„You want me at your apartment tonight?"
Gibbs asked quietly when they were about to leave. It would be Tony's last night before he went under cover.
„Nah, I would prefer to spent the night at your place. Somehow I have a crush for your bed."
Tony smirked when they went into the elevator.
„I'll take a shower and a few things and then I'll come over."
Gibbs nodded and Tony glanced at his watch.
„It'll be around 2000. Fine? Shall I bring something to eat?"
Gibbs thought for a moment.
„Chinese would be good. But I'll order it."
„Ok, I can live with that. See ya later."
Tony kissed him shortly before the door opened and went to his car.
2100, Gibbs‘ place.
Gibbs paced up and down the living room. Tony hadn't turned up yet. The chinese food was untouched and cold on the kitchen table but it was the last thing Gibbs thought about right then.
He took his phone out and called Tony's home....No answer.
He sighed annoyed and dialled the well known cell phone number.....
„This is the phone of Anthony DiNozzo. If you're a girl, forget it I'm taken, if it's somebody else, leave a message...."
Gibbs hung up. The short smirk which had shown up when he heard Tony's voice saying „I'm taken" vanished again. Why was his phone off?
Only a second after he had hung up the hard line rang.
„Tony?"
„Nope, Abby, isn't he there?"
Gibbs sighed deeply. He had half hearted hoped that Tony would call because he had forgotten about time or his car had broken down together with his cell...
„No, not yet. He intented to come a hour ago."
„Yeah, he told me...You don't think something happened?"
„Dunno, Abs. But I'll check his apartment."
He said and had already his keys and his gun.
„Shall I sent McGee over? He's right here."
„Yeah! I'll be at Tony's in ten. McGee should be there then, too. Bye Abs."
He didn't wait for a reply, not that it surprised Abby, she already was shocked that he had said bye anyway.
Tony opened his eyes slowly. His head was aching and he knew he had been hit with something. His vision was blurry and his head was spinning. Probably he had been drugged.
He looked around and try to focus. There was only a little light in the room coming from a little window directly under the roof.
‚Ok, basement.‘ He thought. It also told him that it wasn't night so he wasn't lying too long here. By the shadows and the length of the days he guessed between 2000 and 2100.
He remembered entering his apartment at 1820 but after that, there was nothing.
He closed his eyes concentrating on his other senses.
He didn't hear traffic so the building was outside the city.
He could smell trees and hay. Maybe a farm. He took in another breath letting it out slowly. Not hay, fresh grass, and trees. It probably was at a forest.
He opened his eyes again. The glass of the window was broken so probably the house was abondoned, increasing the suspicion that it was outside the city, probably not even near other houses.
He knew that taking in his envirement didn't help him at all. There was no chance to tell anybody what he'd found out so they could look for such a place. But he was an investigator for too long for not taking it in. And it helped him to estimate his chances to be found.
He knew the way missing persons are searched and he knew Gibbs would go looking for and abondonded house far away from anything else.
Maybe Abby had found something what would lead them to the forest, maybe the murderer hadn‘t used this house before...
Ok, this was neither bringing him any further nor it gave him hope.
He turned his head a bit and turned away immidiatly again.
„Ok, he had used this house..."
He said to himself and looked again at the shelf. Two shocked faces looked out of empty eyes. Tony surpressed the urge to throw up.
He knew that he wouldn't get anything to eat soon so he would need everything he already had in his stomach to stay there.
„McGee! I said ten minutes!"
McGee got out of the car and approached Gibbs at the front door.
„Even if I hadn't stopped at one red light I wouldn't have make it in ten minutes!"
„I got from Abby's to Tony's in four before."
„Yeah, boss, you!"
Gibbs frowned but turned to the door. He unlocked and took the stairs to Tony's apartment.
„Don't you think we should knock? Maybe he only had fallen asleep..."
„Oh, yeah, McGee! A ringing phone doesn't wake him but a knock on the door."
McGee knew that once Gibbs had started that tone there was nothing to reply.
Gibbs opened with his key. He gave McGee a look and drew his gun. Slowly they checked every room but there was no sign of Tony whatsoever. But the living room was out of order. For a untrained eye and somebody who never was in Tony's place there was nothing. That's why McGee hadn't noticed anything.
But Gibbs stepped into the middle of the room and turned slowly around.
„What is it, boss?"
„Tony didn't left on his own."
McGee confused looked around. There was really no sign of a fight, there were not even footsteps on the carpet.
‚Wait! No footsteps but those of Gibbs...‘
„It's been cleaned!"
McGee said and Gibbs nooded in acknowledgement.
„You see, Tony's bag is over there..."
He pointed at the back of the room.
„...but there are no footsteps from the door leading there or back. Besides it's just too tidy. His maid was here friday so it would never be that tidy in here."
