JD squirmed in his seat as he listened to the local news that evening. The story that a local law enforcement officer remained hospitalized in critical condition was unnerving, even though he knew Ezra was perfectly fine. The reporter repeated that no names were being released at this time pending notification of family, and details were being withheld. Still, JD knew the people responsible would know Ezra had survived and would likely be making another attempt. He was determined to do his bit in making sure the effort failed, and was keeping an eagle eye on the half dozen security monitors tracking anyone who got even close to Ezra's room.

The brief brainstorming session they'd had to set up this operation resulted in no definitive answers, but a few pretty strong hunches being voiced. They all reluctantly agreed that Ezra was right when he said from the beginning that it had to be William. Nothing else made sense at this time. And they all agreed this was definitely a contract of some kind, but why would more than one would-be killer taking up the challenge?

What they found most confusing was how amateurish the actions had been. The parking lot shooting was foolhardy, and the perps had been damned lucky to get away. If Chris and Ezra had left a few minutes earlier, there would have been other agents on hand, and a clean getaway would have been unlikely. Likewise, the phony suicide was poorly thought out. Even though someone did manage to get past the agents on watch, the job was botched. The fact there was a sizable bump on the back of Ezra's head from being knocked out would have dispelled any finding of suicide, not that the fact was of any comfort to the team.

Amateurs made situations like this one much harder to deal with. Pros had their own code of honour, warped though that may seem. As a rule, they tried to avoid harming innocents. There was no profit in that, and it tended to anger the law even more than need be. And they had patterns that could be discerned. Signatures. Amateurs, on the other hand, were unpredictable, sloppy and reckless. And the mistakes they made could well make them more of a hazard.

Which was the reason why Team 7 and a significant number of other agents had taken up residence in the hospital wing. Patients had been relocated to other floors, their spaces taken over by ATF and local law officers. Likewise, most of the so-called staff on-duty wouldn't have been able to bandage a cut, let alone provide the kind of care they were acting out. Making a bunch of federal agents into convincing nurses and orderlies was a sizable, and challenging, undertaking.

In the middle of at all, figuratively and literally, Ezra was lying almost as still as death on a bed in the intensive care unit. To state that he was unhappy with the situation would not do justice to the depth of his feelings at the moment. Low mutterings could be heard through the oxygen mask covering his face, and if Chris, lying in the bed next to him, had to caution him one more time, he planned to do it as forcefully as he figured he could get away with.

"I'm stuck here too Ezra, so stop your damned complaining."

"You are medically restricted to bedrest. I, on the other hand, am perfectly capable of being out of bed, and functioning in a more active role in this endeavor." At least, that's what the muffled words sounded like, more or less.

"You have a concussion and oxygen deprivation. And in case you have forgotten, you are the target. I'd say that's about as active a role as it gets. Now shut your trap."

Ezra did as he was told for a few minutes. Chris knew it was too good to last.

"Too many people are taking far to great a risk."

Chris sighed. He understood the frustration and could only imagine how bad the man was feeling about all of this. "Everyone is just doing their job Ezra."

"We both know that this will go beyond that for them. I fear they will be willing to take foolish and unnecessary risks to assist me in resolving this matter, and it is something they should neither need nor want to do."

"You'd do it for them, right?" Chris knew the answer but needed to be sure Ezra did as well.

"They would be worth the price."

Damn it! Even after all this time, everything that had gone on within the group, all of the discussions, disclosures, reassurances and bonding, he still could not break free of the damage done to him in the past.

"Don't you think that just maybe, since the six men you seem to respect so much think you are worth the price, you just might be?"

Ezra pulled away the mask for a moment to give him what could only be described as a reluctantly ironic grin. "I should accept that, and God knows you continue to make me try. For the sake of your sanity, I will again make the effort to see things from that perspective. No promises."

Well, it was a start. "Do your best. It's always been good enough in the past."

Before Ezra could respond, he was mercifully saved the need by the soft cackle of the communicator.

"Guys, someone approaching your room. Dressed like an orderly, but not one of ours." Nathan's voice was barely audible.

Both men immediately went quiet, in full coma mode. The door opened just a crack as someone peered in, then cautiously opened it wide enough to slip in, holding it so it closed without a sound. He looked to the first bed, where the patient was apparently out of it. He made a small noise at the foot of the bed and smiled when it got no reaction, which meant he wouldn't have to waste time killing this one too. It was only a few more short steps to approach his intended target. The smile twisted into a snarl as he glared at the apparently unconscious man.

