Part 22. The Long Way Home
"They're here."
Billy looked up at Jake, knowing who he was talking about. "Bring him in." Everything had gone wrong tonight. Eddie had somehow escaped their net and was now unaccounted for and he had just been told that the guards had fallen under the attack of the cops at the facility. The only upside to the situation was that the cops would never find out about their underground operation and he had instructed his men waiting across town to move their haul asap while the heat was all focused on the dummy shipment. But now he had something else to deal with.
The door opened and his boys dragged in two defiant, roughed-up men. Billy moved around his desk, happy to have a focus for his frustrations in light of everything that wasn't going his way. He looked Mitri Vlahov over first, seeing the anger in the proud man's eyes, but sensing the fear too. Then he turned to the second man, a question in his eyes, which one of the guards promptly answered.
"We found him at Mitri's house."
"Is that so... were you in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or are you better friends with Mitri than I hope you are."
Ezra said nothing, keeping his face blank as he looked back at the club president. It had been a mistake defying Chris's orders and going to Vlahov, but he'd known that the man was in grave danger and considered him to be a more valuable asset alive than dead. He just hoped now that he lived to regret his rash decision to disobey Larabee, again. This time, he knew his boss wasn't going to let it slide, his position with the ATF was over.
"Well, I hope he didn't promise you a long career in the nightclub business. Find Sugar," he ordered Jake. He knew that if Eddie spoke to anyone, it would be Sugar. The key to taking down Eddie and fulfilling his grand plan of becoming president himself could well lie in the man they called Sugar-Ray and the man had only one vice that he knew of, although he knew the man would never admit to it. Turner. He wondered if Sugar knew about Turner's past with the marines, perhaps that's why he always kept the kid close.
..
By the time the rumble of the blast had echoed out through the city and metal shavings had stopped littering the ground, long minutes had gone by. Yet even though the flaming debris had stopped falling around them Chris Larabee still felt no compulsion to move from where he lay on the ground, face down to avoid injury. It was not so much that the ATF leader - commander of men and former special forces soldier – couldn't get up, for aside from a little unexpected tanning from the blast, he was physically unharmed. It was more the fact that if he did move, it would only be to start more violence - and he was sure that wasn't a good thing.
Seeing his old friend not moving Buck got up first, dusting himself off and staring with awe toward the flaming wreck of the truck as the place roared back to life with a flurry of running agents. He glanced at Chris again, Chris who was too still, and after a moment's pause, took a conscious step back toward the truck, knowing suddenly and without a doubt that the flaming wreck represented the lesser evil.
JD, poor soul, had his mouth running before his body could catch up.
"Jesus Buck, look what you did!"
Buck whirled. "What I did?! Kid you got about as much grace as a hippo on land. You nearly killed us all! What if the area hadn't been evacuated!"
Chris decided that he couldn't hold himself back forever and finally moved.
To JD's eyes, his Captain rose off the ground like the terminator in the third act, after Sarah Conner had well and truly crushed it's legs out from under it and it still kept coming at her. He had a look about him that defied the natural boundaries of anger. He was, quite simply, terrifying.
Chris's eyes were indeed blazing lasers of raw fury. So far, only Murphy knew what had happened, but it wouldn't take long. The boys in the department would work it out and then there would be hell to pay. Every time someone thought about their team it would be to remember this event. Down the long corridors of the building, whispers would emerge from hands held to smirking lips, laughing about how Larabee's boys had managed to stop a truck being blown up, only to blow it up themselves.
Just then, Captain Thomas appeared beside them, taking in the stand off between the three men and pausing a moment, before moving off to see if anyone needed help. He had seen what had happened and wanted to get in first.
"You ATF boys bring the steaks too, or do you just like to get the fire started?"
Buck grimaced, for the first time sorry about what he had done. They were a new team and this was going to stick. He looked down, avoiding Chris's eyes; Chris who had been shooting for professional, respectable, as a label for his team and now they were going to be renowned for something way off the target. And it was his fault.
So when he did finally look back up and saw that his friend's hand was climbing up toward his holster Buck moved, grabbing JD and dragging him with him as an afterthought – and he kept moving until he was well out of Chris's line of fire, which was saying something given the guys skill with a gun.
