A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, favs and follows.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any of the characters.

Chapter Two

Drayton Carlisle didn't move a muscle as the Mustang skidded to a stop inches from where he stood. The metallic clatter of the rolling shutter echoed through the small, empty warehouse as it sealed off the entrance like a tomb.

Danny climbed out of the car. He skipped any pleasantries, instead yelling angrily at the man he was supposed to be impressing. "What the hell was that? HPD was all over my ass the second I left the hotel."

"Hold up guys." Carlisle raised one hand to stop two armed men from advancing on Danny. "You got skills and a big mouth Mr Raines."

"You risked my life for this." Danny thumped the roof of the car with his fist.

"Hey, easy." Carlisle ran his fingers over the smooth lines of the car's bodywork as he closed the gap to Danny. "Do I look foolish, Vinnie? Can I call you Vinnie?"

"I think you're reckless, Drayton. Can I call you that?" Danny held the taller man's gaze.

"Very few people have the nerve to stand up to me." Carlisle stepped into Danny's personal space forcing him up against the side of the car. "Reggie! Here, now."

A young guy, wearing sweats and a Rolling Stones shirt, walked out of a small office in the corner holding an open laptop.

"Most would be squirming by now. You've barely flinched. Reggie's been doing some digging. Vincent Raines, a divorcee from Connecticut. I'll ask you again. Do you think I'm stupid?"

Danny practiced a breathing exercise Steve taught him when he felt the first tendrils of nerves starting to creep in. Counting to four as he breathed in and out, all the while scanning the room for escape routes and listening to Carlisle's feeble attempt at intimidation.

"Reggie, what you got?"

"Assault with a deadly weapon, reckless driving, vehicle theft –" Reggie rested the laptop on the hood of the car. " – concealed weapons, drug abuse, parole violation –"

"Enough. I usually steer clear of low life scum like you. A rap sheet as long as yours attracts the wrong type of attention." Carlisle stepped back allowing Danny room to move. "But you might just be worth taking a chance on."

"So, am I in? I missed the Knicks' game for this gig." Danny kept up his nonchalant attitude, while making a mental note to speak to Jerry later. He'd convinced Steve that Raines needed a colourful past for Carlisle to believe his story. A 'never been in trouble with the law' divorcee wasn't gonna cut it, but Danny hadn't expected Jerry to make him into 'America's most wanted' either.

"Welcome aboard." Carlisle draped his arm around Danny's shoulders and pulled him towards his other men. "Meet Sam and Dillon, my drivers. I'm sure you've already worked out Reggie's our resident geek."

"You auditioning for Men in Black?" Danny looked both men up and down. They were both dressed in smart suits, white shirts and dark shades.

"Funny." Sam removed his sunglasses. "That was some impressive driving."

"Yeah, sweet ride." Dillon strolled around the silver and black Mustang taking a closer look.

Danny shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. "What now?"

"Take this." Carlisle passed Danny a cellphone. "I'll be in touch."

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Danny slammed the car into a lower gear and floored the accelerator. He glanced in the rear view mirror, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth at the sight of the blue lights fading into the distance.

He'd been accepted onto Carlisle's crew two weeks earlier, and this was the third car he'd been tasked with stealing. The previous job had involved little to no skill. The Porsche Boxster had been left overnight in the short stay parking lot at the Honolulu Airport, and Reggie had made short work of overriding the vehicle's immobilizer.

His current mark required skill and planning. With his new colleagues' assistance, Danny had taken the Aston Martin DB7 right from underneath the owner's nose. Posing as HPD officers, Danny and his partner, Sam, had pulled the middle aged businessman over for running a light. A traffic violation skilfully staged by Reggie, who'd hacked the Highways' grid.

Danny had come close to blowing the whole operation when Sam dragged the unsuspecting victim from his car at gunpoint. Heart in his throat and fists clenched, he'd stood back while Sam pummelled the poor guy with a barrage of punches and insults. Man, he'd wanted to give the asshole a taste of his own medicine, but he had to keep his cover. Danny finally jumped in after counting to ten, grabbing the victim by the collar, shaking him and growling for him to stay down if he knew what was good for him. He'd breathed slightly easier once Sam had sped off in their fake patrol car abandoning their victim on the side of the highway.

