"Hey Tom?" Miranda said through the payphone; she listened to his response before grimacing. "We've got a problem."

"What do you mean we've got a problem?"

"I mean exactly that Thomas. I went for chocolate, cops had my picture. I can't go back."

"I'll come pick you up, we'll just meet at one of the less important safe houses that we showed you."

"No! Tom, I'll hole myself up in a motel, change my look and then I'll meet you at the Little deal."

"Nick isn't going to be happy." She rolled her eyes and turned to look around her just in case there were any more cops on her tail.

"Understatement of the year Tom, but you and me both know that I'll be fine once I'm hiding. I'll see you both in a couple of days." She hung up the phone and pulled up the hood of her jacket to cover majority of her hair and face, before she quickly walked down the road and away from any more cameras that could screw her life up.

"Mr Deeks," Hetty started but he brushed her off as he walked past with the others, rushing to head up to Ops where they were searching for their blondie.

"Not now Hetty. We've got a lead on our mystery blonde from the footage yesterday." The four followed him halfway up the stairs before her next sentence had them all freezing.

"Max Gentry has been contacted." Sam and Callen exchanged looks when they noticed how shut down Deeks had already turned just from the mention of his alias' name. Kurt was standing there with a furrow of his brow but remained quiet. "Meet me at my desk and I'll tell you the details before you head off to wardrobe and over to where you are needed. The rest of you may work on this lead until Mr Deeks heads off where then you'll be required as back up."

Deeks followed the smaller lady to her desk and they both sat down. She regarded him silently, noticing how he seemed slightly lighter since their talk yesterday morning but now, with the mention of his most hated alias, she could see the happiness in him being locked away. All ready his body posture suggested that she wasn't talking to Marty Deeks anymore. "Miss Melanie Bowen has sent a message for you."

"About?"

"Of that, I'm not fully aware but I believe it could be valuable for you to see what she wants. It is too much of a coincidence for my liking for her to want to talk to you during this case." Deeks nodded and pointed silently to the wardrobe where she nodded and let him leave.

Miranda was holed up in a motel room, bored and frustrated. She didn't even have her chocolate. She'd disposed of the cops, not killing them because that would mean more heat on her already heated life, and then rushed from the scene to get into hiding practically straight away. She'd stopped to speak to Tom and let him know what was going on; that had been an hour ago and now she was already going stir crazy. Luckily for her, the motel she was staying in was a shady one, one that did not want the cops to come knocking at their door so she'd have hardly any problems when staying here.

The only problem she did have was her sanity.

"Melanie you beauty, I haven't seen you in a long time." The brunette looked up from the bar top that she was wiping with wide eyes and grinned. "And you look just as radiant as the last time I was here." She giggled, batting her eyelashes which covered her grey eyes at him.

"Max Gentry isn't this a surprise!" He leant forward against the bar and raised an eyebrow at her. She leant forward too, silently begging for a kiss.

"I'd believe it to be a surprise if you weren't the one who requested for him." He whispered, his lips practically brushing against hers and when her eyelids fluttered shut, he pulled away. "What did you want Melanie?" His voice had changed immediately, from seducing and flirting to cold and bored. "You called me here, away from a very interesting thing I might add, I hope you make it worth my while."

"Of course I can." She responded, shoving her chest out and curling a lock of hair around her finger. When he didn't respond to her suggestion, and looked even more annoyed at turning up, she dropped the act. She was used to his mood swings but gosh if she didn't want more of him. "Okay, last time you was here, you asked me to let you know when any big players came knocking around in your parts, right?" He vaguely remembered the conversation and motioned for her to carry on. "Well there is this new big player. He himself is lovely, but his bodyguard is petrifying and his girlfriend is jaw droppingly gorgeous. Lucy, she served them closer that night, says that she thinks he's got his fingers in practically everything but his main game is drugs and Maxy, I know you hate it when someone comes and takes over your turf."

Deeks was mentally storing some of this information; it would be handy for LAPD to take it up since it sounds like there was a lot of crime they could extinguish with this guy. "Tell me more about him, his bodyguard, and his girl." Max responded with his newly interested voice. Melanie gushed.

"Well Thomas, his bodyguard, is really tall and he's extremely well built. He's gorgeous in a bad boy kind of way, not like you but similar. He's silent and didn't talk for the three nights that they were here. His girlfriend, Miranda, is a beautiful blonde. She has this sparkling blue eyes, and she was really kind. She's the kind of girl that can live without her man; she catches the glance of every man but if you ask me, I don't think she's truly committed to her relationship. Pity really, why leave with a cute marine when you could have him? And the main attraction, a Nicholas Harvey who is tall and handsome but not overly tall like-"

"A marine?" Max asked, almost losing his mask. Blonde left with a marine? The crime scene was a few blocks away, not close enough to walk but this truly was too much of a coincidence.

"Yeah, he's a regular here. I think he's name is Bill." She chewed her bottom lip before turning to one of the waitresses. "Delia, who's that marine that always shows up?" Delia, a long legged redhead looked up from the table where she was working and grinned over at them.

"Now that would be William, he prefers Will though. Such a cutie." Melanie nodded and turned back to Max.

"He was here with blondie two nights ago?" She nodded. "And her name was Miranda?" She nodded again. He pulled the blurry picture of their mystery woman out of his pocket and showed it to her. "Is this her?" Melanie stared at the picture for a bit before nodding for a third time.

"That's her. She's a beauty isn't she?" He stared at the photo, barely registering the words that Melanie was blabbering on about in his ear. Miranda. She was a looker and she was dangerous; a deadly match. Now he'd answered one question – who was the mystery blonde? But now he'd got himself another.

How the hell did they get from here to their crime scene?

"Miranda." Deeks said the moment he walked into Ops. "What do we know about her?" Nell took over the talk, grabbing her tablet and standing by the big screen.

"Miranda Cornish, a thirty year old woman who was born in England but moved over to America with her family when she was ten. Her boyfriend ran a gang when she was in her teens, he got arrested and she moved away for a fresh start. A couple of years ago she moved into Los Angeles but recently she got kicked out of her apartment by her landlord since she was unable to pay the rent; she'd been sighted at various motels for a month afterwards but around a year ago she disappeared off the map until she started turning up in various clubs and hotels with a Nicholas Harvey."

There were hardly any decent pictures of her; no driving licence or work passes, the only pictures of her were those when she was in a club.

"We find Miranda, now."

Hope everyone had a good weekend. I decided that i'm not going to update stories at the weekends - it gives me time to write ahead and spend time for myself (more than i do now). There are approximately nine more chapters now after this (just to let you all know)