..
Ivan had managed to get Vin inside the building only minutes before the truck blew. Luckily, they were safe inside the massively thick, concrete walls. Vin had come around again when he had placed him down beside Cheese, which was a good thing because he didn't think he could carry them both. It was then that Vin noticed Rizzo and closed his eyes at the sight of his dead eyes still staring at the ceiling. He felt Ivan place a hand on his shoulder and then a moment later the big man was making noises of such anguish and shock that Vin's hand went for his gun before he could think about it.
"What-"
"No! God no!"
He followed Ivan's gaze back to the ground and to Cheese and then quickly realised the problem. There wasn't an inch of the man that wasn't riddled with bullet holes and blood. Unable to stop himself he looked at Cheese's face and saw that it, too, had not escaped the bullets. His remaining eye was still open and Vin could see that his expression was devoid of any emotion. For some reason, he expected there to be a protest on the fair-skinned face, as if his eye should have captured his last moments as some supposed they do, but there was nothing there to tell them the tale or his gruesome exit.
"Ivan," he said slowly, his voice cracking as he watched his friend bend down to shake Cheese. He waited a moment and when the man didn't answer he spoke again. " Ivan..."
Ivan looked up at the emotion in Vin's tone, but he could only shake his head, at a loss as to what to say to the heartbroken man. And then he could only close his eyes to the sight of the big man gathering Cheese's lifeless body and hugging him close to his chest, pausing for a moment as his anguish gathered itself for release.
Vin fixed his eyes on the disturbing angle of Cheese's leg, uncomfortable with the raw emotion pouring out of Ivan and yet more uncomfortable still with his own grief. Yet he was too adept at self-preservation to sit idle in the face of such a tragedy. He straightened up as best he could.
"We have to go," he said suddenly, new resolve in his tone. He knew how hard it would be for Ivan to leave Cheese behind but they had to move on or their fates would be no better. He had not fully processed the deaths of the three men but his survival instinct was now kicking in harder than ever and he rode with it, needing to focus on getting the hell out of there before someone aimed more bullets their way.
"He wis alive... When ah left, he wis alive... Who would..."
Vin knew the successive levels of reaction that death brings all too well, but he also knew they simply didn't have time to let Ivan's emotions run their course.
"Who did this?" Ivan whispered, looking at Vin in despair. "He wisnae like this when ah left im."
Vin looked at Ivan's now blood soaked shirt, shaking his head silently. The cops hadn't entered the building, so the bullet had to have come from someone on the inside. Ivan's face was gathering fury, his thoughts obviously on the same track as Vin's and Vin realised he wouldn't have to hurry Ivan to the next stage of grief after all, he'd flown through denial all by himself and would soon be a raging torrent of anger, looking for someone to take his vengeance out on. Suddenly the man was on his feet, pulling him from the ground.
"I want some fuckin' answers."
Vin had to work hard to follow Ivan's determined steps, but at least they were on the move. He couldn't think about Bruce, or Rizzo, or poor undeserving Cheese, he just had to keep moving, but as much as he denied the thoughts, images of the men still plagued his vision.
They headed back down the long tunnel they had entered through earlier, coming back to the hub of activity once more and stopping to get their bearings. As he looked around carefully, Vin imagined the mass panic that would ensue once Larabee got the teams co-ordinated to seize the place. He pictured the place overrun with agents and men all scrambling to get away. Then he noticed what he had been looking for – the security centre up against the rear wall.
With the resolve of a man long used to letting his determination guide him he let his arm drop from his battered ribs and pushed the pounding ache in his head aside, moving forward with a definite limp toward his new target. He headed toward the two men manning the bank of security monitors, wanting to know how far their view extended outside the building and what they had seen.
"Jesus!" One of the men, wearing a tattered cowboy-style hat that looked totally out of place, exclaimed, looking at them as they approached. "What the hell's going on out there?!" He took in Vin's battered face and noticed the heavy limp in his walk, the blood coating the other massive biker's hands and clothes.
Vin heard the man in the ugly hat but did not stop until he'd moved around behind the desk, looking at the black and white screens. They were all showing the interior of the building, save for one monitor, which flicked around the perimeter, the agents all out of range of its sights for the moment.
