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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
- 14
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“Mr Callen, what can I do for you?”

Callen slowly took a seat in the chair across from Hetty in her eclectic little office space. He loved the space, it was somehow calming to him... or maybe it was just Hetty’s presence. “Security detail on Jackson Bennett,” Callen answered.

Hetty nodded. “I know a few agents with nothing to do. Consider it done. Anything else you need?”

“I’ve already called Nate. He’s no longer at the hospital as a good ear, he’s there as protection for Delaney.”

“Hmm...” Hetty recalled Nate humming earlier on, wondered if this was the woman who’d shifted his mood.

“I want someone on Ray,” Callen continued rubbing the stubble on his chin. “The guy is already in danger if someone gets wind that he’s still alive.”

Hetty nodded. Deeks’s childhood best friend had gone through quite a bit to help them put a very bad man away... and hadn’t trusted them with the details of why he couldn’t leave. Jenna. They’d found out in the end, had to fake his death a second time. The expense report had her cracking into a bottle of scotch, but one look at the detectives desk and she knew it had been worth it. “Agent Nassir just returned, I think he would be suitable... especially since Ray’s likely to eventually try to give his detail the slip.”

Callen smirked a little. Men like Ray didn’t like being watched. He wouldn’t take to protection detail gracefully. Nassir was good at keeping his eyes on people, quiet, watchful. Callen gave a sharp nod to the suggestion.

Hetty nodded slightly in return. “And Deeks...”

Callen knew that Hetty was on the same page as him. Deeks was in danger- and so was everyone around him. “I told Kensi to keep extra close to her partner.” He wondered vaguely why that particular sentence bothered him so much. “Sam and I will stick together on shift, and afterwards Sam will make sure Eric gets back to his place, and I’ll obviously be taking Nell.” He looked pointedly at Hetty. “Renko should tail you.”

Hetty smiled at the very idea and then peered over her glasses. “You think I couldn’t shake him?”

“I have no doubt about it.” Callen grinned. He had the firm belief that Hetty could shake any tail. “But I’d appreciate it if you gave me one less thing to worry about.”

She narrowed her eyes in a glare. “Well played Mr Callen.”

“I learned from the best.”

::

A nurse came in with a clear plastic baggy, a phone inside ringing shrilly. Delaney opened her eyes at the noise having fallen asleep sprawled out on the couch in the hospital waiting room. “Are you relative to Mr Bennett?” the nurse asked.

“Yes, his sister,” Delaney sat up, her muscles aching from her long form being contorted on the small couch She rubbed her eyes. “Is there any news?”

“No, but his phone keeps going off, I was wondering if there was anyone you might have forgotten to call.”

At that moment the phone went off again and Delaney walked over and bent to look at the number through the clear evidence bag. “Oh, shoot.... it’s my brother’s office...” Delaney pulled out her own phone. “I’ll call, thank you.” The nurse nodded sympathetically and left. She let out a breath sitting back down on the couch feeling Nate’s gaze on her she looked up at him. He was slouched down in a chair, he looked exhausted but she knew he hadn’t fallen to sleep like she had, not even so much as a cat nap. She looked around. “Where is Ray?”

“Bathroom.” Nate covered his mouth as he let out a yawn.

“You should get some sleep.”

Nate decided it was best not to say anything. He was now on protection detail. She might not take that so well. Especially since he had a gun tucked into the back of his pants and she thought of him only as a psychologist.

She went through her contacts until she found the business number for her brother and hit ‘talk.’

Nate watched as Delaney chewed on her bottom lip, her green eyes glassy with unshed tears, her knuckles white with how tightly she was holding the phone.

“Shannon,” Delaney breathed the name of her brother’s secretary. She’d met her once on a visit to Texas shortly after her brother had his grand opening of his architectural design office. The woman was in her early fifties, married with three children, tightest curled perm to her blonde hair, dark brown eyes that could nail you to the spot and the voice of a mother that could easily scold you for something as small as taking a mint from her jar. Delaney had taken to the woman instantly- she always took to motherly figures. “It’s Delaney.”

