The Favor

Chapter 8

...

Deeks woke to the sound of Muncy yelling, threatening someone at the top of the stairs. The harsh beam of a flashlight starkly lit the scene. The kid had his baseball bat cocked as if waiting on a fastball, and Deeks dragged himself to his feet. He grabbed the iron bars for support, trying to see what the hell was happening.

"Drop that bat, you little shit, or I'll blow your fucking head off," a deep voice ordered. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will."

Deeks suddenly recognized the voice. He had heard it before. "Stenzel, right? Met you at Jasper Price's building. Work as a security guard not paying enough? Decide to become a hit man instead? That's why you're here, right?"

"Shut-up, asshole," the man said. "And tell your little friend here to drop the bat."

"Or what? You're gonna shoot a kid?" Deeks asked, hoping he could reason with the guy. "I never pegged you as a murderer."

"You don't know anything about me," Stenzel said, staying just out of the reach of Muncy's bat.

"No. I don't," Deeks acknowledged. "So let me ask you this. Have you ever killed anyone?"

When he got no answer, he felt a small sense of relief, but he knew the danger was still real.

"They sent you back here to kill me, didn't they?" Deeks said. "And you thought it would be easy. I'm locked behind these iron bars, so it'll be like shooting fish in a barrel as the old saying goes. But that makes it even worse, don't you think? I mean, think about it. Killing someone in the heat of battle...you can justify that in your mind. Right? But I'm unarmed. I'm not a danger to you. You have to be really cold blooded to kill someone in my situation. Real hard core. Then add on the fact that you'll have to kill a kid as well, cause he's a witness, right? And you can't leave any witnesses. Everybody knows that. So, you would have quite some resumé, my friend. Killer for hire. That's a whole new line of work for you to pursue. New business cards to order. A super cool alias to come up with. An email address on the dark web. Wow. I'm sure your family will be very proud."

"Shut up!" He shouted, and Deeks knew he had gotten to him.

"You don't want to do this, man," Deeks said softly. "I'm a Federal agent. I have friends who will hunt you down. And my wife, who by the way, is also a Federal agent and a ninja assassin sniper...well let's just say...you do not want to get on her bad side. She's going through a rough time right now, so she's been really grumpy."

"They won't know it was me," Stenzel said, making Deeks' mouth go dry.

"Every murderer I've ever arrested thinks that," Deeks said. "How much they paying you to do this?"

In the ambient light he could see the man hesitate. "This wasn't part of the plan, was it? You just thought they wanted to rough me up. Bet that sounded fun to a guy stuck in a lobby all day, listening to that irritating elevator music they pipe in. But something changed, didn't it? What was it? Someone decide it might be better if I was dead, and you drew the short straw?"

"You talk too much."

"True...and that's something we can agree on," Deeks smiled. "But, I'm guessing there's no extra money in it for you. Is there, buddy? That doesn't seem fair, does it? All the risk, but no reward."

"Stop talking or I swear, I'll put a cap in this kid's knee," Stenzel warned.

"What show did you steal that line from? 'Chicago PD' maybe? Or one of the 'Taken' movies? How many are there now? Eight? Nine?" Deeks asked with a laugh. "This isn't television, Stenzel. We are not in a movie, man. This is real."

"Why do you keep talking?"

"To give you time to think. Because I don't believe you really want to do this," Deeks replied. "Walk away, man. It's in your best interest. Those men you're with don't care what happens to you. Come on. You're smart. You're their fall guy, man. Can't you see that?"

A rock suddenly hit Stenzel in the back of the head. He swore and stumbled down a couple of steps, dropping the flashlight as he collided with the wall. Deeks shouted for Muncy to get down, afraid Stenzel would start firing, but the kid ignored him, swinging his bat like he was going for the fences. It connected with a loud pop across both of Stenzel's knees, and the man screamed. He fell forward, crashing down the rest of the stairs and losing his weapon in the process. Deeks scrambled to reach it as Stenzel curled into a fetal position moaning, his hands wrapped around his knees.

"Should I hit him again?" Muncy asked.

"No. That should do it," Deeks said.

"You guys okay?" Deebo called out as he hurried down the stairs.

