ATF Universe
The doctor had insisted he re-check Ezra before he would allow them to take him. He was still not happy about it but figured if he made sure they had the prescriptions and that Standish hadn't injured himself further, then neither he nor the hospital would be held accountable. He had had just about enough of Team 7; he personally couldn't wait to get rid of them. He cleared Ezra and left him to the Team.The six men had watched the whole time as the doctor checked the con man over. Ezra never responded. The doctor had told them he was still unconscious. That was to be expected with blood loss and trying to leave without any help.
Nathan had asked for the prescriptions - an antibiotic and painkiller. He needed the first few days in shot form and a sedative, also, to make the trip easier on the southern agent in case he woke up.
When the doctor cleared him to leave, they were ready to start the trip to the island. Hopefully Ezra would stay unconscious until they got to the island. They still weren't sure how to handle the damage the assassin caused their most vulnerable brother.
Josiah took JD and Buck in the Suburban with their gear. They were driving to the dock and taking a boat to the island. The rest headed to the ATF's hangar with Nathan as the pilot. With this bunch, one never knew when they might need a hospital. Chris wanted something faster than the boat in case of emergency, not to mention a faster way to get Ezra to safety. He knew the assassin was still around. He could feel it. He had never believed in ghosts or myths, but he was starting to believe the Panther was real. He just wasn't sure how to handle it because the Panther never did anything the same. It was always different, except the stalking of his prey. Chris ran a hand over his face, trying to rub the growing anxiety away. He would tell everyone when they got squared away at the island. They would have to go back through all the files that were thought to be the Panther. If he was real then this would be his last game hunt. Permanently.
+ + + + + + +
As the chopper landed, they all let out an appreciative whistle, except Ezra, as he was still unconscious.
"Damn Chris. The judge say what his friend did for a living?"
The island was in the middle of a river, thirty minutes from the mainland. It was set on a high cliff with tall trees surrounding it, but what amazed them was that the house was built like a fortress. It had a high wall with barbed wire on top surrounding the courtyard. Inside the court were a helipad, basketball court and a swimming pool.
After the chopper had landed, Chris said, "We'll look around after we get Ez settled." He turned to Nathan asking, "Is he okay? He's been unconscious for a long time."
Nathan was about to answer when they heard a buzzer go off. All three pulled their guns and surrounded the chopper, making an effective barricade between Ezra and the possible threat. They relaxed when they heard Josiah's booming voice, telling them to open the gate. They all exchanged sheepish looks.
"Vin, you and Nathan take Ez in; I'll let the stragglers in." Walking up to the gate, Chris yelled, "Hold your horses, I'm coming. Damn it to hell, where is the lever…."
He finally found it behind a hidden panel. It had two different buttons, one for the whole gate, then one for a door. He pushed the one for the door. When it opened, he saw the three men with their hands in front of them like they were holding reins for a horse. Chris lifted his eyebrow in question.
JD smirked saying, "You told us ta hold our horses."
Chris shook his head and smiled. "Smart asses. Let's get everything unloaded and situated. Then we need to make a plan, and I'll tell ya what the Judge left out about Ezra's situation."
The men nodded and Chris walked up to the house. As he entered the house, he was struck by the awe-inspiring view. It had a spacious entryway leading into a living room that was huge with vaulted ceilings. The house was decorated in a cool southwestern design.
'Okay, let's see how long it takes the children to break something. Judge must not have known what this place was like, or he did and wanted to take revenge on his friend by unleashing his team on this place.'
Chris was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a loud crashing noise towards the back of the house. He looked at his watch. 'Only been here forty-two minutes; that's a new record, for them.'
Hearing another crash, he picked up his pace. He took the steps two at a time hearing loud swearing as he neared a room.
+ + + + + + +
Vin gently lifted Ezra into a fireman's hold. Following Nathan into the house, they both stopped at the beautiful surroundings. Vin asked, "Thought Chris said this was a cabin, not a palace."
Nathan could only nod.
Vin gave him a nudge. "C'mon let's git him to a room. I'd hate to be holding him like this when he wakes up. He's not gonna be a happy camper as it is, and I'm purty sure he would like to be in a different position when I tell him I love him."
