Brotherhood

Chapter 19

...

Sam was still fuming after being taken to task by Hetty for revealing his true identity to the Doucet family. How she knew that he had no idea, unless Roy had let it slip or just plain informed on him. She had curtly asked him if he'd forgotten what a black op was, and that had truly pissed him off. He had let loose his anger and frustration, snapping out that she needed to trust her agent in the field. The Doucets were the most closed mouth people he had met in a long time, and he told her that he appreciated their help and she should too. He reminded her that they understood what was at stake more than anyone and that had finally gotten her to back down somewhat. They were all on edge after Roy had revealed what Callen and especially Deeks had gone through, which was why he was here at the hospital, worried about Elan's reaction. He could blow the whole op if he did what he'd promised to do at the racetrack. Hopefully Joe would be able to control him, but if he didn't or was too concerned himself to want to, then it was his job to keep both of them in line.

As he turned the corner to approach the ICU he saw several familiar faces, and one he hadn't expected. He felt the tension rising as the Doucets surrounded Safa Jordan, their faces hard and unyielding. He realized then that they had met her before and the experience hadn't been a pleasant one for any of them.

"Safa? How'd you know to come here?" His suspicions sharp and troubling.

"That will have to remain one of my many secrets, Agent Hanna," she said flippantly. "Now tell these guys to let me pass. I need to talk to Joe and you, of course."

"Yeah right," he growled. "You forget my phone number?"

"Apparently you forgot mine when Joe was found alive and rescued and I wasn't informed," she accused, her dark eyes flashing with distrust.

"That was his call," he said softly.

"What?" Her eyes widening, obviously caught off guard by the information, but quickly covering the fact that she was hurt by it.

"He don't trust you neither," Gus Doucet said harshly. "He almost died out dere."

"Don't you think I know that?" She snapped, rounding on the man.

"Jest wonderin' if you give a good goddam," he said tightly, taking a step toward her. "Jest like I wondered when you told us Oscar was dead."

"That's enough," Sam said, noticing how shaken she was by the accusations. "We have things to discuss with Joe, Gus. She's gonna help us bring down The Brotherhood."

"You sure 'bout dat?" He snarled, and Sam realized that the man might be a dangerous force to be reckoned with.

"It's her job, man. Mine too," Sam said quietly. "Just like it was Oscar's."

The mention of his young brother's name silenced him and the others dropped their heads or turned away, their pain still fresh, stoking a deep rage they had no outlet for.

"It's not her you should be angry with, Gus," Sam said. "We're after the man who betrayed your brother and Joe. She's in a position to find out who that was. We need her."

"You promise me woman...you promise me you gonna get dat dere bastard," Gus said with frightening menace.

"You probably won't take my word that I will do just that, Mr. Doucet, so I'll swear it on my mother's grave," she said solemnly, standing her ground.

She obviously knew this was a matriarchal society for the most part, although they might not admit it, so what she'd said made her oath sacrosanct. Gus nodded at her and Sam saw his anger dissipate slowly and the wall of men moved aside, allowing them to enter the ICU.

"Thanks for backing me up," she whispered as the door closed behind them.

"Sorry for your loss," he said quietly as they moved toward Joe's room.

"You mean my mother? She lives in Philadelphia."

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" he laughed.

"Does Joe really believe I'd give him up to Guidry?" She asked as she stopped and turned to face him.

"That's what I'm here to find out," Sam said, watching as her jaw tightened, knowing she wasn't fully trusted just yet.

"You have to know I would never do that. Never," she said. "But I think I have an idea who might have."

Sam couldn't hide his surprise and when she saw his reaction she smirked, reminding him of Callen. He hadn't spoken to her since he heard what had happened to Callen and Deeks and wondered if she knew. It didn't seem right to keep it from her at this point, especially if Joe wanted answers.

"Before we go in, there's something you need to know," Sam said.

Safa was a seasoned agent and a tough woman, but as he told her what had been done to Callen and Deeks, he saw her hard demeanor crack slightly. She made an attempt to block out her emotions, but failed, her face showing the disgust she felt and her eyes becoming turbulent with anger and residual fear before she looked away.

"I can see that your pissed, but I can also tell you're not surprised by what happened to Deeks," Sam said softly.

"I was at Oscar Doucet's autopsy," she replied. "I knew he'd been raped, I just didn't know by who."

