Part 10. When The Dealing's Done

This will be an uncertain time for us my love

I can hear the echo of your voice in my head

I can see your face there in my hands my love

I have been blessed by your grace and care

There's a place for us sitting here waiting for the sun

And it calls me back into the safe arms that I know

…Now we're waiting for the sun

From 'Waiting for the Sun', by Powderfinger

Chris stared at the traffic light where he was stopped without seeing it, his mind way ahead of the slow and

frustrating drive back over to the County Hospital. The intermittent swipe of the wiper blades was almost hypnotic as he waited for the signal to change. Beyond the persistent water that seemed to defy gravity as it drizzled in crazed, zig-zagging angles across his windscreen, there was a break in the clouds, which was allowing a runaway beam of sunlight to cut a path down through the bleak sky. It danced down across a tall building to his right and highlighted a group of people, clustered under umbrellas on the street, as they quickly dashed to cross the intersection.

Carefully attired city workers were rushing through another day, none having the luxury of enjoying that solitary ray of light as he was at that moment, seeing it blur and focus through each swipe of the smooth blades. Through his sightless gaze, a peculiar movement caught his eye and he turned his head slightly to see a woman had stumbled as she'd run across the slippery walkway. To his surprise, he saw her face come up, as if somehow sensing his observation. Through another swish of the glass, as if a lens was sharpened before his vision, he saw pale, flushed skin framed in a light cascade of auburn hair, the vision quickly absorbed by his now hawkishly observant eyes.

Taking in every detail, he found himself leaning forward without conscious thought, for suddenly he found that he did not want to lose that vision. Yet as the rain again gathered on the glass before him, the image that was reflected in the green depths of his eyes was that of another woman; One with lighter hair, a laughing smile… Before yet another violent swipe over the glass sent the short-lived water scattering apart once more and allowed reality to intrude rudely, accompanied with the blaring of a horn from behind him.

The loud noise was reinforced by an impatient shout and he flicked his eyes back to the now green light, shaking off the melancholy, which had pervaded his thoughts so swiftly. That was all it took; one image, one sound, one scent of perfume - triggers all for the dark pain to reel him into its clutches once again, forever at its mercy it seemed. His foot came down on the accelerator and the back end of the classic Mustang slid sideways, purposefully spinning too rapidly for traction on the oil and rain-slick ground. The car responded instantly to the heavy foot of the driver, the power of its engine unleashed in the moment of anguish.

Chris blinked once as he sailed through the lights, trying to clear the persistent water from his vision, his own eyes fighting against the ever-present downpour that threatened from within to drown him, should he allow it even a moment's reign. Sweet God, he missed her still…

It took a few moments as he drove on to register the sound of his cell phone ringing, the shrill noise finally

penetrating the thick cloud of hopelessness that had filled the space around him as he grabbed it off the seat. His voice could not hide the raw emotion he was feeling as he left the beam of sunlight well behind for a more deserving soul to embrace.

"Larabee."

"Chris?"

There was concern in Josiah's voice in response to the rough greeting.

"Josiah, what do you know?"

Josiah heard the command to leave him be and knew Chris well enough to know not to push him. "Good news."

Chris saw the hospital coming up ahead and swung the car into the drive entrance with one hand, wincing as the movement pulled at the tear in his skin, where the bullet had grazed his arm the night before. "Could use some."

"The lab still holding back the results?"

His lip curled in anger. In spite of all of the technology afforded to modern man, the lab had been unable to give him the answers they needed and he'd wasted his time pushing them. He had gotten the distinct impression that the lab technician was holding out on him and it had pissed him off to no end. He'd left, promising the beady-eyed man in the lab coat that he'd be back to feed him the results personally if he found out he wasn't being level with him.

"Whatever they've found, they're not telling me. Under who's authority they've made that decision is what I plan to find out. Even the forensics' guys are holding back." He eyed a free space up ahead and told Josiah to hang on while he dropped the phone onto the seat to down change gears and navigate the coupe in head first with practised ease.

