TITLE: A Requested Lapse of Reason
DISCLAIMER: The characters of the MAGNIFICENT SEVEN belong to MGM, Trilogy, CBS, and TNN. No profit is made from this fan fic in any way, shape, or form except fun.
Big thanks to MOG for the playground!
RATING: PG13 WARNINGS: Language, violence
Part 1.
Vin Tanner was drunk. He was off his nugget if the truth be told, but as Chris Larabee looked at his best friend trying to make his way back into his chair while he actually giggled about his predicament of finding himself on the floor, he could only smile and shake his head in wonder. It was just too darned refreshing to see the always wary Tanner let his guard down so completely. Chris had refrained from drinking, content tonight to watch his team fall apart around him in a progressively loud and boisterous heap. God knew they deserved it after all that had transpired over the last month, ending only this day with the case being confirmed to go to trial despite lawyers attempts at everything under the sun to prevent it. All the work they had done to bring Victor Lornikov to justice was going to pay off.
Chris had worked out several hours earlier that the way Vin was heading, intentionally, was to drunken oblivion when a second bottle of whisky had come out and Vin had thrust his glass forward for more, even though he was already well on his way to a hangover from hell. And even though he knew he should be upset that this was the middle of the week, he knew his team would turn up tomorrow morning at the office, head's splitting apart at the seams or not. He also knew Vin hadn't been openly drunk in the entire time he'd known him and wondered if he'd forgotten what it would lead to the next day. He sure could handle his drink though, it had taken a lot to get where he was now. Josiah and Nathan had bowed out several hours ago.
Buck and Ezra were laughing raucously at the sight of Vin trying to claw his way back to the table. Buck put out a hand to try and help but found that the tears that were pouring from his eyes from laughing were obstructing his view. Ezra didn't even attempt to help, he was too busy laughing at the rare sight of Vin, an ungraceful mess unable to hold his seat. It was a good thing Inez had left and given them a key so she didn't have to see this display.
"Help me damnit!" Vin said in frustration, scowling in one instant only to flash his lopsided grin the next. He may as well have been climbing Kosciosko for all the progress he was making in getting back up to the table. The task was beyond him, his ability to co-ordinate his limbs having long since fled. Finally he slumped to the floor in defeat and once there, thought he may as well make the most of it and lie down, his head resting nearly under the seat of Buck's chair. That's when the room started to spin. He squeezed his eyes tightly closed, which only seemed to make the room spin faster, even though he could no longer see it he could still feel it moving… and that's when he heard a loud rumble of noise from the chair above, followed by more laughing from Buck, a devious kind this time.
"Buck?" Vin asked hesitantly from his place on the floor.
"Yep Junior?" Buck was still laughing.
"You wouldn't shoot a man while he's down wouldjya?"
This had Buck and Chris both laughing hard. Ezra, thoroughly disgusted at Buck's lack of respect for him, quickly pulled his coat up to cover his nose and mouth.
"Good God, Bucklin! You could have killed Mr Tanner."
Ezra suddenly slid down to the floor to join Vin. "Stay low, my friend, it is the safest position at present," he said confidentially.
Vin, already feeling seedy, was not unaffected despite Ezra's assurance that he was safe from Buck on the floor and wrinkled his nose in offense. "Jesus Buck, that's fucked up. My head is hardly a foot from yer ass."
"Dared I not leave ye presence, albeit I was like to suffocate." Ezra quoted to Vin and was astounded to hear him mutter back, "So felle a blaste hath ne-er mine ears saluted, nor a stench so all-pervading and immortal."
Buck just continued laughing, he found it all hysterical and was extremely pleased by the response he was getting. "Immortal? Damn! That's an achievement!"
Vin knew Ezra was still looking at him in shock. "I read, Ez."
"Yes but Mark Twain?", Ezra mumbled to himself. He wasn't really surprised that Vin had returned his quip, and he had long since learnt not to underestimate the extent of his knowledge or his talents, but he was still shocked every time Vin did something like that.
Chris had pushed his chair back several feet from Buck and now wondered aloud, "JD… where's JD? Did he come back…?"
Buck turned to the men's room where JD had headed what seemed like hours before. He staggered to his feet and went to investigate. When Ezra and Vin remained on the floor, settling in, it seemed to Chris they would likely sleep there if left to it.
"When Buck brings JD out from pukin' his guts up, we're goin," Chris announced. At Ezra's protest he said, "Don't think any of you are getting out of work tomorrow, this is self inflicted."
Buck came out practically carrying a very green JD. "Look what I found messin' up the toilets," he announced, making his way over.
"God kid you're gonna be sorryer'n hell tomorrow." Chris said, almost sympathetic. He looked down at Vin who had conquered his spins and was beginning to snore. "Lets go boys," he said, "We're outta here." He hurled Ezra and a protesting Vin up and began to head for the door.
Vin wanted nothing more than to be lying flat and moaned and bitched the whole way through the locking up process and on to the carpark. Still laughing, Buck followed, Ezra stumbling into him with every step as they supported JD between them. They didn't get past the first bushes in the carpark when JD heaved the contents of his stomach to the wind, successfully spraying Ezra and Buck in his initial powerful throw.
