The Favor

Chapter 5

...

Deeks was filled with a flood of emotion as he climbed into his truck, the predominant one being anger. He was overwhelmed by it and stared out at the waves he hadn't even had a chance to ride. Phoebe had ridden over him instead, and he cursed himself under his breath. How was it possible that she still had a hold on him? Deep resonating feelings had blocked his common sense. He was angry that she might be right, that he did want her as badly as she wanted him. He'd be lying if he told himself her touch hadn't ignited that old familiar fire of desire and sexual need. She was sexy as hell and she knew it and she knew how to use it. She always had. She was a sexual predator, and a beautiful one. Her seductive caresses, blatant foreplay, and her compliments about how hot he was had given his ego a boost he hadn't realized he'd been missing. It wasn't as if Kensi didn't make him feel virile, but to have it come from someone he'd been in love with as a teenager felt different. Old needs had roared through him the second her hand wrapped around his dick, and even though he'd fought those old emotions and pushed her away, those feelings lingered. Recalling their lovemaking did too.

Making love in the ocean had been her idea all those years ago, and the memory still excited him. He'd called her after a physical fight with one of his mom's dates. The man had slapped her and he'd tackled the bastard out the back door. The fight hadn't lasted long, but he was left with turbulent emotions and a black eye. His mom had yelled at him and it made him mad, so he'd stormed out of the house to go be with Phoebe. It was way past midnight when he found her waiting not far from where they'd first made love. She'd started a bonfire and sat before it completely naked. It was a warm California night, but he'd still offered her his hoodie. It had made her laugh. She got up and tossed it aside before slowly stripping him of his board shorts. She'd kissed his blackening eye and then had taken his hand and led him down to the water. He didn't question her. He never did, and that night was no different. She'd raised her arms to the moon and walked out into the oncoming waves. Her blond hair was long then, and hung down her bare back to her ass. It gleamed in the moonlight. He was hard when he followed her into the sea. The waves were gentle and they swam side by side until she stopped and laid out on her back, floating with her arms and legs wide in invitation. He dove beneath her and came up between her legs. She wrapped her legs around him and he licked her until she was moaning. He still remembered how she'd cried out his name when she came in an explosion of laughter. Then she did the same to him. That night she'd bewitched him, the experience burned forever into his memory. No one had ever done the things she did to him that night in the water. No other woman had ever captivated him like Phoebe until he met Kensi. The scary thing was her pull was still strong.

He ran his hand over his mouth and up through his hair as he tried to push all those images and feelings from his mind. His eyes flashed with sudden tears as he realized Phoebe still excited him...still made him feel like a seventeen year old who craved the sexual excitement she aroused in him. He could never tell Kensi. How could he? What would he say? How could he even face her? Phoebe had her pack attack him and had tried to choke him out, yet he was still entranced by her, still wanted her. Why? She was a sexual predator even then, he just hadn't known it, or even cared. But he knew now. Now she was seducing a fifteen year old boy, and his anger flashed at what that meant. Rooster had asked if he was jealous and the question haunted him. Was he? Maybe, but it didn't change the fact that what she might be doing to that kid was wrong. His father had been physically abusing him, and now he was in the hands of a woman who cared only about her own needs. She was a huntress searching for anyone who could make her feel young and sexually vibrant. The boy was an innocent, and he needed to protect him. And to do that he had to find Phoebe before she ruined both their lives.

He stared at his phone, trying to decide who to call. "Beale? I need you to find out the home address of a woman named Phoebe McKinney."

"The champion surfer?" He replied. "Wow! Do you know her?"

"Just get me an address, okay?" He snapped.

"What's going on? You sound a little bit irritable," Eric asked. "I can call Kensi. She was just up here asking about you."

"Did she catch a case?" He asked, hoping it was true.

"Yeah...but they haven't left yet," he replied.

"Don't bother her," Deeks said. "Just get me Phoebe's current address."

"I used to have a poster of her," Eric said. "You know the one, right?"

"Yeah...I know it."

"Had some dreams...I mean...wait...umm...didn't mean to go there," Eric stumbled over his embarrassment.

