Chapter Text
As Stephanie dances in studio C, she reflects on the past few years. Thoughts of “what if” keep intruding into her mind, she finds it necessary to dance it away. It’s the only way to push those scary thoughts away. What if she didn’t send Hector back to Rangeman when Mateo broke his arm? She knows Sofia wouldn’t be here. The impact of the car hitting hers would have killed Stephanie and her baby. Hector felt hurt by Stephanie’s dismissal, but he got over it when the police said she could have died as the passenger. Everything had to happen the way it did. It just took Hector time to get the message. His relationship with Stephanie grew more potent, and Hector became Sofia’s godfather and protector.
Dancing helps Stephanie sort through her thoughts and feelings. The sound of the music and the rhythm of the beats take over her senses, allowing her to release the tension. Stephanie raises her arms as she twirls. She smiles at the memory of Carlos dancing with Sofia as she wore those earphones to protect her delicate eardrums. Sofia was only a few months old. Stephanie and Carlos remind the children that music is a balm for the soul and that dancing is hearing our hearts speak. Their children love to dance as much as they do.
Her legs are long with lean muscles. The top she’s wearing stops two inches above her skirt, revealing her smooth, flat abs, which took several years to return after Sofia’s birth. Stephanie wonders if Carlos is watching. Her lips curl into a smile as she senses his eyes on her. She hopes he’s in his office so his workers don’t see the erection he’s likely sporting from watching her sirens dance.
There’s something important Stephanie needs to do the following day, but she needs some alone time with Carlos. Dancing keeps her mind from cluttering with stressful things, such as Mateo punching his classmate in the face, breaking the kid’s nose, or Sofia begging for “big girl’s” earrings. Carlos wants Sofia to wait a few more years so she can take care of her ears.
Stephanie notices when the camera returns to its original angle, pointing at the door. She knows Carlos is coming to dance with her. As she moves to the music, Stephanie closes her eyes. The men at Rangeman will ensure her safety until Carlos arrives. Rafael is likely still here, waiting until Carlos appears or for Stephanie to stop dancing.
Carlos grabs the folders and leaves his office, covering his crotch to hide the evidence of watching his sexy wife dance. Ella laughs. “Would you like me to take care of the children tonight?” she offers. Ella dismissively waved a hand, knowing his mind was on one thing. Well, two, if you include the foreplay of dancing to his favourite Latin beats.
“Thank you for your assistance,” Carlos says, unable to think of anything else to say. She laughs as he runs to the stairwell.
Ella approaches the men on the monitors as she shakes her head. She stands with a hand on her hip, waiting for them to turn off the cameras once Carlos’ car appears in the lot behind the studio’s building. “Good. You know how he feels about you men watching,” Ella teases.
Lester chuckles at his aunt. She raises a brow in warning. “It’s not worth getting taken to the mats,” he replies. “The last time that happened, Stephanie kicked my ass. She’s scarier than Ranger.” Lester entertains the memory. It’s his fault for commenting on her sexy bra. Her kickboxing lessons with Valerie made Stephanie a worthy opponent. Valerie could hold her own, but Stephanie is better.
“I’m not watching my sister get busy with the boss,” Cal announces. “That’s why you’re watching her account, Lester.”
“Stepsister,” Lester reminds him. He watches the monitor go fuzzy, like when the cable on the TV cuts out. “Pity. Cal, your sister is hot.” Cal blushes. He’s aware of how sexy his stepsister is after working hard to rebuild muscles after having children.
However, Cal thinks his wife, Amber, is sexier, especially when pregnant. Cal and Amber are expecting their fourth child. He has two boys and one girl. They’re hoping for another daughter to even the numbers.
Lester continues monitoring the dance studio’s exterior. He knows Ranger would lock the doors and set the alarm to stay there, but it’s vital to protect the exterior while he’s busy having sexy times with his wife.
Stephanie and Carlos dance until their hormones overwhelm their senses. After ensuring the men aren’t watching, they make love on the blanket. Their lovemaking is an extension of their dance. It’s erotic and all-consuming.
“Babe, I love you,” Carlos whispers, brushing the loose hair stuck to her cheek and tucking it securely behind her ear. He loves the wildness of her curls. Of their three children, Sofia, the only girl, has Stephanie’s curly hair, while the boys have waves, with Frankie’s hair slightly curlier than Mateo’s.
“I love you too,” Stephanie reciprocates before checking her watch. “It’s time to pick up the kids.”
“Tia Ella is picking them up,” Carlos says, standing and offering her a hand. He uses the towels to wipe Stephanie clean before taking care of himself. Stephanie loves her considerate husband. He’s always caring for her needs over his.
“Does that mean we have more time?” she teases, hoping to continue their sexy dance.
Carlos reminds her, “We have the meeting in the morning. We have enough time to shower and catch our flight. Tank’s waiting outside for us.”
