Chapter 1
Author's note: Sorry for the re posts every one, it keeps getting deleted.
McGarrett stood outside the ramshackle house as his men as his men and HPD cleaned it out. Over the last month ,5-0 had been tracking a tip that a large shipment of drugs was headed to the islands. Last night they had finally found where it was being stored until it could be delivered. They had gotten the necessary paper work to get a raid. It was successful, except they had not been able to get any buyers at the house. He mentally tallied the drugs and weapons as they were loaded into the car.
"Five kilos of heroin, 10 hand guns, 4 rifles and their ammo." The comment elicited a whistle from his men. He closed the trunk lid. "That should cripple someone's operation."
"Big Chicken?" Kono suggested.
"Most likely." McGarrett said, eying the two men that Williams and Kelly were placing in patrol cars. "I doubt we'll get much out of them."
"Lower level lackeys." Danny Williams agreed, walking over to them. "They seem too dumb to be running the operation, maybe they will flip on their boss."
McGarrett shrugged. "Maybe. You and Chin go to the station and book them."
Chin and Danny both nodded before getting into the latter's car and driving off with HPD.
McGarrett looked up as Chin Ho entered his office after a quick knock. He sat, a defeated look on his face.
"No luck?" McGarrett guessed.
The Oriental nodded. "They are more scare of Big Chicken or who ever their boss is than they are of us."
Steve leaned back in his seat. "So they wont flip. Go through their known associates, see if you can dig up something we can use as leverage."
"Sure thing Boss." Chin headed back to his office.
McGarrett stood and stared out the lanai door. There had to be a way to nail Chicken. He was tired of him running most of the drugs and prostitution on the island. He was going down, he would make sure of that.
He didn't want to tell him, his temper was well known in the islands to anyone that crossed him. How did he ever get into this? All he ever wanted was the next hit. Why did it have to be so complicated. He reached a skinny arm to rap on the door.
"What?" Came from the inside.
He cautiously entered the office. Big Chicken sat behind his desk, looking at him expectantly. "What is it Frankie?"
Why couldn't someone else be the messenger? He thought to himself. He ran a hand through his stringy red hair as he answered. "Mike and Ollie were picked up... McGarrett took the shipment."
Big Chicken's sweaty face flushed in anger. He pounded a fist against the desk, sending papers in all directions. "This is the last time he gets in my way!"
He sent the junkie Franky out of the room and picked up the phone. After giving a few short-tempered instructions, he hung up the phone. He stood with a smile. Now McGarrett would fall from his lofty perch, and he would do the pushing.
The annoying buzz of the alarm woke him. Steve McGarrett turned it off and rolled onto his back. The movement roused Julie Williams, she lay her head on his shoulder and curled snugly against his side. He held her tenderly, brushing his fingers through her hair.
Julie woke slowly, snuggled cozy in Steve's embrace. She loved him plain and simple. But she needed to tell Danny. Things were progressing quickly. They had spent the night together, not for the first time, but last night was different. Last night he had told her that he loved her. She admitted the same.
Danny had always been a little protective of her. He had lived with them several years and he was more like a brother than a cousin. Now he was worse because of the stalker incident. She wondered how he would react. She sighed, maybe she should tell him today.
Steve looked down at the sigh. "You OK?"
She smiled up at him. "Yeah, just thinking about stuff."
Julie snuggled closer, tracing her fingers over his chest. They encountered a raised scar on his side. Then another on his belly and his arm. She had noticed them before and always wondered what had happened. She shuttered involuntarily.
"What's wrong?" Steve caught her studying his scars. He knew that they bothered her.
Julie propped herself up on her elbow. "What happened?"
"I was shot." Steve said simply. He didn't want to bother her with the details, it would just upset her, especially the Trinian incident. "Some people don't like me."
She shot him a look saying that she was not impressed with his flippancy about it.
Steve gave her a winning smile and gave her a kiss. "Don't worry about it."
"I'm going to tell Danny today." she changed the subject, dropping her arm over his chest.
Steve nodded, relieved. He was finding it harder and harder not to say anything at work. At first, they didn't tell any one, in case it didn't pan out. But as their relationship progressed, she balked at telling her cousin. He didn't push her.
She propped her chin on his chest to look into his blue eyes. "We planned on going surfing today. You should come with us, we could tell him together."
"Oh Baby, you know I can't surf." He protested.
"Just come, you can swim or sit on the beach. What ever you want."
He couldn't say no to her and she knew it. He brushed her hair back and kissed her forehead. "OK."
Julie smiled broadly and swiftly gave him a kiss, before backing off the bed. "Great! Get ready, we are meeting at the beach at 8."
"What?" He groaned. "Can't we sleep in on a day off?"
"Perfect surfing hours." She went into her bathroom to get ready.
McGarrett got out of bed and gathered his stuff. "I'm going home to change. Where we meeting?"
"The North Shore." she called through the door.
"OK, I'll meet you there."
It was already pleasantly warm when Julie took her surf boards from the top of her car. She had brought a second one just in case she could get Steve out on on the waves. She smiled remembering the last time she had gotten him out there. The end result was comical.
She drug them out to the beach and staked out a place in the sand. She dropped on to her towel and went about waxing her board. A few minutes later Danny joined her. She smiled. "Morning Cuz."
"Morning." He carefully set his large cup of coffee in the sand before joining her. "How's work going?"
"OK, getting tired of waiting tables." she said. "One of my customers works at the art museum and suggested that I put in an application."
"Did you?"
"Yes, he said I could start next week if I wanted." plus I could use the pay raise.
