by tag
Disclaimers in Pt. 1.
Brring! Brring!
Vin sat up, startled, as the sudden loud noise jerked him out of a sound sleep. For a brief moment, he felt confused - the room seemed strange, unfamiliar. This wasn't his--
Brring! Brring!
What the hell am I thinkin'?! O' course it's my room! he thought, irritated with himself, as he stood up, grabbed his cell phone from the table beside his bed and opened it. "Tanner," he said.
"It's about time!" came Buck's voice. He sounded more than a bit exasperated. "Where are you, Vin? Chris is starting to get antsy - you were supposed to be here half an hour ago!"
As he headed for his closet, Vin glanced at his clock out of the corner of one eye, and grimaced. It was nine o'clock. Buck was right - he had been due at the office at eight-thirty. Chris was probably ready to go straight past 'antsy' to 'pissed off'.
"My alarm must've been turned off or somethin'," Vin offered, as he pulled a pair of jeans and a loose shirt out of the closet. "Tell Chris I'll be there in forty-five, okay?"
"Fine," Buck replied, sighing. "But you'd probably have a better excuse for Chris than that - he's not in a good mood."
At that, Vin frowned. "Why not?" he demanded. "We got the warrant for Lavini's place. I'd've thought he'd be happy that we're finally gettin' to move in."
"I dunno," Buck said with a sigh. "I just know he's in a bad mood. Just get here as quickly as you can, okay?" he added, and then hung up.
Vin looked at his phone for a long moment, still frowning. Chris's mood must be really bad if Buck's waitin' for me to get there rather'n tryin' to cheer Chris up himself, he thought, concerned. Quickly getting dressed, he grabbed his helmet and hurried out the door. Trotting down the hall toward the stairs, he paused for a moment to nod to Señora Rodrigues - whose turn it was to keep an eye on the toddlers from this floor - before continuing on.
As he directed his motorcycle through the mid-morning Denver traffic, he found himself puzzling over Buck's comment about Chris's bad mood. There was no reason for it. They'd gotten the search warrant for Sebastian Lavini's home and warehouses last night, and today was the big day - they were finally going to take down one of the major Denver arms smugglers. Certainly Chris had been pleased enough about that last night. What could have happened - aside from Vin's being late, of course - to change that? It didn't make sense.
Besides, it wasn't as though the bust was going to happen this morning - they were going to go in at 12:30, when most of Lavini's people would be at lunch, and they'd gone over all the plans for the bust last night. And anyway, Ezra probably wouldn't be in until ten. So what was the problem?
That question plagued him for the rest of the trip in to work.
According to Vin's watch, it was 9:35 when he exited the elevator on the eleventh floor and walked into Team Seven's office - he'd made better time than he'd expected.
Buck and Josiah were the only ones there when he entered.
"Where are the others?" Vin asked softly, as he walked over to his desk and put down his helmet.
"Chris took JD down to get him a new vest - seems the one from our last bust hasn't been replaced yet - and Nathan is getting us some breakfast," Josiah answered. "Ezra called just after Buck talked to you, and he's due to arrive sometime within the next twenty minutes."
Well, maybe it was the matter of JD's vest that had put Chris in the foul temper Buck had mentioned. On their last bust, JD had been shot in the shoulder with a Teflon-coated bullet - a 'copkiller' - and, while the wound hadn't been serious, his bulletproof vest had been rendered useless. Chris had been after supply to get JD a new one ever since, and they'd been stalling - something Chris didn't take too well to when it involved the safety of one of his team members, especially considering how often they seemed to get injured.
A moment later, the door opened and Nathan came in, carrying a large box of muffins.
"Mornin', Nathan," Vin said, eyeing the box hungrily. He'd been in such a hurry to get here that he hadn't stopped for breakfast on the way. "Did ya get any blueberry?"
Nathan rolled his eyes in mock exasperation, grinning. "Did I get any blueberry, he asks! I could hardly forget to, considering what happened to Buck and JD the last time they forgot," he replied. Opening the box, he handed two muffins to Vin. "Here you go. They're even still warm from the oven."