Nathan agreed, "He'd probably be more receptive to it." They looked around and then at each other. Nathan asked, "Suppose Chris brought a map?"
Vin shook his head. "Nope. Let's try upstairs."
They had just cleared the landing when they heard Ezra groan. Nathan went to the room that was closest to them. Vin had just cleared the doorway when Ezra came to and started struggling.
Ezra came to not knowing where he was, just that he was upside down and in a lot of pain. So he grabbed the doorframe and pulled, gasping at the burning in his side. He managed to pull the person holding him off balance, and then kicked out, hearing a grunt of pain from his captor and then a loud crash. He hoped there weren't more; he was getting weaker by the moment. He felt another pair of hands on him as they crashed to the floor in a heap of body parts and curses. The pain was too intense, and he let the welcoming darkness take him.
Chris walked in seeing Nathan and Vin untangling from the con man as gently as possible. "Take it Ez woke up and didn't take kindly to his position?" Chris couldn't keep the smile from his face at the disgruntled looks on their faces.
Nathan turned Ezra over. "Vin, help me get him to the bed. Need to make sure he didn't bust his stitches." Chris pulled the blankets back and then helped Vin get Ezra's shirt off. "Damn, he's bleeding again." Nathan quickly removed the old bandages to look at the stitches. "Well, he didn't bust any, just pulled on them some." Nathan changed the bandages. Looking at them, he said, "I'm goin' to wake him up so be ready. Vin, hold his shoulders. Chris, you take his legs. Ready?"
Both nodded. Nathan took out the smelling salts and passed them under Ezra's nose a few times.
They saw the grimace on his face. Nathan nodded to Vin to talk to him.
"C'mon Ez, I need ya to wake up."
Ezra heard the soft drawl that he loved so much, felt the feather soft strokes on his forehead and cheek, and turned his face into the touch looking for comfort. He hurt all over, but nothing hurt more than his heart. The men that he worked with and thought of as friends believed him to be a disloyal, common thief and traitor. What hurt the most was that Vin thought the same as the others. Knowing the man he had mistakenly fallen in love with thought him so low and dishonorable caused more emotional pain than anything in his lonely and loveless childhood ever could. Now the man that held his heart wanted him to wake up. Must be late to the dismissal hearing. That thought caused him to come fully awake. He tried to rise, but found himself effectively pinned and looking into the eyes of his former friends and secret love.
"I would appreciate it if you gentlemen would take your hands off me, NOW!" His eyes were hard, green flint, and his voice was as cold as an Antarctic iceberg.
The coldness in their friend’s voice caused the men to flinch.
Chris took a deep breath and started to say, "Ez, it's not what you think-"
That brought a harsh laugh from him. "What's not what I think? Huh, Mr. Larabee? The fact that you men think I stole money and that I'm on the take? That I'm so dishonest and disloyal to the Team I was starting to think of as my family? Now, I repeat get your fucking hands off of me, NOW!" The last was said with a snarl, but the men held him still, not sure of how to handle the irate southerner.
Vin figured, since he hadn't pulled away from his hand, that maybe he could still get through. "Ezra."
Ezra never took his eyes from Chris. Vin grabbed Ezra's chin and tightened his hold on it when Ezra went to pull away. Ezra gave into Vin's insistent grip and looked into the intense sapphire eyes that he'd now given up all hope of ever loving him.
Vin, seeing the pain in his eyes, spoke softly, "Ez, we do trust you."
When Ezra went to jerk his head away at that, Vin just tightened his hold and told him, "You had your say; now you will listen to our side."
Ezra felt himself getting weak, so he didn't have much choice. He would listen and bide his time before leaving. He nodded indicating he would listen.
Vin had seen the emotions flicker across the con man's face, then saw his "poker face" slam down firmly in place. Looking into emotionless eyes, Vin sighed. "Ezra, the phone call was a setup. It wasn't Chris."
Nathan and Chris had stayed quiet, letting Vin handle this but still having a good hold on the agent. They had been surprised to see Ezra give into Vin so fast, not sure if it was his weakened condition or his love for Vin that caused it.
Vin still saw no emotion in his Heart's eyes. If he couldn't convince him that it had been a setup, then he stood a snowball's chance in hell of getting the stubborn southerner to believe he really did love him.
