Special thanks to---Julie---My wonderful friend who helped me through some pretty trying times with this one. Especially the medical aspects. Also want to thankAntoinette for Beta reading this story. Thanks Deirdre for the wonderful poem that Vin wrote to Chris. I appreciate everything you three did to make this a better story.

Prologue

       

‘I’ve waited a long time for this,’ the dark haired man thought as he gazed at the picture in his hands. He’d clipped it from the Billings Gazette. The picture showed

a young man with long hair, blue eyes, and handsome features with his arm draped over the shoulder of another older man with blond hair and green eyes. Both men

wore full hockey equipment but had removed their helmets. The smile on their faces was one of friendship and happiness. They seemed to glow in each other’s

presence. The picture was clipped carefully from the front page and placed on the wall in a tiny hideaway closet.

 

“I’ll make you pay for ruining my life. I’ll see that the person you care about most in your life suffers for what you did to me. Then I’ll kill you. Do you hear me?” the

man’s voice hardly went above a whisper as he vowed his revenge on the man in the picture. “I know who you care about and I will take him from you very soon!”

he tried to shout but his damaged voice box wouldn’t let him scream his rage at the man whose picture covered the wall. Finally, his rage spent he slammed the door and locked the evidence away from searching eyes.

 

 

Chapter 1

 

“Vin, can you come in here for a minute?” Chris Larabee called from his office. As head of the elite team that worked for Orin Travis’ Firm his office was separate

from the other members of the team but he seldom spent time in there. He preferred to be out with the rest of the team, hashing over cases or just enjoying the company of friends.

 

“Sure, Chris,” Tanner said, frowning at the other five men. “Wonder what I’ve done now?” he grinned as he walked away from his cluttered desk.

 

“Can you explain how the papers got hold of this?” Larabee asked as the younger man entered the office.

 

“Ah, Chris, I , ah, I gave it to them,” Tanner said sheepishly.

 

“Why?”

 

“They wanted some pictures of us for the review of the charity events. I figured that one was perfect. I could have given them the one Ezra took in the hospital. You

know the one where you climbed out of bed and ended up on the floor with your gown up around your waist,” the younger man said with a grin.

 

“Tanner!” Larabee said in mock anger.

 

“Well, which one would you rather they printed?”

 

“You told me Ezra destroyed those pictures. So help me if you two have been showing them around I’ll shoot you both.”

 

“Come on now, Cowboy, would I do that to you?”

 

“That and worse,” Larabee said as a grin shone on his face. “Why didn’t you tell me you were doing this?”

 

“Knew you wouldn’t let me do it,” Tanner said with a smile.

 

“You got that right, Tanner,” Larabee said. “You heard anything from Morgan recently?” he asked, knowing how Morgan had single handily broken Vin’s wrist,

caused JD’s nose to be broken, and given him a concussion during what was supposed to be a friendly charity game.

 

“Nothing. The man’s a sore loser and I’d be happy if we never ran into him again,” Tanner said as he automatically rubbed the fiberglass cast that covered his elbow

to his fingers, protecting the broken bone. The cast was due to come off the following day and Vin could hardly wait to have the use of his hand back again.

 

“Me too, Vin,” Larabee said as he clipped the picture from the paper.

 

“What are you dong after work?” Tanner asked his friend.

 

“Go out to the ranch, maybe catch the baseball game,” Larabee answered. “Care to join me?” he asked, knowing something was on the younger man’s mind.

 

“You wouldn’t mind?”

 

“Not at all. Actually I’d welcome the company for a change,” Larabee said.

 

“Thanks, Chris,” Tanner said as he walked back to his desk.

 

Chapter 2

 

 

“Mr. Woodbury, There’s a gentleman here to see you.”

 

“Who is it?” Woodbury asked as he closed the tiny closet once again, hiding the evidence of his hatred.

 

“Barry Whelan.”

 

“Send him in Estelle,” he said, eager to meet the man he hoped would help him extract his revenge.

 

“Mr. Whelan, so good of you to come,” Woodbury said as he wheeled his chair out from behind his desk. He studied the short, robust man before him wondering if

he deserved the reputation of being a gifted torture artist. The man’s name had come up in conversation with an old friend and he highly recommended his services.

He pointed to a cushioned chair and waited for the man to sit down

 

“When there’s money involved, especially the amount you mentioned, I always show up,” Whelan said.

 

“Would you like a drink?” Woodbury asked as he returned to his desk and opened a fully stocked bar.

