Things are starting to heat up. :)

Please review! The confrontation between Ziva and Tony is just a chapter away!!

Disclaimer: NCIS not mine.


Star of David

By doodlegirll

***

Chapter Six

Tony yawned and opened his eyes to the sound of the alarm clock on the table beside the bed went off.

For a moment, Tony was unsure of where he was. This was definitely not his apartment back in DC…

It all came back to him in one giant tidal wave.

Ziva. The videotape. Flight. NCIS. Tel Aviv. Eli David.

Tony groaned and rubbed his face, sitting up at carefully as he could without hurting his arm. He looked at the alarm clock, and saw that the little red numbers read 8:32 PM.

Upon leaving Mossad Headquarters, Tony had found another cab and had asked it to take him to an inn somewhere in town. The ride had only taken three minutes, much to the relief of Tony, who had only brought minimal money with him. He had rented the inn for the next five hours, hoping to get as much sleep as he could.

He had lain on the small, lumpy bed for an hour before finally falling asleep. And when he finally was swallowed by unconsciousness, images of Ziva haunted his dreams.

In his dreams, Ziva was as she was in the videotape – beaten and bruised. She was crying, crying for him, asking him why he left her. Tony tried to call out to her, tell her how sorry he was for the anguish he had put her through, sorry that he had done what he had. He tried desperately to run to her, to hold her, to tell her everything was going to be okay, how much he loved her, but no matter how hard he tried and no matter how fast he ran, he never reached her. She was always one step away from, always just a breath out of his reach. He saw Amir and the two men with him on the tape coming into the room, forcing him to watch as they beat her as she screamed.

And when they were done, Ziva would tell him how badly she hated him.

I deserve to be hated.

Sighing, Tony pushed himself off the bed, grabbing his t-shirt from the back of a chair next to him. He stuffed his arms into his jacket, grimacing as he did.

He riffled through his backpack and pulled out his plane tickets to Mogadishu, and then glanced back at the clock.

8:48 PM. It was time he got moving.

With any luck, he would see Ziva again in just a few hours time, and then, finally, he would have the redemption he knew he needed to carry on with his life.

He flipped open his cell phone and turned it on. He wanted to be able to call Amir as soon as he touched down in Mogadishu. No one had called him, and he was relieved. Everyone back at NCIS probably figured he was laying down, taking it easy, watching movies and stuffing himself full of popcorn.

Tony's stomach rumbled, and he spotted a small café not far from where the inn stood through the window.

He quickly left the small inn and crossed the street, walking inside. He ordered a cup of coffee and two sandwiches, one for now and one for later. Who knew, with terrorists on his hands, when he would eat again?

As he munched on his sandwich, which was neither delectable nor detestable, he began to wonder where he would be tomorrow. Would he be back in DC, Ziva at his side?

And, how was she now?

He suddenly found that he was not as hungry as he thought. He wrapped the paper back around the half eaten sandwich and placed them gently in the bottom of his backpack and headed back toward Ben Gurion International.

***

Meanwhile, back in DC, Gibbs returned to his desk having taken a bit of evidence to Abby from Ducky, and he couldn't help but notice that the young forensic scientist was slightly high-strung instead of her normal, bubbly self. Gibbs had shrugged it off, assuming it to be from hearing of Ziva's capture.

He sat down in his chair and took a swig of his coffee, glancing over at DiNozzo's desk.

It wasn't like DiNozzo to call in sick. Ever. Gibbs could only count maybe three times when Tony had actually called in sick, and he had been truly sick when he did (twice for food poisoning and once for the flu). And then there was his encounter with anthrax, but he had jumped back into work so quickly Gibbs rarely considered it a sick leave.

And it certainly wasn't like him to call in sick over his fractured arm, and then just not show up the next day…

A sudden thought struck him, and he was out of his seat in a second, almost running for the elevator. He slammed his fist down on one of the buttons, and he emerged back in Abby's lab.

"Abby." He said, walking towards her. Abby turned towards him, sipping on her Caf-Pow loudly.

