Far Away

Everything

Rivkin slowly spilled all the details. The months of recon, the hours of carefully review and strategizing. The stacks of notes.

How he screwed up.

How Ziva kicked him to the curb but then gave him a second chance.

How she gradually brought him up to her standards.

And then she let her guard down and he screwed up again.

"I swear to God, if you got her killed," Tony growled, holding the man by the throat.

"No, no, I did not, that was the plan-"

"What kind of stupid plan was that?"

Rivkin was too busy gasping for air to speak, so Tony released him. He rubbed his neck. "It was our last resort. I blew my cover, so we had no choice. We were going to blow the target to bits and be done with it."

"With her inside the same building?"

The man shrugged, still cowering in Tony's shadow. "It was her plan. I had no room to argue with her. I assume you know how she is. Stubborn."

"Don't you dare speak ill of her. She could be dead." Tony's hands found themselves around the man's neck again. It would be so easy to throttle him and leave him there on the side of the road. So easy to return to the ship. No one would ever know.

Perhaps Rivkin sensed this, because he squirmed in Tony's grip. "She was not close to the bomb. It was placed under the target's table. She was not in the kill zone."

Like that was supposed to make him feel better. "Did you plant that bomb?" he asked.

Rivkin wouldn't look him in the eye.

Tony dragged him over off the sidewalk, to the railing. There were only a couple metal bars between them and a long drop into the ocean. "Did you plant that bomb, Rivkin?"

"I- I-" He couldn't get the words out.

Tony pushed him backwards enough that his torso was hanging over the water. "I can let go," he warned.

"I did, I made the bomb, but she told me to, she watched me, she told me how, I swear, I swear, please, do not-"

It was so tempting. His blood was pounding in his ears, screaming at him to do it. Kill the man who killed Ziva. Just let him go.

But Tony pulled him back to safety before releasing him. "You'd better hope she's alive, Rivkin, or I'll let you fall next time."

"Yessir." Rivkin nervously adjusted his jacket, giving Tony a scared look before hurrying away.

Tony returned to the street in front of the club and resumed scanning the crowd for his partner.

He just needed to see her face.

He just needed to know she was okay.

She was everything.

*****

How much longer should I keep you guys in suspense?

If someone comments, maybe I'll quit dragging this out.

On the other hand, I could write a few more chapters of not knowing...

Your choice. :)

Vote and comment!