For 2 days they followed leads, talked to CI's, reviewed various security tapes around the area but nothing was forthcoming. As they gathered in the bull pen, all 3 looking tired and worn, Kensi half moaned "what do we do now? What makes us think he is still alive? What purpose does Angelo have to keep him alive? If he is trying to get even with NCIS why Deeks?"
G piped up "Come on Kens, you said he'd never leave you. After all you've been thru, you think he's gonna let this stop him? Wait a minute-stopping him-that's what we did with Paul. He isn't after NCIS directly. He is after the 2 of you or even all of us including Granger and Hetty. The whole 3rd heart thing and how it shook Deeks up. Then Hetty wipes him from the face of the earth. Maybe it's simple-he wants you so he takes so he can take you from Deeks the way we took the woman he loves away. Deeks is the bait. We gotta make sure Michelle and Joelle are ok, Nell also for that matter. I'm not gonna assume he isn't after all of us. Hetty we don't need to worry about and Granger has no one that we know of. So do we go on the offensive and put you out there for him as bait somehow or wait and hope he contacts us?"
"We go after him. If we wait we play his game on his field so he has the advantage. If we go after him, we gain an edge" Sam offered quickly-the SEAL in him showing. Action, not waiting got the job done in his world.
As the other 2 agents digested what G and then Sam had just offered up as a theory they heard a shrill whistle from OPS. "We got the locations yelled Eric. Get up here quick. After the 3 agents filed in, Nell began to immediately brief them.
"We have 3 different locations on the SUV's. 2 went to the same spot and the other 2 each went to a separate location. All are vacant warehouses. We have infrared showing that the only people at each location are the ones who arrived in the SUV's. There are no cameras inside any of the locations. We have pulled video from cameras in the area, some of which you don't need to officially know about. What we did just find is that Angelo left this location alone, was picked up in a Camaro and taken to the location where 2 of the SUV's went. That would put 7 people at that location and also possibly indicate that is the location Deeks is being held. That's all we can give you" and Nell sat down.
"We can't afford to overlook the other 2 locations" offered Hetty. "Mr. Callen, I would suggest you each lead a raid on one of the locations. The one with the higher probability of having Det. Deeks on site would have a full SWAT back up while the other 2 just need 4 man teams. I also think it is only fair that Ms. Blye lead the raid on the likely location where Mr. Deeks is being held."
"Hetty, I'm not sure I want to split us up that way. We are used to having each other's back while working as a unit but this way you have 3 agents with unfamiliar teams." G observed this with a scowl on his face. The other 2 nodded in agreement.
"But" said Sam, "Hetty is right. We can't ignore the other 2 locations and what if we are wrong about Deeks location? If something would happen to him and none of us are there, how will we feel? How will Kensi feel knowing we didn't send our best to save him. I owe that man and don't want to lose him without knowing we took our best shot. This is something we gotta do the hard way and split up." Everyone in the room was silent digesting what Sam had said. It was the first time any of them had acknowledged what happened with Siderov. It was something they just didn't talk about-the same with Afghanistan. "Besides" Sam went on "do you want to face an irate Kensi?" That sold it. G just shrugged and nodded.
"I wasn't trying to slight him Kensi, just trying to be sure we had each other's back when we went in" mumbled G in an apologetic manner.
"I understand G. It isn't the most comfortable. But then when Marty went in the pool to save Sam he didn't have nor worry about back up. He called it in and then did what he had to do. AND no one showed up to help him. He was expecting back up to arrive but we didn't. That won't happen if we each hit one place. That allows a team from one location to back up at another location if needed" and Kensi put her hands together and her head down as she finished her statement. She was obviously worried and the stress of the last few weeks/months was taking its toll.
"Ok not ideal, but workable. Now why is he doing this? Do we have anyway of tying him into the IA investigation? Maybe he holds you 2 primarily responsible for what happened to him. I remember that whole 3rd heart thing. It shook Deeks pretty good." This was G thinking out loud.
"Yea" said Kensi "so much so it delayed our getting together for a year or more. It took Thapa telling him how to cross a frozen lake to put us back together by waiting for me and it worked. When I was ready to be all in I approached Deeks. The problem was committing and it was on me. Part of me just wasn't sure I wanted to go thru that again. I was sure he would leave me like all the others. But he didn't and we learned to deal with 'us' as a couple and keep it out of the office. I finally realized just how much he meant to me. Yea, if Paul knows or learned of us I can see him taking it out on us. But I can also see him going after all the Nell, Michelle and Joelle also for the same reason. I'm glad we put agents on em."
"Then let's work out how we are going to do this. Timing is important so one location can't tell another and so we can communicate where Deeks is and if back up is necessary" all this from G as they gathered around the big screen looking at a map showing all 3 locations. Eric can you split screen plans for these places to show up what we have to breach?" This came from Sam.
"While Eric is doing that guys, think about this. What if Paul Angelo is responsible for all of this? He leaked somethings on Afghanistan that he learned thru his mole. Then he poisons Granger to get back at him and Hetty. He leaves me the monks head thinking I'll take a big whiff before we can figure out it's the poison. Then he's got us shorthanded and crippled. He could easily start the IA thing at LAPD with a phone call and a couple open ended statements about Deeks past. I'm sure there are things he hasn't shared with me or anyone yet. Even if Hetty knows it would still make sense. Is that giving him too much credit?" And with that pronouncement Kensi looked at everyone in the room and then added "or am I crazy overthinking this cause I am pissed and tired and upset and scared and- - -" Then Nell put her arms around the tough brunette and held her while she tried not to cry in front of the group. All of them stared at each other for what seemed like an hour but was really only a few minutes. Slowly they all came around to thinking how possible that was and how it would explain everything going back to the beginning-even too sicing their German buddy on them.
"Done" was all they heard in response.
Time to go find Deeks.