Legacy VIII: Road Trip
Vin, Ezra, JD, OC’s
Note: BIG thanks to my beta for this one, and to the person responsible for the collage, and a thank you to her for waiting patiently for me to finish this. Hope you enjoy!
The black clad man looked up from his desk and stared at the five people standing before him. Ezra Standish looked annoyed, as he usually did when a task, such as the one presented in front of them, was placed in his hands. Vin Tanner looked equally displeased. He didn’t like the idea of having to help look after the youngest agent on their team, along with two teenagers. Between Ezra and himself they were capable of getting into enough trouble alone, without adding three more people to the mix.JD Dunne looked excited; for once he would be able to get out of the office for a few days without having Buck mothering him. He knew with Ezra and Vin along, that the mothering would be there, but not in full force. Luke Deveraux had a smirk on his face. A road trip was exactly what he needed for a break in his summer. His cousin would be along, and a bond of brothers had formed over the summer between JD, Vin, Ezra, and himself. They worked extremely well together and had been known to be the source of many practical jokes that had occurred during the past few months. They gave the so-called, ‘elders’ a run for their money. So, what more could a guy ask for? Sam Larabee had a smile on her face as well, but it was a smile of disgust. Being cooped up in the confined space of a vehicle with the other four men in the room was not her idea of a good time. She saw herself being the target for a few pranks in her near future.
“You’ll leave first thing in the morning,” Larabee stated, looking back to the paperwork on his desk.
“Tomorrow?” Standish questioned in shock, “The trial isn’t till Monday morning.”
“I know,” the leader replied simply.
“Tomorrow’s Saturday cowboy,” the sharpshooter noted, tilting his head to one side.
“Yep,” came the response. “I’m giving you two days to get there.”
“Why?” Luke questioned, not sure of the reasoning behind Larabee’s idea.
“Because, I’m sending the five of you to Amarillo, Texas, to testify for a trail on Monday morning. Between the five of you, there will be enough “accidents”,” he made quotation marks in the air, “that happen, that you’ll be lucky if you make it to the courthouse on time.”
“Why can’t we just take a plane?” the girl queried, placing her hands on her hips.
“It’s the end of vacation for some folks. We tried to book a flight for the five of you, but there’s no way we can get all of you there on time,” the green-eyed man responded. “So we’re giving you a rental car that is expected to be returned in once piece.”
Ezra and Vin both looked away from the gaze that was shot their way. JD hid the grin that threatened to emerge.
“You’ll leave at 8 o’clock in the morning,” the black clad man began, looking towards Ezra he added, “no exceptions. You’re dismissed.”
With that said, the agents filed out of his office, leaving Larabee to shake his head as he ran a hand through his blonde hair.
“This is asking for trouble,” he stated quietly to the now empty office.
* * *
Later that evening, Chris stood leaning against the doorframe to Sam’s room. He quietly shook his head as the girl’s rambling continued as she packed her duffel bag.
“This is crazy,” she stated. “You know as well as I do, sending me along with Bo and Luke Duke, much less…Butch and Sundance isn’t the smartest thing to do. What am I supposed to do?”
“Testify at the trial.”
“Other than that, I might as well be the adult of the group,” she commented. “Besides we wrapped up Patterson’s case like a month ago, now it’s going to court. That’s nonsense. Goes to prove how well our justice system is doing.”
“Sam,” the tone was serious.
“What?” the girl queried, turning to look at the man. “I watched as that man killed two girls, Chris. They weren’t no older than me. He just killed them for no reason, no reason at all, and now, a month later they decide to take him to court."
"I thought we had talked about this," Larabee stated calmly.
"We did...it's just...I'll be glad to get all of this over," she responded, grabbing a few shirts from her closet.
"I know you will," the man commented. "Just try and be careful on the way down there. Be sure to watch for any stupid mistakes Bo and Luke might come up with."
"Okay," she smirked as she neatly placed the shirts into the bag.
"Now, come on, Nathan's downstairs and he wants to tell you something before he heads home," the black clad man remarked, reaching out to wrap an arm around the girl's shoulder.
Once downstairs, the team medic sat the girl down on the couch. Sitting in front of her on the coffee table, he began to pull things out of the small box beside him.
"Here's an emergency contact number," he handed her an index card. "If you can't reach any of us at home or on our cell phones, this is Rain's cell number. She's always on call, so you'll be able to get an answer there."
