CHAPTER 3

Ezra walked slowly around the floor of the casino, nodding at the discreetly placed security personnel. He continued his rounds, entering one of the lounges that offered an oasis to weary gamblers. He had just caught the bartender's eye, when several men congregated at the end of the bar moaned loudly.

"Hey, bartender, what's up with the TV? Where'd the hockey game go?" Ezra looked up, not completely surprised that for the second time in less than a week, 'Harvey' was playing on a television screen in his vicinity.

"I'm sorry, sir," the bartender said. He changed the channel, but the scene didn't change. "That's odd." He tried turning the TV off, then on again. It still showed the classic movie. "I'm not sure what's wrong."

"I daresay it will clear up in a moment or two." Ezra told the bartender. "If it doesn't, go ahead and let Tony know. He'll get someone down to take a look at it."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Standish." The bartender kept an eye on the television as Ezra walked away. No sooner had he stepped over the threshold and back onto the casino floor, the television flickered and the hockey game returned. The bartender glanced at Ezra's retreating back, wondering how the security man had known. Then he shrugged and turned to the customers at the bar.

Ezra continued on his rounds, though his thoughts were now focused elsewhere. As he entered another of the lounges, he eyed the television behind the bar. It too, was showing the hockey game. But within seconds of his entrance, the scene switched. Now instead of a sporting event, the familiar opening credits of 'Mission:Impossible' were showing on the screen. Ezra listened without comment as the same groans and complaints were heard from the bar's patrons. He continued his rounds, entering as silently as he had entered. Once again, the scene switched back to the game as Ezra exited the establishment.

The scene was repeated as Ezra continued his rounds. The televisions in the bars and restaurants would switch to 'Harvey' or 'Mission:Impossible', and would immediately revert back upon his exit. Ezra was now aware that he was being watched. There was no other way they could be timing the switchovers so precisely.

Ezra smiled to himself. 'They are good,' he thought. He picked up his pace, going to the security room. He needed more of Tony's expert help. And he would contact his friend again to see if he'd found out any more about the young man in Larabee's office. Time was running out and he intended to finish the game.

/

Casey looked up from her desk as the outer door opened. The UPS man approached her desk with a large envelope under his arm. Smiling, he held out a board for Casey to sign, handed her the envelope and departed. Casey watched him leave and turned to take the package into Chris.

"Chris, this was just delivered," she said, laying the envelope on the edge of Chris' desk.

"Okay, thanks, Casey."

Turning his attention to the envelope, Chris pulled the tab to open it. Inside were several old parchment type papers, each approximately eleven inches by fourteen inches. Pulling them out, Chris stared at the one on top, reading the words that were written underneath the picture. Chris couldn't help it, he started laughing. His laughter continued so long and loud that it drew the attention of his teammates. They gathered at the door to Chris' office, eyebrows raised. Chris finally waved them inside.

"Come on in, y'all," he said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Casey, you too." Chris waited until everyone was gathered in his office, and leaned back in his chair. "It appears that we have lost our war with Mr. Standish. But the man does have a unique way of achieving victory." Chris thumbed through the stack of papers from the envelope, handing one to each of the people gathered in the room. As each person read their respective papers, the laughter in the room grew.

Chris looked at the picture of himself, under the words 'Wanted: Dead or Alive'. Tickled at the old-fashioned Wanted poster that Standish had had made, he read his list of 'crimes' out loud to his teammates. "Wanted: Chris 'kill em with a glare' Larabee. Charged with trying to out-con the con man and disrespecting invisible rabbits everywhere. Reward for capture: A warm wool blanket for when Mr. "Glare-abee send his look your way."

Buck continued, his lips curving up in a grin as he read his. "Wanted: Buck 'whatcha doing with my wife' Wilmington. Charged with bad acting, misusing dead or dying clichés and leading naïve young women down the path of bad taste. Reward for capture: the undying gratitude of husbands everywhere and free vaccinations." Buck looked up as the meaning of that last statement hit him. "Hey, now that was just uncalled for."