Vin smiled back, feeling some of the tension brought on by his unusual awakening start to fade. "Thanks, Nathan - I owe you one."
"You're welcome," Nathan declared, still grinning, as he handed the box of muffins to Josiah and Buck.
Just then, the door was flung open violently, and the four teammates looked up.
Vin stared in surprise as he watched Chris Larabee storm through to his office, open the door, and then slam it quite firmly shut behind him. What the hell...?!
Then JD poked his head in, and, seeing that Chris wasn't in the main office, slipped in.
"What happened, JD? Didn't they have your new vest in?" Vin asked.
JD shifted uneasily. "Yeah, they had it - finally..."
"So why's Chris so angry?"
JD just shrugged. Vin looked at the others, but it was obvious that they didn't have any clue either.
Before he could say anything, however, Chris's office door opened again. "Vin!"
Ignoring the sympathetic looks that were directed his way by the others, Vin got up and strode into their leader's office. He sat down in the chair facing Chris's desk, and then looked at his friend with some concern. "What's wrong, cowboy?" He paused for a moment, and then added, "The bust is still a go, ain't it?"
"Yeah, the bust's on," Chris replied. "Why weren't you here on time?"
Vin sighed. "I don't think my alarm went off this mornin'. Buck's call woke me up.
"So, if the bust's still on, an' JD got his new vest, what's wrong?"
Chris picked up a folder sitting on his desk and handed it to Vin. "This," he declared.
The tab said 'DELGATO, ERNESTO'. For no reason he could think of, Vin felt a shiver run down his spine as he read the name. "What's this?"
"Our next case," Chris replied. He glared at the folder. "I had a meeting with Travis at seven this morning to discuss our plans for the Lavini bust, and while I was there, he handed this to me. Apparently this guy Delgato is something of a mystery, and the powers that be ordered Travis to put his best team on it."
Vin frowned. "That still don't explain what's got you so angry, Chris. Would've thought you'd like gettin' a compliment like that."
Chris shook his head. "It's just... I've got a very bad feeling about this one."
Vin glanced down at the folder, and felt that shiver run down his spine again. Chris wasn't the only one. But still... "An' that's why you're stompin' around here like a bear with a sore paw?" he demanded.
Chris shrugged.
"So, who's Delgato?" Vin asked, opening the file and taking a quick check through the contents to see what they had. Then he looked back up at Chris with an expression of disbelief on his face. "This is everything?!"
The folder contained an immigration record for one Ernesto Delgato, native of Chile; a copy of Delgato's DMV records; a paid parking ticket; and a list of properties - including a few warehouses and outlets listed as being for a legitimate import/export business - that he owned.
"That's all," Chris confirmed. "At least on paper. Like I said, apparently he's something of a mystery."
"On paper," Vin repeated. "An' off?"
Chris sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Unofficially, the higher-ups suspect that he's in to everything from arms smuggling to creating and distributing some of the new designer drugs that have been hitting the streets lately."
Vin frowned again. "But they haven't got any proof? Not even anythin' to add to the file?"
"None at all. Not even a whisper of it," Chris replied with another sigh.
"So why're they bringin' us in?" Vin demanded, perplexed. "If they ain't got anythin' to go on, what makes 'em think we can take this Delgato down?"
"That's exactly what I asked," Chris said tiredly. "Travis didn't answer me. Part of the reason I don't like this case."
Vin nodded in agreement and understanding as he put the folder back down on the desk.
"Well, nothin' we can do at the moment, cowboy," he pointed out in a reasonable tone. "We'd do better t' concentrate on the Lavini bust right now."
Chris smiled ruefully. "You've got a point," he admitted.
Then Vin grinned. "You reckon Ezra's managed to drag himself in yet?" he asked, a gleam of mischief in his eyes.
Chris sighed, his expression changing to show the mixture of amusement and mild exasperation that the southerner always seemed to invoke in him. "It's not yet ten," he replied.
Vin shrugged. "'Cording to Josiah, Ezra actually called just after nine t' say he'd be in before ten. Should we go take a look an' see if he's actually done it?"
