Proving Ground

Chapter 10

He was pissed. He hadn't anticipated this, but here he was, standing with a gun at his back and his hands tied, staring at Teague with questions in his eyes that couldn't be answered. He hadn't liked Teague from the beginning. Waking up to someone holding a gun on you is disturbing all by itself, but when it's someone supposedly on the same side, it just pisses you off. Sharing the trauma of watching a man thrown to his death had given them something in common, but that didn't mean they had become good buddies. He didn't expect the man to care what was happening to him like his own team would, but as they continued to stare at each other, he realized he might be wrong. Deeks could see concern in Teague's eyes, and it surprised him. He also saw anger, but he knew the agent wouldn't break cover to try and stop what was about to happen. That would be stupid crazy, and Teague was not a stupid man, although he thought he might be a little bit crazy, just not crazy enough to try and stop Sadik from kicking his ass. His attempt to play Max off as just a low life thug hadn't worked, but it was a reminder of the man's original assessment of him. As they'd both listened to Perez interpret the Turkish conversation between Yavuz and Sadik, he saw Teague's eyes narrow and his jaw tighten. There was encouragement there, but no immediate help. He was on his own, and that's when he looked at Yavuz. What he saw in his eyes was curiosity, and he decided to take a chance and share something real and personal.

"Fuck, man. I believed you," Max said, sounding disappointed. "I actually thought this was about your wife."

Sadik struck him, the barrel of the gun catching him just above the ear. He stumbled against the table, but didn't fall. He righted himself and let his anger show as he stared at Yavuz.

"I'm pretty sure I'm about to get the shit beat outa me, so I'm wondering…why did you even bother trying to make me believe this deal was about getting revenge for your wife's death?" Max persisted. "When really…it's just about the money."

Yavuz backhanded him across the mouth, and there was rage in his eyes. Deeks stood his ground, spitting blood at the man's feet. Sadik jerked him back, hustling him toward the door, but Yavuz held up his hand to stop him.

"You are wrong," he hissed.

"Am I?" Max asked. "When we first met, you asked me about the woman in my life. So let me tell you a little story. She was taken by a dirtbag trying to get back at me. The sonofabitch threatened to cut off her leg. I tracked that sick bastard down and shot him in the head. So I thought you were being honest when you talked about revenge, because that's something I understand."

"And the woman?"

"She survived," he said softly. "Love's funny, ain't it. Never expected it, but once you feel it, once it takes hold of you, it's like being high all the time."

"You are a strange man, Mr. Gentry."

"Why didn't you just tell me the truth?" he asked.

"I did. Alara was killed to punish me," Yavuz said. "Like you, I will have my revenge. That is what this is about. Not money. That is the truth."

"And I'm not a Fed, man," Deeks said. "Beating me up won't change that."

"You cannot take his word for it, Berat," Sadik insisted, but Yavuz didn't acknowledge him, and continued to stare into Max Gentry's eyes.

"All right, Max. I will give you a reprieve for now," he finally said. "My people are vetting both of you as we speak. I will have their report this afternoon. If they find any discrepancies, I will turn you over to Ali, and he will have my permission to do as he pleases with you. Do you understand?"

"Does that mean I get to have lunch?" Max asked, with a cocky grin.

"Of, course. What kind of host would I be if I let you die hungry?" Yavuz said, smiling as if he were the most generous man in the world.

"It will be your last meal," Sadik growled into his ear.

"Always the optimist, yeah Ali?"

The doors to Ops slid open as Mosley came in, her heels clicking sharply on the floor. Eric jumped, but Hetty simply turned and confronted her.

"Mr. Beale and Nell need to be involved in this case," Hetty said, her anger plain. "I've been monitoring the comms and Deeks' alias needs to be strengthened and updated."

"I'm not sure I agree, Hetty," she replied. "This was supposed to be a test of Deeks' abilities as an undercover operator without any help from your team. I assumed his backstory was up to date."

"And we all assumed this test would not involve a real case with dangerous consequences," Hetty said harshly. "You've already lost a man to these barbarians. Are you so stubborn that you are willing to risk losing two more?"