Sam nodded her head and gave a quick amused glance to Larabee.
"Mace," he handed her the small bottle, and then continued digging through the box.
"I'll add that to my collection of mace bottles in my bag," the girl thought. "Seven ATF agents and their remedy for anything that might happen to me is mace."
"Oh, and just pack this in your bag," he handed her a rather large zip lock bag, filled with medical supplies. "Anything happens, from a burn to a bullet hole, you can take care of almost anything until you can reach a hospital, and..."
"And if we don't know what to do, contact you," the girl interrupted the black man, finishing off his sentence.
"Yeah," Nathan responded. "That's about it."
He stood up to leave, "Oh and..."
"Never talk to strangers, don't cross the street without holding someone's hand, and never take candy from strangers," the teen commented, standing up as well.
"No," the medic replied in an annoyed tone, then smiled, "try and have some fun."
"Easy for you to say."
She gave the man a quick hug and then carried her things back to her room. As she closed up the suitcase, one thing crossed her mind, Someone's gonna wind up in a hospital.
* * *
The next morning, Sam and Chris were up and ready to go when Ezra, Vin, Luke, and JD arrived in the rental car. Buck and Josiah had stopped by earlier to bid the teen farewell and good luck, something they thought she would need on this trip.
The teen looked at the small silver car. "Seats five, how convenient."
After placing her bag in the trunk, she walked around to where her four traveling companions had gathered to discuss the seating arrangement.
"Ezra's driving, I've got shotgun," Vin stated. "You three can figure out the back."
After a long argument, it was decided that JD would sit on the left side, Luke on the right and Sam in the middle, much to the girl's dismay.
"Goodbye," Chris stated, kissing the girl on the forehead. "Be careful."
With that said, they climbed into the car and began their way down the long driveway.
"Cheer up Sam," JD stated, nudging the teen. "There are worse places you could be."
"I'd settle for a nice jail cell with a cot right now," the girl replied as the computer expert placed the earphones over his head.
Leave it to JD to bring a walkman, she thought.
Four hours into the trip, JD was sleeping peacefully with his head leaning against the window. Ezra and Vin were discussing the best place to have lunch, while Luke stared silently out the window. Sam noticed the unusually quiet teenager, and nudged him in the ribs.
"What's wrong?" she questioned.
"Nothing."
"I can tell by that tone that it's not "nothing". You know you can talk to me," she stated. "Or you can continue staring out that window. Either way, if we're talking we won't be near as bored as we are right now."
Luke turned his attention from the window and looked at his friend. "Allison and I broke up."
"What?"
"Last night," he continued. "She just up and decides that it's not working between us and we should see other people. Said she needed her space."
"Without you in it," the girl commented. "I'm sorry, Luke, but I'm sure you can do better than her. Tell you the truth...I never like her."
"I know," he remarked, "and I don't think I ever really liked her."
"Then why did you go out with her?"
"I don't know. She wanted to date me more than I wanted to date her," the young man stated.
"Well, she was kinda pushy wasn't she?" the girl queried with a smile.
"More than you know," Luke said with a matching grin.
"Mickey D's okay with you guys?" Vin questioned, turning toward the backseat.
"Yeah," the two said simultaneously.
“And we know what JD’s answer is,” the sharpshooter smirked as he looked at the sleeping agent. “So that’s four to one, Ezra, sorry, but you lose.”
“Excuse me. I’m the one driving, therefore, I will be the one to select our dining establishment,” the southerner stated as he drove onto the access ramp leaving the freeway.
“Either way, wherever it is, better be in walking distance of a fast food joint. I’m craving a burger and some fries,” JD spoke up as he turned his head, first to the right then to the left, making audible popping noises.
“Mornin’ beautiful,” Tanner grinned as the youngest agent narrowed his eyes at the man.
“Here, JD,” Sam stated as she tried brushing some of the young man’s hair back into place. “That looks better. You really should use more gel.”
“That way it doesn’t move at all,” Luke commented with a smile.
Ten minutes later, Ezra Standish found himself sitting in a very colorful booth. He and Luke were occupying the same bench, Ezra’s chicken salad standing out among the cheeseburger wrappers and fry packets. Opposite them on the other bench were Vin and Sam, both munching on some fries. JD had pulled a chair up to the end of the booth and was finishing off his second burger.
99 cent heart attack, the undercover agent thought, then added quickly to himself, my, I’m beginning to sound like Mr. Jackson.
