptions. Jorge is someone Javi trusts. It’s about time I finally found Javier an option; I had examined the backgrounds of every rising employee within RangeMan and none of them were right for Javi. I’m willing to take the chance on this guy.
Diego closes the office door and we shuffle around, pretending to search for keys. Diego gives Adam the rundown of the situation, and both of them are looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Explain,” Adam asks, softly.
“This guy sounds like the perfect counterweight for Javier. This guy is fast, makes bets and hunches, will take a chance. Come on, Wall Street trader? He’s used to making quick decisions, moving decisively. He’ll push Javi to make decisions, and he will help him bounce ideas around. Plus, his background is finance and marketing. He’ll get out there and fight for business. Meanwhile, Javi is slow, deliberate, and cautious. He’ll force his friend to prove he’s right, get the market research. Given what Jorge has already been through, Javier won’t have to push that demand too hard.”
I can see them considering what I’ve said. Diego starts to smile.
I grin. “Plus, this is his boy, from way back. This man has been through hell. He needs a job and he’s hungry. Javi will trust him, and Jorge will work himself to the bone to never let Javi down. If his boy hires him to help him turn this branch around, he will be forever loyal to his XO. And Javi will never have to wonder if his strategist has an ulterior motive for doing something.”
Diego is grinning now. “I’m gonna miss your instincts when this is over, man. You’re right. He will never betray Javi, and they seem to balance each other’s defects.”
Adam yawns and grins, shaking his head.
I ‘find’ the keys and smile. “Both of you trust your instincts over this lunch. See how you feel about him. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to find Javi a strategist from within the company, but there’s no one in the company who could truly balance him. This guy might be the right one.”
My instincts are humming “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Jorge Ortega has the look of a beaten, but not defeated, man. 5’11”, 190, with brown eyes and close-cropped black hair, he’s solid but not fat. Good; standards shouldn’t be that hard for him to meet. He’s early to the restaurant and he and Javi do the man hug. Javi introduces us and we all sit down and order. This place is the quintessential NYC diner: red pleather booths that have multiple splits in the seat, pictures of some religious figure (Pope John Paul II is the runaway favorite), and a constant smell of burnt cheese and NYC traffic. It’s a heady mix.
Javi and Jorge spend a few minutes discussing his daughter and his (former) job before he turns to us.
“OK, Javi isn’t big on keeping secrets, so what’s up?” He smiles wryly. “Am I in violation of a bond I didn’t know about? You guys here to take me in?”
Javi looks at him in confusion. “You get arrested?”
Jorge rolls his eyes. “Joke.” Javi exhales and shakes his head.
“No, actually we wanted to meet you. Javi just told us your background. Tough break,” Diego says coolly.
Jorge has a blank face, and he slams it into place. Shit, his is excellent and it was fast. Javi grimaces slightly before sliding his in place. I hear his foot going, and I’m sure Diego is grinding his teeth again. He’s determined to rid Javi of nervous tics. Adam has his blank face in place and sips his water while bouncing his leg. Adam’s nervous tic for amusement. Javi has damn near everyone doing some sort of bouncing or tapping. I see why Diego is going insane. Me? FBI and Trenton training. I’m amused internally. My tics are minimal.
The food arrives and we take a few minutes to chow down. Silence takes over the table before Jorge speaks again.
“I’ve already declared bankruptcy and I don’t have a house, so if you’re here to serve me papers for my part in the financial crisis, fuck you.”
Adam, Diego and I smirk. Sorry, but we need to test you. So far, good choice. He has thick skin.
“Perhaps you should outline your current problem with your boy, Javi,” I tell him. He looks at me in confusion. I nod. I need to see this. Javi turns to Jorge and begins to outline the problem. As Javi talks, I see the light coming back into Jorge’s eyes. Yes, there’s trust and support there between them, and Jorge is a problem solver. He’s hungry for a challenge.
We watch in amazement as Jorge helps Javi probe each option we presented. Even more, Jorge presents Javi with a new option, which Javi immediately jumps on. They probe weaknesses in that one and discuss alternatives, and finally Javi is grinning. He’s made a decision.
