12.
Tony deplored the fact that it was snowing heavier and the temperature was dropping. He had a feeling that he and Laurel would be on the run very soon. The ransom contact had been made and, presumably, the drop would be completed shortly. After that, the child wouldn't be needed any longer. But with the lack of warm clothing, he needed to find a safe place for them to hide until Gibbs came looking.
It never occurred to him to wonder why he only thought of Gibbs arriving, not the team. It was simply the way it was. Tony was in trouble, therefore Gibbs would come looking for him. He snorted. Probably to give him a slap on the back of his head. He knew he deserved it. If he had been wearing his gun, as he should have been, Tony could've taken down those kidnappers in mere minutes. That wasn't bravado, it was fact. That was the last time he would allow a girlfriend to dictate to him.
It didn't take long for him to lose the feeling in his feet as he slipped deeper into the woods, searching for a road or a trail, maybe a nearby cabin, although Laurel had explained that her father had bought most of the land on the hill to keep it private.
Fifteen minutes later, Tony had made a complete search of the surrounding area. He had found some possibilities, but not many that would protect a small girl from freezing to death. He needed a plan. He smacked himself on the back of the head as if to foster an intelligent idea. And then he had it.
With a grin, Tony hurried back to the cabin. The grin disappeared as he saw the headlights of the van returning. He ran harder, ignoring the pain in his feet. With a sudden burst of speed, he slipped into the tunnel and climbed up the ladder, slamming the tunnel closed and throwing the rug over it before he heard the knock on the door.
As Tony began to leave the bedroom, Laurel ran into him, obeying his earlier instructions to flee at the sound of the knock. "Hold on, Laurel. I'm here. C'mon, I want you to sit with me on the couch, very quietly." He took her by the hand and hurried the little girl back to the living room.
"We're here, we're here!" he called to the unseen kidnappers.
"Where were you?" Annabelle asked suspiciously.
"In the bathroom, trying to clean up the mess your buddy, Billy, made of my face." Realizing suddenly that his feet were wet and filthy, Tony stretched them out under the coffee table. There wasn't time to do anything else.
"Your father is paying the ransom right now, Laurel. Once that's done, we'll let you go."
"What about Tony?" Laurel asked bravely.
"Tony will remain with us for a while longer."
"Where will you take Laurel? Why not leave her here and just call her father with the location?" Tony asked, his green eyes narrowed.
"Why, she wanted to learn how to ski, didn't she? We'll just take her up to the top of the nearest mountain and give her a lesson."
Tony's teeth clenched as he struggled to keep his temper. "She'll freeze to death."
"Or fall off the mountain. Either way, she probably won't survive, but we won't have killed her. We won't even have touched her. You, on the other hand, won't be so lucky. Billy has taken a decided dislike to you, one I can understand. I promised him you."
"Tony!" Laurel cried, clutching the agent's arm tightly. "I won't go without you!"
"You won't have a choice. But it won't be just yet. Billy and I will go get something to eat while we wait for the money to be paid. See you later." Annabelle ushered Billy out the door.
"Don't cry, sweetheart. I have a plan! It's the best plan on the planet, honest. It's so good I should copyright it." Tony kept teasing Laurel until she was finally giggling through her dying tears.
"Okay, what is it?"
/Still more to come, honest.../