Chp. 14

Jake didn't move for several seconds. Then his head snapped up and he fixed his hard stare on NCIS' resident computer guru and asked, in a surprisingly pleading tone. "Tell me you traced it, Tim."

The agent looked away, as if he was afraid he'd eat a bullet for his trouble. "I…um…I got within a four block radius."

"Good enough." Jake said, looking to Travis. "Get the others."

All Jake could do now was pray that they got to her in time, and pray that his gut was wrong.

000

Before Travis had even moved, Gibbs and Dave were coming from the bedroom. Jake assumed they'd heard the shots over the phone and Gibbs had ordered Kate and Ziva to stay with the protectees. Five minutes later, his phone vibrated on his hip and he pulled it from its holster, glanced at the text message and re-holstered the device without answering the message. "John and Marcus are on their way. Tim, Kate, Gunny, Max, stay here and hold down the fort. Dave, back them up. Travis, I want you with John and Marcus when they get here."

"Full kit?" Travis asked, as the others moved to take their positions.

Jake shook his head. "Tactical vest and weapons only." Jake knew that Travis knew what to bring, but that Travis was just trying to keep his mind from drifting to the purpose of this mission. Jake unconsciously glanced at the bedroom that he and the team had converted only hours earlier, but forced his mind away from any thought of what Irina might be going through as he heard the elevator descend to the parking garage.

000

Between the three of them, Ziva, Shannon and Abby had managed to settle the kids and at least laying down, if not asleep. Kate was standing just inside room by the door, Sig Sauer P228 9mm pistol prominently displayed on her hip. Ziva was sitting on the bed between Tatiana and Sofia who, surprisingly, were both asleep. She knew they were worried about their sister, but that the events of the day had worn them down and their small bodies could no longer fight exhaustion. Shannon was sitting next to Tony on a pallet of blankets on the floor, running her hand through his hair in an effort to soothe him. She glanced down and saw that he was asleep. Works every time, she thought, somewhat sadly. She understood now that Jake being who he was, the beginning of that process anyway, was her fault. If she hadn't blamed him, she had no doubt things would've been different. Jake still would've entered the military, that was pre-ordained, and he would've sought revenge against the man who'd taken Kelly from them. But their estrangement, the part that pained her most, might not have happened. "Zeeba?" a tired voice said, forcing Shannon back to the present.

Shannon and Abby, who was sitting with her back to the wall across the room, both looked at the bed and smiled. A quiet, "Awe," escaped Kate's lips and she dropped her agent persona for a moment. It was clear that the girls were taken with Ziva and she with them. Shannon knew from Ziva's time with them after her captivity in Somalia, that the young one she'd come to see as a daughter could never have children biologically because what she'd suffered. Whether Jake knew this or not, she didn't know, and she wasn't about to tell him. It wasn't her place, and to do so would've broken a trust that she held dear.

"Yes, shaifeleh?"

"Where's Irina?"

Ziva looked down at the five year old and forced her emotions deep down. It was one of the few times she could remember being thankful for Eli's particular brand of parenting, where emotions were seen as weakness. "She is resting, like you should be." Ziva said with a gentle smile. In that moment, a part of Ziva felt no better than her father for lying to Tatiana, but she also knew it was necessary. If Irina was returned to them safely, no harm would be done. If not…Ziva decided she would cross that bridge when and if she came to it.

"Would you like me to sing?" Ziva asked, remembering when her mother had comforted her with lullabies, always when her father was away, and how when she'd needed it most at her mother's death, there had been no comfort.

As she began softly singing, in the hallway, Jake slowly backed away from the partially open door where he'd been listening. He went to elevator and joined the members of his team, he prayed for the sake of the two little girls who had stolen his girlfriend's heart, that they would find Irina alive.

000

"Where to now, McGee?" Jake asked, the radio wired into the SUV's internal speakers via Bluetooth technology.

"Turn left. The phone should be 800 yards due east of your current position."

Jerking the steering wheel hard to the left, Jake saw they were in Rock Creek Park. Throwing the vehicle into park, the four Special Forces soldiers spilled from the vehicle, weapons at the ready. Jake and Travis both carried their personal M4 assault rifles, while Morgan and Smalls had selected Heckler and Koch G36C assault rifles from Sections Eights communal weapons locker. Keeping their weapons in the low ready position and their heads on swivels incase this turned out to be a trap, the men moved quickly to where Tim McGee had indicated. 100 feet in front of them, a prone form just outside the ring of light cast by a lamp post on one of the jogging paths on the parks outer perimeter caught Jake's eye and he moved toward it cautiously. As he came closer, he could see that it was a woman, with long hair. The woman turned her head and she reached a hand out to him. Jake knew that was Irina and he knelt down and took her hand. He could see she'd been beaten and that she'd been shot once through the abdomen. She moaned and he winced in sympathy and pain. He'd seen too many men, both friend and foe, die this way. This child didn't deserve this…no one did.

"Irina, it's Jake. Jake Harrison. You're gonna be just fine." he said, forcing his mouth upward into an encouraging smile.

"Sis..sis.." She managed and he nodded.

"Yeah, your sisters are fine. Their safe." Jake said, squeezing her hand.

She looked up at him and forced herself to focus. "He…said…say…"

NO…NO…NO! I DON'T WANT TO KNOW THIS! Jake's mind screamed, but he didn't interrupt.

"You…can't …protect …your women." She forced the last part out, then her eyes fixed and her mouth stayed open as her last breath escaped.

"Irina…Irina…no, come on, honey. Fight…" he said this even as he reached over and felt her carotid artery, finding nothing.

Time stopped in that moment. Jake could hear Travis on the phone, using his cover i.d., to request on ambulance. Jake didn't bother to say anything as Travis told the dispatcher to cancel the rush on the ambulance. It was no longer important.

Travis watched his friend and commanding officer descend into a personal hell that he knew the man had not faced in many years. He was reminded of a proverb he'd heard while serving in Africa with the 3rd Special Forces Group. Heroes die laughing, fools die screaming.

Arkady Kobach would most definitely die screaming, Travis was sure of it and, not surprisingly, that thought gave him comfort.

000