Callen processed everything that Anton told him about this job. When he had asked for a gun, Anton had burst out laughing, so Callen had to go into this mission unarmed. He had instructed Vlad to wait in the car at a location a few blocks up. He didn't want Vlad spooking anyone.
'Have I've gone soft.' Callen wondered as he watched the people go by on the strip. Until he joined NCIS, he had mostly worked alone, been successful and content. But in the last five years, since his scheming little ninja boss had made him work with Sam, Kensi, and Deeks, he'd been slowly converted and had actually got used to working with a team; maybe even come to like it. He'd learned that a team brought something new to the game. Damn Granger and his suspension, separating him from his team. He knew he needed his them now if he was going to pull this off and save Jasmine's life.
To accomplish this mission, he required three things; a distraction, backup and a gun, all which could be supplied by his team. Looking down the crowded walkway again, he finally spotted the two men he was supposed to meet where Anton said they would be, at a table on the beach's edge. The object he was to retrieve was not visible but then again it was small enough that it could be easily concealed in either gentleman's pocket.
Callen had arrived early at the rendezvous point to get the lay of the land and to get the pieces of his plan activated and into play. Now, that the targets were here, it was time to act. Deliberately, the agent stepped into the line-of-sight for one of the beach cams that operated up and down the stretch. Taking off his baseball cap and pushing his sunglasses up on the top of his head, he didn't stare directly into the camera, but did make sure that it got a nearly full-on facial picture. That was easy; now came the hard part, waiting for a response.
Flipping his sunglasses back in place and shoving the hat down, he stepped back a bit, but still remained in the camera's field of view. He returned his focus on the two men he was observing earlier. Callen figured he could wait approximately 20 minutes before putting in an appearance at the table with the gentleman and then, if necessary, probably stall a few extra minutes thru idol conversation. He had to delay the deal from going down until everyone arrived; he had just signaled them, at least he hoped they'd got his message.