Chapter Nine
As the sun shone through the window, Tony woke to regret and the warm nude body of McGee's sister beside him. She had cuddled up to him while they slept and now had her head resting on his good shoulder. He looked down at her and couldn't help but feel a mix of guilt and longing. What they had shared the night before was damned near perfect, but he was too old for her, McGee's teammate, and then there was Ziva. He still had his complicated and painful relationship with her. It didn't hurt that Sarah McGee deserved better than him, too. He was relationship poison, even though he had been trying to change that lately.
He continued to look down at her peaceful, beautiful face. She felt good in his arms.
"Are you staring at me?" she asked with her eyes still closed.
"How can you tell?"
"I just can tell," she smiled then opened her brown eyes, "and I like it."
She stared into Tony's green eyes. He saw longing and something else in her eyes, something that he wished he didn't see, she was falling in love with him. Tony knew he should end this right now, but he couldn't. There was a part of him that was falling for her, too. He leaned over and kissed her.
"Good morning," he said after the kiss.
"Morning," she said. "Last night was great."
"Great… I thought you were the eloquent writer filled with similes and adjectives. Great," he teased her.
"Okay, what did you want me to say, huh? Did you want me to say that it was the best orgasm I've had in my life, or that I've never had such a skilled and well equipped lover?" she prodded back.
"I guess I'll take great then," he said.
Her hand went under the sheet and directly to his semi-aroused private area. Tony flinched as she gently grabbed him.
"You were everything last night, including the best and most skilled," she smiled. "I think you might have ruined me for anyone else."
"Very funny. I shoulder get up and make us coffee and breakfast," he said, as she started to assist his arousal.
"It snowed last night and we are probably snowed in. Why don't we stay in bed for now and have a late breakfast," Sarah purred.
"Sarah," he said with a mix of passion and surrender.
Sarah began to kiss him, as she slowly moved her body on top of him.
"This morning I'm in charge. You had last night, so this morning I'm in charge," she said softly.
Tony brought his right hand behind her head then brought her mouth to his and devoured it.
NCIS
Michael Macaluso Junior was in jail, which pissed Geno Macaluso off. He called for the Sicilian to come to his office above the funeral parlor in Little Italy, Baltimore. Marco Fragano arrived in a black Armani suit and black cashmere overcoat. He was escorted into Geno's office.
Geno looked at the assassin and scowled. The man in front of him was six foot tall, black hair, handsome, and looked like in was in the kind of shape to be able to play soccer all day. He was an expensive trigger man, thought Geno, he better be worth the money.
"Do you have a lead yet on DiNozzo's location?" he asked.
"No, signor," he said.
"You got a clue on how to find him?"
"A clue," he smiled. "You."
"What the fuck do you mean me?" growled Geno.
"You payoff police and feds. Put up a reward of ten gs for information. You can pay it out of my fee," said Fragano. "A cop rats on the cop and then I kill DiNozzo and the girl."
"Okay, okay, I can live with that. Ten grand, huh? If it cost more than ten grand I'll cover the more since you are willing to put some money in this."
"How do you want him dead?" asked Fragano.
"How? What do you mean how?" asked Geno.
"Slow? By bullet or throat cut? I can do it many ways. How do you want him dead?" asked Fragano.
"Painful. I want him to feel it right until his eyes close forever," grinned Geno.
"Done," said Fragano.
NCIS
Gibbs purchased a burner cellphone. He texted Tonya message knowing that Tony would then get rid of the cellphone and he'd have to wait until he heard from him. Mikey Macaluso in custody. We got FBI mole and we are working on Dye and his men. Should be able to come home soon. He sent the message just as the elevator doors opened.
Gibbs exited the elevator then started to walk over to the bullpen. As he passed a garbage can, he dropped the burner phone into it.
"Morning, Gibbs," said Ziva.
"Ziver," he replied, as he took off his overcoat, dropped it behind his chair then sat down.
"I'm working on a judge giving us the okay to set up surveillance of Dye, including his cellphone. I suspect he is starting to make mistakes with what Tony has done to him and his men," said Cassie.
"Good job," said Gibbs then he looked at McGee.
Tom McGee had bags under his eyes. He looked not only tired, but like he had aged five years during the time his sister was missing with Tony. Gibbs stared at him waiting for the agent to lift his head and give him a situation report. McGee finally noticed the silence and lifted his head.
"Sorry, boss," he said. "I'm trying to trace Dye's offshore accounts. I bet the IRS would like to know about them. Anyway we can put him away the better, right?"
"That's right, Tim," said Gibbs. "Why don't you go get a coffee? You look like you need one."