"You think the local police are keeping them quiet?" Josiah asked when Chris again picked up the phone. The ex-preacher was frowning at that. The more he was hearing, the more he was not liking the scenario being painted of the local police department.

"Don't know Josiah, but something's not right here. First Tanner turns up beaten all to hell and now we can't get the real story out of anyone involved. Someone had better start talking soon."

"Maybe this will help. The girl's friend retracted her former statement an hour ago. She's now stating that her friend, McBride, willingly got on the motorcycle with the bikers. In fact, she admitted that they met some of the men a few nights before. She also said that McBride had been seeking them out, that she'd always thought that they were `cool', as she put it."

Chris paused with his hand on the door, his other hand holding the phone tight. "Why would she change her story like that?" Had somebody gotten to her?

"I have no idea."

"Is she willing to identify the men McBride left with that night?"

"She isn't too happy about it, but she'll do it."

Chris stretched his lean frame from the car. Finally, some good news. It didn't omit the fact that it was Vin she was found with, unconscious, but it did serve to discredit her, as tough as that seemed.

"What about McBride, has she woken up yet? Now that we can rule out kidnapping, do we know for a fact whether she was actually assaulted?"

"We've been trying to get to her, but the doctors have kept us away. Something strange though - Nathan said he just saw Chief Levitz coming out of her room, talking with a doctor."

Chris walked on, glaring at nothing in particular. Levitz had been the first on the scene at the hotel. "How the hell did he get in there? Doesn't this guy have paperwork or something?" It was strange behaviour for a Chief of Police.

Josiah shrugged. "I don't know. No-one was supposed to have access to the patient until the doctors cleared it, which they still officially haven't."

"There's something wrong here, Josiah. Find out what Levitz knows and find out now. He's running this town like it's his own private country and he's been doing it for a long time." Another thought occurred to him. "And see if you can find out where he went."

"I'm on it. Are you heading back here?"

"I'm at County now meeting up with Buck, I'll wait for your call."

"Alright, I'll be in touch as soon as I find something out."

Chris hung up and entered the building, pocketing his phone as he headed straight for the stairwell, not bothering to wait for the elevator. Something was wrong with the law in this city, but now that he was a part of it, he wasn't about to let it go on.

..

Vin felt the pressure weighing on his chest and finally his ingrained sense of calm snapped. Whatever the

consequences, he wasn't going to lay there and be beaten again by this power-hungry bastard, not while he was still breathing enough to fight back. His free arm came up and he felt the needle of his IV shift within his skin as he put a hand up to Levitz's throat to ward off his attack.

"You son of a bitch," the Chief growled, not expecting his victim to fight back and moving one of his own hands up to pry Vin's fingers loose as he pushed down harder still on his chest.

Vin growled louder this time in renewed pain and felt his fingers being pulled back strongly from Levitz's throat. He didn't have the strength to fight him, but knowing that made him fight all the harder still. As his free hand was pinned down, he had nothing left to defend himself with and Levitz shifted his crushing weight from his chest higher up to his neck, applying instant and unyielding pressure to his already damaged throat.

"You think you have the power to win against me? You're just one more criminal to get off the streets. I'll lock you away like you should be, you can count on that."

Vin continued to fight the hand at his throat as Levitz went on. "You bastards think you're invincible because you stick together, but where are your friends now? They threw you to me like a piece of meat... Get you alone and you're all weak. You got no friends in this city son, best you just ride away. You say anything about what happened and I'll make sure you don't make the next sunrise, you understand me?"

Vin still struggled to get his hand free, to pry the unyielding fingers from his throat, but every move sent pain through his chest and down to his bullet-torn side. His head was getting light, the room seeming to dim even more as he listened to the words being thrown at him from the bitter man. The knowledge that the club had turned him in coming from this man was a shock.

Still, he grated out in a rough voice, "Wanna try this – when I ain't - tied down?"