As Sam started to usher her into Joe's room, she seemed reluctant to go, so he gave her a moment to settle down and get her emotions under control.

"Does he blame me?" She asked, her eyes searching his. "He was afraid for Oscar, but there was no way to pull him out without compromising the mission and leaving Joe without backup. Is that why he doesn't trust me?"

"That's something you need to ask him," Sam replied. "He knows what Saint-Jean almost did to Deeks and he's angry, so go easy when we get in there."

"You really think I need pointers on how to talk to my own agent?" She asked, looking offended by his suggestion.

"I've known Joe a lot longer than you," Sam said quietly. "They may not be related by blood, but Deeks is his kid brother and he loves him. I've seen just how angry Joe can become when bad things happen to him. This came real close to something that happened to Deeks a few years ago, and that won't be far from Joe's mind. So, be very careful about what you say in there and how you say it."

Safa nodded firmly, thankfully not asking for details, because that was something Sam had no desire to revisit. As he pushed open the door to Joe's room, he saw Elan uncoil into a fighting position as he rose from the chair, the soft click of a switchblade causing Safa to move her hand to her gun. Sam moved quickly in front of her and held out his hand to let him know she wasn't a threat.

"Elan."

"Sam. Who's she?" He asked, relaxing as he tucked the knife away.

"Her name's Safa Jordan," Joe said softly from the bed. "She was my handler."

"Still am, Agent Atwood," Safa said gently. "It's really good to see you, Joe."

"You mean alive?" Joe said, his voice low and sullen.

"I didn't give you up, Joe," Safa said firmly. "And I'm a little pissed you would think I would."

"Yeah? Well I haven't been in a real trusting mood for quite some time," he replied.

"That's understandable," she said. "I saw what they did to Oscar."

"I told you you should have pulled him out," Joe said angrily, his eyes suddenly filling with tears. "Why didn't you do that, Safa? He was just a kid."

"He'd been an undercover agent for four years, Joe," she said as she stepped up to his bedside. "He knew what we were asking of him and he volunteered to go in. He was more worried about you than he was for himself."

"What? Why?" Joe asked, edging up on his pillow.

"He was Cajun," she said softly. "He thought that gave him an advantage you didn't have. I think he was a little surprised at how well you fit in with the militiamen."

"A lot of them reminded me of some of the guys I served with in Afghanistan. They served because they love their country," he replied softly, but then his eyes flashed in irritation. "But, these militia guys...they have such a warped sense of what being a patriot means. They think their way is the only way. They think everybody else just blindly follows a bunch of weak leaders in Washington who don't respect their right to do whatever the hell they want. Guidry reinforces their hatred of government and they don't even realize or give a shit that they're the ones blindly following a man who's totally corrupt...a fucking murderer...with no soul...and who answers to some suits from Washington with a personal agenda."

He was winded when he finished his rant, the anger contorting his face and the others gave him time to calm down.

"I'm so sorry this happened, Joe," Safa finally said softly. "Oscar was a good man, and he didn't deserve what they did to him."

"You know, don't you?" He asked, his expression intense as he held her gaze.

"Yes...all of it."

"Do his people know?" Joe choked out.

"No. They didn't need to know that," she replied.

"Thanks...not sure I would have been able to face them if they knew that too," Joe responded, his voice just a whisper choked with tears.

"You told me you might have an idea who sold them out," Sam said to Safa. "Now might be a good time to share."

"Remember the guy who took a shot at you, Sam?" She asked.

"Somebody tried to take you out?" Elan asked, looking concerned.

"Do they know your team is here?" Joe asked, suddenly quite agitated. "What if they know about Deeks and..."

"I was undercover as a member of the DOJ," Sam said quickly. "I rattled their cage a little..."

"Must have been one hell of a show if they tried to kill you for it," Elan said, smiling slightly. "You get the guy?"

"No, but luckily for Sam, he missed," Safa said, her voice dropping into that cool, even tone she had when talking about the case. "That night I decided to do a little covert spying on the task force. I'd planted bugs before, but when we flushed out the mole, the offices were all swept and the bugs were discovered. Everyone assumed Peter Sawyer had placed them. The night they tried to kill you I put them back."

"Who do you suspect?" Joe asked.

"Hold that thought," Sam said as he inserted his earwig and motioned for the others to follow suit, even offering an extra one to Elan, who looked surprised.

"Hetty? Is the room clean?" Sam asked into comms.

