They entered the building stealthily through the side door, guns drawn, leading them straight into a corridor. There were no sounds or even a hint of anyone nearby, and by the commentary that Deeks was giving them, they were pretty sure everyone involved was near the front exit where they planned to escape. Taking Kensi with them.
Neither said a word, being able to communicate with slight motions and eyes after working together for so many years. They carried down the corridor, checking each room they came across and took care around every corner, but still found nothing. That was until they reached what they assumed to be the main room of the warehouse. It was a huge room with plenty of crates to hide behind as they made their way across.
Scuffled footsteps were audible as was low murmurings and the soft sounds of rustling. Callen took a peek around one corner to see a man he didn't recognise from the photos, and therefore must have been Wilson, hurriedly folding up what looked like plastic that had been laying across the floor. Exchanging a look with Sam, who nodded to say that there was noone else nearby, Callen stepped out of the shadows once Wilson's back was towards him and spoke up.
"NCIS. Stop what you're doing and turn around." he commended calmly. The man froze, dropping the tarp and held up his hand in a surrendering position. He began to turn slowly as Callen kept his gun trained on him. However, Wilson only made it halfway before he began to run. Callen frowned, and shook his head, not having the time or energy to even comment on his stupidity as Sam came out of his hiding place and stopped the man from going any further.
"That was stupid." Sam told the man who was now on the floor. He quickly cuffed him and pulled him up. "Where's our agent?"
"Who?" Wilson asked, voice shaky but still emotionless.
"You know who." Callen added coldly, looking around the area and seeing the odd blood drops on the floor and more spread on the fallen piece of plastic. He couldn't help but think the worst when he saw it, but he pushed all thoughts to the back of his head, having to remain cool and collected if he was to find her.
"She's not here." he replied and Sam gripped him tighter.
"Who said our agent was a 'she'?" he growled. Wilson swallowed and looked towards the other side of the room where there was a closed a door.
"That'll take you there." he told him and Sam let him go, uncuffing one wrist to cuff it to a pillar that held the building up. "Hey!"
Both agents ignored him as the made their way over to where he had said. However, once they had crossed the threshold, the only thing on the other side was another corridor, this one seeming neverending once again.
Deeks had tried his best for the past 5 minutes to try and capture his partner's eye every time she came into view, always facing out towards him, but had failed each time.
Letting out a breath, he trekked closer to the warehouse, pausing when he heard the familiar sounds of an approaching truck. Relaying the information to Callen and Sam, he watched with one eye still on Kensi as they loaded something into it. It too a moment for Deeks to come to the horrible realisation that the packages were in fact the 3 missing women, now bodies, that were linked to this case.
Filing that piece of info along with details about the truck for later, he rounded to the right as he saw the man who had been keeping Kensi inside, the man he recognised as the one in charge, joined Taylor and Anderson with loading the bodies. He found it odd that they had left Kensi alone, with their backs to her and the open door, but he wasn't to look a gift horse in the mouth. The lights from the truck was caused a glare from it's brightness but Deeks worked around it until he got into the perfect position so that he could see Kensi perfectly.
He had his gun out and ready in case anyone else saw him, though he was still hidden by a few scattered trees, as he tried to catch Kensi's attention once again. He could move more freely through the shrubs as the noise from the running truck and their moving was enough to cover it. He purposely rustled some of the leaves to hopefully get her to look at him, but all that he got was her to turn her head in his direction. Confusion took over him as he saw her tight jaw, a mask on her face that kept any emotion back apart from the clear annoyance and pain.
Taking a few steps closer, Deeks watched as she kept her face turned in his direction but eyes squinted so much that they were almost shut. Glancing over at the others to make sure that they wouldn't see him, he stepped closer, using one of their cars that was quite far from their range of hearing as shield. Confusion overtook him as he kept his eyes on his partner before realisation sunk in.
Eyes widening, he cursed and squatted next to the car to hide before speaking to the others. "Noone's guarding Kensi. They're loading the bodies onto the truck." Deeks told them and carried on before they could question him. "But guys, I don't think she can see me."
"Get closer then." Sam hissed into his ear and Deeks shook his head though he knew he wouldn't be able to see him.
"No, I mean-" he broke off, not sure what he meant exactly. "I don't think she can't see, at all, guys." he said.
"Does she know you're there?" Callen asked him quietly.
"I don't think she knows it's me. She knows it's someone though." he told him.
"We're still inside. Can you get to her?" he asked him and Deeks peeked up to see what was going on, surprised to see that the three men were moving once again.
"Wait, they're moving." Deeks murmured, watching as Taylor and Anderson reentered the warehouse whilst Boss stayed by the door, probably to keep on eye on Kensi. "Taylor and Anderson just went back into the building. It's just this guy and Kensi."
Silence came as a reply and Deeks almost spoke up when Callen replied. "Get moving, then." he said and Deeks sighed.
"Gladly." he muttered.
With another quick look at the situation, he ducked back down behind the car as he holstered the gun once again. Taking a deep breath, he stood up, walking out from behind the car and directly into the guy's view.
"Hey!" Boss called out to him in anger and Deeks put up his hands in surrender as he slowed down, still nearing him. "What do you think you're doing?"
"That's a good question! I have no idea where I even am!" Deeks laughed forcefully, glancing over at his partner who seem to have both relaxed at the fact that he was there but then tensed at the realisation. Before he could think of why, he carried on with his act. "See, I was driving, but my car broke, so I had to walk. And I've been walking for-"
A low laugh broke him off and Deeks realised that the man didn't seem so phased by his appearance anymore or bothered by his story. "Please, cut the bull, Detective Deeks."
