Chapter Two: More Than Partners
Ace was quickly figuring out that Gibbs and Tony were more than just partners. Them crammed into the tiny bunk together in Kandahar could be explained as there being nowhere else to bunk but as he sat across from them on the C-130 and watched them find any excuse at all to touch each other, he knew it was more than a close partnership and judging by the way they were looking at each other, he was guessing it was more than friendship as well. This wasn't a friends with benefits situation either—those two were in love. Any fool could see that and Ace was no fool.
Their personal relationship didn't matter much to the old pilot. He could've cared less about their sexual orientation. He just hoped if things ended, it wouldn't have too much of an effect on their friendship. He'd grown to love both men and didn't want to see either of them hurting or worse, leaving. He smiled at the two when they caught him looking. They'd been so wrapped up in each other that they hadn't noticed he'd been watching.
"Bring back memories?" Gibbs asked referring to their mode of transportation.
"Oh yeah," Ace answered. "I was just usually in the cockpit. View's different back here."
"You prefer to be in the pilot's seat?" Tony asked.
"Kinda," Ace said. "It's not quite so boring up there but I'm not the control freak type who has to be at the wheel either."
"Like Tony is with his car," Gibbs teased, elbowing his lover.
"Hey!" Tony objected. "I'd let you drive my car."
Gibbs looked at him skeptically.
"Have you ever asked?"
Gibbs just smiled. Tony might win this argument.
"See," Tony said, "maybe you should ask before you just start making assumptions!"
"Alright," Gibbs said, "can I drive your car?"
"Sure," Tony said. "I'll leave it to you in my will. You can drive her wherever you want. Just think of me every time you get behind the wheel."
"Don't talk like that," Gibbs said firmly.
Tony couldn't tell if the older man was annoyed or just being really serious. He realized in hindsight that it may not have been the best comment to make to someone who'd lost two people who were very dear to him, especially considering the nature of their job. He gave a bright smile as a way of apologizing and scooted even closer to Gibbs, trying to show his lover that he wasn't going anywhere. He didn't care if Ace noticed. The pilot was going to figure it out sooner or later anyways.
Ace decided to give the guys a moment to work through the somewhat awkward situation and excused himself to go use the bathroom.
Once Ace was gone Tony smiled over at Gibbs, trying to get a feel for what was going on in his head. Gibbs seemed to be able to read him like a book but Tony still had a hard time figuring out what Gibbs was thinking. He leaned over and propped his chin on Gibbs' shoulder. Gibbs turned towards him and Tony pressed his lips against Gibbs'.
"I was just teasing about the car," he said gently.
"I know," Gibbs said resting his forehead against Tony's. "Guess I'm just a little touchy about certain things." Gibbs initiated their second kiss, dipping his tongue into Tony's mouth for a quick taste.
"You know, if Ace wasn't around we could get busy back here," Tony suggested. They'd just made love that afternoon and early that morning but Tony couldn't get enough of Gibbs.
Gibbs moved his hand to Tony's inner thigh as they shared another open mouthed kiss. His tongue explored Tony's mouth while his hand moved up Tony's thigh. He let the backs of his fingers rub against Tony's hardening cock and moaned into Tony's mouth when he realized the effect his touch was having. Tony moved one leg into Gibbs' lap, spreading his legs in an attempt to give his dick a little more space as it grew, and Gibbs rested his free hand on the leg in his lap, holding it in place.
"I'd uh, give you two a little privacy but there's really nowhere for me to go," Ace said apologetically.
The lovers jerked apart and both heads turned towards Ace.
"Sorry 'bout that," Tony said, feeling his ears redden.
"Not a problem," Ace said. "Too bad we're not on our plane." He smiled and winked at them then held out the coffee the pilot had sent back.
Tony moved his leg out of Gibbs' lap and tried to wiggle around to get a little more comfortable but quickly realized that wasn't going to happen until his cock deflated. "Oh, uh, excuse me," he said when he noticed both men watching him.
"So, you married, Ace?" Gibbs asked conversationally before taking a sip of his coffee.
"Twenty two years," Ace said proudly. "Caroline is the sweetest woman I've ever met. She has to be to put up with me!"
"Congratulations," Tony said. "That's quite an accomplishment these days."
"She's an angel," Ace said getting sentimental. "That's enough about me though. Are you two ready to bring Miss Hailey Barnes home?"
"Oh yeah," Tony said. "There's nothing quite like a search and rescue op."
"I've always been rather fond of the rescue part," Ace said.
"Me too," Tony agreed.
