4 hours earlier...
They had just left the bar together. The whole team had met up for drinks after the close of a very long case. Ziva had had a little more than she realized she could handle anymore. And since the three younger agents had carpooled, Gibbs called a cab.
"Make sure she gets home, DiNozzo," Gibbs told Tony as he and Ziva piled into the back of a cab.
"No problem, Boss," he replied, a bit tipsily. "We can drop her off first."
"See you Monday!" McGee yelled as they pulled away. "Boss," he turned to lead agent, slightly stumbling. "I think Abby and I have had a little too much to drink. I rode here with Tony and Ziva, and Abby will probably need to share a cab with me, which would be ridiculous since we're on opposite sides of town. So can you give her a ride, maybe?"
"I can take you to your place, too, McGee," he said Abby walked out of the bar onto the sidewalk. "Come on, Abs. Takin' you both home," he headed to his car.
"Oo! Are we going to your house for a night cap?" she asked excitedly as she made her way over to the car, linking arms with Tim.
"I didn't say that," he smiled, amused at the slight slur in her voice.
"Yeah, but we could, right? You're not even buzzed yet, Gibbs," she mentioned.
"It's not a contest, Abby."
"Oh, that's a great idea!" she said as she opened the back door and slid in. Gibbs shook his head and smiled before he got in the driver's seat.
"Boss, your phone's ringing," McGee said lazily as he laid back in the passenger seat.
"I know," he furrowed his brow in his direction. "It's in my pocket, McGee," he pulled the phone out, not actually having heard it until the younger man pointed it out, and answered it. "Gibbs."
"Agent Gibbs..." an electronically jumbled voice sounded over the line.
"Who is this?"
"We have two of your agents."
"Who has them?" he asked as he held his hand up for the others, who had begun giggling and chattering, to be quiet. "What agents?"
"The agents who left the bar with you. You put them in a cab."
Gibbs felt a twinge in his chest."Why? What do you want?"
"We need them...so that we can make a trade."
"For who?"
"For what, you mean. The case you closed today...we want the evidence."
"Who is this?"
"That is unimportant. What you should be more concerned about is the well-being of your colleagues. For every hour you keep me waiting, they will be punished."
"Wait! I don't have access to that evidence anymore. It's been sent out."
"That's disappointing..." said the cryptic voice on the other line. "I'll call you in an hour. Hopefully, you can hunt it down by then..." the call ended.
"Hold on! Hello?" he pulled his phone down in front of him, looking at the screen.
"Boss? Who was that?" McGee asked, quickly sobering.
"Whoever it was, they've got Ziva and DiNozzo..."
*~.~*
Ziva groaned as she sat up from the floor in the dim room. She heard Tony groan beside her and she turned toward him. "Tony, are you okay?"
"Yeah..." he pushed himself up, rubbing the back of his head.
"Where are we?" she asked as she scanned the slightly lit room. It was void of any furniture and the walls were bare. The floor was slick black tile covered with a thin layer of dirt.
"I dunno... Last thing I remember is getting in the cab." Suddenly a door was flung open in front of them, and two masked men grabbed Ziva by the arms and dragged her out of the room. "Hey!" Tony shouted as he tried to fight through the next set of men who were pushing him back to stay in the room. "Where are you taking her?!" But the door slammed shut on him, leaving him alone. "Hey!" he yelled, pounding on the door, trying with every ounce of his strength to open it. Then the light went out in the room...
His knees dropped to the floor in the thick darkness and he pressed his ear against the door, straining to hear what was happening on the other side. At first, it was deafening silence. He closed his eyes and held his breath as he tried to listen. Then he heard her...she was screaming.
"Ziva!" he yelled, his voice cracking. And then he was doing everything in his power in attempt to knock down the door. "Ziva!"
tbc...