The Collector
Chapter 29
...
His mind and body were numb as he walked down the silent, dimly lit hall, his ears hearing nothing but the rushing sound of white noise. He placed both fists on the elevator doors and pressed his forehead against the cool metal, trying desperately to catch his breath, to find reason in the chaos of the obscene violence he had just witnessed. Why had no one heard? Why had no one stopped it? Why had he been so selfish? Why had he left her alone to die, when he knew the threat from Solano was real? Deep shame filled him when the elevator doors opened. He was walking away while she lay forever still, mutilated by a monster. His fists pulled at his hair as he covered his face with his arms, muffling the agonized outcry of rage he could no longer hold back as the elevator slowly descended to the garage. Falling against the back wall he waited for the doors to open like a caged animal, his eyes flicking around the small enclosure, mentally berating himself as he beat the gun against his thigh. The muted darkness of the garage greeted him as the doors opened and he walked out into the cold stale air, unsure whether he wanted to follow the orders he'd been given.
He felt their presence before he saw them, four men rushing at him from behind parked cars and his barely controlled rage exploded. He pistol-whipped the first one, knocking the man headfirst into a concrete column, not bothering to watch him fall. He fired point blank at the second man, killing him with a shot that shattered his face. The last two barreled into him, slamming his back against Krista's car and stunning him. One man pinned his gun hand against the window as the other hit him low in the abdomen, but he roared with wild anger and adrenaline, shoving them back and fighting to get free. The three of them tumbled to the cold concrete floor and Deeks' elbow connected with the throat of the man gripping his right wrist, allowing him to rip his gun free. He rolled over the man and fired twice directly into the chest of the other guy as he brought his gun up. The man beneath him was still choking, but managed to grab his right hand again and they fought for the gun, their battle filled with the sound of strangled breathing and snarled curses. Deeks grimaced as the man's fingers tore at his wounded arm, but he slowly pushed the barrel of the gun down until it was pressed into the hollow of his throat and pulled the trigger several times, riding the bucking body of the man until it went limp. He rolled off onto the concrete, the smell of oil, blood and gasoline filling his nostrils and mouth as he gasp in deep breaths. Finally, the sound of alarmed voices and a distant siren reminded him he needed to get away, so he struggled to his feet and stumbled to Krista's pure white BMW, blood smearing across the side as he tore at the door handle. He dropped into the seat, shakily laying the gun in the passenger seat, his breathing still heavy as he pulled out of the garage, barely missing the dead men who had tried to take him.
...
"Where the hell is he?" Pete asked again as he opened the back door to stare into the almost empty parking lot again.
"That won't make him show up any sooner," Max said reasonably.
Pete just glared at him as he began pacing, finally calling Deeks again, but getting no answer. The two men had been at odds since Pete had arrived and the tension had only gotten worse the longer they waited. The sound of a car pulling in had them both turning toward the back door, Pete rushing to it, needing to know his young partner was okay.
"Bates."
"Is he here?" Bates asked, pushing past him.
"No. Why? What's wrong?" Pete's voice had suddenly gotten weaker and he swallowed hard as he waited for an explanation.
"Did he do something stupid?" Max asked from behind the bar.
"I just came from the crime scene," Bates said. "There were three dead bodies in the parking garage. The fourth guy was unconscious. No Deeks."
"Solano tried to kill him too," Pete said with rising anger and fear. "He's not answering his phone."
"I don't think they wanted to kill him," Bates responded. "I think they wanted to take him alive."
"You think they made good on that?" Max asked quietly.
"No way to know," Bates said, obviously exasperated.
"He took out four assailants at least," Max said. "If they got him, he didn't go easily."
The quiet closing of the back door had the three men reaching for weapons, only to see Deeks walk tentatively into the room, his face splattered with dried blood that streaked down the front of his shirt. He held a gun by his side, softly pressing it against his leg, but it was his eyes that shook Pete. They were blank, staring past all of them.
"Deeks? You okay kid?" He asked as he took a step toward him.
"Don't," he whispered without looking at him, his mouth in a hard line and his jaw rigid.
"Give me the gun, Detective Deeks," Bates ordered calmly, but forcefully.
