French translation that Anne Crook says to Etienne "Etienne, arrange for Rossi and Dobroslka to be made aware of my wording to that FBI bastard? Thank you"
I hope everyone enjoys this story as much as I enjoy writing it - just a bit of filler.
Two
"So JD will be staying at a hotel in Kensington?"
Anne looked up from her paperwork with Judge Travis, making sure the legalities of their venture still stood at Chris. The other men were in the bullpen discussing tactical odds, and naturally trying to decipher what was going on between Ezra and Anne.
Etienne had arrived first thing in the morning, laptop under arm and eager to walk. Ezra had been late as normal, arriving the same time as Anne. The latter driving a hire car that Ezra had made a joke about from his prized Jaguar, Anne merely giving him 'the eagle'. Buck had watched the two, Ezra giving nods to the conversation while Anne talked more with her hands and eyes. Yet the moment the two had entered the office they'd gone their separate ways, Ezra heading into the conference room to make 'a few urgent phone calls' and to avoid Team 7 trying to get Ezra to admit defeat about his relationship with Anne. She'd been nursing a bad head from her late night escapades, whatever they were. Ezra had merely stated he'd been up all night playing a poker game and the calls were paramount to the investigation.
"It's one of the best and don't worry, they don't go after him. They'll know he's just there on conference, I have no doubt the rat will be already be researching that. Your man, Mr Larabee is perfectly safe. Have no doubt of that."
"Good... and please call me Chris?"
"Chris, Judge... before we delve into definitely more fascinating matters, I have a matter of my own to deal with. And one I'd prefer not to share with Ezra."
"Seems serious."
"It is. I started drawing this up before I went undercover," she reached into her briefcase and withdrew an A4 pamphlet. "It's my Last Will & Testament... I need witnesses."
"You're not planning to die on this operation, are you?" Judge Travis said, lightly. "After all it seems foolproof."
"I have a sixteen year old set of twins to consider... everything goes to them. But they need a guardian and that's Ezra," she said. She saw the surprised looks. "He is the closest thing to a father that the twins have ever had and will ever have. He will protect –"
"You don't need to explain yourself to me," Judge Travis said, raising his hand.
"Not even Ezra... he's a good man." Chris agreed.
"A better one than most would expect," she said, quietly. She handed the paperwork to Chris who read over it patiently, then scoffed. "Con artists and reprobates... the name Crook hasn't mutated in name since the 1700's... so I have a long line of those who have saved me a few thousand pounds. I see no reason why their hard work should be squandered."
"I take it you were never maligned like Ezra?"
"He's infecting your language, Mr Lar- Chris," she said, smirking at him. "And plenty of accusations... but I had a boss who stood at my back. Not a bit like his boss. As it happens Stamford's boss, David Johansen. Right bureaucrat." She glanced at her watch. "I'm expecting him in fact, any minute now."
"Ezra know?"
"Ezra knows all." Anne intoned, opening the door to the office. Ezra was standing talking to Buck, the tall man nudging him. "Ez he's on his way up?"
Chris exited the office after filing a few room after clicking out of the box, allowing a small predatory smile at the transformation that Ezra and Anne had undergone in the brief few seconds since they'd left the office. Ezra was leaning against the table facing Anne, nodding her head at his suggestions. Chris leaned against the conference door, relieved that the Judge had gone to meet the FBI man.
"And I have to say the deplorable behaviour of Interpol hasn't shocked me." Johansen entered the room with Orin Travis behind him, leaning on his cane – although it looked like he was barely restraining himself from hitting him with it. Even the calm Nathan scooted slightly out of the way of the man. "Standish. Crook. Sounds like a bad eighties comedy."
"Better than Johansen, sounds like a defector to the Nazi party," bit out Ezra. "I believe you have noted several issues with my assisting with this case? Hunting through your men? Concerned over any fractious feelings, I safely assume? Or worried about proverbial skeletons in closets?"
"You're just looking through and spying the competition. Everyone in the undercover business knows your bent."
"Believe me, if my boss had his way he'd be in Interpol," snapped Anne, not turning to look at him. "Told me so on numerous occasions, said what a talented..."
"Crook... how is your father?" he sniped.
Crook smirked as she tilted her head back to looked at him. "At least I know my father...and carry his surname." The insult didn't go over anyone's head, and JD sniggered making Johansen snap his head towards him. "Now, now, it's all fun throwing slanderous statements around until somebody pushes the buttons of you. What the fuck do you want?"
