“Wendy, hey babe; I need you to call me when you get this message. I know this is the fifth one I’ve left but I…I really need to hear your voice.”
Detective Tony DiNozzo snapped shut his cell phone and tossed it in the seat next to him. He had been trying to get a hold of Wendy to make sure that she was all right, but she wasn’t answering her cell phone or the phone in her hotel room. The threat that had been made against his fiancée had unnerved him just as Captain Waters knew it would; although Wendy was on the other side of the United States at the moment, that didn’t stop him from worrying about her. He had a feeling that Waters could get to her no matter where she was.
The last thing he wanted was for Wendy to suffer the consequences of his actions. By doing what he knew to be right, he had placed the one person that he loved more than anyone in the world in mortal danger; if anything happened to Wendy, Tony would never be able to forgive himself. She was the light in the darkness that had become his life and the thought of that flame being snuffed out was too much for him to bear.
As he pulled up in front of Agent Gibbs’ house, he grabbed his phone and tried Wendy’s number one more time in hopes that she would answer, but he was put through to her voice mail once again. Getting out of the car, he slipped his phone in the pocket of his jeans and made his way to the front door. Tony had to admit that he never pictured the agent living in such a quaint, family oriented neighborhood, but he had already figured out that the older man was full of surprises.
He knocked on the door but there was no answer. Almost on reflex he reached for the doorknob and found the door to be unlocked; shrugging off his uncertainty, he entered into the house. Tony was greeted by the sight of Gibbs kneeling before his fireplace cooking what appeared to be a large mouthwatering steak; his growling stomach began to remind him that the piece of pie that he had consumed earlier was beginning to wear off and that it had been a long time since he ate anything substantial.
“I uh…knocked but you didn’t answer,” Tony stated.
“Didn’t need to; the door was unlocked.”
“You always leave your door unlocked?”
“Yep.”
Tony closed the door behind him, wondering if Gibbs was actually that trusting of his fellow man or if it was just a fact of life that he didn’t lock his door. The detective wondered if he should consider keeping his door unlocked; it would certainly save him from having to replace the locks every time Waters’ men decided to call on him.
“You just gonna stand there or are you going to come on over here so we can eat?” Gibbs inquired as he stood up and made his way over to the couch.
Uncertainty clouded the detective’s eyes as Gibbs set the plate down and then opened the two beers that were already adorning the coffee table. Tony walked over to the couch and took the proffered beer as he sat down. “I…uh…wasn’t really expecting dinner.”
“A man’s got to eat.”
He set his files down and watched as Gibbs took his knife and cut the steak down the center; the Marine slapped down half the steak on Tony’s plate and then proceeded to cut his own meat. Tony stared at his steak and then shifted his gaze back to the agent. “You uh…got another knife?” Tony inquired.
“Rule nine,” Gibbs replied in between bites.
“Rule nine?”
“Never go anywhere without a knife.”
“Do you just make up these rules or what?”
Gibbs grinned at him, nodding towards what Tony assumed to be the kitchen. “Steak knives are in the drawer under the microwave.”
“Thanks.”
Tony rose from his seat and retrieved a knife from the other room; resituating himself on the couch, he began to eat his dinner, savoring every bite. “You’re a pretty decent cook, Gibbs,” he declared. “Or else I’m just really hungry.”
“Could be both.”
“Could be,” Tony agreed.
The ringing of his cell phone interrupted their small talk; he could only hope that Wendy was finally returning his call. Tony reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone; glancing at the caller ID, he breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of his fiancée’s name. “I really need to take this,” Tony explained.
Gibbs shrugged as he took a drink of his beer. “So take it.”
“Thanks. I’ll only be a minute.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Tony answered his phone, simultaneously making his way towards the foyer until he was out of earshot of the NCIS agent. “Hey, Babe.”
“Hey yourself,” Wendy answered. “I just got your messages; I’ve been in rehearsal. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” he reassured her. “I just needed to hear your voice.”
