In the next few days the team worked fast to get a full personal history on Jake Thompson. It didn't take much research to find out that Jake Thompson was formerly known as Jake Meyers, brother of Eric, a secret service agent. Tony's eyes widened as he read that fact; Kate had dated someone by the name of Eric while involved in the Secret Service. He knew it would upset her but he had to know if this was the same person; and if this was the reason she'd sworn off romance and in turn sworn off him.
"Kate?" he called across the way, loud enough to attract her attention.
"Hmmm?" was her only response, then in a distracted tone, "what is it Tony?"
"Who was it…the man you were involved with who was killed in the line of duty?" Tony asked, knowing this was a sensitive subject.
"Really, none of your business DiNozzo," she snapped, now looking directly into his eyes.
"Seriously Kate, you may want to rethink that answer…it's important," Tony said, lowering his voice, letting her know she better come over to his station. Suddenly Kate rose from her seat; looking unsure of herself she crossed the room to stand behind Tony, to see what was so important. When she saw the face on the screen she gasped, she knew him, not as well as his brother. Tony knew that Eric Meyers was probably the first and only man she had truly loved, and it was killing him to not even get a chance; he knew he could treat her as well as he had, if not better.
"I think I need to sit down…" she said, trailing off. Tony looked up at her, seeing the paleness of her face he immediately rose leaving her his seat.
"This is the man Gibbs, McGee and I are going after…we're going to bring him down, no matter what it takes," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder, his gaze holding hers. Gibbs came around the corner at that moment.
"What do we know about the boss? We already know he's covering for something bigger than their campaigning leads on," he said through his teeth, his frustration with this case showing more than ever.
"Well…it appears that there's another personal connection," Tony began, "you see, he's Eric Meyer's brother, the man Kate dated before he was killed…it appears he has a grudge against Kate for his death."
Gibbs turned looked at Kate, knowing it was more important than ever for Kate to stay at headquarters. Sighing audibly he commanded McGee to get the keys and Tony to follow them to the garage. Walking away from Kate, Tony glanced over his shoulder looking at Kate staring at the picture on his computer. He knew he had to be careful; he didn't want to blow his chances with Kate by doing something stupid…like dying.
Gibbs opened the truck's door as McGee brought it to a stop. The sun was high in the sky, turning the asphalt beneath their feet into an oversized stove. Gibbs glanced at his watch which read 4:28pm; 'two minutes…the bastard better not be late,' he thought to himself. Two minutes later a modern, box-like, low riding sports car pulled around the curb. The man who got out of the car appeared to be Jake Meyers; he was tall, business-like, dressed in a jacket, dress shirt and tie and dark grey sunglasses hid his green eyes.
"You're early…" Jake said curtly, no emotion to be found.
"No," Gibbs snapped, "I believe you're late."
"What did you want to talk about?" he asked, changing the subject.
"We know you're sitting on a bigger operation here," Gibbs growled, "we know about the murders."
"You can't prove anything about me or my company," Jake snarled, nervousness creeping into his tone.
"McGee! DiNozzo!" he snapped, "search the buildings and the alleys of the four surrounding blocks."
Jake waiting until the two men were out of ear shot, "that's very brave…sending away your back-up like that."
"I don't need back-up," Gibbs said between clenched teeth, "I can take you myself."
"So where's the third member of your team..?" he began, "Kaitlin was it?"
"I made her stay home, due to the nature of such a case…I didn't trust her to take you out in the way I wanted to," Gibbs barked. His tone saying just how much he needed to get rid of this bastard that was causing Kate so much pain.
"She's a big girl…she can get past such hard decisions easily, but me…I don't forget the animal need for revenge," Jake snarled, drawing the gun he had stored in the small of his back.
"Just because you lost your brother, meant she needed to lose hers?" Gibbs asked, keeping his cool, knowing the type he was dealing with, "she's bigger than that…but obviously you aren't."
The tension was building faster by the second as he cocked the gun, preparing to shoot. Gibbs swallowed slowly, planning his next move; all actions halted when a second car screeched around the corner.
"Real big, Meyers, you can't finish a job so your buddy has to come and rescue you before you can even decide whether you're making the right decision," Gibbs snapped.
The car screeched to a halt, the driver kept in the shadows by the contours of the body shape. Gibbs watch the uneasiness travel across Jake's face as realization set in; holding a federal agent at gun point was obviously something he'd never planned on doing. With a sudden movement, Jake jerked and pulled the trigger, the bullet lodging itself in Gibbs' shoulder. Gibbs opened his mouth to call DiNozzo's name, but nothing came out; he tried again, and the young agent appeared at the corner of the street just as Jake dove into the backseat of the car.
"DiNozzo! Get your ass out here!" Gibbs choked out as loud as he could. To his relief, Tony appeared on the street corner and ran into the street, gun drawn. Gibbs smiled to himself, "just as I taught him." Standing in front of the car, he held out his gun and fired two shots, barely flinching. After the second, the car swerved slightly but remained on course as if the driver had been injured but not killed. Noticing this Tony fired three more into the windshield, causing the glass to crack resisting the need to shatter. The car gained speed, barreling into Tony's side before he had time to react. Tony fell against the pavement, no resistance left in his body to soften the second impact. Just in front of him, the car swerved erratically hitting the nearby telephone pole.
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs called, running towards Tony and the now totaled car. Tony groaned in response, enough to let his boss know he would be alright. Holding his gun steady he examined the driver and the passenger; the passengers head lay down against his chest, dead. Confirming the observation by pressing his forefinger against the driver's neck, he kept the gun aimed at Jake in the back seat. Knowing the accident caused the doors to jam, Gibbs knew Jake had no where to go. He couldn't help but grin at the sight of Jake sprawled on the floor of the back seat, having fallen there from the impact of the head on collision.
"McGee!" Gibbs barked, grasping his shoulder, still aiming at Jake, "call an ambulance, the police and the fire department, we have to clean up after ourselves."
"Sure thing boss," he said pulling out his cell phone. After muttering their location to the dispatcher, McGee turned his attention to Tony. In what seemed to be five minutes, the team could hear distant sirens.
"Tell…Kate…" was all Tony could get out coherently, and the younger agent understood exactly what he wanted. The emergency trucks seemed to arrive at the same time. The police relieved Gibb's of his position, holding Jake to the confines of the car while the fire department worked on the roof. Within minutes, the door was off the hinge and Jake was in police custody.
When the second ambulance arrived, the EMT's went to Gibbs for orders, who barked that he should be second to be cared for; Tony was in worse condition. Gibbs yelled again when the police informed him that Jake would remain police custody. Gibbs knew he wouldn't be able to bring him into autopsy, he'd missed that chance, but he knew for sure that he wanted him brought to headquarters as soon as possible. Gibbs watched the events unfold around him as he flinched against the sharp pain coursing through his arm. Gibbs watched the EMT's carefully as they hovered over Tony, placing him carefully on a gurney to wheel back to the ambulance.
"Call headquarters, tell Kate where they're taking us, and make sure Jake ends up within the same hospital where we end up," Gibbs growled, eyeing the bandage on his shoulder that was slowly turning red.
"Sure thing boss…" McGee replied, climbing into the ambulance next to his boss.