Leather: Chapter 4:
In the van, Gibbs smirked as he listened to the exchange between the two, knowing he was the one they were talking about. Both Ziva and McGee looked at each other, puzzled by the conversation between Abby and Tony. Gibbs shook his head as he listen to Abby tell Tony that she was protecting him, she knew that Gibbs trusted Tony completely and while may not exactly like another man’s hands on Tony, he would never over react especially on a mission, but she liked goading him and teasing him about his overprotective/ possessive nature where Tony was concerned.
“Who do you think they’re talking about?” McGee asked Ziva, oblivious to the thoughts going through his boss’ head.
She shrugged as she looked across to McGee and replied, “Maybe a new girlfriend.”
“But why would Tony be afraid of making her mad? They never stick around long enough to get jealous.” McGee said.
“I don’t know McGee, this is Tony we are talking about, yes? Who knows what goes through his mind at any given time?” Ziva relied.
“Don’t you think the two of you should be concentrating on the mission at hand and not on your fellow agents love life?” Gibbs growled, making both agents jump slightly. Besides, DiNozzo is not the player everyone thinks he is,’ he thought to himself.
“Yes Boss,” they said and returned to the tasks at hand.
Stepping out into the cool night air, Tony used his body to shield Abby’s exit from the club while he checked to see if their guy was out there. Sure enough there he stood with a couple of his goons on the other side of the alley opposite the door. Tony looked to the other end of the alley going toward the street and the van that sat there holding their team. Tony hesitated his feeling of unease increasing as he looked back to the dealer and saw three more goons join them. Tony turned back to Abby to tell her to go back inside when he saw the two thugs appear behind her, blocking that mode of escape. “Shit!” he murmured softly.
“Tony?” Abby questioned, sensing his indecision.
“Boss, I think we’ve been made. Two men are blocking our retreat back into the club and five men in the alley along with the dealer.” Tony informed them, hoping that Gibbs and the team would get to them before anything unforeseen happened.
“We’re moving in Tony. You have no choice, but to keep up the façade.” Gibbs told him, using his first name as a form of unheard communication.
“On it Boss.” Tony assured him. Then Tony looked at Abby and said firmly, “Abby, you stay behind me and if things turn hinky, you turn and run toward the street and don’t stop until you get to Gibbs, okay?!”
“But Tony, what about you?” Abby asked starting to get worried.
“Don’t worry about me. You run, no matter what you hear and don’t look back!” Tony murmured forcibly. Then holding his pinky out to her, he demanded, “PROMISE!”
Wrapping her pinky around his, Abby nodded slightly as she said, “Promise.”
With that Tony and Abby stepped into the alley and walked with false bravado toward their dealer and his goons. The dealer was smiling as they grew near and when they stopped in front of him, he started to chuckle. “I’m glad you could make it. I was afraid you were going to having second thoughts.” The dealer told them, causing Abby to shrink behind Tony a bit more.
“What? Never, just had to decide how much we were wanting to buy, man.” Tony told him staying with the charade.
“Well, as much as I hate to tell you, there will be no sale going down tonight, but there will be something a bit more fun.” The dealer told them as his smile grew and a shadow descended upon them. “I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine,” He said motioning to the man behind them, “But then I think you already know him, Special Agent DiNozzo.” The dealer smirked.
“Hello, Agent DiNozzo, Miss, it is so nice to see you again.” This came from the man standing in the shadows, his face darkened by them. His voice heavily accented.
Abby felt Tony’s body tightened as he recognized the voice and heard Gibbs’
Ferocious voice in her ear “Shit! Damn It! Tony! Abby! We’re coming!”
Turning to Ziva and McGee, Gibbs barked, “Let’s go- shoot first, questions later, we give Tony and Abby as much cover as possible!” And with that he opened the door of the van and stepped out into the night, determined to keep those he loved safe.
