Chapter Thirty One: Living the Dream

Nicole stood against the back wall hugging her self across her chest, shivering slightly from the cold. She watched the man that had taken her; all her threat had done was make his sick smile turn into a feral grin. She was scared. He stayed just inside the door pulling his phone from his pocket and dialing a series of numbers. She thought it was way to long to be a phone number.

He had the phone to his ear for a while before he mumbled under his breath and hit the end button with force. Nicole surveyed the room with her eyes, looking for anything that would work in her favor, but found nothing. She also noticed the only way out was the door behind him.

He dialed another time, this time short enough to be a phone number and waited. He turned to the side and was talking in a low voice into the phone. She couldn't understand what he was saying but she heard him refer to someone by the name of Travis. She filed it away and grew more nervous as the man seemed to grow more agitated with each sentence in the conversation.

Finally he was simply looking at his phone shaking his head, the anger evident in his expression. He then tossed it on the table next to the door and took a step towards her. She sank deeper into the recess of the wall, trying to make herself invisible. He took another step towards her, the whites of his eyes glowing in the near darkness of the room. Nicole felt herself tremble as he came nearer to her.

The grin on his face was sending shockwaves of terror up and down her spine as she tried desperately to think of a way out of her predicament. He stopped and stared at her, looking her up and down. He cocked his head to the side before he spoke in a low dangerous tone.

"Your mother caused me a lot of pain," he said. Nicole's eyes widened with fear as she recognized the voice from her nightmares. She felt her knees go weak and her shoulders slump. She fell to the floor tears running down her cheeks unable to scream, paralyzed with fear.

He came another step closer and stopped, squatting down to be on her level as she quivered on the floor. Her fear finally causing her bladder to let go, soaking her pants, and leaving a puddle underneath her. The man smiled at what he had caused, showing her even white teeth.

"Now it seems that everyone is talking," he continued as he reached along his belt. He pulled out a long jagged knife, bringing it around in front of him, showing the young girl the blade. "This is better than your mother got, but I'm short on time if I want to disappear. A shame I lose the Navy, but I'm sure I'll find something for me."

As the man spoke to her she felt her survival instincts overriding the paralyzing effect of the fear. She scooted herself together more, coiling her muscles, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The man came at her with the knife then and she knew it was now or never. This was the point where she either died or she made the best of her situation and tried to escape.

He thrust forward with the knife coming at her chest and she twisted and sprung to the left bringing her knee up with her. From his position he was unguarded for an attack and her knee clipped his, knocking him off balance. Nicole was on her feet in a flash as the man tumbled to his side. He lashed out with the knife catching her on the hip, the same leg that she had ripped open when she fell from her window the day her mother died.

She whimpered in pain as the knife cut flesh but the adrenaline and survival instinct drove her to drop her other leg back and kick with all her might, coming in contact with the man's balls. She heard him grunt as his face instantly turned red. The knife fell from his hand and she scrambled to the door as he rounded his body back to his feet. She grabbed the phone as she passed by, ripping the door open and sprinted into the darkness of the empty house. She was lost, in a darkness that she had dreamed about.

She heard the man coming, and struggled to clear her mind, to think of what to do next. She needed to get away, far away from this place. She needed a place to hide. She sprinted down the long hallway towards what she remembered as being a staircase. She could hear him grunting as he reached the door and stumbled into the hallway.

He was yelling at her now but she didn't hear; her heart was pounding in her ears, the blood sounding like a tidal wave of water splashing all around her. She was disoriented and stumbled. She caught herself and winced when she put her weight on the hip with the gash in it. Her hand instinctively dropped to the wound and came away covered in sticky red blood.

She pushed herself to run faster, finding the stairwell and managing to stay on her feet as she let her momentum carry her down, sometimes taking three steps at a time. She reached the bottom on the run and headed towards light on the other side of the room. She could hear him moving down the hallway towards the stairs now. Her hand gripped the phone tightly as terror surged through her body. The darkness was smothering her as she tried frantically to get to the light. She felt like she was drowning in the abyss as she ran towards the nearest door.

She felt a little lift when she reached the doorway and came into contact with some light. It was from the moon outside, but it was still a break from the utter darkness of the interior of the house. She looked around frantically for a door, and found one to her left. She surged ahead, limping on her sore leg as she pushed herself to the limit. He was coming down the stairs, and picking up speed. He had recovered from her blow, and she knew that knife was in his hand.

She made it outside, into the brisk cold air. It made her shudder in her wet pants but she pushed on, racing to the side of the house. All of the houses around were quiet, no lights on anywhere, and no cars in the driveways. She felt the panic well up inside her. Where had he taken her?