"No."
"You're safe here," Max said firmly as he came around the end of the bar. "And I think you could use a drink."
"Fuck off," Deeks breathed out, his eyes meeting the man and stopping him.
"Marty, we only want to help, man. You know that," Pete said. "You're scarin' the shit out of me right now. Why the hell didn't you answer your phone? I'm your partner. I was worried about you."
Pete slowly moved toward him as he spoke, his voice full of concern, but calm. Deeks started to look confused the more Pete talked, blinking his eyes as if just waking up, until Pete stood in front of him and put a hand on his shoulder. Deeks' response was instantaneous and electric, knocking Pete's hand away and raising his gun, leveling it at his chest, his nostrils flaring and his eyes full of defiance.
"Don't you fuckin' touch me," he yelled.
"You gonna shoot me, Marty?" Pete asked, holding his arms away from his body. "I don't think you really want to do that. Just tell me what happened."
"It's my fault," he whispered, blinking back angry tears. "I should have stayed after Solano left. But no. I had to report. I had to warn some fuckin' Russian I saw one time instead of stay and protect a woman who was the only person in this whole fuckin' mess who wasn't a complete asshole. She was kind to me, Pete. We held almost normal conversations. We made love man, and I let her die. She didn't deserve to die like that."
He was ranting and teary eyed by the end and no one moved as he waved the gun around as he spoke.
"Solano must have been pissed when I wasn't there and he took it out on her," he said weakly. "He tortured her. Then he butchered her, because I wasn't there to stop him."
"Deeks..." Bates tried to say something, but Deeks cut him off.
"I was out walking on the beach when he killed her, because I needed a breather," he laughed coldly.
He dropped the gun to his side and turned back toward the door, but Pete moved quickly up behind him. Gripping his shoulder once again, he slipped the gun out of his shaking hand.
"How selfish was that, Pete?" He whispered.
"If you'd been there, he'd have killed you too," Pete said as he led him to a chair.
"He sent four guys for me," he said harshly. "I killed the fuckers, so don't tell me that."
"Where did you go after that?" Bates asked as he sat down across the table from him.
"I drove to the hanger and waited to see if Solano would show up," he responded sluggishly, his energy finally beginning to fade. "I was going to kill the sonofabitch."
"We'll have arrest warrants for all of them later today," Bates told him. "You don't have to go back in."
"The fuck I don't," he said, standing so quickly he knocked the chair over. "I need Cortez to know what he did."
"I thought you said the place was wired," Pete said. "Don't you think he was watching?"
"Cortez might have sanctioned this, Deeks," Bates said. "I can't let you go back without knowing if that's true."
"And how do you think you'll find that out if I don't go back?" Deeks asked.
"As hard as this is for you to hear, this is about shutting down a major drug operation, not a murder investigation," Bates replied. "That will come later, after we bust these guys and get those drugs off the street."
"So you just expect me to forget what I saw?" Deeks asked. "What he did?"
"I know what you saw detective. I saw her too," Bates said as he suddenly looked away. "I know you can't forget, but I do expect you to follow orders. We'll get Solano, kid, and Cortez, if he was involved, but I don't want to lose you before that happens."
The kindness of his words seemed to soften Deeks' anger and he collapsed back into the chair, running his hands through his hair and then clasping them behind his bowed head as he let out a long shaky sigh.
"If I don't show up this morning, Cortez will be suspicious," Deeks said as he looked up at Pete.
"If he knows what happened to Krista, he'll probably just think you got scared and ran," Pete suggested.
"What if he didn't see what Solano did?" He asked. "What if he thinks something's not right because I don't show up? What if it spooks him and he calls her place? They could clear out everything if that happens and we'll never find those drugs. He has family connections in Mexico. If he escapes across the border we'll never get him or the drugs."
"He's got a point, Lieutenant," Pete says.
"The man who created the ecstasy will disappear too," Deeks said.
"Kid, they could kill you if I let you go back," Bates said, trying to reason with him.
"Why don't you just call Cortez and tell him what happened," Max suggested. "See if he knows."
"Now I remember why I always liked you," Bates said, nodding his approval.
