Chapter ten

Tony started at the roar of a motorbike and sat bolt upright on his not-so-comfortable-to-sleep-on sofa. His scant covering pooled in his lap and for a brief moment he was relieved. His dream had been explicit to say the very least and he didn't want his house guest to see him so aroused, because she would instantly guess that he'd been dreaming about her – again.

Ziva. Momentarily disorientated, Tony ran his hands through his hair and pushed himself to his feet. He didn't bother with politeness and just barged his way into his own bedroom. He didn't know whether to be surprised or not, at not seeing her curled up in his bed. Sure, he wanted to see her there just for the poor joy of watching her sleep, but damn it, to not find her there made his insides turn to ice.

Springing back into the lounge, he banged the bathroom door and called her name. "Ziva, are you in there?"

When only silence greeted him, fear gripped his soul. Heedless of his attire, Tony ran to the front door, stopping short when he found it open and his gut twisted with unease. Warily he stepped through it, carelessly slinging one of the towels that he still gripped in his hand around his waist. He stared up and down the quiet street; still too early for normal human beings to be about, which is why the motorbike had given him such a start.

The motorbike. Now he knew why it had been so loud. It had been for his benefit, telling him in no uncertain terms that Ziva had gone. That Amit Hadar had got his woman.

The expletive that left Tony's mouth was not for the feint hearted to hear. Hadar had got her, he'd really got her, and from right under his nose, too.

God, Gibbs was going to have a real hissy fit when he told him the news. Tony swore again as he hurried back inside, slamming the front door as he went. 'Fuck the neighbors!' he groused as he stomped to his find his pants; digging out his phone to make the dreaded call.

Gibbs picked up on the 3rd ring. "You lost her, didn't you, DiNozzo?"

"Sorry, boss."

"She escape, or did he get to her?" The silence was heavy and loaded with a guilt that Gibbs didn't need to see. "Tony?"

"Both, I think, boss."

"You think! Either she escaped or he got her. Which is it, Tony?"

"I think she escaped from my place and he got her outside."

Another uncomfortable silence fell between them until Gibbs gained the courage to ask the inevitable. "She's dead?"

Realizing what he'd said, Tony hastened to reassure his mentor. "Oh, no, no, boss. I heard a motorbike roar off. I think she was probably forced to take a ride."

"Where, DiNozzo?"

"I…I don't know, boss, I was asleep."

"I meant, which way did they go?" Gibbs snapped, letting Tony know that his moment of compassion was over and now he was busting his ass for letting Ziva get away from him, again.

Tony wracked his brains for a moment before heading over to his window and tried to remember the sound of the motorbike and its heading. He envisioned the motorbike tearing off, and then how long it took before it stepped up a gear, following its route in his mind's eye until he knew for sure which way it went.

"North, boss. It went North and then turned Westwards."

"Get McGee up and meet me at the office. And DiNozzo, be prepared for the biggest smack of your life!"

Tony winced as he clicked shut the phone, almost feeling the hand whacking the back of his head. God, how could he been so stupid? He should have stayed with her. He should have rigged the door so that he'd know when she opened it. He should have…

He should have…

Oh, God, he should have saved her.

Tbc…..