Chapter 1
A taxi pulled over in front of a lavish hotel in Los Angeles. A male attendant hurriedly strode towards the passenger door and was quick to hold it open as a dark haired woman emerged from it.
The woman paused and quietly wandered her hazel eyes around. Noticing another commissionaire was patiently waiting for her at the front door, she began her pace towards the entrance.
"Good evening, ma'am." She heard him greeted her politely.
A small smile graced her lips as she acknowledged him. "Good evening."
She tried not to feel dazed at the luxurious expanse of the hotel lobby that welcomed her as soon as she stepped inside. Talk about richness, she murmured only to herself. Turning to the left where the large ballroom she was aware was located, she saw a burly man standing just before the double door and guarding the room from possible intruders. In his hand was a clip folder he was giving a glance. He heard her steps and looked up to see her.
Gathering all the confidence she had, she stepped closer to him. "Good evening."
"Good evening, ma'am." He bowed slightly.
She could feel the man's eyes on her, looking over her form, scrutinizing every details of her body that was covered in a long black strapless sequined dress. Trying not to roll her eyes at his obvious perusal, she waited as he indulged himself with the view, certain that she'll pass his standard.
"Can I help you with something?" He asked, eyes already satisfied.
She smiled sweetly. "Yes, you can. Is this where Mr. Hernandez' birthday party being held?"
"Yes. Are you one of his guests?" Eyebrows raised in suspicion, he questioned. "If you are, tell me your name so I can confirm it in this list." The man offered, raising the folder in his hand.
"Actually, I'm not in it. You see, I'm supposed to arrive with my husband." She replied, lifting her left hand to show him the gold band circling her ring finger. "But my plane got delayed in Florida so he left to attend this party without me. He's one of Mr. Hernandez' employees. You can check his name, Max Gentry. I'm pretty sure he's in that list."
Before Mr. Burly could respond, the door opened and a shaggy blonde haired man, looking dashingly handsome in a suit, stepped out. His serious face broke out in a smile as he took a step closer to her. Encircling an arm around her narrow waist, he pulled her closer to him. "I thought you won't be coming, Isabel." He whispered huskily before pressing his lips against hers.
She closed her eyes and let him drown her in his kiss. Before she knew it, she was responding to him, her hands already sitting comfortably on his broad shoulders. Out of breath, she broke the kiss. "And missed seeing you in a suit. I don't think so, babe." She replied while her fingers softly brushed the lipstick stain on his lips she left. "I missed you, Max."
"I missed you more."
The passion in his voice made her stare at his eyes. They were blue, like the color of the sky, she noted. They were gazing at her so intensely that she felt she was being pulled towards him, drenching her on the inscrutable emotions he was giving off.
A clearing of throat broke the strange spell that was casted between them. She watched as the man holding her clenched his jaw at the interruption. With his hand still planted on her waist, he turned to Mr. Burly with a dark expression on his face.
"You got a problem, Conroy?" He asked coldly, warning evident in his tone.
The man, seemed to fear for his life, was quick to back down. "Nothing man."
She tried to hide her astonishment with a pity smile thrown at Mr. Burly/Conroy. It startled her to witness that a guy as large as Conroy appeared to have known how dangerous the man standing beside her was. Is he really that deadly? She quietly asked herself. But the gentleness his fingers was giving her as they grazed over her covered skin was telling her the opposite.
When she felt him removed his grip on her, she thought he would leave her on her own. But to her surprise, he took her hand and enclosed it with his as he led her inside ignoring the large man completely. Holding hands, they walked through the door.
The party was already in full swing, she noticed instantly when they entered. Tables and chairs were conveniently situated around the spacious room, leaving the center area free for dancing. A band was busy performing on the stage. Food and drinks were flowing abundantly. People, all in formal attire, were scattered around. Some were seating enjoying their food, others were engaged in conversations. There were also some pairs dancing at the center.
Roaming her eyes around, she quickly recognized Mr. Anton Hernandez. The tall older man was standing on one corner of the room, looking powerful and mighty in a designer tuxedo while talking to a few men. Whatever it was they were discussing must have been important, she discerned from the way they looked engrossed as they exchanged words.
