"There's seven of them." Keith Rounds pointed to the newspaper clipping his younger brother held up to the clear partition. "But this one here," his finger tapped twice. "He's the one I want you to focus on."
"You're asking an awful lot." The young blond adjusted the phone receiver and turned the picture around to see which man his brother had indicated. The photo was grainy, taken at some awards ceremony. Seven men in tuxedos, one holding a plaque proclaiming an accomplishment he couldn't make out. Carefully Rory memorized the faint details of Keith's target.
"I took care of you, Ror," Keith growled. "I was there every day for you since you was fourteen. He changed all that when he betrayed me and put me in here."
"I know. I know." Rory scratched his head and looked around nervously. " I just don't…" his dark blue eyes met his brother's icy glare. "Okay, Okay." He sighed wearily. "I'll do it."
"Promise me, Rory," Keith insisted. "He has to pay."
"I promise you, Keith. I'll do it."
Ezra finished typing the final report and quickly saved the document. With a satisfied smirk, he leaned back in his chair and stretched while he waited for the printer to do its job.
After a week of helping Team Two, he was finally getting caught up on all of his extra reports and paperwork. Glancing at the clock, he smiled again to see it was only 7pm. He'd been afraid that it would take him a lot longer to get everything finished, but after the rest of the team had decided to go on to the Saloon and wait for him there… he'd been able to work much more efficiently.
His phone rang, startling him as it broke the quiet stillness of the empty office. "Standish," he answered automatically.
"What the hell are you thinking, answering the phone this late on a Friday?" Buck shouted through the line. " I could have been Travis, you fool!"
Ezra chuckled. "Enjoying the drinks already, are you, Mr. Wilmington?" He held the receiver away from his ear.
"Hell yeah! This place is rocking tonight. You coming?"
"How could I resist such an offer?" Ezra shook his head, shutting down his computer. "I'm just turning things off now. I'll be there in ten."
"I'll order you one of those bloomin' onions then."
"Joy," Ezra said to a dial tone. It took only a minute to get everything else turned off and lock up the office.
+ + + + + + +
"He coming?" Chris asked as Buck tucked his cell phone away.
"Yup." Wilmington grabbed his beer and took a swig before continuing. "Said he was just locking up, will be here in ten."
"Good." Josiah leaned back in his chair as JD handed a drink to Nathan. "Man needs to relax a bit."
"Think that'll happen in here?" Nathan asked waving to the Friday night crowd.
Josiah chuckled. "Not really, but it might take the edge off." He raised his mug in a toast. "To taking the edge off."
"Amen." Vin said, raising his own glass as the others followed suit.
A comfortable silence fell around the table as the jukebox blared a new Hank Williams, Jr. tune and a rowdy group at the pool table started singing along.
Chris shot a dirty look toward the crooners.
"They really need to…" JD started to comment but was cut off by Buck's sudden movement.
"Hey!" The ladies' man jumped to his feet and tried to yell over the crowd but the noise swallowed up his shout.
"What's wrong?" JD asked as Buck started to weave through the throng. "Where's he going?"
"Maybe he saw a lady friend." Josiah smiled over his drink.
"She must have made quite the impression to get a reaction like that," Nathan added.
Vin watched Buck for a moment then stood. "Going to check it out," he told Chris.
"Problem?" Larabee asked.
Tanner shrugged. "Just a feeling."
Vin caught up with Buck after pushing through the bar's growing crowd. "What's up?"
"She was right here!" Wilmington shouted back. "I swear she looked right at me."
"Who?" Vin questioned, able to see that this woman was obviously more to Buck than simply a pretty girl.
"It was her." Buck grabbed Vin's upper arm and pulled him close so he didn't have to yell. "From Halloween a year ago- the chick who hypnotized Ezra." He spoke directly into Tanner's ear.
Vin jerked back and glanced around. "What does she look like?"
"Long blonde hair with red streaks, wearing jeans and one of those nice flirty shirts that look more like a poncho…no arms."
"She has no arms?" Vin frowned.
"No, the shirt has no arms." Buck turned, searching again. "She was right here," he repeated.
"I'll check outside." Vin nodded and headed for the door.
Vin understood the urgency now and was anxious to find the lady himself. Over a year before, Buck and Ezra had visited a fortuneteller at a Halloween party. Ezra had ended up having strange spells that they still hadn't figured out. The team searched every source they knew of to find the mysterious woman, but she had disappeared completely.
Outside, the night was warm with a light breeze that lifted Vin's hair off his neck as he scanned the parking lot.
"Searching for someone in particular?" a sultry voice asked.
Distractedly Vin glanced in the direction the voice had come from. "Yeah, sort of." He turned back to his search then did a double take. "How?" he knew it was her. Buck's description had been accurate and she wore an expression that told him she knew he'd been looking for her.
"I'm perceptive that way." She grinned and flicked her cigarette onto the pavement, smashing it out with a turn of her designer leather boot.
