The Family

Chapter 7

…

The day turned out to be warm. Not California warm but pleasing enough to go out without a heavy coat. He walked across the pasture toward the stand of aspens where several horses were grazing. He needed some alone time to process things, and Kensi had sent him a questioning look at the door but kissed him. A blessing he supposed.

Sheila raised her head as he approached and snorted, walking over to intercept him. The Appaloosa now renamed Crazy Horse followed her. She seemed irritated by it and turned her head to nip his shoulder when he got too close. It didn't deter him.

"Looks like you have an admirer, old girl," he said as she pressed her forehead against his chest.

He rubbed her ears as he stared at the vivid yellow of the aspens, their upper branches stark white against the startling blue sky. This had always been a place to gather his thoughts and still his mind, and today he needed that. The landscape allowed him to find some clarity.

He'd been prepared for pain when Soji approached with that red hot poker. His mind had been screaming in anticipation until Elan stepped in front of him. The flood of emotion had been overwhelming. He'd experienced so much unbelievable relief and joy that for a few moments he'd been unable to breathe. His fear had ended abruptly, replaced by a rush of gratitude as Elan took the man down. The protection he'd felt as Joe held him had been such a comfort that his adrenaline had faded away, leaving him feeling weak, but smiling. Elan and George had survived, and so had he. Now he needed to know the why of it all.

In the house, Callen had been on the phone with Eric, just on the edge of anxiety, asking the same questions over and over about the lack of intel uncovered. It had left Deeks agitated, which Sam noticed. He pushed him toward the door, telling him he'd give him a holler when they knew something, rolling his eyes as Callen pressed Eric about other avenues he could investigate.

Deeks thought he might be able to think things through out here, but the longer he stayed the more antsy he became. The angrier too. Elan was scouting the perimeter with Soldier, not wanting to risk the family being caught unawares. All of them were on edge and wary of any sound they heard, so a loud whistle shot through him like electricity. Sam waved to him from the fence line, and he immediately started jogging for the house, getting a parting whinny from Sheila.

"Find something?" He asked as Sam ushered him up the steps to the back door.

"Hetty called."

They all stood around the kitchen table staring at Hetty's face on someone's tablet. Smoldering looks of anger greeted him as she continued.

"It appears someone is trying very hard to find everything there is to know about Mr. Deeks," she began. "And they are using someone inside NCIS to do it."

"Seriously?"

"Good of you to join us, Mr. Deeks," she said. "As you know, I don't do jokes. And this is certainly no joke. Nell discovered that someone inside Naval Intelligence was communicating with an agent inside NCIS concerning your personnel file."

"Sonofabitch."

"I couldn't agree more."

"Any idea who they are, Hetty?" Callen asked.

"Nell is trying to find that out," she replied. "But on my orders, she quickly made every bit of information about Mr. Deeks inaccessible for the time being."

"But what if they've already gotten what they were after?" Joe asked. "Whatever the hell that is."

"We have to assume they are looking for weak spots and for connections," she said. "To all of you."

"So, these guys are highly organized, and have the resources to have someone inside Naval Intelligence on their payroll," Callen reasoned. "This didn't just happen. They must have been in place for a while. And undetected until now. But for what purpose?

"The question is…who else have they got on their payroll?" Sam asked.

"That would be the FBI…" Eric chimed in. "Well, I don't mean the whole FBI, but at least one of them that we know of."

"You are fucking kidding me," Joe hissed.

"If they secured any information on Mr. Deeks, they will most certainly find your name, Mr. Atwood," Hetty said.

"If CJ's still alive then they know I'm a sheriff," he replied. "But he didn't know my name."

"Come on, Joe. That won't be hard to find out. The sheriff's office isn't that big," Deeks said.

"I'm afraid we have to assume that whoever they are paying at the FBI might have already accessed your name, Joe," Hetty noted. "And where you live."

"That puts my whole family in danger," Joe looked stunned, and Deeks reached out and gripped his shoulder.

"We have to stop this, mon petite," Lily said.