I look at Diego. He’s actually smiling. His face must be cracking. He looks at me and nods. I shake my head and nod at him. Your call, Diego. You’re looking at your replacement. You’ll have to train him, get him up to speed before you can leave.
Our silent conversation is causing confusion for Javi and Jorge, which is amusing. These two have been boys so long they don’t realize that they also ESP each other. That quick conversation didn’t contain a single verbal sentence.
Diego turns to Jorge. “Ever thinking of working for RangeMan?” he asks.
Jorge stiffens minutely. “I don’t need handouts,” he spits.
“Good,” Diego replies, just as hard. “We aren’t offering you one. We’re offering you a job. Believe me, you will work for your salary. But we’ve been looking around the company for someone to serve as a second to Javi, someone who can balance him. When Javi told us your story, Manny immediately thought you might be the man. Having met you and watched the two of you talk, I agree.”
Javi is looking at the two of us in cautious happiness. The foot is tapping until Diego glares at him to stop. Adam also stops with the leg bouncing. Jorge clearly isn’t sure what to think.
“I didn’t come here to beg for a job.”
“Haven’t heard you ask for one,” Adam replies, popping a fry into his mouth. “We’re offering you one.”
Jorge turns to Javi. “I don’t need you to beg for a job for me.”
“Hermano, I didn’t, I promise you,” Javi replies. “I told them about you because my boss is irritated with me because I’m slow making decisions.” At this Jorge chuckles. “Exactly. I haven’t changed, and I needed them to understand why I’m so adamant about having research and information for everything I do. I was surprised when Manny said he wanted to meet you. I’m not involved in whatever these two have cooked up.”
Jorge is quiet. Finally, he asks, “What are the requirements?”
Adam, Diego and I grin. RM-NYC finally has a strategist.
We take Jorge back to RM-NYC and while Diego gives Jorge a tour, I call Tank about hiring someone from outside directly into management. Tank is silent on the phone.
“You discuss this with the CO?”
“We’re waiting for her to come back from lunch to discuss it.” I gotta finish this milkshake before Wifey gets back. I’m a dead man if she spots it.
“You trust your instincts with this guy?”
“Yes, sir. My instincts are screaming this is the right one, but I’ll still have the full background and assessment done on him.”
Tank is silent. Finally, “Steph’s call. I trust her instincts. If she signs off, congrats. You’ve found the right strategist for RM-NYC.”
I smile. “Sir, yes, sir.” Click.
I rejoin the guys. Jorge is looking around in surprise. “This isn’t what I expected. This place is slick.” He snorts. “Traditional brick outside, glass and chrome inside. Designed to remind you not to underestimate the individuals inside from the moment you step in.”
Diego’s eyebrow lifts minutely. Jorge is proving, yet again, why he might be a good gamble. He understands the psychology of the decorating scheme in this office.
“Explain,” Adam says. We all slide our blank faces into place.
He’s still moving around, examining the furnishings, before he turns. “So, I’m thinking that whoever did the decorating wants you to feel just slightly uncomfortable? We’re in an area that’s gentrifying, but before this would have been an interesting area to find these kinds of furnishings. You step in and the furnishings are Manhattan, glass, chrome, shiny, not the leather and wood comfortable that you would associate with Brooklyn. Then you have the modern art on the walls contrasting with the subtle military motifs and the armed men walking around.” He pauses and strokes his goatee. “You walk in here and you have no fucking idea what to think. All of it feels out of place but not. It’s not exactly welcoming, but it’s not overtly scary. If you’re a client, you’re at a subtle disadvantage before we even start talking contracts because you’re uneasy.”
Javi is grinning. Diego, Adam, and I all felt that from the moment we walked in, but Javi had to explain the psychology to us. Jorge got it from jump.
“Javi never brought you here?” Adam asks. Jorge shakes his head. “He never described the place?”
“Nope. I asked, but he reminded me that it was a secure building.” He snorts. “Even things as minute as the art on the walls was classified, in his opinion.”