Mosley looked uncertain for the first time, and Nell decided to step in. "We'd like to add that Max Gentry was detained in connection with a shooting involving his girlfriend. Along with a police report that shows there was not enough evidence to file charges."

"And we should update his backstory, too," Eric quickly added. "His prison stint in Nevada isn't in there. If someone is looking into his record, that'll be a big red flag."

"And what if Yavuz' people have already gone through his background?" Mosley asked smugly. "Wouldn't its sudden appearance also be a red flag?"

"Uhh…I already checked…I know I wasn't supposed to, but…" Eric stammered.

"And?" Mosley asked.

"No one's checked on him…at least not yet," he replied.

"Let me get this straight," Mosley said. "After I expressly forbid your team from getting involved with Deeks' undercover assignment, you disobeyed my orders, and have been checking on him and this case on your own? Is that correct."

"Not quite," Hetty said. "They did so at my request. I'm still the Operations Manager and as I've said before…Mr. Deeks is my agent. It's my job to see that he's protected."

"And you didn't think I would?"

"Honestly? No. I did not."

"Not pulling any punches are you, Hetty?"

"Not now. Not when my agent and yours are very close to being taken out and shot or worse," Hetty replied. "I don't have access to Mr. Teague's legend, but I certainly hope it's airtight. Because if either one is suspect, then that man Yavuz will cut his losses and toss them both out with the garbage."

"All right. Do what you have to," Mosley said in a clipped, irritated tone. "But nothing more. Am I being clear, Hetty?"

"Oh, I understand you completely," she replied.

Eric didn't even wait for her to be out the door before he began furiously typing on his keyboard. Nell quickly became engrossed in searching for anyone looking into Max Gentry.

"Do you think they might hack LAPD's files?" She suddenly asked. "If those records list Max Gentry as an alias…"

"Is there anything you can do to prevent that?" Hetty interrupted.

"Hack 'em before they do," Eric said, shooting a sly smile at them both.

"Then do it, Mr. Beale…

"With pleasure."

"Let me know how it goes, Nell," Hetty said. "I'll be in the burn room."

"You're not going to stay out of this, are you Hetty?" Nell asked quietly.

"No, my dear, I am not."

She picked up a couple of files on her way out the door and headed quickly downstairs. When she reached the burn room, she shut and locked the door, and pulled out her phone.

"Mr. Callen? I'm sending you the address of Berat Yavuz's home," she said. "Deeks and Teague are there. Mosley's team is on overwatch."

"And you don't trust them," he replied.

"I'm quite sure they're capable," she said. "I'm just not sure there are enough of them if they have to go in."

"Is Deeks okay?"

"They suspect he's an agent, and have threatened to torture him to find out for certain."

"Hetty…"

"He's okay for now, Mr. Callen. He managed to talk himself out of it. At least for the moment."

"Guess that shouldn't surprise us," Callen said.

"No, it should not. However, I have the Wonder Twins beefing up Max Gentry's legend," she told him. "Yavuz have someone checking up on him and on Mr. Teague."

"Does Mosley know?"

"Yes, but she doesn't know I'm sending you and Mr. Hanna to watch her team."

"We'll be listening on comms, so if they go, we go," he said.

"Exactly, and don't let them catch you watching, Mr. Callen," She said. "I'm sure they've been warned about you."

"Mosley has us doing clean up on old cases," Callen said. "I think our phones are going to spend a long, lazy afternoon at Arkady's house."

"I just hope he doesn't answer one of them if she calls," she said.

"I don't know, Hetty. That could be a very interesting conversation," Callen replied, with one of his lighthearted chuckles.

"And quite possibly lead to the end of your career at NCIS."

"If it is, maybe I'll go into the bar business with Deeks," he laughed.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Mr. Callen," she said. "We need to make sure Mr. Deeks survives this clusterfuck before he dives into what might well be another one."

"We've got his back, Hetty," he replied. "What about Kensi?"

"Mosley sent her down to Camp Pendleton for a refresher course on something or other," Hetty said with disdain.

"I'm not feeling any Mosley love from you right now," Callen said.

"If there ever was any, Mr. Callen, her treatment of Mr. Deeks and our team has irreparably damaged any possibility of a respectful relationship."

