They've finally got some information on the man behind the Commander's death and Callen's shooting. But now Kensi and Deeks are being followed. Will they make it back to OSP in one piece or will Stefan start getting his revenge by taking out the both of them?

I only own my own characters which include Stefan Badžo in this story.

Anything in italics within single quotes is a quote from my one-shot "Can't Stay Away". Anything in italics and double quotes is thoughts.

Nope…no matter how hard I wish, NCIS LA nor any of the characters on the show are mine. And sadly, they never will be. My minions are grumbling in their den again and making all kinds of threats against Shane Brennan because he won't share Deeks with them. Nasty little buggers aren't they?

Reviews are always welcome. If you are enjoying this story, especially this chapter, or even if you're not, leave a review on your way out and tell me why.

Enjoy.

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CHAPTER 15: Identifying the Mastermind

Callen had been pouring over his old case files for hours to see what additional information on Stefan he could glean from them by the time Kensi and Deeks checked in.

"The manager positively identified Stefan Badžo from the picture we showed him. He said he's been in the bar a couple of times recently, so we're going to canvas the area to see if anyone else might have seen him" Deeks reported.

"Be careful you two, we don't know if he's dangerous or not." Callen replied.

"Yes we do Callen. He's a member of the Comescue family so of course he's dangerous. But he's going to find out just how dangerous this team is when someone pisses us off." Kensi retorted. "Don't worry. We're maintaining our situational awareness and we're being careful."

"Yeah, Callen. We're being careful, unless of course, you're talking about Kensi's driving. If you are, it's the people around us who have to be careful." Deeks waited for it and sure enough, Kensi punched him in the arm while rolling her eyes and growling "Deeks.".

"Ow! Kensalina. Really? I was simply telling Callen the truth." That earned him another punch in the arm, but he had achieved his goal of making Kensi smile. Any day he could get her to smile was a good day in his mind.

Once Callen ended the call, she and Deeks began canvasing again, starting with the shops around the Happy Hippo asking people if they recognized the man in the photo. Most of them said no, but they did find one older man who said he looked familiar. He owned a small neighborhood pub a block down from the bar they had left recently.

"Are you sure the man in the photo is the man you've seen?" Kensi asked.

"Not completely sure miss, but I think its him. Most of my customers are regulars, you know, neighborhood people, and I know all of them. We're a family owned pub. My dad opened this pub when I was a child and I took over for him when he retired. Our regulars are like old friends, so strangers stand out. This guy wasn't a regular so he really looked out of place in my pub. If he's who I think he is, he's renting a room down the block in one of the motels where you can rent rooms by the week. The guy I'm thinking of was in here the other day with another man. I heard them talking about where they were staying. Then they got real quiet and began talking in some foreign language. I wasn't paying too much attention after that because I had my regular customers to take care of."

"Thanks for the information sir," Deeks replied. "You've been a big help. If you see him again, call me at this number, but don't let him know you recognize him. He's dangerous, so be careful and make sure he doesn't catch you watching him."

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After several hours, Callen decided to take a break from looking through the old case files and get a cup of tea to help clear his head. There were still stack of files on his desk even though he had plowed through about half of them. Once his tea was ready, he sat back down and began plowing through more files. He was getting to the point where he wanted to punch something so decided to take another break when he finished the file in his hand then go to the target range and shoot something to ease some of the tension he was feeling. He was almost through the file when he found a single sentence that sparked a memory. The sentence indicated that 'One of the men guarding the Comescue compound was wounded in the firefight when the main house was breached but he managed to escape in the confusion.'

Thinking about the actual breach of the main house, Callen remembered seeing the man's face briefly. It was as if a light went on in his brain. "That's why the face is familiar, I saw him in Romania!" He realized it was Stefan Badžo he had seen when they stormed the compound to rescue Hetty. He was the man that got away.

"I found something." Callen called out to Sam, Eric and Nell. "I remember seeing Badžo when we were in Romania. It was when we breached the house. He was wounded but he managed to escape. We were all so concerned about Hetty, we never did find him. I forgot all about him until just now."

