Lost Too Much

LOST TOO MUCH Chapter 22

Callen left Bronte and the children with Hetty and Sam while he headed back to the mission to find a clue to where Mick and Melissa had been taken to, and by whom. Sam had chatted with him over his own conversations with Hetty and Bronte, but they still had nothing to help them find them. He entered the mission and climbed the stairs. He found Nell and Eric busy in Ops and Granger sitting at Hetty's desk, seeing Bronte was now in witness protection alongside Max and the Nassir children. "Nell. I need your help on piecing things together. Can we work downstairs?"

Nell nodded and followed Callen to a quiet corner in the alcove.

"Have you crossed checked all the staff onboard USS Arlington to ensure that no one from when Mick was assigned to the ship with Bronte?"

"It was an extensive list as you know. But Vance had the crew vetted to ensure that Mick's true identity wouldn't be burned during this op. Eric and I have placed their facials on our systems to see if any faces come up or have been found travelling through LAX. So far we have nothing."

Callen paced the floor behind her and stopped. "What about the New York case. Hetty mentioned to Sam that Mick was the one who dropped everything to be with Bronte after the shooting. Have you looked into the New York operation that Greg worked on?"

Nell took a deep breath in and opened up a file that had Callen knit his brows together. "Greg was undercover for three months with the Formosa Cartel. These are the images he'd placed on a thumb drive from those three months." Nell continued to type away and brought up another file. "This one is locked and it appears that not even Eric can crack it open." She looked intently at him. "We need the person with the key."

"Eric can break the internet. Surely he can break into this file?" He knew that Eric was one of the best at what he did, which is why Hetty had him on their team.

Nell shook her head. "He's tried. I've tried. It's well protected."

"Is it one of our files, or from the DEA?"

"Ours."

"Can you trace a name to who has the key to the file?"

Callen watched Nell enter the search. He shook his head in frustration.

"Michael Nassir. Is he the only one with access to this file? What about Vance, can he tell us if there is anyone else who has the key?"

"I've tried. Vance is in a meeting and he hasn't returned my call yet."

"He realises that this file might have the answers to finding Mick and his wife, doesn't he?" It was unusual for their director to be unavailable at a time like this one.

"Did Mick create the document?"

Nell nodded.

"Anyone else accessed it?"

Nell quirked up her right brow and began typing away on the keyboard. "Gibbs. He's the only other one."

"Someone say my name?" Relief crossed over Callen's face upon hearing his friend's voice.

"Talk about timing. We need your help." Callen stepped back and allowed Gibbs to move in closer to the computer. "Apparently you and Mick are the only two who have access to this file."

Gibbs furrowed his brow and shook his head. "I can't get you in. I'm sorry, but not this file."

"But you've accessed it before."

Leroy Jethro Gibbs sighed heavily. He looked to DiNozzo and pondered before turning back to Callen. "Where's Bronte?"

"At a safe house with Max and Mick's kids. Why?" Callen knew that look and didn't like what it usually meant. But they were urgently trying to find Mick and Melissa before they were killed. If they hadn't been already.