"Room 2316. Ready. Deal." She whispered. She didn't realize her voice was loud enough for her companion to hear.
He looked at her with wide eyes. "You can read lips?"
"Yeah. One of the many things I am good at, honey." She added the endearment to tease him.
"If that's the case, I'm glad I married you, p-princess."
Her eyebrow arched in awe at his chosen nickname. "Princess? I haven't heard that before, well, aside from my father."
She noticed a strange emotion crossed his face. It was gone in an instant but it left her wondering.
"Let's go, I'll introduce you to him." He said suddenly, quickening his steps towards his boss.
Without words, she let him guide her.
"Max!"
She felt his hold on her hand tightened when they heard the birthday celebrant's voice.
"Wait," She halted and hastily pulled out a wrapped gift from her purse. "Can't greet him without a present." She explained to his curiosity.
He grinned at her, "Girl Scout?"
"Back in the days."
They resumed their walk. This time, his hand laid on the small of her back. Seeking uneasiness from how intimate he was touching her, she was puzzled when she didn't find any. If she was going to be honest, his touch felt natural.
"Just the man I am looking for!" Anton bellowed when they reached him. Noticing her, his face brightened and his smile grew wide. "And who is this pretty lady with you, Gentry?"
"I'd like you to meet my wife, Isabela."
"I didn't know you're married. You've been keeping her from us and I can see why." He followed his comment with a laugh. Patting his employee's shoulder, he said. "You did a good job, Max."
She felt her companion's discomfort as Anton raked his eyes over her with notable interest and admiration.
"Happy birthday, Mr. Hernandez." She greeted the older man, handing him her present.
The celebrant accepted the box and to her surprise, held her hand. "Thank you for the gift. Please call me Anton, Isabela. What a beautiful name for a beautiful woman." He lifted her palm and lightly kissed the back of it.
She tried not to flinch at his action and forced herself to smile at his compliment. The man beside her stiffened and his hold on her back tightened while he watched his boss.
"Thank you, A-Anton." She said, lightly withdrawing her hand from his grip.
"You are one lucky man, Max."
"Yes. Yes, I am."
His words made her glanced at him. He said it so seriously that she almost believed it herself.
"When's the trade going to take place?" She asked in murmur in between sipping her champagne, her eyes were focused on the stage. The band was just finishing an upbeat song.
"An hour from now. They are getting everything prepared." He replied. "Have your team ready."
"They already are. We've been monitoring our man since he left his building."
He nodded and scanned the place. "Well, we can't do anything more than to wait now. How about we enjoy the party, wife?" Without waiting for her reply, he gently grabbed her hand and led her towards the center.
She found herself being drag towards the dance area just as the band's version of Michael Buble's You Don't Know Me started playing.
You give your hand to me
Then you say hello
I can hardly speak
My heart is beating so
And anyone can tell
You think you know me well
But you don't know me
"Wha-?" She muttered in panic when he snaked his arms around her waist. His action made her rest her hands on his shoulders on impulse.
"They're watching us." He whispered softly on her ear.
Feeling a tingling sensation from the warmth of his breath, she could only say, "Oh,"
No, you don't know the one
Who dreams of you at night
And longs to kiss your lips
And longs to hold you tight
Oh I'm just a friend
That's all I've ever been
'Cause you don't know me
With their bodies pressed against each other, they danced to the slow rythm of the song. Their gazes were locked on each other and she couldn't helped but feel a sense of déja vu, like this had already happened in the past. Remembering that their current position was the same position they had earlier when they kissed, she dismissed the disturbing familiarity from her mind and unconsciously blushed as she recalled how his lips felt against hers.
Afraid that he might notice the reddening of her cheeks, she propped her head over his chest and closed her eyes, relaxing on the comforting feeling of his body.
I never knew
The art of making love
Though my heart aches
With love for you
Afraid and shy
I've let my chance to go by
The chance that you might
Love me, too
When she opened her eyes and lifted her head to see him, she was not surprised to find him staring at her. She felt him drawing deep breaths and worry flooded her heart.
"Are you alright?" She checked, reaching up one hand to cup his cheek in instinct.
Instead of answering her, he held her palm that was on his face, closed his eyes and lightly leaned his head against it.