 

“Bourbon.” Whelan smiled and took the glass from the crippled man. “Now just what do you want me to do to earn my fee?”

 

“Straight to business, I like that in a man, Mr. Whelan.”

 

“In my business it pays to get straight down to business. Saves time and energy. I don’t like small talk as it gives away too much of who I am.”

 

Woodbury drained his own glass before speaking. “I want you to kill a man. Two men actually.”

 

“I don’t just kill men, Mr. Woodbury. If an assassin is what you want then you have the wrong man,” Whelan said, standing to leave.

 

“I don’t need an assassin. I need you. I want you to use your skills on one man before you kill him. I want the pleasure of killing the other man myself. Will you do

it?”

 

“This man you want to kill did he put you in that chair and do that to your throat?”

 

“Yes!”

 

“What about the other man?” Whelan asked.

 

Woodbury smiled maliciously. “He’s going to help me get my revenge. That’s why I called you. I want this man tortured in any way, shape, or form you can

imagine,” he sneered.

 

“I have a very vivid imagination, Mr. Woodbury. How long do you want this man to live?”

 

“I spent six months recovering from my wounds and still ended up in this chair. I think a day for every month he took from my life should be a fitting revenge, don’t

you?”

 

“You’re paying me, Mr. Woodbury. If you want him kept alive for six days or six weeks I can do it.”

 

“Six days will be fine. I want him to suffer and for his friend to know it’s his fault.”

 

“Does this mean you want both men taken at the same time?”

 

“No. My friend told me you’d be willing to video tape the events.”

 

“That will cost you extra,” Whelan said.

 

“How much extra?”

 

“One hundred thousand.”

 

“For video taping and delivery?”

 

“Yes, and for guaranteed quality.”

 

“Do you want it now or when the job is done?”

 

“Just add it to my fee,” Whelan said. “Now who are these men?”

 

“There names are Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner,” Woodbury said as he tossed two eight by ten dossier pictures across the desk.

 

Whelan scowled as he looked at the man in the chair. “They work for The Firm don’t they?”

 

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

 

“Not at all. Just makes things a little more interesting.”

 

“When can you get started?”

 

“I’ll take the first one within the next few days. I’ll contact you with the time and place.”

 

“Thank you, Mr. Whelan,” Woodbury said as he looked at the pictures on the desk.

 

“I just have one more question.”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“Which one do I use my skills on?”

 

Woodbury smiled as he looked at the pictures on the desk. “This one,” he said as he picked up the picture and tossed it to Whelan.

 

“This should be fun,” Whelan said as he looked at the smiling face.

 

Chapter 3

 

 

Vin closed his eyes and leaned back against the leather couch. Memories triggered by the movie they’d just watched made his head spin. Memories he’d kept

repressed because of the pain they caused.

 

He knew in his heart it was just a movie but every time he watched Uncommon Valour his thoughts would drift to his time as a top gun pilot. His thoughts centered on

the loss of a friend in similar circumstances. Circumstances that he thought were all his fault.

 

Chris watched his friend’s good mood suddenly sour as the final scene of the movie ended. Something about it had affected the younger man and he knew he’d have

to get him to talk before it festered and turned into a long week watching his friend struggle with his thoughts. “You ready to tell me what’s bothering you, Cowboy?”

Larabee asked as he passed his friend a chilled beer.

 

“What makes you think anything’s bothering me?” Tanner asked.

 

“Tanner, you should know by now I can read you like an open book. I can tell something’s got you moody again.”

 

“Hell, Chris, I’m always moody according to Nathan.”

 

“I know you, Vin. You’ve got something on your mind and it’s tearing you apart. It might help to talk about it,” the blond said.

 

“It happened a long time ago, Chris,” Tanner said as he walked to the door and out on the porch. The moon overhead illuminated the fresh cut grass in front of Chris

Larabee’s ranch house. Millions of stars shone brightly in the clear sky and the sound of crickets chirping noisily gave the night a peaceful feeling.

 

Chris followed the younger man, not saying a word, knowing Tanner would continue when he was ready. Larabee viewed the younger man as the brother he’d never

had but always wished for.

 

“It was six years ago, Chris. Me and a buddy were caught in a crossfire after we crashed in Beirut and I ended up carrying him through the city. He was hurt, hurt

bad, but I promised him I’d get us both out of there. I don’t know how long I carried him but I do know I was exhausted by the time we reached the outskirts of the

city,” Tanner said as he turned towards his friend, the moonlight shining off his tear filled eyes. He took a long swallow of his beer and turned back to the empty yard.