"Damn kid!" Buck said, not the least perturbed in being sprayed in vomit. "That was fucking impressive… see that Ez?"
Ezra, on the other hand, drunk or not, was aghast. "See it? I fucking felt it on my face! My jacket… shoes!"
Chris looked up at Ezra in shock. Buck had stopped staring at the back of JD's head to turn to Ezra as well.
"Ezzzz…..?" Vin asked.
Silence.
"Chris?" Buck asked.
"I heard it Buck." Chris said, his lip curled in wry amusement.
"Ezzzz.?" Vin asked again.
"What is it, Mr Tanner?" Ezra said shortly.
Buck could not contain himself, JD forgotten he toppled Ez to the ground in a wrestling maneuver he figured the WWF would be proud of. "Ezrraaaaa… you…." He couldn't stop laughing and Ezra was unable to get up from under him.
Vin was sagging against Chris, hardly standing on his own. He wanted to laugh loudly but was unable to let out more than a quiet chuckle for that was all the energy he had left. His face showed his amusement but he was beyond anything else.
Buck let loose with a full belly roar that had Chris laughing too.
"If you are laughing at my expense I'd like to know the reason for it!" Ezra said angrily. He was now past happy drunk making a rapid transition to tired and cranky.
"You said…. fuck… Ezzrrraa," Vin said very, very softly, still smiling broadly.
"I did not! I most certainly did not!" Ezra said indignantly. "You cannot – FUCK SAKES!"
JD had regrouped and turned to see what all the noise behind him was about and proceeded to throw up just as violently as he had the first time in the bushes, his projection quite remarkable and managing to cover both Buck and Ezra's sprawled legs. Achieving such power was not uncommon on a first attempt, but to pull it off twice... well that was just impressive.
Chris and Vin were disgusted and yet fascinated at the site, wanting to look away but strangely unable to. Vin began to make a kind of strangled laughing sound and even snorted at one stage, while Chris, too, was unable to stop the laughter that took him over. This was just too good. Where the hell was a camera when you needed one?
Ezra finally managed to extricate himself from Buck who seemed unaware that his legs had been showered in vomit. He got to his feet and looked down at JD in disgust. "How is it possible that the contents of your stomach are not yet depleted?" he asked him, clearly traumatized.
JD just blinked up at him innocently, beyond feeling responsible for his actions. "Did you say fuck…. Ezzzzzz?" he slurred looking at him in a blurry haze.
"C'mon, we can't stay here all night feeding the plants," Chris urged, trying to prevent another ten minute debate.
Buck was getting to his feet and trying to get JD up as well. "C'mon! Up! Help me Ezra, you just gonna stand there throwin' filth outta that gutter mouth o'yours while one of your teammates is down?"
Ezra did not reply, for once beyond words at the torment of having been thrown up on…twice. He moved to help as Buck overbalanced, tumbling sideways into Vin and forcing Ezra forward, directly onto JD's recently upchucked dinner.
Ezra landed hard before he sprang to his feet with surprising swiftness shrieking like a banshee. This set Buck and Vin off again as Chris looked to the stars for guidance. Ezra ran off to who knew where swearing loudly in a multitude of languages while Chris managed to get Vin up and moving to his truck with Buck and JD tagging behind.
Just as they got settled Ezra returned, soaking wet and shivering. Chris immediately knew that he'd shoved himself under a tap and just chuckled as he started the car. Vin immediately fell asleep, settling himself in the passenger seat and snoring almost the second his eyes closed. Chris didn't think he'd heard him snore before, but knew that some people were prone to do that when they'd been drinking. He'd been keeping an eye on the recently injured sharpshooter all night for signs of fatigue or pain, but thought Vin was recovering remarkably well for a man who had almost been killed only a month before. In his rearview mirror he could see that Buck was trying to position JD upright while Ezra kept nudging him into Buck and was desperately trying to warm himself. He put the heater on to help take the chill out of the air.
A block from Ezra's apartment Buck asked JD if he wanted him to cook him a big greasy steak or some bacon when they got back and was rewarded with JD attempting to leap across the seat for the door and Chris slamming the brakes and pulling over, having watched the scene unfold in his mirror. As the car stopped Buck opened the door and for just a moment it appeared that JD would actually make it to the pavement, before he again projected another good effort that covered Buck, part of the seat and a good portion of the inside of the door.
Vin had woken up and was craning his neck to see. "Damn JD, that's a fuckin' talent ya got there kid! Gotta be some sorta record for hurlin'…"
"At least for consecutive distance hurling" Ezra added, thoroughly appeased now that Buck had been covered in JD's vile stomach contents.
"How much did you fucking EAT?" Buck asked, not laughing now. He was so stunned and appalled that he was unable to move.
Chris flicked the heater off in a snap, unable to handle the warm air and the smell from the back seat and opened his window, sticking his head out. He was beyond angry but could think of nothing other than getting them all out of his car as fast as was humanly possible.