“Well, maybe I went a bit far with the art, but I like watching people walk in and react to the office. It’s fun.” We all smirk.
“How did you learn to assess this kind of stuff?” Diego asks.
“Wall Street,” he answers with a grin. “Psychology is 50% of the game. You have to be able to understand every subtle technique that could be used against you. It’s not enough to recognize it, which is what most guys can do. You have to understand what the effect is supposed to be.”
“So you wouldn’t bring people here to sign contracts?”
Jorge’s eyebrows rise. “Oh no, I would. Everything about this is subtle. Just enough for you to feel uneasy but not enough for you to see the psychological manipulation. Add in the men who don’t appear to be armed, but I know that you guys are armed to the teeth right now, and the fact that all this stuff is designer and expensive, and a negotiator walking in to lower a contract is already feeling subtly threatened and ill at ease. He’s more interested in making it out alive than really trying to press his case. Only if you’re as heavily armed as the men around you do you feel OK with really trying to negotiate like a bulldog, but how many people are stepping into this office armed to the teeth?”
If he had not passed the informal interview, he has now.
“So are you feeling threatened?” Adam asks.
Jorge grins. “Slightly. On one hand, I feel the waves of power and authority this room is throwing off. This is pretty intimidating for a lobby, but it sets the right tone for a security company. On the other hand, Javi is standing right there.” They grin at each other. “I’ve had a lot of shit happen in my life, but the one thing I know is that if I’m about to catch bullets, so is he.”
Success! I picked the right man!
Jorge walks over to us and looks at me. “So my job is to be the ideas man? To get out there and move the branch forward? Think up new solutions and see if I can get Javi to move forward off his ass, right?” Javi pushes Jorge and they both laugh.
I smile. “Yep. That’s the job.”
Jorge nods. “Sounds good. What’s the next step?”
“You need to meet the CO. She’ll be back at 4.” Javi and Diego look at me. “Just got off the phone with Tank.” They nod.
Jorge grins. “No problem. I’m good with the ladies.”
Every single one of us stiffens and drops his blank face into place. Jorge blinks. It was fast and absolute. Javi responds. “Not that kind of situation, Jorge. Take the CO very seriously. This woman saved my job and my ass. I respect her totally and she’s not one to even attempt to bullshit. She will smell it and rub your nose in it fast, dude.”
Jorge blinks and nods. “OK. Message received.”
Javi gives him a ghost of a smile. “Remember me telling you about the Asesino, the Reyes who wiped out an entire region in Jersey.”
“Hell yeah,” Jorge laughs. “Sorry, but that dude does not exist. Somebody would’ve offed him by now.”
Javi, Diego, Adam and I all look at each other. Finally, Javi turns back to Jorge. “You’ll meet him at 4PM.”
Jorge stops laughing. “No shit?”
“None.”
Steph’s POV
Hector took me shopping on Madison Avenue during the break. Well, we went window shopping. He’s promised me the 34th Street Macy’s tonight.
I thought about Javier’s problems while at lunch, and I realized that he and I are in the same boat. We have to prove to the world that we aren’t as incompetent as assumed, that we really are the right people for our jobs. We’re both fighting against the assumptions already out there about us. Javier is widely seen as a failure as an XO, but he was betrayed by those he was supposed to be able to trust. I’m a good bounty hunter, but weird things just happen to me. I don’t go looking for trouble.
This is my second chance to prove that I can be really good at a job, and it all revolves around the fact that Tank, Lester, and Bobby were willing to trust me with their company. They were willing to trust the woman known for explosions, mayhem and disasters with their multi-million dollar security company. If I make mistakes, if I cause chaos, I can sink RangeMan and they won’t have a company to come back to. But they trust me to do this and do it right.
Javier needs my trust and support. I’ve sent him the best strategists in the company. I’ve given the orders necessary to help him fight his way back. I’ve cleared money and men to come help. But these are just things. He needs to know that I trust him to make the right decisions for the branch, just as the guys trust me to do the same company-wide. Just as Ranger does. ‘Proud of you, Babe’ means more than any car.