“Oh God... something has happened hasn’t it?” Shannon always feared the worst, and in this case happened to be right. “Jackson always answers his phone.”

Delaney rubbed one of her eyes with the heel of her palm. Her eyes pricked but it seemed she didn’t have any more tears to shed. “Yeah. He um... he was attacked, stabbed... he’s...” she took a deep breath as she tried to steady herself. “He’s still in surgery... it’s been hours.”

“Oh honey, how are you holding up? Do you have someone there with you?”

Delaney knew that Shannon was aware of their family situation- more specifically- the lack of it. “I’m.... holding. And yeah,” she replied looking over at Nate, despite the exhaustion in his eyes, there was a never ending well of compassion and empathy there. “I’ve got someone with me.” The door opened and Ray came back in balancing coffee mugs he shot her a sad little smile.

“I hate to ask during this difficult time,” Shannon’s voice was thin with worry over the phone line. “But Jackson was working on a design for a very prestigious client. He was suppose to send me initial designs today for a look over before he does the finals.”

“Oh... fudge brownies,” Delaney muttered and Ray barked a laugh knowing odd words were as close to swearing as Delaney got.

“Huh?”

“Nothing, I’ll check his condo...” Delaney and Shannon both knew well that Jax put business first. When he woke- and Delaney couldn’t allow herself to think of the alternative- he’d ask about his business- it was more than just his livelihood- it was his life. “What was the client name?”

“Harwood.”

“I’ll go check, I’ll call you back when I got it.”

“Thanks Delaney. You know your brother...”

Delaney snorted. Yeah. She did. Business came first. Especially since he wanted to open a second branch, he needed everything to go perfectly at his Texas office.

The two women said their quick goodbyes. “I need to go to the condo.”

“Mother of Christ- no!” Ray was animate. “There is no way you’re going back there!”

“I have too! Jax needs those designs to be sent to the Texas branch.” Delaney couldn’t help her brother, she wasn’t a doctor, she couldn’t perform surgery there was nothing she could do inside of the hospital but sit around miserably and wait, every second like a minute, every minute passing like an hour and wreaking havoc with her emotions. She could help her brother like this though, she could help keep his business up and running, she could be productive, she could take a moment of her mind being off of all... this.

A door opened and a man walked in, olive complection, dark styled hair, clean shaven, tight fitting shirt, loose fitting jeans and a scrape on his arm that Nate didn’t want to think about. He hated it when the agents ended up injured in anyway. Delaney jumped as the door closed behind him. She looked to the man and swallowed hard, he had an intimidating way about him.

“Last I heard,” Nate said breaking the silence. “You were over in Iran.”

“Who did you hear that from?” The agent asked with a quick little smile. “Sam? He’s such a gossip... To business,” he said clarifying his reason for being there. “A word Nathaniel?”

Nate stood and motioned for Ray and Delaney to stay put. Both the agent and the psychologist stayed in the room but kept their distance and lowered their voices as not to be heard. “Hows the arm, Zaki?” Nate couldn’t help but ask NCIS Special Agent Zaki Nassir.

“It’s fine,” he said lazily. He had an accent....when he wanted too. He was third generation American and walked the fine line between his Muslim ancestry and his American ideals. “Hetty sent me, must have pissed her off when I dropped that Kawasaki Ninja.” He rubbed the road rash on his arm, would have been worse had he not been wearing that leather jacket. “Sierra threw a wrench at my head, so I didn’t argue with Hetty. I figure babysitting is safer that sticking around the office.”

Nate shook his head. “Callen called to tell me to keep watch over Delaney- Ray if I could.”

“Hetty said for you to take Delaney.” Nassir nodded his head in the direction of the long lean redhead. “I’ll be keeping watch of Ray... Hetty tells me he’ll likely try to give me the slip.”

“Former criminal.”

“Fantastic,” sarcasm rolled off his tongue.

::

Deeks sat in the ops centre. He stayed quiet for a change having gone deep into himself, his own thoughts, his own memories. He felt the impending headache and bowed his head as he shifted further down into the seat.