“Tony, what’s wrong?”
He wished he could take Wendy in his arms and tell her everything about the sordid mess that he had created for himself; although she knew a lot of what was going on, there were still things that she didn’t know and would never know. Tony wanted to desperately keep her safe and at the moment, he felt helpless to do so. “I can’t go into a whole lot of detail right now, but I need to you be extra careful; I’m afraid that something’s going to happen to you because Waters is after me.”
“Tony, I’m all the way across the country,” she protested. “I should be fine.”
“I don’t want you to take any chances; I have a feeling that if he wants to, that Waters will find a way to get to you. I…I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t.”
“Maybe you should come back home.” If he had his way, Wendy would be on the next flight home but she was fiercely independent and he would never do anything to crush that unique spirit that had endeared her to him; but he was scared for her and his fear was doing the talking at the moment.
“I can’t; I’m doing the piano solo for the next week. I’m probably safer out here anyway,” Wendy pointed out. “I’m going to be fine.”
“Wendy, please,” he pleaded. He realized that she wouldn’t necessarily be safer back in Baltimore but he could at least keep an eye on her and protect her; if only he could convince her it was for the best. “If something happens to you…”
“Nothing is going to happen to me.”
He wished he could believe her; he couldn’t shake the feeling in his gut that something was going to happen. Tony knew that he had fallen in love with a strong and self sufficient woman who would not be deterred once her mind was made up and he wouldn’t have her any other way. She had every right to pursue her dream and he had no right to tell her that she couldn’t; he was going to have to take her at her word “Promise me you’ll be careful?”
“I promise.”
Tony pressed his forehead against the wall. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too. I’ll be home next week; we have a two week break before we head out again,” she informed him.
The knowledge that she would be home soon soothed his frazzled nerves; at least if she was home, he could keep a better eye on her. “I can’t wait to see you.”
“I can’t wait either; we’ve got some catching up to do,” she teased.
Tony smiled as he envisioned the two of them wrapped in each other’s arms, providing one another with unconditional love and support as they made love over and over. “I definitely can’t wait for that.”
“Me either. Listen, I’ve got to go and get ready, but I’ll call you after the concert,” she vowed.
“I’ll be waiting and please be careful.”
“I will.”
“I love you.”
“Love you too.”
Tony ended his call and rejoined Gibbs in the living room. “Sorry about that,” he apologized, sitting down to resume his meal.
“Work?” Gibbs asked.
“Not exactly; I was talking to my fiancée.”
“So you’re getting married. When’s the big day?”
“I don’t know; we haven’t set a date,” he admitted.
“Probably a good idea not to rush into anything,” the agent conceded. “Marriage is a big step; it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“How about you, Gibbs?” Tony asked. “Are you married?”
“Nope. Divorced twice, third one is pending.”
Tony shook his head in amusement. “Don’t be offended if I don’t seek you out for any marital advice I may need down the road.”
“No offense taken.”
The two men finished their meal in companionable silence, each appreciating the easy rapport that seemed to exist between them. Tony found himself relaxing in the presence of the NCIS agent, which was something that he usually didn’t do when he was working; he had learned the hard way that he had to be constantly looking over his shoulder, knowing that there was no one that he could trust.
It was Gibbs who finally broke the silence when he stood up and began to gather the dishes. “Did you get enough to eat?” the older man asked.
“Yeah,” Tony replied. “Thanks again for supper.”
“No problem. Let me put these dishes in the sink and we’ll get to work.”
“Sounds good.”
Tony picked up his files and followed Gibbs into the kitchen. “So Gibbs, tell me something. How’ve you managed to go through three divorces and keep your house?”
“None of my ex’s could figure out how to get the boat out of the basement so they didn’t want the house.”
The detective stared at the graying agent in disbelief. “You have a boat in your basement?” Gibbs was definitely an enigma who kept his emotional distance from others, something that Tony could definitely relate to; however, there was something about the older man that put him at ease and that in itself made him nervous.
