The groggy captives were shaken awake before the process from the night before at dinner took place with breakfast. The only difference was that McGee didn’t try to protest when Miss Kate went to feed him first. The hours after Miss Kate was retied passed in relative silence as the outlaws spoke quietly amongst themselves. Maps were reviewed and a ransom letter was put together. At least with the delivery of the ransom note he had some time to think of a possible escape. It was nearing dark when McGee started to feel pressure in his bladder. In truth he was surprised the organ was only now pronouncing its presence. All he could figure was that pure terror kept his body’s functions settled.
McGee shifted as the pressure increased and he tried to think of a way to get the attention of one of his kidnappers. Miss Kate leaned over at his squirming. In a whisper she asked what was wrong. He was embarrassed but admitted that nature was calling. After another squirm McGee was finally able to gather his courage. “Excuse me.” What little saliva he had in his mouth dried up as all of the outlaws turned at his words. He was just getting ready to croak out the rest when Gibbs prevented further comment. “Shut up.” McGee knew he shouldn’t have been but he was still a little surprised when the group followed Gibbs lead; all of them going back to examining different escape routes should their location be discovered.
Gibbs hadn’t said the words in anger but the same calm coldness that seemed to be one of only two emotions he possessed. McGee knew that speaking again was a bad idea but his body gave him no other choice in the matter. “I’m sorry, but I need to…” McGee never got to finish as the remaining words became strangled by fear. In the brief moments it took to speak Gibbs had gotten up, strode over to him, grabbed him by his collar, and proceeded to plant his gun under McGee’s chin. The hostage quaked in fear, his eyes as wide as saucers, as Gibbs proceeded to yell in his face. “What did I just say?! Shut! Up!” McGee didn’t attempt to speak. ‘I’ll just sit in my urine. It’s perfectly reasonable. I might get a rash, but at least I won’t die.’
The gun was pressed harder into a soft spot just past McGee’s jaw line and he let his eyes fall shut. He could feel his bottom lip trembling but he ignored it already feeling far too weak. “Hey Gibbs. It’s Gibbs, right?” The pressure eased up but the gun stayed in place. ‘Miss Kate what are you doing? Don’t risk yourself for me. You’ve already gotten yourself into this mess trying to help.’ McGee wished he could voice his thoughts, but didn’t want to speak for fear that Gibbs might find that reason enough to blow his brains out. “Yeah, it’s Gibbs. You can shut up too. I’m tired of all the noi…” Miss Kate didn’t let him finish. It was obvious from her tone she was annoyed and an obstinate look clouded her graceful features.
“He’s trying to tell you he has to go outside. Hostages or not we still have bodily functions. So unless you want to have to clean urine up from the floor of your hideout I suggest you let him go outside.” In the brief silence he imagined Gibbs looking annoyed but also considering. He was dragged from his internal musings when Gibbs gave him a hard shake. “Is that true?” McGee opened his eyes hesitantly and only briefly looked into the outlaw’s icy eyes before looking toward the red bandana tied around the older man’s neck. He couldn’t find his voice and nodded an affirmative instead. A sigh escaped the outlaw and he was hauled to his feet an instant later. His collar was released and he was shoved to the left. “This way.”
McGee walked forward and only changed direction when the outlaw’s hand gave a slight shove in a different direction. It was only a few moments later when they cleared the caves and came to an area with several bushes. “I’m going to untie you so you can do your business but try to run and I’ll kill you.” A hard hand came out and gripped his chin. The hand angled him until he faced a rock formation some distance away. The hand left him and a moment later Gibbs withdrew his gun and fired at a shrub growing out of a rock. McGee felt his eyes widen as the shrub drooped downward; the bullet hitting the base of the plant. He felt as though his oxygen supply was cut off and he fell into a pant as he tried to breathe.
“If you run, you’re dead. Understand?” McGee nodded his head and obediently let himself be turned around so that he could be untied. He moved immediately toward the bushes once he was free and emptied his bladder. He looked up during the process a little embarrassed at the audience. The outlaw was leaning against the rock wall near the entrance to the cave and was looking skyward. ‘Is he giving me privacy?’ It seemed ridiculous but regardless McGee was grateful. Most men his age would think nothing of having to answer nature’s call in another man’s presence, but McGee was different even in that. His father was a businessman and had many enemies.
McGee was his only child and because of this he had been sheltered most of his life. They constantly moved from place to place. McGee’s only company being that of his tutors. A friend being over was out of the question. Although in truth McGee never really had a chance to make any friends. Being housebound tended to eliminate those types of relationships. The first real friend he’d ever made was Miss Kate. The only reason that happened was because of his father’s affinity toward whiskey. Her saloon was one of the few places he was allowed to go without his father present. McGee was almost done but tried to prolong the freedom. His hands ached from the slight lack of circulation and his wrists were already red from the ropes abrasiveness.
