A/N: Hello readers! Once again thank you for the reviews and support I've gotten thus far! We're entering the last leg of this story, I can't believe it! Oh, and I disregarded studying and my chem homework to get this up faster for you guys, so pray I can still get it done ;)
Please review!
Sam had tailed Callen at a distance on their way back to the city. The car ride was silent as the lingering anticipation only grew. The uncertainty and risk they were speeding towards quelled any conversations started between the teammates. Just when they finally find Callen, he sends himself back into the lion's den. It was necessary, but that wasn't particularly encouraging.
Kensi and Deeks hadn't asked Sam about Callen when he joined them in the car, but he seemed less on edge than he'd been the last few days and they took it as a good sign. The two partners were closer than brothers and always were the strength and leadership that held the team together. Callen's death had threatened that bond at its very core. It created the void that every agent on the job knew was a possibility but prayed would never actually come. Only through their ability to depend on each other were they able to work through the incredible loss they each went through. They all knew it was always harder when that loss was your partner, and Kensi and Deeks could only imagine what had been going through Sam's mind after so much grief. Now that this close partnership was back, it was almost as if they were afraid to breathe, for fear that it would be taken away as quickly as it was restored.
Eventually, the trees thinned out to reveal the outskirts of Moscow. The streets became more and more populated as Sam followed Callen from as far away as possible to not be spotted while approaching the hotel. He maneuvered the vehicle past several businesses, restaurants, and government buildings, their adrenaline building as the activity on the streets increased. Soon, they reached the heart of the city and were only a block away from where Iverson was staying.
Sam pulled into a nearby parking lot, turning his comm on to listen in on his partner. He had given one to Callen before leaving Novikov's residence; for there was no way Sam would let Callen go back in without a way to communicate with him. He wasn't going to let him disappear again. Kensi pulled her phone out to watch the feed from Callen's button cam which was luckily also brought with their go bags. She held up the phone for her other teammates to see, and they anxiously and intently watched as their leader made his way back to the man who tore their team apart.
Callen pulled up to the hotel and exited his car, a briefcase full of cash in his hand. He discreetly adjusted the button cam on his suit making sure it was properly secured. This time around, he was glad to have the extra backup and know he wasn't completely on his own. He entered and arrived at the elevator quickly. As the car ascended, he heard a crackle in his ear.
"G, as soon as you get the names, we're coming your way."
Callen exited the elevator, confidently walking towards the room at the end of the hall. His shoulder still ached and he had to fight through the pain it radiated. He needed to be alert to end this once and for all with Iverson, and he couldn't let a flesh wound get in his way.
As soon as he knocked the door shot opened to reveal one of Iverson's regular body guards. He shoved Callen inside and quickly shut the door. Callen stopped in the middle of the room, suppressing the pain the uninvited movement caused. He quickly assessed the room as any agent would, making sure the camera button got a clear angle. One bodyguard was off to his right while the first still stood guard by the door. Iverson sat at the single desk looking out at the view of downtown Moscow. The window was also on Callen's right. The room was a large suite with the beds in an adjacent room, past where Iverson sat. The door was closed, but Callen suspected they had another visitor behind it.
"Callen!" Iverson mockingly grinned. He stood up and walked towards Callen, who kept an impassive face as he turned to meet Iverson. "That took a little longer than I was expecting, the old Russian give you trouble?"
Callen remained stoic, choosing to not mention the little incident he had with the man. The longer they remained on the subject the more risk there was that Iverson would discover his team found him.
"Oh you know, Novikov likes to talk. He had fifteen years' worth of stories he couldn't refrain from telling me." He threw the briefcase on a nearby couch. "There's your money. Hope it was worth it."
"Oh, of course it was Callen." Iverson picked up the briefcase and opened it, grinning at stacks of bills. He closed it and walked over to set it on the desk. "That information was a only small investment, I'm a smart guy, you know." He wickedly smiled.
"How did you get this guy to turn over classified information anyway?"
"Callen, there's a lot more people out there like me than you think. It was easy to bribe him when you name a price he can't refuse. A high up naval intelligence analyst at Pendleton who is struggling to make his mortgage every month? Convincing him was just too easy, but don't worry, his role will be up soon enough. So will yours." He confidently walked back over to face Callen.
"Well, there's the difference between you and me, Scott, you have no problem using others to achieve your own agenda. You know, I always figured you'd be the one to hide behind bodyguards and have them do your dirty work for you," Callen baited in a sarcastic tone. "You never did have the courage to fight your own battles."
Iverson threw a right hook so fast Callen barely had time to react. It caught the side of Callen's jaw, cutting his lip open and releasing a small trickle of blood. Callen squinted and hunched over, trying to recover from the blow.
Sam winced when he saw the punch coming. He wanted to get his partner out of there. They already had enough to catch the man who sold Iverson the information, but he knew Callen would not want them to move until they had enough to go on to catch the man who could find the team. Come on, Callen. Just a little more.
