A/N: Sorry that I missed posting this chapter yesterday! That is what happens when a big ole snowstorm comes along and traps you in your house all day long and knocks out your internet connection, too. :-( However, having no internet all day long aside, I had a great day! I haven't been knee-deep in snow for about seven years, and I'd forgotten how much FUN it is!
Anyway, I'll post this chapter today and Chapter 9 tomorrow...so you can at least be thankful that you won't have to wait long between these two action-packed chapters that are coming up! Enjoy!
"You feeling what I'm feeling?" Tony murmured as he pulled the navy-blue NCIS Charger alongside the curb in front of Gregory Hunt's small suburban home. In a neighborhood of modest but respectably-kept homes, Hunt's house stood out for its faint air of neglect. The weeds in the lawn, the chipping paint on the railings of his porch, and the scrubby, malnourished shrubbery all gave off the impression of carelessness, of an occupant too busy to be bothered by such things, and also too busy to be bothered with keeping up appearances. Neglect wasn't what was setting alarms off in Tony's gut, though.
"Yeah, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied after a moment. "I'm feeling it." Tony's eyes flashed to Gibbs' ice-blue stare for an instant before turning back to the house.
"They've known for a while that we might find this address at any time," Tony added, reminding himself that he had warned Sanders to be cautious, and that he could count on her to do so.
Without answering, Gibbs stepped out of the car, drawing his weapon at the same time, but keeping it low to his side. Tony followed suit. The Lead Agent waited a moment for Gibbs to join him before the two men prowled across the lawn towards the front door, angled away from each other slightly to capture the widest possible view of the surrounding area. Reaching the small porch quickly, Tony tested the door knob, then knelt to pick the lock while Gibbs continued to assess the situation, peeking quickly through both porch windows.
"Looks clear," Gibbs muttered, as Tony got to his feet and took a step back from the door. Gibbs took his position, and DiNozzo stepped forward rapidly to push the front door open, retreating just as quickly to allow Gibbs to rush into the house, weapon leading the way. Tony stepped into his wake immediately, his Sig raised, and his footsteps light across the linoleum as they swept into the tiny foyer. Finding the coast clear so far, Tony nodded to Gibbs and they split away from each other, Tony heading for a room that opened to the side of the space they were now in and Gibbs moving directly across from the door towards what appeared to be the kitchen.
Moving into the side room with rapid, cat-like caution, Tony reacted immediately when he came face-to-face with a dark-clothed, armed figure. Two close-range and instantaneous shots took the man down immediately, and Tony quickly realized that the other gunshots he's heard hadn't come from the foe he was facing.
"Gibbs!" he called, scanning the rest of the side room rapidly on his way back into the foyer. A flash above him, and Tony dove for cover in the threshold to the side room - he'd barely had time to see that Gibbs was crouched in the corner of the foyer against the stairs. In the next instant, Tony took aim at the bastard that was positioned on the stairwell. Two bullets took the man out, and Tony managed to pull back in time to dodge the shots that were taken at him in return.
Ducking around the wall again, Tony timing was nearly perfect as three men moved into the foyer from the kitchen. Gibbs took three shots in quick succession, taking out the foe closest to him. At the same time, two shots from Tony's gun landed in one of the other men, and the third managed to dodge and run back for the kitchen. With a quick glance at Gibbs, Tony leaped after the third man, Gibbs at his heels as he moved into the kitchen. He spun around the separating wall with his Sig leading and found himself only feet from the remaining foe, weapons raised between them as they stared at each other. Gibbs was only six inches to Tony's left, his weapon also raised.
"Put it down," Tony growled.
The dark-haired man's eyes flicked to the side.
"There's no where to go," Tony warned him. "PUT IT DOWN."
It only took one more tense moment before the man lowered his gun, and Tony stepped forward and yanked the weapon out of his limp hand. Tossing the captured gun aside, DiNozzo grabbed the bastard by his shirt and threw him into the wall.
"Where are they?" he roared, his mouth inches from the man's face. When the only response was silence, Tony backed off enough to land a punch hard in the guy's jaw. "WHERE?"