"I don't understand. You are…"
"I'm Aislinn, or Lady Aislinn as your friends know me." She stepped closer, folding her arms in front of her. The tassel of her blouse tickled his forearm.
"What the hell is going on?" Vin asked. "We looked all over for you."
Aislinn shrugged. "I come to you. That's how I work."
"I don't understand." Vin shook his head, repeating himself. None of this made sense to him. "What did you do to Ezra that time?" he questioned.
Aislinn continued to smile, reminding the sharpshooter of a mischievous cat. The lights in the parking lot made the red in her hair glow pink as she tipped her head to the side.
"I merely opened his eyes a little, she answered finally.
"You almost got him killed," Vin accused angrily.
"Oh, on the contrary." Aislinn straightened and shook her head. "I believe he saved your life."
Tanner scowled. "How the hell do you know that?"
"Maybe you should be a little more concerned about why I'm here now." Her pretty face grew serious and her accent thickened slightly.
Vin looked into her dark eyes, trying to determine if she was for real. Everything about her raised suspicion, but he needed answers. "What exactly do you mean by that?" he asked.
"I told you- I come to you."
"Why?"
"Your brother needs you," she said solemnly.
Vin looked at her questioningly. "I don't have a brother."
Aislinn shook her head again and reached for him. "Not a physical brother, here." She touched his head. "But rather here." She laid the flat of her hand on his chest.
For a moment, it was as if he could hear nothing but the beat of his own heart, then her voice whispered beneath the rhythmic pounding. "Fate has tied you together as seven. He needs you."
"Hey, Vin!" Buck's voice cut through the spell and Vin turned away from Aislinn.
"Here!" He spun back "Who needs…" She was gone. "No, damn it." He ran a few steps, searching the parking lot for her.
"You find her?" Buck asked as he caught up.
"She was right here," Vin growled.
"Now you sound like me," the ladies' man chuckled. " I was probably seeing things."
"No." Vin pointed to the spot where he'd stood talking to her. "We stood here talking and then she was gone."
"Seriously?"
"She must have run off when you came out, but it happened so fast."
Buck glanced around. "But she was really here? What'd she say?"
Vin walked to the corner of the building and searched the side lot before turning around and walking back to Buck. "She said I needed to help my brother," he answered and headed back inside.
Buck stopped walking. "You have a brother?" he asked with shock but the door was already closing behind Vin.
+ + + + + + +
Ezra knew something was wrong the moment his consciousness began to return. His head ached viciously and the last thing he remembered was stepping from the elevator into the parking garage.
He was on his side, his face pressed against some kind of vinyl material and when he tried to move he found his arms and legs were bound securely.
"Easy, Tanner. We're almost there," a voice sounded from somewhere behind him.
Tanner? Ezra tried to get his bearings, blinking in the darkness. Was Vin there, too? What was happening? Turning his head, he tried again to figure out where he was when it clicked. The feeling of movement…he was in the backseat of a car. Was Vin in the front? He tried to speak but his dry throat produced only a moan.
"I said, shut up." A fist struck his hip with little force. Whoever had him was too distracted with driving to do much else.
Ezra tried to go over his choices, but quickly faced the fact that there was nothing he could do but wait. He only hoped that Vin was okay.
The ride didn't last very long and, as he listened to the tires turn off the main road and onto gravel, Ezra wondered how long he'd been unconscious. The car stopped and, as the driver climbed out, Standish tried to brace himself for what was to come. The door at his feet opened and his captor grabbed his ankles, pulling him roughly across the seat. With no way to protect himself, Ezra was helpless. His knee slammed against the car's frame and he ended up on the ground. Small stones dug into his shoulder and side as he strained to peer up at his captor.
The man before him was young. Tall and muscular, he struck no chord of recognition in the federal agent when he squatted in front of him and leaned close. "I'm gonna help you up and you're gonna cooperate. You make a sound without my permission and you'll regret it," he threatened, pulling a knife from his belt. "Understand?"
Ezra cleared his throat. "Perfectly," he rasped. "Tanner?" He tried to ask but the kid was already cutting the ropes at his ankles and hauling him to his feet.
"This way." Roughly, he was pulled into a small house. The interior was almost dark, lit only by the fading evening light but it was clear the kid knew his way around. Quickly they navigated through a sparsely furnished living room and into a small cluttered kitchen.
"Where's Vin?" Ezra tried to ask again as they stopped and the kid opened a door.
"Funny." The blond scowled then shoved Ezra into the blackness.
His hands still bound behind him, Standish tried to brace himself for an impact with the floor but panicked when he went airborne. He bounced hard, sharp edges of a wooden staircase battering his ribs and back. He screamed, his left arm taking the brunt of one tumble. The intensity of the pain shot through him as he flipped again, dropping suddenly onto a cold cement floor.