"Completely, Sam," she replied.

"I forgot how sneaky you are Hetty," Elan said. "I wasn't gone that long."

"Your midnight dinner took exactly twenty-three minutes, Mr. Hand," she replied. "I suggest you bring a bag of snacks next time."

"Yes ma'am," he said, grinning at Joe.

"Now, Miss Jordan...let's hear what you have," Hetty instructed. "The nurses won't be disturbing us."

"I have begun to suspect that Guidry's inside man isn't really Guidry's at all," she said. "When you first went missing I assumed the informant had a low level job working for either Murphy of Homeland or under Overton in the counterterrorism section."

"Those are the two guys I met the first day," Sam said.

"They don't like you very much, by the way," she smiled brightly.

"Guess not if they tried to shoot him," Elan said dryly.

"Colin Murphy has been with Homeland Security since 9/11," she said, ignoring Elan. "He wears his patriotism on his sleeve. He gives no one any reason to believe he would betray his country, let alone agents in the field."

"He wanted to go a round or two with me after I accused them of being incompetent," Sam said. "Overton seemed reasonable though."

"That's what I thought too," she replied. "But he's had his problems with authority throughout his career."

"Are you saying you believe one of them betrayed us?" Joe spit out angrily.

"I considered it a possibility, because I think whoever it is doesn't work for Guidry, but for whoever is running things from Washington."

"Makes sense," Hetty interjected. "He'd have unlimited access to classified material and could operate out in the open without suspicion. The mole was a mid level analyst, but I suspect had no idea there was another traitor within the same task force. The right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing sort of thing. Rather old school and effective."

"So which one is it?" Joe asked, his jaw tight with anger.

"Wait..." Elan said. "Those men we captured at Roy's place...they said there was a man in a suit from New Orleans there the day Oscar was killed. One of them said you were cussing at him, Joe. Said he thought you knew him."

"I remember him," Joe said, a distant look in his eye. "I'd just gotten the shit beat out of me when he showed up. Guidry seemed trying to impress him. I'd never seen him do that before."

"Did you know him Joe?" Hetty asked quietly.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "But the bastard didn't bat an eye when Guidry set those dogs on Oscar. I called that sonofabitch every name in the book, but it didn't seem to bother him. None of it did...not even Oscar's screams."

"So it wasn't someone from the task force?" Sam asked, gently squeezing Joe's shoulder.

"I never met anyone from the task force accept Safa," he replied.

"We didn't want to take the chance," she said.

"And look how well that turned out," Elan growled.

"You assumed the mole was the only one you had to worry about," Hetty said. "So you outed your own undercover agent to catch him."

"At least that part worked," Sam said.

"Until it got a man killed," Elan said angrily. "And another almost run to ground."

"Who the hell are you anyway?" Safa snapped.

"This is my cousin Elan Hand," Joe said. "He's Arapaho, and an ex Army Ranger who can be a little overprotective."

"Looks like you could have used a little protection, Cuz," Elan replied, sounding surly and pissed. "You sure as hell weren't gettin' it from your so-called handler."

"Calm down, Mr. Hand," Hetty said sharply. "I agree mistakes have been made, but pointing fingers gets us nowhere. Now, Miss Jordan, who do you suspect our rat to be?"

"The whole task force was assembled so the director could inform us of Joe's supposed death," Safa said, still glaring at Elan. "And I watched them all for their reaction to the news. Thought it might give me an indication of who to concentrate on. Murphy looked pissed, even shoved Overton away when he tried to talk to him afterwards."

"And Overton?" Hetty asked.

"He seemed confused, as if he couldn't believe it, or didn't want to," Safa replied. "He's actually quite difficult to read."

"Any others?" Sam asked.

"I have an edited version on my tablet from the camera bugs I placed," she said. "Let's take a look at it together and see what you all think."

"Can you give our tech an access code so I can see the feed?" Hetty requested. "Mr. Beale make sure it's secure and immediately classified for my eyes only."

"On it," Eric chimed in.

The lull, while Eric did his thing, allowed Sam to assess how Joe was doing and he could see how exhausted he was. The bruises around his eyes had turned a sickly gray green, and every once in awhile his jaw would clinch as he rode out a spasm of pain. He was a tough man, but now his hands trembled with the effort it was taking to appear strong in front of everyone, and Sam admired him for that.

