Hello again,
Thanks for all the fantastic reviews! I'm very grateful for each and every one. Thanks for taking the time to let me know your thoughts.
Honestly...I struggled with this chapter...I know where I'm heading but this chapter did not come easily to me. I think I'm sleep deprived. :D
Gibbs is feeling very helpless at the moment. :(
Riley's worried his bottom lip as he tried yet another key in the lock. His pulse skyrocketed when he felt the lock click open. Success after trying five different small keys that he thought might fit. Gibbs had a whack of small keys on his ring indicating that he'd probably had more than one safe in his lifetime. Obviously, the man didn't believe in throwing away keys. Not that that surprised him. He figured most people had a slew of keys kicking around the house that they didn't use any more.
He could keenly feel Janessa's little eyes on him waiting on bated breath for the surprise he'd promised her earlier. It had only taken the little girl a handful of minutes to return to him with Gibbs' key ring. He didn't even want to speculate how the little monkey had managed to get the ring off the hook if it was as high up as she had said. Gibbs was going to kill him for encouraging her to do that. Riley inwardly chuckled. Who was he kidding? The keys weren't even going to make to the top 10 list of things Gibbs was going to kill him for. He'd snuck out of the hospital, broke into the man's safe and was about to abscond with the man's weapon. Riley was pretty sure it was a first-class felony. He was deader than dead if that was even possible.
Riley cleared his throat as he straightened up and turned to look at Janessa, "It worked, squirt! We win!"
Janessa jumped up and down and clapped her hands with glee. "What do we win? Do we gets ice cream?"
Riley laughed and gingerly picked up the blond munchkin in his arms, pressing a kiss on her cheek. He needed to get her attention away from the safe and away from him. She seemed to have her mind stuck on ice cream, so he was willing to play into that. "Of course! I have an idea. You scoot to the kitchen and scoop out some bowls for us."
"For Abby too?"
"Do you think she deserves any?"
Janessa frowned, considering his question very seriously. "Well, even a loser gets hungry." Her little dark eyes swam in compassion. "I'll gives her one scoop."
"You're a good sport, Ness."
Janessa wiggled to get down in her excitement. As soon as her feet touched the floor, she disappeared into the kitchen much to Riley's relief. It would take her a while to scoop up the icy treat and by then, he'd be long gone.
Riley reached into the safe and pocketed Gibbs' sidearm. Now he needed to find the clip. Gibbs was a wise man; Riley knew the trained NCIS agent and seasoned father would never have the two together in the same place but he wasn't sure where to look. His gut told him that the two wouldn't be far apart; the clip would need to be easily accessible should Gibbs need it. Riley set the safe back on its spot on the mantel and, on a hunch, began to run his fingers under the ledge. A ghost of a smile played on his lips when he felt another concealed ledge up under the main one. He leaned over to see a small hidden shelf. He bit his bottom lip as he reached his hand in and pulled out several clips. Gibbs was indeed a clever man. Riley loaded the gun and pocketed the extra clips. Now he was ready.
XxXxNCISxXxX
Gibbs strode down the hallway feeling much more in control of himself. Tony and he had parted ways, with the younger man going to check out how things were progressing with the BOLO. Gibbs felt secure in the knowledge that Tony would handle things well on the NCIS side of things. The best thing Gibbs could do for now was to get Makayla home and try to talk to some sense into her. The more information he was armed with, the better able he'd be able to handle things on his end once Riley was found. His only hope was that they'd find Riley before he met up with Trace again. Gibbs didn't want to speculate how the injured adolescent would fare in another battle with the Marine.
Gibbs ran a hand through his hair, trying to settle his thoughts on any one scenario. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what Trace would want with a kid like Riley in the first place. Sure, on base and in the platoon, Gibbs could speculate why one Marine might threaten or blackmail another but outside of that, nothing made sense. Riley was just a kid. The court-martial of Adams had made that public knowledge and scuttlebutt spread faster than lightning on base. There would be no chance in hell that Trace wouldn't know about it. Riley was no threat to anyone.
As Gibbs rounded the corner lost in his thoughts, he was surprised to nearly bump into Melissa Wallace. The girl looked upset and his heart went out to her.
