Title: Devil's Hand
Author: Cindy Ryan
Story status: Complete
Universe: ATF—created years ago on the Magnificent Seven fanfiction list. The boys live in modern day Denver as members of an elite ATF team.
Category: Angst
Summary: An old enemy of Buck's and Chris's resurfaces intent on shattering the team. But nobody takes down the Seven. Not without a fight.
Notes: I wrote this story about five years back and have had it posted at other sites. Decided to post it here so I'd have all my stories in one spot.
Vin Tanner did a double take at the lab tech not quite believing what the woman was telling him, "C4?"
Sarah Cummings nodded grimly as she brushed a stray red hair away from her face,"I'm afraid so, that's why the truck is as disintegrated as it is."
Vin turned to look at what was left of Buck's vehicle sitting in the center of the warehouse. It barely resembled a truck. The metal skeleton was all that was left...no steering wheel, no seats, no wiring just metal.
Vin winced inwardly . He could only pray that JD had been unconscious.
Tanner turned to face the lab tech, "I thought C4 was only used by terrorists."
Cummings shook her head sadly, "Not any more. Nowadays anyone with the right contacts and the right amount of money can get a hold of some."
Vin nodded his gaze once again turning to the burnt out vehicle, "Can you print out the data you have so far? My boss will want a copy of it."
Cummings nodded, "Of course, I was just about to fax it to him when you arrived."
"Thanks," Vin replied softly.
The woman followed his gaze to the vehicle, "I just wish I had more clues for you."
"We've solved cases with less to go on," Vin replied quietly.
The woman nodded before walking over to the computer to print out the information.
I promise you, JD, Vin vowed silently, I will find out who did this no matter how long it takes. Nobody takes away one of the Seven.
"Where's Josiah?" Nathan asked as he glanced up from his computer.
Ezra didn't look up from his pile of paperwork that had accumulated over the last two days, "I believe he went to see how Ms. Wells is doing."
Nathan sighed, "I wish Buck would've attended JD's memorial. Casey needed his support as much as he needed hers."
"I need to speak with Agent Larabee," an unfamiliar voice announced from the doorway.
Ezra instantly disliked the thirty-ish brown-haired man sporting a light gray suit, "Mr. Larabee is in the middle of a important phone call. I'm Agent Standish can I be of service?"
The man barely glanced at Ezra as he moved past them heading toward Chris's office, "No,thank you."
Ezra exchanged a questioning glance with Nathan before quickly moving to catch up with the stranger, "If you have something to discuss with Mr. Larabee I will be happy to take a message and he will get back to you at the earliest convenience."
Chris took that moment to open the door having heard the raised voices, "What's going on?"
"This gentlemen was just about to inform us of that," Ezra replied as Nathan joined the trio.
The man ignored him as he took out a police badge from his inside jacket pocket, "My name is Agent Stan Myers I'm with internal affairs."
Chris's eyes instantly narrowed into slits, "State your business in two sentences or less and then get out."
Myers smiled, "I'm afraid that won't be possible, Agent Larabee. I have been given full authority to investigate Agent Wilmington so I will be under foot for quite some time."
Buck glanced around the seedy hotel on Denver's south side and shook his head.
The room was small and badly decorated but it would suit Buck's purposes for now as a base.
He tossed his small duffel bag on the floor not caring where it landed. Wilmington sat down on the bed and opened the laptop computer and plugged it into the phone line.
Buck tapped into the Denver police department's computer. He rubbed a weary hand over his face as he waited for the computer to call up the homicide files.
Wilmington knew it was a long shot but the only thing he could think of was that this killer was from his past.
His past with Chris when they were partners in Denver's homicide unit.
The computer beeped signaling it was ready and Buck leaned forward and began scrolling through the files praying for a lead.
"Like hell you will," Chris replied each word clipped with anger as he took a step toward Myers.
This was the absolute last thing Buck or any of them needed right now.
For his credit Stan Myers didn't flinch under Chris's ice cold angry gaze, "Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Larabee so I am not afraid of your scare tactics. You will cooperate with this investigation or Mr. Wilmington's career won't be the only one on the line."
With that statement the IA officer turned on his heel and disappeared into the break room.
"Don't agitate him, Chris," Nathan said gently breaking the silence, "He'll go away once he has what he wants."
Larabee shook his head wearily, "He's not staying, I don't care if the President gave him authority," he turned to face Ezra as he took a piece of paper out of his pocket, "Shred this."
Chris walked past Nathan and headed for the door. He paused at the door to the breakroom. The temptation to throw Myers out on his ear was almost overwhelming.
Chris shook his head and continued out the door. There were more important things to do he had to find Buck.
JD felt sweat drip into his eyes as he struggled with the last board. His hands were severely scraped and the dozen splinters burned but he didn't care.
He was almost free...he just needed to pry this last board.
But of course the last board was being more stubborn than Chris. JD had part of it free but the last half of the board just wouldn't budge.
JD rocked back on his heels trying to get a better position. Sliding into a sitting position he planed his feet against the wall and grasped the board.
Closing his eyes JD yanked the board as hard as he could. His shoulders screamed from the exertion.
Just when he was about to give up and try again he heard a loud snapping sound.
The momentum of the board breaking free literally sent the young agent tumbling head over heels until he crash landed against the door.
Righting himself JD ignored the wave of dizziness and scrambled to his feet. In minutes he was laying on his stomach wiggling through the small hole.
It was a tight fit but after several long moments he did pull himself through.
JD blinked against the harsh sunlight as his eyes adjusted.
Once they did JD looked back at the building he had been held in and realized it was a warehouse.