Nathan snickered at Buck's chagrin, then read his. "Wanted: Nathan 'shoot em full of holes then shoot em full of morphine' Jackson. Charged with unlawful use of syringe and being elusive without a license. Reward for capture: Freedom from being unexpectedly jabbed in the posterior with a hypodermic needle." Nathan looked up sheepishly, seeing that the others expected an explanation. "Uh, one of the guys in my unit down in Pahrump was being a little stubborn about his medication. The doctor gave me the okay to sedate him. I had to sneak up on him and inject him in the behind."

"Ouch," Buck muttered. "Chris, remind me to never turn my back on this man," he said, throwing an arm around Nathan's shoulder.

"It's not your back you should be worried about, Buck," JD said with a laugh.

Josiah cleared his throat to get their attention. When they had quieted down, he proceeded. "Wanted: Josiah 'better than a St. Bernard but don't forget the whiskey' Sanchez. Charged with exploding helpless snowflakes and chasing snow bunnies who aren't actually in need of being rescued. Reward for capture: The undying gratitude of innocent mountains everywhere."

Casey was next in line, but seemed reluctant. Buck wasn't about to let her off the hook.

"Come on, Casey," Buck said. "We all read ours, let's hear yours."

Casey's cheeks got red, but she gamely went along with Buck's statement. "Wanted: Casey 'not as innocent as I look' Wells. Charged with beating scrambled eggs and overzealous suitors into submission. Reward for capture: Autographed copy of the infamous 'Wells Slugger Spatula'."

They all looked at Casey with the question in their eyes. "It was nothing. Really."

"Casey?"

"Really, Chris, it was just a misunderstanding."

"Casey?" The others echoed.

"Oh, Damn." She bit her bottom lip and took a deep breath. "This guy had been asking me out. I didn't want to go and kept telling him no. He wouldn't listen. One day he came to my work and wouldn't leave. I tried to hide in the kitchen, but he followed me. So, Ithrewaspatulaathim," she explained, mumbling the last bit.

"Next time, darlin', make in something more substantial. Like a fryin' pan." Buck laughed at the picture he conjured up of their sweet, little feisty Casey throwing kitchen utensils at unwanted male attention.

She put her hands on her hips and glared at Wilmington. "Well, Buck Darlin', I'll have you know, he never bothered me again!" A few seconds later, she joined in the laughter that was circulating the room.

JD's eyes got wide as he looked at Casey with new eyes. He'd have to remember to never piss her off. Looking quickly down at his own wanted poster, he cleared his throat and read, "Wanted: JD 'the infiltrator' Dunne. Charged with waking hibernating cartoon bears and leading security experts on a merry rabbit hunt. Reward for capture: hours of challenging entertainment."

"Yes," came the soft southern reply. Everyone looked up to see Ezra Standish leaning against the doorframe. "A job well 'Dunne', sir," he said to JD, tipping the brim of an imaginary hat at the young man. JD smiled back, getting his first 'close-up' view of the man he'd spent a good amount of time watching and harassing this past week.

"Standish," Chris said, standing up to greet his adversary. "Well, looks like you won. Can't say I'm surprised, but I am disappointed. I was hoping we could stump you and convince you to join us."

"On the contrary, Mr. Larabee, I think your approach achieved the desired results. I haven't had this much fun in ages. Can we talk more about this position?"

Chris grinned. "You bet. Come on in."

/

One Month Later

Larabee gathered the men together in the conference room. Although the team wasn't complete yet, he still needed to find a sniper, they'd been requested to assistance in the search for a fugitive.

"Okay, boys, it seems we've got a not-so-model citizen heading our way," Chris said as he opened up the file in front of him. The team was seated around the large table, each with a cup of coffee in front of them. Taking out a piece of paper from the file, Chris passed it over to Buck. It was a booking form. "Mr. Michael Jacardi," Chris said.

"Convicted and sentenced to life for the triple murder of his own brother, sister-in-law and 12-year old niece. Escaped from Folsom two days ago."

"Ah, yes, a family man," remarked Ezra Standish, with a sarcastic frown as he took the paper from Buck. "How, pray tell, did he manage to escape the confines of a maximum security penitentiary?"