"Ezra, ya know I wouldn't lie to you. What would I have to gain from it? Remember the recorder we had set up for those threats?" He waited till Ezra nodded, then continued, "We listened to it after we couldn't find you. The door bein' unlocked, I was afraid that they had already taken you."
Vin stopped at Ezra's sharp intake of breath, thinking that it was just another denial coming from the stubborn man, not because of something he had let slip.
Vin was losing his patience trying to reason with this man.
'I would have to fall in love with someone that surpassed Larabee's own stubbornness,' he thought to himself. He took a deep breath. Maybe he should lay his heart open to the man. Maybe he could get through with his heart, instead of with logic and reason.
He looked at the other two men. "Mind if I talk to him alone." It was a statement not a request. The other two decided it might be safer with the others.
Backing out of the room, Nathan said, "Just remember he needs sleep. I'll be back with some food later." With that, he shut the door.
Vin gazed down lovingly at Ezra, seeing something in his eyes he hoped was love. He framed Ezra's face with his hands.
"Now that we're alone, I'm going to be totally upfront and honest with ya. Ezra Standish, I love you." He kept going this time when he heard Ezra's sharp intake of breath.
"I have loved you too long to let your stubbornness, pride and an assassin take this chance from us. Ez, Love, give us a chance. I know how hard it is for ya to trust, much less love another person. I’m asking you to give me your trust and faith; between us we can make it."
Vin had been watching as the beautiful emerald eyes warmed and let the love show as a single tear escaped. He caught the tear on his finger and, without indigo eyes leaving green, he licked the tear from his finger and then traced Ezra's bottom lip with it.
Ezra flicked his tongue out to taste the finger that had just left his soon to be lover’s mouth. He wrapped his tongue around the finger, seducing it into his mouth so he could love it properly.
Vin moaned as he watched Ezra lick his finger, then take it into his mouth and gently suck on it. "God, baby," he said breathlessly.
He couldn't take it any longer. He removed his finger and slowly leaned down. Placing a hand on each side, he looked into his soul's eyes and, seeing the barely contained passion in those emerald depths, he took the soft lips in a gentle kiss. Their tongues slid softly against each other, tasting and exploring, Ezra whimpered every time Vin prevented him from deepening the kiss. Vin pulled back when he felt Ezra wince at the pressure on his split lip, both of them breathless as Vin watched Ezra try to get his raging emotions under control.
Ezra was absolutely stunned that Vin loved him. "Vin Tanner, I have loved you from the first time I saw you. Your heart and soul are filled with so much good and compassion. I never dreamed it would be possible for someone as good and loving as you to want someone like me."
Vin put his finger on his love's lips to prevent him from saying anything else. "Ezra, I love you with every fiber of my being, but I will not have you putting yourself down. You have a good, strong heart and a generous soul." He could see that Ezra was still having trouble believing this was real and how he was trying to keep his eyes open.
"Baby, you need to get some sleep. I want to make love to you, but not until you are fully recovered. I don't want anything to keep you from the pleasure, okay?"
All Ezra could do was close his eyes. He was too exhausted and his emotions too close to the surface for comfort. He needed to think, but he needed a clear head. He needed to make sure he could really believe in what Vin had said and trust that he was telling the truth. His meditation came in handy once again as his breathing evened out and he went into a controlled, light sleep.
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Vin sat quietly watching as the man he loved drifted asleep. He was worried. He'd seen the doubt and suspicion in the con man's eyes as they closed. After he was sure Ezra was asleep, he leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on his love's lips. God, he was still hard. He had been shocked at the depth of passion in the southerner's eyes and, when Ezra had sucked his finger into his hot, moist mouth, he had almost exploded.
'Okay Tanner, this isn't helping; get it under control.'
With a supreme effort, he pulled his body under control. He looked at the beautiful owner of his spirit, then turned and left. They needed to have a plan for the assassin. He could feel the threat that was closing in, and he had no intention of letting anything happen to his Mate, not now, nor ever.
Vin came into the kitchen and dropped bonelessly into the closest chair. The men stopped their dinner preparations and joined Vin at the table.
