Deeks drew his own weapon, putting a cautioning hand on Kensi's arm as aimed it towards the main entrance. So far none of the guns were currently pointed at them, but he had a distinct feeling that would change soon.

"Phillip, go check," Dimitri ordered, jerking his head at one of the guards. He slung a MP5K over his shoulder and slipped out the door.

"Kensi, Deeks, we're pinned down by three armed gunmen," Callen's voice said in Deeks' ear. Based on the slight tensing of Kensi's shoulders, she'd heard as well. "Stay where you are."

"I thought you had good security," Kensi said, her tone accusatory as she glared at Dimitri and Paul. "I knew we couldn't trust you."

"I was just about to say the same of you, Ms. Melendez," Dimitri growled.

"Seriously. You think we're responsible for this?" Deeks retorted. "If I wanted to, I would have done it when we were out in the middle of parking lot and not an enclosed space when all your musclemen are here to guard you."

Kensi nudged his hip, and he could practically hear her frustration with him. She probably wanted to strangle him at the moment.

"Or, you thought you could torture the information out of me or one my men."

Deeks laughed, like he wasn't being held at gun point and a firefight wasn't raging just outside. "You've got and even better imagination than me, Dimitri. Torture's really not my style."

"You expect me to believe that on the same night we agree to meet, a meeting you insist must happen quickly, it is a coincidence that we're ambushed?" Dimitri asked.

Phillip reappeared from a side entrance, distracting Dimitri and Paul long enough for Deeks to find Kensi's eyes. She lowered her eyebrows in an unspoken question, and he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring look. He needed her to follow his lead without question. No matter what happened.

"There are at least two guys out there, armed with rifles. They got Johnny," Phillip reported breathlessly. He held his left arm protectively against his chest, a trickle of blood visible on his hand. "I couldn't get a good enough angle on 'em. It's like they knew exactly where we'd be."

Deems silently cursed NCIS as Dimitri turned back to them with a grim smile. "And how do you explain that, Max?"

"I imagine you have a lot of enemies, just like me," Deeks replied. He spread his arms wide, ignoring the way it tugged at his side in an alarming way. And the fact it left an even wider target area.

"Always an answer. Always so clever." Stepping closer, Dimitri leaned in his face. "I think you tell nothing but lies."

"Alright enough," Paul snapped. "We are wasting time. Phillip, Bates, restrain them. If they resist then kill them."

Kensi lifted her weapon higher as Phillip and Bates moved towards them, and he knew she wouldn't just stand by if he didn't do something fast.

"Woah, hold on. There's no need to kill anybody. I swear to you, I don't know who those men are or how they found us, but it wasn't me and it wasn't Bella. We have nothing to gain by killing you," he said, using every ounce of persuasion he possessed. He held his hands higher, then reached out, slowly pushing Kensi's gun downward.

She gave him a confused, then vaguely betrayed look. He nodded again, hoping she understood.

"So I'm just supposed to believe you because you give me your word?"

"No, because we're going to help you get out of here without getting shot." He'd noticed he'd stopped hearing Sam and Callen's voices a couple of minutes ago, so he figured something had happened to the communication devices on their end. He hoped they'd understand him going off-script. "Send another two of your men to distract and take care of the intruders. I'm sure you have several alternate exits we can use to escape."

"I suppose you want us to let you keep your weapons," Paul guessed.

"You can try to take mine," Kensi said dangerously.

"It would be ideal," Deeks agreed. He offered his hand to Dimitri, staring back into the man's cool gaze. "We can waste time arguing, or we can get the hell out of here before whoever those guys are shoot through the rest of your guards and break in here."

"Kensi, Deeks, do you copy?" Sam asked for the second time, running as he spoke. He landed behind a parked car just as Callen stopped shooting. They'd already taken out four men, and one remained.

"Kensi!" he hissed again.

He poked his head around the car, spotting the last guy trying to move closer, and he took advantage, shooting him in the chest. As he sank down to the ground, Sam stayed in place just in case more men appeared.

After a minute, he stood and called out, "Clear!" loud enough for Callen to hear.

"Clear." Callen met him halfway. "Did you hear anything from Kensi or Deeks?"

"No. They stopped responding five minutes ago."

"Well, could be they didn't have a chance without alerting someone," Callen said.

"Kensi would have found a way," Sam disagreed, and Callen nodded grimly.

"Yeah, I know. Let's go save those two idiots."

They approached the warehouse with practiced ease, Sam taking the lead. He shot through the metal lock, and Callen yanked the door open, following after him, and pivoting to the right as Sam went left.

They worked their way through building until they came to a side room, which held a large pallet and some machinery. Sam slowly checked the perimeter of the room, including a smaller closet of some sort.

"Unless there's some secret room we haven't found, they're not here," Callen said.

"There's no sign of a struggle," Sam added, examining the packet of drugs Kensi had obviously tested. "Kensi wouldn't have gone without a fight."

"Maybe Deeks made a bargain to keep them both alive. He knows these guys pretty well."

"Or maybe he sold Kensi out." Sam gestured to the empty room. "Think about it. We lose contact with them, there's just enough gunmen to keep us busy, and by the time we get in here, they're gone. It's awfully convenient."

"You really think he's a dirty cop?" Callen asked. He sounded uncertain, even bothered by thought.

Sam could understand why. Deeks had been annoying, but they'd liked him enough, and up until now, thought him a solid and honest officer.

"If he is, he's going to regret ever having messed with this team," Sam promised.

A/N: Yeah, you probably weren't expecting that. I hope you liked it!