We reach RM-NYC and Hector and I travel to the fifth floor. There’s a new guy standing with Javi, and Manny, Adam and Diego are smiling. 5’11 with black hair, brown eyes and a killer smile. Yum. The guy off CSI: Miami. The one that plays Delko. I loved him until I met Ranger. This is a dangerous mix. Javi looks like the darker version of Ranger and this guy is the sexy cop off CSI: Miami? Whew . . . . time for a sugary treat.
“Stephanie Plum, Hector Guiterrez, I’d like you to meet Jorge Ortega,” Javier says. He repeats it in Spanish for Hector.
I reach out a hand to shake and he takes it in both hands and kisses the back of my hand. Hector slides his ‘psycho’ face into place, and Jorge releases my hand nervously. Hector lifts his hand as if he expects Jorge to kiss it too, and Manny and Diego hide smiles.
“Umm . . . do you really want me to kiss your hand?” Jorge asks.
Hector raises an eyebrow. “Is that what you feel is appropriate?” he asks in Spanish. Manny murmurs the translation to me.
Point made, but I liked that. Jorge inclines his head at me in apology and shakes Hectors now-lowered hand.
I turn to Javier. “Before you give me the heads up on what’s going on, I need to speak to you privately.”
Javier puts his blank face into place and follows me to his office. I take his chair this time, which makes him grin. He sits on the edge of the sofa. The foot tapping starts almost immediately.
“I owe you an apology.”
Javier blinks and looks confused. “What?”
I lift my head. “I’m sorry.” Javier blinks and looks at me. The tapping stops. “I had a chance over lunch to think about you and what’s going on here and I realized that you and I, we’re a lot alike.” I sit back and smile at him. “You and I both have to prove that we’re good at our jobs and that we deserve the role we have. We’re doing it against a history of assumed failures that really aren’t entirely our fault.”
Javier sits back with a small sad smile on his face. He nods.
“So I’m sorry I was frustrated with you earlier. You don’t deserve that. I want you to know that I trust you and I trust in your judgment. But I do need you to explain to me what your thought process is. I want to help. I want you to succeed, and if you were thinking this is your formal review, it’s not. There are too many things going on here right now for me to actually review NYC. I’m thinking that NYC will be my last review, to give you time to really make changes here.”
Javier is quiet for a moment. Finally, he looks at me, and I know I made the right decision. “Thank you, Stephanie. Your support means a lot and I appreciate it. I appreciate everything you’ve done since I called to tell you about this branch, and thank you for giving me more time to turn it around.” He stands up and holds his arms out for a hug. We stand in a tight embrace for a few moments, but finally we break apart and Javier grins.
“The guys think they’ve found me a strategist.”
“Jorge?”
“Yeah. Let me tell you about him.” I listen as Javier tells me about his childhood friend and his difficulties. I nod, curious to really meet him now. I have some new options for Javier, but I want to see what this guy has come up with.
“Is this someone you trust?” Javier nods. “Do you think he’s right for the position?”
Javier breaks into a huge grin and nods. “I’m about to prove it to you.” He goes to the door and lets the guys in. Everyone gets comfortable (I snort mentally. There is no getting comfortable in this office. I have to call the decorator) and I pull out my legal pad.
“OK, so you asked me to take lunch and think about my options. We met with Jorge over lunch and he gave me a new option.” He nods to Jorge to take over. Jorge takes a deep breath and looks at everyone.
“So, here’s the situation. $5mil to play with, three options. I advised Javi to split the money. Put $2 mil into the security assessments side. Find the best three of his guys to be his sales team for that and start hunting down contracts. As he gains more contracts, hire a few women for the roles and even out the teams. Then he has a true client services group and a mix of talents.”
I nod. Good idea. OK, I like this guy already. Quick thinker and he came up with the same idea I had.