After going from plane to ship to helicopter to car, Gibbs and Tony finally made it to their final destination. They'd been given a car at Larandia Army Post and made the short drive to their hostel in Solana, Columbia. It was later on in the evening by the time they made it to their room and too dark for them to really be able to get a lay of the land. They located the house they'd been told Hailey was being kept in and noted all the lights were off. After setting up their surveillance equipment they settled in to wait.
"Gonna be a long night," Tony said as he fixed their bed. He didn't trust the bedding in the rundown room to be clean so he spread his sleeping bag out on top of it and figured they could use Gibbs' sleeping bag to cover up with.
"Mm-hmm," Gibbs hummed from where he was settled in on the rickety, old couch in the room, reading the newspaper he'd grabbed at the front desk.
"Think we'll pick up any chatter?"
"Don't know," Gibbs said. "There aren't any lights on over there."
Once Tony was done making the bed he walked over to the window and looked out then glanced back at Gibbs. He decided there was no way he was going to sit there and be bored all night so he walked over to Gibbs and snatched the paper out of his hands. When Gibbs looked up at him questioningly, Tony sat down in his lap and handed the paper back to him.
"What're you up to?" Gibbs asked.
Tony shrugged as Gibbs opened the paper once again. "I'm bored. I'm lonely."
Gibbs kissed his lover's cheek then went back to the article talking about the Hailey Barnes kidnapping. He pointed to what he was reading so Tony could read along as well if he wanted.
"I'm not in the mood to read, LJ," Tony whined. "Entertain me."
"This article's important," Gibbs said. "Might have some valuable information that could help us."
"Doubt it," Tony replied as he rested his head on Gibbs' shoulder.
Gibbs kissed Tony's temple then propped his head against Tony's while he continued reading. He knew what Tony wanted. As he finished up the article, he wrapped his hand around Tony's thigh letting his fingers come painfully close to Tony's cock.
Tony shivered at the touch and immediately started to stir. "I take it you're done reading the paper," he said.
"I could read more."
"No!" Tony all but yelled pulling a smile from Gibbs. He wiggled around in Gibbs' lap trying to scoot so his crotch was under his lover's fingers but Gibbs pulled his hand away. "Why do you torture me?" Tony groaned.
"Wouldn't be any fun if we just hopped in bed and did it," Gibbs pointed out. "Look at me."
"Why?" Tony whispered.
"So I can kiss you," Gibbs whispered back.
Tony smiled as he turned towards Gibbs. The lazy kiss turned heated and hungry. Tony rotated in Gibbs' lap so he was facing the man and Gibbs hooked his fingers through Tony's belt loops and pulled him down on his lap. Tony pressed kisses all over Gibbs' face and neck while Gibbs bucked his hips up towards Tony, rubbing their cocks together through their jeans. The rubbing was all it took to light a fire inside Tony. He held Gibbs tight and really started humping him.
"Shit, Tony," Gibbs hissed, "what's got you so horny?" If Tony kept it up they were both gonna cum in their pants.
"I was horny on the plane. I was horny on the ship. I was horny on the chopper and I was horny in the car," Tony grunted still grinding roughly against Gibbs. "I want you, LJ."
"You've got me," Gibbs said as he wrapped his arms around Tony's waist and held him, trying to still his hips.
Tony continued bucking against Gibbs as best as he could despite being restrained. Gibbs smacked his ass but it only seemed to excite Tony even more.
"You wanna cum in your pants?" Gibbs asked, licking and nipping at Tony's neck.
"No," Tony said, still rubbing.
"Then let's get undressed and get into bed," Gibbs said.
"I don't wanna get off you."
"In about two seconds I'll be in you but you've gotta move so we can get our clothes off."
Tony whimpered as he stood from Gibbs' lap. Both of them stripped out of their clothes on their way over to the bed.
"Ah-ah," Gibbs said when Tony laid down. Tony looked questioningly at him. "You got all the energy, horny boy. You're on top this time."
"I can live with that," Tony said. He grabbed the lube from his bag while Gibbs laid down on his back. Tony climbed into bed and settled next to Gibbs. He lubed up his fingers and let Gibbs watch as he stretched himself. "You like watching?"
"Mm-hmm," Gibbs hummed approvingly. He reached down and stroked his own cock while he enjoyed the show.
Once Tony was done stretching himself, he slicked Gibbs' up then straddled him. Tony held onto his own cock while he lowered himself onto Gibbs' cock. Once he was sitting on Gibbs' lap, Gibbs moved his hand away and just watched. Tony was in rare form, barely able to stop humping him long enough for them to make it to the bed. Tony raised up and lowered himself down onto Gibbs, moving his legs around to get comfortable.