Gasping, he pressed his face against the gritty coolness, focusing on biting his bottom lip and struggling against the waves of nausea sweeping over him. He couldn't get sick; he would not throw up. He swallowed, squeezing his eyes closed and trying to calm his breathing. He needed to figure out what was going on. Was there any way to get out? Where the hell was Vin? He knew he'd heard the kid speak to Tanner…was Vin still up there? Was Vin dead?
He moaned, grief and anger washing over him at the possibility his friend was gone. With the enormity of it all overwhelming him, he gave in to the darkness.
+ + + + + + +
"She said what?" Chris questioned harshly, taking in Vin's tense posture and worried expression.
Tanner shook his head. "I can't think in here." He motioned to the partying crowd.
"Let's go." Larabee stood, tossing a pile of bills onto the table and instantly the others followed suit.
Outside, the quiet of the parking lot was a welcome change.
"What's going on?" JD questioned as they walked toward their cars.
"Vin caught up to our mystery woman," Buck explained, handing the younger man his keys and leaning against Chris' truck.
Chris frowned, but didn't say anything.
"What'd the lady have to say?" Josiah asked, looking at Tanner.
Vin repeated the short conversation to them.
"So she meant us," JD commented when the sharpshooter had finished. "We're brothers, eh?"
"And trouble is ahead for one of us?" Nathan sounded skeptical as he looked around at the group.
"But who?" Buck wondered.
"She didn't say," Vin shrugged.
"Did she mean right now?" Nathan asked.
"I don't know what the hell she meant!" Vin snapped angrily, his frustration boiling over. "She didn't say who or when or what kind of danger. She just warned me and disappeared, dammit!" He raised his fist wanting to strike something but found nothing and dropped it back to his side.
"Uh, guys?" JD spoke up tentatively.
"What?" Chris growled, glaring in Dunne's direction.
Worry shrouded the youngest member of the team, clearly visible to his leader.
"What is it, JD?" Chris asked again, his tone softening slightly.
JD shifted and motioned to the cars around them. "Shouldn't Ezra be here by now?"
Silence followed his question.
"Shit." Chris reached for his phone. "Vin, you take Buck stay here. Nathan, you and JD hit this condo and Josiah and I will check the office."
"Wait," Nathan held up both arms for everyone to stop. "What if we're overreacting? We don't know anything about this woman. Are we really going to take her seriously? Ezra's probably just taking his time."
Shaking his head, Chris held up his hand for quiet. He paused, looking at the phone with disgust and dialed again. "He's not answering his cell," he told them, focusing again on the small device.
"And we all remember what happened the last time this chick showed up," Buck reminded.
"Smoke and mirrors, tricks and hypnosis," Nathan countered. "Maybe she gets her kicks playing head games with us. For all we know, Ezra's gonna pull into the lot here any minute now."
"There's no answer at his place either," Chris interrupted, putting his phone away. He looked at Nathan. "I don't understand what happened to Ezra the last time this woman showed up, but I know it was real. I'm not taking a chance that it's just a game this time."
"Fine," Jackson conceded with a resigned shrug. "Let's get going then."
Vin leaned against his jeep watching as the others took off. Beside him Buck continued trying to reach Ezra by phone. "Come on, Hoss. Answer." The ladies' man mumbled as he started pacing restlessly.
"They doubt me."
Vin spun toward Aislinn, startled by her sudden appearance. "Might help if you gave us real answers," he pointed out, wondering where she had been hiding.
Aislinn shrugged gracefully. "Some will always doubt what they can not understand."
"Oh. My. God." Buck stopped in midstep and stared. "I was beginning to think you weren't actually real."
"I am." She nodded, looking uncomfortable with the extra scrutiny.
"You mind telling us what the hell is going on?" Buck asked directly. "Where's Ezra?"
"I don't know."
"Then why are you here?" Vin asked.
"I can feel your connection," she glanced from one man to the other. "I can feel him."
"I can't believe this." Buck shook his head and turned away to make another phone call.
The slim figure stiffened, her eyes flashing with anger but her voice was controlled. "Do not ignore my words. He needs you…all of you." She turned to go but Vin grabbed her arm and pulled her close.
"What do you feel?" he asked softly.
She studied him a moment, reading him carefully before answering. "Pain," she whispered. "Pain. Uncertainty. Fear." She looked down and then back up, emotion visible in her eyes. "He fears for you."
+ + + + + + +
Vin watched in stunned silence as Aislinn backed away. He reached forward to stop her but felt as if he was moving in a fog, like time had slowed for everyone except her.
"Why?" he wanted to ask, but words wouldn't form. Where was she going? Why didn't she stay and help them. Why did Ezra fear for him?
"I can't help you any further," she explained. "Follow your instincts." Her voice sounded muffled as she continued moving out of the light. The effect made her seem to fade before his eyes.
"Vin." Buck's voice snapped the world back into regular time.
Tanner shook his head, trying to clear it.