Relieved that no-one could see the agents gathering together and hence had not seen him talking with them he looked up at the guards, effecting an air of anger. "So much fer yer security team."
Ivan looked at Vin, realising he was looking for someone to take his anger out on too. But then he himself realised how much the guards were to blame. They had been in charge of the operation and they had failed to see to their safety. Rizzo's words came back to him. 'They shoved me out there.'
But Vin had a higher agenda than looking for someone to blame. Although he wanted to know who had taken out Cheese, he needed to give Larabee and the men that were sent in as much advantage as he could. Taking away the monitors would certainly help get them inside.
"Who's in charge?!" he demanded, resting a hand on one of the screens and leaning forward threateningly.
The guards looked unsure as they eyed each other.
"He's gone for the night," the cowboy spoke to the angry man. The glistening blood that coated his face gave him a dangerous look. That combined with the sight of the massive biker next to him, completely covered in blood, scared the life out of him.
"We couldn't know they'd bring that many men to take one shipment," the other spoke defensively.
Ivan stepped closer to the defiant man. "It's yer fuckin' job tae know! I wanna know who kilt mah friend back thair."
Both men looked at each other in confusion. "We haven't moved from here all night."
Vin could see they were telling the truth, but Ivan lunged for the first one he could get his hands on. "You little
bastard!"
Vin stepped in, trying to stop Ivan from choking the man dead on the spot. "Ivan wait. Wait!"
It took precious seconds to pry Ivan's fingers loose and he finally stepped an inch back from the kid's face.
"What?" he growled, not looking at Vin.
Vin spoke to the two guards. "How do ya record this picture?" He tapped the screen of the monitor that was flashing a distant image of Cheese every ten seconds or so.
"It's digital..."
"Good. I want the footage from this camera here. Make me a copy of the last hour."
"I'll need -"
"Now," Vin's eyes brooked no argument.
The man got up and literally ran from the room, coming back a minute later and shaking his head. "We're out of discs."
Vin nodded to the mp3 player the other guard had hanging from a cord at his neck, seeing the shiny sticker on the casing that said '1.5GB'. "That'll do the job."
All eyes fell to the small device and the guard, realising Vin intended to take his player, looked back up in protest.
"No way man!"
Before Vin could speak Ivan reached forward, not fully understanding why Vin wanted the thing or what it did, but grabbing it with one hand and ripping the cord from the man's neck in one harsh tug. He handed it to the other guard and Vin nodded.
"Hurry up."
With an apologetic look to his friend the man turned and began clicking away at the keyboard as he inserted the device into the USB port at the front of the PC. After a moment Vin saw a progress bar moving across the screen, showing a file being copied.
Ivan was saying nothing, but was impressed that Vin was thinking so clearly and taking action. He would not have thought to check the monitors the way he had to see how Cheese had been killed and even if he had, he wouldn't have a clue how to get the information out of them.
Finally Vin was handed the player and he tucked it into the coin pocket of his jeans as he calmly told the men to move back away from the desk, which they did with a wary look to each other.
"What are you going to -"
Vin took a baton that was clipped to one of the men's belts as he shoved him further back and turned to the monitors, using it to smash the first bank of screens and the computers and external drives that were all sitting just under them. Sparks flew in all directions as the glass shattered and the three men watching all stepped back in surprise. He didn't stop until he had smashed every piece of equipment that was there. All he could hope for was that the data wasn't being sent to a remote location, but at least he hand blinded them.
Finally, breathless from the effort it had taken him, he threw the baton to the ground and pointed a finger at one of the guard's, staring into his wide eyes.
"Now get off yer fuckin' lazy asses once in a while an' use yer own eyes instead'a relyin' on these useless things!" he spat pointing at the smoking, spattering monitors. The smell of wiring and electricity gone awry filled the air. For good measure he yanked the ugly hat off the cowboy and stuck it through the hole he'd made in one of the monitors. "Get out there and see what you can do to clean up!" He shouted at the men, who both took off without another glance back.
Ivan watched Vin get himself under control, fascinated by this unpredictable side to the man. He'd seen what Vin could do in a ring many a time but he'd always considered him one of the more controlled people that he knew.
