"They're on the move - " Alex panted as he caught up with Gibbs at the bottom of the incline. "It'll take them a good five minutes to get to the road - you drive and I'll try getting hold of Nicky - "
"Not Nicky!" Gibbs yelled over his shoulder as he trotted away towards the road. "Need Abby!"
"Not Nicky - Abby - got it!" Alex bent down, hands on his knees as he fought for breath. "Either Jethro's sniffing something or I'm outta shape - and I'm going with me outta shape." He pulled himself upright and scrolled down the numbers - hitting Nicky's immediately. "No time to explain," he said as Nicky answered. "Put Abby on! Hey little lady - " he paused - listening. "No - we're fine - Jethro's fine - look - listen to me can you hook up to my laptop - yeah - we need to see where Taylor's headed." He held the phone from his ear - grimacing as Abby began demanding to know what was going on. "Hey - Abs - HEY!! Listen - I'll fill you in once we're mobile - my addy - ask Nicky - laters!" Snapping the phone shut, Alex broke into a run - almost colliding with Gibbs who was waiting for him at the wall. "Want a leg up?" he asked with a grin.
Both men now back at roadside - they raced to the car - Gibbs in the driving seat as Alex quickly extracted his laptop from the trunk - plugging it into the cigar lighter.
"What are you doing?"
"Not sure yet - pull back out of sight - and let me get this thing up and running." Alex's fingers flew over the keys and he was soon scrolling down incoming emails - "And we have lift off - " He tugged out the webcam from the bag at his feet and set it atop the screen.
"Hey handsome!" Abby's voice came over - slightly crackly. "I see ya - where's Boss Man?"
"Right here, Abs." Gibbs grinned, gunning the car into reverse and twisting in his seat as he brought it back a good two hundred feet. "Got a fix?"
"I have - Ashton was SO game."
"What you promise him this time?"
"Gibbs!" Abby sounded shocked. "What kinda girl do you think I am?"
"Abs - " Gibbs chuckled - glancing across at the screen on Alex's lap.
"Just dinner - and some stuff - "
"Stuff?"
"Is this a private conversation or can I butt in here?" Alex asked cautiously - but he was smiling.
"You see them?"
"First car just left - and another - and now - a van."
"I see them - " Abby turned and began keying in to her own computer - Nicky over her shoulder - chewing gum noisily. "Oh my - we have a gross of cell phones here - and someone's got a pooter up and running too - "
"Can they trace us?" Gibbs pulled out into the road - not bothering to check behind.
"Not if you hang back far enough - I doubt they've got the tech we've got anyway - what's the plan Oh Great One?"
"We follow these scumbags - "
"And what if Tony and Rick aren't with them?"
"Then we double back to the house and get them out." Alex answered for Gibbs who was too busy trying not to put his foot to the floor.
"They're in that van!" Gibbs affirmed. "I know it!"
"That famous gut does it again - " Abby bounced up and down on her toes until Nicky wrapped his arms around her - preventing her from moving. "Nicky - " she purred. "Is that a pickle in your pocket or are you really pleased to see me?"
Nicky grinned at his brother and winked. "Guess I have the best job, huh, Alex?"
"As always - bro - as always. Holy crap!" Alex was flung hard against the passenger door - the laptop nearly sliding away as Gibbs took a corner a little too fast. "Jethro - for crying out loud - "
"Where are we headed?" Gibbs snapped. "Any idea?"
"Not until we hit the city limit - which is about three miles off yet - "
"Spare me the details - where in hell is he headed? I need locations - you said he had property in town - I need to know what kind!" Gibbs swore under his breath as he took another corner before straightening out - the van and cars still up ahead.
"Driving like this is likely to get us killed which is not going to help anyone - Jethro - slow down for Christ's sake!" Alex had both feet up on the dashboard now - bracing himself as they took another corner. "Don't tell me you've forgotten there are road works up ahead - "
"Fuck that - " Gibbs snarled. "Tony's in that van - "
"And you jumping the lights is gonna help?" Alex nearly shouted. "Jethro - "
"Alex - buckle up and shut the hell up!"
"Ooh - touchy," Abby's voice sounded. "Take a chill pill, Master - and the lead car just pulled off road - heading down a dirt track - "
"Where's it going?"
"Hold on - I'm just getting it - "
"Abs - do you fancy showing me how to do whatever it is you're doing?" Alex frowned. He had often thought of himself as a bit of a geek when it came to computers - but it never ceased to amaze him what could be achieved with a box of wires and circuit boards.
"Of course, Oh Gorgeous One - aha - gotchya! Gibbs - there's a farm up ahead - about another mile or so from you - its derelict - but still standing - just." She paused. "Oooh - I'm smelling hinky - big time Gibbs!"
"No time for hinky Abby - just keep me posted! Alex - hold on!"
Two hundreds yards down the track - and Alex was leaning out of the window - trying his hardest not to puke as the car bounced over ruts and potholes - the back tyres spewing up dirt as she sped after the lead car.
"Abby?" Gibbs yelled over the noise of the engine. "Can you get number of the other car and the van?"
"I can - like you have to ask."
"Put out a BOLO - "
"But Gibbs - GPS will tell us where it's going?"
"Not if GPS doowacka fails - which it will - BOLO - NOW!"
"BOLO it is."
"BOLO?" Alex looked at Gibbs puzzled.
"Be On Look Out for - "
"Oh."
"And now - the shit hits the fan - and I get to slap a few heads. I'll get out first - and I'll watch your six." Alex gazed out through the windshield, his stomach knotting in anticipation.