„You think it was our murderer?"
Gibbs sighed. Of course he thought that, who else...
Tony still had no idea where he was or who had taken him. He was sitting there and did nothing but wait. He wasn't sure what was worse. To be tortured, raped and killed or sitting there and waiting for it. It was something the other victims didn't have. They didn't knew what was coming, at least not that precisely. But Tony knew exactly how this would go.
Two days without food or water, lightened up by irregular beating sessions, everytime He felt after it. Then he would be undressed and raped. Maybe three or four times. And finally He would give him the rest. He would beat him to death, maybe while raping him, who knows, who wants to know. And finally, when his last breath left his body and no muscle's moving anymore He'll take a big knife and slowly cut the head off.
Tony's muscles tensed nearly painfully. Nope, that was something the other certainly hadn't had to deal with.
But worse than the knowledge about the upcoming pain and death was to know that there was nothing he could do but wait. Life and death was taken out of his hands and he really hated the fact that it were Jethro's hands his life was lying in now.
Not because he didn't trust him, hell, he didn't want anybody else to do THAT job but he knew that if he wasn't quick enough, if Tony would be tortured or even killed before he'd find him Gibbs would blame himself. He would get just as obsessed as he was with Ari, maybe even more, considering he was his lover.
The cracking sound of the door pulled Tony out of his thoughts. He knew what was coming so the kick in his kidneys didn't hit him completely off guard. His tightened muscles had taken a bit of the violence of the kick but it still hurt like hell.
He rolled over from his kneeling possition on his back. His eyes were filled with tears and his face was distort by pain. He surpressed a cry of pain, knowing that those perverts were turned on by them.
„Long time, no see, huh, Tony?"
The voice hit Tony just as hard as the kick. It couldn't be true, it couldn't be him.
„Didn't thought I would get the chance to finish what I started. I guess you can understand that I won't take any risks with you this time."
The urge to vomit grew even stronger in Tony and when there was a hard punch into his stomach he just could roll to his side and get rid of his lunch.
Gibbs entered the bullpen really, really pissed. (Imagine Gibbs without coffee for three days, add a meeting with Fornell and a case where kids are hurt...)
Abby hadn't wasted time and was already in her lab searching for places Tony could be.
McGee was on his computer, who knows what he was doing, Gibbs wouldn't understand it anyway but it was most likely useful, so he didn't ask.
He himself didn't knew what to do with himself, again.
He was the expert for interrogation, sniper, he was perfect for the field but now none of his best qualities, not even his gut, helped him or Tony.
His gaze landed on the stairs to the next floor and he saw Jenny Sheppard standing there, completely relaxed looking down on him.
„Boss! That's strange! I searched the files for similiar cases and I found this one."
McGee put the file on the monitor and Gibbs and Ziva turned to look at it.
„This is a case from Baltimore and Tony was inverstigating."
„Yeah, I know. So what has this to do..."
„You knew about this?"
Ziva and McGee asked. But Gibbs only snorted annoyed.
„Why haven't you told us? It could be a free-rider, or the guy had broken out..."
Ziva started but Gibbs cut her off.
„I knew, and that was enough. I considered the possibility that it's a free-rider. And if the guy had broken out we would have been informed. That's the usual proceedior if a victim survives..."
„But, boss, Jefferson did break out!"
McGee said from behind his computer.
„WHAT?"
„That's why I showed you the file. Jefferson broke out about two weeks before the first murder. It's not a free-rider, it's him!"
„But then why they haven't called us? They must have...Jen!"
Gibbs turned on his heels and headed to the Director's office.
Without knocking or listening to the secretary he stormed in.
„Sir! As I said! Director Sheppard left about five minutes ago!"
The secretary said again.
Tony tried not to move or show his pain. He couldn't really defend himself and he knew that the try would only make it worse. His former boss was at the other site of the room and Tony had his back to him. He was fully aware of the risk by turning his back to this maniac but he really didn't want to see what the other man was doing. He heard something big and heavy touching the floor with a sharp metallic sound. It wasn't a knife but maybe a stick. Then there was numb „Pflump". It was wood. Probably a baseball bat -it was that moment Tony cursed his good ears- and then there was the knife. Tony didn't knew in which order Jefferson would use the items and he really didn't care. All he had to know was that this was going to be painfull and quite probably deadly.
Without knocking Gibbs broke open the door to Sheppards apartment. She was sitting relaxed on her sofa.
„So impatient to see me?"
She said smirking.
„Why, Jen? Why haven't you told Tony? Why sent him under cover when you know that? Why do you want to see him dead?"
His voice was high and he hated his own weakness. Why couldn't he hold his strengh now that it was that important.
He pointed his gun directly on her forehead.
„I never said I want to see him dead. But do you really think I could watch you walking with him into the sunset?"
Gibbs frowned.
