Brotherhood
Chapter 30
...
Elan had rallied everyone to comms and their voices babbled and buzzed in his ears, but nothing was as distinct as the pain on his brother's face. At first Callen had tried to disguise it, but his eyes betrayed him, as did the shivering brought on by the inevitable shock. When his adrenaline finally faded, Deeks was bull rushed by the enormity of what had happened, leaving him shaken, his usual jokes falling flat before ever reaching his tongue. He silently cursed himself as he tried to stem the blood flow from the deep puncture wound in the muscle of his brother's right arm, the scene he'd woken to playing over and over again in his head. To be taken unawares like that and to have his brother suffer for his mistake was intolerable, something he would regret for a very long time. If he hadn't regained consciousness, if he hadn't remembered the knife under the end of the mattress, or if Beau hadn't taken his time fawning over the glory that was General Rasmussen, he would have entered a never ending nightmare of his own making.
"I'm...I'm sorry..." He said, the apology hopelessly inadequate.
"For what? Killing that bastard or saving my life?" His irrepressible smirk reminding him how tough he was.
"For making a mistake that let him get to you. He never should have taken me that easily," Deeks said, as he tied a strip he'd torn from a t-shirt over the wound.
"We're still alive brother, and if you've learned anything from Sam you'll ding me for a steak dinner for saving my ass," he replied. "Now let it go. We have to figure out how to get ahead of this mess."
"I'll buy you two the biggest steaks in LA if you can do that," Sam said. "Sounds to me like both groups are spoiling for war."
"Pierce can't afford a war, Mr. Hanna," Hetty said. "Not now. It will screw with his master plan."
"He may get one whether he wants one or not," Callen said wearily. "Rasmussen doesn't sound like the kind of man who wants to be under anyone's thumb. Pierce may not be able to control him, especially if he doesn't hear from Beau."
"I'm meeting my assigned SEAL team at 0900. We'll be ready to go to wherever you need us," Sam offered.
"That's one of the problems," Deeks said. "Pierce won't give Guidry a location until he gets close to the doctor's house."
"Which means deployin' a counterattack against either group ain't gonna be a walk in the park," Roy grumbled.
"Does Guidry really mean to go in and just start shooting everybody?" Safa asked.
"He did, but when I tell him what Beau said about Rasmussen, he may rethink that," Callen said. "Guidry is the wild card in all of this. We already told him Pierce wants to use him and then take him down. He's not about to let that go."
"Mr. Beale? Any info on Rasmussen's travel plans?" Hetty asked.
"Let me just say...Terrance Rigby and Harold Bellamy, Safa's boss, make a great team," Eric replied. "They not only worked together to bug the man's office, but Bellamy discovered that Rasmussen has two elite squads under his personal command. One is due to land at the Naval Air Station at Belle Chasse at 1400 hours today."
"Numbers, Mr. Beale?"
"Twelve...on a military transport."
"Are the pilots under General Rasmussen's command?" Hetty asked.
"No ma'am," he replied. "They're Navy."
"Good. I'll have them re-routed in the air," she said firmly. "That should give us some breathing room and hopefully even the odds slightly."
"Where ya gonna send 'em, Hetty?" Roy laughed.
"I was thinking they might like an early tour of Guantanamo. They should be on the ground before dinner time."
"Too bad the others won't be on board," Deeks said.
"We need to know more details about what Guidry is planning," Hetty said.
"And G needs these wounds stitched," Deeks said, noticing that the makeshift bandage was already soaked with blood.
"Of course. Can you continue, Mr. Callen?" She asked.
"We both can," Deeks snapped back, remembering her earlier concerns about him.
"Then you have a job to do, gentlemen," she replied. "We'll be monitoring you and will keep you apprised of any pertinent information on Pierce and the others. This ends today."
Callen slumped in the chair when the voices stopped, and Deeks worried that he might have spoken too soon about his ability to stay on his feet.
"Come on, brother," Deeks said. "Gotta be someone in this godforsaken place who knows how to set in a row of stitches."
"A couple of pain meds would be nice if you hadn't taken them all," he replied as Deeks helped him to his feet.
He assumed the comment was supposed to be a lighthearted dig, but the reality of the situation made him take it to heart, so he said nothing. He got his shoulder under Callen's arm and they made their way out into the rising heat, both stumbling over the uneven ground.
"You usually get my jokes," Callen finally said.
"Who told you you were funny?"
