A/N - thanks for not killing me for the cliffhanger - as a reward here's a speedy update.
Part 8
His gut was playing up. Was it the woman, or the case? He wasn't sure and since the woman was the case he figured it was pointless trying to disentangle the two. Agent Shepard, he wasn't ready to think about her as Jenny yet, had succeeded in throwing a wrench in a carefully ordered, if not particularly cheerful, existence.
Normally in this sort of mood he would have retreated to his basement to work on the boat. But with that option not available to him he'd opted for the gym instead, hoping to tire himself out enough to catch a few hours of sleep. With Morrow sorting warrants and co-ordinating arrests and freezing Gravois' assets, the plan was to swoop on the house first thing in the morning.
He needed to get away from DiNozzo and David. Both of them knew he'd followed Shepard onto the roof and apparently had drawn their own conclusions as to what had transpired between them. David was quiet and watchful, leaving him wondering whether she would get around to saying what was on her mind, or whether she would just wait until he was asleep and smother him. There was no such subtlety with DiNozzo, who was trying to suppress a constant smirk and who had earned a head-slap with the comment, "good to see you broadening your horizons beyond red heads boss."
He'd barely got back to his hotel room when someone banged on the door, he grabbed his gun and pushed it open. "The surveillance team reported two cars with armed men at the house," David said as an opener.
"They're hitting the house now," he concluded remembering the photographs of burnt corpses from their earlier victims. David nodded tightly. "DiNozzo!" He bellowed – impressed when Tony emerged, gun already in his holster. "Let's go!"
As they reached David's car he could see DiNozzo reaching to take the car keys from her. Having experienced David's driving he could understand the impulse to intervene – but she knew the route and they were in a hurry. "She drives," he said firmly, bundling the younger agent into the back. She'd pulled away before he'd closed the door, the tyres screeching in protest.
"We'll be no good to her if we don't get there in one piece," he told David – noting the way her hands were gripping the steering wheel.
"We will," she responded – his caution having no noticeable effect on her speed.
They sped through the streets, dodging the traffic that was still on the roads. The silence in the car was broken by a sound like a low wail from Tony's cell phone. "DiNozzo," he growled about to castigate him for having the phone make such an irritating sound. But the words died when Tony swallowed nervously,
"Boss," he said, "that was the alarm – she's broken the necklace."
As she awoke the first thing Jen was aware of was the pounding in her head. Her eyes felt heavy and refused to open straight away. A familiar scent tickled her nose; copper and warmth, sweet – almost sickly. What was it? Her mind supplied the word 'blood' and she forced her eyes open.
She turned her head and fought her gag reflex as the dim light in the room revealed the gaping wound at Said's throat and the blood that seemed to still be oozing from it. As she struggled to sit up the prick of steel at her own throat made her freeze. She looked up into eyes she knew – eyes that Said had trusted to drive his car and run errands for him and concluded that the warning had been accurate – someone had betrayed them. "The only reason you are still alive is because I know you have access to all the accounts," he told her.
Suddenly the lights were turned on and, as she blinked in reaction, men poured into the room. They were talking in a language that Jasmine did not understand – but that Jennifer Shepard knew enough of to get by. They were debating whether to kill her once she gave them what they wanted, or take her with them and keep her as a hostage – executing her only after filming her fate and showing it on the internet.
She took another look at Said's body and shuddered, realising how close she'd come to being slaughtered in her sleep. The drug must have been in the wine they'd drunk – there would have been ample opportunity to slip something into it, especially for a member of the household.
"Get up," another man demanded and she cast a look at the blood soaked sheet, recoiling at the thought of wrapping it around her. "I said get up!" He grabbed her, pulling her out of the bed, her nudity clearly a matter of no consequence to him. She felt as though her life was hanging by a thread – it's only value the access to Said's accounts that she was now the only one to possess. Their betrayer had, perhaps, done her a favour in killing Said – they wouldn't want to risk coming away empty-handed.
"Let me get dressed," she said, "I'll give you the information you need – but not like this."
"What makes you think we will not force you to give us the information anyway?" She thought back to the photographs she had seen in the hotel suite and knew that they would torture her without a second thought.
"Just let me put some clothes on, please." A curt nod followed and she scrambled to pull jeans, underwear and a jumper out of the closet.
She turned her back to dress, provoking a curse and a stream of laughter. As she pulled the sweater over her head her fingers tightened on the necklace and she gave it a sharp tug, relishing the bite of the chain on her skin before it snapped. She caught the broken chain and the pendant before it could fall and carried on dressing. As she stuffed the remains into the pocket of her jeans she tightened her grip on the rose shaped crystal for a moment – praying that she had enough time for help to reach her.
