Opening the car door, Garcia grabbed the handwritten list of NCIS safe houses that Marcus and he had compiled and pulled it closer. Squinting at the list in the dim light given off by the car's interior light, he crossed the empty house that he had just checked that was located on the edge of the Shenandoah National Park off the list. Frowning, he studied the directions to the small, abandoned hunting cabin that was located several miles within the boundaries of the park before placing the list and the pen back down on the passenger seat and closing the car door. If they were not there, he would have to start searching the safe houses, closer to the city.
Reaching for the key in the ignition, he stopped as the burner phone in his pocket began to ring. Pulling the phone free, he glanced at the caller ID, instantly recognizing the number on the screen. He swallowed a groan as he hit the accept button, aware that his boss was not going to be happy that he still had not yet carried out the boss's orders or that Marcus was dead. "Boss," he began only to be cut off by Cassini.
"I've done your damn job for you!" Cassini growled, instantly warning the hitman that the crime boss already knew somehow that DiNozzo had slipped through his fingers, that NCIS had DiNozzo and his kid in protective custody and were hiding them somewhere in a safe house. Deciding that silence was the better cause of action for the moment, he listened while the boss snarled, "The bounty I put on DiNozzo's head cost me less than what I am paying you and I'm betting is probably more reliable as well! DiNozzo is working for the damn Feds and is holed up with his kid in a God damn NCIS safehouse on the edge of the Shenandoah Park."
"I know the place and I was just on my way to take care of things." Garcia rushed to reassure his boss.
"You bettah be!" Cassini barked, "Because I want my money back tonight and I want you earn your money and make sure that no one, and I mean no one, makes it out of that place alive!"
Hearing the phone go dead in his ear, Garcia sighed as he slipped the phone back into his pocket, aware of what would happen if this time he failed. Reaching for the key, he started the car and turned on the headlights before easing the car down the narrow dirt road as he headed back towards the sealed road that would take him to the little used dirt track that led to the small NCIS owned cabin hidden away several miles just within the densest forested part of the park.
NCIS NCIS NCIS
"Gin," Ducky smiled as he placed all his cards, face up, on the table and fanned them out.
"That's the third game you have won in a row," Kate exclaimed, collecting, and shuffling the cards as Ducky jotted down his score on the small notepad sitting on the table.
"And I do believe you now owe me …" Ducky quickly totaled up the amount before he looked back across the table and smiled, "$15. Would you like to play another game, my dear?"
"I wouldn't if I were you, Kate." Tony said softly leaning heavily against the bedroom doorframe, surprising his two friends sitting at the table as he continued, "I have never known Ducky to lose a game of gin rummy."
"Tony!" Kate gasped looking up, shocked at the sight of the injured NCIS agent who was supposed to be sleeping in the bedroom standing in the doorway, clutching a crutch awkwardly under his arm, grinning at her.
"Anthony, what are you doing out of bed?" Ducky frowned as he pushed himself up onto his feet and quickly crossed the small room to grab the unsteady agent's arm.
"There's no…" For the first time that Kate could ever remember Tony blushed with embarrassment as he continued, unable to look at her, "Ummm… bathroom …in there, Ducky."
'No Bathroom?" Ducky frowned in confusion as Tony nodded at him before his eyes lit up in understanding, "Ohhhhh, … no bathroom ... , of course, let me help you, Anthony."
"Thanks Duck," Tony smiled weakly as Ducky grabbed his arm and wrapped it around his shoulder and began to help him towards the bathroom.
Quickly rising from her chair, Kate hurried across to join them as they slowly made their way across the room, reaching for Tony's other arm as she asked, "Can I help?"
"No!" Tony squeaked, horrified at the thought of Kate helping him take care of business, it was bad enough that he needed Ducky's help.
Ducky tried not to laugh at the horrified look on his young friend's face as he forced the chuckle back down and smiled across Tony's head at Kate, "Thank you my dear but I think Tony and I can cope. While we're taking care of things in the bathroom, while don't you heat the soup we left for Anthony's dinner."
Glancing across at Tony who had now ducked his head down onto his chest as his discomfort and embarrassment grew, Kate smiled sympathetically and nodded across at Ducky before she asked Tony casually, "Would you like some grilled cheese sandwiches with your soup?"
Tony swallowed hard; his stomach was flip flopping at the thought of trying to eat a little bit of the soup but the mere thought of eating grilled cheese sandwiches had his stomach churning. Swallowing hard to stop the hot bile from rising any further in his throat, he shook his head, instantly regretting it as he managed to murmur, "Umm, no, just the soup will be fine." Looking up, he forced a small smile as he added, "Thanks, Kate."
Kate smiled and nodded as she turned and headed back to the small kitchenette as Tony and ducky entered the bathroom and the bathroom door closed behind them. Reaching for the small saucepan that she had washed up and put away almost two hours before she placed it on the stove before she turned and grabbed a small can of soup out of the cupboard. Opening the can of soup, she dumped the contents into the saucepan and turned on the heat. Grabbing a spoon she began to stir the soup to stop it from burning as she glanced out of the small window at the dark woods that surrounded the small cabin. Stopping in mid-stir, she narrowed her eyes as she saw the brief flicker of headlights between the trees before the headlights suddenly disappeared and the woods went dark again.
Quickly sliding the saucepan of the heat, she drew her gun before she edged her way to the window next to the door, her hand finding the light switch and flicking off the lights, plunging the living room and kitchenette into darkness. After checking that they had locked the front door, she carefully lifted up the edge of the curtain and peered outside, searching for any movement. She bit her bottom lip as she made out the dark shape of a car moving through the trees, driving slowly towards the cabin with its headlights turned off.
Jumping as the bathroom door opened and light from the bathroom spilled into the room, she looked over her shoulder as she ordered Ducky softly, "Kill the light, Ducky, and take Tony back into the bedroom. And stay there until I tell you that you can come out
"What's going on, Kate?" Tony whispered, trying to keep his balance as Ducky released him and turned around to turn off the bathroom light, plunging the room back into darkness.
"There's a car out there," Kate answered softly, turning back towards the window, and lifting the curtain again.
"Maybe it's Jethro and Tim." Ducky suggested quietly as he grabbed Tony's arm, steadying him again.
"No, Gibbs would have called first." Tony told Ducky as he took an unsteady step towards Kate and the window.
"And Gibbs wouldn't turn off his headlights." Kate frowned as she peered out of the window again, desperately looking for any sign of the car. "So Ducky, get Tony back into the bedroom, shut and barricade the door and don't come out until I tell you its safe." She ordered again over her shoulder, her grip tightening on her weapon as she searched the dark tree line beyond the cabin, confident that Ducky would do as she requested as both she and Ducky ignored Tony's weak objections.