Callen stopped and turned to face him. "I'm damn funny when I need to be. Just ask Sam. And a little humor right now is exactly what I need. That bastard was about to slit my throat, and I need to get past that, so laugh at my damn jokes. I'm your partner. That's your job."
"Well your last one sucked, partner" he snapped back.
"I don't blame you, kid. So stop blaming yourself," Callen said with irritation. "It's a distraction."
That they were sniping at each other bothered him. When he'd first regained consciousness and saw Callen hog-tied and face down on the floor with Beau on top of him, he'd almost cried out. Adrenaline had rushed through him followed instantly by a deep-seated anger. He'd become filled with deadly cold determination to save him. He didn't even remember pulling the knife from under the mattress, simply acting silently and deliberately as he'd been trained to do. In one swift movement he'd shoved the blade of the knife deep and hard into Beau's kidneys, and yanked it upward as Sam had taught him. He'd shoved him off Callen without a second thought, afraid he'd been too late. Then he saw his brother's bloody arms and the shock had hit him hard.
"I can't help but blame myself, G," he whispered. "So I'm sorry if I can't come up with some lame joke to make you feel better."
"That's nothing new," he replied. "All your jokes are lame."
"Touché, brother," he laughed, breaking the tension between them.
"Told you I was funny."
"If you have to tell someone your funny, you're not funny."
"Let's just agree to disagree."
"Sam can be the tiebreaker," Deeks said, grinning softly at the look on his brother's face.
"What the hell happened to you two?" Tino called out as they walked into the clearing.
"Beau jumped us," Jake said weakly.
"He was workin' for General Rasmussen," Jimmy said. "Knocked me out and then tortured Jake for information about the boss's plans."
"Where is the fucker?" Tino growled.
"In our cabin. Jimmy killed 'im," Jake said.
"Got anybody around who might be able to stitch Jake up?" Jimmy asked. "Need to stop the bleeding."
"Pea can do that," Tino said. "He was a medic in Afghanistan."
"No shit?" Jimmy said. "Does he have somethin' for the pain?"
"I can help ya with that," he replied as he took Jake's arm to help him toward Guidry's place.
As they made their way through camp, some of the men began to follow them, and Deeks could sense their anger. That they were angry because of what had been done to them was oddly comforting, and it was hard to dispel the feeling of brotherhood with these men, even though they'd been sent to take them down. The militiamen had just discovered they'd lived with a spy for a very long time without realizing it, and they all looked ready for some payback. It was unsettling that he understood it all from their perspective, as if he really had become one of them.
Guidry was on the porch talking to a few of the men when they walked up and the look on his face when he saw them was nothing but raw rage.
"Jimmy killed our traitor, boss," Tino called out. "It was Beau. Pistol whipped Jimmy and cut up Jake pretty bad tryin' ta get 'im ta talk."
The look on Guidry's face was lethal when he got to them and roughly pushed the hair away from the bloody gash on Deeks' forehead. He tried not to wince when his thumb wiped at the blood, but the man saw his slight reaction and patted him softly on the cheek. When he turned his attention to Jake, his mouth twisted and his eyes took on a feral look as he stepped up and grabbed Jake's bloody right arm to examine the deep wound. Callen's face paled, but he didn't cry out as he stumbled against Deeks, who wrapped an arm around his waist to hold him up.
"He ambush ya?"
"Waited in our cabin," Jake said. "Never saw 'im till he had Jimmy out cold with a gun to his head. The sonofabitch forced me to the floor and hog-tied me."
"Jake told me the fucker threatened ta cut my ear off if he made a sound," Jimmy said.
"Never did, did ya?" Guidry said with a disturbing smile. "You a tough bastard, Jake. Now who dat couyon answer to?"
"General named Rasmussen," Jake said softly, blinking slowly as he slumped against his brother.
"Can he sit down, sir?" Jimmy asked, feeling Callen trembling from shock.
"Pea? Take dese boys in de cabin and clean 'em up," Guidry ordered. "Some of y'all go drag dat sorry-assed traitor over by our guests. Let 'em see what dey got comin'."
"Rasmussen has his own squad of guards, boss. They're trained military guys and they'll be armed with assault rifles," Jake said, staying stubbornly where he was. "They're gonna be layin' in wait for you when you go to meet Pierce."
"Dey wanna kill me?" He growled.
"Don't think so, but if you try anything they'll open up on all of us for sure," Jake replied.
