Chapter 24
“Vin, where the hell are you?” Wilmington yelled as he finally got the door to his friend’s house open. He rushed inside followed immediately by the other five
members of the team.
“Oh my God,” Jackson’s startled voice cried.
“It appears that Mr. Tanner is in need of a new interior decorator,” Standish observed as he surveyed the damage done to the house.
“We’d better see if Brother Vin is still here,” Sanchez said. “Buck, JD, you two take the living room. Nathan you take the master bedroom, Ezra you take the guest
rooms. I’ll search the kitchen.”
Without a word each man moved to search the area he’d been assigned. Jackson and Standish found nothing in the bedrooms and hurried back to the living room
where they found Wilmington and Dunne with nothing to report as well. They all looked up as Sanchez joined them, a piece of paper and a small box in his hands.
“What did you find, Josiah?” Wilmington asked hopefully.
“It seems Brother Vin has gone in search of Brother Chris,” Sanchez told them.
“Of all the stupid, idiotic, Lone Ranger moves,” Wilmington fumed as he picked up a small vase and threw it across the room.
Sanchez watched the vase sail shatter against the wall. “He hasn’t gone Lone Ranger,” he said.
“He hasn’t? Dunne asked.
“He hasn’t,” Sanchez confirmed. “You guys remember that little tracking device Orrin purchased?”
“What about it?” Jackson asked.
“Vin has it on him,” Sanchez explained as he took out the tiny tracking device and turned it on. Immediately there was a soft beeping signal and five men breathed a
sigh of relief. “We’ll take my van,” Sanchez told them as they hurried from the house.
“You’re the best at reading these things, Brother Ezra,” Sanchez passed the device to the younger man. “Let’s go,” he told the others as he slid into the driver’s seat.
Daylight was just beginning to overtake the dark skies as a light of hope began to overtake the darkness that had resided in the five men.
Chapter 25
“So, Mr. Tanner, what do you think of my methods?” Whelan asked as he knelt in front of the bound and gagged man. He pulled the tape away from the young
man’s mouth.
“You’re one of the sickest bastards I’ve ever seen and I’ll make sure you never hurt anyone again.”
“How do you propose to do that?”
“I’ll find a way if it’s the last thing I ever do,” Tanner hissed vehemently.
“You still think you’ll have that chance, Mr. Tanner?”
“Yes,” the younger man answered confidently.
“Don’t bet on it,” Whelan refastened the tape. “I’m going to get some breakfast before the next demonstration,” he explained as he walked away.
Vin listened to the soft breathing of the man strapped to the chair. He felt the pain emanating from his friend’s tortured body and mind. The overhead spotlight
illuminated the chair and the devastation heaped on the blond’s body. Patches of blood made Larabee’s skin appear paler than he’d thought possible and Vin knew
he didn’t have much time. His friend’s life depended on whether the other Firm members were able to find them. He struggled against the ropes that bound his hands,
trying to ignore the small whimpering sounds coming from the lighted area. ‘Stay with me, Cowboy, Buck and the boys will be here soon and we’ll get you to Dr.
Midland. She’ll be able to help you,’ he thought.
“Why, Vin?” Tanner’s head shot up at the softly spoken words. He knew his friend couldn’t see him but he wondered if he could actually feel him.
‘It’s not me, Chris,’ he thought, his mind full of the emotional pain he felt at being the reason for his friend’s condition.
“So tired,” Larabee’s weak voice sent a chill through Vin Tanner. He felt as if he was watching Chris Larabee’s life wind down before his eyes.
‘Hold on a little longer, Chris,’ he thought as he continued to struggle against the bonds.
“I k...killed em,” the softly spoken words barely reached Vin Tanner’s ears. He knew Larabee was referring to his wife and son.
‘Oh, God, Chris, you didn’t do it. You’ve got to remember,’ he begged as he felt his hand slipping out of the ropes.
“Killed em. Gotta b...be p...punished for it,” the blond’s delirious voice drifted across the darkness and made Vin Tanner shudder uncontrollably.
‘No, Chris, no more punishment,’ the younger man thought as his hands slipped free. He pulled them around front and rubbed at his wrist, removing the rope as he
did.
“V...Vin’s right. Gotta b...be punished.”
The words struck like a knife into the heart of the younger man. His eyes misted with tears and he quickly removed the rope from his feet and the tape that covered
his mouth.
He wanted nothing more than to go to his friend but he couldn’t chance Whelan coming back and discovering he’d gotten loose. He looked around for a weapon, his
eyes falling on the nail gun beside his friend. He picked it up and walked towards the office. He could see Whelan seated inside, a glass of amber liquid in front of
him, the phone held to his ear.