Deeks seemed relieved and reached for his phone, closing his eyes as he waited for Cortez to answer. Pete reached over and squeezed his shoulder, giving him silent support and encouragement, but Deeks shook him off and rose from the chair and went over to lean against the bar.
"It's early, puta," the familiar voice said smoothly. "Why are you calling?"
"Solano killed Krista," he whispered, putting all the emotion still simmering inside into those three explosive words.
"I know. I saw," he said in a low voice. "I have him."
"You have Solano there?" He asked, wanting the others to know.
"He will pay for his sins, puta," Cortez growled. "Come and we will make him answer together."
"He tried to take me too," he responded warily.
"He didn't tell me that, but he obviously failed," Raul said, sounding proud. "He underestimated you, didn't he, puta?"
"I killed the fuckers," he said, his voice trembling slightly with restrained rage.
"Then come up to the house and we will make Javier suffer together," he replied.
"When?"
"Why wait?"
"Now?"
"Yes, puta. Come now."
"Let me clean up first, boss. I've got blood all over me," Deeks said wearily.
"Do not make me wait too long, Marty. I want to finish this," Cortez warned and ended the call.
"Well that backfired," Deeks said, tossing the phone on the bar before burying his head in his hands.
"Fuck," Pete's voice exploded in anger. "You can't go up there, man. I don't trust him."
"What choice do I have?" He asked as they gathered around him at the bar. "If I don't, he'll wonder why and get suspicious."
"He's right. We can't risk that now," Bates said. "We're too close."
"Well I'm going up there with you," Pete said. "No way I'm letting you go alone. We'll just tell them Ace got back in contact with you. It shouldn't be too hard to sell."
"Have you forgotten he tried to have you killed?" Deeks asked. "I can't watch someone else die today. Especially you."
"It will complicate things," Max said.
"It will get him killed," Deeks said angrily.
"Then wear a wire," Pete pleaded. "I'll set up a team and if things go sideways we'll come in after you."
"The last time I was there they made me get naked," Deeks reminded him. "If I wear a wire, and he finds it, I'm dead."
"Don't let him do this, Lieutenant," Pete's voice dropped as he asked and the worry was plain on his face.
"Let me make a phone call," Bates said gruffly. "Meanwhile, kid, go take a shower and change. I'll let you know my decision when you come back down."
"Yes sir," Deeks said, seeming calmed by the orders.
Max set a shot of whiskey in front of him and pushed it firmly toward his hand. Deeks' shoulders slumped as he reached for the offering, staring at the glass of liquid as he held it up in front of him.
"She was beautiful," he said softly and then slowly drained the glass.
He turned and walked toward the back stairs as Max pushed another glass toward Pete, silently urging him to drink it.
"Too early for me," he said as he turned to face Bates. "Raul Cortez will kill him. You know that."
When Bates didn't answer, Pete picked up the glass of whiskey and threw it across the room, following the trajectory toward the back door and slamming out into the pale gray morning. He had never expected this op to end this way and he'd never expected his rookie partner to become the solo undercover inside. Nothing had gone as planned, and nothing had prepared him for the feelings he was now dealing with. He never got close to anyone, not in this job. He had done it once, and had sworn never to let it happen again because of the pain he was feeling right now. He was trying desperately to be rational about what he believed was coming, but he couldn't. He didn't want to see this kid dead. It wouldn't be fair. It hadn't been fair from the beginning. This assignment had changed the kid, had brought out a part of his personality that had probably lain dormant for most of his life. There was a darkness in him he hadn't thought could possibly be there, but he'd seen it tonight when the kid had pointed a gun at him. He knew that feeling he'd seen in his eyes. He felt alone. He was surviving the only way he could, by fighting all comers to the death, not trusting anyone, even his own partner. If he survived, it would be a hard road back to who he'd been before.
"Won't be easy putting the genie back in the bottle," Bates said from behind him. "That's what you're thinking isn't it?"
"I'm thinking that genie is the only thing that may keep him alive," Pete said. "He's in full survival mode right now and it's where he needs to be."
