Disclaimers disclaimed.
Chapter XX - Long Night Ahead
Nightfall had come and the squad room was getting empty with just a handful of agents left working for the day. Needless to say, day one of the all out search for Benjamin, Johanson, and Amadi was coming to an end with little new information. McGee was frustrated and tired, but he couldn't let his NCIS family down so he picked up his phone to call home.
"Hey honey!" Delilah answered after the second ring.
"Hey."
His tone didn't go unnoticed by his wife, "You need to stay at work tonight, don't you?" She didn't sound angry, just worried.
"Yeah, it's all hands on deck after last night", he explained.
"How's Tony and Ziva?"
"Tony's still unconscious and Ziva is ... well she's not in a good place right now."
"That's to be expected. This whole thing must be killing her. I couldn't imagine being in her shoes. But, knowing you're there for our friends makes me feel better. Did you eat today?"
"No", he answered reluctantly.
"Timothy, before I agree to you spending another night away from our kids and our bed, you need to promise me you'll go eat. A thirty minute break will not kill you. It might even help with your energy so you can crack this case. Please!"
McGee chuckled, "okay, I promise. Tell Johnny and Morgan that I love them."
"I will. I love you honey, please go eat and call me in the morning."
"I love you too". He ended the call and leaned back in his chair for moment before standing to go do as he promised Delilah. Just as he stood up, the elevator doors opened and Torres entered. Before he could say a word, Bishop ran over to Torres and hugged him. McGee noticed the agent wince in pain but didn't address it .. not yet at least.
"Oh my God, I was so worried about you", Bishop went on, "Are you okay? You will not believe all the insanity around here. Where were you?"
"That's a question we'd all like to know the answer to", McGee interrupted. "But we have to wait for Ziva to come back from the hospital."
"Is she okay", Torres asked while trying to hide something that almost looked like he hoped something was actually wrong.
McGee noticed it but tried to brush it off. "She's fine", he answered in a nonchalantly. "Just went to check on a friend who got in an accident this afternoon", he lied.
Bishop looked at him confused but she didn't say anything. She caught on quickly to what her boss was doing. He thinks Torres is involved too. She looked between the two men, not knowing what to do as the tension thickened. Luckily, McGee broke the silence and gave her an assignment.
"Since Torres is back, Ellie you can go home and rest. Before you go to bed though, call the prison and set up a visit with Deeter Johanson for tomorrow. I want you to question him and see if he knows what his little brother has been up to."
"But what about ..."
"Ziva and I will debrief Torres. You don't need to be here for it", he interrupted knowing exactly what she was going to ask. "Now goodnight."
"Goodnight", she responded in defeat while grabbing her bag. "See you tomorrow Nick, glad you're okay", she added as she headed towards the elevator.
"Night!" Torres called out then locked eyes with McGee, "what did I miss?"
"A lot in the last seventeen hours", the senior agent didn't hide his annoyance as he pulled out his phone to text.
"Sir, I can explain everything ..."
"And you will, as soon as Ziva gets back." He paused for a moment then continued, "which should be in about thirty minutes says her text. She wants to meet in MTAC. You can go there now while I grab something to eat."
Torres looked at him with irritation then looked over to the 'most wanted' wall. "I see we have some new faces up there."
"Yeah", McGee met his gaze. "We will discuss that during our debrief with Ziva. I'll be back shortly. Don't disappear again."
Torres looked curiously at McGee as he left, then pulled out his phone when he was sure he'd gotten on the elevator. Gotta call Amadi. He walked behind the stairs and made the call.
"Agent Torres, good to hear from you. What's the update?"
"Sir, Ziva DiNozzo is now in charge it seems. We're set to debrief in about 25 minutes. I'll have more information for you after that. For now, all I can tell you is that they've posted you in the 'most wanted' wall. It seems like all of NCIS is looking for you now so lay low."
"I see. Does anyone suspect anything?"
