From Tsarskoye Selo With Love
Special Agent Erza Standish leaned back in his office chair and took a sip of his cup of freshly brewed Jamaican Blue Mountain Reserve coffee. Surveying the office space that was home to Team 7 of the Denver branch of the ATF, he was at once struck by the fact that the room was too quiet and felt out of sync. Something was missing.
With Chris Larabee, the team leader, in Washington, D.C. attending meetings at the Justice Department, the sense of urgency and drive was missing. Since he had taken Buck Wilmington with him, the stentorious atmosphere normally present had quickly evaporated. And with Nathan Jackson attending a week long course needed to hone his EMT training, something that had saved the life of every man in the team at least a half dozen times, the feeling of order and structure was gone. When Vin Tanner and JD Dunne had been called to A.D. Travis's office over two hours ago, the atmospheric mix had lost the heart beat of the street as well as the controlled predatory spirit that Mr. Tanner emits and the innocence, wonder, and enthusiasm that radiates from Mr. Dunne. This left only the deep tranquility and patience that flowed from Josiah Sanchez, the only other occupant of the office, and the cocky self-assurance that he himself added. Just as he was about to solicit Josiah's opinion, a storm in the form of Vin Tanner blew into the office.
The tall, lean man strode into the office and threw two files down on his desk with such force that they slid across his desk and would have dropped into Erza's lap if he hadn't caught them. However, Vin never seemed to notice as he first checked Chris's office and then the break room. The mixture of anger and panic emanating from the normally laidback sharpshooter was thick enough to fill the air in the room. Josiah and Ezra shared a look of worry before their attention was once again directed toward Vin as he stalked back into the room and slammed his fist into the wall. "Where the hell did he get to?"
Josiah was out of his chair before Vin could pull his fist back for another hit. "Vin!"
Josiah's shout caught Vin's attention and he turned to face his two teammates. "Ah hell," he muttered as he slumped into his desk chair. "I guess J.D. didn't come back here. I gotta find him, talk to him."
"Slow down, Vin," Josiah stated as he sat on the edge of Vin's desk effectively blocking the younger man from getting up. "Tell us what happened that J.D. isn't with you and Ezra and I will help you find him. Are you two in trouble with the Judge?"
"Naw. It was the lawyer that caused all the trouble," Vin replied.
"Are you and Mr. Dunne being sued?" Ezra asked. He didn't even attempt to hid his concern from either man present.
Vin ran his hand through his long brown hair. "Nothing so easy. Shoot, a law suit would be better than this." He waved his hand toward the folders now laying on Ezra's desk. "Our pa's kin wants to claim."
Vin's statement stunned both men listening. Ezra quickly opened both files and scanned the top few pages of each. Josiah just stared at Vin. Ezra cleared his throat before speaking. "Mr. Tanner, if I am reading these papers correctly, then you and Mr. Dunne are..."
"...half brothers," Vin finished. "That's why I got to find J.D. The kid was so upset that he just took off after the meeting before I could say anything to him." Vin looked at from one of his friends to the other. The raw emotion evident in those blue eyes effected both hardened ATF agents more than any firefight ever could. After a moment he rested his head in his hands.
Josiah mentioned Ezra to follow him into the breakroom. Once there, Ezra poured a cup of coffee, but before he could take a drink, Josiah stopped. "Vin made it this morning and no one's gotten around to making a fresh pot."
Ezra stared into the jet black liquid before setting the cup down with a sigh. "What a time for both Mr. Larabee and Mr. Wilmington to be out of town. They are singularly qualified to deal with Mr. Tanner and Mr. Dunne when there are problems."
"Well, Ezra," Josiah started as he rested his hand on the southerner's shoulder, "we'll have to fill their role as best we can and help our two young brothers through this time of turmoil as best we can."
"That is very well for you, Mr Sanchez, but I lack the necessary experience required for dealing with emotions."
"Ezra, you're better qualified for this situation than you think." At Ezra's raised eyebrow, Josiah smiled. "Those boys need their family around them and whether you are willing to admit it or not, you are part of that family as much as Chris or Buck. Now you go keep an eye on Vin while I look for JD."
Ezra picked up the cup of coffee. "I would imagine Mr. Tanner would appreciate a cup of this sludge he calls coffee. Where will you look for our youngest?"
Rather than answering Josiah just looked up at the ceiling.
Ezra nodded. "Wise solution. The roof is the young man's first choice of escape." Ezra walked out of the room, but stopped in the doorway and turned back. "Good luck, my friend. Let us hope that both our brothers can come to terms with this revelation." He turned and walked back into the office.
Josiah watched the empty doorway for a second before he spoke. "Amen, brother, amen." With a sigh he walked out and headed for the roof and hopefully Team 7's youngest.
When Josiah stepped out onto the roof of the Byron G. Rogers Federal Building he quickly spotted the young man he was seeking. He walked over the bench that Team 7 had put up. JD sat on one corner, his head down and his long black hair hiding his face. "JD," Josiah said as he sat down.
"Did I ever tell you why I became a cop, Josiah?" JD asked without looking up. He continued without waiting for an answer. "When I was little and asked my mother where my father was, she told me how he witnessed a murder and testified against the hit man who was a member of a Russian mob family. They killed him for it. She always seemed so proud when she told me about him that I wanted to be a cop and stop criminals. While working on the Boston PD, I decided that one way to get the killing to stop was to get the illegal guns off the street. I figured the ATF would be the best place to do that. My whole life all I wanted to do was make sure some other kid didn't grow up without a father because someone used a gun that he shouldn't have had. And now I find out it was all a lie. Why did she lie to me, Josiah? Why?"
At the anguish tones in the young man's voice, Josiah hung his head. Taking a deep breath, he weighted his words carefully before answering. "JD, your mother gave a gift. She gave you a father you could be proud of, a father who sacrificed his life to do what was right. But just because the father she told you of was made-up does not mean that your dream was a lie. You have hold on to your dream even in the face of truth."
"Did Vin tell you want happened?"
"Just that you're half-brothers."
"Our father was some sort of Russian royalty. He married Vin's mother and divorced her before Vin was born. Then five years later he did the same to my mother. He went back to Europe and never looked back. How could a man do that? He didn't even care what happened to the children he fathered. I was lucky. I had my mother until she died, but Vin had no one. And now that he's dead, his family wants to acknowledge us. Where was he when Vin needed him?"
"Ah Hell, kid, I never needed anyone who could walk away from his own flesh and blood," Vin answered as he knelt down in front of JD.
Josiah stood up and walked over to Ezra who was standing be the door, giving the two brothers some privacy. "How much did you hear?"
"Most of it," Ezra answered, his eyes never leaving the two young men. "After a few drinks of that so called coffee, Mr. Tanner thought of the roof and came looking for out missing member."
"Did Vin say anything?"
"No. If you wouldn't mind watching over our two compatriots, I will take the opportunity to pursue those files and do a little investigating of my own."
"Those two don't need anybody watching them. They just need time to talk. But I'll tell you what I will do, I'll make a decent pot of coffee while you check things out." Josiah smiled at the undercover agent.
"That, Mr. Sanchez, will help me immensely. The sludge that Mr. Tanner brews would be better used to fill the potholes that plague our fair city each Spring than consumed."
The End