Authors Note**** I have a new Beta that agreed to take me on. She will be getting things done and last 9 chapters will be going up sooner rather then later. So please give hcassell a clap off :-) she has done a great job getting things back on track. Please give her some feedback oh and me to hahah
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"I remember what happened in Riley's room" he mumbles again while looking down at his hands. He feels the panic building in chest and start to slowly seep into every part of him; he tries desperately to reign it in. "I need you to go get Sam and Callen so I only have to do this once….please."
The broken look on his face and his pleading tone almost break her.
He observes silently as Sam and Callen follow Kensi into his small room. Kensi moves quickly to what has become her spot, the chair seated to the right of his bed. Sam leans against the wall by the window with his arms crossed in front of his chest, and Callen stands at the foot of the bed. All three agents are silently waiting.
As he watches them he knows that they are waiting for the information that only he can share, the monitors start to indicate an increase in his heart rate. Deeks takes in a deep steadying breath, blows it out, and proceeds to hit the high points in his story. "But the only thing of real importance happened after the goons showed up."
Deeks remains eerily silent as he attempts to compose himself. The room however is far from silent as his heart rate spikes and to Kensi it seems as if every piece of machinery in the room is screaming its displeasure. There are beeps, bings, and bongs coming from every direction.
Sam steps away from the wall and shoots a reassuring smile at Deeks. "Man, you need to calm down….it's ok we'll get her back."
He looks at Sam then, visibly upset. He shakes his head and rakes his hand nervously through his hair. "I…I can't, there's more to tell. You need to know this…"
Callen cuts him off "We'll come back after you've had a little more rest."
"Stop…just stop interrupting me….I NEED to tell you this….NOW." The monitors keep beeping faster and louder and Deeks is almost frantic at this point.
Kensi reaches out and grabs one of his hands between hers. "You need to calm down and get some rest, or your nurse will come in here and kick us all out… I've heard that sponge baths are very relaxing…and we all know she's been itching to"
Deeks interrupts, "I get what you're doing here Kens, and I thank you for it…..but just please let me get this out." He looks at her then, really looks at her, his eyes silently pleading. She sees the look in his eyes and tilts her head in a silent surrender and indication for him to continue.
"I need to tell you this. The auction will be at the old movie theater down town… tomorrow night at 9:00. Only high end clientele got invites, Riley will be the main prize." He mumbles dejectedly.
The nurse bustles in at this point, looking hurriedly between the monitors and her patient, before glaring at all of the visitors in the room.
Sam is the first to speak. "We, we were just leaving." He nods and winks at Deeks, "See ya later man."
"Don't you worry about a thing." Callen says over his shoulder as the nurse is visibly shooing them out the door. "We'll get Riley back. Kensi…I want you to stay with Deeks, he needs you now and we have this covered."
"Wait!" Deeks groans as he sits up. "How are you going to get in to the auction? It was by invite only."
Kensi gently lays a hand on Deeks' chest to coax him into lying back in the bed, and Callen answers "Let the wonder twins worry about that, ok? You just worry about getting better."
The nurse is clearly disgruntled and displeased with the visitors at this point. She glares at Kensi, and watches as the other two leave the room. She sets about quickly checking on her patient and his vital signs.
Kensi takes the hint and backs away to the door. She hears the nurse gush over, and flirt shamelessly with her partner as her mind wanders. There are few things in this world that she's sure of, but she's absolutely positive that she does not like the thought of her partner with any other woman. She thinks about what Deeks had said earlier, was she really jealous of Riley? Is that why her stomach kept clenching at the thought of anything that may have happened in the hotel room? The only thing that was keeping her halfway sane was the thought that even if anything happened between the two, surely it didn't mean anything….I mean…they had their thing right?
Sam and Callen spent the rest of that night going over the plan with LAPD SWAT and their own back up teams. All was set so that when Callen won the bid and managed to get into the room alone with Riley, Eric and Nell would trace Piper through her cell phone signal. The teams would then breach the old theatre and put an end to this human trafficking ring for good, as well as make sure Riley and all the other girls were safe. They had been in OPS for several hours, when a clearly exhausted Hetty ordered them all home to get some sleep. They were instructed not to return until the next afternoon in time to get ready for their mission.
When Sam steps out from behind the curtain in wardrobe the next day wearing a pair of black pants, a white button down shirt, and a grey vest, he knows he looks good. Everything fits him perfectly. He turns to the side to admire himself grinning while voicing his appreciation for the fine clothing "Hetty sure does love me this week."
Soon his appraisal is interrupted by Callen muttering behind the curtain. "What did I do this week to piss her off?"
Sam looks away from the mirror and back over his shoulder. "Ummm did you forget your expense report again?"
"Man, I really don't want to talk about it."
"It can't be that bad." As Sam finishes his statement Callen pulls aside the curtain, and Sam is forced to stifle a laugh. "G, I really don't see a problem." He says with a smirk on his face.