"Yeah. We're good," Deeks said. "That was a helluva swing, Muncy. Would have been a home run in any ballpark in the country."

Deeks looked up at Deebo. "You're a pitcher, right? Helluva throw. Fast ball?"

"Yeah. Munce can't hit it worth shit," Deebo said, looking pleased with himself. "Hey. I talked to Kensi. She's coming. Bringin' two guys with her."

"Where Charley?" Muncy asked.

"He's hurt. This dickhead slugged him with that gun," Deebo said. "His head's bleedin'".

"I'm sorry. This bastard will pay for that," Deeks said. "You two go on back up and wait for Kensi. One of the guys...his name is Sam...will help your friend until an ambulance can get here."

"Here's your phone," Deebo said.

"Keep it for now. They'll be tracking it to our location."

"No shit?" Muncy said. "Just like in the movies."

Deebo stepped around Stenzel and turned to look back at him. "You're wife sounds real nice."

"She's pretty too," Deeks said. "And guys? You were awesome. You saved my life, and I won't forget it."

The boys looked shy all of a sudden, simply nodding at the compliment before heading up the stairs. Deeks finally let out a shaky breath, easing himself down to the ground to lean back against the bars. The only sound was Stenzel moaning out curse words. He stared at the dimly lit graffiti on the back wall of his cell, waiting for his heartbeat to slow down. He should be dead, but he wasn't, thanks to two kids with no reason to help him. He was exhausted, closing his eyes against what might have been. It's how Kensi found him.

"Deeks?"

His heart jumped at the sound of her voice. "I'm here Kens."

"This the guy who came to shoot you?" She asked and he turned to see her standing over Stenzel, her gun aimed at his face.

"Yeah. Don't think he'll be causing trouble anytime soon," Deeks said. "Got taken down by a couple of baseball loving teenagers."

"You ready to get out of here, Deeks?" Callen called out. "Unless of course you're enjoying the grunge vibe going on down here. I gotta say, the graffiti is damn impressive."

He didn't answer, he just listened as Kensi urged Callen to hurry. The sound of the chain sliding free and the squeak of the door being opened brought relieved tears to his eyes, and then Kensi was kneeling down in front of him.

"Oh my god, baby," she whispered as she stroked his cheek. "Are you okay?"

"Think I got a couple of cracked ribs, but nothing's broken...I hope," he said. "How are the boys doing? They were something, but this had to freak them out."

"Sam is with them," Callen said, running the flashlight beam over his body. "Looks like you had a rough night."

"You could say that."

"How many were there?" Callen asked as he helped him to his feet.

"Three."

He stumbled out of the cell and held onto Kensi as they stood over his would be killer.

"One of the kids said he thought you knew this guy," Callen said.

"Name's Stenzel. Works as a security guard in Jasper Price's building, the private investigator Harry hired to find his grandson. Not sure who he's working for tonight, but whoever they are, they wanted me dead. They just sent the wrong guy to do it."

"I shoulda shot you just to shut you up," Stenzel choked out.

Callen giggled. "So you did your thing? The full blown Deeks' talkathon?"

"What can I say? Had to stall him till you guys got here," Deeks replied. "And to keep him from shooting me. You know...the important stuff."

"You were lucky," Callen said, suddenly quite serious.

"Yeah, I was."

"So was he," Kensi said. "If I'd been here, he'd be dead."

"She another one of your girlfriends, Deeks?" Stenzel asked.

"Here, Callen...take his gun before I do something I can't walk back," Deeks said, staring down the man. "She's my wife, douchebag."

"Yeah, right," he said. "Better have a little fun with this one. The other one won't be much fun after those guys get through with her."

"Sonofabitch! I forgot. They were going to Phoebe's," Deeks said. "They think Kai is there."

"Help Deeks upstairs, Kens," Callen said. "Call LAPD for a welfare check on Phoebe. I'll deal with this idiot."

"And who the hell are you?" Stenzel demanded.

"Your worse nightmare, my friend," Callen said. "I'm Special Agent Callen of NCIS, and you just tried to kill a member of my team. We frown on that sort of thing."

"It wasn't my idea," Deeks heard Stenzel whine as they walked slowly up the stairs.