"You arrogant bastard. Uncle Jacob had such high hopes for you, and look how you ended up. Just can't do anything the easy way – even die. This would have been so much easier as a suicide like Will had planned. At least now I'll get the credit." He moved to the head of the bed and sharply pulled a pillow out from under Ezra's head, moving quickly to place it over his face. He half expected a struggle of some kind, until he recalled his victim was in a coma. He chortled softly. This was going to be even easier than he thought. He waited several seconds watching for the monitor to react, to reflect signs of stress. When there was no change after what had to have been half a minute, he pulled the pillow back. Ezra just grinned up at him, and winked.

"What the hell?" He dropped the pillow and reached out for an even more hands-on attempt, but froze in mid-action.

"Really would suggest you stay perfectly still." From the corner of his eye he saw Chris holding a gun pointed unwaveringly at him. In the next instant, the door was thrown open and two more guns were aimed at him.

"Case you hadn't figured it out, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of a federal agent. Smartest thing you can do is stand perfectly still." Vin's tone indicated he wouldn't mind if the idiot did try to make a move, but his desire for vengeance was not going to be satisfied today. Buck walked toward him, reciting his rights as he spun the man around to formally place him in custody.

Ezra sat up in the bed, shaking his head sadly. "It really does not speak well for the intelligence of father's side of the family tree – does it?"

"What's he talking about?" the prisoner asked as Buck handcuffed him.

"Well, I'm guessing he figures that a smart man would know better than to try to suffocate a man who is wearing an oxygen mask for one thing."

"Or to try to fake a suicide after you clobber someone on the head, and leave drag marks from the stable to the garage."

He shook his head determinedly. "That wasn't me. Will did that – the idiot." He glared over to Chris. "Wouldn't have had to do any of it if you hadn't interfered when Davy –". He cut himself off. "No, never mind. Didn't say anything."

JD had entered in time to hear that. "Will and Davy – two of William's sons? That makes you Mike, right? Doing all this for dear old dad?"

"Not saying anything without my lawyer."

"As is your prerogative. I presume then you anticipate my dear cousins will be equally circumspect in protecting you from the rather nefarious and illicit exploits in which you have been partaking. Not that they will be compelled to provide any validation or affirmation on this futile endeavour. And surely they would not incriminate their own blood by implicating him in the other attempts, thereby vindicating themselves."

Mike grew more puzzled with each word Ezra spoke. "What are you talking about?" He turned to the others. "What the hell is he talking about."

Buck smirked. "Ezra, it ain't nice to talk so fancy around someone like this. It's clear to see he isn't the brightest bulb on the family tree."

Vin favoured the hapless fool with an evil glare. "He's guessing, correctly I am sure, that your brothers are going to throw you under the bus on this, saying it was all your idea to make daddy proud. Pin the shooting and the attack at the ranch on you as well most likely. Nice bunch of relatives you got. Guessing there aren't a lot of family picnics, are there?"

"No, not true. It was Pop's idea. Reward for whoever takes this one out, and they get to become second in command. Everybody was gunning for him. Not just us, but Pop said even one of Jacob's kids is trying to get in on it."

"And you will testify to that?" Buck prodded.

He hesitated as he calculated how much damage he'd already done to any defence he might have had. "I get a deal on it?"

Chris snarled at him. "We'll make sure your family doesn't find out how fast you were willing to sell them out and see to it that you aren't in the same prison. Take it or leave it. Buck, get this waste of skin outta my sight." He would have loved to interrogate the man further but could see just how stunned Ezra had been by the confession and all of the implications, and knew he needed to clear the room for him.

"We'll head out too." Vin had seen the look as well. "You both need some rest."

"No. Wait, please. I need – I wanted…" Ezra paused, not entirely certain of how to say everything he wanted to.

Vin took the few steps needed for him to cross the room and put a calming hand on Ezra's arm. "You're welcome. Now get some rest."

It got quiet quickly. Chris said nothing, watching the process start. To witness Ezra in full analytical mode was fascinating experience. He'd seen it often enough when a case was being reviewed or a plan was hatched. Ezra seemed to be able to shut out the world, and focus on just the single goal of getting every detail sorted and filed in his mind. Right now, Chris would bet his next paycheque that the process was being used to try to decide who the new threat was, given the fact that was what he'd been doing since Mike spilled what little he knew.