“Oh, I forgot. I should have remembered the meeting was tomorrow.”
“You’ve been busy teaching,” he reasons. She nods. Another local studio had to close its doors due to a sexual assault case involving a minor. Stephanie’s studio took most of the students. She held a meeting to prove her teachers were free of criminal activity and could teach their children. Every class has two instructors, and Rangeman staff are on the premises to ensure the students’ safety.
Carlos wraps the towels in the blanket before tossing them into the laundry bag. One of his Rangeman employees will collect it for laundering.
“I want to call the children,” Stephanie says, not surprising Carlos.
“Of course. I’ll video call them when we get in the car. You know how they get whenever we have to leave town on business.”
Stephanie sighs. Her husband is right - their children’s cry tugs on her heartstrings. Carlos and Stephanie use separate showers in the locker room. There isn’t time for shower sex.
As Stephanie tugs a Rangeman shirt over her head, she mumbles, “Didn’t you drive?”
Chuckling, he replies, “Yes, but I asked Tank to drive us to the airport. He got Hector to return my car to Rangeman.”
“Carlos, how am I supposed to look Tank in the eye? He’s going to see my post-sex glow,” Stephanie teases.
He laughs, “Stephanie, my babe, we’re married. The guys know we have sex.”
She rolls her eyes and explains, “I’m not bothered about them knowing we had sex. It bothers me that they know we had sex in my studio.”
Laughing harder, he says, “Babe.”
“Ya. Laugh it up, Batman. They know we hook up in the studio twice a week.” Stephanie shakes her head and takes Carlos’ hand. They laugh as they walk to the SUV behind the building.
Grinning at his friends, Tank asks, “Are you ready?”
“Drive,” Carlos barks. Tank laughs harder as he pulls the vehicle onto the street.
Since they were using the Rangeman jet, they didn’t have to be at the airport ninety minutes early. “We have to leave tonight because the meeting is early tomorrow morning. You know Mama likes to sleep in,” Carlos explains to his children.
Sofia’s bottom lip sticks out during her father’s explanation. She whines, “If you’re gone, who will teach my dance class?”
Smiling, Stephanie replies, “Tia Mariela is teaching tomorrow,” which elicits Sofia’s happy hand clap and dance. Mateo and Frankie groan because Tia Mariela makes them do ballet before dancing to the fun music.
Being the older, protective brother, Mateo asks, “When will you be home?”
Carlos replies, “Hopefully, before you go to bed. Behave for Tia Ella.” The children understand the warning in their father’s tone.
“Yes, Papa,” they reply.
“I love you,” Stephanie and Carlos say.
The children immediately reply, “I love you.”
Tank’s shoulders shake in silent laughter as Carlos and Stephanie blow their children kisses. Stephanie sighs when Carlos ends the call. She hopes the boys don’t give Ella any trouble. Though, they should behave if Lester doesn’t visit. He loves winding them up every time.
“Is the file in my bag?” Carlos asks.
“Yes. I added a disc containing videos for proof. Do you need me to accompany you?” Tank offers.
“We have it handled. The men in Atlanta tend to underestimate Stephanie. They don’t know she speaks and understands Spanish.”
Hunter is awaiting their arrival. Tank laughs as he drives to the hangar. He parks the car and removes the bags from the back. Tank shakes his head when Stephanie attempts to grab her suitcase. She rolls her eyes when Tank passes the luggage to Hunter. “Are you coming, too?” Hunter asks.
“Not this time. Ranger and Steph can handle the meeting.”
Hunter accepts the bags from Tank and nods. After securing the luggage in the cupboard, Hunter motions to the seats and says, “I’ll announce when I reach cruising altitude.”
Stephanie and Carlos wait until Hunter says they can move around freely before reviewing the documentation for Rangeman Atlanta. They discover everything about the management team screams, “Bad business.” It’s time to take drastic measures and cut away the branch before the tree rots.
After reviewing the financials, Stephanie sighs, “We have to cut them loose. Marco Corelli is straining our resources.” It says a lot about Marco’s spending habits. Rangeman makes over five million dollars in profits annually. Three million returns to the business for equipment upgrades and pay increases. Carlos splits the rest among the core team and shareholders, such as Frank Plum, Stephanie, and Rosa Manoso.
Carlos wants Stephanie to be a core team member, but she finds more intel when the others realize she isn’t management. Most men outside the Miami branch are unaware of Stephanie and Ranger’s marital status. He wears a wedding band, but nobody is brave enough to ask about his wife. They never make the connection between Ranger and Stephanie because they don’t display PDAs in front of the men at the branches outside Miami.
“The Rangeman branches in Miami, Boston and Trenton are profitable. I don’t know what to do with Atlanta,” Carlos explains, pinching the bridge of his nose before shaking his head.
Stephanie suggests, “Why don’t you confront Marco and wait for his reaction.” She waits a second before asking, “Is your brother meeting us?”
