Tony sat outside the precinct in his car, trying to summon the courage to walk back into the den of lions that were waiting to devour him. He had reported to work earlier that morning and had almost immediately been dispatched to the Milner homicide; it wasn’t how he wanted to start the day but at least he had managed to avoid the slurs and the thinly veiled threats that the other detectives hurled at him every time he walked through the doors. Of course, that was about to change as soon as he entered the police station, but his colleagues would never know how much their words truly hurt; Tony would simply slip on that mask that he wore so well, hiding the pain that he buried deep inside of him.
When Waters had called him and demanded to see him, Tony’s first instinct was to simply hang up on the man; the Captain had made his life unbearable the past few months and had taken a perverse pleasure in doing so. Tony hit the steering wheel in frustration; he knew he shouldn’t let Waters get under his skin, but dirty cops had a tendency to do just that.
Realizing that he couldn’t put off the confrontation any longer, Tony got out of his car and headed towards the entrance of the station. He schooled his features as he mentally braced himself for the assault of daggers that would be fired his way as soon as he set foot in the bullpen.
He walked through the door and started to make his way towards the Captain’s office, stopping at his desk long enough to see if the fax that he had been waiting for were in his inbox. Tony tried to ignore the stares of the other detectives as they followed his every move; the hatred in their eyes reflected the hatred in their hearts.
Tony continued to flip through his papers, his irritation growing every second as he searched in vain for the copies of the reports that he’d been promised. Coming up empty handed, he raked his hands through his hair, his disgusted gaze briefly resting on each man in the room. “I don’t suppose any one has seen the fax that I was supposed to get from the Virginia State Police,” Tony surmised.
The detective’s query was met with silence. “It pertains to my current murder investigation and I’m sure that if someone picked them up off my desk, it was a simple mistake,” he continued, sarcasm dripping from his voice. It angered him beyond words that someone in the division would interfere with an investigation just because it had been assigned to him; the Griffon and Milner familes deserved better than to be caught in the middle of a departmental war.
“Look guys, just because you’re pissed at me doesn’t mean that you can interfere with my cases! I’ve got to go and see and Waters and by the time I get back, those papers better be on my desk or I’m going to start tearing this place apart and I swear that whoever is responsible…” Tony clenched his fist as he abruptly stopped his tirade; the last thing he needed to be doing was making threats against his fellow officers because there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that the repercussions would come back on him.
He took a deep breath and blew it out. “Just get it back on my desk before I leave.”
“Or what?”
Tony visibly bristled as Detective Cal Jackson spoke up, purposefully challenging him in front of the other officers. He was sure that Jackson was one of Waters’ henchmen that had been responsible for his last hospital visit and subsequent forced vacation, but he didn’t have concrete proof.
“You don’t want to know. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m supposed to be meeting with the Captain.” He didn’t want to walk away but Tony knew if he didn’t, that he would end up doing something he would regret.
“You talk a lot but you don’t say much, do you DiNozzo? Wait a minute, let me rephrase that; you talk a lot but just to the wrong people,” Jackson corrected.
Play it cool, DiNozzo; play it cool. Tony kept repeating the mantra over and over, resisting the urge to take a swing at the other detective. The desire to walk out the door and never look back was strong, but he had a responsibility to the Griffon and Milner family; he had to see their killer behind bars and then he could consider his future. Tony figured that after Internal Affairs completed their investigation, that his days as a homicide detective for the Baltimore Police Department were over; not because of anything he had done, but because of all that he had uncovered and turned over to IA.
Electing to reciprocate their earlier actions, Tony chose to remain silent as he headed towards the Captain’s office. He shoved the officers continuous barbs to the back of mind, knowing that he needed a clear head when he talked to Waters; the man was infamous for trying to twist his words and using them against him. The Captain thrived on power and those whom he didn’t have control over were the ones who suffered; a fact that his former partner could testify to if he were alive today.
He knocked on the door and waited for the gruff voice to acknowledge his presence. Upon receiving the curt invitation, he entered the Captain’s office and stood patiently before the older man’s desk, waiting for Waters to make the first move.
“Detective DiNozzo,” Waters finally greeted.
“Captain.”
“How’s your case coming? Everything going well with NCIS?”
Tony stood tall, silently wishing that the man would quit beating around the bush. “It’s fine. Agent Gibbs seems to be very capable,” he informed the Captain.
“That’s good,” Waters stated. “So your day has been going well?”
“As well as can be expected.”
“That’s good, Detective DiNozzo, because my day hasn’t been so good.”
“Sorry to hear that,” Tony lied. Truthfully, the man deserved to spend his days rotting in jail, especially after what he did to Drew.
“Do you want to know why I’ve had a bad day?” Waters coolly inquired.
“I suppose you’re going to tell me.”
“That’s very perceptive of you, Detective DiNozzo; those instincts of yours must be working overtime today.”