"Dey not gonna get de chance," Guidry said in a low, hard voice. "You go get dem cuts taken care of and let me worry 'bout dos double-crossin' rat bastards. Dey gonna be sorry dey fucked wid me."
Deeks saw Callen's eyes widen at the deadly threat, and he felt the whole operation spinning out of control.
"Whatcha gonna do, boss?" Jimmy asked, knowing the team needed the intel.
"Gonna deliver a message, boy," he replied as he strode toward the platform where the doctor and Eliot were tied up.
Deeks ventured a look at Callen and saw the subtle sign he gave for him to follow. He felt the weight of the operation settle heavily on his shoulders, but took a deep breath and headed after Guidry. He had seen Guidry angry, but he had always seemed in control of that anger, using it like a weapon. Now, he looked like a wild animal caught in a trap and that same dark anger now seemed totally out of his control. When he stepped up on the platform, Guidry was already within inches of Eliot's face, his fist twisted in the front of his shirt, berating him unmercifully.
"Y'all plan dis from de beginnin', didn't ya, couyon?" He screamed. "Y'all just usin' me and my boys till y'all got whatcha wanted. It was a double-cross from de start, and den y'all was gonna kill every damn one of us, startin' wid me."
"No,no,no...it wasn't me...I told Pierce it wasn't right," Eliot whimpered. "Please...it wasn't my idea."
"Y'all sent a man ta spy on me, couyon," he said, almost sounding reasonable. "Dis here boy and his brother...dey figure it out. Dey loyal. Dis here boy kill dat big fuck."
Eliot looked over at him with real surprise, and he laughed, realizing Eliot knew Beau and couldn't quite believe he had taken him down. Then his eyes widened with real fear as four men hefted Beau's dead body up onto the platform, his dark blood instantly staining the wood. Guidry walked over to the body, staring down at Beau before grabbing one of his arms and dragging him into the middle between the two captives. Doc Mouton started to cry, which made Guidry laugh.
"When ya was pumpin' my boy here full of dem drugs, did he cry?" Guidry asked, pulling Jimmy in front of the doctor. "How 'bout when he was gunshot on your table waitin' for ya ta sew 'im up. He cry den?"
"No...no...he was very brave," Mouton whispered, sniffling back frightened tears.
"Dat's right. He brave and strong. A loyal member of De Brotherhood," Guidry said in the old man's face. "But y'all don't care nothin' 'bout dat. Y'all ain't brave patriots like dis here boy and his brother. Dese two boys is de backbone of dis country and y'all want ta kill 'em like dey weren't worth nothin'. Wanna kill me too, dontcha Doc?"
The old man deflated in front of them, tears streaking his face as he looked up at the trees above them, resigned to whatever was coming. He recalled the doctor's cold efficiency as he'd injected him with all those drugs. There had been no sympathy at all in his eyes then, just a look of superiority and cool detachment. Deeks wasn't sure what Guidry was going to do, and he suddenly felt sorry for the old man, realizing he didn't want the man to die.
"You gonna kill 'im right now, boss?" He asked.
"You gotta problem wid dat, mon fils?"
"Nossir. Just thinkin' I'd like to see the look on Pierce and Harrison White's face if ya kill the bastard right in front of 'em," Jimmy said with a slow smile. "Maybe they won't be so full of themselves after that."
Guidry stared at him long and hard and Deeks tried to prepare himself in case he'd just pissed the maniac off. The indecision in the man's eyes reminded him of his father when he was trying to decide just what punishment he deserved for whatever screw up he'd committed. But he wasn't a little boy anymore, and he didn't back away from what was coming, just looked nonchalantly back at Guidry, showing no fear. When he saw the man smile, he knew he had put off the doctor's execution at least for the moment.
"You damn clever boy," Guidry said, slapping him lightly on the cheek.
Guidry turned toward Eliot as he pulled the big knife from behind his back, twisting it back and forth, seemingly mesmerized as he watched the fat blade catch the morning light. Deeks suddenly felt his stomach drop, realizing the man's bloodlust still ran hot and there would be no easy way to save the young man starting to plead for his life. His mouth filled with a bitter taste as Guidry put a rough hand on his back and steered him across the platform. Eliot looked stricken. He knew what was coming and his eyes sought out his own as if he could pull another reprieve out of his pocket. Guidry was naturally suspicious, so saving Eliot would put him and his brother at risk, so he slowly shook his head and allowed his regret to show as Guidry drew him closer. The abject fear on Eliot's face ignited his guilt, and he foolishly suggested the same scenario, but Guidry never let him finish, delivering a sharp slap across his ear ending whatever hope Eliot might have had.