"I'm borrowing a set of high tech comm links from the Feds," Bates said. "We'll be able to monitor his meeting with Cortez. I've called in a SWAT team to meet you here. Set up as close as you can to Cortez's front gate without being spotted. If you think the kid is in danger, go in and get him out."
"Thanks, Lieutenant," he said gratefully. "I hope it's enough."
"Me too, Pete."
...
He pulled the black leather jacket tightly around himself as he got out of Krista's car. He felt nothing like himself now. He was wearing another man's clothes, another man's jacket and driving a dead woman's car. Who the hell was he? Not that it mattered, really. The only thing that mattered now was surviving. He laughed emptily, remembering his father's worried comments about him not being tough enough as he beat the shit out of him with his belt. He'd survived that and so much more and now he would do whatever it took to survive whatever Cortez had in mind. He found it odd that he wasn't afraid. Maybe he really had become someone else, someone meaner and really, really pissed off, someone unwilling to take any more crap.
He didn't even bother to ring the doorbell, he just adjusted the comm in his ear and simply opened the door and walked in, checking for bodyguards as he moved deeper into Raul Cortez's house. His gun was tucked behind his back and his left hand twitched repeatedly as he walked. A guard stepped out of a doorway and put a hand up to stop him, but he gave him a warning look and the man let him pass. The sliding doors were open to the patio and Raul Cortez was quietly eating breakfast in his bathrobe at a table next to the pool. Solano sat at the end of the table with his arms tied to the chair, his head drooping low as blood dripped from his mouth and nose onto his lap.
"Coffee?" Cortez asked as he approached, but Deeks eyes never left Solano.
"Did you watch while he butchered her?" Deeks asked roughly, ignoring the offer.
"No. I watched everything early this morning." Cortez said, his face impassive. "If you had shot him when you had the chance she'd still be alive, puta. Why didn't you? What stopped you from pulling the trigger? I am very curious about that."
"You're right. I should have shot the bastard," Deeks said.
"That's the same thing Javier said about you," Raul replied with a slow smile.
"He's a nothing, Raul. A coward," Solano said, spitting blood at Deeks' feet. "I have been loyal to you for a long time. I have killed for you, done anything you asked and you choose him over me because of a whore?"
"But she was my whore, Javier," Raul said. "And you forgot that."
"Are you sure she was still yours?" Solano said. "She was starting to care about him. Couldn't you see that? Where was her loyalty to you?"
"Shut up, you fuckin' bastard," Deeks suddenly shouted. "She didn't deserve what you did to her."
"I told you he cared about her," Solano said in the smarmy tone Deeks hated.
"Did you, puta? Were you falling in love with my whore?" Cortez asked, the sentiment sounding so wrong coming from the man's mouth.
"What's love got to do with it?" Deeks said, coldly staring back at Cortez. "She belonged to you, and he murdered her. You gonna let that go?"
"Don't push me, puta. I don't like it," Cortez said, throwing his napkin down and rising to face him.
The slap was hard and it stung, but Deeks' eyes wavered only for a second and then he stared unflinching back at the man. It took everything he'd learned not to hit the bastard back, but something changed in Cortez's demeanor as they stared at each other. He saw the calculation in his eyes, the reevaluation that signaled that change, and Deeks took a step closer.
"He killed her cause he was mad at you, Raul. He was jealous," Deeks taunted. "It was a slap in your face, just like you slapped mine. You gonna let him get away with that?"
"You want to kill him, don't you?" Raul said as he pressed his hand to Deeks' chest. "He wants to kill you too, puta. So I have an idea that I think will be very entertaining. I will let you two fight each other until one wins. Or should I say until one loses."
Deeks heard Pete swear through the comm in his ear and it distracted him briefly. The rage that had been simmering low in his gut, roared to life and he nodded, moving his gaze to rest on Solano, whose face had taken on a feral look. Deeks knew the man was a vicious killer, but at the moment it didn't matter as adrenaline pulsed in his veins and his mind went to a darker side of himself. He couldn't wait to fight, to tear into the man who had caused him so much pain, both physically and mentally. Cortez might be the more vicious one and the master manipulator, but Solano was the embodiment of the insane violence that ruled these two men. He wanted vengeance, revenge for all of it and the blinding rage he'd experienced after finding Krista had iron control over him now. He heard Pete's concerned voice through his comm, asking if he wanted them to come, but he instantly resented the offer, refusing to say the safe word that would bring a team of rescuers. Even as he reminded himself he was a cop, he saw no other choice but to fight and if he were being honest, he didn't want one. Pete and Bates had put him in this position when they'd recruited him, so they couldn't expect him to back down now when the whole operation was at stake. He heard Pete tell him he didn't have to do this, his voice now raw sounding, almost desperate and that moved him, but did not change his mind.
