by Cindy Combs
"But what if he needs to take the shot?"
Jim turned serious. "I have no doubts that Blair would shoot to kill if my life or anyone else's were on the line. He saved my butt dozens of times even before he carried a gun. My only concern is whether he'll take the shot to protect his own life."
Vin's frown grew deeper. He didn't like the idea of Blair getting hurt, either. "How'd he do in hand-to-hand?"
"He passed, barely. But he's a survivor. I know from experience he's pretty handy with things like baseballs and ball bearings."
"Ball bearings?" Vin asked with a sleepy smile, suspecting there was a good story. He coughed again.
"Yeah, he used them to catch a robbery suspect the FBI had been hunting for months." Listening to Vin's hack, Jim quietly suggested, "Perhaps you should get some sleep."
Vin groggily shook his head. "Nah, I'm okay. What happened with the FBI?"
Deciding that Vin would probably fall asleep if he talked long enough, Jim began, "Well, it started with Sandburg's first arrest..."
An hour later
Jim stared out the back window. He liked this particular safehouse on the edge of the city. It was nestled next to a hill, the forest beginning just above it. The quiet calmness of the area was soothing to nerves stressed by potentially volatile situations.
The sentinel tilted his head to the side as he heard a car pull into the front driveway. He smiled as he recognized the engine of his partner's cranky Volvo. A glance told him that his charge was still asleep on the couch, a brightly colored afghan tucked around him. It wasn't until he heard a second, unfamiliar car pull in behind Blair that he became concerned.
Standing up, Jim drew his weapon and slipped to the door leading to the kitchen. Sentinel ears confirmed that the two other police officers on guard had also seen the second car and were checking it out. Focusing, Jim caught his partner's voice.
"It's okay, guys. These are Vin's fellow ATF agents."
Drawing back before a zone could claim him, Jim only allowed himself to relax a fraction. He wanted to check them out himself before allowing them to approach Vin. He stepped into the kitchen as Blair led four men in the side door. Swiftly, Jim sized them up. The youngest one barely looked old enough to be out of high school, though the way he carried himself made Jim suspect he wasn't a rookie. He also suspected there was more to the wiry man who wore the expensive suit. Cunning intelligence showed in the green gaze. The other two were tall and about his age. While the one with the dark mustache was taller, he appeared friendly. However, the main force to be dealt with was definitely the tough looking blond man dressed in black. Jim only needed one guess as to who was the 'living legend'.
"Hey, Jim, how's Vin doing?" Blair asked, looking around to see if the agent was standing behind his partner.
"Sleeping," Jim replied as he met the blond's eyes stare for stare.
Chris examined the man Vin had gone to for help with a critical eye. The muscular man, his brown hair still in a military cut, looked like he could survive a year and a half in the jungle. The pale blue eyes announced that the toughness was more than skin deep. For a moment, Chris had the impression of a large, strong cat debating on whether to pounce, but he shook off that fanciful thought. Deciding to make an ally for now, Chris held out his hand without breaking eye contact. "Chris Larabee, Vin's boss."
"Jim Ellison."
Blair almost sighed audibly when the two alpha males shook hands. The last thing they needed at this point was a fight for dominance. He didn't think the safehouse would survive.
"How is Vin doing?" Chris asked, trying to keep the worry deep in his gut from coming out in his voice.
However, Jim heard it and understood. "Tired and fighting a chest cold. Still has a bit of the headache from the concussion, too. I think he mostly needs the rest. He's barely had time to sit since this whole thing started."
Fighting the urge to dash into the other room and check on his friend, Chris forced himself to nod. "We'll just let him sleep for now." He turned to the others. "These are the rest of my men. Buck Wilmington, Ezra Standish, and JD Dunne."
Jim nodded as he shook each man's hand in turn. "Vin's mentioned all of you." He glanced at his own partner, leaning against the counter. "Any more on Rat Tail?"
Blair gave him a wide grin. "A little. We went over everything in Simon's office, then Ezra and I put our heads together. It seems that Rattall is connected with the Liberty Brigade militia operating out of Idaho, perhaps doing more than just demolitions work for them."
