Chapter 17

Buck's rickety eighty-something Chevy pulled into a rundown apartment complex right smack dab in the middle of the Dallas slums. Gage parked across the street from it and down a ways, hoping to remain inconspicuous.

Sydney wasn't sure if they would be able to, because their car was going to stick out like a sore thumb in this part of town.

"We should've driven that POS that you call a 'classic'." Sydney said with a tinge of dry humor in her tone.

"Hey … ! That car is a classic piece of American craftsmanship!" Gage countered indignantly.

"Sure … whatever you say." Sydney said as she rolled her eyes.

"It's okay, I forgive you, I wouldn't expect uh … someone like you to understand the value of such a fine machine." Gage said casually.

"Excuse me?! Someone like me ? just what in the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Sydney said, sparks ignited in her dark eyes, and her chin jutted out in that painfully adorable way it did when she was pissed.

"You know women, they don't know anything about cars." He said as he struggled to stifle his chuckles and hide his grin, he loved pissing her off, she always looked so damn cute!

Gage immediately regretted it, because Sydney promptly socked him in the arm, hard; luckily though she didn't hit him as hard as she was capable, because Sydney was tough. So tough, in fact that Gage was the only one brave enough to spar with her.

He flashed her a shit eating grin as he reached for his radio.

"Get me Walker."

After a brief pause, Walker's voice came over the line.

"Walker, we tracked Buck to an apartment complex off of Cotton Belt Avenue, just past Craddock Park."

"Okay, sit tight and wait for back up, if he moves, stay on him." Walker said as he cut the connection.

"Good thing I come prepared, now." Sydney said as she unbuckled her seatbelt and turned around in her seat.

Gage tried not to stare at her as she rummaged around in the back seat for the snacked she had stashed there for such an occasion but he couldn't help it; he let his eyes wander over her figure, desire and lust, along with a slew of other feelings flooded through him like scalding water as he could see the muscles of her legs and ass flexing under the snug fabric of her jeans.

"Ah!" She said as she pulled a small black duffle from under the seat, Gage quickly refocused his gaze out the windshield as Sydney dug into the bag and handed him an energy bar and a bottle of water. If she noticed his voyeurism, she didn't call him on it, and for that he was grateful.

Gage drained half the bottle in one swig, he suddenly found his mouth and throat painfully dry, he was her …. She did this to him.

Part of him hated her for it; before he had met her, it was he who enjoyed having this effect on women, but his dashing smile and playful boyish charms hadn't worked on Sydney. She was different, he was like she was inoculated against his charms and good looks, it wasn't as easy to win her over, and that subconsciously made him try harder to earn her respect … and her affections.

In the beginning he had attempted his good old tried and true game, the game of a playboy, a hunter after his next conquest. But Sydney made it perfectly clear that she wasn't going to put up with his crap

At first earning her respect and her friendship was a challenge to him, plain and simple. He put everything into meeting that challenge, and somewhere along the way, he had fallen hard for her. He knew he still had a long way to go in breaking down the walls around Sydney's heart he had unconsciously helped construct, but he was committed to the task. A sudden impact on his arm brought him out of his daydreaming; he certainly had been doing a lot of that lately.

"Hey! Wake up! Buck's on the move!" Sydney's voice rang into his conscious. Gage shoved the car into gear and pulled out two or three cars behind Buck in an attempt to remain conspicuous.

Their pursuit of Buck led them out of the slums and, to their surprise, into a small town called Westlake, which was well known in the area for housing Dallas' elite. Gage eased off further and allowed Buck to get a bit of a lead on them, he kept just close enough to where they could barely keep him in sight.

Sydney's brow furrowed, she didn't like being this far off their suspect's tail, for fear of losing him, but this wasn't a place that people just drove down every day and following too closely would blow their cover for sure.

"Damn." Gage breathed as they stopped at the bottom of the hilled street as they watched Buck's smoking dilapidated excuse for a car pull into the largest house at the top of the hill.

"How much do you want to bet that's our supplier?" Sydney said as she picked up the radio.

"Get me Ranger Walker."


"So let me get this straight, you want me to go to a judge and partition him for a search warrant based on your … 'hunch'?" The new district attorney, a tall, slender, middle aged woman by the name of Kelsi Chambers said as she looked over the top of her half-moon reading glasses at Walker.

"Yes." Walker replied, ADA Chambers eyed him for a spell, as if she were trying to decide if he was kidding or not.

"Ranger Walker, I understand the … how do I say this without coming across as brash … I understand that you are used to a certain amount of leniency with the DA's office, given your wife was the ADA, but unfortunately, I am not so bold. If I am going to court, I want solid evidence in my hand." Chambers said as she turned on heel and strode out of Walker's office.

"Well, what did you expect, Walker? She is the best, and you can't expect her to take the same risks for you that I did." Alex said, cradling her phone against the crook of her neck as she typed away on her laptop. She still held a position at the DA's office as a consultant, it was less pay, but she could work from home most days and be there for Angela.

"I know I just … it takes some getting used to, I love you and I'll see you when I get home." He said as he cut their connection, he suddenly had an idea, he picked up the phone and dialed ADA Chamber's office.

"Miss Chambers, forget a search warrant, do we have enough for an arrest warrant against Buck Eagleton?"

Chambers smiled from her side of the connection. "That I think I can swing."


"Okay! Okay! I'm comin'! Keep your damn shirt on!" Buck yelled as Gage pounded on the door for the third time. He yanked open the door angrily, revealing Gage's grinning face.

"Hello, Buck." He said as he flashed his badge, Buck made a break for it out the back, he ripped to the door to the fire escape and came face to face with the mouth of Sydney's gun.

"We can take you in two ways, Buck, in the back of our car, or in the back of an ambulance on the way to the city morgue, your choice." She said.

When faced with his options, Buck raised his hands in surrender.


"I don't know why you're talkin' to me, I ain't saying anything til my lawyer gets here." Buck said.

"Okay, you don't have to talk, you can listen, and we'll talk." Gage said.

"Look, either way, you're cooked ten ways to Sunday, we picked up your little girly friend, Jinx, she had dragon's breath and she was all too happy to make a deal." Sydney said as she slowly circled the table like a hungry tiger.

"So, then why are you talkin' to me? Unless you need somethin' from me." Buck said smugly as he leaned his chair back on two legs and propped his feet on the table.

"Oh … we don't need anything from you, The DA is feeling exceptionally generous today and thought that if you could offer some information that could help us, she would cut you a deal. But if you're not interested, that's cool." Gage said as he and Sydney made to leave.

"Wait, wait! I can give you my supplier! The guy all this crap comes from! He is the middle man for bringing it into the country! Just … you have to protect me! Even in prison, he'll get to me!" Buck said, his expression suddenly frantic.

Sydney pushed a pad and pen in front of him. "First you tell us what you know, then we'll see about making a deal." Sydney said.

Buck was between a rock and a hard place … and he knew, he had no other choice; he grabbed the pen and paper and started writing feverously.

"This good enough for you?" Walker said as he handed the pad with the information Buck had given them to Chambers, who looked it over. "Yes, this will do. I will have your warrants by the end of the day, ready your teams." She said as she left without another glance or word.

Walker picked up his phone and quickly punched the numbers in.

"Agent Michaels, get your team together and meet us here at the end of the work day today, we located who is supplying this drug and we're serving a search warrant on him, I will brief you when you get here." He said as he hung up without giving her a chance to reply.

AN: I am sorry, I had to end it there or it would have been waaay too long, also reviews reviews! I love them! keep them coming!