Chapter 7
Tony’s entire body tensed, his gut clenched in terror. They had found him and now they were going to take him away from Gibbs and hand him over to his father. There was no way in hell he would let that happen, not as long as there was even one breath left in his body.
The minute Tony felt the hand try to pull him out from behind the boxes, he sprung up and pushed back, propelling himself and his assailant, until they hit the wall behind them. Knowing he had caught the bastard off guard, Tony tried to use that advantage in his favor. Elbowing the man in the stomach, Tony attempted to break free and run.
Tony’s only thought was escape, but the hand clamped down on his shoulder and pulled him back. Arms wrapped around his chest and Tony felt his throat closing off in sheer panic. Throwing his head back, in hopes of breaking the man’s nose, Tony fought for all he was worth to get away. Unfortunately, before he could connect he felt himself lifted off the ground.
“Get your fucking hands off me!” Tony shouted as he kicked his legs hoping to kick a knee at least. “I won’t let you take me to that bastard! You might as well kill me, ‘cause I ain’t going!”
Tony continued to frantically fight, his panic building with each failed attempt at escape. He could hear the bastard whispering in his ear, but his brain refused to accept the words. All he knew was he had to break free, or die trying.
He realized he was being pulled down and he struggled wildly. His only hope had been to get his feet on the floor so he could get some leverage against the man holding him. If the man got him on the ground, all would be lost. He’d be chained and taken away. Oh, God, where was Gibbs? He was Tony’s only hope now.
“Please, please don’t take me away from here!” Tony couldn’t stop the sob that tore from his throat. “Gibbs, help me!”
Tony found himself sitting on the floor, between the legs of his attacker, arms wrapped tightly around his chest. His struggles were weakening, exhaustion overwhelming him. It was over. He would be taken from this place, this place that has become his home, from the man he realized now that he loved, and there was nothing he could do about it. Even knowing it was a losing battle, Tony refused to give in. If this asshole was determined to take him away, then Tony would see to it that he earned every scratch and bruise.
“Tony-Tony, you have to calm down.”
He snapped his head back, hoping, praying he would hurt the guy, but luck just wasn’t on his side. He could feel the arms around him tightening. God, the man was strong but Tony wasn’t going to give in. “Let me go!”
“Stop, Tony, now! You’re going to hurt yourself.”
Tony stopped his struggles, something telling him he should obey the command he was just given, but he didn’t know why.
“Hey, you with me now?”
The soft voice in his ear finally registered, and Tony suddenly froze. “G-Gibbs?”
“Yeah, babe, it’s me.” Gibbs pulled Tony back to lean against his chest. Keeping one arm around Tony, he ran his fingers soothingly through Tony’s hair and then kissed the top of his head. Gibbs’ heart broke at the sobs that wracked Tony’s body.
Tony turned and grabbed a fistful of Gibbs’ shirt, burying his face, his tears soaking the fabric. Having Gibbs’ arms around him made him feel safe and secure and his fears began to abate, but not completely. “Someone was downstairs,” Tony mumbled against Gibbs’ chest.
Gibbs pushed Tony up a bit so he could hear what he was saying. “What was that?”
Tony looked up at Gibbs’ face, so full of understanding and patients, and said, in a voice that trembled a bit, “There was someone downstairs. I heard the door open and thought you might be back, but your truck wasn’t in the driveway. I heard heavy boots walking around. He sent someone else, didn’t he? They were coming to take me from you, weren’t they?”
“No, Tony,” Gibbs softly spoke and laid his cheek against the top of Tony’s head. “It wasn’t anything like that.”
“But, I know I heard them down there,” Tony said.
“I’m afraid that was me, sorry,” said a female voice.
The unfamiliar voice coming from the doorway drew Tony’s attention and he stiffened at the sight of a stranger standing there. It was a woman in her late twenties or early thirties. She had pale skin, jet black pig-tails and was obviously of the goth persuasion. He sat on the floor, his eyes fixed on the woman in complete confusion.
Gibbs glanced at the woman and then said, in a calm voice, “Tony, this is my friend Abby. She works with me at NCIS, in forensics.” Gibbs shook his head when Abby took a step closer. “I got all the way to the lumberyard and realized I left my wallet on the dresser,” Gibbs explained as he ran comforting fingers though Tony’s hair once again. “When I turned onto our street I spotted Abby coming through the door. By the time I parked and got inside she was starting up the attic stairs. I wanted to ask you first about meeting Abby, so I stopped her and made her stay downstairs.” Gibbs tightened his arm around Tony, protectively. “When I came into the attic and didn’t see you…don’t ever do that to me again, you hear?”
