Hello! So, slight change of plans... there is going to be a fourth part to this because this one was getting too long. I hope you don't mind.
Thank you very much for your kind words, favorites and follows! Everything is really appreciated :)
I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well! Thank you all for reading :D
Comments and suggestions are always welcome!
early season 3 (after Kate's return to work)
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS...
xOxOx
Tied Up, part 3
xOxOx
They open the door just a crack as silently as they can in order to see what is going on . It's not an easy task to do since everything in this place seems to creak with the slightest move or touch.
Ziva checks the other room but sees no movement and she informs Kate that they can move safely with a silent nod and a wave of her hand. They both slip through the half open door, Kate first with the gun at the ready, followed by Ziva who is poised and ready to throw that knife at the first threat they encounter.
They scan the room meticulously but no one seems to be around. Their eyes land on another door, this one open, that leads outside but it's the sound of voices from behind a second door that catches their attention.
Their eyes lock together, both calculating what the best course of action is. They know it's too dangerous to storm in there without knowing what is going on and how many people are inside. Not to mention having only one gun and no backup on the way.
Ziva points at the door that leads outside and Kate nods in agreement. They can't stay here. Even if they are not outnumbered, they are definitely outgunned and that is a risk they are not willing to take.
Very carefully they slip outside of the warehouse, after checking to see if anyone is out. Thankfully there is no one guarding the door.
The first thing they notice is that their car isn't where they left it when they arrived here. Great... now they'll have to explain how they lost the car apart from how they ended up caught and tied up. They also notice that the old SUV which belongs to Reyes is at exactly the same spot.
Ziva dashes off the moment she sees it and heads straight for the Marine's car. Kate follows, curious as to what she has in mind.
"What are you doing?" she whispers the moment she is within earshot and observes as Ziva looks around, trying to find something.
"I am going to smash into the car," she explains as she finally finds what she is searching for and shows it to Kate.
"Break into the car. Why?" she enquires, her eyes on the thin wire in Ziva's hand.
"Old car, no alarm system, it is very easy."
"Not what I meant... What are we going to do when you break into the car?" she clarifies.
"Wait for Reyes. He will surely return to take his car, yes? When he does we are going to be inside, waiting for him," she elaborates making the agent sigh.
She watches Ziva trying to pry the car door open and rubs a hand over her face.
"There is nothing else we can do," she says, noticing Kate's expression.
She knows Ziva is right, of course she does. They have no other choice right now. They can't call for back up, their car is nowhere to be seen, they have limited firearm; this seems to be their only choice.
"I'll keep watch..." Kate states, eyes glued to the door of the warehouse while Ziva nods and keeps working on getting the car door open.
It doesn't take her long; soon she manages to unlock the door and she opens it slowly, inspecting the interior of the car. At first sight there seems to be nothing there they can use. She sits behind the stirring wheel and looks bellow the seat but comes up empty. It's when she opens the glove compartment that she finds something interesting.
"Gun and a stack of hundred dollar bills," she proclaims.
"Abby is going to have a field day with these," Kate comments as Ziva gets out of the car and closes the driver's door.
"Let's just hope they prove that Reyes is guilty..." she adds.
"They will. We will catch him," Ziva tells her certainly, no doubt in her mind about the outcome.
She doesn't have time to say anything else because she spots movement with the corner of her. So does Ziva, apparently, who ducks behind the car and Kate follows suit.
"Damn it... I think that was Reyes..." she mutters under her breath and Ziva nods.
"It was but I do not think he saw us," she whispers and listens hard for any sign of movement.
She risks a glance from below the car and sees Reyes approaching the car. She motions to Kate that he is coming their way and she nods, loading the gun.
They both wait with bated breath, heartbeats racing, weapons at the ready, solely focused on the task at hand. It doesn't take long for him to reach them and they hear his footsteps getting closer with each step he takes.
He rounds the car from the front size, closer to where Ziva is, and mere moments he comes face to face with them.
Everything happens in a blur after that...
Reyes is so surprised to see them behind the car, believing that they are still tied up inside the warehouse, that it takes him a second too long to react and reach for his gun, which is more than enough time for Ziva to launch at him and knock him to the ground.
His training, of course, kicks in immediately after that and he puts a great effort to overpower Ziva. What she lacks in physical power though, she has in technique, and she manages to flip him on his stomach and pin him down.
Kate immediately reaches for his gun, disarming him, and checks the clip to see how many bullets he has before pointing it to his head.
"I wouldn't move if I wear you, Lieutenant," she warns, gun always trained at him.
Reyes sees that there is nothing he can do and stays unmoving. Not that he could move without breaking his own hand with the way Ziva has it twisted behind his back.
Kate hands Ziva her gun back and opens the car's door to retrieve the rope they spotted on the floor of the backseats, with which she proceeds to tie their suspect's hands behind his back.
"Nice knot," Ziva comments, impressed, and Kate smiles.
"I learned from the best. He's never getting out of that, trust me," she states confidently and Ziva stands up, letting her tie his legs too and cut the extra rope.
"You think this is over?" Reyes mutters, looking darkly at them.
"We think it's a good start," Kate replies as Ziva starts patting him down and retrieves another gun and a mobile phone which she tosses to Kate.