Her head whipped from side to side searching frantically for another human being, besides the one chasing her, as she ran into the street. She heard him come out the door, as it slammed behind him, his fury evident in his yelling. She panicked again, if he was yelling at her outside he wasn't afraid of someone hearing him.

She sprinted as fast as her legs could carry her, diverting from the open road as she was easy to spot moving through the moonlight. She felt the grass, wet beneath her feet, as she darted between two houses making her way into the back yard of one. Her path led her towards a wooded area and she scampered in to find shelter among the trees. She reached into her pocket, wincing as she brushed the wound on her leg.

Pulling out the matted, blood and urine soaked paper; she unfolded it so she could read his numbers. She dialed his cell phone and waited, watching from deep in the underbrush as the man searched the backyards for her. He had yet to come into the woods.

When the elevator doors opened on the bullpen Gibbs was his former self, cool, confident, and composed. His eyes held a redness to them from the tears, but it could be written off as lack of sleep. He wasn't worried. Director Shepard followed behind him, a small knowing smile on her lips as he rejoined his team. She hung back, taking a seat on a desk watching.

"Tell me what we got," he said calmly as he came up behind the two agents. There was a picture of a man on the plasma screen.

"Rear Admiral Robert James Kirkpatrick, that's him in the photo. He's been working out of San Diego since he reached two star status six years ago. We've linked him to Commander Powell through his interest in Ensign Deeves case," Tony said first.

"He's involved in a lot of weapons programs, the planning, building, and use of. He is a big supporter of keeping the armed forces, armed," Ziva added.

"Was a Navy Seal for most of his career, until age and injuries drove him to take a desk job," Tony continued.

"And do we know where he is?" Gibbs asked. The two agents looked at each other.

"On vacation is all we got," Tony said with a cringe. Gibbs closed his eyes. He knew in his gut this man was in the city right now and had Nicole.

"Ziva have we heard from Metro PD?" Gibbs barked looking at the face on the plasma screen, studying the eyes.

"They arrived at the Parks' residence a few minutes ago and are questioning the family right now," Ziva replied.

"Stay on that," Gibbs said.

"Does Kirkpatrick have any connection to DC? Does he have a place here?" Gibbs asked.

"Nothing that we can find, Boss, he seems to have disappeared for his vacation," Tony said.

"He's a Seal, Tony, it's what he's trained to do," Gibbs said sternly. Tony nodded slowly.

"Right," he said softly before turning back to his desk.

"Tony," Gibbs said still staring at the man on the screen, memorizing his face.

"Yeah, Boss?" Tony asked.

"We find the other man yet?" Gibbs asked.

"We're looking now. We have a man we think is who Rogers was talking about," Tony replied.

"Think?" Gibbs said breaking his glare from the screen and turning it on Tony. Director Shepard smiled, shaking her head slowly as Gibbs gaze landed on her sitting just outside his grouping of desks.

"Petty Officer Travis Mann, Boss, we think is the sixth man," Tony said clicking the remote and pulling up another picture.

"Gibbs, Admiral Kirkpatrick drives a 2005 black Chevy Malibu," Ziva said standing up behind her desk. Gibbs looked at her and nodded his approval.

"Could be our stalker," he said quickly before turning back to Tony. "Any ideas on where to find him?"

Tony eyed Gibbs carefully, assessing his mental state. Finally he looked down at his feet briefly before shaking his head no. Gibbs looked at Ziva who was on the phone again. She looked up at him, holding a finger up as she finished listening to someone. She hung up and stood.

"Gibbs, the Parks saw and heard nothing. No one in that house knew she was gone until they heard the cops banging on the front door…if she hadn't called you…"

"She'd be dead before anyone knew she was missing. We need to find her," he said the anger seeping into his voice again. "Tony, get back in there with Rogers. Find out how the Admiral can be contacted."

"Right, Boss, but I don't know…on it, Boss," Tony said and then quickly retreated from the bullpen after Gibbs flashed hard eyes at him. Ziva stood by her desk and stared at the man on the plasma screen.

"Ziva, get Travis Mann in here or get McGee to get him if he's in California. We need to talk to him," Gibbs barked. Jen stood and walked up to Gibbs, standing next to him looking at the screen.

"You'll find her," she whispered to him causing him to nod as Ziva used her computer to find Mann. They were standing together shoulders gently brushing when Gibbs' cell phone went off. He quickly yanked it from his belt and frowned at the number, before flipping it open.

TBC…