McGee and Ziva followed him out of the van and began to coordinate with the other team that had been set as backup in case things turned hinky. They made their way into their positions, quietly and quickly, as Gibbs kept communication open with Tony and Abby.
Abby clutched at Tony’s arm and he grabbed her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, as he brought it up under the back of his leather jacket. Tony felt Abby’s hand close over the small service revolver, he kept as backup in a back holster. Felt her lean closer to him in what looked like fear, but was only to cover her removing the gun from its holster. Knowing Abby had a way to defend herself, Tony then did what he did best. Talk.
“Hey, Hector! Long time, I thought it was going to be at least another dozen years before I had to see the likes of you again. But then, you always were good at giving others what you thought they needed to hear. Of course if I had known you were going to be released, I’d have showed up to ensure that it was revoked.” Tony said, baiting the shorter man, knowing it was the only way to buy time. “I’m sure. But then you were never to worried about putting innocent men behind bars to further your career.” Hector told him.
“Yeah, well, show me an innocent man and maybe I’ll review the evidence.” All the while he talked, Tony kept taking small steps backward, maneuvering Abby and himself toward the alley’s opening, towards Gibbs. Every move he made, Tony made sure that he was between the men and Abby, hoping that their repositioning would give her better access at running. Tony could hear Gibbs in his ears as he barked orders to McGee, Ziva, and the other team, getting them in position to cover Abby and himself. He knew when Gibbs was at the mouth of the alley and Tony kept moving that way to close the distance Abby would have to run.
Hector must have noticed Tony’s movements as he talked because Tony had only backed up a yard or so when Hector raised his gun and pointed it directly at Tony’s face, his nose to be exact, as he ordered Tony to stop. “Stop! Stop talking, stop moving NOW or I’ll shoot your girlfriend here.”
“Ahh, Hector, that’s no way to play with friends.” Tony said as he stopped moving.
“You think you are so clever, but there is no way you or your friend will be leaving here alive.” Hector growled.
“Who said anything about leaving?” Tony asked as he straightened himself to his full height, a good 4 inches over the other man, straightened his shoulders and squared himself off to Hector, a small smile playing over his lips. He heard Gibbs in his ear, and a calm settled over him, knowing that Gibbs was closing in. Stall DiNozzo, we’re almost in position.’
“So Hector, how’s Daddy? Big Brother? Are you still trying to prove yourself worthy of the family?” Tony asked tauntingly.
“Shut up! My father and brother will welcome me back into the family as soon as I take care of you!” Hector growled again, but still he rose to the bait. “You ruined the family when you tricked me, and for that you will pay!! You’ll learn the meaning of true pain as you watch your girlfriend here DIE! And you know there is nothing you can do to stop it.” Hector finished triumphantly as he shifted the raised gun and re-aimed it toward Abby, a sick insane smile on his face, as he fired the gun.
Time seemed to stop for Tony as he watched Hector re-aim the gun and fire toward Abby. Tony shoved Abby as he screamed, “Run Abby!” and Abby turned, ducking as she ran for all she was worth toward the alley opening, not looking back as Tony threw himself between the bullet and Abby.
The bullet hit him in the left shoulder, tearing through flesh and bone, lodging within his shoulder joint. For a second he stood there stunned as the pain ripped through him, then adrenaline took over and he launched himself at Hector, taking the shorter man down with him as he fell, effectively cutting off his chance for another shot at Abby. Tony struggled with Hector for the gun a moment before getting a grip on his wrist and banging said wrist into the asphalt of the alley until Hector released the gun. Tony could hear their back-up swarming the alley, taking control of the situation, and above all the noise and commotion he could hear Gibbs hollering orders.
“Find DiNozzo! NOW!” Then the relived growl, “Abby! Thank God! Are you okay? Where’s Tony?”
