Chapter 7: Reckongings
Series: Lessons in Love
Altnernate Universe Into The Fold
Vin watched him go and just as he was about to jump out the window to follow him the door to the study burst open and three men with guns walked in. A fourth man entered and shoved the Judge and Chris into a chair. Vin hadn't even realized that Chris had left the room.
"You! Move away from the window," one of the men ordered Vin. When Vin didn't, he placed a gun to JD's head and raised one eyebrow. Vin moved and sat down next to Nathan. Once everyone was where they wanted them the man holding JD shoved him to floor as well.
"Look around. Tear the place apart if you have to, but find him," one of the men told the three men still out in the hall. All of the men were dressed completely in black and wore masks. They were big men at least six feet tall if not taller. "Tell us where Standish is and we won't have to destroy your home," the men said.
"I'm sorry, Josiah I should have known I was being followed," the Judge apologized. "I told them he wasn't here, but they didn't believe me."
Just then one of the men came to the open window and said, "We found his car." They all jumped as they heard the sound of guns being fired repeatedly. "Or what's left of it," the man at the window said with a laugh.
"You know Ezra might have let you live if you hadn't hurt his Porsche, but now . . . your dead men," Vin told them in a hard voice.
"What's one man gonna, do against eight?" one of the men boasted.
"There he is!" one of them shouted and Vin flinched as the men opened fire. Vin jumped to his feet and was immediately punched in the mid section. He lay on the floor trying to catch his breath and grinned as he heard the men outside say, "Shit he's getting away! Get 'im!"
Vin sat up and felt hands grab him and pull him backwards. "Stay put," Chris warned him. It got really quite after that. The man that hit Vin was standing with his back to the window and didn't see Ezra come up behind him. The Southern placed his hand over the gunman's mouth and pulled him out the window.
"Stay with them!" one of the men ordered then jumped out the window after Ezra.
Chris who had been mostly silent got to his feet and jumped the remaining gunman as soon as he looked away. Chris had him bound and gagged before he knew what hit him. "Now let's go even the odds," he said and grabbed the dropped weapon.
Buck had opened the gun cabinet and was passing out rifles and ammo. All loaded and ready they went in search of Ezra.
Vin crept around the side of the house and froze as he felt the cold barrel of a gun press into his temple. Dropping his gun he winced as his arm was twisted behind him and held it captive between their bodies. The gunman then wrapped his arm around Vin's throat and forced him out into the open.
"STANDISH!" the man cried. "Come out now or I'll blow his brains out!" he threatened.
~/~/~
Ezra felt a fear like he'd never known before as he saw the gun being held to Vin's head. Without a thought to his own safety he stepped out of hiding with one hand raised and the other loosely holding one of his guns. "Let him go! He's got nothing to do with this!" Ezra told him.
"Drop your gun! Now!"
Ezra dropped his gun and slowly sank to his knees as if in surrender. He was glad he'd gotten his guns out of his car before those bastards shot it all to hell. Ezra felt the comfortable weight of his derringer strapped to his arm and waited for the opportunity to use it.
"Ezra no . . ." the rest of what Vin was about to say was choked off.
"Kill 'im," the man said.
In a blink of an eye Ezra had his derringer in his hand then rolled over and shot the man coming up behind him then twisted around and shot the man holding Vin right between the eyes. He placed the now useless gun in his pocket and picked up the one he dropped. Ezra then ran and grabbed Vin's arm and together they jumped behind the house.
"Are you all right?" he asked him. When Vin didn't answer, Ezra turned to look at him. "Vin? Are you hurt?"
"I'm f..fine," Vin finally said.
Ezra grabbed him again and shoved him behind him as he heard someone approaching. He relaxed just a little when he saw it was Chris. He motioned Chris over. Turning to Vin he asked, "Are you sure you're okay?" Vin nodded his head.
"Are you?" Vin asked at seeing the blood on his sleeve.
"Don't worry it's just a scratch," Ezra told him. "How many do think are left?" he asked as Chris reached them.
"Buck and I each got one. You?" Chris asked him.
"Three and disabled another," the Southerner said. "Where are the others?"
"Buck and JD over by the barn. Josiah and Nathan stayed to protect the judge and called the sheriff," Chris told him. "So what do we do now?"
Ezra looked at the blonde man knelling next to him then at the blue-eyed man holding onto his arm. "We don't do anything. I'm going to finish this once and for all."
"You're not going alone," Vin told him and tightened his hold. "I'm coming with you."
"Like hell!" the Southerner snapped. "You are going to stay with Chris. I need someone to watch my back. Do you understand?" When Vin didn't answer Ezra jerked him close and gave him a quick kiss, "Look Vin I won't have you getting hurt because of me. So, please, stay with Chris."