"Detecti-?" He began in confusion, hoping that he'd fall for it, but when it became clear that he wouldn't, Deeks let out a sigh. "Look, I don't want any trouble."
"Tough." Boss replied, tugging roughly at Kensi's arm. She had turned her head away from where Deeks had been, and as she was pulled closer to the other man, he could see her stiffen. Her operative skills had kicked in, and despite the clear pain she was in, she was ready to fight. He hoped it wouldn't get that far. "Now, let's talk."
Deeks hesitated, wondering silently where the other two were. Of course, remembering that the other men had re-entered the building a little while before, he guessed that they had caused a small distraction. "Ok, sure. We can talk." He agreed, watching as Kensi opened her eyes once again. He tried to catch them, but failed again. Getting her free was going to be a mission without being able to communicate with her.
"You leave now, and you tell the others you have here to leave too." Boss told him, and Deeks silently raised an eyebrow at him in disbelieve. "Then, in a day or two, you can have your agent back. Whether she'll be alive if dependent on your ability to follow orders."
"Right. I'm going to have to go with no." He replied. He saw Kensi's mouth open to say something, probably to argue, but before she could, Boss pulled out a knife from behind his back and had pulled her closer to him so that she was right him front of him. "Whoa! Hold on! Let's talk."
Boss laughed as he held the knife to her throat and she stiffened at the feeling of the cold blade against her exposed skin. Deeks could her try to say something once again, but was stopped as the knife pressed harder against her neck. "Don't say a word." He warned her.
Deeks had pulled out his own weapon, but there was no opportunity to get him without risking hitting his partner too. If he could have told her to shift even the slightest, they might have had a chance, but they still couldn't communicate without the man in question hearing either.
A sudden banging sound from inside the building startled them all, and Deek saw who he thought was Taylor escape across behind Boss somewhere down the corridor. He had been too far and quick for him to try to apprehend, not to mention that there was a more pressing matter at hand.
It didn't take more than a second for it to run through his head, but even in that time, he failed to notice the guy's grip on his partner had loosened, as had the knife from her throat. Kensi, however, hadn't, and it only took a split second for her to lift up a hand and push away the knife, holding tightly onto the arm to stop him to trying to attack her.
She moved quick, too quick for Deeks to try and work around. Before he knew it, she was no longer being held at knifepoint and stood with her back to him. But Boss still had a tight grip on her other arm, meaning that she couldn't let go of his other.
"Deeks!" She called out to him in a voice that he knew meant 'take the shot'. The only problem was that the only time he found to take a shot, he knew that would hit her too.
"Keep still and I will!" He hissed at her, aiming his gun and approaching them.
He saw Boss see him get closer and let go of her arm, deciding to not take the risk as he failed to use her as protection once again. Deeks waited for him to run, for Kensi to let go of his arm, so that he could put a bullet in his leg, or back, or both.
However, instead of him running away, he used Kensi's grip on his arm to pull her closer. Hoping that he wasn't going to play the same game again, Deeks edged closer before worrying when he saw her freeze all of a sudden.
He knew what had happened even before her grip on the other guy had slipped and he had backed away. Deeks had aimed, shooting twice, both times aimed at his head, only to miss when he had ducked into the safety of the building.
"Kensi!" He called out as he ran the very short distance to her, grabbing onto her elbow just as her legs began to give way.
"Deeks-" She began before hissing in pain as one of his hands pushed away hers from where the knife had sliced into her side to get a better look before applying pressure. He helped her back towards a wall before she collapsed, letting her slide down as he quickly informed Eric that they needed an ambulance now before letting the other two know what had happened.
"Dammit, Kensi, you hold on, ok. It's not even that bad." He tried to assure her, but he guessed that she didn't have to see the blood to know that it really was. Applying as much pressure onto it as he could, despite her gasps of pain, he looked around to see if there was anything else that could help them. All he could see was the knife that he hadn't seen being dropped. "Kensi, you still with me, yeah?"
She let out a shaky breath, but failed to open her eyes. "For now." She whispered.
"What's wrong with your eyes?" He asked her, hoping to get her mind off of the pain. He glanced back at the cloth that was now soaked with her blood, not sure where he had got it from exactly, but glad he had nonetheless.
"They did something." She murmured, words beginning to slur. He could hear her breathing becoming shallower, even as the stubborn side of her carried on to finished explaining what she had been saying. "Hurts to see."
"Yeah, looked like it." Deeks replied distractedly as Callen's anxious voice asked him where they were through the earpiece. Telling him as best as he could after another glance around for directions, he inhaled deeply. "Kensi?" He asked hesitantly before freeing one hand to shake her gently. "Kensi!"
When she failed to reply, he nervously placed a hand at her throat, glad to feel a pulse even if it was rather weak. He knew that the ambulance would take a bit longer to get to where they were, but he wasn't sure how much blood he could keep inside of her if they didn't get there soon.
Sorry for the wait once again. I got this finished last night by FF.n wasn't working so I couldn't post it. Thank you all to who read, faved and alerted this fic! More thanks to Sair J, Cowboy's Girl, Madil93, and evershort for the reviews. I know you guys always review every chapter, and for that I am so grateful! I hope to post the next chapter sooner than last time, lol. Please R&R :D