Vigilante Justice

Chapter 6: Hostage Negotiations

"How are we going to cover Dad and Russ?" Bones asked, emphasizing the "we". She looked expectantly at her partner. She obviously wanted a gun. Booth sighed dramatically.

"Of course you want a gun. I brought an extra weapon or two. Wait here."

Within a minute he was back from his car toting a black duffel bag. Hoisting the heavy bag onto the table with a clatter, he unzipped it and began revealing its contents. Bones had seen his collection but approached the table anyway. Russ came up behind Booth, watching with his mouth hanging open.

"Wow, how many guns have you got in there?" Russ marveled, looking over Booth's shoulder. He was pulling out each piece and arranging them on the table top with the devotion of an artist at work.

"Well, I didn't know what I would need," he explained. Russ reached past Booth into the bag and pulled out the first weapon his hand landed on.

"FBI agent standard-issue Glock 23," he said, laying it on the table. "And a 27," Booth added, placing a smaller handgun next to the 23.

"And wow! This is an MP5?" Russ asked, impressed.

"I wasn't planning on using it," Booth replied. "I just like knowing it's close at hand."

"Why are you packing a military assault rifle with a long-range scope?"

"M-4. I've owned that one for a long time. I like having it with me," Booth said, shrugging.

"Four guns, ammo, vests…" Russ was taking a verbal inventory.

"Actually I've got another handgun in the glove compartment. I find that, with Bones as my partner, I always need to be prepared to arm her in dangerous situations that come up unexpectedly."

Bones smiled proudly at her brother.

"Honey, I didn't know you carried a weapon when you work with Booth," her father exclaimed.

"Why does she need a weapon when she's examining bones?" Max turned to ask Booth on the same breath.

"I'm a good shot," Brennan stated matter-of-factly.

"That's not the point," Max grumbled, clearly worried about her on the job in a way he never had before.

"She is a good shot, and Bones and I will be quite capable of covering you. Now, if you and Russ are ready to confront Carson, what are we waiting for? There's no time like the present. Let's get going, shall we?"

Andrew Carson's lakeside retreat was really more of a mansion than a cabin. Secluded and set high on a hill overlooking a branch of the main lake, everything about its construction was high-end. The wide circular drive was flagstone slate and the front door was a hand-carved work of art. The structure itself was two stories high with a wing to the west built at right angles to the main body of the house and joined by an ornate breezeway. A fountain flowed in front of the main entrance. Either he had inherited family money or he was heavily supplementing his modest FBI income. Booth suspected the latter.

Booth and the Brennans parked about 500 yards back on the sandy access road, hiding Max's sedan in the underbrush. Although they would have fit better in Booth's SUV, he couldn't stomach subjecting his beloved vehicle to any more marring by the low-hanging trees. Max's old wreck, on the other hand, was so beat up that a few more dents and scratches wouldn't even be noticed.

"Bones, take the 27," Booth instructed, handing her the lighter handgun. Stay back with me and we'll cover the front of the house from either side. Max, you and Russ just go up to the door like neighbors out for a stroll. Be prepared to grab his arms if he tries to run when he recognizes you."

"How do we know he's alone in there?" asked Bones. She had slipped on a bullet-proof vest and was struggling with the straps. Booth stepped up and finished the adjustments for her. She reached up and fastened the loose clips on his shoulders in return.

"We don't," Booth said. "There;" he said, patting her shoulders, " you're all set."

"How reassuring," Max mumbled as he and Russ set off down the path.

"Okay, Bones, check your two-way." Booth was already heading north just inside the tree line, but Bones could hear him clearly. Reaching into her vest pocket she depressed the button and called his name.

"Check. We're good," Booth confirmed over the radio. "Head south along the tree line until you can see the side of the house, then move in as close as you can without being seen."

"Ten-four, good buddy," Bones answered him, perfectly serious. He couldn't help but smile at how much Bones loved a good stake out. He moved quickly and silently into a position where he could see the side of the house, a good portion of the front yard and some of the back yard, a long, grassy slope that ended in the lake. He could also see a side view of Max and Russ walking up the porch steps. He couldn't see Bones, but he assumed she was in a similar position on the other side of the house. Good; he felt like whatever happened he was as ready for it as he could be.

Max was knocking, and Russ was standing back on the steps, watching with his hands crossed in front of him. After what felt like an interminable wait, the door opened outward toward Max, temporarily obscuring Booth's view of him. He moved a few quick steps to his left so Max was back in his line of sight.

The door slammed closed and Booth saw Max and Russ both split in opposite directions. They were running for the back yard. Carson must have been spooked to see them and ran. Booth sprang into action, coming out into the open and running along the edge of the yard so if Carson came his direction, he could cut him off.

The radio in his vest pocket blared to life.

"Booth, Carson just jumped out a first floor window. He's coming my way and he doesn't look like he intends to stop. What should I do?"

"Shoot at the ground in front of him. Don't hit him."

He heard the report of her gun a second later from the other side of the house. Running as fast as he could go, he swung around the chimney into Bones' side of the yard to find her holding Carson at gunpoint, his hands on top of his head. She looked fierce. Russ and Max caught up to them at the same moment. Carson, breathing hard, stood in the center of the circle, looking from one to the next like a cornered animal.

He looked to be a few years younger than Max, with a full head of wavy black hair touched with gray and striking blue eyes. A tall man with a well-toned build, he was indisputably handsome. Booth could imagine him being able to win the confidence of others easily. He was dressed in a dark blue polo shirt and pressed khakis. He turned this way and that, breathing fast, his eyes wide with fear and anger at the same time. It was a good bet that he was a man used to getting his way.

