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Retribution	By : ambrosiarush Category: M through R > NCIS: Los Angeles Views: 13277 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS:LA or any of it's characters. I do NOT make any money from writing this story.

Chapter List
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Callen ensured he didn’t look like a fed. Last thing they needed was their lead running off. Eli Reynolds was a good alias for this kind of job. The distressed blue jeans hung low on his hips, the shirt he wore was black, slightly oversized and a zip-up hoodie in dark green over it. He looked more like a low level thug than a highly skilled federal agent. He went into the bar on his own, Sam was outside in the car listening in waiting for any sign that Callen couldn’t handle what was going on inside.

The bar was small, quiet so early in the day. The bar was long, wood painted black. A billiards table sat in the back, and there were a couple of twenty-somethings playing. He took a spot by the back and waited for Mark ‘Cabbage’ Watkins to walk in.

“He’ll be inside in a few seconds,” Sam told him through the earpieces they wore for easy communication.

Callen didn’t take the time to respond, nor did his eyes immediately go to the door when their suspect walked in. He fiddled with his phone and waited. The man went up to the bartender, they spoke for a second and the bartender pointed towards Callen, only then did Cabbage walk over. Callen looked up. “You have a shitty nickname,” Callen informed him, and discovered Ray was right, Mark Watkins did kind of smell like cabbage.

“What do you need?”

“I need...” he looked around, as if worried about being overheard. Callen leaned in. “I need someone to keep their eyes open. Word is, you’re that guy.”

“For a cut, seventeen.”

Eli was not a patient man, nor one to have his chain jerked around. Callen grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. “We agreed on fifteen you fucking weasel.”

“Fifteen,” Cabbage agreed with wide, fearful eyes.

Callen pushed the man back, letting go of the shirt. “Come on,” he said making a show of checking his watch, he nodded his head to the exit. “I’ll give you the details in the car.”

::

Nell wasn’t the only one suffering from road rage, as Kensi and Deeks came into the office both of them were still bitching about the incompetence of rush hour drivers. They immediately went up to the ops centre, there was a rush of cool air as the automatic doors opened, their eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the low, slightly blue tinged lighting the ops centre had.

“So what do you got Nell?” Deeks asked his patience at it’s end.

Both Eric and Nell grabbed their tablets and stood in well rehearsed harmony. “Nell got the DNA results back from the blood swabbed at... Jax’s condo,” Eric informed passing the torch to Nell with a wave of his hand.

“The man’s name is Trent Stadden,” Nell told them.

“What?” Deeks’s fists automatically clenched into fists and he started pacing the room. “How the hell did he get out of prison? When?” He turned to the tech duo and they both quickly tapped away on their tablets.

“Got out four months ago,” Eric said.

“Got a few years knocked off for good behaviour,” Nell said a hint of fiery anger in her voice. She tapped a few more times. “You were his arresting officer...” her hazel eyes flicked from Deeks, to Kensi, to Eric.

Kensi took a deep breath and grabbed Deeks’s arm to stop his pacing. “We’ll find him.”

“You don’t understand Kens!”

“Then how about you fill in the blanks,” Callen said walking into ops with purposeful strides. “We’ve got Cabbage in the boatshed, Sam’s watching him. He flipped pretty easily once I told him he could be going down as an accomplice to murder.” Deeks’s eyes turned to ice as he turned to Callen, the senior agent immediately putting his hands up in defence. “I said it to get the guy to flip.”

Deeks turned away, but the anger didn’t leave him. “Trent Stadden,” Deeks said the name with venom. Nell brought up the man’s mug-shot and sent it to the big screen. “He... he raped and murdered his daughter,” Deeks said. “It was one of my first cases as lead detective.”

“You put him away, he’s angry,” Kensi said crossing her arms over her chest, but staying physically close to her partner.

“Apparently,” Deeks replied, his voice colder than any of he agents had ever heard it. “We have to find this son of a bitch.” He looked to the tech duo. “Residence?”

“Nothing after prison, he dropped off the map,” Nell informed him, a wince of regret upon her face. She wished she had better news to tell him, something that could actually help.

“He’s likely renting something under the table,” Eric said having had time to look over old reports and newspaper clippings from that time. “His wife left him, took their two sons with her moved to Oregon. Both of his own parents publically spoke against their son and claimed to have never seen any behaviours that would indicate he’d be such a violent offender.”

“Through the entire trial, and prison time he claimed his innocence,” Nell said before chewing on her bottom lip.

“He was guilty,” Deeks said his teeth grinding. “DNA, we nailed that bastard.”

“We?” Callen asked.

“I was the lead detective, but I reported to Bates at the end of the day, and Brent Harrison was a rookie that I got stuck with.”

“That jerk wad from the precinct?” Kensi recalled.

Deeks snorted. “Yeah, he’s all about getting promotions,” Deeks said. “Luckily we only had to work together that one time... we mixed about as well as oil and water.”

“I’ll go press Cabbage, see if he can positively ID the man he was working for... maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll now what Stradden was driving,” Callen said.

“And us? What are we to do?” Deeks asked.

“Sit on your hands,” Callen ordered in a no-nonsense tone. “Go to the hospital. Check on Jackson. Until we know more, I don’t want you involved.”