“Yep; it’s almost done,” Gibbs boasted. “Want to see it?”
“Sure.”
One of these days his innate curiosity was going to get him in trouble but the prospect of seeing a boat in basement was an opportunity he didn’t want to pass up. He followed Gibbs down the basement stairs; the smell of sawdust hung in the air, the scent growing stronger with each step they descended. When he reached the bottom step, he smiled at the sight of the boat taking up half of Gibbs’ basement.
He ran his hand over the wood, admiring the craftsmanship of the boat; it was obvious that Gibbs took a lot of pride in his work. “This is uh…it’s beautiful. How long have you been working on it?”
“A while. There’s something about working with your hands that tends to put life in perspective; it helps me to get away from the stress of the job.”
“It must be nice to be able to get away from it all,” Tony mumbled, not intending for Gibbs to hear his caustic comment.
“Problems at work?” Gibbs asked.
Tony nervously cleared his throat as he wondered if Gibbs had supersonic hearing; for some reason, he wouldn’t be surprised if he did. “Uh…no,” he answered a bit too quickly. “Work’s great.”
“That’s not the impression I’ve been getting.”
“Well, I mean every department has its problems; I’m sure even NCIS has it problems.”
“I’m sure it does,” Gibbs agreed.
He watched Gibbs empty out two small jars and pull out a bottle of bourbon. After the agent filled the glasses, Tony reluctantly took one and sat down on the nearest stool. He was uncomfortable with the sudden interest that Gibbs had taken in his work situation; they were only supposed to collaborate on a murder investigation and nothing else and Tony was determined to keep it that way. The detective could not afford to have someone else involved in the nightmare that his life had become.
Taking a sip of the liquor, he handed Gibbs the rest of the information that he had managed to collect. “Here’s all I have; I thought that if we compare…”
“Did you get the fax you were looking for?” Gibbs asked as he took the folder from him.
“Uh…no, I must have misplaced it. I’ll call in the morning and have the State Police fax it again.” He wasn’t sure why he was accepting blame for the actions of his colleagues; he had to keep Gibbs’ suspicions at bay and if he had to tell a little white lie to do so, he would do it without regret.
The NCIS agent shook his head. “I doubt that you misplaced it; that’s not your style.”
Tony drained his glass and slammed it down on the workbench. Anger and frustration had become his constant companions and usually he kept those emotions buried deep; his feelings had been used against him so often that he kept them guarded but there was something about Gibbs’ prying ways that unleashed the rage that had been churning all day.
“You don’t even know me!” he roared. “I could be the most irresponsible and selfish person you’ve ever met! You don’t know my style and you don’t know how I operate; you may have gotten stuck with the worst detective Baltimore PD has, so you might want to reserve your judgment until after this case.”
Gibbs calmly took a sip of his own drink, purposefully ignoring his outburst. “If something is going on internally that might affect the outcome of this investigation, I need to know about it.”
Although he knew that Gibbs was right, he would not allow the well-meaning agent to get involved in his personal battle; Tony had learned as a child that the only person he could depend on was himself and it was a lesson that had stayed with him throughout his entire life. There were only a couple of people who had earned his complete trust and it had taken him a long time to accept them into his confidence; he wanted to trust Gibbs but he wasn’t totally convinced that he could place his faith in the agent.
“I can handle it,” Tony declared.
“Are you sure about that?”
Tony met Gibbs’ question with silence. Why couldn’t this man just leave him alone to deal with his own mess?
“I spoke with Officer Dayton,” Gibbs calmly stated.
Tony’s eyes narrowed. What kind of game was Gibbs playing? “Officer Dayton?” he growled. “Why?”
“I was playing a hunch.”
“A hunch? Does this hunch have a name and work in a coffee shop?” Tony pressed. He should have never left Rita alone with Gibbs; she was always worrying about him and after Drew’s death, her concern for him had magnified.