"I'm afraid for Marty and Callen, Sam," he said softly as the tablet was set up on his tray table. "I want this bastard, but I want them safe more."

"We all do," Sam said as Elan came over and gripped his cousin's shoulder.

The grainy black and white surveillance footage flashed on the screen. There were several edits with close ups on Overton and Murphy.

"Do you recognize either of them Mr. Atwood?" Hetty asked.

"No...neither one was at the camp," Joe said, gritting his teeth in frustration. "Damn it!"

"Looks like your theory may be wrong, Agent Jordan," Hetty remarked.

"Keep watching, Joe," Sam encouraged him. "Most of the members of the task force are in that room."

"I have sound on this part," Safa said, punching one of the keys. "The director gave quite a moving speech. It's from my button cam. I wanted to watch people's reactions to what he was saying."

They all listened to the heartfelt words as the camera panned the men and women of the task force. Most looked stunned when informed Joe Atwood wasn't a terrorist after all, but a heroic undercover agent who gave his life in the service of his country. The speech was quite elegant and Safa turned to catch the director on camera as he delivered his last lines.

"That's him..." Joe whispered. "That's the fucking sonofabitch."

"Director White?" Safa stuttered out. "Are you sure?"

"He watched Oscar torn to pieces without a single word."

"This is why this is a black op, Mr. Hanna," Hetty said curtly. "Watch your back, Sam. You too, Miss Jordan. I'm having Joe moved as soon as we're done here."

"I wasn't followed Hetty," Sam said.

"I believe you Mr. Hanna," she replied. "But they did try to kill you and they know you met with Safa and may be tracking her. If they followed her here, and discover Joe isn't dead, then he isn't safe and neither are either of you."

"No one's tracking me, Hetty," Safa insisted. "I check for bugs all the time. I'm good at my job."

"No one is questioning that my dear," Hetty said kindly. "But so are they. This is not some low level plot being carried out by crude militiamen, it's being run by an upper echelon intelligence organization with a political agenda. I'm afraid you may be compromised and I'm getting tired of seeing agents taken down by these bastards."

"What do you want me to do, Hetty?" Sam asked.

"Go see Harrison White. Offer your condolences on the loss of Mr. Atwood. See if you can get a read on him. Tell him you've been called back to Washington," she said. "And then get the hell out of New Orleans."

"What about Safa?" Sam asked. "If he suspects she's talking to me, she'll be in danger."

"Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself," Safa said confidently.

"There's something I don't get," Joe said. "Why try and kill Sam? Wouldn't that just shine a spotlight on the task force after everything that's gone down? What was the point? I mean, I know he's scary and all, but did the director panic all of a sudden? It doesn't make any sense."

"I agree Joe. But, the situation was volatile at the time," Hetty said. "Perhaps he felt his position as head of the task force was threatened. After all, Sam warned them all that he could have them reassigned to North Dakota, I believe it was."

"Callen always said you were intimidating, Sam," Elan laughed. "Don't tell him it almost got you killed."

"It would put a serious kink in their operation if White was removed," Safa said. "He can steer our operatives away from whatever target the terrorists are planning to hit."

"That would be the federal courthouse in Baton Rouge," Hetty said. "We're working on finding out when."

"How do you know that?" Safa demanded, looking quickly at Sam in total surprise.

"One of Guidry's lieutenants bragged about it to Mr. Deeks, one of my undercover agents," Hetty replied.

"You failed to mention that, Sam," Safa said stonily. "When are you people going to trust me?"

"I do trust you, Miss Jordan," Hetty said. "You work for me now, and you wouldn't if I didn't trust you. And I certainly wouldn't give you the name of my undercover operative."

"And here I thought you're reputation was a bit fantastical," Safa laughed.

"Oh, I'm quite real my dear," Hetty replied lightly. "I operate more on the dark side of fantasy's moon, which is the reason your boss has assigned you to my team. Just don't screw up."

"Not on my agenda, Miss Lange," Safa said formally. "I need to go back to work and see if I can track White's cell phone calls. It may give us some idea who is running the show in Washington."

"Check in with Nell Jones every four hours, Miss Jordan," Hetty ordered. "I know you two hit it off. She can assist you with whatever you need. If you miss a check-in expect to have company. As for you Joe…How does an afternoon flight to Wyoming sound?"

"Did the doctors say it was okay for him to travel?" Elan asked. "He's still running a fever and..."