“Look, Captain; I’ve got a case to get back to and I’m wasting time standing here going back and forth with you. Either you say what you’ve got to say or I’m walking,” he warned, his lack of respect for the man exacerbating his insubordination.
“Sit down, Detective,” the Captain insisted.
“I prefer to stand.”
“Have it your way.”
The Captain pulled out a thick file and Tony knew beyond a shadow of doubt that Waters was holding his personal file in his grubby hand. Waters opened it and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him; Tony knew what it was without having to look at it.
“It’s a reprimand for the fight you got into last week,” Waters explained.
Tony quickly read and handed it back to the Captain. “I’m not signing it,” he declared. “You’ve got your story wrong; I didn’t provoke those officers and I didn’t throw the first punch.”
“I’ve got three statements from highly decorated officers stating otherwise. I suggest you sign it and return in to me so I can add it to the mounting collection of reprimands in your record. By the time all this is over, you won’t be working in Baltimore or any other police force in the country; nobody wants a troublemaker, DiNozzo.”
Tony crossed his arms, firmly standing his ground. “You didn’t call me in here to tell me about another reprimand; half those reprimands in my file you put in there without my knowledge, so there has to be something else you want. What is it?”
“You’re right,” Waters conceded.
He studied the arrogant man before him as he leaned back in his chair. Tony hated Waters with every fiber of his being and in his mind, there could be no redemption for someone like the Captain, whose moral standards were completely nonexistent.
“I got a call from IA this morning and they want to talk to me…again. It seems that some new evidence has come to their attention; they are hinting at the fact that I possibly was influential in causing your partner to put a gun in his mouth and blow out his brains,” the Captain seethed.
“Really?” Tony wasn’t surprised; he was actually relieved that Internal Affairs had found the evidence condemning enough to warrant another interview with the Captain.
“Apparently you gave them access to Detective Grayson’s journal.”
“I found it in his personal belongings; you insisted that I clean out his desk,” Tony reminded him. “Besides, it provided some interesting reading while I was recuperating at home.”
Waters slammed his fist on his desk and stood up, towering over Tony by a couple of inches; unfortunately for the Captain, he had long ago ceased being intimidated by the older man. “You bastard! I didn’t pull the trigger!”
“But you might as well have!”
“Your partner was dirty and…”
“He wanted out and you wanted him to be your scapegoat!” he roared, not caring who heard him. “Drew wanted out and you wouldn’t let him; he begged you to let him out of your good old boys society but you were so afraid that he would go to IA that you planted the evidence in his locker so it would all come back on him!
“You knew his dad was a retired cop and that he thought Drew could walk on water. You got him suspended and the shame that he brought on his dad’s name was too much for him to handle and he killed himself. You destroyed him bit by bit and Drew wrote down everything; now, you’re going to have to answer for what you did to him,” Tony vowed.
Tony’s hate-filled gaze followed Waters as he circled around to the front of his desk; they were now toe to toe and truthfully, the detective wouldn’t have minded if they had come to blows except for the fact that he couldn’t afford another suspension. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that his life was about to become even more difficult than it already was and with no one to watch his back, things could definitely get interesting.
“You’re going to ruin a lot of innocent lives if you continue to pursue this,” the Captain advised him. “Your vendetta is going to result in your demise.”
“I believe that constitutes a threat, Captain.”
“Take it however you want to; you better watch your six because nobody in this department is going to do it.”
“Are we done?” Tony asked, wanting desperately to get back to his case.
“We’re done,” Waters replied. “For now. You better get back to work; it’d be a shame to make a bad impression on your friend, the Navy cop.”
As Tony turned to leave, Waters grabbed his arm. “By the way, I hear congratulations are in order, Agent DiNozzo; I’m sure you and Wendy will make a lovely couple, assuming you both make it to the altar.”
Tony paled at the mention of his fiancée’s name. Waters had now raised the stakes by threatening the woman that he loved; Wendy had been his source of strength throughout this nightmare that had encompassed his life. Pulling his arm free, Tony grabbed the Captain and shoved him against the wall, his arm pressing against the Captain’s throat as a feral growl escaped his lips.
“You lay a hand on her and you won’t need to meet with IA; you’ll be lying on a slab down in the morgue.”
Lieutenant Morgan and several other detectives came bursting into Waters’ office and pulled Tony off of the Captain. “Captain, are you all right?” Morgan inquired.
“I’m fine,” the Captain answered. “I believe you have work to do, Detective DiNozzo.”
The officers holding Tony released him upon Waters’ silent order. Tony turned to leave, refusing to meet the Captain’s malicious grin; he had more pressing things to tend to such as making sure that his fiancée was all right.
Wendy had been asked to tour with the Metro symphony and he had been the one to encourage her to go; because of her schedule, she had not been subjected to all the drama that had unfolded but she had been his rock through it all. Wendy respected his work and wouldn’t press him but when Drew died, she had immediately flown back and he had told her of his suspicions and she had promised him her unconditional support.