"Unfortunately, I know exactly what you mean."

"Really? How well did you know her?"

"Beale. The address."

"Yeah...right...the address," Eric said. "But you did promise me a surf, so if you're meeting her at the beach maybe I could come...and meet her? Maybe watch her surf?"

"That's not gonna happen, brother. I'm sorry," Deeks said. "Phoebe is in her own world right now, and it's not a good one. Kai is with her, and it's a bad situation."

"How bad?"

"Just get me that address before it gets any worse, okay?"

"Got it...and Deeks?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay? You sound...kinda stressed."

"I'm fine, Beale," he said quietly. "And let's keep this conversation between us."

"Okay, but Admiral Kilbride is lurking around. What do I say if he asks me if you found Kai?"

"Tell him...tell him I'm following a lead, just don't tell him what it is. I need time to work this out, Eric."

"Okay. Got it. Play dumb. I can do that," he replied. "Want to hear what I found on Kai's stepfather?"

"Something helpful I hope."

"Last year he made regular payments to an offshore account I'm still tracing. Same amounts every time," he said. "It's proving difficult to access any information about who or what company it belongs to."

"Blackmail maybe?"

"I just follow the money. It's your job to find out the how and why," he snarked. "He received money from that same account over several months early last year."

"What business is he in?"

"He's an investment banker. And apparently a well respected one," Eric said. "But I'll dig deeper to see if he's hiding anything."

"Money problems could put him under a lot of stress," Deeks reasoned. "That can make some people abusive. Not that that's an excuse. Can you check the local hospitals in Corpus Christi and find out if Kai or his mother have been there over the last six months?"

"Will do," he replied. "And I'll get you Phoebe McKinney's address, too. I still want to meet her when this is over."

"Trust me, Eric. You don't," Deeks said. "And don't mention her name to Kensi."

"Don't want to make her jealous?"

Deeks didn't reply, he just cut off the call. There was that word again. Jealousy. He breathed out slowly and calmly assessed his true feelings. Number one. He loved Kensi. Number two. He was angry with himself and with Phoebe. He should never have allowed her make a move on him, sexually or physically. And three. He should have told her he was a Federal agent. It might have changed everything. She might have backed down, or at least seen how serious the situation was. Why he hadn't explained the reason he was involved only made him angrier with himself. He also realized he should have told Phoebe about Kensi. Why he didn't still confused him. At one time, he told Phoebe everything. But today, he had let lust control him, just as it controlled Phoebe. They had once been the best of friends, but sex had changed that. Sex had overwhelmed every other aspect of their relationship. They had stopped talking to each other, and simply devoured each other. Lust had killed their friendship, and when Phoebe got tired of him, she left. It had hurt to watch her walk away so easily. He'd eventually convinced himself she'd left to follow her dream of surfing the world's biggest waves, to beat all comers in competition. He hadn't wanted to believe she left because she'd become bored with him. But now he realized she had, and it hurt, just not as much as he thought it would. He had grown up, but she hadn't. She was still looking for the thrills she had experienced out on the monster waves, but those days were over. She was no longer the star surfer she used to be. Now her thrills came from sex. Her pack wasn't about surfing. Her pack was all about sexual gratification. Hers.

When they met today, she hadn't asked about his life. She didn't care. She only cared about satisfying her need for sexual excitement. It had been as if no time had past. She simply reverted to how their relationship had ended all those years ago. Just sex. Nothing more. And now she was seeking those thrills from an underage boy. She was lost, and he needed to let her go, along with the passion he had once loved her with.

"Kensi?" He said softly into the phone. "Can you meet me? I need to talk to you about something."

"Can it wait till tonight, baby? We just caught a case."

"Yeah...no. Of course. See you at home."

"You good?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Where are you?"

"Westward Beach at Zuma."

"I'll meet you at The Sunset Restaurant in an hour."

"You sure? What about the case?"

"I know when something's bothering you, Deeks," she said. "Callen and Sam can handle things without me for a little while."

"Fish tacos?"