Chris set a cup of coffee in front of him. "How did it go?"
Vin took a sip and grimaced; it was too weak for his liking. He gave a soft sigh. "I thought he believed me, but I saw the doubt and insecurities 'fore he feel asleep. I'm afraid that after he's had time to rest and think, he's going to let the insecurities and doubt come between him and the truth that I really love him."
Josiah spoke up, "Vin, you're going to have to remember, he grew up without a loving family. He was left with relatives that didn't love or want him. The only time he was wanted around, they used him and cast him off after he served his purpose. Give him time to digest this. This is all very new to him. He doesn't show it often, but he does let his heart make the most important decisions for him. If he didn't, he would be just like Maude, and he wouldn't be part of our family. Besides, we'll be here to help get the point across." The rest nodded their agreement to this.
Vin smiled his gratitude, then he turned serious and looked at Chris. "I can feel the assassin, Chris. He's close, too close, for a small island."
Chris sighed; this wasn't a good sign. They all had complete faith in Vin's instincts, and if he could feel him then it was worse than he had first believed. He then looked up and met each man's gaze.
"Maggiono hired the Panther." Chris held up his hand to forestall the denials he knew would be coming. "Just listen. The Judge got this from a reliable source. I didn't believe it at first. Now, I'm not so sure. I pulled all the files on all unsolved assassinations. We need to find something that will help us protect Ez."
JD spoke up then. "There won't be anything. The man is real and dangerous."
All heads swung to look at the youngest of them. Instead of seeing the normal window to his soul and compassionate eyes, full of life, what they saw sent chills down their spines. JD's expression was one of a man that had seen something that had transformed him beyond his twenty-five years. His eyes were cold, hard and full of promised revenge. They held the knowledge of living through and surviving hell and the willingness to take it on again to save his family. They sometimes forgot that they didn't know everything that had happened with JD back in Boston on the police force, that the young agent had secrets, just like the rest of them.
Chris was about to question JD when a loud crash came from behind them. No one had noticed Ezra standing behind them. He stood there barely able to stand, and he had an automatic weapon in his hand pointed right at them. He had a look of deep sorrow, regret and something else.
FOUR
Ezra felt Vin's soft lips brush his before he left. He got up after the door had shut and stared out the window. After a few minutes of his thoughts running in circles, he gave up. It really was a moot point. They had no faith and trust in him.End of story.
End of the illusion of family he had so foolishly allowed.
First, he needed to get off this island. The assassin would be coming for him. His friends, no, former associates, thought he was a lowlife, traitorous thief. He knew they had never believed in him and never would.
Tanner's declaration of love was a con. He would admit that it had almost been believable. Almost. Tanner just needed to learn when not to overextend his acting skill. He was quite surprised; he hadn't thought Tanner had it in him. How Tanner had found out about his feelings for him would just have to go unanswered.
'All right, time to vacate these premises. Mr. Larabee will have disabled the transportation, so I'm going to be forced to insist that some be made available to me.'
With that, he started the search for a weapon. He knew that the others would have brought more than enough firepower. All he had to do was find it. He started with the room next to his. It was Nathan's. That made sense; the ex-medic always wanted to be close to the injured individual, even if it was the amoral gambler as the dark healer often referred to him. Ezra's world suddenly tilted. He lost his balance and grabbed onto a small, wall-mounted, stone waterfall. Ezra fell when the waterfall gave under his weight, his breath being knocked out of him.
Ezra lay there until he caught his breath and was sure he could stand again. He pulled himself up using a chair. As Ezra stood he came face to face with a hidden compartment with a vast selection of guns. AK-47's, hand guns, shotguns… Whoever owned this place should be under surveillance with this stash. Ezra took one of the automatic machine guns and grabbed the four clips he found. He also grabbed the empty clip and loaded the weapon with it. They may have given up on him, which was to be expected, but he stilled valued them and would never take undo risk with their lives.