"You kicked my man off the team?" Johansen said, with enforced calmness. A nod. "What for?"
"Pissing me off." She jerked her head at Ezra. "And him. You know, I'm sick of people like you pushing their weight around. You do realise I have more power in my little finger than you? No, no, before you begin...I know we don't make the arrests... but we're the ones who organise it." She took a step forward, her voice glacier like. "So unless you want me to make a phone calls and arrange for each and every one of my agents to come in and leave you high and dry you have my total blessing to bitch about how I run my teams considering my success rate and my trust of Ezra Standish. Also, I quite like this ATF malarkey – they have style and panache. Everything I enjoy as a Crook."
The FBI man stared. Unlike Stamford who'd stumbled back, Chris watched the man squeeze his hands, obviously resisting punching out at her. The way he saw Ezra moving his arm, also showed the probability that he was preparing to protect her. "You do realise you're speaking to a superior officer, Anne Crook."
Anne smirked. "You mean Director... I DIRECT the undercover ops for Interpol." She smirked at his look. "You've just fucked off a superior officer. Now get your FBI ass out of here and tell CIA to piss off as well. I have better things to do than match you and beat you at a pissing contest." She turned back to the paperwork before returning to Ezra, in a blatant look of dismissal. "So you think Jernigan's good for it?" A terse nod. "Okay, JD bring up his file – email it or whatever."
She didn't flinch as Johansen made his way, all the way complaining to Judge Travis who saw them out. As soon as the voices were a decent distance, she looked at Etienne. "Etienne, faites en sorte que Rossi et Dobroslka soient mis au courant de mes paroles sur ce bâtard du FBI? Je vous remercie." She then turned back to Ezra. "He's always a joy."
"Always has been since that gig in Budapest," Ezra said, nodding. She sighed. "Jernigan's a good match though for our purposes... and what's this about Crook?" A continued bowed head. "Christ, Annie I need to know."
"You need to know, I need to know. Fuck off Ezra." She said, darkly. "He got out last week."
"And you know the first thing he'll do? Go sniffing around where you are?" he asked. "Annie, even my patience and skills are going to be sorely tested?"
"So you want out?"
"I want in."
"Excuse us," Buck said, interrupting the two and smiling at the frowns thrown his way by the two. "But we're not in the loop here."
"Were you ever Buck?" JD teased.
The others all laughed softly with the exception of Etienne who threw a confused look, not used to the camaraderie that was openly on display. From Team 7's collected estimate, this was the first time the young man had been in the field as it were.
Esther shook her head."I apologise. I have a slightly fiery temper as you can see." She ignored a mutter about 'That's like pompeii calling Vesuvius hot' by Ezra. "The reason Mr Johansen doesn't trust me or Ezra for that matter is that we're both children of con artists... mine a long line as is Ezra's. But we were involved in bringing down a tobacco smuggler in Budapest... turns out my old man had a sideline. Blew the entire op because he spotted me when me and Ezra were..." she paused for emphasis, the team leaned forward. "Having a coffee at Starbucks." There was annoyed groan from everyone but she merely smirked and looked around. "Think I'd best brush up on my shooting gallery. And no Etienne, I don't wish to have company. Nor more than I care to with you, Ezra."
"As I am fond of reminding you, mon ami, you don't always get what you want."
The shooting gallery in ATF was juxtaposed to the swimming pool and locker room, something which was widely considered to be innovative and strange. Chris and Vin thought of this as they walked down to the gallery together.
"You looking for answers?" Vin asked. "I have a feeling that one's going to be Ezra. Take a while to peel back all the layers?"
"And still not go anywhere? Yeah, I know," Chris agreed. "But she's made herself clearer than him."
"Doesn't put up with any shit anyway," Vin said, as they walked into the gallery. The woman behind the partition wall and smiled. "Afternoon, Midge."
"Afternoon Agent Tanner. Have you come to practise your shooting?" she asked.
"No come to see the Interpol agent, Anne Crook?"
"She's just selecting her gunfare, been shooting trying to select a gun," she said. "Seems she's been behind a desk for a while in Interpol and is having some difficulty picking out a gun."
"Or she's blowing off the last of her steam," Chris said. "Thank you."