"Was it a smart thing to let her go?" Wilmington wondered out loud.
Vin shrugged. "I'm not sure we could force her to stay, said she couldn't help us any more." He turned to the taller man, "did you call Chris?"
Buck nodded. "Said to meet them at the office. See if we can figure out what's going on and go from there. I'm gonna run inside to let Inez know that Ezra needs to call if he shows up."
Watching as Buck jogged to the door Vin suddenly shivered, unsettled by the overwhelming knowledge that Ezra wasn't showing up anywhere on his own.
+ + + + + + +
"You're not looking so hot."
Ezra opened his eyes to find his captor sitting on the bottom step only inches from him. He hadn't heard the young man descend into the basement or noticed when the light came on. He ignored the kid's sarcastic grin and closed his eyes.
"Oh no, we're not playing that game." Rory grabbed Standish by the arm and hauled him upright.
Ezra cried out, pain ripping through his aching body. He tried to struggle as he was dragged further into his dank cement prison but the kid was surprisingly strong.
Rory dumped him roughly, leaning him against the cinderblock wall. Ezra moaned, his arm throbbing as if it were slowly being crushed under a heavy weight while his shoulders burned from being bound. His fingers felt like a hundred needles were being driven through them. A hand slapped his face twice. "Look at me."
Opening his eyes, Ezra glared at the boy squatting in front of him. "Tanner?" he rasped.
Rory frowned. "Yeah, I know that you stupid shit. You think I didn't know who the hell I was grabbing?" He continued to rant as he stood and walked to the other end of room. "Tanner, you put my brother in the slammer and now its time to pay the price." He turned his back and started messing with something on a small workbench.
Confusion flooded Ezra as he tried to sort out what he'd just heard. The kid thought he was Tanner? Then Vin wasn't here. Vin was safe. Relief quickly replaced the grief he'd been feeling but fear bloomed larger. If his assailant found out he really wasn't Vin would the kid just kill him and go after Tanner again? Ezra swallowed with difficulty, whatever happened he couldn't let this boy find out who he really was.
Rory looked at the tools littering the tabletop and focused on the gun. He could end it quickly and be done with the whole task. He touched the cold harsh metal and felt a little sick inside. Keith wanted it to be slow and painful. Looking over his shoulder, Rory could tell Tanner was already in pain…but was he really suffering? He looked down again, his eyes traveling between the knife and the gun and grabbed the knife.
Ezra was ready when his captor returned.
Rory squatted again, holding knife in Ezra's face. "I could make this simple." He smiled.
His prisoner showed no reaction. "Or I can make this complicated."
Still no reaction. Rory twirled the knife with one hand and pushed Ezra's head against the wall with the other before placing the cool blade against Ezra's neck. He leaned forward, pressing lightly. "Think you're cool, Tanner?" he asked. "Think you're a big shot for throwing my brother in prison, making him think you were his friend and then turning on him and bringing him down?"
Ezra's mind raced through cases, trying to narrow in on one where Vin had been their main undercover man and trying to show no fear as the weapon dug deeper into his skin.
"Answer me!" Rory demanded, the blade drawing a thin line of blood.
"I was doing my job." Ezra managed, in a hoarse whisper.
"Your job?" The knife moved quickly, ripping through Ezra's expensive shirt and exposing his bruised chest. Ezra flinched as the blade slit his skin. "You think my brother deserved that?" Rory asked angry that Tanner did nothing more than flinch at the action.
Ezra knew he was asking for trouble but he needed time… for the Team to figure out what had happened to him and to keep this not quite bright but very dangerous kid from actually checking the ID in his back pocket and finding out that he wasn't Vin. "Which one was your brother?"
Rory looked at Tanner incredulously. The smart ass didn't even remember?
"Keith Rounds," Rory shouted, moving the knife across Ezra's chest, slicing again. "You remember him now?" He jumped to his feet and angrily kicked out at Tanner, connecting with his midsection. Tanner doubled over and Rory struck again.
The attack came fast and hard, surprising Ezra's dulled reflexes. His head slammed back into the concrete as his vision exploded with bright light and then faded to darkness.
Rory kicked again and again before he realized that Tanner was unconscious. He stopped and stared down at the slumped man. Breathing heavily, he suddenly felt sick to his stomach as his eyes took in the damage he'd done. Tanner laid awkwardly, his bound arm swollen and bruised. Matted blood caked the agent's hair where Rory had knocked him out earlier and dark bruises were visible along the man's ribcage. Rory could see where his foot had connected, where more bruising would soon form. The shallow cuts he'd inflicted on Tanner's chest were bleeding freely now.
Rounds bit his bottom lip and stepped back. He wasn't sure what he'd expected once he actually had Tanner captive but looking at the man now made him nervous. His anger fading, he tried to remind himself that this was the man who'd betrayed Keith. It was his job…his duty to make him pay for that deception. His eyes focused on a gash on Tanner's cheek, torn open and oozing. The blood dripped down the side of his face and across his chin. He felt a moment of guilt and then shoved it away.