"After this is over, we all may be working at Deeks' bar," Callen snarked.

"Only if I'm in charge of product procurement," she replied. "A good bar needs good liquor."

"And you don't trust Deeks to buy top shelf?"

"You can buy the beer and I'll buy the hard stuff."

"And Deeks?"

"Smiles and charm and a whole lot of blarney," she laughed. "Also important for a successful bar."

"I'll drink to that."

"Now go keep him safe, Mr. Callen."

The small talk at lunch only added to the tension he was feeling, but the food was good. It turned out Teague was an excellent bullshitter, and apparently a wine connoisseur. He talked about the small vineyard that surrounded his summer villa in Umbria, which Deeks assumed was a figment of the man's vivid imagination. Yavuz seemed to enjoy their conversation, but Sadik simply glowered as he picked at his Turkish meatballs.

"You have been quiet, Gentry," Yavuz said. "Are you worried we might uncover your lies?"

"Nothing to uncover. Still not a Fed…but I am curious," Max replied. "Who hates you so much they would kill your wife? What the hell did you do?"

Sadik slammed his fist on the table and stood up, his face dark with rage. "There is no reason to ask that unless you are an agent."

"Again…I'm not. But what difference does it make if I know?" Max asked. "I'm your prisoner. I'm unarmed. You hold all the cards, man."

"Sit down, Ali," Yavuz ordered. "He's right. If we find out he's an agent you can kill them both."

"And when you find out I'm not, it would help if we knew who we were up against," Max said. "You know…in case they decide to take those missiles away from you."

"Gentry has a point, Signore Yavuz," Benedetto said. "What harm can there be? Unless it is something you are not proud of, but of course that makes no difference to me."

"You are a rude man, Benedetto," Yavuz said coldly.

"Like I said…he's Italian," Max said.

"Have you ever met any Italians, stupido idiota," Benedetto snapped, obviously feeling the tension.

"Just a couple of mob guys when I was in Chicago a few years back," Max said, keeping his voice flat and unemotional to try and calm him down. "They weren't all sophisticated like you. No vineyards or villas, just broken noses and hair-trigger tempers."

"I thought you were in prison a few years ago," he shot back without thinking.

"You're right, Mr. Yavuz. He is a rude sonofabitch," Max said, shocked by his comment.

"Is this true, Max?" Yavuz asked. "It appears you are not as careful as you would like us to believe."

Max was pissed big time now. What the hell was Teague doing, leaving him hanging like that? He had no idea if his fake prison stay was even a part of his backstory, and if it was, what crime he supposedly committed. He glared at Teague, who was studiously staring into his salad.

"I didn't fuck up a job, if that's what you want to know," he finally said. "And Benny knows that. He's just pissed at me because you think I'm a Federal agent and it could get him killed. Isn't that right, Benny?"

"Do not call me that," He spit out. "I told you in Vegas to address me with respect or I would never work with you again."

"And yet, here we are," Max sneered, picking up on his spin. "Just like Vegas, this job was too tempting wasn't it? And damn if you don't like a challenge, not to mention the money. And when I called, you came, asshole."

"Working with you is the only challenge I will face on this job," Benedetto said. " I wish you were a Fed."

"Seriously? You do know they'll kill you too, right asshole?" Max asked, letting his anger and frustration out. "If I'm a Fed, why didn't I bust you in Vegas? What? No answer for that one. If I had been a Fed I woulda had a shiny gold star in Washington if I'd wrecked that party. How much you make off that, Benny? Huh? How much? And who covered your tracks so you could do your disappearing act?"

"That's enough," Yavuz snapped. "Go take a walk, Gentry. My daughter Emiri is taking her tennis lesson. Go watch the bouncing ball and calm down while I talk to Mr. Benedetto. Sadik's men will make sure you behave yourself."

"Sure, boss," Max said, shoving his chair back and throwing his napkin down as he glared at Benedetto.

