Insert your favorite standard disclaimer here. {Yes I know they are not mine, no I didn't make any money off this, yadda, yadda, yadda.}

This is the fourth story in the series. (A Place to Belong, The Place Where We Belong and A Place to Call Home) This one takes immediately after "A Place to Call Home" ends.

Many thanks to Shallan for editing this one and to wolfpup for hosting my stories.

TRISHBSC@AOL.COM

A PLACE WORTH FIGHTING FOR

Trishbsc

"You did WHAT?" Alfonse shouted at his son. "Do you have any idea what you've done to our operation? Everything we've set up the last few years has been put in jeopardy as a result of your stupidity."

"Father, let me explain. It was worth the risk..." Guido started to say.

"Have you no shame, my son? You tried to kill Ellison with a bomb... at a family wedding. Haven't you paid any attention to the code I've run this operation by all my life as had my father before me?"

"I almost got him." He could see the flush of red rise from his father's neck into his face. Hoping to lessen the tension, he continued, "I can make this right. I can still finish the job." Guido paused, hoping to see some sign that his father's anger was waning.

With a wave of his hand, Alfonse cut off the discussion with his son. Rubbing his head with his right hand, he turned to Antonio, asking, "What do you think we ought to do now?"

Antonio glanced at Guido for a split second, noting the signs of a childish temper tantrum about to be unleashed. He shook his head at the sight before him. Guido was slumped sideways in the chair, one fist tucked under his chin, and the surly pout on his face was something that no grown man should ever display.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes and turned to face the man he had come to respect as a father. Antonio replied, his voice showing no sign of the disgust he was feeling, "We need to see just how much damage was done as a result of this fiasco. Ellison's children were not seriously injured by the blast. The worst damage was to Ellison himself and his younger brother. I understand that none of the injuries are permanent." With another quick glance at Guido, he added, "Perhaps it is not too late for a peace offering."

Alfonse nodded, scratching his chin. He had detected the circumspect looks that Antonio had made at his son during the conversation. "I agree. A peace offering is probably our best option right now. Did you have something specific in mind?"

"I have an idea," Antonio said with a final sideways glance at Guido. "Though the price may be higher than you are willing to pay. If you recall my report on the aborted NSA attempts on Ellison in the jungle, the retribution Ellison extracted after his wife was killed was somewhat... extreme. He is a man who does not take an attack on his family lightly."

Alfonse closed his eyes. He had a good guess as to what his second had in mind as a peace offering, and the price would be high, but the operation in Cascade was too important to lose.

"Have my car brought around. I will approach James Ellison myself to see if we can put an end to this matter, before things get out of hand."

"I'll see to it, Father," Guido answered, rising from his chair

"No, you stay here. You've made a big enough mess of this already. I will see what can be salvaged from this situation," Alfonse snapped pushing his son back down into the seat.

Antonio followed his boss out of the office, closing the door behind him. Alfonse paused in the outer office and turned to face his second in command. "Tony, I need to you to take care of the situation in there. Do it clean, but make it clear to everyone what happens to those that fail me so miserably." With a heavy sigh he added, "No matter who they are, or how high in the organization they are, hopefully this will be offering enough for Ellison."

"I'll take care of this for you, Sir," Antonio replied with a nod, recognizing the less formal name he had just been called reflected a change in their relationship. Antonio watched from the window in the office until he saw his boss enter the car with his bodyguards and pull away before pulling out his gun and re-entering the inner office.

Blair paced back and forth in the hallway in front of the door to Jim's hospital room, wishing he had Sentinel hearing at the moment. The doctor was giving his friend a final check before releasing him today.

Leaning against the wall, Simon Banks watched the young man almost run over another visitor to the hospital in the hallway. "Sandburg! Would you relax before you hurt someone? You're driving me crazy here."

"Well that would be a short trip," Blair muttered, just loud enough for Simon to overhear.

"I heard that Sandburg. Now, would you stop wearing out the soles on those shoes of yours and tell me what the hell is bugging you?"

Simon rephrased his request slightly after seeing Blair's fists clench and his face twist with anger. "Besides the obvious, I want to know why you're so worried about them releasing Jim? I remember the days when it was almost impossible to get either of you to stay put in a hospital bed. Now, I get the impression you'd rather have Jim stay here. You've obviously got some major concerns brewing in that head of yours, so share."

Running one hand through his hair, Blair crossed the hallway to lean against the wall opposite Simon. He sighed, his voice dropping to the point where Simon could barely hear him, not a good sign.

"Am I that obvious?" Seeing Simon nodding vigorously, Blair raised his hand indicating surrender. "Okay, I'll admit it. I'm worried about him."

"He's got the hardest head of everyone I know, Sandburg. He'll be fine," Simon said, seeing the deep seeded fear in Blair's eyes.

"I'm not worried about his physical condition. He's been hurt worse before and hasn't let it hold him back. No, I'm worried about his mental response. Look Simon, we haven't really had a chance to talk about everything that happened when we were in Peru. When the NSA killed his wife... well, let's just say that it was only the Chopec who responded with a primal force for vengeance."

"He's got every right to be pissed off, Sandburg. Bertelli tried to kill his entire family at a wedding, for God's sake! I'm pretty tempted to take out Bertelli myself and I'm not talking about arresting the son of a bitch."

Blair waved his hands in front of Simon's face, resuming his pacing. "That's just it, Simon. I would understand anger. I wish he was yelling or destroying something. I'd be happy to listen to him making threats of using all the arts of torture that I'm sure the Chopec taught him. That's the problem. He hasn't, no response... nothing... nada. In the last twenty-four hours since he woke up, he hasn't said more than three words at a time."

"Well, not everyone wants to talk about everything the way you do, Sandburg. Jim has his own way of expressing himself."

"I know. The whole Ellison angry glare with fire shooting out of his eyes, not to mention the clenched jaw which someday is gonna freeze up totally, but that's not happening either. He's completely unreadable, even to me. Man, he's acting like a zombie or a machine. There's this vacant look in his eyes that's just way too creepy."

Blair ran one hand through his hair as he closed his eyes. The sense of relief at finally having shared his concerns washed over him. "Well, all I know is that it's not good, Simon. I'm afraid he's gonna blow and I'm just afraid of who will be caught up in the collateral damage when he does."

"Oh," Simon said, lost in his own thoughts, as the full impact of Blair's words brought up some very disturbing images.

"Is that all you can say? Just OH!" Blair asked, hoping that Simon would tell him he was worrying about nothing.

"Would you prefer to hear 'Oh God, we are in very deep trouble?'" Simon answered sneering, as the images of destruction when Ellison finally did let go of what he had to be feeling continued to play out in his mind.

"Sorry, I know I'm a little on edge here. I've tried to get him to talk, but I get nothing. The most he's said was when he asked his father to take the kids upstairs when the doctor came in to examine him and it was only 'Do you mind' with a wave of his hands at the kids."

Mention of Jim's father brought a random memory to the forefront of Simon's attention. "I heard from Rafe that Steven was out of intensive care. I understand William Ellison has given Jim a run for his money when it comes to rudeness to the nurses."

Despite his sour mood, Blair chuckled. "Yeah, I heard the nurse tried to stop William from taking the kids up to see Steven, something about them being too young. I understand Rafe explain the whole family is in protective custody. Is that true?"

"Mostly true, though it's an unofficial protection detail. When the guys down at the precinct heard what happened, we had more than a few volunteers to help protect the family. There are still a few good cops around here. As for Jim's behavior, well, give him some time, Sandburg. Maybe once you get him out of this hospital, he'll be more likely to talk."

Before Blair could respond, the doctor exited the room interrupting the conversation.

"I've signed the release papers for Mr. Ellison as he's requested. The nurse is helping him get dressed. His shoulder is still a bit stiff, but it was a clean dislocation and easily reduced. He should take it easy for a while. The knee brace will have to remain on for at least the next two weeks. We'll reassess his condition then."

"Sounds good, Doctor. Thank you," Simon replied, as he turned to face Blair. "Sandburg, why don't you wait here for Jim? I'm sure he'll want to head upstairs to check on Steven and the kids. I promised Rafe and Brown that I would pick up some lunch for them, so I'll just get enough for everyone."

With a sigh, Blair replied, "Sounds good to me. I haven't had a chance to eat anything since yesterday."

Simon started to walk away, then paused. Turning back, he called, "And Blair, don't push Jim to talk right now. You're more likely to set off the explosion and you really don't want that to happen here, in front of witnesses."

Blair thought about arguing for a moment before responding, "I'll wait until we get back to William's house, but I'm not gonna let this go on for much longer."

After Simon was out of sight, Blair resumed his pacing. He was so lost in thought that he almost ran over the nurse exiting Jim's room a few minutes later.

"You can go in now," she said with a slight frown. "Maybe you'll have better luck than I did getting him to cooperate."

Blair only opened the door far enough to slip into the room. Only the overhead fluorescent lights lighted the room, and those were not very bright. The window shades were closed allowing no sunlight to enter the room. The bed was rumpled but empty. A large flower arrangement sat next to the bedside, a gift from the old gang at Major crime. The narrow slit of light coming from under the bathroom door indicated Jim's location.

Shaking his head, Blair sat door in the chair next to the bed. The darkness in the room was only one sign of how far Jim's attitude had slipped. The fact the he had antagonized the nurse wasn't entirely shocking, however, when he was on his way out of the hospital he was usually more polite.

The bathroom door opened, briefly illuminating the room as Jim limped out. Blair bit back a smile. With the sore shoulder, Jim had been forced to wear a button down shirt, but had been unable to get all the buttons done.

"Would you like me to help with that since you seem to have scared off the nursing staff?" Blair asked, gesturing at the last few buttons.