"You deserve this," he spat harshly, kicking the unconscious man again, as if to convince himself he was right.
+ + + + + + +
Vin paced the office suite, counting his wide strides. Ten steps from Chris' office to his desk, fifteen to the main door and six to the break room, then he started again, all the while his mind racing through possibilities about what was happening with Ezra.
Nathan sat at his desk unconsciously tapping a pen in time with Tanner's steps and scrolling through recent prison releases on file. Josiah stood; blankly staring at a cold cup of coffee while Buck and Chris huddled over files at Buck's desk, trying to search out any threat to Ezra.
Everyone jumped when JD burst in. "Got ‘em" He waved a handful of tapes and headed towards the conference room.
The others followed, watching as he popped the first tap into a battered VCR and flipped the television on. "This is our best bet. I had Harry cue it up already," he explained. "It should start right about the time Buck called Ez."
When the federal building and found Ezra's Jag still in its parking space Chris had immediately sent JD for copies of the night's security tapes.
"Which one is this?" Josiah asked.
"The garage," Dunne answered without looking at the profiler. He picked up the remote control and hit the fast-forward. "Everything looks fine until here," he said, revealing that he'd already watched the tape with Harry. He pressed play and the group watched as a young blond kid shuffled into view and stood beside the elevator. Wielding a crow bar, he twisted the weapon nervously while he waited. JD fast-forward again.
"He's not even wearing a hat or anything to shield his face," Buck pointed out.
The man on the screen shifted and JD punched play. They watched then as the elevator door opened, anger growing as the suspect blindsided Ezra before he was even able to step all the way out. One solid hit and Standish crumpled to the ground where the kid scooped him up in a fireman's carry and moved out of camera range.
"Shit!" Buck slammed a hand on the table. "Where the hell was security?"
"Rewind it," Chris ordered. No one spoke as the tape ran backwards. Finally it started again.
"Stop there," Vin interrupted. The shot was fuzzy but they could see the assailant's face fairly well. "Seen that kid before," Tanner stated confidently.
"On a case?" Nathan asked, his earlier skepticism gone.
Vin nodded. "Think so." He stared at the screen a moment longer. "Yeah, one of mine.
"Start pulling files." Chris sighed heavily. "Get a call in to authorities, too, kidnapping of a federal agent."
Josiah nodded. "I'll do that."
As the others quickly headed out to their tasks, Vin leaned forward and grasped the chair in front of him.
"You okay?" Chris questioned.
Vin met his concerned gaze. "I don't know," he admitted.
"No weird flashes back in time or anything?"
Tanner chuckled, though he knew Chris was serious. "No, just…"
"What?"
"Nothing." Vin shook his head. "I can't put it in words. I know this is about finding Ezra right now, but somehow I feel like it's about me."
Larabee raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"This Aislinn thing, I think she really could feel him and she said he fears for me… Why?"
Chris looked back at the TV, the picture of their suspect still frozen there. "You think it's because he's from one of your cases?"
The sharpshooter shrugged. "Possibly. Like I said, it's hard to explain. I just need to find him. I don't think he's in good shape right now."
"Let's do it then."
+ + + + + + +
Ezra was positive he now fully understood exactly what it meant to feel like a truck had hit you. Where his body didn't throb in pain…it was frighteningly numb. He was surrounded by darkness again, the kind of black that choked you with its presence, suffocating you as if it lived.
Standish swallowed hard, pushing the panic away and forcing himself to recall the dimensions of the room. He tried to move, remembering the small workbench somewhere across from him, but cramps and spasms wracked his body and cried out as he fell back in a heap. He gasped, the pain taking his breath away. God, he hurt.
He needed to focus. Focus on anything other than the pain and darkness. Ignore the blood he could feel dripping down his neck and the agony of his injured arm as it continued to swell.
Vin.
Was Vin still safe? Had this Rounds kid realized his mistake? Ezra couldn't help but be thankful for Rounds' lack of intellect. Not that he enjoyed being in his current position, but maybe Rounds had made other mistakes, too. Mistakes that would lead Chris and the others to him, because one thing that Standish had no doubt about… The team was looking. They would find him.
The basement suddenly filled with light and as he squinted against the harsh change and listened to Rounds' heavy footsteps down the stairs, he prayed the others wouldn't be too late.
"How about the Rainwright case?" Nathan called out. His voice sounded like a bellow in the silent office.
Tanner thought for a minute, raking his fingers through already mussed hair. "No," he finally answered. "That kid had dark hair."
Buck leaned back in his chair and turning it from side to side. "There's got to be something we're missing." They'd been through almost all of Vin's cases and still were coming up empty-handed.
Josiah and JD had questioned security but no one recalled seeing the undisguised kid, or Ezra, leave the garage.
"What about Aislinn?" JD ventured.
