Hey everyone!
How is everyone doing? That's good. Anyways, thought I'd jump straight into it (in a hurry to get writing!). I left you all at a bit of intrigue last time (I have a dreadful habit of doing that). I hope this chapter is up to your expectations and sorry for the delays, have been quite busy lately. Oh, and one interesting note. One of my neighbours popped in and she looked just like Cote de Pablo! I almost passed out star struck! And one last note, I live in Australia. Therefore, I do not know where places are, so forgive me for making places up! Never the less, wishing you all the best and enjoy this chapter. The rewrite WILL be better. Chris.
Tony listened as Ziva spoke in a foreign language to someone on the other end of the cell phone. After a few minutes, Ziva ended the call.
"So?" asked Tony curiously.
"We need to get to the Pacific Bridge, 7 blocks from here. I've arranged for a package to be delivered there," replied Ziva as she pressed a few buttons in the phone.
"Ziva, if you are trying to erase the call history, I think you need to" said Tony as Ziva start pounding at the keypad, followed by throwing it on the ground and kicking it, smashing the device into chunks of electronic microchips.
"Let's get moving"
…
"Madame Director, I am giving you my personal assurance that Tony and Ziva would not do anything like that. Ziva is loyal to her cause and DiNozzo, well, he just isn't a terrorist in general. Please, Jen, I am asking you as a friend, not an agent, to please let me handle this" pleaded Gibbs outside of the busy MTAC communications room.
"Jethro, I believe you, but this one isn't in my hands. My orders came directly from the Secretary of the Navy. Trust me, I did everything in my power to stop the order, but it's here and that's the end of the story. There's nothing I can do," argued Director Sheppard before breathing out and leaning against the railing. "Jethro, I'm sorry. Look, I will try to stall their investigations, but I can't promise much more than that. You need to clear their names, and fast. I'll not be able to keep them at bay for long"
"Thank you, Jen" said Gibbs satisfied with the compromise.
…
Tony and Ziva waited under the bridge. Rain was starting to pour down and the temperature was cold as ice. The time was 4:15 AM and it was going to be a cold, dark, rainy day.
"They should be here by now" impatiently prompted Tony who was pacing back and forth to keep himself warm.
"They'll be here" she assured him as she peered out to a car coming.
The car flashed its lights three times. Ziva simply smiled.
"They're here" she said as she stood by him at the curb.
The car pulled up to them and a man dressed in black got out. Both started talking in the foreign language. Tony in his mind thought it was Hebrew, guessing from Ziva's background. After their brief discussion, the man said something into his collar and as if on queue, a black van pulled up and he got in. After the swift, spy-like move, the van drove off, leaving Tony, Ziva and the car.
"So that's the package?" asked Tony in amazement.
"The rest is inside. Come on, I'm driving" said Ziva.
And with that they both got in.
Ziva drove at a normal paced speed, not aiming to draw any unnecessary attention to them.
"So who were those people?" inquired Tony as he got himself comfortable.
"Take a guess, Tony. That's right, the Mossad" she said as she peered at the passing cars.
"Mossad? I didn't know that they operated in America," he said in astonishment.
"Well, there are many things you don't know, Tony" she said with no concern whatsoever.
"Well, I don't care what you guys are doing on our turf, but your people sure have great wheels, a Chrysler 300C. Dammit Ziva, why can't you call in one of these favours to work!" asked Tony as he played with all the features.
"Where are you taking us, anyway?" Tony asked, finally coming down from the hype of modern day espionage.
"Somewhere they'd never think to look," she said as she pulled the car into the parking garage of a building.
"Ziva, I'm not sure if you know this, but you are in the Hilton hotel!" said Tony as in excitement.
Ziva parked their car near the elevator and got out, along with DiNozzo. She walked up to the trunk and opened it, revealing two air-travel bags.
"Make yourself useful and grab them will you" asked Ziva as she opened the manila folder in the boot, revealing some documents.
They both went up to reception, where Ziva approached the desk clerk.