"And we will, Lily. Nell and Eric are doing their best to trace the communications back to the source," Hetty replied said. "As soon as they know…we can shut them down."

"But do we want to do that? Shut them down, I mean?" Deeks asked. "Shouldn't we track them and let them lead us to whoever started this?"

"Fuck that. They're threatening my wife and kids, Marty," Joe snapped. "I'm not letting these bastards live long enough to get anywhere near them."

"He wasn't suggesting that we let them pass on the intel, Joe," Callen said. "But we do need to find out who is behind this. We need to get them all."

"We need to cut off the head of the snake and end this thing," Sam said. "Before they can attack again."

"Move them, Joe. Now," Lily said urgently. "Do not wait one more second. Get your family as far away from here as possible."

"She's right," Sam said. "When we find out who the traitor is at the FBI, we'll deal with him. But right now, we have to assume you and your family are already compromised. It's the only way to operate. Get your family somewhere safe."

"Like where?" Joe asked, suddenly looking bewildered. "And if they have my files than they already know who Deeks is, Elan and Lily too. We took down Scarabaeus, remember? It was the biggest story around here and in Europe for weeks. Hell, my fucking picture was in the local newspaper, with my family by my bedside at the hospital. We aren't exactly flying under the radar here."

"He's right," Hetty said. "We managed to minimize Mr. Deeks exposure with Interpol's cooperation, but…"

"We're all targets," Lily interrupted. "Je suis désolé, mes amis. I should never had lured him here. You do not deserve this."

"This has nothing to do with that," Deeks said gruffly. "Let it go Lily. This isn't one man we're fighting. This is an organization. A big one."

"We need to attack them before they attack us," Callen said. "Eric? Find at least one of those traitors. We'll take it from there."

"Meanwhile, Mr. Atwood, I believe I have a solution to your family situation," Hetty said. "I have a friend with a house on the northern coast of California in a place called Sea Ranch. It's remote, and the owner is a former operative, so they'll have protection, and your children will have an amazing beach to build sandcastles on. The weather is quite nice this time of year."

"Is he willing to take this on?" Joe asked.

"And is Di willing to go?" Kensi asked him. "You're asking her to take her kids across the country to a place she's never been and trust someone she doesn't know."

"Is he good people, Hetty?" Joe asked.

"Who said it was a 'he'," she replied. "Her name is Margaret. She's had many last names, but Margaret stuck. And, to answer your question, Joe. She's definitely good people, as are those close by."

"How many others are we talking about, Hetty?" Deeks asked.

"Enough. And did I mention…she's an amazing cook. Not quite as good as her son, but I'm sure he can be persuaded to pitch in with a couple of entrees here and there. He's a chef at a restaurant up the coast."

"Why am I not surprised you have the perfect hideout?" Sam said with a smile.

"I anticipated her place might be needed, so I made contact late last night," Hetty replied. "She needed no persuasion. The life of a former operative can get rather boring."

"I wouldn't mind being a little bored after yesterday," Deeks said softly.

"Don't think that's in the cards right now, Deeks," Sam said.

"Yeah…didn't think so."

"Should I tell Margaret to expect anyone else?" Hetty asked. "A couple of old horse breeders perhaps?"

"My dad…maybe, but Jim Littleshield? Now that would be a challenge. Jim doesn't do planes," Joe said. "I think they'll just drive up to the reservation. No one will find them up there. The Arapaho protect their own."

"I think Soldier should go with Di and the kids," Lily said, and Deeks could see the fear in her eyes. "Elan…we…we both need him safe."

"He won't like it," Deeks said.

"Then give him an assignment," Sam said. "Give him some responsibility. Show him that you trust him with something important. Put him in charge of protecting your kids, Joe…Little Chris and Joy."

"It would be tough for him to say no to that," Kensi said.

"I'll ask him," Joe said. "They're riding in right now, and they're not alone. It looks like they picked up a wandering game warden along the way."

"Henry Tarver," Deeks said. "Good guy."