Frowning, but defeated, Jim muttered something.

Assuming a positive answer, Blair stood and crossed the room. He avoided looking Jim in the face as he closed the final few buttons.

Stepping back, Blair said, "There. I guess you're presentable. So what now?"

Looking around the room, Jim replied, "Where are the kids?"

"Upstairs with Steven and your Dad. So what's the plan?"

Jim responded with a grunt, and headed for the door.

Blair felt his face grow hot. This had gone on long enough. There was no way he was letting Jim anywhere near the kids or the rest of the family until Jim was capable of coherent speech. "Don't move another step," he ordered, grimly. "We need to talk, Jim"

If looks could kill, he would have been dead where he stood from the expression on Jim's face as he turned around. Raising one finger, Jim spoke through clenched teeth. "Not now."

Crossing the room, Blair batted the raised finger away, "Yes, now! If you think there's any way I'm letting you near those kids in this mood, you don't understand what's been happening here. Those kids are already scared enough. I think you're forgetting that they saw everything, Ellison!"

"I know!" Jim replied his voice cold as ice, though the heat of rage was growing. He started to reach for the door.

Blair knocked his hand away from the handle and blocked the doorway. "No, I don't think you do. You haven't heard them wake up crying from the nightmares. You haven't seen just how unnaturally quiet Gracie has been. She's so scared, she hasn't said much more than you have the last few days. So is Jake and the last thing they need right now is to be made afraid of you!"

Blair's words rocked Jim backwards a step. He closed his eyes and attempted to force the rage he was feeling back under control.

"That'll... never... happen." With each word, Jim took a step forward, pinning Blair against the door.

Using the door as leverage, he pushed Jim backwards. Pounding his finger against Jim's chest, Blair forced him to retreat even further. "Yes, it will happen. They'll take one look at you and be afraid. Trust me. I'm a little afraid of you right now and I'm an adult. Those kids are away from everything familiar to them. You were so hurt that the doctor wouldn't even let them see you at first. They don't need to feel your anger. So deal with it!"

"I..."

"Don't even try to deny it. You are so angry; you can't even talk to me. Just a few phrases at a time, you can't even speak in complete sentences. Until you deal with this anger of yours, we're not leaving this room."

Jim stared at him for a moment, not willing to accept what Blair was telling him. Finally, his control failed and the full extent of his anger was allowed to run free. "You want complete sentences! How's this? Those bastards tried to kill me."

"So? What else is new?" Blair replied, knowing he was taking his life in his hands, but accepting that it had to be done.

The fire rising in his eyes and his voice, Jim continued his tirade, "They hurt my family and there wasn't a damn thing I could do stop them. Hell, I wasn't even on guard. I never considered that anyone here in Cascade would come after me. I'm a Sentinel! Why the hell didn't I sense something? I should have known better! This never should have happened!" At the last word, Jim picked up the vase of flowers and threw them against the wall.

Then, just as suddenly as the anger rose, the waves had been reduced to a mere trickle of the former intensity, mostly vented in shattered glass and spilled water.

Recognizing that some epiphany had come to pass, Blair crossed his arms over his chest and asked, "Feel better now?"

Calmly, but more than a little embarrassed, Jim stared back at his best friend. "Much better."

Blair smiled. "How many times do I have to tell you not to repress what you're feeling?"

With a deep, cleansing sigh, Jim smiled in return. "Probably a few more. You know how hard my head is."

"Too well!" Blair stared at Jim's face for a long moment before asking, "So, you think you're ready to face the family now?"

Jim thought about it carefully before answering. "I guess the answer to that is, do you?"

Looking at the water on the floor and the flowers that were scattered around, he answered, "Only after you clean up that mess."

The two men left the room about fifteen minutes later. Blair was handing the flowers to the nurse Jim had antagonized at the nurse's station when he realized that Jim had stopped moving just outside the door to his former room.

With a final smile at the nurse, Blair moved back to where Jim was standing, appearing as if he were lost in a zone. Placing his hand on Jim's good arm, Blair whispered, "Uh Jim? Can you hear me? Because if you have zoned, I've got no clue why. And you are kinda creepin' me out here because it's been a long time since you've zoned on anything and I so don't want to go back to those days," Blair babbled as he stared down the empty hallway over Jim's shoulder, looking for a clue to what had happened.

"The cubs are here," Jim muttered as he took off, limping only slightly, towards the elevator in the middle of the hallway.

"Cubs? Huh? The baseball team? Why the hell are you... where are you going?" Blair stammered as he was running a step behind, then being forced to turn sideways to get past the elevator doors that were closing on him.

"Come on! Come on!" Jim said through gritted teeth as he angrily and repeatedly punched the button for the seventh floor, ignoring the stream of commentary coming from Sandburg.

"Seven, that's the floor they moved Steven to this morning." Blair looked up as the elevator began to move. His eyes darting back and forth as his brain attempted to figure out Jim's intentions. "Cubs! Of Course! You can see the kid's spirit guides. Why haven't you said so? How long have you been able to see them? What animals did you see exactly?"

"Not now, Chief," Jim replied as the elevator was passing the sixth floor. Jim shifted his weight from side to side, ready to bolt as soon as the doors opened onto the seventh floor.

"Just tell me what you saw."

"The cubs were scared, Chief. I'll explain later, for now, prioritize!" Jim said quickly as the elevator doors opened and he limped down the hallway to the right and around the corner.

"Prioritize. Right, first eliminate the threat, then answer your guide's questions," Blair said to himself as he dodged the nurse coming from the hallway where Jim had just disappeared. From the look of fear on her face as he avoided the collision, she was in as big a hurry to get away from someplace as Jim was to get there.

Blair turned to the corner leading to Steven's hospital room in time to see the already explosive situation suddenly ignite. Standing on guard in front of Steven's room was Henri and Rafe. Henri was actually a few feet down from Steven's room blocking the path of two very large and very ugly men. They were obviously hired muscle for someone important.

Standing in front of the door, Rafe was not allowing entry to an elderly but well turned out gentlemen. The man was obviously wealthy, wearing a custom fitted three piece black suit, spotless black shoes, a red properly folded handkerchief was visible from his suit jacket. He was carrying two brightly colored wrapped gifts.

Blair stopped and leaned against the wall. He folded his arms across his chest and waited for the fireworks to begin. He knew the exact moment Henri noticed Jim coming down the hall. Blair wished he could see Jim's face, it must have been something, because Henri's eyes widened, and he took two steps back, clearly wanting out of the path of what was about to happen.

The two bodyguards didn't know anything was happening until it was too late. Even without a weapon, not to mention having only one good arm, Jim was a force to be feared. The first bodyguard was on the ground, out cold, before the second guy knew what was happening. Jim's take down happened so quickly, Blair wasn't sure he knew where the guy had been hit. He saw Jim take the guy's knees out from under him, and what he thought was an elbow to the guy's face, but that may have been Jim just winding up to punch the second guy right in the nose. From the look on Jim's face, he was causing himself some pain, but it wasn't even slowing him down.

The punch threw the guy against the wall, but before he could retaliate, Jim had his forearm pressed against the man's throat, somewhat limiting his ability to breathe, much less make a counter move.

Blair saw Jim whisper something to the man before releasing him. The guy didn't even try to stop himself from sliding down the wall to wind up sitting on the floor. After Jim moved past him, Henri laughed. Shaking his head, he winked at Blair.

Deciding he was now too far from the action, Blair strolled down the hallway past the two men lying there. The second guy was still sitting speechless, but mindful of the situation. He looked up at Blair, a dumbfounded expression on his face.

Waving one finger in a negative fashion at the man, Blair said softly, "I'd advise against moving if I were you. My partner is not in the mood to be trifled with right now." Approaching Henri, Blair whispered, "Just what did Jim say to the man?"

"I didn't hear all of it, and I'm sure part of what I did overhear is anatomically impossible, but I'd have to say that I'm impressed with the man's ability to come up with creative threats." He then added with a whisper, "I'm just glad we're on the same side."

Seeing that Henri could manage the two bodyguards sitting quietly on the floor behind him, Blair moved down the hallway to where Rafe was standing, still blocking the door to Steven's room. Taking a quick peek over Rafe's shoulder, Blair could see William Ellison standing a few steps behind Rafe. Sally had Grace and Jake protected behind her, in the far corner of the room.

Steven, still heavily drugged from the morning move from intensive care, was sleeping quietly unaware of the confrontation unfolding outside his door.

A low growl drew Blair's attention back to Sally and the kids. For a brief moment, Blair saw Jim's spirit guide standing next to William. His wolf was standing next to Sally, growling at him. Behind the wolf, Blair could see a small lion cub and a smaller red fox kit.

The wolf growled again, barring its teeth.

"Watch over them," Blair said as he turned around.

"Don't worry about the kids, Blair. Nobody is getting past me," William answered.

"You can watch too," Blair said softly, not loud enough for William to hear him, as he moved away from the door to stand on Rafe's right. He listened to the conversation that was becoming somewhat loud between Ellison and Bertelli.

"What the hell are you doing here, Bertelli? Come to finish the job?"

"Mr. Ellison. I am here to apologize for the... shall we say overzealous actions of one of my employees. I wanted you to hear it directly from me that the incident two days ago was not sanctioned by my organization."

Blair had to give the old guy credit. He may have taken a few steps back from Jim, but he wasn't showing any sign of fear.

"Incident? Is that what you call it?" Jim said angrily taking another step forwards towards Bertelli.

The man held up both hands as if to fend of a physical confrontation from Jim. "A poor choice of words, I admit. However, I feel the need to point out that there was no lasting harm done to your family."

"So you think, because no one died, I should let the matter drop? You really think that I'm gonna let you get away with this? No harm, no foul, no punishment?" Jim said with disbelief.