 

“What happened, Vin?” Larabee prompted, knowing his friend was caught up in a living nightmare from the past.

 

“W...we were close to the border when they ambushed us. I took a bullet in the leg and another in the side and lost my grip on G...Gary. I...I tried but I couldn’t lift

him, Chris, I couldn’t walk. He pleaded with me to get him out of there and I swear I tried. I promised I wouldn’t leave him. I’d have done anything for him even

given up my own life if I had to.” Tanner said in a soft lilting voice, edged with pain and sorrow.

 

“I believe you, Vin, I’d trust you with my life,” Larabee said.

 

“No! Don’t you say that, Chris. Don’t you ever trust me with your life. I couldn’t live with that responsibility.”

 

“Vin.”

 

“No, Chris, don’t you understand? I left him there to die.”

 

“I don’t believe that, Vin.”

 

“How do you know? How can you possibly know what happened to me in Beirut?”

 

“I don’t but I know who you are now and I just can’t see you leaving someone behind if you could do something about it. What happened after you took the

bullets?”

 

“I don’t remember,” Tanner answered a few minutes later. “Next thing I knew I woke up in a hospital. I don’t even remember being transported home. When I

asked about Gary they told me he never made it. They said I was the only one there when the rescue team came in. He died because I failed him!”

 

“Vin, you were shot yourself. There’s no way you could have carried him out of there. I’m sure if he was alive he’d be the first to tell you it wasn’t your fault.”

 

“I keep hearing him screaming at me not to leave him,” Tanner whispered as tears ran down his cheeks. “Next to you he was the best friend I ever had.”

 

“I’m sorry about Gary, Vin, but you have to realize there are some things beyond our control. I lost quite a few friends while I was a Seal. Like you one of them was

my best friend. We grew up together, went to the same schools, joined the SEALs together, hell we even dated the same girls at least until I met S...Sarah,”

Larabee’s voice stammered on his wife’s name.

 

“How’d he die?” Tanner asked, suddenly aware that his friend was actually sharing a part of himself.

 

“On a mission. We ended up separated from the rest of the team. I had a broken leg and a couple of broken ribs. Joey stayed with me and helped me get to the pick

up point. The rest of the team were already onboard the chopper. There were men firing on us as we ran towards it. I...I told him to leave me but he wouldn’t. He

lifted me into the chopper and was climbing in behind me. I thought we’d made it...” Larabee lapsed into silence and drained the last of his beer.

 

“What happened?” Tanner asked, caught up in the all to familiar story.

 

“We pulled him in and the chopper took off. I reached out to thank Joey and my hand brushed the back of his head,” the blond said as the memory brought

everything to the front of his mind once again. “He’d been shot, Vin. H...he took a bullet to the back of his head because of me,” Larabee said softly. “I never even

got a chance to thank him because he’d died instantly. So you see, Vin, you don’t have a monopoly on guilt. If Joey had left me he’d be alive today.”

 

“I hate war.”

 

“I think we all do, Tanner.”

 

“Thanks, Chris,” the younger man said.

 

“For what?”

 

“For telling me about your friend, and listening to me.”

 

“I’ll always be here for you,” Larabee said. “Now why don’t we forget feeling guilty and get another beer and catch the rest of the game?”

 

“Sounds like a plan, Cowboy,” the younger man said.

 

Chapter 4

 

 

“Mr. Woodbury, the first phase of the operation is set to begin tomorrow night.”

 

“Excellent, Mr. Whelan, I take it you found a place to hold him?” Woodbury’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the phone tightly in his hands.

 

“We have. Would you like to be there when we bring him in?”

 

“I’d like that. Where do I meet you?”

 

“I’ll send one of my men to pick you up.”

 

“Thank you,” Woodbury said as he hung up and gazed at the two men in the pictures on the desk. “I’ll see you in hell,” he said.

 

Chapter 5

 

 

“I think you’d better make use of your room here tonight,” Chris said as he watched his young friend stagger towards the washroom.

 

“Yep, think that’s the best plan I’ve heard all day. Hey, Chris, how come you’re not drunk?” the longhaired man asked as he leaned against the bathroom door. He

stumbled as his hand missed the door and nearly fell into the bathtub.

 

“Hey, Cowboy, you alright?” Larabee asked as he hurried to help his friend before he injured himself in his drunken stupor.

 

“I’m fine, a little drunk but that’s ok. Hey, Chris, you know your head gets all full of funny lines when you try to scowl like that.”

 

“Yeah, well your head will be full of lines when you wake up in the morning.”

