Chapter 2
Deeks walked up to the warehouse and knocked on the door. A tall, dark haired man answered and began speaking in Russian. "Who are you? What business do you have here?"
Deeks responded in Russian. "I'm an old friend of Mr. Volkov's. I heard he was here and was hoping he might let me in to see him. It's been many years." Deeks aimed his gaze downward as he spoke, taking a submissive posture.
"Mr. Volkov is busy." The man responded stepping forward slightly so that Deeks had to step back.
"Please, if you could just tell him Martin Brandell is here to see him. If he doesn't want to see me, I'll leave immediately." Deeks looked up through his eyelashes and met the man's eyes as he said the last part, flicking his gaze down once more as he waited for an answer.
The man was taken aback slightly when the clear blue eyes of Martin Brandell flashed into his and there was a sudden increase in the snugness of his trousers. "I… I'll ask Mr. Volkov if he knows a Martin Brandell. Wait here." The man glanced once more at Martin Brandell before closing the door and heading inside to speak to Volkov.
Approximately five minutes later, the dark haired man returned, sounding surprised as he said, "Mr. Volkov has requested your presence." He gestured for Brandell to enter and then closed the door behind him. Still bewildered by Volkov's response to hearing Martin Brandell was there to see him, he glanced over his shoulder to watch as Brandell walked down the hall to meet his boss.
Vladimir Volkov was sitting up on a raised platform in a decorative chair, like a king sitting on a throne. He sat now with one leg crossed over the other, his hands woven together and resting on his knee, as he waited to see a very special person enter the room. Deeks turned the corner, then, his eyes cast downward submissively. He flicked his eyes up quickly to ascertain Volkov's position and then let them fall once more as he approached the platform. A pleased grin spread across Volkov's face and an obsessive gleam came over his eyes.
"My Martin, you have come back to me!" Volkov exclaimed delightedly. Some of the other men working around the room looked up in shock at their boss's uncharacteristic light mood. "Ah, and you have grown ever more beautiful."
Deeks felt sick to his stomach. He didn't let it show on his face though and instead arranged his features into an abashed smile conveying his pleasure at the compliment. He let his eyes flash up into Volkov's briefly before directing them downward again.
"Don't be a stranger, my dear Martin. Come sit with me." Volkov held out a hand, beckoning Deeks closer. Deeks obliged, letting his eyes flick between the ground and Volkov a few times to communicate feelings of longing for the man in front of him. He took Volkov's hand and the man pulled him so he was sitting sideways across his lap. Deeks suppressed his instinct to flinch away from the contact and instead leaned closer letting his eyes rise to hold Volkov's gaze steadily now, his mouth open slightly. Volkov caressed Deeks face, a familiar look of possessiveness coming over his features. "It has been too long, my Martin."
"Yes sir," Deeks made his voice slightly breathy as he responded, "far too long." Volkov leaned in to run the tip of his nose along Deeks's throat, taking in the smell of his long lost lover.
"Let us take our reunion somewhere more private." Volkov suggested, an excited gleam entering his eyes. Deeks forced an eager smile to show on his face as he let Volkov pull him along to a private room.
(Back at NCIS)
"When was he supposed to have checked in by?" Kensi's voice raised in pitch as her anxiety grew. "What does it mean that he hasn't checked in yet, Hetty?"
Hetty looked over her glasses at her panicked agent. "Ms. Blye, you know very well that undercover assignments mean check-ins get missed sometimes for no other reason than because the undercover agent is trying to maintain cover. Mr. Deeks said he would try to check in, if the opportunity presented itself. He also said it might take a couple days for him to find a valid reason to get out of the warehouse." She searched her brain for something to distract Kensi with. "Why don't you follow up on the names Mr. Deeks gave us from when he was undercover with Volkov the last time around?"
Kensi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Right, okay, I guess I can do that."
"Take Nell with you; you're not to go into the field without a partner." Hetty was turning to call up the stairs for Nell.
"Deeks is in the field without a partner." Kensi said quietly, distaste creeping into her voice.
"Mr. Deeks is undercover, Ms. Blye. He couldn't bring a partner under the circumstances. You know that as well as I." Hetty responded calmly.
"I still hate it. I hate that no one is watching his back right now!" Kensi sat down hard in the chair behind her desk and let her head fall into her hands. "He could be hurt and we would have no idea! What if his alias didn't hold up?" Kensi looked up at Hetty now, pleading with her eyes for some words of comfort from her boss.
"Ms. Blye, I spoke to Mr. Deeks about the events that occurred last time. His cover is very much in tact. His name was redacted from LAPD case files. There really is no reason for you to worry that his alias won't get him in the door." Hetty kept everything she said as vague as possible, hoping Kensi wouldn't start asking questions about why Deeks's name was redacted.
"He did get in the door." Nell's voice called down from Ops.
Kensi jumped up from her chair and started towards the stairs. "You have eyes on the warehouse?"
Nell accompanied Kensi and Hetty back to Ops, speaking as they walked. "Yup, want to do the honors and tell us what they're saying Kensi?"