"Buck's fault…." JD mumbled and Vin thought he looked like he might actually cry so great was his misery.
They dropped a sleepy Ezra off and continued on to Buck and JD's building. Chris had not said one word since the car-vomit scenario and Vin could not for the life of him stop smiling.
As Buck made to drag JD out Chris snapped at Vin, "What the fuck are you smilin about?", which succeeded in setting Vin off to laughter again.
"Don't blame me, Cowboy, I'm not the one who threw his guts up all over the back of your car," he said.
Now outside and supporting an awkward JD, Buck made as if to speak to Chris when Chris held up his hand, showing that he did not want to hear a word from him. Vin chuckled as Buck's mouth opened in protest and Chris pulled away, fast.
"Chris….?" Vin started after five minutes of silence, his own window down and his head aimed to the fresh air. He had not stopped grinning the entire time, chuckling every now and then as he replayed the scene in his head.
"Not a word… and stop that damned chuckling Beavis!"
Silence.
"But –"
"Not… a… word," was the reply through clenched teeth.
Part 2. next morning.
"Dyin Chris… leave me alone.. I'm dyin….."
"Get up Vin, you're going to work don't even think about it! We've gotta meet with the judge this mornin' don't forget."
Vin groaned and crept further into the womb-like quilt. It felt as though his head had just touched the pillow when Chris had come in and flooded the curtain drawn room with light. Chris ripped the quilt off in one jerk and frowned at the towel still wrapped around Vin's waist under the covers and his hair still wet from his haphazard shower the night before. It caused a picture to flash into his head of Vin lying on a river bank, his wet hair plastered to his face and blood soaking into the sand beneath him.
Shaking the thought off, Chris left him there and called over his shoulder as he headed for the door, "we leave in 15, get up Vin!"
"Fuck you." Vin said, his head under the pillow and his voice muffled.
"Heard that, get the fuck up."
"Dyin….."
"You don't get up buddy you will be." Chris called back.
"Ball-breakin sonofabitch.." Vin said in a voice he hardly heard himself, yet Chris yelled back from the kitchen, "Heard that too, who you callin' a sonofabitch?" and Vin heard the laughter in the voice.
Vin kept his sunglasses on as they entered the building and was reminded by a security guard to remove them before he could go in to the elevators. When they got to their floor only Ezra was missing, but he didn't have to be hungover to be late.
"Hey Junior!" Buck called loudly causing Vin to wince in pain as the voice splintered through his head.
"Shussssshhhh Buck.. Jesus there ain't no call for a man to be that loud… ever…" Vin said quietly and walked to Chris's office where he promptly threw himself on the couch there and let out a loud sigh... damn it was good to be horizontal again.
"Where's JD?" Chris asked stormily, his eyes watching Vin get settled for the day on his couch. "The judge'll be here soon. He wants to talk to us about the trial."
Buck was trying to look busy and Josiah chuckled. "Our young friend has spent the better part of the last half hour driving the porcelain bus." He indicated the direction of the men's room with his head.
"How the hell can he still have anything to throw up?" Chris wondered aloud.
"More just painful heaving I'd say," Nathan contributed.
Chris looked at Buck, "Well I don't care how sick he is, or you either Buck, my truck's downstairs and waiting to be restored to factory new."
"Aww Chris, it wasn't my fault-"
"How did them greasy steaks go last night, Bucklin?" Vin called out innocently.
"Damn Vin! Where's a friend when you need one? See if I back you up next time you-"
Chris cut him off as he walked to his office. "Buck. My car. Now. Vin, get the fuck out."
"Aww Chris…"
"Out!" Vin dragged himself out of Chris's office, mumbling about the injustice of it all the entire time.
Chris couldn't help but smile as he watched his scruffy best friend walk out, bitchin' the entire way to his desk. He was still walking a little stiffly but, hangover aside, he was returning to his former excellent health more with each day. A slight frown came to Chris's face as he again thought of the event's of the past month. Yes, Victor Lornikov definately had it coming for the trouble he had caused his team...
One month earlier...
"OK boys, meeting." Chris said simply, heading to the boardroom and knowing his team would follow.
JD looked up, a hint of frustration on his face having forgotten the meeting set for that morning, which Buck quickly picked up on.
"Whatchya been doin there all mornin' kid?" Buck asked, moving to come behind JD's PC and take a look for himself.
Alt Tabbing like there was no tomorrow, JD flicked the screen to a report he had started earlier saying, "Report on the evidence we found at the site yesterday, and get away Buck, it's damned rude to come up behind someone's computer!"
Not deterred in the slightest Buck stayed where he was and studied the screen, but could see nothing amiss, just a half written report. Ezra, curious, moved in beside him and checked out the screen. He saw the flashing yellow box in the bottom right and new instantly what JD was up to. Buck, unashamedly computer illiterate beyond the database program they used to store information and write up reports, never looked at the bottom windows menu. It was only because JD had been a smart ass a few months back and hidden the bottom menu bar from him that he'd noticed it had even existed when he'd gone to open his database program from the start menu as he did habitually every day and it was gone. JD looked up and met Ezra's smirk with a frown.
