Proving Ground

Chapter 16

Callen felt as if he were in a standoff. Everyone had taken their shot, and now stood in their own corner, wounded by words that couldn't be taken back and emotions that were hard to control. Small differences each one had once generously accepted about the others had now become hardline positions to defend. Ultimatums and accusations had touched tender, unresolved issues and had led to fractures in his once solid team. The trust that had once been firm ground now felt like quicksand. Although he had always been something of a lone wolf, he had always counted on the team being there when he came back in from the cold. Now he wasn't sure if the team would survive if the discord over this mission wasn't resolved.

Sam had drawn a hard line in the sand and challenged Deeks to cross it, and that had surprised him. Sam saw most things in black and white, good or bad. Agents had been killed and it had angered him. He would do whatever it took to bring down the men responsible. Callen would too, and so would Kensi and Deeks, but Sam hadn't taken into account Deeks' deep need to protect the girl. As much as he wanted to support his partner, he understood Deeks' feelings as well. What they were asking was dangerous for her, especially if Mosley followed through on her plan to have her present when they sprung the trap on her father.

When Sam had told him that Emiri wouldn't do anything until she talked to Max Gentry, Callen had thought it might make Mosley realize how critical Deeks had been and still was to the mission, and admit how good he was as an undercover operative. If she had just agreed to face Deeks herself, and ask him to talk to the girl, this conflict wouldn't have happened. Now they had taken sides, and Deeks had naturally assumed he was on Sam's, and that bothered him even though he understood the reason. Kensi had looked startled by the animosity that seemed to have blown up out of nowhere, and it wasn't hard to read what her flashing eyes signaled. She was angry and defensive, but also hurt. The look she shot at Sam and then at him was a reminder that she had also connected with Emiri and was angry at what she saw as unwarranted hostility toward her partner.

"We're all on the same side, Deeks," Callen finally breathed out.

"Are we? Because it sounded an awful lot like Sam's side was the only option," Deeks said.

"We all want to take down Yavuz and Sadik, and we all want Emiri to be safe," Callen continued.

"It's just a phone call, Deeks," Sam said, and Callen looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"That true, Callen?" Deeks asked, having read his expression easily.

"Is it, Sam?" Callen asked, irritated that he was holding back what he had told him earlier.

"For now, yes," he replied. "If Deeks talks to her. If not, then the only person talking to her is Mosley. Is that what you want Deeks?"

"What I want is the truth," Deeks said. "And I'm curious as to why you won't share what the plan really is. Because after working with Mosley on this op, nothing is a simple phone call with that woman."

"Like I said…she wants you to convince Emiri to call her father," Sam replied.

"And then what, Sam? And don't tell me you don't know," Deeks thundered.

"Deeks…" Kensi said, reaching out to touch him. "Sam wouldn't lie to us."

"Really? You sure about that? Because I'm pretty damn sure he's not telling us everything," Deeks said.

"I'm heading back to the boat shed," Sam said. "You can let Mosley scare the crap out of that girl and threaten to send her to jail, or you can come with me and talk to her and help her through this. What's it gonna be, Deeks?"

Callen saw the same look in Deeks' eyes he'd seen the first night of this op, when the two of them had roughed him up in that alley on Mosley's orders. After Sam had hit him he'd closed himself off, just as he was doing now, looking wary and disheartened, as if he'd been abandoned. Callen had seen the same look on the faces of some of the kids he'd met in foster homes, and he knew that behind it all was anger. Sam had backed him into a corner and he felt betrayed, and Callen felt for him.

"Sam…"

"You coming or not, Deeks?" Sam said, cutting off his partner as he stared at Deeks.

Deeks didn't say anything, he just removed the IV line and got out of bed. He pushed Kensi's hand off his arm as she tried to help him, never saying a word. Callen turned to stare at his partner, unsure what the hell was going on with him, but whatever it was it pissed him off. He could feel the team disintegrating around him, everyone trying to navigate the unfamiliar waters they found themselves in. By the time Deeks was dressed everyone had retreated into silence.

One of the interns came in and tried to talk him into staying, but Sam rebuffed him. The man finally insisted that Deeks needed to be outfitted with a sling, and when that was done and he signed himself out, the silence returned until Sam spoke.

