Chapter Eleven
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Chapter Eleven
Callen ensured that his mask was slotted firmly in place as he headed to his desk, not missing the appraising look that Kensi measured towards him.
"Hey" he greeted, keeping his tone as light as he could manage.
"Welcome back" the junior agent responded as she got to her feet and cautiously walked over to him and took him into her arms in a hug. She hadn't missed the limp he still carried or the weight he had clearly lost- but the thing she found more concerning was the spark that was missing from his eyes. At that moment she vowed to herself that between them they would do everything possible to make sure that the sparkle returned and with it hopefully their team leader would also return to them.
"It's good to be back" he responded, and he partly meant it. "Now whose going to read me in on the case?" he queried and within minutes it was as though he had never been away- on the surface at least.
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"Did anything come back on the emails?" Callen asked as he finished absorbing the contents of the many files.
"Eric is still running them through the system- but he seems fairly confident that you were right in your guess" Sam responded.
"Ok- and any update on the location of those names I gave you?" Callen asked as he massaged his temple against the headache building there.
"Some- not of the names themselves, but five people associated with them have flown into Los Angeles in the last two weeks- immediately prior they appeared in the Washington area, so it is looking likely that this is revenge against the uncle" Kensi informed him, trying not to smile as she observed Sam subtly handing his partner a container of pain meds and a bottle of water. Callen shot the older man a scathing look as he none the less accepted the items and took the tablets without comment.
"Who are they?" Callen asked, keen to see if they were known to him.
"Travis Woodman, Lee Mansell, Jack Williams, Andy Jones and Matt Goddard" Kensi stated putting down pictures of each man in front of her friend. He sighed as he took in each of the images, his mind drifting back to the past.
"These two are new" he stated as he gestured to the files of Jones and Mansell. "The others are loyal servants" he told them with a sigh.
"We intercepted several communication between them. The names Peter Sullivan and Tony Child are mentioned a number of times- as is Craig Samuels, your name hasn't come up" Deeks told him, grateful for small mercies.
"What context were those names mentioned in?" Callen asked carefully.
"Generally trying to locate them, money being exchanged for information that kind of thing" Deeks stated.
"What information was sent back?"
"Nothing much that we don't already know- Samuels is a ghost- they can't find him. They stated that Sullivan's trail had gone cold and I think Child was the alias of Samuels from the information given." Deeks stated.
"Your cover appears in tact G" Sam added, relieved that his friend.
"My cover was blown years ago Sam- they just don't know who I really am" Callen told them, confusing the younger members of the team. "There has to be some sort of demand made- anything that suggests that they want an exchange- otherwise the marine is already dead" he stated, speaking the words that nobody else wanted to verbalise.
"Would they know that the two of you work for NCIS?" Kensi asked.
"I doubt it- they never knew my real name and I have changed agencies twice since then. Craig is more likely- he stayed with the CIA but from a different field office, and undercover was never really his specialism he would have been easier to trace which is why they probably went to Washington first" Callen informed them, not liking where this was heading.
"Who is their grudge against? You or him?" Sam asked, keen to know if his friend was in any risk.
"Both of us. I infiltrated them and was under for months, right under their noses- Craig was more on the peripheral- but they hated us both when they were taken down. They hadn't suspected a thing, their arrogance had lead them to believe that they were invincible" Callen told them with a wry grin as he remembered the mission. "You want to find that marine- you need to get those guys, Jones and Mansell, they are new the others are practically family, they would never betray him- but one of these two might" Callen suggested.
"Okay- Kensi, Deeks link in with Eric and Nell and get any locations for these, I'll arrange backup for the takedowns" Sam instructed, taking his partner's suggestion exactly as it was. The younger partners nodded and headed to do as they were bid.
"You good G?" Sam questioned as soon as they were out of earshot.
"I'm fine Sam" Callen replied as he stretched his leg out in front of him, hating the immediate feeling of the muscles straining.