“Take the other $3mil and move into business investigations. With the collapse of the banking system, there are banks out there that really want and need someone to go and assess property and individuals. Make sure they come up clean. This is an underserved area and I’m sure we can get the market data to support it. With my background in high finance, I’m sure I can work my contacts to determine where we can go for the big money contracts. Furthermore, there’s growth there because that can go international. A bank trying to determine if they should purchase property in Kuala Lumpur or Grozny is more willing to trust a US-based security team than a foreign team with their own agenda. Especially if that team has the credentials that RangeMan has.”
I’m smiling. This could be a spectacular business opportunity and even better, he has the background and experience to make it work. If I had suggested this, I’m not sure where Javier and Diego could have started in getting these contracts.
“So, stagger the implementations. Start with the security assessments, get the contracts. 2-3 months later, start the business investigations. That gives us time to get the market data to support our assumptions and to figure out how to market and sell these services if we move forward. Plus, hiring men for this will be easier. There are literally thousands of men unemployed due to the housing collapse. We can pick and choose. If every man has to meet RangeMan standards and comes in on probation if he’s close but not quite there, then we can hire the men we want, get them to standards fast, and get them out doing investigations.”
I like him more and more.
“Side note.” He looks at Javi. “Dude, the furniture in here? Does anyone get a break?” Everyone laughs and shifts around. Jorge gives up and sits on the floor, starting a fresh round of laughs. Adam leaves and returns with water for everyone.
“Comfort first,” Jorge grins. “OK, so I know that this is an elite security firm but in NYC, everyone of importance either has a bodyguard or rents one. If you don’t have a niche in that market, it’s useless. Security, personal security, isn’t huge but investigations?” He grins big. “That’s huge. No one trusts anyone else, especially not now. A security firm with guys who can snoop and investigate? Big seller.
Plus, you can make the salary situation work for you. Offer a starting salary of $65K for RangeMen coming in on probation until they meet standards. Once they meet standards, up them to $85K. Every man is going to want his money, so it’s an incentive to get off his behind and get in the gun range. This way, you can hire more men who don’t quite meet, train them to your requirements, and not have to worry about trying to pay everyone six figures at once.”
I’m surprised we didn’t think of this for the salary situation. OK, I’m officially impressed. He took every disadvantage of this branch and made it work for Javier. I look at Manny and Diego, who are trying to hide smiles. Adam is smiling openly. Hector has his ‘polite smile’ face in place but he’s raised his eyebrows minutely. I know the look on my partner’s face. He’s impressed. I look at Javi, who looks happy.
“Javier? Your opinion?”
“This is workable for me, Steph,” he says. “I can move into an area where I know I can get business fast and get the market data I need to support the other decision. Plus, I make my money go further and I make our salary situation work for us.”
I nod and look at my notes. Finally, I look at Manny, eyebrow raised.
“Not quite,” he grins. “I called him. He said it’s your call.”
OK, so Tank knows. Everyone seems to think this is a good idea. I’m looking at Jorge. He looks nervous but confident. My spidey-senses aren’t tingling on him and I like his demeanor, his attitude. He speaks quickly, thinks quickly, and makes quick decisions. He doesn’t appear to have any nervous tics so far, which is great. Javi’s tapping is driving me and Diego up the walls. He accepted this job over lunch after auditioning successfully for it with Diego, Manny and Adam. Diego and Manny believe he’s right for the position. He balances Javier, and Javier trusts him and believes he can do it.
I’m going to support my XO. At least he didn’t hesitate in making this decision.
I smile. “Welcome to RangeMan, Mr. Ortega. You are now the strategist for RangeMan NYC.”
Jorge’s POV
I can’t fucking believe it. I was hired.
I have a job.
I have a serious job.
I do some quick math in my head. Javi said that salary here had just been given a 30% differential, which means that I started this morning making $65K and ended the day making $130K, well, once I make their standards.
Un-fucking-believable. I doubled my salary in eight hours.
I look around at the people in this room. These are my new colleagues. My best friend convinced his boss to hire me. His colleagues heard about me and thought I might be the right man for the job.
I will never, ever, let Javi down. This man has done more for me than anyone else. More than my family, my (ex) girl, and my so-called friends. Javi has stuck with me when I was at my highest and when I was at my lowest.