"Let go of your cock," Gibbs said, moving Tony's hand out of the way. "I wanna watch it bounce."
"You like that?" Tony asked with a smile as he obeyed.
Gibbs hummed appreciatively as he smiled up at Tony. He tweaked Tony's nipples with his fingers before wrapping his hands around Tony and pulling him down so he could kiss them. First one and then the other, Gibbs licked and sucked before biting down roughly. Tony cried out in pleasure as he continued rocking his hips.
When Gibbs was done teasing his nipples, Tony wedged his hands under his lover's ass, holding their bodies tightly together as he moved. He wanted his cock pressed between their bellies like it had been in the pool that afternoon. It was more than enough friction to get him off and it felt different than anything he'd ever felt before. He didn't even bother trying to hold off his release. He moved roughly on Gibbs' length, thrusting his own dick between their bodies. The hard and fast pace had him barreling towards the finish line in no time.
Gibbs heard the deep grunts and groans and could feel the warm, sticky substance on his belly and knew Tony had finally achieved the release he'd been so desperate for all afternoon long. He rested his hands against Tony's hips, helping to keep him steady as he started rocking his hips towards Tony. The two met each other stroke for stroke and with Tony keeping the pace fast and rough it wasn't long before Gibbs was crying out in ecstasy too.
When Gibbs started softening, Tony finally slowed the movement of his hips. Gibbs could feel his lover's heart racing as Tony's hot breaths warmed his shoulder.
"What's gotten into you?" Gibbs asked.
"I don't know," Tony panted. "I don't know. I just, I wanted you. I've always had a high sex drive but when I'm with you I just can't get enough. Even now I don't it to be over."
Tony lifted himself up off of Gibbs' body and pulled off of him. He scurried off to the bathroom to retrieve a washcloth, cleaned them both up then laid down next to his lover. Gibbs' rested his hand on Tony's chest and Tony moved it down to his flaccid cock and balls.
"There's no way I'm gonna get hard again but it feels damn good when you touch me," Tony said.
Tony cuddled up against Gibbs while Gibbs played with him. Both knew it wouldn't lead anywhere but both were enjoying themselves. Tony smiled as Gibbs kissed the top of his head. It had been a long day and they had to get up early the following day. It was time to drift off to sleep. Gibbs stilled his hand but left it resting on Tony's dick and Tony pulled Gibbs' sleeping bag over them and they settled in to sleep.
"Tony," Gibbs said sleepily as he flopped his arm across his lover's chest. "Tony, time to get up."
"Mm-mm," Tony grumbled. "'m sleepy." He rolled over and curled into Gibbs' side, wanting to cuddle.
Gibbs wrapped an arm around Tony and held him close. As much as he would've liked to stay in bed and cuddle, he knew they needed to get up. Unable to reach Tony's lips, he kissed the top of his head then playfully swatted his bare ass.
"You want the shower first?"
"I wanna shower together," Tony mumbled.
"Tony, that shower's hardly big enough for one of us to fit into, let alone both."
Tony stretched his arms over his head, grumbling unhappily. "Fine, I'll get in the shower first." He rolled over and as he was standing Gibbs reached over and pinched his ass. Tony yelped and grabbed the stinging area. "Keep doing that and I'm not gonna be able to focus all day."
Gibbs smiled seductively and winked at Tony. "Just trying to help you wake up," he said with a grin.
Tony glared at him but leaned down for a kiss before heading into the bathroom.
By late afternoon Gibbs and Tony were starting to get frustrated. No one had come or gone from the house and they hadn't picked up any sounds or movement. If Hailey really was in that house, things weren't looking good.
"I wonder how good the intel Bryce got was," Gibbs said, staring blankly out the window.
Tony stared thoughtfully for a moment before hopping up from his seat. "I have an idea," he said pulling his jacket on and tucking an earpiece into his ear. "Be right back. Watch my six."
Gibbs resisted the urge to ask what Tony was up to as he watched his partner pull his shoes on, tuck his SIG into his jeans at the small of his back, grab a length of rope and the half a piece of toast left over from breakfast then hurry out. He turned back to the window and waited for Tony to make it downstairs then watched as Tony coaxed one of the many stray dogs hanging around across the street.
Tony used the leftover toast to get the dog to race off towards the house they were watching then chased after him. He readied the rope as if he were just there to get the dog but instead peeked in one of the windows. "House is empty," he said into the microphone clipped to his sleeve.
"The hell?" Gibbs muttered.
"Going around back," Tony said. He made his way around the small house, peeking in windows while pretending to try to get his dog under control. Once he made it all the way around the house, he collared the dog and headed back towards the hostel. He left the dog on the street then went up to their room.