"Don't worry, Mr. Hand," she soothed. "There will be trained medical personnel on board the private jet and a bed waiting for him in the hospital in Laramie. I believe your wife used to work there, Mr. Atwood. She'll be waiting for you both, as will your father."

"Thanks, Hetty," Joe said softly. "I'm looking forward to going home to the ranch."

"I can't go with you Joe," Elan said quietly. "Not with Marty and Callen still out there."

"I know. Wouldn't have it any other way, brother," Joe said, pulling Elan to him. "Make sure they get home, Elan. Promise me."

Elan said something in Arapaho that Joe seemed to understand, and the two men held onto each other until they could control their emotions. Sam wasn't surprised Elan was staying. He had made that decision at the racetrack and he would see it through to the end. He'd seen his devotion to Deeks, and that now extended to Callen, and it would certainly ease his mind to have the big Arapaho by his side if things turned deadly.

"Sam? Can you get Deeks a message for me?" Joe asked. "Tell him he's going to be an uncle again...and Callen too, if he wants to be...if you think they should know. I wouldn't want to distract them."

"I think they might appreciate a distraction like that, man," Sam said warmly. "Congratulations. And if it's a girl, Uncle G has been well trained by my daughter. Pink's his color. Just ask Hetty."

...

Neither one thought they'd have the stomach for supper after forcing themselves to watch two gators fight over Saint's body. Some of the men who had been on the platform with him the night before had cheered when he was finally dragged under water, at least when Guidry was watching. Callen had a feeling the man knew exactly who had done what to them, and if anyone could put the fear of the devil in them, it was Guidry. He had caught the man watching them both, and he'd warned Deeks to control his reactions to the grisly scene unfolding in front of them. He had acknowledged the warning before taking another deep swallow of the moonshine Addy had given him, his attitude worrying Callen. As they'd watched Saint's gruesome death, it was if the real Deeks disappeared completely into his alias and Jimmy Hale was angry and moody and drinking too much. After the show was over, he managed to drag him over to the barbecue pit, but Deeks took one look at the roasting pig and walked into the trees to throw up. When he came back, one of the men who had tormented him the night before decided to laugh at him. It was a very stupid thing to do.

Callen had forgotten how fast Deeks could move, his anger exploding at the mockery, and barreling into the man at full speed. The violence of the attack was stunning, and it silenced every man there, including Guidry. No one interfered, and Callen let it play out to see how Guidry would deal with it, knowing he'd been waiting to see what they'd do to the men who'd attacked them. A friend finally moved to pull Jimmy off, but Jake Hale cold cocked him to the ground, getting in a few vicious kicks that left the man breathless.

"Don't go killin' 'im now, Jimmy," Guidry finally said, motioning for a couple of men to pull him off. "He learn his lesson, mon fils."

Callen went cold when he heard what he'd called him, unsure whether it was a good thing or something to be concerned about. Deeks probably had no idea the man had just called him his son, but the men around him did, and he saw the subtle reaction to it in their eyes.

Deeks struggled free of the men who pulled him off, cursing them loudly as he shoved them away, until Guidry came up and patted him firmly on the cheek.

"That be enough, boy," he growled. "You hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear ya," he said, spitting blood on the ground. "Bastard had it comin'."

"Y'all take care of your business on your own time," he said. "Now we need ta talk."

"Yessir," showing the obedience Guidry expected and surprising Callen at his control.

Callen put his hand on Deeks' chest before he could follow the man as he walked away. "You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Deeks asked, roughly pushing his hand away.

Guidry led them to a table at the edge of camp, where Tino and Pea joined them along with another man they didn't know. Addy brought them plates of roasted pork, and bowls of grits, which they both ignored. The others dug in despite the sweltering heat of the late afternoon and the ever-present mosquitoes. There was more whisky and moonshine, but Callen noticed that Deeks drank sparingly, and he was thankful for that. He'd assumed the kid had lost control, but now he wasn't sure and that surprised him. Deeks had matured a lot since they'd been undercover with the Aryan Knights. He was tougher and had endured so much. He'd come close to being broken, but had survived and fought his way back. He was good at this, and Callen was proud of him.

"Dis here is Prou," Guidry said as he sucked on a piece of pork. "He like ta shoot people, but he in da dog house now. Miss his target, den got hisself shot."

"Who was he tryin' ta kill?" Deeks asked.