Tony nodded his head and tried to snuggle closer to the warm security of Gibbs’ broad chest.
“I’m so sorry, Tony.” Abby took a step closer but froze when she saw Tony’s body stiffen and the hand grasping Gibbs’ shirt tighten. “I just wanted to meet you so badly and Gibbs had said he would see about maybe having a barbeque, and I hadn’t heard anything about it and I was afraid maybe Gibbs forgot, and I just couldn’t wait any longer and I never considered the fact that Gibbs might not be here and…”
“Abs!” Gibbs snapped, stopping her rant. “It’s all right; he’s going to be fine. I just hadn’t talked to Tony about the barbeque yet. I wanted to give him more time to settle in.”
“Okay, I understand.” Abby stood and watched Tony for a few moments, her heart going out to him. “What happened, Gibbs?” Abby quietly asked, finally kneeling down a few feet away from the two men.
“It’s a long story, Abs,” Gibbs replied. “Let’s just say that he has a good reason to be afraid of strangers.”
“DiNozzos do not get afraid,” Tony mumbled and frowned in protest.
“All right, then you have reason to be concerned about strangers.” Gibbs tried to smile, his worry over Tony just as strong as when he found him hiding. “I was so sure I locked that front door when I left.” Gibbs looked up at Abby and saw a look of embarrassment on her face. “The door was unlocked, wasn’t it Abby? That is how you got in, isn’t it?”
“Come on, Gibbs,” Abby replied and smiled guiltily. “I’ve been able to pick a lock since I was like nine. I knocked and no one answered. I just thought…”
“That you could catch us in a compromising position?” Gibbs finished her sentence.
“No! I mean - it’s just…I…it wasn’t…” Abby stuttered, unable to complete her sentence.
Tony snorted a laugh before take a deep sigh and snuggling deeper against Gibbs. He was so tired, he just wanted to close his eyes and sleep forever, and having Gibbs’ arms around him made him feel so much safer.
“Ah, Gibbs, he’s just perfect for you,” Abby said when she saw Gibbs kiss the top of Tony’s head again. “You two are just so adorable together.”
Gibbs glared at Abby, but she simply smiled back. Looking down, he gave Tony a light shake and softly asked, “You think you could get up?”
Tony roused a bit and nodded his head.
“Then let’s get you downstairs so you can rest while I make us some dinner,” Gibbs quietly said as he tried to help Tony off the floor.
Tony tried to rise but found it more difficult than he thought it should be. What the hell was the matter with him? First he panics over some simple footsteps and now he can’t even stand up because he was suddenly so exhausted for no reason. Maybe Gibbs would be better off without him if he was going to turn out to be such a weakling.
Abby watched as both men struggled to rise and immediately went to their side. “Let me help you, Tony, please.”
Tony looked up through half-lidded eyes and nodded slightly. He was immensely grateful to the extra set of hands helping him up and holding onto him until they reached the stairs. Then it was Gibbs’ strong arm around his waist that helped him navigate downstairs. He groaned in relief when he was gently laid on the couch and he was covered by a soft afghan.
“You rest,” Gibbs said, his mouth close to Tony’s ear. “I’ll wake you when dinner’s ready.” Gibbs pressed a gentle kiss to Tony’s forehead and went to the kitchen. He grabbed the counter and leaned on his hands, his head bowed, heart beating out of his chest. He felt a small hand on his shoulder giving it a comforting squeeze.
“You okay, Gibbs?” Abby asked hesitantly. She was shocked at the fine tremors she felt under her hand.
“Yeah, Abby.” Gibbs sighed and pushed off the counter. He opened the refrigerator door and looked inside, never looking back at Abby. “I need to get dinner started, you’d better go.”
“No, Gibbs.” Abby gripped his arm and turned him to face her. “Come on, I know something is wrong, so talk to me. Please?”
Gibbs stood and stared at Abby for a moment before nodding and leading her into the dining room. “Let’s sit down.” Gibbs took a seat that allowed him to keep Tony, resting quietly on the couch, in his line of vision.
Once they were seated, a cup of coffee in Gibbs’ hand and a bottle of water for Abby, Gibbs had second thoughts about spilling his guts.
Abby waited for Gibbs to start and when he didn’t, she reached across the table and took his hand. “Gibbs, who’s after Tony?”
Gibbs jerked his head up to look at Abby, surprised at her question. “What makes you think someone is after Tony?” Gibbs immediately knew what a stupid question that was, but didn’t show it in his face.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Abby played along. “Maybe the meltdown Tony had up in the attic, all because he heard some strange footsteps? I don’t think he’s afraid of the bogeyman.”