"What about her?" Vin asked almost defensively.
"Maybe she's the key to figuring this out?"
"But how do we find her again?" Buck wondered.
"We don't." Vin shrugged and stared at his computer screen. "She'd come to us if she could do anything else to help."
"What was that case anyway?" Nathan stood up so he had a clear view of the sharpshooter. "The one at Halloween when she hypnotized Ezra or whatever it was."
"Rounds case," Chris answered, coming out of his office.
"Anyone check on that yet?" Josiah asked.
JD nodded. "Keith Rounds is still in prison. Not even scheduled for a parole hearing for another five years."
Quiet filled the office again as they struggled to think of what to try next.
"Any hits in the system yet?" Tanner questioned Chris softly.
Larabee had been running their suspect's picture and stats through the computer looking for a match in prior records.
Chris shook his head. "Not yet."
Tanner glanced at the office clock. Ezra'd been missing almost ten hours. With no ransom demands and nothing to go on but a fuzzy picture and cryptic warnings from a fortuneteller, Vin knew they were running out of time.
He thought of Aislinn again, trying to remember her exact words to him. There had to be something there he was missing.
"You need to help your brother." Her words rang through his mind. He could feel her hand on his chest, reminding him that…though the men he worked with might not be brothers by blood…they truly were brothers to him in his heart.
Brothers by blood. Brothers.
"Shit!" He stood quickly. "Brothers." He looked at the others as if they should already understand.
Chris did and was already heading into his office.
"Brothers," Vin said again. "Does Keith Rounds have any brothers?"
+ + + + + + +
Ezra watched as Rounds walked over to the workbench and then back to him.
"Time to sit up," Rounds said grabbing Ezra by the hair and pulling him upright. Standish bit back a moan, gasping instead as he was propped against the wall. The room seemed to tilt and twirl about him.
"Ready to play?" Rounds sat on the floor in front of him, legs crossed as if they were about to have a friendly chat. A gun rested in his lap.
"What are we playing?" Ezra croaked. He didn't realize how thirsty he was until he tried to speak.
Rory didn't seem to notice his difficulty in speaking, instead he picked up the gun. "Just a little game I know." He spun the chamber and Ezra frantically tried to remember if he'd seen Rounds load the gun. "Feeling lucky today?" the kid asked. He leaned forward, pressing the cold barrel into Ezra's forehead.
Ezra tried to take a deep calming breath, but it hurt too much. Metal bit harshly into his skin and his heart raced. Chills swept through him as sweat ran down the back of his neck. He did not want to die this way.
Rounds pressed harder. "One. Two."
Ezra closed his eyes, thinking of his team. They were his friends…his family. They were everything to him.
"Three."
Please God don't let Vin ever find out Rounds meant to kill him.
Click.
Ezra jumped and Rounds began to laugh.
Click. Click. Click. Rounds pulled the trigger again and again, each time jabbing the barrel viscously into Ezra's already battered head. "Bet you thought you were a goner, didn't ya?" Rory laughed, though inwardly torn between being impressed and angered by Tanner's resolve under pressure.
He pulled the gun back and reached into his pocket. Carefully he loaded the weapon.
Ezra listened as each bullet slid into the chamber, counting silently and knowing that this time the gun was completely loaded.
"Do you have any brothers?" Rory asked.
The question surprised Ezra and he opened his eyes. Rounds sat very still, looking at the gun in his hands. Ezra thought of how to answer. "Of a sort."
Rounds looked up at him, obviously expecting an explanation.
"They aren't my blood, but I think we're as close as brothers would be," Ezra managed.
Rory frowned. "You're really that tight? I thought you couldn't be closer than blood."
Ezra smiled sloppily. "There was a time," he paused swallowing with difficulty. "When I would have believed that."
Rounds nodded. "How many?"
"Six."
Rory's eyes widened. "And you love them?"
"I do," Ezra admitted.
"What would you do for them?"
Ezra choked on a laugh, then gasped as pain ricocheted through him. He thought of Vin. "Anything."
"Really?"
"Yes."
The basement was quiet save for sound of Ezra's shallow breathing.
Rory swallowed, running his fingers over the gun. "Would you die for them?" he whispered not looking up at Ezra.
"Y-yes."
Rounds looked up and met Ezra's exhausted, pain-filled gaze. "Would you kill for them?"
Ezra didn't close his eyes as Rounds raised the gun. "If it was needed," he whispered.
The kid pointed the gun, holding it away from Ezra's forehead this time but still close enough to do the job intended. The gun wavered and Ezra realized the boy was shaking.
Rory looked into the green eyes staring back at him. Even through the pain he could see so much life there. His arm trembled and the gun suddenly felt like it weighed a ton. He squeezed his eyes closed and thought of Keith. Keith wanted this. He needed to finish this for his brother. He fingered the trigger lightly, opening his eyes again, surprised to find his vision clouded with tears. Tanner continued to simply wait, watching him without any expression. It was as if he'd resigned himself to whatever was going to come next.
