Disclaimers:  The author claims no ownership of any character from Sons of Thunder or the Magnificent Seven.  No money was made off this venture.  Any original characters are the sole property of the author.
 

The ex-detective’s eyes twinkled as he watched his flabbergasted friend.   Try as he might, Carlos could not keep the corners of his mouth turning up at the sight.  Inside himself, he could feel something bubbling its way up.  Starting at his stomach and working its way up to his throat, the bubble exploded from his mouth in the form of deep, hearty laughter.

Carlos’ friend, Trent glared up at him, but found to his dismay that he could not keep a straight face.  Untangling himself from the haystack, Trent jumped up from his perch with a growl and proceeded to chase his friend through the barn and into the pasture.  When he caught up with him, Trent jumped onto Carlos’ back and wrestled him to the ground.

Peals of laughter could be heard as the two young men played in the muddy field. After a few minutes, Carlos and Trent flopped over onto their backs, exhausted from their antics.  They stayed there, content to lie in the muck, comfortable with each other’s presence.  For the hard working private investigators, moments like this were rare, and they took it upon themselves to enjoy those moments to the fullest.  While lying there, Trent’s thoughts wandered to the previous evening’s events.

He and Carlos had just finished a huge case.  They were in their office starting the paperwork when their secretary made a proposal.  Kim knew how hard her friends had been pushing themselves so she offered to lighten their load a little by doing the paperwork herself.  Kim also had made the wild suggestion that the two overworked Thunder Investigators take a few days off.  Which is how they ended up where they were now.

A friend of theirs, Chris Larabe, offered to let them stay at his “house”.  It was in fact more of a mansion than a house, and it was situated on the outskirts of Dallas, Texas.  A legacy from his grandmother, Chris shared the sprawling 2,200-acre ranch with his six closest friends and co-workers.  Even with the seven inhabitants, there was more than enough room on the beautiful estate for Trent and Carlos.  The only catch was that they had to feed the horses.

Hearing footsteps, the two got to their feet, both grinning at the newcomer.  The other occupant of the estate, Andy was Chris’ younger and only sister.  She lived with Chris part time, spending most of her summers and vacations there.  Andy was a seventeen year old tomboy, through and through.  Trent and Carlos regarded her as family, as she did them.  Right now though, the imp stood near them, a fiendish smile playing on her lips, and her hands behind her back.

“Chris says lunch is ready, but you have to clean up before you come in,” Andy said innocently.

The guys looked at each other, both knowing that whenever Andy acted this congenial that something was up.

“Here, let me help you.”

The heard the remark just as a spray of water shot at them from the previously concealed hose.  Taken by surprise, they could only stand there in shock as she drenched them in the icy cold water.  After a moment, they regained their senses enough to contemplate revenge.  In fact, it only took them a moment before they were off, chasing the hysterical girl across the lawn and towards the patio.  They were about three steps from the patio when an arm shot out, stopping the investigators in their tracks.  Caught off guard, Carlos lost his balance and fell into Trent, causing them to fall to the floor in a tangled heap.  Trent looked up and found himself staring into the amused eyes of their host.  The blond haired Marshal gazed down at them, regarding the dilemma his friends had found themselves in.

“I thought I told you boys to get cleaned up,” Chrisdrawled with amusement.

About to reply, Carlos stopped himself as he saw the exchanged glances between Marshal and girl.  There was no doubt that they had devised the prank together. So, he thought, they were in on it together. Why don’t we show them what real teamwork is about. He glanced at his partner, sharing a look that Trent instantly understood.  Both of them stood up with smiles plastered on their faces.

“We’re sorry,” Trent offered, smile still intact.

“Yeah,” Carlos cut in, ”we were actually on our way in.”  They left on that note, leaving the siblings to watch their retreating forms in bewilderment.

It was not until later that the guys struck.  They had been plotting their revenge for the past hour, and after dinner they decided to act out their plan.

Trent put his arm around Andy while Carlos draped his around Chris’ shoulders.  They walked outside, through the sliding glass doors towards the patio.

“We just wanted to tell you both how much we appreciate being here,” Trent said with an innocent face.

“In fact, we appreciate what you guys have done so much that we decided to give you a present,” Carlos finished, and before either Chris or Andy had the chance to reply, the guys both shoved their charges forward and into the in ground pool.  Neither of them could contain their laughter as brother and sister came to the top, spluttering for air.

“Next time, you’ll know better than to mess with the dynamic duo.” Carlos chortled down at them.

Chris and Andy just looked at each other, knowing that revenge is a dish best served cold.

The End