Knowing he was losing strength, he knew he needed to hurry. The coming confrontation was going to take all of his control and resolve. He had to get out of this prison they had put him in before the assassin found him. He could not let these unique men die because of him. He stopped outside of the kitchen door. He could hear their voices. He took a deep breath and let his survival instincts kick in. He listened to them, not hearing the words, just concentrating on the voices and the different sounds. When Ezra was assured that all six men were in the room, he opened the door. Not realizing something was behind the door, he knocked over a statue. Kicking himself for not being more careful, knowing that the element of surprise was over, he pointed the empty weapon at his ex-compatriots.
Ezra looked at the stunned disbelief on the men's faces and couldn't help his smirk of contempt. "Come now, gentlemen, why would this shock you? You all think the worst of me already. This should only be a reinforcement of that judgment."
Chris took a step forward but stopped when Ezra pointed the gun at him.
"Mr. Larabee, just the one I wanted to speak with. If you would be so kind as to give me the part out of the disabled boat, then I will take my loathsome presence someplace else." It was getting harder for him to stand, but the sooner he left, the better.
Ezra kept his face and eyes blank, waiting for the outburst that would be coming from the dark clad leader. Chris didn't disappoint him.
"Damn it, Ezra, what the hell are you talking about? The phone call was a setup; it wasn't me. We had the tape analyzed, proved that it wasn't me. You will not be leaving this island. We won't let you, so just hand over the gun."
Chris stopped and watched as his undercover agent thought about this. He saw the cold fury in his eyes and knew that Ezra didn't believe a word he had said. When he got his hands on this Panther, he was going to suffer greatly for this.
"Ez, think about-"
Ezra had had enough of the lies. "Nothing to think about, Mr. Larabee. Did you think that I would really believe a doctored up document? You took the doctored documentation, which they sent you, as evidence against me, then became Judge, Jury and Executioner." He was getting angrier, his southern accent deepening as the venom dripped off his words. "You want me gone. So be it. Give me the parts, and I'll be ecstatic to oblige you in your fondest wish." Ezra, in his weakened condition, let his anger take control, and he missed that Josiah had slipped out the back door.
Josiah, seeing the irate southern agent was letting his anger consume him, slipped out the back door and ran to the front one, hoping to come up behind the injured man before he could hurt himself or the others. Josiah knew Ezra didn't have it in him to hurt any of them, no matter how angry he was. The gun was the problem. He would have to be careful when he grabbed the agent. He didn't want the gun to go off and accidentally shoot someone. Josiah could still hear Chris and Ezra as he made his way slowly behind the smaller, irate man. He looked at everyone and got the barely perceptible nods that they were ready, except from Chris who was still distracting Ezra. He was waiting for their leader's sign.
Chris had watched as the big giant came up behind the unsuspecting agent. When he felt that the time was right he yelled, "Now!"
Josiah grabbed Ezra around the chest at the same time Chris grabbed Ezra's hand that held the gun and pointed it to the ceiling. Buck and JD had grabbed Ezra's legs before he could do any damage with them. Chris took the gun and went to secure it, but it was empty. He looked up, astonished, at the struggling agent. The damn fool had been so convincing.
'Well, duh, stupid. He is the best undercover agent for a reason, and you should have known that even angry he wouldn't take a chance with our safety.'
A grunt of pain brought Chris out of his thoughts. Ezra was fighting Josiah and the others with everything he had. Chris had reached the end of his patience with the impossible man.
Vin had watched the whole thing in silence. When Ezra had come in holding a gun on them and didn't even look at him, Vin knew that Ezra was afraid that he would try, once again, to convince him of his love, so he still had his work cut out for him. His gambler's wall was still firmly in place. It hurt that Ezra hadn't believed that he loved him, but he wasn't giving up on his Mate. He would find a way. Somehow.
Vin had watched as the argument between Chris and Ezra grew and as Josiah grabbed him from behind. The fight Ezra was putting up was still going strong as he threw his head back and caught Josiah in the face.
He saw Chris had had enough and put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Easy, Cowboy. Gettin' mad won't help. It'll just encourage him to push ya harder. Let's get him secured to somethin', then maybe we can git him ta talk."
Chris nodded. He knew that Ezra would continue to goad him if he responded to his anger. "All right, what do you think? We would never be able to keep him cuffed." He stopped at Vin's evil grin.
Vin simply said, "Knots." Then he went in search of ropes to hold his con man in place till they got some answers. Then he'd get his stubborn, soon-to-be-lover to come to his senses.