He blew out a couple of breaths as he walked away, trying to ease back on the anger he had released. Two armed guards followed him as he headed down the stone steps. They're improv seemed to have worked. He was still alive and so was Teague, but if and when they got out of this, the two of them were going to have words. Angry ones. Teague's mistake had almost cost them their lives, but the man had recovered nicely and bringing up Vegas had given him a storyline to follow. It was all done on the fly, and it had worked, at least for now. What made him nervous was his suspicion that Teague had been rattled by Yavuz's accusation that he was a Fed. The agent's mind hadn't been focused, or he would never have brought up the prison stint. It also made him think Mosley hadn't given him all the details on the initial fake undercover assignment. Teague had assumed it had been in Max Gentry's backstory all along, when it wasn't. One thing he'd learned from working with Callen and the team was that you never assume anything.

He followed the hollow sound of a bouncing tennis ball, cutting past the pool on a path through manicured hedges and well-tended flowers. He saw the fenced courts down below through a row of white dogwood trees, and was once again taken by the beauty and seeming innocence of Tavuz's daughter. How would she survive the takedown of her father? She would be totally alone, and that bothered him. He stopped to watch her serve, and listened to her joyful shout when the ball sailed past her opponent's racket. She raised her arms in celebration before trotting to center court to shake his hand. Another man joined them, and Deeks stopped in shock as the two men suddenly grabbed her arms and yanked her over the net.

"Sonofabitch," he huffed out. "They're kidnapping her."

And then he was running, shouting her name and cursing the men who were dragging her toward the far gate that led off court. The guards were following close behind and one fired his weapon.

"Stop firing! You might hit her," He shouted as he leaped over a hedge and slammed through the corner gate and onto the court.

Emiri screamed, and was desperately fighting the men trying to take her. She looked back at him and there was fear in her eyes, but anger too as the men began to overpower her. He leaped the net just as one of them fired, and he felt the searing impact of the bullet as it tore through the muscle of his left arm, throwing him off balance. The guard running behind him fired and the shooter fell. Deeks briefly staggered, but kept going. The other assailant had Emiri by the neck, shielding himself from the gunfire as he yanked her through the gate. Deeks never broke stride, he just plowed into both of them, knocking them to the ground. The attacker lost his grip on the girl and she fought free when Deeks hit the man, breaking his nose. He kept hitting him until someone pulled him off.

"Is she okay?" He asked. "Emiri? You okay?"

He turned to see her wrapped in the arms of her father, who was staring back at him with wide, cold dark eyes full of rage. Sadik shoved past him, a cruel looking knife in his hand.

"Don't you want to know who he is?" Max asked, realizing he was going to kill him.

"We know who sent them," Yavuz said in a voice choked with venom.

"You're hit," Benedetto said, breathless when he reached him.

Max looked down at the blood streaming from the wound, coating his bare arm and soaking into his t-shirt. Struggling to catch his breath, he searched for the guard who had taken out the shooter.

"Fuck, man…You saved my life and I don't even know your name."

"My name is Selim," the man said softly.

"I owe you."

"No, my friend," Yavuz said as he came up beside him. "It is I who owe you. You risked your life for my Emiri. Why?"

"They were hurting her," he breathed out.

Yavuz stared at him as if trying to read the truth in his simple answer, but finally nodded and turned to the young guard.

"Selim. Please take my daughter to her room and stay with her."

The young man nodded and moved to escort her, but she stepped away and walked past him to Max, hugging and thanking him through her tears. When she was gone, he suddenly felt weak in the knees, partially from shock and blood loss, but also from the knowledge that he would betray them all as soon as the missiles were located. Teague must have sensed his misgivings, because he quickly took his good arm and led him over to a bench and sat him down.

"The police will come," Sadik said to him as he wiped blood from his knife. "You will tell them you killed him with this knife in order to protect Emiri."

"No, Sadik," Yavuz said. "It will complicate things. Omer here can have that honor. He saw what happened and if the police hold him for a while it will not effect our plans."

"What about your daughter?" Benedetto asked. "Will she lie for you?"

"She will understand my reasons," Yavuz said. "She was with her mother when she was killed. She will do what is necessary."

"Who were these guys?" Max asked.

"They belong to a group of Turkish terrorists," he replied. "They are known as the Grey Wolves. I will explain more at another time. Now, you must take care of yourself."

"I'll drive him to the hospital," Benedetto said. "It is the least I can do after our argument."

