16.
"Abby, did they call from the same general area as before? And use Tony's cell?" McGee struggled to hold onto the phone and keep himself upright while Gibbs drove to the site of Teasdale's cabin. Although drive wasn't the right word for what they were experiencing. Skiing might be closer to the experience.
"They did use Tony's cell, but they were closer to the restaurant this time," Abby replied.
"I'm sending you a location. Were they near it?"
The government car fishtailed once more, everyone preparing for a crash, except for Gibbs. Their additional passenger, Fornell, was staring at his NCIS counterpart with a mixture of terror and respect.
"Does he drive like this all the time?" Fornell asked the two agents in the back.
"Usually," Ziva replied. "Only without the ice."
Fornell looked over his shoulder at the two agents. "You guys are braver than I thought."
"Tim! McGee!" Abby's voice was tinny over the phone.
"Sorry, Abs. What do you have?"
"The call was too short to be totally accurate, even with the lock on Tony's cell, but if I had to guess, I'd say they made the call from very near to this location."
"Great! Thanks, Abby." He closed the phone.
"Well?" Gibbs growled.
"Definitely from the Teasdale cabin, boss. Outside it, but there."
"Good."
Far ahead of the carefully driving local police, the car filled with four federal agents slid to a stop in the cabin's driveway, blocking the dirty white van parked there. All four exited the vehicle with guns drawn. Gibbs signaled McGee to the right and David to the left around the cabin. He and Fornell went through the open front door.
The ripped up furniture startled both men as they went from room to room, quietly checking out each one. At the back, they entered the master bedroom, spotting the tunnel entrance.
Fornell peered into the darkness, keeping his body from making an easy target. Gibbs joined him. There was a cold draft coming through the opening. Without looking back, Gibbs ordered Ziva to bring a flashlight for Fornell from the car.
"How did you know she was there?" Fornell asked, startled by the Israeli's unheard presence.
The NCIS agent didn't reply. He just grinned before starting down the ladder into the escape tunnel.
"Jethro, wait for the light," Fornell hissed.
Gibbs waved him off. As he came down the ladder, he felt someone watching him from the darkness. He held his gun by his leg, waiting for a sound to reveal the watcher's location. Moving slightly away from the trap door, he didn't realize how the room's light made his hair shine in the dark.
"Gibbs!" came a young girl's cry as she erupted from her coverings, throwing herself at his tensed figure.
"Laurel? Laurel Teasdale?"
"Yes, I'm Laurel. You've got to save Tony! They're after him." At this, she broke into sobs.
Gibbs gathered the frightened child into his arms, placing his weapon on the dirt floor within easy reach. "Hush. Everything will be okay. I'll get Tony."
"He said you'd come," she hiccupped, ignoring the others climbing down the ladder. "Tony told me to wait until you or my daddy came to get me, but he knew it would be you. Please go help Tony."
"I will, but I need your help first. How many kidnappers?"
"Just two. Ms. Giles, daddy's secretary, and the man she called Billy. He was mean. He beat Tony up, really bad."
"How bad?"
"His eyes were all puffy. I don't think Tony could see very well either. There were ots of cuts on his face. And he was breathing funny."
"Broken ribs?" McGee mused.
"Or the effects of pneumonia starting. He's been susceptible since he had that Y Pestis," Gibbs stated. He turned his attention back to Laurel. "Do you know if Tony is armed? Does he have any kind of weapon?"
"Rule Number 9," she recited. "Never go anywhere without a knife. Tony had this funny belt buckle with a knife in it. He used it to strip the furniture."
"Jethro, you should see this. It's actually quite ingenious." Fornell knelt by the mound of material that had both hidden Laurel and kept her warm. "DiNozzo used the stuffing between layers of cloth like insulation. Didn't know he had it in him to be this inventive."
Laurel tugged on Gibbs' jacket sleeve. "You have to go now! Tony doesn't have his coat or shoes. Billy took our stuff. And Tony made me keep his coat. You've gotta save him!"
Gibbs looked down at the booties on Laurel's feet. "Tobias, call in the locals. I want this area locked down. Nothing and no one gets out of here. Have them start searching the woods to the south, east and west of us. We'll head north. Then drive Miss Teasdale back to her father." He tossed the car keys to the FBI agent. He tapped Laurel on the nose, unknowingly echoing the same action as his missing agent.
"McGee, David, with me."