Mission accomplished, Vin moved on, Ivan behind him but turning to watch the bewildered guards disappear
towards the nearest exit. They could hear the now hatless guard as he spoke to the other.
"Fuckin' crazy bikers."
A wry look came over Ivan's face as he turned back to study Vin as he followed him. The crazy Texan was still fuming.
"Ye finished?" he asked.
Vin walked on, his profile serious. "I ain't even started yet," he replied without taking his eyes off the tunnel ahead. To himself, he allowed the smallest of satisfied smiles. There's a head start for ya, Larabee. Now get in here and get these fuckers while they can't see ya comin'.
..
It took them a long time to reach their bikes once they managed to find the tunnel leading back under the road and by the time they got there Vin was almost dead on his feet. He'd used the last of his energy taking out the monitors and now he felt like he was going to keel over and not be able to get back up. He was still avoiding thinking about the dead men he'd left behind, but he knew it would catch up with him soon enough. The important thing was to be alive long enough to have time to reflect on the night.
Ivan hadn't said a word since they'd entered the tunnel, had just put an arm under Vins' and carried as much of his weight as he could to help him avoid his injured knee. As he helped Vin get on his bike Ivan stopped and his face was grim as he looked down at him. His brow was heavy with thought as he tried to put his words together, but Vin waved him off.
"We gotta get outta here. I've got an idea where we can look at this footage."
Ivan looked at him a moment more and then nodded, looking at the other bikes now sitting abandoned.
"We gotta go," Vin prodded. He knew there was nothing they could do about the bikes and by the time the night was over, they would be impounded. His sole mission at that point was to get himself and Ivan the hell out of there. Clearly someone wanted them all dead and he wasn't about to let them succeed.
Ivan swallowed the thick wad of grief that sat in his throat and finally got on his bike. For once, she started without a whisper of protest.
..
By the time Vin was well on the road back towards the complex, his team had put into action a plan to storm the warehouse from three different points. Amidst the chaos of the bomb detonation all teams had checked in, awaiting the backup of the SWAT teams and Chris had been thankful that no-one had been hurt in the blast. He was also happy to hear that despite the gunshot wounds the explosives team had taken, they were all going to make it. As the co-ordinator of the operation, he could only be thankful for that. Getting men killed under your command was not something anyone wanted to achieve, no matter the overall success of the mission.
Two teams entered through the hatch Vin had informed them of earlier, while another had climbed to the observation tower and entered down the stairwell. Team Seven - the five that were present - had joined the SWAT team and entered through the underground car park via the building across the road. There they had discovered the three abandoned Harley's of Rizzo, Bruce and Cheese.
"Are any of these Vins?" JD asked, in awe of the bikes in a line before him. He touched the tank of Bruce's bike reverently, running his hands back towards the saddlebags.
"No, his was different," Buck said, having followed Vin the night after the DV8 incident. He didn't know much about bikes, but Vin's had been very distinct and he'd had time to look at it as it rode ahead of him in the street lights.
"How cool are these?" JD said softly to Buck, thinking how much he'd love to ride one.
"Pretty cool, if you like catchin' bugs with your teeth," Buck said, giving JD a shove to keep moving forward.
They'd gone through a long tunnel and finally met with the first show of resistance just as reports of other encounters with guards began to come in but overall, it did not prove difficult to take control of the complex and the all clear was given at only 20 minutes after first entry. Clearly, the guards that were left had never expected anyone to make their way underground to discover what was going on, let alone just when they had lost most of their security force and their numbers were too low to defend against attack.
Getting through the hidden panel that led to the main area had been a problem until Josiah had called for the
explosives team to help blow through the concrete. From there they had discovered a workplace in chaos.
Uniformed men had decided to run, rather than fight, but none the less there were shots exchanged and several guards fell under the returned fire.
And then finally, as the guards and various workers were taken away, the realisation of what they had discovered began to filter through to every agent present that morning. As crate after crate was opened and accounted for, long into the early hours of dawn, government agents poured with satisfaction through a massive assortment of weapons and drugs all ready and packaged for distribution to the end market. This was the haul of a lifetime and whilst unofficial at that point, none had doubts it would be the biggest bust in Denver's history. And suddenly, the stigma that had befallen the ATF team only an hour earlier in response to the explosion of the truck was overshadowed by the success of an operation that was a major win for the law by anyone's measure. For that, Buck was eternally grateful, for he probably would have had to leave the state otherwise.