"With inside help, apparently," Chris replied. "Originally, authorities thought he might have headed to Sacramento or San Francisco, but now they think he might be headed our way. A lady was carjacked yesterday in Auburn. The description of her assailant fits Jacardi to a T, including a tattoo on his right wrist. They think he might be headed for the mountain. He and his brother, before Jacardi killed him that is, ran a small business guiding folks on hikes and ski trips into the back country around Truckee and South Lake Tahoe and into Desolation Wilderness." While Chris was talking the others had passed the booking sheet around.

"So, he's familiar with living in the mountains?" Josiah Sanchez asked when he handed it back to Larabee.

"Yes. They think he might be headed back toward his family's old cabin in the hills southeast of Tahoe. They've alerted all law enforcement in the area and they want us to take a look around the high country."

"With the weather finally turning warmer, there is bound to be a lot of early spring hikers up here this weekend, Chris," Nathan Jackson reminded his team leader.

"I know. That's why I want to find him before then. It's only Tuesday, so we have some time. But that's a lot of area to cover. And he may have headed into South Lake Tahoe to blend into the crowds at the casinos. We have some feelers out already and we're keeping an eye on the carjack victim's credit card to see if that gives us a direction. We need to…"

Chris was interrupted by a yell from outside the closed conference room doors. As he and the others stood to find out what the problem was they heard the voice of their secretary, Casey Wells. "You can't go in there, Sir!"

Moments later, the doors burst open and a man stumbled across the threshold, landing at Larabee's feet. Chris looked down and noticed the man was gagged and his hands were bound behind him with rope.

Then another man followed the human projectile through the room. He was not quite as tall as Chris, wore his brown curly hair at shoulder length, and sported a pair of dark sunglasses. His knee-length brown leather duster was open, showing a dark blue flannel shirt and blue jeans underneath and he carried a rifle cradled under his right arm. He wore an old soft brim hat that looked like those soldiers had worn during the civil war. Chris glanced up just as the man removed his glasses, revealing a pair of startlingly blue eyes.

"Y'all lose something?" he asked with a smirk and a look of disgust directed at the man on the floor. The others in the room, with the exception of Wilmington, stood staring at the leather-clad man, mouths agape. Wilmington looked curiously at the man on the floor. He reached down and picked up the booking sheet from the table, then walked over to the bound man who was still lying face down on the carpet.

"Chris, I'm sorry, he just barged right in," Casey stammered.

"Don't you worry none, darlin'," Buck told her. "My friend here was just helping us with a case." Buck grabbed a handful of hair and pulled the man's face up where he could see it. He compared it to the face on the sheet of paper in his hand and smiled. "I guess we can call this case closed."

"What?!" Chris asked, an expression of shock crossing his features.

"Check it out, Chris," Buck said, handing his boss the booking sheet. Larabee crouched down next to him as Wilmington once again pulled the man's head up so Chris could get a good look. Larabee reached out and pulled the gag from the man's mouth, regretting it immediately when the man starting rambling.

"Please, help me! That guy's trying to kill me! He jumped me and tied me up, dragged me all the way down here with a rope tied around me. That son-of-a-bitch is gonna kill me! He ain't got the right to tie me up like this. I want a lawyer. This is against the law. Untie me!"

"Now ya know why I gagged him," the long-haired man said, a distinct drawl in his voice. "I take it y'all been looking for him."

"Actually, we just got the information today," Chris told him. "He escaped from Folsom day before yesterday."

"Figured as much. His clothes don't fit him too well. Guess that means he stole them from somebody. Hey, Bucklin, how many times I done told you to keep your trash off my mountain?"

"Sorry, Vin. How about a cup of coffee for your trouble," Buck said, gesturing with his head to the back of the room. "So, how'd you know to bring him here?"

The man walked over to the table and leaned his rifle against it. He picked up a mug and filled it with the strong brew, adding a spoonful of sugar, then took a sip.

"Mort over at the PD said that you were working for the feds now. Since I wanted to say hello anyway, I figured I'd bring a present along."

The others had gathered around the prisoner on the floor, who continued to ramble about his constitutional rights. Finally, Ezra reached over and pulled the gag back up.

"Ah, blessed silence," he remarked, pulling a chuckle from the others.

Chris looked over at the man Buck called Vin, meeting his gaze. A feeling of familiarity washed over him, like this was someone he'd always known. A slight widening of the man's eyes showed that he felt it too. A voice broke the intense connection.

