Gibbs waited a few moments before following Tony and the doctor out of the locker room. He was certain that the younger agent had not known he was there, and he wanted to ensure that his exit likewise went undetected.
Gibbs silently opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. He turned the corner, intending to go back to the layout room, which had apparently become the joint investigation’s base of operation. As he turned the corner, leaning against the wall was his lover, a slight smile on his face… apparently Gibbs wasn’t as stealthy as he had thought.
“Boss,” Tony said as he nodded in greeting.
“Tony,” Gibbs replied, paused then continued, “you have a partner waiting for you DiNozzo.” Gibbs glanced around, lowered his voice slightly and continued, “We can discuss this later. Right now, the case comes first.”
They really did have quite a bit to discuss, but Gibbs wanted privacy for the conversation. It would also take more time than the older man was willing to take away from the case at the moment.
Tony sighed and looked resigned. He wasn’t exactly upset that Gibbs knew Ryan’s secret. It was more the other information he had told Dr. Woods. He didn’t know what came over him to tell her about the beating that had nearly killed him. He never told anyone about it. Something about the caring doctor called to him and made Tony trust her more than anyone he had met in a long time. In fact, since he was a young kid all alone at boarding school with a roommate who had a large loving family, and that roommate was willing to bring Tony home for the holidays.
Tony had never wanted Gibbs to know he had been so weak and caught unawares, that he was able to be beaten so badly. He was sure the marine would never find himself in such a situation.
“Yeah, Boss, I already called Delko, and I am meeting him out front in 5. He’s getting one of the Hummers for us to use.” Tony knew better than to be caught slacking off. He had already called McGee -- little did the younger agent know that while it seemed Tony was checking on him and the progress of the case, he was really checking on his cousin. The two younger agents were out checking on lawn services. He had checked in on Kate also. The female duo was working on dry cleaners and grocery deliveries. That still left several businesses that were not being canvassed. This being South Florida however, Tony felt that pool services should be the next in line to be checked out. The FBI was working on gaining access to the victim’s financial information. Once that was in hand, they could see which services the victim used, and then they could narrow the field of possible suspects.
Tony pushed away from the wall. He had not expected to talk to Gibbs about what the older man had heard in the locker room at this time. The reason he was waiting in this place was to send a subtle message to his lover -- that Tony was aware that the older man had overheard him.
Tony walked quickly down the hallway following his sexy boss, heading toward the front entrance. He needed to concentrate on work now, not his increasingly complicated personal life.
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