Disclaimer: I do not own Stephanie plum, NCIS or Trenton etc. This is for fun. Enjoy. :)
He was being followed and knew it. Knew it by the slight shadows on the sidewalk. The sickening feeling forming in his gut was growing at an exponential rate. He hoped by leaving and going to Trenton, New Jersey would save him from all the threatening phone calls. And he was wrong. They were always there and so he quickened his step to his hotel. Logically, he thought, they could get to him any where but they'd proven to him that maybe, just maybe they'd be fair.
The young naval officer rushed to the elevator and the door shut immediately. Pressing the button, he hoped the elevator would hurry to the sixth floor. He reached the floor and tried to nonchalantly act normal as he walked fast to his room. After entering his room, he checked the room out to be safe. Only then did he make the phone call that would end all of this.
"My debt is paid. My side of the deal is complete. This is the end of our association." He said, hanging up before the person on the other line to speak. He really didn't need to know what they thought. He stripped and stepped into the hot shower. He began to relax for the first time in months. For the first time, since this all began. Tomorrow he would be home and all this behind him. All he needed was to finish this.
Once he finished his shower, he re-dressed in a pair of sweat pants and lounged on the bed as he watched tv. He'd rather be home, enjoying the company of his one and only sister, Haley Thomas. She was the only family he had. Of course, there was also the girl that he could see himself getting old with, Katy Vivianne James. He'd recently admitted to his sister his growing attraction for her best friend. He'd waited several years before admitting his feelings.
"Hey there Sparks! What are you doing?" He asked Haley.
"Hey big brother. You're girl-friend was over here today!" She said.
"Really? Did you say anything to her?" He asked, smiling at the thought of her.
"Well, we went shopping and got something to eat. Now we're doing home style mani pedi's." Haley said.
"You want me to call you back?" He asked.
"When are you coming home?" She asked.
"Tomorrow afternoon." He said.
"Well, come by after you get home and I'll tell you all my news!" She said.
"Okay. I love you, Sparks!" He said.
"I love you too, big brother. Be safe!" She said.
He hung up. He drifted into a relaxing, deep sleep knowing that he would be home with the only person in the world that had not abandoned him. He also knew it was time to talk to Katy.
The next day Howard Thomas jogged to the meeting spot. He was supposed to be meeting them for the very last time. He sat on the bench and waited. He didn't see the gun focused on him until it was too late. He fell like a ton of bricks onto the bench. The shooter opened a cell phone and called 911. He then broke the phone throwing each little piece into the river and grabbed the envelope in Howard's hand.
"Dinozzo! David! Get your gear!" Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs barked.
"What happened, boss?" Senior Special Agent Anthony "Tony" Dinozzo inquired.
"Naval Officer shot in Trenton, New Jersey. McGee!" Gibbs barked.
"Yeah boss?" Junior Special Agent, Timothy McGee asked.
"Tell Ducky that we have a case and to follow us!" He barked.
A half hour later, the group arrived to the crime scene. After they transferred the victim to the nearest hospital it was time to contact the victim's family. They arrived to the residence of Mrs. Haley Thomas. They knocked on the door and when it opened Tony mentally fainted.
Why did it seem on every case there lay a temptation for the Italian to resist? Of course, it was his lucky day, he thought with sarcasm. There before him stood five beautiful woman.
"Down Boy." Ziva said, as she noticed the look on Tony's face.
"I didn't say anything." Tony said, as a brunette walked up to him. He stood there hoping, he wasn't staring. He assessed all of the women.
There was a petite blonde with ocean green eyes. She eyed him as if he was up to something.
There was the tall red head with the mischievous dark brown eyes that made him feel like she was sizing him up.
There was the tall raven haired girl with the sapphire blues with her long legs showing from the short daisy dukes she was wearing.
Then it was 'her'. The averagely built brunette that walked towards him with piercing hazel eyes.
"How can I help you?" The brunette asked.
"Is there a Miss Haley Thomas here?" Tony asked, hoping that this was the girl in front of him.
"That would be me." The brunette said.
"Special Agent Tony Dinozzo, and this is special agent David. Miss Thomas, we have some bad news. Perhaps we should sit down." Tony said.
Something was wrong and the girls refused to budge from around Haley. She didn't sit down as Tony suggested and moments later, a cry was heard. The girls were in shock and were sitting on the couch. Haley slid to the floor, her eyes wide and unblinking, not yet crying.
"Not Howard. It can't be him. He was here just a few days ago and he..had some news but…he was….he is…." Haley said, and fainted.
Katy couldn't believe the words she was hearing. He couldn't be shot? No! He was so alive the last time she saw him. He was so vibrant, so happy and now he was sitting in a morgue in New Jersey. She waited too long and now he was gone forever. "Hales." She said, trying to wake her friend because Haley was the most important person right now. Haley woke with a start. She looked around and they were still there.
"Miss Thomas, could you please escort us to the morgue?" Ziva asked.
"I…I…"Haley stuttered.
"She can't go by herself." The raven haired girl piped up, "My name is Katy and I won't allow my friend to go by herself to identify the body of her only family on her own. None of us will." She finished with a look that said, 'Try to defy me' directed towards Tony.
Ziva wanted to laugh out loud but she resisted. She was beginning to realize these girls didn't readily show their emotions or what they were capable of.
"We'll follow you." Haley said, looking up from her lap.
The drive to the morgue consisted of an hour of silence. Katy followed the special agents in her SUV. When they parked, they all got out silently and walked in pairs to the morgue. She looked through the glass as the blanket was raised off of Howard's head. Dinozzo was there the instant she fainted. It was a moment later when she came too, still in his arms. Though it felt heavenly, Haley had no idea why she was in his arms or why he was watching her intently. "What…What happened?" She asked, sitting up. She only ended up more in his lap than she intended. Twice in one day was a record.
Katy lent her, her hand and she stood. It was not that she hadn't enjoyed it, for she had immensely, but she felt guilty. She had just seen her brother, her older brother in his post-mortem state and she was enjoying the feel of this special agent. Her only remaining family member was now dead. She was an orphan. She couldn't speak and could barely breathe.
"That's him. What happened?" Leigh, the red head asked taking the lead. She had to do something.
"We know he was shot between 0800 and 0900 hours today. He arrived at the hospital and died as soon as he entered the ER. He didn't have a chance. The single shot was a fatal one." Dinozzo replied.
"No shit, it was fatal. Is there any evidence to suggest if the shooter has done this before like their MO? Were there any fingerprints on the body? Where is his cell phone?" Leigh rattled off the questions, while Katy and Penelope (the blonde) checked over their friend.
After a few minutes of her rattling, Tony shook his head and said, "If you feel that the explanation I have offered is not up to par, than you are welcome to ask Dr. Mallard." He was attempting to hold in his anger towards this damn red head.
Katy made a phone call.
"Hey cuz." Stephanie Plum said, when she answered because she knew the ringtone.
"Hey cuz, so I'm in Trenton and I need a place to stay for the night." Katy said.
"Where are you?" Stephanie asked.
"Trenton Police Station." Katy said.
"Be there in twenty." Stephanie said.
"Where ya goin?" Someone asked Stephanie.
"I have to pick up my cousin." Stephanie said, slipping a baseball cap on her rumpled hair.
"Take my car." He said, throwing her the keys to his black range rover, "Oh yeah, Tank is going to follow you."
"Do you really think it would be dangerous?" She asked, stopping at the door.
"Babe."
Ladies and Gentleman, This is the end of chapter 1.
I hope you enjoyed this and hopefully I can keep back writing on this. :)
Any comments, feel free to leave them.