We have tried to reach Heather F, but have not gotten any replies. This story has been rescued. Since Lady Angel's Library (now M7FC) was already hosting some of Heather's other stories, we assumed implied permission to host this one as well. If you know how to reach the author, please ask her to contact us.
Rating: G/PG
warnings: ?able language. Grammar/spelling....etc...
Thanks: Mitzi...Hey Mitzi (big wave) , my sister’s nephew in law who called because he’s homesick in the Coast Guard and found himself fielding strange and unexplained questions...
E-mailĽfeedback
would be welcomed (well constructive stuff of course) flah7@smgazette.com
Somewhere
off the West Coast
Waves
lapped against the side of the life raft.
The orange and red garishly colored life raft bobbed lazily up and over
gentle swells. Brilliant blue sky marked
the scenery as far as the eye could see.
White wispy clouds mingled freely with the pillow like cumulous
clouds. The sun blazed from above
occasionally ducking behind a cloud only to reappear shortly afterward.
The
two occupants of the raft sat at either end.
As for discerning the bow from the stern, well these two ‘sailors’ did
not truly care which was which. Port
still sat to someone’s left and Starboard to someone’s right. If one was to ask the residents of this small
floating craft another disagreement would sure to erupt.
The
blue friendly skies above, the calm greenish blue waters surrounding them did
not match the fiery disposition of the rafts captives.
Both
men avoided eye contact.
Neither
one had two eyes that opened anyhow.
Both
had split lips, both sported abraded knuckles.
Cheeks carried knotted bruises.
Both men smelled of diesel and smoke.
They
had barely escaped the burning yacht with their lives. They had yet to survive each other’s
company.
Vin
Tanner glared out at the expansive ocean before him. He squinted one blue eye trying hard not to
irritate his left eye. Damn Southerner
packed a hell of a punch. Son of a
Bitch. The tracker could find no trace
of land.
Ezra
Standish laid belly down on the side of the raft letting his hand drag in the
water. Judging from the increasing size
of the swells a storm had to be hitting some islands perhaps the Hawaiian or
the Japanese territories. He rested his
uninjured cheek against the side of the raft.
The skin stuck to the rubber surface.
It stretched and pulled with the lazy bobbing of their small water
craft. Standish rubbed at the back of
his head with his other hand. The goose
egg back there seemed to have doubled in size.
Gawd
Damn Texan.
The
sun slowly crawled across the sky. No
seagulls or sea faring birds squalled or cried.
No fish flittered just under the water’s surface. The monotonous sound of water constantly
lapping against the side of the raft fill the area.
~~~~~~
How
those two managed to get taken out on a yacht under the guise of gun traders
and managed to some how destroy the boat, her crew and lose themselves on the
ocean, Larabee couldn’t guess.
What
was it with those two? Hell all he had
to do was throw JD and Buck into the mix and the four combined would bring the
moon crashing from its orbit.
What
was it with his team?
Larabee
leaned on the rail and rested his head in his hand.
“Here
Sir, The Captain thought you could use some,”
A young ensign held a steaming cup of coffee out to the despondent ATF
leader.
The
young Ensign quickly backed away emptied handed.
Smile
must not have worked.
~~~~~~~
Tanner
rubbed his belly absently. It rumbled
again. He shifted position and felt
lukewarm water pool around his ankles.
His feet were pruned and started to peel with in the confines of his soft
leather dock shoes. His shirt, still in
one piece, held the scars of barely escaping a fire at sea. Char marks and soot covered his once pristine
white tee-shirt. His long hair clung to
his head in greasy strands.
The
Texan inched forward and once again rummaged through their ‘Survival
gear’. He angrily brushed past the Malt
Whiskey with a curse all the while throwing the Southerner a caustic glare.
‘Who
the hell includes Scotch in their survival stuff?’ With brusque movements he pushed water jugs
and dehydrated foods out of his way and grabbed his Oreos.
Standish
sat up at the sounds of Cellophane crinkling.
They had not been on this damnable raft for more than six hours and the
man is hungry? My Lord...does he have to
eat constantly?
