Chapter 9

"Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs!" Abby called from the phone and Gibbs put the invitation that Sarah had sentto him back in the drawer, returning to work, determined to find her as quickly as possible. "I'm in the garage with the results."

"Ok."

Gibbs, Fornell, Vance and Morrow went to the elevator, but Fornell stopped Gibbs, leaving the other two to continue toward the elevator.

"Fornell?" Gibbs asked impatiently.

"Are you and the SecNav in a relationship?"

It was more a statement than a question, and the two friends looked at each other for a few seconds, both remembering all the women they'd loved and lost along the way. Gibbs nodded and his friend said determined: "We'll find her."

"I know. Come on, Abby's waiting for us."

In the garage, Abby ran to Gibbs, giving him a tight hug, feeling sorry for what had happened and Gibbs returned the hug, before pulling away from her to look at the crime scene that was the car, and asked:

"What did you find Abbs?"

"The blood in the front seat corresponds to the driver who was killed with a 9mm and Bishop is searching for gun." Abby said, walking to the car with the doors open and indicating the spot where there was a label with a name. The two front seats had blood. "The driver, Charles Reed was killed while waiting for SECNAV and then had his body removed to the passenger seat."

Going to the trunk, she used the flashlight to indicate another spot:

"I've found a digital, but it isn't in our database."

"And the blood on the back seat?" Vance asked, approaching the car while ignoring the look of Gibbs of frustration.

"The blood..." Abby started, going to the door while playing with her hands nervously and looking at Gibbs. "I found two types of blood. The first, on the upholstery, belongs to Sarah Porter, but were only a few drops. The second, I could only identify that it belongs to a man."

"Reed, Abbs?" Gibbs asked, approaching the spot that Abby scored with a small plaque, written Sarah Porter, remembering the plaque written Jenny Shepard, feeling tense, but seeing that Abby was also worried, he put a hand on her shoulder, comforting her .

"No, I took a sample with Ducky and it was negative. But there is something that may give us a great chance to find her. While rummaging through the car, I discovered that the car had been modified and cameras were installed discretely."

"Did you know about that, Tom?" Gibbs and Vance asked, but the older denied surprised.

"No. I haven't been informed of changes in her privative car."

"That's because they were installed two months ago. The SECNAV was smart enough to install this system." Abby explained pleased and everyone understood that it'd been a way to protect her and her daughter in case of another kidnapping and Gibbs couldn't stop a small smile of pride for the woman's geniality.

"Abby, how long can you have access to the video?" Gibbs asked and she smiled for the first time that night.

"In twenty minutes."

"Good job." He said, kissing her cheek before leaving with the others, when Bishop called:

"Gibbs, I found something interesting. Cooper's parents were divorced, there are numerous complaints of abuse against Sergeant Cooper and after the divorce, Mrs. Cooper was entitled to a large percentage of his salary and got the car."

Bishop showed the picture on the screen of Mrs. Cooper, who was young, probably married at 20 and had blond curly hair and gray eyes and then, the photos of her bruises inflicted by the sergeant, brought to court.

"And the sergeant?"

"Dead during an operation in Afghanistan three years ago."

"Bishop, check if Sarah Porter is connected to this operation."

"What are you thinking about, Gibbs?"

"Revenge. If Cooper is involved, it may be related to his father's death, especially if the SECNAV was responsible for sending Sergeant Cooper there."

When Abby called everyone to her lab where she was with Delilah, who was helping with the tapes, she put the security video copy of the larger screen, jumping to 00:00, which according to some witnesses, had been the time SECNAV had left the Ball and, according to Ducky, the time of death of Charles Reed.

Ahead of them, the video showed the driver taking a shot from behind, and then a bearded man moving his body to the other seat and leaving. Abby quickly began searching for his identity. Then the video showed Sarah Porter into the car five minutes later, looking calm before panicking, looking at the driver's body tumbled forward.

It showed her despair while trying to open the door, then the bearded man entered the car, locking all the doors and then grabbing her by the waist as she struggled, kicking him.

Gibbs's blood heated up to see the man kissing her by force and then screaming in pain slapping her, pinning her against the wall and scractchung her tighs and Gibbs closed his fists, piercing the palm of his hands with his nails.

"That explains the blood." Abby said, pausing the video for a moment, feeling horrified by the video and Delilah added:

"She bit him and he spat blood. And her blood probably came from the scratches on her thighs."

The end of the video showed the involvement of Andrew, revealing the name of his partner and then the man, Arhmed, used chloroform to put her to sleep.

"Cooper, the jet's ready?"

"We're going to leave for Rio de Janeiro in 10 minutes. There, your people can take care of her." The man said cruelly and the video ended there.

"Contact the American Embassy and the Brazilian Federal Police in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro." Vance told Gibbs while Fornell and Tom began to make calls and Gibbs nodded, when Abby's computer started beeping.

"Arhmed Abudah, he's from a small cell of Hamas who has been investigated in Rio de Janeiro and was connected to various attempts to hack the computers from the Navy office."

"So it's not only about revenge. They also want information from the US Navy. They are there because they know it'd be difficult to find them." Gibbs said angrily, looking at the picture of the man. "Director, I want permission to go to Brazil to participate in the operation."

"I know you would find a way to go, even if I denied you." Vance said, understanding. "But it's not on our hands anymore, and you know. It'll take at least a few hours until we get permission from the brazilian authorities."

Knowing that the director was right, but angry, Gibbs left the lab and went to the MTAC, contact the Brazilian police and wait for the OK to get in the plane and search for the woman who he wanted more than anything to have in his arms, safe and sound.

With a strong headache, Sarah opened her eyes slowly, feeling her body in pain and that her wrists and ankles were tied to a chair near a window. Recalling that she'd been kidnapped by her escort and Arhmed, she soon began to scour the place with her eyes, searching for information.