Chris started to grin. The more he thought about it, the better it sounded. They all knew Ezra Standish, Houdini reincarnated, couldn't get out of ropes because of the knots. The man was notorious for always escaping anything or anyplace, but knots. He was hopeless with knots. Thank God. Chris turned and looked at his agents. They still had Ezra effectively pinned. Ezra had stopped struggling; he was panting and pale from the exertion of the struggle.
"Okay, let's get him back upstairs, but don't let him go yet."
They found Vin waiting at the door to Ezra's new room with rope in his hand. They all had big grins at that thought. Ezra had slipped into unconsciousness, so they took advantage of this and quickly tied him to the sturdy, wooden-framed bed. Having to be careful of his injuries, they secured his arms at his sides by looping the rope above his elbow and then running it underneath him and tying it to the opposite side of the bottom railing. Then proceeded to do the same with the other arm. He had some room to move with them being at his side. They secured his legs, so he couldn't kick out at them.
Buck smirked at Chris and Vin, and then stated, "Ya'll do know he ain't goin' to be a happy camper when he comes to. So, how we gonna handle this?"
Chris took a deep breath. "First, one of us is to be with him at all times. Second, when he wakes up, let the rest of us know. We need answers, and I'd really like to know where he got that weapon. None of us brought it. He didn't, so where did he get it? Let's search the house. Start with the rooms up here. He was too weak to get too far. Vin?" Vin nodded at the unspoken question; he would be staying to watch over Ezra. "Then we'll met back here and see if we can't come up with some answers and a plan."
Nathan stopped next to him. "I'll be right back. Need to make sure he didn't rip his stitches."
Vin nodded and watched as the men filed out. He sat down and studied Ezra's profile. He was so pale that the bruises on the left side of his face stood out even more.
"God, Ez, what did they do to you? And what proof did we git? What money?" Vin whispered as reached out and traced his Heart's face.
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"Damn, fool southerner," Nathan was muttering to himself as he went to his room to get his medical bag. He stopped as he took in his room. He now knew were Ezra had gotten the gun. He stepped back into the hallway.
"Hey, guys, I found it."
The men came in and looked at the wall Nathan was staring at. Buck let out a low whistle. "I thought the Judge said this belonged to a friend of his, not an arms dealer. By the way, didn't he say this was a cabin?"
"Chris, maybe we should contact the Judge," Josiah suggested.
Chris agreed. This was getting strange, and he really hated strange, especially with Ezra in danger. "First, seal this back up; we'll check it out later."
They watched as Josiah slipped the lever back and the panel slid shut. They couldn't even tell where it had been.
"JD, git your computer. Buck, grab the files in the kitchen. We'll set up in the hallway so Vin can be in on it. Josiah, Nathan, we'll move two of those couches outside Ez's room."
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After they had gotten their makeshift base camp set up, Chris told Vin about the hidden gun stash while Nathan took care of the sleeping gambler's injuries. Nathan had a worried expression when he came into the hall, looking at the others as he said, "He managed not to tear any stitches, but he's got a fever. A very high fever."
"Is it safe to keep him here?" concern evident in Chris's voice.
"There isn't anything they can do, right now, that we can't. We'll need ta keep him cool, give him antibiotics and watch him carefully. I'll let you know if we need to take him."
Chris nodded. "Okay, let's get everything we know out on the table. Then I'll call and update the Judge, and git some answers on this friend of his."
Bringing a chair out, Vin put it where he could see and hear Ezra. Vin sat down saying, "What money is he talkin' 'bout?"
"And what 'doctored up documentation' is he referring to?" Nathan asked.
"Why won't he believe us about it not being Chris that called?" Buck couldn't understand it; they even had proof it had been a setup.
JD shook his head. "Won't matter. Panther will have watched Ezra long enough to know how he'll react, how we'll react, and how to counter anything that would help or convince him otherwise."
JD was lost in his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up seeing the expectant looks. 'Damn, I don't want to do this, not again,' he thought to himself.