Buck looked up as the door to Chris's office opened, and felt the tension in the room ease as Chris and Vin walked out. Vin was grinning, and while Chris still didn't look all that pleased, he was no longer glaring furiously at everyone and everything. Not for the first time, Buck thanked whatever power - whether God, Fate, Chance, or some combination of the three - had placed Vin Tanner in Chris Larabee's life.
"Ez here yet?" Vin inquired, as he headed back toward his desk.
"Mr. Tanner, I really would much prefer it if you would refrain from making use of that undignified appellation," the agent in question declared, coming out of the break room and into the office with a muffin in one hand.
Vin's grin widened. "Whatever you say, Ez," he replied, sitting down and turning on his computer.
The rest of them - except Chris, who was standing in the doorway to his office with an expression of long-suffering patience on his face, a sure sign that Vin had gotten him to relax - all grinned as well, as Ezra scowled.
"Cheer up, Ez," Buck said, chuckling as he watched the southerner's expression change to a reasonable imitation of the infamous 'Larabee glare'. "Remember, we're taking down Lavini today."
Ezra's expression lightened slightly at that reminder. "Ah, yes, our favourite east-side arms dealer," he declared, a smile crossing his face as he sat down at his own desk and took a sip of the fancy coffee he always picked up from the coffee shop just down the street. "Definitely an event to be lookin' forward to." He leaned back in his chair, looking quite pleased with himself. "The odds are nine to four that the warehouse our team has been assigned will be the one with the greatest amount of contraband."
Buck grinned. "So, who was unwise enough to take you up on that bet?" he asked. He'd thought that everyone in the Federal Building knew the three rules about Team Seven. First of all, never, ever get Chris Larabee mad. Secondly, never bet against Ezra, even when the odds appeared to be in your favour. And third, that Team Seven had the most peculiar luck, which in today's case would most likely not only result in them netting the greatest amount of contraband, but probably a gun battle or two along the way.
If there was a new sucker in the building for Ezra to fleece, Buck wanted to know about it - it could quite often be a great deal of fun watching Ezra teach new people a lesson or two about underestimating one's opponent. Definitely a hell of a lot more fun than getting fleeced by Ezra himself.
Ezra grinned. "The new leader of Team Six," he replied. "Senior Agent Alex Rossman appears to feel that our 'legend' is exaggerated completely out of proportion."
Josiah was opening his mouth to respond - all of Team Seven were justifiably proud of their reputations as Denver's best (not to mention their reputations as mavericks) - when Chris stepped in, interrupting the banter before it got too involved. "All right, boys," he said firmly. "We've got two hours left before we have to be in position. Vin, JD, Nathan, I want the three of you doing equipment checks, then load everything into the van when it's ready. Ezra, Buck, I need the two of you to re-check that list of addresses we made out, make sure the warrant applies to each and every one of them. I know we went through it last night, but I want to make sure. Josiah, you're with me - we're meeting with the other team leaders to make sure they all understand the plan."
Two and a half hours later, Team Seven had completed the sweep of the warehouse that they'd been assigned to check, and had catalogued five large cartons of firearms - most of them military issue - along with a completely unexpected haul of a hundred kilos of cocaine and heroin, and made twelve arrests.
Nathan was on the way to the hospital with Josiah - while they'd been in the process of searching the warehouse, one of the men they'd ended up arresting had 'accidentally' knocked a pile of wooden crates over onto the profiler. Thankfully they'd been empty, but Nathan suspected that he'd ended up with a broken rib.
Our 'peculiar luck', Buck thought ruefully, shaking his head as he surveyed the chaotic scene in front of him. The cops who'd been backing them up on this case were taking away the prisoners. JD was sitting at the warehouse manager's desk, going through his computer. Ezra was currently brushing furiously at his jacket, trying to get rid of the minute bits of dust and plaster that he had gotten covered with during the course of their search. Vin was leaning against the doorway of the warehouse, surveying the area much like he himself was. And Chris was standing in the centre of the receiver dock, his expression relaxed, with a hint of concern - for Josiah, Buck knew.
Abruptly, Chris stiffened. Buck watched, puzzled, as the team leader walked over to a pile of crates stacked at the far end of the dock and bent down to take a closer look. A moment later, he stood back up, a frown on his face.