“I am involved!” Deeks argued blocking off Callen’s exit, staring down angrily at the shorter man. “I was the one who arrested him. He’s the one who sent me that article! Who murdered that woman! He attacked Jax, and that picture looks a lot like he’s threatening Delaney.” Deeks’s voice was cold, angry but it did nothing to Callen.

“I understand,” Callen said calmly. “But you have to understand that your emotional involvement in this case-“

“Don’t you dare tell me that you’ll pull me because it’s personal,” Deeks all but growled. “I followed the rest of you to Prague, I know exactly how you operate when things get personal.”

“You’re not going to be helping anyone like this,” Callen said. “You want to do something helpful? Stay here with Nell and Eric, give them the full details of the Stradden case.” He turned to make eye contact with Kensi. “I need to talk to you. Privately.”

“Yeah, sure,” Kensi said she gave Deeks a sympathetic look as she walked by following Callen from the ops centre and around the corner.

Callen took a look around making sure no one was in ear shot. “How is he?” he asked quietly.

“How would you be Callen?” Kensi responded heatedly, her arms folding over her chest.

“I get that it is personal Kens, I do. I get that he wants to go out there and find the bastard, I understand that but... if it is this Stradden guy, he’s targeting everyone around Deeks... likely end game...”

“Is Deeks himself,” Kensi whispered worriedly.

“I don’t want him leaving here alone. I don’t want you leaving here alone.”

“You, Sam?” Kensi asked her dark eyes studying him.

“I’ll be going with Nell, Sam with Eric. I’m going to talk to Nate about sticking with Ray, and I’ll get... someone to stay with Delaney, see if I can round up a few agents to keep a security detail on Jax.”

“I think you should ask Nate to keep watch over Delaney,” Kensi said. “She might need a good ear through this.”

“I seen them the other night, the potential romantic aspect is troubling,” Callen argued running a hand over his short hair.

“Or it might be exactly what she needs,” Kensi said softly, and then smirked a bit. “Besides, who are you to say that, like you’d trust anyone else with Nell.”

“Point taken,” Callen responded. “Stay close to Deeks. I’m serious Kensi,” his piercing blue eyes locked onto her dark ones. “I don’t want either of you alone.”

“I’ll keep a good eye on him,” she promised.

Callen nodded. “We need to get this guy. Fast. I’ll go talk to Hetty about a security detail.”

“I’ll keep Deeks in the ops centre. Call if you need anything... I think it would help him to be productive.”

“Right now, the most productive he can be is exactly where I left him. When that changes I’ll let you both know.”

::

“Delaney Bennett?”

She jumped to her feet and out of her trance like state as she looked to the doctor. “Yes, that’s me.”

“You’re listed as Jackson Bennett’s next of kin.”

“How is he?” she cut directly to the chase.

The doctor looked past her to Ray and Nate. “Perhaps we should talk about this privately.”

Delaney turned her tired eyes to her companions and then back to the doctor. “You’ll just save me from returning to have to break the news to them.”

The doctor nodded sympathetically as Ray and Nate walked over, both taking a spot on either side of her. “We’ve managed to stop the bleeding in his leg, and have patched that wound up.” He studied the young woman before him, the hardest part of being a doctor was giving families bad news. “There were several stab wounds in his abdomen. His liver was punctured twice... this has caused... severe internal bleeding. We’re giving him a near constant blood transfusion trying to keep up with how much he is losing.”

Delaney’s hands grabbed on to both men to her sides, fingers lacing with both Nate and Ray she held onto them for strength.

“We are operating on his liver... but..” the doctor hesitated. “We’re unsure of if it will be able to heal on it’s own with the stress his body and that particular organ is going though... you may need to consider signing off on a organ transplant.”

“A waiting list would be too long,” Delaney argued her big green eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“Right now, we have hope that his body can heal on it’s own.”

“But if he can’t,” Delaney said worriedly. “You could still do a live transplant, right?”

“If there was a biolog-“

“I’m a biological match,” Delaney insisted quickly cutting the doctor off.

“Laney,” Ray whispered tightening his grip on her hand when she swayed just slightly.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” the doctor replied soothingly. “We have his right lung re-inflated, and a chest tube is keeping him stabilised for the moment. I’m optimistic he’s going to come out of this.”

“That’s optimistic,” Delaney whispered. “What’s realistic?” She needed to know, despite not really sure that she was ready for the answer.

“I can’t give you odds, not honestly,” the doctor replied. “I need to get back to surgery, if anything changes I’ll let you know.”

She nodded and was unable to move from the spot she stood in as the doctor left. Ray and Nate exchanged worried glances. “I’ll get coffee, or tea,” Ray said brushing back some of her hair, but she stared blankly at the doors. Ray sighed and let go of her hand, walking out the waiting room doors.

“Come on,” Nate said softly putting a arm around her thin and slightly shaking shoulders. “You should sit down.”

She turned her glistening green orbs his way and sniffled. She was going to be the death of him, and he knew it. He gathered her lithe frame up in his arms and held her to his chest as the slight shake of her shoulders became a full blown tremors through her body as she sobbed, her arms around him, her hands fisted into the back of his shirt.

Being a psychologist, he wished there was something he could say to make it better, but he knew that there were no words right now, none except. “I’m here,” he whispered to her, because it was all he could currently offer.
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Retribution