"This their business, boss?" Prou asked, eyeing Jimmy and Jake suspiciously.

"Dis here boy got shot savin' my life," Guidry said. "You was shot runnin' ta save your own fuckin' ass."

"Told ya we shoulda blown the bastard up," Tino said.

"We gonna try dat next," Guidry nodded. "Good test for the PLX and C4."

"Who we talkin' about?" Callen asked, his chest tight and his gut roiling.

"Black bastard from de DOJ tryin' ta mess wid our plans," Guidry said. "Don't like being threatened, so we take 'im out."

"Found out where he's stayin' in New Orleans," Prou said.

"Good. We can fix up a nice little surprise for 'im in his car and fry 'im down to the bone," Tino laughed and the others joined in.

"Git goin' den. Git it done tonight," Guidry said as he heaped his plate with grits and a pile of roasted pork and waved for the men to leave.

Callen felt Deeks' fingers dig into his leg, but neither one outwardly reacted to what the men had said. Deeks took a long swallow of whiskey and shot a look of pure fear at Callen, who poured himself a much-needed drink. The fiery moonshine burned down his throat and his eyes watered, as he silently cursed himself for forgetting his earwig. He didn't think Deeks was on comms either and his raw fear for Sam made it hard to breathe.

"Had some experience with C4," Callen managed to say calmly. "I'd like to go along."

"Nah, Jake," Guidry said. "Dem two know what de doin'."

The sound of the outboard revving up made Callen feel sick. His hand curled unwittingly into a fist, but luckily Guidry didn't notice as he began a story about Prou and his exploits as a sniper in Iraq. The longer the story got the more lightheaded he felt, and he could feel Deeks practically vibrating beside him. They were soon surrounded by other militiamen, all of them looking to forget about the horrific death they had witness, drinking too much and laughing. There was no way to leave and he was sure neither one was on comms, so as the story went on, the angrier and more agitated he became. He had no idea how long it would take Tino and Prou to reach New Orleans, but it didn't stop his mind from filling with the horrible possibilities if they carried out their plan. He finally noticed that Deeks had begun to nod dramatically as if falling asleep, slumping noticeably over the table.

"Y'all had a rough day of it," Guidry finally said softly. "Take care of your baby brother, dere. He lookin' done beat after tearin' in ta 'ol Hugo. Go on now. Tomorrow come soon enough."

Callen tried not to look too relieved as he got up and pulled Deeks to his feet. He wanted to run back to the cabin, but Deeks wisely slowed him down, draping a weary arm across his shoulder and staggering slightly as if drunk, which for all Callen knew he was.

"You aren't on comms either are you," Deeks whispered as he slumped against him.

"No."

"Fuck!"

"Hey, Jimmy," Addy said, suddenly appearing in front of them. "Want some company?"

"Not unless you want to watch me throw up, darlin'," Deeks slurred out.

"Oh...I could bring ya my mama's recipe for a hangover," she said hopefully as they kept walking toward the cabin.

"He likes to suffer by himself when he's an idiot and drinks too much," Jake told her.

"I ain't no idiot," Jimmy snapped. "You just don't like to have no fun. I damn well earned a night of drinkin', brother."

Addy looked a little bewildered as they continued to argue, but she stayed with them until they reached the cabin. Callen wasn't sure how to get rid of the girl, unwilling to be too rude to the one person who'd been kind to them and who was an obvious spy for Guidry.

"You're just jealous, dickwad," Jimmy said as they pushed through the door.

"Jealous of what?" Jake asked.

"Mr. Guidry likes me better'n you," Jimmy said, grinning cockily as he stumbled and fell facedown on the bed.

"He's right about that," the girl said as she stood in the doorway. "Called him 'mon fils'. Ain't heard him call nobody his son before."

A deep, loud snore made Addy smile softly as she looked at Deeks' limp body sprawled across the bed.

"He's kinda special ain't he?" She said.

"He's kinda drunk is what he is," Jake snorted in derision. "Come back tomorrow Addy. He'll be better company. And thanks for your help today."

"Weren't nothin', Jake," she said shyly as she backed out. "See y'all in the mornin'."

Callen waited a couple of minutes and then rummaged for his earwig, turning around to see Deeks staring at him.

"What did that fuck call me?"

"Later, kid," Callen snapped, not wanting to deal with anything other than saving his partner's life. "Roy? Sam's in trouble."

...

...