Just a fair warning, there is some talk of torture and blood farther along in the chapter.
Chapter 3
The sandpaper ran over the coarse grain of the wood. The sound was rhythmic and it lulled me into a sense of calm. I had always found peace within the confines of the basement. The smell of saw dust clung to the air. My eyes zoned into the grain of the wood, it mesmerized me.
Another Valentine's Day and another boat. The sound of the small television in the corner drowned out the silence that surrounded me. An old western movie played across the screen, but I didn't pay much attention to it. The storm outside raged on, thunder and lightning striking. Suddenly the peace was gone. The dull ache inside me pushed its way to the forefront and I found myself rubbing the sandpaper harder against the wood.
My mind traced back a couple of decades and a handful of years ago, to one of the best Valentine's Days I had ever had. All to soon, I was being thrust into a truthful tale of Valentine's Day past.
"I'm going to teach you everything I know! I'll show you how to play house and how to sand a boat. We can play dress up and we'll help daddy build us a tree house. I'll show you how to do everything because I'm your big sister!" Kelly cooed at the small infant that was in the car seat next to her.
I glanced up into the rear view mirror and an easy grin found its way across my face. Shannon took my hand in her's and my eyes turned to quickly meet her expectant gaze.
"Two kids? How are we going to work this, Jethro?" She wanted to sound worried, but the smile on her gorgeous face gave her away. Her eyes lit up with emotions as she spoke about our two children who were nestled in the backseat.
I laughed, "Shannon, it's a little too late to stop it now. We have two kids and we'll be fine. Kelly will be seven this year and she's old enough to be able to help you around the house. She's elated to have a younger sibling. You know that."
Shannon nodded, "I'm just nervous. We didn't plan for this. We were only going to have Kelly."
"Would you change it now?"
"No, not for anything. You three are my world." I squeezed her fingers gently and focused in on the road ahead of us. We were going home after two days spent in the hospital with the arrival of our second child. The last nine months were full of surprises and unexpected turns. The first surprise being that Shannon was expecting.
A heavy snowfall had hit the Virginia town we lived in the day that the infant decided to make its grand entrance into the world. The snow had Shannon in a panic when she felt her water break. Thankfully my truck had four-wheel drive and we were able to make it to the hospital safely; barely in time for our second child to be born twenty-three minutes later.
I pulled into our driveway and turned off the engine. "J, look." Shannon's hand rested on my arm as she stared at the scene in the backseat. Kelly had fallen asleep, her hand securely placed on her baby sibling. The sight filled me with joy. This was my family and there was nothing I wouldn't do for them.
"You go on inside, I'll get the kids." I whispered. She nodded and pressed a kiss to my cheek.
"I love you, J. Happy Valentine's Day. "
"I love you too, Shannon, and Happy Valentine's Day to you."
Her eyes twinkled with mischief, "Maybe we should have named them Valentine. After all, February 12th is close enough to Valentine's Day. They're our little Valentine."
"Absolutely not! Do you know how awful that would be for them? They would be teased so much in school because of their name!" I shook my head, but couldn't hold in the low laugh that escaped through my lips, "Come here."
I pulled her closer and kissed her soundly. "Mm, you are a wonderful father and husband, J. We're so lucky to have you."
I let our foreheads rest together, "No, I am the lucky one."
Another crash of thunder had me bolting out of the trance I was in. I shook my head to rid myself of the flashback and stared at the now smooth stretch of wood. I had, apparently, continued to sand it down while I remembered that day so long ago.
I huffed and threw down the nearly dull piece of sandpaper and headed up the stairs. I laid down on the make shift bed I had made for myself years ago on the sofa and sighed. Sleep took a long time to come and when it did, I was thrown into more episodes of a life that seemed like only a blur.
My memory filled dream was cut short by the ringing of my phone and I rolled over to grab it off of the coffee table, "Gibbs."
The rain pounded harder against the mud ridden streets of the small village. I wasn't supposed to be out here, Nagasaki told me as much. I had completed the majority of my training and I was eager to get my first assignment, little did I know my first assignment was already waiting for me.
I had been in solitude for thirty-seven days and sixteen hours. I was itching to get out and explore the streets, so I snuck out. The rain was unexpected, but exhilarating. It made me feel alive after battling with my inner darkness. My senses had become heightened and I felt like I could hear each individual droplet hitting the dirt. It was an odd sensation.