"And Parmesan truffle fries."

"You just made my mouth water."

"That's all it takes?"

He didn't say anything for so long she called his name. "Deeks? Are you okay? Did something happen?"

"I'll get us an outside table," he replied. "And a couple of beers."

"I'm on my way, baby."

"Good to know. And thanks. Seeing you is just what I need," he replied as his eyes misted.

...

He was on his second beer when she found him. He had charmed the hostess into giving him one of the tables farthest out on the sand so he could watch the ocean. The red and white striped umbrellas were ruffling in the breeze coming onshore, so he didn't hear Kensi when she said his name. But he felt her hand on his shoulder, and jumped at her touch. She frowned at his response, but bent down to kiss him hello.

"I don't see my Parmesan fries," she said.

"Didn't want them to get cold," he replied as he waved to the waitress. "I already ordered with Gina. She'll put the order in now that you're here."

"Why am I here, Deeks?" She asked as she pulled her chair close to his side. "What's going on? You sounded upset on the phone."

"I need to tell you about someone..."

"Who?"

"Someone I used to love."

Kensi blew out her breath like she did before a firefight. "And you saw her today."

Yeah...she's a surfer."

"I don't care about that. Who is she, and when did you have this affair?"

"Her name is Phoebe, and it wasn't an affair, Kens. We were seventeen."

"Your first love?" Her eyes softening with understanding.

"Yeah."

Their food arrived as he told her what Phoebe had been like all those years ago. Her expressions changed during the telling. He saw variations of jealousy, but also empathy and sensitivity when he shared his teenage anxiety over what his mother's dating had put him through. She knew about his childhood, or most of it, but he hadn't told her much about what the aftermath of shooting his father had done to him as a teenager. Someone had spread that bit of gossip, and it had followed him through high school. He told her about the cruel remarks behind his back. The laughter. The harsh judgment only teenagers can saddle you with. Phoebe had never participated in any of that. She had been a true friend.

"And eventually you became lovers," Kensi reasoned.

So he nodded and told her. All of it except their lovemaking in the ocean. He kept that memory to himself.

"I knew she was in town," Deeks said. "An old surfing buddy named Rooster told me yesterday. He set up a meet for this morning. I thought she might have run into Kai on one of the beaches."

"Is she the reason you didn't want me to come this morning?"

"I'm sorry, Kens. I just needed to talk to her alone first."

"Got it," she said, and nibbled at one of her fries. "So what happened when you saw her?"

Deeks looked away from her as his emotions surged once again, uncertain how much to tell her.

"Do you still have feelings for her?" Her voice cracked in the asking.

The question hit him hard, as she knew it would. Of course she would ask that, but he had no idea how to respond, because he wasn't sure how he felt, not completely.

"If that question is too hard, then I already have my answer," she said with a mixture of sadness and anger.

"It's complicated, Kens."

"No, Deeks. It's not," she replied. "You do or you don't. It's that simple."

"I do have feelings about her, but not what you think," he said. "I love you, Kens. And what happened between Phoebe and I this morning wasn't about love...it was..."

"Then what was it, Deeks? What happened?"

She had tears in her eyes, tears full of hurt and anger. He reached for her, but she pulled away and that nearly crushed him.

"I won't lie to you, Kens," he choked out. "I was flattered when she came on to me...she…"

"And just how did she...quote "come on" to you, Deeks?" She asked, her eyes flashing. "Or was that just wishful thinking on your part?"

"There was nothing wishful about it, Kens. She put her hand down my pants. Is that obvious enough for you?"

"What? Didn't you tell her you were married?"

"Seriously?" He couldn't help himself. He laughed, and she started to get up to leave, but he took both her arms and held her in place.

"I told her, Kens, but she didn't care," he said. "Don't you get it? She doesn't care about anyone but herself. Sex is her jones, baby. She's addicted to it, and without it she has nothing."

He looked past her as he told her quietly about Phoebe's attempts to seduce him. He told her as much as he could in a public place. Even then he could see the shock on her face, especially when he told her how she had physically attacked him. Her shock was quickly replaced by anger. It was the look she wore as his partner, but there was something deeper, almost feral about the clinch of her jaw and the dark fury in her eyes.

