Sam, Callen, and Kensi were walking into the boat shed to meet the ambassadors' daughter; she was already waiting for them in the main hall. Callen nodded to the guard, and he excused himself; Sam had already seen the woman from the photo on my phone, but what he saw in front of him didn't do the picture any justice.
Wow. Sam thought.
Callen approached the woman and introduced the team.
"I'm Special Agent Callen; these are my team members: Agent's Hanna, and Blye." Callen said.
"I'm Talitha Khan, but a few people call me Tali." Tali said.
"What can you tell us about your father's business?" Sam asked.
The four of them took a seat at the table as Tali started talking.
"My father is trying to secure weapons in the fight against the Taliban." Tali said.
Kensi felt a shiver go down her spine, which Tali did not miss.
"I'm guessing you, Miss. Blye, were captured by the Taliban?" Tali asked.
"Something like." Kensi said, not missing Callen staring at her in her peripheral vision.
"Who is doing most of the fighting?" Sam asks. "The military, or the rebels?"
"It's a mix of both the military and the rebels, but the rebels are taking most of the heat." Tali says.
"Do you know when your father is due to give his speech at the U.N.?" Kensi asked.
"In six weeks." Tali says.
"Are you going to be staying the embassy for the duration of your stay?" Callen asked.
"Yes I will be. I will leave you a number that connects directly to me." Tali says.
Sam hands her a pad and a pen, and then asks.
"What do you do for fun?" Sam asks trying to keep conversation light.
"Not much really. The occasional movie, but I do like to hit the clubs every once and a while." Tali says, transcribing her number.
"Maybe we can show you a night out on the town." Kensi suggests.
Sam signals Callen that is a bad idea, and he catches it.
"Maybe some other time." Callen says. "Do you know how closely your father's work is related to the rebels?"
"The rebels had brokered a deal with my father because of his status, and then he is coming here to complete the deal." Tali says.
The four of them talk for a few hours, Deeks on the other hand has his hands tied with the senator.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
I get out of my car and head into the building with the Senator Swanson's office. Traffic was light, given that it was just past the lunch hour. As I approach the front desk Swanson's aide comes to collect me.
"Detective Deeks." She says.
"Yes." I say.
"If you would follow me please." She says.
We wound our way through rows of cubicles, and numerous rooms to get to the senator's conference room.
"The senator is in a meeting right now, but she told me to give access to the files that were given to us. Once the meeting is over she will brief you personally." The aide said.
"I'll be waiting." I tell the aide.
I take a seat and start paging through the folder as the aide leaves. It would be two hours before the senator came to see me.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
Callen, Sam, and Kensi are back at Ops going over the information that Tali gave them.
"Callen." Nell said.
"Yeah Nell." Callen said.
"I was running Tali through the L.A. camera system and I found her, but I also found this." Nell said.
Nell brought up a picture. It was of a man.
"Isn't that?" Kensi asked.
"Yeah that's the Chechen rebel we shot two weeks ago." Callen said.
"Eric how long has Tali been in the country.
Eric back tracked to the point when Tali entered the country.
"Three weeks before the rebel entered." Eric said.
Sam began to wonder what I might have gotten myself mixed up in.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
The aide came and told me that Senator Swanson should be finishing her meeting soon. I was still paging through the folder. I decided to get up and go use the restroom. When I came back to minutes later I notice a difference. It wasn't so much the room itself, but the folder. I saw that it had been tampered with. I saw a camera in the corner, and it had a perfect view of the table. It was at this time the senator was coming to see me.
"Detective Deeks sorry for the de-"
"Does that camera work?" I ask cutting the senator off.
"Yes, why?" The senator asked.
"I stepped out to use the restroom, and when I came back I could tell that the folder had been tampered with. Can I see the footage?" I ask.
"Right this way." The senator's security aide said.
Ten minutes later we are watching the video footage of the room. The person who walks in is covered, leaving no room for distinguishing marks.
"Thanks for your help." I say.
I exit the room, and then head back conference room; I don't want to go over that folder until I get out of here. The senator and I go over the details of the ambassador's itinerary while he will be here in the states
Something about the folder being disturb, even for the few seconds I was gone, doesn't sit well with me. I think.
It's four o'clock in the afternoon when I leave the senator's office, but before heading back to Ops. I make a pit stop for gas; which became a dangerous turns of an event. Before I knew what was happening I heard gunshots. I duck and make my way into the store.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
Sam was coming down out of Ops when he saw the breaking news cast on the TV in the bull pen. The crawl said there was a shootout at a gas station off PCH, and would have ignored it if it wasn't for a red impala. Sam pulled out his phone and called me.
"Hello." I say.
"You good?" Sam asks.
"That depends on your definition of good?" I ask.
Next thing Sam sees is me walk on to the news broadcast and give a thumbs up; albeit; my right arm had been patched up.
"Stay where you are; were coming to you." Sam said.
"I'll be here." I say, and then hang up the phone.