The warehouse district was on the outskirts of the city which meant it was a very long walk back to the ATF office.
JD moved to the corner of the building and risked one backward glance to make sure no one had noticed his escape. Then he broke into a run.
Nathan tried to get back to the paperwork multiplying on his desk but he couldn't concentrate.
The silence of the room was deafening. It reminded Nathan of the loss the Seven had suffered.
Not that he needed reminding. He thought of JD every time he walked into the room.
In frustration Nathan threw his pen down onto the desk. It bounced off the computer monitor and clattered to the floor.
"Problem?"Ezra asked as he glanced up from the desk across from Nathan's.
The young black man shook his head as he stood, "Can't concentrate. Think I'll take a walk."
"Can we be of assistance?"Ezra asked as Myers popped out of the break room and headed toward Buck's desk.
The IA officer ignored them as he set his briefcase down on Wilmington's desk. Then he looked across the desk to the apparently empty one.
Absently whistling an upbeat tune as he picked up his briefcase and walked around Buck's desk.
Nathan saw where he was headed and glanced warily at Ezra not sure of what Standish would do.
"Don't you gentlemen have work to do?"Myers asked as he sat down at JD's desk and started taking files out of his briefcase.
Chris Larabee stopped his car at an intersection and impatiently waited for the light to turn green.
He was beginning to wish he'd put an APB out on Buck. It would've made this search a hell of a lot easier.
Chris had tried all of Buck's usual haunts. Hell he had even asked Inez if she had seen him even though the two can't stand to be in the same room with one another.
Which left Chris back at square one.
Chris had toyed with the idea of going back to Buck's apartment and getting his black book and calling the number's there.
But with his friend's fondness for the opposite sex he'd have better luck looking through the Denver phone book.
He didn't have time for ethier right now.
An angry car horn jerked Chris's attention to the road in front of him. Chris glanced sheepishly at the driver behind him before maneuvering his car through the intersection.
The cell phone was on its third ring before Chris really noticed it. He snatched the receiver, "Larabee?"
"Hey cowboy," Vin Tanner replied quietly, "Where are you?"
"Out lookin' for Buck," Chris said wearily, "He didn't tell you of any new places he'd ventured did he?"
"No," Vin replied as he caught the underlying tension in his friend's voice, "What's goin' on?"
"The IA sent one of their vultures down to investigate Buck," Chris said quietly as he made a left turn.
"They don't waste time do they?"Vin muttered darkly.
"No, that's what they're trained for," Chris replied, "Where did you disappear to?"
"I went for a drive but ended up at the warehouse so I decided to see if the lab techs had found out anything," Vin said shaking his head slightly to clear away the image of Buck's truck.
"And?"Larabee prompted.
"It was C4, Chris," Tanner replied, "There's nothing left of the truck but a few pieces of metal. We've still got nothing to go on."
Larabee shook his head, "No, the C4 is something it'll give us something to track with."
"Maybe," Vin replied, "I'll head back to the office and drop the forensics' report on your desk."
"Watch your back, cowboy," Chris said quietly as he ended the conversation.
Josiah Sanchez left the small kitchen and handed Casey a purple mug of cappuccino.
The young woman absently took the mug from him looked at the steaming liquid for a moment before sitting it down on the coffee table.
Casey huddled further into the colorful afghan and leaned back against the sofa.
Josiah sighed inwardly as he sat down in the blue colored low backed chair next to the sofa. Since he had arrived at Casey's apartment over an hour ago the girl had barely spoken.
Her roommate had left for work with a worried glance back at her friend and Josiah understood the source of her concern.
Casey Wells was normally outgoing, spunky, intelligent girl. Now she was an empty shell of that person; withdrawn, silent, sullen.
Josiah could only hope that her current state was only due to the shock. The big man leaned forward resting his folded hands on his knees and waited.
He had learned from experience that people would talk when they were ready.
Half an hour later Casey spoke the first full sentence since Josiah's arrival.
"Josiah, do you believe there's a heaven?"Casey asked softly as her gaze drifted toward the window.
Nathan took a step forward but it was already too late. Ezra was on the move stopping just inches from Buck's desk his green eyes glaring at the Internal affairs agent.
"Sir, I ask that you remove yourself from that chair," Standish said each word clipped with anger. While part of him knew that this man couldn't know of the tragedy that had occurred two days ago the sight of this stranger sitting in JD's place caused Ezra to see red.
Myers didn't even look up, "I'm quite busy here, Agent Standish if you don't mind..."
Ezra stormed around the corner of Buck's desk and grabbed Myers by the shirt collar and yanked him off his feet sending the chair spinning backwards.
"Ezra...," Nathan warned as he caught up with his friend.
Standish ignored him as he slammed Myers's against the door to Chris's office, "I asked you to vacate that chair."
Myers looked at him blankly, "If you get your hands off me, Agent Standish I might forget this incident in my report."
Nathan placed a hand on Standish's shoulder, "Ezra, he doesn't know. Let the man go."
Myers glanced from one man to the other and back again, "Will one of you explain what's going on or are you going to stand there and babble all day?"
"I'm sure you'll discover the reason when you finish your investigation into Mr. Wilmington," Ezra replied as he dropped Myers non too gently to the floor, "Until then I strongly suggest that you find another desk to do your paperwork."
Vin took that moment to enter the office immediately picking up on the tension in the room, "Is there a problem here?"
Ezra turned to face Tanner as he walked back toward his desk to grab his jacket, "No problem, Mr. Tanner. I was just explaining a few things to our new friend."
Vin glanced at Nathan who only shook his head as Ezra stalked out of the office.