"I do believe I would like a generous portion of sushi for lunch today... only I wish it would be delivered right to my desk, I feel a mite weary and do not wish to venture out for my midday repast." Ezra said with a straight face.
As Buck turned away to look at Ezra, JD's eyes narrowed and he gave him a small nod over Buck's shoulder, affirming that he would get Ezra his damned lunch. Satisfied, Ezra merely smiled smugly at Buck and made his way to the boardroom.
JD ushered a reluctant Buck from behind his desk and pushed him towards the meeting.
"Damnit Ezra knows somthin', c'mon kid that's just not on! What were you doin' on there?"
"Geez, Buck, you're paranoid as hell. Ezra's just trying to stir you."
Buck wasn't so sure. He would find out what JD had been hiding, that was a given.
They entered the boardroom to find Ezra taking a seat next to Josiah and Nathan. Chris was handing around case notes for everyone.
"Where's Vin?" JD asked, his mind still back at his computer.
"He's comin', he's stopping past the evidence room, there's some things we need to take a look at from the bust yesterday."
"Sooo... Ez, I was thinkin', if ya really feel like sushi today I wouldn't mind steppin' out for a bit, got a hankerin' for some myself." Buck said quietly to Ezra, his eyebrows raised innocently at JD who had started to instantly sweat.
"You don't even like sushi Buck! And it ain't fake-like gourmet sushi either, it's the authentic stuff that you hate so much!"
"Now, JD, I don't know where you got that impression. I guess it's a taste you aquire with time.. and I suddenly have a cravin' for it."
JD's mouth was open, further protest about to come out as he looked in disbelief from Buck to Ezra, who merely sat with a smug expression, knowing that he would benefit greatly from playing them off each other, when Vin came in carrying a large canvas bag.
"Mornin' fella's," he said, dumping the bag in the middle of the table. "Ya'll didn't start without me I hope."
"Not at all, Mr Tanner, JD was just offering to buy lunch and I was thinking sushi might be nice, perhaps you could ask him to purchase some of that Teriyaki Chicken you like so much."
Vin looked at Ezra and then JD who was looking a mite nervous, followed by a frustrated Buck and the twin grins on Josiah and Nathan who were, as always, content to sit back and watch as the scene unfolded before them. Chris was writing some notes on the whiteboard.
Summing up the situation accurately from only quick glances around his friends faces, Vin grinned at Ezra before turning to JD and saying, "That'd be right nice of ya JD, if ya could bring some rice with that too? And a coke'd be great."
"Anything else?" JD said tightly, throwing a dirty look at Ezra for blackmailing him like this.
"Ummm..Mars bar'd be good."
"OK let's get to it. Vin show the boys what you got."
"Geez Chris, now that'd sure take some time to unload, you don't just wanna see the stuff in the bag here?"
Ignoring him, Chris took his seat and raised an eyebrow, although there was a slight curve to his lip. It felt good to see Vin so relaxed amongst them. These days it seemed the illusive tracker was really starting to come round. He was happier than Chris had ever seen him and seemed content and almost at peace, although there was a definite far-away look that Chris still caught in Vin's face every now and then that showed he was still unable to ever forget the hard life he had led and put his demons truly to rest.
Teasing JD forgotten for now the team turned to Vin, who was taking several guns out of the bag he had brought in. They had raided a storage house the day before on an anonymous tip and had found only one small case of guns. The guns had not been particularly well hidden, almost as though someone had wanted them to be found.
"OK boys, theses are the guns that were in that crate yesterday," Vin said as he passed them around for the team to look over.
Josiah whistled appreciatively, turning over a semi-automatic rifle in his hands. He had never seen one of this make before. Buck, too, was looking over a similar weapon.
"Jesus, where the hell did these come from?" he asked.
"That's precisely the question, Buck." Chris said. "We have no more information about the mystery guy that called this in, but it is plausible that he wanted us to find these." Chris was thinking out loud, "Almost as if he was giving us a sample of what's out there at the moment."
"But why? There must be something in it for him." JD said.
"Unless he just wants to help get them off the street." Josiah said, ready to believe the caller could be a man of good intentions.
"Are these by chance the same weapons that were reportedly used in the gang raid two days ago in Purgatorio?" Ezra asked.
"We'll have the report back soon as to whether these were the same guns or not, but it seems likely that they were, so we can assume that they are definitely on the streets already," Chris said, frowning. That particular raid had happened close enough to Vin's territory to give them all a scare. A gang from outside of Purgatorio had raided the hangout of one of the local gangs and 4 boys had been killed as a result.
"What's the plan, Chris?" Nathan asked.
"For now, we just check around a little. We have no leads here. Just keep your eyes open, I just wanted to let you all know what we found. We have to get ready for the delegate conference tomorrow and we have to get a roster set with team six and go over the delegate list."