Sam took a look out the window at the colorful playground and grinned to herself.
“Gee, do we get to play on the playground, Mr. Standish?” she said in her best five-year-old voice. “Can we, please?”
Ezra shook his head at the teen. “No, we need to be on our way.”
“Ah, come on, Ezra, have a heart,” Vin stated, throwing him a grin.
“You are an adult, you know better, and the answer is no.”
“Meanie,” Luke commented as he stood up with his tray.
“What did we ever do to you?” the girl whined, still imitating a child, as she stood to dump her tray.
Vin, JD, and Ezra stood up as well, preparing to dump their trays.
“It’s not like it’ll kill you,” the teen continued.
“If you insist on acting like a child,” Ezra said as he placed his empty tray above the bin, “I’ll treat you like one.”
With that said, he proceeded to grab the girl by the wrist, and drag her along behind him as he exited the building, the other agents right behind him.
“Ah, you’re holding my hand,” the girl spoke up as they went out the door.
“Yes, most four-year-olds are notorious for getting away from their parents,” the southerner began, “and for once, I’m not letting you get away until I’m through with you. Then I’ll return you to your father.”
That last statement was overheard by two elderly women as they walked across the parking lot. Both women’s hands flew to their mouths as they gasped at the statement. Ezra stopped mid-stride across the parking lot and stared at the women in bewilderment. Sam held up her free hand and waved, giving the women a small smile.
“It’s not what you think,” Ezra began to explain, but watched as the women shook their heads and continued on into the eatery.
“Oh, Ezra’s been a bad boy,” Sam teased, as they continued towards the car.
“I’m not big on saying this but,” he began as he opened the back door, “shut up.”
“I just thought it was funny was all,” the teen smirked in amusement as she climbed in the backseat.
The laughter from the three other travelers was heard from behind as they approached the car. Vin climbed in the passenger seat as the other two filed in, creating a Sam-sandwich again.
“You know, they have a word for people like you, Ez,” Tanner began, as Ezra pulled out of the parking lot.
“Shut up, Mr. Tanner.”
Two and a half hours later, after another one of many pit stops along the journey, Vin sat in the driver’s seat with Ezra leaning slightly back in the passenger seat. The undercover agent was trying to catch some shut eye, and for once during the journey, the backseat drivers were being quiet. Throughout the past two hours, the youngest ATF agent, along with the two LEGACY agents had an abundance of complaints. Turn the radio on, turn the air up, turn the radio down, turn the air off, switch radio stations, and Ezra’s favorite, are we there yet?
That last complaint wasn’t so much of a question as it was a statement. A statement that the three youngest in the car had realized caused the undercover agent to make a low growling sound. After a few times, it just became a game to play, Who could make Ezra growl the longest?
Now, as Vin looked in the rearview mirror, he saw JD with his head against the window, asleep once again. Sam had JD’s headphones over her ears and was leaning over on the youngest agent, sleeping soundly. Luke, on the other hand, had a book in his hands and was quietly indulging himself in the pages.
* * *
“Well pard,” Buck stated as he walked into the living room from the kitchen, “it’s awful quiet around here.”
“Yep, but you have to realize, the children are the noise makers,” the black clad man replied with a smirk.
“Nathan, you might as well relax,” Josiah told him. “If they get into any trouble, they probably won’t call us first thing anyway.”
Nathan sat back against the couch and sighed, “Yeah, but I did give Sam complete instructions…”
“That don’t matter,” Buck interjected. “Between Vin and Ezra, they could have her hog tied and gagged in order to save their butts from Larabee’s wrath.”
“Besides, I imagine they haven’t gotten themselves in any trouble yet,” Larabee stated quietly.
* * *
“Ez,” Vin said quietly as he looked in the rearview mirror again.
Standish sat up immediately, and looked around, “What is it?”
“Behind us. That car’s coming up awful fast,” the sharpshooter stated.
“Well then, let’s lose them,” the southerner responded, as he pulled his pistol from inside his jacket pocket.
With one hand, he reached back and pushed on JD’s shoulder. “Mr. Dunne.”
JD sat up straighter and looked at the undercover agent. “Yeah?”
By now, Luke had his head turned slightly in order to see their pursuers and Sam had pulled the headphones from her head as she looked to see what was happening.
“Get ready, JD,” Tanner instructed. “Sam, you might want to get down.”
