Discord: Chapter 10
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"Sit down, Ms. Blye," Hetty said succinctly, watching the wary look that passed between Kensi and Callen as she handed them each a cup of Lemon Balm tea. She hoped its calming effect would help to tone down some of the animosity between them. She was tired of all the sharp looks and barbed comments. It wasn't good for the office environment and it certainly wasn't good for the team. The team's cohesiveness had been shattered by the events of the past month and she needed to make sure they all got back on the same page before the op went critical.
"You two need to talk," Hetty said softly after watching them drink their tea.
"I have nothing to say to him," Kensi replied and sat back in her chair and crossed her arms in front of her.
Callen leaned forward and put down his tea and then turned toward her with intensity flashing in his eyes. She wouldn't look at him and Hetty began to worry that this forced confrontation wasn't going to work. Then she saw Callen drop his gaze and his face softened.
"Kens, we've been friends for a long time," he said quietly. "I know you. You're stubborn and loyal and sometimes that's not a good combination."
Kensi's eyes flashed ominously, but he held his hand up and she kept silent.
"I know how much you love him, Kens," Callen continued softly. "And I know you are just being loyal to him as a partner, but you are so stubborn in that loyalty that you are blocking everyone else out, especially me. I know what I did in that warehouse was wrong, Kens, and I'm sorry. I told Deeks that and he accepted it, but he's in trouble, Kens, and I think you know that."
He saw her blink back tears at his last comment and he saw the fear in her eyes.
"He scared you too, didn't he?" Callen asked softly.
"He doesn't think he's worth fighting for, Callen," She answered him as her hands began to shake. She hadn't realized how tightly she had been holding herself until now and she couldn't stop her hands from trembling.
Callen reached over and laid his hand over hers and waited until she got herself under control and she smiled briefly at him as tears shimmered in her eyes.
"He tried to push me away." Her voice was just a whisper as she told them of her conversation with Deeks. "I tried to make him see that I wasn't going to let him fight this battle by himself, but I'm not sure he believed me."
"He's been on his own for a long time," Hetty interjected. "He has no frame of reference for seeking help to fight his personal battles. No one has ever been there for him before."
"Sam told me Deeks thinks he's fighting a losing battle against the influence of Max Gentry and his father," Callen shook his head as he spoke and they all sat in silence as that knowledge sunk in.
"We have to make him realize that we are willing to stand by him; that we're not going to desert him when he needs us the most!" Kensi said stubbornly and Callen smiled at her determination.
"I think he wants to believe that." Callen said. "Now we have to show him that it's true."
"But we have to do it together," Hetty said forcefully. "When I left and went to Prague, I intended to do it alone. I never expected you all to come after me, but I did hope you would. And when I found out you were all there, I cannot tell you the emotional strength that gave me. Knowing all of you came together, as a team...well, it touched me very deeply. And it will touch Mr. Deeks and give him the strength he needs right now."
"He knows we'll come for him," Sam said as he came and stood behind them. "He knows he's not alone anymore."
"Kens, are we good?" Callen asked as he got up and looked over at her.
"Yeah, we're good," Kensi nodded and managed a small smile.
"We're here for you too, Kensi," Sam said quietly.
"I know. It's what team means, right Sam? Being there for each other." Kensi felt the tension that had gripped her for so long melting slowly away. She needed the team as much as Deeks and knowing they all would fight for him together lessened some of her fear for him.
...
Nell had waited until the team meeting in Hetty's office had broken up, then she popped up in the bullpen and filled the screen with photos of Charley Hansen and his crew. She had done thorough background checks on all of them and could find no connection between any of them and Deeks. She had even gone over traffic cams and security tapes from Deeks' favorite surfing spots over the past year and could not find any person that matched Hansen.
"So you're pretty confident that Hansen hasn't made Deeks?" Callen asked as they went over Nell's intel.
"I'd say I'm ninety percent sure, but I only went back a year." Nell said with a hint of nervousness.
"Well, you gotta admit, Deeks looks pretty much like most of the surfers in LA." Sam laughed.
"Yeah, but Max Gentry doesn't." Callen was still concerned. He hated those little doubts that come when you're only ninety percent sure of something. He always worried about the ten percent you didn't know.
...
Deeks arrived at the loading dock of the building well before the time Charley Hansen and his fellow Marines were scheduled to deliver the weapons and explosives. He waited for Sanchez to turn his back before placing the last two bugs. He knew he was on camera, and he smiled briefly, before stepping back into his alias. He didn't want to get too comfortable as himself just yet, knowing that Camacho was sharp enough to notice the difference between him and Max Gentry.
After the first restful sleep he'd had in a long time, he was anxious for the op to be over and he tried to steady himself, cautioning himself to be patient. He didn't want to make a mistake at this stage. He just wanted to go home and feel safe and try and forget the last three months. He thought about asking Hetty for some time off, so he could get his head straight and wash Max Gentry out of his system with a few days riding the waves. Maybe a trip up the coast to take a run at Mavericks. He'd never ridden those particularly massive breaks before and if he was ever going to drown Max Gentry he would need a set of rough waves to do it in. If it didn't kill him, he thought.
After that he felt he would have the courage to tell Kensi about the woman he had beaten and his decision to end their relationship, and if she didn't shoot him then he would see if she was still willing to continue being his partner. If she wasn't, he was prepared to return to the LAPD and rescind his application to become an agent and forget all about NCIS. Walking away from Kensi would be the hardest thing he would ever have to do, but he needed to protect her from that part of himself that was Max Gentry and the shadow of his father. No matter how hard it was to do, he would do it.
...