Anne was standing in Bay 6, separated from everyone else. Not that there were more than two other people in the room before Chris and Vin walked in. The young rookie from Team 9 Marc Warren and Toni Lupo, both were in weapon training.
She was raising the gun with practised ease, although Vin could see she was weighing up the weapon really. She wasn't satisfied and she pulled her lips, studying the two shots."Gentlemen, please don't consider going into the infiltration business, you're as blatantly obvious as possible." She looked up at them. "My shots off, think the weapons too heavy."
"Just trying to work you out," admitted Chris. "The Judge is doing damage control with the Feeb's."
"They can hang," she muttered, returning to her intent studying. "Not worth their salt. Just in it for the glory."
"Amen to that," Vin said, joining in her in her study. "How long you've been behind the desk?"
"Three months. Art gallery gig went wrong, ex-Nazi's... normal." Anne smirked. "Now why're you here?"
"Just curious with me," admitted Chris. Vin scratched his chin saying little but all the while observing. "I see that Ezra's often afraid of his own shadow stabbing him in the back, probably on the account of Maude." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't have that issue?"
"All on the account of Maude, with Ezra. My own father despised me, didn't try to educate me like Maude did with Ezra... I knew he was a bastard and that's it." Annie said, as she tried the last gun. "Midge, do you have a lighter weapon? My shots off with this one? Excuse me." She walked back to the other room, there being a small conversation as she returned the gun, and showed Midge her shots. There was a small bit of discussion before she came back, giving a small smile. "Ezra is the one person I'd trust with my own life and Esther's ... a rare thing indeed. It'd seem Ezra is more fortunate than me."
"How is that?"
"In mine and Ezra's work, you tend not to trust anyone." Anne said, holding onto the button that drifted the target to the back. "Not even each other. You have a good team, and you all trust each other, Mr Larabee? Oh I have no doubt Ezra is not trusted in poker games and those wagers of his but then I've known him since childhood and have the same issue. Never could figure out how he cheated at Twister."
Chris nodded as she pulled up the gun and levelled it at the target in the distance. It was evident that she was testing her own shot. Vin spoke now. "Yet you and Ezra trust each other?"
"No choice, we were brought up the same way only ones who know what it was like... and believe me he doesn't trust me as far as he could throw me on any given day. Just in a different way to the way you mistrust him some days." She took put her ear defenders on before firing six quick consecutive shots, nodding with satisfaction as she straightened her pose. "I'll take this, Midge?" She called through before leaning again on the wall and pressing the button for it to come in. "You're very fortunate, Mr Larabee and Mr Tanner... you have the love and affection of a conman. A difficult feat." She smirked and eyed the target as it came in. "As of this moment I'm still making my mind up." She glanced at her watch and looking as Etienne stood by the doorway with JD and Ezra. "If you'll excuse me, it's lunch time so I'm going to call my daughter. You boys have some things to discuss. Etienne I need some of those dark web reports by tonight please?"
Chris shook his head as she exited and eyed the paper target, seven clean holes into what would've been the head. He felt Vin's eyes on him, calm and cool. "I learned as a little as you did."
"Then you learned a great deal," Vin said, quietly. Chris raised his eyebrows. "Not that I don't trust you Chris, but I think its best we keep what we learned to ourselves."
Chris nodded. "Okay. How can I help, JD?"
"I need access to several files for our candidates," JD said, jerking his head at Etienne. "He's being a right jerk... muttering in French because I wouldn't hack in for him."
"My job is simpler, Mr Larabee," Ezra flashed a grin at Chris's growl. "Need a code term. Me and Buck have decided on a codename but a password for meeting between the agencies needs to be established... and Monsieur Du Barry please do not look so officious, I understand that you are jealous of Mr Dunne's continuing success... especially as he has a lovely photo of the effervescent Casey on his desk."
"Jolie comme le diable et deux fois plus jolie," muttered Etienne.
"What?" JD asked, looking at Ezra for help as he chuckled. Ettiene had gone pale now and quickly fled while Ezra shook his head. "What's he saying, Ez? I understand he's been calling me an imbecile all morning and then pretending he doesn't understand me."
"He just summed up me my old friend accurately and given me the code words I need. Pretty as hell and twice as nice." He broke into a second grin, the gold tooth flashing in the light. "Might even make a decent headstone too."