Levitz heard the strangled words and his eyes narrowed to Vin's face. Vin felt the pressure increase on his throat and realised that he was about to lose the battle to stay conscious.

"You're new to this town, so I'll give you this last warning. You're club doesn't want you here. I've read your file and I don't want you here. You stay and I will make you're life a living hell."

Vin almost smiled through his pain, silently dismissing the useless threat. Hell held no fear for him - he'd been visiting there for years. If only they knew the truth about who he was, Levitz would probably follow through and just snap his neck then and there.

..

Chris came up out of the stairwell minutes later and immediately ran into an anxious JD, who was pulling along a scowling Buck.

JD was surprised but relieved to see his Captain. He'd had a hard time convincing Buck to come back to the floor with him when he'd found him in the cafeteria. He looked up the hall towards the uniformed officer standing outside Vin's closed door and then back at the demand for an explanation on Chris's face. Buck took in the closed expression of his oldest friend and sensed impatience as JD spoke.

"The Police Chief is in there with him. He came in and ordered me to leave the room –"

Chris's face was still hard, all the more unnerving in its deceptive calm. He switched his eyes to Buck and Buck realised he'd been mistaken. Not just impatience, there was definite anger there. Chris's voice was always controlled, but Buck heard the threat in his tone. "I'm going to find out what the hell is going on in there, then you and I are going to talk."

JD watched the equally hard looks exchanged across the short space and swallowed. What the hell was going on here? One thing he knew, he was glad that Larabee's anger was directed at Buck, not himself.

Without a backward glance, Larabee stormed off to the closed room and was stopped by the officer at the door.

"I can't let you in here, Sir."

Chris took out his wallet and flipped it open in the officer's face. "Larabee, ATF. Move, before you realise what you've gotten yourself into."

Young and cowered by the sheer force radiating from the ATF Agent, Officer Newton stood his ground none the less. After all, an angry Levitz was no picnic either.

"I'm sorry, Captain, I have orders to let no-one enter."

Chris didn't bother to keep his voice low as he told the Officer what he could do with his orders as he shoved past him.

..

Just as Vin began to think that Levitz did not have enough control to stop what he was doing, he heard a raised voice from the door before it swung open a second later. Instantly the pressure was lifted from his throat as Levitz moved quickly back and away from the bed, consciously blocking him from view from whoever had entered.

He panted in exertion, his breathing strained as he eyed Levitz wearily, yet defiantly, not sure what, or who, had caused him to back off so suddenly as he struggled to see past him. Blinking his blurred vision back into focus, he followed the retreating man with cold, steady eyes, seeing the warning being given to him as he watched him turn toward the door, presenting him with his back. He brought his free hand up to rub at the burning flesh around his neck as he waited, taking the moment's respite to fill his lungs and prepare himself for the next battle.

..

Chris stood in the open doorway of Vin Tanners room and felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. He narrowed his eyes at the police Chief, who had turned to face him, panting slightly as if winded.

"Ah, Captain Larabee. You're just in time, the prisoner was just foolishly trying to attack me..."

Chris was fully aware that the Chief had intentionally positioned himself to block the view to the bed. His soft words were mocking. "Attack you?"

The Chief tried to shrug it off and gave a slight smile. "My own fault, I'm afraid I got too close. You have to watch these men every second you're in the same room, they'll stab you right in the back if you give them half a chance." He tried to change tack, unprepared for the intense scrutiny Larabee was giving him. "I had wondered when we might meet in person."

Chris flicked a glance at the hand that was suddenly proffered, eyeing it a moment before putting out his own and looking to the grey, closely set eyes as they greeted each other in the official manner of the western world. Levitz was trying to unbalance him. He might as well have tried to upend a battleship by rocking it.

"Chief Levitz." Merely a stated fact, there was no warmth there. Chris didn't like the man. It wasn't a snap judgement. He just felt, in every pore of his skin as their palms made contact, that he was not to be trusted. He retracted his hand a mite too early for what was considered politely acceptable and hooked a thumb through his belt, one hip angled slightly forward and looking for all the world like a gunfighter ready to act. "What exactly brings you here?"