"She uses sex to control people," he finally said at the end. "And now she has Kai. I think she believes he's her fountain of youth. He makes her feel young again."

"She has to know what she's doing is a crime," Kensi said. "Did you tell her that?"

"Yeah...I told her, but it didn't faze her. She's a predator now, but I don't think she realizes that. She's just doing what she's always done to satisfy her needs. Kai means nothing to her..."

"He does now," Kensi said. "She's using him to get to you."

"No...no, no. I don't think so, Kens."

"Then you're blind. You rejected her, and she tried to strangle you for it. No woman likes to be rejected, Deeks. Especially a woman like that."

"She didn't use to be like that," he responded.

"Don't get nostalgic, Deeks. You're not seventeen anymore, and neither is she."

"The sad part is, she wants to be."

"You still care about her," she said, sounding as if the wind had been knocked out of her.

"She was my best friend once, so yeah, I do care what happens to her. But I don't love her, Kens. I love you."

She didn't offer a reply and he wasn't sure she believed him. There was something behind her eyes that scared him. She was still suspicious, and he felt she had a right to be. He wasn't sure he trusted himself around Phoebe, but he couldn't share that with Kensi. But he suspected she already understood that.

"Kens..."

"If you're expecting me to say I understand, I don't, Deeks. I don't trust her, and I'm not sure I trust you either. Not right now and not with her," she whispered. "If she's having sex with that kid, you need to arrest her. If you don't, you're culpable. You know that, Deeks. So do what's right, or I will."

She stood up and walked away, and he felt numb. Had he just ruined the best thing in his life? Had he hurt the one person he couldn't live without? Her ultimatum was clear, and she was right. He had to end this. For himself, but mostly for Kai. The kid had been used and abused enough.

His ringtone for messages went off and he saw Phoebe's address appear on his phone. Topanga Canyon. She had done well. He just didn't realize how well. When that was followed by an incoming call, he was surprised to see it was from Harry Mayne and not Eric.

"Hey Harry. What can I do for you?"

"I'm heading to a meeting with Jasper Price," he replied, sounding agitated. "Jasper says he knows where Kai is. Can you meet me at his office?"

"Did he give you any details?"

"No. Just said he wanted to talk in person, and clear the air."

"Have you talked with your son?"

"Jasper said he'll be at the meeting," Harry replied. "Guess that's what clearing the air is about."

"On my way," Deeks replied.

Deeks hurriedly paid for lunch and rushed to his truck. His curiosity about Harry's bombshell information distracted him somewhat from the pain he was feeling about hurting Kensi. Their conversation wasn't over. He needed to make her understand how angry he had been and still was at Phoebe. He should have met Kensi somewhere more private, so they could have hash things out without worrying about being overheard. He longed to hold her, to explain. But now that wouldn't happen until tonight, and that worried him. Letting their argument about Phoebe simmer wasn't good. Kensi's anger with him would grow, and he was tempted to blow off this meeting and find her, but he knew he couldn't. Kai was in danger, and he was curious as to what information Jasper Price claimed to have, and how he got it.

He was still in his board shorts and ratty sweatshirt when he entered the lobby of Jasper Price's building. He didn't even bother stopping at reception, he just headed straight for the elevators. He saw no sign of the security guard he'd had the run in with the first time he came here, so that was a plus. A different receptionist greeted him when the doors opened on Jasper's floor. She was young and attractive, and looked exceedingly bored when he pointed at the door to the PI's offices. She shrugged, so he walked right in. A muscular guy with a military haircut occupied one of the far desks in the bullpen, but the harsh sounds of an argument led him back to Price's office.

"Fuck you, Dad."

"It's a question that needs an answer, Ralph," Harry Mayne said. "Did you ever hit that boy or not?"

Ralph didn't answer, distracted by Deeks as he came in and leaned against the doorframe. "Who the hell are you?"

