Warehouse district of Bonita, California

Blair stood outside the one floor office building wondering, not for the first time, what he was doing there. He was also wondering how badly Jim was going to kill him when the detective found out about the undercover operation. With any luck, he'd be home long before Jim ever found out. Right, he snorted softly.

Feeling as ready as he would ever be, Blair pushed on the door, which opened easily for him. Following the directions given to him by Lee Carver, he maneuvered through the dark corridors.

As he walked, he mentally reviewed the events of the past 48 hours or so that lead up to him walking towards a meeting with suspected drug smugglers. Making the initial contact with Carver had been easier than he and Andrew had hoped for. Thanks to information from the truck driver, the detectives had a list of coffee shops, delis and nighttime bars where Carver was said to hang out, often looking for employees willing to work and not ask questions. Surprising to everyone involved, it only took three days until one afternoon Blair and Dale were having lunch at a coffee shop and Lee Carver walked in the door. Blair assumed his role of an out of work man willing to do most anything and, as soon as he left the shop, Carver had approached him.

He must have been convincing. Forty-eight hours later he now stood at the plain door with an engraved plate on it that read 'E. Gray Acquisitions'. Pausing to clear his head of thoughts related to 'Blair Sandburg', he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"She's still insisting on Friday?" Carver asked, frowning at a sheet of paper in his hand. "That is really going to be pushing it. If we leave tonight, we might make it."

"So then, leave tonight," Gray stated. "Is that a problem?"

"No, Sir. Not for me. Don't know about Sands though. Especially since we haven't actually made the guy an offer yet."

Gray smiled, picking up a cup and drinking from it. "I had the young man checked out by my sources as well, and he seems to be what we're looking for. If he is reluctant to start immediately, I'll offer him a bonus."

A sharp knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Gray looked at his watch. "Very good. Punctual. I like that." He called out, "Come in!"

The door opened and 'Blair Sands' walked into the room. Blair had pulled his hair back with an elastic band. Silver hoops shone in his ear. He wore a t-shirt with an unbuttoned flannel shirt and worn black jeans. He looked around nervously until he spotted Lee Carver sitting in front of a desk. Sitting behind the desk was an older man with silver-white hair dressed in a grey suit. Even though the man looked relaxed, he almost oozed with authority. Blair knew insistently that the man behind the desk had to be Erik Gray.

"Hey Blair! Glad you could make it." Carver rose from his chair and met Blair partway across the room. They shook hands and Carver led him back to the desk. "Blair, I want to introduce you to Erik Gray. He's the man in charge."

Blair reached out and shook the hand that was held out to him. "Pleasure to meet you Mr. Gray. As I told Lee the other day, I find myself in the position of needing employment. With the economy the way it is, job hunting has been discouraging."

"I can imagine it has," Gray spoke. "I do not envy those who find themselves on the job market. Even my own business has not been doing as well. But, I do find myself with a truck load of goods and no driver."

"If you don't mind my asking," Blair hesitated, "what happened to your driver? I mean, I'm guessing that someone used to have the job."

"Very good question, Mr. Sands. Yes, we did have another driver, but he had to leave and is no longer employed by my company." Gray stood up. "Come with me please."

He led the two men out of his office and through more corridors to a loading dock where a truck stood parked and loaded. The truck wasn't the big 18-wheeler type, but a smaller model. Blair knew he could drive it with no problems. "Mr. Sands, this is one of several trucks I own and the one that needs to get on the road as soon as possible. Are you interested?"

"What kind of cargo?" Blair asked, curious to find out if Gray would actually tell him and was only a little disappointed when he got the expected answer.

"One of my first rules, Mr. Sands, is no questions asked. You take your orders from me or from Lee. In fact, on this first run, he will be going with you. Because of the sensitive nature of some of the items, you will not know your final destination until necessary. Which is why Lee is going along as navigator."

Blair glanced at Lee and then quickly turned his attention back to Gray as the older man continued speaking. "As for payment. Your first paycheck will be $5,000, plus a bonus for starting immediately. And I do mean immediately. If you deliver the shipment by the deadline date of Friday, there's another bonus for you."

"Wow." Blair breathed. "I've done work for schools and museums before that didn't pay anything close to that. I'd be crazy for saying no."

"So you know how to handle delicate cargo?" Lee asked. "There are sometimes occasions where you have to lift boxes."

"Sure, not a problem. Whatever you want done, I'm your guy," Blair said.

Gray smiled, but Blair noted there was very little warmth in his face. "That's what I like to see, enthusiasm. Most people don't have that kind of enthusiasm for their work."

Blair didn't know what to say to that without sounding too eager. He hoped he hadn't pushed it too much as it was. Evidently not, he decided when Gray held a hand out to him.

