Chapter Three
"Tony, I just heard from Hetty. We got something off the bug," Callen said as he walked through the living room of his sparsely furnished house.
"I'll grab my jacket," Tony said.
Tony grabbed his brown suede jacket and followed Callen to the Aston Martin Rapide he drove. They made record time to the warehouse in Santa Monica which was OSP headquarters. Sam, Kensi and Deeks were already there when they arrived.
As they entered ops a serious faced Hetty nodded to Eric, who played the recording. Everyone stood quietly and listened.
"You are like magic, darling. I'm glad I keep you on the payroll," said Lapin.
Tony felt like snarling at this comment. Deena Monroe was a woman imprisoned by what she thought she wanted and needed and Lapin gave her that at a steep price.
"Thank you Elias."
Her voice was seductive but false. It wasn't the voice she used with him.
"You are my little pressure reliever," he laughed. "I need you to contact Hynes. Tell him to bring the schematics of the stealth ship to John Wayne Airport on Friday noon. I'll have his million dollars for him."
"Do you want me there, Elias?" she asked.
She asked in a tone that said she didn't want to go but she was at his beck and call.
"Why not? We can go to Dubai together to sell the schematics then enjoy ourselves," he said.
"Stop," said Hetty. "We have him and Colonel Hynes."
"We can take down Hynes and Lapin at the airport," Sam said.
"It would be better if we could take down Elias and Ashar, his younger brother, together, but we will just have to be satisfied with Elias, Hynes, and stopping the sale of our stealth ship schematics," said Hetty.
"Sounds good," Callen said.
NCIS
It was early in the morning just having turned 6:30 in the morning and Vance noticed Gibbs at his desk. The last two weeks had been difficult for Gibbs' MCRT. They had caught serial rapist followed by the murder of two able bodied seaman. The team had been putting in a lot of hours and without DiNozzo keeping it light and acting as the buffer between Gibbs and the rest of the team they had been growled at, barked at, and threatened until they solved the cases. Vance was half afraid that McGee was going to ask for a transfer since he took the brunt of Gibbs' behavior as SFA. He headed down the steps and stopped by Gibbs' desk.
"Gibbs," he said, "you're here early."
"Backed up on reports and requisitions. Can't investigate a crime scene without rubber gloves," he said.
He didn't look up from his work, but kept at it.
"How is McGee turning out as the senior field agent?" asked Vance.
"He is working at it, Leon. Being a senior field agent is more than computer work, though," Gibbs said.
"You miss DiNozzo," Vance stated.
"I was used to him," Gibbs said.
"Well, McGee must be better at get paperwork in," he said.
"He tries," growled Gibbs.
"It was time for him to have his own team, Gibbs. He couldn't stay your senior field agent forever," Vance said.
Gibbs stopped working finally and looked up at Vance.
"I know that Leon. We were together a long time, though. I had his six and he had mine," Gibbs said.
"How is Orr working out?" asked Vance.
"He'll do," was the answer.
Vance took a deep breath and exhaled. The man was a royal pain in the ass sometimes but he was also the best in the business at methodical closing cases.
"Don't ride them so hard, Gibbs. Not everyone is DiNozzo," said Vance, who then strolled away.
"No, not all of them are," sighed Gibbs, who got back to work.
NCIS
Lapin kept a Gulfstream at John Wayne Airport in his private hangar. Sam and Callen dressed as mechanics as they tried to look like they knew what they were doing while working on a plane near the hangar Lapin owned. Kensi and Deeks were in a SUV parked behind another hangar waiting for the signal, while Tony was in maintenance jumpsuit driving a luggage truck.
They were all set and waiting patiently when the Gulfstream taxied out of Lapin's hangar preparing for flight. It was then that a Mercedes Benz pulled up and Lapin, Deena Monroe, and his bodyguard got out. Lapin carried a briefcase. Soon thereafter in a Dodge Charger Hynes pulled up and got out.
"Alright everyone, let's bust this wide open," Callen said into his comm mic.
He and Sam pulled their Sig Sauers and started running towards the hangar, while Kensi stepped on the gas and headed there at a speed that had Deeks wondering if he'd survive the short ride. Tony stopped the truck, pulled his Sig Sauer and started running towards the exchange. The first to arrive was Callen and Sam.
