Marked Man

Part 2


"Nurse just came out, said they are just closing now." Buck sat in the chair in the waiting room fidgeting with his sling. Chris had tried to make the two roommates go home, but they had been adamant about staying.

Vin saw Rain by the operating room doors, far away from the team and as close as she could be to Nathan. Her arms were crossed around her. "How long has she been there?"

Josiah glanced over to the worrying woman and sighed. "Since she got here."

"She kinda snarled at the rest of us." JD commented as he tried to stifle a yawn.

Ezra placed his deck of cards into his suit jacket. Buck figured in five minutes he would take them out again. It was Standish's nervous habit. "I have tried to draw her into conversation, but she is not talkative."

Wilmington saw the lone woman, looking so vulnerable. He caught Chris's eye and gestured to Rain.

Larabee nodded. "I'll go talk to her."

The mustached agent watched as his old friend soundlessly joined the young woman. "Rain, he's going to be fine."

She did not turn around. "I hope so."

"Buck said the nurse told him they were almost finished." Wilmington watched Larabee struggle to make conversation. This was not his strong point. He could bully harden criminals, but was not the type of person to turn to for a sympathetic ear.

"Yep," Rain replied, taking another step away from the team leader.

Chris took a step back, closer to his men. "Why don't you come and sit with us."

Her back still turned, she shrugged her shoulders. "No, thanks."

Larabee turned back to look at Wilmington. Buck gestured to his friend to make some sort of overture.

"Okay, I understand. We're right there if you need us." Chris turned away.

Rain snapped around, her face was tear streaked and she roughly dragged a finger under her nose. "I don't think you do understand."

Wilmington winced and not from the pulling of the stitches in his shoulder. Ezra had started to take out his cards again and then stopped, giving the conversation in the corner his full attention.

"Excuse me?" Larabee stated.

"Look at your precious team—they are the walking wounded." She pointed to JD and Buck. "And now Nathan?" She ran her fingers through her tangled hair.

"It's the risk of the job," Chris replied. The rest of the team looked, overhearing his voice raise.

"Ha!" She snorted. Her eyes watered with unshed tears. "Part of the job is to get people mad enough at you that they'll seek revenge. Nathan never said anything about that."
Wilmington looked away, as had the rest of the team. Rain quivered with resentment. She was finally realizing Chris was a major figure in their lives, as was the team. The Team was everything. Buck felt terrible for Rain and Nathan. The medic was the only one to have an established relationship. Wilmington wondered was this what it would be like if any of them got married? Family versus the job? This was the part of the job they never talked about.

Chris was silent.

Rain looked down to the linoleum floor. "I overheard your conversation."

"It's a theory." Larabee bit the words out. From his tone it was obvious he had told her she had crossed the line and their conversation was none of her concern.

She snapped her head up. "That's great, just great." The conversation was dropped as Nathan was rolled through the doors. The team stood up and pressed in closer to the gurney, but giving enough space for Rain and Chris.

Wilmington watched as Rain pressed a hand against the cushion of the gurney near Nathan's head. Jackson had his head turned away towards Larabee. For a second he opened his eyes. Chris grinned and nodded.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Buck asked the doctor who had at last exited behind Nathan.

"I think so. We're going to give him antibiotics and hope to keep the peritonitis at bay." The doctor rubbed his chin. "If you'll excuse me. The nurses will set him up in ICU."

Rain followed the nurses-this time wrapping her hand in Nathan's.

The men started to follow and Chris called them back. "Let Rain spend some time with Nathan. We'll come back in the morning."

Buck nodded, appreciating his friend's consideration for the young woman. "Plus you guys need to take care of us. Hell, Junior needs some tending too."

Vin shook his head. "I'm going home."

Ezra took that as his cue. "I will escort Agent Tanner home."

"Guess that leaves me and Chris to tuck you in, Brothers." Josiah pointed to the elevator.

"JD has an impressionable mind!" Buck said jokingly as he put an arm around his roommate.

Dunne shrugged his shoulders, causing Wilmington to drop his arm.

"Think of the damage you'll do, the last thought before he falls asleep will be you two." Buck mimicked an exaggerated shudder. "That would give me nightmares for years."

Chris walked ahead of the wounded man. "You can always stay in the hospital Buck, and I'm sure that Nurse Rita will be happy."

Wilmington began to pick up his pace. He was tired, but there was no way he was being left behind and be ministered to by THAT WOMAN. She had made him feel worse instead of better, her hands rough instead of helping. She downright intimidated Buck. "You don't play fair."


"I sorely detest being regulated as backup." Ezra said as he tugged on the edge of his Kevlar vest. The nylon like material chafed against his sensitive skin.

Vin was struggling to put his vest on as he and JD played with a koosh ball. Dunne laughed as he tried to pick a moment to throw the ball when the sharpshooter was occupied. Tanner had been using different body parts—feet, head and even an elbow to return the projectile.

Josiah was already suited up and sitting on the corner of Buck's desk.

Standish pulled on a loose cashmere sweater, which covered the hideousness of the vest. "Yes, Mother always said be a leader and not a follower."