"One be enough, boy. Now...Ya want ta do 'im, mon fils?" Guidry asked as Eliot babbled out all the reasons why he was a valuable asset.
"That should be your honor, sir," he replied, the cowardly words tasting sour on his tongue.
His fingers twitched nervously against his leg when Guidry smiled, and turned his attention to Eliot. When he laid the flat of the blade against the young man's cheek, Deeks fought to stay within his alias, taking a step back as a knot formed deep in his belly.
"Ya crossed me, couyon," Guidry's voice so very soft and so very cold. "You a weaselly little shit. Wanted me dead before we ever did meet. You a stupid sonofabitch ta want dat, and ya know dat now dontcha couyon?"
The knife flashed and Eliot screamed, the smell of blood instant and Deeks struggled not to gag. The second scream sputtered into a soft gurgle, and he watched the life fade from the man's eyes as Guidry continued his enraged assault. It was if he had lost complete control, not caring that the man was already dead, gorging on his roaring bloodlust with a vengeance.
Deeks felt frozen in place, praying he wouldn't vomit right there and be the recipient of what remained of Guidry's rage. The man finally exhausted himself with the violence of his attack, but seemed spellbound by the bloody body in front of him, remaining in place as he panted.
"Nobody fuck wid me and live," Guidry said as if it were a mantra. "You lie ta me, I gut ya. Don't let no couyon lie ta me."
When Guidry finally turned away his face was spattered with blood, his shirtfront soaked with gobs of gore and Deeks steeled himself, forcing his expression to remain placid as if this kind of violence was justified and normal. He desperately wanted to walk away, but knew it would be dangerous if he did. Guidry's eyes were wild and fixed on his as if he didn't know him. He watched as Guidry methodically wiped the blade of the bloody knife on the front leg of his jeans.
"Don't just stand dere, boy," he suddenly said, and Deeks jumped at the sound of his voice. "Go get me a whiskey. Killin' business make me thirsty."
The order was all he needed to turn and rush to jump off the platform, to get away from the horror he had just witnessed. He found he couldn't breathe, almost afraid that if he did he would scream. He was clinching his jaw so tightly he wasn't sure he'd be able to ask where the whiskey was. He tried to focus his mind on anything that would keep the revulsion from showing on his face, but nothing came to mind, and he suddenly worried he would be found out and that Guidry would finish what Beau had started.
"Jimmy?" Callen's voice soft as he called to him.
He stared blankly around Guidry's cabin, not remembering how he had gotten there, but now desperately searching for his brother in the dim light. When he saw him sitting on a low cot in the back of the room, he realized they were alone.
"The others went to watch," Callen said. "You okay?"
"I may never be okay," he whispered, stumbling toward him.
Dark stitches tracked across both his brother's shoulders, but his eyes drew his attention as they searched his own. He saw the understanding that he needed and he reached for him as he stood to face him.
"You can handle this, brother," Callen said and he heard no doubt in his voice. "Look at me. You're tough, kid. Hold onto that and you won't make a mistake."
"If I do, he won't give us time to regret it," he said, finally blowing out his breath as Callen clasped the back of his neck.
"This'll be over soon," Callen said. "We're gonna get outa this, brother."
"Yeah, no...just hope it's soon," Deeks murmured, grateful for the encouragement, even though he wasn't sure he believed it. "Gotta go...sent me for a bottle of whiskey."
"Hope he shares."
"Me too," Deeks replied as he grabbed the whiskey bottle off the table and walked out into the warm air now fouled by the smell of blood.
...
...
Deeks swatted at another swarm of insects that seemed to find him attractive in the beat down heat of the late afternoon. Once the boats had left the narrow waterways that snaked through the swamp and cleared the canopy of trees, the heat became oppressive and the insects followed. Sweat had already soaked the gray t-shirt he wore, and he was grateful for the gimme caps Tino had tossed them both before they left. Both were red, his quite faded and from a place called Fred's Lounge in Mamou, while Callen's advertised Wally's Garage in Lafayette. Apparently Tino's uncle owned it.