The lead car had pulled up - in front of the dilapidated porch of the farmhouse and two men climbed out either side - both large, muscular and mean looking. One bald, neatly dressed in a suit and tie - the other with dark, closely cropped hair and dressed in smart jeans and a lightweight shirt - guns very evident at their waists.
"How long do we hang back here?" Alex tugged out the binoculars and lifted them to his eyes.
"Until I see Tony - or Rick - then we move in."
"And if we don't?"
"We move in anyway and make sure those two end up spending the night behind bars." Gibbs settled back in his seat and closed his eyes briefly. "Man - I am so tired - "
"Gibbs - Gibbs - Gibbs!!"
"Abs - Abs - Abs - "
"BOLO done - you expect any hits?"
"No idea - "
"Jethro - " Alex sounded thoughtful. "As I see it - there is about - what - three hundred yards of open field between us - and them - I appreciate they can't see us behind all this brush - which was good thinking by the way - except I had to throw up out of the window when you took that turn - anyway - open field - them and us - they are armed - so what are the odds on it we don't make it?"
"Good point Alex - starting to think like an Agent already." Gibbs reached across and punched him lightly on the arm. "Give them another few minutes and - fuck!"
"What?" Abby sounded concerned.
"My gut was right - Abs - you know what to do - Alex - with me - and stay down."
"Gibbs!" Abby cried. "What's going on? You found Tony?"
"I think so - and I hope to hell that's not just a dead body they lifted out of the trunk!"
"Gibbs! Don't say that - I would know if Tony was dead - "
"It's Tony - " Alex handed across the binoculars. "And he's not looking good."
"Gibbs - "
"Abs - please - just do what I told you to do - alert Ducky - I'm bringing Tony in - my place - give us one hour!"
"But he might need a hospital!" Abby shot back.
"Maybe - but for now - there's too much shit flying about - and hospitals ask questions - and stay on the van!"
"No worries," Nicky grinned at the two men. "I've got that covered - Abby's on the phone to Ducky now - just go get them!"
"And there's Rick - " Gibbs offered - still watching as the two men were manhandled from the car into the house. "Fuck it - Alex - we're going in. Nicky - we'll be in touch as soon as we're done here."
"Just be careful."
"Laters - "
*******
"I think we're lost," Gibbs handed a well used map to Alex as they pulled up beside the farmhouse.
"I think you're right," Alex nodded - peering at the map closely. "We took a wrong turn."
"Wonder if these guys can help." Gibbs said as he opened his door and climbed out - just as the two men who had been carrying Tony and Rick stepped onto the porch from inside - staring at the newcomers curiously. "Hey - feel a bit foolish - but we're looking for - "
"I don't give a flying fuck what you're looking for - buster - so turn around and fuck off back where you came from," said the bald man.
"Aw - now see - Jethro - youth of today - no manners." Alex sighed, shaking his head.
"I know - sad isn't it?"
"Regrettable."
"You two just turn around like my friend says and we'll forget we ever saw you." The other man said menacingly, his hand already reaching for a weapon.
"We're being nice about this - " the bald man nodded, holding up his own gun. "But then again - if you two insist on being a nuisance - we're in the middle of nowhere - and we can arrange for you to remain in the middle of nowhere."
"The two men with you - where are they?" Gibbs suddenly demanded.
"Who wants to know?"
"No one - " Gibbs answered. "Just me and him - "
"Nosy too - huh?" Bald guy growled. "Okay - fine - " he lifted his weapon, pointing it directly at Gibbs and fired - but Gibbs saw it coming and ducked - firing his own Sig and catching the man in the centre of his forehead and he hit the ground hard as he fell forward over the railing to lie still - his partner joining him with a bullet to the side of his head as he'd tried to take out Alex.
"Thanks," Alex gasped as he straightened up from hiding behind the car door.
"No problem - you okay?"
"I'll live."
Both men were then up the few steps and into the house - when Gibbs stopped short in the door - unaware - unseeing as Alex hurried to Rick's side.
All Gibbs could see was Tony - his Tony - his lover - his friend - his team mate - lying so still.
He knelt down beside him, taking his right hand in his and brushing his lips over the knuckles as he stroked the least damaged side of Tony's face. "What the hell did they do to you, DiNozzo?" Tears flowed freely now - now that he had what he had been yearning for - Tony back safe - not so much sound - but safe - he gently lifted Tony until he was cradling him in his arms, kissing the top of his head gently as the two of them rocked back and fore. "You're safe, baby. No one is going to hurt you again - "
"Boss?" A murmur. Gibbs smiled through the tears.
"Yeah, it's me."
"Good - "
"Sssh, Tony."
"Shutting up - Boss - " the words were mumbled - sleepy even.
"You're safe now, and I'm going to slaughter the bastard that did this to you."
"Jethro?" Alex whispered as he squatted beside him. "Come on - let's get out of here."
"He's too heavy."
"It's okay - " Alex soothed. "Not a problem - you give Abby the good news and I'll bring them both out."
"Yeah - good idea - Alex - thanks."
"Looks like they were going to torch the place,"
"How d'you know that?" Gibbs glanced up at him quickly and then followed his gaze to the other side of the room - and his stomach somersaulted. There had to be at least ten petrol cans - large petrol cans - easily capable of carrying at least five gallons each.
"Like I said - " Gibbs kissed the top of Tony's head again. "They're both safe now."
TBC -
Author's Chapter Notes:
and gibbs is closing in