"Marty Deeks. I'm helping your father look for Kai. And...I'd like to know the answer to that question myself."

"Fuck you, too," Ralph said and started to walk past him.

Deeks put a hand on the man's chest and he stopped. "Jasper here says he knows where Kai is. Aren't you interested? You're apparently paying him for that information. So Jasper...why don't you tell us what you know?"

"That's privileged information," Jasper said. "You're not paying me a dime, Deeks. If your paying client wants to give you that information, that's up to him."

"I'm not paying him anything, Mr. Price," Harry said. "He's doing me a favor. Now tell me where my grandson is."

"He's not your grandson, Dad. He's a pain in the ass that came with his mother," Ralph spit out and pushed Deeks' hand away.

"If you hate the kid so much, why are you looking for him?" Deeks asked.

"He took something that belongs to me," the man growled.

"You never told me that," Harry said.

"Why should I? You wouldn't have believed me anyway," Ralph snapped. "You got suckered in by that little shit from the beginning. He's a thief, Dad. Deal with it."

"Guess you've dropped out of the running for Father of The Year then," Deeks said.

"Fuck off. I don't answer to you," Ralph snapped.

"Deeks has father issues, Ralph," Jasper said with a smirk. "He may look like a laid back surfer dude, but he's not. He's a Federal agent. Oh, sorry...he's just an investigator. Not good enough to be a real Federal agent."

"Mr. Price, I suggest you apologize for that insult," Harry said. "I just received your invoice, and if you want to be paid, you'll be a little more civil."

"He shot his own father, Harry, so if I were you, I'd be careful who I trusted," Jasper said, making Deeks wonder how he managed to get that information.

"Deeks comes highly recommended, Mr. Price, by an Admiral in the United States Navy. He wouldn't recommend someone who wasn't trustworthy," Harry said like a man used to giving orders. "You're father wouldn't approve of the disrespect you just showed this man."

"My father isn't here," Jasper said coldly.

"Looks like we all have daddy issues," Ralph said with a sneer.

"Jasper?" Deeks said. "Kai's been out there now for almost eight days. So please...share what you know so we can find him."

Jasper Price seemed to enjoy holding all the cards, and he milked the moment with a smirk on his face. Whether what he had was true or not, Deeks wasn't sure, but if it was he had to act on it.

"One of my operatives has a contact in one of the surf gangs," Jasper said. "He claims to have seen the boy hanging out up at the old abandoned Los Angeles Zoo. Apparently it's a night time hangout for runaways."

"Did he say when he saw him there?" Deeks asked.

"Last night."

"That place has a lot of hiding places," Deeks said. "Lots of old animal cages and dens with iron bars. Was he specific about the location? It's pretty remote. Lots of hiking trails."

"Said he saw him around one of the old bear dens on Upper Old Zoo Trail," Jasper said. "He was with a couple of young surfers he knew."

"Let's go," Harry said instantly.

"He won't be there now," Jasper said. "It's a night time hangout. Deeks can show you."

"So you're taking a pass?" Deeks asked.

"Then what the hell am I paying you for?" Harry said, his anger visible for the first time.

"Information, Harry. Information," Jasper said flippantly. "I'm not tromping around in the dark up there in the bushes, especially not with Deeks here."

"Come on Ralph, this guy isn't worth what we're paying him," Harry said.

"Sorry, Dad. I can't go. Evelyn is flying in tonight," Ralph said. "You and Deeks here are on your own. But when you find that little shit, tell him he better give back what he stole, or else. I'm tired of putting up with his antics."

As he walked out of the office, Ralph shot a look at Jasper Deeks couldn't quite decipher. He wondered just how long the two had been here before Harry arrived. He didn't trust either one of them, and from the look on Harry's face, neither did he.

"One last question, Jasper," Deeks said.

"And what would that be?"

"What surf pack did your source say Kai was hanging with?"

"A gang from Venice Beach led by some guy who calls himself Hilo."

"And you believe the intel is good?" Deeks asked, even though he knew it was all a lie.

"Guess you'll find out tonight."

"Yeah...guess I will."

...

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