𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄 ━━ 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐳𝐳𝐨

TWENTY | the only one

"I see how it is." Kate slams the back passenger door shut. "The second Tony's in trouble, your driving just worsens."

"Still better than you." I scoff. "Hey, wait a —"

But she shushes me. "Too late." There's this smile on her face that's brighter than an Arizona sun.

Gibbs comes back from talking to the bus driver and police officer. "Abby's on video." He reaches over and clicks the space bar.

"I thought you said you had him."

"The GPS system has his position within four feet. You don't have him in your car?"

"No, Abby, I do not!" I press a button to turn on the GPS system in the car. "Okay. I got him now."

"You forgot to turn it on." She snickers slightly.

After requesting McGee to fix his calling problem, Gibbs shuts off the video, and we are back on the road.

We stop on a bridge, waiting for an update from either Abby or McGee.

"I don't have a VW for sale!" Gibbs yells at whoever's on the phone. A moment later, he sits back in the passenger seat, switching the laptop on.

"The Deputy Secretary of State is coming in on MTAC in five minutes, and she wants to speak with you."

And it's not even about Tony.

Gibbs gives the young agent the same answer he's been giving since the undercover mission started. "Handle it, McGee."

"Uh, excuse me?"

"You are the highest-ranking member of our team in the office." That's definitely one way to convince him. "Deal with it."

"D-Do you think that's a good idea? This is a very powerful and important government official —"

And Gibbs turns off the car feed.

"They're moving." Kate pipes up from the back.

I flip over the engine, starting the car. "Buckle up."

Just a few days ago, Tony had come over to my house after a long, painstaking case. We all needed to cool off after it.

- - - - - - - - - -

"I have beer and. . .yup, it's all beer." I grab two bottles from the fridge, sliding one over to Tony who's sitting behind the counter.

He pops off the cap before taking a long swig. "As long as it's cold and gets me laid."

"Wouldn't count on the latter." I take out a pot and two boxes of pasta. "I really need to go grocery shopping. All I've got is spaghetti and beer."

"Why go grocery shopping when you won't eat a damn thing?"

That does it for me. But instead of saying anything, I just turn on the stove and begin boiling the water for the pasta.

The chair scratches against the hardwood floor. "Did you call the number I gave you?" His footsteps come closer, stopping just behind me.

"That case was absolutely draining, Tony." I rub the top of my brow.

"You promised you would, Eva."

"Well, you're the only one who thinks I have a problem."

"Because I'm the only one who cares!"

- - - - - - - - - -

His words echo in my head like a baseball repeatedly hitting a wall. It just keeps going and going, getting louder each time.