The next morning, Deeks woke with a pounding headache.
He was lying in the same spot as the previous night- next to the small closet on the floor. His arm was in a make shift sling and bender made from two of his shirts. His forehead was drenched in sweat and covered in small bandages. The probationary agent pulled himself up into a sitting position and saw that his leg was elevated over his backpack.
Sunlight spilled through the windows onto the main floor, allowing Deeks to get a better a view of the dingy, dirty room. For the first time since they had arrived, Deeks realized how crappy the room really was.
"Stupid concussion or whatever made me loony last night," he muttered. He expected a comment from Kensi, which never came. The probationary agent looked around the room before calling out, "Kensi?"
"Right here, Deeks," the brunette replied as she walked into the room. She had her green jacket in her hands, which she dropped onto the floor next to him. "How are you feeling?"
"Like a million bucks, babe," Deeks answered with a smile. The smile instantly disappeared when Kensi gave him a deep, dark glare. He decided to change his response, "Baby cakes? Sweetie pie?"
His partner ignored him and sat down across from him. Kensi placed a hand on Deeks' wrist and commented, "Your arm isn't inflamed anymore so that's good….."
"Kens…"
"I think I have some Advil that should help with your ankle-"
"Hey," Deeks placed a hand on her cheek. Kensi furiously blinked away tears before looking Deeks in the eye. He ran a finger against her cheek and said, "Again, Kens. I am so sorry for leaving you back in Los Angeles," Deeks apologized, "I shouldn't have done it and I know how much it hurt you. Won't happen again."
Kensi placed her hands in her lap and began to toy with the zipper on her jacket. She mumbled, "I thought I had lost you-"
"I know," Deeks gave her a warm smile, "If it helps, I love you."
His words made a small smile appear on her face. Kensi snorted, "Yeah- will that help us get off the FBIs most wanted?"
"We're on the FBIs most wanted?"
Kensi playfully slapped his healthy arm. "I was being sarcastic! You know what- let's focus on the task at hand: creating our game plan."
"Whatever you say, honey bun." Once again, Deeks changed his words at the sight of Kensi's glare. "Oh come on….fine; work first, nicknames later."
"Ok- we need to get food, first aid supplies, some form of an update on things back in LA, and a location on Sam and Callen," Kensi stated. She watched her partner slowly put on a dark brown shirt. He then sat forward and pointed to Kensi's backpack.
"How low are you on supplies?" he asked.
"I barely have enough to make it through tomorrow night because of your injuries."
"Yeah, sorry about that," Deeks muttered. He winced as he lifted his leg off of his backpack. The probationary agent then pulled his backpack into his lap. "Hold on- yeah, I'm pretty low on supplies too."
"So where would we even start to look for anything?" Kensi unwrapped a map and spread it over the concrete floor, "Sam and Callen could be anywhere- including an Algerian cell and US custody. You were here two days before us- did you see any good spots to hide or get supplies?"
"That Lyons wouldn't know about? Let's see, "Deeks scratched his head quickly before pointing to a large intersection on the map."There isn't anywhere that I can think of right now, Kens, but if we want to get an idea of what's out there during daylight, this would be the place to go."
Hariri Square, Algiers
Algiers' most famous square was unusually busy.
A finance convention and a warm weather had brought men and women in business and tourists from all over the world to Algiers. Along with the city's usual midday patrons, Hariri Square was swarmed with almost a thousand people.
Vendors from all over were out selling their best items, tourists were sitting at the city cafes, and residents crossed the streets to get to their destinations. For the two agents, it was the perfect situation for them to explore the city without drawing attention to themselves. Police presence in the square was lower than expected, allowing Deeks and Kensi to sit at a café in disguise. Kensi wore a white floral dress, her red wig, and sunglasses. Deeks was also wearing sunglasses along with a dark hat, a blazer, and jeans. To the untrained eye, they looked like a normal couple on vacation.
Kensi squeezed Deeks' arm and pretended to whisper a joke in his ear. The probationary agent only smiled in response, using the opportunity to scan the café and the nearby environments. And as expected, neither Lyons nor Pendle were seen.
"You see anything?" Kensi whispered into his ear while running a finger down her menu as if she was actually interested in something. Deeks shifted his arm towards the southern area of the square where both agents could see two small fruit vendors arguing on the street. In between those vendors, Deeks could see a large dark skinned man in traditional dress, who was admiring jewelry in a store front window. The man's distinctive walk immediately gave it way to be Sam.
"I got eyes on Sam," Deeks calmly stated.
"In broad daylight? I'm impressed." Kensi pulled up the menu close to them. "How is he?"
"Seems ok. I don't think he saw us. Should we make a move?"
"Well, I think that-"
"Wait." Deeks watched Sam step away from the vendor and continue down the street. The man took a quick glance to his left before disappearing down a small alley. Deeks checked his watch and whispered to his partner, "Let's walk by to get at least an idea of where he's going. If we get too close, someone might spot us."
"Sounds good," Kensi replied. Deeks placed an Algerian 5 dinar coin onto the table. He pulled out Kensi's chair, trying to look as loving and normal as possible. Kensi played along as well, faking a giggle and wrapping an arm around Deeks' arm. They stepped into the crowd and walked towards the alley.
Something's not right. We've been out in public for twenty minutes and no one has noticed.Deeks thought as they stepped onto the sidewalk near the alley. . He stopped and bent over, taking the opportunity to get a glance of the intersection center where hoards of people were crossing the street.
That's where he realized that they had been made.
Two dark haired men dressed in suits and dark sunglasses were standing next to a streetlight while pointing in the agents' direction. Deeks tapped Kensi's ankle and told her, "We've got company."
Kensi nodded slightly and slowly looked over to the two men. The taller, more physically fit of the two caught her eye. After a few seconds of eye contact, the man started sprinting towards the agents at top speed. Deeks stood and gave Kensi a push into the alley where they both began running as fast as they could.
Kensi was leading, focused on making it to the approaching street. The probationary agent was close behind, pushing through the pain that was shooting up and down his leg. They both almost reached the street, but were stopped at the sound of gunshots coming from behind them. The two men were at least a few hundred yards away and were both shooting. Bullets were hitting the stone wall and the concrete, every one missing Kensi and Deeks.
"Get on the street!" Deeks yelled. Kensi complied and ran onto the crowded street. Cars were scattered throughout the heavily congested street. Kensi tried to head down the road towards the Monument des Martyrs, but was stopped when a small white jeep drove up and halted in front of the agents. When the backdoor opened, Deeks and Kensi saw a sight for sore eyes- teammates Sam and Callen.
Callen was driving and yelling, "Get in!" over the sound of screams from bystanders. Kensi climbed in before Deeks did, who landed on top of her. Two more bullets rang out and both hit two civilians standing nearby. Callen hit the gas and drove off towards the closest highway.
"Oww, that sucked," Kensi gasped.
"I know," Callen said from the front seat, "Nice to see you too."