Are
those Oreos?.....He had to run back into that burning inferno of a gallery for
Oreos?
Vin
felt the piercing glare, “What?” Oreo
crumbs clung to his lips and teeth.
“You
dear sir are a certifiable buffoon,”
Standish accusing reply matched Tanner’s tone.
“Oh
what yer too good for Oreos?” Tanner
took another bite.
“I
would not consider
“Oh
but Scotch is?” Tanner countered back no
longer holding back his irritation.
Lately Standish had been a thorn in everyone’s side. Heck
“I
concede that might not have been my first choice,” Standish bowed his head slightly in shame,
“but the aged liquor was under lock and key and I did not think we had the time
for such clandestine activities.”
Tanner
stared gaped mouth at the undercover agent.
They had been on a furiously burning yacht with people shooting at them,
trying their damnedest to kill them and He....He.....was considering breaking
into the liquor cabinet? I’ll Kill
‘im.
“Smart
thinking,” The Texas sarcasm fell like a lead zeppelin across the raft.
“Do
not blame me for this predicament,”
Standish shoved himself to peeling feet.
The leather of his shoes abraded mercilessly against the softened skin
of his heels and toes. The malleable
floor of the raft sunk beneath his weight and water rushed in to fill the depression.
“I
ain’t blamin’ no one,” Vin eyed his
partner carefully. The sun had darkened
Standish’s tan features to give them a deep reddened hue. Blood shot eyes glared out from under bruises
and dried blood.
Tanner
had to think looking at Standish was like looking in the mirror. Their ‘Host’ had worked them over pretty
good. Not enough to break bones or cause
internal damage but enough to make them sore.
Bruises
marred and dotted Standish’s face.
Discoloration peeked through the white shirt he wore. Even his wrists carried the red abrasions of
hand cuffs clicked too tight.
Vin
chuckled at the memory. Dang fools put
them in cuffs. The minute the captors
turned their backs Ezra had his and Vin’s cuffs off. Then they were fighting for their lives.
Vin’s
quiet laughter turned into a full belly laugh.
“What
do you find so amusing Mr. Tanner?”
Standish bristled at the thought of being laughed at.
“Nothin’.....” Vin shook his head trying to clear tears from
his eyes without dropping his cookies.
He
missed the rising anger in his shipmate.
“If
it is nothin’ as you so eloquently put it....why do you carry on in such a
childish manner?” Ezra seethed at being
mocked.
Tanner
gained his composure enough to read the Southerner, “Geez Ez take a
chill....jist thinkin’ of the looks on their faces when you threatened to light
all that gun powder up.”
Despite
himself Ezra couldn’t suppress the smile, “Funny they didn’t think I was
prepared to follow through.”
“Hell
pard’ no offense but I didn’t think you would follow through,” Vin laughed at the faces that had surrounded
him with guns and knives. And there
stood Standish with flame in hand standing within throwing distance to a batch
of gun powder.
“Yes
well one should never utter a bluff they do not intend to carry out,” Ezra answered leaning back against the rolled
rubber of the raft.
“Ya
ma teach ya that?” Vin found another
column of Oreos and tossed them over to the undercover agent. A peace offering. Tanner looked up when he received no
answer.
He
found Standish staring intently at the wrapper in his hands. Nimble fingers slid over the clear wrap
without the intent of opening the package.
Tanner
took a stab in the dark, “That what been buggin’ ya these past couple of
days?” The bounty hunter scrutinized his
partner, “ya ma comin’ into to
The
mood only darkened.
Ezra
seethed.
He
pulled his attention from the cellophane and stared at Mr. Tanner straight in
the eye, “I will have you know Mr. Tanner that my mother would not be caught
dead in a place like Purgatory because she had spent a life time pulling
herself from such places of debauchery.”
Seething disgust dripped from the words.
Vin
leaned back against the raft, “I didn’t mean nuthin’ by it....jist ya always
git skitterish when ya ma shows up in town and ya ain’t bin yerself lately.”