“No,” Gibbs replied with a shake of his head and a small smile. “Not the bogeyman.”
“Gibbs, I want to help. Please, what can I do?”
Gibbs looked over at the couch to make sure Tony was still asleep before turning back to Abby. “It’s a long story, Abs.” He raised his hand to stop her argument before it started. “And a lot of it is classified. All I can tell you right now is that someone is trying to take Tony from me and it scares the hell out of the kid.”
“Who? How?” Abby asked.
Gibbs told Abby all about the man who had come to the house to try and buy Tony, and Tony’s reaction afterward. He tried to give her as much information as he could without breeching national security, but quickly realized that if he were going to bring the team in on this, he would be forced to spill the entire story.
“So who sent him? Who’s behind that low-life that came here?” Abby asked, angry at the thought someone was trying to take Tony away from Gibbs.
“Franklin refused to reveal his employer, so we don’t know for sure,” Gibbs said and glanced up at Abby. He could tell Abby didn’t believe him.
“But you have your suspicions,” Abby pushed. “I know you too well, Gibbs. You have someone on your radar.”
“Yeah, I do, but we have no proof, and without proof we can’t stop him.”
“Who, Gibbs, who wants Tony so badly?”
“His father,” Gibbs growled through clenched teeth.
“His father?” Abby’s eyes grew wide in surprise and then softened. “Oh, how sweet.”
Gibbs choked on the coffee he just swallowed. “S-sweet? What the hell is so sweet…”
“Gibbs, think about it,” Abby tried to explain. “Even though he knows it’s against the law for a family member to buy a slave, he is willing to risk his own safety, his own freedom, to free his son. That’s a man who really loves his son. It’s sweet Gibbs.”
Gibbs stared at Abby incredulously. When Abby look back with a “what?” look on her face, he shook his head and then looked over at Tony. “He doesn’t want to free him Abby.”
“Well, then why would he…oh my God!” Abby’s hand flew up to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears. “He wants to use him? As a slave? What kind of sick bastard is he?”
“The worst there is, Abby.” Gibbs looked back at Abby and reached for her hand, squeezing it in comfort. “From what little Tony has told me, his father has wanted to get him in his bed since he was a kid.”
“That’s just-just sick,” Abby said loudly and then slapped her hand over her mouth and looked out at Tony. She stayed completely still while Tony squirmed a bit on the couch and then resettled. She waited a moment and then said in a hushed voice, “What can I do to help, Gibbs? I could kill him for you and not leave any evidence behind, you know I can.”
“Yeah, Abs, I know,” Gibbs laughed and then grew serious once again. “But if it comes to that, that bastard belongs to me. What I would like you to do is to do some digging. I want to know everything about that son of a bitch, past as well as present, everything.”
“No problem, boss man.” Abby was practically humming with excitement. She was going to bring that asshole down, no matter what it took. “You should talk to the team, especially McGee. He’s got, like, mad computer skills and could probably get even more on that creep than I can.”
“Not yet, Abs. Like I said, this is still classified. We have to be very careful. For right now, let’s keep this between us.”
“No problem, Gibbs,” Abby said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. “I’ll start digging first thing tomorrow…”
“No!”
Abby jumped at the shout coming from the doorway of the dining room. Tony was leaning on the doorframe, unsteady on his feet, his head bowed.
“You can’t let her do that, Gibbs.” Tony took a step and stumbled, surprised when Gibbs’ hand wrapped around his arm and guided him to a seat at the table. He hadn’t even seen him move. “It’s too dangerous, I can’t…she could be hurt. If he finds out…”
“Nobody will find out.” Abby grabbed Tony’s hand and squeezed it in comfort. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, your family now.”
“But…”
“No buts, Tony.” Gibbs patted Tony’s shoulder before taking the seat beside him. “I told you I would keep you safe and I have every intention of keeping that promise.”
“And I’m going to help him.” Abby smiled and squeezed his hand again. “You have my promise, too.”
Tony looked from one determined face to the other and nodded in surrender. He knew he had lost this argument, that they were both eager to put a stop to his father. He just prayed they wouldn’t end up paying too high a price for helping him.
***NCIS***
William Patterson sat at his desk staring at the paper laid out before him. It had taken him the better part of a week to get the things needed to complete DiNozzo’s order, but now he was ready to attempt the impossible.
He pulled open the top drawer of his desk and pulled out and envelope. He opened it and pulled out a one-way ticket to the Bahamas. It was his backup plan should all this fail. After all, he had no intention of becoming Mr. DiNozzo’s slave, now or ever.