The late afternoon sun backlit the arrival of Charley Hansen and the other Marines. Max shook his head as they got out of their vehicles. They were almost mirror images of each other, but Hansen stood out even among this group of buff, tough Marines. Max felt himself tense as Camacho greeted Hansen. If "poster boy" had remembered where he knew Max from, this would be the time to bring it up. He backed up next to a concrete half wall in case he needed cover if everybody started shooting at him. He knew Callen and the team would be close by, but he also knew it would be hard to hold out for long against the superior firepower that surrounded him.
"I've delivered your weapons Camacho. Now, where's my money?" Charley Hansen smiled coldly as he looked at Camacho through aviator sunglasses.
"Max, check out the shipment," Camacho ordered, his eyes never leaving Hansen's face.
Max stepped away from his defensive position and did as he was told. He could feel the testosterone building in the men around him and he steeled himself. He looked at Hansen as he passed him, but his eyes were hidden behind the sunglasses and Max couldn't get a read on him.
"It's all here, boss," Max yelled over to Camacho. "He even brought us some bullets. Ain't that nice."
"Okay Hansen, let's go get your money," Camacho turned and Charley Hansen followed, but not before removing his sunglasses and staring at Max with a hint of a smile and a knowing look on his face.
Max watched him go and then slowly walked back to the half wall to wait. If Hansen had made him, he expected the shooting to start at any time and he looked for an escape route. He tried to slow down his racing heart, so he took several deep breaths as sweat trickled down his chest and anxiety gripped him. Outwardly, he showed nothing; not a hint of nervousness or panic, but internally his stomach was in knots and a brief stab of pain reminded him what taking a bullet felt like. He took a deep breath and waited.
Charley Hansen walked out into the dimming twilight alone. He carried a metal case containing the cash he had demanded to be paid in. No wire transfers for Charley Hansen. He was an old-fashioned traitor and Max wondered just how long his partners would have stayed alive if they weren't all going to be arrested by the NCIS team. Max watched the rest of the Marines high-five and fist bump each other as they got back in their trucks and he could see the eagerness in their eyes. Max was pretty sure most of them would have had their cut spent within a few months, if they weren't arrested, and he allowed himself a small smile at their brief moment of anticipation at living the high life.
Max turned to see Hansen walking toward him and he was instantly on guard. Hansen's sunglasses rested on top of his head, but he dropped them down to cover his eyes as he approached. He walked up and stood almost chest-to-chest with Deeks and Deeks did not take a step back. He simply stood silently and waited to hear what Hansen had to say.
"I know you," Hansen said in a low voice full of cunning. "I saw you surfing in Venice a couple of years ago. So, Max, who are you? A cop, maybe? I could blow your cover right now and watch Camacho gut you like the pig you are."
"Why haven't you?" Deeks let his normal voice ask the question.
"Maybe I'm just feeling generous or maybe I want to trade your life for my getting away free and clear." Hansen's voice was snide and Deeks felt his anger rise at the man's brashness.
"I'm pretty confident that LAPD wants Camacho more than they do me," Hansen continued with an ever-growing smirk of superiority on his face. "So you tell your people to let me pass and I won't yell for Camacho right now and tell him you've been playing him."
Deeks had his gun out and pressed up under Hansen's chin before the Marine could react. His mouth dropped open slightly and Deeks could sense his disbelief in the quick breath that escaped.
"You can go enjoy your newfound wealth or you can be dead...your choice, Charley," Deeks growled, his blue eyes pale and cold. "Cause I don't give a shit about you, you prick. But if you rat me out to Camacho on your way out of here, I'll have my backup team kill you. All I have to do is say the word and you're dead. Understand poster boy?"
Hansen put both hands up as he backed slowly away and Deeks could see the sweat that had broken out on his upper lip. Hansen picked up the metal case full of cash and turned and hurried toward his buddies waiting in the truck. Deeks kept his gun on Hansen until he got in the truck and peeled out, scattering gravel as he tore out of the rail yards. Deeks slowly lowered his weapon and waited for his heart to stop pounding and leaned back against the half wall. He was alone and he was glad. He didn't trust himself to speak, realizing just how close he had come to death. Then he allowed himself a sheepish smile into the camera bug and walked back into the building.
...
Hansen and his men were cut off and surrounded by the team and a tactical squad just before they reached the freeway. One of the Marines decided to fight and began firing. The squad returned fire killing most of the men. Charley Hansen was found slumped dead over the steering wheel with his hand still holding his cell phone. Camacho's number had been entered, but Eric quickly determined the call had never gone through.
When the team returned to Ops there was nervous laughter and brief congratulations but they all realized just how close Deeks had come to having his cover blown.
"I'm sorry guys," Nell said, unable to look at them. "I should have taken my search further back on Deeks' surfing spots."
"Even if you had, Nell, there was no guarantee you would have spotted Hansen." Callen patted her on the shoulder, trying to reassure her, but they all knew it had been pure luck that Hansen hadn't told Camacho that Deeks wasn't who he said he was.
"You okay, Kens?" Sam asked. He had noticed how quiet she was and he worried about her.
"I'm fine." She smiled, knowing deep down that she wasn't and that only Deeks would have called her on her comment. She hugged herself as a chill passed through her and her fear for him felt icy in the pit of her stomach. The only thing she took solace in was the fact that there was only one more day before this operation would finally be over. Then she knew another battle would begin. One she wasn't sure she would win, but one she would fight with everything she had.
She asked Eric to rerun the video of the confrontation between Hansen and Deeks, and while everyone else was impressed with how quickly Deeks got his gun on Hansen, Kensi just found simple joy in seeing the brief image of Deeks as his familiar lopsided grin filled the screen.
...