Chapter 43.3: We Heard
Shane’s POV
I can’t fucking believe this.
47 bugs? 47? Shit! Liam’s an asshole, and I hope Bobby broke both his legs.
When I left NYC for Miami, I was determined to show that I was an excellent strategist and I knew what the fuck I was doing. Liam was giving me the updates from NYC. He said Javi was failing. He said that it was just a matter of time before Manny and Diego called for him to go. Diego clearly hated him. Manny was reserving opinion, but Javi would probably fail.
Clearly, Liam was blowing smoke up my ass.
I’m wondering if it was just a Hispanic thing. I mean, the CO sent two Hispanic guys to the branch and the Hispanic guy passes but the white guy failed. The disadvantage of being in a minority-owned and -run company is that the white guys get the weird looks here, especially if you have a cop background. I never thought that was an issue at RangeMan. If nothing else, this company hires on talent, even if that talent has a record, but still. . . sometimes, you gotta wonder.
Then again, three of the five XOs are white, so maybe not. The CO is a white woman, so . . . maybe not.
Miami is silently watching Bobby conduct Liam’s “exit interview”. I still can’t believe that Liam, that asshole, was the reason I kept losing bids. Liam was the reason my contracts were always declined. The more Bobby talks, the more furious I am. By the time Liam is on the ground, I’m absolutely livid. I really and truly hope that Bobby broke every fucking bone in his body.
We were right. It was a trap and we were all being tested. Manny and Diego set up Javier and Liam and, somehow, Javier passed. I didn’t think he should be in charge, and I was hoping Diego and Manny would find evidence to toss his ass. In any case, Liam knew it was a fucking test and his dumb ass failed, and I’m thrilled he failed.
Once I stopped being pissed that Javi called the CO on us, I was excited. That irritating, stupid, frustrating shit-head would be gone soon, and I’d be able to prove that I should have been named XO all along. I just needed to show how good I was. The CO believed I could bring my talents and skills to Miami and show the Miami boys how to run a branch.
I didn’t have any love for Javier. Fussy, difficult, slow, he was a nightmare as a boss. But, listening to Bobby talk, I realize that everything he said was true. Javier always backed me up. He always tried to help me once I gave him an idea that he agreed to move on. He ignored all the chatter that said Liam and I were disloyal and he backed us to the hilt and, for the first time ever, I feel a little sorry for the way I treated him. I still don’t think he should have been the XO but . . . I look over at Armando and wince.
Mando’s face is cool. I don’t and won’t get any love from Mando. Mando has made it clear that he thinks I’m a shit strategist, and he isn’t mad about RangeMan brotherhood like Javier was. Mando will toss my ass under a bus in a heartbeat if he thinks I’m being disloyal, and the Miami men talk. These motherfuckers talk to each other. The Miami men might drive Mando crazy, but they also ensure he knows everything going on in this office.
Ranger made it clear that I had one quarter to prove I knew what I was doing. I’m one month in and I’m not getting any love from my temporary boss, and I’ve not given him anything that he can move on. I’m thinking as hard and fast as I can, but everything I have either isn’t Ranger’s standards (as I’m told repeatedly) or they’ve already done it. Instead, Mando’s giving me ideas to move on and I’m pretty sure they’re coming from Diego. His NYC work is making him a superstar in the company. I’m stunned. He’s doing shit in NYC that I can’t believe, stuff I never considered.
Gossip here in Miami is that he and Manny are pulling NYC back and fast. They’re considered serious up and comers, and since it’s known here in Miami that Diego is pulling for an XO position, the guys here have their fingers crossed that he’s a contender for San Antonio. I was astonished. The San Antonio XO position is considered up for grabs? I need to show brilliance and maybe I can get that.
The “‘interview'” ends and Bobby addresses the men. I’m stunned to learn that I won’t be returning to NYC, no matter what. I listen closely to his words and I immediately understand the context. We both failed, at least partially. My chances of becoming an XO are somewhere near a snowball’s chance in hell. My future as a RangeMan depends on my performance here in Miami, and I’ll bet Armando is the one reporting on me. I look over and . . . yeah, Mando’s face is ice cold. I won’t last at this branch either unless I get some good ideas soon.
Time to start considering options. I may not have a future in RangeMan if I can’t get something going. I’ll give myself one more month, but I need to leave before the words “exit interview” are imminent.