The teen obliged and slid as far into the floor board as the car allowed. She gave the manufactures credit though; it was a spacious little car. Luke slid as far down in his seat as possible. JD quickly readied his weapon.
“Their gainin’,” the computer expert commented as he looked back once more.
“Not for long,” Vin replied as he pushed his foot further down on the gas petal.
The small car made a slight roar as it accelerated down the interstate. Vin quickly and stealthily weaved in and out of the cars that were scattered about like ants on the highway.
“We have a patrol car up in front Mr. Tanner. Mind getting close enough for me to flash my badge?” Ezra drawled, as he reached into his pocket once again.
“No problem,” his friend replied as he moved closer to the patrol vehicle.
The police officer in the car looked a bit surprised as the car came up beside him. He looked over and noticed the shiny badge pressed against the passenger window, then watched as the man inside pointed behind his vehicle. The officer watched as the car then accelerated on past him. He quickly looked in his mirror and noticed a shiny red car careening down the highway. As it passed him, he flipped his lights on, followed by the siren, and grabbed his microphone.
“This is car eleven, I’m requesting back up on US-287, in pursuit of red Chevrolet Impala, license plate…” he continued, giving the plate numbers as he did his best at keeping the same speed as his fugitive.
Within a few minutes, three other patrol cars had joined the pursuit. The cars along the highway had begun to pull off to the sides of the road in order to avoid being rammed from behind by the speeding vehicles.
Standish glanced over his shoulder once more, “Probably some of Patterson’s goons.”
“Yep,” the quiet Texan responded, “someone doesn’t want us in Amarillo.”
“Where are we?” the young girl questioned from her crouched position in the back.
“Coming up on Dumas,” Tanner stated, pronouncing the first syllable of the city ‘Duh’.
“I believe that’s Do-mas,” the southerner sounded the word out slowly.
“Whatever Ez,” Vin remarked.
“This is one of my biggest pet peeves Mr. Tanner; your lack of respect for my attempt at educating you…” Standish began his tirade, staring at his partner and friend as their car careened down the highway.
“Uh, guys?” JD interrupted.
“No JD. I’m trying to…” the undercover agent began again.
“Do you mind holding off on the English lesson for a little while? We are kinda in the middle of something here?” JD stated bluntly.
Ezra turned to look at the computer expert and blinked at him in bewilderment. JD had just told him in a not so forward way to ‘Shut up’.
“Yeah,” the Texan commented. “Shut up Ezra.”
Ezra turned to look back at the sharpshooter and hissed quietly, “Embrassez mon âne.”
“Okay fella’s,” Sam piped up, “we don’t need arguing, in any language. Let’s solve our number one problem first.”
The traffic along the road side had diminished immensely. So, without an abundance of options, Vin asked a simple question.
“JD, do you think you can shoot out one of their tires?”
“Yeah,” the young man replied as he rolled his window down.
“Don’t stick your head out too far, it’ll make a good target,” the sharpshooter cautioned as Dunne took up his position.
Ezra and Luke looked out the back window, ready to watch the car lose control all together. Sam slowly closed her eyes and listened as gunshots rang out.
Two, her mind self-consciously stated, Two shots.
Then the awful sound of thudding and the smell of burnt rubber drifted into the car. Vin carefully took control over the car, only allowing it to spin a few times in the middle of the highway, before bringing it to a complete stop.
Ezra had quickly and instinctively raised one arm to grab hold of the handle located above the door, while his other hand flew to the teen’s back, insuring she went no where during the whirlwind activity. JD had jerked himself back inside the car after shooting out their pursuer’s tire, and braced himself as well, holding onto the door with one hand and the front of the seat with the other.
Sam slowly peeled her eyes open, realizing she had clenched them tightly shut as the car began spinning. One hand held onto the seat in front of her and the other had some how searched out and grabbed Luke’s free hand. His other hand, like JD’s, was grasping the door panel.
“WHOO HOO!!!” the yell came from the driver’s seat.
Sam sighed and rolled her eyes. Leave it to Tanner to enjoy something like that.
“Good lord,” Ezra began, “Mr. Dunne, the object was to shoot their tire out, not ours.”
“I did, Ezra,” the computer specialist responded, pointing out the window to the red car which was now resting in the ditch on the roadside, surrounded by the patrol cars. “I can’t help it they decided to shoot back.”