You give your hand to me
And then you say good-bye
I watch you walk away
Beside the lucky guy
You'll never never know
The one who loves you so
Well, you don't know me
"Where have you been?" He asked, pain was evident in his voice.
Her chest tightened and tears began clouding her eyes at the look of anguish on his face when he opened his baby blues and gazed at her.
She wanted to answer him, she really did. But she didn't know what to tell him.
But there was one thing she felt she ought to say. "I-I'm sorry..."
He was watching her. Looking at her as she took a pair of handcuffs from her teammate, a large buff man, and crouched on the carpeted floor to carelessly enclose the unconscious man's hands in it.
He shouldn't be there, there was a risk his cover could be blown the longer he stayed. It was enough that he helped her, helped her team to apprehend their suspect. But he couldn't go just yet, couldn't make his feet take a step away from her.
The door opened and a shorter blonde haired man entered. "Is he still alive?" The man asked as he strolled towards his teammates.
She grinned at the two men. "Yeah. He'll wake up. A little bit disoriented but he will."
"Do you have to hit him that hard? Who's gonna bring him down? We're on the 24th floor." The buff man chided with mock annoyance.
He smiled unknowingly when she rolled her eyes at her teammate's words. "He should be grateful I didn't kill him. He was about to shoot..." She paused, glanced at him and beamed. "...my husband."
He smirked at her words, decided to move from his position on the corner of the room and walked over towards them. "Detective Martin Deeks, LAPD." He held out his hand.
She stood up straight, smiled and took his palm and shook it. "Agent Kensi Blye, NCIS. Nice to meet you, Detective."
"Nice to meet you too, Agent."
"Kensi would do, Detective."
"Only if you don't call me detective."
"How am I supposed to call you?" She asked with an arched eyebrow.
He just shrugged and turned to face her teammates who were watching them interestingly. "I think congratulations is in order."
"Thank you, Detective Deeks." The shorter of the two men replied. "I'm Agent G. Callen." He introduced himself with a handshake, that Deeks readily accepted, before waving to the larger one. "This is Agent Sam Hanna."
"We couldn't have done it without your help, Detective. Thank you." Sam uttered sincerely while shaking his hand.
"Happy to help. After all, we're on the same side."
Kensi kept her eyes on the three men as they exchanged greetings and introductions. Her gaze drifted to the shaggy blonde haired man she now knew as LAPD Detective Martin Deeks.
Deeks.
She was sure she had never encountered that name before but why did it sound familiar? Trying to think where she might have heard it and coming up with no explanation, Kensi shook her head in surrender. Her action didn't go unnoticed to Deeks.
"Are you okay?" He looked at her with concern.
"Uhm, yeah. You? I saw you got hit, was it bad?"
"No, it's alright. I'm alright." She watched as he run his fingers through his hair. "Is he the guy you're after?" Deeks asked, eyes focused on the knocked out cold man in handcuffs.
Sam answered. "Yes, Corporal Ismael Abbott. He is suspected to have killed his friend/partner in crime, also a marine officer, and tried to sell the smuggled weapons they took from Iraq to Hernandez."
"Yeah, my boss would definitely buy those kind of weapons." He quipped without humor.
"Do you have to go back to the party?" Kensi questioned.
He nodded. "I kinda need to. Hernandez is probably enraged by now, already aware that Abbott didn't show up."
"He sorta did but only a floor higher." Sam jived.
"I'm afraid I can't tell him that." He retorted with a smile on his lips.
He had just exited the room after saying his goodbye to the team of federal agents and was about to stride towards the elevator when he heard the door he just closed opened and someone stepped out.
"Deeks!"
Her voice, the way she uttered his name, halted his movement and almost stopped his breathing. It sounded very familiar. If Deeks would remain in his position with his back on her, he could imagine that she just called him the same way she did 12 years ago. He slowly closed his eyes. 'Belle.' It had been more than a decade but he could still recall how she sounded as if the last time he had heard of her was just yesterday.
He listened as she paced and stopped in front of him. It was a long prospect but Deeks hoped that when he open his eyes, he would see her looking at him, recognizing him not as Detective Martin Deeks she just met but as Martin Brandel, her friend from 12 years ago.