Vin knew there had to be more men around and he wondered where they were. He glanced around the darkened area of the warehouse but was unable to see
anyone else. ‘I warned you not to underestimate my abilities,’ he thought as his hand reached out and touched the door knob. He tried to ignore the continuing
voice of Chris Larabee as he begged them not to punish him anymore. Unshed tears shone in his eyes as he heard the pain filled words.
“Mr. Tanner has to be inside,” Standish assured the others as they stopped in front of a run down building on the outskirts of Billings.
“You sure, Ez?” Wilmington asked from the back seat.
“If Mr. Tanner is still wearing the mole then we are sure to discover him inside this rejected development,” Standish told them.
“Buck, call the police and get them out here,” Sanchez ordered.
“On it,” Wilmington said as he placed a call to the Billings police department.
Five minutes later, secure in the fact that the police were on their way, five men entered the warehouse hoping to find the two missing members of The Firm.
Chapter 26
“Hold it right there.”
Tanner pulled his hand away from the door handle and turned to face the man who’d spoken. His face stared down the barrel of a semi automatic pistol.
“Nice work, Jake,” Whelan smiled as he opened his door. “You didn’t think I’d be stupid enough to leave you alone did you? Now give me the gun, Mr. Tanner,
before I have Jake shoot your friend,” he ordered.
Vin held his finger on the nail gun’s trigger, knowing Chris would suffer no matter what he did. His instincts took over and he turned the nail gun on the man called
Jake. The nail caught the man on his hand and he cried out in pain dropping the gun.
Jake shot out with his uninjured hand and connected solidly with Tanner’s right cheek. The force of the blow would have stunned a normal man but Vin Tanner was
anything but normal as he watched Whelan make his way towards the man in the spotlight. “Get away from him you Bastard,” he screamed as he struck Jake in the
chin with the nail gun.
“Put it down or I’ll make him pay,” Whelan ordered as he picked up the cattle prod and placed it on Larabee’s chest.
“No,” Tanner yelled as two more men joined them, guns aimed at his chest.
“What will it be, Mr. Tanner?” Whelan asked as the door on his right burst open and five men hurried in.
Vin didn’t look at the men as they entered, he threw himself at Whelan knocking him away from the captive in the chair. Both men stumbled under the force and fell
to the floor. ‘Helps here, Cowboy,’ he thought.
Gunfire sounded all around as the five Firm members took down the two men firing in their direction.
“Oh my God, Chris!” Jackson cried as he hurried towards the figure in the center of the spotlight.
“Dear Lord in heaven,” Sanchez prayed as he caught sight of the figure in the chair.
“I k...killed Sarah and Adam. D...deserve to b...be punished.”
“No, Chris, you didn’t kill them,” Jackson struggled to control the anger forcing its way to the surface.
“K...killed em. Oh, God, I k...killed em,” the weak voice sobbed.
Buck was torn between going to his oldest friend or helping Vin Tanner. he knew Chris was in the best possible hands and turned to the struggling men on the floor
as Sanchez, Standish and Dunne checked the three men by the office.
He smiled as the younger man picked up the man he was fighting with and threw a devastating blow to the man’s face. “Need any help, Vin?” he asked.
Tanner let loose a kick that sent Whelan flying across the room. “No! I got this Son of a bitch. Go look after Chris,” he shouted as he hurried towards Whelan. He
slammed a fist into Whelan’s stomach and watched as the breath hissed from his throat. “I’m gonna kill you,” Tanner promised as he continued to pummel the man.
Buck kept an eye on the fight as he made his way to the chair. “How is he, Nathan?” he asked fearfully.
“B...Buck?” the pain filled green eyes fell on the ladies man causing Wilmington to gasp.
“Oh, Stud,” was all he could manage as a lump formed in his throat, threatening to cut off his air.
“I k...killed em, Buck, I k...killed Sarah and Adam. V...Vin knows, Buck, he’s punishing m...me,” Larabee’s voice came out painful and raspy as he struggled against
the agony that was his body.
“Vin’s not punishing you, Chris,” Buck said as he watched Whelan land a couple of swift blows to Tanner’s midsection.
“P...punishing me for killing them,” the blond insisted.
“You didn’t kill Sarah and Adam, Chris,” Wilmington insisted as tears continued to fall from his eyes. “Make that son of a bitch pay, Tanner!” he screamed as he
watched his friend’s suffering.
“Josiah, get on the phone and call for a medivac,” Jackson ordered as he continued his cursory exam of the blond. “Ezra, JD, see if you can find the keys to get these
damned things off.”
“Right away Nathan,” Standish said as he pulled out his cell phone. “Medivac is on the way,” he assured the medic as he watched the ongoing battle taking place in
the shadows. He watched as Vin swept his feet behind the other man knocking him to the ground again. Bright lights illuminated the room as JD found a switch and
flicked it on.