“You all right?” Luke queried, looking at the girl on the floorboard.
“Yeah, give me a sec,” she breathed, “I’m not big on spinning around and around.”
Ezra and Vin climbed out of the car, followed by JD and Luke, who helped Sam steady herself on the pavement.
“Dizzy?” JD questioned.
“No, I’m fine,” the girl replied, then started to move to follow the other two agents.
She staggered a step, Deveraux and Dunne immediately began to help, but she waved them off and moved on to follow the two older agents.
JD rolled his eyes to Luke, who grinned, knowing the teen was proud of her independence, sometimes too proud to ask for help, even when it was needed.One of the officers approached the group as they headed for the car. “I’m afraid I’m gonna need to see some ID’s.”
Simultaneously the three ATF agents pulled out their badges and flashed them to the man. Luke looked at Sam and shook his head. These were everyday cops. They weren’t on a need to know basis for LEGACY. No sense in whipping out their ID’s.
“These boys after you?” the officer questioned.
“That’s what we’d like to know,” Vin responded, placing his hands on his hips.
“We are headed to Amarillo to testify for a trial. There is a good possibility they were trying to stop us from arriving at our destination point,” Standish commented, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck.
The wail of an ambulance siren was heard in the distance. The officer looked over at the agent’s rental car. “Looks as if we’ll have to call a tow truck. Everyone in your party all right?”
“Yeah. What about those guys?” Tanner queried, nodding his head towards the red car.
“Knocked out cold. They’re alive though,” the officer replied. “We’ll take them to the hospital in town, keep them in custody until they wake up and tell us what’s going on. I can get one of my men to take ya’ll over to the motel. I’d suggest you get a room for the night, eat some supper at the cafe, and we’ll contact you as soon as they wake up.”
“Sounds good to me,” the Texan responded. “How long to fix the car?”
“Not long. I’ll put a word in, should be out in an hour or so,” he countered, nodding his head at his own idea.
* * *
The teen looked up at the sign above the small building. ‘Elsie May’s Café’ it read in big blue letters that stood out drastically above the red brick.
“Thanks,” Tanner remarked to one of the officers.
Sam turned and watched as their only mode of transportation was towed out of the gravel parking lot.
Ezra felt around in his pant’s pocket. He had his badge, some change, but no wallet. The southerner then remembered placing his billfold in his jacket, which he had left in the car.
“Mr. Tanner,” he began slowly, “I do hope you have your billfold on you.”
Vin turned and looked at his friend in surprise, “No, Ez, I left mine in the dashboard, b’cuz you always have cash on you.”
“Well, this goes to prove you really shouldn’t rely on others to provide you with everyday luxuries,” the agent replied in an annoyed tone.
“You left your money in the car!” the normally quiet agent yelled.
“Sorry, but with everything that was happening, it must have slipped my mind,” Ezra remarked.
“Hey,” JD interrupted, “I’ve got...," the agent stood there and searched through his jeans pockets, "twenty bucks!" He held up the bill in triumph.
“I got three dollars,” Sam commented as she pulled out some money from her back pocket.
Luke felt around in his pockets as well, and then pulled out a few bills. “I’ve got seven dollars.”
“That’s thirty. It’ll do till we get the car back. At least we’ll be able to buy some dinner,” Dunne stated.
Ezra and Vin nodded their heads in agreement and began walking into the eatery. Sam and Luke handed their cash over to JD as they followed the other agents into the small café.
They found a table by a window that had an excellent view of the gravel parking lot.
An over-zealous young waitress approached their table, holding a few menu’s in her hand. She smiled as she handed a menu to each of the guests.
“Hi,” she greeted, “My name is Ellie and I’ll be your waitress this afternoon. I’ll let you decide what you want and I’ll come back. But right now, can I bring you somethin’ to drink?”
“Coke,” Vin replied.
“Same,” JD commented as he looked over his menu.
“I’ll have a root beer,” Sam stated.
“Me too,” Luke smiled.
“I’ll have,” Ezra looked at the drink choice on the menu, so much to choose from, “just an iced tea.”
“You want a lemon with that, sugar?” Ellie queried, writing the orders down.
“Yes please,” the southerner replied.
Sam waited till the waitress was out of earshot before she leaned across the table slightly and mimicked Ellie’s Texas accent. “Sugar, you know, I think she likes you.”
“She was just being pleasant,” the agent replied as he continued looking at the menu.
