Dangerous Mine: Chapter 14: From the Ashes

Disclaimer: Not associated with the show, own nothing but my OCs and my plot

-/-

JD stood in the remnants of Ezra's ninth floor Cherry Creek apartment, thumbs hooked into the belt loops of his pants. He was thankful that a quick flash of his ATF ID had gained him entrance with very minimal questions. It wouldn't do for them to call the office and learn that he was temporarily suspended. The kid frowned. It wasn't right, being punished for the crimes of this psychopath. Still, Chris was behind them, hell, even the Judge knew Team 7 was the best suited to bring this guy in. And they would.

What had been a bright, well lit space was now nothing but black char and smoke scars. Even the few walls that hadn't been completely consumed by the flames peeled paint and had become nearly unrecognizable. Around him police officers and fire investigators lingered, but he barely noticed them. He turned slowly, surveying the room, trying to picture the video that had played on his lap top screen. Behind and slightly to the right of the couch. That had been the perspective of the feed. JD's eyes scanned the wall. The remains of a bookcase lay in a rough pile of jutting half burned boards. JD went over and crouched next to it. There had been a lamp on top of the book case, JD remembered. He could see the metal base protruding from some ash.

"Over here," he called over his shoulder to the barrel chested fire investigator he'd introduced himself to on the way in.

"Yeah?" the guy sounded bored. "This ain't where the fire started kid."

"Not what I'm interested in," JD replied, ignoring the flicker of annoyance he had being called 'kid'. It was one thing when Buck did it, another when it was someone who didn't know him. Who saw only his age and not what he'd done to earn himself a spot on the best federal agency team in Colorado. "I need you to open up the outlet," he said as he pointed to the electrical outlet next to where the bookcase had stood.

"You need what?"

"I need the outlet cover, and the outlet. And I don't have a screwdriver on me."

"Sure kid, when I get around to it." The arson investigator shook his head and started to walk away.

"Now," JD said, doing his best impression of Chris's guttural growl. The man stopped and turned, his eyebrows lifting.

He opened his hands in a gesture of defeat. "Okay. Okay, one outlet, coming up."

-/-

He stared down at the concrete, watching the bleach swirl into the pools of blood. So much corruption. So much injustice. The space needed to be cleansed. He'd moved the bartender's body. It lay, wrapped in plastic by the entrance to the room. Perhaps he'd deliver her to the steps of a church. She'd worn a cross on her neck, a sign that once, she too had walked with God before losing her path to sin. To the Seven.

He removed the gloves when his phone buzzed. His lips pressed together. His compatriot. They would not be calling because they were pleased. He answered anyway. The reality was he still needed them, if his calling was to be a success. "Yes?"

"That was not the plan. You were supposed to take him, not try to burn him alive." The voice on the other end of the line said.

"I changed my mind," he replied, dismissive. "Standish takes your focus off the mission."

"Standish is my mission. He's the only reason I agreed to join your little crusade. And we had a deal. He's mine to finish, not yours."

"His death last night would have served as penance for his sin."

"Screw his penance and his death!" the man's partner snarled. "I want him to suffer! And death ends that suffering. It's too good for him. But you could have killed Hunter. That, would have burned a hole in him I'd have liked to see."

"Well it seems that God would agree with you, since he's still breathing. So you'll have your chance. But hear me, I will not let your revenge stand in the way of divine retribution. This city will know the cost of its failures and it's choices, mark my words. Your personal vendetta takes second chair."

"I'm the only reason you've gotten as far as you have."

"Careful now," he warned, "that sounds an awful lot like pride."

"Don't start that with me," his partner growled. "You're not so pious as you'd like to believe. This is just as personal for you as it is for me. Don't forget, I know you too."

"Yes," his fingers tightened on the knife hilt strapped to his hip. "You do. Don't make that a liability. God spared him for you to get your time. But for now, stay focused."

"Just tell me the next step. And leave Standish for me."

-/-

Later that evening, Sam answered a knock on Vin's door. Buck smiled tiredly at her from over the top of four stacked pizza boxes. She took a step back to let him, Chris and Ezra inside. Nathan and Josiah were already there. Upon his arrival, Nathan had descended quickly on the sharpshooter. He'd made Vin take a seat on the couch, propping his foot up on a pillow on the worn coffee table, and delivered a well intentioned lecture about how much Vin should be on his feet versus with his leg elevated.