"Not at all. I can assure you that the perpetrator of this heinous act has been severely punished. He will not bother you and yours again. As a small token, I brought these for your children." Alfonse held the gifts he had brought out to Jim.

Jim slapped the two presents out of Bertelli's hand, knocking them a few feet down the hallway. "My children don't need anything you have to offer. You just don't get it, Bertelli. It's too late for repentance or forgiveness or whatever else you think you're gonna get here. You and your organization went too far and now I'm gonna make you pay."

Alfonse bristled at the accusations Jim was leveling at him. "Let me remind you young man, I said I had nothing to do with this attack on you and I was being sincere. However, I will not tolerate threats. I strongly suggest you let the matter drop."

"So it was someone in your organization, but not you. As far as I'm concerned, you are responsible for what happened. One of your people did it and now you're going to have to deal with me." Jim stepped back for a moment, staring at the old man in front of him. "Seems to me like you're losing control of your people and maybe it's about time someone stepped in."

Alfonse sighed. This was going badly and it appeared that things were about to get messy for everyone concerned. "You should remember that you've been away from this place for a while. I don't think you know whom you are dealing with Mr. Ellison. I own this town now and I think you'll find that it would be better for you and your family if you moved on with your lives, preferably in another state."

Blair snickered at the thought of Jim running away from Bertelli, receiving angry glares from both Jim and Bertelli. "Yeah, like that's gonna happen," Blair said with a grin.

Jim returned the smile, but if a smile could be termed as scary, that fit the expression on his face. "And I don't think you know who you're dealing with. I've been away for a while, but now I'm back and I plan on sticking around for a while."

With a quick glance over his shoulder, he saw Henri and Rafe smile. At that moment, he felt that he was home.

Returning his attention to Bertelli, he continued, "I don't like what I see here and it's about time someone stood up to you and your organization. So here's what's gonna happen. I plan on shutting down your entire operation. Everything! The drugs, the protection money, the money laundering, every operation you've got. Until I've got you and all your people in jail, nothing is gonna make me leave Cascade. You got that?"

"That will not be as easy as you seem to think." Seeing the look of determination in his opponent's eyes, Bertelli sighed. "I assume this is your final word on the subject?"

"Yeah, it's my final answer," Jim said a steely glare from his eyes.

"As we are not going to come to an agreement on this matter Mr. Ellison, I shall leave you to your family."

Bertelli brushed past Ellison, and stared at Blair and Rafe for a moment before making his way to the elevator. His two bodyguards, with only a single glance backwards at Jim, joined him a moment later.

Jim stood in the hallway for a moment, breathing heavily, trying to get control over his temper before going into his brother's room. Blair had been right. There was no need to scare the kids any more than they had already been frightened. When he turned around to face Blair and Rafe, his jaw was still clenched in anger. Taking one more deep breath, he said, "Thanks for keeping that son of a bitch away from my family, guys. I owe you one."

"No problem, Ellison. It was my pleasure to watch that," Henri said, flippantly.

Whacking his partner on the shoulder, Rafe added, "No problem, Jim. Glad to hear you've decided to stay a while. Now, why don't you check on your family? We've got your back."

"Give us a minute and then come on inside. We've got a lot to talk about. You coming, Chief?" Jim asked as he slid by Rafe into the room.

"I'll be there in a minute."

Blair closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Even though Jim had just declared war on the entire Bertelli organization, he felt a wave of relief.

"I'd say he is no longer acting as either a zombie or a machine, Sandburg."

Blair whirled around to see Simon standing just down the corridor, holding several bags of food. "Simon, back so soon. How much did you hear?"

"I got here right about the time Ellison took down the second bodyguard, so I heard most of the conversation between the alpha males. I pulled into the parking lot and recognized Bertelli's car, so I got up here as fast as I could. I figured you might need a hand in keeping Jim from killing the man with his bare hands."

Blair chuckled nervously. "Nope, no problem here, Simon. Everything's perfectly under control."

"Yeah, I can see that. Other than the fact that Jim just declared war on the biggest crime family the west coast has ever seen. Now, come here and take these bags. I'm parked in a fire zone and need to move my car," Simon ordered, holding out the bags in his left hand.

Blair chuckled and trotted down the hallway, relieving Simon of his burden.

Eyeing Blair carefully, Simon asked, "He's really okay? What about..."

"He's back, Simon. Trust me, he's back. The Sentinel of the Great City is in the house and in control."

"About time," Simon answered as he headed back for the elevator.

Blair pushed open the door to Steven's room with his shoulder. A sense of calm washed over him at the family scene before him. Steven was still sleeping soundly in the bed with Sally holding his hand. Jim was seated in a chair with both Grace and Jake sitting in his lap.

Blair winced in sympathy as he saw just how tightly Jake was holding onto Jim's sore shoulder. But judging from the expression on Jim's face, there was no way he was letting go of either child. William was standing next to Jim, watching his son and grandchildren.

He was the first to notice that Blair had entered the room. He crossed the room, relieving Blair of some of his burden. "Come on in and have a seat."

Jake looked up from Jim's shoulder and smiled. With both hands, he reached for Blair, leaning far enough out of Jim's arms that there was no way Jim could hold onto him with his bad arm.

Blair dropped the bag he was carrying and reached for Jake. He managed to swing him up into his arms before he fell out of Jim's arms.

"Thanks, Chief. These little monkeys are getting harder and harder to hold onto," Jim said as he tickled his daughter into loud giggles.

"No problem. Is anyone in here hungry?"

A groggy voice from the bed answered weakly, "I am."

"Steven, I should have known the mere mention of food would arouse you," William said with a smile, moving to his son's bedside.

Steven looked around the room, seeing the crowd of people, asked, "Did I miss something?"

A nurse passing by the door of the room smiled at the roar of laughter coming from inside.

Steven's period of wakefulness didn't last long. Jim managed to catch his father's eye as Sally was settling Steven back to sleep and gestured for his father to follow him out of the room. He quickly found an empty hospital room and entered, closing the door once his father had entered. William stared at the look of determination in his son's eyes and sighed.

"Jimmy what is so important that you needed to talk to me now?"

"Dad, I need you to do me a favor."

"What is it, Jimmy?"

"Do you still have that condo in Florida?"

William shook his head. "I'm not leaving town, son. This is my home too, and I don't plan on running away to leave you to face this alone."

"Look, Dad. Steven is going to need a few weeks in a rehabilitation hospital. I've already spoken to his doctor and there's a good one a few blocks away from the condo. I want you to take Sally and the kids and leave town for the next few weeks."

"Jimmy..."

"I mean it, Dad. I want you and the children out of the line of fire. I need to know that my family is safe. Look at it as a wonderful opportunity to be their Grandpa. You're right in the middle of kid heaven with Disney and every other tourist adventure only a few hours away."

William thought about what his son was asking him. If it was only himself at risk, he knew he'd never leave, but now there was Sally to think about and his grandchildren.

"How long?" William asked, knowing that his answer was going to be yes.

"I'm figuring about six weeks, maybe as long as two months."

"All right, for the moment let's say I'm willing to consider this, but I've got a few conditions of my own."

"Like what?" Jim asked warily.

"First, you and Blair will stay at my place for the duration of my absence." Seeing his son about to say no, William continued in a tone that he hadn't used for years. "I'm serious, Jimmy. There is no place more secure in the whole city than this community. Between the security cameras and the hired guards, you and Blair will have a safe haven to retreat to when you need it. You should use it as your headquarters. That way there will always be somebody here keeping an eye on the place."

Jim rubbed his eyes, but nodded in agreement. It wasn't like they had another secure location available to them. "What else, Dad? You said first, which means there's more."

"Next, you will stay in touch, not just because I want to know what the hell is going on here, but Grace and Jake will need your support. You're planning on sending them off with two almost strangers into a completely unfamiliar environment. Well, actually parts of Florida are not that different from the jungle, but they still will be away from you. They were pretty upset in the hospital while you were unconscious. If it hadn't been for Blair, I think we would have had a major problem on our hands. I expect a phone every night, Jimmy. No arguments."

"I can't promise to talk to you every night, Dad. Taking down the Bertellis is going to be hard enough. I can't guarantee that I'll be close to a phone in the evenings."

"No excuses, everyday we hear your voice or it's no deal, son," William said, looking his son straight in the eye.

Jim rolled his eyes as he mentioned, "You're gonna have one huge phone bill."

William waved off that excuse with one hand. "I can handle the phone bill."

"Is there anything else you want? Perhaps a contract signed in blood now?"

"That won't be necessary, son. I think you're gonna need every drop of blood you've got, but that reminds me. If either you or Blair is hurt, the deal's off. I'm coming home. I'll leave Sally and the kids there with Steven, but I'm coming home."

"You drive a hard bargain, Dad," Jim said, offering his hand on the deal.

"How do you think Ellison Enterprises was so successful, Jimmy? It's wasn't dumb luck," William replied with a smile, shaking his son's hand. "Now, let's get back to the others."

Blair raised an eyebrow at the return of Jim and William. He knew something was up. Judging from the smug look on William's face, it was obvious that Jim's father had the upper hand in whatever had been discussed. He exchanged a knowing look at Simon, who had also noticed William and Jim's return.

"Simon, get those officers you are sure you can trust together. We'll meet at my father's house this weekend. That will give you a few days to alert those you feel you can trust discreetly. Bertelli will have a hard time getting anyone inside that neighborhood without being spotted."

Simon nodded, but then shrugged before replying, "You know, it's gonna be the same old gang. There are very few people that I know for sure that I can count on."

"You can count me in," Rafe said from the doorway.

"Me too," added Henri, slapping Blair on the back.