A little while later the five sat eating their "home cooked meals" as Ellie had pleasantly stated when she had brought the plates over.
“Hey, looky there,” Sam stated, pointing out the window.
The guys looked and saw the tow truck pull into the parking lot, dragging their rental car behind it.
“Five dollars says that the mechanic is related somehow to our police officer friend,” Luke commented.
“I’ll go take care of things,” Vin said as he stood up.
“No, I’ll…” the southerner began.
“Ez, I’ve got home field advantage, you go out there mouthin’ off, and you’ll get yourself shot.”
Standish looked at his friend in amazement. “Whatever you say.”
The sharpshooter then headed for the door, leaving the southerner to finish his dinner.
Tanner returned shortly and laid a set of keys on the table.
“Looks good,” he stated as he sat back down.
“I see you didn’t wind up getting yourself shot at,” Standish commented as Vin stuffed an onion ring into his mouth.
“That’s because I know the language that the locals' use,” the sharpshooter replied around a mouth full of fried food.
“That language being known as ‘Texan’,” Sam commented with a grin.
“Yep,” Tanner responded.
“So where’d you park the car?” JD questioned.
“They dropped it at the end of the parking lot, then locked it and handed me the keys,” the Texan replied. “And I asked; the mechanic is the sheriff’s little sister’s husband’s son, so they are related.”
“How convenient,” Ezra commented.
“I knew it!” Luke exclaimed with a smile.
* * *
“Well,” JD said as he pushed his plate away from him, “what do you say we find a hotel and get a fresh start in the morning.”
“Mr. Dunne, I believe your perspective on the situation is excellent,” the undercover agent agreed as he too, pushed his plate away.
While JD paid the bill, the others made their way out of the small café.
* * *
Within in a few minutes, the agents had found their way to the local motel. The youngest of the group leaned up between the driver’s and passenger’s seat, staring out the windshield at the small building which looked to have been built in the late 40’s.
“I think not,” the girl stated simply.
“What?” Tanner questioned, looking sideways at the girl.
“There is no way I’m staying here, no way. There has got to be some place better than this,” Sam stated, leaning back against the seat, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I’m in agreement with her,” Standish remarked.
“Fine, you can sleep in the car. This is the only place in town. I asked back at the diner,” JD stated before climbing from the vehicle.
“Alright,” the teen remarked, “but if the manager’s name is Bates, I’m out of here.”
With that said, she climbed out behind the young ATF agent, leaving Vin to shake is head as he climbed from the car.
Once inside the lobby, Tanner and Standish approached the front desk. Vin tapped the small bell on the counter and within a few minutes, a man in his mid-thirties walked up. Sam glanced to Luke, who was looking at something out the window. With a small shove of her shoulder; the young man turned his attention back to the front desk. The manager was dressed in a white t-shirt with boxer-type shorts, and it was obvious he hadn’t shaved in a few days.
“Hi, my name’s Norman. Can I help you?” he asked to the two men.
The slight cough from the girl had JD looking over in time to watch as Luke wrapped an arm around the girl, stopping her from backing out of the lobby.
“Yes, we’d like two adjoining rooms,” Ezra replied, absentmindedly straightening his shirt cuffs.
“Sorry mister, I’m out of adjoining rooms,” Norman told them.
“Well then, just two separate rooms will be sufficient,” the southerner said, although having Sam in a different part of the motel wasn’t what he originally wanted. The closer she was to the ‘adults’ the less likely she was to get in trouble.
Norman looked a sheet of paper on the desk and quickly scanned it. “Sorry, all I have is one room left.”
The undercover agent turned his gaze over to the sharpshooter, silently asking him his opinion.
“Do you got a cot?” the Texan questioned.
“Yeah, I’ve got one in the back,” the manager responded.
“That’ll do then. We’ll take it,” Tanner replied, as Ezra reluctantly pulled his wallet from his pocket.
* * *
Once they had walked what Ezra considered a mile to the room at the end of the building, they opened the door to find exactly what the southerner had expected: twin beds.
“Ah man,” JD complained, “no cable.”
Vin rolled his eyes and turned around to head back to the car for his bags.
Shortly after they had brought in their luggage, Norman arrived with the cot and reminded the agents’ loud music and drinking was prohibited in the building, as if he was talking to a group of teenage partiers. As soon as the door shut Sam jumped up on one of the beds.
“This one is mine. You guys can fight over the other one.”