"If we hadn't argued, I wouldn't have been sent down here, and Emiri would be gone," Max reasoned. "We got lucky."

"It is you who are lucky, Max. You were unarmed," Yavuz said. "Yet you did not stop even after you were hit. I saw you. Only a brave man does this."

"I couldn't let 'em take her," Max said. "I've been through that, and I wasn't gonna let it happen again."

"My men have brought your car to the back entrance," Sadik said. "You should go now, before the police arrive."

"Yeah, the cops are the last guys I want to see right now," Max said, catching Teague's slight smile.

"I have a feeling they don't like you," Benedetto said.

"You have no idea."

Teague picked up a small towel and tied it around his arm to staunch the blood flow, and then helped him to his feet. By the time they reached the car, the towel was deep red and Deeks was stumbling over his own feet. The shrill sound of the approaching sirens hurt his head, and he mumbled something as Teague helped him into the car.

"You're slurring your words, Deeks. Say again," Teague said as he slid behind the wheel.

"Can't take me to the hospital," he murmured. "Gunshot wounds are reported, remember?"

"But you need a doctor, Deeks," he said. "You're bleeding pretty bad."

"Worried Mosley might ding you for the damage to the upholstery?" Deeks asked, groaning as he gingerly pulled his wounded arm across his stomach.

"I'm not the one who let himself get shot," Teague said with a grin.

"Yeah…probably my fault," He replied weakly.

"Just rest, Deeks," he said. "Don't worry about the upholstery. We'll expense it."

"Awesome," he whispered, as Teague grabbed his leather jacket from the backseat and covered him with it. "Thanks, brother."

As soon as Teague had them on the road he had his phone out and was talking to who he assumed was Mosley. Everything was getting a little dim, so Deeks wasn't sure he cared. It felt as if there were a red-hot poker in his arm, but the rest of his body felt clammy and chilled, and he was fighting the urge to vomit. He was going into shock, so he wasn't paying much attention to the babble on the comms until one voice came through sharply.

"Mr. Deeks? Stay awake will you?" Hetty said loudly. "I've sent my address to Mr. Teague's phone. It's close by, and a medical team will be waiting."

"Awesome."

It seemed to be the only word he could manage to say as the world floated past in a blurring fog.

Callen and Sam had been listening to everything over comms as they drove up into the hills to the Yavuz estate. Sam could see Callen's frustration growing the longer they listened in on the conversation going on over lunch. Not being able to say anything for fear of alerting Mosley to where they were was becoming more difficult the longer they listened. They pulled in down the street from a utility van, and it wasn't hard to determine that it was Mosley's overwatch team. Sam pointed out the landscapers, Eric having sent names and photos along with a brief bio on each man.

When Teague called Deeks on his comment about when he was in Chicago, leaving him open to being caught in a lie, Callen clinched his fist in anger. If Deeks couldn't talk his way out of Teague's misstep, they might not be able to reach them in time to save them. Sam nudged his partner when Teague and Deeks began riffing about Vegas, giving Callen a thumbs up in approval when it appeared that their distracting argument had worked. The silence after Deeks was sent off to the tennis courts had given them the opportunity to relax from some of the tension they were feeling. Deeks' shouts and the sound of multiple gunshots shattered that calm.

"What the hell?" Sam whispered, unable to stop himself.

Callen gripped his arm as they listened to Deeks curse and then cry out. Sam would have been out of the car in a heartbeat if Callen hadn't held him back. Hearing Deeks' voice after he rescued the girl made them both let out a sigh of relief, but that was short lived. Deeks had been hit, and that changed everything. Callen listened only briefly before digging the com-link out of his ear, and Sam did the same.

"The security gate is closing, G," Sam said. "You think this is part of an attack?"

"They would have already hit the gate if it were," he replied as he punched Hetty's number into his new burner phone. "Hetty? Can you talk? Deeks was hit."

"I know, Mr. Callen," she replied calmly. "I'm at home monitoring the situation. A hospital is out of the question, so I'll have him brought here. Nell is sending a medical team."

"How does Mosley feel about that?" Callen asked.

"She's not happy, but she agreed it was the best solution," Hetty replied. "Any activity by Mosley's team?

