With the pilots and the courier, as well as Cain and his men, safely handcuffed and stowed away in the Quonset hut under the watchful eyes of Vin and Nathan, Buck finished refueling the jet and leaned back against the fender of his truck to watch as Josiah climbed aboard the jet. The big man was followed by Carrie Sims who, for all intents and purposes, was walking out of his life as calmly and professionally as she had walked into it. She had spoken briefly to Chris Larabee then simply passed him by without so much as a goodbye or even a "Fuck off, asshole." He would have taken the latter gladly as her apparent indifference to him cut him to the quick.

Could he really blame her? He'd made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to talk to her and possibly bring up a past that was chock full of transgressions on both their parts. At the time he was content to let sleeping dogs lie but when she disappeared from view he knew he'd lost his one and only chance to perhaps make amends to the mother of his only child.

Clamping his teeth shut tight enough to make his jaw ache, Buck Wilmington refused to let the tears that clouded his eyes fall. Not in front of Chris and the others and certainly not in front of Carrie if she suddenly realized she'd made a terrible mistake by not saying goodbye and came running back down the plane's steps. As quickly as the scenario played out in his head he forced it out of his mind. It was better for everyone involved if she just left.

Turning his head to furtively wipe away an errant tear, Buck spotted Ezra and Chris making their way toward the jet. This time, instead of passing him by, Ezra handed off his weapon to the confused agent and, when Buck attempted to hand it back to the southerner, Ezra simply stepped back out of the way to let Chris explain.

"Ezra doesn't feel comfortable literally sitting on stacks of heroin so I'm sending you in his place." Chris took no pleasure in delivering the obviously troubling news to his suddenly clearly agitated friend but he would not take no for an answer and, before Buck could even open his mouth to protest vehemently, he added, "That's an order, Bucklin."

"I suggest you get on board quickly, Mr. Wilmington because if this jet is more than fifteen minutes overdue the mierda could very well hit the ventilador," Ezra warned him.

"Everything you need will be waiting for you in Miami," Chris added and literally pushed Buck toward the jet's steps.

Josiah started the engines and Buck climbed aboard just as the Lear began to taxi. Securing the door behind him, he stared briefly at the staggering amount of narcotics that was stored in the cabin then took the only available seat; the jump seat attached to the cockpit wall directly behind the co-pilot's seat, and belted himself in.

Fifteen minutes into the flight Buck wondered what in the hell he was doing aboard the Lear on his way back to Miami - a city to which he vowed to never return. His job, he told himself with a sigh then said aloud, "God damn it, Carrie."

"It wasn't my idea," came a disembodied voice from the other side of the thin bulkhead.

Shocked that she had even heard him, Buck threw caution to the wind and demanded, "What did you tell him?"

"That there was a good reason for him not to question your abilities."

"I would have told him...eventually."

"Yeah, right," Carrie snorted.

"Did you tell him, ah..." Buck started to ask but quickly changed his mind

"That once upon a time you had a wife and a child?"

Josiah tried to not eavesdrop but it was difficult even with his earphones on and her bombshell took him completely by surprise. What Josiah also didn't know was that Special Agent in Charge Carrie Sims was Buck's ex-wife and that his child was long dead.

"Yeah, I did," she continued testily clearly irritated with Buck. "I think he deserved at least that much of an explanation."

"Jesus Christ, Carrie!" Buck thought angrily and knew his relationship with Chris had probably taken a major hit. He had wanted to tell him and the others as well but, as time passed and other tragic events unfolded, he began to feel like a liar simply through omission. To his mind there was never going to be a "right" time to rip open old wounds.

Carrie evidently thought differently. "You've been acting like a crazy man ever since I got here," she continued, "I knew why but your boss didn't have a clue."

Buck closed his eyes and dragged his hands down his face. How could he casually bring up a subject that was still so excruciating that, even now, he felt as if his heart would break from the pain, his back from the burden of his guilt? "So you thought you'd give him a heads up?"

"This is my operation and I was not about to stand by and let it go sideways."

"Then why'd you let me on board?" Buck asked petulantly.

Carrie smiled to herself and told him truthfully, "Because I wanted the best."