Devotion Chapter Thirty Three
Gibbs got to "A Touch of Glass" in a quick seven minutes.
He found a space right out in front and was pleased the parking was free.
Getting out of the driver's seat he ran a hand over his jacket pocket and was satisfied to feel the photo he selected nestled there. He moved from the driver's door to the back of the car. He placed the key into the lock and opened the trunk. The strong scent of rose assaulted him and he was not surprised to find the eleven white roses had begun to brown and dry up with a lack of a water supply.
He was not prepared for the anomaly the red rose presented. It appeared as it was when he picked it up from the hardwood floor. The bud was tight and the petals where moist and pliable. It did not make sense. Gibbs didn't have time to really think about it so he grabbed the bag of crystal shards and went into the shop.
Five minutes later he was back on the road heading towards the naval yard.
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The sit rep had gone on longer then Gibbs anticipated.
Gibbs generally hated meetings of any kind. He despised waiting for the group to get organized and on to the subject at hand. In this case it was a meeting about a meeting-the upcoming NCIS/DC Metro joint investigation now scheduled for Monday morning.
Director Morrow was good about getting meetings back on course but it was the other participants that made Gibbs angry….they provided about 10% information and 90% bullshit.
It was almost at the two hour mark when Gibbs felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
He didn't care if it looked rude….never be unreachable was a rule for a reason….he pulled his phone from his pocket and read the text.
It was from Tony and stated:
"Joe moved to safe house. Got ride home from cop who will stay with me. Don't worry-c u soon"
Gibbs breathed out a sigh of relief as he tried to pay attention through the monotone of the current speaker.
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Meeting finally over, Gibbs had enough time to head to his own home.
He hadn't been there for a few days and needed fresh clothes.
He was half way to his front door when he thought about the roses.
He quickly returned to his car to retrieve them.
Bringing them into the house he flipped on the lights and headed directly for the basement.
He found some twine and tied them together at the bottom of the stems.
He hung them, buds down, from a nail on the ceiling rafter that Shannon had placed there years ago.
He reached up and touched the red rose. It was still fresh and held its beauty.
Gibbs was stymied but looking at his watch he knew he had to go.
He took a step back and admired his work.
With a satisfied smirk he headed up the stairs.
He took a quick shower and changed into clean jeans and a navy blue USMC sweatshirt. He gathered up the fresh clothes he would need and tossed his dirty clothes into the hamper in the master bathroom.
Evidence that Bill Connors had already been there was spread out on the bed. Connors had left Gibbs a copy of the blueprints he had drawn up that extended the closet and remodeled the bathroom to accommodate the shower room.
Gibbs glanced over them quickly and laughed when he read the post it note at the bottom that read:
"If this suits you give me a call ya bastard!"
As Gibbs made it back to his car he made a mental note to call Bill in the morning and give him the go ahead. He then began to imagine how he was going to present Tony with the two surprises he had in the works. He began to worry how Tony would react so he compartmentalized his thoughts and shoved them to the back of his mind.
'There is no rush' he told himself as he drove back to Tony's trying hard to believe it.
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He made it back to Tony's by ten minutes after four.
He knocked on the door in case the alarm was set. Steve answered wearing a big smile.
"Gibbs!" he said jovially, stepping back to allow Gibbs to enter.
Gibbs smelled beer on Steve as he returned Steve's greeting and stepped inside.
Gibbs noted Steve had been back long enough to change from his suit into jeans and a t-shirt. It also appeared he had downed a beer or two.
The house itself was filled with the wonderful aromas of home cooking.
Gibbs could hear Tony laughing and the sound of another man talking and joking around as Steve guided him back towards the kitchen.
Gibbs smiled hearing Tony's laughter. He missed hearing Tony laugh.
Gibbs was happy Tony was already enjoying the distraction and the team wasn't even there yet.
When Gibbs saw Mark Jensen sitting at the kitchen table nursing a beer, his smile faded.
When Jensen saw Gibbs his eyes darkened and his brows narrowed. Jensen's smile dropped from his face and he remained silent as he raised his beer bottle to his lips.
Tony was standing at the stove stirring a large pot. He had changed as well. He was barefoot and wearing the ass hugging jeans Gibbs had seen him in the day before. He had on a grey t-shirt and a red kitchen towel was thrown over his left shoulder.