When he finished he straightened out his clothes and stepped in front of Gibbs. The outlaw pushed up from the wall and approached him with the rope. “Turn around.” McGee hesitated already feeling the pain the ropes would cause. “Can they stay off a little longer? Please. The ropes really…” When Gibbs cut him off annoyance colored his words. “Turn around.” McGee knew better then to argue and turned around. His wrists were pulled behind his back and the ropes pulled tightly into place. A small gasp of pain escaped McGee as they were tightened but he just managed to hold back a wince. Gibbs’ hand returned to maneuver him back toward their hideout.
The trip was short but McGee still had no clue how to get out even if they got the chance. The passageways were just too confusing. Once he was seated Gibbs moved over toward the group and told Ziva to take Miss Kate outside for the same purpose. The cowgirl seemed annoyed but followed the orders. The next day the ransom note was delivered. McGee kept his eyes open and alert knowing that his father was still out of town. If they could find a way to escape before then it would save his father any effort. As the days passed the group fell into a sort of rhythm. During the day after meals both of the captives would be taken outside. McGee accompanied by Gibbs and Miss Kate accompanied by Ziva.
If they needed to go another time they could ask and they would be taken outside. Miss Kate would always be untied for their meals and she would feed McGee. During meals as well as at least two additional times a day the captives would be given water. All foodstuff normally handled by Tony. At night they would go to sleep and the outlaws would take turns keeping watch. A week passed before Gibbs let Miss Kate be untied indefinitely. The only two conditions to her additional freedom being that she behave and take care of McGee. The young man in question wasn’t quite so lucky.
The only time he was untied was during the brief moments he was outside the cavernous hideout. It became harder each time to let the ropes be retied. The skin on his wrists had gone from a red chaffing to frayed open sores. It was common for his hands to become numb and McGee started to seriously worry that he would lose the use of his hands. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take. It was only a matter of time before he fought Gibbs trying to retie him and got himself killed for the disobedience.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tony filled up two plates with food before hooking his right pinky finger through the handles of two mugs filled with water. Being very careful so he didn’t spill anything he knelt before the two captives. Kate helped him by grabbing the mugs and Tony put the plates down in front of the lovely woman. He gave her a grin before bracing his hand on the ground to stand. “Wait.” Tony looked up and smiled at the young woman. She barely spoke except when angry so anytime she spoke in a different tone he was grinning like an idiot. “Why yes Katie, what did ya’ need?” A crinkle appeared between her eyebrows and Tony’s grin widened at her small sign of irritation.
Annoying the lady really was too easy and Tony knew it was quickly becoming his favorite pastime. The cowboy had already found her attractive upon their first meeting but that right hook had sealed the deal. He was going to find some way to win her over. Tony had never contemplated settling down before but Miss Kate had all the makings of a great wife. She was beautiful, smart, strong, and a spitfire. She’d managed to wipe him off his feet in more than one way. The fact that she was currently a hostage definitely didn’t help his chances, but Tony was nothing if not determined. He’d find a way. “Mr. DiNozzo.” She paused looking uncertain. “Tony.”
His eyebrows nearly went to his hairline but his smile morphed from charming to dazzling a second later. She wanted something that was obvious but it could also be a step in the right direction. “Can you please put something on Tim’s wrists? I know you can’t untie him but I’m worried about infection.” The request threw Tony for a minute and he let his gaze swing over to their other hostage. The young man did look a little pale. He motioned with his hand for McGee to lean forward and then moved so that he could look at the bound wrists. He barely held back a hiss at the raw skin. The hands themselves and the skin above the wrists were swollen. He looked toward Abby. “Hey Abs can you bring me the medical supplies?”
The perky woman got up to do his bidding before looking at Gibbs in confusion. “Sit down Abby.” Tony let his gaze move to Gibbs as Abby hovered uncertainly. “Boss his wrists have gotten really bad. I think we should bandage them before an infection sets in.” Gibbs continued to stare at the fire and sip his coffee. “He’s fine DiNozzo. I see his wrists every day.” Tony looked back toward McGee’s wrists his mouth setting in a firm line. That was right. Gibbs saw McGee’s wrists everyday when he took him outside. Tony understood Gibbs’ obsession but this wasn’t right.