"No, I'm going with you," he said in a calm determined tone.
"Vin . . ."
"Ezra you're wasting time. I'm going with you and that's final."
"I don't understand you at all!" Ezra snapped and pulled his arm free. "You've wanted nothing to do with me for the last two weeks and all of a sudden you want to be my shadow."
Vin smiled and said, "That's not going to work, Ezra. I'm going with you."
The Southerner turned and took Vin's face in his hands. "Vin, I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you. So you're staying here out of the way. And it's not open to discussion."
"You'd have to knock me out . . ."
"Oh, no, I could never strike you, Vin," Ezra said and rubbed the back of his fingers down his cheek. He leaned in real close to Vin's lips and continued, "These work much better." Ezra then placed a quick kiss to his lips and moved out of reach then tossed Chris a set of keys. "Use those at your discretion," he said and moved to the end of the house.
Vin made to follow, but found that he was handcuffed to the porch. "Dammit Ezra!" he snapped. "Let me out of these! Ezra!" Vin hollered and pulled on the cuffs. "Chris let me go."
"Sorry Vin, but you heard the man. Ezra has enough to worry about," Chris told him.
Ezra grinned as he heard Vin arguing with Chris. Vin was just too damned stubborn for his own good. Irritating man just didn't know when to quit. I bet he wrecks my cuffs, too. Oh, well, no big loss, they were government issue anyway. Not really worth the cheap medal they were made of. Did Vin question his ability? Ezra was a trained professional and didn't some Army man shadowing him. He didn't care how sexy he was. Or how sweet he tasted. Or even how Vin fit the contours of Ezra's body like a glove. All he was interested in was keeping his blue-eyed flirt alive.
Of course, if Vin hadn't been occupying his mind, Ezra would have heard the man coming up behind him.
"Drop it," a voice said.
Ezra dropped his gun and raised his hands then grinned as he saw Buck take care the last gun man. "Give up now and you might have a chance," he tried to reason with him.
"A chance?" the man repeated and shoved him with point of his gun. "I'm already on parole. Wanna guess how many violations I commented today?"
"Killing a Federal Agent isn't going to help you any."
"No, but it'll be fun," the man returned. "I hear you're pretty good in a fight. In fact, I heard you broke of Brody's leg. Is it true?"
"You should never listen to rumors. The truth is I broke his arm and his leg. Do you . . . wish to test that theory?" Ezra asked and slowly turned around.
The gun man grinned and asked, "What's a little shit like you gonna do to me?"
Ezra looked at the man before him. He was more than six foot and was as big around as Josiah. "Kick your ass," he boasted.
"Let's do it," the man said. "First one to get the gun wins. Deal?"
"Deal," Ezra shook the offered hand. "What's your name?"
The gun man looked at him for a long minute then finally replied, "Brad."
The Southerner nodded his head and rolled up his shirt sleeve and removed his derringer rig. After rolling up the other one he was ready. Ezra saw Vin and the others approaching, but didn't say anything to them.
Brad swung his big fist at Ezra and connected with his jaw sending the smaller man flying.
Ezra shook his head and spit the blood out of his mouth and actually grinned. "Well, it's nice to have some decent competition for a change," he said as kicked out with his foot and connected with side of Brad's head. Then before the man knew what hit him Ezra swung around and kicked him square in the chest sending Brad sprawling to the ground.
~/~/~
Vin couldn't believe what he was seeing. Ezra was actually challenging a man twice his size. Who did he think he was? Superman? Just you wait until I get my hands on you, he silently warned.
Although, Vin thought with pride, Ezra was holding his own pretty good. They traded blows, kicks, and kept getting up for more. The gunman landed a couple of painful hits to Ezra's rib cage knocking the Southerner to his knees. Not one to give up Ezra swung around and kicked the man in the groin, making every man present cringe and protectively cover themselves.
Vin could see Ezra fighting to catch his breath even as he struggled to his feet. Ezra got the gun just as the man did and they grappled over it. He eased himself closer and closer. There was no way in hell, Vin was going let this bastard kill Ezra before he had a chance to tell him he loved him.
The Texan flinched as he heard the gun go off and held his breath too afraid to move. Vin felt arms on him and he pulled against them trying to get to Ezra. "Let me go!" he cried as the gun man fell over. "Ezra!" he exclaimed and tore away from his brothers to race to his Southerner as he fell to his knees. Vin reached him just before he hit the ground and wrapped his arms around him. "Ezra," he whispered and just held him. "Are you okay?"