Trent Stadden. Talk about worst case scenario. Cases that involved children were always the hardest for Deeks- he suspected it was that way for all law enforcement officers. There was something about the innocence lost, knowing that even when the put the offender away- that child’s life would be forever changed... if the child had survived.

Madeleine Stadden had been dead on arrival. She’d only been eight years old. Such a tiny little thing. Soft blonde hair. Blue eyes that faded grey and had been trapped open until Deeks himself had bent down to close them.

“Marty?” Kensi’s whispered voice brought him from the dark abyss.

He looked over at her, and Kensi noticed the dullness in his usually lively eyes. It worried her. The tension through his entire body had her frowning. She knew he was more than just the resident funny guy, but this case was hitting him hard- she couldn’t blame him for that. At one point or another, every agent’s past caught up with them. This would be a dark time, but they’d get through it. She wouldn’t settle for anything less.

“I’m good, what did Callen want?”

“Everyone’s to stay partnered up... have someone watching their back.” She couldn’t help but run a hand through his hair. “Guess you’re stuck with me, partner.”

He managed a slight lopsided grin. “You say it like I’d complain.”

She let out a breath and some of the tension left her shoulders at her partner’s typical teasing manner. As much as she would like to keep his mind off of it all, she knew that was impossible. “We’re going to catch this son of a bitch.”

Deeks gave a sharp nod, a hardness coming to his eyes. “Damn right.”

::

Delaney, Ray, Nate and Nassir all entered Jax’s condo. Nassir staying by the door incase anyone returned, Nate keeping close to Delaney as she went to the island where her brother had been sitting doing work when she’d left to go shopping. Over to her right she couldn’t help but stand and stare at the dark blood stain.

“He’s going to be pissed if that stains,” Ray muttered. Delaney’s eyes threatened tears and Ray sighed. “I forgot how much of a sissy you are.” Her lip quivered and Ray tipped his head back. “I’ll find the bleach.”

“You can’t put bleach on hardwood.” Delaney responded with a sniffle.

Ray muttered incoherently under his breath as he rifled through the lower cabinets in the kitchen looking for something to use.

Delaney forced her eyes away from the blood on the floor to the design paper. “He didn’t finish them.” She picked up a little book of his notes and sat down at the table picking up a pencil.

Nate quickly realized she was going to finish the rough layout herself. “You know much about architectural design?”

“About as much as I do law,” Delaney replied checking the angles of a bit before measuring a line out.

Nate watched her as she translated her brother’s notes into the layout. “So... you know your law.”

She managed a weak smile. “Yeah. Who do you think helped Marty study for the bar?”

“Sure you were doing it for Marty?” Ray asked reading the back of a cleaning bottle. “You had the hots for one of his professors.”

Delaney flushed. “Did not.”

Ray rolled his eyes. “Did so.”

Nate smiled at the brother/sister relationship between the two of them. The way Ray managed to keep her mind focussed on anything other than the blood on the floor and her brother in the hospital surprised him.

::

They didn’t get anymore in the way of leads. It was frustrating. Eric and Nell did what they could putting out an warrant for Trent Stadden’s arrest... but they didn’t have anywhere to start looking.

Deeks couldn’t be alone, even if Callen hadn’t given the order, Kensi wouldn’t have allowed him to go off by himself. That was why she was following him through the hallways of the hospital, despite the fact that visiting hours were long over. They’d worked into the night, but had found nothing... eventually sometimes... you just have to wait. It was one of the hardest parts of the job.

Two agents were standing guard outside of Jackson’s room talking quietly to one another. “I’ll wait,” Kensi told him stopping outside. Deeks looked at her, nodded and walked between the agents he knew and into the room.

Deeks knew what he risked with his job. Ending up in a hospital bed- heck-ending up in the morgue was a risk he took every single day. His friends at the very least thought him a detective with the LAPD... they knew that one day they might get a call telling them he was in the hospital, or worse.

