Chapter 8

"How is he, Doctor?" Kensi asked the physician attending Paul Macabe. They were at the hospital, where Macabe and his wife had been taken after the shooting.

"He's in rough shape. The bullets hit his lungs and stomach but missed his heart," said the doctor, a woman with black hair pulled back in a bun. Her name tag read, "Dr. Fredrick". "Time will tell, but if no complications develop, he should pull through."

"And his wife?" Deeks asked.

"Now her I'm worried about. One of the bullets went through her chest and lodged in her spine. I'm waiting on test results, but I've got a bad feeling she may wind up paralyzed. Any idea who did this and why?"

"We're investigating the shooting but we don't have any answers yet," said Kensi smoothly. "In the mean time, we'd recommend guards for them. Would it be possible to talk to either of them?"

"Mr. Macabe is conscious but we're keeping Mrs. Macabe under sedation until we can determine the extent of the damage to her spine," said Dr. Fredrick. "Keep your visit short please."

"Understood, doctor," said Deeks.

Paul Macabe was conscious, but hooked up to several monitors and i.v's and even oxygen.

"Mr. Macabe, I'm Agent Blye, NCIS, and this is Detective Deeks, LAPD. I understand you're in a lot of pain, but we need to ask you some questions about the shooting."

"I'll try," Macabe wheezed. "I'll try."

"Take your time," Deeks soothed. "Do you know why someone would want to hurt you or your family? Has anyone threatened you or your family, or maybe your business?"

Macabe nodded. "Some bastard tried to get me to go into smuggling with him. Weapons, I think. Offered me a huge chunk of change for it. I said no. I run a clean export business, one my parents built with their bare hands. Said I wasn't going to get involved in that, no matter how much money they offered."

"I'm guessing they didn't take too kindly to that answer," said Kensi. "You get a name?"

"Just his middle man. Some puffed-up punk who called himself J-Man, because he always got the job done." Macabe snorted in disgust. "His ego was the size of his ass; huge. Said he worked for someone named Mister Omen. I showed J-Man and his buddies the door. Next day my car's vandalized and one of my workers attacked."

"Anyone claim credit?" Deeks asked.

"Yeah, that low-life, J-Man. Said it was going to get worse if I didn't sign on."

"It got worse," Kensi guessed.

"Get my son, get him to show you the cameras," said Macabe.

"Where is he? I thought he'd be here with you or your wife," said Kensi.

Macabe shook his head.

"I sent him back to the store. After this, I trust no one."

"Trust us, Mr. Macabe, to get to the bottom of this," said Kensi. "For you and your wife's safety, we'll be posting a guard outside your rooms, okay?"

"Get that bastard. Get him," Macabe whispered tiredly.

"We plan on it, sir," said Deeks. "Any special requests?"

"If he paralyzes my wife, return the favor," Macabe growled.

"Gladly," said Deeks.

As they left, Kensi put in a call to Ops. Eric answered. "Check out someone calling himself J-Man. According to our victim, he claimed to be the middle man to Arboreal Omen, or Mr. Omen, as he was called."

"On it," said Eric.

"Status on the others?" Kensi asked.

"In progress but safe so far," Eric reported. "Although Callen is wondering if Dabi's heels are going to be strong enough."

"Trouble?"

"Just somebody making a pass at her."

"Bet she loves that."

"If you hear screaming, it's probably the guy she just kicked," Eric said easily before signing off.

"Trouble?" Deeks asked.

"Dabi's debating whether or not to knee a guy making a pass at her. Eric says if we hear screaming, ignore it."

"Gotcha. I've never met Agent Gibbs, but are the stories true?"

"Which ones?" Kensi asked, smirking.

"Abby said he once shot a runner in the ass with a rifle?"

"True. Guy couldn't sit properly for a week. He was a stalker who was murdering women who looked like his ex-girlfriend. One of the victims was a Navy officer. Gibbs was not happy."

"How much happier is he going to be when he finds out Dabi is doing undercover work?"

"That's what I'm worried about," said Kensi, cringing at the thought.

Vintage Imports was, for all appearances, almost like an antique store. When Kensi stepped inside, she swore it felt like she had stepped back in time or even into a bazaar. She saw wooden carvings, hand-crafted jewelry, ornate furniture, and even a mirror she would have loved to have in her apartment.

There was just one problem with the place; the front windows were fractured with bullet holes and there was still blood on the sidewalk. Several pieces had been on display on the sidewalk and they, too, bore fresh evidence of the drive-by shooting.

Inside, they identified themselves to Macabe's son, Marcus, and asked for the video his father had told him about.

He practically shoved the disks into their hands.

"Here, take them! Anything you can find that'll help get those bastards!" Marcus snapped.

"You ever meet J-Man?" Deeks asked.

Marcus' lip curled. "That fat, disgusting slob? Could barely even get in the front door. He wanted us to start importing extras with our regular imports. Dad didn't trust him, especially when he found out the extras weren't exactly legal."

"Guns?" Kensi suggested.

"I don't know, I don't care. My grandparents built this store from the ground up with honest, hard work and Dad wasn't about to let some punk destroy that!"

"I can understand," said Deeks. "This is a nice store. You going to be okay?"

"I will be, once I know how Mom is. The docs are afraid the bullet in her spine may paralyze her."

"Do you have help?" Kensi asked.

Marcus nodded. "Mom's uncle is coming over to help, and I've pulled some staff in."

"Good." Kensi gave him her card. "If J-Man shows up again, or if you get a call that makes you suspicious, anything like that, you call us right away, okay?"

Marcus accepted the card, nodding. "You get these bastards, and I'll personally make sure you get a discount off anything in this store," he promised.

OSP:

"You guys booked me out of my room at the hotel?" Dabi repeated, eyebrows up. She was back at OSP and out of the dress. The video was being analyzed and they were waiting on the video from Vintage Imports.

"Had to," said Callen. "I don't trust Arboreal Omen to find you, so yeah, we pulled you out. The excuse was a family emergency."

"And my gear?"

"Already brought here."

"So do I stay here until Dad arrives or what?"

"You're safe here," said Sam. "And with us."

"Only if you don't have a fully equipped kitchen and baking selection," said Dabi.

"Why?" Callen asked suspiciously.

"Because when I get bored, I bake, and if I don't have anything to bake with, I get antsy, which you really don't want." She smiled sweetly. "It's to your benefit; I make a coffee cheesecake Dad swears by, and he's a coffee addict."

"My wife would love you," said Sam.

"Her waistline wouldn't," said Dabi, smirking.