CHAPTER 7 Closing In

Deeks scanned the street. All their neighbors seemed to be at work or at least away from home.

"Too bad Monty's not here. I could walk him and snoop around, especially down at Bob and Rob's place. Maybe throw a ball into the yard and let him retrieve it."

Kensi was on the couch reading something on her laptop. "Uh-huh."

He let the drapes fall back into place and came and stood in front of her. He looked her up and down. She was wearing white Capri pants and a lemon-yellow vee-neck tee shirt. "Guess I'll have to walk you instead, Fern."

She glanced up and gave him the "death stare." "Again, comparing me to a dog," she said with impatience.

"Oh no, not at all. But if I were – which again let me emphasize that I'm not – you'd definitely be a pure-bred , Westminster Kennel Club Best in Show."

"Keep on. That hole you're digging is getting bigger by the second. Pretty soon, you're gonna pop up in front of the Great Wall."

Deeks picked up his gun and secured it in his back holster. Yeah, pit bull or maybe Rottweiler.

"You're much more docile when we're in bed at night. Well, I don't know what you're like in bed in bed since we've never actually done . . . you know, that." In true Deeks fashion, his mouth worked faster than his brain.

"But I picture you as a lioness. You won't go down without a fight. Grrrrrr!" He pantomimed a lion attacking.

She closed the laptop and set it on the coffee table. "Keep it up, beach boy, and you may never know." She slipped into her sandals and stood. "Let's go." She walked toward the front door, sliding her sunglasses on.

"Oooh, she goes for the jugular. He thought about what she'd said. "Wait up. That statement implies there's a chance that one day I might know." He lifted the sunglasses and gave her a pointed look. "Ball's in your court, Blye."

"Don't read too much of your lawyer stuff into it." Good one, Kensi. You walked into that one.

She was already to the sidewalk when Deeks caught up with her and took her hand. Fortunately, she did not resist. They strolled down the street, stopping to admire flower beds or various architectural features of the homes. Then they came to Bob and Rob's home.

"Meticulous landscaping, no chipped paint anywhere, but a lot of surveillance cameras. Seems excessive for this neighborhood," noted Kensi.

"Yeah, this is an exclusive area. Not a lot of crime reported, unless it's identity theft. So they must have something to hide," offered Deeks. His cell buzzed.

"Hip, suburban couple out for a walk," he answered jauntily when he saw the number.

"Guys, we've lost the feed from one of your cameras," said Nell.

"Do you see us right now?"

"Negative. The camera on the north side of the house is not working."

"Okay, we'll check it."

Twenty minutes later they were back at their house. "Can you hold this ladder for me?" asked Deeks.

"Guess I'll have to. Otherwise, you might fall and break that inflated head of yours."

Deeks climbed up and began fiddling with the camera. He touched his ear bud. "Is it working now?" he asked Eric.

"Nope."

Deeks tweeked it again. "And now?"

"I'm staring into the gaping mouths of four baby birds in that oak tree."

Kensi could hear the exchange on her ear bud. "I have a great view down here," she said as she stared up at Deeks' rear end.

Another adjustment. "Okay, we're live," said Eric.

"Say again, Kens." Deeks looked down at her, lost his balance, and fell into the shrubbery. Kensi screamed and jumped out of the way as the ladder fell.

"Oh my God, Deeks! Are you okay?" She bent over him as he moaned and clutched his back. "Do you need an ambulance?

"I'm good, just help me up."

He limped into the house with Kensi's support and laid down on the floor in front of the couch. "Wouldn't you be more comfortable on the couch?" she asked with concern.

"No, this feels better. I've thrown out my back a few times and this is what works best."

"If you say so." Kensi went to the kitchen and returned with water and Tylenol. Before she could apologize for making that stupid remark, her cell rang. "Kensi, what happened?" asked Eric.

"Deeks fell off the ladder, but he's okay." She looked over at him. "You're okay, aren't you?"

His eyes were closed and his face was a grimace. "Yeah. Nurse Blye is attending to me."

"Right. Well, we figured out the true identities of Bob and Rob."

"Let me put it on speaker so Deeks can hear." She hit the button. "Go ahead."

"Bob is actually Josef Primakov and Rob is Yuri Mikhailovich. The funny thing is, Primakov's parents owned a bakery in a small town outside Moscow and he worked there as a teenager. But he quickly tired of that and fell in with the Russian mafia. That's where he met Yuri."

"Okay. Thanks, Eric. Deeks and I are having dinner with that couple Brett and Paulina tonight so we'll try to figure out if they're somehow connected with Bob and Rob."

From the floor Deeks groaned. "I'd forgotten about that. Can't we have dinner by ourselves?"

Kensi rolled her eyes. "Stop whining. This is work."