"Come in," she said, "quick." Chris shot her a sideways look.

"She's afraid of the cat," Vin called out helpfully from the couch.

Sam huffed a bit, "Because I have reason to be! Damned attack cat."

Buck swooped into the kitchen and began arranging pizzas on the counter. Chris followed behind, a couple mixed twelve packs of beer in hand. Ezra came last of the three, his face sour. Hazel eyes gave him a quick once over, she couldn't help it. She needed to see for herself he was healthy and hale. Her eyebrows shot up. "What the hell are you…"

"Mr. Wilmington believes he is amusing," Ezra cut her off. "He is mistaken."

"Oh I know I'm not amusing," Buck grinned, "I'm downright hilarious."

Sam covered her mouth, but couldn't stop the snicker that escaped. "Think I'm gonna have to go with Buck on this one."

The southerner's gaze could have withered a blooming rose. Sam shut the door behind them, leaving Ezra in full view of the others. Nathan shoulders hunched in silent laughter. Josiah slapped his knee, tipped his head back and chortled. Vin's eyes widened when he took in Ezras appearance, before laughing until tears came to his eyes, though that was at least partially because laughing still hurt.

Ezra scowled. "You're all dead to me." Chris had asked Buck to bring Ezra some clothes for his discharge from the hospital. And the ladies man had obliged. But it was a far cry from Ezra's typically preferred wardrobe of pressed pants and fitted collared shirts. Bucks bright orange and blue Denver Broncos sweatpants were both too long and too large for the undercover agent. That, paired with a shapeless black T-shirt that read, 'Do you like raisins? How about a date?' that JD had given Buck the Christmas before, completed the look.

"Where's a phone?" Sam looked around, "I want a picture."

"You wouldn't dare," Ezra challenged.

"Have you met me?" She shot back with a grin.

"Because your current wardrobe is so stylish," Ezra said, eyeing her own baggy sweats, and oversized T-shirt.

"Difference being I don't care. Everything I own had now been incinerated, twice. I'm just glad I'm not naked. You on the other hand, should be reminded of this often." Her grin was wolfish.

"Okay, okay, someone stop them 'fore they get a head of steam going," Vin broke in from his seat on the couch. "And someone grab me a couple slices of pepperoni."

With that, the teasing died off, as everyone focused on food. Vin only had four dinner plates, so Sam ate over the sink, Nathan doubled up a paper towel and Josiah ate three slices off Vin's cutting board.

"JD say why we needed to meet?" Josiah asked between sips of a baltic porter.

"No," Chris answered. "just said he thought it was important."

"And since some of us aren't real welcome in the office right now," Buck went on, voice bitter, "and others are non mobile," he nodded to Vin, "coming here seemed like the best choice."

Another knock sounded at the door. Sam set down her IPA and went to open it, pizza slice still in hand. JD was there, and over his shoulder loomed Vanessa, an oversized handbag slung over her left arm. JD practically bounced inside. Vanessa followed more sedately. Her dark eyes slid over Sam, and suddenly Sam cared about the baggy sweats and T-shirt, just a little. She passed Sam with a small sniff, eyeing the peeling paint and mostly demoed walls of the apartment with ill concealed disdain.

JD made his way toward the couch and the rest of the Team. His eyes became saucers when he saw VIn. "Damn Vin! What happened to your hair?!" he exclaimed. Heat rose up Vin's neck. Buck, standing next to JD, lifted his hand to cuff the back of JD's head. "What?" JD asked.

"You have NO filter," Buck chastised with a shake of his head.

"I actually commend you Mr. Tanner," Vanessa said. "I think getting rid of the long hair brings your appearance a professional legitimacy."

Vin squirmed a little on the couch, reflexively reaching up to touch his head. He'd never particularly liked being the center of attention. Sam caught his eye from across the room. She shook her head, then silently mouthed 'GQ' with a nod. He shot her a grateful smile.

Sensing his friends discomfort, Chris was quick to move the conversation along. "Well you got us all here JD," he said. "Mind telling us what for?"

"Oh, right, right," the younger agent stuck his hand in his pocket. "I found this," he crowed, triumphant. He opened his hand with a flourish.