It had taken a lot of smooth talking to convince her to return to the tour and at his insistence, she had finally relented. There were many nights that he wished that he hadn’t been so selfless so that he could feel the silkiness of her skin against his, but he would not deny Wendy her dream and he truly could rest better knowing that she was staying clear of the mess that he had created. They would have an eternity to spend together and he was not about to let anyone shatter the foundation that they had forged from their love.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Locating Officer Dayton had not been difficult; Gibbs had called dispatch under the guise of needing to question him about the crime scene and had discovered that Dayton was off duty but frequented a bar just around the corner from the precinct. The agent walked through the door of The 10-20, an establishment that whose main clientele were cops, both active and retired. He immediately spotted the officer he was looking for at the bar, trying to pick up a woman who looked to be several years his junior.
A mischievous grin danced upon his lips as he called out to the officer. “Will! It’s good to see you man! How’s Trix doing? How long have you two been married now?”
Gibbs’ smile grew wider as Dayton’s young female companion now looked at him with disgust. “You’re married?” the girl demanded to know.
“No!” Dayton protested. “I’m not married! I just met this guy this morning at a crime scene and…”
“That’s a likely story!” she seethed. “You better go on home to Trix!”
Gibbs ordered a coffee as the scorned woman stormed away. He could feel Dayton’s glare shooting daggers at his back as he took a sip of the hot liquid; Gibbs wondered if the officer really thought that he could intimidate him with a look.
“I suppose you think that was pretty funny, huh, Gibbs?”
“Yeah, I kinda do,” he replied. “She was too young for you anyway.”
“I don’t think it’s any of your business.”
“Suit yourself.”
Dayton gulped down the rest of his drink. “What do you want, Gibbs?”
“I’ve got a couple of questions I need answers to.”
“This couldn’t have waited until tomorrow?”
Gibbs shook his head. “Nope. I’m not a patient man.”
“I would’ve never guessed,” Dayton shot back. “So what is it you want to know?”
Setting down his coffee cup, he perched on a bar stool, making himself as comfortable as possible; he was hoping that he and Dayton were going to have to have a long conversation. Dayton seemed to be the kind of man who didn’t know when to shut up and liked to brag on his conquests.
“Detective DiNozzo,” he began. “You seem rather…hostile towards him. Why?”
“Why don’t you ask him?” Dayton retorted.
“I’m asking you.”
“I’m not allowed to discuss it.”
Gibbs shook his head, motioning for the bartender to bring Dayton another drink. “Let’s cut the crap, Dayton. You may not be allowed to discuss it, but it sure doesn’t keep you from running your mouth.”
“DiNozzo deserves every bad word said about him. He’s trying to take down some good cops and we can’t let that happen.”
The agent visibly tensed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Dayton paled as he evidently realized what he had just revealed; he had all but admitted that there was bad blood between DiNozzo and certain members of the police force. Gibbs had a feeling that something was going on and although he didn’t know the details yet, it was obvious that DiNozzo had made quite a few enemies; no wonder the detective looked like a mile of bad road. Having to constantly look over your shoulder while trying to do your job was difficult enough and it was evident to the agent that some members of Baltimore Police Department were determined to make Anthony DiNozzo’s life a living hell.
“I asked you a question, Officer Dayton,” Gibbs reiterated. “What did you mean when you said we can’t let that happen?”
“Nothing,” Dayton hastily answered.
“It’s probably not in your best interest to lie to me,” the Marine warned.
“Are you threatening me, Agent Gibbs?”
“I don’t make threats, only promises.”
“This doesn’t involve you, Gibbs; you’re getting in the middle of something that you don’t understand.”
“I think I have a pretty good grasp on it,” Gibbs declared. “DiNozzo is trying to right a wrong and you and some of your buddies are taking matters in your own hands. As a matter a fact, I’m willing to bet that the week of leave that he just took wasn’t his choice; did you and your cohorts rough him up a little, trying to get him to back off?”
“I think we’re done here,” Dayton growled. “If you want to know anything else, maybe you should talk to my Captain.”
“I’ll do that,” he vowed.
Gibbs called out to Dayton as he turned to leave. “As long as I’m working on this case with Detective DiNozzo, I have his back; be sure you and your friends remember that.”
As the officer left the bar, Gibbs took a final sip of his coffee and glanced at his watch. He needed to head back to home so he could get ready for DiNozzo’s arrival. Gibbs had already determined that he was going to get the Detective’s side of things before he went and talked to the Captain. Although he didn’t know DiNozzo well, there was no doubt that the man had integrity and an innate sense of right and wrong; Gibbs admired those traits and was anxious to discover what made Detective Tony DiNozzo tick.
He made his way to his car, deciding that maybe tonight he would fix steaks, cowboy style and break out the good beer. Maybe DiNozzo would let down his guard and trust him enough to tell him what was going on; then again, if he were the detective, he doubted that trust would come with a steak and a beer. Gibbs realized that he definitely had his work cut out for him.
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