"Agent Gibbs!" the girl spat out, her face paling.
Gibbs reached out to steady the girl and couldn't help but feel her trembling under his touch. He offered her a warm smile. "Melissa, how are your friends doing?"
Melissa seemed suspended in animation as she stood stock still staring at Gibbs. Her mouth opened and closed a few times like she was trying to decide what to say.
"Melissa, are you alright?"
Melissa jerked her arm away but continued to stare blankly at him.
"Melissa?" Gibbs couldn't keep the concern from his voice. Something was wrong. Had the condition of one of her friends worsened? As far as he had heard, the injuries had only been minor.
"ShetookoffandIdon'tknowwhereshewent…" the girl finally blurted out as tears flooded her eyes.
Gibbs frowned, not understanding anything the girl had said. He cupped her chin in his hands and thumbed away the tears that had escaped down her cheeks. From what he knew of Melissa, this was uncharacteristic of her but he knew she'd been through a lot in the last 24 hours, so he chalked it up to overwhelming stress. She wasn't a military kid no matter how many she was surrounded with. As much as the young girl put up a stubborn façade of holding things together on her own, it was obvious she was crumbling to pieces now. "Slow down, honey and tell me what's wrong?"
She shook her head, trying desperately to gain her wits but as she continued, her words continued to blend together making them unintelligible. "She'sgonnagetherselfkilled..."
Gibbs' paternal nature took over at that moment and he pulled the hysterical girl into a comforting embrace. He couldn't make head or tales of her words and the natural father in him took over to try and calm her down. He expected her to fight his touch but was pleasantly surprised when she melted into his arms; his heart ached for her. Damn Wallace and his need to defend the world over his daughters. Damn Julia Wallace for putting everything else before the well-being of her girls.
"Shh," he crooned, cupping the back of her auburn hair with his hand. It was uncanny how much Melissa and Makayla looked alike. They could have been twins if it wasn't for the age difference. "Calm down and take a couple of deep breaths for me. I know this had been a whirlwind of a night for you, but everything is gonna be alright. Do you want me to call your Aunt Jenn?"
The girl's head frantically shook under his hand and he felt her push him away. He released his hold on her and pulled away to see the wild-eyed look on her face.
"No," she gasped. "It's Makayla. S-she took off after Riley…" the girl finally managed to choke out.
Gibbs felt the colour drain from his face. "What do you mean took off after Riley? Does she know where he is?"
Gibbs willed his heart rate to stay even as he listened to Melissa choke out bits of information about her conversation with Makayla. His blood ran cold when he heard about Riley wanting to get his hands on his sidearm. What would possess the kid to do something so dangerous and stupid? Gibbs clenched his jaw, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as he swallowed several times. His weapon was secure in his safe but it wasn't a state of the art kind of security system. It suited his purposes of keeping the kids out, but he wasn't stupid enough to think Riley couldn't break into it. Riley was resourceful. That safe would not keep him out.
Gibbs managed to smile at Melissa kindly, trying to sort out his thoughts. She'd given him more information in the last 10 minutes than he'd been able to drag out of Makayla in hours. He needed to get home quickly, but he didn't want to leave Melissa in such a fragile state. He reached out and wiped a few more tears from the teen girl's face. "Everything's gonna be okay, Melissa. I promise."
The girl nodded, swiping at tears on her flushed cheeks. Gibbs placed a gentle hand on her back and led her to the nearest chair, encouraging her to sit down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, showing it to her.
"I need to make a few calls. You gonna be okay here on your own?"
She nodded. "My friend Josh is here with his parents. I'll be fine, Agent Gibbs. Please find my sister."
Gibbs smiled at her again and took off running down the hallway. He'd make a few calls and maybe get Ziva or another agent to come to comfort Melissa and make sure she got back to her dorm. He needed to find Riley and Makayla.
XxXxNCISxXxX
Makayla knew the neighbourhood well and taking a cab had been her best bet. It hadn't taken her long to reach Gibbs' place; she hoped she could catch Riley still in the area. One bonus of her parents being far away and her life pretty much sans parental supervision, she was the master of her own money. While Gibbs was supposedly her guardian in her parent's absence, he had yet to figure out all the nuances of what that entailed.