"So, Buck, you know that guy?" JD whispered. Chris pulled his gaze from the stranger to look at Wilmington.

"Yeah," Buck replied, leading the others toward the back of the room. "Boys, this is Vin Tanner. He lives up in the hills east of here aways."

"Vin, how've you been?" Josiah asked, surprising the others. "I see you're walking better than the last time I saw you." At the confused looks from the others, Josiah explained that the last time he'd seen the man was a year before when he'd been hobbling around on crutches recovery from a bullet wound.

"I'm fine, preacher. Leg healed up right as rain. I see you finally got yourself a real job. Get tired of chasing those snow bunnies around?" Tanner and Sanchez shook hands.

"The snow bunnies were getting too fast for him," Nathan said, also shaking Vin's hand. "I'm Nathan Jackson, nice to meet you."

"Vin, this is JD Dunne and Ezra Standish," Buck introduced the other two men. "JD came all the way from Massachusetts to join our little group. And Ezra was head of security at Harrah's." Tanner nodded his head in greeting. "And this old guy is our boss, Chris Larabee. Chris, this is the guy I was telling you about who found that little girl in the wilderness last year."

"Nice to meet you," Chris said. "Buck says you know the mountains pretty well."

"Well enough, I s'pose," Tanner said, taking another sip of coffee.

"Thanks for bringing in Jacardi."

"Yes, Mr. Tanner, you have our undying gratitude. Your timely apprehension of this miscreant has undoubtedly saved us numerous hours gallivanting around in the wilderness," Ezra said as he glanced at his nails. "And I won't ruin my manicure."

A look of disbelief crossed Vin's face and he turned when Buck laughed.

"Ezra, when has your manicure ever kept you from chasin' the bad guys?" he asked, slapping Standish on the back.

"I do have to keep up appearances, Mr. Wilmington."

"So, I take it you know Josiah," Chris commented to Vin, gesturing for the man to take a seat. The others joined them at the table.

Sanchez supplied the answer. "Vin and I met a couple of years ago while I was working ski patrol. My team and I were looking for a missing skier. He accompanied us to the area, found tracks where no one else could, and we found the skier in less than an hour."

"And I met him when I arrested him," Buck said, laughing. The others looked at Buck incredulously as Vin just chuckled. Chris raised his eyebrows in question.

"Had to arrest him one night for illegal parking. I would have just given him a ticket, but then his transportation decided to run amok in one of the local casinos."

"How the hell did your car run amok in a casino?" JD asked.

"Mr. Wilmington never indicated his transportation was a motor vehicle, Mr. Dunne," Ezra stated.

"Indeed, Mr. Standish," Buck good-naturedly mocked the southerner. "He tied up his horse in a no-parking zone. And when we tried to move it, the horse took off on us. It ran down the street and into the garage area of Harvey's casino. From there it got into the kitchen through the loading zone and as the kitchen help was running for their lives it made its way through the swinging doors onto the casino floor. We got the danged thing cornered, but every time somebody got close to the animal, it would rear up and start flashin' those hoofs at us."

"So what happened?" JD asked, the others leaning forward to enjoy the story.

"We were just getting ready to call a vet to sedate the horse, when we hear this voice yelling across the room. 'What the hell ya doing to my horse?'. Well, ol' Tanner here comes strolling in, big as you please, pushin' his way through all those deputies. He comes straight over to me and gets in my face, tellin

' me to back off if I don't wanna get hurt."

"It was for your own good, Buck," Tanner said.

"Yeah, but you coulda warned me that demon horse of yours was a biter."

"You got bit, Buck?" Chris asked.

"He sure did. Made it hard to sit down for few days after that too." Vin chuckled.

"He bit you on the ass?!" JD cried, laughing.

"More like the lower back."

"Yeah, the 'lower' lower back," Vin teased. "Elmer don't like people harassing me."

"You call your horse, Elmer?" JD asked.

"Yep."

"Yeah, that horse is so obnoxious, at least once a day Vin threatens to send him to the glue factory, so Elmer seems appropriate, dontcha think?" Buck asked.

"So, you arrested him because his horse bit you?" Nathan asked.

"Aw, hell no. I arrested him for littering."

