This is another shortie, sorry. (I am aiming for longer chapters, but my muse is being evil and making them run short.)

Once again, thank you for all the support. I really enjoy reading it and I love the fact that so many of you are enjoying these stories.

Lou

Chapter Ten

The ops room was quiet and mostly empty. Eric sat at his computer, fingers moving rhythmically on the keyboard. Nell had gone for coffee, leaving him in blessed peace for a few short minutes. He liked the analyst, but he needed a few minute's respite from her now and again.

Callen had sent him a video, but the quality was so bad that it was hard to make out what was going on. The audio was worse, crackling and garbled. He adjusted a few settings and let the enhancement program run.

The door opened. He turned, expecting Nell or Hetty. Kensi entered the room, with Deeks close behind her. She carried the envelope in a clear plastic evidence bag.

"Do you know what's in there yet?" Eric asked.

"Well, it's not a bomb or drugs, we know that." Deeks shrugged. "Could be anthrax, or Ebola or something else equally nasty." Despite his glib words, he was uneasy about the package. You never know when the bastards will develop something new and undetectable, he thought.

"And you're just going to open it?" Eric glanced at the envelope, then back at Deeks, eyes wide. "Shouldn't you open it somewhere… else? Like, a lab?"

"Relax, Eric," Kensi said. "It's safe. Security checked it thoroughly before we brought it into the building."

The tech sighed and turned to glare at Deeks. "Not funny."

The blonde detective smiled sheepishly, moving his shoulders in a little shrug. "Sorry, Eric."

"Not funny," the tech groused, then crossed back to his computer as it pinged.

Kensi laid the bag on the table and pulled a pair of gloves from her pocket. She pulled the envelope from the evidence bag and upended it on the desk. Two sets of keys clattered out, followed by several sheets of paper.

Deeks pulled his own gloves on and picked up the top sheet. "It's an address and a list of instructions." His eyebrows rose. "We have to send them five thousand dollars as a goodwill payment before they'll agree to the meeting."

Kensi picked up another sheet. "Bank details. Eric, can you trace these?" She crossed the room, holding the sheet up as he copied the numbers.

"I'll see what I can find." His fingers rattled over the keyboard. "They're likely dead ends, but you never know."

"Kensi, we need to move," Deeks said suddenly.

Eric twitched. "Why?" he asked, voice holding a hint of panic. "Was there something on the papers? Do I need to lock down the building?"

"What?" Deeks asked, distracted by the instructions. "No… we have to be at the house they're providing us by seven PM, or the meeting is off." He glanced at his watch. "It's after five now. That doesn't give us much time."

He slid everything carefully back into the envelope. "I'll go talk to Hetty. You wanna phone Callen and Sam to update them?"

Kensi nodded and pulled her phone from her pocket. "Sure. Where are they, anyway?"

Eric spoke without looking away from the screen. "LAPD found another body. No ID yet. They think the murder might be connected to cult, so Sam and Callen are checking it out."

"Why do they think that?" Deeks asked.

Eric stopped typing and looked up, face grim. "Because the poor bastard was tied between two trees and set on fire."

Kensi winced. Her hand dropped to the gun holstered at her back, a quick, reassuring touch that helped to chase away the core of ice in her gut that seemed to be permanent since starting this case. Nothing she did melted it. I hope that's not a sign that this is going to go bad, she thought.

Deeks shook his head, face just as grim as the tech's. "That is not a good way to go." He fought off a shudder, trying not to picture himself or Kensi in the same situation, yet the image wouldn't leave his mind. Years of experience had given him countless nightmares, yet this one thought chilled him more than any of them ever had.

"Earth to Deeks?" Kensi said and tapped his arm. "Hello?" She had one hand resting on her hip.

He blinked slowly, shaking his head. "Sorry, thinking."

"By the expression on your face, I'm sure that I don't want to know," Kensi said, trying for levity. The attempt fell flat, leaving her frowning and worried. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, shadowed eyes sliding away from hers. "It's nothing."

She pressed the evidence bag into his hands. "Can you take your nothing down stairs and talk to Hetty?" Her tone was firm, but her eyes were filled with concern.

His hands tightened around the bag, feeling the hardness of the metal under his fingers. "I'm on it."

She watched him walk out, shoulders slumped a little and wondered what was bothering him. I'll find out, she thought. Once we get a second to ourselves, I'll pry it out of him.

Sighing, she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and hit a speed dial button. "Callen, we have a problem."