Rory pushed to his feet and started to pace, the gun falling at his side. Minutes passed as turmoil ripped at his insides, pulling him back and forth between following through on his brother's order and the reality of taking another person's life.
Ezra watched quietly as Rounds struggled with himself, not daring to move. He thought for sure he'd heard movement above them and now sensed someone watching from the stairs. Rounds was so distracted with his own struggle he was completely unaware that anyone was with them.
Rory's anger grew, anger with himself that he couldn't just do the task and be done with it. He knew he'd hurt Tanner…wasn't that enough? No, Keith wanted the man dead. It crossed his mind for an instant that everything in his life since his parents' death had been about what Keith wanted, but still, Keith was his brother…You were suppose to be willing to do anything for your brother weren't you?
Rounds stopped and took a deep breath, pointing the gun at Ezra again but even as he aimed he knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't kill, not even for his brother. Dropping to his knees, Rory shoved the gun across the floor to the back corner of the room and cried out in frustration at his own failure.
Finally, Rounds looked at Ezra again. "These men, your brothers…" His voice was heavy with emotion. "Would they do anything for you?"
"You even twitch like you're gonna move and you'll find out the hard way," Chris' low angry voice cut through the room.
Rory froze, his eyes wide with fear as he glanced toward the stairs. Three men in full gear squatted on the stairwell aiming their weapons at him.
Ezra closed his eyes.
+ + + + + + +
Vin watched, covering Chris as the lead agent threw Rounds to the floor, grinding the young man's face into the cement and planting a knee in the small of his back. Tanner's relief at seeing the kid in custody was countered by the activity he heard behind him.
He listened as Nathan talked softly to Ezra, trying to reassure him as he took stock of the multiple injuries. "You're okay, you're okay," he heard Jackson murmuring again and again. "We're here."
‘Finally,' Tanner thought. It hadn't taken long to find the house, it was still in Keith Rounds' name, but when they'd actually arrived, they had to set up a perimeter and make sure they knew who all was in the building before they could move in. Buck's high tech gear had tuned in just in time to pick up the sound of a gun's chamber spinning…Chris had ordered them in fast and silent.
"JD, get those damn paramedics down here now!" Josiah's booming voice shook the basement.
"Ezra okay?" Buck questioned.
"Ezra?" Rory tried to peer up at the agents. "Who the hell is Ezra?"
"Shut up," Chris shoved Rounds' head down again but the kid resisted.
"That's Tanner," he insisted.
Anger ripped through Vin as the realization struck him and the pieces of Aislinn's conversation suddenly made sense.
"Move," he growled at Chris, who obeyed without comment.
Grabbing Rounds by the back of his neck, Vin pulled him to his feet. Rory cried out as he was spun around and thrown back into the wall. He opened his mouth to protest, but clamped it shut as the barrel of Vin's weapon rammed into the soft flesh under his chin.
"Give me one reason not to blow your head off right here," Vin whispered menacingly.
Rory stammered. "P-please, I don't understand."
"Allow me to introduce myself then," Vin said, enjoying the sheer panic in the kid's eyes. "I'm Vin Tanner."
+ + + + + + +
Standing outside the closed door of Ezra's hospital room, Vin tried to prepare himself to enter. The others had all taken their turns inside already and, though anxious to see his friend…Vin dreaded it, too.
The good news was Ezra would be okay. The bad news…it would take him a while to recover from his various injuries, particularly the broken arm, fractured ribs and concussion. A wave of guilt washed over Vin. Those injuries had been meant for him.
"You shouldn't feel such guilt."
Vin smiled as he looked at Aislinn. Her hair was pulled back from her face, emphasizing her thinness.
"How do you know I'm feeling guilty?" he asked, challenging her.
Aislinn grinned and smoothed the front of her vintage blouse. "You wear it like a badge," she told him. "It's because of you that he is going to be all right."
"It's because of me that he's even in here," Vin scoffed, waving his hand, angrily indicating the hospital.
Shaking her head, she grabbed his hand in hers and squeezed tightly. "You mustn't take on that responsibility."
"They were after me," he pointed out.
"Then it's their fault he's here…not yours." She released his hand. "If the roles were reversed, would you want him to carry the weight of this burden?" she questioned.
"No," he snapped. "No," he repeated, softer this time.
Aislinn nodded. "Go," she motioned to the door. "He still needs you."
Vin met her gaze. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "I'm not sure why or how…but you did help."
"No," she laughed lightly. "My words just pointed you in the right direction," she said, pointing again at Ezra's door. "Maybe it's time to listen again." She started to walk away when Vin reached out and stopped her.
"Wait, why did you do this?" he asked.
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Why us? Why come to us like this. Twice now you've appeared out of nowhere and saved one of us."
Smiling mysteriously, Aislinn shook her head. "You saved each other," she murmured moving away before he could question her further.
