Twisting in the Wind
By Brate
ATF Universe
Thanks to Heidi who helped me "dazzle Chris with bullshit."
"When is this guy gonna show?"
"He will arrive soon, Mr. Tanner."
"And you're sure he won't get scared off by Chris?"
"This gentleman has argued in front of the Supreme Court." At Vin's look of 'So?' the Southerner added, "I have assured him Mr. Larabee's bark is much worse than his bite."
"And he bought that?!"
"Shh, here comes our fearless leader now."
Chris Larabee walked up to the desks of his trouble-making agents. They had each arrived on time that morning and neglected to mention the previous day's incarceration. "You two done with your reports on the incident?"
"Yes, sir."
"Yep."
Both men handed the blond their finished reports and smiled politely.
Chris barely refrained from crossing himself to ward off whatever evil they were sending his way. He quickly retreated to his office.
Vin looked over his desk to his partner in crime. "Chris knows somethin's up."
"He has no idea what, though." The undercover agent smiled in satisfaction.
Surprisingly, the rest of the team refrained from teasing their formerly imprisoned teammates. None of them wanted to be in the line of fire for what they feared was coming. Minutes later, a gentleman stepped off the elevator and made his way to the nearest agent, which happened to be Buck.
"May I speak to Mr. Christopher Larabee, please?"
"That depends, what do you want?"
"I believe it is a matter that Mr. Larabee would prefer to keep private. Is he here?"
"Let him in, Buck," Chris called from the doorway.
Wilmington slid to the side to let the suited gentleman pass. The man followed Chris into his office.
The blond shut the door and walked around his desk to face his visitor. "How can I help you, Mr....?" Chris offered his hand.
The visitor shook it while introducing himself. "Maitland, Daniel Maitland." The well-dressed man placed his briefcase on Chris' desk, opened it, and took out a card, which he passed to the ATF agent.
Chris gave the card a cursory glance. "Lawyer, huh?"
"Yes, Mr. Larabee. I am here on behalf of my client, Paul Belkey."
The leader wrinkled his brow, trying to recall where he'd heard that name before.
Maitland saw his confusion and assisted the agent's recall. "He was the owner of a beautiful, brand-new, modular home, being transported through downtown Denver."
Larabee groaned in disbelief. Those two are dead! he thought. "Why don't you go talk to Brian Harris. He's in charge of our legal department."
"I am aware of that, and if this were an ATF matter, I would. But this suit names you, personally, in addition to Agents Tanner and Standish."
"What?"
"You, Mr. Larabee, are being sued for 1.3 million dollars."
"But it wasn't even me who ran into the damn house!"
Outside the office, six men gathered around the sharpshooter's desk, which was the closest to their leader's office. The voices carried easily through the closed door.
"Your men are under your authority, and thusly, are your ultimate responsibility."
"I'm protected from lawsuits by gov--"
"Due to a small amount of initial research on my part," the lawyer interrupted, "I am able to cite at least three similar cases, in which you were unable to control your men. I'm sure if I looked harder I would be able to find many such examples. You are not going to be protected under governmental immunity because you have set precedent in being an ineffectual leader. As such, you are ultimately responsible for their actions even though you were not present at the event in question."
At this point, the man in black was speechless, and had to rely on the power of his glare.
Unfortunately for Larabee, Standish had warned Maitland of this particular characteristic, and the lawyer didn't even flinch as he stared down the lead ATF agent. "Mr. Belkey believes you are personally culpable for the damage, both physical and emotional. This visit was a courtesy to inform you of the suit so you may retain your own counsel. The paperwork will be served shortly, and I'll see you in court." The lawyer quickly shut his briefcase and, with a short salute, was out the door. "Gentlemen," Maitland said as he passed the gathered group of agents outside the office.
"Holy shit," Buck breathed. He looked over at Vin and Ezra. "Glad I ain't you two."
The two guilty agents exchanged a look. Maybe they took this too far? The door to Chris' office opened and the four innocent -- well, in this particular instance they were innocent -- men scattered, leaving the sharpshooter and his partner alone at their desks.
Chris moved in front of them and silently stood there. Tanner and Standish pretended to work on their computers until the tension proved too much. "Can we help ya with somethin', Chris?" Vin timidly asked.
"Just answer one question." The blond stood with his arms crossed, eyes closed, and his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Of course, Mr. Larabee. Any help we can offer will be freely given."
"Is there any reason I shouldn't shoot you two right now?"
"Too many witnesses?" Tanner nodded at the rest of the team.
"No, Mr. Tanner, I believe our compatriots would be too quick to assist our leader in his self-defense plea."
The longhaired agent shook his head. "But as federal agents, they have to uphold the law."
"I agree with you in theory, however in this instance--"
"Enough!" shouted Chris, waving his arms and walking away.
Vin watched his boss retreat back into his office. The sharpshooter leaned across his desk and whispered, "When we gonna let 'im off the hook?"
"He must have no idea that we were behind this. This makes us even, and I don't want to start a war."
"So, how we gonna do that?"
"I say we let him stew for today, and by tomorrow he will receive a registered letter from the lawyer stating that the case has been dropped."
"Then he won't kill us... good plan."
"Glad you approve."
The End