"Joel is still around and may know of one or two more men that he trusts, but for now I'd rather keep this to a small group until we come up with a plan."

"What about Daryl?" Blair asked.

"Not a good idea, Chief. Daryl's out on the front line already. If Bertelli thinks that Daryl knows anything about our plans... Well, Daryl would be an easy target for Bertelli to grab."

"Actually, I think I'd prefer Daryl to stay close to us for the duration. I have a few favors left. I think I could get Daryl temporarily assigned to us," Simon said, firmly. "I could pair him up with Joel."

"Fine, then we'll meet Saturday night."

"So, does this mean I can tell the Commissioner you've accepted her offer?" Simon asked.

"No, don't tell the Commissioner anything. I don't want to be working at the direction of police during the next few weeks. If I do, that limits some of my options and there are too many rules to play by."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of this, Jim. I'm not interested in turning vigilante here."

"Don't worry, Simon. I'm talking about the fact that as a private citizen acting on my own behalf, I can use my senses without having to worry if it will stand up in court or not. Any evidence that I collect can be used because I'm a private citizen, not necessarily acting as an agent of law enforcement."

"Sounds to me like you're splitting hairs, Ellison."

"Yes, but they are important hairs, Simon. And nothing is going to get in my way of taking Bertelli's operation to pieces. Nothing."

"Hank, pull over. I think I saw something on the rocks down there," Daryl said, pointing to the large rocky section of the point they had just passed.

"What was it?"

"Not sure, but I think something is definitely dead. There are a bunch of sea gulls over there, feeding on the crabs that are feeding on something big," Daryl explained as the squad car came to a stop by the side of the road. Daryl climbed out of the car, slamming the door behind him. Climbing over the guardrail, he headed across the rocks to where a dark mound was barely visible.

Daryl reached the site long before his partner, scaring away the sea gulls from their early morning feast. "Oh Christ," Daryl exclaimed, covering his nose and mouth. The stench from the dead body almost made him lose his breakfast, and that was saying something. This wasn't his first dead body, but this scene was particularly gruesome.

The victim was lying face down, though the head was resting on one cheek. Probably washed ashore in the morning tide. The body was badly decomposed from being in the water and there were entire areas of missing skin and flesh from the feeding animals. Even so, Daryl could tell that the man had died from a gunshot wound to the head.

"Check this out. The guy's right hand is missing."

Daryl looked at where his partner was pointing. It was clear that their victim's right hand had been cut off by something very sharp. There were no jagged edges on the arm; a clean strike had taken off the hand.

"Oh shit, better call out the big guns."

"Why? You recognize him, or what's left?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah, this is what's left of Guido Bertelli."

Jim spread a few bowls of chips and pretzels around the room as he waited for the others to arrive. Hearing a car pull up, he pulled back the curtains and took a quick look out the window. It was the neighbors arriving home. He sighed as he let the drapes fall back across the window.

The last few days had been particularly tough. Word on the street was that it was Bertelli senior who had ordered the hit on his son. Police investigation into the matter was peripheral and the case was basically declared closed by Captain Ridley of Homicide.

William and Sally managed a quick ceremony in the hospital wedding chapel. It wasn't the elaborate wedding that had been planned, but the immediate family had attended along with their volunteer security force.

Yesterday had been the worst. Saying good-bye to his children had been the hardest thing Jim had ever done, even more difficult than burying his wife. Steven had finally been released for travel to the rehabilitation center in Florida. In order to keep the family in a secure location, William had arranged a private flight for the family.

Gracie and Jake had tried to be brave. They hadn't cried, just held on tightly to the stuffed animals that Blair had brought as a good-bye gift. He must have shopped for hours before finding the black jaguar that Grace had been holding. And the wolf he had given to Jake also looked very familiar.

Blair entered the room drawing his attention back to the present. Jim looked around still amazed by William's arrangements at the house. His father, as usual, had made this every policeman's dream for a tactical meeting room. First, this room had only two windows, which already had been shuttered to prevent anyone from looking into the room. In addition to soundproofing the room from the remainder of the house, he had also arranged for electronic jamming equipment to be installed. There was no way for anyone to eavesdrop on the planning sessions.

All of the artwork had been removed from two of the walls. Now, two large whiteboards decorated the walls of the den. An assortment of different colored dry erase pens had been provided along with two easels holding large pads of paper.

Perhaps the most important contribution was the radio system that occupied one corner of the room. It seemed that his father had military contacts Jim wasn't aware of. A secure radio channel had been arranged for their use. It would have been too dangerous to use regular police channels, too easy for Bertelli to tap into or be informed of their plans.

Blair entered the room carrying several bottles of soda and juices. Tonight, the drinks would be non-alcoholic. He stared at the room, this being the first chance he had to look at it since William had left. "Your Dad have a secret life as a government agent that we don't know about Jim? It's kind of scary that your Dad has the contacts to set this up for us."

"I was just thinking the very same thing, Chief. I really need to have a long talk with my Dad when this is all over."

"No kidding," Blair said, as the doorbell rang. "Guess it's time to really get the ball rolling on this little project of ours."

The meeting had been going on for several hours, everyone pooling the information that had been gathered over the last few days.

"So, we've got this list of the operations we know that Bertelli is running. Where do we want to strike first?" Blair asked as he stepped back from the white board.

"We need to cut off the flow of cash into Bertelli's operation. If he didn't have such a ready source of cash, we would have an easier time shutting down his operation. Right now, as fast as we arrest his people, he either bails them out or just hires more," said Rafe.

Blair stepped back from the white board to review everything they had written down during the evening.

"The drug operation is Bertelli's biggest money maker. We need to stop the flow of drug money into and out of Cascade," Joel volunteered as he stood up and grabbed the red marker. He drew circles around two of the buildings that were confirmed bases of operation. "These two buildings have both been identified as production facilities. If we take down either of these operations, we can put a serious hurt on Bertelli."

"No, not either, we take out both of them," Jim replied, putting down the glass he was holding.

Everyone sat quietly and stared at Jim, dumbfounded by the proposal he had just thrown out.

"In the same night," Jim added.

At the second pronouncement, everyone in the room felt the need to comment at the same time.

"Are you crazy?"

"Both in the same night?"

"No way!"

"The man has lost it."

Jim waited until everyone had blown off a little steam before explaining his thoughts. He crossed to the front of the room, pointing at one of the names circled in red. "This warehouse on Canal Street will be the first target. After six o'clock, this neighborhood is empty. Nobody lives here; it's surrounded on all sides by warehouses, most of them owned by Bertelli. There is almost no chance of hurting anyone not involved with Bertelli's operation. We hit them just after six, the dinner hour. They won't be expecting us."

"I'm not disagreeing with your choice of targets, but why do you want to hit the second target on the same night?" Henri asked.

"Bertelli won't be expecting that. While he's running around trying to figure out what happened at the first drug lab, we'll be well on our way to hit the second one. If we wait, even a day, Bertelli will increase security and make it harder for us to hit him. I don't want to give him the time to respond. If we want to stop the flow of money, we take down both operations at the same time."

"And what happens if something goes wrong at Canal?" Simon asked.

"We always have the option to bypass the second target," Blair replied as he saw the wisdom in Jim's plan. "By planning on hitting both of them, the ball's in our court as to whether we follow through with the plan."

"When do you want to do this, Jim?"

"Tomorrow night."

Joel's voice raised above the protests with a very logical fact. "Jim, we'll need to make arrangements for some pretty heavy artillery if you want to take down both operations. I'm not even sure we can get what we need by tomorrow night and even if we can, well, it's gonna be real obvious to everyone at the precinct something big is going down."

Jim pointed at the closet in the back corner of the room. "Rafe, you're the closest. Open those doors."

Rafe opened the double set of doors, whistling at the sight before his eyes. "Wow, everything you could possibly want in order to stage your own war."

"Jim, when this is over, you are definitely going to have a long talk with your, Dad."

"He didn't arrange this stuff, Chief. I did."

Simon was carefully studying the AK-47 in his hands. "Uh, Jim, these weapons don't have any serial numbers on them. Would you mind explaining this before I have to arrest you?"

"I called in a few favors from some people who owed me big time," Jim explained.

"Military?"

"No, Chief. NSA. After that fiasco in Peru by one of their people, well, let's just say I promised to stay silent on the matter if they agreed to provide the firepower we needed."

"Are you sure it's worth it?" Blair asked.

Jim nodded. "Bertelli has to go. Too many innocent people have been and will continue to be hurt by him and his goons. He and his organization have got to go."

"We've got the primary roles covered, but it would be nice if we had some backup," Rafe commented, looking at the white board.

"There's no one else I trust completely among the other detectives," Simon replied. "However, there are a few guys that remained on patrol. Turned down offers to move up in the ranks by one captain that I'm sure is on Bertelli's payroll. I'm gonna let them know just before the operation is due to start what's going down. They'll be able to manage crowd control for us."

"Then we're agreed?"

Jim looked around the room, smiling at all the nodding heads. The war on Bertelli's operations was about to begin.

Daryl lifted his foot onto the bench and leaned over to finish tying his shoes. He may have been temporarily assigned to Major Crime, but he still had to put some time in on the range. After he was done on the range, he had put in a little time in the weight room. He had all this nervous energy to burn off and it was still several hours before the operation was due to begin.

A push from behind made him lose his balance. He swung around ready to defend himself when he recognized the person standing behind him.

"So, Daryl, now that you're working for the big boys, what are you doing down here associating with us little people?"

"Geez, Hank, what did you do that for?" Daryl asked.

"Just trying to keep you on your toes, Rookie. So are you coming down to the Blue Line tonight? The rest of guys from our old shift are having a little party tonight. You're still welcome to come even though you've moved up in the world."

Daryl looked at his watch. He only had an hour until he was due to head out to Ellison's.