It’s not that way for Jackson. He’s an architect. He’s not suppose to end up in a bed, hooked up to machines with a slash under his right peck, up and curving over the left side of his collar bone, seven stab wounds to his lower abdomen and another to his leg. Jax was a voice of reason. He was the one to convince him to take the steps to go to law school. Deeks wanted to make something of his life but his own self-doubt had kept him waiting tables at a club for too long. Jax one night- out of the blue right after his shift, smacked him upside the back of his head just outside of the bar.

“What the hell are you doing, Marty?”

“Owh!” He went to swat Jax back but the man quickly dodged back. “What the hell was that for!”

“What are you doing?”

“Leaving work,” Martin replied untying the half apron he wore on his hips, he carefully held it upright keeping all his tips in the pockets. “Going home.”

“No, not right this second,” Jax rolled his eyes. “With your life Marty, what are you doing with it? Working for less than minimum wage at a bar, paying rent out of tips. Come on. You can do better than this place.” Jax looked around, drew himself up to full height as a group of guys walked by who had been looking them over as if itemizing how much they might have to steal.

“Not everyone can be a Bennett,” Martin replied angrily. The night shift had been long, it was nearly two in the morning and he couldn’t figure out why Jax was even there, much less there bothering him. Martin had gotten the treatment from Mr Bennett on occasion, the ‘what do you want out of life.’ Admittedly, sometimes it made Martin dream big... but mostly, it just made him feel small, inferior... his father’s voice telling him that he was worthless still loud and clear in the back of his mind.

Jax had punched him in the face after that. Jax wasn’t violent by nature, but was known to be vicious if someone else started a fight. Martin had staggered back holding his jaw. “What the fuck!” When he spat to the side it was tinged with blood.

“Dad’s dead.”

That was how Marty had found out about the construction accident. Jax shaking and cursing and punching- luckily at this point he’d taken his anger out on the wall rather than Martin’s face. Martin had calmed Jax down and they’d both sat down on the street stared out blankly both trying to come to terms with the loss.

“He thought of you as a son,” Jax said, his voice low and edged with tears Martin knew he wouldn’t let fall. “He wanted better for you.” It was almost as if Jax was begging, begging him to get a better life for himself. “You’re more than this fucking bar Marty.”

Two weeks later he’d changed his last name from Brandel to Deeks- his mother’s maiden name- ridding himself of the constant reminder that he was that bastards son. And right after that he was applying to colleges and universities. He wanted to make a difference... wanted to put men like his father away for a very long time... and he’d ended up studying law.

He jumped when the door open and one of the night nurses walked in. “He’s not going to wake,” she said checking his charts. “He’s sedated.”

“I just...”

“Needed to see him,” the pretty young nurse smiled. “I understand.” She stepped around the bed to check the monitors before she turned to her patient and patted his hand. “You’ll be alright Mr Bennett,” she assured.

Deeks watched the nurse leave and then took Jax’s hand himself. “You better be,” he nearly threatened. “Don’t you dare leave Delaney alone.” Threatening felt better than the alternative begging... or even giving into the thought that he might not make it at all. “She needs you.” It was easier to say than the words ‘I need you.’ Feeling as confident as he could that Jax would survive the night he left the room, closing the door quietly behind himself as if fearful he might wake the sedated man up.

His eyes found Kensi’s and neither said a single word as they fell into stride together walking back down the hall, turning down the second corridor, cutting them off from the other agents, Kensi too his hand and it was exactly what he needed to keep going. His fingers intertwined with hers, squeezed and together they walked back out into the night.

::

It was frustrating. He liked his plan. He liked being organized... a simple miscalculation had thrown his entire plan into disorder but it didn’t make him any less determined. He couldn’t be certain where Delaney was anymore. He had watched from a distance as she’d gone into the ambulance with her brother and that damned detective! She hadn’t taken her car. He knew thanks to the lo jack he’d installed that it was still parked at the condo building her brother was staying at.

He’d take a minute. Think this through. He’d waited this long for his revenge, he wasn’t about to mess it up now.

::
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Retribution