Hal’s POV
I’m wondering if that’s what my bout with King looked like to everyone. If so, then I understand how I’ve developed a rep for mat skills. Bobby’s bout—”interview”—with Liam looks painful. Bobby is the member of Leadership Core I hate to spar with. No matter how fast I move, Bobby always manages to hit me somewhere that I have to ice later. Tank once told me that one day I’d figure out how Bobby did it. Then he asked for the Bio-Freeze, so I’m guessing he might not have mastered it yet either.
I’m surprised that Sis is awake, but then, she’s really mad about what happened to Javier. I’m still reeling from everything I heard. Poor Javi. I’m glad Bobby fixed his rep company-wide. Javier didn’t deserve what happened to him, and Bobby and Sis made sure the men knew who was really at fault. The men here in Trenton are nodding subconsciously. Leadership and chain of command matter here. I don’t worry about being undermined. You’d have to be insane to try me. I’ve already demonstrated what my response will be.
Again, Sis’s point about gossip in this company is driven home. Gossip said Javi was the chatterbox and the gossip was wrong. Javi isn’t a leaker. Manny told me that Javi talks to the XO’s and his Core Team. I understood and respected that. I talk to Danny, Ram, and Manny. That’s it. Danny is my colleague and competition, but he’s also the closest I’m going to get to an XO mentor in this company, and I’m grateful. He’s quick to help me weave through options and tell me how things have been done and are supposed to be done. Plus, he believes in Sis and thinks she’s doing a great job. Any man who believes in and backs my little sister like Danny does gets my support. I still owe him for that swag, though.
I look at Javi, who is standing at the side of the mats. I need to call him, extend him some XO brotherhood. He was constantly undermined and now he has a branch to rebuild. I guess I’ll get over my irritation with his co-opting my strategist. He needs Manny even more than I do. Manny needs a raise. He’s building two branches and helping the CCO with his op. Yeah, time for me to make sure my people are taken care of.
“Sir?”
“Hal?” Tank.
“I have a request, sir.”
“Proceed.”
“I’m calling on behalf of Manny. Manny is going above and beyond, sir. Two branches, the extra work, and RangeWorld? I can’t think of a way to properly reward him for all he’s doing.”
Silence on the line. “I’ll consider it. Continue to look after your men. I continue to be impressed by your performance.” Click.
I’m grinning at my phone. Tank is impressed by my performance and I’m not getting angry emails. I must be doing something right. I’m determined to get this right.
At 1800, I get an email from Tank.
“Question for God every morning: What is the main event today? What do you want me to focus on today?”
Does this inform your leadership? If so, keep moving forward. If not, add it to your daily affirmations.
Tank
I immediately copy it into my folder and save the email. I read my Bible every morning, but I’ll add this to my morning affirmations.
Adam’s POV
Atlanta Core team immediately went to Danny’s office after the “exit interview”. I’m not sure what to think. I never liked Liam. Something about him struck me as wrong, but what did I know? Turns out, I was right. He was a fucking leech, sucking RangeMan NYC dry. I wonder if he’ll get dropped in a ‘Stan. He deserves it.
Danny looks at me and Chase and shakes his head. “I’ve never worried, for a moment, about whether you guys were loyal to me and my leadership. Thank you for never giving me that pain.”
We nod. Danny passes the scotch and we each take a generous amount and kick back. Before we can sip, Danny raises a hand and opens the door. In walks every member of the RangeMan Atlanta leadership team. The scotch is passed around (Danny must be feeling generous. This is the expensive single malt!) and every man takes whatever available seat he can. Scotch at 0630. This will be serious.
Danny stands before us, raises his glass and takes a small sip. We all imitate him and wait for him to speak.
“We’ve been through a lot here in Atlanta. We’ve had a lot of pain and a lot of triumphs. Now it seems we are headed to strength and success like we’ve never had it before, but it’s moments like this when I need to tell all of you how much I appreciate your work. I appreciate each and every one of you. I appreciate your dedication, your loyalty, and your honesty. Watching this morning’s session in NYC reminded me of how lucky I am to have a leadership team around me I can trust and rely on.” Danny looks every man in the eye, and we’re all nodding. “That was our Core member who delivered that ass whooping. I’ve always admired Bobby because Bobby is upfront. Calm, cool, and collected. The Bobby we saw this morning? That man was furious. I never want to see him here in Atlanta.” Complete agreement throughout the room.