..
Around the time that Chris Larabee gave the order for his team to head home, leaving the DEA to oversee the wrap up of the operation, Sugar was grimly eyeing Billy's office door as he knocked and a moment later was bid by Billy himself to enter from within.
As he pushed the thick wooden door open he didn't expect an arm to suddenly place itself right beside his head and he stopped as he turned to find Jake right behind him, assisting him to enter with a smile that he did not like.
"Goin' my way?" Jake asked him politely.
"Seems that way," Sugar answered, feeling something decidedly unfriendly coming from Jake's too-smug smile.
"I was just upstairs lookin' for you..."
Sugar frowned at that. Had Jake seen him in Suzy's room?
"And now you've found me." They held each others narrowed eyes for a heartbeat longer before Jake pressed his weight onto the door.
"Lucky for me. Let's share the joy with Billy."
Sugars scowl lingered as Jake pushed the door open and he was forced to enter, with Jake right behind him. They found Billy in a state of rage, holding his phone in his hand as a voice relayed obviously distressing news to him.
As he listened to Jake, not knowing what the conversation was about, Sugar took in the two beaten men bound to chairs against the rear wall of the large office. "What's this about?" he asked Jake who merely grinned.
"Loyalty."
Sugar looked the two men over more closely with little concern. This part of the club had long ceased to bother him. However, it was for Eddie that he 'enforced' the clubs rules, not Billy. He wasn't about to exact punishment on men just because Billy wanted him to, his job was to watch out for the code of the club, not serve as Billy's personal henchman. He would have to have good reason for him to carry out his work on them. He could see the blood and bruises on their faces. The older, darker man did not look his way, but the younger man was staring back at him intently, his eyes sharp and clear. Then he was distracted from further thought by Billy's suddenly enraged voice.
"There's no possible way that could happen! God damn you to hell Bale, if you've lost everything then your life isn't going to be worth shit! You told me your men could handle it - no, you fucking guaranteed it! If they've gone ahead and done what you guaranteed would never happen then you're going to pay for this with your own flesh, you hear me?! What about my man, did he make it out?"
Listening, Ezra could well imagine the man on the other end of the line blanching at that threat. He had had no choice but to sit in the chair to which he was tied, and listen as the crazy President of the bikers had become more and more enraged. He was not sure of the details of what had happened or what exactly had been breached and lost, but from where he sat, which wasn't the most comfortable of places, it sounded like a victory for his team. He thought then of how pissed Larabee was going to be when he found out what he'd done. He had never imagined he would be caught like this and now could only hope he found a way out of the situation. Facing Larabee's wrath right then, however, seemed preferable to being where he was.
"I'll be in touch," Billy said after listening to whatever Bale had had to say in response. He slammed the phone down and for a long minute he merely stood there, staring at nothing. It was then that Ezra realised there was something else in his face besides fury. Fear. Fear that his world was starting to fall apart. And a scared man was a dangerous one, that was something he knew beyond doubt.
Sugar stood near the doorway until Jake moved, heading closer to Billy once his knuckles had lost their white gleam. Even Jake knew, however, not to ask Billy what was up until he was ready to let them know.
"It's gone to hell," the president started, shaking his head in disbelief as he spoke to his second in command. "Bale says they've gone through everything, they've taken down the whole operation..." his voice was deceptively low as he looked at Jake, seeking answers, seeking control. "How could they have found it? I can't even find it when I go there - and I know it's there!" He took what seemed to be a calming breath - and then snapped, again. "HOW THE FUCK DID THEY FIND IT?!"
Sugar blinked in the aftermath of Billy's roar and this smallest of actions somehow triggered Billy to remember he was in the room. He turned sharply and pointed a finger at him in accusation. "Where the hell have you been?"
Sugar frowned, clearly startled by the change in topic, but his voice remained calm, which he knew was important when dealing with such a volatile man. "Not talking to the cops if that's what you're about to accuse me of. I don't even know what the hell this place is you're talking about." And he didn't, although he knew he should if Billy had been honest in telling the rest of the chapters about his goings on, but this wasn't the time to go down that path. "Why, what's happened?"