"My jeans….they feel a size smaller, it's like Hetty grabbed a size smaller on purpose. They're really tight….Sam, I can barely walk…how am I supposed to even sit down in these things, much less sit there with scantily clad women parading around in front of me?"
Sam is actually laughing at his discomfort at this point. Callen just glares at him and continues to complain under his breath.
Hetty appears at the entrance to wardrobe and clears her throat. "Mr. Callen can I speak with you in my office?"
"Uh, yeah….but I may have to crawl there. Not so sure I can really walk."
"Ohhh how you exaggerate Mr. Callen."
He turns stiffly to follow Hetty to her Office, but not before catching Sam grinning at him. Sam is still snickering to himself when he turns to the mirror once more.
Callen looks back over his shoulder smirking. "Hey Sam…keep on grinning and laughing at me and I'll make sure there is triple starch in your pants for the next op."
He shoots Sam a wink before trudging over to Hetty's office. On the way he can hear Sam calling out to him from wardrobe. "G!...hey man, you wouldn't do that to me…..partner? G?"
By this time he has arrived at Hetty's desk. She silently appraises him, and says more to herself than to him. "You will pass quite easily as a high end buyer and Mr. Hanna as your bodyguard."
"What is it you needed to tell me Hetty? We really need to get going, and I still have no idea how we're getting inside."
"No, I didn't call you over for that." She looks around before she produces a small brown paper bag and hands it to him. "You'll need to wear this, before you go in."
"Wha..What is it?" he asks as he's already unrolling the bag and peering inside.
"I'll let you figure that out."
It dawns on Callen exactly what he's looking at and he starts stammering. "No…no way am I wearing that Hetty…no…really?"
"Mr. Callen.." She warns
He cuts her off. "Hetty there is no way I'm putting that on…I would never ever hurt a woman the way these sons of bitches are doing…I can't"
"I'm quite aware of that Mr. Callen but you may not have a choice and this will help you out. You also have a cover to protect. Once you win the bid you will be taken to a room where Riley is being held and you will be left in that room with her. They will be recording every move you make." She chastises sternly and looks at him as if to silently emphasize what he's expected to do to do to Riley.
"Hetty…surely you don't expect me to"
She quickly silences him "Of course not." She looks at him incredulously and then gives him the patented Hetty glare before she continues. "However, you must act like you are for the sake of the operation. That is the only way we will have enough time to get a lock on where video feed is transmitting from. Then the team can find Piper's exact location and arrest her."
"Ok…I get that, but what I don't get is…why I have to wear this." He holds the bag up and shakes it for emphasis.
"It's better than wearing a condom" She shoots back at him and looks at him as if daring him to find another argument.
She gets none as he reluctantly realizes that she, as usual, is right.
"You and Sam need to head out."
Callen nods his head. "Yeah, have Eric and Nell figured out a way to get us in."
"Yes, I'll let them brief you….after you have changed into your accessory." She crooks her finger at the paper bag.
Callen sighs as he heads back to wardrobe.
Callen enters the OPS center and steps up next to Sam. He shifts from foot to foot uncomfortably still trying to get used to the feel of…well everything.
Eric starts off nervously. "Ok, well we got lucky Nell found a cell phone bill of Pipers and she's been a busy girl."
"Yeah, she has she has been making calls all over the country. One the perspective buyers is from NYC he also has some very large muscle that travels with him." Nell adds while glancing at Sam.
Sam smiles knowingly.
"Ok, that's good… so what's his name?" Callen asks.
"Harrison Sherman…. 38 years old, and he's in the…uh… import export business." Eric informs as a picture flashes on the big screen and he hands Callen his id.
Callen realizes that they look very similar, except that Harrison has hair.
Sam quips "I always wondered what G would look like with some hair….it's kinda scary. So who am I? What's my name?"
Nell's fingers are tapping furiously on her tablet and then everything flashes on the screen "You are Harrison's personal bodyguard that very rarely leaves his side your name is Maddox Zander, you're an ex-con who did time for murder and attempted murder."
"He, uh looks a little short….but nothing that anyone should hassle me about." Asserts Sam as he stretches out his arms to the side.
"So I'm guessing these two are on a plane, headed here?"
Nell nods and hums to herself before answering "Yeah, they have warrants out for their arrest and we have agents in place to arrest them as soon as they get off the plane."
Sam nods "We need to make sure there is no way that they are missed. The last thing we need is these two showing up just as G is putting the plan into motion."
"Not gonna happen" Eric states confidently. "We have security cameras throughout the airport and we are closing the exits after their plane lands until they are apprehended. It's all already arranged with airport security and LAPD."
"Let's hope not." Callen says as he looks at Nell. "Ok…Sam Let's go."
"Stay in touch via coms guys, and you have your button cam Callen." Reminds Nell.
"We will." They answer as the walk out the sliding doors.