"Can I get a room key? I have the online receipt here" she said handing over the piece of paper.
"Excellent Ma'am. Here is your key card. Take the elevator up to the 27th floor. Would you like someone to assist you with your bags?" asked the clerk.
"No thanks, my husband can take care of it," she said winking at Tony.
They got in the elevator and Tony pressed the button. "Oh, so you're all over me now but when it comes to…ull!" groaned Tony as Ziva elbowed him in the gut.
"So what other things did Mossad include in the welcoming basket?" asked Tony as he opened a flap in the bag. Empty.
"The contents of the bag to your left are one wallet and one purse, each with fake ID's and legitimate credit cards, two Sig Sauer P226 handguns with four loaded clips for each, a laptop computer, two untraceable cell phones and a medical kit for your wound" she said as the elevator worked it's way up through the floors.
"Uhh… And the right bag?" asked DiNozzo.
"Some clothes, shoes and some personal hygiene utensils" she said as the lift binged and the doors opened to reveal their luxurious suite.
Tony simply dropped the bags in the elevator and ran around the place like a kid at Christmas. Ziva couldn't help but smile. She grabbed both bags and got out, before the elevator doors closed.
"Wow. My apartment isn't nearly as big as this!" exclaimed DiNozzo as he came down from his mood.
"First things first, I'm taking a shower, I feel dirty enough as it is being in a hotel with you" she said walking for the bathroom.
Tony started power walking in that direction. Soon it was a race and struggle for the ownership of the shower.
"Tony, I called it!" she exclaimed as they both wrestled among themselves.
"I have superiority over you, David" he said as they wrestled each other, the door being in perfectly plain sight.
After a small wrestling match, Ziva decided to call it quits.
"Alright, alright, alright!" she exclaimed, "Look, you can have the shower, but I need to check your wounds. Strip off all your gear and get in" she said, ushering him into the bathroom.
David walked out and took the first aid kit from one of the bags, returning to find DiNozzo still in his boxer shorts.
"I said all your gear" she said a bit frustrated at his modesty.
"I don't just strip off for no reason, the DiNozzo family manhood is something that is earned, not just freely given away…" he protested.
Ziva quickly grew tired of his lame excuses. She drew her knife and threw it with lightening precision. DiNozzo stood in shock as he realised what she did. He looked down in time to see his boxer shorts fall to the ground. Ziva cut the elastic.
"In the shower" she said.
Without the slight disagreement, DiNozzo agreed. As he got into the running water, the blood washed away from his skin, enabling Ziva to see the wound more clearly.
"It looks all good to me. I'll give you a bandaid when you get of the shower," said Ziva, smelling a particular odour, "and please, use some of this" as she handed over some deodorant.
Ziva walked back out to the main room where she ditched the bags. She pulled them over to the table. She opened the bag and pulled out the neatly packed items onto the table. She felt her stomach churn itself inside out. With that, she went to the hotel phone and dialled for room service.
"Hello, can you have room service send up two pizzas and a bottle of Pepsi, please?" she asked into the phone feeling the exhaustion sinking back in.
"Sure thing. What kind of flavours would you like?"
"Hawaiian and Supreme please"
"Alright. Charge it to your credit card?"
"Absolutely"
"Room service should be up in about 15 minutes"
"Thank you"
She hung up the phone.
"Who was that?" asked DiNozzo from the door with a towel around him.
"The Pizza Man, Tony, who else?"
"Very funny. Come one, really?"
She simply cocked and eyebrow and walked back to the table.
"Really! Thank you Ziva!" he said running over to her kissing her square on mouth.
"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to. I'm starving"
"Point taken, now sit down" said a little surprised Ziva.
DiNozzo sat down at the table and leaned over a bit so she could access the wound. She gently applied some disinfectant and bandaged it. As if on queue, the doorbell rang. She quickly grabbed a pistol and loaded it on her way to the door.
"That would be pizza, Ziva"
She kept the gun near her thigh, out of sight. She gently started to open the door to see the last person she ever expected to be there.