Levitz frowned, not liking Larabee's attitude and let his own hand drop, aware he'd been slighted, though only just.

He waved a hand at the bed behind him. "I was just about to let the prisoner know that he is being cleared of the charges made against him. I came to release him... and in reward he went for my throat like a wild animal."

He rubbed his neck for emphasis and Chris could indeed see the redness beneath his pale hand, but his mind was caught on the words he had spoken. Released? His brow went up in response and he looked back at Buck. This was news to him and he'd been working on it all morning. It confirmed that his investigation had indeed been hampered - and under this man's order.

Vin listened to the exchange, still not able to see past the large man's frame to who he knew now was Larabee. He let a dry chuckle slip through his raw throat and spoke for the first time since Chris had entered. "Seems ta me, ya got things all back ta front there, Chief…"

Chris waited no longer, stepping around the scowling Levitz and finally seeing Vin sitting up as best he could on the bed. Buck and JD followed his lead and moved further into the room, also seeing what Chris saw. Vin's neck was a burning red beneath his pale fingers and there was blood seeping through the bandage of his restrained wrist. He was clearly in pain and breathing hard – and his eyes could only be described as dangerous, despite the low laugh he had delivered with his mocking tone. They had walked into something unpleasant, that much was obvious.

Chris met Vin's blue glint and his face darkened as he took in the shallow breathing of his latest recruit. At that moment, he didn't know who was more pissed off, but he was the one standing, so he would deal with Levitz.

He listened as the tall man turned on Vin in response to his words.

"You shut your mouth, no-one's talking to you." He glanced at Larabee. "I was about to take that cuff off him when you entered. Maybe that wasn't the wisest decision, he's clearly out of control."

"Was that gonna happen before of after ya choked the life outta me?"

The angled, sharp face grew venomous and Vin automatically braced himself for another attack. He could see it was hard for the older man to keep a hold of his anger as he purposefully taunted him, but his own anger was crawling along the surface of his skin. He was a heartbeat away from reaching out and striking the man any way he could. First the bastard had come in, threatening him violently, and then he puts on a victimised act for Larabee. He had to think that this was something the man had gotten away with in the past. Just how many people had Levitz abused when he thought there was no-one around to judge him? Clearly, he realised, the Chief had never considered that a man might blatantly ignore his open threats. To Levitz,

anyone defying his warnings was committing suicide, yet little did he know who this prisoner really was. This time, he'd threatened the wrong man. He was messing with a government agent and only that alone kept Vin from losing his cool right then and there. The knowledge that as sure as the man was a corrupt, self-serving bastard, he was going to see that he was taken far away from the position of power he was bent on abusing, but that meant that for now, he had to play the game. He just hoped Larabee was thinking in kind.

"Don't sass me you worthless prick. You might be off the hook, but it's only a matter of time before you slip up for good. Your kind always does," he added with derision.

Vin's eyes became so hard that JD actually held his breath, the promise of vengeance strikingly clear in their icy depths. "An' what kind's worse than one that takes ta pickin' on a defenceless man? Or the kind that pretends they're somethin' they got no right ta be?"

Chris studied the interchange between the men, interested in seeing how the Chief would react. He was livid, that much was obvious and he was ready to intervene, physically if need be, but he was giving the Chief his rope. It was important that Vin's cover remain intact.

Not disappointing the captain beside him, Levitz practically snarled as he stepped further forward to the Texan's side. He had warned this man only minutes before what he'd do if he crossed him, yet he seemed bent on defying him, as if he had nothing to fear. This realisation should have given him pause, yet his arrogance was ruling his actions. "You arrogant son of a –"

Chris had seen enough and stepped forward to stop the advance. As he moved he took the key that Levitz had yet to make use of, still held in the older man's fingers. "I'll think I'll take it from here." He moved and unlocked the restraint quickly, putting it on the bedside table as Vin moved his hand up to a different position, wincing with the pain of new movement to a long immobile limb. "Agent Dunne, get a nurse to come in here."

