Chris Larabee, leader of ATF team seven, commonly known as the Magnificent Seven, looked impatiently at the clock on his wall. He had been waiting for over two hours for Ezra or Vin to check in. Chris could see the rest of his team pretending to work, while they too waited for his phone to ring.

Ezra and Vin had been undercover for the last two months setting up a deal to sell a shipment of guns to Ivan Loskerev, a third generation Russian immigrant who had moved into the Denver area about six months ago.

He was working hard at becoming the man to see for illegal firearms. Team Seven had found a way to get close to him when they busted his supplier three months ago.

Ezra was undercover as Evan Stanton, an illegal arms dealer from Georgia looking to broaden his distribution area. Loskerev was in need of a new supplier, and after several months of hard work, they were finally to the point of busting Loskerev.

Chris looked at the clock again; he was getting a bad feeling about this operation. Something was going to go wrong. Vin was supposed to call today and confirm the location of the sale.

The shrill ringing of the phone interrupted Chris' thoughts. "Larabee," he said, picking up the phone.

"Hi, Chris," Vin said. "Sorry we're late with the check in, but it couldn't be helped."

"What happened? Are you both all right?" Chris demanded.

"Relax, Cowboy; we're both fine.

Ezra and I need to come in. There's been a change of plans. Ezra overheard a conversation; that's why I'm late.

From what he heard he thinks that Loskerev has ties to the Russian mob."

Chris closed his eyes and gave a deep sigh. "That's just great," he said sarcastically. "You know what this means, don't you?"

"You have to call in the FBI." Vin answered knowing as well as Chris that the FBI had jurisdiction over any case involving organized crime.

Chris swore colorfully at the thought of three months work down the drain.

"I'll call Travis and let him know. Maybe he can pull some strings and keep us involved. You and Ez be here tomorrow at ten o'clock. I'm sure the FBI can have someone here by then."

"Okay, Cowboy, I'll tell Ezra," Vin said and hung up.

Chris took a deep breath before he started making calls. First, he needed to let the rest of the team the news, and then he needed to call Travis.

Federal Building (10:15 am)

"Come on, Ezra, hurry up. Chris is going to already be in a bad mood because of the fibbies. He'll shoot us if we keep him waiting with them for too long."

"Mr. Tanner, I will just be a moment. Since you refused to stop at Starbucks for me to procure a cup of decent coffee I am going to make do with the dubious beverage that is commonly mistaken for coffee on this floor," Ezra replied as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"You know that's JD's cup, right?" Vin laughed, pointing at the green mug in Ezra's hand with the picture of Marvin the Martian and the caption "Take me to your Liter."

"Yes, I know. Since he has failed as of yet to replace the cup that was shattered when he and Mr. Wilmington engaged in their game of hockey in the break room last week. I feel justified in procuring it for my own use," Ezra replied as they walked toward the conference room at the end of the hall.

Vin and Ezra could hear shouting before they were within ten feet of the door. "Sounds like the fibbies are here," Vin said, looking over at Ezra. He was worried about his friend. It was always hard on Ezra to work with his former colleagues.

"Indeed, Mr. Tanner, and it seems like they have wasted no time getting Mr. Larabee upset.

Well, shall we?" Ezra said, pushing open the door.

"I don't care if you don't like it. If you want to complain I suggest that you go talk to Judge Travis; but for now I am still in charge of this investigation," Ezra and Vin heard Chris tell the two FBI agents as they entered the conference room.

"I hope we are not interrupting anything?" Ezra drawled, seating himself at the end of the table next to JD and Buck.

JD looked over at Ezra as he sat down. "Hey, isn't that..." a pointed look and a raised eyebrow from Ezra kept him from finishing his sentence. "Umm... never mind." JD said as he remembered what had happened to Ezra's cup.

"Now that everyone has decided to show up, maybe we can get started," Chris said, looking over at Ezra and Vin.

"Ezra, Vin, this is special agent Michel Stone, and agent Thomas Blackridge from the FBI. They are here to assist us on this case." Vin's greeting was ignored and Ezra's polite nod was met with silent hostility and suspicion.