Sam asked "Are you sure it's him G? I mean there were a lot of men shooting at us during the firefight."

"Yes, I'm sure. I got a good look at his face, I know it's him. He must want payback for us taking down the Comescue's. But why wait this long before coming after me? I mean, it's been almost a year since we were in Romania."

"Maybe the wound was worse than we thought. Maybe...what if it's taken him this long to recover and make his plans?" And then he would have had to put his plan into place and recruit a team. All of that takes time."

"That's true Sam and it does explain the time lapse."

Sam began going through all the ramifications of the previous case trying to put all the pieces together with their current case. "You know, we were all in that raid on the Comescue compound together..."

"Yeah, so what's your point Sam?"

"I'm thinking here G...They had pictures of us when we entered the country through customs. Remember, Hetty told us. That's how they knew not only who we were but why we were there...he already knows what we all look like..." Sam was still thinking. "He might want to target any one of us now that you're unreachable or...shit!...he may already be after all of us for that matter. We were all in it together after all."

"We're missing something." Callen interjected. "Something important."

"G, we need to let Kensi and Deeks know right now. They're in more danger than they realize. If Stefan is targeting all of us, he might be trying to take them out as we speak."

"You're right Sam." Callen began issuing orders. "Nell, let Kensi and Deeks know to be on the lookout for anyone following them and let them know that Badžo is our main suspect. Remind them know he knows what they look like. Tell them they're in danger and to be careful. I want them back here as soon as possible, but make sure they understand they'll have to take every precaution so they're not followed back to OSP." Callen continued issuing orders as he walked toward Hetty's office. "Get up to OPS and start tracking Kensi and Deeks in case they need backup. Hetty and I'll be up in a minute."

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Hetty was sipping a cup of tea as he approached her office. "Yes Mr. Callen? Is there something I can do for you?"

"I figured out where I've seen Stefan Badžo's face before. It was in Romania. I saw him when we stormed the house to rescue you. I think he's here after all of us and so does Sam."

"If that's the case, this is much more dangerous than we anticipated."

"Sam, Nell and Eric are in OPS right now tracking Kensi and Deeks. We can make plans to ensure everyone's safety from there.

"When does Kensi think they'll be back here?"

"Nell's on the phone with Deeks letting them know to be careful and watch for tails as they head back. If everything goes according to plan, they should be here within the hour." Callen watched as Hetty sat there silently. He knew she was running over everything in her mind trying to get a clear picture of the current situation.

"What are you thinking Hetty?"

"We need to rethink our strategy, don't you agree Mr. Callen?"

Callen and Hetty continued to discuss everything that had been uncovered since the early morning briefing on the case while they made their way up to OPS.

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Nell was completing her briefing to Kensi and Deeks as Callen and Hetty walked into OPS. "Callen wants you and Kensi to head back to OPS immediately. He finally remembered where he's seen Stefan Badžo before. It was in Romania when you guys took down the Comescue's. All of you may be targets not just Callen, so be careful."

"Will do Nell." Deeks ended the call. "Come on Kens...we're wanted back in OSP now. They've identified Badžo as one of the men in the firefight in Romania when we rescued Hetty. God, I wish I was surfing right now." he quipped. "The party just never ends with those people does it? Didn't they get the memo that they lost and to just give it up?"

Kensi snorted "Nope. They never give up do they. Its like a bad cliche. They must like lost causes."

They headed back to their car from the pub. Both of them were surreptitiously looking around to see if anyone was taking an interest in them. They didn't see anything out of the ordinary as they returned to the car though Marty did notice a black Cadillac with deeply tinted windows slowing traveling in the same direction as they were walking. When they reached the car, the Caddy had disappeared. It had piqued Marty's interest though so he kept a look out for it as they got on the road heading back to OSP.

They were on the on-ramp to the 405, a couple of streets down from where they were parked when Marty noticed the Caddy again. Now it really had his attention. He gave Kensi the information while casually looking out the side window of the car. As Kensi sped down the ramp onto the freeway, Deeks kept a look-out for the Caddy and what it was doing while Kensi drove.

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