“Alejandro is overseeing the audit,” Carlos confesses. Stephanie smiles, knowing her brother-in-law will ensure Marco isn’t hiding things from the accountant. “He’s keeping me apprised of the progress.”
Carlos’ phone beeps. He sighs as he reads the message. Stephanie touches his hand. He turns it so she can read Alejandro’s text. She shakes her head and says, “Carlos, it’s time to sign Rangeman Atlanta over to Marco and financially cut them off.”
Looking into Stephanie’s eyes, he realizes she’s right. The other Rangeman branches make enough to keep the company afloat. There isn’t any reason for the Atlanta office to require a higher operating budget than Miami.
Ranger and Tank approve the yearly budget per branch. The Atlanta office sent the exact operational details, with reasonable increases for inflation. After checking the employee roster against payroll, Alejandro found repeat social security numbers for several employees at Rangeman.
One employee, Jackson Adams, or Jag, is also Adam Jackson and John Adamson. Stephanie can’t believe Jag is working for Rangeman Atlanta. “Carlos, when did we stop receiving the employee list with the social security numbers?” Stephanie asks.
“The accountant is allowed to send us the employee’s name, but the payroll department can’t share their social security number,” Carlos explains.
“Okay, then why haven’t we received the roster for background checks according to Rangeman policy?” Stephanie asks.
Carlos reads the official Rangeman policy and then asks Alejandro to check the digital manual at the Atlanta branch. Alejandro replies, “It isn’t in the protocols or procedures manual.”
Stephanie smooths the wrinkle between Carlos’ eyes, attempting to rub away his frustration at the situation. Using Carlos’ phone, Stephanie types, “Send me the manual they use.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Alejandro replies. Stephanie giggles and wonders how Alejandro knew she had sent the message.
“I would have typed, “manual now,” but you had to be polite,” Carlos laughs. Stephanie playfully smacks his arm.
“We’re landing in twenty minutes,” Hunter announces.
“What do you think happened with Marco?” Stephanie wonders. On paper, he’s the best candidate for the Atlanta office. However, the numbers don’t lie, proving Marco’s a greedy man with a sense of entitlement. A few of his employees never made it past the background check upon applying to the other branches.
“Leadership went to his head,” Carlos replies.
Carlos receives the manual as Stephanie tries to determine why Marco’s employees are mostly men and women on the no-hire list. She finds Sam Cassidy on Marco’s roster. Stephanie shakes her head. “Carlos, you need to see this. It’s that bitch.” Stephanie continues to peruse the employee list.
He reads the name on the document as Hunter announces, “ETA five minutes.” Carlos doesn’t question why the announcement is ten minutes later than the initial twenty minutes.
“Marco hired her for distractions,” Carlos replies after reading Sam Cassidy’s job description.
“Why is she on the payroll when she never stepped inside Rangeman or participated in a skip’s capture?” Stephanie asks.
Judging by her quiet tone, Carlos knows Stephanie’s thinking out loud. He replies, “Marco hired Cassidy to distract me.”
“He should have hired me,” Stephanie scoffs. Stephanie playfully adds, “I’m the only woman who can effectively distract you.”
“Indeed,” Carlos laughs. He closes the laptops and secures them before helping Stephanie with her belt. She can buckle herself into the seat, but Carlos’ passionate kiss makes her forget what to do. The click of the belt engaging reminds them it’s time to land.
“Later,” Stephanie whispers.
“Promises, promises,” Carlos teases. He holds Stephanie’s hand until the plane lands and stops completely.
Marco has men watching the airport. He patiently waits for Jag and Ramon to send the photographic proof of Ranger’s arrival. According to Jag and Ramon, the plane never arrives. Marco opens the program on his computer to check commercial flights, though he knows Ranger will use the Rangeman jet.
“Where the f*ck are you?” Marco screams while slamming his laptop shut. He hears the screen crack but doesn’t care. Rangeman will replace the screen or the computer, whichever is most cost-effective. Marco orders Jag and Ramon to return to Rangeman. The men arrive twenty minutes later. “Report!”
Jag’s voice shakes as he says, “The jet was supposed to arrive thirty minutes ago. It never showed. I asked our contact at the private airfield, and he said they weren’t supposed to arrive until early tomorrow morning. He showed me the logbook, Sir.”
Sitting back, Marco replies, “Thank you. It gives me more time to plan.”
“Plan what, Sir?” Jag asks.
“It doesn’t concern you,” Marco snaps.
Jag hopes Marco doesn’t do something insane. He already thinks creating phantom employees will get them all thrown into a federal prison. In a way, Jag wants to stick it to Ranger for not approving his application, but he doesn’t want to cross the terrifying man. Jag thinks Marco should know about Ranger’s wife. However, the threat from General Plum is enough for him to keep that secret.