"I think I will, boss," said McGee.
He stood up, grabbed his jacket, and headed off. Ziva watched him go to the elevator. She waited until he was gone then she spoke up.
"I am worried about him. He is not sleeping. He is focused solely on bringing his sister home. I am afraid that he is going to burn out soon," she said.
"It is his sister, Ziver."
"Blood is thicker than water," Cassie added.
"Yes, but he will be no good for her unless he gets some rest," said Ziva.
"You look like you could use a good night sleep, Ziver," said Gibbs.
"I have been trained to go days without sleep. I am fine," she defended herself.
"Well, the Elf Lord has stayed up for days playing video games. He is fine," smiled Gibbs.
"Hey, Gibbs, when do you think we can bring DiNozzo and Sarah McGee in from the cold?" asked Cassie.
"Burke needs to be secured somewhere safe where no one can touch him and then having enough on Dye not to need Sarah should do it," said Gibbs.
"I wish we needed less to bring him home," said Ziva.
"Missing DiNozzo?" grinned Cassie.
Ziva glared at her for a moment then answered, "Yes. You get used to him. He is like an itch. Once it stops itching you, you notice that it gone."
"Yeah, he does have a way a getting under your skin," smirked Gibbs.
Cassie laughed, but Ziva didn't. She was too busy thinking about Tony. They had been partners for a number of years now, but somehow it felt like they had more than a partnership, something deeper. She told Ray that he was like a brother, but he was a brother to her. She just wasn't sure what he was to her.
NCIS
Tony looked at his burner phone and saw the text from Gibbs. They were getting closer to ending this.
"Do you mind scrambled eggs?" asked Sarah.
He looked up where he sat at the island in the middle of the kitchen and looked at her. She was wearing his OSU sweat shirt and nothing else while she made breakfast. This is just between us and when it is over then it is over. Yeah, keep telling yourself that, DiNozzo.
"Yeah, scrambled is fine with me. I'm starved, so I'll eat anything," he said.
He took the battery out of the burner phone and tossed it into the garbage can near him. Looking at Sarah again, he was amazed at how happy she looked. It was like they were on a romantic trip instead of being chased by killers.
"I thought we'd have scrambled eggs, toast, and sausage links. I saw some of them in the freezer and I defrosted them and put them in the oven," she said. "We could use some more food for the refrigerator. There is not much in to cook."
"I thought you couldn't cook," he teased her.
"This isn't cooking. This is breakfast. Anyone who has gone drinking and come home hungry knows how to make breakfast," she said.
"I usually hit a diner or Chinese food after a night of imbibing," said Tony.
Sarah stopped and looked around the large kitchen.
"Tony, of course you did. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth," she said.
"And you are the daughter of an admiral which is not too shabby of a life," he said.
"Maybe, but it's nothing compared to this."
"I was banned from here when I was eleven," he said. "This became the home of my father and his latest wife after that."
"Your father sounds like a dick," she said.
"He's… he's Senior. He lost the woman he loved and never handled it well. Instead of becoming a good father, he shipped me off and married a series of women who were bad for him. You see my father was always good with the women and getting them into bed, but he wasn't so great with what came after bed," he said.
"Like father like son when it comes to bed," she said then smiled.
"I hope not," mumbled Tony. "I don't want to become Senior."
Sarah looked over at him and her heart melted. Here he was her hero and yet he could be hurt just thinking about his father and hoping he wasn't like the man. Tony was nothing like Timmy thought he was. He was so much more.
"Tony, don't freak out and I know we have an agreement, but I have to say this – I love you," she said.
"Sarah," he said to speak.
"No, don't say anything. I do. I love you, but you don't have to love me and you don't have to worry about our agreement. This stays between us and it is over when you say," she said.
"You mean when one of us says it is over, not just me," he said.
"Tony, I'm not going to want this to end. Sorry, it just isn't going to happen. This ends when you say so," she said then walked over and grabbed a couple of plates.
"Sarah, you know that you don't love me. It's merely infatuation," he said.
"Sorry, it's love. You can call it infatuation, but I know what it is. I'm not a teen, Tony, and you aren't the only one who carries baggage. I have my own, including father issues. Because of my dad, I tend to go for weak, malleable and ineffectual intellectuals. You are not my type, which means what I feel for you is real not tied to daddy issues," Sarah said.
"I got the feeling I shouldn't argue with you," he said.
"You are smarter than you look," she teased, as she put some eggs then retrieved several sausage links from the oven. Once she had the food, she waited for the toast to pop. It did then she buttered it and brought it over to the island and placed it in front of Tony. "Eat up."