He noticed that Callen had dozed off again and the itch of worry returned. The hum of the various motors made him drowsy as well, but he forced himself to remain vigilant, counting the number of men again in the strung out flotilla of The Brotherhood. He had tried to join Pea in another boat, but Guidry wouldn't have it, yanking him away and shoving him toward his own boat along with Tino, Callen and the nearly catatonic doctor. The residual anger from the morning cloaked the man, his eyes remaining turbulent and his temper short. Even Tino was keeping his distance.
"How much further?" He asked Tino.
"Less than an hour maybe, till we reach Mouton's place," he replied. "Don't know where we're headed after that."
"Think fifteen of us gonna be enough?" He asked, wanting the team to know what they were up against.
"Dontcha worry boy. More close by if we need 'em," Guidry snapped, and he silently cursed the man and The Brotherhood.
"Mr. Deeks? Mr. Callen? Listen carefully," Hetty said in his ear and he saw Callen slowly open his eyes. "Pierce and the others, except for Jacqueline Bennett, flew in early this morning and have been meeting at Ezra Mouton's house. The two generals are with them. They went over all their plans in detail, reiterating their intention to assassinate the Attorney General and his second in command. The bugs that Roy and Safa placed have given us all we need to take them into custody for treason, among other things. Harrison White was there, but his location at the moment is unknown. I will keep you informed as the day plays out."
It took everything he had not to verbally respond, and he looked quickly over at Callen who had a weary smirk on his face.
"Sam and the SEAL team are in the vicinity and as soon as we have a location they will rendezvous at that position. And remember, Elan and Roy will have eyes on you, and will do whatever they can to pull you out safely if things go south."
He had so many questions, but no way to ask them, longing for this to be over so much he was vibrating with adrenaline. Everything felt exaggerated, the bugs loud in his ears, the sound of the water slapping the side of the boat, the thickness of the air as he tried to draw in a breath, all of it adding to his anxiousness. He slid his gun out and checked it and saw Callen do the same, as Hetty filled their ears with more information.
"The Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Morgan Bellamy, of the NSD is now in control at the New Orleans Task Force. The necessary people there have been informed of Harrison White's activities and a full tactical squad, under the command of Special Agent Colin Murphy of Homeland is on the way to assist in the arrests. General Rasmussen's private little army is on its way to Guantanamo, so we should have the upper hand in firepower. You are not alone, gentlemen."
His heart was racing, but knowing that they had friendly eyes on them, gave him hope that the two of them would come out of this nightmare alive. He would keep close to Callen, knowing his ordeal had weakened him, but as he looked at him his faith in his brother's strength surged. The man was tough, especially when he needed to be and in spite of the pain he was undoubtedly dealing with.
"I got your back, brother," he mouthed silently, and Callen lifted his head in response, his eyes clear and intense.
Guidry was growing more agitated the closer they got and when they entered the small bayou that bordered Mouton's house, he grabbed up the satphone and made a call.
"Where dis meet gonna be, Pierce?" He rasped out, his anger barely contained.
Deeks watched intently as the madman listened, his mouth twisting into a frown and his eyes flashing dangerously.
"I got your people," he said. "So y'all better have dem generals along or dis gonna be a short meetin'."
He finally shot a look at Tino and grunted a response before throwing the phone down.
"Got us a private meetin' place wid lots of cover," Guidry said smugly. "'Member dat construction yard down the bayou, Tino? Just below Mouton's? Got all dem cranes and stacks of steel girders and shippin' containers? Dats de meetin' place."
"LaPierre's place? Must be three or four acres of woodland surroundin' that yard," Tino replied as he cut back on the throttle. "Nobody round there much lately."
"Could be a set up," Jake said.
"We be de ones doin' de setup. We gonna surprise dem backstabbers," Guidry replied. "We drop our boys off before we get dere. Dey watch our backs from de edge of de trees. When I gut Doc Mouton de boys can start shootin'. Dem bastards ain't gonna know what hit 'em."
Deeks was chilled and he heard Hetty say her favorite word, knowing it might not be the clean operation they'd hoped for. Too many things could go wrong and as soon as one person fired everyone would open up.
"Moving position," Safa said softly in his ear.
"SEAL team moving," Sam chimed in a second later. "We'll take down Guidry's men before they can fire."
"You boys find somethin' solid ta hide behind if any shootin' does start. You hear me dickwad?" Roy added, but it was Elan's promise that eased his mind.
"Look for me, brothers. I'll get to you."