When she reached Gibbs' laneway, she froze in her tracks a little taken aback by the two unfamiliar vehicles parked in the driveway. Neither one of them rang a bell as to who they would belong to. She'd come to recognize every one of Gibbs' agent's cars, as well as the NCIS vehicles they often drove while at work. The curtains to the family room were drawn close and the house looked dark. It was an odd sight to see. Gibbs always left lights on in the house, even when he wasn't home. The lamp in the front entrance always was left on no matter what time of day. Gibbs said it gave the house a lived-in appearance, keeping the honest thieves away. Makayla eyed the cars in the lane suspiciously but kept walking until she reached the front entrance. Her heart sat in her throat as she reached out to open the door. As usual, it wasn't locked. She swallowed nervously as she entered the house and shut the door behind her.
"Hello? Anyone home?" she said loudly, her voice quivering. Someone should have been home with the girls. Gibbs would have gotten someone to watch them at home while he was at the hospital. Makayla didn't know anyone in the neighbourhood who watched them except an older later next door and she knew that woman and her husband had gone away to visit family for Christmas. It just made sense that the girls would be home.
"Hello?" she said again, her heart hammering in her chest.
She heaved a sigh of relief once she was standing in the front entrance. Everything looked as it should right down to Janessa's drawings taped to the mirror. She didn't know why she'd expected anything different. Her mind was playing tricks on her. Why wouldn't everything be the same? It wasn't as if Trace would be at Gibbs' house or anything. Makayla shuddered at the thought. She kicked off her shoes and walked into the family room.
"Where is everyone?" she called out.
Silence answered her and seemed to echo around the room making her subconsciously shiver. She had such a foreboding feeling in her stomach. Something just didn't feel right. She looked around the room looking for signs of people being present lately. She came to a halt when she reached the kitchen. She frowned when she saw four bowls of melted ice cream sitting on the counter alongside the empty container. The scoop was lying on the floor looking like it had been thrown there. Makayla crossed the room and bent over to retrieve the ice cream scoop, and as she did, she thought she heard a muffled sound coming from the pantry.
She walked over and held her ear to the door, "Hello?" Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she reached for the handle. She forced herself to brush away her silly nervousness as she opened the door; she was being ridiculous. She blinked her eyes in the darkness of the pantry only to stifle a scream when her eyes adjusted. Aimee was sitting on the floor blindfolded with her hands tied behind her back and duct tape across her mouth. Her face was red and blotchy from crying. At her feet laid an unconscious man dressed in Marine fatigues. Makayla stood frozen in place for several seconds trying to gain the willpower to breathe again. Aimee whimpered.
Makayla rushed to Aimee's side, pulling the blindfold off the little girl and gently removing the duct tape from her mouth. Makayla gave her a quick hug. She could feel Aimee trembling and working hard to choke back her tears so she could catch her breath. "Are you okay?"
Aimee nodded as her teeth began to chatter together. Makayla pulled away and shifted the little girl sideways to try and untie her wrists. Makayla groaned when she saw the amount of duct tape wrapped around Aimee's small wrists. There was no way Aimee could free her hands easily, not in a million years. She needed a knife or scissors. "Stand up, honey."
Makayla helped Aimee to her feet and they both stepped over the unconscious man to walk back into the kitchen. She led Aimee towards the kitchen drawer and dug around looking for some scissors.
"Janessa…" Aimee whimpered, her teeth chattering loud enough so that Makayla could hear it.
Makayla worked at cutting away the duct tape that dug into Aimee's small wrists. She needed to wrap the little girl in a blanket or something to help her cope and make her feel safe.
"It's okay, Aimee. You're safe now."
"We gotta find her…" choked Aimee, still trying to catch her breath.
Makayla remained quiet for several moments, not knowing how to quell the little girl's cries and concentrating on cutting off the black tape. It was thick and tough to cut. The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when she heard the man in the pantry groan. Who was he?
"He's not dead!" screeched Aimee, choking on sobs and attempting to get away from Makayla, terror in her voice. "We hafta help him."
"Aimee, stop moving." scolded Makayla as she managed to finally free the little girl's hands. Her own hands were shaking so badly that Aimee's squirming had made it all the more difficult to cut the tape from her wrists.