"Fuck can't the FBI handle the security on their own? Hate workin' with them bastards," Buck mumbled.
"It's only three days, Buck, we'll survive. You don't have to talk to any of 'em." Chris said, not angry at Buck's unwillingness reluctant as he was himself to work with them. "We've got a lot of work to do checking over the files of the private security that most of the delegates will be bringing with them. May as well get started on that now. I've given each of you a rundown on the attendees, have a look through them."
Each man turned to his file and began flicking through photo's of delegates with listings of the number of security agents they were each bringing.
"Hey check out Buck's brother here!" JD said excitedly, holding up a picture of a huge man with a closely cropped head that really did look a lot like Buck, but managed to make his moustache look like a 70's porn stars.
There were chuckles around the table. Buck read the man's title, "Albania. Head of security for Murat Eckrishà... That's an Albanian name? Coulda fooled me!"
"The resemblance is striking." Ezra noted.
"Yeah Buck, a little more effort you could curl your mow into that shape and get into the movie business," Josiah agreed laughing.
Buck smirked and dropped his voice to a smug drawl, "Well the good Lord knows, Josiah, he gave me the right equipment for it."
"Yeah, you should borrow my hat and keep the merchandise covered up, Buck." JD said, scooting out of Buck's reach before the words had even finished shooting from his mouth.
After a few more moments Buck held up a photo of an outlandishly overdressed woman who had seen younger days and said, "Ez, you're mum's going too?"
Amongst the laughter Ezra said, "Very witty, but slandering one's mother is never good form Mr Wilmington."
"Damn," Vin said quietly.
"What is it?" Chris asked.
"This guy here, Victor Lornikov?" He held the photo up of a dark little man looking hard at the camera.
"What about him, ya know him?" Buck asked.
"He's Russian. He's been tied to several large illegal drug dealings, long suspected of corrupt activities in other areas as well as the drug trade." Ezra supplied thoughtfully, a slight frown on his face. "I find it somewhat disconcerting that our esteemed government would let such a miscreant into our fair country knowingly."
"These delegates are given liberties that allow them to carry out fairly free lives, there are many that take advantage of that fact for their own gain," Nathan added.
"What else?" Chris asked, suspecting there was more to this man by Vin's reaction to him.
"I was involved in a mission once that stumbled into some of Victors' dealings." Vin said, still slightly uncomfortable talking about his past life. Although they knew Vin had worked in special operations during his time with the government, Vin had never given any specifics. He probably wouldn't have, even if he had been allowed to discuss his missions with them.
"In Russia?" JD asked, eyes wide. He couldn't help it, he was intrigued by the things Vin had done in his life. The fact that he had been in a special operations unit caused JD to have a touch of hero worship for Vin.
"Yeah, Russia." He said, brushing over it. "We kinda stumbled onto him, weren't there for him, but it turned out he was runnin' guns to the Russian mafia and had a tidy chemical lab on the side - more like a sweat shop than anythin' else. He's one bad egg this guy, don't know how the hell he ended up a political delegate," he said.
The guys were silent for a moment. Vin rarely spoke that many words in one hit, for him to take the time to do so meant he thought that it had to be said.
"JD, when we're done here, see what you can dig up on him." Chris then turned to Vin, "Will he remember you?"
Vin shook his head, "Nah, I really just saw the aftermath that he left after he fled." Vin's voice had gone quiet, remembering the destroyed warehouse where Victor had been running his operations. He saw again the concrete floor, riddled with smashed equipment and dead bodies everywhere. Victor had killed the desperate people that had worked for him and shot through, no doubt to take up operations somewhere else.
"OK, Lets look over the rest of the attendees and the conference agenda." Chris said.
It was well after five that they finally finished arranging their schedule for the next three days and coordinating it with Team Six. Nathan, Josiah and JD were going to take the first shift the next day and the rest of them would take the night watch. The day would start with an early breakfast and finish up with a wine cruise from the hotel's dock, returning late into the night. JD had promised Casey he would take her out for her birthday so had opted for a day shift, although Buck had wanted him to go along on the cruise with him.
They headed down to the bar for a few beers before heading home to get an early night. Chris, Vin, Buck and Ezra were still going to spend the day at work seeing what they could pull up on the illegal guns they had found.
"Wanna take a break and get some lunch?" Chris asked Vin, moving to where the sharpshooter had his feet up on his desk and was studying his screen intently.
Vin blinked to clear the image of the screen from his eyes and looked up at his best friend. "Sure, where's Ez 'n' Buck?"
"They'll be back any sec, we can head out then if you want."
"OK. The boys checked in lately?"
"Not since an hour ago. They should be at the luncheon now, JD was getting pretty bored. Not much action with all those stuffy suits walkin' around talkin' big I s'pose."
Vin grinned, "Well if there is any, JD'll find it."
Buck and Ezra returned, arguing their way through the office.
"I declare, you are the most un-politically correct person to walk this earth." Ezra said, sounding annoyed.
"Ez, sometimes people appreciate blatant honesty-"
"I assure you, Mr Wilmington, no woman alive would appreciate that kind of blatant honesty!"