"It's an outlet," Ezra observed blandly.

"It's from your apartment," JD explained.

The undercover agent waited a minute, expecting JD to say more. When he didn't, Ezra went to prompt. "Point being?"

"This isn't just an outlet," JD went on, his face alight with excitement. "It's a camera, the camera our perp live streamed the fire in your apartment on. I've heard of them before, but I haven't seen one, so I wasn't sure until I took it back to to Buck's and my place to get a better look at it. It streams in full HD, plus it records up to 5 hours onto an SD card, before it dumps the footage and records over it. Unfortunately, but the time I found it the SD card had already been overwritten."

"Damn. But the stuff people come up with," Buck said with a shake of his head.

"Well sure but Buck, this is a lead. A real lead," JD brandished the outlet in his fist. "With the right warrant we can compel the manufacturer to give us information on the lot number this particular unit was sold in. Means we'd know if our perp bought it online, or in a brick and mortar, maybe even a name and address. And hell, since this connects to an app for the live stream, I may even be able to back trace a number." JD shrugged, "though admittedly it's probably a burner. But still…"

"No, it's a great find JD," Chris clapped the young man on the shoulder. "Good work." The black clad Team leader turned to his undercover agent. "Question remains, how long has it been in your apartment? Have any work done recently? Or did you notice when it changed?"

"It's an outlet Mr. Larabee," Ezra replied, droll. "I am not in the habit of giving electrical outlets overdue attention. Though it may be a habit I adopt in the here on. And no, I have not had any work done, but I will contact the management company for the building as soon as it is their office hours in the morning to double check."

"Do that," Chris said. "And JD, just give me specifics and I'll petition for that warrant in the morning."

"Already in your inbox," JD replied smoothly.

"Well all right then," the blonde leader nodded. He held up his beer. "Let's hope this is a turning point, and now we can catch this bastard. For Lucia."

"For Ashley," Buck held up his beer too.

"For Hannah," Josiah followed suit.

"So that no one else shall be terrorized or killed by this flagitious degenerate." Ezra's eyes slid towards Hunter, whose face had grown progressively more pale with each name. Her knuckles were white on the neck of her bottle.

The rest of the men and Hunter raised their beers, Vanessa lifted her cup of water. A somber air settled over the apartment. The Team began to filter away a short while later. JD was headed to Fort Collins, where Casey was temporarily residing during her internship. Struggling with Lucia's death, JD wanted to be there for her. Everyone wished him well, and asked him to offer their condolences. Nathan too, wanted to be with his girlfriend, Rain. He left shortly after JD. Josiah and Buck left after that, Buck to head to the Saloon and Inez, Josiah wanting to spend the rest of his evening in reflection.

Vin didn't say it, but Chris could see he was tiring. He finished his beer in two long pulls. "Ready Ezra?" he asked. "You need a place to stay? Got room at the ranch."

"A generous offer Mr. Larabee, but I've secured myself a room at the Hyatt for the immediate future. Id prefer to stay close to the city while this miscreant remains on the loose."

Chris nodded. Given the number of times he'd slept on the couch in his office the past couple of weeks, he understood. "Come on then, I'll give you a ride."

"I'd be happy to give Ezra a ride," Vanessa offered, pushing herself up from the chair she'd been perched against. "The Hyatt is on my way home." Chris arced an eyebrow at Ezra, who nodded.

"Right then." Chris turned his attention to Vin, and held up a key. "Got this made for your Jeep. It's back in your lot. But you're welcome to keep the truck as long as you need it."

Vins face adopted a stubborn set, and Chris nearly sighed. He shouldn't have mentioned the Jeep. Vin's stubborn nature would keep him from accepting use of the truck, no matter how much easier it would have made his life. "Nah pard, too much risk, your truck in this neighborhood. What do I owe you for the key?"

"Forget it." Vin began to protest. "I said forget it." Chris smirked. "I billed the agency anyway. Least they could do."

Vin smiled and gave a short nod. "All right. That I'll take."

Chris nodded. "Good. I'll check in on you tomorrow." With that, he left.