"Vin!" he called.
Vin looked up, away from the chaos on the floor, and then shot a questioning glance at Buck. Buck shrugged, indicating that he had no clue what had gotten into Chris, and then watched as the young sharpshooter headed over to where Chris was standing. He saw Chris point at one of the crates he'd been examining, most likely telling Vin to look at it, and then a frown matching Chris's crossed Vin's face.
"What is it, cowboy?" Vin asked, as he reached Chris.
Chris's mouth tightened, and he pointed at the pile of crates that he'd noticed. "Take a look. Does the sender's address seem familiar to you?"
Vin obediently looked, and Chris saw his eyes widen in surprise and a frown cross his face as the younger man read the address. "Ain't that one of the ones from the Delgato file?" he asked.
Chris nodded in agreement. "That's what I thought as well," he said out loud, as Vin glanced at him.
"Do ya think it's just coincidence?" Vin questioned - though the tone in his voice and the expression in his eyes told Chris that he didn't believe for a moment that Chris was actually even entertaining the idea.
"Nope," Chris confirmed. "I don't like convenient 'coincidences'. If this is for real, and not just a setup of some kind, it might explain why we suddenly managed to get the warrant for Lavini when we've been tryin' for the last three months." He heaved a tired sigh, and then turned and started walking back toward the rest of the team, knowing that Vin was just behind him.
"JD," he said, as he reached the manager's office and looked in, seeing the young electronics expert starting to push himself away from the computer, "check that thing again and see if you can find any mention of an Ernesto Delgato or the crates over at the far end of the receiving dock. They might be under the name of Delgato Import/Export. When you've got everything you can find on them, give it directly to me."
"Got it, Chris," JD replied, and immediately returned his attention to the computer and started typing rapidly.
"Thanks, kid," Chris said, and then stepped away from the office and returned his attention to Vin. "Travis wants us to start with the Delgato investigation ASAP, but considering that we just finished a bust, we can put it off until tomorrow. I want to take a look at whatever information JD manages to get before going through the situation with the rest of the team."
Vin nodded in understanding. "Want me to do a bit of quiet checkin' around this evenin'?" he asked.
Chris shook his head, feeling a hint of panic in the pit of his stomach at the thought of Vin looking into this mess on his own. "No," he said firmly. "According to his file, Delgato's lived here for the past twelve years, and he's never been caught at anything. I don't want you risking yourself, especially without the rest of the team to back you up."
Vin held up his hands in mock surrender. "Got it. I'll leave it alone," he replied.
"Leave what alone?" Buck asked from behind them, and Chris firmly clamped down on his instinctive urge to jump. He hadn't known Buck was there.
"I'll explain later," he said firmly. "Now, why don't you and Ezra head back to the office and start getting your reports done. Vin and I will wait here and bring JD back with us."
"All right," Buck said slowly, and Chris noticed the puzzled look the ladies' man gave both himself and Vin. "We'll stop by the hospital on our way there and see how Josiah's doing."
Chris nodded in agreement. Despite the fact that he'd ordered Nathan to give him a call on his cell as soon as there was any news, he planned on doing the same thing with Vin and JD. "We'll see you back at the office."
As it turned out, Josiah had two cracked ribs - no broken ones - so he and Nathan came back to the office with Chris, Vin and JD in the surveillance van.
The rest of the afternoon was spent quietly, most of the team occupied with writing their reports of the bust, with Ezra and Buck every so often sharing a chuckle at the memory of the expression on Senior Agent Rossman's face when he'd found out that Ezra had won their bet.
JD had managed to find about fourteen pages worth of stuff on Delgato on the warehouse manager's computer - most of it apparently having to do with Delgato Import/Export and shipping information. Chris just stuffed it all in the folder and stuck the folder in his bag. He'd take it home with him and study the files carefully before briefing the rest of the team on their new assignment.
Finally, at five o'clock, all the reports were finished and everyone headed out. Seeing as it wasn't a Friday night, and with Chris being obviously preoccupied with something other than the wrapping up of the Lavini case, the rest of the team scattered to do some private celebrating.