However, his moment of relief was short lived when a number of HPD cruisers appeared in his rear view mirror. The throaty roar of the engine and the thrill of the chase were a heady mix, and Danny was beginning to wonder if he was having way too much fun.

His thoughts were interrupted by the buzz of the burner phone laying on the empty passenger seat. He rolled his eyes and with one hand on the wheel he reached over and grabbed the device, pressing the answer button as he did so.

"What the hell. You blind? I have a tail." Danny had no qualms about verbally berating his boss.

"Vinnie, man, you aren't gonna get busted. Get on the freeway at Queens Medical. Use the off ramp."

"Drayton, that's suicidal." Danny could feel the first beads of sweat trickling down his face as he cut in front of a tanker truck. The driver hitting the horn to show his anger at the dangerous move.

"It's a short run until the next exit." Reggie's voice could be heard faintly in the background.

"You'd better have a couple of cold beers ready."

"More than a few if you bring that baby home unscathed."

Danny caught sight of a Silverado in his side mirror. "Shit."

"What's up?"

"Nothin'. I gotta go."

"Fuck, man, you got yourself some company. Reggie picked them up on traffic cams. You hit the big time, man."

"Yeah, now let me do my job."

"Dillon and Sam are gonna help you out. Play a game of tag."

"Tell them to back off. I got this."

"Sure you have, but the guys are gonna have themselves some fun."

"You're a fucking idiot, Drayton. You don't wanna mess with Five-0."

"Hey, watch your mouth. This is my show. Do what I'm paying you for."

Danny didn't respond, instead he disconnected the call and let the cell drop into his lap. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the parking brake and pulled hard, locking the rear wheels as he turned left, sending the Aston into a controlled skid that took him straight into the path of a stream of vehicles exiting the freeway.

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"I assure you Governor, I have the situation under control." Steve exited his office and jogged towards the exit, pounding on Lou's door as he passed by before signalling with a wave of his hand for Junior And Tani to follow them.

"Detective Williams is doing all he can to locate your niece."

Lou, Tani, Junior trailed behind Steve as he headed out of the Palace toward his truck.

"Joyride? I'm sure there's a good reason for his actions." Steve pointed to Junior and mouthed. "You're with me."

Without saying a word Lou and Tani made their way to Lou's SUV.

"Understood. The team and –" Steve moved the cell away from his ear and frowned at the display before making another call.

"That can't be good. Did the Governor just hang up on you?" Junior opened the passenger door.

"She's pissed. If Danny gets ID'd our whole operation is blown." Steve paused by his Silverado when someone on the other end of the phone answered. "Duke, what you got."

"Hey, Lou, how does she know it's Danny at the wheel?" Tani kept her voice low.

"I think we're about to find out." Lou nodded his head in Steve's direction. "What's the latest on our boy?"

"HPD are currently engaged in a high speed pursuit of an Aston Martin DB7, last location - Queens Medical. And no we're not sure it's Danny driving, but either way he's involved. The Governor had no choice but to bring Duke onboard. Two perps jacked the car on Kapiolani Boulevard. We need to put ourselves between the Aston and HPD."

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Lou started the engine. "Buckle up sister. This is gonna be one hell of a ride."

Tani grabbed hold of the door handle as Lou pulled away making a sharp turn onto King Street. There was an uneasy silence that stretched on far longer than Lou was comfortable with.

"What's eating you?"

Tani shock her head and smiled. "Answer me this, why would Danny steal another car without giving us the heads up first?"

"This is not his first rodeo. Could've compromised his cover, or maybe he just plain never got the opportunity."

"Sure, but this feels kinda risky. Too many unknown variables. There's gotta be another way?"

"Hey, I don't wanna hear any of this negative talk. We leave that to Danny. Anyhow, like I said, not his first rodeo. He can take care of himself."

"I hope you're – " Tani's words were cut short as the impact from another vehicle hitting her side, shattered the window. Thousands of tiny fragments sprayed the front compartment.

~ to be continued ~