"I wasn't the one who littered, it was the horse."

All eyes looked at Buck, curiosity the common feature on their faces. "The horse, well, uh, decided to drop a load on the casino floor." For several seconds there was nothing but silence, then a small chuckle was heard from Josiah, followed by another and another, until the chuckles turned into full-fledged laughter, which had all the men in tears eventually. All but Chris and Vin, that is. They both just shook their heads in bemusement. Chris caught Vin's eye and gestured for him to join him outside. Vin grabbed his rifle and followed the other man.

Chris walked over to their secretary's desk. "Casey, can you call Tahoe PD and see if they have room in their lockup for us to hold the prisoner. And get Warden Landers on the line, I want to tell him personally that his prisoner is back in custody, thanks to Mr. Tanner here."

"Sure, Chris," she said and reached for the phone.

"Miss, I sure am sorry I scared ya," Vin told her as she dialed. "I was just a mite pissed off at the man I brought in. He managed to break a window in my cabin when he decided to break in. If the durn fool woulda just tried the door, he coulda just walked in."

She smiled at him. "I understand. I'm Casey Wells, by the way."

"Vin Tanner. Nice to meet ya," he said as he tip the bill of his hat.

"Vin, let's go into my office," Chris said. The two men walked into a rather large but tastefully furnished office. A large painting of two cowboys riding through a valley hung over a black leather couch. Two gray and black cloth covered, deep cushioned chairs sat across from the couch, while two more just like it flanked a coffee table. Over the back of the couch was draped a red, yellow and black Indian blanket. The pine coffee table held a sculpture of a saddle slung over a fence rail and two end tables of the same pine held matching lamps with a howling wolf design.

The desk in front of the large picture window appeared to be an adobe type material. Its black leather high back chair with padded arms looked comfortable enough to doze in. A computer took up one corner of the uncluttered desk, a handsome desk set and blotter the only other items on top. The built-in bookcase to the right of the window held several law enforcement manuals and notebooks. Several small photographs on the middle shelf surrounded a larger one in a pewter frame, this one of a beautiful red-haired woman and a young towheaded boy.

Chris led the way over to the sofa and they both sat down. Larabee glanced over at Tanner, as the younger man took an appraising look around the office.

"This is nice," Tanner said.

"Thanks. It's comfortable. I know this may sound odd, but I get the feeling we know each other," Chris ventured.

"I don't recall meetin' ya before," Vin replied, also feeling a connection of some kind with the man sitting next to him. "I've done a fair amount of traveling, though, so I guess it's possible."

"Yeah, maybe. I have a good eye for faces; maybe we have met somewhere before. Oh, well, guess it doesn't matter. Thanks again for bringing in Jacardi. You sure saved us a great deal of time and trouble if we would have had to track him down."

"No problem. Glad I could help. I actually took him to the PD first, but when they told me Buck was here now, I just couldn't resist dropping by to say hello."

"Well, you sure have an interesting way of introducing yourself. Listen, we had planned on heading out to lunch after the briefing. I'd like to buy you lunch for your trouble. Care to join us?"

"Sure. I could eat." Vin gave Chris a little half grin.

"Great." Chris was interrupted by the intercom on his phone. "Chris, Warden Landers on line 1."

"Thanks, Casey." He walked over to his desk and sat down, hitting the speaker button on his phone. "Warden Landers, good morning."

"Larabee, what can I do for you?" The voice coming through the speaker sounded irritated, like he'd been interrupted from something more important.

"I just thought you might be interested in sending transport to pick up your escaped prisoner." Chris said, and smiled at Tanner, who just raised an eyebrow. Silence greeted his statement, almost ten full seconds ticking by before Landers spoke again.

"How the hell did you manage to find him already? We just sent you the info this morning!"

"What can I say, I have a good team," Chris replied, winking at Vin, who chuckled at the man's obvious enjoyment in pushing the warden's buttons.

"You're lucky, I'll give you that. You may have to hold on to him for a bit, my boys are all tied up with a new group we got in. It may be tomorrow before I can get someone up there." Landers almost sounded pleased that Chris would be inconvenienced. While Landers was talking, Casey knocked on the door and walked in, laying a note down on Chris' desk. Glancing over it, Chris nodded at Casey and she left.