Levitz turned on Chris, both angered and incredulous. "You overstep yourself, Captain."

Chris let amusement touch his eyes, infuriating Levitz. He leant back against the wall by the bed, arms folded now across his chest, giving the man his lead while JD left the room. "How so, Chief?"

A creeping flush of red reached the older man's neck, a clear sign his rage was threatening to overcome his control as he snarled at the ATF upstart. "Who the hell do you think you are? I've been heading up this town longer than you've been allowed to drive. You don't understand how it works here, boy."

The corner of Chris's mouth kicked up higher. "I think I'm beginning to get a fair idea."

Outraged even further, Levitz leaned towards Chris's apparently casual pose, closing the remaining distance

between them until he was right in his face, his voice a snarled threat.

"You're new to this town, Larabee, and you're new to your post, but I won't tolerate you disrespecting my position."

"And what exactly is your position, Levitz?" He purposely left off his title in kind. "Since when does a police Chief make personal bedside calls? Or raid hotel rooms for that matter?"

Narrowed eyes drew even further together as Levitz reassessed this man he knew by reputation only. He knew Larabee's record with the Marshall's Office, had even considered that he might be a man of his own standing, until now. He was now an enemy, not one he would have chosen to make, but an enemy all the same.

"Don't push me Larabee. You're way over your head here."

It was Vin's turn to watch the exchange with interest. If not before, Larabee now had his complete respect. He had sized the Chief up to a tee and more than that, was not afraid to act on his findings. This was a man who was straight down the line, a trait which Vin admired greatly. He looked away for a moment to find Buck not taking his eyes off Chris's back. He was covering his leader without fault. Whatever else Wilmington was, he was loyal.

Having given his warning, the Chief made to push past Larabee and leave and for a moment, Vin thought the

Captain was going to let him. He was glad when he saw Larabee's arm shoot out to stop him, slamming a hand onto the bedside table and stepping forward surprisingly fast, effectively blocking the Chief's path to the door. He could not see that Levitz's momentary shock had quickly turned to anger as he looked from the arm barring his exit to the cold green gaze directed toward him, however he did see Larabee's expression, and it bore what he was coming to recognise as unveiled disdain. It was as if Levitz were nothing more than an irritation to him, yet there was now definite menace packaged with the clear warning that was shooting from his steady eyes. The room was hushed.

"Chief," Chris began, his tone low, his eyes reinforcing every word as the angry man stared back at him. "I've dealt with men like you before. Men who've been so long in one place, they think they can do whatever they want and get away with it. But I'm here now and I'm not going to go away. Anything to do with the outlaw clubs in this city is now my concern, mine and the DEA's." Seeing Levitz about to speak he cut him off quickly. "I was going to ask for your full cooperation on this…" his lip curled even more, correctly reading the fury building in the affronted man as he tilted his head ever so slightly to the side, "but now I think I'll settle for you staying the hell out of my way." The last words went up like a challenge, daring Levitz to protest.

Levitz growled, fully aware of the other men in the room. "You have no idea what you're dealing with here, Larabee." He nodded towards the bed. "You think you can handle these criminals with kid gloves, you're wrong, they'll walk all over you. You can't let them get any edge on you, they see a weakness they'll be all over you." Levitz shook his head, as if clearing away his shrouding anger, and then a mocking smile touched his face as he shook his head. He spoke his next words prophetically, as if Chris's dire fate was now out of his hands. "You're going to end up on the wrong end of a barrel, Larabee. These men will eat you alive."

Chris took his hand away and stepped back a little, signalling that Levitz should leave. "Just stay out of my way."

With a hard glare, Levitz mounted his own rage and shouldered past him, even though there was plenty enough room to get by. Chris took the shove solidly and held his footing, letting him leave. He knew there would be repercussions from his actions, but he was firm in the knowledge that he could not back down to a man like that. There were territorial wars on both sides of the law, it wasn't the first time he'd come across it and he was positive it would not be his last.