The flashing lights of ambulances and police cars lit up the night. He took a deep breath, reveling in being out in the open air and alive. He looked at Kensi as she made the call to LAPD about checking on Phoebe. She was curt and to the point. Professional, and most certainly annoyed. He closed his eyes as a ribbon of pain wrapped around his ribs, and he blew out his breath a couple of times to get through it. Kensi was suddenly close, her hand slipping up his chest and around his neck, her thumb caressing his cheek.

"You should have called me before you came here ," she murmured. "You could have been killed, baby. Please don't do that again."

"Copy that," he promised, smiling softly when she pulled him into a hug.

"You were lucky those kids intervened. We both were," she said. "Runaways aren't always trustworthy or brave."

"They're good kids, Kens."

"Yeah, they are," she said with a kiss. "Let's go see how they're doing."

Sam had a hand on Deebo and Muncy's shoulders as they stood beside the gurney that held their friend Charley. Both boys were trying very hard to look tough, but Deeks could see they'd been shaken by what had happened.

"Sam?" Deeks called out as the gurney was loaded in the ambulance. "How bad?"

"Still unconscious. He was suffering from some serious bleeding when we got here," he said as he looked him over. "You look like you could use a overnight stay in the hospital yourself."

"You guys all right?" Deeks asked the boys, ignoring Sam's comment.

"Is he gonna die?" Muncy asked as they watched the ambulance pull away with lights flashing.

"They're going to do everything they can at the hospital to make sure that doesn't happen," Kensi said. "Is there someone we can call? Family?"

"We just connected last week," Deebo said. "He's a foster kid. Didn't trust the people so he ran. Never said where he lived."

"Do you know his last name?" Sam asked.

"We don't ask nobody that. Wouldn't tell you anyway," Deebo replied. "We ain't even sure his real name is Charley."

"We gotta go," Muncy said, pulling at Deebo's arm. "Cops are lookin' at us, dude."

"They'll need a statement about what happened here," Sam said gently. "And I'll stay beside you the whole time. Okay?"

"They gonna arrest us?" Muncy asked.

"That's not going to happen," Deeks assured them. "You stopped a murder. You're the heroes of the night."

"And after you give your statements, you two are coming home with me," Sam said.

"We don't need no babysitter," Deebo said gruffly.

"Do I look like a babysitter to you?" Sam boomed out before softening his voice. "I'm offering you a place to sleep and a hot meal. I live on a boat down at the marina. It's cool. You'll like it."

"He even has a pet seal, which is appropriate, since he used to be one," Deeks laughed.

"What's that mean?" Muncy asked.

"I'm a former Navy SEAL," Sam said. "You saved my brother tonight. The least I can do is fix you a great big steak, and offer you a safe place to sleep."

"For real?"

"SEAL's don't lie," Sam said.

"They don't always come home, neither," Deebo said.

"Did someone in your family serve?" Sam asked.

"That ain't none of your business, dude."

"He's trying to help you, Deebo," Deeks said.

"Didn't ask for it. Don't need it."

"I didn't ask for your help either, but you gave it, and I'm not ashamed to say I needed it," Deeks said. "Besides...I saw what you had for dinner. Chips and salsa? Come on, buddy. A steak should sound pretty damn good right now."

"Don't remember if I ever had steak," Muncy said quietly. "Come on, Deeb. I'm hungry. And I ain't never been on a boat. You neither."

"Okay, okay, but we leave first thing in the morning," Deebo said.

"After breakfast," Sam said. "I make a mean stack of pancakes. With bacon."

"That I can attest to," Callen said as he walked up. "Thought you'd like to know your friend Stenzel is under arrest for assault, kidnapping, and the attempted murder of a Federal agent."

"He give up the guys who attacked Deeks?" Sam asked.

"He did. I called Nell. She's running their names," Callen replied. "Also told me Jasper Price wasn't the guy who hired them."

"Seriously? Then who did?" Deeks asked.

"That he didn't know," Callen said. "Stenzel said he caught one of the guys shooting pictures of you and Harry leaving the building. Turned out he knew him. A local tough guy he used to work security with. Apparently Stenzel had a run in with you that he took offense to...so he offered to help the guy beat the crap out of you."