"You can ride shotgun this time, Deeks," he said lightly, but his attempt to mollify the situation fell flat.

Deeks just shook his head and walked past him, only to stop when two tactical agents walked off the elevator.

"Wow," Deeks said, smiling sadly as he turned to look at Sam. "Want to put me in cuffs, too?"

"What the hell are you doing here," Sam asked as he confronted the two.

"Assistant Director Mosley's orders," one replied.

"Lots of people following orders now days," Deeks said softly.

"This isn't necessary," Callen said. "He already agreed to come to the boat shed with Sam."

"We're not taking him to the boat shed," the other agent said.

"Then where the hell are you taking him?" Kensi snapped.

"Not at liberty to say, ma'am," the agent said.

"We'll follow you then," Sam said.

"Can't allow that either, Agent Hanna," the agent replied. "I was informed that your team is no longer involved in this case."

"Mosley sent me here to get Deeks," Sam argued. "What the hell changed between then and now?"

"You'll have to ask her that, Agent Hanna," he replied. "Right now we have orders to bring in Detective Deeks."

"Got an arrest warrant in one of those pockets?" Deeks asked. "Or is this a black op?"

"Come with us, Detective," the man said calmly. "Or I will cuff you."

"Awesome."

Callen had to physically stop Sam before he did something he would regret, but he was pretty sure he was regretting a lot right now. All they could do was watch them lead Deeks away. He looked back at them before they ushered him on the elevator, a stark look of resignation and betrayal on his face.

"What the hell is going on, Sam?" Kensi asked, her anger full blown.

"I honestly don't know, Kens," he replied softly.

Callen quickly got on the phone with Hetty, but Kensi was already headed down the hall toward the stairs. Sam just stood there dumbfounded.

"Hetty? You still have Eric and Nell on speed dial?" He asked in a rush.

"What's happened, Mr. Callen?"

"Mosley sent tactical agents to pick up Deeks," he replied as he headed toward the elevators. "We need them to track their vehicle. They wouldn't say where they were taking him."

"That woman is her own worse enemy," she replied. "For whatever reason, she's cutting him off from his support system again."

"Not sure Deeks thinks of us that way anymore, Hetty," Callen said.

"Why do you say that, Mr. Callen?"

"Later. Right now, we need to track him," he replied as he watched to see where the elevator stopped.

"Eric and Nell are at the house with me," she replied. "Get me any information you can."

Callen ended the call and saw his angry partner on the phone.

"They're in the basement, Kensi," Sam said, and then looked up at him. "Mosley didn't trust me, G."

"And now Deeks doesn't," Callen replied curtly. "But that's a conversation for another time. Let's go."

The two men raced down the stairs, reaching the garage to find Kensi behind a concrete pillar with her phone to her ear.

"I just gave Nell the license number," she reported. "Black SUV."

"The Challenger's just up here," Sam said, but Kensi didn't move.

"Kens?" Callen said gently.

"Was this part of the plan, Sam? And don't you dare lie to me," she spit out.

"Of course not, Kens. I wouldn't do that to him," he replied quietly.

"Really? That's hard to believe after the way you treated him upstairs," she said, her loud voice bouncing off the concrete.

"I didn't want it this way, Kens," he said. "That's why I asked Mosley to let me come and get him. He needs to talk to that girl. It's the right thing to do."

"He thinks you're on Mosley's side," she said quietly. "You hurt him, Sam."

He looked away from her, his hands on his hips and his head down, their argument interrupted by the ringing of Callen's phone.

"I got 'em," Eric said. "They're headed south on the 110."

"Copy that. Keep us posted," Callen said, looking over at Sam and then Kensi as he ended the call. "You two done?"

They both nodded, following Callen as he hurried toward the Challenger.

"You're not taking me to the airport, are you fellas? I know we're close. I can see the great big airplanes and everything," Deeks said from the back seat. "I hope so, cause I've always wanted to go to Hawaii. No? No Hawaii? Okay. What about Cabo or Baja? Great surfing down there. Course we'll have to rent boards. You guys surf?"

"Do you always talk this much?" the driver asked.

"Just trying to keep the dialog going," he replied. "Oh right, you guys don't like to talk…at all…about anything. Just doing your jobs and keeping the faith."