The room looked like some kind of an abandoned deposit, littered with boxes in a corner and there was no light. Through the window she could see that it was morning and then in shock, she realized she'd left the US territory and was in Rio de Janeiro, because she could see a black dot in the distance, but that unmistakable was the Christ the Redeemer.

"My God..." The woman whispered desperately as she began to swing wildly in the chair, trying to loosen the ropes and get out.

Had they noticed the cameras in her car? Probably yes, Gibbs had probably crawled her phone to the car. She just hoped he was already searching for her before it was too late.

When she thought of Gibbs, Sarah's heart ached in longing and despair, because they had barely spoken in the last days and then their argument on the telephone came to her head, when she'd threatened him and the way he had talked to her, so cold.

And Megan must be so distressed after returning home and seeing that her mother was gone, her little girl...

"Hello secretary." Andrew said, entering the room with a cold smile and standing behind her chair.

"You've taken me way from the country, tell me what do you want." The woman demanded and in response, he grabbed her neck, pulling it back tightly, keeping one hand on her legs in the chair so it wouldn't move.

"You speak only when you're told." He said and she could barely nodded, starting to cough and choke, her face and neck flushing quickly. "Good."

He let go of her neck, flexing his hands to show power, while Sarah tried to stop coughing, her eyes shining with anger while staring at him and then Arhmed appeared, looking her up and down with a smirk.

"You'll help Arhmed's group to destroy some of the American Navy ships that are interfering with Hamas."

"And what do you have to do with Hamas? You're Ameri-" The man slapped her, crossing his arms.

"I didn't give you permission to speak, but answering your question, I've always been against women in power. My mom took everything from my father. You as the SecNav, sent my father to death. And Hamas's men seem to think that women are better submissive."

"Secretary." Arhmed said, amused with her situation. "Furthermore, we want some inside information. Will you cooperate?"

Sarah, feeling more anger than fear now, with Andrew's speech, just raised an eyebrow at him wryly, as if waiting for a sign to speak. He gave her permission and she replied clearly:

"I was trained not to talk."

Andrew forced her neck back again, each time with more force, and the last thing she saw before passing out in pain, was the image of Gibbs and Megan.

"Gibbs." Bishop called, getting up from the desk where she'd been sat cross-legged with her laptop and went to him with various files in hand.

"I traced Andrew Cooper's list of calls since October and realized that he's been keeping in touch with a number that's from Brazil, probably Arhmed Abudah, and there calls were made until last month, once in a week. Then he began to keep contact with a number of a burner phone, also once in a week."

Gibbs nodded, seeing the day of the first connection and looking for flights from Brazil from that day, linking to a man from Brazil under the name of Mark Arthur and look at the passport photo, seeing that it was their man, Arhmed Abudah.

"They've been planning it for months." Gibbs said shaking his head furiously and then pulling Andrew's history again, looking for something they could use, when he noticed that his father Andrew had been married to another woman, before Andrew's mother and he had a daughter, Amy Downey and knew she could help them.

Half an hour later, with the ok from the Brazilian police, Gibbs, Tony, Bishop and the others went in haste to the hangar where there was a jet arranged to take Fornell and Gibbs to Brazil when Bishop walked forward, looking nervous, but her eyes sparkled with determination.

"Gibbs, I would like to go with you."

"Bishop, I need you and Tony to keep searching for the missing security, Andrew's sister and possible Hamas members who have contact with Arhmed."

"I know, but I speak Portuguese, not everyone there speaks English and this will make things quickly."

Knowing that this was true and that it would also be an opportunity for Bishop grow up in the agency and let Jake's memory go, he agreed, turning to Tony and saying:

"Tony, you know what to do. Go look for Amy Downey."

"You can leave it to me, boss, I'll lead it here. I'll talk to Agent Balboa and Carly." Tony said, opening a confident smile and nodding with his cap and Gibbs shook his head and looked at him with pride, knowing that his best agent and 'son' would be able to handle all the tasks and that he was ready for more.

Tony saw in Gibbs's eyes that he was ready to let him go when asked, if it was to have his own team or follow another path and felt proud and wistful of his boss, friend and 'father', for everything he had learned and become, feeling that this would be his last year on the team, before taking a decision on his career.

However, just before boarding the plane, the car in which McGee was stopped there and Megan got out with her father, followed by McGee.

"Boss, she insisted on coming when I said you were going to Rio." The agent said, and Gibbs nodded reassuringly to him:

"You did well McGee."

Megan ran to Gibbs, hugging him and murmuring:

"Find her, okay?" And then he felt her put something in his hand, a black and polished stone and looked at her with a frown. "It seems silly, but I've had this stone for years and it was with me when you saved me, and I believe you will come back safe and sound. Megan explained, giving him a small smile as he kept an arm around the girl's back .

Gibbs nodded, putting the stone on his pocket and gripping her hand for a moment, both communicating with their eyes, and he realized Megan had the same look that Sarah had when staring at him, demonstrating her confidence in him and for a second, he saw Sarah in the girl's place, before Megan reappear and Gibbs couldn't help thinking how the girl and he had gotten close these months like father and daughter. Not that he wanted to take Richard's place, but wanted to be there whenever she needed him, in the good and in the bad times.

Megan then stepped back toward her father who put his hands over the girl's shoulder comforting her and nodded to Gibbs, as if to say he trusted him.

"Don't worry Megan, the four of us will be back soon." The man said determined and then, Gibbs, Fornell and Bishop embarked towards Rio de Janeiro.

But it's a bad debt
Certain death
But I want what I want
And I got to get it
When the fire dies
Dark in the skies
Hot as a match
Only smoke is left