"Welcome to the business. I think you'll find I'm an amiable employer. As long as you do your job as instructed." The two men shook hands. "Blair, if you'll make sure everything is loaded where it won't shift, I'll go over the schedule with Lee. Oh, if you have any kind of cell phone or device with you, you must leave it here."

"Umm... my cell phone?" Blair asked, very much confused at the odd request.

"Yes, your cell phone or any other kind of messaging device," Gray said, patiently. "You see Blair, you and Lee will be in charge of some very expensive items and it's not that I don't trust you, but we have just met. I'd rather you not have contact with anyone or risk someone listening in on the signal and finding out your location."

"Isn't that a bit extreme?" Blair asked and immediately regretted the question as Gray loomed over him.

"If you have a problem, there's the door and the deal is off. Remember I require that you do as you are instructed with no arguments or questions."

Nervously, Blair pulled his cell phone from his belt holder and handed it over to his new employer. "No problem, Mr. Gray. I just wasn't expecting that."

Immediately Gray was all smiles again. He gripped Blair's phone in his hand and quickly slipped the device into a jacket pocket. "That's quite alright. Most understandable. Now please see to the loading. Lee and I will be back in a moment."

As Gray and Carver left, Blair tried to ignore the knot in his stomach. The cell phone was his contact with Andrew and his team. Without it, he had no way contacting Andrew unless he managed to get to a phone, and he'd be willing to bet that Carver wouldn't let that happen. Just great, Sandburg. Jim is going to certainly kill you now, he thought to himself. First you ask to stay to help on a case, then you go undercover without calling him, and now you're undercover with no way to contact the police. Good going.

With a sigh, he began loading a few remaining boxes and getting the truck ready to leave. As he did, he wondered, again, what he'd gotten himself into.

"All ready, gentlemen?" Gray asked, just as Lee and Blair got the last of the boxes loaded onto the truck.

"Just about, Mr. Gray," Lee said, jumping down from the back of the truck. Together the two men walked across the room to a table where several sheets of paper lay folded. "That should be the last one. There are five boxes for the first stop and the rest to Nadia in--"

Gray interrupted him. "Careful, Lee. We don't want to say too much."

Lee dropped his voice. "I'm not arguing, sir. But why? Blair seems like a good guy. Just needs a job. As long as we don't tell him what we're carrying, knowing the destinations shouldn't harm us, should it?"

"I'd rather not take the chance," Gray said quietly. "I don't trust new people. There's too much of a risk that he could contact someone and let them know where he is and where the shipment is. I didn't get to my position by tipping my hand too soon. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Sir," Lee answered.

Blair carefully watched the two men converse quietly, wishing that he had Jim's sentinel hearing to learn what was being said. Making sure the last box was secure, he jumped to the floor and pushed the metal doors closed with a loud clang. Once they were away from the warehouse and on the road, hopefully he'd have a chance to check out the boxes and see just what was in them. Hayes had told them Gray was putting together a shipment of artifacts, but didn't know what was being sent with them.

Seeing Gray and Lee turn back towards the truck, Blair busied himself with securing the lock on the doors to the back of the trailer.

"All set, Blair?" Gray asked, a smile on his face.

"Sure. Everything is loaded and ready to go. Lee?" Blair asked the man standing next to him.

"I'm good for go. Let's hit the road and make the boss happy," Lee quipped, bowing slightly with a wave of his hand, an inviting gesture for Blair to take the driver's seat.

"Good luck, gentlemen," Gray said, solemnly.

Blair climbed up and settled into the driver's seat. He started the engine, put the truck in gear and slowly pulled out of the warehouse. He glanced towards the side mirror to see Erik Gray, smile gone from the wrinkled face, staring intently after the truck.

Northern California
(after a day on the road)

Blair stretched as his feet touched the ground after climbing down from the cab of the truck. It felt good to be standing still after more than 48 hours of driving with only a couple of short stops. Once they had crossed the California/Oregon line, Lee had instructed him to pull off at an exit to a small warehouse set close to the interstate.

"Stay out here with the truck, Blair." Lee had walked around the front of the truck to the driver's side. "Walk around and stretch your legs. You've done great and we've made fantastic time. We'll have a bit of a break here."

"Sure, Lee and thanks!" Blair didn't have to fake the relief he felt at not having to immediately climb back into the truck. As he listened to Lee talking to someone on the other side of the truck, he leaned casually against the truck and quickly pulled a small notepad and pen from his jeans pocket. In quick strokes, he wrote down the highways and exits they'd taken. Since he didn't have his cell phone and since leaving Bonita, he never had a chance to get near a pay phone, he had managed to purchase a pad and pen. At least he could take notes on where they had been. Hearing footsteps, he shoved the pad and pen in his pockets, hiding the movement by stepping forward and leaning backwards in a spinning, popping stretch.

"Whew, that felt good." He sighed happily as Carver and a stranger came around the end of the truck.