Danny leans against his desk and smiles. “So, I am saying ‘thank you’ to each of you. Thank you for sticking with the team and the branch, even when it seemed as if we’d always be scraping the bottom. Thank you for never losing hope that we would rise again. Thank you for working hard on the goal of capturing the number one position. And I also want to say that it’s very possible that we will be called on to provide assistance to NYC soon. If that happens, let’s take the brotherhood and loyalty we have here in Atlanta to NYC and show them what RangeMan brotherhood really means.” Danny raises his glass and we smile.
“To RangeMan Brotherhood!”
Thomas’s POV
Never been so fucking happy to watch a beat down in my life. Mando and I are watching Shane, who looks stunned, angry, and fearful with each new thing he hears. When it’s over, he’s pale. He looked over at us every so often and the looks on our faces did not reassure him.
We already know, you little shit. Diego told us all. Your ass is grass. Don’t get comfortable. You won’t stay here either.
Now, the CO’s chats with Mando are making sense. She didn’t want him to actively assess Shane, but she did want his impressions of Shane. We figured that out pretty quickly, so we watched him like a hawk and we reported exactly what we saw.
He’s a shit strategist. He has nothing to offer Miami. Once he exhausted his bodyguard ideas, Mando looked at him coolly and let him know we’d implemented everything he was suggesting. Give us something new. He had nothing, so we’ve been passing him ideas from Diego. He can’t execute those properly. He’s useless and Mando told the CO that during his weekly call. He said that it sounded as if she was hoping he’d come up with something new and Mando, true to his nature, told her that occasionally even a good strategist would run dry on ideas for a while. However, if you don’t have something in six weeks, something’s wrong. You need inspiration or encouragement, something to get the juices going again. He’s been here four weeks, and we aren’t confident of in his ability to produce anything worth following up on. Hell, we were feeding Shane ideas and he was still failing. We don’t want him.
Shane nods at us and walks quickly to his office. We look around the bullpen. It’s quiet and hostile. Mando walks to the dais and addresses the room.
“It’s not our job to assess him. That belongs to the CO and the Leadership Core and, as we’ve all seen this morning, they will make the decision. Don’t bring an “‘exit interview”‘ down on yourselves or this office. Continue to follow Shane as you should. He is still the strategist for this office until the CO decides otherwise.”
“Mando,” Antonio says. I groan mentally. “Seems to me that if a man will betray his XO in one location he’ll do it in another. So why are we keeping him? I say we get rid of him.” There are nods around the room and I wish, yet again, we could get rid of this asshole. Come on, Mando! Fire his ass.
Mando sighs. “What did I just say? It’s the CO’s job to determine what will happen to him, not ours. Bobby didn’t say anything that suggests that he was disloyal to his XO, just that he won’t be returning to NYC.”
“Really? We’re leaving a decision on RangeMan brotherhood to a woman? She’s not a brother—”
“But she is in charge. And you and I can meet on the mats for that, Antonio,” Mando says, irritated. “It’s not your job to determine who should do what. I’ve said what will happen here. Shane will stay and continue as our strategist until the CO decides otherwise.”
Mando steps down and we walk to his office. We close the door and grab the tequila.
“What do you think?” Mando asks, rubbing his temples.
“‘Bout what? ‘Bout the fact that you need to fire that little shit? Or what we witnessed this morning?”
Mando chuckles. “No, please Thomas, don’t hold back. Tell me what you really think.” We both chuckle and take a shot.
“Fire your cousin. As for this morning? Shane’s a short timer and I think he realized it. He knows you have no love for him and if he’s smart, he’s realized I don’t either. I think the only question remaining is if he’s a short timer with an “exit interview” looming or if he’ll be smart enough to submit a resignation and hope for mercy.”
There’s a knock at the door and Shane sticks his head in. “Can I come in?”
Mando waves him in and tosses him a shot glass. He pours himself a shot and sits. We’re waiting on him to say something. Finally, he knocks the shot back and speaks.
“I never betrayed Javi like Liam did. I didn’t think Javi should be the XO, but I never realized Liam was doing us both in. I was just as betrayed as Javier was. I’m asking the two of you what you think I should do.”