"We just want to go inside and talk," Booth said calmly. He held up his gun to show he'd replaced the safety and slipped it into his pocket. Nodding at Brennan, she quickly followed his lead. After a moment, Carson slowly slipped his hands down off his head.

"Keep your hands on your head," Booth demanded. He moved close enough to frisk him thoroughly. When he was finished, he stepped back, satisfied that the man was unarmed.

"Alright; lower your arms. Don't make any sudden moves. Take us inside."

Sighing and appearing to submit to Booth's demands, Carson began walking slowly toward the house with his four assailants behind. When he got to the junction of the circular drive and the path out to the highway, he suddenly jumped for Bones. He had obviously picked her as the weakest link, and he'd seen her put her hand gun in her pocket. He grabbed her by the neck, pinned her arms and swung her around in front of him. She yelped in surprise and her hands flew up to grab his arms. She coughed and choked when he tightened his grip.

"Let me go or I'll break her neck," he growled. The three men just stood and watched him saying nothing. None of them even reacted to his threat. Booth appeared to be suppressing a smile, which confused and infuriated Carson.

"I mean it, I'll… whoa!"

Bones had just been taking a minute to gain her footing. She bent over, twisted and freed her arms, swung him forward over her shoulder and threw him to the ground in front of her with a loud thud. The air was forced out of Carson's lungs with an audible whooshing sound. Booth was on the ground beside him in less than a second, slapping handcuffs on him while he gasped for breath.

"Now can we have that talk?" Booth asked, grinning. Bones, standing over Carson, glared at him with eyes that could kill. Booth couldn't stop smiling at her. Still gasping for breath and mad as a hornet, she dusted off her jeans and retreated to the front porch of Carson's mansion.

"That's my Tempe," Max murmured.

The inside of Carson's lakeside retreat was lavishly decorated. Booth sat Carson beside him on a cream leather sofa. Bones remained standing, while Max found a comfortable armchair and Russ perched on the arm of a sofa opposite. Carson, recovering from his encounter with Bones, looked genuinely frightened now.

"Bones, you and Russ make sure we're alone." Booth handed Russ his Glock as Bones pulled her hand gun out and held in front of her with both hands, just like Booth had taught her.

"You do know how to use that, right?" He asked Russ.

"Yes," Russ answered, a bit ruffled that Booth would think otherwise. With a nod at his sister, he and Bones went off to secure the rest of the house.

"Carson, I don't want to hurt you, and I'm not going to rat you out, either, but you need to leave me and my family alone. Why would I want to blow your cover? Think about it. I've got a lot to lose, too, if it gets out that I'm Max Keenan and not Matthew Brennan. We're both living different lives now. I'm willing to live and let live if you are."

Max was leaning forward in the armchair, earnestly appealing to the man in handcuffs before him. Carson's cheek was beginning to show the signs of a colorful bruise from his encounter with Tempe. Max concentrated on looking serious even though the thought of what had happened out on the front lawn made him want to burst out laughing.

"You think I'm going to agree to this just so next week you can string me up on a roof like Kirby?" Carson snarled.

"Hey, Max was tried for that and he was proven innocent. Kirby was more likely killed by one of your criminal friends," Booth said.

"Innocent, my ass," Carson spit out. "I know it was you, Max. That's your signature kill."

Booth glanced sharply at Max, a question in his eyes. Max just shook his head helplessly.

"All I want is for my family to be safe. You agree to that, and I'll leave you alone. I swear it."

Carson struggled against the cuffs. "Let me out of these first."

Russ and Bones came back into the room as Booth was unlocking Carson. Bones gave Booth a thumbs-up. The man rubbed his wrists, glared at Bones and stood up in the midst of them.

Russ returned the handgun to Booth. All eyes focused on Andrew Carson, who appeared somewhat calmer. He looked at Max for a long time before speaking.

"I came up here to decide what to do," he said. "After I ran into you last week, I knew you could destroy everything for me. I have a good life now, and I'd do just about anything to keep it that way. But I overreacted. It won't happen again." He glanced at Russ as he spoke, and though he wasn't admitting to anything, it almost sounded like an apology.

"But how do I know you won't turn me in as soon as you get back to town?"

"Because I can't prove anything. It's my word against yours without evidence. I want your word my family and I will be left alone, and I promise you in return that I won't come after you or divulge your true identity."

The veiled threat behind Max's promise was clear: he was not only saying he'd keep his secrets, but that he'd let Andrew Carson keep his life on the condition that he never threaten one of his own again. Russ got it and his eyes widened. Sometimes his Dad scared him, even now.

"I agree. Now please leave," Carson said, walking toward the front door to open it for them. "You have my word," he emphasized for Max's benefit.

Not quite believing it was over, Max and he regarded each other with wary stares as they filed out the door. Booth, ever the FBI agent, covered them all the way to their car, parked in the brush up the narrow lane. When everybody was back in the car and Max was on the way back to the main highway, Booth allowed himself to relax.

"Do you believe he will keep his promise?" Booth asked Max.

"The Andrew Brand I knew didn't put much stock in promises," he answered, "but I think we have him over a barrel. So, yes, I think he'll stick to the agreement. We've shown him a little bit of what we're capable of," Max added, glancing at Tempe.

"We'll see. Let's go home."

To be continued…