At this time Callen and Kensi were walking into the bull pen.
"There was a shootout at a gas station?" Kensi asked.
"Where?" Callen asked.
"The gas station off of PCH near the beach. Deeks was involved." Sam said.
"How bad?" Kensi asked.
"His right arm was grazed." Sam said.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
I approach the team as they pull up. I see that Kensi is on edge about the attempt on my life. Or were they trying to kidnap me? I think.
"I'm okay; other than the graze." I say.
"What did you learn from the senator?" Callen asked.
"I have his itinerary, but something strange happened." I say.
"What?" Sam asked.
"When I stepped out to use the restroom somebody stepped in and messed with the files." I say.
"Messed with how?" Kensi asked.
"I didn't get that far." I say. "I saw the security footage, but no hits." I say.
Before anyone could respond there's more gun fire. We take cover behind the cars and return fire.
"I really hate my life." I say.
After about three minutes the gunfire dies down. We check for survivors, and find one. He in critical condition, but I recognize him. I saw him at Balm last night.
"Keep fighting, we will keep coming until we have her." The man says.
The paramedics patch the man up, and then take him to the hospital. I get the name of the hospital, and plan to meet them there.
"Deeks where are you going?" Callen asked.
"To the hospital. That man has more information." I say.
I don't stop for anything; I jump in my car and head towards the hospital.
"I'll go with him." Sam says.
Sam heard me talking to the paramedic, so he jumps in the challenger and heads the hospital. Callen and Kensi clean up the scene and then head back to Ops.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
I arrive at the hospital and make it to the hallway leading to the O.R. before I was stopped by a nurse.
"Sir you can't go in there." The woman said.
"When will he be out of surgery? And how long will it be before I can talk to him?" I ask.
"The patient just went into surgery, so it's going to be a few hours. How long until you can talk to him depends on how long it takes for the anesthetic to wear off." The woman said.
"Let me know as soon as you find out what room he goings to be placed in. My name is Detective Deeks." I tell the woman.
She nods and walks away. At this point I realize that Sam has walked up behind me. I let out a breath and say, without turning to him.
"Ask the question."
"Did he see you at the club, and get a good look at your face?" Sam asked.
"Yeah. I saw him last night." I tell Sam.
"Hetty isn't going to like finding out that you have been compromised, metaphorically speaking." Sam said.
"Isn't it like that with everybody?" I ask, with my back still to him.
Sam walks around and looks me in my eyes.
"More so you seeing as how you're already compromised." Sam said.
"Sam I don't want to talk about that right now." I tell him.
"You're going to have to talk about it sometime; why not now? Why not here?" Sam asked.
"Because the situation is more complicated, and damning than what you know; and could possibly comprehend." I say, giving Sam a death glare.
Sam takes the hint and backs off. I leave to go find the bathroom, and then to the cafeteria.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
Callen and Kensi were walking into the bull pen to see Hetty and Granger waiting for them.
"What can you tell us?" Granger asked.
"It seems that Deeks has pick a fan base coming out of the Europe." Callen said.
"Do we know how?" Hetty asked.
"No. We haven't been able to track his movements for the last two weeks." Kensi said.
"If Deeks has Chechen rebels after him, then we need to know what he knows." Granger said. "And I want to know why he went to the see Senator Swanson today, instead one of you three?"
"We'll get on that. He's at the hospital we're they are currently treating the shooting victim. Sam is with him too." Callen said.
Hetty walked over to her office, and picked up the phone to call me.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
I almost jump out of my skin when I hear my phone ring. Sam just looks up from the magazine, but returns his attention to the book.
"Hello." I say answering the call.
"Did I catch you at a bad time Mr. Deeks?" Hetty says.
"Depends what you would classify as a bad time." I say.
"It has come to our attention that you have been accosted by Chechen rebels recently." Hetty says.
"That's putting it mildly Hetty." I say.
"And Granger wants to know why you went to see Senator Swanson instead of Miss. Khan." Hetty said.
"For a lack of a better phrase: I'm currently undercover and she is the subject of the case." I tell Hetty, in a hushed tone.
"Who authorized the case?" Hetty asked.
"I met the ambassador's daughter at Club Balm two weeks back. The Chechen rebels are after me because they have seen me in the club talking to her." I say.
"You do realize that this can, and will blow up in your face." Hetty said.
"It already has Hetty." I said.
"I'll be in touch." Hetty said and then hung up.
"So she knows now?" Sam asked, after I hung up the phone.
"Yep." I say.
"It's getting late." Sam says.
"You want me to keep up the charade?" I ask.
"The rebels will keep coming after you no matter what you, or they do." Sam says.
"I'll see you in the morning." I say.
"See you then." Sam says.
After I'm out of sight, Sam pulls out his phone.
"I need a detail to Club Balm to keep an eye on Detective Deeks." Sam says.
"On it." The person on the other end of the line says.
Sam hangs up his phone, and then returns his attention the magazine.