If he didn't keep talking nonsense he felt as if he might explode. He was having a hard time keeping his anger tamped down, and his mind was racing a bazillion miles an hour as he sifted through all the bullshit from Sam and what Mosley was putting him through again. If Emiri wasn't at the end of this little excursion, he was going to do some serious damage to the nose of one of these two bozos.

"Are we there yet?" He asked as they transitioned from the 110 to the 105.

He continued to babble on until they dropped off into an industrial area in Hawthorn. He was practically vibrating with simmering anger when they finally entered a one story parking structure beside an import/export company and parked. The garage was empty except for a tactical agent standing beside a white sedan.

"What's up, fellas?"

"Out, Detective Deeks," Bozo Number Two ordered as he yanked the door open.

"Not enough jokes?" He asked with a cocky grin. "Cause I have more if you'd like to hear 'em. Might help your sense of humor…which obviously you two clowns seem to lack."

The men didn't say a word as they walked him to the car and opened the back door. Bozo Number One shoved him inside and got in beside him, while Bozo Number Two joined the new agent up front.

"Come on. Are you seriously afraid we're being tailed?" Deeks asked, giggling at the absurdity of this whole crazy ride. "Mosley must be getting pretty damn paranoid to pull a car switch."

"Apparently, your team can't seem to keep their nose out of her business," the driver said.

The comment unleashed his anger, and he leaned forward until he was right beside the man's ear.

"Her business? This isn't business, you fuck. It's life and death. It's about a teenage girl being forced into the middle of a war. Just to clarify…I'm not part of a team anymore so you don't have to worry about anyone following your little one car circus parade."

The agent beside him pulled him back and he struggled to control himself as they drove out of the garage. He retreated into silence, his humor gone, replaced by mounting anger and increased distrust of a woman without patience and little concern for what her actions might lead to.

He began to notice the number of turns the driver made, and wondered if they were right about possibly being followed. They certainly were taking precautions to make it difficult. Kensi might have tried. That made sense, but not Callen, and definitely not Sam. Even if Kensi had tried to track him, the car switch would have ended her attempt. He smiled softly at the thought, though. She had stood by him during his confrontation with Sam, not that it mattered now. Now, he had to focus on keeping Emiri safe.

They finally pulled through the gate in a chain link fence surrounding what had once been a used motorcycle sales lot, which according to the faded sign had been named Varoom. Mosley's sports car was parked close to the entrance to the sales office and a couple of SUVs blocked a roll up door to the repair shop. As he stepped out of the car, he thought how scared Emiri must be to be brought to such a place, isolated and cut off from anything familiar and everyone she cared about. He realized Sam had been right. He did need to be here to help her through this. But he was still pissed about the subterfuge and now the heavy-handed way they had gone about getting him here.

"Hey, Deeks," McFadden called out from the sales office as the driver grabbed his arm and attempted to pull him forward.

Deeks angrily jerked his arm free, cussing as the guy laid hands on him again. His arm was suddenly wrenched behind his back and he was shoved roughly down onto the trunk of the car. Bright shards of pain radiated across his chest as his wounded arm and broken rib made contact, and he couldn't hold back a gruff scream.

"What the fuck are you doing?" McFadden yelled as he shoved the man off him. "He's one of us, dickhead."

"The Three Stooges here are not fun guys," Deeks gasped out as McFadden helped him to stand. "Didn't appreciate my brilliant sense of humor either."

"It is an acquired taste," Teague said as he joined them. "Sorry about all this. I told Mosley it wasn't necessary, but she wasn't sure she could trust Agent Hanna to do the job."

"Oh, no worries there," Deeks said. "He drank the Kool-Aid."

"If she had told me, I could have brought you here myself," Teague said.

"Sounds like she doesn't trust you much either," Deeks said as he took a tentative step away from the car. "Have you seen Emiri? Is she okay?"

"I haven't seen her, but Mosley assures me she's fine," Teague said. "She asks for you constantly."

"You mean Max Gentry," Deeks said.

"Mosley's waiting to brief you," he replied. "And she's rather irritated she needs Max to get through to the girl."

"Emiri has to be scared out of her mind, Benny," Deeks said.