Ezra’s
anger was slow to dissolve, “Yes well I fail to see how it is any of your
concern.”
Tanner
had taken his last dance step around the Southerner, “Well it is when it lands
my ass as your partner.”
“If
you have a problem with it then take it up with our esteemed leader,” Standish bit out, “I’m sure he would be more
than willing to heed to a request from you.”
Vin
paused. He cocked his head to the left
and sighed. Four days ago
Tanner
glared at the undercover agent. The raft
was too small to be fighting. This kept
up and one of them would drown the other.
With
a second attempt at peace the Sharpshooter reached into the Survival gear and
pulled out the Scotch.
“Might
as well drink it before
The
two men eyed each other.
“Here
you might as well take the first sip since ya dang near burned up to get
it....sides I don’t want ya complainin’ about Oreo backwash n’ll.”
Ezra
skittered around the circumference of the raft until he was within reach and
took the bottle. With a wary eye on the
Texan he tilted the bottle back and took a generous swig.
“Thought
you were suppose to sniff and swirl that stuff and drink it in dainty sips.”
“Yes,”
Ezra responded with a slightly raspy breath and watering eyes, Damn that was
good, “ But you sent the Mayday exactly seven hours ago......Mr. Larabee and
the rest of our compatriots should be arriving any time soon.” Ezra took another gulp and handed the bottle
back to Vin.
Vin
took the bottle and downed a generous dose.
~~~~~~~
The
Coast Guard Cutter cut cleanly through the late afternoon water. Swells grew slowly but the wind remained
almost non existent. The sharp blue of a
The
bow of the boat sliced through the waves with hardly a change in height.
~~~~~~~~
Vin
sat on the floor of the raft leaning Gumby like against the side. He held the near empty bottle of Scotch. With a bleary eye he tried to follow the
erratic movements of his partner a few feet away from him. Damn fool moved almost as much as the ocean
when he was drunk.
“’ey
Ez.....Ey Ez.....,” Vin pushed himself
up right for a split second and then slid back to the side, “Ey Ez shut up for
a second will ya,”
Ezra
quieted down and ceased trying to describe......whatever he was
describing.
“Yes?
What is it Mr. Tanner,” The heavy
southern tones drown his pronunciations.
“How
come you so good with boats?” The Texan
had noticed this right off even when they first walked onto the dock, which
seemed like ages ago. The Southerner
knew his way around the boat better than the captain and her crew.
There
was a pause and a thick silence. Tanner
quickly filled in the gap, “Jist askin’ is all, how’d ya know where the fire
would go first? or how the ship would go
down?” Vin took another swig and then
handed the bottle over to Standish.
The
undercover agent took a long swig and then finally chuckled an answer, “It’s in
the blood.”
Vin
paused and met Ezra’s eyes. Tanner
dropped the inquiry, “that and too much whiskey.”
The
southerner raised the bottle to his lips and took another healthy drink.
“How
come ya wanted that Leave so badly?”
Tanner shot out the question quickly.
Ezra
lowered the bottle and handed it back to the Texan.
Standish
leaned back against the raft. His face
tingled from the alcohol. If he closed
his eyes he became dizzy. He heard his
words trip and mumble over themselves and knew without a doubt he was
drunk.
Ezra
scrutinized Vin and came to the same conclusion about Tanner. Vin was just as drunk. It would explain the questions.
“Because
Mr. Tanner I needed them,”
“Ya
shoulda told
“Mr.
Tanner I am not you,” Ezra adjusted a
leg stretching it out in the confines of the raft.
“What’s
that suppose ta mean?” Vin tried to lift
his head up but failed.
“Nuthing...I
spoke out of turn,” Ezra gazed up at the
early stars and tried to count the number or hours in the time change. Was Mother ahead or behind him?
“How
come ya couldn’t tell
“The
truth Mr. Tanner is that my Step Father called the other day,” Ezra closed his eyes and told himself to
shut-up. His mouth didn’t listen. “Mother was involved in a car accident,” He paused tripping over the catch in his
throat. She lay in a hospital in
Vin
did manage to sit up. He fought to focus
his eyes on the man sitting across from him.