~/~/~
Ezra nodded then sighed and relaxed against Vin. He barely heard the approaching sirens. The only sound he cared about was Vin's heartbeat under his ear. "Ezra," a voice said penetrating into their world. Looking up he saw the Judge standing in front of him.
"Come on Agent Standish we have work to do," the Judge said as the sheriff's car came to a stop in the yard.
The Southerner gingerly sat up and glared at the older man. "We don't. You do. I've had enough. I resigned remember? I don't have to do anything," Ezra told him.
"I know you resigned. And that you're hurting and tired. And I know we let you down . . ."
"You don't know shit," the Southerner said in a quiet voice.
Travis continued as if Ezra hadn't interrupted him. "You have two last things to do for me. Help me clean up this mess and testify. After that . . . you can do whatever the hell you want." He went on to say, "But until then . . . you're mine. Sheriff, take him away. We can take care of this back in Denver."
"No!" Vin cried as the Sheriff and two of his deputies grabbed Ezra and pulled him away. "Frank you can't do this!" he said getting to his feet and would have charged them, but they pulled their guns.
"I'm sorry, Vin, I'm just doing my job," the Sheriff said.
"Judge! This isn't right and you know it!" Ezra screamed and began to fight against the hands holding him. "I thought you were different! More the fool me!" By now five sheriff deputies were holding unto Ezra trying to get him into the car. "Justice for all, but n..none for Ezra! So goes my life!"
"Judge," Josiah said. "Don't do this?" he begged. "Please!"
"We'll make sure he gets to the trial," Chris told him and looked at Vin who was openly crying while Buck and Nathan held him and JD.
"I'm sorry, Josiah, but you lied to me earlier and I'm afraid I can't trust you to keep your word," the Judge told him. "Besides, he'll be safer in Denver . . ."
"You bastard! Ezra was safe enough here until you stuck your stupid ass in the middle of it!" Vin cried and would have gone for the man except his brothers held him back.
Judge Travis fought hard to keep his emotions under control at all of the emotional outbursts around him. "Yeah, well, Mr. Tanner life's a bitch . . . deal with it," was all he said then turned his back on them. "Oh, for heaven's sake can't you men control one man!" Orrin complained. "No don't cuff him! He'll be out of them before you even finish fastening them," he warned them. "Dammit, Ezra calm down!"
"I hate you!"
The Judge flinched. "Fine hate me. I don't care. There's too much at stake here. I didn't want it to be like this, but you ran out on me and I cannot allow you to do so again," he told him.
All of a sudden Ezra stopped struggling as he noticed how upset Vin was becoming. He didn't want Vin seeing him like this. Didn't want this to be his last memory of him. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Ezra straightened his shoulders as best he could and called out to him, "Vin?" When the taller man didn't respond he tried again, "Vin, it's okay. Don't cry. Vin look at me!" Ezra looked into those tear soaked blue eyes and vowed, "I'll be back."
"I'll be here," Vin replied.
'I love you,' Ezra silently said then got in the car.
"Thank you, Ezra," the Judge said.
"Go to hell," the Southerner snapped. "I did it for them. Not you. I don't owe you shit." Ezra made a mental note of all the deputies names and swore he would get even. Someday. Somehow. Especially with the Judge. Ezra Standish was not a man to trifled with.
The Judge ignored the animosity oozing from the younger man. Sometimes he really hated his job, he thought to himself. "No Ezra . . ."
"That's Agent Standish to you," Ezra cut in.
"Okay, Agent Standish you want to play hard ball. Let's play hard ball," the older man said. "Until the end of this trial you've be under twenty-four hour surveillance. You'll have no contact with the outside world. No phones. No televison. No nothing. The only time you'll be allowed alone is to go to the bathroom. BUT only if it has no windows and only one door in and out," the Judge told him. When he didn't say anything, he said, "What is it about Josiah? Why go to him and his family?"
Because Josiah believed in me and through him I met Vin and b..because of them the others gave me the one thing I'd never had . . . a home. A place I belonged, Ezra silently replied. He wasn't going to tell the man next to him any of this. The Judge didn't deserve to know.
The Judge sighed and took out his phone and made a few calls. Once they reached, Denver Ezra was escorted into a hotel suite by six FBI agents and one sour looking judge. "I took the liberty of sending someone to your home and retrieving some clothes for you. This is Dr. Winslow, he'll see to your cuts and bruises," Travis told him.
Ezra didn't say a word just meekly did as he was told. Even as the doctor examined him, the Southerner made no comment. He wasn't able to get the picture Vin's tear streaked face out of his head. Or the fact that he'd left so many things unsaid.
Continues in Surviving