Ezra nodded. "There appears to be a link between the bait shop and funds being funneled into the main organization. Our teammates in Denver are following up on some of our leads."
"The man Vin shot this morning was a known member of the Liberty Brigade, plus he once worked for Rattall." Blair added.
Jim nodded thoughtfully. "Any connection to our favorite Washington militias?"
"So far, no," Blair replied thankfully. "I'd rather not deal with the Sun Rise Patriots or the Washington Freedom Fighters, too. As it is, this Idaho bunch looks bigger than both of them put together."
"You guys have gone up against militias before?" JD asked, impressed.
"Yeah, all the crackpots are drawn to Cascade," Jim replied grimly.
"It's not quite that bad," Blair protested.
Jim lifted an eyebrow. "Remember facing down Kincaid your first day at the Department? Or being held hostage in an elevator simply because you were in the building having a good luck statue authenticated?"
Blair paused, then conceded, "Okay, it's that bad."
"Doesn't sound like much of a good luck statue," Buck chuckled.
"It didn't seem so at the time," Blair admitted.
"You know, we didn't get lunch," JD interjected. The young man could hear his stomach growling.
"Then why don't we get the groceries out of the car and fix dinner?" Blair suggested. He, JD and Buck walked out the door to retrieve the food. Ezra sat his laptop on the table and opened it, while Larabee finally gave in and walked to the doorway Ellison was guarding. Jim silently pointed to the couch in front of the fireplace.
Chris sat down in the chair Jim had been using and stared at his young friend. The pale, taut features were indications of Vin's exhaustion. Damn, Cowboy, do you have any idea how much you scared me? And here you are, all tucked in and looking like an innocent, sleeping angel. Good thing I know you better than that. In fact, I'm not letting you out of my sight again until this whole thing is over. Leaning back and getting comfortable, the tough agent prepared to keep watch over his brother.
Observing from the doorway, Jim smiled. Vin was back with his tribe. Now Jim just had to help stop the danger so the kid could go home.
Parking area, sublevel of Cascade police headquarters
"I appreciate you taking me out there, Captain Banks." Orrin Travis unlocked his rental car's doors with his key remote.
"I'm glad to help." Simon replied as he folded his long frame into the passenger's side. "Tanner seems like a good agent, and Larabee seems, well..."
Travis laughed. "Larabee is a tough man who gets the job done. However, he's protective of his men, especially Tanner. You probably saw the very worse side of him..." He slammed shut his door. Within minutes, the Grand Prix was smoothly zooming out of the garage area.
Sitting a block away from the exit, the occupants of a black Suburban watched the car exit from beneath the building. The screen on a hand-held device lit up, beeping a steadying rhythm.
Safehouse, outskirts of Cascade
A loud crash echoed from the kitchen, followed by Buck's swearing. Chris shook awake from his light doze, only to have his attention drawn by Vin's coughing.
For a moment, Vin wasn't sure where he was or what woke him up. Coughs bubbled up from congestion in his chest as his memory caught up. Sitting upright and holding his injured arm tight to his body, Vin leaned over his knees until the hacking had subsided. He felt miserable and alone, wondering if Mathews h
ad been right about his team.
"Damn it, Cowboy, can't leave you alone for two minutes, can I?"
"Chris?" Vin turned to the chair in surprise.
"Yea..." Ready to bawl out the younger man for not even trying to report in, Chris grunted as Vin suddenly threw his arms around him. It finally sank in just how hard the team's reported deaths had hurt his friend.
"God, Chris," Vin whispered so softly into his neck the older man could barely hear him. "I thought you all were gone for good this time." Another cough rumbled through the slim body.
Chris smiled a tight smile, not wanting to think how close it had been for them under the rubble. "Hell, you should know by now we're not that easy to kill." Pulling away, he rubbed Vin's shoulder as he continued to cough. "That's some cold you picked up."
"Could've been worse," Vin replied once he could breathe again.