Simon's family seemed to be out of the action, which wasn't surprising. Simon himself seemed to operate mostly in the north east, and had shown no signs of changing that. As for the kids - James, Randy, Janice and Martin - they didn't appear to be any to keen on riding to the rescue either. The closest any came to even being on west coast was Janice, and she was in Hawaii. And, based on the records they had, the leap to murder seemed unlikely. Not impossible. Chris had learned in the past anyone was capable under the right (or wrong) conditions. But premeditated murder of a federal agent was a bit extreme.

But if Mike was to be believed, one of Jacob's other kids was now in the mix. Chris hadn't memorized the file, but had read it often enough to be able to sort through the possibilities, or at least the ones they knew about. First born was Daniel. A very strong possibility. His record showed a decided interest in taking the most direct approach to handle problems. But, according to JD, Daniel was married and relocated to Ireland. They would need to double check that before eliminating him. The next candidate was Aaron. Also a couple of years older than Ezra, and showing quite an interest in following his father's path, although apparently less inclined toward violence. Or maybe just better at not being caught. He hadn't been heard of since disappearing shortly after Jacob was killed, which put him at the top of the list as far as Chris was concerned.

The only daughter who really seemed to be in the mix was Josie. Just a few months younger than Daniel, (the older ones definitely were more criminally inclined he was noticing) she seemed to be active criminally, but again with less violence and more scheming on her record. If the information they had was accurate the other daughter, Pamela, younger than Ezra, had chosen not to have anything to do with dear old dad. She was married and living somewhere in Florida, working for a publishing company, with not even a suggestion of criminal activity.

Gary, the youngest, didn't look to be trouble either. Again, no contact of any kind that JD had been able to find. He was somewhat closer geographically than most of the others, being based in Portland, but that was the only reason he entered into consideration. That left Dylan. A bit of a wild card. Vin and Nathan had agreed he seemed on the up and up, but just the fact he was there in town, and ended up working with two members of Team Seven seemed too convenient for Chris's liking. There was nothing more than gut instinct, but that was enough to keep him under consideration.

The numbers were not encouraging. Out of fourteen cousins that they knew about, they had two, Trevor and now Mike under arrest, and two more about to be. Based on a combination of facts, experience and intuition, Chris was willing to take only two others, Pam and Gary, out of contention completely. Simon's four could surprise them, but if Mike was playing this straight, and he seemed to scared not to, odds were they were going to be dealing with Daniel, Dylan, Josie or Aaron. Chris's money was on Aaron.

Having reached his own conclusion he turned his attention back to Ezra, wondering if he had reached the same conclusion. A couple of times he looked like he was about to speak, but each time he changed his mind, and settled back deeper into the pillows. He pulled the sheets up further, bunching them around him in a manor that reminded Chris a little of Adam after a nightmare. He racked his brain for something, anything to say, but was unable to come up with the right words. Or any words for that matter.

"Buck was right - wasn't he?" Ezra finally said.

"I doubt it, but it has been known to happen. Can you give me a bit more to go on?"

"At the ranch, when JD was telling me all of this, Buck was right. My family is totally fucked up."

Chris wasn't sure if it was the swearing or the sentiment that surprised him more. Ezra rarely resorted to such common language, and it demonstrated clearly just how beaten down he was feeling.

"No Ezra. Not totally. Keep in mind, JD also found some Standish's that have nothing to do with any of this. And, in case you have forgotten, there is one member of the Standish clan who is about as upstanding a man as I know."

"You need to start associating with a better class of people then." Chris was about to admonish him when he saw the hint of a smile on his face.

"Don't know where I'd find much better than what I've got. Granted, they aren't a perfect group, and I am pretty sure some of them do things just to piss me off sometimes, but overall, I'd say I'm a lucky man."

"For the most part, I would have to agree with you."

"For the most part? Chris questioned with concern creeping back into his voice.

Ezra forced himself to smile again, knowing any other reaction would just create more cause for concern. "Well, there are times some of our number can be a tad immature and challenging. And Buck really should do something about that cheesy moustache, don't you think?"

The act didn't fool him for a minute, but Chris decided to take comfort in the fact Ezra cared enough to be making the effort, and that was a step in the right direction.

tbc

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