Ch. 4 Abdul al Qalim

Abdul sat leisurely in a corner thinking to himself. His conversation with Ziva had intrigued him. He knew that she was Mossad, and therefore would have a deep seeded hate for him. But her response to his little door bomb was perplexing. "You bastard, someone could have been killed!" He knew that she grew up with terrorist bombings all her life. Hell, her sister was killed by one. But that fact she was so concerned about the general welfare of the people was what was startling. Realization dawned on Abdul as he chuckled with glee. She has grown weak. She has let compassion cloud her judgment. He knew that if he were still in the Middle East, Israel would not bargain with him. They didn't bargain with terrorists. But maybe Eli David might change his mind if his own daughter was the one he was bargaining for. Adbul shook his head. Capturing Ziva David would be tricky at best. He had planned just simply kill her. She was just as responsible as Gibbs for Ari's death. As Abdul continued to contemplate various ways that he could use Ziva to his advantage, Gibbs spoke.

"Hey scum bag! Why are you doing this?" Every so often Gibbs would ask the same question. He'd offer nothing more along the lines of conversation, as much as Adbul tried to tempt him. This time Abdul decided to answer him.

"Leroy, you killed Ari. He was like a brother to me, and you killed him. As unbelievable as it is, I just want to kill you Leroy. But you must understand that that task is made harder by the fact that you are not alone in your treachery."

"Oh really? So I had help pulling the trigger?" Gibbs was tired of Abdul's game. He simply wasn't used to the waiting. I swear to God, as soon as my hands are free, I'm going to strangle the life out of him. He won't get away with hurting his team. Not like Kate, he thought bitterly to himself. I won't let it be like Kate. I couldn't save her and I'll be damned if let the same thing happen twice. Gibbs knew Abdul was careful. Not only had Gibbs hands been cuffed, but the fingers were taped over each other making it virtually impossible for Gibbs to grab anything. He resorted to scraping the tape against the back of his chair when Abdul was distracted. Slowly but surely, the tape was beginning to weaken.

"Ziva David should have stopped what was happening. She as good as killed him. For that she must pay" replied Abdul simply.

"What, so that's it? You kidnap me to get to Ziva? You're just using the death of one of your pals as an excuse to vent some anger on a Mossad officer. You don't care about whatever it is you claim you fight for. You just hate anyone who doesn't agree with you."

"Leroy, that is enough. Do not tempt me to kill you. It would only hurt your team. You must understand, you have two options only. Shut up now and only you and Ziva will die. Continue with your rant and your whole team dies. Including Sciuto and Mallard. You lose Leroy, accept that."

"No Abdul, I won't lose. It's you against the best NCIS team the agency has seen, as well as a highly trained and effective Mossad officer. What chance do you think you have of getting out alive?" Gibbs spoke quietly, letting his words sink in. He didn't want to agitate Abdul by yelling, only plant a seed of self doubt in him.

"Leroy, you are a hopeless idealist who has trained hopeless idealists. They are foolish to come after you, yet they do. Why? Loyalty. They are loyal to a man when they should be loyal to a mission. I am impressed though. You managed to turn the heartless killer that Ziva David is into a human. If I had done this when she first joined, you would have no chance of rescue. Now, she will come to meet her death easily. Thanks to you and your tutelage. You have killed a killer." Leaving Gibbs to think, he strode out of the office in which Gibbs was located. The agents should have watch the video and should eventually be on their way. He needed to be ready to move Gibbs well before the agents reached the office. He had no intention of being caught before the third and final round.

Gibbs hung his head and sighed, lost in his thoughts when Abdul left the room. He trusted his agents but couldn't ignore the fact Abdul was smart and was lethally dangerous. He felt guilty for Kate's death and would not let the same happen to Ziva. I can't thought Gibbs. And I won't. She's a daughter to me, the same as Kate. And for once, I will not let my family get hurt. Not again. They're strong and they know how to work together. Gibbs lifted his head with renewed strength. He trusted his team with his life and that was enough. Gibbs resumed scraping the tape, determined to go his part.