Buck looked up to Chris who just held up his hand, "I don't wanna know. C'mon," he said to Vin as he moved to leave. "We'll be back in a bit, gonna get some lunch."
"Heard from the boys?" Buck asked.
"Not for the last hour." Chris stated again. "Not much happenin' except a lotta hot air by the sounds."
"Hmmph," was all Buck said, he expected no less.
"You know, delegates do have a certain purpose in their occupation," Ezra said, looking at Buck. "Forget it," he said, seeing the sarcastic comment already forming on his friend's lips.
Dinner
"Hey Vin heads up, 12 o'clock," Buck said with a barely perceptible move of his lips.
Vin looked up at the sound of Buck's voice in his right ear. A tall, immaculately dressed brunette was heading his way in a forest green suit and matching shoes. She was stunning.
"What do you see Buck?" Chris said through his mike.
"Dinner." Buck said back, smiling to himself.
"Definitely dessert," Vin said quietly.
Chris raised an eyebrow at that. Vin being the consummate gentleman he never really bantered with Buck like that. He wanted to see this woman for himself.
Vin remained standing near the bar, very much aware of the woman in the green suit as she came to stand beside him to order a drink. Damned if he didn't want one himself. Although they were dressed as all the other attendees in black tie for the nights events, they were there as obvious security, not pretending to be anything but.
"Mr Tanner, I do believe you have an admirer." Ezra spoke, positioned across the room from Vin, only a few feet from Buck at the moment who was standing by the entrance to the large room where the pre-dinner drinks were taking place before the cruise started.
"Damn," said Chris in frustration, still stationed out of the room in the corridor.
"Can I get you a drink, cowboy?" came a low, very feminine voice.
Vin looked up, startled to meet a pair of eyes that matched perfectly with the green suit. Buck barely suppressed a loud guffaw of laughter and Ezra nearly choked on the sip of water he was just taking when the woman's voice carried through Vin's mike she was that close to him.
Chris did a quick entrance to the room to check her out before turning around and walking back out, annoyed that he'd agreed to take the outside surveillance. "Go Cowboy!" he chuckled under his breath, the woman really was that hot.
"I'm on duty ma'm, otherwise I'd be much obliged."
"Ooh.. how mysterious.. Nonsense, let me get you something, no-one has to know, it can be our secret."
"Really, ma'm, I appreciate the offer, but I'm fine, thank you."
With another long look at the man before her, the woman gave a slight shrug and left, not looking back.
"Strike one, Junior," Buck said.
"Night's young, Bucklin."
Much later in the evening Vin finally found a quiet spot at the front of the boat, away from all of the noise and commotion below deck. The large boat was travelling on a fairly small river, narrow but deep and he could make out the bank of the river and the thick trees along the shoreline. There were people milling around, but none ventured to the front. For a bunch of stuffy suits, these people sure could party on. Close to two thirty in the morning and the boat didn't seem to be showing any signs of winding down. The music was still loud and the people were still drinking freely.
"What's happenin' boys?" Chris asked, moving through the crowded dining room towards a door he could see leading outside. He needed to report in to Josiah who was waiting on his call.
"Can't take anymore Chris, haven't been this bored since… damn.. haven't been this bored period," Buck said with much self-pity.
Chris knew Buck was still positioned near the bar, he'd seen him a few minutes earlier.
"Not long now, Buck. Thought you were keepin' an eye on Vin's woman."
"Yeah she disappeared a good half hour ago."
Chris frowned a little at this as he made his way outside. "What do you mean disappeared?" he asked.
"Well she hung around the bar for a while, didn't talk to no-one except that Russian guy, Victor, then went outside.
"Ezra you seen her? Where are you?" Chris asked, getting out his phone.
"Still near the band on the lower deck." Ezra said. "Nothing except the slow and painful death of Jazz to report here." Ezra met the eye of the trumpet player and knew he'd been heard. He'd purposefully waited for the music to stop so that the music assassin could hear his comment. He had to get out of there, the band were picking up their instruments ready for another onslaught.
"Vin?" Chris said, waiting for Vin to check in as he began to dial Josiah's number on his phone.
Vin was still leaning on the railing, looking out across the inky water of the narrow river to the shore when he heard Chris say his name, wanting a response. He sighed, about to tell Chris he was coming in from the upper deck when he turned to find the beautiful woman from the bar standing right before him. It unsettled him a little that he hadn't heard her approach. How long had she been there?
She stepped closer still and asked "How about that drink now, cowboy?" in her soft, low voice. She was holding out a glass of champagne to him and sipping her own with her other hand.
Chris stopped dialing. They had all heard the woman's voice clearly through Vin's mike, meaning she was very close to him.
Vin looked at the woman a moment longer before reaching out and taking the glass she offered.
"That was a no, right?" came Chris's voice in his ear.
"Sure," Vin said, smiling.
Buck chuckled. This night had been getting progressively more boring by the hour, now things were looking up.
"Twenty says she leaves in another minute," Ezra stated.
