"Okay, lady, ease up!" The man Sam had pinned to the bar pleaded, squirming a bit against the hold she had on his arm, and emitting a low groan when the act only strained the appendage further than it already had been, "I'm sorry, alright? Is that what you wanna hear?"
"Close," Sam murmured, poignantly aware of the position of the man's friend where he still stood beside them, her muscles taut as she tried to prepare for any sort of attack he might attempt to free his companion from her grasp. None appeared immediately forthcoming, though that realization did not truly succeed in putting her at ease. And perhaps half in response to the lingering feeling that retaliation might be imminent, Sam tightened her hold on Will's wrist, a sharp tug eliciting another groan before she spoke once more, "Are you done tryin' to push up on me? Or do I need to think of another way to teach you about consent?"
"There a problem here?"
Sam tensed almost immediately in response to the familiarity of her brother's voice, and the ease with which she realized that, though the inquiry seemed casual on the surface, there was a very real threat hidden beneath, as well. The other man-Will's friend-seemed to pick up on it, as well, his feet propelling him backwards once again as he glanced between the tall man now standing before him, and the woman still holding his companion against the bar. But Will himself seemed completely oblivious to the implications behind the newcomer's arrival, another jerking motion of his body prompting Sam to tighten her hold upon his wrist while he craned his head around to attempt looking at Chris first-hand.
"Yeah, there's a problem. Your girlfriend's crazy, mister."
"She ain't my girlfriend," Chris replied, sending the man Sam was not currently pinning to the bar a look that had him backpedaling almost immediately, before turning his attention back to his companion, and Sam's smaller frame, as well, "Sam?"
"Yeah."
"Think you can let him go, now."
Though she did not truly want to, Sam forced herself to release her hold on Will's wrist, and to take a step or two back from his taller frame, her fingers curling into fists at her sides for want of anything else to do. She could still feel the tension possessing each of her muscles, now lacking an outlet after she had let go of her would-be assailant in response to her brother's instruction. And although she wanted to take some measure of comfort in the reality of Chris' steady presence at her side, Sam found herself shying away from the warmth that emanated from her brother's taller frame, her lips thinning into a line as she realized the entire ordeal had garnered the attention of not only the bartender, but the woman Buck had attempted flirting with before, as well.
Great.
Hoping with all she had that her actions had not just inadvertently ended Buck's attempt at an evening of distraction before it had truly begun, Sam met the woman's dark eyes, shock dawning on her features as she realized there was no hint of censure in that gaze, no matter how hard she tried to find it. For a moment, the two simply observed each other, a faint smile quirking Inez's mouth upward, while Sam lifted a singular brow in response. But just as Sam had been prepared to attempt an apology for the disturbance she had not really intended to cause, she found her mouth snapping shut once again, her gaze flicking back to the two men who had been so determined to accost her while she realized Chris had taken the liberty of placing a hand at her elbow, likely in an attempt to pull her back to their table before anything else could go awry.
If only it could have been that simple...
"Do yourself a favor, and teach that woman of yours to stay in line."
Aware of how Chris had tensed at her side, and turned back to address Will's reckless comment on his own, Sam beat him to the punch, her knee snapping up to connect with the man's groin far more easily than she could have anticipated, given how he had moved to follow after them as soon as they had prepared to depart. Dimly, she was aware of a soft laugh coming from the direction of the bar, likely from Inez, in response to the entire ordeal. But instead of diverting her gaze to confirm her suspicions, Sam focused almost entirely upon the man who had now landed in a crumpled heap on the floor, her lips twisting into a smile as she leaned forward at the waist to better look him in the eye.
"He doesn't need to teach me anything."
"Sam-"
Turning in response to the unmistakable order conveyed in just her name, alone, Sam fell into step beside her brother as they made their way back to their table, her attention almost completely dedicated to the task of remaining oblivious to the open stares of other patrons gathered nearby. Try though she might to appear at least somewhat subdued, Sam could not help the soft laughter that had welled up, causing her lips to twitch while her shoulders shook in poorly suppressed amusement. And although she knew he would never fully make a show of supporting her actions wholeheartedly, Sam was not blind to the twitch at the corner of Chris' mouth as she risked a glance at him while they walked, and spoke with as straight a face as she could manage.
"For the record, I had that sorted…"
Though she had returned to looking straight ahead, Sam would bet her life that the soft snort that came from Chris' location on her left just might mean that he might just forgive her for her little display, after all.
"I know."
…
As they approached the crowd of Chris' teammates once again, Sam almost immediately noticed that another man had arrived while she had been distracted at the bar, his back to her as she approached with her brother at her side. Surmising that this must be the seventh man on the team-Ezra-she was prepared to simply rejoin the others and hardly give his added presence any consideration at all. But of course, as soon as he turned towards them after noting how JD's attention had shifted from whatever it was he had been saying, to their return, all thought of things progressing with some degree of ease was blown straight to hell.