"Hey, Gibbs." She said, smiling.

"Abby, where's that slip of paper?" Gibbs said.

Abby's face went blank and she swallowed. "What paper, Gibbs?" She tried to sound innocent.

"That slip of paper that came with the phone number Amir sent us." Gibbs said. "Where is it?"

Abby chewed on her lip. "Um…I misplaced it." She said.

Gibbs wasn't buying.

Abby's fingers curled tightly around her Caf-Pow, and Gibbs gently took it from her, setting it on the counter. He looked Abby square in the eye.

"Where is it, Abby?" He whispered. "Where's the paper?"

Abby's lip trembled, and suddenly she heard herself blurting out the answer.

"Tony has it!" She said. "Tony took it when I wasn't looking and now he's gone to find Ziva and oh, Gibbs, please don't fire me!"

Gibbs stared at her for a minute before cursing under his breath.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, trying to keep his cool.

"Because Tony asked me not to." Abby said. "He went after Ziva because he feels like it's his fault."

"Well, yeah, in a way, it is." Gibbs said.

"But Gibbs, she chose to stay behind…"

"Yeah, but Tony killed Rivkin, remember?" Gibbs reminded her.

"Gibbs, I'm sorry." Abby said. "Please don't be mad at Tony, and please don't be mad at me. If you had asked me not to tell anyone I wouldn't have either!"

"That doesn't matter, Abby." Gibbs said. "You should have come to me! Directly to me!"

"I know, and I'm sorry!" Abby said, trying not to cry. "But, he loves her so much, Gibbs…"

"I know he does."

"Then you can't be angry with him! Everyone knows you would have done the same thing for Jenny!"

"But the difference is that I would not have been stupid about it! I wouldn't have thought I could do it on my own!" Gibbs was fuming by now, steam practically coming out his ears. "And Jen would not have wanted me to do this! She would have wanted me to stay here and be strong for my team!"

"Gibbs…I'm sorry…"

"Sorry isn't going to cut it if he gets killed, Abbs." Gibbs' voice became gentler as he took her by the shoulders. "Next time, you come straight to me, got that?"

Abby, tears and eyeliner coursing down her face, nodded.

"Good." He said. "Do you still have that number?"

She nodded.

"Good. I want you to run another scan of it, and I'm going to have McGee try and track Tony's cell phone while I call in a couple favors." He turned to leave. "We're going after that idiot."

Abby watched him go. "Does this mean I'm not fired?" She called after him.

"If you ever hope to see another Caf-Pow, I suggest you get on it." Gibbs called over his shoulder as he disappeared into the elevator.

"I'll take that as a no." Abby said as she turned back to work.

Gibbs walked back into the bullpen and was met by McGee, who looked surprised at the look on Gibbs' face. He held a couple papers in his hand, a half eaten sub in the other.

"Uh, hi, boss." He said. "I was just going to run these papers up to Vance, since, you know, Tony's sick today."

Gibbs steered the man back towards his desk.

"Forget about that, McGee." He said. "I want you to run a scan on Tony's cell phone."

"What?" McGee was confused. "But he's at home. He called in sick…"

"He's not at home." Gibbs said as he picked up his phone. "He's gone after her."

McGee knew he would sound stupid, but he asked it anyway.

"Who, boss?"

Gibbs gave him an exasperated look. "Ziva!"

McGee's eyes widened. "Oh." He said. He quickly sat down at his desk and began to pound down on the keyboard.

Moments later, he stood up, the remote for the plasma in his hand.

"I found him, boss." He said. "He's in Tel Aviv."

"What the hell is he doing there?" Gibbs asked no one in particular.

"It says he's on the move." McGee said. "And it just stopped at Ben Gurion International Airport."

"He's going somewhere else." Gibbs said.

At that moment, Vance came marching into the bullpen.

"Gibbs." He said. "I just talked to Mossad Director Eli David over MTAC. Apparently Agent DiNozzo paid him a little visit earlier today."