Levitz turned at the door just as it opened, revealing a nurse entering, with JD trailing in behind her. He flicked a derisive glance around the room to the men staring at him silently. "Believe me, when you go down, I don't want to be anywhere near you. Men like you tend to bring down everybody around them, sooner or later."

With that revelation the Chief stormed from the room, only JD seeing the flicker of emotion that chased across Larabee's face as he watched the Chief leave the doorway. The thrown words had cut him harder than he was prepared to face. Behind him, he heard the lazy drawl of the Texan that had already brought such upheaval to the town in only a matter of days.

"Ya know, takin' the goat of a man like that… just might come back ta bite ya."

And then, completely out of the blue, Chris found a grin lighting his face in response to the amusement he'd heard in the voice, even before he turned to see the lazy grin that matched the tone of the words. "Well, I can't give it back now... besides, that prick's got an agenda that needs to be seriously altered."

Vin's grin slipped despite Larabee's confident words. "Still… lockin' horns with the Chief of Police might not be the best way ta climb the ladder in this town."

Chris frowned at that. "I don't give a damn about bureaucratic ass-kissing. A man's actions speak more than his words... and what's with the animal analogies..?" He noticed then the dirty look the old nurse was throwing his way.

Vin grinned at the unexpected question, surprisingly happy to see he had lightened the man's mood and glad to hear he didn't buy into bureaucracy any more than he did. He watched the sharp green eyes take in the signs of the struggle he'd had with the Chief. There was a bruise starting beneath the blood marring the IV needle in his arm, which had shifted and he hoped would now be taken out. He could feel the sheen of sweat lacing his skin and knew his breathing was still too harsh, but Larabee said nothing directly, just nodded towards Buck, who read the message to wait outside for him.

"Why is this patient unrestrained?" the nurse asked, concerned for her safety.

Buck turned back at the aging nurse's question and saw Chris smile slightly to her, eyeing the handcuff left on the table.

"He's been cleared of all charges, Ma'am, he's a free man."

The woman was still obviously hesitant as she stepped closer to Vin, clearly not happy and for the briefest of

moments as he left the room, Buck saw something akin to sadness flicker across the Texan's face. It could not be easy being constantly looked at in that way. He considered the possibility that he'd been too hasty in his judgement of the man, then he smiled as he left the room. Hell, when wasn't he too hasty in his judgement? Sometimes it wasn't always a bad thing, but just sometimes, he was known to be wrong… and he could be sure Chris would never let him get away with it.

Larabee waited patiently by the window while the nurse checked Vin over in silence. There was no reassurance given to her patient, just a clinical assessment of the damage done and short, efficient motions as she carried out her work. She checked all of his vital signs, made notes and removed the IV line. She offered no explanations and Vin asked no questions of her. As she finished and turned to leave, Vin's soft voice shocked her, causing her to jump.

"Thank you, Ma'am."

She turned and met his eye and held it for a moment, only nodding sharply in the face of his sincerity, as if sensing a trap, before scooting from the room. Chris narrowed his eyes on her retreating back.

"So, I'm cleared?"

Chris moved from the window and took the seat beside Vin's bed, turning it deftly and straddling it. "If you can believe Levitz."

"So I'm not cleared..."

Chris shook his head. "I've been trying to get information all day, running into brick walls at every turn. This was news to me. It was all riding on the statement of the girl... and Levitz must have gotten it out of her first."

Vin thought about that, then his face grew hard. This was Sugar's doing, he was sure of it. He was innocent, but he still didn't like the thought of someone like Sugar intimidating a young girl. So much had happened since he'd first met Larabee and his team only hours ago.

"I didn't touch that girl."

It was a long second in Vin's life until Chris let out a slow breath and dipped his head. It was his eyes more than his words that told Vin he believed him. For some reason, that mattered a lot to the younger man.