“She
was scheduled for surgery today I think...or perhaps yesterday....complications
or something...internal hemorrhaging.”
Ezra closed his eyes....if only he could trade places.
“Damn
Ez why didn’t ya tell anyone....
“There
was no point in tellin’ anyone,” Ezra
leaned back and gazed up at the stars again.
What if she didn’t make it....Good Lord he would be all alone in this
world. Poor Mr. Dunne. but at least he had Buck now....and Vin,
“No
point?” Vin sat up straighter, “Geezus
Ezra we’re yer friends...ya suppose to be able....”
“Mr.
Tanner it is no secret that none of you like my mother....in fact it might be
closer to the truth that you all may even loathe her,” Ezra sat up and then smiled, “Hell Mr.
Larabee practically snarls every times she enters his domain.” Standish spotted
a shooting star and made a child’s wish.
“ None of you can tolerate her ‘Cept of course Mr. Sanchez....misguided
soul that he is......I see no point in trying to drum up pity and have you
shower feigned condolences...it would be beneath you.”
“Damn
it Ezra you should have told
“And
he might have said No, as well.”
“He
did say No,” Vin shot back.
“Yes
but without knowing why.”
Tanner
stared at the silhouette of Standish trying to untangle the meanings behind the
words.
“Dang
Ez....is she alright? Did the surgery go
well?”
“I
do not know Mr. Tanner. My Step Father
was to call sometime today or tomorrow with the news.”
Tanner
sipped from the bottle again and handed back to the undercover agent, “Ya
should’ve told us Ez,”
“I
saw no point in it.”
Conversation
tapered off as alcohol soared through blood streams and muted thoughts tangled
themselves in blurred minds.
~~~~~~~
The
cutter slid through the night. The
phosphorous in the water sparkled like a child’s toy off the bow of the
boat.
~~~~~~
“
‘Ey Ez,” Tanner’s drunken voice hauled
the Southerner from his semi conscious state.
The empty scotch bottle had been discarded toward the bow of the raft. After much discussion it had been determined
that the bow faced toward the front of the boat. The disagreement lay in where the front of
the boat was currently situated. The
ferocity of the debate had been fueled by the liquor and the easy acquiescence
had been due to the liquor as well.
“Yes
Mr. Tanner,”
“We
don’t hate yer ma,”
“Of
course,”
“We
don’t”
“So
you have stated,”
“It’s
jis that she don’t treat ya....”
“She’s
my mother Mr. Tanner I suspect you would not want me disparaging your mother..
So please don’t try to con me.....my mother taught me too well.”
“Ya
know what?”
“I
have no idea,”
“I’m
hungry,”
“Imagine
my surprise,”
Tanner
sat up and doggedly started fishing through their survival pack. Dehydrated food was considered and
discarded.
“Found
some beer,” He held up two bottles of
beer in slightly accusing manner.
“Yes
well its imported and just sitting next to the Scotch,” Ezra shrugged his shoulders, “it seemed like
such a shame to let them go to waste.”
Vin
scowled and handed one of the beers off.
The screw top lids gave under a slight hiss and foamed from the opened
bottle.
“I
could go for a cheese burger.”
Standish
took a swig of the warm beer and ignored the bitter taste. Yes perhaps a something besides Oreos.
~~~~~~~~
Buck
sat against the railing of the Cutter.
His hands gripping the dew coated rail while his legs absorbed the
rolling motion of the waves, bending and straightening unconsciously with the
roll of the ship.
He
gazed upward. The sky sparkled with
stars.
“
Larabee
stood at Buck’s left and cast a furtive glance over the silver tipped
waves. Buck’s soft wishful voice pulled
a myriad of memories from a leaky vault in his mind. For a brief moment his dark hazel eyes
flittered to the broken band of light that marked the Milky Way. Thoughts of camping with Adam in their front
yard came unbidden to his mind. He cut
Buck’s words of quickly, “Yeah, all the time,”
The wistfulness of the statement drowned the next words from
Buck
swallowed the loss of his favorite ‘nephew’ and ‘sister’ and controlled his
grief on his own.