"And?"

"He said he's going after Ziva, and Eli said he's probably headed to Somalia."

"Africa." Gibbs said. "That's where Abby said the number could be traced."

"I've got a private jet ready and waiting." Vance said. "I want you on it in the next two hours. The jet will take you directly to Mogadishu, which is most likely where DiNozzo is headed."

Gibbs stared back at him.

"Why do you care so much, Vance?"

Vance stared back at him, steadily.

"Because we can't afford another lose to this agency, Agent Gibbs." He said. "Especially not as good an agent as DiNozzo."

"Did Eli tell you why he's headed to Mogadishu?"

"He's going to look for Ziva."

"But do you know why, Vance?"

Vance looked at him, unblinking, for a minute. "Yes, Gibbs." He said. "I think I know why."

Gibbs didn't say anything else, just turned back towards his desk.

"McGee, head to the equipment room and get a couple pairs of sweats. We might be gone a while."

"Uh, boss, I'm going to need someone to look after Jethro and all…" He started.

"Get Abby to do it!" Gibbs nearly shouted. "It's her dog anyway. We don't have time for you to run home. Just do as I say, and do it now!"

McGee gulped at his boss's tone and quickly picked up his phone to call Abby.

***

At least this plane ride hadn't been as long as the last one, Tony reasoned as he stepped off the plane and onto wet pavement. Rain beat down from above him, and Tony flipped out his phone, dialing Amir's number.

"We already know you have arrived, Agent DiNozzo." Amir addressed him. "We can see you."

"Wha— " Tony turned, squinting in the darkness. "Where are you?"

"Look to your right, Agent DiNozzo. You will see a black car. That is us."

Tony looked in the direction Amir told him and peered through the rain, finally spotting a black car about a hundred yards away from where he stood as a flash of lightning split through the sky. Tony flipped his phone closed and walked in the direction of the car, guided only by the brief lights from the plane wings and hangers and city lights behind him.

As he neared the car, two men stepped out. Tony recognized Amir immediately, and the other man from the video as well. He stopped about five feet in front of them.

"Agent DiNozzo." Amir said, smiling with narrowed eyes. "So we finally meet face to face."

"Where's Ziva?" Tony said.

"Back on our ship at port, Agent DiNozzo." Amir answered. "If you come quietly, you will see her again very soon."

Something hard pressed against Tony's back, and he realized Amir's companion had moved, and was now holding a gun. Tony swallowed and dropped his backpack to the ground, raising his hands very slowly. He felt the gun disappear from the middle of his back, and the man grabbed his hands, twisting them around and cuffing them in place.

Tony winced. "Watch the right one, would you?" He said. "Fractured radius."

Amir's comrade responded by tightening the handcuffs.

"Yeah, thanks." Tony muttered sarcastically.

"I would suggest you come quietly, Agent DiNozzo. Ziva's wounds have healed quite nicely in the past three weeks. It would be a shame for them to be reopened."

"I told you," Tony started towards Amir, but was pulled back and held roughly. "If you hurt her, I'll kill you."

Amir smirked. "With what?" He taunted. "Your bare hands?" He chucked. "Oh, Agent DiNozzo, we are not the idiots you make us out to be."

"Coulda fooled me."

Amir's fist connected with Tony's jaw, and Tony could feel blood running down the side of his mouth as he turned his head back to face him.

"Shut up." Amir said. "Now, get in the car. You will soon give us the information we want."

Amir flicked his head, and Tony was pushed roughly from behind towards the car. He ducked his head and slid into the backseat with Amir's friend as Amir slid into the driver's seat. Tony felt the cold steel of the gun pressing into his ribs, and he knew better than to try anything stupid.

"Buckle up, Agent DiNozzo." Amir said as he started the car. "We wouldn't want you flying around the backseat on our little road trip now would we?"

***

Fifteen minutes later, the car pulled up to a small port, and Tony was hustled out of the car. A gangplank that reminded Tony a little too much of Pirates of the Caribbean led up to the large ship, and he followed Amir up.