"Everyone listen up," Hetty ordered. "Bellamy and half his tactical squad are going to try to take Pierce and the others before they reach the meet. The rest of his squad will join up with your SEAL team, Sam. Guidry is your target."
"Hetty? We have a problem," Nell said. "Eric's been monitoring the bugs and cameras at Mouton's house. No one's there. They're gone."
"What the hell you mean they're gone?" Roy shouted.
"Are you sure Mr. Beale?" Hetty asked after shushing Roy. "It's way too early."
"The cameras Roy and Safa installed showed no one leaving, but when Pierce talked with Guidry, the bugs didn't pick up the conversation," Eric said in a rush. "I thought he might have gone outside to talk, but when I got nothing else I enhanced the audio on the bugs and I heard them whispering. Someone must have found our listening devices."
"Rasmussen," Roy said softly.
"They were probably already on site when Pierce talked to Guidry," Sam said.
"Bugger."
Everyone began talking at once after that and Callen was practically chewing his lip off. It was just white noise in his head as the boats slowly made their way up the narrow bayou. He was becoming antsy, but a sharp look and low growl in Cajun from Guidry made him settle down. When they finally passed Mouton's place, his memory of swimming in the clear, clean water of the pool seeming so distant and innocent. It wasn't far to the meeting place now, and no one seemed to know what was going to happen, so he prepared himself. A thick grove of trees was just up ahead and he saw three of the boats veer off behind them and tie up just before the bend in the bayou. The heavily armed militiamen scrambled out and disappeared into the trees. That's when he saw Elan. He spoke a single sentence in Arapaho and then melted into the landscape as if he'd never been there.
The low afternoon sun reflected off the dirty brown water as they rounded the bend and approached a small landing area in the bank. A large rusty crane sat on a barge just beyond and he immediately began searching for any sign of the enemy or of Sam's SEALs. It was eerily quiet except for a scattering of birdcalls and the low rhythmic sound of frogs, which stopped the second they stepped out of the boat. A slight gust of wind whipped up the dirt as Tino hauled the stumbling doctor toward a corrugated quonset hut surrounded by weeds that sat on the far side of the yard. The boom of a weather-beaten crawler crane leaned over the building and they passed several others as they moved between several stacks of rusted iron girders stacked around the seemingly deserted property. A row of large shipping containers faced them, some open and empty, some closed. The whole deserted place made him anxious and he tightened his grip on his gun as they moved forward. Callen caught his eye and he stopped, hanging back with him, as Guidry walked slowly across the open space toward the building. Three armed militiamen spread out on either side and Deeks actually felt glad to have them.
The door of the hut suddenly opened and Pierce walked out, flanked by the two generals who looked less than pleased to be there. The older one was overweight, his chest broad under a full dress uniform clogged with medals, and he wiped at his flushed face with a handkerchief. The other general had to be Rasmussen. He wore a combat utility uniform in desert camo, the four stars on his collar flashing in the sun. He was tall and looked to be in great shape, and Deeks noticed his hands were clinched into fists and he held himself stiffly, almost at attention. Pensky looked bored, but there was no sign of Harrison White, and that wasn't good. If there was one man he wanted to punch in the face, it was White.
"Where's Eliot?" Pierce asked, sounding irritated.
"He in another boat," Guidry said as he grabbed the doctor and shoved him to his knees. "He wid your spy."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Pierce asked.
"Ask that fuckin' little general dere," Guidry spit out. "Called hisself Beau."
"I demand to talk to my man," Rasmussen ordered loudly, making Guidry laugh and poke Tino in the arm.
"He ain't talkin' much no more," Guidry replied, his voice deep and threatening. "Jimmy kill dat bastard. Don't like bein' spied on, Pierce."
The look on Rasmussen's face was thunderous and he took a step forward, but Pierce put out his arm to stop him, and the general shoved it away and glared at him.
"I didn't order this, Guidry," Pierce said easily. "We're partners. I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding."
"Bullshit," Guidry spit into the dust in front of the doctor and pulled his knife. "Eliot spill his guts 'bout ol' Beau, just before I spilled dem all over de ground."
"Are you saying you killed Eliot?" Pierce seemed stunned by the revelation, looking over at Pensky and then the generals.
"Y'all shoulda trusted me, Pierce," Guidry said.
"This can't be tolerated, Newton," General Rasmussen said gruffly.
"I told you it would be dangerous to send Beau in," Pierce said fiercely.
"I didn't hear any complaints when he outed those two federal agents," Rasmussen replied.