Billy swore, moving around the room now, thinking, worrying.
"Is Turner back yet?" He asked Jake, and not for the first time.
"No."
Sugar's eyes narrowed and Ezra, too, paid particular attention.
"Back from where?"
But Billy ignored him, speaking to Jake. "He should be back by now. Send some riders out to see if he got into trouble on the way."
"Alright." Jake turned and stuck his head out the door to relay the order before returning.
"What did you send him into?" Sugar asked now, his anger rising. He hadn't known anything about Turner going anywhere.
"Relax, you can ask him himself when he gets here," Billy said, not trying to placate but rather provoke Sugar with his ambiguous response. He didn't blame Turner for what had happened, they had underestimated the scale of force the Fed's would bring, and severely underestimated their own strength. Turner was lucky to have made it out at all. But at least he'd managed to succeed in driving him back alone. Now he would have no-one, and he would want their help to get revenge, just as they'd planned. Not only that, he was going to use him to make sure Sugar came on board in his effort to shake Eddie out of hiding.
The phone rang into a tense silence and Billy picked it up, wanting any form of good news, but that wasn't to be. The other men in the room watched on in silence as the club leader put a hand to his face, covering his eyes a moment as he struggled to deal with whatever the latest development was. After a tense minute he finally spoke, his words a soft whisper. "It's not your fault, it should have been moved days ago. Get Bale in here. Now."
Only Bale had the hard proof that Billy was behind the operation. He would need to be silenced. Messy, that's what this was. Things were starting to get away from him, but he was in no rush to admit that.
Jake waited as Billy hung up and finally looked up at him, tapping an unlit cigarette on the desk.
"They seized the truck."
Jakes eyebrows shot up. "How did they find it?"
Billy just shook his head, but he got up, coming around his desk and focusing on the two men in the chairs. He went first to Mitri and raised his bloodied chin up until their eyes met. He studied him for a moment in concentration.
"What do you know about the warehouse? Who did you talk to?" As far as he'd known, Vlahov had only known that it was a transfer point for their trucks, but perhaps he had found out more than he'd thought. Perhaps he had told the cops where to find their operation.
"I told them nothing," Mitri said, anger and frustration showing in his face. He had known they would come after him, he just hadn't expected it to happen before he'd had a chance to get away and Ezra had been caught right along with him when the man had come to warn him he was in trouble.
Billy dropped his hand and took a step back, nodding toward Sugar. "We'll see soon enough what you did or didn't know." He moved to stand before Ezra and the beaten man looked up into calculating, dark eyes.
"This is Sugar. Once you are properly introduced he will leave a permanent impression on you, that I can
guarantee."
Ezra looked at the massive man again, then back at Billy, his expression reflecting an almost bored air of
indifference, although inside his bravado ended. He was in real trouble here and the only hope he had now of getting out of this alive most likely lay with Tanner getting back in one piece himself.
Seeing his threat had little effect Billy smirked, he knew that expression would change soon enough.
"I want to know how you found out and I want to know how the fuck the cops knew how to get under my facility..."
There was a knock at the door and Jake opened it to reveal one of the guards outside.
"What?" he said bluntly.
"Turner's just come through the first checkpoint out of the city."
"Alone?"
"No."
Billy swore. Again Bale had failed. "How many?"
"Just the Scottish guy."
Billy's face was grim. "He'll have to pass the roadhouse."
Jakes eyes narrowed as he followed the line of thinking, then he got it. "Royal."
Billy gave a short nod and Jake smiled, going for the phone.
Ezra watched all of this going down with increasing alarm. The president was watching what he said and did in front of his own men who entered the room, but was not concerned about him or Mitri. He knew what that meant, but what he didn't know for once in his life, was how he was going to get himself out of the very bad situation.
Sugar's scowl turned on Billy but the man's own face was unreadable. He didn't know what the hell was going on and it was pissing him off to no end.
"You plannin' on fillin' me in? What's going on with Vin?"
"Relax. He'll be here soon enough, you can ask him yourself."
Sugar's scowl only deepened.