Chapter 7

For once, Kort was as good as his word and the files on the two men were sent within minutes of his arrival at the CIA. They were heavily redacted, but NCIS didn't need to know all the details. They needed to know who they were and what they looked like. The bare minimum of detail was sent out in the BOLO. Andras Hajnal, originally from Hungary, and Manuel Abadilla, originally from Spain. Both wanted on suspicion of arms smuggling, apparently working together, and selling out to whoever wanted the weapons...so long as they had the money to spend.

Kort had told them that he'd be back with more information that he couldn't just send out once he had got everything he could, and he had even promised that he was really working on it. In the meanwhile, they continued to try to figure out where Hajnal and Abadilla might be hiding out. It had to be fairly secure, possibly isolated. Maybe they were even squatting in someone else's home. In any case, there was a lot of planning to do. When they found their kidnappers, they would have to be ready to move quickly, at a moment's notice. No hesitation.

When...not if.

It was after eleven when Jethro looked up from his work and saw his team all asleep at their desks. He wanted to force them to keep working, but at the same time, he knew that they would be better off if they had a little bit of downtime. They wouldn't dream of asking to leave. Not in this situation. Part of Jethro knew he should just let them go home and come back in the morning, but he couldn't bring himself to admit that it was unlikely that they'd get any further tonight. There was so little time.

He had heard from Jason who had managed to get on a red-eye flight. He wouldn't be there until the morning, but he was going to get to DC no matter what it took.

Jethro knew that Hollis' brothers wouldn't blame him if the worst happened...but he would blame himself. His worries kept him from even thinking about sleep, even if he didn't begrudge the others the chance to catch a few hours. He got to his feet and walked to the windows overlooking the Anacostia.

He smiled a little as he thought about Hollis' first words to him when the kidnapper had put her on the phone. Her first worry was that he'd try to divorce her...but he understood what she had really been saying. That she wasn't going to accept him blaming himself, that if he did, she'd be extremely irritated with him.

Before he knew it, he was calling his father, not even thinking about whether or not he'd be awake, not thinking about what he'd say. This was one of the few times he wanted to have his dad tell him things would be okay. That was really all he wanted.

The phone rang a few times and then Jack's sleepy voice came on the line.

"What is it?"

"Hey, Dad."

"Leroy? What's wrong?"

"Hollis has been kidnapped. If I don't find her by tomorrow, they're going to kill her."

"Leroy..." Jack paused for a few seconds. "What do you want me to do? Do you want me there?"

"Yeah, I do, Dad. Good or bad..."

Jethro almost smiled. He rather thought that his father was shocked at his easy admission.

"Then, I'll come. No matter what. I won't even ask any questions."

"Thanks."

"...but she's alive right now?"

"Yeah. They have to set up the exchange still. They'll keep her alive at least that long."

"So...by tomorrow morning, it'll be over one way or the other?"

"I hope so."

"Leroy, I'm going to come tonight. I'll come to NCIS. Will someone be able to let me onto the Yard?"

"Yeah." Jethro didn't even bother denying that he'd like his dad here with him. He might try with his team but not with Jack, not about this. He knew what Jack would be thinking. It was the same thing he'd been thinking.

"I'm not going to give you any platitudes, Leroy, but it'll be okay."

Jethro smiled.

"Thanks, Dad."

He hung up and stared out the window for a while longer. He hated having to wait, but he recognized that it was necessary.

...but for how long?

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Hollis was awake, but she was pretending she wasn't. She hoped to doze off at some point simply because she had a feeling that she'd be grateful for any sleep she was able to get, but it was hard to sleep when one was a hostage. Funny. Her face was still throbbing. If she didn't end up with a black eye and a bruised cheek, she'd be shocked.

I hope I live long enough to hate it.

This place she was in must not be very large. She could hear them talking in low voices and strained to hear.

"She's too calm. I don't like it."

"Why? Because she managed to take you down?"

"It's not funny, Andras! What if she's a plant? They're just using her to find us!"

"How? She's not wearing a wire. You already checked that. Thoroughly."

Hollis suppressed a grimace. The idea of having been pawed by Manny was unpleasant to say the least.

"What if they were watching and followed us?"

"And how did they know we'd do this? We didn't know we'd do this. They just happened to think that someone would go after the NCIS agent's wife? Manny, you're paranoid."

"She's sleeping!"

"Maybe she's tired. Besides, if she's Army, she's probably used to stuff like this."

Yeah, I'm used to jerks forcing themselves on me and men threatening to kill me. It happened every day, Hollis thought sarcastically.

"It's your fault we're in this mess anyway. If that information gets out, we're finished. I'd rather have the CIA get me than the people who might be exposed by that flash drive you let him make."

"I didn't let him!"

"Quiet! I'll call him in the morning and set up the time. Your only job is to make sure that we fix your mistake. No witnesses and that flash drive doesn't get handed off to the CIA. They'll try to make their own plans, too. We have to be ready for that. I'll be the one to interact. You will be ready to make sure I'm the only one who gets out alive. Understood?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Good...and keep in mind that if I don't get out alive, that flash drive might not make it out, either."

"We're partners."

"I know that."

Well, that was something. If she survived this, she would have something to share.

"Manny! No. Stay away from her."

"No fun if she's dead," he muttered.

"I don't care. I don't trust you to hold back."

Hollis tried not to feel more fear than before. This Manny was more dangerous than she had thought. She would take great pleasure in seeing him taken down.

...so long as he was.

...but she would not be sleeping. Not with what she'd heard.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

It had been a lot longer than an hour, but Kort hadn't returned. Jethro wasn't sure if he wanted him here or not, but he wanted what Kort might know. At the same time, there was time, even if he didn't want to leave Hollis with those men any longer than was absolutely necessary.