Some years ago, the game warden had helped them track down a violent group of men who'd almost killed Deeks and Soldier, and who'd tried to frame Elan for murder. It had turned out that the same men had murdered Henry's brother. Deeks looked over at Kensi as he recalled how the first days of their honeymoon had turned into a nightmare. Henry Tarver had fought beside them. She mouthed "I love you", and he realized her thoughts had turned inward as well.

"Henry's got news," Elan said as he rushed inside.

"I see the gangs all here…again," Henry said, shaking hands with each one of them, but getting a kiss from Kensi.

"I think you made him blush, Kens," Deeks said.

"Not as much as I was blushing last night," he replied.

"Elaborate, old friend. You do something stupid?" Joe said.

"It is kind of embarrassing," he began. "I got called out early this morning, but I heard what happened, so as soon as I could I thought I'd come by and let Elan know someone was asking about him. You too, Deeks."

"What's the embarrassing part?" Deeks asked.

"I was having a burger and a beer at the Rustic Bar when a very attractive woman hit on me," he said, blushing again. "Not saying I'm unattractive, but let's just say that's not a common occurrence for me."

"I can believe that," Joe snorted a laugh.

"Shut up, Joe," Elan said. "This isn't funny."

Elan's sudden anger sobered them all, and Deeks noticed how worried Soldier looked.

"She did more than just flirt, didn't she?" Kensi said, getting a nod from Lily.

"I think she was trying to seduce me," he said, blushing bright red. "She was…is…very sexy, and hard to resist. Not that I was trying to. Remember…I'm up in those mountains for days. No companionship…just a horse and an occasional rendezvous with smelly hunters."

"We don't want to hear about your sordid lifestyle, buddy, just tell us what she wanted from you other than…you know…your bodily essence."

"Joe…" Elan growled.

"Eventually, after a few beers, she started asking if I knew any Indians," Henry said. "I thought it was an odd question…considering where her hand was at the time. So, despite all the beers, my cop senses locked in. I wasn't wearing my uniform, so she didn't know I was law enforcement, and I didn't tell her. As a game warden, I know when I'm being pumped for information. It sobered me up pretty damn quick, especially when she described Deeks. Said she'd seen him around and heard he had a brother who was an Indian…"

He blushed bright red again as he continued. "She asked if I liked kinky sex and suggested if I knew them, we could all get together and have…and I quote…'a fuck party'. And believe me, her description left nothing to the imagination."

"That's a classic honey trap," Callen said.

"Did you get her name? An address? Anything?" Lily asked, sounding like the former French Intelligence agent she was.

"She called herself Tilly. Not sure if that's really her name, but it's all she gave me," he said. "I asked where she was staying, but she put me off after I told her I didn't know any Indians or a hippy looking guy. But she did leave me her cell number when I told her I'd ask around."

"Well played," Deeks said.

"Do you know if she tried to seduce anyone else there last night?" Callen asked.

"I knew most of those guys. Most were locals. All hunters. Some outa town hunters there with their guides," Henry said. "Let's just say none of them want to get on my bad side by cutting in on my action."

"Is that what you call it?" Joe laughed.

"I call it pulling out all the stops to track Elan down," Deeks said. "They know where to look for Joe and they know who I am, but not Elan."

"I don't believe they know who George is either," Hetty said, drawing them back to the tablet on the table. "They are looking for connections, and so are we. This Tilly woman connects us to whoever is behind this. I think we should set up a little seduction of our own. The sooner the better. Call her Mr. Tarver, if you're willing to get involved in all this."

"Elan told me a little of what happened. Pissed me off. Sorry the bastards did that to you, Deeks," he said. "How's George doing?"

"Claims he's fine," Joe said.

"You up for this or not?" Callen asked, his eyes boring into the game warden's.

"I've gotten kinda fond of you crazy people in spite of Joe," Henry said with a brief grin. "Count me in. Not sure how good I'll be at seducing someone, but I'll give it a shot."

"Let's just hope nobody outed you as being some sort of a cop," Joe said with a smirk.

