Gibbs was out the front door with Tony close behind - just in time to clamp a hand around Alex's raised arm before he could land a punch on Rick pressed backwards over the bonnet of the car. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded, pushing Alex back to give Rick time to compose himself as he straightened up.
"What I should have done when all this crap started," Alex growled - glaring at his brother. "What Nicky's been wanting to do too."
"Nothing to do with me," Nicky said - stepping back a pace - hands raised. "But then, it's not every day - "
"You two!" Gibbs barked, pointing to Alex and Nicky. "Get back to the club - and you - " he grabbed Rick's arm and propelled him forward towards the house. "Get inside - and wait for me - Tony go with him." Tony looked a little perplexed - one minute Gibbs didn't want him having anything to do with Rick - and now he was babysitting? "You deaf or something, DiNozzo?" Once the front door closed, Gibbs presented the two men with his stare - he didn't say a word - he just stared.
"Jethro - " Alex began.
"I don't want to hear it," Gibbs said, looking at Nicky. "But what I do want is to get to the bottom of this little mystery - now you two will head back into town - I want the club evacuated of all clientele in a calm, orderly manner. I want your Security briefed."
"Why?"
"Because - Alex - I think Taylor is going to move into the premises and maybe - you know - promote himself to manager - and I - for one - am not going to let him do that."
"Oh - right."
"Oh - right?" Gibbs glared at Alex scornfully. "Did you give Abi the camera doowacka shots of the crime scene?"
"No - not yet - I'll do it now." Alex made to pass Gibbs and go back inside but Gibbs stopped him with a hand on his arm.
"No need - she'll be able to do - whatever it is she needs to do to pull the pictures off the web thing. You just get your sorry ass out of here before you feel my boot - got it?"
"Why suddenly so hostile, Jethro?" Nicky asked with a frown.
"Hostile?" Gibbs smirked. "Me? Why do you think?"
"Leave it, Nick."
"Hey - we've just had the rug pulled from under our world - "
"My sympathies," Gibbs snorted. "Get going - NOW!!"
The two men climbed into their car - Alex gunning the pedal as they moved off the driveway onto the street - a brief pause - and then the squeal of burning rubber and they disappeared around the corner - lost from sight.
"I was wondering the same thing, Boss." Tony said from behind Gibbs. "Why so hostile."
"Because my gut is telling me something I really don't want to believe, Tony. And why in hell are you out here - where's Rick?"
"Ah - he's safe enough - Ducky's filling him in on his time in Med School - his eyes glazed over about thirty seconds in - he's going nowhere. And - what's your gut telling you?"
Gibbs turned and gazed into his lover's green eyes for a long moment. "That if I'm right - someone's world is about to fall apart."
******
"Van?" Gibbs moved in behind Abi - back on the sofa once more.
"Has gone back to base," she replied. "But check this out."
"Not here Abs - " he walked toward the empty kitchen - making it quite clear to Ducky, Rick and Tony that they were not to be disturbed. Although an odd move on Gibbs's part - both Tony and Ducky understood he wasn't holding out on them per se - he didn't want to chance Rick overhearing - just in case.
As he closed the door behind him, Abi set the laptop on the table and hit a few keys.
"See, I had a hunch - from the surveillance footage we managed to pull from the bars across the street at the time Rick and Tony were snatched - at least two of the gang were on their cells at the time - and one took at least three calls in four minutes - "
"What are you getting at Abs?"
"Patience Silver Fox," she smiled at him and winked. "You know I have to go around the houses before landing with the goldmine. I didn't think I'd get anything - but I thought this might be worth a shot - think about it. The camera at the back of the club monitoring the kitchen door wasn't working - the front doors are now locked - I sneaked a peek at the triplets cell numbers and look what I got."
"Uh-oh." Gibbs breathed as he stared at the computer screen.
"I know - " Abi sighed. "It's not good is it?"
"They had someone on the inside," Gibbs pulled in a breath. "And Nicky's on his way back with him right now - not a word to Rick - not yet!" He shoved a hand against the kitchen door - "Tony - with me. Duck - thanks for your time but we'll take it from here."
"You most certainly will not, Jethro." Ducky got to his feet, reaching for his coat. "I've come this far and I will see it to the end."
"It could get dangerous, Ducky." Abi warned as she packed away the laptop.
"Then my nickname isn't such a misnomer - when asked to duck - I will do so promptly."
"Jethro - what's going on now?" Rick asked, eyes wide.
"I just had an epiphany!" Gibbs called back over his shoulder. "Hey, Tony - you going to sit there all day? Come on!"
"On your six, Boss!"
*******
"And you two are supposed to be dead," Gibbs said as he took another corner at breakneck speed.
"So - we stay in the car?" Rick excused himself as he was flung against Abi.
"Until you get word from me - yes - "
"Uh - Boss - you think you can slow down? I'm really gonna puke!" Tony shouted above the screech of tyres."