Mando and I kick back and stare at him. Finally, Mando speaks. “It wasn’t your place to second guess the Leadership Core’s decision to place Javier at the head. Clearly, they saw something in him that they didn’t see in you. And don’t tell me, an XO in this company, that you were as betrayed as Javi. You weren’t.” Mando is leaning forward and he’s pinned Shane with a lethal glare.
“As an XO, you have to trust your men. You can’t second guess them. You have to believe they’ll follow your orders, especially your Core team. Javi was betrayed by you and by Liam, make no mistake, because you and Javi should’ve been a team. He should’ve been able to lean on you, but you left him out there to die. He never did that to you. He supported you. He backed you. He did what he was supposed to as your boss. I’m not Javier. I will throw your ass under a bus if I suspect you’re disloyal. But even there, I’m still supporting you. I’ve told the men to follow you as the strategist. They’ll follow your orders, even as they question you.”
Mando sits back and I pick up. “You want to know what you should do? You should write an elegant resignation letter and beg the CO for a demotion and new assignment. That’s what you should do. We’ve already reported that you’re a shit strategist. I’m not leaving my XO to your clutches and, thanks to this morning’s video, every XO in the company knows that you’re suspect. You won’t get another leadership position anywhere in the company. Accept a demotion and pray for the best.”
I sit back and glare at him coldly. Shane is pale, eyes wide. “Javier will rebuild NYC with a new Core team around him, men who will be loyal to him and will follow his orders. After this morning, every man at RangeMan NYC will rally around him. They now know that the XO cares about them and their success and they’ll help him pull the branch back. There won’t be any room for you, and your partner-in-crime won’t be mobile for months. Doesn’t matter anyway. Knowing Leadership Core, I’d take bets on the ‘Stan he gets dropped in.”
Mando and I look at each other and knock back our shots. Shane leaves. Smart man.
Rodney’s POV
Boston is silent. Completely. We don’t know what to think.
We finally have our first glimpse of the CO in action and she was fierce. She kicked the man in the knee then kneed him in the balls. Every man in Boston cringed. And she was the one to actually fire him. Even more, it was clear that she and Bobby were one in this firing. When she made the statement that she hated liars, every man here was solemn.
I wasn’t surprised that Liam was the leak in NYC, but I’m already mourning the loss of my liaison buddy. Hell, getting NYC news used to be the easiest thing in the world. If Mark didn’t get it from the men, I could always get it directly from the liaison. Liaisons in this company lean on each other. We’re the quickest way to move info, but the CO’s presence in the company is shutting the info down. When I asked Ram about it, he was quiet, then cool. Icicles have more warmth than his explanation did.
“The CO doesn’t mind the dissemination of correct, accurate news at the appropriate time by the appropriate people. What she can’t stand is unsubstantiated gossip. She hates gossip and this company passes gossip off as news. She’s setting a new standard. Correct, accurate news will always be OK. Suppositions by the official company management in furtherance of company goals will be OK. Random bullshit from the men to pass the time? Not OK. Find some shit for them to do. If they have time to gossip like teenage girls, they aren’t busy enough.”
Well, that was clear. Even Mark and Pat understood that, and it explains why news from Atlanta dried up so fast. It explains why Accounting shut up. It explains why Trenton rarely passes news, and it explains why our men in NYC have said nothing. It’s clear that the CO will need to move someone in there temporarily in order to ensure the position is being filled. I would bet Adam from Atlanta, which means we won’t learn shit from NYC anymore. NYC is about to be subject to a blackout.
Mark strides to the dais and looks out over the men. “Liam Hannigan was subject to an “exit interview” because he forgot that rule one in this company is ‘RangeMan Brotherhood’. He didn’t take it seriously. He did not extend it to his XO, his strategist, or his men, so Bobby did not extend it to him. I would expect that he will be dropped in a ‘Stan.” Mark looks out over the company. The men are quiet. “What you have seen is the “treason” response to misconduct in this company. If you ever hear that Bobby is conducting an “exit interview”, someone has committed treason and it is being dealt with swiftly.”
Mark leaves the dais and nods us into his office. We pull the brandy and sit.
“Thoughts?” Mark asks softly.
“Adam from Atlanta will move to fill the liaison position,” I announce.
Pat looks at me then nods. “I agree. Manny is already there. It’s known that Hal is nervous that the CO keeps moving his Core team. She’ll poach from Atlanta for this.”
