Hey guys, so sorry about the long wait... life has been so hectic lately and I haven't had enough time to sleep lately, let alone work on FF.  Anyway, hope this makes up for it.  Please read and review...

Chapter 6: Business Associates

Tom pulled the mustang into the parking lot of his rented apartment on the outskirts of Seattle. Before shutting off the engine, he glanced at the glowing numbers on the clock. He rubbed a hand over his tired eyes and let out an exhausted sigh.

"Want to crash at my place tonight?" he asked Doug.

Doug stretched his arms above his head to relieve some of the stiffness in his tired joints. "Yeah, thanks." He said yawning. "I don't think I could stay awake long enough to make it to my place."

The two officers slowly made their way up to Tom's third floor apartment. Tom reached out to grasp the doorknob to insert his key when he suddenly stopped. With a puzzled look on his face, he looked at his partner while drawing his gun.

"What's up?" Doug asked quietly.

"I know I locked the door before I left this morning." Tom said, quietly pushing the door open and stepping into the apartment. Doug followed close behind, his gun drawn as well. Tom was surprised to find a glow coming from the living room, signaling the overhead lights were on. He raised his gun and held it out in front of him as he stepped into the room. He was surprised to find four men sitting in his living room as if they owned the place.

"Welcome home boys." A stern voice stated.

Tom lowered his gun and replaced it into its holster. "You do know I could have you arrested for breaking and entering, don't you Vinnie?"

A smile played across Vinnie's face as he faced the young officer. "We didn't break anything. We just let ourselves in."

"All you had to do was ask for a key." Tom said sarcastically. He took off his coat and hung it up before taking a seat in the chair next to Vinnie. "If I knew you all were coming, I would have ordered some take out."

Vinnie laughed and turned to his associates. "Looks like we've got a wise guy on our hands boys." He leaned forward so he came face to face with Tom. The tension level in the room rose to another level as the two men continued to glare at each other.

Doug was becoming quite uncomfortable with the situation in the room and decided to take control. He cleared his throat and said, "So, Vinnie, are you going to introduce us to your friends?"

Doug's question seemed to take Vinnie's attention away from Tom for the moment as he turned to the older cop and said, "Of course, where are my manners?" He stole one last glance at Tom and then turned to his associates. "Doug, Thomas, these are my business associates. Mark Thompson is my main contact in Vancouver. He makes sure my shipments get to Canada safe and sound." Vinnie pointed towards the man seated next to Doug. "This is Sam Reynolds, chief of the Seattle PD. And that is the honorable Mayor Craig Burnett."

Tom looked at the men and then at his partner. Shit, he thought, Bowers was right. The mayor and chief of police are involved. Things just got a lot more complicated.

"I'm Tom Hardigan and this is my partner Doug Peterson." Tom spoke as he shook each of the men's hands.

"Vinnie here tells us you guys are quite the hard workers. Seems your reputation precedes you." Mayor Burnett said. "If you're as good as people say, we could really use some guys like you in our operation."

"Well, we don't like to disappoint our customers." Tom said. "Unhappy customers lead to poor business."

"Well then boys, we may just have a job for you. That is, if you boys think you can handle it." Vinnie said with a smirk.

"What exactly are we talking about here?" Tom asked, his curiosity growing.

"Let's just say that the Seattle PD is expecting a rather large shipment of confiscated heroin and automatic assault rifles within the next few days. We want you two to get your hands on the delivery truck and deliver them to us." Vinnie said.

"When and where?" Doug asked.

"The shipment is coming into Seattle on Friday night. They'll be coming in from the back roads, so that's the perfect place to take over the truck. The driver and his partner will both be armed. There will be a police escort along for the ride as well." Reynolds explained.

"And how do we get our hands on the truck?" Doug asked.

"Use your imaginations boys." Vinnie said. "Just don't leave behind any witnesses, if you know what I mean."

Tom couldn't believe the conversation that was happening in his living room. To keep playing the part, he leaned forward and asked, "So, what's in it for us?"

"How's twenty percent sound?" Vinnie asked. "Two hundred fifty thousand a piece?"

A slow smile played across Tom's face and he glanced over at his partner. He shrugged his shoulders and looked back at the men in his living room. "I'd say you have a deal."

Vinnie and his partners stood up to leave. "We'll be in touch soon." Each of the men shook Doug and Tom's hand before leaving the apartment.

Tom walked over to the front window and watched as the men got into the limo and then as it pulled away. He then turned to his partner and place a finger on his lips. Then he made his way to the entrance and motioned for Doug to follow. Once outside he climbed into his car and waited for Doug to do the same.

"What's up?" Doug asked.

"I didn't want to take a chance of the place being bugged." Tom said. "Who knows how long they were in there."

"Yeah, good thinking." Doug stated. "We've got to call Fuller and let him know what's going on. I mean, shit Hanson, the mayor and chief of police are in on this."

Tom ran a hand through his hair. "I know. We've got to watch our backs on this one. Who knows who else is involved in this."

"You don't think Ethan and Alex are in on this do you?" Doug asked.

Tom laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. "I don't know what to think anymore Doug."

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It was seven thirty in the morning when Tom dropped some change into the pay phone at the corner convenience store. It rang a few times before the familiar voice answered.

"Jump Street. Captain Fuller speaking."

"Hey coach. It's Hanson."

"Hanson, how's it going?"

"I think we're about to get a break in this case." Tom stated.

"Go ahead Hanson…explain."

"Coach, Bowers was right. The mayor is involved and so is the chief of police."

"Sam Reynolds is involved? Are you sure Hanson?" Fuller asked in surprise.

"You know him?" Hanson asked.

Fuller sighed. "Yeah, he and I go way back. I knew Sam at the academy." There was a pause before he added, "Who else?"

"A guy named Mark Thompson is the contact in Vancouver. We're not sure of anyone else yet." Tom explained.

"Okay, so what's the deal and when is it going down?"

"Doug and I are supposed to intercept a shipment of confiscated weapons and heroin that are making their way to the Seattle PD. The street value is 1.4 million. Carlton is going to cut us in for two hundred fifty thousand."

"Okay, good job Hanson. When is all this going down?"

"Friday evening." Tom said. "They'll be in touch with us for the rest of the details."

"Okay, you guys be careful. Keep your eyes and ears open." Fuller said.

"Okie dokie coach." Tom said before hanging up the phone. He made his way back to the mustang and his partner to discuss their next move.