They entered Ops and Eric immediately pressed play on his tablet so that the footage began to roll. They watched as Deeks walked up to the warehouse door and knocked. They watched a man answer and ask who Deeks was. They couldn't see anything Deeks said, but a strange look came over the man at the door's face in response to something the detective did or said. The man closed the door then and Deeks waited. A bit later the door opened again and the man stood aside to let Deeks inside.
"Wow. He got in, then… so easily." Kensi turned to look at Hetty. "Hetty… what did Deeks do when he was undercover with the Volkov organization? I mean, what could Deeks do for a man like that?"
Hetty didn't answer immediately, her eyes still on the screen. "Mr. Deeks helped to recruit high profile clients in the LA area. He also helped take care of the children in the ring."
Kensi's brow remained slightly furrowed as she looked back to the screen. "Eric can you play it again and zoom in more so I can try to lip-read what the guy at the door said."
"You got it." Eric obliged.
"Wait, wait. Replay that last thing he said, before he closes the door." Kensi squinted in concentration. Her eyes widened and she turned to look at Hetty once more. "What's the name of Deeks's alias, Hetty?"
Hetty nodded, frowning. "You've got it right Ms. Blye. Deeks is using his birth name: Martin Brandell."
"Why the hell would he use his real name!? Why the hell would you let him use his real name, Hetty?" Kensi spluttered.
"That is the name Volkov knew Deeks by last time. I cannot answer the question of why Mr. Deeks chose to give that name, but rest assured, there is no existing link between the name Martin Brandell and Deeks. Since Deeks legally changed his name, Martin Brandell exists now only as an alias." Hetty answered evenly.
"Hetty, Deeks using that name doesn't make sense. Why would the LAPD sanction the use of Brandell as an alias?" Kensi could feel that something was being left out, that Hetty had answers she wasn't sharing.
"I cannot answer that Ms. Blye." Hetty's expression gave nothing away.
"You can't or you're choosing not to?" Kensi asked, her voice taking on a dangerous edge.
Hetty remained silent, looking at Kensi with a controlled, blank expression. Kensi shook her head, betrayal darkening her features, and then strode quickly out of Ops.
Hetty sighed as she watched her go. She hoped Deeks would be able to come up with a good reason for why he might have used Martin Brandell as an alias.
Deeks was sitting at Volkov's right side at the head of a long table, packed with the members of the inner circle of the sex trafficking ring. Volkov was discussing an incoming 'shipment' with another Russian who was sitting four seats down.
"They're asking for more money, now that the operation has attracted the attention of local law enforcement." The Russian said, shaking his head in disgust.
"Tell them local law enforcement poses little threat to us. The LAPD is out of their depth, they can't touch us. Plus, they still think they've just stumbled across a small time prostitution business. The FBI remains clueless and most of the world still thinks me and my organization are closed for business." Volkov laughed darkly. Then his eyes blackened and he leaned forward, his voice taking on a dangerous edge. "They won't be getting a cent more. If they give you any more shit, tell them we've got other suppliers and we'll sooner cut ties than get squeezed for more money."
Deeks kept his eyes trained respectfully downward, only looking up to meet and return the occasional burning look from Volkov. He had already put a name and face to every major player in the room. With any luck, he'd be able to shut down the ring within the week.
"Martin?" Deeks looked up at Volkov. "I trust you will be able to secure enough high profile buyers to fill up the seats at our little 'auction' the day after tomorrow?"
Deeks responded confidently in Russian. "It won't be a problem, sir. I'll need to make a few calls, though, and meet a few people face-to-face."
Volkov nodded, shooting a pleased smirk at Deeks before turning to the man at his left. "Have you received confirmation of attendance from our special guest yet, Olaf?"
A sudden objection arose from the furthest end of the table from the youngest man in the room, a pale faced twenty something year old with a shock of dark hair. "Boss? Who is this outsider? Perhaps you should ask him to leave and take care of his duties before discussing further any more of our business." He glared at Deeks, mistrust and jealousy contorting his expression.
"Quiet yourself, Alexander!" Volkov spat, livid at the outburst from his former lover. "I have invited Martin to this table. Do not disrespect me by questioning my judgment." Alexander lowered his gaze, alarmed at the rebuff.
Volkov turned back to Olaf expectantly. Deeks chanced a glance at Alexander who was glaring at him once more. Great, he thought, a jilted lover.
As the men began to rise and clear the room, Volkov placed a hand on Deeks's chest, indicating that he should remain. After the last man had left out the door, Volkov slid his hand further down and turned to look at Deeks. "Don't be gone too long, my Martin. I'll be expecting you in my room tonight." Deeks looked up through his lashes at Volkov and responded, "I'll hurry back."
Deeks stood then and walked steadily out of the room, down the hall, and out the front door of the warehouse. He went to his car, slid into the driver's seat, and drove aimlessly for a few blocks before pulling over, fumbling the door open, and emptying his stomach onto the sidewalk. Fuck.
End of Chapter 2