DOUBLE TAKE

Chapter 12

Callen woke to the bed being cold beside him. He sat up and heard the shower running. It surprised him how easily Nell could hop out of bed without him noticing. Normally he was alert and a light sleeper, but since he had been in a relationship with her, he slept more, not just for longer, but deeper. As he thought about the petite woman who had captured his heart, he heard the water stop. He looked at the clock beside the bed and noticed it was 8:30am. He couldn't remember the last time undercover, he had slept so late. Mind you, he had been awake quite a bit during the early hours due to the neighbour's son requesting the company of Hailey. He was finding playing the role of a twenty year old girl's father exhausting. What kind of father would I really be? he wondered. Would I be the overprotecting father like I am now, as Bradley Stevens? Would I even have a daughter who was rebelling like Hailey was? "Hell yes," he concluded. With all the crime he witnessed every day on the job, how could he not want to protect his family? Just the thought of Nell being in danger brought out the urge to protect her at all costs. He just hoped if he and Nell did have any children, they wouldn't be rebellious like Hailey. Crap! I'd be a terrible Father. With my history, and the line of work we do, what hope would I have? Just look at my own father for goodness sake! He deserted us when we were five and nine.

As Callen was having these scary thoughts of being a father, Nell walked out from the bathroom. His eyes bulged when he saw what Nell was wearing—-a tight low cut t-shirt and the shortest shorts he'd ever seen, and never on Nell.

"What the hell!" he let escape from his lips.

Nell raised her eyebrows at Callen. She knew this outfit would cause tension between herself and Callen, and what she was about to do, would test their relationship to the limits. But they were undercover, and he was aware much more than her, the importance of being in character. They had a group of at least four men who were kidnapping and killing girls who were too young to protect themselves. She knew she had to play Hailey perfectly, to bait these men in, and trust Callen, Charlie and the rest of their team were nearby to protect her.

"Morning." She responded, without reacting to his words. She leaned over and kissed him firmly on the lips, but she noticed he didn't respond. She pulled away and furrowed her brow.

Callen was in too much of a shock to say anything else, let alone respond to her kiss. He watched her leave the bedroom and head downstairs. He needed to think, and clear his head from that image. Shit! She's playing Hailey too well, he thought as he washed his hands and face at the bathroom sink. As he did so, Callen was dragged out of his thoughts with a sound of a Harley revving its engine just outside their house. His instincts of danger riveted through his body, sending him over to the bedside table to grab his gun and fly down the stairs and out the front door. He stood still on the grass as he watched Nell pose seductively to a guy on a Harley, who obviously was enjoying the view of the scanty clothes she wore.

"Hailey!" Callen called out to Nell. "Get your ass back inside the house this instant."

Nell turned around from talking to the guy on the bike. She noticed the stress level in Callen. She was torn between feeling sorry for him and her role in this op. She turned back to the guy on the bike and continued talking to him.

Callen watched her ignored him, and he became more angry. As he walked closer to the them, Nell hopped onto the back of the bike and quickly placed the helmet on and held onto her companion. Callen looked at the guy on the bike and couldn't believe who was on it. Deeks. He was relieved that it was someone on their team whom she had hopped on the bike with, however, he hated being kept so much in the dark about plans that Hetty had obviously orchestrated deliberately behind his back, to get a reaction from him. As Deeks and Nell rode off on the Harley, Callen cursed and ran inside to the study.