The Mirror Cracked.

Chapter 10

"You know him." It wasn't a question that McGee posed to his friend.

Tony nodded, "I thought I did, at one point I called him friend, he was Tonio's mother's cousin. He's nephew to Mike Macaluso."

Tim gestured to a chair and gratefully Tony took it, "How's he holding up?" Tim asked, nodding towards the room that Tony had walked out of.

"He confessed to killing two guys who beat him up. He's not sure where it happened, if you could keep an ear out for any bodies found, I haven't talked to Gibbs yet."

McGee looked confused for a moment, "Yeah, where is he? I heard you were in his custody and weren't supposed to leave his sight."

Tony laughed, "You think I could do anything wrong without the great Leroy Jethro Gibbs knowing about it?" he asked.

Tim smiled back, "I suppose not. Must have been tough trying to get away with anything as a kid." He commiserated.

"Yeah, but it was better than the alternative." Tony admitted, his stomach rumbled, "Sorry."

"You allowed to go to the cafeteria?" Tim asked.

Tony nodded, "I can go for a while, but not too long. Tonio is due to have more x rays later, I want to be there."

Tim looked over at the guard outside Tonio's room, "He'll be fine while you grab a coffee and a sandwich and you'll be with me, so technically with a federal agent and we aren't leaving the building. Come on Tony, you'll not be any good to your son if you don't take a break."

Tony nodded as he knew Tim was right.

The man walked onto the floor adjusting his lab coat as he walked towards his target.

"Can I help you, sir?" A man, a federal agent by the man's guess, stepped out into his path holding up a hand to stop him.

"Dr. Nino La Morte." He looked at the clipboard in his hand, "I am here to take Antonio DiNozzo to his x ray tests, we have scheduled an MRI as well."

"I have a Dr. Michaels scheduled to work with him." The agent said.

Nino smiled, "Dr. Michaels is indisposed, he had an emergency."

The agent looked at the doctor who looked legitimate, his credentials were correct and the agent prided himself on being able to tell if someone was lying and this man didn't seem to be, which in point of fact he wasn't. Dr. Michaels had had an emergency when he had walked towards the hospital and met with the silencer on Nino's gun.

"Ok," The agent replied, he was pleased that fresh out of FLETC he had been offered the chance to guard someone and he knew that he could tell a bad guy just by looking at them. He stood aside after officiously checking the doctor's identification, "Go ahead, I'll tell his family when they get back."

Nino nodded and opened the door, "Mr. DiNozzo, I'm here to take you to your X ray."

Tonio sighed as he looked over, noting the smiling agent who let the doctor in. "Ok Doc, let's get this over with." As he was transferred to a wheelchair and pushed out of the room he looked down the hall for his father.

There was no sign of him, maybe he had had enough and didn't want to be a father after all. A large lump formed in Tonio's chest. He had only known his father for a few days and had hoped he would be everything his mother had told him. However, it seemed that she had been wrong. He blinked back a tear that wanted to fall, he knew why his father had left, his father had chosen the law over his son. He had killed two people and he would be punished for it.

He closed his eyes for a moment as the elevator doors shut, preparing himself for the X rays he was about to have. He glanced at the lights on the panel and noted that the light for the floor that held the X ray equipment was not lit.

"You've pressed the wrong floor." Tonio said as he looked up.

"You broke the code of silence, you need to be punished."

"I was only an associate, I never ratted on the Don." Tonio replied his gut dropping. "Grandfather didn't need to send you to whack me."

"Well, mock execution didn't work, you still talked to the feds kid." Nino told him, "The Don sent me to do a message job on you, make sure this never happens again. But first he insisted that you pay for your betrayal, then in the end you get it through the mouth and the others will know what happens when you break Omerta."

"I haven't done anything. I was never a rat." Tonio argued.

"Not my problem, I don't care." Nino replied, "It's my job to do as I'm ordered, your job to sit quietly until I am finished with you."

Tonio held back a stunned laugh, "If you think I'm gonna sit quietly..."

"I have someone watching your father and that fed he calls a father, both of them will be killed if you cross me, also there is a gun in my waistband, you cause me trouble and I will shoot everyone I see between this elevator and where I'm taking you."

"And where's that?" Tonio asked, hoping to figure out how to get away.

"Your death." Nino La Morte replied.