"Release the sonofabitch," he told Cortez.
"No weapons. Just an old fashioned bare-knuckle fight to the death," Cortez said with a smile.
Deeks slid out of the black leather jacket, tossing it on a chaise lounge and leaving him in a worn gray t-shirt sporting a faded red logo from a local gym. Blood spotted the bandage still covering the wound in his arm, and he saw Solano look at it as he was being untied. The man showed small signs that he'd been roughed up by some of Raul's men, but nothing that would give Deeks an advantage. His own encounter with the men in the garage had left him with bruised ribs and a few contusions, but nothing that would hinder his movements, except for the remaining weakness of his arm.
"He fights dirty, Marty," Raul said, slowly caressing his cheek. "Don't let me down. I have plans for you."
The revulsion Deeks felt at that moment he would remember for a very long time. Cortez wanted him to replace Solano in every way and if he wanted the job he would have to kill him with his bare hands to get it while Raul Cortez watched. That's the kind of person this deeply disturbed man thought he was, a ruthless cold-blooded killer just like them. In that split second, he wanted nothing more than to get back to being a cop, to uphold the law and to arrest the sociopaths standing in front of him. He wanted to be nothing like them and felt an overpowering urge to purge the person he'd become from every facet of his mind and his body. He longed to banish the darkness that had engulfed him, but now he had to fight, to protect himself and to save who he really was, whoever that might be now. He would kill no one today except the unknown character he'd become.
As he turned to face his opponent, Solano drove his shoulder into his ribs, shoving him into and over the unforgiving edge of the lengthy stone fire pit. He gasped at the pain and was dazed as his head hit the patio, striking out at the determined face of a man fighting for his life. Solano clawed at his throat, but he managed to get his knee up and force him off, his fist connecting solidly with the man's mouth and knocking him into one of the cabanas. Before Deeks could utter the word that would end this thing, the man pushed himself up and charged, grappling with him as they hit the steps leading down to the pool. Deeks fell hard and Solano took advantage of it, his hands savagely closing around his throat as he slammed his knee up into his crotch. The world around him went white with agonizing pain, choking as Solano's fingers tightened.
"I made her beg for mercy," Solano whispered. "Between screams she cursed you."
Black rage filled him as the obscene words poured out of the man's mouth and Deeks grabbed both of the Solano's ears and head butted him. The man's hands loosened as his head snapped back and Deeks rolled him over the edge and into the pool.
...
"What the hell happened," Pete shouted as the comms went dead.
Static filled his ears as he lost contact with his partner, sending his heart rate skyrocketing. No one could give him a decent answer and he was suddenly fed up with the whole operation. Grabbing his phone, he called Bates, his need to finish this overwhelming.
"We lost contact, I'm going in," he told him sharply.
"Was it a trap?" Bates asked.
"No, but Cortez set up a fight to the death between him and Solano," Pete answered as he motioned for his team to get ready. "We lost contact with Deeks in the middle of it. I'm getting him out of there, before he gets killed."
"I have warrants in hand, so go. Take those bastards down," Bates ordered. "We'll take out their drug operation at the airport."
"Yes sir."
Pete was running before he even ended the call, shoving the phone in his pocket with one hand while pulling his weapon with the other. His team of eight moved swiftly through the open gate and he wondered if someone was monitoring the security cameras. He didn't have to wait long to find out as two men stepped out of a side gate and opened fire. One of his men went down but the two shooters were killed in an eruption of gunfire as he breached the front door. The picture on the wall in the entry hall shattered from a bullet that just missed him, and he fired in the direction of the shooter, hearing the man grunt as he fell in front of him. Pete leaped over him and ran through the expansive living room and out onto the patio shouting LAPD. His team spread out around him, shooting down anyone who fought back. He saw the surprise on Raul Cortez face that quickly morphed into anger, but the man quickly raised his hands in surrender, his open robe revealing the dark tattoos that covered his exposed naked body.