"No problem. He'll be in the Tahoe PD jail, whenever you're ready. And Warden, you're welcome."

"Yeah, whatever," the warden mumbled before hanging up without a good bye.

Chris disconnected the phone. "Take that, asshole," he said. "And that conversation was well worth the price of your lunch, Vin."

"I take it y'all don't like each other much," Tanner drawled, with just a smidgen of sarcasm.

"He's like a burr under my saddle, and every once in a while I just like to buck back."

A knock on the door was followed by Buck peeking his head in. "JD and I are gonna take Jacardi over to the jail. Did you call Folsom?"

"Warden Landers assures me someone will be out, at some point in time, to pick him up."

"Not a happy man, huh?" Buck asked with a smirk.

"He's impressed by the swift service." Buck just laughed then turned to Tanner.

"Vin, nice seeing you again. Don't stay away so long next time."

"Vin's joining us for lunch," Chris told him. "You and JD can meet us there. It shouldn't take you too long at the jail."

"Nope. See you in about twenty minutes then." Chris reached for Vin's rifle and locked it in the gun cabinet on the wall next to the door.

"Shall we?" Chris asked Vin, gesturing toward the door. Chris closed and locked his door behind him. Chris walked toward the outer office, when he noticed that Vin had stopped. He looked back and saw the other man staring at the frames that were hung up in the hallway.

"Is that why ya took my gun, Glarabee?" Vin remarked, reading the poster that had Chris' picture on it. "Afraid I was gonna round ya all up to collect these bounties?" Moving to the next one, he read out loud. "Wanted: Ezra 'I've got an ace up my sleeve' Standish. Charged with overuse of a dictionary and preening more than a southern belle going to the debutante ball. Reward for capture: Five-dollar earplugs for when he starts using those five-dollar words."

"Hey, those are some mighty fine rewards. Wouldn't want to tempt ya. At least not before lunch," Chris replied. The two continued on and joined the other three in the outer office, where they headed out after telling Casey where they were going.

/

Chris was intrigued with Vin Tanner. When Buck Wilmington had told him the man was a bounty hunter with no law enforcement experience, he had dismissed him from consideration as a possible team member. But now that he'd met the man, he was interested in finding out more about him and wondered if he would fit in with the others after all. So during lunch at Clancy's Steakhouse he tried to draw the man out.

"So, Buck tells me that you're a bounty hunter," Chris remarked after the waitress had left with their orders, and returned with their beverages.

Tanner raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Buck, who just smiled and shrugged. A long moment of silence followed as Vin took a sip from his glass of beer.

"Yeah, I am," he finally said.

"You like it?" Chris asked.

"It pays the bills."

"Ever thought about something more consistent?"

Vin smirked. "You mean like a real job?"

"You were a sniper in the Army."

Tanner's eyes narrowed at that statement, but Larabee couldn't tell if he was angry or just curious.

"Been checking up on me?" he asked softly.

The others around the table got very quiet, watching the by-play between the two men.

"Truthfully? Yes." When Vin didn't respond, Chris leaned forward, crossing his arms in front of him on the table. "I'd like to have you on my team." Only JD and Ezra heard the hushed 'yes' that came from Buck, who had been pushing for Chris to talk to Tanner since they'd first started putting the team together.

"Why me?" Vin asked.

"I need a sniper and you come highly recommended." Again Tanner glanced over at Wilmington, who smiled and nodded at him. Vin just shook his head.

"I ain't never been a cop. I don't have the background you're looking for."

"Mr. Tanner, I don't have law enforcement experience," Ezra admitted. "Neither does Mr. Sanchez." Standish wasn't sure what prompted Chris to invite Tanner to join their team, but he respected the former federal marshal and would support this decision.

"And my experience was as a Military Police Officer my first two years in the Army and the last few years as a reserve officer with Nye County Sheriff's Office," Nathan said.

"Vin, this is a highly unusual group," Chris began. He went on to explain the reasons why the group had been formed.

"Why me?" Vin asked again.

"Because I want the best on my team," he said simply.

"Doesn't answer my question."

"Vin, is there a reason you don't want to join the team?" Josiah asked.

"I work alone. I always have."