"Fifty gives her five minutes," added Buck.
"A hundred say's he leaves the boat with her." came Chris's quiet voice.
Vin's eyes widened in surprise. Was Chris giving him the go-ahead to pursue this? It wasn't unusual to be encouraged to go after a beautiful woman, but he was on the job tonight. It was almost a challenge the way he had said it.
"Something wrong?" the woman asked him. "Did you want to be left alone?"
"Now, Junior…" Buck said, smiling, thoroughly enjoying himself. "Here's how ya gotta play this son. You just listen to ol' Uncle Buck here, leverage off the wisdom my animal magnetism provides me. You gotta-"
"No… I was... just realising I don't know your name," Vin covered. "And I just wanted to get away from all the noise, it's starting to create a painful buzzing in my ears."
"Shhh Buck, Jesus…" Chris said.
"I am Tiana Lornikov, and you are Vincent Tanner," the woman said directly.
Vin tensed at the name. "You do your homework, Ms Lornikov."
"I like to be thorough, Mr Tanner."
"Vin, please."
She was studying his face, silently probing with her eyes, trying to get some sort of angle on him, Vin thought. She was stunning. Utterly perfect skin glowed in the dim moonlight and her eyes were bright despite the darkness.
"You are a beautiful woman, Tiana." He said honestly.
Tiana snapped her eyes to his. She was accustomed to being called beautiful almost every day of her life, for one reason or another, her vast fortune being the most obvious reason, she thought. However this was utterly sincere and it caught her off guard. Suddenly she closed the distance between them, taking the step forward that separated them and kissing him passionately, wrapping her perfectly manicured fingers around the back of his neck.
Vin hesitated a moment longer before a moan parted his lips, more a deep growl of hunger and kissed her back, pulling her closer as she backed him onto the railing.
Chris, Buck and Ezra remained silent for once. Something in the noise Vin had made kept them from making any cracks about the situation. Vin had had so much pain and loneliness in his life, he deserved a moment of pure passion if it came his way. They were all government agents, but they were men above all, friends more importantly. Besides, there would be plenty of time for paying out on him later.
Just as Tiana had Vin's hair free of the band that tied it back from his face and he deepened the kiss even further there came the sound of a gun being cocked behind them. Vin froze, still breathless from the kiss but shaking himself out of his longing quickly as he heard the deep voice of a man, thickly accented.
"You are nothing but an expensive whore, my dear wife."
Vin felt Tiana tense in his arms, her whole body instantly rigid at the sound of the voice. She hadn't heard the gun, but the sound of the familiarly deep Russian accent was enough for her to realise she was in trouble and send a shiver of fear down her spine.
"Meetin' anyone else with a gun here on the upper deck you wanna tell me about?" Vin asked softly, his mouth shielded from view by Tiana's head.
Chris hadn't heard the man's voice but had heard Vin's call for backup loud and clear. "Let's go Buck, Ezra," he said, already stepping up a ladder to the next level.
"Holy shit!" Buck said, pushing his way through the crowd.
Ezra, too, found a ladder and made his way hastily to the upper deck. "I'm coming up from the back, moving around the closed bar," he said softly.
"I have been extremely lenient towards your indiscretions, Tiana, but surely you digress in your choice of victim these days." He looked derisively at Vin, "You shame me with this lower-class peasant."
Vin remained silent but held the man's gaze. He had stared at countless pictures of this man and had often pictured him in real life, but seeing him in the flesh made him want to go for the man's throat in one heated movement. Was this woman really his wife?
"You never cared before what I did, why bother now?" Tiana said angrily, turning in Vin's arms to face her husband.
"You used to be amusing to me, Tiana, now you serve no purpose at all." He raised the gun higher towards her head, looking again at the man with the long hair in disgust, intending only to flick him a disdainful look before getting this over and done with, but finding his gaze held by a pair of intensely bright eyes, clear with a burning anger despite the dismal light.
"You mean now that you are up for re-appointment?" Tiana spat in disgust, feeling Vin's weight shift and positioning herself so that she prevented him from moving in front of her.
"I must say, I think I will receive much sympathy when you are discovered dead…" Victor said, no emotion reflected in his voice whatsoever.
Vin saw Chris come up on the deck behind the man and Ezra and Buck move around the cabin to take position and again moved to step out from behind Tiana.
"I see you Ez," Chris whispered. "I'm behind you - 8 o'clock. Buck?"
"Right beside you," Buck murmured back.
They were close enough now to make out Victor Lornikov holding a gun to the beautiful woman with the same last name, his wife? Vin was trying to move out from behind her but was held back as she shifted her body again to block him.
Tiana suddenly knew, in a moment of total clarity, that she was going to die. It was more than the impassive look of death on Victor's face, more than a primal fear that she felt. Despite the security men she saw moving in, she just knew that she had seconds to live. Knowing that, she also knew that she wasn't going to let him kill the innocent man trying to move out from behind her.
"Let me by," Vin said, so soft she barely heard him.