After Chris's departure, Hunter began to go around and pick up stray bottles to dump into the recycling. Vanessa walked over to where she'd left her oversized purse. Ezra followed. The dark haired woman removed a pair of men's dress slacks and a button down and handed them to the southerner. "Here. These were still at my apartment." Sam grit her teeth as she watched the exchange. Of course she still had some of his clothes. They'd been together for months. Were together still maybe? It made perfect sense. And it still irritated the hell out of her.

"You my lady," Ezra smiled as he took the clothes, "are a lifesaver." He glanced back at Vin. "Do you mind?" He gestured towards the bathroom.

"All yours Ez," the sharpshooter said before yawning. His eyes were heavy. He hadn't slept well in the hospital and at the moment, the lure of his own bed was almost overwhelming.

It didn't take long for Ezra to change, reemerging from the bathroom with Buck's sweats tucked under his arm, fastening the buttons over his left wrist with his right hand. "Much better," Vanessa purred. "And like I said this morning, you're welcome to stay at my place, rather than a hotel."

"This morning?" Hunter blurted out the question before the more sensible part of her brain could keep her mouth shut. None of her business, none of her business, none of her…

"Oh yes, Vanessa arrived just after you and Vin departed," Ezra explained.

Vanessa sidled closer to the undercover agent, her right hand snaking around his upper arm, her left resting on the left side of his chest.. "Of course. I came the moment I heard about the fire."

"Oh." Hunter dropped another bottle into the recycling bin.

Ezra slid smoothly out from Vanessa's hand, pivoting away from her touch. "And as much as I appreciate the offer, the Hyatt is a more than acceptable solution to my current predicament." He smiled, and moved toward the door. Hunter watched something flicker over Vanessa's face, though it was gone almost as quickly as it had come. Disappointment? Maybe. But that wasn't quite it. Hunter frowned. Ezra held the door open for Vanessa. "Shall we?"

"Night Ez."

"Good night Mr. Tanner. Hunter." He touched his forefinger to his temple in farewell.

"Night Ez," Hunter answered. Vanessa offered a small wave, and the door shut behind them.

Vin stretched on his couch. "All right, my bed is callin' my name. You mind?" He asked Sam, motioning with his chin to where his crutches sat against the wall, a few feet out of reach. She didn't answer. Her eyes looked blankly at something in front of her. "Sammy?"

"Huh? Oh." With a shake of her head, she went and retrieved the crutches, handing them to the sharpshooter.

Vin propped himself upright on his good leg. "What's with you?" he asked. "You look like Buck trying to remember the name of some cute girl he's telling a story about."

Sam shook her head. "It's nothing." She smiled thinly. "Probably nothing."

"Uh huh. Look I'm gonna crash. There's an extra pillow and a blanket in the closet by the bathroom. We'll hit those files again tomorrow."

"Sounds good. Night Vin."

"Night Sam." The sharpshooter swung his way to the bathroom, and a few moments later, to the far end of the apartment and his bed. He was asleep within minutes. On the other hand, even as Sam settled herself on the couch and turned the light off, sleep was a long time coming.

-/-

The second day after Ezra's apartment fire, their killer had released an edited video entitled 'Greed' over the same network of Facebook and social media outlets he'd used for the other two. It showed Ezra. Next to his Jag. Flashing a cocky grin at a stripper as he placed a twenty in her thong. An undercover assignment, he'd assured everyone, though color still remained on his face. With a money roll, and a self assured smile. And shots of his apartment, both pre and during burning. There was brief footage of Hunter stumbling toward Ezra's door. The same voice narrated this video as well, talking the people of Denver through the sin of greed. Even bringing up Ezra's dismissal from the FBI, weaving his tale to describe the nearly half million in drug money that had gone missing from Ezra's op.

"Blessed are the meek, the bible says. There are no blessings for those that live life in greed, in consuming more than they return. I am one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness, for God says I shall be filled. And I am called blessed as I am persecuted for my righteousness, for calling out the sins of your heroes. And those of us that are blessed should rejoice and be glad, for great is the reward in heaven. The reward in heaven. While Ezra Standish seeks his reward on this earthly plane. Do you see now Denver? Your heroes are not blessed, they are sinners." Ezra had nearly been placed on administrative leave, like Buck and JD. His only saving grace? No one had died in his particular video.