“I . . .I don’t know, G.. He told me to run, so I ran. He made me promise to run no matter what and to not look back!!” Abby cried as she clung to Gibbs, shaking uncontrollably. Then as the rest of the NCIS agents began to clear away the thugs and goons, she saw Tony, lying in a pool of blood on top of the man who had tried to shoot her.
“Oh, my God! Gibbs!” Abby exclaimed as she ran too Tony and dropped to her knees beside him and tried to roll him over. Gibbs had followed her and as he helped her roll Tony over, he handcuffed Hector and jerked the guy to his feet, murder in his steel blue eyes as he shoved Hector to McGee and snarled, “Take him in and I’ll be there to do the questioning,” then leaning in so only Hector could hear him he said, “You better hope that Agent DiNozzo doesn’t die, because if he does, I can’t promise not to kill you myself.” Hector’s brown eyes widened in fear as he saw the truth of Gibbs words in his eyes.
Turning back to Abby and Tony, Gibbs knelt down beside them, pulling his own shirt and jacket off in the process to use them to stop the flow of blood from the wound in Tony’s shoulder. Leaning closer to the younger man, he called out, “DiNozzo!” which earned him no response, so he tried again, growling fiercely this time, “Tony! You with me? Stay with me!”
“Come on Tony! PLEASE!!” Abby cried.
“Tony, Damn it! You better not die on me!” Gibbs told him. “Tony, remember my order, you are not allowed to disobey a direct order!” Gibbs pressed down on Tony’s shoulder harder, trying to stop the blood, as he looked up and demanded “I need an ambulance! NOW!” then seeing Ducky hurrying toward them he focused on Tony once again, not hearing Abby pleading with Tony. “Tony, you open those eyes this minute! Come on, Tony, you’re scaring Abby, and me! Please Tony!” Gibbs trailed off as he saw the tale tell flutter of Tony’s eyes.
It took a lot of effort to open his eyes, but he could hear the rise of panic in Gibbs voice and the guilty pleading of Abby’s, and he knew that he had to open his eyes. Slowly, he managed to raise his heavy lids to reveal the cloudy green of his eyes, looked into the stormy steel blue of his lovers and then slowly managed to meet Abby’s dark brown ones. He even managed a smile that turned into a grimace as Ducky removed Gibbs’ makeshift bandage to examine the damage of the wound. “Hey.” he whispered.
“Hey back,” Gibbs whispered to him, then lifting a bloody hand to Tony’s cheek he leaned over to quickly brush his lips over Tony’s as he murmured, “Love you.”
Tony smiled at that as he looked up at Gibbs and told him, “Me too.” then seeing Ziva and McGee approaching he said, “Hey Probie, Ziva! Did you get them all?”
McGee looked rather green at all the blood Tony was loosing and his mouth opened and closed with no sound coming out. Ziva, however, answered his question.
“Yes, we have them all goat-tied.”
“Hog-tied” Tony murmured as the paramedics made it to him and began preparing him for transport.
“Well, now young Anthony, you seemed to have gotten yourself into some trouble again.” Ducky told him thoughtfully, then added, “I really wish you would stop this at some point.”
“Ducky, it was my fault,” Abby began, tears filling her eyes again, then falling as Tony reached out a hand to her and said.
“Not your fault, love. It’s me, I’m a trouble magnet, remember?” seeing her nod, he asked, “You hurt?”
Abby couldn’t speak, so she simply shook her head and leaned over the gurney and hugged Tony gently and kissed his forehead, before the paramedics lifted him into the ambulance.
Seeing her distress, Ducky wrapped an encouraging arm around his young friend and pulled her to him. “Hey, Duckman, “Abby whispered, her eyes dark, wide, and drenched with tears. The tears started to fall as she told him what had happened and how Tony had placed himself between her and the bullet, while she had hid.
“I know, my dear, he loves you and he would not want you to beat yourself up over this. He’d be the first to tell you that he’d do again, if it meant protecting you. Now what do you say we get to the hospital.” Ducky led her gently to his car.
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