I thank God daily for the financial crisis. Not because it was a great thing, because it wasn’t. No, I thank him because I found out who I could really count on in this world and that number boiled down to two people.
My abuela and my best friend. That’s it. Everyone else abandoned me when I no longer had the money, the car, the house, the bling.
Tatiana is in for a huge surprise. Once I make it off probation and have settled into this job, we are going to court. I want court mandated visitation with my daughter. My baby girl deserves to know Daddy loves her, even if he can’t shower Mommy with fancy jewels and expensive vacations anymore. Daddy is going to get his child support straight and get it paid up to date. I’m not going to have Tatiana holding my daughter as a bargaining chip anymore. Things are about to change.
I look at the CO (I need to learn the lingo fast. What does CO mean?) and commit everything about her to memory. I will never forget this woman as long as I live. The final decision was hers and she hired me. She will always be a special person in my heart. I need to get up to speed on the security industry ASAP. I can’t let her or Javi down. I’ll memorize everything I can get my hands on by the end of the week.
Diego, Manny and Adam motion for me to follow them. I look back at Javi, who smiles and nods, so I follow these guys into another office. It’s nice, a carbon copy of Javi’s. Two floor to ceiling windows flanked by bookcases. A drinks cabinet (wonder if there’s anything in there) and metal filing cabinets. A glass desk and sleek desktop accessories. Ugly ass art on the walls in this office (seriously? Dogs playing poker? That has to belong to the last guy.) I wonder if I’m allowed the change the furniture or if I can talk Javi into it. If I thought the lobby was an exercise in psychological manipulation, the furniture in Javi’s office is a psychological beat down and I have that same furniture.
“Welcome to RangeMan,” Diego says, smiling. I shake his hand and Manny and Adam repeat the welcome. Adam leaves to catch up on other work but says he’ll be back later.
“First thing you should know: we’re going to do a full background on you,” Manny says. “You’ll also have a drug test and a fitness assessment.”
I nod. These are things Javi has told me about. The guys continue to outline what’s going to happen over the next few days. Diego will teach me everything I need to know about the industry, Manny will teach me RangeMan particulars, this is my new office (sweet! The poker dogs are gone! My style is tasteful.), and there’s another open slot in management they’re searching for, the position Adam is currently filling. Now that I’m in place, they can find someone to balance both me and Javi.
I snort. Can’t wait to meet this guy. My thoughts must have been written on my face because they smile.
“Rule two in RangeMan management: Develop a blank face,” Diego says.
Crap! I hate Javi’s. Now, I need to dust mine off?
“Yeah, you do. A man whose face can be read is a liability. And whatever your nervous tics are, get those under control.”
That’s true. Damn, I guess I need to start practicing again. I slide mine into place and watch both of them smirk. I make a mental note to contact my old manicurist. My nervous tic is picking at my cuticles. Subtle because it just looks like you’re playing with your fingers and most men don’t pay attention to another man’s hands to that degree.
Women, of course, catch me out on it immediately. They notice stuff like that.
“Rule one in RangeMan management: This is a brotherhood. We don’t leave anyone’s ass hanging in the wind. Steadfast loyalty, courage, conviction, all of it runs through this organization,” Manny says.
I have to blink at that statement. I’ve seen it in Javi for years. Being hired into a company where this is a motto means more than these guys will ever know.
“You’ll receive it, but you’ll also be required to give it. Your predecessor had no loyalty to his XO. He’ll probably be fired. Don’t let that happen to you,” Diego adds.
I snort. Whatever dumb fuck betrayed Javier should never meet me in a dark alley. I will knife him with no regrets. TREMONT!
“You can always call on any branch for assistance and support and they will give it to you. What you need, no questions,” Diego clears his throat and Manny amends the statement, “OK, very few questions asked.” He grins. “We’re a bunch of nosy bastards in this company.”
“Where are you guys located?”
“I’m from Miami,” Diego says, “and Manny is from Trenton. We’ll probably ask Patrick, the Boston strategist, to come down here and meet with you soon. Manny and Pat are your closest allies. Get to know them and their management colleagues well. They’ll be the first to respond to you when you need them.”