Tanner watched her go, seeming to glide as she turned the corner of the hall. "You didn't answer my question," he reminded her in a whisper.
Finally he turned back to Ezra's door, suddenly overwhelmed with the need to see his friend.
Ezra heard the door and opened his eyes, praying it wasn't the nurse returning with yet another ice wrap. At the moment, he seriously thought he'd do anything for a couple of heated blankets.
"Hey," Vin greeted. "Thought maybe you'd be asleep."
Ezra chuckled and winced. "Too cold," he explained.
"Still icing you up are they?" Tanner pulled the room's only chair closer to the side of the bed and sat down.
"Occasionally," Standish answered.
Vin grew quiet as he got a good look at Ezra's injuries in the harsh hospital lighting. Bruises seemed to be appearing everywhere, most turning a dark black or bright purple. Stark white bandages covered cuts on Standish's neck and chest and his arm was wrapped in a strange looking brace.
"Colorful, aren't I?" Humor laced Ezra's voice. "They're waiting for the swelling to go down before they put me in one of those infernal casts," he continued, seeing where Vin was focused. "Vin?" he prodded when Tanner continued to stare.
Vin blinked and refocused on Ezra's battered face. "I see this and know it was supposed to be me in that bed…not you," he admitted.
"Don't," Ezra's voice softened. "Promise me you won't got there." He reached out, raising a trembling hand just centimeters off the bed, but Vin saw the motion and moved quickly to grasp it with his own.
"Promise," Ezra demanded hoarsely.
Vin squeezed gently. "Okay."
Immediately Ezra visibly relaxed. "Thank you."
Vin wasn't sure how long they stayed that way- comfortable in the silent strength of their friendship when Ezra cleared his throat. "So tell me," he sounded strong again. "How is Lady Aislinn?" He smiled, casually moving his hand from Vin's. "Mr. Wilmington was trying to fill me in but you know how he tends to…embellish."
Vin adjusted his position in the chair and shrugged. "She's a mystery, that one. She was just here," he waved to the door.
"Really?" Ezra raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Yup, shows up whenever she damn pleases," Tanner complained.
"Yes, well. Feel fortunate she didn't hypnotize you," Ezra pointed out.
Vin laughed. "I asked her why, why us."
Ezra waited.
"Never answered me, just gave me more mumbo jumbo about how we saved each other." He shook his head.
"She seems to use her words carefully," Ezra observed seriously.
Tanner agreed, "Hmm, told me we were brothers." He looked up when Ezra didn't comment. "That's what led me to you," he admitted. "Was thinking of what she had told me and realized we hadn't checked Rounds' record for any brothers."
"Who'd have thought one idea, one word like that would mean so much?" Ezra murmured closing his eyes as exhaustion and medication began to take its toll again.
Reaching out, Vin laid his hand on Ezra's uninjured arm. "It's a good word," he whispered watching as Standish slipped in to sleep, "brother."
Epilogue
Aislinn rolled down the window of her midnight blue '77 Volkswagen beetle, cursing as the crank fell off and she had to jam it back on. Eventually she got things back together and lit her cigarette. Sitting back in her seat she inhaled deeply, enjoying the feel of the drag even though a voice in the back of her head kept telling her she was killing her lungs. She ignored the voice and reached across the car, popping open the glove compartment and pulling out a battered file folder.
She set it on her lap, resting it against the steering wheel and closed her eyes. It'd been awhile since she'd read it…and she was still unsure of what to do with the information inside. Flicking ashes into her ashtray, she took another hit off the cigarette and opened the file.
Skimming the pages, her thoughts went to the men inside the hospital. She'd watched them for months before making that first contact, that Halloween. She'd been so afraid that they'd see the truth in her and everything would go to hell. The last thing she needed was a trip back to jail, but they hadn't seen anything in her…still hadn't. She'd been up close to both of them now and neither had a clue who she really was.
She looked at the picture in front of her now, ignoring the words that she'd memorized as soon as she'd gotten the file. The small black and white photo was worn where'd she touched it over and over again, not able to take in enough of the man's handsome features, his dark hair, light eyes and mischievous grin. The picture of her father had been her birthday present four years ago. Her mother had always promised that she'd let her seek out the truth once she turned twenty-one. Now her mother was gone. Her mother, the palm-reader…couldn't even foresee her own demise…or maybe she had and just never shared it with anyone else. The sharp reminder of the loss of the only person in her world who'd ever really understood her brought tears even though she'd told herself she wasn't allowed to cry about it anymore.
She flipped though two more pages, seeing two more familiar photographs. They were gifts from her mother as well. She paused on them for a moment before she abruptly closed the file, unable to look at it anymore today. She'd seen them both and knew they were well. One day she'd seek out her father…their father…but for now it was enough to know that her brothers were well… and that they had each other, whether they knew it or not.
The End
Next story: When You Come Back to Me Again
