Tim went completely still when he felt the gun on the back of his head. He knew he was dead if he made a false move. Oh, who was he kidding? He was dead anyway. This man wanted him dead and he had him right where he wanted him. He wouldn't even be able to put his hand on his gun before he was dead.
"Listen to me very carefully, kid. Take your gun out slowly and put it down on the counter," the man behind Tim said quietly, but with a deadly tone.
Having no other choice, Tim slowly reached for his belt and took his gun from it. Then, just as slowly, he placed it on the counter. "If you kill me, you're as good as dead. My boss is upstairs and he will kill you before you even make it out of this house.
"Take two steps towards the living room and then turn around.
Tim slowly walked sideways a couple of steps. He immediately noticed the pressure from his head disappear. He then turned around to get a look at the man. It was causation man who looked to be in his fifties with balding brown hair. He also looked like a force to be reckoned with. "Who are you?"
"Call me, Nick. And I have no intention of killing you. That would make saving your ass kind of redundant, wouldn't it?" Nick asked before putting his gun away
"What?" Tim asked in confusion.
"You don't think that SOB following you got dead on his own, do you?" Nick asked with a smirk.
Shock became evident on Tim's face. "You killed Juan Garcia? Why?"
"To keep him from killing you. I thought I was clear on that," Nick said.
"Why would you care if I live or died? And what the hell was this about? Why put a gun to my head if your goal is to save me?"
"It's called self-preservation. You carry a weapon and you have a price on your head. The last thing I need is to startle you and have you shoot first and ask questions later. It was better to disarm you first. As for your other question, it's not about caring whether you live or die. I was hired to do a job and I will do that job to the best of my ability," Nick said.
At that moment, Gibbs walked in. He had his gun out in a second. "Who the hell are you?"
"I think he's some kind of body guard, Boss. He said he's here to protect me," Tim said. There was some skepticism in his voice. Sure, the guy hadn't shot him, but that didn't mean he could be trusted.
Gibbs glared at the man in front of him. "Protect him, huh? Exactly what are you protecting from?"
"Not my place to explain and no time to do so. He's got a price on his head and I'm sure you're right behind him. I've got orders to get him out of here now. You weren't mentioned, but that has more to do with the fact that the person who asked me to do this doesn't know you're in this," Nick said.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but no one's going with you," Gibbs said firmly with his gun still aimed at the man.
Nick laughed. "Well, I'd be concerned if you did agree to go with me without a fight. But you will come or you'll die. You don't matter so much since they think you're dead anyway. He's another story."
"Who is 'they'?" Tim asked.
"Rather than give you an explanation you won't believe, I'll let someone else do it for me," Nick said before going to reach into his pocket.
"Hey! Keep your hands where I can see them!" Gibbs yelled.
"If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it before either of you even knew I was here," Nick said before continuing into his pocket and pulling out his cellphone. He pressed a single button and placed the phone to his ear. "Yeah, it's me. I'm here, but like we figured, I'm being met with resistance.
After a second, Nick handed the phone out for Tim. "She'd like a word."
Tim frowned in confusion, but took the phone and placed it up to his ear. "Hello."
"Hello, Tim," a female voice said.
Tim recognized the voice immediately. It had been nine years since he heard it, but she was for all things that mattered, his mother. He wouldn't forget her voice. "Sharon? Sharon, is that you?"
"Yes, it's me. I need you to listen to me very carefully and do exactly what I say. Your life is in extreme danger right now," she said seriously.
"Yeah, I know. There was a guy following me and he planned to kill me. He's dead now," Tim said.
"He's only one of about a hundred. Your life is in extreme danger. I'm sorry, Tim. We didn't want this to touch you, but it has and we have to act fast. You need to go with Nick now. He will protect you."
"What? You want me to just go with some guy I don't know? No, I can't just do that. You have to tell me what's going on first," Tim said. He was sick of this. He was sick of the lies and the games. If Sharon wanted something from him, she had to tell him what was going on first.
"Listen to me!" She said in a very stern and fierce voice
Tim stopped immediately. It wasn't often he heard that tone of voice from the woman, but when he did, it was no different than when Gibbs used it. Disregarding it was essentially suicide. "I…I'm listening."
"You are going to do what I say here, Timothy. You are going to go with Nick now and he's going to bring you to me. I am not going to let you place your life in jeopardy because you're angry with us! This is not up for discussion! Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," Tim said. He couldn't help himself. He felt very much intimidated right now. In fact, there was only one person in the world that could intimidate him like that and he was standing just a few feet away from him.
"Good. Listen, I know you're upset right now. You have a right to be. I am going to explain this to you later, but right now, I need you to be safe. So please do what I say," she said. Her voice was much softer this time.
"Okay," Tim said before handing the phone back to Nick, who stepped out of the room.
Gibbs, who'd since put his weapon away walked over to his agent. "What the hell is going on, McGee. Did you just agree to go with his bastard?"
"Well, it was more like I was told I was going with him, but same difference I guess. The woman on the phone was my mother-in-law. She can be just as intimidating as you in her own way," Tim said.
"We'll see about that. This isn't happening, McGee. You're not going off with this guy just because some strange woman told you too," Gibbs said firmly.
"Boss, she may be strange to you, but she's not to me," Tim said.
"Isn't she? She's been lying to you since you've known her," Gibbs reminded him.
Tim cringed slightly as he was reminded of his family's betrayal. It did strike a nerve, which he was was his boss' intention. "That may be true, but she's still my family. She's not your typical mother-in-law. She's been more like my mother. I wanna see her and I wanna see my wife. God, I wanna see my wife. So, yes, I am going to go. I'm going to see my family. Wouldn't you do the same if you were me?"
Gibbs stared at Tim for a minute. He wanted to berate him some more, but how could he? How could he fault McGee for wanting to see his wife when he longed for the same thing every day? "You're not going alone. If you're doing this, I'm going with you."
"I think that's what the plan was anyway," Tim said.
"Grab your gun and let's go. You're not leaving without it," Gibbs said before walking towards the living room.
Tim grabbed his gun off the counter and followed.