JD took a deep breath. "You all remember that I was on the Boston P. D.?" Everyone nodded. "Well, I had been there for a year when my partner Dustin started to investigate a company, a jewelry store, that had taken his grandmother's family heirloom. It had been passed down the family line from Mary, Queen of Scots, herself. Anyway, she had taken it to just get it cleaned. She took it to a new store 'cause the one she normally went to went out of business. They told her that it was only going to take a day, but it ended up takin' them two weeks. Well, when his grandmother picked it up she knew it was a fake right away and brought it to Dustin. Dustin reported it to Robbery. He checked in with Robbery everyday for four months. They kept putting him off, telling him there was nothing to find, that his grandmother was just getting senile.
"Well, he started doing his own investigation on his downtime. Dustin stayed at it for over a year. He had stumbled into an international jewelry theft ring that only markets in heirlooms that had a history. When Dustin got too close, they hired an assassin to take care of him."
JD stopped to catch his breath. He had never talked about it, and to think Ezra was now on the Panther's hit list was scaring the holy shit out of him.
"This assassin was known for never killing the same way twice. He would wait until no one would take the hit, then would call and set his own price. They never had a choice since nobody else would take it. He stalks his victim, like his namesake does prey, until he knows everything about them - their likes, dislikes, favorite music, food, wine, how they react to things, what upsets them." JD got up and started to pace, his hands flying wildly as he continued. "He knows their work habits, home life, friends and family. Hell, even down to what brand of aspirin they use. The worst is he knows their fears inside and out. He'll take all that information and come up with the best way to destroy the victim before he kills him."
He stopped and looked at his friends with tears in his eyes. "Know how he got the name Panther?"
Nobody said anything, just watched as JD dropped dejectedly down on the couch. Buck gently squeezed his shoulder. JD looked up at them, tears coursing down his face.
"He knew Dustin so well, knew how much he hated the big cats, and Dustin never told anyone. Panther used one of Dustin's snitches to lure him to the zoo. I asked if he wanted me to go with him, but he said it wouldn't take long. It wasn't that important, he said." JD took a calming breath and continued. "The Chief called me into his office the next morning. He told me that Dustin had been found dead that morning. An animal keeper found his body in the panther's cage. There were two new panthers in the cage also.
"They checked out the two new ones, and they had been taken out of the wild only a week before. They have some kind of blood test that can tell them what kind of diet the animal had in the wild. The panthers had certain proteins that can only be found in Asia. If they had been brought in legally then it would never have shown up. The level was way too high. Never paid much attention to it just thought that it was bad timing on Dustin's part, until his mother mentioned at his wake that he had always been terrified of the big cats. He never told me about his fears, or the *GOD DAMN* case he was working on. The only reason I found out was because I found the folder in his desk at home."
JD leaned back resting his head on the back of the couch. "The newspapers got a hold of the police report, and they found out something we didn't know, that someone had put out a hit on Dustin. They dubbed the new assassin 'Panther' for his ingenious way of killing the Police Officer." JD's voice was cold and full of hatred.
"I didn't think he was new. Panther was too methodical and thorough to be some impatient, hotheaded newbie looking for a name. So, I started going through all the unsolved assassinations; it became an obsession to find this bastard." JD looked at the others; he saw that they were as worried as he was.
"Guys, the reason Ezra doesn't believe us is because the Panther will have known about Ez's past." He saw the questioning looks. "How the FBI believed him to be on the take, his lonely childhood, having had no friends before us and how vulnerable he feels about it." JD was struggling with all the unwanted memories again. "Panther will have done everything he could do to manipulate the situation against Ezra, to isolate him from us. He's playing with him and us."
"JD, you've obviously got some kind of profile on this Panther, with so much detail. How did you connect him to other cases?" Josiah asked. He may just have a protégé in JD.
JD was surprised by Josiah's question. "I never made a profile, Josiah."
Josiah looked at JD and said, "You did make a profile, son. You just didn't realize it. The research you did, the facts you gathered, make the profile." Josiah looked at the others; they seemed skeptical about this.
They all knew from experience that a profile was always needed in murders. It could determine if it was a serial murderer or not. It helped in finding rapists and bombers. Team 7 used the physiological profiles on the men Ezra might have contact with, if they did at all. Some, as Ezra would say, were a few aces short of a full deck, and he didn't like taking chances with the other six men's lives. Actually, the only time they had used the profiles, was when Ezra asked for them. Ezra said he wanted to make sure he was reading the "mentally challenged miscreant" right, but they knew it was his way of protecting them.