The agent wastes no time and calls Gibbs' number at once.
"Gibbs," he answers the phone tersely, his voice tense. Just from that single word she understands he is ready to snap at anyone in this moment.
"Gibbs, it's me."
"Kate? Where the hell have you two been? It's been five hours! Your phones are off, we can't reach you anywhere, what happened? Where are you?" he demands to know, his worry and fear bleeding through his tone.
"Abandoned warehouse, we followed Reyes here but he made us and we got caught. We are fine now, we managed to get out, but we are going to need backup, there are more inside," she explains briefly, leaving out the details for now.
"McGee is already tracing the call, we'll have your exact location shortly," he tells her, his tone a little calmer now that he knows they are well.
"Ok, we'll wait for you," she tells him but before he can reply the door to the warehouse opens and two of the three men that captured them earlier emerge from it, with guns in their hands.
"Spoke too soon..." she mumbles.
"Kate what's wrong? What's happening? Kate!" she hears Gibbs' fretful tone but she doesn't have the time to answer.
Reyes' accomplishes start shooting at them and they both take cover behind the car once again.
"I told you this wasn't over!" Reyes yells, a menacing grin on his face.
"Shut up!" both women shout at him and the moment the gunshots stop for a moment they find their opportunity to retaliate fire.
The two shooters run to hide behind some large pallets, stacked with sacks of concrete, but Ziva is faster and manages to find one of them and he drops to the ground.
"NCIS! Drop your weapon!" Kate calls out but is only answered with more gunshots.
"This isn't going to work," she says, glancing at Ziva when the other one starts shooting again.
"Tell him to stop!" Ziva orders but the Lieutenant seems unfazed.
"You think I've lost my mind? No way!" Reyes states. They didn't expect any different.
"We will have to go to him," Ziva says.
"We don't know where the third one is. He could be anywhere," Kate reasons and Ziva sighs in frustration. She hates their situation.
Gunshots are fired again, this time breaking the car's windows, and they duck even lower behind it, covering their heads as shards from the windows fall all over them.
"Backup will take too long..." Ziva mutters "You have to cover me."
Kate thinks it's a pretty bad idea but nods in confirmation nevertheless, knowing that they can't continue doing this for long. They'll run out of bullets very soon, so this is their only option right now. Sometimes the only choices you have are bad ones, but you still have to keep going. This is one of those times...
"Ok, go," she says to her partner, who starts running the moment their attacker stops shooting and Kate starts.
Ziva manages to take cover behind another car and the moment Kate hides behind Reyes' SUV once again she sees the shooter, taking aim once more, ready to shoot, and she finds the perfect opportunity.
She has a clear shot of Reyes's accomplish and, of course, she doesn't miss. The bullet finds its target and the man drops to the ground, the gun falling from his hand and hitting the asphalt.
She moves away from the car and takes a few tentative steps towards their dead assailants. She looks around her, checking the roof of the warehouse, the area around them, but she doesn't see the third man that helped capture them.
She catches Kate's eyes, who is standing up in front of the SUV and she shakes her head, indicating that she can't see anything.
She moves to where the two men are lying on the ground and squats down to check for a pulse. She can't find anything on the first man but the second one seems to have a very weak pulse, barely even there.
"This one is alive," she says to Kate who is slowly making her way to where Ziva is standing, when suddenly something catches her eye and she pauses.
"Ziva move!" she yells and the Israeli obeys without a question and rolls to the ground just when shots are fired her way, barely missing her.
Kate's bullets don't miss, though. She hits him squarely on the chest and he tumbles down with a painful groan.
After she makes sure that the man is not a threat anymore and she grabs his gun, she runs straight to Ziva who is still lying on the ground unmoving.
"Ziva? Are you alright?" she asks worriedly, placing her hand on Ziva's shoulder.
The Israeli looks up and nods, assuring her that she is fine and Kate sighs in relief. She extends her hand to help her up and Ziva accepts wordlessly.
She glances at the man that shot at her, now dead on the ground.
"Quick shooting," she comments, a hidden gratitude in her tone.
"Ex Secret Service. When you protect the President you usually shoot first and ask questions later. It still kicks in sometimes..." Kate tells her, her gaze telling Ziva more than her words.
Kate was protecting her... she wasn't just reacting or simply attacking someone with a gun. She was protecting her... and that, somehow, makes her feel accepted more than any speech ever could.
"Lucky me, then," she says with a slight smile, accepting her partner's help and words. And for someone like her that is a big step; accepting someone else's help and trusting them to have her back.
They check the shooters again, trying to find anyone with a pulse but they find none this time around. They slowly get back to the car, intending to call Gibbs and the team again, inform them that they are alright.
Reyes has a smug expression on his face when he looks at them, despite everything that just happened, and, for some reason, Ziva wants to wipe it off his face, but Kate shakes her head and places a hand on Ziva's arm, reading her partners mind easily this time. It really isn't worth it...
"I want a lawyer," he states and both women stare at him in disbelief and exasperation.
"Of course you do," Ziva replies drily. Like there is a chance he is going to get out of this... It's going to be a long wait until the team comes.
