Thanks for all the encouraging reviews. This will be my first story with more of a case plot so it's a bit different for me and I appreciate your feedback. Enjoy. Zoe :)
Nell watched as five pairs of eyes focused on her, each looking with confusion and concern. She took a few hesitant steps into the room, feeling uncomfortable with all the attention but knowing she couldn't avoid it.
"Shortly before Ms Jones joined us, she assisted Rodriguez and Baker on a project with Naval Intelligence in Washington. It was highly classified and focused on an emerging Venezuelan drug cartel." Hetty explained.
"I wasn't long out of college and provided administrative assistance to Michael and Francine. I had full access to everything concerning the project." Nell continued as she walked over to join Hetty, feeling that by standing the older woman's side she would be somehow protected from the interrogation she was sure was coming. She glanced around at everyone, noticing in particular the penetrating stare Callen threw her way, his eyes narrowed and his brow deeply furrowed.
"The project was shut down after four months." She carried on, choosing to ignore the strange looks being thrown her way by everyone but Hetty. "There was a leak and when the project starting running into trouble, Michael and Francine had me do some digging on the side. I discovered tentative links between Commander Shaun Stevens, who was overseeing the project, and a Venezuelan drug dealer in Washington, Hector Valdez, who had come up in the intelligence."
"What happened?" Sam asked.
"On the basis of what I discovered Stevens was investigated, but he posited plausible explanations for everything thrown at him and with no actual evidence the case against him was closed with no charges. But the investigation hurt his career, and just a month later he resigned and disappeared. Michael and Francine believed he left DC to continue whatever it was he was doing with the cartel." Nell sighed. "I came to work here and heard nothing more from Michael or Francine until I got a message last month telling me they were starting up the project again."
"You weren't really on vacation were you?" Callen asked, realising her recent 'vacation' coincided with the project being started up. Nell turned to face him, taking in his tense stance and clenched jaw. She didn't need any profiling skills to work out that Callen was pissed he had been left out the loop.
"No, I wasn't." she shook her head, watching as Callen moved to fold his arms across his chest. "I set up their original system and files and last month I went to Washington to help restart the project and provide assistance until their new analyst started." Nell paused. "Hetty, is Arthur alright?" she turned to Hetty with worried eyes.
"Mr Anderson was taken into protective custody as soon as the connection between Michael and Francine was discovered." Hetty told her. "He's safe."
"Forensics found a partial print at the Rodriguez crime scene, and a DNA sample at the Baker scene – both came back to Shaun Stevens." Eric interjected.
"So Stevens murdered Rodriguez and Baker because they started the project up again and he didn't want them finding out what was going on and putting a stop to his activities?" Callen asked Hetty.
"That is our best guess." Hetty sighed.
"And because Nell worked on the project too, she's a target." Sam nodded his head.
"I'm sure being the one that got him investigated and essentially ruined his life doesn't help." Nell added, surprised by the flash of anger she saw on Callen's face. Was it directed at her or at the situation?
"A team in Washington is working the case there, however we must assume Former Commander Stevens is looking to finish what he started and knows where Ms Jones is. He is likely to be on his way or has already arrived in Los Angeles. Find him." Hetty instructed, before making her way out the ops room, leaving the team to process the situation and make a plan.
An awkward silence fell over the ops room as Hetty left. Everyone was reeling at how close to home this case was and no-one knew quite what to say or do. Eric was staring down at his keyboard, Deeks fidgeted in place, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he glanced over at Kensi who looked like she was flashing back to her own recent troubles and how hard it was to deal with. Sam had his head lowered, a sad look on his face and Callen, he was staring at Nell while she tried to avoid all eye contact. It was natural for agents to have their past come back and bite them in the ass but no-one figured that Nell, a young intelligence analyst who, compared to the others had very little experience in this world, would suffer from that side effect.
Nell was growing uncomfortable with everyone looking at her, and turned her attention to her shoes, wishing she could just slip into the background like she normally would at this point in a new case.
"What do we have Eric?" Callen asked suddenly, breaking the silence.
"Uh not much. Stevens was off the grid and I'm having a hard time getting anything on him. There are no credit cards, phone bills, nothing. His last known address is no good – the house was sold to a couple a few months after he left the Navy. It was a cash transaction and the money was never deposited in any of his known accounts. If he's using an alias, it's going to take time to find him."
"Keep working on it." Callen patted Eric on the shoulder. "We need to know if he's come to LA. Kensi, Deeks, make contact with his friends and family, see if they can shed any light his whereabouts. Sam, he must have had a contact in Naval Intelligence to find out about the project being restarted, start looking at navy personnel." Callen instructed.
"You got it G. Eric, we could use your help downstairs, with contact details." Sam nodded at Eric to leave, the younger man throwing him a confused look before he understood why Sam wanted him to leave. Sam knew that Callen, being the Senior Agent, would want to talk to Nell in private about the situation, so he made sure they had some space and ushered the rest of the team out.
As Nell turned away and picked up her tablet computer, she could feel the eyes of the Senior Agent in Charge on her. She was not used to being the centre of attention, let alone the sole focus of Agent Callen and it unnerved her. She wondered if he had any idea the power his eyes had over whoever they were aimed at. It felt like minutes had passed since the others left the room but Callen was yet to say a word, he was just standing there staring at her as she kept her back to him and pretended to work on the tablet computer. Nell was beginning to wonder if he was waiting for her to say something first.
"Are you okay Nell?" Callen finally spoke, his voice soft and concerned. There was a lengthy pause before she turned to face him and under the blue lighting, he saw tears welling up in her eyes.
Since being dragged out of bed by two NCIS agents in the early hours of the morning and whisked to the office only to be told her life was in danger and that two people she knew had been brutally murdered, Nell had struggled to keep her emotions under control. And now having faced the reality of it by bringing the team in, combined with the gentle way Callen just spoke to her, her emotions were beginning to bubble to the surface.
"I guess that depends on your definition of 'okay'." She told him, blinking back the tears that threatened to roll down her pale cheeks, not wanting to appear weak in front of Callen.
"We're going to find Stevens." He told her, his voice sounding strong and confident.
"Michael and Francine were veterans, they were aware of the dangers of the job and knew how to protect themselves, and he still got to them." Nell was surprised at how quiet her voice was. "That doesn't bode well for me." She dropped her gaze to the floor, shifting her weight between her feet.
"Nell, I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Callen closed the distance between them and rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I've got your back. We've all got your back."
"I know." The words she had just spoken should have sounded positive and conveyed trust in him and the team, but she knew Callen heard the doubt in her voice because he was staring at her, his eyes filled with concern.
"Nell, I will not let Stevens hurt you." He assured her, his hand moving from her shoulder to hold her cheek, his fingers lightly touching her soft skin. "I promise." He searched her face for a sign that she believed him, trusted he wouldn't let her down. A wave of relief washed over him when her lips curled into a tiny smile.
"Okay." She replied, her voice finding volume and strength.
"Okay." Callen smiled in return and stepped back. "I'm going to go help Sam." He gestured to the door. "You good?" Nell nodded in response.
As she watched him leave, Nell tried to think positively. She knew how good the team were because in the short time she had been working with them she had seen them succeed at seemingly impossible challenges. But she had also read the report about Agent Dominic Vale and despite everything the team had done, he had still died. In the back of her mind, she couldn't shake the feeling that she might meet a similar fate.
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