“Boss maybe you should look at them. They might have gotten worse since ear…” Gibbs suddenly looked at Tony and he knew he’d pushed too far too fast. “He’s fine DiNozzo! Are you a doctor! Leave him alone and come eat dinner!” Tony knew that look and he knew nothing else would be accomplished right this moment. He moved away from the hostages and went to sit by the fire. This wasn’t right and regardless of what Gibbs wanted this discussion wasn’t over.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tony sat propped against a rock wall and surveyed the desert landscape. It was close to the change over of watch and the night had gotten a distinctive chill. He wrapped his cloak a little tighter against his frame before settling once again. A small shuffle drew his attention away from the desert long enough for his eyes to take in Gibbs getting up and preparing a cup of coffee. In a few moments the leader of their little band was standing beside him ready to take over the watch. Tony got up from his spot and stood next to Gibbs as the other man settled against the rock wall. “Gibbs I know you want to make Warren McGee suffer and I know why.” Gibbs turned to him with a stony expression.
Tony knew this was the last thing Gibbs wanted to talk about but it needed to be said. “I don’t blame you for any of that. If I did I wouldn’t be trying to help you, but you’re taking out your anger on the wrong person. I’ve never met Warren McGee but from what you’ve told me his son is nothing like his father. Timothy McGee has been nothing but cooperative. He’s scared to death most of the time and I don’t think he would know how to survive one day in the desert if he did manage to escape.
His wrists need attention. They’ve gotten really bad. Worst case scenario he could die from infection, but at this point if something doesn’t change he could lose his hands. I touched them to see if I got some kind of reaction. Their so numb he didn’t even feel me touch them. McGee is just a means to get to his old man. Don’t ruin his life just because you got it out for his father.” Tony turned away then and headed to his bedroll. Gibbs was a reasonable man, most of the time, and Tony hoped that he’d gotten through to him; for McGee’s sake.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Gibbs turned away from DiNozzo as he got ready for bed. His sharp eyes surveyed the landscape for potential threats as he tried to shake off DiNozzo’s words. The process wasn’t helped any by the fact that he was starting to think the same thing. From the beginning the junior McGee had been nothing like the senior McGee. Where the older man was ruthless his son seemed to have all the softness of a small furry forest creature. In the little over a week’s time they had the two prisoners neither of them had attempted to escape. That was most likely due to fear but they were both cooperative. McGee barely spoke for fear of incurring his wrath and even though his wrists were causing him pain he never spoke of them again after that first time he’d been untied to relieve himself.
He let his thoughts mill as even more time passed. It wasn’t until about three am that he was roused from the unyielding thoughts. There was a small noise that he didn’t place right away. He looked at the sleeping group trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. His eyes rested a moment later on the young man he’d been thinking on for so long just as he identified the noise. McGee was crying. It was soft, so soft in fact, that Gibbs barely heard the sound. The young man shifted slightly trying to get comfortable and Gibbs knew that he was awake.
The tears weren’t the result of uncontrolled emotions from a dream but the stark reality of what he was enduring. The pain he was in, the discomfort, the thought that at any moment he could die. Gibbs knew in that moment that DiNozzo was absolutely right. Warren McGee wouldn’t shed tears over anything except perhaps the loss of his money. Suddenly Gibbs had had enough. He wanted this to be over.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
McGee felt weary upon waking. It didn’t help that he’d been woken in the middle of the night by the pain that radiated through his body from his wrists. He’d broken down last night; the pain and stress finally breaking down his already shaky bravado. The breakfast he was fed was eaten mechanically the flavors of the food not reaching his taste buds. His face felt a little itchy from the dirt smudges on his cheeks; the soil getting trapped in the tracks of his tears. It was annoying but at least it masked that he had been crying. Rubbing his face against the ground had been the only way to erase the evidence of his weakness. When he was finished and Gibbs was finished the outlaw pulled him to his feet to lead him outside.
They took another confusing path until they reached outside the hideout. McGee couldn’t argue that Gibbs was smart. They went outside everyday but never took a path enough times for him to memorize the journey. The ropes came off and he barely contained a cry as they seemed to pull his skin off with them. He relieved himself quickly and came back around the bushes to stand in front of Gibbs. He had stopped trying to prolong his freedom because it only made the bonds that much harder to bear. Gibbs pushed away from the rock wall and approached only this time he didn’t have the rope at the ready. “Kneel.” McGee’s eyes widened as he stared at the empty hands. He wanted to obey but fresh fear churned in his stomach.
‘I’m going to die. He’s going to kill me.’ Gibbs reached for his gun and let it hang next to his side. “Kneel.” This time he sounded annoyed and McGee knew there was no denying the request. He let his eyes fall closed as he fell softly to his knees. His head bowed as moisture burned behind his eyelids. He focused on keeping the moisture at bay. His father was always trying to make him tougher. ‘Be a man.’ The gruff voice echoed in his mind. He breathed heavily through his nostrils trying to follow the command. The sound of footsteps approaching seemed out of place. ‘Wasn’t he right in front of me?’ There was a shuffling noise and suddenly his right hand was gently grabbed.