The sudden quiet caused him to turn around.
"Hey boss!" Tony greeted Gibbs with a happy grin.
He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer and handed it to Gibbs. He turned back to his task at hand so he was not witness to the silent showdown.
"You remember Mark Jensen, right?" Tony asked over his shoulder as Steve grabbed a beer for himself.
Steve then joined Mark at the kitchen table and watched the silent exchange between Gibbs and Jensen with curiosity.
Gibbs nodded and said "Yep" as he twisted the cap off his bottle and took a swig of the ice cold beer.
Steve shuddered as he watched animosity cloud Mark Jensen's eyes.
If asked, Steve would swear that that one look dropped the temperature in the room by ten degrees.
Mark Jensen stood and turning towards Tony said quietly:
"I should get going Tony…."
"Huh?!" Tony said turning away from the stove "thought you were going to stay for dinner?"
"Thanks, but maybe another time. Enjoy your night and your friends. I'll see ya soon."
Tony pulled the towel from his shoulder and wiped his hands saying:
"Um…okay Mark…let me walk you to the door."
As Tony followed Jensen towards the front door, Gibbs heard Tony thanking him for the ride home.
Their conversation became muted as Tony stepped outside on the front porch.
Mark Jensen did not say good bye to either Steve or Gibbs.
As it was, neither man cared.
Steve looked at Gibbs and stated with relief:
"That guy gives me the creeps. God, I'm glad he is not staying for dinner!"
Gibbs could tell Steve was buzzed.
"What about him gives you the creeps?" Gibbs asked
Steve looked towards the front door and then turned back to Gibbs and whispered:
"I got here right after Tony and Mark. Tony introduced us and then he headed up to change. Jensen was all smiles and friendly until Tony was out of earshot and then he was all over me with 20 questions!"
"Questions? What kind of questions?"
"Like how long had I known Tony? Why was I visiting, when was I leaving….he even asked if Tony and I had ever dated!"
"Seems pretty nosy" Gibbs stated with a calm exterior.
Inside he was anything but calm.
"I'll say" Steve agreed "When I told him I wasn't gay and that his questions were out of line, he laughed and asked me if YOU were gay and if you and Tony had ever been intimate! God…that bastard has some fricking nerve!"
Gibbs almost choked on his beer.
He withheld comment as Tony re-entered the kitchen but Steve was on a roll.
"Where in the hell did you meet that guy, bro?! Jesus, he is like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde!" Steve asked a slight slur to his words. Gibbs almost laughed at Steve's drunken indignation but Gibbs had a feeling there was nothing funny about Mark Jensen.
"What?!" Tony asked astonished "Mark? You have got to be kidding me! Wait, is that the reason you made the lame excuse to hang out in the office?"
"That dude has a thing for you bro…I made the lame excuse because I couldn't stand to watch him watch you! Anytime your back was to him he turned predatory! Jeez Tony, he eyed you like a snake waiting to strike!"
Tony stood there with a look of complete disbelief on his face.
He reached over and snatched Steve's beer from the table and drank it down.
"Hey!" Steve protested
Tony set the empty bottle down on the table and pointing at Steve said "No more beers for you my friend…you are hallucinating….Mark is just an acquaintance I met through Spence. You are seeing things that just aren't there."
"Bullshit DiNozzo!" Steve yelled playfully "You call yourself an Investigator? You were a Detective for how many years? C'mon Tony….you have to have caught the vibe! Jeez…you are the biggest flirt I have ever known or seen and you tell me you can't see it when it's right in front of you?!"
"He was not flirting with me Steve!"
Steve rolled his eyes as Gibbs got up from the table and walked into the living room.
He heard Tony say "Besides Steve…..how am I supposed to see what is in front of me when you said he was watching me from behind…huh? Explain that!"
Gibbs smiled at their playful drunken banter but his gut was flaring in warning over Mark Jensen.
He pulled out his phone and dialed McGee.
"Hey Boss" Tim McGee answered immediately and he sounded nervous as he added:
"I'm running late but the others should be there soon!"
"You still at the office?" Gibbs asked gruffly.
"Uh…yeah" Tim sounded apologetic but Gibbs was proud he didn't say "sorry".
"Well, good!"
"Boss?"
"Before you head over here McGee, I need you to get me as much info as you can on a DC Metro cop named Mark Jensen."