"I'd say that's debatable." Both men looked up to spy Ezra holding a mug of steaming tea. The undercover agent's eyes were unusually bright as he studied his friend. "However, Mr. Sandburg assures me that this fragrant brew will ease you back to the road of health."
"Uncle Obie's special blend number three," Vin softly quoted, taking the mug with one hand as the other wrapped around Ezra's free arm. "Good to see you, too, Ez."
"Likewise, Vin," Ezra returned as he gently squeezed Vin's elbow in return, avoiding the bandaged biceps. While they had worked on the files, Blair had caught him up on what had happened to his friend. Ezra could tell Vin still needed reassurances that his worst fears were unfounded.
"So you've finally woke up?" Buck declared as he entered the living room, smiling broadly.
"How could he not, after you dropped that bowl?" JD teased his roommate as he walked in behind him. He turned a brilliant smile onto his friend on the couch. "Great to see you, Vin."
"You, too, JD," Vin returned, his eyes shining. Then it hit him who was missing and where they were during the explosions. Worriedly, he turned to Chris. "Josiah?"
Chris squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "Busted leg. I sent him and Nate back to Denver."
Vin let out the last of the air he had been holding. It felt so good to be back with his teammates again.
Then Chris looked at Ezra. "You still got it?" Ezra nodded as he pulled something out of his pocket and gently tossed it to his leader. Chris then slammed it into Vin's hand. Looking down, Vin recognized his cell phone. Practically growling, Chris ordered, "You are to put that in your pocket, clip it to your belt, tucked it under a hat, shove it down your boot, where ever you want. Hell, I don't care if you shove it up your nose. But you are NEVER to be without it again. CLEAR?"
Hiding a smirk, Vin nodded solemnly. "As crystal."
"Well, dinner's almost ready," JD announced, breaking the tension. "It smells good, though I'm still not sure what all Blair put in the stew."
"Then let's go to the kitchen," Chris suggested, standing up. He lent Vin a hand up from the couch.
"Thanks, Cowboy," Vin replied, giving his leader and friend a cheeky grin that was almost up to his normal standard.
Chris gently cuffed the only person in the world who could call him 'cowboy' on the head as they followed Ezra to the kitchen.
Federal Building, Denver, CO
Tina Maddock was shifting impatiently in her chair. "I don't understand why you're keeping me late. I've worked overtime all week and I want to go home."
Josiah gave her a gentle, almost pitying look. "I promise it won't be much longer, Miss Maddock."
"Yes, now that we have everything we need." While Josiah spoke softly, anger honed Nathan's voice to as hard as steel. "These records show that you have consistently made phone calls from your cell to Idaho."
Fear flashed over the young woman's face before she could control it. "My mother lives there."
"You seem to be calling her an awful lot," Nathan informed her as he flipped through the computer printout.
"My mother is ill," Tina replied defiantly.
"Calling Idaho isn't a crime by itself," Josiah gently explained. "However, it seems that many of these calls were made while you were in the office working. Alone, apparently."
"Well, I very well can't call when everyone's around."
"Yeah, but you can right after Agent Tanner calls in an urgent request for help!" Nathan slammed the stack of papers on the table, fuming.
"I, I don't know what you're talking about."
"We believe you do, Miss Maddock," Josiah told her sadly. "You see, we did a little digging into your family tree. It came as quite a surprise that your uncle is David Tower, the second-in- command of the Liberty Brigade militia."
Tina squirmed, trying not to look as scared as she was. "So, you can't pick your relatives."
"Yeah, but you don't have to call them or accept money from them." Nathan tossed another folder of bank account information on top of the phone listings. "I'm afraid we'll have to arrest you."
"What for!"
Nathan's glare should have set the young woman on fire. "For conspiracy. For aiding and abetting on the attempted murder of a federal agent. For..."
"It doesn't matter now, anyway," she told them snidely. "The wet team should have found the problem by now and eliminated it."
Josiah felt his heart drop to his stomach. "You mean Tanner?"
Tina just stared back.
"Oh, shit," Nathan exclaimed as he grabbed the phone.