“Why not Miami? Or us?” Mark asks, pissed. We stare at him.
“Miami? She won’t trust them until she sees them. Us?” I raise an eyebrow at Mark. “You.”
“Me?”
“Oh come on, Mark,” Pat says, exasperated. “You! All you’ve done is eavesdrop on everyone else, so the CO isn’t moving anyone from Boston if she doesn’t have to. Haven’t you noticed that our men in NYC aren’t passing back info? You taught them to respect the leadership wherever they are. If someone in NYC ordered them not to pass info back to Boston, they’ll respect that and keep their mouths shut. I would guess Manny probably gave them that order.”
Mark’s shoulders slump. He hadn’t considered that. Finally, he nods.
“Any idea what she’s up to?”
Jesus! I hoped he was done with this vendetta. I look at Pat, who looks as irritated as me. He nods at me to start. “No. And Mark?” Mark looks up, hopeful. “Stop. Just end it. Accept the decision.” Mark’s jaw clenches. “No one in this company, that she’s met, is going to inform on her. Trenton and Atlanta have shut all news down. Ryan’s made it clear to his people that any news disseminated from Accounting will lead directly to a firing. No exceptions. He’s not going to be responsible for leaks and his people have shut up. Not even the Miami boys can get anything. What I’m getting from Pedro is that passwords were changed, locks updated, and anything left out on anyone’s desk will lead to mat time the next day.”
“Miami can’t pick locks?” Mark asks, disgusted.
I sigh and shake my head. “Yeah, they can pick locks. What they can’t do is get past the new high security, bump-resistant electronic deadbolt Silvio had to install. Three guesses where that order came from.” Mark’s and Pat’s eyes are wide. Silvio reports to Hector. Silvio would have made sure it worked. “Pedro is saying that Accounting is scared that the CO will follow through on her threat to move the entire department to Trenton, where ‘leaks get plugged’.”
Pat snorts then laughs. Mark smiles.
“I’m serious. Antonio tried to get some basic numbers, Miami numbers, and he was told to talk to his XO or Ryan about it. Miami men have been told to stop approaching the accounting staff with questions and the staff is following the orders. Anything to avoid losing their jobs or having to move to Jersey to keep them.”
“I can’t believe she has this much power,” Mark mutters. Pat and I roll our eyes.
“Well, she does. Accept it and move on. The company is growing. She’s hasn’t made any mistakes.”
“One quarter. She hasn’t had enough time.”
Yes she has. And she hasn’t made any mistakes. Accept that, Mark, and leave her alone.
Lester’s POV
It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough by far. I still want to draw blades, even seeing the absolutely brutal thrashing Bobby just dished out. My anger is still high. Tank is a silent statue. I know that pose. The first person to approach him before he’s calm again will get a concussion. Hal’s phone call took Tank from blinding fury to hostile, so it’s a slow improvement. The men here should send the Trenton XO a gift.
I turn and look at the NYC men we have here in San Antonio. The men are silently furious. Our eyes meet and I can see that they were affected by what they saw. They each nod. They understood and they’ll throw their support behind their XO when they return home. I nod. No other words needed.
The rest of the men are silent. The Trenton and Atlanta men are calm and cool. A few of the Trenton men have smirks on their faces, from Beautiful, no doubt. The rest are looking shocked. The recruits are stunned and scared. I smile coldly.
“Anyone else need a demonstration of why Bobby does not give mat time?”
Heads throughout the room shake. It was considered a curiosity that Bobby did not give mat time. Now the men know why.
“Fall out.”
Everyone moves to get their day’s assignment. I head to my office. I’m just settled in the chair when the phone rings. I glance. Primo.
“Yo.”
“Uzbekistan. I’ll make the arrangements.” Click.
I laugh, which brings Tank to my door. He raises an eyebrow. “Uzbekistan”. Tank laughs. Uzbekistan is a personal nightmare location for us. Escaping Uzbekistan took every bit of cunning Ranger and I possessed working in tandem.
Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in central Asia composed of mostly mountains and deserts. It’s also completely surrounded by the other ‘Stans (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan). There are no rivers or lakes leading to any seas, so no easy escapes, and the average summer temperature is 104 degrees. Political situation? Hostile to Americans, at best.
Ranger isn’t just being vindictive.
He’s personally signing Liam’s death certificate.