It took three days for the warrant for the spy outlet to be issued, and the company sort through it's data servers to get a lot number. Thankfully, in that time, their killer had made no other appearances. And there had been no other disappearances. Which meant only that the members of Team 7, felt the guillotine hanging precariously over their heads. This man was not finished. They all knew it.

They did however, catch a small break. Video outlets like the one JD had found were sold in a variety of different stores, from small specialty shops to big chains like Home Depot, they were even available on Amazon. Their murderer was not so stupid as to buy the device from Amazon, which would have afforded the Team a delivery address. But the lot number for the device had it shipped to a Home Depot on the outskirts of Golden, just west of Denver. Now three men down, Chris sent Ezra and Josiah to gather what information they could. Still without a vehicle, Ezra sat shotgun in Josiah's aged Jeep Cherokee. It did not thrill him.

Upon their arrival at the Home Depot, it took more than a few minutes for them to find a sales associate that didn't shoot them a blank look when they tried to explain what they were after. Finally, a young blonde teen with his long hair knotted in a bun on his head, offered to get them a manager, though he looked no less confused than the others. He stepped a few feet aside to use his radio. Ezra shot Josiah a sideways look. "I shudder for this generations prospects," he muttered.

"To be fair," Josiah returned calmly, "how often do teenage sales associates get presented with a federal warrant?"

"While that observation is fair, I'd be far less concerned," the southerner drawled, "if any of them even appeared to know what a warrant was."

"Watch it Ezra," Josiah warned with a grin, "you're starting to sound all old and crotchety like."

"It has been a long few days Josiah, my patience is thin," Ezra sniffed, smoothing his hands over the front of his suit coat. It felt cheap. But while Vanessa had a couple of his shirts and a pair of pants, he'd not left her any of his suit coats. So he'd done what he could on short notice. This one was off the rack. His frown deepened, from a department store. Thankfully, the shirts and pants were the last of his possessions that had remained at Vanessa's. So far he'd managed to tactfully thwart her offer to have him stay with her. But he wasn't going to be able to avoid what he anticipated to be a very uncomfortable conversation soon.

The teenager held up a finger at the two agents and trotted off. Josiah turned to Ezra, regarding him seriously for a moment, then clasped his hands behind his back. "Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm; for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame."

Ezra's eyebrows arced. "Excuse me?"

"If you can't love someone, leave them for those that can," Josiah said. "Before jealousy and those coals of fire burn everyone."

Ezra fidgeted a little where he stood. It always surprised him how much the big profiler noticed. And he'd thought they'd been so careful. "I'm quite sure I don't know what you're talking about."

"Decide Ezra," the bigger man implored kindly. "Decide what you want. And don't let fear do it for you. Choose that which brings you peace."

Ezra huffed, "Peace. Right."

"Peace doesn't mean easy," Josiah told him. "It can challenge you, make you question yourself and your beliefs, make you grow. But it's also the thing at the end of the day, allows you all those things, and it still a balm for the soul." He looked like he wanted to go on, but the long haired teenager returned with a harassed looking woman in her mid 40s. Gratefully, Ezra was spared any further pearls of Josiah's wisdom.

"Gentlemen, how may I assist you today?" The woman asked, shooing the teen back to his stocking duties.

Josiah handed over the warrant, which the woman skimmed briefly. "We need to know when that unit was sold."

"Well unfortunately gentlemen it's not quite so easy as that. A lot number I can look up, it will tell me when that particular batch of good was delivered here, but I've no way of tracking any one particular unit." She handed back the warrant.

"The manufacturer indicated that this particular unit's SSID number was first activated three months ago," Ezra told her. Three months. His skin crawled when he thought of how long he'd been under watch without his knowledge. "If you could tell us when this unit's batch number was stocked, it would help us narrow down a time frame. Then, if you provide us information regarding sales of this particular outlet, and access to your security footage from that time, we may be successful in discovering our inscrutable malefactor." The store manager stared back at him blankly.

"He thinks we'll be able to find the guy that bought it," Josiah clarified.

Mouth still slightly open, the woman nodded. "Oh." She turned on her heel. "If you'll follow me gentlemen. It will take me a few moments to get with my receiving staff to get those inventory files. Then we can see about security footage. You're welcome to wait in my office. Feel free to help yourselves to some coffee."

"Why thank you ma'am, that's right kind of you," Josiah said with a smile.