 

“You sayin’ I’m gonna have a hangover?”

 

“You always do, Vin. Especially when you’re this drunk. Come on I’ll help you into bed,” the blond told him.

 

“Gotta use the bafroom firsh, Cowboy,” he said as his words grew more slurred.

 

“Can you handle that yourself?”

 

“Coursh I can, Larabee, been doin’ it for most of my life. Gimme some privicshy will ya?”

 

Chris laughed as the younger man turned away from him. “Call me if you need me, Vin,” he said as he closed the door.

 

“Ain’t no kid. Don’t need no help in the bafroom,” was Tanner’s indignant answer.

 

“Glad to hear it, Pard,” the blond said as he leaned against the door in case he was needed. It wasn’t long before the door opened and Vin Tanner stood before him,

a sheepish grin on his face.

 

“I’m pretty drunk,” he said and burst into laughter at the look on the blond’s face.

 

“You certainly are, my friend. Let me help you to your room before you fall down.”

 

“Ah, Chris, I don’t need a babyshitther,” Tanner said but let the older man lead him across the room to the large room they’d fixed up just for his use. Sitting on the

edge of the queen size bed he tried to unfasten the buttons on his shirt.

 

Chris watched his friend fumble with the buttons, his hands to unsteady to hold the tiny silver colored items. He knew he’d end up having to strip the younger man as

soon as he passed out.

 

“Can’t sheem ta gethem,” Tanner said as he suddenly fell back on the bed, his eyes closing and soft snores escaping from his sleeping form.

 

“Bout time, Cowboy,” the blond laughed as he began removing the clothes from his friend. It wasn’t often that Vin got drink but when he did it usually ended with

Larabee helping his friend into bed. Tonight’s reason for his friend’s drunken stupor weighed heavily on Chris Larabee. He understood full well what it was like to

lose a friend and the guilt that went with it. “Sleep well, Cowboy,” he said as he pulled the blankets up around his friend and left the room.

 

Chapter 6

 

 

Vin opened his eyes and moaned at the knifing pain in his head. He looked around expecting to find Nathan Jackson hovering over him as he was sure he had

another severe concussion.

 

“Good morning,” Tanner looked to the door and hated the smile he saw on the blond’s face.

 

“What happened” he asked, rubbing his painful temples. Suddenly his mind cleared and he remembered their talk from the night before. “I got drunk,” he muttered,

answering his own question.

 

“That’s putting it mildly, Pard. You got falling down, stumbling over your own words drunk.”

 

“Remind me never to do that again,” Tanner begged as he held his pounding head in his hands., forgetting about the cast and groaning as it connected a little to hard

against his cheek.

 

“How many times have I asked you to do the same thing for me?” Larabee asked, a grin on his handsome face.

 

“Yeah, well you never listen anyway.”

 

“Want some coffee?”

 

“Got anything stronger?”

 

“Thought you didn’t want to drink anymore?”

 

“Well I need something to straighten me out.”

 

“Come on, I’ve got breakfast ready for you.”

 

“I don’t think I could eat anything right now,” the younger man protested.

 

“Believe me when I tell you I’ve been there. The best way to start feeling human again is to eat something.”

 

“Did you cook it?”

 

“I wouldn’t go insulting the man who holds the cure to your hangover in his hands. Lets go, party animal,” the blond laughed.

 

“How come you’re so all fired happy this morning?”

 

“Cause I’m not the one with the hangover,” Larabee said seriously.

 

Chapter 7

 

 

Vin was surprised that he did feel better after eating. His headache dulled to a mild throbbing and his queasy stomach settled considerably.

 

“Shower’s free,” Larabee said as he walked into the kitchen. His body glistened in the sunlight as water rolled down his chest to pool in the towel wrapped around

his slim waist.

 

“I could have waited till you finished drying off, Cowboy.”

 

“I couldn’t. You smell awful,” Larabee grinned as he poured himself another coffee.

 

“Thanks, you’re such a good friend,” Tanner said.

 

“That’s what friends are for, Tanner,” Larabee said and realized what he said when Vin’s face took on a far away look. “I’m sorry, Cowboy,” he apologized softly.

 

Vin shook his head and gazed into his friend’s green eyes. “It’s ok, Chris. I think the talk we had last night cleared things up for me. I think Gary would have liked

you if he’d had the chance to meet you. He was a good friend.”

 

“Any friend of yours, Vin,” Larabee left the thought unfinished, knowing his closest friend would understand.

 

“Thanks, Pard,” Tanner said as the two men clasped forearms in their unusual handshake.