That's when I felt it, the small twinge in my neck. Suddenly, I was falling deep into a pit of darkness. When I woke up, I was chained to a metal beam that ran the length of a cold metal ceiling. It took my eyes a while to adjust after the effects of whatever drug was in my system.
I looked around and realized that I must have been in a cellar. The walls were made of dirt and I could only assume that the ground was as well. There was a large metal door directly in front of me and it swung open. I barely flinched at the noise it created. My captors came in, three men in total, each wearing matching grimaces.
"She is obviously American." The words came from the man in the middle. He was the largest of the three and tattoos ran the length of his muscular arms. His voice was laced with a heavy Japanese accent.
One of the other two stepped forward and sneered at me, "What are you doing here, girl?" I spit in his face. "Feisty and pretty, they'll pay a heavy amount once we get you calmed down."
"Blondes always fetch a high price. Father will be pleased." The third one reached up and ran his fingers through my hair. I pulled back and used the chains to pull me up enough to kick the man in his gut. He growled and punched me in the face. I spit the blood out of my mouth and smiled.
I knew I shouldn't have egged them on, but I couldn't help it. I needed to get them to show their weakness quickly and the best way to do that was to anger them. A series of blows was sent to my rib cage; I didn't give way to any pain.
"Hm looks like we have a tough one, brothers." The largest man spoke as he came towards me, "You may be tough, girl, but you will never be able to withstand this."
He ripped my shirt open and lightly dragged a knife down the skin of my stomach. My breath hitched in my throat as I watched the scene that played out before me. Just as the knife was getting ready to plunge into my side a faint ringing had me bolting up out of my bed.
I stood on the cold wood floor as I struggled to catch my breath. Rain pounded against the large windows behind me, the thunder crashed, and the lightning brought flashes of brightness into my room. My hand clutched my side and the eight inch scar burned. It was only a nightmare, one I had lived, but a nightmare all the same. The ringing caught my attention and I was lunging for my phone.
"Hello?" I said a little breathlessly.
"Well, good morning to you too." Tony chuckled.
I checked my clock, "Good morning? It's barely four! What do you want, Tony?" My voice sounded more irritated than it should have been.
There was a long pause on the other line before he answered, "We've got a case. Boss wants us at the crime scene A-S-A-P."
"Okay, I'll be there in thirty minutes." I sighed.
"Everything alright, Lacey?" I could hear the concern in his voice and I hated it.
"Yes, Tony, everything's fine. I need to go get ready. I'll see you in thirty, text me the address." With that I hung up.
My breath was still a bit labored and I focused on getting it under control. It took a few minutes and then I was rushing around my apartment. A text notification came through and I knew Tony had sent me the address of the murder. I pulled on a pair of jeans and the first t-shirt I could find. I slipped my feet into a pair of combat boots and grabbed my NCIS jacket.
I grabbed my keys and as I ran down the stairs of my apartment complex I tied my hair back into a ponytail before slipping it through the back of the NCIS hat. I climbed into my car and allowed myself a moment to breathe.
I made it onto the highway in record timing. Before heading towards the crime scene, I stopped off at my favorite twenty-four hour coffee place and grabbed a large cup to go. Today was bound to be a long day and I would need the extra caffeine to get me through it. I got caught in some light traffic, but eventually I made it to the crime scene.
It was located on a back round of D.C. A petty officer was run off the road and shot dead only a few hours ago. I tried not to be annoyed by the fact that I was up at four in the morning to investigate my second murder; there truly was no rest for the wicked.
I pulled in behind the NCIS issued vehicles and drank down the remainder of my coffee. I crawled out of the car and my hand went immediately to my badge and identification. I showed the officer who was guarding the crime tape and he let me pass.
"It's about time you got here, Hart." Gibbs gave me a scorching look and I grumbled about the traffic. "DiNozzo, show her what to do."
"Yes, Boss!" Tony grinned, "Let's go, Probie! Grab a camera and follow me!"
I hope that you have enjoyed this next chapter! Please let me know what your thoughts are! I love hearing from you all and that is really what keeps me from not quitting my stories! I appreciate the follows and favorites from each of you! School has officially wrapped up for me so I am excited to be able to devote more time to my writings and to be able to regularly post new chapters! I have so many possible storylines for the next chapters so just know that I have no clue what is going to happen next, just like the rest of you! I go where the story takes me and right now it is taking me in about ten different directions! :) We are all in for surprises I am sure! Thanks again for your continued patience!
See ya later,
Theatrefreak10