“She might have mentioned a thing or two but I’ve also got eyes; it’s pretty obvious that Dayton has some kind of grudge against you.”
Tony’s cell phone began to ring and with a quick glance at the caller ID, he dismissed the call. About this time every night, the phone calls always started as did the mind games; Tony couldn’t help but wonder if the officers who tormented him would ever grow tired of amusing themselves at his expense. The sound of his phone ringing once again provided him with the answer he sought. Disgusted, Tony put his phone on silent and slipped it back in his pocket.
“Aren’t you going to answer that?” Gibbs asked.
“No, it’s not important.”
Tony could feel the muscles in his body tense as Gibbs walked over towards him; the frustration in the older man’s eyes matched his own. “How long has it been going on?” the agent wanted to know as he poured Tony another drink in his glass
“Gibbs, I appreciate what you’re trying to do but the best thing you can do is to stay out of it.”
“It seems to me that you need all the help you can get,” Gibbs observed.
“What exactly did Dayton tell you?”
“Not much; but he made it pretty clear that you’ve made quite a few enemies in the department.”
“That’s an understatement,” Tony snorted.
“He also suggested I talked with Captain Waters.”
“I can’t stop you.” Tony knew that Waters had almost everyone in the precinct on his side and that he would more than likely make sure that Gibbs knew all of his shortcomings; the agent would definitely have some interesting reading if the Captain happened to give Gibbs his personnel record.
“I’m really not interested in what Captain Waters has to say; I want to hear the truth.”
Tony raked his hands through his hair. “What makes you think I’m telling the truth?”
“Let’s just say that I’m a good judge of character.”
He couldn’t understand why Gibbs had taken such an interest in him and his personal war that he had waged against Captain Waters and the Baltimore Police Department. Tony had only known this man standing before him for one day and yet he was ready to take up his cause. Could the Navy cop actually help him? Maybe it was time to find out if he could trust Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Wendy glanced at her watch as she walked out of the concert hall towards her car. She should have called Tony about thirty minutes ago but the musician had ended up staying later than usual to talk with some young teenage musicians who had been out in the audience; as a teacher and a performer, Wendy was always ready to share her passion with others. Tony would normally understand if she was late calling him but she wasn’t sure about tonight; he’d been edgy and there had been no mistaking the concern and fear in his voice.
When he had called and told her that Waters threatened her, she had easily dismissed the thought; Tony had always been protective of her and she figured that this time was no different. Throughout the concert, her mind had not been on her music but on the fear that she could sense was consuming her fiancé; maybe she should fly back home so he would have one less thing to worry about.
She pulled out her cell phone and hit the speed dial that held Tony’s number. Her call automatically went to his voice mail and so she decided to leave him a message; she had a feeling that he had probably become engrossed in his latest case or something to that nature. Tony was also working on trying to clear his partner’s name and lately, that task had almost become an unhealthy obsession; she knew that he was getting closer to the truth and that knowledge continued to drive Tony’s desire to expose those responsible for Drew’s death.
“Hey Tony; I’m sorry I’m so late calling you,” she began. “I know you’re worried about me, but I’m fine. I want you to take care of yourself and don’t push yourself too hard; you better have a lot of energy when I come home, which might be earlier than I planned. We’ll talk about it later. I love you and I’ll try and call you again before I go to bed.”
Wendy opened her car and slid in behind the wheel. As she closed the door, she placed the key in the ignition, started the car and pulled out on the road that she took to her hotel. Coasting to stop at the stop sign, she answered her ringing phone, thinking that Tony was calling her back.
“Hey,” she happily greeted, ignoring the car that pulled up beside her.
When she didn’t receive and answer, she pulled the phone away and looked at the caller ID. “Private number,” she mumbled. “Who in the world…”
She never finished her thoughts as gunfire erupted around her, plunging her into a world of darkness.
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