Chapter 17

Abby watched as the motorbike roared past at speeds that had to be in excess of 100mph, the rider handling it with ease and assurance. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and slowly sat up, her breathing finally easing in relief that he had passed her by without seeing her on the roadside.

"Sweet" she murmured to herself in relief, no longer feeling the pain in her arm or body, thanks to the adrenaline coursing through her body. Suddenly Abby tensed, her eyes shooting to the road and the sound of the motorbike returning. Abby didn't wait before once again she started to scramble for the safety of the trees, this time the headlight came upon her quickly, and from the angle of it, he had seen her and was heading her way. Abby tried to run faster hoping that if she made it to the trees she could elude the large motorbike and its rider. Suddenly she felt the wind rushing past her, the motorbike skidding to a stop a few yards in front of her, Abby froze like a deer caught in the headlights before her senses returned and she spun away, trying to find somewhere to hide, somewhere to run to.

"Abby" she heard Ari call out to her, the accent giving his voice a caressing quality

"You are hurt Abby, and running will only cause you more injury" she heard Ari call out again, she could hear the sound of his leathers chaffing against the metal of the bike as he dismounted, but Abby continued in her shuffling run refusing to stop and acknowledge him wanting only to escape, every breath burning her lungs every step a drain on her dwindling resources of energy. But still Abby continued, desperate to escape to return to the safety that Gibbs represented. Abby felt tears coursing down her cheeks but she refused to give in, refused to stop, and then she was tumbling her leg wrenching in pain as it snagged on the tree root sticking out of the ground Abby's tears and the night concealing it from her. Abby fell hard, her broken shoulder taking the impact and she felt a scream bubble in her throat before she felt the word spin and the darkness swallow her, Gibbs vanishing from her tired mind.

……………………………………

Ari jogged over to the fallen woman, a curse escaping from his lips at the sight of her bruised and battered body, at the exhaustion on her face and the tracks her tears had made in the grime and blood that marked her pretty face.

He bent over and gently disentangled her leg from the root, checking to see if it was broken, pleased that it wasn't but knowing from the rapid swelling that it was badly sprained, his hands moving and quickly checking the rest of her body for further injuries, noting the broken arm. Ari then knelt in the grass beside Abby and gently brushed her hair from her face, his eyes dark and unreadable. Admiration welling up in him for this strange looking woman, who had defied all logic and had leapt from a moving truck, had the presence of mind to try and hide from his advancing motorbike and who had still found the courage and strength to continue to flee when all the odds were against her, when her own body was screaming to give in as he was sure it must have been.

Ari gently scooped Abby up into his arms, carrying her over to his motorbike and propping her against it. He had met few people he truly admired but this Abby Sciuto was rapidly becoming one of them, he sighed wishing he didn't have to do what he had so meticulously planned but knowing that he would regardless of his own personal feelings.

Ari pulled out his phone and made the call that would start the game.

………………………………………………………….

Gibbs nursed his hand, knowing his action had been stupid resenting now the loss of control it had signified, and the evidence of his emotions that it had left behind. Gibbs sat back in his chair in the bullpen and wished there was some lead, some clue, anything that told them where the hell Abby was and what Ari had planned but there was nothing, and that made it so much harder for Gibbs because now to add to his guilt he felt stupid and incompetent. Gibbs had just returned from a meeting with Morrow, how had expressed his regret at not having given Abby the protection that Gibbs had requested, he had also authorised Gibbs to use any and all means to get Abby back, and to catch Ari. Dead or alive as the saying went, Gibbs snorted, as if he needed permission after this he thought his eyes narrowing at the thoughts of just what he would do to Ari when he found him, and if it cost him his badge, Gibbs new he could live with that but what he couldn't, wouldn't live with was letting Ari live any longer.

Gibbs jerked slightly as his phone started to ring; he grabbed it without thought and answered curtly

"Ah Agent Gibbs" Ari responded to the one word greeting "You really do need to work on your telephone skills"

"You bastard" Gibbs growled standing up and motioning to Tony, pointing at his phone. Tony stared for a second, his eyes growing round before he dived on his phone and got to work tracing the phone call on Gibbs's mobile.

"Don't bother trying to trace this call Gibbs, you wont succeed" Ari said calmly

"Let me talk to Abby" Gibbs demanded, wanting to know that she was safe

"Why Agent Gibbs, you sound upset" Ari taunted

"You bet I am, you can bet your life on it" Gibbs ground back, his voice dropping a few notches in tone, ice permeating the air waves. "Because you did when you took Abby" Gibbs warned him slowly getting his emotions under control, his mask dropping back into place, his eyes shooting over to Tony a question in them. Tony just shook his head and wind milled his hands indicating Gibbs should keep him talking.

"Is Abby alive?" Gibbs asked, amazed that he could ask the question so calmly

"Yes she is Agent Gibbs, but I am afraid she has had a slight mishap and cannot come to the phone at the moment" Ari told Gibbs, his voice betraying nothing.

"If you have…" Gibbs snarled down the phone, his mask falling away once again, his desire to reach into the phone and kill Ari screaming from his demeanour and voice.

"I did nothing to cause this Agent Gibbs, your Abby is a very determined woman, perhaps to the point of foolishness" Ari said calmly, infuriating Gibbs all the more for it "However should you fail to co-operate with me then unfortunately I shall have no choice but to … add to her injures" Ari told Gibbs.

Gibbs managed to hold his temper back by sheer force of will, every atom of his being screaming frustration and anger but his voice betraying little of it.

"What co-operation?" Gibbs demanded his eyes locked onto Tony who shook his head again.

And the only response Gibbs got for his question to Ari was the dial tone ringing in his ear.

"Ari you bastard" Gibbs shouted down the phone his voice vicious, his eyes cold as he looked over at Tony. Tony shook his head his eyes betraying his own anger and fear

"No Boss" he almost whispered, watching as Gibbs slammed his phone into the side of his desk repeatedly until the phone shattered into pieces, Gibbs then threw the remaining heap at the wall before sinking into his chair, his cold hard eyes locked onto the image of Ari on his computer screen, his words replaying in his mind like a hollow echo of thunder.