She had not been wrong, it seemed. There was something familiar about the name Ezra. Something she recalled about the set of his shoulders, as she glanced at him before he had turned around. And if she did not watch her reactions carefully, Sam knew Buck's reason for dragging them here to begin with might just become the least of her problems.
She had no idea what Chris would do with the knowledge of her rather impromptu connection to the man who was clearly his very own colleague, but Sam highly suspected that it would not be anything good.
Determined to avoid that outcome if it was at all possible, Sam did as best she could to school her expression into something more befitting of a person greeting a new introduction, her eyes meeting the vivid green of the newcomer's as she watched the same realization she had just experienced register in his mind, as well. A brief, likely imperceptible shake of her head was the only warning she appeared to have time for, before Buck was standing from his own seat, and heading their way with a wide grin stretching across his face. And, as he came to Ezra's side, and clapped him on the shoulder in such a way that the other man only just suppressed a flinch, Sam found herself letting a breath out through her nose, her gaze shifting towards Buck as he glanced between her, and her brother, and dove into the conversation head-first.
"Good thing ya brought her back, Chris. Looks like she coulda done some real damage."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Sam quipped, a smile toying at one corner of her mouth as she cocked her head to the side, and turned her attention back to the man she was all but determined to pretend she did not already know, "Who's your friend?"
"This is Ezra. The one I told ya about."
"The undercover guy."
"The one and only," Buck confirmed, glancing between the man whose shoulders he had just ensnared with one arm, and the woman who stood before him with a smile that was almost contagious before going on, "Ezra, this is Sammie. Chris' little sister."
"Just-just Sam, actually," The young woman clarified, silently grateful that her voice did not waver, even in spite of the slight flare of nerves she felt as she forced herself to meet Ezra's gaze head-on, "Pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise," Ezra replied, the faintest flicker of amusement passing over his features as he glanced between Sam and Chris for only a moment, before settling his attention back to the former in its entirety, "Am I to assume you've succeeded in teaching those two mongrels at the bar a lesson?"
"What do you think?"
"I would say it was a rousing success. Remind me to never attempt picking you up in a bar, Miss Larabee."
Though she knew, somehow, that the words were meant as a simple joke, Sam would have been a fool to pretend to miss the almost immediate tension radiating from where Chris stood at her side, her eyes narrowing as she looked back towards Ezra, and gave another minute shake of her head in hopes that it would warn him not to press the issue whether he wanted to or not. For a moment or two, she almost feared that her brother would pick up on the connection between them, small though it was, her heart slamming against her rib cage as she bit into her lower lip and glanced back to Chris in hopes of getting a better idea of what he might do, if he had figured them out. Of course, attempting to read her brother had always been a difficult task, whether or not she recognized the reality of how she knew him better than most. But before she could even attempt to discern his current mood, Sam found herself distracted by the sound of Buck's laughter echoing in her ears, her gaze snapping back towards him as he relinquished his hold on Ezra, and stepped towards her, instead.
"Come on, Sammie. Seems like ya could use another drink."
Whether he realized it or not, it appeared Buck had just saved the day…
…
"You're sure you don't want me to just go back to the hotel?" Sam inquired, the quick look Chris shot her in response provoking a slight twitch of her lips, regardless of the lingering sensation that she was intruding by allowing him to take her back to his ranch, instead of to the hotel room she had booked for the duration of her stay. It wasn't that she truly felt he would reject her presence. Not really. But knowing him as she did, Sam was very familiar with the exact affinity that her brother had for his own solitude, at times.
After all, in that way, she was very much like him, herself.
"Right. Dumb question."
"Glad you figured that out," Chris commented, throwing the truck in park, and risking another glance towards Sam in time to see her effect a one-shouldered shrug before she spoke.
"I aim to please."
"Should probably keep tryin'."
"Really? Because I thought I was doing rather well, all things considered," Sam quipped, sending her brother a wink before turning her attention to the task of hopping down from the passenger side of the truck, and taking in the familiarity of the ranch her brother had moved to not long after losing Sarah and Adam. Though she had never said such a thing out loud, she understood why he had chosen a place like this. Remote. Away from prying eyes, and certainly enough to take one's mind off of whatever plagued it, more times than not. A part of her hated that Chris had felt the need to retreat in such a way, though she never could have blamed him for it, no matter how hard she tried. But another part almost envied him for the ease with which he could simply withdraw from the world any time he wanted to…
The way she had made her living thus far hadn't allowed for many luxuries, now that she thought of it, and although Sam never would have regretted the relative lack of constraint her job held, when she knew she never would have had what it took to maintain employment that kept to the straight and narrow, she also would have been a liar to pretend she would not have enjoyed a steadier income that allowed for more than just hopping from place to place until something better came along.
"You good?"