Suddenly she turned and looked at him, her eyes bright and alive, yet reflecting her sorrow all the same.
"No. I will not let you die for a momentary lapse of reason that I forced on you."
Vin looked at her, sensing that there was so much more to this woman than she ever let people see. He was astounded to realise that despite her obvious beauty, or perhaps because of it, she did not believe that he could possibly want her for herself. So deeply moved was he by the look of utter desolation in her eyes, he reached up and softly grabbed her chin, tilting her head upward to look at him. He wanted her to see the truth of his words.
"It was voluntary, Tiana. I answered your request willingly. There is so much more to you than your beauty, I can feel that," he said, his eyes so intense that she felt them burn through to her very soul.
Suddenly she was not afraid anymore. Somehow those words that she hadn't even realised she needed to hear set her free in some way. She gave him a soft, sad smile then. It was a smile that showed her deep thanks and gratitude for his words whilst it reflected her regret that finally, she had found someone that knew her, only to be ripped away from him cruelly. What had started as a game for her had turned into something she had never thought possible. He had turned it around on her when he had looked into her soul with his intense, beautiful eyes. When he had taken her in his arms so passionately she had known that it wasn't a game to him. This was a man to share herself with in every way and she wanted to weep at the injustice of it all. She could only repay him in one way.
Victor watched as his wife stared at the scruffy man and that pause gave her the few seconds it took to say her final goodbye. It wasn't done on purpose, he wasn't one to wish happiness on anyone else, he just found he was a little mesmerised at the expression on her face. It was one he had never seen there before.
Although it was dark and Chris was standing in shadow, he could feel Vin's gaze on him and looked his way. Sure enough the sharpshooter's face was angled towards him, illuminated by the lighting on the deck. Vin's face gave nothing away as he again looked back to the man in front of him holding a gun and tightened his grip on Tiana, ready to drag them both for cover.
Chris opened his mouth to yell "Drop your weapon" just as the little man dove to the side and opened fire, the silencer on his weapon ensuring that the shots were not heard by anyone besides those present on the deck.
Time seemed to hang as the three agents saw the woman's body jerk repeatedly with the impact of the bullets, reeling back into Vin and taking both of them over the railing and into the water below. They had lost their clear shots of Lornikov when he had dived to his left and opened fire, obviously knowing that he was being watched.
They stepped out of their respective covers and swung their weapons to where they had seen the man go, prepared to fire on him just as they saw him move out from behind a panel, turning to them and lowering his gun in surrender.
Victor Lornikov met the eyes of the men he knew had been behind him, he had seen the involuntary widening of Tiana's eyes as the men had come up to the deck. On his left was a man that he instinctively knew was the leader, it was in his face, in his body language and in the way the other two men were looking to him for instruction.
"ATF, throw down your weapon." Chris said, wanting to shoot this man, wanting any excuse to shoot him.
Victor knew the man in black wanted to take him out and a small smile pulled at his lips as he obeyed the command and threw his weapon to the deck, satisfied at the frustration evident on the blonde man's face.
"Buck-" Chris said, moving forward.
"Got it," Buck said, moving in to apprehend the man.
Chris had his jacket off before he got to the rail and quickly kicked his shoes off as he scanned the water trailing behind the boat. There was nothing. No movement, no reflection of moonlight off've pale skin as he leapt over the side to the dark water below.
As he surfaced, gasping at the freezing shock, there was a splash beside him and he briefly exchanged a look with Ezra as he began swimming back the way the boat had come.
When Vin had hit the water he'd lost his grip on Tiana and was pulled under, struggling against the weight of his clothes and shoes to reach the surface. When his face hit the air he took a deep breath, shocked by the icy coldness of the river. He quickly scanned the surface and ducked under again, frantically searching for the woman that, only moments earlier, had been kissing him freely as he held her in his arms.
The river was very narrow at this point and he wasn't far from the bank. Jagged branches and roots from large trees jutted through the water, catching on his clothes and threatening to ensnare him. Again and again he surfaced and ducked under until finally he saw a pale outline under the water and moved closer. He discovered Tiana's face, merely inches bellow the surface. He reached a hand out to the lifeless eyes that seemed to be staring back at him and saw the hair that fanned around her face, reaching upwards towards the air that was only inches above the ends.
Rather than recoil at the sight, although knowing that it was hopeless, he tried desperately to free her clothing from where it was snagged by a branch. Only when his lungs felt as if they might explode did he move to kick back the short distance to the surface, only to find himself trapped by another sharp branch that had torn into his jacket, holding him down. He tried to tug it free, willing himself to resist the panic that was taking over in his urgent need for air. His fingers tugged at the stubborn material, scraping into the sharp wood that refused to let him go. He felt blackness creeping in, a moment of sickness followed by a pervading sense of calm. His body gave in, there was no oxygen to support his desperate attempts at survival. As the water swirled around his vision, growing darker still, he found Tiana's lifeless hand and grabbed onto it. He could still make out her face and his last thought was that he was not afraid to die. The moment before he lost consciousness he felt only a sense of peace.