Chapter 6
Deeks skidded the car to a halt outside the San Diego office. He thought about just running inside finding Fitzgerald and emptying his gun into his brain, he smiled for a second at the thought, his hand on his gun. Then he stopped. He was a police officer after all, this would make him a killer, no better than his father, this was not who he was.
He looked at the gun in his hand. Killing Fitzgerald would bring him closure, but it wouldn't make him pay for what he'd done to his little girl, it wouldn't bring back the dignity of the other child Fitzgerald had used to make him and Jordan think their daughter was dead. It wouldn't break him and more than anything that was what Deeks wanted, he wanted Simon Fitzgerald to feel as much pain and anguish he had felt since his former, teacher, lover, mentor, friend? Had come back into his life and turned it upside down. He wanted to wash away the guilt he felt about not being in his daughter's life since she was born.
He watched as Fitzgerald walked out of the NCIS offices, laughing about something with a colleague, Deeks' blood started to boil. How could he be laughing when he had caused his little girl to be lying hurt in a hospital bed?
Fitzgerald got into his car and drove right past Deeks not even noticing him. Deeks smiled a cold cruel smile and started his car and followed him.
Callen and Sam pulled into the car park just in time to see the tail lights of Deeks' car turning the corner; Kensi had stayed to protect Jordan and Ellie. Callen turned the car around, "Eric can you check, I think Deeks' car just left the San Diego offices parking lot?"
Callen could hear Eric typing on his keyboard, "Got it Callen, yeah he's following a blue Honda civic. He doesn't seem to be trying to stop…." Eric's voice stopped as Deeks' car had cut Fitzgerald's car off and had slammed it into some barriers. Eric could see on the monitor and was explaining to Callen and Sam, who were stuck in traffic, that Deeks had just climbed out of his car and pulled Fitzgerald's lifeless body out of the car and had thrown him into the back of his own car and had just driven off at speed.
Sam hit the horn in frustration; the accident Deeks had caused had resulted in a snarl up. Traffic was building all around them, "Eric keep your eye on Deeks, I need to know where he's going, let Hetty know what's going on." Callen ordered.
Eric started rattling off directions. "I know where he's going!" Eric said with a sudden burst of insight. "He's heading back to Mexico, where they held Ellie."
It was, at best, a hunch, but Callen thought that this was Deeks' probable destination so he agreed with Eric, who informed Hetty to get them the needed paperwork to get them across the border.
Deeks smiled as he looked in his mirror, Callen and Sam had been ditched and trussed up like a turkey on his back seat was one bloody and bruised Simon Fitzgerald. Deeks knew exactly where he was going, and what he was going to do and he enjoyed channeling his inner father. Pulling up at a rundown house just this side of the US/Mexican border he looked over at the unconscious body of Fitzgerald again. "Don't wake up." He snarled as he climbed out of the car.
Max Gentry looked out of his window and gave a grin at the sight of the kid he and Gordon Brandel had mentored…until he had gone straight; His greatest protégé and his greatest disappointment.
"Martin Brandel…Long time no see kid, what 'ya doing here."
"Need clear passage over the border."
"Thought you were a cop?" Max asked looking at him suspiciously.
"Not right now Uncle Max." Deeks said.
Deeks held his arms out so Max could frisk him, "So you switched sides again?" he asked handing Deeks a beer.
Deeks took a long drink, "Just for now, I can promise you this will stay between us."
Max eyed him up and down, "You using boy," His face darkened, "You know what I taught you about using drugs."
Deeks laughed, "Never, Got something needs transporting to Mexico, under the radar so to speak."
Max's eyes lit up, right then he looked the double of Marty. "Guns?"
Deeks shook his head, "Come see,"
They walked out to the car and Deeks moved the blanket off of Fitzgerald's body.
Max stepped back in shock, "Holy shit Brandel!" he spotted the badge on Simon's belt. "That's a fucking FED!"
Deeks laughed, "Yeah and he kidnapped my little girl. He hurt her, left her to starve and used the body of another 14 year old girl to make me and her mother think she was dead." He threw the blanket back over the man, "He's no fed, he's worse than you are."
Max laughed, "Yeah kid, but I'm family."
Deeks had to admit he was right, he had used the persona of uncle Max once or twice, because of his close relationship with the real Max he hadn't liked being him and truth be told Max was a bit of an asshole, but when the need came he knew that Max would help him, Max had taken him in for a while after he had shot his father, he had trained Deeks to be an expert Pickpocket and marksman, he could drink his weight's worth in whiskey and still fleece a mark, then Deeks had decided to become a lawyer. Max had to admit he was disappointed but the kid was still family, even if to outsiders neither mentioned the other.
Max would never tell his friends that his sister's boy was a LAPD cop and more than Deeks would tell the team that his hated Max persona was in fact based on a real person.
"Put the car in the garage now." Max prodded.
"Ain't got time, I just need a way across the border without being searched." Deeks persisted.
"Fine, but I want in on this. Stick the car around back off road, I have some people to see, somehow, whether you're playing cop or not right now, I don't think they'll be pleased to see you, Drink tequila and rest up, we'll be going after sundown." Max said and threw a half drunk bottle of Tequila at Deeks who caught it and took a drink.
Eric watching with Hetty in ops let Callen and Sam know that Deeks hadn't crossed the border, but had instead stopped at a house just on the US side of the border.
"Anything on the owner?" Sam asked.
Eric tapped on the keyboard… "That can't be right?" he said more to himself than anyone else.
"Mr. Beale?" Hetty asked.
"The house is registered to a Max Gentry…but isn't that one of Deeks' alias'?" Eric asked her.
He hacked into a traffic camera that caught the corner of the house and was surprised to see two remarkably similar men walk around the side of the house from the front. Eric and Hetty watched as Deeks caught a bottle of Tequila and took a large swig, before enveloping the older man in a hug and walking into the house as the older man walked past the camera and out of sight.
Eric screen captured a picture of the older man, "Mr. Beale I want everything on this Max Gentry, before Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna get there." She ordered.
In the hospital Ellie slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room at her mother sitting beside her bed and the strange woman sitting in the corner.
"Momma?" she croaked her voice still raw.
Jordan shot up, "Ellie!" She gently hugged her daughter, "Baby…how are you feeling?" She asked as Kensi slipped out to get the doctor.
"Tired and sore, my feet hurt momma…I'm sorry, I let them take me." She said small tired tears slipping from her eyes.
"Its ok baby, none of this was your fault, now; Kensi is going to stay with us until her partners get back."
Ellie looked up as Kensi re-entered the room.
"Are you a cop?" she asked.
"No, I work for NCIS, like your mom and dad." She replied.
Ellie sat up, "You work with my dad…is he here?" She asked excited.
Kensi shook her head, "You're dad is tracking down the bad men who hurt you, I'm sure he'll be here as soon as he can."
"He will, did he see me already…Momma? Does he like me?"
"He loves you very much baby and I'm sure it won't be long until he gets back and can tell you how much he loves you himself."
Tiredness over took her but for the first time in a while, Ellie Mae fell asleep with a huge smile on her face.
Kensi looked at the child as she slept and silently she prayed that whatever her partner was doing he didn't do anything that would get him killed or worse… Fired.