Vin blinked against the blinding glare but quickly recovered. He swung his fist at Whelan, cutting into the skin, causing fresh blood to run down his cheek and mingle
with the blood seeping from his split lip. “You’re gonna die for what you did to him,” Tanner snarled as he swung out with his fist again. He could feel the blood from
the wound in his hand as it soaked through the bandages. ‘Guess Doc will just have to stitch it up again’ he thought as he felt Whelan’s blow connect with his
injured ribs. He thought a couple might be broken but he couldn’t let it stop him.
Whelan had no doubt that this man could and would kill him. He felt his arms growing numb as he continued to try and stay alive. He struck out with his fist, catching
the younger man above the left eye, opening a new cut and smiling as he watched the blood flow freely into his nemesis’s eyes. “You’re not as tough as you think,
Mr. Tanner,” he mumbled through swollen lips.
“I’m only just starting,” Tanner struck the man in the nose, breaking the bone and causing more blood to mar the battered face.
Whelan became desperate and looked around for something he could use to kill the younger man. He reached into his pocket cutting his hand on the sharp instrument
he’d placed there earlier. He grinned as Tanner advanced on him. As soon as the younger man was close enough he whipped out the scalpel and swung it towards
the his chest.
Tanner saw the shiny silver object and tried to get out of the way as it arched towards him. He suppressed a cry of pain as the blade was buried deep in his left
shoulder.
Whelan laughed at the sight of the scalpel sticking out of the younger man but his newly found confidence disappeared as Tanner reached up and pulled it out flinging
it across the floor.
Vin Tanner was in killer mode. His instincts were that of a cornered animal, enraged, beyond sound and pain. He moved with grace ignoring his protesting body as he
leapt at the man cowering before him. He drop kicked the man in the chest and landed on his own two feet.
Whelan listened to the snarling animal above him and knew he was a dead man. He pleaded with the emotionless face, hoping to save his own life. “Please, don’t kill
me,” he begged.
Vin didn’t hear the words. His mind set on what he wanted to do. He kicked the downed man in the ribs, gratified when he felt the ribs break under his assault. He
reached down and picked Whelan up with his left arm, ignoring the pain radiating outwards from the wound and his own damaged ribs. “I heard Chris beg you to
stop. I heard him cry in pain. Pain caused by your sadistic mind. Did it affect you when he begged you to stop? Did it?” Tanner screamed as he continued to rain
blows on the battered face of the man he hated above all others.
“Please,” Whelan’s voice came out as a strangle wheeze, spitting blood and broken teeth from his mouth.
“Please what?” Tanner asked as he struck out once again, this time dropping the man to the floor.
“Please don’t k...kill me,” Whelan begged.
“He’s not worth it, Brother,” Sanchez said as he reached out a steadying hand to the younger man.
Tanner took one last look at the man lying on the floor. Shaking his head he turned away and walked towards the man he needed to see most in the world.
Sanchez pulled Whelan roughly to his feet and dragged him to where they could watch him but making sure he could not reach Chris Larabee.
“Chris,” Tanner moaned as he knelt in front of his injured friend.
“P...please, no m...more, Vin,” the blond begged as he stared into the blue eyes of his best friend.
“I’m not gonna hurt you, Cowboy,” Tanner reached out and touched the pale face of his friend. “We have to get him out of this,” he hissed as he glanced at his
friend’s swollen hands.
“D...don’t punish m...me no m...more, Vin,” Larabee cried as Tanner touched his cheek.
“No one’s gonna punish you, Chris,” the younger man said and cried out as his friend’s body was wracked by a spasm. “Damn you, Whelan,” Tanner swore, once
again wanting to tear the man apart.
“Found them, Nathan,” Standish said as he hurried back to the chair. His eyes misting as he caught the first real sight of the injured man strapped in the chair. He
turned away as Sanchez took the keys, his eyes coming to rest on the bruised and bleeding body of Vin Tanner. “Are you alright, Mr. Tanner?” he asked.
“I don’t know, Ez,” Tanner whispered but he wasn’t talking about his physical wounds.
“Let me take a look at that shoulder, Vin,” Wilmington said.
“It’s fine, Buck.”
“Vin, it’s not fine. It’s bleeding pretty heavily.”
“It’ll keep. Where’s JD?” Tanner asked.
“He went outside to flag down the police and the medivac,” Standish answered.
Sanchez flew through the keys on the ring until he found one that slipped easily into the neck collar, “Somebody should hold his head,” he suggested. Standish
reached out and gently held the blond’s head, allowing Sanchez to remove the blood stained collar.
“Keep him steady, Ezra,” Jackson ordered as Sanchez moved to the front of the chair. “Do his ankles first,” he ordered.
Sanchez removed the manacles holding Larabee’s legs to the chair, ignoring the whimpers of pain coming from the injured man.
“What about the IV, Nathan?” Tanner asked.
“I didn’t know what was in it, Vin, so I unhooked it right away,” Jackson answered, his voice low and soft as he continued to try to control his own growing rage.