"He's hurt!" whimpered Aimee, rubbing her chafed wrists and attempting to rush back into the pantry.
Makayla caught Aimee by the wrist. "Wait. Who is he?"
Ignoring Makayla's question, Aimee struggled to free her wrist, "Lemme go! He got hit really hard, Mackie."
"Aimee, you need to slow down and tell me what happened…"
Aimee pulled away from Makayla and disappeared inside the pantry once more. Makayla quickly followed to see Aimee helping the strange man to sit up. Aimee flicked on the overhead light and winced. The man's hands were duct-taped behind his back and his head was split open making Makayla's stomach churn. Blood oozed and ran down his face making him look an eerie character in a horror flick. Forgetting herself, Makayla dropped to her knees helping the man into a sitting position. He groaned and leaned his head against the back of the wall.
"Thanks," he mumbled, grimacing and wincing as he moved his head around to find a comfortable spot to rest it against.
Makayla sat back on her haunches staring at him. When Aimee moved to attempt to untie his hands, Makayla pulled her back. There was no way in hell she was going to set him free, not until she knew what was going on.
"Who are you?" she demanded, holding Aimee back.
The man groaned in response, unable to form any intelligible words.
"Mackie, he's hurt!" Aimee said in indignation. Her face was still flushed from crying and her lips were still quivering. "He's not the bad guy. He tried to help Riley."
"You're Mak?" the man suddenly said, his face grimacing as he spoke.
Makayla frowned at the man darkly. Why did he want to know? "Yah, I am. Where are Riley and Janessa?"
The man shook his head.
Makayla rose to her feet, pulling Aimee out of the pantry and hopefully out of earshot of the stranger. The little girl was still trembling and crying. "He needs help," cried Aimee, trying to pull away again.
"Aimee, listen to me. We don't know who he is. He might be part of everything for all we know." Makayla held Aimee by the hand and dragged her towards the phone that still hung on the wall. The technology was outdated and ancient just like Gibbs himself but for once, Makayla appreciated the reliability. Gibbs had her cell phone not that it would have worked anyway, and she knew she was over her head and needed to call for help.
"Let me go, Mackie," whimpered Aimee, fighting hard against Makayla's grasp on her arm. Makayla ignored her and pulled the receiver from the wall wondering how she was going to dial and still hold on to Aimee. The little girl yanked and pulled at her arm until she managed to free herself. Makayla dropped the corded phone onto the floor and grabbed the blond-headed girl with both hands, shaking her in frustration.
"We need to call your dad!" Makayla shook Aimee again harshly. "Tell me who that guy is!"
Aimee dissolved into tears once more, choking hard on her words. "Lane…"
"Who's Lane?"
"I'm Lane."
Makayla's heart leapt into her throat when she turned to see the wounded Marine standing in the pantry doorway. Somehow the man had managed to get to his feet, hands still taped behind his back. Terrified, Makayla pulled Aimee behind her. Even injured, he was a daunting presence. Makayla cursed under her breath. She should have shut the pantry door.
"What happened?" she demanded. "Where's Riley?"
"That's what I'd like to know."
Both girls spun around to see Gibbs standing in the kitchen. He had his hand at his waist like he was going to draw his weapon. Makayla felt relief wash over her; her legs began to tremble, making her feel like she would collapse. She grabbed onto the counter as she watched Gibbs restrain the strange man in their midst.
XxXxNSICxXxX
Gibbs did a quick survey of the room, giving both girls a quick once over to see if they were injured and was relieved to see they weren't. He'd called for reinforcement the moment he arrived on the scene. Unknown vehicles in his driveway made his gut churn. He was willing to play it safe and now he was glad he'd listened followed his gut instincts. It rarely let him down.
As he turned his attention back to the injured Marine, he felt the man go limp and moved quickly to catch him before he collapsed. It was obvious the young Marine posed no threat in his wounded state. This guy wasn't the enemy.
"Mak, quick, grab a chair." He commanded.