With a glare at the to Fibbies, Chris continued, " Now Ezra, what did you overhear? Vin didn't give me any details.

"Yesterday in a lunch meeting with him I chanced to overhear a part of a phone conversation between Mr. Loskerev and an unknown party. From what I heard he is trying to establish himself and get their attention.

Agent Stone interrupted, "You expect us to believe that he would talk about his plans in front of you?"

"Well, I am fairly certain that he would have been more circumspect with his conversation if he knew that I speak Russian fluently. Now if I may continue?"

Chris glared at the FBI agent again. "Go ahead, Ezra."

"Thank you, Mr. Larabee.

"After Mr. Loskerev's conversation he seemed inordinately happy. It seems he has gotten the attention of the organization and that a representative will be at our exchange on Thursday. Now, gentlemen, it is up to you to decide if you wish to go ahead with the bust and take down our suspect or play things out in the hopes of getting inside this organization?"

Agent Blackridge looked up from the report he was reading. "Do you overhear any names? I don't want to waste the FBI's time on an investigation that's going to end up with us catching some low level flunky who doesn't know anything."

Ezra shook his head. "He was very careful not to say any names while he was speaking."

Vin spoke up for the first time. "I heard one of his goons talking. He didn't see me, but he was making sure that everything was taken care of for Mr. Radenov's arrival on Wednesday.

Both FBI agents looked interested in this piece of news and held a whispered conversation.

Chris interrupted their conversation. "Who's Radenov?"

The two agents exchanged a long look before Stone answered. "We're not completely sure. We've been hearing the name Anton Radenov come up a lot in the last few months. It's mostly rumors. We've had no confirmed sightings. From what we've heard he is highly placed in the organization, and from all accounts extremely dangerous. If you can get us a visual confirmation on this guy, we'll take over and pursue him. You can bust your guy and wrap up your investigation, but we don't want Radenov spooked. The arrest has to take place after he is out of the picture."

"Fine. JD, I want you to plant a tracer in with the weapons. Ezra, you and Vin are going to go through with the sale. We'll track Loskerev when he moves the boxes and make the arrest later so he won't connect the bust to you. Radenov should gone by then." Chris looked over at the two Fibbies, "However, if this looks like it's going down bad we'll move in, I'm not risking my men. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

Ezra adjusted his sunglasses and looked around the warehouse. Everything was in place for the deal with Loskrev. At the sound of an engine Ezra looked to his left to see a truck followed by two cars approach.

"They're here, Ezra," Vin said, as he moved into position next to Ezra. The vehicles stopped about twenty feet away. Loskrev exited the first car with his bodyguard as the rest of his men stayed in position at the truck.

"Mr. Stanton, I hope you don't mind that I brought an associate with me," Anton asked as he gestured toward the other car. "Mr. Radenov is the representative of some very important people," the Russian arms dealer said.

"Of course not. If you are willing to vouch for him then I say the more the merrier," Ezra said congenially.

The words had barely left his mouth when the door of the second car started to open. A tall blond man about forty years old stepped out. Ezra froze as he locked gazes with the man Ivan Loskrev called Radenov; for a split second neither man moved then at the same instant went for their weapon.
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Chris was in the surveillance van with JD and the two Federal agents watching Ezra and Vin move into position in the warehouse. The warehouse held two hidden surveillance cameras positioned so they could see but not hear what was happening inside. Neither Ezra nor Vin was wearing a wire because they did not know how paranoid Radenov would be when he arrived.

"I have one truck and two late model sedans approaching the warehouse," Buck said, speaking into his mike.

"Alright, everyone stay in position and be ready to move in if there is trouble," Chris ordered watching the vehicles pull into the warehouse. Chris was worried. He had had a bad feeling about this operation from the beginning and now that feeling was getting worse. He knew something was going to happen.

"Focus camera two on the second car, Agent Dunne," Blackridge ordered, as they watched Ivan Loskrev exit the first vehicle and walk toward Ezra and Vin.

The four agents watched as Radenov stepped out of the second car. He seemed to stiffen suddenly then without warning, he drew his weapon, firing at Ezra and Vin. Within seconds the warehouse erupted in gunfire.

Chris yelled, "All agents move in now!"

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