"So what kind of evil lair is this?" He said, as thought trying to start a friendly conversation. "I've seen better."

"I was beginning to enjoy the silence." Amir said. He opened a door, and Tony saw that a ladder led down underneath the deck.

"Uh, one problem." He said. "You kinda handcuffed me."

Amir smiled. "I know." He disappeared down the ladder.

Before he had any time to even begin to imagine how he was going to conquer a ladder with bound hands, Tony felt a strong hand clasp him on the shoulder, and he was suddenly hoisted onto Amir's buddy's shoulder as though he was no more than a sack of potatoes, and weighed about as much.

"Whoa, hey!" Tony said as the man began to climb down the ladder, letting Tony's head smack the doorframe as he did so. "Watch it there, buddy!"

The man threw him to the floor, and Tony struggled back to his feet.

"Never would have thought you had that much muscle." He mused.

"Shut up, Agent DiNozzo." Amir said from behind him. "Follow me."

Tony, with the other man behind him, followed Amir into a small, cramped room. In the middle of the room was a small, grubby table with abandoned playing cards scattered across its surface. As Tony looked around, he concluded that he was indeed where they were holding Ziva. Everything in the room's interior matched that of the room where the video was taken.

Now, the only question was, where was Ziva?

"Jamid, search him." Amir ordered, and his friend began to pat down Tony.

"Jamid, huh?" He said. "That's a funny name."

"DiNozzo is not much better." Jamid muttered. "I would have called you DiNutso."

Tony winced at the nickname. "I've been called that one a lot."

"He's clear." Jamid said, straightening back up.

Amir smiled. "Ah, good." He said. "Now, relieve him of his NCIS jacket. We wouldn't want any of the rest of crew getting any ideas, do we?"

Jamid flicked out a knife and began to slice at Tony's windbreaker, tearing it from his body without having to uncuff him.

"Very good." Amir said.

"Well, now that you've done that, the question of the day still goes unanswered. Where is Ziva?" Tony's eyes blazed.

"Ah, yes." Amir said. "Your beloved Ziva." He eyed Tony, spotting his cell phone in his pocket. "Jamid, relieve Agent DiNozzo of his cell phone, and destroy it. We wouldn't want NCIS trying to track him down now would we?"

Jamid did as he was told and grabbed the cell phone from Tony's pocket. He threw it to the floor, smashing it with the heel of his boot. Tony watched and swallowed.

Shit. He thought.

He looked back up, and saw Amir flick his head.

And then, suddenly, Tony felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and everything went black.

***

She heard the lock on the door being slid away, and Ziva looked up to find Amir standing in the doorway.

"I have a gift for you, Ms. David." He said. "A new cellmate to keep you company."

He stepped aside, and Jamid entered, dragging an unconscious form, which he threw to the floor as thought it were no more than a ragdoll. Ziva's eyes widened when she realized it was Tony.

"Tony!" She said. She looked at Amir. "What have you done to him?"

"He is merely knocked out." Amir said with the wave of his hand. "He will live." He suddenly smiled darkly. "That is, if he survives our interrogation tomorrow."

Ziva swallowed. "Let him go." She said. "I will give you all the information you want, just let him go!"

"Oh, you will give us the information we want." Amir told her. "That is true." He eyed her up and down. "Now, I am going to have Jamid untie you. But if you try anything…" He pulled his gun, cocking it, and aiming it straight at Tony's head. "I will shoot Agent DiNozzo here. Understand?"

Ziva nodded. Jamid crossed the floor and, using his knife, cut the ropes that had bound her to that chair off and on for the past month. Jamid backed away as Ziva stood to her feet and hurried to Tony's side, pressing two fingers to the side of his throat for a pulse, finding a very strong one. She sighed in relief.

Amir put away his gun.

"Enjoy your night with Agent DiNozzo, Officer David." He said. "It may be your last."

He and Jamid left the room, leaving Ziva and Tony alone in the darkness.