Callen caught his breath, straightening his body as he wiped the small stream of blood from his chin. He looked at his former partner coldly before spitting out the blood that had collected in his mouth. Iverson remained where he stood, watching Callen's reactions.
"Well Callen, it's been fun, but you won't be my problem for much longer." Iverson said quieter than before.
"And what about the guy watching my team, huh? Who is he?" Callen sneered.
Iverson smiled ever so slightly. "You remember Andrew?"
Callen paused, narrowing his eyes a little more. He was surprised, to say the least. He never thought the timid analyst he passed by every day on the way to his office at the CIA would end up just like Iverson.
"Andrew Nelson." Callen breathed.
"Guess it's the quiet ones you need to worry about." Iverson remarked.
Go, go, go. Sam barked in his ear. He heard the distinct sound of car doors slamming. We're breaching, Callen. Coming to the hotel through the side.
"So now what?", Callen stalled, "You going to hide for another fifteen years?"
Iverson narrowed his eyes, but didn't take the bait. He wanted to get out of the country already and the infuriating agent was wasting his time.
"I've just about had enough of you. You're not my problem anymore." The door to the bedroom slowly opened. Iverson picked up his belongings and quickly headed to the door, his two bodyguards following right behind him. Callen was slightly confused when a man came through the other door as Iverson reached the main door for the hotel room.
"Have fun, Callen." Iverson called over his shoulder. His bodyguards went through the door. "Oh, and about your team, well who knows, maybe Andrew can help me make a little cash. It worked out pretty well with you." The door clasped shut, and Callen only had a split second to react before the newcomer was on him. Callen struggled to free himself from the large man, but he was at a disadvantage from his wound and in a matter of seconds a needle was jammed into his neck and he slumped to the floor. He was only conscious for a few more seconds, but he was able to make out a man coming out of the room. The identity made Callen's blood run cold as he realized what was happening. His last coherent thought before blacking out was he hoped Sam would get to him before the man undoubtedly made his escape. He wasn't sure they'd find him in one piece if the man standing in front of him got away.
Sam, Kensi, and Deeks breached the hotel as if their lives depended on it, which was pretty accurate considering they were saving one of their own. Sam and Kensi climbed the stairwell while Deeks covered the elevator. The two agents sprinted up the stairs with guns raised. Over their comms, they heard a struggle before static ended the connection; no doubt coming from Callen's. They were three floors away when gunshots fired in their direction. The two agents ducked before Kensi aimed above and quickly returned fire, hitting two targets in the chest. Sam popped up and pulled his trigger amidst gunfire still coming his way. He winged the suspect and he went down, dropping his weapon. Kensi immediately climbed higher and secured the weapons, zip-tying the wounded man and checking the pulses of the other two, confirming they were dead.
Sam met her a second later, quickly recognizing the wounded man as Iverson, the man who orchestrated this whole mess. Before he could speak, Deeks' distressed voice came over their comms.
"Guys, Callen's gone! The room is empty. His comm is on the floor, it must've came out during the struggle!"
In a matter of seconds, all the anger, frustration, and guilt Sam had held in for months exploded. It only took two words for Sam to lose it.
He grabbed Iverson off the ground and slammed him against the wall, causing cracks to form behind the man. Sam blamed him for everything that had happened to his partner. The betrayal from years past, his month's long entrapment, all the pain and suffering Callen had experienced because of him, and now him being taken once again.
"Where is he?! Where is my partner!?" Sam shouted, gripping the front of Iverson's shirt. Despite the obvious fear and surprise on Iverson's face, he chuckled loudly, closing his eyes and he tried to catch his breath. Sam didn't move a muscle, angrily staring right at Iverson. Sam's reaction would bring most men to tears, but even though Iverson was obviously shaken, he didn't seem to care.
"You can kiss your partner goodbye," he spat. "You'll never find Callen now, you won't even find his body." Iverson sneered. Sam angrily released Iverson before repeatedly punching him in the abdomen, holding nothing back. Iverson slumped to the floor, his cocky grin completely wiped off his face. His face contorted and he gasped in pain, coughing up a little blood and spitting it onto the floor.
"What did you do to him!?" Sam shouted, placing his boot over Iverson's gunshot and pushing down hard. Iverson was crying out in pain. "Who has him!?"
"Sam!" Kensi shouted, trying to get through to her teammate. He was cracking, she knew it, and that was when an agent did something they would later regret. "SAM!"
Right at that moment, Deeks spoke in their ear once again, firing off information fast.
"Guys, I just spotted a black van peeling out of the hotel parking lot. There's a hidden maintenance elevator on this floor. I'm thinking, whoever they are, used it to get away with Callen."
Iverson's yells ceased by the end of Deeks' report, and Sam and Kensi both looked down to see Iverson had passed out from the pain. He was unconscious.
Kensi looked over at Sam to see him staring listlessly at Iverson's still form, the anger gone from his countenance. Sam slowly raised his head to look towards Kensi, tears glittering in his eyes.