"Yes, she is," he replied quietly, opening the glass door and ushering him inside.

The large room was mostly bare and fronted a small office with a glass window sporting old-fashioned Venetian blinds that had seen better days. He nodded at Keyes and Fry who were sitting on a couple of brown leatherette couches in the far corner, checking weapons spread out on the low table in front of them. Mosley was visible behind the desk inside the office, and she didn't look particularly happy, not that she ever really did. She rose when he came in and walked to the open door and crossed her arms, her eyes assessing him. She was dressed in a maroon business suit and high heels, and it wasn't hard to tell she was pissed, not that he cared. He was a little pissed himself.

"Surprised you didn't have your agents cuff me and throw a bag over my head," Deeks said coldly. "In another life, you and Sadik might have been friends."

"If you had resisted, ordering that wouldn't have been a problem," she said sweetly.

"Where is she?" He asked.

"Before I let you talk to her, I need to make sure we're on the same page," she said, turning and expecting him to follow.

"And what page is that?" He asked, slumping into a plastic chair in front of the desk.

She stood over him, her hip pressing into the edge of the desk as she perused a classified file. He closed his eyes as she silently read, trying to summon the remnants of Max Gentry that still remained in the shadows of his mind. Her closeness made him itch with the sullen anger that infused Max, grateful for it because he knew what was to come wouldn't be a simple conversation with a frightened teenager. That Mosley had sent a tactical squad to get him instead of waiting on Sam, signaled the urgency that he sensed in her demeanor. She wanted to finish this today, and he opened his eyes to find her watching him. The look on her face surprised him. Her eyes softened and she turned and walked back to sit down behind the desk, giving him time to prepare himself.

"I understand how you feel about this girl, Deeks. You saved her life. Twice. And I know you feel protective of her, and I admire you for that. So please understand, I don't want Emiri to get hurt either," She said quietly. "She has suffered a lot in her young life, but I can't change the fact that her father is a terrorist and responsible for stealing those missiles and the death of five of our agents."

"Did she believe you when you told her that?" He asked.

"She didn't want to," Mosley replied. "No child would, especially if they hadn't seen it for themselves."

"Her father loves her. She knows that," he replied. "You're just a stranger trying to get her to betray him. Which I'm guessing is why I'm here."

"That's one reason," she replied. "I thought you might like to know that I now have intel on her mother's death. Mehmet Tilki wasn't her killer."

"What? Are you sure?" Deeks was shocked. "What did she say when you told her?"

"She already knew," Mosley said, sliding the file over to him. "She was there, remember?"

"Then why does Yavuz believe Tilki is responsible?" He asked, sitting up straighter and flipping open the file.

"The man in that attached photo killed Emiri's mother," Mosley said. "His name was Mustafa Badem. He and Alara had been lovers before she married Yavuz. Apparently they ran into each other when the family returned to Istanbul four years ago. They had a brief fling, which apparently gave Badem the idea that she would willingly leave her husband and child and return to him."

"And when she refused, he killed her," Deeks said softly. "But why would Emiri tell her father and the police that it was Tilki?"

"The police found no evidence to charge Tilki," Mosley said. "Sadik convinced her to lie, and tell her father it was Tilki in spite of what she knew to be true. She said he told her it would break her father's heart to find out what her mother had done, and that it would ruin her mother's reputation and destroy both their families."

"What happened to the real killer?" Deeks asked, although he had a pretty good idea what the answer would be.

"The police looked for him, but he was never found. He simply disappeared."

"Sadik killed him," he said.

"Probably."

"And he probably told Emiri what he'd done, the sonofabitch. That's a painful secret for a young girl to carry all these years," Deeks said. "She never looked comfortable around Sadik. Now I know why."

"We need to bring both men down, Deeks. And I need your help to do it," Mosley said firmly.

"Wow…never thought I'd hear you admit that," Deeks said, flashing a small grin. "But I need to know something. Did Sam know all of this when you sent him to get me?"

"No. It was only after we got here that Emiri finally broke down and confessed the truth," Mosley said. "She doesn't know you're a cop. Max Gentry is the only one she trusts now."

"And you want Max to convince her to betray her father," he replied, stiffly. "The man she's kept a secret from for four years just so he wouldn't be hurt?"

