"You get anywhere with Tobias?" Callen asked, having just returned from examining their suspect's apartment.
"Nope, he's not talking," Sam answered over the phone. "He just keeps smirking like he knows something I don't."
"We recovered a thumb drive he had hidden in the floorboards at the apartment. Eric's looking at it now. Otherwise, it was suspiciously clean."
"Alright, I'm going to keep leaning on Tobias and—"
"Callen, Julia was just picked up outside a gas station along the highway," Nell announced breathlessly, appearing in the bullpen without warning. "LAPD is coming taking custody of her until we get there."
"Is she alright?" Callen asked, switching Sam to speaker.
"The officer I spoke with said she didn't have any major injuries, but couldn't give me more specific details."
"And Kensi and Deeks?"
Nell's expression changed to one of dismay. "Julia was alone."
"Ok, I'm going to have Castor bring Julia to the boat shed. Hopefully she can tell us something useful." And both Kensi and Deeks were alive.
Julia was pacing in tight circles, what looked like an abandoned cup of team on the center table when Callen entered the boat shed. He glanced to Castor, who was standing nearby, eyes glued to Julia like she might disappear if he looked away. He nodded to Callen, heading towards the door.
"Thanks, Castor," Callen murmured as Julia turned to face them at the sound of his voice. He immediately noted the brace around her left wrist, bruises around her temple and her cheek, her tangled hair and torn shirt when he'd only ever seen her in perfect condition.
"Oh, Callen!" she gasped, darting towards him.
"Julia, are you ok?"
"I'm fine. They didn't really hurt me." Her emphasis on the "me" indicated not everyone was so lucky.
"Kensi and Deeks—?"
Her face crumpled and she inhaled quickly, clearly fighting back tears. "They were both alive the last time I saw them, but Marty was beaten and unconscious," she said, covering her mouth as a small sob escaped. "I'm sorry."
"No, it's ok. I know this is terrifying," Callen assured her. "Do you know why you were released?"
"To give you a message. Michael, the one who took me and gave all the orders, said that unless you give him access to a federal database, they'll kill Marty and my daughter."
"And he just let you go?"
"After they brought Marty back, yes."
"I wonder what information they want," Callen muttered to himself. "Did they say anything else?"
"He gave me this cell phone," Julia responded, taking a small burner phone from her pocket with her good hand. "And said to expect a call tomorrow at 12."
"That's more time than I expected."
"I think they're having to change their original plans because you found someone named Toby."
"Yeah, we picked him up a few hours ago. Can you tell me anything about the vehicle they used to transport you or the route they took?"
"No." Julia shook her head. "I was blindfolded before they put me in some kind of van, but I never saw it. And they told me not to take it off until they pulled away. I didn't dare try anything. Same thing when they grabbed me in the parking lot," she explained. "The tied my hands up too." She absentmindedly flexed her right wrist.
"Where did they hold you?"
"In this dark, concrete room. I think I was there maybe a few hundred hours before Kensi and Marty were brought in. Michael threatened to hurt us if they didn't give him the codes he wanted. Then he left us bound there. Marty was able to get a knife out of his boot, and he planned to cut us loose, I think with the intention of overtaking Michael and his men. But then they came back before he could, and Michael was angry because you found this Toby. He thought Marty and Kensi might have gotten some kind of bug past them."
"There weren't. We got lucky and found a shot on a security camera with his full face. Nell and Eric worked their magic," Callen told her.
"Well, Michael was extremely angry about it. He was rough and when Marty fought back—" She inhaled deeply again and when she spoke next her voice trembled. "He hit Marty with a gun and they dragged him away." She leaned forward suddenly, her expression desperate and determined. "You have to find them before he kills them."
"We will," Callen promised. "Now, is there anything else you can tell me that could help us? Defining landmarks, sounds, names?"
"Um, Michael called the other men Jasper and Ethan, but I don't know if those were their real names." She shrugged helplessly.
"That's good, Julia," Callen assured her again. "That'll help us a lot." He grabbed his phone, already heading towards the door. "I'm going to have Agent Castor take you home and post an guard outside."
"Oh, I couldn't go home at a time like this," she said. "I would only worry not knowing what's going on."
Callen sighed, briefly debating what to do. Technically, he should insist, but it seemed incredibly cruel after everything she'd been through.
"Alright, I'll have him take you to stay with Nell and Eric."
"Hey baby, you can open your eyes now," Kensi whispered into Deeks' ear, head bent over his upper body. Her hair acted as a curtain around them, like it could block out all the unpleasantness. She'd never been so thankful than when she felt the steady thump of his heart beneath her hand.
"Thank you for convincing them to let my mom go. That was really brave and smart."
She smoothed her hand through his blood crusted hair, tears dripping from the end of her nose onto his bruised skin.
"Please open your eyes."
A/N: This is probably the most Callen I've written without Kensi or Deeks being present, so I do apologize for any irregularities.