The Texan gave the smallest of nods in return and there was a moment of silence, both knowing that time was precious and there were things that needed to be discussed.

"Still, you've created a lot of waves around town…"

Vin leant his head back on his pillow and looked up at the ceiling. "How did this get so fucked up?" He asked no-one in particular. "I was just gonna case things out, nothin' more."

"…And so much for that phone call."

A tired sigh preceded the tired voice that answered, speaking in a low tone, conscious of being overheard even with the door closed. Chris wanted the story, wasn't going to leave til he got it.

"I went back, told the boys it wasn't the cops' fault last night... I thought they'd bought it..." He nearly laughed at that. By all indications, the club wanted him dead - the Denver chapter that was, but telling Larabee that meant ending his cover - and that wasn't something he would allow to happen. He could handle his own problems.

"There hasn't been any retaliatory action from the club as yet for the shooting, but it's hitting the press as we speak."

Vin nodded, he'd expected as much. A story like that wouldn't stay hushed for long. "That's not ta say there won't be."

"What the hell happened after you left?"

"After I told the club what happened, I was headed over to the hospital, must've gotten there, don't remember

much… next thing I know I wake up in some motel room, the cops are raidin' the place, they bust into the room I'm in an' find me in the same bed with that girl…" He shook his head, still trying to accept what had happened. "I couldn't get my head `round it; I couldn't even piece together what day it was when the Chief comes in with his boys an'," he pointed one hand to his bruised and cut face, "they arrest me."

Chris shook his head. The bruises and cuts that marred Tanner's face were not the result of a light beating.

"No matter how we play this, this is going to get serious."

Vin was up for it. "That son of a bitch has got to go down. `Bastard looked like he was runnin' on routine last night. He's got his own group a' boys he's familiar with. Hell, I'm surprised he hasn't been pulled up before now by some poor bastard, pullin' stunts like this."

Chris had suspected as much, but now there was no doubting it. The Chief had to be stopped. "If he thought for a second you were a government agent, he'd be in here with flowers and chocolates." He smiled briefly then shook his head thoughtfully. "Or a gun to your head... Your unannounced arrival could just prove worthwhile after all."

"If we can manage to keep my cover under wraps from the other departments. I was hoping you'd see that when you walked in. This might be a great way of nailin' the son of a bitch."

"You could be right... I'm wondering though how he knew where to find the girl last night, and why he went there personally to take care of it?"

"I haven't heard anythin', but I've kinda been outta commission."

"The Doctor you saw at the hospital, do you remember him?"

Vin's brow puckered. "When I came in with the Doc from the club, we saw a guy he called 'Davo', they knew each other well... why?"

Chris thought of the Doctor's name, David Leach. "I spoke with him earlier and he knew a lot more than he let on. I figured he was in with the club."

"An affiliate from the sounds of it. Doc knew he was on duty, that's why we went down there."

Chris nodded, but he had more serious things to discuss. "Why did your club let you take the fall for this? Why haven't they come out with a statement in your defence?"

He watched Vin's reaction closely and didn't like what he saw there – indecision, hesitation, for however brief it was.

"Tell you what," he said before the Texan lied to him. "You tell me what you know as the truth, and we have a chance of working together. You don't trust me right now, I'm pulling you out anyway, no matter what the truth turns out to be."

Vin studied the ATF Captain's serious expression and finally sighed. "Allright," he said after a pause, "but you have to trust me... trust that I'm experienced enough to know what I can an' can't handle."

Chris was thoughtful before nodding. "Alright."

Vin laid his head back again and looked at the roof. "Yer right, they should'a backed me. Back home they would've, but here..." he shrugged slightly, "here it's diff'rent. I'm an outsider all over again. They needed someone to take the fall an' they picked me, cos I'm from outta town." He didn't say it was also because he thought Jake had wanted him taken out of the game; that perhaps they hadn't bought his story at all last night and on top of that, there was someone else who wanted him dead, according to the now dead Decker.

