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Chapter 21
Washington DC, Restaurant Casino Royale
Paloma and Carolina entered through the backdoor. The safety guards did check them and one man in a typical black suit leaded them to the owner of this Restaurant, Javier Rodriguez. He and Paloma often worked together and helped each other to smuggle drugs into the United States. He was a drug dealer and a very good friend to Paloma. He and Carolina had also met before when he had visited Paloma in Mexico about a month ago.
'Paloma, my dear friend', he welcomed and hugged her.
'And Carolina. What nice to see you', he said in English with his typical Mexican accent and shook and kissed her hand. Carolina laughed.
'Two so nice, pretty women in my house', he said with a very strong Spanish accent.
'What can I do for you?', he asked smiling.
Washington DC, NCIS headquarters
It was deep night and nobody was inside the building except for the team, waiting for Gibbs.
'He won't come', Abby said.
'He will come. He never stays in hospital for more than two hours', McGee tried to cheer them and himself up. However, it didn't work.
'So that Carolina was an undercover agent?', Palmer asked.
'She still is', Ducky replied.
'But why was she then allowed to do something like that to Tony?'
'She has second highest permission an undercover agent can have. MI6 covers nearly everything for her', McGee explained.
'What if Gibbs just stays in hospital?', Ziva asked.
'There are a lot of FBI dogs watching him.' 'He can get around them if he wants', Abby said.
'He's Gibbs.'
Washington DC, General Hospital
'What does it mean you lost him?', Fornell asked angrily when he entered hospital.
'He said he wanted to go to the restrooms and when he didn't appear again we got in. He wasn't there anymore', an FBI agent explained.
'You were in charge of this', Fornell was even more angry than he usually was when Gibbs did something stupid.
'I know. I am sorry. I-', but Fornell moved on to the restrooms and examined the inside.
'Never got the idea that he could escape through this window?'
'I never thought he'd be sporty enough to-'
'He had been a marine', Fornell shouted.
'What shall we do now?', the agent asked.
'Hope.'
'That he'll survive?'
'That he'll leave us someone we can interrogate afterward', Fornell said and went away to leave the hospital. He doubted that Gibbs would run to NCIS but he drove there anyway to be assured that he was right.
Washington DC, Casino Royale
'You want my help to kill one NCIS agent? There were times when you just needed to click your finger and everybody you wanted dead was dead immediately, Paloma!', Javier said. Carolina lightly smiled.
'He is just one tricky NCIS agent I ask for. Nothing more. I can't go out tonight and I need him dead now', she said angrily.
'I will consider this', Javier said. 'But you should first take a rest', he nodded to his guard and let him Paloma lead out. The door was closed.
Javier turned to Carolina. 'Why?', he asked.
'This NCIS Special Agent Gibbs killed her father several years ago. She wants revenge', Carolina explained.
'Just revenge?' Carolina nodded.
Javier sighed. 'She is a woman who doesn't stop until she got what she wanted', he said. 'Why did this Special Agent kill her father?'
'He killed his family, his wife and his little daughter', Carolina said hoping that Javier would understand this.
'What do you think?', he asked her.
Carolina was surprised. Why was he so open to her? 'You know her better than I do.'
'But you saw her developing over the last months. How far will she go to get him?'
'Too far', Carolina sighed.
'Unfortunately I have the concern that not only she searches Gibbs but also he is looking for her.'
'What for?'
'Revenge.'
'The death of his family.'
'Exactly.'
'Do you support Paloma?'
'I do what she says. She pays me.'
'Why?' Carolina looked puzzled. What the hell did he want from her?
'What do you mean?', she asked carefully.
'The Reynosa cartel is big, Carolina. It was well led by Alejandro and Paloma. But Alejandro is in prison now and Paloma is just an embittered woman who searches nothing else but revenge for something that happened years ago. You have the potential for doing something bigger.'
Carolina looked at him. She hoped that this was not a trap. 'Kill her and I can bring you in her position', he said.
'Why me?'
'I trust you.'
Before Carolina could ask another question the door was banged open again. 'What the hell happened now?', Javier asked nerved.
'Paloma kicked down two guards and is on the run. She is armed with two submachine guns, now. She screamed that you would kill her anyway', a man in a black suit explained. He was another one than the one who had led Carolina and Paloma to Javier.
'How did she get this idea?', Carolina asked ironically.
'I assume your common business didn't go that well the last days?', Carolina turned to Javier.
'No', he answered angrily. 'Any idea where she's heading to?'
'Yes', Carolina said neutrally. 'She wants to kill Gibbs on her own. She wants to feel the sweetness of revenge.'
'Nothing can stop her now, am I right?', Javier asked furiously.
She nodded. 'She searches Gibbs, Gibbs searches her. Both are determined to kill each other.'
Javier was near to exploding but Carolina remained calm. 'Do you know where they are or could be?'
'Somewhere in Washington', Carolina said. 'No. But we'll know at last when we find at least one dead body in Anacostia River tomorrow.'
'How the hell can you fucking German asshole stay so calm when-'
'I'm gonna search them', she said. 'But I can't promise.'
Javier threw something to her and she caught. It was keys. She looked at him. 'I want you to get wherever you get in time', he explained. She smiled and went out of Casino Royale and headed to the car which blinked when she pressed the button to open.
She smiled.
A BMW, German car.
Author's note: Gibbs vs Paloma...I think there will be no quantum of solace...
And for those who are impatient and angry...Tony is still part of the story and you shouldn't complain that he would not appear before even reading the next chapter...!