~~~~~~~~
JD
discarded the game boy long ago and now stood on the Port side of the
boat.
Privacy
be damned.
“Buck
whatcha doin’?”
“Nuthin’
kid,”
JD
didn’t recognize the resigned tone. They
weren’t worried about Vin and Ezra....were they? Heck Vin and Ezra could fall in sewer and
come out smelling like roses. Plus there
was only five gun men against those two.....the odds favored the destructive duo.
As
much trouble as Buck and himself got into, JD knew Vin and Ezra were ten times
worse. The difference lay in the noise
level. With Buck there always seemed to
be explosions and crashes the occasional damsel in distress. But Vin and Ezra tended more toward the knock
down drag out fights, occasional flames and of course exchange of gun
fire...not to mention totaled vehicles ......something about gas combustion
engines and those two did not mix.
“You
ain’t worried about Vin and Ez are ya?”
JD leaned against the railing next to Buck’s right. He clasped his hands together as they dangled
over the side of the boat. He leaned
forward and let drool hang from his lip until is snapped. It caught the breeze and floated to the
water’s surface. JD hadn’t been worried
but now he felt the pangs of uneasiness.
“Nah
kid I ain’t worried about those two....”
“Quiet,”
Neither
man moved as they stared at
Then
they heard it. It floated on the
breeze. With the rise and fall of each
swell the sound seemed to rise and tumble.
The soft barely discernible noise, however, was unmistakable.
Over
the hum of heavily worked diesel engines....through the din of a calm ocean,
voices softly rang out over the surface of the water.
Off
key...no melody and certainly no harmony....in fact, as they listened it seemed
as if the voices could or would not agree on the words of the melody.
Only
one line came out in unison with any hint of the songwriters and singer’s
intention.
“Cheeseburger
in paradise...heaven on Earth with Mustard be nice, not to particular not to
precise...just a cheese burger in paradise....”
The
two voices...and there obviously were two voices, rang in an off key
argumentative manner for the next few lines.
~~~~~~~~
The
two stood unsteadily in their small island.
With arms crossed they stared defiantly up at the rescue crew.
“You
two quit yer belly achin’ and start cooperating,” Nathan had half a mind to just leave them
where they were and let them float in on the current.
“Oh
so that you can jab us with your needles....fill us full of your saline fluids
til our teeth float and then follow us to the head,” The deep southern drawl did not disguise his
disgust.
“Ya
and then ya make us piss in a cup just for you to play in,” Vin stood a little straighter and nearly lost
his balance, “no way.”
“Well
said Mr. Tanner.”
“Thanks
Ez.”
“You
two shut up and git on board,”
“No,”
The belligerence gathered steamed with their cementing unity.
“Sir
we could always just dunk them and do a rescue from the water,” A young sailor stood next to his amused
Captain. Orrin Travis and Captain Thomas
had served sometime together in their respective military careers. When the Coast Guard captain got this
assignment he had called Travis for a heads up.
Orrin had not been exaggerating.
“Son
ya see Ezra over there,” Josiah pointed
out the undercover agent, “dunkin’ him would be like dunking a cat....nothin’
but teeth, claws and bad attitude,”
Josiah paused, “we’d all get wet and all pay for it in the end.”
The
sailor simply nodded and continued to scrutinize the situation.
“Well
ya dang fools wouldn’t need fluids if ya didn’t drink all that foolish
whiskey,”
Tanner
narrowed his eyes and glared at Standish, “Told ya not to take the dang
whiskey,”
Ezra
was taken back, “You said no such thing....Mr. Nabisco,”
“Least
ways I didn’t dehydrate us,” Tanner
pushed Standish back a step.
“Oh
not you Mr. Health Food enthusiast.... instead you dropped our blood sugars to
the gates of Hell...In fact I feel a hypoglycemic seizure coming on....” Ezra
regained his balance just enough to shove Vin backward....with too much
force. Tanner staggered back into their
‘survival bag’. His momentum continued
even though his feet had stopped. In an
act of sheer desperation, he latched onto the front of Standish’s shirt.