"And ends up in jail," Sam said.

"And Deeks ends up back in the ER," Callen said.

"I'll be fine," Deeks said. "But I need to check on Phoebe. I'm the reason she's in danger."

"She's the reason you have a bullet wound in your arm," Kensi said. "LAPD is probably already there, so forget about her and get in the damn ambulance."

"She is kinda grumpy...like you said," Deebo said with a quirky grin. "I wouldn't mess with her if I was you, dude."

"Listen to the kid, Deeks," Callen said. "You've had a long night. They roughed you up pretty good. You probably need a couple of stitches and an x-ray."

Deeks shook his head and took a step back. He was worried about Phoebe, and he wanted very badly to find out if she was okay. But he couldn't voice that. Not with Kensi watching him as if she knew what he was thinking.

"You want me to put you in the ambulance? Cause I can and I will," Sam said, in that no nonsense voice you don't argue with.

"Yeah, no...okay," Deeks finally said, knowing he wouldn't win this argument. "Don't think I could fight you off right now."

"You couldn't fight me off on your best day, Deeks," Sam laughed.

Kensi stepped between them, and wrapped her arm around Deeks back, and guided him toward the ambulance.

"Wait. The truck Hetty issued me from the motor pool is parked down by the merry-go-round," Deeks stopped to say. "My surfboard is still in the back."

"I'll take care of it," Callen said. "And I'll check in with LAPD on Phoebe McKinney, and maybe head up there to check on things."

"Thanks, brother," Deeks said. "I know I should just write her off, but I can't do that. I'm sorry Kens...she was my best friend once."

"Go get checked out, Deeks," Sam said kindly. "We got this."

"I'll call with an update on Charley," Deeks promised the boys as he climbed into the back of the ambulance.

...

It was almost midnight by the time he finished giving his statement to the LAPD officers. They were the ones who informed him that Charley had regained consciousness, and had given them his full name. They had run it against missing kids and found his foster parents, who were on their way to the hospital. One officer said the kid was very surprised when they told him they were coming and had been frantically searching for him ever since he ran away.

He was sitting on the gurney in the exam room waiting for the results of his CT scan when Kensi walked in with a cup of coffee and a donut from the cafeteria.

"What about me?"

"What about you?" She replied.

"Where's my donut and coffee?"

"This is your coffee and donut. I ate mine in the elevator," she said with a small smile.

"Thanks, Kens. Guess getting beat up and thrown down a flight of stairs made me hungry."

"Well it didn't do much for your appearance," Kensi said as he bit into the donut. "You look much worse in the light."

"Just consider it an addition to my rugged charm."

"Who said you were rugged? Or charming for that matter," Kensi teased.

"Don't be mean to the wounded man, Kens," he said, and swallowed the last bit of his donut.

She moved to stand between his legs, reaching up to lightly touch the row of stitches above his right eye. When she finally rested her hands on his thighs, he saw a shimmer of tears in her eyes.

"I should have been there, Deeks."

"I know. I just wanted to find Kai and get this favor thing over with," he replied, getting off the gurney, and anxious to leave.

"The question is...what is this, baby? Who is so desperate to find that kid that they are willing to have a Federal agent killed?"

"Harry thinks it's about money," Deeks replied. "And I think Jasper Price knows more than he's telling. He may not have sent those guys to take me out, but I think he knows who did."

"I do too, Mr. Deeks," Hetty said as she stepped inside the exam room. "Which is why I am having him brought to the boat shed first thing in the morning, along with Ralph Mayne."

"Why not tonight?" Deeks asked.

"Because I think you should be there when I question them," she replied. "And right now you are in no shape to do so."

"Hetty, I..."

"Stop right there, Mr. Deeks," she said. "Have you looked in a mirror? You're injured, probably concussed, and from what your doctor told me, you have a broken rib."

"His scans are back?" Kensi asked.

"Yes, but I asked him to give me a minute," she replied. "I have news."

"What...what news?" Deeks asked.

"Mr. Callen called," she said gently. "Your friend, Phoebe McKinney, is dead. She was found floating in her pool. She'd been shot."

Deeks stumbled back against the gurney as tears blurred his eyes. "They killed her? Why? Why would they kill her? Kai wasn't even there."

