Chapter 4
Abby awoke gasping for breath. She tried to tell herself that it was all okay, but the searing pain in her side made this unbelievable. Vague hauntings of memories flashed before her closed eyes. Jennings beating her, torturing her, taunting her. She had a deep cut over her right eye and what felt like a broken wrist, but these injuries were miniscule compared to the gash in her side, just above her hip. Jennings had used a small knife like a sword to cut her open. She shuddered at the thought. At least she was alive, but for how much longer? With that thought she sank slowly into unconsciousness.
Gibbs' phone rang again, but this time he was ready for it. McGee was standing by to begin the trace the moment Gibbs answered. He put it on speaker, so that the three of them could listen.
"Gibbs," he said curtly, in a voice that was forcedly emotionless.
"Listen," said the voice with a sick excitement. There was a clatter as he set the phone down, and then it began.
First to come was a small whimper, then a dull thud and a full fledged scream. Abby! Thought Gibbs, clutching the back of a chair until his knuckles shone white. More screams ensued along with a distinctly male laugh that echoed through the phone. The sound of metal slicing skin, was followed by a shallow gasp, which was echoed by Ziva as she stared in disgust at the phone. There was another thud, and the sharp crack of breaking bone, before it was silent again.
"We'll see how much longer your golden boy lasts. Hopefully longer than she did," said the voice happily. Gibbs stared at the phone at a loss for words. She couldn't be dead, she just couldn't be. He shot a questioning look at McGee, who had frozen at the computer, also staring at the phone. There was a mixture of anger, fear, and horror in his eyes. Gibbs gestured wildly at him to continue the trace. McGee snapped back to attention and continued to work quickly. The voice on the phone was back.
"Your Boss killed my brother," the voice was saying, but it seemed he was speaking to his prisoner, presumably Tony, "and now I'll kill you. Slowly."
There was the sick sound of flesh on flesh as Tony was hit, but he didn't cry out. He won't give him that satisfaction, Gibbs realized as his stomach twisted into knots. For the next minute and a half all that could be heard were the sounds of wood meeting skin, and small, sharp gasps and moans. For the second time the phone went silent and then the connection as broken.
"I got it," McGee said triumphantly a moment later, "Less than an hour from here, somewhere in this ten mile radius. He pointed to the large red circle that surrounded a section of the map on the screen.
"Any way you can narrow it down?" asked Gibbs.
"Well yeah, if I had more tim-" started McGee.
"Twenty minutes," Gibbs said over him, "Ziva do a background check on Michael Jennings. Give me any immediate family."
"What happened on the Jennings case?" Ziva asked, fearing that she already knew the answer.
"I shot him," Gibbs said coldly.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Gibbs and the team are forced to endure the torture second hand.