The store managers few moments became closer to an hour and several cups of tepid, weak coffee later. Josiah had taken up residence in one of the office chairs, long legs stretched out in front of him while his hands were clasped over his stomach. Ezra was less patient, or potentially just more caffeinated, and took to bouts of pacing in the small space.

The woman returned with a small sheaf of papers in one hand and a thumb drive in the other. "Okay," she announced, "so according to our inventory that lot number was received just under six months ago. So your particular camera was sold in that three month window between stocking and activation." She handed Josiah the stack of papers. "You're lucky that it's not a particularly big ticket item for us. There were sixty-two sales during that time. This is a list that shows the date and time of sale of each unit. It also notes if it was a cash sale or credit card, and what name on the card was listed."

The thumb drive she handed to Ezra. "That is security footage of our check out area on every day a unit was purchased. It's for the whole day, so you'll have to scroll through to find the time of sale. And unfortunately, though a few were purchased with one of our cashiers, whose name is listed on that file I gave you," she pointed to a line on one of the sheets of paper, "any sale done through our automated registers won't tell you what kiosk completed the transaction, so you'll have to look through all of them." She sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Anything else I can do for you gentlemen?"

"No ma'am," Josiah answered. "You've been a great help." The two ATF agents shook her hand before heading for Josiah's Jeep. "Well, sixty two certainly narrows down our suspect pool."

"Indeed."

"But we still don't know who we're looking for, other than a very basic description, man, caucasian, average size, wears hats." Josiah frowned.

"A veritable dilemma to be sure," the southerner agreed. Ezra pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

"Who are you calling?"

"Ms. Hunter," Ezra replied. "She was able to recognize our man on Inez' security cameras from behind. Why not give ourselves a leg up, see if she can do it again?"

-/-

It was almost eerie, entering the bullpen. It felt vacuous, devoid of the life and energy that usually filled every corner of the space. Chris' door was closed. Nathan was nowhere to be seen. Hunter saw Josiah and Ezra through the floor to ceiling glass wall of the conference room. She headed in that direction.

As Hunter passed her old desk, Vanessa rose from her chair, effectively blocking Sam's path. She stopped, eyebrows raising in question.

"I don't like you," Vanessa announced lowly.

Sam's chin fell to her chest, tongue pressing into the side of her cheek and she stifled a laugh. "Noted." She glanced up at the other woman without raising her chin. "Not that you're exactly subtle about it."

"Ezra and I had a good thing going until you showed up. He's mine," Vanessa hissed. "And I aim to keep him."

Hunter bristled, drawing up to her full height, which brought her eyes about level to the other woman's chin. She was back here, in the place she missed more than she'd every believed possible, about to go through hours of video just hoping to recognize the mannerisms of a man that had tortured and nearly beat her to death. Her nerves had frayed on the way over, preparing herself to see him, to have the memories play in repeat in her head, again. She was raw. And Vanessa had been doing her best to get on her last nerve since the first time she'd stepped back in the office, and she was done with it.

"Last I checked, Ez wasn't a dog on a leash you own. And if he was?" Sam sneered, "he'd be chewing through it. I didn't have anything to do with you two going off the rails. That was a long ride off a short cliff before I ever got here. So how bout you back up and sit the hell down, before I make you?" She half hoped Vanessa would take her up on it. Hunter was itching for a fight, something she could hit, could strike at like it was him. The dark haired agent would make a decent substitute.

Vanessa laughed, "right, like you could even if you had two good hands."

"Oh this?" Hunter held up her casted arm. "Honey, this makes me a goddamn superhero. Smack you around with this won't hurt me any." Her voice dropped and she growled, "so move." The two women faced off for another moment, before Vanessa stepped back. With a shake of her head, Hunter continued toward the conference room.

"You make him lose focus," Vanessa called at her back, "and it's going to get him killed." The words hit like a blow to the gut, and Sam's step faltered. They're all dead, Everyone I've ever loved or cared about, her own words rang in her ears. Some of them I put in the ground myself. Her hand hovered for a moment over the door handle, then she took a steadying breath, and went in.