"Hey Blair, you feel up to helping move some boxes? There's a couple to unload and one to load then we can get back on the road." If Carver had seen anything other than Blair stretching, he didn't show it.

"Sure. As much as I enjoy the break, I'd like to make our destination by Mr. Gray's deadline." Blair answered honestly because he had no clue as to where that destination lay. It had been two days since they left Southern California heading north. He knew Andrew would be frantic, which would be nothing compared to Jim's reaction. But, he told himself he was determined to see the operation through and had the feeling that it would be big when it all went down. Until then, he kept compiling his notes until he could figure out how to contact Andrew.

The men worked together and soon had the boxes loaded onto the truck. As they climbed into the cab, Blair exhaled and rolled his head a bit before starting the engine. Lee smiled as he watched. "So how do you like it so far?"

Blair shrugged. "It's cool. For the amount of money Mr. Gray offered, I'm surprised there haven't been more stops and more manual labor." He grinned at Lee's chuckle. "Not that I'm complaining. Nope, I'm not complaining at all." He glanced at his companion quickly before turning out onto the road. "I will admit, though, I'm still curious about what we're carrying. Since the sign on his door said something about antiques, I'm assuming that's what is in the truck."

"Don't worry. I was the same way when I started. For that matter, I still don't know all of what he handles, just that it's valuable and his customers are often very discreet," Lee assured Blair. "Plus, he wants you to be concerned with the driving. I'm here to be concerned with the cargo."

"Cool by me." Blair turned his attention back to driving, mentally filing the conversation away for later. A comfortable silence settled between the two men.

The quiet ruled for nearly an hour. Blair almost jumped when Lee spoke up unexpected.

"Say Blair, have you ever been to a city called Cascade?"

"Cascade? As in Washington?" Blair worked to keep his voice level. "Sure. I did a year or so at a local college up there."

"Really?" Lee turned to look at Blair.

"Yeah. I was at Rainier for a while, until the traveling bug bit me. Plus, I got tired of being cold and wet all the time.

Lee laughed easily. "I can so relate to that. I guess that's how you ended up in Southern California."

Blair joined in the laughter. "I went down to visit my mom and her latest boyfriend and fell in love with being warm and dry. The nice scenery at the beaches certainly didn't hurt." He turned his full attention back to the road as he maneuvered the truck through the interstate traffic. "It's been a couple of years since I've been back."

"Well, Blair," Lee said. "I hope you don't mind going back to the cold and wet world of Cascade for a while. That's our destination. We stay on the interstate all the way to Cascade, Washington."

"Cool!" Blair didn't have to fake his enthusiasm. "Lee? Do you think that before we get there, I could call a friend of mine? I haven't see her in a long time and would love to see if she's available."

Lee frowned. "I hate to say no, but until we're there and have completed the run I have to. Mr. Gray does not like for his orders to be disobeyed. Believe me, Blair, you do not want to make him angry with you. Let's get there, deliver the cargo to the buyer and then we'll be free to have some fun. Maybe your friend will have a friend?"

Blair forced himself to laugh. "Sounds good. This is too sweet a job to risk losing. As for a friend, I'll ask Jamie when I can call her." Silently he calculated the hours until they were in Cascade and he could contact both Jim and Andrew.

Major Crimes Bullpen
Cascade, Washington

Jim stared at the computer screen, wishing he could simply make the information he needed appear by thinking about it. His gaze moved from the less-than-helpful screen to the files stacked on his desk. One set of files was the reports from several robberies that had taken place in several houses where expensive pieces of art were stolen. On the top of those files was the one containing the report from Nadia Harford's house. The woman maintained that her home had not been robbed, although two neighbors had mentioned hearing of pieces going missing. The detective was convinced that something connected the robberies, he just didn't know what.

Erik Gray. Harford had mentioned the name during a phone call. Andrew Woods in California had said the name was connected to the case Blair was helping with. Jim's instinct told him that Gray had something to do with both cases. He couldn't explain how, he just knew.

Quickly, he started typing on the computer keyboard, entering a wide search for Erik Gray. Jim wanted to know if anything in the city records had any kind of information on Gray. As he typed, he thought about his missing partner. The moment Ken said Woods was sending someone undercover, he should have known that Blair would find a way to take the assignment. Breathing a small sigh, Jim decided that he'd be quite happy when Blair was back in Cascade, where he belonged.

The soft chime of the computer interrupted Jim's thoughts, alerting him that the first part of the search was done.

Skimming through the output, he sucked in a sharp breath and muttered "damn."

"What is it, Jim?" Simon asked. The detective looked up sharply, surprised that he hadn't heard his captain approach. The bullpen was quiet and empty except for Rafe sitting at his desk across the room.

"I was just running a search through records on Erik Gray. When I talked to Woods in Bonita, he mentioned the name as being connected to the case there. Plus there's the conversation I overheard."