Makayla moved quickly and together they helped the wounded Marine to sit down. The man managed a weak smile of appreciation as Gibbs pulled his knife from his pocket to cut him free of his restraints. Once free, he slumped in the chair holding his head. Gibbs reached for first aid supplies in his kitchen drawer and applied pressure to the man's head wound. The man hissed and winced under his touch. Aimee stepped forward, her teeth chattering once more. Gibbs looked up at her in concern. She looked so fragile standing there. He offered her a reassuring smile. "You okay, sweetheart?" She shook her head as tears tumbled down her cheeks.
"You took quite a hit to the head, Private. What's your name? "asked Gibbs, pulling Aimee into his arms protectively. Gibbs winced when he felt her cold body shivering in his arms. Poor kid had been traumatized again. How much more could she take? They'd come so far yet she still struggled every day and now something else had to happen. Damn it! They couldn't seem to catch a break. He pressed a kiss onto the side of her head, hoping with every fibre of his being that she'd escape this new event unscathed. The last thing either one of them needed was for her to regress further.
"Private Lane Brody, sir," the blond-haired Marine said, his voice quaking slightly.
"What happened? You're a friend of Riley?"
Lane nodded, "Yes, sir. Riley and I trained together at the same boot camp." Lane raised his hand to take the cloth Gibbs held against his head. Gibbs released his hold and took a step back. Aimee kept her arms around him as he moved from the Marine. Lane cleared his throat and began to explain how he'd picked up Riley from the hospital and brought him to Gibbs' house. He told of how Riley planned to confront Michael Trace on his own terms. He spoke about talking to Abby at the front entrance while Riley retrieved Gibbs' gun. Gibbs clenched his jaw and bit back a curse on his lips. How could Riley be so stupid? Teenage rebellion was one thing; Gibbs could handle that. He'd been thinking of creative ways to deal with Riley's behaviour, trying to let go of his more authoritarian ideals. But this kind of risky behaviour took the cake. What had the kid been thinking?
Gibbs heaved an audible sigh. None of what he'd heard so far made any damned sense. Gibbs wanted to interrogate the Marine further but bit his tongue. There would be time later for more intensive questioning. This young man had no idea how much trouble he had gotten himself into. Gibbs caught sight of the look of fear in Aimee's eyes and bit back his words. He needed to play this cool. Aimee didn't need to be traumatized any further. He needed to get her someplace safe.
"I was talking casually with a woman at the front door," continued the Marine, pulling the cloth away from his head to inspect it. He grimaced at the amount of blood he saw.
"Head wounds bleed a lot," Gibbs found himself saying.
The Marine nodded but for several seconds seemed fixated on the cloth.
Gibbs glanced at Makayla who was gripping the counter so hard that her knuckles were white, as was her tear-streaked face. Gibbs' heart went out to her. As much as he was angry with her, he hated to see the look of anguish laced across her face. The poor kid looked frightened.
"I heard a scream," continued Lane, dropping the cloth to the floor. He looked up at Gibbs, his face ashen. "I infiltrated the room as quickly as I could. Riley was unconscious and Trace had your little girl…"
Gibbs felt his blood grow cold. "Janessa," he whispered under his breath. Trace had his baby girl. What did this guy want?
"I tried to stop him, sir…I-I must have lost consciousness…he pistol-whipped me several times." Lane looked up at Gibbs, his dark, red-rimmed eyes pleading with him to understand. "I don't remember anything else except waking up in the pantry." Lane dropped his chin to his chest, seemingly exhausted as well as disgusted.
Gibbs looked down at Aimee, still clutching him tightly. He felt a chill creep up his spine. Aimee was the only one who might know what happened. The little girl was trembling and quaking in his arms. She hadn't stopped quivering since he'd wrapped an arm around her. He knelt down, gripping her forearms gently while looking into her big dark eyes. "Do you know where Janessa is, sweetheart?"
Aimee shivered and shook her head, dissolving into tears. "I-I don't know!" she screamed at him. "Riley tried to stop him, daddy, but he was hurt. The other guy tied me up. I couldn't see anything." Aimee shivered and choked back a sob. "I-It was so dark." Aimee looked at Lane with tears swimming in her eyes. "I thought you were dead."
Lane managed a weak smile. "It's okay, sweetheart. I'm okay."
Gibbs wrapped his arms around Aimee, picking her up into his arms and rocking her gently. At that moment, he felt completely helpless.