"You know you can't be in on the takedown right?" Sam pushed.
"Of course I can't- Sam I would never put the team at risk like that" Callen stated, an element of anger at the suggestion making itself known on the words.
"Where would they be holding the marine?" Sam asked softly.
"I have no idea Sam- when we investigated them they had no links to LA" he replied with a sigh "They are just out of jail, and with a huge score to settle with the two of us- they are capable of most things Sam, I dread to think what they will have done to the marine if he doesn't tell them what they want to hear" he commented, his face serious as he thought of the young man faces the repercussions of his uncle's actions- plus those of Callen.
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The arrest of Mansell went without incident, although the man was so tight lipped even Kensi's frustration was building. The ops team were digging as far back into his history as was possible- trying to find any link to LA and with it any sign of where the young marine could be being held. Jones was proving to be far more elusive as the team struggled to pinpoint his location.
"There has to be something that might lead us to where they are holding him" Kensi muttered in frustration.
"Look Mansell is born and raised in LA- it has to be linked to him" Deeks agreed with a sigh.
"Guys I have found a warehouse in Hollywood that used to be leased by Marmont enterprises- a parent company of Mansell's uncle" Eric cut in across the comm link. "It has not be leased for in excess of twelve months and the realtor has more or less given up on the property- it hasn't been checked in two months" he told them. "I know it's a loose link- it's the best I can come up with" he apologised with a shrug.
"We'll check it out" Kensi told him with a nod.
"The address has been sent to your phone" the tech advised them as he disconnected the call.
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"I bet he's there" Callen wagered as he monitored the progress of his team on the big screen over Sam's desk. His leg was throbbing from all of the poking and prodding it had been party to that day- not to mention the extra walking he had been doing- and he couldn't bring himself to have the energy for the constant walk up and down to Ops.
"You think?" Sam questioned as he too flicked through the files.
"It's far enough removed from him that it isn't an automatic conclusion- yet linked enough that he has free access and knowledge of the layout" Callen explained. Sam was about to reply when they were interrupted by Eric appearing beside them.
"The codebreakers finally came back- and you were right Callen the emails did contain more than they appeared to on the surface" he stated as he handed a USB drive across to the senior agent, who instantly plugged it into the tablet and selected the files. Sighing at the information t presented.
"What is it?" Sam questioned carefully.
"He was trying to warn me" Callen stated softly, skim reading the emails in front of him. "He knew that they were potentially coming and he asked his nephew to warn me because he didn't want to risk the link by contacting me directly" the seasoned agent stated.
"What does it say G?" Sam questioned lightly as he moved to see the screen. He read out the true contents of the email and whistled as he drew the same conclusions as his partner. "That's messed up man" he stated.
"Why didn't he just contact me himself" Callen stated with a groan.
"G it took us months to find you and we knew what had happened- how do you think he would have been able to get in touch man?" Sam stated with a firm expression.
"I need some air" Callen responded getting to his feet and limping out of the building- guilt overwhelming him that if his old friend had been able to find him none of this would have happened. In his head he knew that it was his life to be a ghost- he wouldn't have survived so long if he wasn't so good at just disappearing when he wanted- yet his heart cried for the pain that his friend's family were going through, whether the undercover agent knew about it or not. He walked a short distance before sitting down on a bench and collecting his thoughts. Maybe he had made a big mistake coming back to work, maybe he was fooling himself that he could still do this. He was a broken wreck and he was no help to his team any more. He couldn't even think straight- never mind make decisions that made the difference between life and death.
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Kensi and Deeks exchanged a nod as she successfully picked the lock and pushed the door open- the two of them stepping through in silence, she raised her left hand and gestured left and the partners seamlessly cleared the first level of the building.
Moving quickly and carefully the two headed up the rickety staircase onto the first floor- gingerly pushing open the first door they came to their breath was snatched away by what they saw.
End Chapter Eleven
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