Betrayal
Chapter Nineteen
After each man had found the envelope with their name on it, they tore them
open. Chris felt like his heart was breaking as he read the letter, the letter
that was telling him that he and Ezra were definitely through. That Ezra didn't
feel like he could trust him any more. To please not try and contact him. But,
by the end of the letter, Chris was angry. 'How can he just throw what we have
away?! Just walk away and not look back? To not even try and fix it?' Chris
silently fumed.
Buck and J.D.'s letters, they found out, were about the same. Telling them how
proud he had been working with them and how they were great agents. Great
friends. That he would miss them deeply. Buck hugged J.D., his 'little brother'
as J.D. cried.
Josiah's letter told him Ezra had looked upon him as a father figure. Even
though he always had denied it. And, he was grateful that he had been given the
chance to know him. Josiah raised his hands, wiping the tears off his cheeks.
Nathan was shocked when he read his letter. Ezra told him that even though they
didn't get along, he respected him. He respected the way he wanted to help
people, and thought he was a good agent. Then, he asked him, why? Why didn't he
like him? Ezra wrote that maybe, one day, they would be able to resolve their
differences. Nathan took a shaky breath as he refolded the letter, sticking it
back in its envelope.
Vin felt extreme sorrow as he read his letter. The letter that told him what a
true friend he had always been. The letter that told him that he was a great man
for walking away from his feelings, for the sake of a friend. For the sake of
two friends. That, maybe, if things had been different, he and Ezra would've
been together. He read what Ezra said about, maybe, one day seeing each other
again. And, maybe they could talk about what they felt. After, he had time to
put everything behind him. Vin felt the tears prickling at the back of his eyes,
but his hands were rock steady as he put the letter into his jacket pocket, over
his heart, for safe-keeping.
He stood up, glaring at Chris. "Hope you're happy," he sneered at Chris.
Chris also stood, returning the glare. "You love him, don't you?" Chris asked
causing everyone, but Vin, to gasp.
Vin refused to deny his feelings any longer. He nodded, "Yes. I do."
"That's just great! One of my best friends in love with my man," said
Chris.
Vin snorted, "It's not like I was trying to take him away from you. I've been in
love with him for a long time. You just got to him before I did. When I saw how
happy you made Ezra, I decided to step aside." Vin paused, before continuing,
"But, now, you've screwed everything up. It's your fault he's gone. You screwed
Mary, costing you your relationship and almost Ezra's life!"
"Wait a minute, Vin, I'm sure..."
"Stay outta this, Buck. Chris doesn't need you to defend him," Vin replied.
Chris gritted his teeth, "I love Ezra. What happened with Mary was a mistake..."
"One hell of a mistake!" Vin interrupted.
Chris continued, "I'll always regret it. But, Ezra's the one that decided to run
out. To not let us protect him. The one that decided not to try and fix our
relationship."
Josiah decided he'd better intervene, before damage was done that could never be
repaired. "Alright, stop it! We need to quit this bickering and try to find out
where Ezra is, so we can bring him back home. So we can try and fix things. We
also need to try and take Mounds and his men down."
"Well, Ezra didn't say anything in my letter about where he was going. He say
anything in any of yours?" asked Nathan.
Five heads shook in negative. J.D. sighed, "How are we ever gonna find him?"
"Any way we can. However long it takes, we keep looking. We don't give up,"
Josiah firmly answered. "Plus," he added, "we keep going until we nail Mounds
and all the scum that works with him to the wall."