Deeks swallowed some Tylenol and water. "When this is over, we should go out to a nice dinner alone. And no work talk."

Kensi stared at him. "Are you asking me on a date?"

Deeks' eyes were closed and he pretended not to hear.

7 p.m.

Kensi shimmied into the sleeveless royal blue dress in the large walk-in closet. She could manage the long back zipper by herself, but why should she when Deeks was eager to help? She heard him moving around the bedroom as he talked to Callen on the phone.

The call ended and he called out, "You ready, Kensi?"

"Uh, I need a little help."

"Sure, I'm your guy." As soon as the words were out, he realized how it must sound to Kensi. "Well, I'm your helper."

Kensi watched his reaction in the full-length mirror. "Wow. You look . . .great." Her hair was twisted up in some fancy way, but the back of the dress gaped open.

"Can you zip me?"

"No problem." He noted that she was wearing a black thong and black lace bra. "There you go." He caught her eye in the mirror and smiled. Their game was still afoot.

"Thanks."

They left the house and walked down to Brett and Paulina's house. It was a short distance, but Deeks took Kensi's hand. She found that she liked that.

Dinner was a tedious affair with Brett hitting on Kensi and Paulina hitting on Deeks. Neither one liked that and couldn't wait to get out of there.

"We didn't show you the basement yet," cooed Paulina after dinner.

Deeks looked at Kensi. "Okay, but then we should get going. Busy day tomorrow." So far, they had not found anything to connect them to Bob and Rob, unless the basement yielded some intel.

Big surprise! Paulina and Brett's basement was a kinky sex dungeon and they were hoping to recruit Deeks and Kensi as playmates.

Deeks and Kensi quickly excused themselves and left. They couldn't contain their nervous laughter. "Did you see that . . ." asked Deeks. "I know. And what about . . ." said Kensi.

They hadn't gone ten steps before shots rang out from the direction of Bob and Rob's house. Callen's voice came over their ear buds. "Sam and I are at the end of the street. You've been made. Bob and Rob are trying to flee the country."

The takedown was over in fifteen minutes. Bob and Rob were cuffed and taken away. Kensi and Deeks filled Callen and Sam in on the rest of the neighbors. It did not appear that any of them were connected to the bakery boys.

Callen stepped away to call Hetty. He returned in a few minutes. "Deeks, Kensi, Hetty says you can come in tomorrow to finish your report. Oh, and to get a good night's sleep." He glanced between the partners as if he suspected something.

"Sound good to me," said Deeks.

1:30 a.m.

"Need help with that zipper?" asked Deeks.

Kensi stood before the bathroom mirror unpinning her hair.

Without waiting for an answer, Deeks came in and started unzipping her dress. His hand lingered at the bottom of the zipper. He looked at her in the mirror.

"You can leave now," she said.

He didn't.

"Don't get any ideas because of what you saw in Brett and Paulina's basement," warned Kensi.

His goofy grin appeared. "Oh, I have plenty of ideas. Just not sure you're ready to hear them yet."

The front doorbell sounded. "What the hell?" said Deeks. "Maybe Callen forgot something."

Kensi finished undressing and slipped her nightgown over her head. She climbed into bed and picked up her laptop. Our last night together, she sighed. She was glad the op was a success, but now what? Where did that leave her and Deeks?

She heard Deeks coming up the stairs. She quickly pulled up a magazine on the screen and tried to appear occupied.

"Wrong house. It was a pizza delivery for Brett and Paulina. They must work up quite an appetite with all their, um, activities," he laughed.

Kensi did an eye roll. "Imagine that."

Deeks went into the bathroom, emerging a moment later in his tee shirt and pajama bottoms. He fell face down onto the bed. "My back is killing me," he moaned.

"Deeks, this is not a trampoline. It's our bed," chided Kensi.

He turned his head toward her. "Our bed. I like the sound of that. Kens, can you check my back?"

"Okay." She set the laptop aside and pushed up his tee shirt. "Ugh. Bunch of scratches and a big Technicolor bruise. I'll put some of that ointment on it."

She retrieved it from the bathroom and perched on the side of the bed. "It would be better if you took off your tee shirt." He peeled it off and lay down again. He flinched a bit as she rubbed it in.

"Deeks, I'm sorry."

"It's not that bad."

"No, I mean, it's my fault you fell. If I hadn't made that stupid remark about your butt, you wouldn't have lost your balance. You could have suffered a serious injury and then I'd be without my partner."

As much as he loved the feel of her hands on his back, he rolled over and pulled her down on top of him. "Hey, it's okay. I've had worse gunshot wounds. And I'm still your partner. Always will be." He turned off the bedside lamp and pulled the comforter over them.

Tomorrow they would sort out everything else.