Sharp
Chapter 9
Kate held the rifle, it felt more like a part of her, like she was in control, and she was breathing.
"That's it" Gibbs encouraged. The paper target moved along the line in the breeze "Follow it" he said, Gibbs had told her that like a true suspect, the paper one would move at will with the wind, there would be no telling where and when it would move.
She calculated the wind speed and distance. She had covered this in her initial training, but the nights poring over charts and at the range with Ziva were paying off. Kate squeezed the trigger. She hit the red target, square in the chest, twice, leaving the black one undamaged completely.
"You just got the bad guy" Gibbs told her with a smile "Good job, bonus that your hostage is still standing"
"It's about time" she said, straightening and disarming the rifle "I go home tomorrow"
"Oh I had no doubt" Gibbs smiled at her "Bo wouldn't have sent you to me if you couldn't do it"
They walked back to the car, seeing Tony and Ziva pull up beside it.
"Boss?!" Tony said "We got a dead petty officer, and Abby's pissed you're not answering your cell"
"You got my gear?" he asked.
"Of course" Tony smiled "Is supercop coming too?"
"No" Gibbs said "You can take her back to the Navy Yard, get McGee out here on the double, Ziva, with me"
He jumped into the car as Tony reluctantly got out "Well done Kate" Gibbs told her "Tell Bo I'm savin' that bottle for his visit"
And he was gone, she stood looking at Tony through the cloud of dust left behind. He smiled at her, opening the car door.
"After you" he said.
He chatted and flirted on the way back to the Navy Yard, and Kate gave polite but distant answers, now it was time to go home, now that she'd earned Gibbs approval and therefore Bo's, she had nothing else to occupy her mind, and as attractive and funny as he was, Tony DiNozzo wasn't gonna do it.
…...
Kate ignored her cell, she'd said she might go out for a farewell lunch and then drinks with DiNozzo and the others, but she really didn't feel like it, at all. The past couple of weeks were catching up and despite her relief at living up to Gibbs expectations, she felt flat.
It rang again, and again. She thought about how events in the last few months had changed her, how she probably would have gone out with them, and fallen into bed with DiNozzo. He was her type, he was funny and she did find him attractive. But since Jonesey, since Flack, things were different. She was different, he might be attractive but...
"Damn it!" she swore as her phone rang again, she snapped it open "DiNozzo, I told you I'm packing..."
"Who the hell is DiNozzo?" a voice said, she looked at the display, she hadn't checked before she opened it.
"Flack?" she asked.
"Yeah" he replied, and he sounded annoyed.
"Oh, um how are you?" she said, mentally kicking herself, she could have thought of something better than that!
"Cold" he answered "Can you open the damn door?!"
"Door?" she said, looking at the motel room door.
"The big wooden thing that fills the space in the wall?!" he sounded exasperated.
"Oh right" she jumped off the bed "The door" Wow, she thought, I'm on fire today.
She opened the door, frowning, there was no one there. Looking along the other room doors she saw him at another door, shoulders hunched.
"Hey!" she called, he turned looking confused, she felt sick "Why are you over there?"
"Damn idiot at reception" he huffed "Gave me the wrong room number obviously" he'd just about reached her.
"They just gave out my information?" she asked, a little annoyed herself.
He held up his badge, oh look, she thought, smug smile time! "Misappropriation of police resources" he told her.
"Huh" she frowned "What are you doing here?"
"I've already told you" he waited for her to step into the room "I miss you"
"I come home tomorrow" she said not moving.
He shrugged "I wanted to see you today"
"Impatient" she scoffed.
"And cold!" he said again "Can I come in? Please?! I didn't drive four hours to freeze on a motel room step"
She stepped back and let him in, closing the door behind them "What did you drive four hours for?" she asked.
"Who's DiNozzo?" he asked, ignoring her.
"A Navy Guy" she answered, she watched him pace around the room, noting the swelling and sight bruising to his face.
"And?" he folded his arms across his chest.
"And what?" she replied, sitting on the bed, her back against the head board.
"Why were you expecting a call from him?" he demanded.
"He wants me to go out" she said, watching as he resumed his pacing.
"Oh he does huh?" he said, leaning against the wall "Are you going?"
"So you drove four hours to interrogate me?" she asked.
"Just answer me" he said through gritted teeth.
"I can see why you made 1st grade" she commented "You're pretty good"
"Are you going?" he ignored her again.
She looked at him, stretching her legs, catching him watching the movement.
"I don't know" she answered, the pacing resumed. He settled into a chair to the side of the bed, she rolled onto her side, facing him.
"Could you put some clothes on?" he said "It's kinda distracting"
She wore a long t shirt and underwear. She had no intention of going out, but she wasn't telling him that, yet.
"You've seen it all before" she pointed out.
"Exactly" he stood again, pacing "I know what I'm missing"
"Oh" she sat up again "So you drove four hours for sex? Couldn't you have just called up an old flame? Sure the redhead would have obliged"
"You really don't like Taylor do you?" he asked.
"You really don't like DiNozzo do you?" she returned.
"No I don't" he admitted "I don't know the guy, but no I don't"
"Jealous?" she asked.
"Yes" he told her "You're damn right I am, I came down here to..." he'd started, all he had to do was spit it out, whatever it was.
She smiled at him, jealousy was a good sign, she was jealous as hell of Taylor.
"Yes, do tell me" she leaned back against the headboard again "Exactly why did you come down here?"
"Because I can't stop thinking about you" he said, suddenly still "And I need to know if I've screwed this up"
"Oh" she hadn't expected him to be so direct.
"Have I?" the pacing started again "Kate, you're killing me here!"
She started to laugh.
"Oh great" he stood hands on hips, glaring at her "I tell you I'm falling in love with you and you laugh at me, wow, talk about destroying my ego"
The laughing stopped abruptly and she stared at him, she didn't know quite how to recover from that one.
"I guess I can blow my date off with a hot Navy guy for you" she said.
"Oh no" he said "You don't get to do that Kate, you don't get to hide behind sarcasm, that's my job"
"No" she stood up, slightly shaky, but she approached him "I think your job is making me feel like I've never felt before, making me laugh, making me mad, making me happy" she stopped in front of him, putting her hands on his chest "You know what else I think?" she asked.
"What?" he held her eye contact.
"That you're way overdressed for this conversation" she stepped closer, her hands going around the back of his neck, she pulled him down and kissed him.
…...