"Freeze, federal agents," Callen yelled.
The driver in the Mercedes Benz got out with a shotgun and started firing at Callen and Sam. Lapin for his part took a gun out and shot Hynes twice in the chest then his bodyguard retrieved the tube with the schematics in it. Kensi pulled up in front of Sam and Callen giving them cover. This allowed Sam to be able to take out the driver.
It was then that Tony came running into the picture. Deena saw him and a look of shock passed across her face.
"Tony," she said as she stared at him.
Lapin looked at him then her. He assumed that she had somehow screwed up. A scowl passed across his face then he shot her in the head.
"No!" screamed Tony.
He fired six rounds and five of which hit Lapin in the chest. Lapin's bodyguard then raised his hands in defeat. He was paid enough to die for nothing. Tony kept running, slid across the hood of the Mercedes Benz and stopped at Deena's body. It was a pretty picture. Images of Kate Todd with a hole in her head and the back of skull blown out kept flashing in his mind as he stared at her. Deeks came up beside him.
"Come on, man, there's no need to torture yourself by looking at that. Come on," he said then grabbed his arm and pulled him away.
Tony was in a state of shock and went with him without a fight passing by Callen, Sam, and Kensi, as they checked the bodies.
"As I said nothing good comes out of sleeping with a mark," said Callen.
Sam shook his head, while Kensi watched Deeks take Tony away. She couldn't help but think that he looked like a man who had seen a ghost. Deeks took Tony's gun from him then sat him down on a bench outside of another hangar.
"You didn't shoot her," he said.
"She's just another one of my fucking dead," he said.
He stared down at the ground. His mind was racing from image to image to image: Kate, Paula, Jenny Shepard, Amber King, and now Deena Moore. There were more but right now that was all the victims of his incompetence to protect those he should have that he could process.
"Hey, man. You didn't fucking shoot her," said Deeks.
Tony looked up at him. His green eyes were haunted with ghosts and guilt.
"But I also did save her or any of them," he said.
NCIS
It was quiet at OSP as they wrapped up their paperwork and after action reports. Hynes died at the airport, as did Lapin, Deena Moore, and the driver. The only one who survived was the driver and he had nothing to tell them. He was local muscle hired by Lapin, which meant he didn't know enough so they handed him over to the police.
Deeks and Kensi sat on the sofa and Sam and Callen were at their desks. Everyone knew enough not to talk to Tony but to be around in case he wanted to talk. Tony sat at his temporary desk. He had finished his report and now just stared at it looking like he was reading but he wasn't. Hetty walked over to his desk and placed two crystal rock glasses on it. She poured him a generous drink from the bottle she carried.
"This is an 18 year old single malt scotch. Talisker. I heard you were a scotch drinker," she said.
Tony picked up the glass and drained it. Hetty didn't bother lecturing him about sipping it and allowing the flavor to permeate the taste buds. She poured him another drink.
"I was speaking to Vance. The DC OSP office is ready. All it needs now is agents and a team. He wants you to go back to DC," she said.
"Sounds good," Tony said then took a sip of his drink.
"I agree with you, Anthony, it should have been avoidable. It was a sad senseless death," Hetty said.
He took another sip of his drink.
"Nature of the business, right?" he said.
"Unfortunately as long as there are men like Lapin, it appears so," said Hetty.
"When exactly does Director Vance want me back?" he asked.
"Day after tomorrow. I have arranged a plane for you first class to DC. You have done well here, Anthony. Don't let this tragic incident hinder your ability to perform your duty," Hetty said.
"Not the first one who has died on my watch, Hetty, and it hasn't stopped me so far from doing my job," he said.
"But you seem to carry a great deal of guilt," she said. "It is good that you still feel after all these years, but a man can only carry so much guilt before he collapses underneath it and has trouble getting back up."
He looked at her with tears in his sea green eyes: "She just another one of my dead. Deena Monroe won't make the burden that much heavier to carry. I can handle her."
"I hope so, Anthony," she said and walked away leaving the bottle with him.
He picked up the bottle and freshened his drink.