"I don't think so. But my boss seems a little weird. I'll figure it out shortly. I'm not worried though."
"Good. Thank you for the update. I expect a call from you after you've debriefed and set up the next target."
The call ended and Torres headed to MTAC to wait for his meeting with McGee and Ziva, all the while wondering what might come next.
.
On his way back from grabbing a quick bite to eat, McGee ran into Ziva in the parking garage. Should I tell her I think she's right? He smiled awkwardly as they got on the elevator in silence. Ziva looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Challenging him to say something but he didn't. So they quietly got off the elevator and went to MTAC to meet with Torres.
Upon entering, Ziva cleared her throat and Torres stood. "Agent Torres, you may have a seat." He did as he was told as McGee watched on. "So, I'll just get right down to business, where have you been and why were you unreachable?"
Torres looked at them both then spoke, "Before I answer that, can I ask why I'm having this conversation with you and not the Director? It seems weird that he wouldn't be here for this."
"It seems weird that this is the first time you've asked about the Director since you returned", McGee chimed in. "Come to think about it, when I told you that we needed to have this meeting with Ziva, you never once seemed interested as to why she'd be here. Why is that?"
"Boss, it's been one hell of a day. I guess it just slipped my mind and I've had sometime to think now. So where's the Director?"
He's pushing too hard. "We will get to that after you explain yourself Agent." McGee's voice was stern and lacked any hint of going off the topic at hand. He wanted answers.
Torres sighed, "I had to deal with a personal matter. Last night things just got really real."
"What personal matter", Ziva asked. Becoming increasingly irritated at the way Torres kept skirting around what he was trying to say.
"I'd rather not say, that's why it's called a 'personal' matter", Torres responded sarcastically.
"Is your job a fucking game to you!?" Ziva closed the distance between them and hovered over him while he remained seated in the theaterlike chairs inside of MTAC. Both her hands pressing into his biceps. He tried to hide the pain in his face but McGee noticed it again and Ziva saw it too. That's interesting. She stepped back slightly and stared at him. "Answer the question."
"Okay fine! It's this girl, she called me out of the blue saying I got her pregnant." He lied as he continued to try to hide his pain, "I mean it's crazy right? But then I went to her house and started really chopping it up with her and realized that maybe I could be the baby's father. The whole timeline she gave me makes sense."
"So you're telling us you were MIA during a major investigation because one of your many female friends is pregnant?" McGee watched him closely.
"Well", Torres looked down then back up, "Yeah. I mean, I know it's not a good enough excuse but it's the truth. It all just threw me off and I rushed to her house so quickly that I left my phone at home. It must have died while I was out. But I stayed at the girl's house all night just trying to figure out future plans. I mean, this is my first kid! It's crazy!"
The room was silent for a moment. Both senior agents mulling over the flimsy story. It seemed like a Torres thing, but then again, it made no sense. Not with everything going on. His sudden need to look at everything except them made it even more unbelievable.
He's lying. Ziva was the first to break the silence. "For some reason, Torres, I don't believe you. It's just too convenient. So either you give me the truth or I'll have to ask McGee to leave so he's not implicated in what I choose to do next."
"Are you threatening me", Torres asked in disbelief.
"If it sounded like a threat, then I do apologize." She got in close to him again, "because I don't make threats, only promises, and I damn sure keep those."
"Yeah, like how you promised to always protect Tali. Pretty good job with that by the way." The words slipped before he could stop himself. And Ziva's hands were around his throat before he or McGee could react.
"Do you really want to push me Torres", she said through gritted teeth while tightening her grip. "Because now really isn't the time."
"Ziva", McGee tried to pull her off. "ZIVA!" Still nothing worked. Her grip was too tight. "Zi, you're going to kill him!"
"No I won't." She loosened her grip. "Not until I know the truth."
Torres toppled over, out of the chair and onto the floor as he gasped for air. "You're ... fucking ... crazy", he choked out.