"My father always said walk in the footsteps of the Lord," Sanchez replied as he got up and tucked in the designer tag of the sweater for the southerner.

Ezra looked back to see if Chris was ready to leave. It had been a week since Nathan had gotten shot. The medic had been released today and ordered to stay home another two weeks before coming into work. JD and Buck had returned to administrative duty only two days earlier. "Mother believed she was the only omnipotent being in my life." Standish replied matter-of-factly.

The team laughed, and Standish smiled at his remark too. Although they were still missing one in their ranks, it felt good to have some comradeship. They had been on edge, combing through the files to see if there were any criminals with grudges against them. That of course turned out to be a gross understatement.

Larabee placed the phone down and exited his office, shutting the door behind him. "Nathan's doing fine and says hi." Chris had his vest over his arm and began to slip it on.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Buck said as he twirled in his chair watching the men get ready to leave and meet Team 3.

"I think we have that covered," Chris answered.

Vin, finally in his vest, was tossed the koosh ball in the air, waiting for the right time to lob it to JD. "Let's see, would Buck jump in front of a bullet?"

Ezra, equally as serious as the sharpshooter replied, "Yes, he has done that selfless act."

At this point Vin threw the koosh ball, and JD caught it with one hand. "Would Buck break cover to warn his friends?" Dunne shook the ball as he asked his question.

Standish looked up as if to ponder. "I do have a recollection of that happening."

"WWBD?" JD added, then cupped his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice. "A new movement that would destroy the ATF."

Chris sighed and shook his head. "Thanks, Buck, appreciate it." He pointed to the door, and the others began to follow him out.

The southerner was the last to exit, stopping a moment at the mustached agent's desk. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," mimicking Buck's cadence. "Mother always said to get the last word too."

Ezra then lifted his hand and caught the koosh ball that JD had thrown at his head.

"Grasshopper," Buck winked at the undercover agent. "Master is waiting for you." Wilmington gestured to a frowning Larabee who was holding the elevator door.

Ezra dropped the ball and gave the two agents a two-fingered salute. "Another time, my worthy adversaries."

Josiah squinted in the afternoon sun. The all-clear sign had been given. The large man began to walk toward his teammates. Vin was leaning on a parked car. Chris, talking to him. Ezra was pulling off his ATF windbreaker as quickly as possible and heading from the other direction. Team 3 had an uneventful bust and Sanchez figured he wouldn't be human if he didn't think, 'Why couldn't something happen with their team instead?' It was a thought that the large man quickly admonished himself for having. He gave a thumbs up to one of the members of Team 3. He nodded a greeting to Chris and Vin. "If we huddle around each other and look busy then we won't have to be a part of clean up."

"Is this the voice of experience?" Standish said as he rolled up the jacket until it was a ball that he could hold in the palm of his hand.

Chris turned around and glared at the errant southerner. "Ezra, get over here."

The four men formed a small circle. Chris joined Vin in leaning against the car. There was a silence amongst them. Josiah cleared his throat. "Think Buck and JD found anything?"

Vin shrugged his shoulders. He stepped back for a moment surprised as the window to the car shattered. Chris bent down too, as did Josiah and Ezra.

"Up there!" Standish stated as he pointed to the building across the street. A man could be seen scrambling to leave the perch.

"You two take the rear!" Chris yelled out to Ezra and Josiah. Standish and Sanchez sprinted off, guns drawn, to the building across the street, while Tanner and Larabee went through the front door.

The southerner pointed to the back door. Taking point, Ezra opened the door while Josiah provided the backup. They crept slowly up the stairs listening for any sounds of the shooter. At each floor they stopped and looked around for anything out of the ordinary. It was a ten-floor building and by the time they made it to fourth floor they could hear shots coming from above.

"They do make it easy." Josiah grinned as he climbed the stairs at a quicker pace.

"And considerate." Ezra followed close behind. "We only had to ascend a few flights."

Through the stairwell Vin and Chris could be heard yelling for the culprit to stop. As Ezra and Josiah made their way to the next landing they saw the perpetrator charging down. Sanchez stretched out his hand and shut the door to the fifth floor. The blond haired man gasped and went for his gun.

Ezra pointed the gun at the man's head. "ATF, please drop your weapon." The click of the Walther caused the man to flinch.

Larabee came charging down the stairs, slamming the man against the wall. "Why the hell are you shooting at us?"

The man shrinked back, but somehow found a reserve of courage. "Shooting?"

Chris pushed his forearm against the assassin's throat. "That fucking thing you did with the fucking rifle!"

"Ringing any bells?" Vin commented as he sat on the railing watching the scene with Josiah and Ezra. Sanchez shook his head as the sharpshooter balanced himself and taunted the leader.

"I believe a bet is in order. Ten dollars on how long it takes for Agent Larabee to break the assailant's neck."

"Four seconds," Vin replied after a moment.

"Now boys, it's not nice to bet on a man's life." Josiah gave the man a pitying look. "If you raise the stakes though. . ."

"There's a contract!" The man screamed in a high pitched voice. He coughed as Chris eased up on the grip. "There's a contract on Vin Tanner!"

Josiah watched the shock go through the room and Chris let the man drop in a heap to the floor.

TBC