Safehouse, outskirts of Cascade
Chris actually found himself relaxing during the meal. When Buck and JD weren't horsing around, Sandburg was encouraging the merriment with his questions and stories while Ezra occasionally stirred the pot with comments. The thick, delicious stew reminded the leader of how long it had been since he had paid attention to eating. Best of all, he could look across the table and see his friend. It was so good to see Vin smiling and adding a few words here and there. After the stress of the past few days, his team needed a respite.
Not that everyone was relaxing. There was a tense air about Ellison that indicated the muscular detective was still on duty. Again, the image of a cat perched on a limb while watching for danger came to Chris' mind.
Ezra, too, had noticed Ellison's alertness. He had also noticed how every so often, Blair's eyes would meet his older partner's, pause a moment, then continue on as if the unspoken question had been answered satisfactorily. It reminded the agent of his boss and Vin Tanner's way of silent communication. He briefly wondered if Ellison somehow had taught Tanner the trick, who in turn had taught Larabee.
However, it was Vin who noticed the change first. When Jim paused with his head slightly tilted, the younger man suddenly remembered seeing the exact position before -- at the loft right before Jim yelled at them to head for fire escape. He could also feel Blair next to him stiffen, obviously picking up on his partner's body signal. Vin in turn tensed, sensing their bit of quiet was about to end.
Not realizing he was under observation, Jim casually stood up and walked over to the sink. He caught Blair's eyes, passing on that the sentinel was hearing something. Then he moved the curtain above the sink slightly to the side.
"Company?" Vin's quiet voice cut through the conversation, focusing everyone attention to first Vin then to the man at the window. Under the table, Vin's fingers reached for his backup weapon tucked in his boot.
"Unfamiliar car." Jim watched as it was stopped by one of the guarding officers.
Chris slipped over to another window and peered out into the growing darkness. Buck also stood, prepared to rush Vin to the back of the house if required.
Jim continued his surveillance. "It's Banks with another man. Short, graying black hair, looks to be in his 60s."
"It's Travis," Chris identified. "The federal judge we work for."
The rest of the room relaxed except for the Cascade detectives. When the sentinel slipped out the door to greet the newcomers, his guide was on his heels. Curious, Ezra slowly stood and followed the pair. JD's cell phone rang just befor
e the screen door banged shut.
As they approached the car, Blair whispered to his partner, "What is it?"
"I'm hearing something. A low... well, not quite a hum, maybe a beep?"
Puzzled, Blair glanced at the car a moment. "Hold it. Vin said the hounds found him every time he called the Judge. What if the mole in the home office has a long reach?"
"A tracking device," Jim growled, suddenly recognizing the annoying sound in a flash of anger.
"Hey Jim..." Simon started, only to have his detective rush past him. "Huh?"
Jim knelt by the bumper and pulled off the offending electronic device. "It's a tracker!"
"Damn!" Travis exclaimed as Blair took the device from Jim, clicking it off. Ezra glanced at the detective, wondering how he found the bug so fast. From his long history of reading people, Ezra didn't think it was an accident, yet not something Ellison knew before approaching the car, either.
"Get Tanner out of here," Simon ordered, silently berating himself for leading the perps to their witness.
Jim could hear another vehicle coming down the quiet lane. He raced for the house, Blair and Ezra on his heels. As they reached the door, they nearly collided with JD. "Nate says there's a team on their way to get Vin!" the young man proclaimed.
"They had a tracker on the judge's car," Blair replied grimly as he tossed the device to JD.
Chris and Buck were already grabbing jackets and checking weapons. Vin was pulling on Chris' black trenchcoat and taking a rifle from Buck when he noticed his former officer pause in the middle of the room. Vin's gut clenched when Jim's head tilted again. Remembering how in the service Ellison always had an uncanny sense of what was going on around them, he trusted the man explicitly. Considering Ellison's expression and recent experience, it didn't look good.
As Buck started to shepherd Vin towards the living room and it's back door, Jim suddenly shouted, "No!"
Vin turned from Buck's grasp. "Cap'n?" Blair also paused in picking up his pack, eyes wide.
"There's another vehicle coming up the dirt track in the back."