Chapter 2

WB Animals Hospital was housed in a run down building, whose mission on earth had been accomplished good ten years ago. It should, by all rights, have being marked for demolition, but its owner, Mr. Costa, refused to let it go, just like his clientele refused to acknowledge his 'retirement'.

Gibbs arrived 20 minutes after receiving Tony's call from as unknown cell. He gave the building a cursory look, wondering if the construction would still be standing after he gave Dinozzo the dressing down that the young agent had merited.

He entered the hospital and contemplated the nauseatingly yellow walls of the reception room, the battered chairs and small coffee table set in the small at the reception's left. The room was empty, but he could hear some voices talking at the back rooms. He couldn't make out the words, but he definitely recognized Tony's voice among them.

A few minutes later, an old man, dressed in white left the room and, seeing a new face wandering around the hospital corridors, asked him suspiciously "May I help you, gentleman?"

Gibbs's looked at the other man's eyes and said "Yes, I'm looking for a friend. His name is…"

"Hey Boss! You're here!" Tony interrupted sporting a wide grin on his bruised face.

"Dinozzo!" Gibbs felt infuriated by his agent nonchalance "You mind to explain what the hell happened out there? And while you're at it, why you faked your death, again?"

The head slap Tony received wasn't unexpected, at all, but he had to wince after considering what the rest of the team would do to him once he was back at the office. "Look, Boss…"

He didn't have time to elaborate an answer, since it was Sofia's time to intrude. "I'll explain everything you need to know once you get in this room, Special Agent Gibbs. This is clearly not the place to hold that kind of conversation. Now, if you could get in this room, please?" Sofia, while staring seriously at Gibbs, kept the room's door opened as an invitation, her body language showing how stressed and anxious she was.

"Fine." Gibbs tossed over his shoulders, entering the room. The second the door was closed, he turned back to his agent and stated "Now, talk."

"Why you guys were investigating the Club?" Sofia started.

"Did I stutter? I said talk, not ask." Gibbs retorted grumpily, having a feeling this was about to become a pissing contest.

"And I'm asking you a question. Right now I'm not sure if you're merely incompetent or down right dirty, what I do now is that your actions could have killed Tony tonight." She offered back.

That got in Gibbs nerves. Tony could perfect imagine his Boss wringing his best friend's neck. And he felt compelled to defend Gibbs "Sofi! What are you talking about? There were no faults on my cover and …"

"Because, Tony, you were busted the minute you showed your face at the Club!"

"Hey! Are you insinuating that gave myself out?"

"Hell, Tony! No! The Club is a part of Sloane organization; he had you pegged the second you showed up!" Sofia kept going exasperated.

"Sloane?? What are you doing working for Sloane, Sofi? You know perfect well what he did back in Peoria!!" It was Tony's turn to be angered.

"Not now!" She countered. Turning her focus to Gibbs, she demanded an answer "So? What happened? Are you so incompetent that you didn't know that Club belonged to Sloane or did you just sent Tony to his death?"

Gibbs went furious at the accusations launched at him. He walked in to her personal space, eyes cold with hate and looking down at the small brunette standing in front of him said deadly serious "You're Tony's friend, I'll let you go this time and this time once! I'll never put him or any other of my agents in a situation like that. EVER."

She didn't let herself be intimidated, not much anyway, and pressed further "Then tell how is that every LEO in this country is aware of Sloane's connection with the Club and NCIS isn't it!"

"I'll figure this out, believe me." Gibbs said through narrowed eyes. "Who are you working for and what are you investigating?"

"Well, I don't like you or trust you enough to give any information about this matter."

"Then why did you asked for me?"

"Basically, because Tony needed a ride home and I had to warn you to stay out of my way!"

"Too bad." Gibbs backed her up in to the wall and rapidly handcuffed her "because now you're accompanying us back to NCIS. Dinozzo! Get her stuff, we're leaving."

Tony watched astonished the scenes unfold; now there was no way in hell his Boss would back out from an investigation. As for Sofie, once she had her mind set to something, she would change her mind for nothing in her life. Shaking his head, he pondered how miserable his life would be for the next hours, having to smooth ruffed feathers from two of the most important people in his life.