"I thought being in the club gave you the freedom to be a member anywhere in the country, heck, out of the country for that matter."

"It does, just not here. This chapter's out of control, they're runnin' their own ship. The President himself is headin' up here from Texas to sort it out."

Chris was surprised. If the President was risking coming out himself, the situation was serious. "You think you can find out what they're into? After what you've said, it sounds like they're not going to let you in on anything... In fact it sounds like it's not safe for you here on any level."

Vin smiled at that and looked at Chris. "Hell, I ain't safe anywhere... but the Texas boys'll be ridin' in in the next few days fer the funeral, so m'back'll be covered. Once they get here, things'll change. We'll find out what these boys are up to."

He saw that wasn't enough for Larabee and went on to reassure him. "An' there's a few boys I know here already. Even if there wasn't, I got the club Enforcer on m'side, that's more'n enough."

Chris tilted his head. "Isn't he the guy who put you in the hospital the first time round?"

At that Vin gave a wry laugh, looking at it from Chris's perspective. "He's jist doin' his job."

The blonde Captain shook his head at the craziness of the biker world. "And what do you think will happen once the President gets here?"

Vin looked thoughtful. "Don't know fer sure. He might want payback fer losin' his boys, maybe plan somethin' 'round the funeral... he might jist wanna clean out the chapter, put 'em back in their place... guess it depends on what he finds once he gets here... and what resistance he's met with."

Chris looked at the door, time was moving on and he needed to get Travis the proof he wanted so that he could move Vin's paperwork along, although he didn't mention that to the Texan. "I need to confirm what Levitz said about the girl's statment and make sure you're really in the clear, then I'll be back. They told me you'd be in for a few days."

Vin frowned at that news and he suddenly looked restless. "Reckon I'm ready now..."

That brought a smile to Larabee's lips. "Reckon you think you are, but you're not going anywhere yet." His face was serious. "You've taken a hell of a beating, on top of the injuries you already had. You won't do any good to the case if you kill yourself. Your lucky that broken rib didn't punch through your lung."

Vin looked away from the intense green eyes. "Don't plan on dyin'... just don't like hospitals is all. Never thought I'd be in one again so soon. Things've been movin'a lot faster up here then I've gotten m'self used to," he admitted.

"You looking forward to getting back?"

Vin sensed there was more to Chris's question, remembered the mention of a job offer the night before, but didn't interrupt.

"From what I hear, your Captain isn't about to let you get back on the case you were on."

Vin swore. "Lomely'll come round, he just needed to let things cool off fer a while an' Walters' was ridin' his back. It's the same ol' story, everyone wants somethin' done, but no-ones prepared ta put up the risk."

"Except you."

Vin's eyes levelled at Chris, although he didn't find any condescension there. They'd gone over this last night.

"I told ya before, I'm prepared to do whatever it takes."

"The question I want to know is why."

The Texan looked away, and it was all Chris needed to see to know that he was hiding something. Standing up, he walked to the window. There was no sunshine to be seen now, just the dismal, black sky hovering over the city, with an underlying rumble of thunder starting to make its way over the cluttered land.

"I'm going to be straight with you, Vin. When I signed on to head up my team, I was prepared to find men who had what it will take to put an end to the clubs operations in this state. So far, I think I've accrued a good side. I'm committed to this outfit and I've got a lot on the line." He shook his head as he turned back and looked at Vin directly.

"But this isn't personal for me."

Still, Vin didn't speak and seeing he wasn't going to, Chris again looked out the window. "You want to take the club down, you want to take Levitz down, that's a tall order for any one man. The way I see this, if you want to stay on this case and not lose everything you've worked for, there's only one way it's going to happen, but you've got to be straight with me. I need to know what's in your hand before I agree to play the next round with you."

Vin was confused, not sure what the man wanted from him. He waited as the Captain turned toward him again, just as his phone starting ringing and he watched him pull it from his pocket. Just before answering the call he gave him a half smile and dropped his bombshell.

"I want some straight answers before I convince you to join my team."