Patterson tucked the ticket into his coat pocket and picked up the phone. He dialed the number he needed and waited for it to connect. “I’m ready to leave. Would you have the two officers meet me out front with the van? Yes, I know I have agents that can deal with this but I prefer to handle this one on my own. I don’t have to explain myself to you. I am head of this department and perfectly capable of handling this case. Very well, I’ll be down in ten minutes.”
Patterson’s hand shook as he hung up the phone. Things were already going wrong. People were questioning his motives for handling this little project himself and he really didn’t have a good excuse why he was insisting. All he could do now was pray that the two officers he handpicked would work out.
One of the officers was an older gentleman, near retirement. Patterson figured he wouldn’t question anything; he would just want to get this job over with so he could go home. The other officer was the older man’s partner and a rookie and he wouldn’t question what they were doing.
Patting the ticket through his jacket, Patterson left his office and headed for the van. If all went well he would be back at DiNozzo’s by nightfall with his new slave shackled and ready for him. If things didn’t go as planned, well, he would make damn sure he was long gone before DiNozzo found out.
***NCIS***
Tony pulled on just a pair of sweatpants, forgoing his shirt and shoes, and headed for the attic. The week was up tonight and he was planning a very special reception for his master when he came home tonight. It had taken most of the week to finish clearing out the attic and install all the equipment, but the playroom was more or less finished and tonight it would get its first use.
Tony stood in the doorway and looked around. The St. Andrew’s cross stood in the middle of the room, looming tall and straight, and Tony’s cock twitched at the thought of being shackled naked to it. Off to the right chains hung from the ceiling, soft leather cuffs attached to the ends.
Tony stepped over to the dresser that stood against the left wall. He opened the second drawer from the top and picked up one of the dildos lying inside. It was the flesh-colored, penis-shaped vibrator Gibbs had used on him at the cabin. Before they left that day, Tony had slipped it inside his pants so he could take it with him. It had quickly become his favorite toy and he wanted to make sure it was added to their collection.
Smiling to himself, Tony closed the drawer and headed for the window. After the incident with Abby, he had made sure the window would open. He wanted to air the room out a bit before tonight, so he cracked it open about three inches. He looked out at the storm clouds that were gathering, and noticed the smell of rain in the air.
Tony realized it was getting late and he wanted dinner ready and served when Gibbs walked in the door. Reaching in his pocket for the cell phone Gibbs had given him for emergencies, Tony made sure he hadn’t missed a call while he was in the shower. He had made Gibbs promise to call him if they caught a case and he would be late. Jesus, I really do sound like a domesticated house husband. Tony laughed as he headed down the stairs to start the pasta salad he planned as a side dish. The first rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.
Tony had just started down the last set of stairs that lead to the living room when he heard a knock on the door. He froze mid-step and waited, making sure he couldn’t be seen from the small window in the door, and hoped the person would assume no one was home and leave.
Gibbs had told him never to answer the door while he was home alone unless Gibbs called him and told him someone was coming over. Neither man wanted to take the chance of another unexpected visit like the one they had from Franklin. After all, Gibbs had to work and that left Tony home alone. The only other option was for Tony to join Gibbs at NCIS, but that would mean Tony being in chains the entire time. Tony didn't feel he was ready for that yet, being on ex-cop shackled and on display, being looked down upon as a slave by law enforcement officers just like the ones he used to work with.
Another knock sounded, this time harder than the last and it was accompanied by a voice calling out. “This is the police, open up.”
Tony’s heart began to beat out of his chest as his stomach flipped at the words he heard. Tony turned and ran up the stairs, pulling the cell phone from his pocket as he went and hitting number one on his speed dial. “Gibbs, you need to come home, now.” Tony stood in the hall by the bedrooms, unsure what to do as he listened to Gibbs ask what was wrong. Before he could answer another knock sounded, this time it was more like pounding on the door and another shout.
“Open the door now, we are representing the slave reclamation center and have a warrant to remove said slave from this premises. We will break the door down if necessary. Now open up.”
“Gibbs they’re here to take me away,” Tony cried out as he ran up the stairs to the attic, a loud crack of thunder booming overhead. He heard the first kick at the door as he ran into the room and headed for the window. He was trapped and there was only one way out. “God, Gibbs they’re breaking in.” Tony heard the wood give way as the door was thrown open. “Hurry, for God sakes hurry.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
Tony faces another crisis
Chapter End Notes:
This chapter will be last I have ahead. From here on it's a WIP and will be posted about every 2 weeks.