"Vin, we really could use you," Buck said. "Not only are you the best sniper I've ever seen, you're a natural tracker. You're good in the woods."

"I'll attest to that," Josiah added. "I remember search and rescues you've helped on over the years. If we have to go chasing anyone through the woods, I would follow you any day."

Chris sat back and watched his men work. He hadn't really expected this, but then again he wasn't surprised. And he was glad to see it. The fact that two of the team already knew and respected Tanner was a huge point in his favor. Even Ezra, who hadn't met Vin, seemed amenable to having him on the team. And JD had been impressed that the man had brought Jacardi in on his own. The only one he would have to convince now was Tanner.

The waitress interrupted the discussion with steaks all around and the men settled in to eat. The conversation turned to food and the pretty waitress, and Chris allowed the temporary detour. He hoped it would give Vin the chance to think over his options.

After their plates had been removed and coffee served, Chris decided to broach the subject again, but was pre-empted by Nathan.

"Vin, Josiah mentioned you got shot in the leg last year. Did you have to pay all your medical costs out of pocket?"

"Yeah. So?"

"If you join the team, you'd be a government employee with full benefits."

Vin was quiet was a long moment. "I like being my own boss."

Almost got you, Chris thought, seeing the thoughts easily read in Vin's facial expressions. "Vin, this is a very unique team. Yes, I am the leader of this motley group of misfits," he said, glancing around at the others, "but we each have our strengths. We'll be handling a wide variety of cases, anything from smuggling, to illegal gambling, to drug interdiction, to fugitive apprehension. We'll be available to help in search and rescues. We'll be working on both side of the California-Nevada border. And if we're successful, we could spread out to other states bordering California and Nevada."

"Hell, we may even start a trend," Buck cackled.

"I've been searching for a good sniper and haven't found anyone yet that fit my team's needs," Chris told him.

"So, what makes you think I'm your man?"

"My gut. I always try to listen to my gut instincts."

"Could just be indigestion," Vin said, a half grin forming on his face.

"Don't let the cook hear you say that," Buck insisted, glanced toward the kitchen. "The man is huge and takes his job very seriously."

The waitress walked over and dropped the check on the table next to Chris. He pulled out his wallet and handed her a credit card. As the others reached for their wallets in order to pay their shares, Chris waved them off.

"Let the AG pay for this one," he said. "I'll write it off as a business lunch, since we were trying to recruit Tanner."

The others laughed as they got up to leave. They drove back to the office and Tanner retrieved his firearm. He walked into the outer office to find the team waiting.

"You never did give us an answer, Mr. Tanner," Ezra reminded him. Vin looked around at the other, his gaze settling on Chris who had followed him out of his office.

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll stick with what I'm doing."

Chris nodded. "It was nice meeting you, Vin. Thanks for bringing in Jacardi. And if you change your mind, you know where to find us." Chris reached out his hand and Vin grasped it. The two men held the grip for several seconds, each feeling that strange connection again. Vin released his hand and left after also shaking hands with the others.

Chris leaned against the doorframe of this office, a small grin on his face, and watched the lanky bounty hunter walk out the door.

Buck looked over at his oldest friend, disappointed that they couldn't talk Tanner into joining them.

"Damn, Chris, I thought we had him convinced."

"You were right, Buck, I think he'll be a great addition to the team."

"Yeah, he would have been. Too bad he didn't listen to our great recruiting spiel."

"Yep, he'll fit right in."

The others look at each other in confusion. Ezra looked over at the grin on Chris' face.

"You think he will return, don't you Mr. Larabee?"

"A good addition," Chris said, nodding his head thoughtfully. "I'll get Casey started on his paperwork as soon as she gets back from lunch." He nodded to himself again before turning and walking back into his office.

The others again exchanged looks, all except Ezra, who just followed Larabee into the office.

As if on cue, the remaining four hurried after them, all calling for an explanation. They wanted to know how Chris knew that Vin would be back.

/

A week later, Larabee was working on some paperwork in his office, when he heard a light tap on his open door. Looking up he saw Tanner standing in the doorway.

"Morning, Chris."

"Vin."

"Those benefits include a dental plan?"

"Yep."

"Good. I got this bad tooth…"

/THE END/