"The two agents posing as landscapers are packing up, and the utility truck is pulling away now."

"Well at least they kept their heads on straight and didn't charge in with guns blazing."

"You said you thought they were capable," Callen said, smiling at the tone of her comment.

"I think they were caught off guard, as were we, by the sudden turn of events," she replied.

"Hetty…we're coming to you," Callen said. "I'm not sitting on the sidelines any longer."

"You do understand that it could cost you your job, Mr. Callen," she said.

"I don't care, Hetty," he replied with angry intensity. "I'm not leaving this to Mosley and some team I don't know. We know Deeks, and his skills. We need to be the ones on overwatch."

"I'll be waiting, Mr. Callen."

Sam drove slowly past the estate as several police cars arrived. As soon as he was in the clear, he roared up the street and hit Mulholland Drive, heading over the top, taking smaller, winding roads that would lead him to Topanga Canyon Road.

"You okay with the risk we're taking if we get involved?" Callen asked.

"Hell yes," Sam said. "It's time someone who cares has Deeks' back."

"Had to ask," Callen said. "We might all get fired over this and end up working at Deeks' bar."

"Hell no," he grumped. "Okay…maybe. But only on weekends."

"You can be the bouncer," Callen said, smiling over at him.

"I'm a sommelier, G."

"Come on, Sam. It's Deeks' dark, hole in the wall dive bar," Callen smirked. "What the hell would he do with a sommelier?"

"Some people go to a bar and order wine, G," Sam said, picking up speed as he headed down Topanga Canyon Road. "Knowing Deeks, he'll have a ladies' night, and some of those ladies might just like a nice, crisp Sauvignon Blanc, instead of one of your pricey, obscure beers from who the hell knows where."

"Okay, okay, I agree," Callen said. "But how are you going to handle Deeks being your boss?"

"Like the pain in the ass it'll be, " Sam laughed. "But right now, we need to get him through this mess first."

"He'll be okay, Sam."

"He better be."

They stayed silent after that, and pulled up into Hetty's driveway to find a medical van in the garage and Mosley waiting outside. She did not look pleased when she saw them. Callen was the first one out, walking right up to Mosley and not even trying to disguise his anger.

"I thought I ordered you to stay out of this, Agent Callen," she said.

"You did, but I'm not," he said, barely sounding civil. "Not after what happened today."

"And how do you know about that?" She demanded.

"I was there. I heard Deeks get shot," Callen snapped.

"We both did," Sam said as he stepped up beside him.

"Now is not the time, people. They're here," Hetty said as she walked out of the open garage door and pointed down the street.

A silver Mercedes roared into the driveway with the surveillance van not far behind. The van parked on the street and the members of Mosley's team poured out, while Teague hurried around to the passenger side where Deeks' head slumped against the window. Sam reached the door first, and put his hand on Teague's chest, his expression daring him to try something.

"Stand down. I got this," Sam said forcefully.

"This is our op," McFadden said loudly from behind, making the mistake of grabbing Sam's shoulder.

Sam spun around and shoved him hard into the arms of his team. "Back off. Deeks is one of ours."

Callen pulled Sam away as Teague opened the car door.

"Better listen, boys," Deeks said weakly. "Sam Hanna loves to kick ass."

"What about me, Deeks?" Callen asked as he squatted beside him. "I've been known to kick a few butts from time to time."

"Yeah, but…Wait…are you supposed to be here?" Deeks asked, grimacing in pain as he attempted to get out of the car.

Sam knelt down, reaching in to gently squeeze his shoulder. "Easy, Deeks. Just take a minute."

"Yeah, no…but I need out, guys," Deeks said. "Benny's driving is worse than Hetty's. I almost heaved."

"You were losing blood, you twit," Teague said.

As they helped him from the car, Sam noticed how pale he was and felt the clamminess of his skin, shooting a worried look at Callen. Once he was on his feet he seemed disoriented, and Sam quickly pulled his arm across his shoulders, bearing Deeks' weight as he sagged between them.

"I got you," Sam said.

"Thanks, brother," Deeks said softly. "Don't make this weird, but you guys look damn good."

"I think he missed us, Sam," Callen said.

"Nothing weird about that," Sam said. "We're a team."