"Yes, ma'am," he said then sampled it. "Excellent scrambled eggs – soft but not too runny. Well done."
She took bow then prepared a plate and toast for herself and then sat across from at the island.
"We need coffee," he said then got up and got them coffee.
After preparing the coffee, he came back to the island and handed her a cup, as he sipped his own.
"So, what do you want to do after breakfast?" Sarah asked with a fake innocent expression on her face.
"We could read," said Tony.
"I don't think so. I didn't bring any of my favorite books with me," she said.
"Okay, we could make snow angels. That sounds like fun," he smiled.
"I was hoping for an activity that was warmer," she said.
"Bake some cookies in the kitchen?"
"No."
"Play card?"
"I don't think so," she said.
"How about…"
"How about you take me upstairs and screw my brains out?" she said.
Tony smirked then said, "If there nothing else to do then I guess so."
"Oh, I am going to make you pay for that," Sarah said.
"I'll be willing to pay that price," said Tony.
NCIS
After a bout of sweaty, strenuous sex, Tony collapsed beside Sarah in the master bedroom bed. He could hear her still ragged breathing as his own senses started to return to normal. She had a post sex spasm, which made her laugh.
"I'm keeping you," she said.
"You make me sound like a pet or something," he said.
"Or something."
In the background Tony could hear a plow truck clearing the driveway and area in front of the house. Leave it to his father to have a plow contracted to remove snow from a house they never use anymore. This would always be his mother's house to his father, which meant it was special to him. Tony smiled. Senior was the best father, but at least he did love his mother.
"I could go to sleep," he said.
"Really. I was hoping you were just resting up for another go," Sarah said.
"See this is where our age difference shows up. I about killed myself making love to you and you are wanting more," said Tony.
Sarah looked at him with a big smile on her face. He wondered what he had said.
"What? What did I say?" he asked her.
"You said making love," she pointed out to him. "See, you know what it was we did. It was more than sex; it was love making."
"You like putting me in awkward positions, don't you?" he said.
"Maybe," she purred.
Sarah began to nimble on Tony's neck then slowly she worked her way down to his chest, when the front doorbell rang. Once, twice, three times, it rang.
"Shit," sighed Tony.
He got out of bed, put on his jeans, and tee shirt then looked at Sarah.
"I'll answer the door. You get dress. If anything out of the ordinary happens, grab what you need and get out of here," he said.
She looked at him with fear in her eyes.
"They haven't found us, have they?" she asked.
"Probably not. Usually killers don't ring doorbells," he smiled. "I'm be cautious with something precious."
He walked out of the bedroom and down to the first floor. After retrieving his sidearm, he stuck it in his jeans behind his back then he opened the door. Standing there was a local cop in a winter jacket with his patrol car parked out front.
"I think I know you," the cop said. "You're Anthony, Junior, right?"
"Yeah, that's me. Anthony DiNozzo, Junior," Tony said.
"I remember you as a kid. My father was a local businessman and your father used to invite us to barbecues and such," smiled the cop. "Alan Dent. I'm with East Hampton Police Department."
"Hey, well, Captain. Can help you?" he asked him.
"Usually this place is empty all winter and most of the summer. Your father uses maybe two weeks a year," said the cop. "The plow guy called us and told us someone was here, so I came to check it out."
"Thanks for that," smiled Tony. "I'm here and I'm here with someone, so if you don't mind."
"Oh, sure. I understand. Well, I'll let you get back to your company," the cop said then smirked. "If you need anything, give us a call at the police headquarters."
"Thanks, again," said Tony.
The cop turned and walked away. Tony shut the door.
"False alarm," Sarah said from the stairs.
He turned to see her once again in his OSU sweat shirt. With no makeup and hardly any clothes on, she looked so much younger than him. God, she makes me feel young again. It's been a long time since I felt young.
"Just a local LEO checking out the place. No problem," he said.
"So we can go back to bed?" she asked with a smile.
"Yeah, we can go back to bed."
NCIS
Captain Alan Dent got in his patrol car. He lifted the radio and called into headquarters.
"This is Dent. No problem at the DiNozzo place. The son is using it," he said. "Anything else I need to check."
"All clear, sir," said the dispatcher.
He hung up the radio and then took out his cellphone. Captain Dent dialed the number to a local mafia don's number.
"Costello, who is this?" asked Vincent Costello.
"It me Alan Dent of the East Hampton Police, Mr. Costello. I heard there was a reward out for information on the whereabouts of Anthony DiNozzo, JR. I have some gold to sell," he said.
"Let's talk."