"And?"

"The system came back with a hit. Erik Gray of 'E. Gray Acquisitions' based in California recently bought a storage warehouse complex in Cascade."

"You don't think it's a coincidence, do you?" Simon asked him.

"No sir, I don't." Jim shook his head.

"Where do you want to go from here?"

"I believe that Gray is the link between Cascade and Bonita. According to the records, E. Gray Acquisitions specializes in obtaining rare tribal art and antiques. Just the kind of items that have been reported stolen here in Cascade."

"He'd have to be highly overconfident or completely foolish to actually store the stolen items here," Simon pointed out.

"Who knows." Jim sighed. "He's an unknown factor. But I think it's worth checking out. We could set up a stakeout at the warehouse." Jim looked at the screen again. "Get this, it's called 'Two Towers Storage'."

"You get it set up, I'll get the paperwork for you. It's not much, but it's the first semi-solid lead we've gotten." Simon walked to his office. "Good work, Detective. Let's hope this pans out into something useful."

Outside Two Towers Storage Warehouse
Cascade, Washington

Jim stretched as much as the cramped space in the truck would allow. With a yawn, he settled back into the seat.

"Want some more coffee?" Ken asked with a grin. He held up the thermos, shaking it lightly. "There's still some left."

Jim eyed the thermos, calculating how long they had been sitting there and how cold the coffee probably was after several hours. Finally he shook his head. "No thanks. While it may not be stone cold, there's no way it's steaming hot anymore."

Ken grimaced, setting the thermos on the seat between them. "Good point." The young man went back to watching out the window. A block away stood the well-kept storage facility the two detectives were watching.

"So how long are we going to sit out here?" Ken asked, breaking the silence. "Brown and Rafe didn't come up with anything during the day and the place seems pretty dead tonight. After all, we're not even sure this is where the drop off is."

"I know," Jim said wearily. He looked at his watch and saw that it was nearly 1 a.m. "To be honest, we might as well call it a night. We can spend tomorrow double checking and seeing if there's another Two Towers warehouse or storage facility in Cascade."

Just then headlights appeared out of the darkness. "What's that?" Ken asked, pointed to the lights coming towards them.

Jim sat up, peering at the source of the lights. "It's a truck. I think," he said. "Looks like a large truck."

"You can tell that from here?" Ken asked, astonished.

"What can I say, good eyesight." Jim waved off the comment, his attention focused on the truck. "No markings that I can tell. It may not even be what we're looking for."

As they watched, the truck slowed and pulled into the parking lot of the storage facility the detectives were watching."

"Then again, maybe it is," Ken said softly, watching the truck's progress using a pair of binoculars.

"Shall we go see what they're delivering at this hour of the night?" Jim asked, his hand on the door handle.

"Shouldn't we call for backup?"

Jim paused before he answered. "Call it in. Plus, call Simon and tell him what's going on. If this is the shipment we've been waiting for, he'll want to be here. I'm heading that way." He pointed towards the back of the building.

Ken followed Jim's instructions then got out of the truck. He quietly moved to where Jim was crouched behind several dumpsters. "See anything?" he whispered.

"Nothing yet. All I can hear are boxes being moved and some kind of machinery."

"You can hear what's going on?" Ken stared at the dark shape of the Cascade detective.

"You mean you can't?" Jim tried to sound surprised when he was actually annoyed at himself for using his Sentinel abilities in front of the other man. "Maybe you need to get your hearing checked." He grinned, motioning that they were going to move to a closer position.

As the two detectives crouched behind a second dumpster, Ken gripped Jim's arm to pull the older man's attention back to the driveway. A black car was pulling in and parking at the door to the storage facility building they were watching. "We've got more company," he breathed quietly.

A tall middle-aged looking man got out of the driver's seat and moved around the car to the back door on the passenger side. Jim easily recognized Nadia Harford as the tall redhead gracefully got out of the car. She smoothed her coat and motioned for the driver to follow her. Together they walked into the building.

"Jim," Ken whispered. "That looked like it might have been Ms. Harford. But we're going to have to get closer for an ID." Before Jim could stop him, the young man started to move forward towards the warehouse.

Jim reached out to grabbed at the moving target, stopping when he thought he heard his Guide's voice.

"Whoa! Watch it man! We don't need to explain a dented box."

Jim heard the sound of laughter and then a man's voice said, "You've got that right. Help me move it over here to avoid being in the way."

Jim's mind spun trying to figure out what was going on. Blair's voice? But how could Blair be in Cascade when he was supposed to be in Southern California. He focused his hearing to the voices inside, not hearing Ken double back and hiss at him to move. He didn't hear Ken telling him to move and he didn't hear the two men that came up behind them. It wasn't until hands grabbed him roughly, shoving him towards the metal building that he realized he had zoned. Blair was going to kill him.