"Sounds like a good job." He grinned suddenly. "You could always work as a secretary at 5-0"
She laughed. "I think that might be a little on the stressful side." But I could be with Steve more often. That would be great.
She glanced back to the road, watching for the large black car. It was still not here.
"Ready to tackle some waves?" Danny wondered what she was looking at each time that she looked over her shoulder. She was obviously tense over something.
"Definitely." She picked up the board that she had bought in California and headed out into the waves. She flopped on top of the board and paddled out to the nearest wave. She craved the rush from riding each wave and adored the cool rush of water as she dove under waves.
After a while, she could see a form sitting at the water's edge. She smiled, able to recognize her man, even at this distance. A sudden wave washed her off the board. She hadn't noticed that the wind had picked up. She surfaced a few feet away from her board. Grabbing onto it, she called to Danny. "I'm taking a break."
He acknowledged her with a wave and she turned back to shore. She the board in the sand and removed the tether from her ankle before sitting next to McGarrett. "Ready for your lesson?"
"Absolutely not." He chuckled. He glanced appreciatively at her dark blue two piece suit. It showed off her toned body perfectly.
Danny joined them. "Steve! I didn't think you were coming."
"I was out for a jog and decided to stop." McGarrett answered.
Good cover. She glanced over his jogging clothes, loving that he was wearing the red shirt that she had given him.
"You surfing today?" Danny asked.
"I don't think so, Danno." He said. "I like my dignity."
"Are you sure?" Julie had a flirting tone in her voice. "I just happen to have an extra board."
Steve seemed to be considering it.
"Why don't you just paddle out with us, you don't have to stand until you have your balance." Julie suggested.
To their great surprise, he agreed, and the trio started out. Once out in the waves, Julie lingered back with Steve as Danny took a wave.
"I take it you haven't said anything yet?" He said.
"Not yet. I wanted to wait for you." she glanced away from him, seeing a great wave forming.
"Go surf, you don't have to stay back here with me."
She resisted the urge to kiss him as she went after the wave. They surfed all morning. Julie smiled when Steve stood shakily on the board and ride over a wave like a kid on a bunny slope.
McGarrett watched them surf circles around him. He was amazed at the muscles it took to stay in control while standing. They made it look like they were standing on the ground. He managed a few more waves without looking like an idiot. He watched Julie take a huge wave as if it were nothing.
The surf had picked up all morning, and now the sky was graying. A storm was moving in. He was thinking that they should call it for the day.
Then it happened. As he was watching, Julie had just finished surfing a wave when a second one swelled behind her. She never saw it as it crashed down over her. "Julie!"
He waited for her to surface, but saw only the waves as they tossed her broken board back at them.
"Where did she go under?" Danno shouted.
Steve didn't pause to answer before he jumped in to the water, searching for her. Danno reached her first, grabbing her around the waist and taking her back to the surface. He followed, his tether wrapping around his leg uncomfortably. He watched as Danno flipped her onto his board and checked her over. He had a brief flash of déjà vu as he looked over at him.
"She's breathing." He reported.
Steve held onto the other side as her turned her head towards him. "She has a nice cut on her head."
"Yeah, let's get her back up on the shore." Danny said.
By the time they got to the beach, she was awake and talking to them. She slid off the board and stumbled through the shallows. "I'm OK guys."
McGarrett caught her arm to keep her from falling. "No, you're not. You have a cut on your head that needs to be checked out."
"No St-" Her stopped talking and winced when he touched the laceration that was still bleeding. She saw the worry in his eyes and felt awful that she couldn't hug him. She had messed up the day.
"And you were knocked out." Danny had already gathered up her stuff and took her arm. "You're going to get checked out."
Steve took their surf boards and latched them to Danny's car. She threw a glance at Steve as Dan got in his side. I'm sorry.
Large drops of rain were falling when she got home later that afternoon. Her head was pounding as she unlocked the door.
"Are you sure that you don't want me to stay?" Danny asked, placing her remaining surf board in the corner of the room with the others. "You hit your head pretty hard."
"I am fine, Danny." she repeated for the fifth time. I just want you to leave so I can call someone else. "The doctor said I was good."
Danny gave her a doubtful look. "OK, just call if you need anything."
Julie gave him a reassuring smile. "I will."
As soon as the door closed behind him, she picked up the phone and called Steve. He was at her door in ten minutes.
She smiled when she saw him. "Steve, I told you that I was OK"
"I just wanted to check on you." He said as she closed the door.
"No stitches required, no concussion." Julie reported. "Just a head ache and minus one surf board."
"Please don't joke about it."
Julie could see that he was still tense with concern. She took his hand and lead him to the couch. "I'm OK, this happens all the time."
Steve gently touched her forehead, just under the bruise. He smiled. "I can still worry though."
She curled up on the couch and lay her head on his lap. As he caressed her hair, she said. "We didn't get to tell him."
"We will." he assured her. "Don't worry about it."
It didn't take her long to fall asleep. He kicked off his shoes, taking care to not wake her. He liked her apartment.
It was on the small side, but it was covered in her personality. The wood floors were partially covered in rugs of various size and color. The walls held little art work, just a large picture of the ocean. She kept her surf boards in the far corner of the living room, just to the right of a small T.V. The furniture was clearly second-hand, but comfy. Even though he couldn't see into the bedroom behind him, he knew that her bed was covered with rich, red covers and purple sheets. So very Julie.
Big Chicken flipped through the pictures and smiled. It had taken nearly a week to get them, but they were perfect. They should be the perfect wedge to cause distention in the ranks of 5-0. He put them in an envelope and handed it to the courier. "Make sure they get there or it will cost you."