For
a brief second they stood perfectly still angled obscenely backward. The slight reprieve vanished and they crashed
to the floor of the raft with a muted splash.
“Get
‘em boys,” Josiah eagerly sent JD, Buck
and Nathan over the side of the Cutter to the raft below.
The
captain rested his chin in the cup of his hand and stole a long side ways
glance at Larabee, “They like this often?”
Larabee
returned the Captain’s gaze and simply raised his eyebrow and smirked.
~~~~~~~~
Vin
cracked an eye open. His face felt
leathery and dry. Almost as dry as the
inside of his mouth. A strange smell
invaded his nostrils. It held the tang
of a hospital and antiseptic but the heavy smell of oils and diesel fuel hung
in the air. Musty too.
He
moved an arm to rub his face. A hand
stopped it.
“Glad
to see ya awake,”
Larabee.
Damn they were rescued...must not have been a dream...Ezra and his damn
whiskey.
Vin
cautiously turned his head. A headache
drummed in the background but not enough to account for the queasy stomach.
“
“Yup,”
“Where....”
Larabee
cut him off, “Coast Guard picked you up few hours ago. Still a few hours from land...”
“Ez?”
“Woke
up an hour or so ago,”
“He
ok?”
“Same
ole self....swear that man has a phone fetish,”
The
End justified the Means....didn’t it?
The man had not stirred since....
Vin
let his eyes travel from
“A
few days ago his ma was in a bad wreck over seas somewhere....he’s waitin’ to
hear if she’s ok.”
“Figured
we wouldn’t care,”
“I’ll
kill ‘im,” Larabee redirected his gaze toward his sharpshooter, “that why he
wanted Leave?”
“Yup,” Vin tried to stifle a yawn.
“Why
didn’t he just tell me?”
“Thought
ya would say No,”
“Yeah
well ya know Ez...rather disappoint hisself than let someone else do it,” Vin tried to fight to keep his eyes open. It
wasn’t working.
“I’ll
twist his head off,”
“Yeah,
huh,” Vin agreed in his own way as he
drifted off to sleep.
~~~~~~~~
Josiah
stared at the “No Service” indicator on the digital phone. Despite JD’s best attempt the small phones
roaming search had failed. The Captain
despite the sense of emergency in the call, had refused use of the radio.
They
would be on land in a few short hours.
Sanchez
leaned against the railing with his ankles crossed. The small phone seemed no more than a toy in
his hand. With an intolerant growl he
tossed the phone over his shoulder. The
ocean swallowed the tiny device without so much as an audible splash.
“Shouldn’t
treat your phone that way Josiah,”
Nathan rested his forearms on the rail and watched the distant horizon
take shape. Land was in sight.
“Yer
right .....good thing it was Brother Dunne’s phone.”
~~~~~~
The
heavy feel of humidity coupled with low tide brought out the strong undeniable
smell of ocean life.
Josiah
breathed deeply trying to inhale the heavy essence of life living on the
boundaries of two worlds.
Vin
wobbled with rubbery knees as he stepped down the gang plank. The stank of mud low pervaded his nostrils
and turned his gut. The shallow water
kept the plank at a steep angle. The
small two by two runners worked to maintain some traction on the descent. His cowboy boots, however, slipped on the
ever present slime that coated all wood that resided in close proximity to
water. Tanner’s slick soled boots
suddenly disappeared out from underneath himself. With a leg extended out before him and the
other tucked underneath him the sharpshooter grabbed desperately for the rope
guide line.
“Shut
up Larabee.” Tanner’s arms shook as he
lifted himself to his feet. Buck’s
strong hands were an unwelcomed but necessary component to regaining his feet.
“You
too Buck jist shut up,” Tanner hissed
out. Damn whiskey wasn’t agreeing with
the Oreos.
Josiah
chuckled with Ezra hot on his heels. The
undercover agent, like the sharpshooter held onto the rope guide as shaky legs
quivered and strained.