"How many?" Gibbs demanded – not waiting for David to conclude her conversation with the surveillance team.
"Eight," she said tersely – "there were five people in the house – including Jenny and Gravois. And since they got past the security system at the gate we should assume one of them is a traitor."
It had been over ten minutes since the alarm had been activated and the truth was that Agent Shepard could be dead; Gibbs knew it, they all knew it. They didn't need both of them to gain access to the accounts. On the other hand, the way they worked could involve torturing the woman to get the man to give them the information.
"Are we going in?" DiNozzo asked, a question made superfluous by a sudden burst of gunfire.
In Said's study, with the lap top open in front of her and two men with guns watching her every move Jenny Shepard took a moment to assess her position. They didn't know it – but she had left Jasmine Sterling behind in that bedroom, she had no use for her now.
The situation was not promising; Said and two other men who'd worked for him were dead. So far she had seen eight men in the house, all of them armed and she wouldn't bet against them having reinforcements nearby.
But the situation wasn't entirely hopeless; the surveillance team was still out there and from what she could tell her captors had no idea of their presence, which meant they also had no idea who she really was. The element of surprise was on her side – she just had to find a way to use it.
Also on her side was the fiendishly complex security system she and Said had set up. In actual fact there were no access codes she could simply hand over – instead there was a very complicated programme that had the computer 'expert' next to her widening his eyes and looking worried as she started to explain it to him.
Clearly they'd never attacked such a complex operation before and if she had any say in the matter their first foray into the big league was going to be far from easy.
She was only going to get one chance. Two men, two guns – her own weapon was inaccessible – she needed one of theirs.
While she talked about the access system she watched the second man out of the corner of her eye – noting the way that his eyes were glazing over. The moment his attention wandered across the room to take in Said's art collection she leaned forward, pointing out something to the man beside her and slammed his head into the desk.
His gun was in her hand before his companion realised what had happened. As he turned back to her she dispatched him with a single shot, following through to kill the second man as he struggled to his feet, still dazed by the blow to his head.
The shots would alert the rest of the gang and she moved rapidly, diving for the door and firing at the man who emerged just as she did. She sprinted for the stairs, not even looking back to see if she had hit him; conscious only of the sound of running feet and gunshots that pursued her. She was desperate for a position she could defend.
She burst into the bedroom, realising too late that it wasn't empty, as she'd expected; Said's former driver was busy trying on his bosses clothes. His weapon wasn't within reach, but he lunged at her before she could get a shot off, knocking the weapon out of her hand.
She brought him down with her and they grappled; she felt the thrust of steel to her side and remembered the knife he'd held against her throat earlier. His angle was off and though pain sliced through her side she kept fighting, knowing her only chance was to get to the gun. She scrambled for it when his grip loosened – but he kicked her out of the way, his hand tightening on it first. She flicked at his legs with her feet – trying to bring him down again but missed and he pivoted towards her, gun raised.
She felt the heat of the shot, heard it roar past her and as he slumped forward looked up to find a familiar figure in the doorway.
"Ziva," she breathed, relief coursing through her at the sight of her partner.
"You are injured," Ziva observed, offering Jen a hand as she scrambled to her feet.
"It's a scratch," there was blood on the sweater and she was aware of the ripple of pain as she bent to retrieve her gun. She pressed down on the wound, hoping the bleeding would stop – watching the way that Ziva looked at her, as though she didn't entirely believe her.
Gibbs met them on the stairs, his eyes drifting over her face, then to her side, taking in the blood. But he didn't say anything and neither did she.
"Boss," DiNozzo appeared in the hallway, "surveillance team spotted two more cars. We have a couple of minutes, tops."
"Let's go. DiNozzo, take point, David – with Agent Shepard." When she started to tell him she didn't need help, he said, "the cars are with the surveillance team – it's a good 5 minute run. Under normal circumstances I'm sure you could make it easily – but you're bleeding, you look pale and I don't want to have to carry you." She didn't argue – because from the look in his eye if she tried, he might just sling her over his shoulder anyway. She pressed her hand to her side again and looked down at the blood on her hand. He might have a point.
As they slipped outside, letting the night wrap around them, she glanced back over her shoulder. She was leaving Jasmine Sterling behind in that house and the thought exhilarated her. Her gaze slipped to Gibbs, covering their rear – their eyes met and he nodded once. She smiled at him, then turned her attention back to DiNozzo who was leading them back to the cars and with a little luck to safety.
TBC
A/N 2 - OK I have to confess, this whole story was inspired by that line in Kill Ari about Ziva saving Jen's life. So - it had to be Ziva, not Gibbs.