They just weren't sure this would help on the Panther. The man had been a myth for over twenty-eight years. How could they possible make something out of nothing?
Josiah looked back to JD. "Do you still have the file of information on the Panther?"
JD nodded and, opening his laptop booted it up. It only took a couple seconds and then his fingers were flying across the keyboard. "Yeah, I've kept up with it. Hoped one day I'd get the bastard." He pulled up the file he was hoping would help them save Ezra and avenge Dustin. "Okay Josiah, what do you want?"
Josiah took out a pen then some paper. "All right, JD, first give me the things that you noticed are the same in every case."
JD read his notes and said, "1) Stalks victims for at least five months. 2) Intense information on the likes, dislikes, and most importantly, the fears of the victim. 3) Uses the information gathered to destroy the victim’s professional and personal life. 4) Then uses the most ingenious way to kill the victim. 5) Using the victim's greatest fear to kill them, if it's possible. That's all I got." He looked up to see the stunned expressions on his friends' faces. "What?"
Josiah shook his head and smiled. "Son, if that's all, then you may have just given us the best chance of catching this son of a bitch than anybody in the twenty-eight years that he has been around."
Vin and Chris jumped up and went into Ezra’s room, cutting off JD’s response. They had heard Ezra moan and then hiss in pain as he tried to move. Nathan was right behind them as the rest of the men followed him in. Vin stood on Ezra's left tenderly rubbing his thumb in soothing circles across the pulse point on Ezra's neck. Nathan went to Ezra's right, putting his hand on the feverish brow. He could feel the heat coming off the undercover agent in waves. He looked up and saw the worried eyes of Vin and then the rest of the team.
"Buck, hand me my bag. Good thing that doctor gave me antibiotics and the pain meds 'fore we left. He's gonna need them."
Nathan pulled out a syringe and the medicine bottles. He injected both the antibiotic and the painkiller. Nathan had found that with this bunch, the first three days on meds, it was usually easier with injections, especially with Ezra and Vin. Those two were impossible when they were sick.
The sharp pain in his arm brought Ezra out of his fever-induced, restless sleep. He opened his eyes and looked over to where the pain was coming from. The pain and anger he had been feeling since this started grew tenfold with the help of the fever that coursed through his body.
He spoke slowly through clenched teeth, his words clear and sharp. "Get-your-hands-off-of-me-now!"
He startled all of them except Vin; he had felt his pulse rate change and knew he was waking up. He had hoped that Ezra would have calmed down some. Damn, when he got his hands on that Panther he was going to tear him apart two ways from Sunday for this. Ezra pulling against his bonds brought Vin out of his vengeful thoughts.
"Ez, settle down. You're only goin' to hurt yourself more." Vin gently, but forcibly, took his chin and turned the angry green eyes towards him. "Ezra, please calm down. I know you're angry and you believe we are against you, but think Ezra. Doesn't this seem a little too convenient? It happened right after we left you alone for the first time in over two months since you started getting the threatening phone calls. Calm down enough and jist think about it."
Vin could see the anger lessening, but he couldn't tell if it was because Ezra believed him or from the pain medicine kicking in. He saw Ezra falling asleep and wanted to try something different. Maybe Ezra's subconscious could help them out. Vin had heard this worked with coma patients. "Ezra Standish, I love you with all of my heart and soul. With every breath I take, my love for you only grows stronger. Ez, please believe in me. I need you in my life. Think about it, with your heart, and you'll know I'm telling you the truth." Vin saw Ezra's breathing had evened out. He could only hope his plea for Ezra to believe in him would be heard and understood.
Vin felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at Josiah. "Vin, what you just said, as long as it came from your heart, he will respond to it eventually. We just have to keep at him. Come on. Let's find a way to get this bastard." Josiah pushed the reluctant sharpshooter in front of him and out of the room. "Okay JD, let's finish this. Maybe we can have a plan before the Panther attacks." The others settled back down, ready for the long night that was coming.
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