If Kensi hadn't seen Deeks bleeding out and barely able to move just a few hours ago, she almost wouldn't believe it. He moved with the same confident strut as always, giving no hint of any pain as they walked to the meeting point. The tailored suit did go a long way to projecting that image.

"You ready?" Deeks asked, looking over his shoulder. Kensi's apprehension must have shown, because he actually stopped, and took her arm. "Hey, if you think that you can't pull this off at all, you need to tell me now."

A part of her wanted to be outraged by his assumption, but she repressed it. Their lives depended on both their abilities to convince the Kaisers they were legitimate buyers.

"I can handle it," she insisted. "I'll follow your lead."

"Remember, we don't push too hard."

"In that case, I won't tell them I have a million dollars on me and more where that came from," Kensi muttered sarcastically. That got the barest hint of a smile out of him.

While he'd recovered on the couch, Deeks had called Andre, and convinced him to contact Dimitri Kaiser again, and ask for a meeting. Deeks didn't like the idea of seeming too desperate and showing their hand, but he truly felt like they had no other choice. After so many months, LAPD wouldn't take kindly to the operation falling apart. Not to mention his own need to take a drug ring out of circulation.

Kensi stayed close to Deeks' side as they approached a dark parking lot. A single black Volvo was parked conspicuously in the middle of the lot at an angle. Once they were within five yards of the vehicle, all four doors opened, and four men emerged.

Two of the men stayed back while the other two stepped forward. Kensi noted that the two guards were visibly armed.

"Dimitri, Paul," Deeks greeted them.

The Kaiser brothers were both tall and incredibly thin. While they weren't physically imposing, there was something undeniably dangerous about them.

"Mr. Gentry, I'm surprised to see you so soon," Dimitri Kaiser said, tucking his hands into the pockets of his long coat. He flicked his eyes over Kensi without any change in expression. "I haven't met your friend before." He had a soft, slightly raspy voice that made Kensi's skin crawl.

"This is Bella Mendez," Deeks answered. "She's a colleague."

"I thought you preferred working alone, Max."

"He made an exception for me," Kensi spoke up, giving him a cool smile. Dimitri regarded her with distaste while Paul's expression didn't change.

"Max, you know I don't like surprises. I didn't agree to anyone else coming."

"Dimitri." Deeks spread his arms wide. "It hurts that you don't trust me."

"You know I don't trust anyone." Gesturing with two fingers, he beckoned, and one of the guards came forward. "Check them, Jacob."

Jacob frisked Deeks first, his search thorough, and based on Deeks' brief wince, roughly.

"Watch your hands," she told Jacob when he moved on to her. He winked, a sliding his hands down the outside of her thighs more slowly. She sincerely hoped she got the chance to kick him in his smirking mouth.

"They're clean, no wires," Paul said, stepping back.

"You think we're cops?" Deeks asked with an incredulous and mocking laugh.

"Oh, that's the last straw," Kensi huffed, following his lead. "I will not be disrespected in this way."

"Bella," Deeks protested softly, turning to face Kensi. He grasped her wrist gently.

"No. We can take our business elsewhere. I told you that this was a terrible idea."

Deeks gave her the slightest nod of encouragement, and she shook his hand off.

"Ms. Mendez, we do apologize. You understand that people like us need to work with an abundance of caution," Paul Kaiser interrupted, speaking for the first time.

Kensi tipped her chin up, regarding him for several moments.

"I'm not accustomed to being mauled," she informed him. "The next person who touches me will find out how skilled I am with a knife."

Paul leaned back slightly, glancing to Deeks, who shrugged.

"She has many skills. Personally, I wouldn't test it."

Paul looked between them for a few more seconds, then unexpectedly, threw his head back, and laughed. Kensi held her ground, hand dropping to the back of her waistband where her gun was concealed, but before she could touch it, she felt Deeks' fingers just barely brush her arm. Thankfully, Paul didn't seem to notice her slip.

"I like her," Paul decided. "She's unpredictable like you, Max." Kensi got the sense that he was trying to charm her, and suddenly wished for Dimitri's emotionless persona again. "Alright, Max, tell us why we needed to meet so quickly."

"I've parted way with some of my business partners," Deeks explained. "They're less…adventurous than I am. In order to keep my previous customers happy, I need more supplies. Soon."

"I see." Paul turned to glance towards Dimitri. "How much?"

"Triple my last order."

"We agree, but it will cost you double for the short notice," Dimitri said.

"Or, you charge the normal price and I promise to use you exclusively," Deeks suggested. Kensi's eyes widened slightly, and she willed him to take the deal before they got shot or one of the Kaisers changed their minds. Instead, Deeks stared Paul and Dimitri down with a challenging glint in his eyes.

"Half extra," Dimitri countered. "Because Paul likes you." He held out his hand, and after the briefest of hesitations, Deeks shook it, his grip firm.

"You have yourself a deal. Is tomorrow at noon too early?"

"Give us until two. We'll meet at our usual location. And bring Ms. Mendez with you," Paul said. He offered Kensi a smile that sent another shiver up her spine, and she glared back. "It's a pleasure doing business with you as always."

"You should come to my poker night," Deeks drawled as Paul and Dimitri turned to leave, shadowed by their two guards.

Only once they were inside the car and pulling away, did Kensi dare to turn her back on them. "You're insane," she informed him in a shaky voice.

"Yeah, but you love it about me," he said nonchalantly. His delivery was ruined by a wince and him suddenly grasping for her arm. "C'mon, let's get out of here. I think I'm about to bleed through my bandages."

Kensi shook her head in disbelief as he unsteadily made his way back to their own vehicle.