"Not crazy", she kicked him in his arm causing him to yell in agony. "Just really pissed off and now curious about that arm."
"McGee do something", Torres pleaded but McGee just sat in one of the chairs. "You can't be this fucked up! Ahh!" He yelled out again as Ziva kicked him. "Ugh! Okay okay, please just stop!"
Ziva smirked and knelt down. She tapped Torres' cheek roughly then gripped his arm again, popping the stitches under his sleeve. "What happened to your arm? I want the truth."
Torres spoke through panting deep breaths, "I ... got ... shot ... trying ... to ... follow ... a lead."
It was a partial lie but, this time, Ziva believed him. Letting go, she stood back up and looked down at his now bloody sleeve. "Why did you lie before?"
"Because", he paused to even out his breathing. "I knew I'd get in trouble if I told you I went by myself and damn near got killed."
"McGee, take him to the hospital and then get the information on this shooting. And debrief him on the safehouse and the condition of Tony and Hunter."
A flash of disappointment came across Torres' face. "No, I don't need a hospital. What happened to the Director?"
"Someone bombed the safehouse", McGee explained as he helped Torres off the floor.
"Wow".
"Wow? That's all you have to offer is, wow?" Ziva stepped closer causing Torres to flinch but she didn't attack. "I don't have much patience for you so you would benefit by saying more than just 'wow'."
"I'm sorry, I don't know what else to say. Sorry for your loss."
Ziva and McGee both looked at him like he had seven heads. "My husband isn't dead Agent Torres."
"But you said someone bombed the ..."
"I said it was bombed, I didn't say that my husband died." Her nose flared.
"Oh". The disappointment flashed across his face again, but Ziva didn't address it.
It was him!
The room fell quiet. An uncomfortable tension rose between them. After a few more minutes of silence, Ziva spoke again. "You're going to the hospital. As a matter of fact, I'm sending you with a protection detail instead. I need McGee here to work on some things with me."
"No apology for almost killing me", Torres asked smugly.
"Don't push your luck", McGee responded before Ziva could answer. He knew she was ready to explode again so he stepped between them. "Wait for me in the squad room. I'll setup the protection detail for you in a moment. Again, don't disappear."
Torres rolled his eyes and left. When the door to MTAC slammed shut, Ziva took a seat. "I don't trust him. He's hiding something", she spoke. "You said that Tony said he shot the guy who broke into the house right before the bomb?"
"Yeah, that's what he said when he called me about the intruder." He sat next to her, noticing the way her eyebrow raised in curiosity when he answered the question. "What's going on in that head Ziva?"
"Has Abby checked the bullets yet? The ones you found at the scene, there was one with blood on it, yes?"
"Yeah there was but no, she hasn't checked them yet. She's been swamped with the other evidence we brought her so ..." McGee stopped talking and shifted in his seat to look directly at Ziva when he clued into what she was really asking. "You think Tony shot Torres ..."
"Question or statement, Tim?"
"Both! You think it was Torres."
"I doubt if I'm wrong. And you doubt that I'm wrong as well which is why you didn't defend him." She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and leaned in closer to McGee. Almost wishpering, she said, "He looked very disappointed when I said that Tony wasn't dead. Tomorrow morning, we run that blood as soon as Abby gets in. For tonight, I want that protection detail on Torres' ass. Until I have proof that he's not involved, I don't trust him."
"Ziva", McGee sighed, "maybe you're just overreacting."
"Do you really believe his story? That he actually went to chase down some lead that he can't even give us details on!?"
She's right. He shook his head, "let's just keep a close eye on him. I'll get the protection detail to get the information on the lead. Okay?"
"Fine, go set it up before he disappears again. And make sure they take him to a different hospital. I'll be in Tony's office when you're done, then we can ride together to go see Tony."
McGee nodded in agreement and they left MTAC to prepare for the long night ahead.