"Just make sure you open a window, DiNozzo - or you're paying the valet bill!"
"And talking of dead, Jethro - " Ducky began. "The two bodies left where you found Tony and Rick?"
"Cross that bridge - when we get to it, Duck. I've a feeling Taylor will be checking on them himself - and he'll dispose of them in his own way."
"He's done it before," Rick affirmed. "Uh - Tony - you are not looking good."
"Thanks - "
Abi leaned forward and studied Tony for a second and nodded. "Here - you're going to throw up any second. Use this." She handed him a neatly folded plastic bag and he took it gratefully. "Only - if you could puke quietly? My stomach's not very strong when it comes to the noise?"
"I'll bear that in mind - 'scuse me." Tony got the bag open just in time and heaved until his stomach was empty -
"Oh God," Rick's face paled. "I'm not feeling too good - " Suddenly, the three passengers were thrown forward as Gibbs slammed on the brakes.
"Anyone else feel the need to vomit? If so - get out and be back in ten seconds"
Rick practically climbed over Tony - falling out of the car in a graceless heap before pulling himself to his feet and running for a nearby copse of trees about twenty yards from the road. Tony accepted a bottle of water from Abi gratefully and swallowed the contents without coming up for air.
"Is my driving really that bad?" Gibbs twisted around in his seat to look Ducky in the eye.
"Not to me, Jethro - I find speed invigorating - I remember a time when - "
"Here comes Rick - budge up, Tony." Abi pressed herself against the side door to let Tony shift across.
"No," he said as he reached for his seatbelt. I don't do middle - I just don't do middle - Abs - swap places?"
"No, why?"
"Abs - " Gibbs glanced at her in the rear view mirror. "Swap - or he'll puke again." Tony and Abi swapped places quickly as Rick climbed in, slamming the door shut.
"Can we please stop talking about - it!" Tony wailed.
"If you stop doing it, we'll stop talking about it," Gibbs offered.
"Then slow down?"
"Another ten minutes and we're there, DiNozzo - now buckle up!"
"Rick, my boy - you look peaky." Ducky observed. "Are you sure you are all right?"
"Fine - really - " Rick nodded with a sickly smile. He sniffed the air for a second and then retched again - "Tony - why is that bag on the floor - would you please - "
"Ah, sorry - yeah," he climbed out of the car, stepping round to the trunk as he raised his arm in the air, whirling the bag a few times before letting it go in the general direction of the trees where it landed out of sight.
"That's littering," Abi said with narrowed eyes.
"So fine me."
*******
"I have no idea what's up with Rick these days," Nicky mused as Alex braked at a red light. "It's like - he's - distracted."
"He's been closed to both of us for too long, Nick." Alex winked at a cute young brunette in the car beside him. "Too long - he's holding out on us - and I am damned if I know why."
"Like he's going to tell us anything now - especially now! But then, we know why he was holding out on us - you really think he and Taylor are in this together?"
"With Rick, anything's possible - and the more I think about it - the more I really do think he and Taylor planned all this."
"Not what Gibbs thinks," Nicky stretched his neck from side to side with a satisfied groan - "he thinks all three of us are involved."
"Then Gibbs is an idiot," Alex growled - his knuckles whitening on the steering wheel.
"Whoa, that's harsh bro - and why are we having this conversation anyway?"
"Because Gibbs is going to ask questions - and we have to be clear in our own minds - that Rick will be the one doing time - not us - we just slide into the shadows and we're away. Besides, Gibbs is only going by what his gut is telling him - he has no idea who's doing what to who, who's shafting and being shafted - he doesn't know half of it - and I sure as hell don't intend filling him in."
"You know something - I should be feeling really bad about we've done Al - but I don't - how about you?"
"Me? Bad? Nah - we sell up - move out - pool what we've got with Taylor - which adds up to how much?"
"Ah - at the last count?" Nicky closed his eyes as a smile began to spread across his face. "I think we were looking at a cool fifty million each - not forgetting the stocks from that heist in Maine last summer - pretty soon, we'll be lying on a beach and earning twenty percent!"
"No regrets?" Alex asked with a grin.
"None - me and 'Mand get to live the life we were born to live - one of unadulterated luxury."
"Sounds too good to be true, Nick - which - for you - and Amanda - is way too good to be true - "
"What in hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing - except - I've been re-evaluating the situation - and I'd prefer it if you didn't figure."
"Alex?"
Nicky didn't stand a chance - the tranquiliser gun suddenly appeared in Alex's left hand and then Nicky was tugging out a dart from his upper arm - letting it fall from limp fingers - his eyes wide in question before he slumped back in his seat - unconscious.
Alex reached across and tugged him straight. "Sorry Nick - but I can't risk you getting killed - I'm ending this - and ending it today - with my bullet in Taylor's head!"
TBC
Author's Chapter Notes:
Oh boy - now it gets interesting