"Sorry, can't make it tonight, I've already got plans," Daryl replied.

"Come on, Banks. Think you're too good to associate with us now?" Hank asked.

Daryl closed his locker before answering. He remembered a long forgotten conversation with Blair telling him that the best obfuscation had an iota of truth to it. "Nah, man. It's a family thing. My Dad is waiting on me and if I don't show, there'll be no sign of my body. My Dad's worked too many cases and knows exactly how not to be caught."

"Whoa, must be big if the divorced parents are getting together. Besides, I'm surprised you're father's available. Rumor has it that Major Crime is onto something big? Care to share?"

Something didn't feel right to Daryl. Hank seemed to be pushing awfully hard to figure out what Daryl was doing. "Not that I'm aware of. But you know me, new guy, lowest on the old totem pole, I'd be the last to know. I'm sorry I can't be there tonight, but I promise, I'll catch up with you guys later. How about tomorrow night?"

"Sure, Banks. I'll see you later," Hank said with a wave of his hand as he moved around to the other side of the lockers.

Daryl shook his head. He'd have to remember to mention this conversation to Blair. Something was definitely off about Hank.

Simon was the first to arrive at the house that night. Jim, who was holding the phone in one hand, greeted him at the door. Waving his hand for Simon to enter, he continued speaking into the phone, "You're right that does sound like a lot of fun... I wish I could be there too, peanut. Now put your brother on."

"Come on in, Simon. Jim's just wrapping up his daily phone call to the kids," Blair said as he closed the door. Blair looked like something out of a Ranger recruiting poster. His face already painted black for a nighttime sortie.

Blair led the way into their tactical room. Equipment was already laid out for everyone. "Should have known you'd be the first to arrive. You might as well get ready. The others will be here soon."

It took about fifteen minutes for Simon to get ready. Just as he was tying his shoe, Jim came into the room, holding the phone out to Blair. "My Dad wants to talk to you," he said hesitantly. "He won't tell me why."

Blair took the phone out of his hands, whacking him on the arm. "Maybe it's none of your business what he wants to talk to me about."

"Hi, William, how did you enjoy Disney World?" Blair asked, taking a seat on the couch.

Blair was silent for a long time, listening to whatever it was William was telling him. Simon and Jim exchanged knowing looks.

"Really? Do you know what triggered it?" The concern in Blair's voice drew Jim's attention and he focused in on the conversation. He heard William's concerned explanation.

"We were in 'It's a Small World' and I noticed Jake leaning over talking softly to Grace. She wouldn't answer him, just stared off into space."

Blair leaned backwards against the couch. "Yeah, it definitely sounds like a zone. I didn't think about it, but an amusement park can cause zoneouts in normal kids, much less a budding little Sentinel. Is she okay?"

"Once we got off the ride, we sat down on a bench for a while. I just held her while Jake kept talking to her. I started rubbing her back and she seemed to come out of it. I just wondered if there was anything I could do to stop this from happening."

Jim crossed the room and sat down on the coffee table across from Blair gesturing for the phone.

"Just make sure she doesn't focus on one sense. That's usually what happens. A Sentinel can be drawn in by a particular sound, or if they stare at something for too long. You have to reach them using one of their other senses. 'It's a Small World ' huh. Well she may have been zone-out by that song, which is why Jake's talking took so long to bring her out of it," Blair answered, slapping Jim's hands away from the phone.

"I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, but we could see some pretty weird stares from people. We're planning on hitting Sea World tomorrow and I wanted to see if there was anything I can do to make it a little easier on all of us."

"Just make sure she's not focusing too hard on any one of her senses. You'll be fine. Sounds like you're all staying busy. Are you enjoying yourself?"

"I really am. I thought I would have a difficult time with the kids. I didn't know how to deal with Jim and Steven growing up, but being a Grandpa is much easier."

"Yeah, well just don't spoil them too much. Pretty soon you guys will be home and we'll have to deal with the aftermath."

William laughed. "I'll do my best." There was a long pause before William continued, "There's something going on tonight, isn't there? Something big?"

Blair handed the phone back to Jim who answered, "Yeah, dad. We've got our first major operation going down tonight, which is why I called now. I will be tied up when you're getting the kids ready for bed. So give the kids a big hug from me. Tell Gracie that it's okay, she'll get the hang of living in the so-called civilized world soon."

"Should have known you'd listen in. Watch yourself, Jimmy and keep an eye on the others while you're at it. I've grown rather fond of all of you."

"I'll do that, Dad. Tell the kids I love them when you tuck them in tonight and I promise to finish the bedtime story we started tomorrow."

"I always do, son."

"Bye, Dad."

"Call me when your done tonight, son. I don't care how late it is. Understand?"

"Promise, Dad. You take care of everyone."

"Ditto for you and I'll talk to you soon, Jimmy," William replied.

Jim hit the disconnect button on the phone, set it down on the table next to him and looked at the two men he counted as close as family.

The sound of the doorbell prevented any further conversation on the matter when both Henri and Rafe arrived.

As the men gathered in the living room, each of them were either checking their body armor or their firepower. Jim studied their expressions. Though each man was clearly focused on the task ahead of him, he could sense some tension building. This was really his battle, his fight. He had no right to drag the rest of his friends into this war.

He cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention immediately. "We've almost reached the point of no return. The minute we leave this house, there's gonna be no turning back. Bertelli's eventually going to find out who hit his operations and he's gonna want payback," Jim paused; not sure he wanted to say what he thought.

"What's your point, Ellison?" Brown asked as he tightened the straps on his helmet.

"Anyone who's got second thoughts about this can stay here, monitoring the operation on the radio. You guys don't have to be a part of this. It's not your fight," Jim offered.

He waited for a response, unsure in his own mind whether he wanted the others to back him up or remain safely behind the scenes.

Joel was the first to say what all of them was thinking. "Jim, the point of no return was passed the moment that bomb exploded at your father's wedding. We're in. We want to be here and we've got your back."

"Yeah, Jim. We're here and we're gonna see it through," Rafe added. "Don't worry about us."

As the others filed out of the house towards the garage, Jim said to himself, "Don't worry, yeah right," as he turned off the lights and activated the alarm system.

They took two vehicles, the communications van from where Simon would be monitoring the entire operation, and the SUV. The SUV had been another parting gift from William Ellison. He had picked the vehicle up in a police auction. The SUV had been built with bulletproof glass and armor plating, the former owner being a drug lord Bertelli had eliminated early on in his bid to control Cascade.

The other advantage to the vehicle was that it could comfortably fit six grown men in a pinch. The van had been retrofitted with the bulletproof glass. The side panels and rear doors had been reinforced, but armor plating would have been too heavy for the engine. This van would become Simon's home during all operations, as he wasn't mobile enough to join them on the assaults.

Blair, Daryl and Rafe were all wearing small cameras that Simon could monitor each of the two-man teams at all times. In addition to monitoring the signals from the team, he would also be monitoring the emergency bands. It was possible that any of the patrolmen in the area could be on Bertelli's payroll and could tip the scales against them.

Simon hated being stuck in the van. He would have preferred being part of the action, but knew his limp would endanger the entire team. From Blair's camera he could see Jim focus his hearing on the warehouse.

"What have we got, team one?" He asked when no information was forthcoming.

Jim studied the building for a few minutes before answering. "I've got two live ones pin-pointed in the center of the building. Bertelli really isn't afraid of the cops around here. He's got no perimeter guards. I can't detect an alarm system. These guys are sitting ducks."

"Better for us," Blair answered.

Over the radio they could hear Simon talking to the others. "All right people, on your toes. You heard the man, only two targets. Team two, are you in position?"

"10-4," Henri replied waiting at a hidden side door with Rafe. They were only supposed to enter the building once the others had already begun the assault. The side entrance led directly to the drug lab area. It was the mostly likely escape route for the suspects inside, since it had been added to the building after Bertelli had purchased the warehouse. If it hadn't been for Jim's earlier inspection of the area, they never would have known that the door had existed.

"Team three?"

"In position," Joel answered. He and Daryl had been assigned to come in the back door while Jim and Blair entered through the front.

"Team one, are you ready?"

"Need another minute; we're just approaching the front door now," Blair replied. Jim had used the fire escape on the next warehouse as his vantage point. The added height had given him several different lines of sight to scan the target.

Simon tapped his fingers nervously on the monitor board as he could only watch as Blair and Jim zigzagged though a maze of boxes and dumpsters to reach the front door.

"Team one in position, Eagle."

Simon shook his head at the military crispness with which Jim spoke. It seemed Captain Ellison, Army Ranger, was on duty tonight.

"We're ready, people. Teams one and three, entry is a go. Team two, be ready. If the targets are gonna bolt, they're gonna head your way," Simon said. He could feel his heart beginning to pound. He wasn't sure whether it was fear or excitement, but the adrenaline was starting to flow.

The cameras made it possible for him to see what his men were seeing. He first focused on the view from Blair's camera. He and Jim were using several packing crates as cover to move closer to the exact spot where the drugs were being produced. Blair and Jim were using standard tactical procedures; one man would provide cover, as the other man would move forward. At any time, either man would be in the forward position.

Daryl and Joel were using the same approach from the rear entrance. Both teams were on radio silence; Simon would be the one to give the signal when both teams had a clear line of sight on the two perps in the warehouse.

Joel and Daryl were in position, ready to cover Jim and Blair who would be leading the assault.

From his position, Jim could see that the two men guarding the warehouse, and guarding was a very loose description, were about to sit down and eat. A small card table was set up on the far side of the drug lab as a dining area.

There was no activity near the main section of the warehouse used as the drug lab. It appeared everyone had been sent home for the day. Near the rear of the drug lab was a large storage area. Numerous drums were present with large flammable liquid labels visible on the sides.