"Actually, she won't know she did," Teague said from the doorway.

"How's that?"

"You're going to help her escape," Teague replied.

"And then call her father," Mosley added.

"Seriously? And then what? We put her in between your team and her father and Sadik…and who knows how many other guys with guns?" Deeks ranted. "No. Let her make the call from here and I'll go meet them alone. They'll show up and you can take them down."

"You really think they'll fall for that a second time?" Mosley said. "No. He'll have to see her this time, or it won't work."

"If you went in alone, Sadik would shoot you on the spot, and you know it," Teague said. "We'll be right there, Deeks. You have to trust us."

"That's a tough sell even for you, Benny," Deeks said quietly, clawing his fingers through his hair as he tried to figure out what to do.

"Either you go with her, or we send her there all by herself. Your choice," Mosley said.

"There's the hard ass Assistant Director I remember," Deeks said sullenly. "Another ultimatum. God, how I love working with the Feds."

"You don't. You resigned. Or have you forgotten already?" Mosley said smugly. "This is me allowing you to finish this. Now what it's going to be, Deeks? Are you in or are you going home to lick your wounds."

"You really have a fucking way with words, lady," Max Gentry snarled, as he stood up and tore off the sling he was wearing. "I'm not letting her go alone, but I'm guessing you were counting on that."

"You aren't that hard to read, Detective," Mosley replied.

"Neither are you, lady," Max said coldly. "Okay, Benny. Let's do this. Where is she?"

"First we need to go over the plan with the team," Teague said, and led Max out of the office.

The three man team was waiting for him in the empty showroom. McFadden held his gaze as the men gathered around him, and he nodded at him, acknowledging that he knew the man would have his back. They had already selected a location for Max and Emiri to connect with her father. Deeks knew the place, and agreed that it would offer the best cover for the team and for the tactical squad, with plenty of good sites for a sniper blind. The agents were organized and confident, and Deeks began to breathe somewhat easier, even though he knew it would only take one mistake for the whole op to go sideways. If he were being honest, he missed his team, even Sam. He couldn't shake the sense of dread that hung around him as they went over the logistics, wishing he could call Kensi one last time before he did this. One of the first things the Three Stooges had done when they changed cars was to take his phone and leave it in the remaining SUV. He was alone with a team he'd met only days before, and as much as he wanted to trust them to get this right, he didn't. Not completely.

Teague stopped talking when Mosley walked past them and out the front door. No one spoke until they heard her sports car rev up and peel out of the gravel lot.

"Let's hope it's not because we're on a sinking ship," Max growled softly.

"That was unwarranted," Teague said.

"So is sending a teenage girl into the middle of firefight," Max snapped back. "Now who do I get to knock on their ass to make this escape believable."

"That would be me," Agent Fry said. "But you get to shoot Keyes."

"Better double check those blanks in the pistol I take off you," Max said sullenly. "Wouldn't want to start this train wreck off on a sour note."

"I liked you better when you were funny," Teague said.

"And I liked my life a hell of a lot more before you and Mosley showed up," Deeks' soft voice caused them all to turn and look at him.

"We'll have your back out there, Deeks," McFadden said. "The girl's too."

"Thanks, brother. I just hope you have backup, cause I'm damn sure Sadik will," he replied.

"The tactical squad is already set up at the location," Teague said.

"Yeah…what could possibly go wrong?" Deeks replied as McFadden pulled out a zip tie.

"Max Gentry is no longer cooperating," McFadden said with a grin, and cinched his hands in front of him. "There's a truck in the back alley. Keys are in it. There's a tracker on it, one on you and one on the girl. Fry's pistol is loaded with blanks, so take Keyes' weapon after he's down. His knife might come in handy too. Don't want you going out there unarmed."

"I'll come in with my phone out, looking distracted," Fry said. "After you jump me, and shoot Keyes, take my phone. We'll be monitoring all calls.

"Let's hope Emiri believes all this," Deeks said.

"You saved her, Max," Teague said. "You're her knight in shining armor."

"That's old world stuff, Teague," Keyes said. "I got a teenage niece. All she talks about is Bucky Barnes and the Captain America movies."

"Too bad it's not winter," Deeks snarked. "You got a robotic arm I can use, Benny?"

