Callen scrubbed a hand through his hair as he met with Sam and Deeks out the front of Kensi's house. With little to go on they'd canvassed the neighbours hoping someone had seen something out of the ordinary and the news he'd just received had left his mind reeling for answers.

"Women three houses down said she was in the garden, remembers Kensi coming home and check this-" he held up his phone showing the picture Nell had sent him, "she recognised Hank Grady straight away, said he was walking past not long after you dropped her off."

"Son of a bitch..." Deeks breathed out sharply, curling his fist in frustration, "why would Grady follow us back here?"

"He was at the house when you got there, maybe he was looking for something and thought you found it?" Sam turned on his heel glancing around the area. The fact they'd flashed Grady's picture at the neighbours was nothing more than a hunch they'd thought of after looking at the facts. He didn't believe in coincidences which was why they had Nell compiling a list of potentially properties linking to Grady.

"This is my fault." Deeks turned away from the group unable to shake the guilt resting on his shoulders, "I should have taken her home first then none of this would have happened." He knew it was irrational blame. There was no way either of them could have predicted Grady being at Stallard's house or the suspect following them but if anything happened to her that comfort wouldn't make one damn bit of difference.

"Nell's got a possible address-" Callen started typing it into the GPS locator on his phone, "apparently his parents used to live not far from here... house has been on the market for months, guess LAPD missed the ball there."

Deeks ignored the dig as he checked his own message and started in the direction of his car, not bothering to wait for instructions. Under normal circumstances he knew Kensi could take care of herself but the memory of her near collapse left his stomach tied in knots. There was no sign of a struggle at her house which meant she'd either been caught off guard or overpowered, two scenarios that didn't bode well. They needed to find her and fast.

Callen didn't bother calling him back, just nodded towards Sam who was just as eager to get moving. By the time they were both buckled up in their own vehicle Deeks was already pulling out and he kicked the engine into gear not wanting to allow too much distance to get between them.

"Of all the things he could have picked up from Kensi, it had to be her driving..." Callen muttered, stepping on the gas as his mind turned over the facts. Even if Grady was looking for something why risk kidnapping a federal agent to get it? It just didn't make any sense.

"Something's off with this case." Sam pulled out his phone, accessing his notes from their undercover stint at Syverson. He'd been on surveillance duty while his partner infiltrated the company and every manager they'd spoken to was like a cut out step-ford wife. His gut knew something wasn't right but they still didn't have the facts to prove it.

"You get that too?" Callen rounded the next corner, wincing as he ran an orange light to keep up with Deeks. "Whatever it is, I really hope we live long enough to find-" he stopped mid-sentence as the sound of sirens rang out behind him and he slowed, pulling over to let a barrage of fire trucks pass.

Sam glanced at his partner raising an eyebrow as they picked up their speed again. For once he hoped it was a coincidence but as they neared closer to the address he knew it wasn't. The lights had stopped directly outside where Deeks was pulling up and he swore as watched the bright flames licking the dark night sky. "I'm round back."

The car screeched as Callen braked just shy of the two trucks and he grabbed Sam's shoulder before he could jump out. Short of running head-first into the fire, the backyard was their only vantage point but it was his job to make sure his team didn't do anything reckless. "I'm on Deeks... you do anything stupid and I'll have your ass."

"It's already yours baby-" he threw the comment over his shoulder with a smile before he climbed out and took off at a run towards the back of the house.

Callen followed suite his eyes pinning Deeks as his partner disappeared from view. The detective had two hands thrust through his hair and was pacing unevenly in front of a firefighter. The emotion on his face was palpable and Callen felt his shoulders tense in response, aware of what they were all thinking.

But right now they didn't actually know anything and he squashed down his concern running toward Deeks. The last thing he needed was two of his team members rushing into danger and judging by the look the detective was wearing he clearly wasn't thinking straight. "Deeks... where are we-"

A loud shatter exploded in the street as another window blew out and Deeks felt a wave of panic churn in his stomach as he launched himself towards the house. A rough jerk pulled him back but he barely noticed, too focused on the burning flames. The fire had already taken over every part of it and despite the men moving onto the scene with hoses he knew there was no chance of saving the foundations. If anyone was in there... if Kensi was in there.

Instinct kicked in and he struggled against Callens hold trying to pull himself free,"I need to find her!" He saw red as the chief firefighter also muscled in to block his path. He didn't care. If Kensi was inside he needed to help her. "Damnit, she could be in there... let go of me!"

"Deeks!" Callen used his most authoritative tone, managing to twist him away from the flames, "stop, just stop it... this isn't helping her." He pinned him with a stern but sympathetic expression, breathing a sigh of relief when the man calmed down enough to nod. He knew the detective was going into shock but he needed him here, in the now, so they could try and figure out what the hell was going on.

"Deeks, listen to me... Sam is checking the house." He heard the firefighter next to him swear as he grabbed his radio but Callen ignored the reaction. His partner wouldn't go in unless it was safe or he had just cause. Deeks was he number one priority at the moment."We don't even know if she was here. If she was, Kensi's resourceful, you know that."

"But what if-"

"We don't work with what if's, we work with facts remember?" He interjected, watching the man's gaze start to focus. He was coming back to reality which was exactly what they needed. If anyone could place themselves in Kensi's shoes to figure this mess out then it was her partner. "We know she doesn't have her phone, this guy probably has her gun... what's she going to do?"

Deeks breathed in through his nose trying to picture the scene. Normally she'd look for an escape or try to overpower him but if she was hurt or not physically capable of either he knew exactly what she'd do. "She'd sympathise, try and win him over to buy us some time."

Callen nodded, glancing back to the burning house. If Kensi and Grady had been here then they would have had a car and save for their own vehicles, the drive and the strip outside were empty. Pulling out his phone he hit the speed dial telling Nell to bring up the the CCTV network from the main roads connecting Kensi's house to the burning property.

It was long shot but if they could find the car then they had their lead.

Deeks scrubbed a hand over his face feeling a small wave of renewed hope as he listened to Callen's instructions. Kensi had the best of the best looking out for her and he'd be damned if he was going to let his emotions hamper their efforts. He needed to stay one hundred percent focused and he pulled our his own cell, making a call to LAPD.

They'd canvassed Stallards house after he'd been back to search it. If they'd found something he'd missed then maybe they could figure out why Grady had gone after his partner.