His eyes flew open a gasp escaping as he jerked in surprise. Breaths puffed out past his dry lips as he stared at his hand being held by Gibbs’ hand. He didn’t need to look up to know it was Gibbs. The hand was attached to an arm that was covered in a black shirt. Out of the group of outlaws Gibbs was the only one in black. ‘Besides, who else would it be? We were alone.’ One of Gibbs’ hands gripped his to hold it in place as the other poked the skin of his wrist gently. The hand that seemed to be exploring the wounds on his skin pulled back to reach behind Gibbs’ body. Only then did McGee risk a glance upward. Gibbs was sitting in front of him on the ground and was reaching back into a black bag to withdraw a jar filled with some type of paste.
McGee let his eyes fall down to Gibbs’ chest as the man turned back around. His wrist was released and he watched Gibbs open the jar of smelly paste. The pungent odor assaulting his nose the moment the lid was unscrewed. Gibbs grabbed McGee’s hand again and started to smooth the paste over his wrist. McGee watched in silence. It was amazing to him that the outlaw could be so gentle. It hurt when he touched his skin. The sores were too bad for it not to hurt but Gibbs seemed to be making it as easy for McGee as he could manage. Once the callused fingertips added a second coating of the paste his skin started to tingle and then a heat set in. Gibbs reached back again to retrieve some fabric from the bag.
By the time he’d started to wrap it around McGee’s wrist the skin was numbing. McGee watched him finish with the right wrist only to move on to the left his avid observation lasting throughout the application of the paste and bandages. Once both of his wrists were attended to Gibbs packed up the black bag and stood up with a motion for McGee to do the same. Gibbs grabbed his arm gently and pushed him toward the cave. For the first time McGee didn’t move forward. “Gibbs.” His voice was soft since he barely strummed up the courage to speak. “What?” As was commonplace the other man sounded annoyed. “Thank you.” Without another word or waiting for a response McGee headed back in the direction that Gibbs had dictated.
Gibbs hesitated behind him for only a moment before the sound of footsteps reached McGee’s ears. With gentle pushes he found himself back in the camp in no time. Miss Kate was surprised at his being untied and examined Gibbs’ work the moment he sat down. Once she was satisfied that his wrists were properly attended to she sent a grateful look Tony’s way that caused the cowboy to smile in false arrogance. Tony’s look slid from Miss Kate to Gibbs as he approached and he toned down the grin to one between friends. The cowboy held out a cup of coffee which Gibbs took before sitting down before the fire. The whole group seeming to not notice that the ruthless leader of their gang had just extended an act of kindness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Gibbs sat in a corner near the fire hiding his scowl behind his coffee mug. He’d just bandaged wounds on his hostage’s wrists which his ropes had caused and he’d been thanked. What was wrong with this picture? Too many things too count that was for sure. The ransom was taking a long time to get a response so Gibbs had sent Ziva into the outskirts of Clearwater Canyon yesterday to see if she could find something out. Not only did she find out that Warren McGee had been out of town for a week but that he hadn’t bothered to come home early when his son was kidnapped. The last stop she made was at McGee’s house and she’d been able to overhear Warren McGee saying that he wasn’t going to pay the ransom. As far as he was concerned his son was dead.
Gibbs was already in a foul mood from McGee’s reaction to his tending to his wounds. Then he gets to come back to camp, only to get down two gulps of coffee, before Ziva returned and delivered the bad news. Everyone was huddled close now as they discussed what the next step would be in their plans. “Boss what are we going to do with them? Should we just let them go?” Gibbs refrained from slamming his coffee mug on the ground. Just barely. “DiNozzo we have a reputation to maintain. We can’t just let them go. Besides they already know too much about how we operate.” Abby looked a little anxious. “Gibbs you’re not going to kill them are you?” Gibbs was a little insulted that Abby could even think he would kill innocent people, but he couldn’t blame her either since they’d never been in this situation before.
“No, I’m not going to kill them. We’re going to move on until things cool down. In the meantime we’ll let them believe the ransom still stands and that we’re setting up negotiations. If they ask Warren McGee tried to get the Sheriff to set up a trap and we realized what he was doing so we told him we’d be in touch later.” Two members of the group seemed relieved whereas one looked shocked. “You can’t be serious. We’re keeping them hostage and taking them with us?” Gibbs shrugged as though he saw no fault with the plan. “I don’t see any other option at this point, but if you have something to add Ziva I’m willing to consider your idea.” The cowgirl looked annoyed but fell silent. In truth Gibbs wasn’t happy about the plan either.
