DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NCIS OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTS!

Ch3

Sarah couldn't stop the tears from falling, but she tried to keep her mind on alert for what might be coming. Mentally preparing for different possibilities and how she might best fend off her kidnapper and make an escape. The room was still dark with no hint of any light, so she assumed she was either in a cellar or interior room.

If the were any kind of windows surely some form of light would permeate the pitch black that surrounded her. Then again she had no sense of what time of day or night it was.

How long had she been out, since she was first taken? It had been after 11 P.M. when she was finally on her way back to her dorm.

"Oh, Timmy," she cried silently. "I'm so sorry." She knew he'd be worried and beside himself trying to find her. Would Gibbs help him keep himself together? She knew Tim's boss was a good man who wanted to find the facts and get to the answers quickly. Would he be able to do that this time? Were there any clues left that would lead them here, wherever here is?

As her heart rate began to decelerate and a calmness settled into her psyche, she heard the rattling of keys and panic resumed its hold on her. She began to pull uselessly on her restraints. Her mouth was dry and though she wanted to scream, she could produce no sound.

She felt a cool brush of air as the door opened soundlessly. She could see the silhouette of a man standing in the doorway, a dim light behind him. His breaths were even and his stance relaxed, as he stood unmoving watching her. It frightened her more that he didn't do or say anything. If she were a little girl she would close her eyes and pretend she couldn't be seen, but she knew his eyes were on her. She didn't know what he saw or what he was hoping to see.

Tim hadn't given her any details about the other attacks. He only told her that girls were taken while walking alone at night and no sign of them was ever found, until their bodies were discovered weeks later. She took hope, remote as it was that Tim would have time to find her. The scariest part was not knowing what she would have to endure in the meantime. Nothing that flashed in her mid was pleasant. She prayed for strength to survive no matter what that man had planned for her.

It seemed like time stood still while he merely watched her, but almost too soon when he stepped back to close the door. She heard him use the key presumably to relock the door which she couldn't get to anyhow. She breathed a sigh of relief that this time he did nothing more than stare at her.

He unlocked the door jangling the keys to alert his girl that he was coming. He knew from previous visits to his other prey that it caused them to panic. He enjoyed seeing them struggle to get free, begging him to let them go, seeing them realize that he was the in control, and screaming when he left them without saying a word.

This girl, Sarah was the name he heard on the phone, was different. She was scared, he could see and sense it; but she kept herself from giving into it. She watched him as he watched her. He was right about her being his most intriguing catch. It might take longer than he first thought to break her. That thought thrilled him.

Of course now he had to go to work. It was a mundane job and the night shift only made it seem like a longer sentence. Still he'd be missed if only one call came in and he wasn't there to answer it. Ideally it worked well for his hobby. No one else worked with him and those who came before and after him hardly shared a word let alone held any type of conversation. For all he knew they could all be fans of the hunt and kill, though they both looked too weak to be much of a hunter.

His strength was hidden in his slender build and the uniform they were required to wear. Still his clothes ere more of tight fit while theirs appeared to hang on their frames. He despised weakness, in any form.

That was why he was so proud of Sarah. She was strong. The others had their own degrees of strength, but Sarah managed to hold his stare like none of the others could. He smiled to himself sliding his ID badge to enter the security office of the dreary hotel. Looking at the roster there were only six residents in the thirty room establishment. Another long night awaited. To pass the time he began to visualize his next visit with Sarah.

They would get to know each other a little better. He would touch her hair and maybe her shoulders where her hair ended. She would be scared, maybe toss her head around to try to disturb his caresses. Yes that's what usually happened, but she might surprise him. He might enjoy a surprise reaction from her.