"It's an ongoing investigation," Hetty said. "Mr. Callen is following up, and will update you when he knows something. I'm so sorry, Mr. Deeks."

"They must have put a tracker on my truck," he said. "I led them right to her."

"Deeks. This is not your fault," Kensi said, as she tried to take his arm.

He jerked free of her and put his hand up, warning her off. "Don't."

He didn't want anyone to touch him. Even Kensi. His emotions were too raw. Images of Phoebe exploded in his mind's eye. Memories long forgotten closed in on him. Teenage adventures, tearful confessions full of pain, and intimate explorations tumbled through his thoughts. He wanted to run, to escape the truth of Hetty's words. Phoebe couldn't be gone. She shouldn't be.

"I got her killed," his voice no more than a whisper. "She was beautiful. We went through so much together. I loved her...once...and now she's...she's gone."

"Deeks, baby," Kensi said gently. "Let me take you home. You're exhausted...you're in pain..."

"No. I have to see her."

"Mr. Deeks. You can't. It's an active crime scene. Go home. That's an order," Hetty said. "I'll have Callen come by to answer your questions. Take my Jaguar."

"Come on, baby. You don't want to see her that way," Kensi said.

"Yeah...no. You're right."

The doctor spoke to Kensi as they left, but Deeks was in his own world, one full of regret and confused feelings. The past seemed closer than the present. The shock and pain from her loss had hit his heart like a fist, knocking the air out of him, and he walked to the car in a fog. He paid no mind to his surroundings until Kensi pulled into a parking lot and he noticed the scent of the sea. Breakers hitting the sand in the dark, pulled him back to the present, and he climbed out of the car without hesitation when Kensi opened the door. He let her lead him out onto the beach, where he stepped out of his flip-flops, needing to feel the sand between his toes. It was cold, but he didn't care, the sound of the surf drew him forward, the ambient light from the massive city dimly highlighting the crests of the waves. They came one after the other, slapping the wet sand before running up the beach until they disappeared, rolling back out to repeat the sequence again and again, just like his memories of Phoebe.

He sank down and pulled his knees to his chest and stared out into the blackness beyond the waves. The memories were unrelenting and painful, but he felt a tinge of joy in there as well. She had brightened his life back then, and he had brightened hers. He had held her whenever she came to him, crying after one of her father's beatings, his comfort all she had. He'd told her she was strong, that she would survive. He told her she had to, because he needed her. Then they would make love as close to the edge of the water as they could, letting the waves wash over them until the pain faded, replaced by shared intimacy and hope. She had been a light in the lonely darkness that was his life then. Outwardly, he was the jokester, always laughing, but inwardly it was different and she was the only one who knew that. He realized now she had been drawn to that darkness, because it mirrored her own. He had fought his way free, but she never had and eventually she had succumbed to it. The empty darkness had won, and it made him sad.

Kensi sat down beside him in the sand, her presence comforting and real. "She never knew what happiness was, Kens. She could never grasp it...she tried...but she never found it."

Kensi didn't say a word. She rubbed his back and dropped her head on his shoulder. It brought tears to his eyes. He had lost a part of himself. An old friend. A lover. A woman he once thought the world of, but who had lost her true self along the way. Now all he felt was emptiness and a desire to find and punish her killer.

"Do me a favor Kens?"

"Anything."

"Help me find who did this," he said as he blinked back his tears. "It's all I can do for her now."

"Of course."

"And Kens? Thanks for this."

"I love you."

"Yeah. I know," he said as he turned to pull her close. "I love you too, Kens. You're my anchor in this crazy world."

"We'll find who did this, baby. It's what we do."

"Let's go home," he finally said. "I want to sleep. I want to forget about this day...even if it's just for a little while."

He stood up and looked out at the incoming breakers. "I think she's out there now...riding the righteous waves. It's the only place she found any joy."

"You brought her joy, too," Kensi said.

"But I wasn't enough."

"You are for me. More than enough."

He held her face and kissed her softly. Kensi was the joy he had sought all those years ago. She was his family now. The love of his life.

He watched a wave recede, sucked back out into the dark ocean, and he let his memories go with it. At least that was his hope.

...

...