Nathan
shook his head. Dang fools. Not one of them did what was good for
them. All too busy proving how tough
they are...how independent they could be at any given time.
JD
still scoured the deck looking for his misplaced phone.
~~~~~~
Vin
sat on the hood of the car watching quietly.
Nathan
stood behind his open door with a foot resting on the floor board. He shook his head in dismay. The raw wound of
his father’s recent loss resurfaced with stinging vengeance.
Josiah
hovered uneasily by the driver’s door of the Suburban. Worried eyes cast themselves to the lone
figure by the pay phone.
JD
watched with some trepidation as the undercover agent stood with his back to
them, still hiding, still trying to disguise his fear. Dunne couldn’t help think that the more
Standish hid from them the more he actually exposed.
Dunne
once again patted down his pockets trying to find his elusive phone. Buck probably took it...
Seagulls
had also graced the small three sided metal phone box with amazing
accuracy. Dried white urate dustings
stained the blue and silver phone box in a haphazard fashion. Small remnants of trash littered the ground
near the black pole that supported GTE’s property. The hard plastic book cover dangled from a
grey coated cable. The weather proofing
cover protected the missing phone book from just about everything but
thieves.
The
hanging stench of low tide clung to the air and clothing alike. The stiff breeze that had whistled across the
bow of the Cutter had disappeared leaving faces pink but needing to feel the
wind again.
Once
hitting solid ground Ezra had discreetly melted from the group and sought out
the phone. He had held his tongue since
waking. The boat had just cleared the Jetties at the entrance of the
harbor. Well he had whispered a quiet
apology to Vin and then the Captain.
Other than that the man seemed to melt into the background cloaked not
only in shadows but also fear and embarrassment.
Ezra
never asked them to wait for him while he made his call. He never told them about his mother...JD had
offered his condolences on board and Standish’s cheeks had darkened even
further.
The
man found humiliation when others offered him comfort and kindness but had no
qualms about parading through
With
some apprehension Larabee watched the back of his undercover agent.
Standish
refused to face him and Vin. He somehow avoided close proximity with any of the
others, thus avoiding any
conversation....other than the softly uttered apology.
It
was with silent support the others watched their seventh make his phone
call.
Buck
could hear the soft Southern tones but not understand the words. He watched with trepidation as Standish
leaned his head and shoulder against the side of the booth, heedless of the
grime present. Ezra’s shoulders
slumped. The voice tapered off and soon
the sunburned neck, with a matted crown of dirty hair, simply nodded to
inquiries unheard by the others.
Buck
watched this for a few moments and then stepped forward. The undercover agent continued to nod without
articulating or creating a sound.
“’Ey
pard’ they can’t see ya noddin’.”
Watery
eyes swiveled toward Buck.
Tip
of tongue darted nervously over chapped lips.
Green eyes focused briefly on the mustached face before darting back
toward the ground.
A
soft feminine voice chattered quietly on the other end. The language unrecognizable. Buck suspected German but could not be sure.
A
big smile spread light his face, “ ‘Ey Maude...how’s it goin’? Heard you wrinkled some paint on yer
car.”
Buck
rested a callused hand on the back of Standish’s neck and squeezed it
reassuringly. He ignored the small droplets of water that suddenly stained the
tip of Standish’s shoes. Instead Buck swung a glance over his shoulder at the
rest of the team and gave them a wink.
“Yeah
he’s right here....Did he tell you that he and Vin blew up a yacht the other
day?” Buck kept a reassuring hand on
Standish, as the son fought for composure. His mother beat the odds again.
The
exclamation on the other side had Buck pulling the phone away from his ear....
“He didn’t, well let me tell you....”
.
Nathan’s
soft, “Thank God,” heralded the relief
they all felt and Josiah’s exclamation, “Amen Brother...and this calls for a
toast.” Brought smiles to everyone.
“Drinks
on Ez....it’s his ma that pulled it out of the hat this time,” JD forgot about his phone. A smile split his face that would not
disappear anytime soon.
The
end.