“I got the cot,” JD remarked, automatically claiming his sleeping spot.
”Ah, guess you guys get the other bed,” the girl stated, smiling to Ezra, Luke, and Vin.Luke and JD opted to take a shower first, leaving the other three to choose either a before bed or a first-thing-in-the-morning shower. JD had calculated that they would be in Amarillo by noon Sunday, leaving them Sunday afternoon and evening to sightsee. For once they would prove the others in the office wrong...hopefully.
Soon after the two younger men finished their showers and were ready for bed, Sam headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth before settling in for the night. Luke was already in the process of brushing his teeth, dressed for bed in his sweat pants and a t-shirt.
“Hey sexy,” the girl joked as she approached.
Luke grinned and remarked, “Nice boxers.”
Sam looked down at the green and blue checkered boxer shorts she was wearing. They had originally been a gift for Buck, but the teen had changed her mind, keeping them for herself and giving the ladies man a new bottle of cologne.
“Thanks,” she commented as she began brushing her teeth.
“You know,” Deveraux began, “this trip hasn’t been that much of a disaster.”
“Yet,” the girl added, glancing to the young man. “We still have to make it to Amarillo, then stay there until Monday evening, without anything major happening.”
“Have a little faith,” the agent replied.
The girl laughed and shook her head. “I wish I could, but our chances are slim and none.”
“Wanna bet?”
Sam looked up at him and grinned. “Sure Ezra, I’ll bet.”
Luke laughed at being compared to his cousin. “Fine, I’ll bet you that we will make it to Amarillo tomorrow with no problems, giving you at least a day and a half before heading home.”
“And if you win the bet?”
“Once in Amarillo, I’ll take you to movie. My treat,” the young man responded.
“And if I win, you’ll HAVE to take me to a movie, of my choice, and then we have to get ice cream. That’s all there is to it,” the girl replied with a grin.
“Deal,” Luke said, shaking the girl’s offered hand.
With that bet made, Sam turned back to the mirror and began to finish brushing her teeth, listening to Ezra and Vin argue over who was going to sleep on the floor.
* * *
The next morning, JD rolled over on the cot and heard the sound of water running. Peeking out one eyelid he quickly scanned the room, realizing it was Sam who was in the shower. Deciding it best to get up, the youngest ATF agent climbed from the not-so-comfortable cot and stood up, stretching his arms high above his head. He rolled his head from side to side, audible pops stating he had slept with his neck in the wrong position. Running a hand through his bed-head hair and smoothing it down, he walked to the window to peer out. The sun was already shining and he could feel the heat emanating from the sidewalk outside.
“What time is it?” Luke questioned, as he sat up from his position in the floor.
JD glanced down at the watch on his wrist. “Eight thirty.”
“Guess we should call up the police, see if they found anything out about those guys from yesterday,” Deveraux stated, also stretching out his tight muscles.
Dunne moved over and opened up the bottom drawer of the nightstand, pulling out the local phone book.
Within a few minutes he had been officially put on hold while Vin and Ezra had managed to climb from the bed and Vin was fixing to head out for coffee.
“Yes,” JD stated into the phone, “I see…yeah…yes sir…thank you sir…I’d appreciate it…bye.”
The two oldest agents turned to Dunne, waiting on a response. Sam had finally opened the bathroom door and stood in the doorway fully dressed, toweling her hair dry. Luke too, turned around and waited to hear what the computer expert had to say.
“Well, the two guys woke up around midnight last night,” he began, “and stated that they had been hired by one of Patterson’s closest associates. The detective I talked to said he was faxing the report to Amarillo. He said they could probably use it in the trial.”
“Well,” Ezra commented, “looks as if that’s taken care of. Now, if you don’t mind, since the shower is empty I’m going to refresh myself while Mr. Tanner heads out for coffee.”
The undercover agent headed toward the bathroom, while Luke volunteered to help Vin with the coffee.
* * *
Later that day, around 12:15, the five agents arrived safely in Amarillo. Ezra managed to find a decent hotel with adjoining rooms and cable TV. Sam told the others of the bet made between her and Luke, so everyone decided to celebrate, heading out to the nearest cinema.
After relaxing some at the cinemas, the group headed to a local ice cream parlor. While inside the building, JD was regaling a tale about one experience he had with Buck at an ice cream shop in Denver. Sam sat staring absentmindedly out the window. Suddenly, sirens were heard coming down the street, and a small car came flying into the parking lot, followed by police cars and a few unmarked vehicles.
