Author's Note:

Sorry this is later than expected. First I was on a school trip and then caught up in several things, including getting a new laptop and my friends threw me a surprise party. Anyways, I hope this was worth the wait.

-C

"Shit," Kensi cursed, eyes flickering to the rear view mirror. Her agent reflexes screamed for her to begin evasive maneuvering, but that wouldn't be something Daniela Berard would know. Kensi racked her brain for options.

She automatically reached for her phone, but hesitated. They might have tapped her phone if they were following her. Doing something would break her cover and put Deeks at risk. Even if she was discrete, one slip up would mean the worst. With resignation, Kensi decided that the best thing to do would be just to go back to her cover house and wait.

The brunette turned onto the main road, keeping a wary eye on the SUV. The cartel members in the car maneuvered it so they were trailing Kensi by only thirty yards. She shook her head and smirked.

"That's not conspicuous," she muttered with disapproval.

Her foot itched to push down on the accelerator when the SUV began to speed up. A bad feeling formed in the pit of her stomach, but she managed to shake it off. This was a ploy, something to force her hand.

Kensi kept her eyes on the road in front of her, wary of the car that was gaining. Sweat beaded her brow, and her fingers tightened on the steering wheel. They were going to sabotage the car. They somehow found out.

"Focus, Blye," she gritted her teeth together, wishing these panicked thoughts away.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the SUV had pulled up alongside her SRX. Kensi busied herself with the radio. Several more seconds passed and the car hadn't moved from her flank.

She was out of options. Kensi made a reach for the clutch.

Just as her slender fingers curled around it, the SUV pulled ahead with a roar. Kensi watched as the tail lights faded into the night apprehensively, but she was safe for now. The agent let out a sigh of relief and turned off the highway.

"What the hell happened out here?" Deeks demanded in his opposite persona. Lowly members of the Ruiz Cartel shifted awkwardly in the room. Their fear of Deeks made him extremely unsettled, but he kept his mask on.

"Two of the girls are missing. They never showed up for work and money from the register is gone," Alonso explained, loading his gun.

"We need to get this under control," Deeks said. "We can't have a new shipment coming in and these girls running to the police. Spread out and check the bus stations. They can't have gotten too far."

"And what are you going to do?" Alonso asked.

"Get in touch with our friends south of the border. They need to know that the shipment might be delayed," he replied and stepped out of the bar. Deeks glanced over his shoulders several times before retreating into the area by the dumpsters. He frantically dialed a number he knew from heart, praying that he would pick up.

Several rings went on and it went to voicemail. Cursing, Deeks tried it again, willing the line to connect. He was about to hang up when at last the person on the other line answered.

"Callen here."

"Callen, it's Deeks. I need your help."

"What?"

"I need your help!"

"One second."

The sound of a roaring crowd soon faded away into an echo.

"Who is this?"

"It's Deeks. I need your help!" The blond anxiously ran a hand through his locks.

"Better be important. Sam and I have courtside tickets for the Lakers game."

"Two of the girls from the bar I'm working at ran away. I had to send cartel members out looking for them. Callen- they will find them. I need Eric to find them immediately and you two to pick them up."

"We're on it. I'll call you when we have her."

"Talk to you then," Deeks ended the call.

He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the girls would be alright in the capable hands of Sam and Callen.

"Who was that?"

Deeks whipped around to find Alonso staring him down with cold eyes and a loaded gun.

"Contacts of mine."

"You don't bring business outside of the working place," Alonso snapped, cocking his gun.

"Do you want to find these girls?" Deeks challenged with equal disdain. When Alonso didn't answer, he added, "My point's made, I see."

Alonso reluctantly lowered the gun. "I don't trust you, Lawler."

"And neither do I. But who's pointing the gun at whom?" He growled.

The cartel member retreated into the building, Deeks assumed to continue the hunt.

Hours later and there had been no word from either end of the status of the girls. Deeks was growing more apprehensive by the moment. He paced the length in the club's office, where business was being conducted as usual. But beyond the ignorant people out for a good time, there was much anxiety.

Deeks constantly had his eye on his phone, urging it to ring. He finally paused in front of the alcohol rack and reached for a brandy. As the amber liquid poured into the crystal glass, his phone blared the mundane tone.

Scrambling to get it, Deeks dropped the bottle of brandy, spilling it all over his suit. Muttering a curse, he picked answer the phone.

"Deeks-"

"Finally! Tell me you have good news," Deeks pleaded.

"Deeks, we got the location of them, but when we got there, it was too-"

The door to the office burst open, causing Deeks to jump. He found the faces of several Ruiz cartel members looking at him expectantly. That's when he noticed. The broken form of a woman not older than twenty on the floor.

"Deeks?"

The detective hung up the phone, knowing exactly what news he was going to hear.

"The other's one dead. We dumped her body in the river," Alonso chuckled.

Deeks stared in horror at the blond girl lying on the carpet. Blood dripped from her temple and part of her shirt was ripped.

A gun was thrown straight at Deeks's chest, which he caught awkwardly in the palm of his hand.

"And we have a body bag waiting for this one."

Kensi shoveled some more Rocky Road in her mouth while watching mindless television. Her phone beeped, alerting her to a text message. She checked it, a little concerned at what she saw.

New development. Meet us at boatshed. –Callen

Thinking that she had enough excitement for one night, Kensi put on her sneakers and grabbed her car keys. The brunette opened up the door to find an unusual surprise. Three men were making their way up the path.

"Can I help you?" Kensi called out.

Her porch light cast shadows across the lawn and illuminated the barrels of the guns.