"I don't know," the man sputtered, blood leaking out of the corner of his mouth.
The sound that came out of Tony's throat was nothing but rage, and, helplessly, the dirt bag flinched away from the expression on Tony's face. The only thing that stopped Tony from beating the bastard to a pulp in that moment was the advance of Gibbs's presence as the older man stepped closer to their captive. The threat on the retired agent's face was unmistakable as Gibbs raised his weapon, it's mouth less than a foot from the man's sweat-soaked forehead.
"Let me explain this to you," Gibbs began. "You tell us where our people are being held, or you die...right here, right now."
"You can't do that," the man stuttered. "You're cops."
"Feds," Gibbs corrected. "He is, but I'm not." He pressed a little closer. "Just look at him, though," he said, gesturing to Tony with a half-smile curling up the corner of his mouth. "Does he look like he's worried about his career right now?" The dirt bag's eyes shifted uneasily back to Tony, and the look in his eyes told Gibbs that he agreed with the former NCIS Agent's assessment. "If you don't start talking, you better hope that I shoot you. It'll hurt a hell of a lot less."
"Leesburg," the man said quickly. "Some 15 miles West of town, 4872 North Cannon Road, way back into the woods."
"All three of them?" Gibbs questioned.
"Yes," the man replied. "The woman, the girl, and the guy from LA."
Gibbs smiled. "How many of your friends?"
"Less now," the man said. Tony hit him again, just as hard as the first time. "Probably six."
"Now was that so hard?" Gibbs asked, and then he hit the man hard in the back of the head with his gun. He crumpled to the floor, and Gibbs wasted no time dragging him into the foyer. Gibbs held a hand out to Tony and the younger man dug a pair of handcuffs out of the pocket of his jacket. Cuffing the unconscious man to a stairwell railing, Gibbs rapidly checked his pockets for anything useful. He found nothing.
"We have to go now," Tony said, holstering his gun. "As soon as whatever bastard is running this operation finds out that their ambush went to Hell, they'll be moving Ziva, Adi and McGee somewhere else."
"It'll take your team at least a half hour to catch up with us," Gibbs said.
"I DON'T FUCKING CARE," DiNozzo yelled. "We cannot wait!"
"I wasn't suggesting that we wait, Tony" Gibbs replied off-handedly. "Just stating the facts. We have under 30 miles to come up with a rescue plan."
"Right," Tony said, and Gibbs didn't have to lay eyes on the younger man to know that he was working to slow his breath, closing and opening his fists to pump the anger out of his system.
"I'll drive," Gibbs said, standing and pulling Tony with him as he headed for the door. "You call your team and Abby. Get someone here to process this mess, and get us some back-up."
Tony's stride smoothed as he managed to force-drain the fury from his body, and he acknowledged Gibbs' words by slipping quickly to the passenger side of the Charger while Gibbs took the driver's seat. As Gibbs started the engine and pulled away from the curb with a screech of abused tires, Tony pulled his cell phone out, pounding the numbers only slightly harder than was necessary before holding the phone to his ear.
"Yeah, boss?" Agent Sanders answered.
"Any trouble at Morrow's house?" Tony asked.
"None. You?"
"Ambush," Tony said shortly. "We're okay, and we have an address for Ziva, Adi and McGee's location. I'll text it to you. Meet us there ASAP."
"Boss, you can't go in alone..."
"ASAP, Sanders," Tony snapped, "and call Abby. Give her the address, tell her McGee is there, too. And tell her to have the Director send a team to clean up the mess Gibbs and I just made." Without waiting for a response, Tony flipped his phone shut and shoved it back into the holster at his waist.
"We'll have back-up," Tony said, after a moment, "but not right away."
Gibbs blew a heavy breath out through his mouth. "Extra weapons?"
"Two more Sigs in the back" Tony said.
"Ammo?" Gibbs asked.
Tony huffed. "I'm insulted that you even had to ask."
A/N: So, how'd that sit with you? This is really my first attempt at writing an action scene like this, and - having never been in a gun fight myself(thankfully) - I certainly hope that it came off realistically enough. Won't you please leave me a review and tell me what you thought??