A Dance With The Devil
Tony woke up, whiskey glass in hand. A half empty bottle of bourbon sat beside him, the smell enough to make him gag. His head was throbbing, and his stomach was churning rapidly.
His phone was vibrating on the wooden coffee table, the techno beat emanating from it only worsening his headache.
Stumbling across the floor he snatched it up and glanced at the caller ID. He didn't recognize the number but flipped it open anyways.
"Hello?" the word came out slurred, and the room was slightly spinning around him. Falling onto the couch he heard the other person speak.
"Tony!"
Tonys heart stopped when he heard the voice on the other end, it belonged to Ziva. Bringing himself to his feet, he called her name, hearing only heavy breathing and a soft rustling.
"Ziva!" he yelled again, pacing his living room madly. He thought about calling Gibbs, or McGee for that matter but he thought better of it. Until he was sure Ziva wasn't in danger he couldn't tell anybody about this.
"Ziva, come on. Say something!" he was frantic now, a hand moving roughly through his disheveled hair.
He heard a thud and a slight whimper, followed by a distant voice that didn't belong to her.
That's when he heard the sound of gunshots before the line went dead.
Ziva could hear the bullets zip past her head as she stumbled to her feet. Casting a glance over her shoulder she saw Ray racing behind her. Putting the phone back into her pocket she tried to find a way out of the small clearing.
Another shot echoed through the dense forest and she ducked underneath a branch. Pulling out her own gun she moved behind a tree, firing three shots of her own. Ray took cover behind a fallen log and returned a few more shots.
Cursing under her breath, she sunk to the ground. She waited for another shot, but it never came. Looking around the trunk of the tree she couldn't see Ray, all of a sudden his voice echoed all around her.
"Come on Ziva, you can't run forever. It's dangerous out here, especially when you don't know where you're going. I can play this game as long as you can Zi. Just remember that." he was taunting her and she could almost see the smirk on his face. It was all a game now, a race to the finish line.
Staying silent she waited until the rustle of the trees signaled his exit. Carefully she stood up and brushed the dirt from her jeans. Tucking away the gun she headed of into the trees, guided by the little light coming from her flashlight.
Sitting outside the cafe, Tony nervously tapped his fingers on the plastic table top. McGee had called last night, telling him they found out who was running the account sending payments to Jerry Grant.
He didn't mention the call from Ziva, he thought it would be better to tell him in person.
Dark sunglasses shielded his eyes from the harsh sunlight as he watched the crowds shuffle by. A dark pulled up and parked at the corner. McGee stepped out, a brown suit hanging on his new slim frame.
"McGee." Tony called to him, waving his hand to get his attention. The younger agent offered a small smile and walked over, taking the seat across from Tony.
"Hey Tony, I promised Abby I'd ask how you've been." he said with a half laugh. Tony raised an eyebrow and took a sip of his coffee.
"I've only been gone a day." Tony reminded him. McGee shrugged and accepted a cup of coffee handed to him by a waitress.
Tony had officially excused himself from working the case with Gibbs, telling director Vance he was taking a week off as well. He blamed it on the strain of losing his partner but he needed the extra time to work his own investigation.
"You try arguing with Abby. You should have seen her when she found out Gibbs told you to leave. She really ripped him a new one." Tony chuckled, sputtering as he tried to swallow his drink.
"Really? What did he say?"
"Its Abby we're talking about, he didn't say anything." Tony nodded and looked at his watch. 6 hours since Ziva had called him. He tried calling back at least a dozen times but he couldn't get an answer.
"McGee I'm gonna tell you something, can you promise that you'll just keep it between the two of us?" McGee shifted in his seat, a wave of uneasiness washing over him.
"Yeah. I promise." Tony pursed his lips, leaning forward and beckoning McGee to move closer.
"Ziva called me last night." he said in almost a whisper. Tims eyes widened as he leaned back in his seat, the situation registering in his mind.
"When, what did she say?" the words tumbled out without a second thought.