His mention of Joe and Oscar made Deeks so angry he unwittingly raised his weapon and heard Roy bark out a warning in his ear. He must be close to have seen that and he licked his lips as he let out a shaky breath.
"Guidry's men are down," Sam said softly and Callen looked his way and froze.
"Armed men at 9 o'clock, boss," Jake Hale said.
"Dem be ours, Jake," Guidry laughed before calmly slitting the doctor's throat and shoving his dead body to the ground.
The next few minutes happened in a noisy rush, the yelling in his ears almost drowned out by the staccato sound of automatic weapons fire. When the militiamen opened up the doors to two shipping containers burst open and men dressed in black charged out into the yard, firing on the militiamen and on Guidry. He screamed Callen's real name when he saw him fall with the two militiamen beside him, blood instantly blossoming on his chest. He tried to reach him, but Guidry grabbed him and shoved him behind a pile of rusty girders as the firefight continued all around them. He heard Sam yelling for Murphy's tactical squad, which suddenly appeared out of the tree line alongside the SEALs, firing as they came. General Greer's body jerked as multiple bullets tracked across his chest, but Rasmussen managed to get Pierce and Pensky back inside the quonset hut, where he continued to fire on the advancing agents. His men were cut down in the crossfire between the tactical squad and militiamen of The Brotherhood.
"Come on, mon fils," Guidry growled as he pulled him toward the bayou. "We live ta fight another day."
"Get your fucking hands off me you sonofabitch," he screamed in his face. "I'm a federal agent, and you're under fucking arrest."
Stunned surprise flashed in Guidry's eyes, but was instantly gone as raw rage engorged his face, suddenly slashing at him with his knife as he grabbed his gun hand. The blade barely missed his belly, slicing open his t-shirt as he swung a fist at the madman's head, connecting solidly with his temple. Guidry went down hard, his head bouncing off the girders and leaving him lying silent in the weeds.
"Elan? G's down," he yelled, rushing back into the middle of the firefight searching for his brother.
He was grabbed around the throat from behind and hauled back next to the track of one of the cranes. He expected to see Elan, but it was Tino's eyes he met.
"Stay down, Jimmy," he ordered. "Jake's gone."
"No..no,no," he whispered, as warm tears streaked through the dirt on his face.
"Where's the boss?" Tino asked as he paused to reload.
Deeks just stared at him and then stood and slammed the butt of his gun down on the man's head. Giving no thought to anything but finding Callen, he turned to search the bodies strewn across the dusty yard.
"I knew you were a goddamn agent," the familiar voice of Harrison White surprising him as the warm muzzle of a gun pressed against the back of his skull.
"Fuck you, dickwad," Deeks replied.
"You already did that you little asshole," he said. "Now drop your weapon while I savor the idea of blowing a big fucking hole in your head."
"And here I thought dickwad was reserved just for me, Deeks," Roy drawled behind them. "Got an AR-15 leveled at your spine Mr. White. and I would just love ta fire a short burst ta repay ya for what y'all did ta Oscar Doucet and this boy. So get rid of your little gun and let this here federal agent go find his brother."
Deeks turned to face the man who had viciously interrogated him and enjoyed doing it. White glowered back at him, and when he dropped his gun Deeks hit him as hard as he could, breaking his nose and spewing blood all over the man's crisp white shirt. He nodded at Roy and turned, running into the now silent construction yard screaming Callen's name.
"I got him, Marty," Elan spoke softly into his ear. "He's alive, so take a breath."
"Where are you?" He choked out with relief.
"Just inside the tree line," Elan replied, as he started running.
He saw Sam waiting for him and he slowed to a walk, unable to look him in the eye as he approached.
"How bad?" He asked as Sam put a warm hand on his shoulder.
"The bullet missed his lung. A couple of evac helos are on their way."
"I told him I'd have his back, Sam."
"You had no chance, brother," he replied and walked him under the trees. "We thought we lost you both when the shooting started, and that's on all of us."
He collapsed to his knees beside Callen where he lay in Elan's arms, suddenly so exhausted he was unable to say a word. Callen was barely conscious, but he reached out for him and Deeks took his hand, clasping it tightly and so very grateful for the warmth he felt.
...
...
I will be gone most of next week for my anniversary, so I can't promise I will post Chapter 31 next Sunday. It may be a little late, but it will be coming. Thanks for your patience and thanks for reading.