Kate struggled against the strong arms as they dragged her away from the dance floor to a less occupied area of the club. Pushing down the fear that was threatening to bubble up from her stomach and become a scream, Kate bit down on the hand covering her mouth as hard as she could. A harsh laugh filled her ears and she was pushed onto something soft.
Kate tried her best not to let the fear show on her face as she gathered her bearings. She saw that she had been dragged to a booth in a dark corner of the club and struggled to arrange herself into a more dignified sitting position to face her assailant. She gasped in shock when she looked up to see the culprit.
“You...,” Kate cleared her throat, shocked at the undignified squeak that had come out of her mouth. “You're that dancer. The one we were looking at earlier.”
The woman, girl, Kate amended, she couldn't be much over twenty, didn't look at her. She was silently examining the hand that Kate had bitten. Kate almost smiled, pleased to see that she had drawn blood. However when she saw the feral smile on her captor's face the pride diminished and fear resurfaced.
“Why-? What do you want with me?' she choked out, ashamed to hear that she was still squeaking.
That finally drew the girl’s attention from her hand. Her captor, looking at Kate, gave another sharply biting laugh. “Caitlin, Caitlin. Relax, I merely wanted to meet you,” she purred. The feral look on her face had turned into a smug smile. “My brother has told me a great deal about you.”
“Your bro...?” Kate trailed off as suddenly something clicked. The Middle Eastern accent combined with a British syntax, the way she used Kate's full name, those dark brown eyes that seemed to burn into her soul but that still showed a capacity for kindness. And that smirk, so irritatingly smug but still so alluring. They were all too similar to his.
“You... you’re Haswari's sister?” she shouted as she was hit full force by the images she had been desperately trying to grasp when she first saw the woman.
“Very good, Caitlin,” her tone was patronizing, as if she were praising a small child for finding a shiny rock.
“You still haven't told me your name, or what you want from me,” Kate shot back, stubbornly resisting the overwhelming urge to curl up in a ball and sob her heart out in terror. She would not give this woman the pleasure. She would not show how afraid she truly was.
The younger woman's smug smirk though, showed Kate that she could see right through her facade of courage. “Of course, how terribly rude of me; I must, of course, tell you, else wise our little chat will be of no point, is that right?”
Kate glared at her, “Well I’d hate to state the obvious but you skipped the part where you tell me your name and what you want,” she tried to match her abductor's condescending tone with this remark.
This only seemed to amuse her even further. “I did, did I?” She was grinning widely now and Kate got the impression this was all just a kind of twisted game to her attacker.
“Well,” Kate snapped now as frustrated as she was terrified, “Who are you and what do you want with me?”
“You just have to spoil my fun, yes?” she sighed, mock pouting.
Kate just glared at her, once again desperately pushing down her fear with frustration and anger.
"Oh, very well,” she said loftily, “If you insist.”
She jumped down from her perch on the table across from Kate. Suddenly the almost playfully taunting look on her face was one of calm that seemed to belie a fearful rage. Strolling over she pulled out a knife that was concealed at her waist. She chuckled softly at Kate's flinch at this movement.
Leaning over, she pushed the sharp steel of the blade against her throat. Kate gasped, closed her eyes and began to silently recite her last rites, certain that she was going to die by this woman's hands, afraid she would leave this life for no reason except a girl's whims. She gasped in relief as the pressure left her neck only to cry out in pain as the blade was drawn across the top of her right hand.
“Blood for blood,” the woman whispered as the scarlet liquid flowed hot, thick, and sticky from the fresh wound. Kate let out a small whimper as she pressed her left hand against the wound, desperately trying to stem the flow of blood.
The taller girl leaned in even further towards Kate so her lips were pressed against her left ear. Kate squeezed her eyes tightly closed again and couldn't hold down a gasping sob as her assailant began to whisper in her ear. “I am Ziva David. Remember that name as you remember that of my half-brother. We are always watching and we will be meeting again."
When Kate finally got the courage to open her eyes again, Ziva David had disappeared. Alone in the dark with only the pounding music to comfort her, and blood now trickling down her arm, Caitlin Marie Todd, former Secret Service Agent, NCIS Special Agent, the girl who always insisted on playing with the big boys, the woman who always refused to show any weakness, curled into a ball and began to sob.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.