It took over two hours and thirty eight shoppers before they found him. Josiah had left to go grab them all some lunch. Ezra had shed his jacket and loosened his tie. He was so sick of looking at footage. That's all he'd been doing for weeks. Security footage. Traffic cameras. Videos of women being maimed and tortured. At least when he was undercover he could feel like he was progressing the op forward, taking steps ahead of their foe. All this, it was playing catch up. And it ground at him.

Green eyes flicked away from his screen and toward Hunter. She'd been uncharacteristically quiet since she arrived. Not that it had to be easy, he mused, seeking out the man that had tortured her. Every time a new suspect entered the camera frame her teeth would grind, or she ran her thumb over the stubs that were just starting to grow back from where he'd ripped off her nails. Ezra pushed his chair back from the table and wheeled over to her, laying a hand on her shoulder. She flinched.

"You need to take a break?"

"We need to find him."

"That's beside my point at this particular juncture Hunter."

"That's the only point," she ground out, eyes fixed on the screen.

With an exasperated sigh, Ezra reached across her and clicked the mouse over the pause button. Then he used the arm rests of the chair to spin her away from the screen. He tried to catch her eyes, but she avoided him. She tried to turn the chair back toward the computer, but he held fast and pulled her closer, trapping her knees between his. She gnawed on her lower lip. "Samantha Hunter you are one of the most pertinacious, intractable, damnably pig headed people that I know."

She managed a small chuckle. "Gee Ez tell me what you really think."

"You're also one of the strongest," he went on. "And it's also okay if you're not sometimes."

Hunter squeezed her eyes shut, giving a quick, vehement shake of her head. Her foot tapped double time on the floor. "No. No. Cuz then I'm there. In the garage when he pulled that knife. In that fucking room, where he carved up my flesh, where he…" her voice caught. "Where I was so damn sure I was gonna die, completely alone, and not one damn soul was gonna notice, or care."

"And part of you wondered if you deserved it." Hazel eyes snapped open to stare at his face. She didn't say anything, but he knew he'd struck a nerve. Because he knew it, because he'd been there. Elbows on her knees, she dropped her head into her hands. Ezra leaned forward, running a hand over her upper arm. "I promise you don't," he told her quietly. "And you're not alone." Hunter lifted her chin to her hands, offering him a wan smile. "And…people, definitely care." Hazel eyes met green, and for a moment, the whole world around them vanished. There was just the touch of her legs against his knees, the brush of his forehead into hers, the heady smell of ponderosas in the rain. Her face softened, lips parted.

Suddenly, Hunter twisted her head away from him, sitting bolt upright. It felt like someone had wrenched open a chasm at her feet, and she was reeling away from it. Her heart bottomed out into her stomach. "I shouldn't distract you with my crap," she said, breathless, and with a shake of her head. "I'm fine." She used her heels to push her chair away from him and turn back to the computer screen. "We need to focus."

"Yes," the undercover agent sat back in his chair with a frown, staring hard at the back of her head. "Focus indeed."

Josiah returned with sandwiches a few minutes later, breaking both the silence and the tension in the room. The older man's eyes slid over both Ezra and Hunter, before shaking his head and placing the brown paper bag between them. "Italian sub with extra pickled peppers and a shrimp ban mi," he said by way of greeting. Ezra stood to root around the bag and stretch his legs. His stomach was rumbling and he loved the banh mi. Hunter ignored the bag, wound back the security footage, played it again. Then wound it back. Played it. Wound it back. "It's him," she said stiffly. The man still didn't look anywhere near a camera, dark hat pulled low on his head. He wore jeans and a dark button down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. And there she was, bound to a chair while that same man gripped the pointer nail of her bound hand with a set of pliers. It was hard to breathe.

"You're sure?" Josiah pressed. Hunter only nodded tightly. He and Ezra shared a look.

Ezra looked quickly at the time stamp and date on the video, then flipped through the pages of sales records the Home Depot manager had given them. Idiot had paid with a card. "If you would retrieve Mr. Larabee Josiah," the southerner said quietly, 'we have ourselves a name."

/

Chapter 14

NOTE: HD spy video electrical outlets that stream directly to your phone? Actually a thing! Why is that a thing?! For like $200 on amazon you too can be a paranoid, hyper vigilant control freak lol

Also, this is my first real go at writing Josiah's interactions with the others. I find I don't have a handle on his voice like a lot of the others. Hope I did him justice.