Towards the front of the drug lab was where they were storing the finished product. There were more packages of powder than Jim had ever seen in one place. All of the drugs were in plain view, thousands of little clear plastic baggies. He shook his head at the thought that Bertelli had such tight control over the police in this town that he didn't even have to hide the stuff.

The card table was littered with take out cartons, most of them from Bertelli's restaurant. These guys were definite slobs as most of the containers were empty. As they watched from their position behind some crates, one of the men dished out two plates of spaghetti before sitting down on the opposite side of the table from his friend.

Neither man seemed to be concerned that no one was watching the place as they sat there and stuffed their faces.

With a gesture, Jim pointed at the two men sitting at the table and indicated that Blair was to cover the blonde man seated on the right side of the table.

Oblivious to everything but the food in front of them, Bertelli's men didn't notice the gunmen moving out of the shadows until it was much too late.

"Don't move!" Jim shouted as he raised the gun muzzle directly into the face of his target.

Mike Donello, staring at the gun barrel pointed in his face, slowly lowered the half-raised fork of spaghetti back onto his plate, then placed both hands on the table. "No problem, dude." He stared across the table at his long time friend, Carl Reynolds, noting the position of the other gunmen to the left side of his friend. "Not moving a muscle."

With a quick flick of his eyes down onto the table, then a slight tilt to the side where the two gunmen had them covered, Mike indicated a plan of action.

Carl slightly nodded one time, in agreement. "Like he said," Carl added as he too placed both of his hands on the table.

"I thought he told you two not to move," Blair said from his position next to Carl, taking a step closer to targets. He was sure the two men were up to something. They were acting entirely too cooperative. Before he could warn Jim or even react to the threat, the two men reached under the table and threw the table, food and all, at him and Jim.

Mike and Carl made a break for the back door of the warehouse, but quickly froze as two more men in black moved out from behind some crates and pointed guns at them.

"Going somewhere boys?" Joel asked as he quickly pointed his gun at the two.

Blair cursed as he wiped spaghetti sauce out of his eyes. He heard Joel's sarcastic question and knew that their perps hadn't gone anywhere.

Looking over at his partner, Blair saw that Jim had avoided all of the food that had been tossed at them, though he had become tangled up with one of the table legs and had gone down. "Man, I thought I was the one with the fetish for table legs."

Jim's glare was comment enough for the crack. Kicking the table away, Jim stood up. As he regained his footing, he noted the remains of his radio lying on the floor next to him. Stomping the pieces into tiny bits, he strode over to where Joel and Daryl had Bertelli's men.

Blair heard Simon's voice on his radio calling, "Sandburg! What the hell is going on! I can't hear Jim anymore and all your camera is showing is pasta! Sandburg!"

"Everyone's fine, Eagle. Be with you in a minute," Blair answered quickly, before moving to Jim's side. He didn't like the expression his partner was wearing. It reminded him of the automaton from the hospital, which scared him.

"On your knees," Jim ordered as he pressed his weapon to the back of the blonde man's head.

Joel and Daryl exchanged nervous looks over the coldness they could see expressed on Jim's face.

Mike was sure that he was about to die, but figured he had nothing to lose by speaking out, "Do you have any idea who we work for? Whose operation you're messing with?"

"I know exactly whose operation I'm about to destroy," Jim answered. "I thought I told you to get down on your knees," he said again as he struck a blow to the back of Mike's knees, knocking the guy to the floor. Carl, avoiding a similar blow from behind, knelt down without any assistance.

"Then you know you won't get away with this; Bertelli will hunt you down," Carl replied.

Jim leaned over and whispered into Carl's ear, his tone dark and calculating, "I'm counting on it."

Jim stepped back and cocked his gun, the sound echoing in the sudden silence of the warehouse.

Blair stepped forward, placing his hand on Jim's arm, forcing the gun away from the two men on their knees. "This isn't the way this was supposed to go down," he hissed, soft enough for only Jim to hear.

Jim looked over at the look of determination on Blair's face, and then at the nervous expressions that Daryl and Joel were wearing, almost as if they were unsure where they should be pointing their weapons at this point.

With a last look at the two men kneeling before him, trembling with fear, Jim clicked the safety on his weapon. Handing his weapon to Blair, Jim moved around until he was standing in front of the man. Grasping the blonde-haired man by the front of his shirt, Jim pulled the man onto his feet. "Get up, you're gonna deliver a message for me," Jim said to the other man still on his knees.

Letting go of the man he was holding, Jim looked over to Joel and Daryl and said, "Get them out of here. I need to wrap things up in here. I'll be out in a minute, don't let them go very far."

Nodding at Jim, Joel gestured for the two men to exit out the side door; the same door where Rafe and Henri were now visibly guarding.

Blair watched as the others left the warehouse. After witnessing his partner's erratic behavior, he wasn't about to leave the man alone. He watched as Jim carefully studied the inside of the building, then pull something out of his pocket.

"Uh Jim, what are you going to do with that and where the hell did you get a hand grenade anyway?"

Jim pulled the pin from the grenade.

Seeing where Jim was aiming to throw the explosive, Blair started to get a little excited. "Uh Jim, explosives and flammable liquids really don't mix very well. Big booms tend to happen. Remember the warehouse I lived at when we first met? I lived this scenario once, and I really don't want to do it again."

"Chief, you might want to warn the others to move away from the building," Jim said, nodding his head at the door behind them. "My radio's basically blowing in the wind, remember?"

Blair turned and ran for the door, yelling into his headset, "Pull back, everyone! Fire in the hole! Repeat! Fire in the hole!"

Hearing Blair's voice on the radio warning them, the other men dragged their prisoners behind their SUV as cover. Blair soon joined them, having run out of the warehouse at full speed as he realized Jim's intentions.

A loud explosion rocked the area as a huge fireball rose from the roof of the warehouse.

"Oh god!" Joel murmured as flames broke out every window. From out of the flames, a man-shaped shadow could be seen. James Ellison walked away from the warehouse, flames roaring all around him. From Mike and Carl's perspective, it appeared as if the devil himself was rising from the flames of hell. Whoever this man was, he was more dangerous than anything Bertelli could throw at them. Jim moved to where the others were gathered. Standing in front of Bertelli's guards he asked, "Are you two ready to be my messenger boys?"

Both men nodded so vigorously, Blair was afraid their heads would fall off. They reminded him of those bobble-headed dogs that people had on the dashboards.

"Good. Here's the message. Tell him that Ellison sends his regards. This..." Jim pointed to the now fully engulfed burning warehouse. "...is only the beginning. I'm gonna burn it all down. Every operation he's got is gonna be totally destroyed. You got this or do you boys need to write it down?"

"Oh no. We've got it. We've got it," Mike said nervously. "Ellison sends his regards. You're gonna burn..."

"...This is only the beginning!" Carl interrupted, punching Mike in the back, wanting to make sure every word was repeated exactly.

"Right! Right! Ellison sends his regards. This is only the beginning. It's all gonna be burned down. Every operation totally destroyed!" Mike said, in his fear slurring most of the words together.

"Good! Got it right the first time. Now, what are you gonna do after you deliver my message?" Jim asked, raising his weapon ever so slightly.

"Huh?" Mike muttered, looking puzzled.

Seeing the Ellison's fist clench, Carl snapped back, "We won't work for Bertelli no more. Honest!" Not seeing the devil release his fist, Carl added, raising both hands in the air as if to ward Jim off, "We'll leave town too! You'll never see us again. We're so out of here." With every word Carl uttered, he took a small step backward away from the lunatic who had just blown up the warehouse.

Nodding, Jim stepped out of the way and with a wave of his arm, gestured for the two men to depart. "Hurry now, boys. I want the two of you out of my town by midnight. We're gonna be celebrating tonight, so you have a few hours to put your affairs in order, but after midnight, if I see you..." Jim said, his voice trailing off leaving behind the implied threat.

"You won't! Swear to God! You'll never see us again," Mike said as he walked backwards away from the six men who had turned his world upside down, afraid to turn his back to them. He stumbled and fell on his butt. Carl pulled him to his feet, still backing away. Once he and Carl were about twenty feet away, they turned and ran around the corner.

Henri and Rafe gave each other a high five once Bertelli's men were out of sight. Joel and Daryl weren't quite as celebratory, but seemed equally happy with an ending where no one was dead.

"Hey Jim? Are we really going out to celebrate?" Daryl asked.

"No, but that's what Bertelli will think. We still have another drug lab to take out of action tonight. We need to get on our way," Jim answered as he headed for the SUV just as Simon pulled up in the Operations Van.

Blair blocked the driver's side door where Jim was obviously heading. Placing one hand on Jim's chest, he stopped Jim from opening the truck door. "We're riding with Simon."

"Not now, Chief."

Joel whistled softly at the confrontation that was taking place in front of him. He didn't think anyone was dumb enough much less capable of taking Ellison on when he was in this mood. It seemed Blair had other ideas.

Jim reached around for the door handle, opening the door a fraction, before Blair kicked it closed. "Now, Jim! We need to talk. Joel, you drive the SUV. Take the rest of the guys with you and stop at the position we established for Simon. We'll hook up with you then and discuss any last minute changes. Jim, get in the van and don't argue with me."

No one was more surprised than Blair when Jim moved away from the SUV and got into the back of the van without another word. Seeing that no one else was moving, he added, "It's okay, guys. Just go." Opening the passenger door, Blair climbed inside and shut the door behind him. Simon pulled away from the curb before anyone made a move for the SUV.

"So what do you think is gonna happen now?" Henri asked no one in particular.

"I think we're gonna find out when we get to the rendezvous point," Rafe answered as he climbed into the back seat.