„You do that because you're jealous?"
„Not only that, Jethro! You know I wanted to cure you! That disgusting excuse for a human being wasn't good for you. But I knew that there is only one way to bring you back."
„He will not die, Jen! We will find him before the 48 are over!"
„Even so, you think he will ever let you touch him again? You think he will ever let any men near him?"
She stood up and walked to the bar. She took a glass of whiskey.
„I take it you don't wanna drink?!"
She sipped and looked at Gibbs with a light smirk of victory.
„So you haven't told him that he runs into Jefferson. What a good thing that he had broken out, huh?"
„You really think that was a coincidence? Hell, Jethro, you don't have any idea how much work this was!"
„So that's why you took the job. You wanted me back?"
„Partly, mainly."
„You could've asked."
She gave a short hollow laugh.
„As if you'd said yes."
Tony took a deep breath when he felt two hands pulling him into stand. Somehow he was surprised that his feet even carried him. He looked into the cold eyes of Jefferson which were brightened by a pervers passion.
The older man swang the stick and hit Tony in the stomach so he collapsed on his knees. With his hands tied behind his back he had to struggle to keep his balance and not falling on his face. Before he could breath again the baseball bat made hard contact with his rips. He thought he felt one of them, maybe two, break under his skin.
But that way of turture didn't satisfy Jefferson. He wanted skin contact. Beating was only half fun without the feeling of skin and bones on his fist. Without the tighten of drying blood on his knuckles.
He pulled Tony up again and held him up with one hand on his collar. His fist came fast and hard and Tony tasted blood coming from his right cheek and he could also feeling it running down from his lips over his chin.
The other man grinned and licked it away. For him it was kinda caress. A gesture of affection.
He pressed a hard kiss on Tony's tight closed mouth. He continued his way over Tony's already swollen jaw and down his neck.
Tony closed his eyes. He tried to think of something else than the pain in his body and the coming pain. Something else than the emotional and physical humiliation and torture.
„So, you helped Jefferson to break out and let Tony step into the trap. That's assistance for kidnapping or was it instigation of kidnapping, I always mix that up. Could you help me with that Fornell?"
Gibbs turned his look towards the door where the FBI Agent stepped in. Sheppards face turned to shock . She thought Gibbs would be that mad that he would show up without backup and then it would be word against word but now...
„That depends, Jethro, anyway...Director Sheppard."
He went over and cuffed her.
Tony felt his pants fall and his boxers follow. He hadn't opened his eyes or hadn't moved. He didn't want to feel. He didn't want to see. He would prefer to die than to go through this.
The next second he was lying on the floor face down. He had only time to turn his face so was able to breath. But then he was intruded. His anus burned and he knew his skin was cracked by the unprepared penetration. With every thrust there was a piercing pain running through his spin up into his brain and he had to bit his lip until he draw blood so he wouldn't scream.
Gibbs ran down the four floors and jumped into the car. He had started the engine before he had said a word.
„Found anything?"
He barked to McGee who was sitting at the backseat.
„A deserted house near a forest. There are mostly firtrees, just the ones Abby had found at the Seargeant and the Petty Officer."
McGee gave Gibbs the adress and he drove even more neckbreaking as usual.
Tony took ten minutes but the pain was unbearable. His lower lip was bleeding freely from his bite and he let out a scream. As expected it only encouraged Jefferson and his pace become even harder and faster. With every thrust Tony let out a scream until his throat only managed a whimper.
Gibbs, Ziva and McGee got out of the car and drew their guns. The door was open a crack and they entered quietly.
They checked the three rooms of the ground floor and went towards the stairs when Gibbs heard something from the basement. Without losing time and without checking for somebody Gibbs stormed to the starting point of the noise. Soon he was sure that the sound was a whimper and then he knew it was Tony.
He didn't wait for McGee or Ziva, who were a few meters behind, before he broke down the door.
„Federal Agents! Get away from him."
Jefferson didn't even look up from Tony. He seemed to be lost in his own world and just kept thrusting.
Ziva and McGee were still on the stairs when there was a shot, then a second.
When they entered the room Gibbs was standing there still with his gun at the ready. Jefferson had collapsed dead on top of Tony. The yound man lay still whimpering in pain there.
Gibbs let his gun fall and started to Tony. He threw Jefferson off him and lifted Tony into a sitting positing. He took off his jacket and put it around the naked Tony.
The yound man immidiatly collapsed against him and started to cry loudly.
Gibbs gave him a tight hug and rubbed his back.
„It's ok, Tony. It's over. He'll never hurt you again!"
TBC
Author's Chapter Notes:
Everything's happening very fast, Gibbs tries to find Tony and Tony tries to get it over
Chapter End Notes:
Thanks to Eve.
No at the moment there isn't more...
No at the moment there isn't more...