"What? Yeah. Yeah, I'm good," Sam replied, squaring her shoulders in the wake of the look Chris sent her way that signified there was absolutely no way he had failed to notice the flinch she had given in response to the realization that he had materialized at her side without her even noticing at all, "You can stop looking at me like that, Chris. You just startled me, that's all."
"Sure."
"You did."
"Okay," Chris shrugged, setting off towards the front door, and leaving Sam staring after him for only a moment, her eyes narrowed as she tried to determine whether or not he had believed her hasty remark or not. Instinct prompted her to lean towards the negative, though she was wise enough not to press the matter, knowing that if she did, she might just be forced to confess to things she was not prepared to face. He did not know what she did for a living, or at least she didn't think he did. Not yet. And, if she had anything to say about it, Sam would make sure that he never knew the real reason she had come to Denver.
If he did, she knew he would try to talk her out of it and that was a reality she simply could not afford.
Gritting her teeth against the prospect, Sam forced herself to jog to keep up with Chris' significantly longer strides as he closed the distance to the front door of the ranch, her eyes almost immediately squinting against the flare of the light he flicked on just after passing through the door. She had grown somewhat accustomed to the darkness of the truck cab, and the meager light of the moon outside. And now, when faced with the idea of her every expression and reaction being easily readable beneath the soft glow of the table lamp stood beside the door, Sam found that it took all the strength she possessed to shut the door behind her while Chris headed towards the neighboring kitchen, the soft clink of beer glasses rattling as he opened the refrigerator door serving as a sort of grounding device to keep her standing, when she could feel her hands starting to tremble until she was forced to curl them into fists.
"Cold one?"
"Yeah. Sure," Sam agreed, turning her attention to the task of removing her boots so that she could hopefully earn a moment or two to steady herself, and school her expression into something less fearful than what she suspected it was, right now, "Thanks."
When all that greeted her words was a soft grunt, and renewed clinking of bottles as Chris shut the refrigerator door once again, Sam turned to make a show of looking around, her heart flipping over in her chest at the thought of her brother seeing right through her attempts at acting casual, and questioning her on it, first-hand. But when none of that was forthcoming, and he simply came to stand at her side, a bottle extended her way while he took a swig from the one held in the opposite hand, Sam allowed herself to relax enough to take the proffered bottle, her fingers curling around the cool glass before she opted for breaking the silence between them before Chris could do so, himself.
"Not gonna lie, I kinda feel like I'm back in your office."
"Oh?"
"No pictures," Sam explained, turning to face her brother head-on, and tilting her head to the side just a bit in light of the appraising expression he had leveled her way in turn, "Don't you need a bit of decor to make it more-"
"More what?"
"Homey."
"Wow."
"What? It's a word," Sam assured, pausing for just long enough to take a swig of her beer, and then stepping around her brother's taller frame to head towards the den, and flop down onto the sofa while he followed close behind, "You don't believe me, look it up."
"Think I'll pass."
"Anyone ever tell you you're no fun?"
"Just you," Chris said, moving around the sofa to take a seat beside the spot Sam had already chosen, and noting how she seemed to tense for just a moment as his shoulder brushed against her own, "Don't need pictures to make a home, Sam."
"No, but they help."
In response to the flicker of emotion that ran across Chris' expression in response to her attempt at teasing, Sam stilled, regret causing her stomach to clench as she realized exactly what she had done. Sarah had always been the one for decorating. For leaving little mementos here and there to warm up a home, and make it look lived in…
There was a very likely reason for Chris' reluctance to do the same, and she had just thrown that in his face, whether she wanted to or not.
"Chris, I-I'm sorry."
"It's fine."
"No, I-I didn't mean to-" Sam began, only to find the words clogging in her throat as she watched Chris lean forward towards the coffee table, reaching for the remote, and flicking on the flatscreen directly across the room, before placing the device on the sofa cushion beside him, and speaking up before she could make any attempts at backtracking again.
"Heard there's an Avalanche game on at six. You in?"
"Yeah. Yeah, Chris, I'm in."
Though she was under no illusions when it came to her brother's reticence when it came to discussing his own inner turmoil, Sam still felt the sting behind the abrupt end to their conversation, whether Chris had meant for that to be the case, or not.
Maybe she would have been better off keeping her mouth shut, and returning to the hotel, after all.
…
Hello, my lovelies! And welcome to a brand new chapter in Sam's tale! I know, I know, I cut the interaction with Ezra short, and turned things angsty with Sam and Chris, instead. I do hope that you can all forgive me for that, because I promise that more Sam/Ezra goodness really is coming! But for some reason, the muses were a bit fixated on some sibling time today, so I decided to let them run wild, at least for the time-being. I've learned the hard way what can happen when I don't ;).
As always, my heartfelt thanks go out to each and every one of you that has taken the time to read, follow, favorite and review this story thus far (and special thanks to ChiTown4ever for leaving such a lovely review as always!) I truly do appreciate the support and I really hope you all continue to enjoy where this story goes!
Until next time, my loves…
MOMM