With one last look at the van turning the corner, Daryl added, "I just hope everyone's still alive when we get there."

"Someone want to tell me what the hell I've missed and for God's sake, Sandburg, clean that sauce from the camera lens."

"I don't know, Simon. What did happen back there, Jim? For a moment I really thought you were gonna kill those guys."

Jim lowered his head and stared at the floor. Taking off his helmet, he scratched the top of his head. "For a moment there I was gonna kill them. I just felt so..." Jim paused searching for the right words.

"What? Angry, Jim? Is that the word you're searching for? Because if it is, tonight's operation is over! I think you're forgetting that the rest of these guys are cops. They still wear the badge and take it seriously. There's a big difference between destroying Bertelli's operations and outright murder."

"Murder!" shouted Simon as the van swerved when he turned to look at Jim.

"Yeah, murder. Jim had those guys down on their knees," Blair replied, before turning his attention back to Jim. "Man, you need to get a grip on this vengeance you think you need because the others are not about to follow you down this path and neither will I."

Still not looking up from the floor, Jim replied, "Maybe tonight's operation should be over because it wasn't vengeance that made me react that way. It was my own stupidity that pissed me off, Chief."

Of all the words he expected to hear, stupidity was not among them. Blair expected excuses and rationalizations, but not this. "I don't understand."

"I fell for it, that stupid stunt they pulled with the table. If those guys had been professionals, instead of rank amateurs, we'd both be dead right now, Chief."

Blair closed his eyes, as he understood what had happened. "Jim..."

"Maybe the others shouldn't be following me down this path, because I'm not sure I'm fit to lead anymore. I'm just not sure." This time, Jim raised his head and stared at Blair's face, desperately searching for answers, either a yes or a no.

"Look, maybe you're a little rusty at this special ops, and maybe those guys just got lucky. Don't start doubting yourself now. Look at it this way, Bertelli's let his operations get sloppy, get loose. We need to take advantage of that now. Isn't that the point in taking down both drug operations tonight?" Blair asked, waving his hand.

"I remember, but we were lucky I didn't let anyone get killed in there," Jim said.

"No, we were sloppy, but we've learned and we're not gonna let it happen again. Are we?" Blair asked, one eyebrow raised as he awaited Jim's answer.

Not lowering his gaze, Jim saw the determination on his partner's face, and more importantly, the confidence he still showed in his partner. "No, it won't happen again. Not the sloppiness and not the anger."

"Good to hear, because we've arrived. So are we a go for the final stage of this operation?" Simon asked as he pulled the van into the alleyway.

"We're a go," Blair replied.

Mike and Carl were immediately ushered into the head office immediately after reporting to Antonio what had happened at the warehouse. Nervously, Mike had repeated the message that Ellison had demanded they deliver.

Bertelli slammed his hand down on the desk upon hearing Ellison's words. His face bright red, through gritted teeth he said, "This man must pay. No one takes down one of my operations without retribution. How many of them did you say there were?"

Carl shuffled his feet as he answered, "Four raided the warehouse, but there were two more of them outside."

"Did any of them walk with a limp?" Antonio asked.

Carl looked at Mike, who shook his head before answering, "No, not that we noticed. In fact, those guys moved pretty damn quickly when that one guy called out 'fire in the hole'. That was right before the warehouse exploded."

"And they never identified themselves? No 'freeze police'?" Antonio continued.

"Nothing. It was basically don't move, on your knees and go be a messenger boy," Mike replied.

With a wave of his hand, Alfonse indicated Mike and Carl should leave, which they did without haste.

"So, who do you think was with Ellison?" Alfonse asked his second-in-command.

"I would have said it was his old friends from Major Crime, but I know for a fact that none of them signed out any of the equipment that was used to destroy our operation. I would have heard from our mole at the armory. I had issued specific orders to contact me immediately concerning any operation conducted by Major Crime. It is the one department where we have neither ears, nor eyes."

"I'll see what I can find out," Tony said as he picked up the phone.

Simon dropped Jim and Blair off down the street from the warehouse before pulling the van into the alley. Joel was a few minutes behind them. He could see the SUV was stuck at the traffic light a few blocks down the street.

Moving to the back of the van, Simon called to Jim and Blair who had made their way down to a cellar alcove in the building across from Bertelli's second drug lab. "What have we got, team one?" he asked.

"Need a minute," Blair answered, watching Jim staring hard at the building on the right side of the lab.

"What's the problem, Jim?" Blair whispered to his partner. Jim's continued silence was starting to unnerve him.

"I'm hearing voices in the building on the right. Sounds like some kids have taken over the ground floor as a clubhouse."

"A clubhouse! You're showing your age by calling it that. Not to mention the big condemned sign on the front. Why would anyone in their right mind want to gather in a condemned building?"

"Whatever you want to call it, there are kids inside that building and we need to get them out of there," Jim replied. "Other than that, I've got four guys present in the drug lab. We're gonna need everyone inside the building this time."

"You hear that, Eagle?" Blair called.

"Look, quick revision in the plan. All three teams enter; we'll figure ten minutes to get everyone into position around the main warehouse floor. All four guys are in the lab. From what I'm hearing, it sounds like they're packaging a shipment. We ought to be able to take them by surprise and pin them down. I've got the time as 6:54 on my count, five... four... three... two... synchronize... now. You've got ten minutes. Maintain radio silence until the ten minutes are over and we're ready to take them down."

"We've got it. Team two is headed up the fire escape to the roof. There's an open window where they can get access. Team three is headed for the back door. Team one, I want you to work your way inside the front door. I'll get the kids out of the building next door."

"10-4"

Simon watched on the cameras until all three teams had entered the building. He pulled on the vest and the helmet. He wasn't anticipating taking fire, but it never hurt to be prepared. He also checked his glock in his shoulder harness and the .38 in the ankle holster. If anything went wrong, he would be able to provide cover fire. He also grabbed one of the headsets that each of the team was wearing. He couldn't coordinate the assault from here, but at least he could listen in on what was happening once the kids were out of the way until he managed to get back to the vehicle.

The sun had just dropped below the horizon as Simon made his way across the street and entered the building. He figured he had about seven minutes now. Keeping one hand on his weapon, he made his way from the entranceway into the large storage area where the kids had set up their hideaway.

As he entered the room, he saw that he needn't have been quiet. The kids were plastered against the common wall between their building and the drug lab, looking through the windows into the building next door. He could hear them talking.

"Man, who are those guys? Don't they know the score?"

"Think they're commandos?"

"Nah, military doesn't care about a dumb old drug lab."

"I can't see. Which way did they go?"

Simon couldn't afford to wait any longer. The fireworks next door would start in a few minutes and these kids had to get to cover.

"Don't move!" he shouted, as he pulled his weapon from the holster. He had no intention of firing; he just wanted to make sure he had the kids' attention.

The kids turned away from the windows and stared at him. Two of the boys raised their hands as if they were surrendering. "Please don't shoot us, Mister."

"We weren't doing nothing!"

Standing in front of him was a group of four boys, probably between the ages of 12 to 14. All of them looked like they were about to either cry or bolt in fear. None of them were armed with anything, not even a stick. Now that he had their full attention, Simon put away his weapon.

"I'm not here to hurt you. I just need you kids out of this building. You could get hurt if you stay here," Simon said as he slowly moved across the room toward the boys.

"Are you with those men that just went next door?" The smallest boy asked.

"Yes, but that doesn't matter. We need to get out of here. Do any of you live close by? We only have a few minutes here, kids."

The oldest boy nodded. "Timmy and I live just across the street. Mark and Paul are from the next block over."

"Okay, I want all four of you to head over to Timmy's place. Is that the only occupied building in this neighborhood?" Seeing a nod from the boys, he continued, "Good. Now I want you to let everyone in the building know that they should stay off the street and away from the windows. Can you do that for me?"

Still obviously afraid of him, the boys just nodded.

"Good. Now I need you boys to get across the street as quick as you can. You don't have to be sneaky about it. If anyone sees you, they'll just assume you're going home. I'll watch you from here and make sure you'll get home okay. Don't worry, this will all be over in the next half hour, one way or another."

"Who are you guys?" the oldest boy asked. Of all the boys, he seemed to understand what was going on.

"Who we are doesn't matter. Let's just say that we don't like having all these drugs available to you kids and we're doing something about it."

"Good. My parents wanted to move out of our apartment, because they said it's a bad place now, but I don't want to move away from Paul. We'll do what you said. Let's go, guys."

Simon watched as the four boys ran across the street and entered their apartment building. One obstacle down and by his watch, he still had two minutes and 30 seconds to spare.

Jim had point as the two men entered the front of the building. They still had nine minutes to assess the situation and get into place. Using the shadows in the hallway, the two men made their way towards the main lab.

Blair watched as Jim reached the end of the hall and froze in place. Then he noticed Jim's hand, waving him back as he moved away from the opening back into the darkness of the hall. Blair paused in a doorframe, probably leading to a small storage closet. At least it was a closet on the original drawing of the building from the blue prints.

The few seconds it took for Jim to join him seemed to last forever. With a small two fingered gesture, Jim indicated for him to try the closet door. Trusting that Jim had already used his senses to confirm no one was in the room, Blair tried to turn the doorknob as quickly as possible.

Hearing a soft click, Blair opened the door just wide enough so that he could slip inside. Jim was right on his heels, closing the door behind him. Only a slim glimmer of light from the hallway illuminated the room from the space between the door and the floor.

"We've got a little problem, Chief. There is no cover between the door and where those guys are working."

"What do you mean a little problem? Sounds like a big problem to me!" Blair whispered back, his voice cracking.

"No, the big problem is the guy with the gun who's overseeing the work. There's just no way we can take him out from our position."

