Chapter 11

Dolly's POV

Hitting the water after the drop from the boatshed numbed me. All my voluntary reactions seemed to shut down and I began to sink. I felt a warm hand grab mine, support my body and pull me to the surface.

Once we came to the surface blue eyes met my green ones and the man behind them put his finger to my lips for quiet. I probably couldn't have spoken anyways for my brain refused to kick in. He reached for me sharing a bit of his body heat before motioning to swim with him.

I followed as best I could. Living in the desert I never learned to swim well so I used a lot of doggy paddling and assistance from Gary or whatever his name is.

When we finally came out of the water he grabbed my hand and together we ran to a blue Audi, he shoved me into the passenger seat, he jumped in and we peeled out. It was odd but I sensed a reluctance on his part to get into the car while wet. He'd shrugged it off and to this day I wonder why he felt that way.

He drove in a silence heavy with unknown. Well the feeling was quite mutual. I had a lot of unknown to deal with because of him. But before I could voice anything to him my gigantic shivers took on a life of their own.

He, since I didn't know what to call him, turned to me like he'd just woke up. "You're freezing. I'll put the heat on." He kept driving. "I hope it helps."

My quaking body only let me nod. That's how cold I was. My gaze moved over the streets surrounding us but my thoughts went back to that night in my apartment and the next morning after he'd left. My anger with him began to warm me and I knew that all my questions would be answered soon. Quietly I began to speak. My voice, like my body, was filled with ice. "Who are you and please don't tell me Gary Wisnoski…that's a lie."

There seemed a moment of embarrassment or something about being caught in a lie. That moment didn't last long and in that moment I saw him weigh everything and make the decision to tell me what I needed to know. He began to speak softly and slowly. "No,…it's not my name, but it is a name that Sam would recognize and believe quickly. I needed him and whoever came with him to believe you. Sam can be so stubborn sometimes." He waited a few seconds more before he continued. "My name is G Callen, and before you ask about G, it is short for Grisha. Someday I'll explain it to you. I answer to both G, or Callen so call me whichever you choose. I haven't acclimated to Grisha yet so I don't answer to it." He looked over at me to see my reaction.

His sudden willingness to speak gave rise to new questions. "Why give me a fake name?" I watched as he chewed the inside of his cheek. More decisions were being made inside that gorgeous head.

He kept his eyes on the road ahead of us. "Thirteen months ago I chose to go deep undercover and find out the truth about something that happened before that. Someone breached our security and for a high level agency that constitutes a big problem. To find out who did it I needed to go under. My name and security clearances made finding them nearly impossible. I needed to be a ghost. I had Eric give me new clearances, a new identity and new passwords into a place I'd hadn't been in a long time, the CIA databases. To do all that Callen needed to die, so when I found a burnt body under the Santa Monica Pier it seems as good a time as any. Eric knew I needed to fake it but for some reason no one came looking for me and I just need to find out why."

I sensed his loss at that point. No one in his 'family' came looking for him. I wondered if this Eric had ever told anyone what Callen had been going to do and why. I again looked out my window. My pain was also real and I needed to deal with it. "Were you ever coming back to me or was I just a one night stand?" I felt my voice crack and tears began to form. I tried to control them but they came anyways. Too much had happened in so little time and it affected me in ways I couldn't explain.

He sighed a deep heavy sigh. "I always intended to but this mess finally came to a head and needed to be finished. It's hung over our heads for too long. I never wanted to involve anyone in what I did but they followed you and me and well… you know." He hesitated. "Dolly, that night with you meant the world to me and it seemed the first step back into my real life, a step back to my family. Thank you for that and about you and I being together? Well that depends on what you want."

What I wanted was to take him to my apartment and keep him safe. I sighed aloud. That's not true, I wanted to take him back there and replay that night.

I might have blushed because Callen began to laugh. "Here's a penny for your thoughts?"

No way was I going to tell him. "Never mind." I suddenly realized we were heading into Englewood. I didn't live anywhere near there. "Hey Callen, this isn't the way to my apartment."

He shook his head negatively. "No, we can't go there. Your apartment is an active crime scene. You were kidnapped… remember? I'm taking you somewhere you'll be safe. You can have a hot shower and dry clothes, maybe not stylish but warm. My boss will be there shortly and we'll eat dinner with her."

I felt disappointment at not being alone with him but I guess he needs to reconnect with them for many reasons and who was I to stand in their way. I smiled at him and he reached for my hand. My hand in his felt good. "So who is your boss and do you really work for her anymore?"

Callen kind of winced at the remark. "It goes a lot deeper that working for her. I owe her a great deal. She literally saved my life when I was fifteen." He took a couple of seconds before continuing. "My life until then had been a succession of foster homes and brushes with the law. It happened just before my sixteenth birthday when she finally stepped in and took me with her. Hetty made me see the better side of life and gave me reasons to stay on the right side of the law. She's the reason I do what I do now. I hadn't seen her in over a year until today. I missed her intensely and when she asked me to dinner I had no idea that you'd be part of today. I hope you don't mind having dinner with Hetty."

What could I say to that? It kind of intrigued me to meet the woman who made this courageous man who he is. "I'm honored to meet her. She lives in Englewood?"

He laughed aloud. "This is one amongst a host of others, because she doesn't stay in one for too long and I'm almost never right about where to find her on any given day. I have to call ahead and see where she might be. She's a mystery wrapped in an enigma and she always has been, or so I've been told."

I could hear the love for this woman in his voice and it endeared him to me all the more. "I can't wait to meet her. Do you think she'll mind me being there?"

He shook his head no and took his hand back. He needed it to turn into the driveway of a beautiful home. He jumped out of the car and came around to open my door. The excitement was so evident in his face. "We're here. Come on: I can't wait to show you just one of the homes I grew up in."