okay I know its been ages and I'm so sorry but with chemo and radiation then getting back to my life somethings were put off. so here is s small chapter while I try to remember where this was going.

I don't own anything in regards to IPS

Having knowledge of this ranch was an advantage the Mann's had. growing up learning how to sneak on and off of it was the advantage the boys had, now using all of this the 3 Mann brothers stowed their horses together and slinking through the trees towards a pond that would get them behind the trespassing cartel muscle.

While the boys were doing their thing Mary, Mr. and Mrs Mann discussed the benefits of the plan.

"Should we really throw it out there that Marshall is an US Marshal working with an ATF task force?" Seth asked knowing thepossibility that he was possibly burned as a WITSEC inspector and that was what they had to fix as well as get the cartel to back off.

"It is the only way." Mary stated

Knowing this didn't make it any easier to put her son in harms way because of her.

"Okay, here we go." whispers Mariana

riding up to the SUV from thick trees above the rode the three of them could see that there was a driver and a passenger in the back. Creeping up on the SUV one takes the passenger side door one moves to the passenger in the back and on to the opposite door, on three all doors are opened and two guns aimed.

in a heavily accented voice the passenger asks "Do you really think you can take me out or interfere in my business without retaliation or elimination."

"Do you know how dangerous it is to take on a family with a history such as ours?" growled Seth.

"Please you know that you are all dead." says the hispanic

no sooner had he said that then gun fire erupts, it's not like what he is thinking though he knows his men have automatic weapons and the gun fire he hears are single shots. Shots that number only 6 and that is how many men he has sent to kill this family.

"You see this is our property, our home, OUR FAMILY and you think you can come here and take us out?" Mariana states

"I know you took Leah Call!"

"No, you know that someone killed her. The Marshals here are on vacation and not an active case so either you have an issue in communication or you have someone wanting you doing their dirty work and possibly taking you out in the process." Mary states very calmly.

"If you think that you will actually get anything from me you are mistaken. I know there is a WITSEC Inspector here and that Leah Call was moved into itness protectionn exchange or testamony against me."

"Know you know what you were told, we don't have anyone in this family that is WITSEC, everyon here works for The Marshals. we have all worked with ither branchesthough so maybe you go t your information ixed around" All three of the federal agents knew that this would bevalidated when it was "let slip" that Marshal was loaned out to ATF because of his knowlage of the area and his avalablility.

"You still wont be getting anything from me."

"Oh we don't want anything we are just detaining trespassers till the local branch of law enforcement can get here. Like the lady said we are either retired or on vacation we have no interest in you except to get you off our property and keep our family safe."

Almost as if the words summoned them the local sheriffs deputies pulled up. "Seth someone at the house said you had issues with rustlers?" this came from a sandy-haired man who stepped out of the first cruiser.

"Yeah not sure why they were on this side of the ranch though we moved everything a few days ago though. Their intel must be old."

"Well we can take them then, are there anymore besides these two?"

Just then the Mann brothers walk 6 more men out of the surrounding trees.

"Well would you look at that..." says a very new sheriff deputy. The look in the deputies eyes is somewhat awed.

"Yep you don't mess with a rancher and his stock, especially if he's a retired US Marshal with 3 current Marshals for sons." Mary snarled as if the cartel men needed to have their brains examined.

Everyone but the 8 cartel men smirked.

As the men were taken into custody everyone said their thanks. As the cruisers drove away the Mann's and Mary watched.

"Do you think that is going to be it or are we going to have to beef up the surveillance on the ranch?"

"Better question is what about Marshalls cover, who would be able to get access to that kind of information?"

A phone call and a conversation was all it took for the man who had tried and failed to remove Marshal Marshall Mann, to know that his ass was now painted with a target and that he wold have the Mann family, the Marshal service on his trail and he would have Mary Shannon to deal with when it was found out that he had sicked the cartel on her partner. He knew that this time he would have to disappear and stay that way. His daughter was gone and all he had built had crumbled from her betrayal.

A/N Okay I hope this fits its been so long since I sat down to write. let me know what you think. I will have a t least one more chapter to explain the cliff hanger and then one to two more to wrap this up, kinda I'm thinking I will write another story in a companion th this one.

Thanks again for your patience im getting back into the swing of things and finally have the time to write again.