"No people, no furniture, no nothing," Tony reported as he washed his hands after touching the stray dog. "That house is vacant."
"I think it's time we have a conversation with Bryce," Gibbs said angrily. He was upset that they'd wasted almost an entire day watching an empty house.
Tony dried his hands then connected them to Bryce on the laptop.
"Problem, boys?" Bryce asked, his image a little fuzzy on the screen.
"You could say that," Gibbs snapped. Technically he wasn't mad at Bryce; he was frustrated with the situation.
"The house they're supposedly keeping Hailey in is empty, vacant," Tony said.
"How did we track her to this location?" Gibbs asked.
"Western Union," Bryce answered. "That's how our kidnappers pick up the ransom money. They were followed back to the address you guys were given."
"We'll check the surrounding houses," Tony said. "Maybe they just got the wrong address."
"Let's hope that's the case," Bryce said. "It would make sense that they would be nearby. Perhaps our informant got the street number wrong."
"We'll get in touch with you in the morning," Tony said. "Hopefully we'll have better news for you then." He cut the connection then looked over at Gibbs and saw he was still stewing. "Hey," he said, resting his hand lightly on Gibbs' forearm, "shit happens. It was out of our control. We're not the ones who screwed up. The ransom payment's been sent. Hailey's alive. We'll find her."
"I hate wasting time," Gibbs grumbled. "We've been sitting here all day watching an empty building."
"Yeah, that definitely part sucks," Tony said. "We might get to fix that right now though. Look."
Gibbs and Tony watched as two burly men headed up the walkway of one of the neighboring houses. They had bad ass written all over them. The way they dressed, the way they moved, the way they carried themselves seemed to send a silent message to steer clear. Despite the overpriced leather jackets, Gibbs and Tony could see both men had weapons tucked away and one of them was carrying what looked like a large takeout bag.
Gibbs retrained the microphone on the house as the thugs stepped inside and Tony picked up the scope again. The agents listened to conversations revolving around dinner, alcohol and possibly inviting a woman over later on before the men started talking about 'the girl'.
"They gotta be talking about Hailey, right?" Tony asked.
"I don't know if it's wishful thinking or not but that'd be my guess," Gibbs said. "See anything?"
"Not much through closed blinds but I am picking up at least eight heat signatures," Tony said as he scanned the windows with the scope. "Wait, make that nine."
"Nine of them makes it too risky to just go barging in there," Gibbs said.
"Maybe they'll come and go throughout the day and we can get in there and grab her," Tony suggested.
"That'd be nice," Gibbs replied. "For now our best move is to just watch." They needed to make sure Hailey was the girl they were talking about and it would've been foolish to go in blind. They needed more information. "You getting healthy heat signatures?"
"Yep," Tony said. "All strong heat signatures."
"We're back in business," Gibbs said.
Gibbs and Tony spent the next three, very long days watching and waiting for an opportunity to grab the girl and making love to break up the monotonous days. On day two they were able to confirm that 'the girl' was in fact Hailey when one of the men let her name slip but she was never left with fewer than six heavily armed men. Didn't these guys have jobs or something? The chances of getting her out without one of them or her being wounded, or worse, was slim to none. Gibbs and Tony were both brave but neither were stupid.
They were getting ready to reevaluate their plan and possibly call for backup when they picked up on a conversation that gave them some hope. The kidnappers were planning on transporting Hailey to Esmeraldas, Ecuador that night. Two of them would escort her and drop her off in Ecuador the following morning.
"This might be the break we were waiting for," Tony said as he pulled up a map of possible routes to the coastal city in Ecuador.
"Not a lot of options," Gibbs said looking at the map over his shoulder. "Once they make it past this point there's only one road they can take," he said pointing at the map. Unlike America's advanced interstate system, it was a little bit harder to get around in South America.
"I'm thinking we travel ahead and lay in wait for 'em somewhere in this area," Tony said sweeping his finger across a section of the map on the screen.
Gibbs nodded in agreement. The two devised a plan then put a call in to Ace to bring him up to speed.
"Ace," Gibbs said, "we're picking up the girl tonight. How fast can you get to the Army post?"
"There's a big storm out here in the Pacific," Ace answered. "We had to veer off course to avoid it. I'm outta range with the chopper. The soonest I can be at Larandia is about twenty four hours from now."
Gibbs looked over at Tony.
"We gotta do it," Tony said, still feeling confident despite the minor setback. They'd be safe at the Army post.
"Now's our best chance," Gibbs agreed. There was a gleam of excitement in his eyes. "See ya then, Ace," Gibbs said with a smile. It was time to get the girl back.