"Nothing. She said my name once and then all I could here was her breathing. And then.." he trailed off and dropped his head into his hands, rubbing his tires eyes. McGee waited patiently for the rest of the story, hands clenched around the edge of the table.
"What happened Tony?" he coaxed gently, green eyes filled with concern. Tony let out a breath and lifted his head.
"Before the line disconnected I heard gunshots. I tried calling the number back but there was no answer. I should've called Gibbs. Dammit why didn't I call him?" his voice raised slightly and he slammed a fist down on the table.
Heads turned to look at them and McGee could only give a nervous smile, turning his attention back to Tony.
"Tony, I'm sure you did what you thought was best. Now I have the information on the bank account paying off Grant. Let's talk about that first." Tony visibly relaxed, sitting up a little straighter and holding out his hand for the file McGee had brought.
Tim handed over the envelope that Tony took, gently tearing the seal and dumping the contents in front of him. McGee watched his expression harden and offered a few words.
"Your gut was right. The account was being run by Ray Cruz. If your thinking is right, Cruz has been paying Grant to kidnap Ziva for him." McGee finished triumphantly, a proud smile on his face.
"That's good work probie." Tony praised. He stopped for a moment an idea forming in his mind.
"McGee, do you think you could bring Abby over after work? Bring your laptop too." McGees eyebrows furrowed but he managed a stiff nod.
"I think I can do that. But what for?" Tony was already standing, tossing a few bills on the table. He gathered the file and tucked it under his arm.
"We're gonna find Ziva."
8 o'clock found McGee and Abby standing outside Tonys apartment, McGee holding his laptop while Abby clutched a caf-pow tightly in her hands. The door opened, revealing Tony in a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt.
"Tony!" Abby rushed forward, pulling the agent into a tight hug.
"Hey Abbs. Thanks for coming." Tony said, his voice strained by the force of the hug. Abby released him and bounced inside, chattering excitedly. Tony turned to McGee, an accusing look on his face.
"Did you tell her why you brought her?" McGee shuffled inside, eyes downcast.
"I was going to, but I didn't want her to get to excited or upset before we got started." he admitted, setting his equipment on the kitchen table. Tony groaned inwardly and went to shake Abby from her caffeine induced high.
"Abbs, come here please." he called, walking into his living room. Abby bounded over, her boots clicking on the wooden floor.
"Abby, I'm gonna tell you why I called you over here." Abby nodded eagerly.
"I got a call from Ziva last night. I don't know where she is and I don't know what happened to her but I do know she's alive." it took a moment for Abby to register what she has just been told. Suddenly her eyes became wide, her expression mirroring the one McGee had given him earlier.
"What do you mean you got a call? How did she get to a phone?" Tony shrugged, toying with a piece of string on his sleeve.
"I don't know. She didn't say anything. It sounded like she was running. The line went dead after about a minute. He left out the part about the gunshots, not wanting to worry the lab tech further.
"Why didn't she call Gibbs? Why didn't you call Gibbs?" Abby's eyes narrowed towards him accusingly.
"I don't know. I thought about it, but j didn't." he finished sadly. Abby put a gentle hand on his arm, her thumb stroking his skin softly.
"It's ok, we'll find her. Now, what do you need us to do?" Tony pulled her into the kitchen, gesturing to the seat next to McGee.
"Alright we know Ziva had access to a phone, I thought we could try and trace the number and see what came up." he read the number to McGee, who was typing quickly, Abby peering over his shoulder in curiosity.
"Alright, it's triangulating." he stopped for a minute, looking up at Tony.
"Uh, Tony. What are we gonna tell Gibbs?" Tony didn't take his eyes off the computer, only offering a single word.
"Nothing." Abby opened her mouth to argue, but the look on McGees face stopped her. A beep came from the computer and Abby jumped up excitedly pointing at the screen. Tony leaned forward to look at what she was motioning to.
"What is it probie?" he barked, losing his patience quickly, fear and a rush of adrenaline getting the better of him.
"We found her, Tony. We got a location."
