Chapter One
"Here's how it's going to go?" Chris said as his team gathered in the conference room. "Vin, you'll be up in the second floor with your rifle. Ezra, you'll be meeting with Robinton, with Josiah and Buck as your guards. Me and Nathan will be stationed behind these crates in the north end of the building. JD, you'll be in the surveillance van covering the bust. You get the signal, you'll move in to help."
As soon as the meeting was over, they moved out. JD parked the van down the road from the warehouse while Chris, Nathan and Vin took their positions in the building. Ezra, Josiah and Buck waited at the warehouse for Robinton to show up.
Ten minutes later, JD noticed a black limo turning onto the road, heading straight for the warehouse.
"Heads up guys," he said to the others.
As the limo stopped next to Ezra's car, Josiah stepped out from the driver's side and opened the back door and Ezra stepped out, followed by Buck from the passenger side.
Robinton's driver stepped out of the limo and opened the back door and a big man with black hair, blue eyes and well-muscled, stepped out, straightening his tie.
"Good to finally meet you, Mr. Tompkins," Robinton said extending his hand to Ezra, who shook it.
"Same to you Mr. Robinton," Ezra said.
"Shall we," Robinton said leading the way to the warehouse. Before following Ezra and the others in, he turned and winked at his driver, who got back in the limo and drove away.
From where he laid, Vin had a good view of Robinton and his men. He counted six well-armed men, seven including Robinton. He looked down to where Chris and Nathan was hidden and caught Chris' eye and held up seven fingers and Chris nodded and relayed it to Nathan.
"I have the drugs you requested," Robinton said as a man came over with a briefcase.
Ezra nodded to Buck who took the briefcase and opened it, examined the contents, nodded and closed it once more.
Josiah put another case on the table and opened it.
"It's been nice doing business with you," Robinton said picking up the briefcase full of money and handing it to one of his guards.
Out in the van, four men was sneaking up to the side of the van and JD had no idea.
"JD, get ready to come in," Chris' whispered voice came through the headset.
JD tossed the headset on the console, and started to slide the door open. One of the men waiting outside grabbed the handle and jerked it open and JD was practically thrown. Where he landed hard on the gravel, he heard a snap in his right knee as he landed.
He struggled to get to his feet, but his right leg refused to support him. Two of the men grabbed him, holding him as the other two stood in front of them.
"Let's go," one said. "They're waiting for us in the warehouse."
JD knew it was no use trying to escape, because his knee felt like it was on fire.
In the warehouse, Chris nodded to Vin who trained his rifle at Robinton and nodded back to Chris and he and Nathan started around the crates that they had been hiding behind.
"ATF, freeze," Chris said bursting out from behind them.
Robinton looked over to see Ezra, Buck and Josiah with guns pointing at them, but Robinton just laughed.
"Did you think I was stupid Larabee," Robinton said. "I've known for weeks who Tompkins really was. I've got friends in different local businesses all around Denver."
Vin's head snapped toward the front door as it swung open and saw five more men enter. Looking through the scope he saw that JD was being held by the two in the back.
"They've got JD," he said to Chris.
"I know you're up there Mr. Tanner," Robinton said as he looked straight at him. "Might as well join us."
Vin knew he had no choice and descended the ladder and joined Chris, his rifle still pointed at Robinton.
They dropped JD to the floor and JD almost cried out in pain as the fire spread from his knee until his whole leg felt like it was on fire.
"If you don't want this one killed, I suggest you drop your weapons," Robinton said as he turned the gun on JD.
Knowing they had no choice, they dropped their guns to the ground and backed away. Two of Robinton's men quickly picked them up.
"Just stay right where you are until we're out of here," Robinton said, then produced a remote. "This place is rigged with explosives. One wrong move and I detonate."
Nathan quickly made it over to JD, who was still in terrible pain as Robinton and his men made their escape.
"You okay JD?" Nathan asked.
"I was thrown from the van and felt a snap in my knee when I hit the ground," JD said.
"We need to get out of here," Chris said. "Have they left yet?"Vin glanced out the window and saw the limo start, then pull away, along with the car Ezra had come in.
"They're gone," he said coming back over.
Vin and Chris supported JD between them as they hurried toward the door. Halfway there, they heard a explosion and the whole place shook. They started walking faster and then started running. Next thing they knew, the floor buckled, then they found themselves falling, then darkness overcame all of them.
Not far from the warehouse, Robinton smiled, then laughed as the explosions shook the ground.
"Get AD Travis on the phone," he told the man beside him.