NCIS
Gibbs and Ziva entered MTAC and Vance was speaking to Hetty. They were supposed to contact San Diego about a Master Chief who was reported as an unauthorized Absence showing up dead in DC. Gibbs and Ziva stood in the back and listened.
"It was a particularly difficult op for Anthony," Hetty said.
"I read the after action. It would be. Lapin shot Ms. Monroe in the head after she recognized DiNozzo," Vance said. "Do I need to have him see a psychologist before allowing him to take over the lead of the OSP DC?"
Gibbs felt his stomach churn as he started to work the muscles in his jaw. Ziva felt the anger she was starting to feel towards Tony for not talking to her melt away. She knew him well enough to know he took this woman's death personally. He took too much personally. It was one of things she loved about him. Yes, loved.
"A mental checkup would be good for him," she said.
"I'll have Dr. Cranston talk to him," said Vance.
"He'll be back in DC probably within the next few hours," she said.
"I'll give him a few days off then see Dr. Cranston. I need him with his head on straight. It's been decided by SecNav that since we won't have a manager like you, that DiNozzo will be made Special Agent in Charge of OSP DC, as well as leading the top team. Do you think he can handle the extra burden?" Vance asked Hetty.
"I found Anthony to be extremely talented. He can handle whatever he has to handle," she said. "If you tire of him, please feel free to send him back to us."
Hetty smiled then her image disappeared. Gibbs and Ziva watched Vance stand there for a moment until he finally turned and saw them.
"Did you hear that conversation, Gibbs?" he asked.
"Yeah, Leon," Gibbs said.
"Do you think there will be a problem with DiNozzo?" he asked.
"Tony always bounces back. He did after the plague and he did after Kate's death. He may stumble a little but he always bounces back. He is resilient. He's had to be," Gibbs said.
"Hetty Lange thinks highly of him, which is an accomplishment in itself," smiled Vance.
"Who was the woman that died?" asked Gibbs.
"A woman he had to play while undercover in order to gain information about a weapons dealer," Vance said.
Ziva felt her face flush. Tony must have memories of Jeanne coming back to him. He will be in a great deal of pain. I need to find a way to help him.
"Who is the weapons dealer?" asked Gibbs.
"Elias Lapin," answered Vance.
"Dead?" he asked.
Vance nodded yes.
"What about his brother Ashar Lapin?" asked Gibbs.
"Still alive. Why?" asked Vance.
"He may wear three thousand dollar suits and fly around the world in a private airplane but Lapin and his brother believe in blood feuds. Once he finds out his brother is dead he work real hard to hard out who he should blame then he'll go after them. I just hope it isn't DiNozzo," explained Gibbs.
"I'll keep that in mind," said Vance, who then walked up the aisle and exited MTAC.
"I am worried about Tony, Gibbs," Ziva said.
"I am, too, Ziva. I know him and he'll be going into his shell like he did after Jenny and after Jeanne Benoit," growled Gibbs.
"What can we do to help him, Gibbs?" Ziva asked.
"Give him space, Ziver. Because of the way he was raised by that idiot father of his he doesn't trust people giving him help," said Gibbs. "Give him space and time."
NCIS
Tony opened the door to his apartment. After almost three months the place smelled stale with a hint of pizza gone very bad. Dropping his bags, he walked over to his windows and opened them. His first stop was his makeshift bar, which was the top of two waist high mahogany bookcases that stretched from one wall to the other and was filled with DVDs. He grabbed a rock glass and poured himself a MaCallan's Scotch. Usually, he had ice but he was beyond ice at the moment.
Drinking the scotch down, he poured himself another then he walked over to his breakfast nook and found his smartphone that he reported as lost. Its battery was dead. He had no intention of powering it up, but instead tossed it in the garbage. Next, he opened up his refrigerator and saw nothing but space and a few items of food gone bad.
"Great. If this doesn't symbolize my fucking life I don't know what does," he fumed.
He downed his drink and then stormed back to his bar and poured another. It was going to be a long drunken knife. He lifted his glass in a toast.
"Here's to you Amber, Jenny, Paula, Deena, and Katie. I drink to you all," he said then poured the drink down his throat. "It's going to be a long night."