"So what are we going to do now?" Blair wished he could see his friend's face. Jim was hard to read, but over the years, Blair had learned to notice the signs. But here, in the darkness of the closet, he could only make out a vague outline of Jim's head and shoulders.

"We wait. Once the others are in position, they'll see that our options are limited. As soon as this guy realizes that he's out gunned six to one, it will all be over," Jim replied.

"You really believe that?" Blair asked. It was moments like this when Blair really envied Jim's hyper senses. Jim's words made that wish unnecessary.

"Nah, nothing's ever that simple, but it sounded good." Looking around the closet and seeing the assortment of cleaning supplies lined up around the floor and shelves, he added, "If you want to have a seat, Sandburg, take two steps to your right. There's nothing between you and the wall. We still have about six minutes until the others are expected to check in."

Reaching out his right hand, Blair shuffled over until his hand hit something solid. He planted his back firmly against the wall. Letting his knees relax, he slid down until he reached the floor.

"How much longer?"

"Five minutes thirty seconds. You're not gonna keep asking me that are you?"

"Yes, Dad. Along with are they there yet and I need a bathroom," Blair sniped back. "I can't see a damn thing in here. Not even my watch."

Jim sighed, shaking his head. This was going to be a long five minutes.

Rafe and Henri were in place with two minutes to spare. Henri poked his head around a large crate, checking to see if the others were in place. He gave a low soft whistle, just loud enough for Rafe to catch.

"What?" Rafe mouthed.

Henri's only response was to point at the front entrance.

Taking a quick peek for himself, Rafe shook his head. It was obvious what caused Henri's reaction. There was absolutely no cover for Jim and Blair to enter the room. He then scanned the catwalk, looking for some sign of Daryl and Joel. He managed to catch a glimpse of Joel moving into position. He checked his watch. Only one minute until the last radio check before the assault was to begin.

Joel looked down from his perch on the catwalk. He saw Henri and Rafe were in position. With less than 30 seconds before the check in, he saw Jim and Blair in the hallway to the lab. It was as close as they could get with the lack of cover available.

He watched the last few seconds tick off before turning on his radio. He heard Jim's voice through the ear piece say, "Plan B", followed immediately by Rafe's voice confirming the change.

Gritting his teeth, he answered, "Plan B confirmed." Joel hated plan B. He hated it a lot. In Plan B, it was up to him and Daryl to keep the enemy pinned down until the others were in position.

He waved back to Daryl and pointed to a spot about fifty feet to his right. It was a better position for Daryl to be able to keep the lab techs pinned down. Joel would handle the armed guard himself.

It was a good thing Ellison was so damn good at tactics or else they would have had to abort. No, Plan B had been firmly laid out. He and Daryl had two minutes to get into position and open fire. The two minutes had been a safety measure, in case they needed a better position to get a shot.

Jim checked his watch, ten seconds until Daryl and Joel would open fire. Making sure he had Blair's attention, he point to himself then pointed at a forklift parked on the left side of the room. Then, he pointed to Blair, followed by a gesture at a stack of crates around twenty feet to the right. Ignoring the rude gesture Blair made in return, Jim balanced himself on the balls of his feet. The instant their side opened fire, they would have to break cover.

He had to count on Daryl and Joel laying down enough fire to keep the others occupied. Right on time, the firefight started. Shots flew wildly in all directions. The armed guard was so busy trying to reach cover himself that Blair was able to get into position with little difficulty.

Unfortunately, Jim wasn't so lucky. Bertelli's man had a clear line of sight once he was protected. He managed to get a series of rounds off as Jim dived to cover. Blair looked over, eyeing his partner's condition. Jim was clearly wincing, but it didn't look too bad. Jim gave him a 'thumbs up' and then turned to get a better firing position.

Rafe's voice was suddenly heard across the din. "Throw down you weapons and we'll let you walk out of here."

"I don't like that deal. How about you all just leave and I promise not to shoot at your ass as you get out of my building!"

Jim responded by opening fire on the guy. The volley of bullets demolished much of the glassware the lab techs had been using.

One of them shouted, "Stop shooting, you morons! You'll blow this place sky high if you hit the chemicals."

The armed guard then figured that the safest place for him was behind those chemical drums, believing that no one would fire and risk the predicted explosion. The armed guard moved out and started running for the storage cage.

Both Joel and Daryl opened fire on the guy. As the lab tech had predicted, several stray bullets stuck two of the drums, spraying flammable liquid all over the floor. A few seconds later, sparks from a ricochet ignited the liquid and a small fire began building in strength.

Calculating that getting captured was better than burning to death, the lab techs climbed to their feet and raised their hands into the air. "Man, we surrender! We surrender," they shouted.

"Cowards!" shouted the armed guard who raised his gun to fire at his former employees. Before he could fire, the gun flew out of his hands as the result of a well-placed shot from Blair.

With a nod of permission from Jim, Blair rose from cover and yelled to the tech, "Get out of here!"

Likewise, Jim gestured for Daryl and Joel to clear the area. They were most at risk from the rising smoke. He did keep his gun trained on the guy who had caused them so much grief as he asked, "You ready to give up now?"

The guy eyed the gun on the floor, weighing his changes of getting to it before Jim could kill him.

A voice behind him said, "Don't even try it!" Henri moved into position, covering him from behind.

The guys raised his hands and placed them behind his head.

Blair felt the heat from the steadily expanding fire. "Let's get out of here before we're all trapped in this inferno." He gestured for their prisoner to move ahead of him. Henri was right on the guy's heels.

"You got him?" Blair asked as Henri moved in front of him.

"I'll manage," Henri replied, poking the guy in the back with the barrel of his gun.

Seeing that the situation was under control, Blair moved to Jim's side. "You okay?" he asked softly staring at the blood stains on Jim's shoulder.

"Just grazed, Chief. I've got the dials on one though, just to be able to move."

"We'll deal with that later. Let's get out of here." Blair flipped on his radio. "Simon, I hope you're listening. Get the fire department here on the double or this whole neighborhood is gonna burn."

Turning back to face his partner, he added, "We need to get out of here before any emergency response vehicles show. I don't want to explain how this all happened."

Jim nodded and turned for the hallway. The fire was spreading quickly and there was nothing they could do other than leave.

When they reached the street, they noticed Henri had Bertelli's man up against the car frisking him as Rafe provided cover.

"Let him go," Jim ordered as he approached Henri.

"You sure?" Rafe replied.

"Yeah, I want to make sure Bertelli gets the message. He's unarmed, right?"

"Yeah, man," Henri replied as he forcefully spun the man away from the car, onto the pavement.

"You don't mind playing messenger boy for me now, do you?" Jim asked as he towered over the man prone on the pavement.

Bertelli's man sat up, but did not attempt to rise. With these seven men standing around him, what was the point in trying anything. "What's the message?"

"Tell your boss, he's through in this town. We're taking back our streets and there's no place in this town where he's gonna be welcome. No place in this state, and you might even suggest leaving the country, else I'm gonna hunt his ass down. You got that?" Jim said, his voice as cold as ice.

"Got it," the man said somewhat nervously as he slid his way between Daryl and Joel and took off running down the street.

Blair looked around the street. He could see people peering out from behind drapes and window shades, watching the action on the street. Several people were appearing on the sidewalk, cheering the destruction of Bertelli's operation. Not one of them seemed fazed by the fact that seven heavily armed men were standing in the middle of the street dressed in black, their faces hidden. All that mattered was that they were the ones who had chased Bertelli's men out of the neighborhood.

The street had an eerie glow from the flames now shooting higher into the sky. The distant sound of sirens was growing louder by the minute.

"Guys, I think it's time we cleared out of here. I'm sure someone has phoned 911 by now," Blair said to the others.

"I agree. I don't think we're really ready for anyone in an official position to find out about this operation yet," Daryl added.

"Bertelli will know and that's the important thing," Jim said, looking at the three men heading around the corner at the end of the street.

The seven men turned and headed back to the vehicles, inadvertently forming a straight line. Blair couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Does anyone else feel like we're in a western?" he asked.

Daryl answered him by beginning to hum the theme from the Magnificent Seven. Even more surprising was when Henri and Rafe joined in.

The others climbed into the two vehicles leaving Jim and Blair standing on the street together, looking back at the burning building. In a less jovial tone, Blair said, "So, it begins."

"Yeah, Chief. We got off to a good start. But, it's gonna get much harder from here on out. We've lost the element of surprise."

"Maybe. Somehow, I don't think Bertelli understood what it means to go up against us and even now I'm not sure he understands." As Blair finished speaking, a patrol car spun around the corner followed by two fire trucks.

"Let's go, Sandburg. Tomorrow is another day."

Bertelli paced the office like a caged tiger. "Ellison took out both operations? I can't believe the nerve of that son of a bitch. Who the hell does he think he is?"

Antonio was trying to maintain a low profile, allowing his employer to vent his emotions, but judging from the look on Alfonse's face, he'd better provide an answer. "Ellison will pay for what he has done. His family is out of the city, but he and his friend our easily within our reach."

"Good. No innocents, but Ellison and Sandburg are fair game. I want to know who was with them. According to reports, there were seven men at the scene. I want them all to pay. Everyone last one of them needs to be made an example! Do you understand?"

"I'll get our people on it immediately. I won't let you down." Antonio fled the room, leaving his angry boss to vent his anger on an empty room.

"This town is mine and I'm gonna make Ellison understand that if it's the last thing I do," Alfonse said as he sat down at his desk and lit a cigar.

THE END

The thrilling conclusion of this story arc will be coming soon in "A Place Worth Dying For"

Just one more. I promise, soon. Okay more than likely August, but that's soon as far as I'm concerned and the job that actually gets me a paycheck comes first. Darn it!

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