"You Americans are a strange people," he replied. "Whatever Max Gentry is, he's her hero right now, as sad as that might be."

Deeks said nothing in reply, stunned by the knowledge of what he was about to do with a frightened teenager in tow. All he could think about was what could go wrong, and praying he was up to the task if it did.

"Where is she?" He asked softly.

"Come on, brother. She's in the back," McFadden said, and headed for a door into the repair shop.

The shop was quite deep and the closer they got to the locked door in the back, the angrier he got. What they were doing to this girl was so wrong, but the alternative was worse. Mosley had known he wouldn't let her go out there alone, and had used him once again to get what she wanted. Before they got to the door, he pulled Fry aside.

"Put on a vest before you come in," he whispered. "I'm not letting that girl go out there without some protection."

"What about you?" He asked.

"They see me wearing a vest they'll know I'm a cop," he said, knowing that without one he was probably dead anyway.

"We'll hit 'em as soon as they show," Fry assured him.

McFadden handed him an earwig and waited while he snugged it in, then bumped him on the shoulder with a fist, and moved to unlock the door. Emiri was sitting on a day bed pushed against the far wall. Her knees were pulled to her chest with her arms wrapped tightly around them. Her head came up as McFadden shoved him roughly into the room, and the sight of how frightened she looked ignited his simmering anger. As McFadden turned to leave, Max spun and tried to sucker punch him, but the man was fast and blocked his arms, uttering a surprised curse as he slammed a fist into his jaw, knocking him to the floor at Emiri's feet.

"I was being nice, Gentry. Try that again and I'll kick your everlovin' ass so hard you won't be able to sit down for a week," McFadden growled. "You asked to see the girl. Here she is. You got ten minutes, and then you're going to lockup."

The door slammed shut and Max leaned back against the day bed and rubbed his numb jaw, thinking what an idiot he was. The guy had played his part for real, going method just as he always did. He spit out some blood and turned to look up at Emiri. Silent tears streamed down her face and he cursed inwardly at his misstep.

"Pretty stupid, yeah?" He said softly.

She nodded and wiped at her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Not sure. You?"

"Okay, I guess. Have you heard anything about my dad?"

"I won't lie to you, Emiri. He's in real trouble. These Feds are after him, and that's never good," he replied, trying not to scare her too badly.

"This is all Uncle Ali's fault," her accusation vehement and full of bitterness. "He's the one who kills people."

"Yeah, you're right," Max agreed, startled by her comment. "But your dad did some stuff when he was trying to find you…"

"I don't care what he did," she shouted at him, tears choking her voice.

"Hey, hey…I know," Deeks said gently.

"I need to see him, Max," she pleaded. "I need him. He's my dad."

"I know, and he wants to find you, too."

"But he doesn't know where I am," she whined, crying in earnest now.

Deeks got up and sat beside her, wrapping his arm around her as he tried to comfort her. She sounded younger than she was, but he couldn't blame her after what she'd been through. He wished he could keep her safe in this room until they tracked down her father, but he knew that wasn't going to happen.

"Have you seen Sage? Is she okay?" Emiri asked. "She's real nice. I like her."

"Yeah, me too," he said wistfully.

"Am I going to jail, Max?"

"What? No, kid. No," he replied. "Just me…"

"And my dad," she said, wiping tears from her wet cheek as she searched his face. "What's gonna happen to me, Max. Where will I live? Why can't I just go home?"

"Don't you have any other family here? Or in Istanbul?"

"I hate Istanbul," she said sharply.

"What about here in LA?"

"Some of my mom's cousins live in San Diego, but I haven't seen them since she died," she said softly. "They don't want anything to do with my dad or my uncle."

"You're still family," he said. "And you're pretty cool, and kinda cute in a Valley Girl kinda way."

Her soft smile and the shove she gave him made him feel better. Now he just hoped she would survive this crazy mission and reconnect with those cousins. He wanted her to have a happy ever after. She deserved it.

He heard the outside bolt on the door slide open, and he prepared himself.

"What do you say we go find your dad?" He whispered. "Just stay behind me, okay?"

"What are you gonna do?" She whispered back.

"Get the hell out of here," he replied. "You game?"

Her nod was all it took.