His phone rang.

"Gibbs," he said tersely.

"Leroy. It's me...and I've got someone else here."

"Who?"

"Says his name is Kort."

"I'll be right there."

Jethro hurried down to the front door. Sure enough, there was Trent Kort with the same smile. He didn't look tired or bothered. Jack, on the other hand, looked very concerned.

"Hi, Dad. Kort."

"Any sign on the BOLO?"

"Nothing."

"I might be able to get you closer."

Gibbs gestured. Kort strode ahead, but Jack paused.

"Am I in the way, Leroy?"

"No. Not at all. Come on."

As they followed behind Kort, Jack just reached out and patted Jethro on the back. Nothing more, nothing less.

They rode up on the elevator together in silence. Then, when they got off, Jethro walked over to the desks and thumped on each one to wake up his agents. It was a testament to how much Ziva had changed that she didn't leap to her feet, ready to fight off an attacker. She was surprised but still a little groggy.

"What is it, Boss?" Tony asked, yawning.

"Kort."

That woke Tony up. He would always be on his guard where Kort was concerned.

Tim was a little slower to wake up, but even he tried to engage his mind as quickly as possible.

"Well, Kort?" Jethro asked.

Kort was clearly enjoying his position of relative power, but that was tempered by the fact that he was beholden to Jethro to get back the flash drive. He had also claimed that he did want to get Hollis back...true or not.

"We have a few places we think that Hajnal and Abadilla might be hiding. As for which one might be their place, I have no idea. That's up to you to figure out."

"Habits?"

"When they're on a job, they don't get out much," Kort said. "Your BOLO probably won't do much good. They're aware of how many people are looking for them and they have every intention of getting away with what they're doing."

"How did they get into the country, then?" Tim asked.

Kort almost sneered.

"These are arms dealers. They don't make much of a habit of using commercial airlines. They have, but not often and not for years, at least not that we've been able to find."

"Well, you sure slipped up this time, didn't you?" Tim shot back.

Kort ignored that and moved on.

"How many places?" Jethro asked, getting back on topic.

"Fifteen. They're spread through the Metro area."

He held out a list. Jethro took it and handed it to Tim.

"Put these up on the plasma," he said. "How sure are you of this information?"

"As sure as we can be...which is not absolute. There's nothing to keep them from trying something new," Kort said. "If we could control them that easily we'd have them in custody by now."

"And why is it that you do not?" Ziva asked. "You have so much information on them. What have you been waiting for?"

"Leads to their buyers," Tony said. "Right? That's what's on the flash drive. Their connections."

Kort said nothing for or against what Tony had suggested and he didn't answer Ziva's question. Jethro didn't much care.

"If they resist, they're dead," he said.

"We're aware of that," Kort said.

"Good."

Tim gestured.

"Got it, Boss," he said.

The plasma lit up with a map of the DC Metro area. The locations Kort had provided were spread all over. It would take a lot of precious time to check on each place without tipping their hand...and not everyone at NCIS was really suited to that kind of work. It galled him, but he was going to have to ask for help.

"Kort."

"What, Agent Gibbs?"

"How many of these places can your people check?"

"Are you asking for the CIA to violate its mandate and pursue an investigation on American soil?"

Jethro walked over close to Kort. He lowered his voice so that no one else could hear him.

"These two men have my wife, Kort. I am not interested in rules or regs. I am interested in getting her back alive. That takes precedence over everything, and I am definitely not interested in this little power play. If this gets my wife killed, I will not hesitate to make you pay for it. Got it?"

Kort smiled a little. "Understood, Agent Gibbs."

"Good."

Jethro stepped back and noticed the tension in his team. They probably could guess the gist of what he had just said.

"I think that the CIA might be able to give you some help there."

"Call them."

"Very well."

Kort walked away from them, toward the window, his phone in hand.

"Boss," Tony said in a low voice, "do you really want to trust the CIA?"

"No, but we need to. We're running out of time. It's after three in the morning. We can't wait."

Tony nodded. Jethro looked over at Tim who nodded slightly. He still had it securely in his pocket. Jethro walked to his desk, where his dad was sitting. Jack grabbed his arm.

"Don't let this ruin you, Leroy," he said softly. "Hollis wouldn't want that...and neither do I."

"I'm getting her back," Jethro said.

"Just don't destroy yourself to do it."

Jethro knew his worry. Jack was well aware of his son's temper and his feelings about losing people. ...but Jethro couldn't promise anything. They had taken it to a different level when they had decided to take Hollis. He was following them to that level...and he'd set the terms from now on.

They all waited in tense silence as Kort spoke on his phone. After a few minutes, he walked back with that same smile on his face.

"Well?" Jethro asked.

"Turns out that the CIA anticipated your request. They have teams out checking the locations even as we speak."

"How many have they eliminated so far?" Jethro asked.

Kort walked over to the plasma and pointed to seven locations within DC itself.

"These are all busts. They're heading out of DC and into the Metro area. If you'd like, there are these here across the river. I'd be happy to drive you there."

Jethro looked at him with distaste, but the desire to find Hollis won out. He spoke without taking his eyes off Kort.

"Tony, you and Ziva check the Arlington addresses. McGee, you're with Kort and me."

"Boss...are you sure–?"

"Not a discussion, DiNozzo. Go."

Kort gestured for Jethro to precede him. Tim jumped to his feet and followed. Jethro didn't bother verifying that his orders would be obeyed. He just left. One way or another, they'd find Hollis, and he'd get her back no matter what it took.