“I’ll probably leave for a few days within the next few weeks. I have to get back to Trenton before Hal loses it.” Diego laughs and Manny smiles and shakes his head. “Diego will be here with you until you get this branch stabilized.” He looks at me wryly. “You’re about to get a crash course. I hope you’re ready. We’re here to support you and we won’t leave until we feel you’ve got it down. You have the next two weeks to get to know the CO and pick her brain. She’s wily and creative herself, so feel free to approach her.
The Leadership Core, our highest level of management, is currently in Texas opening a new branch, but Lester Santos, the Chief Strategist for the company, is flying in tonight. You’ll meet him tomorrow. He’ll also be your boss.”
“Question.” Manny nods. “What does ‘CO’ mean?”
They grin. “Commanding Officer,” Manny replies. “The leadership of the company are all military and so is most of the middle management. XO is Executive Officer. That’s Javi’s title.” They look at each other and have another silent conversation. That’s freaky. Finally, Manny nods and turns to me. “I’ll write out a list of titles and acronyms for you to learn. Get them memorized quickly.”
Diego breaks in before I can ask my next question. “Oh GOD! Not another tapper!”
I still my pen. I was tapping it on my leg as we stood here. Manny doubles over in laughter and I slide the pen into my pocket. Diego runs both hands through his hair and walks out of the office. I laugh. Damn habit of Javi’s drives me crazy and now I’m doing it. Shit! He and I are going to have a discussion about that.
Manny crosses his arms and grins at me. “That one drives Diego insane. Since he’ll be here with you longest, I’ll tell you what his tics are. He clenches his jaw when he’s pissed, but it’s quick. His mom paid a lot for his braces as a kid, so he tries not to clench his jaw.” I smile. “His blank face is his normal face. He’s trained himself not to break out of it. He’s truly pissed when the nostrils flare. Frustration is what you’ve just seen. Hands in hair, he walks out. You won’t see it too often.” Manny grins. “Diego studied our CCO, Chief Commanding Officer, Ranger, for years. Ranger is a black ops commander and is currently on assignment. Anyway, he studied Ranger for years and tried to pick up as many of Ranger’s mannerisms as he could. Diego is quick to stop his nervous tics.”
“Ranger’s?”
Manny snorts. “Good luck. Ranger is a fucking legend. US Army Ranger, which is how he got the nickname. I spent three years with him. The man gives nothing away unless he wants to.” Diego walks back in. A muscle in his jaw is throbbing.
“Diego? Sorry. That habit of Javi’s drives me insane too. I’ll work on it. Now, Mr. Santos. How does he fit in?”
Diego pulls a copy of the lines of authority out for me to review. I report to Javi, who reports to Ms. Plum, who reports to the Leadership Core. I’m still not sure I get it.
“Lester is the chief strategist for the company. He sets direction and he’s a brilliant fucker, so be prepared to impress,” Manny says. “The psychological manipulation in this office? His idea and direction. He is also a US Army Ranger and a tactical commander. Brilliant fucker and he loves mind games. The man is happiest running a psy-op. He and Ranger together? Unbeatable. The Leadership Core was legendary when they were in the field. They’re still considered legendary now.”
Diego has a ghost of a smile on his face then schools his face blank again. I see what Manny means.
“Les also has oversight of the NYC branch, so he’ll always pay attention to your moves, yours, mine, and Pat’s, more than anyone else’s in this company. So, you report to two levels of management, Javi and Les.”
I nod. OK, now that’s clear. One of my new bosses is my best friend and the other is a man who loves mind games. I almost feel as if I’m back on Wall Street.
I look around my new office. It’s 5PM and the day is ending but my new career is just beginning. These guys are here to support me. My best friend has, yet again, come through for me. I will soon meet the last of my new bosses.
These people are taking a gamble with me. They’re assuming I can help Javier save his branch. I don’t know anything about the security industry or investigations, but I know business. I’ll do whatever it takes.
I’m determined to prove everyone right.
