2.
Tony and Kathy Lee had been on the road for three hours before she asked to stop.
"We're almost there, Kath."
She tried to snuggle closer to him, but the storage box between the seats defeated her purpose. "I can't wait that long, Tonesy, I have to tinkle."
Something Tony once found cute in his young female dates now seemed to grate. Cutesy terminology, baby talk, general dippiness all no longer appealed the way it used to, but why? Was he becoming, horrors, a responsible adult?
"Okay, there's a small restaurant ahead, I saw a billboard about a mile back for it. We'll stop there." He checked his watch. "We should make it to the resort in time for lunch."
Kathy Lee squealed, clapping her hands. "Fantabulous!"
Tony couldn't help wincing at the shrill noise. "Yeah, fan-tabulous."
The restaurant was small and rustic, built with weathered brick and dark wood. There was a small hotel behind it, nestled in a small valley through which ran a babbling creek. Tony parked away from the entrance, clear of other cars and with an easy exit whether he drove forward or in reverse.
He didn't really listen to his companion's complaints about the distance from the restaurant's entryway, his attention caught by a van parked just out of sight of the main road. The vehicle's windows were heavily tinted and the engine running. His instincts were screaming 'danger', but he wasn't certain why.
"Tonesy, aren't you coming inside?"
"Sure, babe," he replied absently. "I'll be there in a few minutes."
Shrugging, Kathy Lee flounced into the restaurant in search of the elusive ladies' room. Her entrance was noted by a tall man accompanied by two little girls who darted through the open door.
Just as the girls appeared outside, the van began to move, the side door opening. Without further thought, Tony began running. His gun was locked in the trunk of the car, too far away in time and distance to be of use to him.
A figure dressed in black, his face covered with a dark ski mask, jumped from the van, grabbing both girls by their arms and flinging them into the van. The children began to scream, catching their father's attention.
Tony ran harder and, without hesitation, jumped into the van, snatching up the girl closest to him. "Here!" he shouted, tossing her out into her father's arms. As he grabbed for the second girl, the kidnapper attacked.
Tony was grappling with the individual while the van careened back and forth on the icy road. The movement of the vehicle slammed the van's door closed. The NCIS agent fought furiously, but was soon at a disadvantage with the driver pulled a gun, aiming it at the crying little girl.
"Stop or I'll kill her!" The driver, also in concealing garb, steadied the van.
Tony froze, holding his hands up slowly and carefully. "Okay, okay. Don't do anything stupid. I'm not gonna move."
"You're right about that, hero. You won't move ever again. Shut the hell up!"
"I wasn't…" Tony realized a second later that the screamed order was to the little girl sobbing hysterically in a corner of the vehicle.
"Shut up or I'll give you something to cry about!" Taking the gun from the driver, the man advanced toward the child with the gun raised.
Tony moved between them. "Don't…hold up. I'm not gonna try anything. Let me try and calm her down." When the kidnapper didn't seem impressed, Tony tried again. "Look, did that threat ever work when your parents tried it on you?"
Dark brown eyes stared at him for longer than Tony could hold his breath. Finally the man nodded. "Go on. Shut her the hell up. If you can do that, if you can shut her up, I might just let you live, hero."
Tony nodded, slowly turning to face the frightened child.
"Search him."
Tony looked over his shoulder. The driver was disguising his or her voice so the NCIS agent still couldn't tell the sex or age. He stood very still as the armed kidnapper quickly patted him down.
"No guns. Just a cell phone."
"Take it," the driver ordered. "We can use it to make the ransom call."
"Can I?" Tony nodded toward the child.
"Go on."
Tony squatted down until he was almost at eye level. "Can I sit down next to you, sweetheart?"
Blue eyes overflowing with tears stared at Tony before moving past him to check where the others were. Seeing them otherwise occupied, she agreed softly. "Okay."
"Thanks. It's hard for a guy as tall as I am to keep standing stooped over for very long. I'd start looking like Quasimodo." Tony hitched one shoulder up and dropped the other down, bowing his back as if he had a hump.
She laughed. It was a bit watery and contained a hiccup or two, but it was definitely a laugh.
"Ah, you recognize ol' Quasi?"
"From the Disney movie."
Tony grinned. "You're not Esmeralda, are you?"
She shook her head, her blond hair flying. "Laurel. My name is Laurel Teasdale."
"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Teasdale. I'm Anthony DiNozzo. You can call me Tony. All my girlfriends do." Tony held his hand out to shake with hers, his long fingers gently folding around Laurel's small hand. Tony recognized the name and knew exactly who she was, the eight year old daughter of billionaire financier Thomas Teasdale.
Laurel's lower lip was beginning to quiver, signaling a return to crying.
"Laurel honey, I know it's really, really hard, but I need you to try and not cry." Knowing from personal experience how hard it was for a frightened child to stop their tears, Tony opted for a compromise. "How about you cry into my jacket? It's very soft. Touch it."
Laurel reached out carefully and stroked the arm of his camel brown suede jacket.
"See the bad man?"
She nodded, moving closer to Tony as the kidnapper glared at her.
"He doesn't like to hear you cry and he's threatening to do something about it."
"I…I heard him."
"So we have to be as quiet as we can, okay, Laurel?"
"Well? Is the brat gonna keep it quiet?"
Laurel wailed in fright, climbing into Tony's lap and burying her face in his jacket. Tony wrapped his arms around her, silently defying the kidnapper to try anything. At the same time he murmured soft words of support to the girl in his arms. "It's okay, sweetheart, it's okay. I'll keep you safe, I promise."