"Game wardens can handle themselves and you know it, Joe," Henry snapped.

"I think he is worried about you, mon ami," Lily said, patting Henry on the arm. "If this woman is working with the kind of people who have no problem torturing a man to get information, then she's not just some sex toy they are using. She's dangerous, so watch yourself."

"Got it. Now what's the plan?"

…

Deeks felt a sudden urge to take off…to ride Sheila as far away from all the turmoil as he could. Or maybe just take the truck and get lost on some backcountry road. His mind was spinning from all the complex planning going on, and the possibility that something bad would happen no matter what they did. He felt frustrated and pissed off. No one had asked for this. No one wanted any of this, but that didn't change the reality. They were up against something out of their control, fighting against shadowy people whose agenda they weren't privy to. And he was in the middle of it. Again. He was suddenly tired of it all. Tired of fighting against long odds…doing things he really didn't want to do but had to anyway. He was tired of bad guys. Tired of being shot at. Tired of getting the shit beat out of him and aching for days afterwards. They led a crazy life. One they had chosen for themselves. One that he was now seriously questioning once again. It was one thing to fight for his family, but when did he get to rest? He knew that was a selfish thought, but when would he and Kensi find peace? When would it make sense to actually have a child in their lives? Hanging upside down waiting to be tortured had scared the shit out of him. Everyone thought he was tough. But was he really? Why should anyone have to be that tough? Couldn't he just for once get a time out? A day? An hour even? Just for himself? Yeah…he was being selfish, and suddenly felt ashamed.

He hung his head as he leaned over the fence, letting the sounds of the day wash over him. Birds calling out their songs. Horses ripping up the fading tufts of grass. A lone red tail hawk's piercing cry as it sailed over the cottonwoods. All sounds of peace that he tried to soak in, hoping they would settle him down.

"You okay?"

Callen's voice made him jump. He hadn't heard him, and that wasn't good.

"Yeah…I guess."

"You're not though…are you?"

Callen leaned over the fence next to him, staring out over the pasture, his jaw working as if he had something to say.

"What?" Deeks asked wearily.

"You can sit this one out you know," Callen said. "No one would hold it against you."

"Yeah…right."

"I know you're not okay, Deeks. You're hurting and I'm pretty sure the torture you went through messed with your head."

Deeks didn't respond. He had no idea what to say because it was true.

"I know you think of everyone here as your family. They love you, and it's hard to step back from the people you love, even though sometimes you should. They'd understand if you did."

"You know I can't do that."

"And you know if your head's not in the game it's dangerous…for you and for everyone," Callen said, turning to stare at him.

"When have I ever let you down, Callen?" Deeks asked, angered by his suggestion. "Or anyone?"

"That's not what I'm saying," he replied and gripped his shoulder.

"Yeah? Well, it sure as hell sounded like you don't think I can do my job."

"This isn't your job we're talking about, Deeks. It's family," Callen said softly. "And that has its own traps to negotiate."

"What are you saying?"

"Emotions. They complicate things. Trust me. I know," he said. "They can lead to dangerous mistakes, and I don't want to see you get into a situation where you take risks that can get you killed."

"We take those risks every day," Deeks said. "And my emotions are involved every damn time. With Kensi. With Sam. With you. You and Sam are family too, G."

Callen leaned back over the fence and stared out at the horses. Deeks heard a soft chuckle and saw the man smirk and shake his head.

"You're hardheaded. You know that…right?" Callen said. "You're not going to step back, are you?"

"Not a chance. They tried to kill George…"

"And you."

"Callen…as much as I could use some me time right now…I can't be that selfish. Not now."

"Just promise me you won't do anything stupid…or crazy."

"You heard the game warden…this whole family is full of crazy people," Deeks said with a goofy grin that quickly faded. "What happened was crazy, G. And we're trying to make sense out of it."

"Crazy or cold blooded?" Callen murmured.

"Doesn't matter. I need to be in this fight…to the end."

"Okay…I'm with you, brother."

…

…