"Raul Cortez, you're under arrest for drug trafficking and attempted murder of a police officer," he shouted in the man's face.
"You're a cop?" Cortez asked, recognizing him instantly.
Pete didn't bother to answer as he looked wildly around for Deeks. The turbulence in the pool immediately caught his attention and he swore softly as he saw Deeks struggling beneath the water. He dove in without hesitation, reaching him in two powerful kicks. Deeks had his hands around Solano's throat and broke the surface just as Pete got to him. His face was set in a rigid grimace that suddenly broke into a wide smile when he saw him.
"Hey Pete," he said, letting Solano go to sink below the surface. "Better get him before the bastard drowns. I'm too fuckin' tired to do it."
Pete pulled his head into a quick hug and then went under and grabbed Solano's shirt, tugging him up to the surface and hauling him through the water to the edge of the pool.
"Read this asshole his rights," Pete said to the officers who pulled the man out.
He turned back to find Deeks floating on his back, his arms wide and his face placid. He was bruised and bloody, and looked exhausted, but happy.
"You want to do the honors of reading Raul Cortez his rights?" He asked as he treaded water next to him. "Or you just gonna lounge in the pool all day?"
"You gotta admit this is pretty sweet," Deeks said, his closed eyes finally opening.
Pete wasn't sure what he saw there when Deeks looked over at him, but it wasn't the same person he had tutored not that long ago. There was sadness there along with the relief so obvious on his face, and he seemed almost ashamed as he turned and swam to the stairs. He stumbled as he started up the stairs, remaining on his hands and knees until Pete reached to help him up.
"Is it really over?" He whispered.
"Yeah, kid. We got 'em all," Pete answered, becoming worried as Deeks energy failed.
"You okay?" Pete asked.
"Just really fuckin' tired," he answered slowly.
Pete got a shoulder under his arm and lifted him to his feet and they stepped out onto the patio to see Cortez staring at them. His face was contorted in rage as he pulled free of the officer holding his arm, and even though he was handcuffed, Pete took a step in front of Deeks, trying to shield him from the man.
"I got this Pete," Deeks said as he pushed away from him, standing to his full height before walking resolutely up the two steps to stand in front of the man.
"You have the right to remain silent," Deeks began, a smug smile spreading across his face as he continued.
"You're a fuckin' cop?" Cortez interrupted forcefully, swinging his cuffed hands wildly at Deeks.
"And you're a crazy assed monster," Deeks replied viciously, as he knocked his arms away and slugged him as hard as he could in the mouth, sending the man to the ground.
He stood over him, his face hard as he continued to read him his rights. When he was finished the two men just stared at each other and Pete could almost feel the hate radiating between them.
"Did you know Solano was gonna kill Krista?" Deeks asked, his fists tight against his side.
"You know I'm gonna kill you, don't you?" Cortez replied.
"Did you know?" He asked, his voice seething with remaining anger.
"I don't talk to cops. I want my lawyer," Raul said, spitting at his feet as he struggled to get up.
Pete stepped in front of Deeks as he made a move toward the man, holding his arms tightly and trying to get him to look at him.
"You're a cop, Marty. Let the law deal with him now," he said quietly.
Deeks didn't reply, he just followed the progress of Raul Cortez as two officers led him away.
"Arresting him doesn't seem like enough, Pete," Deeks finally said.
"Think you'd feel better if you'd killed him?" Pete asked. "You didn't kill Solano, and I'm pretty sure you could have."
"Yeah. No. I could have, but I wanted to see him stand trial for killing Krista," he answered. "Weird, huh?"
"But you feel different about Cortez," Pete said softly.
"I just feel empty, Pete," he acknowledged, dropping his head.
"That happens," he replied. "You just need to find yourself again. That's all."
"I don't know if I can."
"You will in time, kid. Right now, just be thankful you survived," Pete counseled.
"Did I?"
...
...