Out in the open desert a million things could go wrong but he just didn’t see any other option except killing them at this point. “Where are we headed Gibbs?” Looking over to Abby he wasn’t surprised to see her already packing up their camp. “To Ducky’s.”The camp was packed up in no time and the group headed outside to set off toward the next camp site on their map. A journey to Ducky’s house was common so it was only a matter of picking which route they wanted to go before leaving. Once outside they started to mount their horses. Kate was directed to DiNozzo’s horse and McGee to Gibbs’ horse; Kate easily climbing onto the saddle of DiNozzo’s horse.
She made no effort to hide her eye roll as DiNozzo climbed on behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist with a grin; the bounce of his right eyebrow topping off his glee at their riding arrangements. She ignored him and faced forward to wait for the journey to begin. Gibbs wasn’t looking forward to the travel time. He would have to be near Warren McGee’s son in close proximity but he refused to let him out of his sight for even a moment. It also didn’t help that his horse was the only one of the four that could support the weight of two men at a full gallop. So regardless of how it would no doubt sicken him to have to touch the other man he would bear it until they were able to reach their destination.
Gibbs stood next to the horse and waited for McGee to mount it as the rest of the group finished mounting their horses. When McGee didn’t move Gibbs started to lose his patience. “Get on the horse McGee.” The young man looked toward the horse then back to his chest. McGee tended to never meet his eyes. That was fine with him it just showed how much fear he’d instilled in his prisoner. By the time the eyes were on their third journey between himself and the horse Gibbs opened his mouth to snap at him to hurry up. “I don’t know how.” Gibbs let his mouth hang open in shock for a moment. Just when he’d found his words a blush suffused the round face of the younger man and they became lost again.
Gibbs was amazed at how good a blush looked on McGee. The thought quickly angered him and he said in annoyance. “What do you mean?” McGee shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know how. My father always had me travel by train or coach. I’ve never ridden a horse before. The closest I’ve come is when you kidnapped us.” Gibbs couldn’t believe his ears but didn’t interrogate McGee to see if he was being truthful. They were losing daylight every second they stood around talking. He walked over to the horse and pointed to the stirrup. “Your mounting from the left side so put your left foot in the stirrup, grab the pommel, push down with your left foot, and swing your right leg over the saddle.”
McGee still looked hesitant but approached the horse. Gibbs stood behind him as he followed Gibbs’ instruction and managed to pull himself into the saddle. His seating was a little shaky so he held onto the pommel for dear life but he managed to stay seated. Without further incident Gibbs climbed into the saddle behind McGee and after wrapping his arms around the younger man’s waist grabbed the reins to lead them down the charted out path. They had only been riding for a short time when Gibbs started to be assaulted by unwelcome thoughts. He’d believed that riding with his enemy’s son would be one of the most annoying experiences of his life. Sad to say it was the exact opposite.
McGee’s neck was right near his nose and under the smell of being unable to wash there was an earthy smell. Gibbs’ senses could easily bypass the smell of the grime. Living in the desert there were times when you couldn’t bathe for weeks. It became easy after awhile to distinguish someone’s scent from the need to bathe. With the prisoner’s captivity as well as the scarce water sources in their hideout bathing had been a luxury they couldn’t afford. Even so McGee’s scent was capturing the attention of his sense of smell. He tried to turn away. He tried leaning backward slightly when that didn’t work but he always found himself practically burying his face against the other man’s neck. He smelled good. Too good.
That was bothersome by itself but being pressed so close to him wasn’t helping either. There were only a few times when Gibbs indulged his more primal instincts by taking a prostitute to bed. Sometimes it was a woman sometimes it was a man, but regardless it was always a curvy creature. Well as curvy as a man could get anyway. He’d always been a man who liked a little something to hold onto. Just sitting behind McGee in the saddle it felt as though their bodies fit together perfectly. He had to firmly push away curious thoughts of how well they would fit together in a more intimate setting. By the time they reached camp Gibbs practically jumped off his horse before it had stopped walking.
McGee was a little startled by the sudden movement and almost toppled off in reaction. Gibbs saw what was coming at the last moment and acting on instinct reached out to steady him. McGee thanked him as he attempted to climb off the horse. After a moment of confusion he was able to manage with Gibbs’ help. The two captives were sat in a corner of the hidden campsite as the rest of the group set up the equipment. Gibbs secured the area all the while trying not to remember how McGee’s thigh had felt under his palm as he’d steadied him on the horse.
TBC...
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