“Uh, guys,” the girl interrupted, watching out the window as the people in the getaway car jumped out and ran towards the front of the ice cream shop. “We got trouble.”
As the two young men rushed through the doors of the parlor, they were met face to face with three service revolvers.
“ATF, GET ON YOUR KNEES,” Ezra yelled, and watched as the two men obeyed the order.
“TEXAS RANGERS. COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP,” was heard from a megaphone outside the building.
JD along with Luke moved to handcuff the two criminals, while Vin and Ezra holstered their weapons first, then drug the two perpetrators up to their feet, and shoved them towards the front doors.
Once outside, two officers moved forward and took the suspects into custody. The ATF agents briefly flashed their badges to an approaching officer.
“Thank you gentlemen for the help. Is there anything we can do to repay the favor,” one of the rangers questioned in a thick Texas accent.
“It was no problem…” Vin began, but was cut short by his loud-mouthed Southern partner.
“Actually,” Standish began, flashing a gold toothed grin.
* * *
Monday morning arrived and the five agents, dressed appropriately, appeared before the court, each recalling the events that lead up to the bust of Patterson and his men, and the events that took place during the bust. One uniformed officer approached the Judge, handing him a brown envelope. The judge took out the papers and read them, then began to summarize up the events that had taken place only two days earlier on the highway, with the two men who claimed to be hired by someone under Patterson’s authority.
After a brief recess, everyone stood while the charges were read and the verdicts were handed down. Patterson was sentenced to life in prison, along with three other men in his operation. While he was being escorted from the jail, he threw the ATF agents, and the LEGACY agents a look of disgust and hate.
“It’s over now,” Vin stated simply as they headed out of the building. “He’ll be behind bars for a very long time.”
“And he won’t hurt anyone anymore,” Sam commented with a slight smile, happy she had helped in putting a murderer away.
“Well gentlemen and lady, what do you say we head to the hotel, gather our belongings and head to the air strip?” Ezra said with a smile.
“What kind of agreement did you work out with that ranger anyway?” Luke questioned his cousin.
“Let’s just say, for our good Samaritan deed, Ranger Mull has a friend with a private jet that he is allowing us to use as transportation back to Denver,” the southerner grinned at his own cunning.
“Ezra,” Sam began, “you’re one of the smartest people I know.”
“Was there ever a doubt in your mind?” he joked.
* * *
When the five agents pulled into the Larabee driveway, they were met by four very unhappy ATF agents.
“WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING, LEAVING YOUR CELL PHONES OFF?” Larabee yelled as they exited the vehicles.
“Well, you see, cowboy,” Vin began, “turns out we happened to forget our chargers, and no one’s was really fully charged to begin with.”
“Can you explain to me the car chase?” the leader growled.
“That really wasn’t our fault,” JD told him.
“What about the standoff at the ice cream parlor?” Josiah asked impatiently.
“That really wasn’t a standoff,” Sam tried to calm the ex-preacher, explaining the situation.
“Besides, the worst part of the trip was the hotel with only two beds,” Luke stated.
Buck, Chris, Josiah, and Nathan glared at Ezra and Vin. “WHAT?”
“You see, we can explain everything,” Ezra tried to begin to explain the situation.
“I imagine you can,” Nathan replied. “And you will.”
“I told you,” Buck stated, pointing at Vin and Ezra, “sending Bo and Luke,” then pointed at JD and Luke, “Butch and Sundance,” then looked to Sam, “and Daisy Duke there, wasn’t the best of ideas.”
“You did not just call me Daisy,” the girl declared, glaring at the ladies' man. “I think not. You are sadly mistaken mister.”
“I don’t care who you are,” the black clad man stated. “I want all of you in the living room, ready to give a full explanation of everything that happened.”
With that said, the five travel weary agents filed into the house, leaving the four others to look at one another with smirks.
“This is going to be fun,” Buck grinned. “Even Vin looked a little shaken by your yellin’.”
“They ain’t heard nothin’ yet,” the leader smiled slightly, ready to give the younger ones the punishment they deserved. Finally, revenge for all the practical jokes and ‘accidents’ that had happened in the past.
Revenge is sweet, Larabee thought to himself as he followed his men into the house.
THE END
Legacy IX
Bo and Luke's Revenge
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