Steve arrived in Tokyo and was able to catch an adjoining flight to Otsu within an hour of landing. Once in Otsu he rented a truck and made his way to the resort. Several years ago while sitting around tossing back a few beers together Joe had mentioned this resort, telling him that this is where he stayed whenever he was in Japan. He hoped Joe didn't remember this conversation and that he would soon be able to find him here. He hated leaving his team like this and he knew that Danny in particular was going to be very pissed off. Since Joe had told him about Shelburne and that he had been the one who had killed Wo-Fat's Father something had been eating at his gut. What Joe told him may have been true, but he just didn't think that Joe had told him everything and he had to find out. His Mother's birthday was last week and as he had sat at her grave these feelings of doubt had overwhelmed him. He had hardly been able to sleep and he knew that until he talked to Joe he just couldn't be the leader that his Task Force deserved. Danny was more than capable of handling things for a few days and he would just have to apologize and hope that his partner would understand.
As he pulled into the resort he understood why Joe loved this place. It was absolutely gorgeous here. The area was secluded, heavily wooded, very rustic looking...just the kind of place Joe would like. He pulled in front of the office building and went inside to check in. A very pretty young teenage girl was behind the counter. She checked Steve in under his alias, Thomas Gallagher.
He chatted with her, making small talk for several minutes before asking "I have a friend who referred me here. I've lost touch with him and am hoping I might be able to locate him while I'm here. Can you tell me if you've ever seen this man?" He showed her a picture of Joe that he had taken before the man had left Hawaii.
"Oh yes, that's Paul Carroll. Mr. Carroll was here a couple of weeks ago"
"Do you have an address for him? I would love to surprise him. We served together in the Military"
"I might, let me check for you Mr. Gallagher"
She came back a short time later with an address for 'Mr. Carroll' in Tokyo.
"Thank you so much. It's going to be great to see him. Can you do me a favor and if you hear from him don't say anything and let me know. I want to make this a surprise" Steve flashed a bright, brilliant smile at the young girl.
"Of course. He's a wonderful man. I'm sure he'll me very happy to see you"
"I'm sure of it. Thank You"
Steve them made his way to his cabin which was located at the far end of the property tucked back into a wooded area.
He was exhausted and he figured he would shower and grab a quick nap before heading back into Tokyo to find Joe. Looking at his phone he noted that Danny had called eight times...yes, he was going to have to mend some fences with his partner when he returned. He couldn't help but smile softly as he thought about how lucky he was to have a great friend like Danny Williams who truly cared and worried about him. He felt the same way towards the Jersey detective but he just had to do this alone...he just had to.
The shower felt wonderful and as he exited the bathroom he was naked, planning on crawling under the covers and relaxing.
He looked to the bed and to his utter disbelief sitting on the edge was an unarmed Wo-Fat.
"What in the hell are you doing here?"
Wo-Fat held his empty hands out, "I have no intention of harming you Steve. Please get dressed so we can talk"
Reaching over to the nearby chair Steve grabbed his t-shirt, boxers and cargo pants quickly throwing them on without taking his eyes off of the enemy before him.
"Okay...talk. How did you know I was here?"
"Mr. McGarrett I am not a foolish man and neither are you. I am also a very wealthy man. You have been hunting me for several years now and for my protection I have employed someone to watch you from a distance. He boarded the flight with you and notified me and I followed you here"
Steve felt so stupid. He was coming to find Joe and honestly he hadn't even considered looking for Wo-Fat on this trip.
"What's to stop me from killing you right here, right now?"
"If you do that Steve, you will never get the answers you are looking for"
"What are you talking about?"
"The identity of Shelburne. I know you know the identity and that you have been, shall we say 'unwilling' to give me the name"
"I'd say 'unwilling' is not the word, since 'I DO NOT KNOW WHO SHELBURNE IS'! You fucking tortured me for God's sake. If I had known the identity I would have given it to you"
"I am here to let you know that I have discovered the identity of Shelburne and I have some information that may be of interest to you"
Steve looked at the Asian man with a steely determination. If he knew that Joe White was Shelburne what information would he have? "I'm listening"
"As I am fairly certain you are aware, Joe White is Shelburne"
Steve never lost the eye to eye contact as he responded coldly, "That's not true. He would have told me if that were the case" Steve was going to do everything in his power to protect Joe from this madman. He refused to lose another loved one to Wo-Fat.
"Ah, but it IS true Commander McGarrett and I can tell you that Mr. Joe White is not the man he appears to be"
Suddenly Steve felt a chill run down the entire length of his spine and the tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
"What are you saying?"
Before Wo-Fat could answer, gunfire erupted through the windows and walls of the room. Wo-Fat was hit in the arm, the force of the blast throwing him from the bed. Steve's SEAL instincts instantly kicked in and although still barefoot, he grabbed his duffle bag off the chair in one hand and Wo-Fats arm with his other they raced to the back of the cabin and quickly out the back door just as they heard the front door being kicked in.
The men raced into the wooded area behind the cabin and kept moving.
As they ran, Wo-Fat pulled two guns from his waistband handing one to Steve. As he ran, Steve checked the pistol making sure it was loaded. They moved off to the left of the cabin racing through the heavy brush. They ran for a good ten minutes before Steve stopped them near a large tree.
Holding his hand up to Wo-Fat to keep him quiet as he listened intently for a couple of minutes before he spoke, "Let me see your arm"
"It's fine. We need to keep moving"
"You know what, I really don't give a shit if you die. But I'm going to get my answers first so let me tie off that wound and stop the bleeding"
Wo-Fat did as instructed, watching and listening for approaching danger as Steve tended to the arm. Taking a shirt from his pack he tied it off tightly.
"The bullet went straight through, you're going to make it. Who in the hell was that?"
"Joe White and his people"
Steve could hardly control the anger in his voice as he spoke, "And who are HIS people?"
"The Yakuza Cartel"
"What? That's insane...Joe White is a patriot!"
"Money can buy anyone, well almost anyone. It couldn't buy your Father and that cost him his life"
"You're trying to tell me that Joe White killed my Father?"
"He didn't pull the trigger or provide the direct order, I did that. But yes, Mr. McGarrett I was following the orders of Shelburne who I recently learned was Mr. Joe White"
Steve's mind was spinning. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he certainly couldn't take this animal's word for it. But here he stood, holding a gun given to him by Wo-Fat, who also held a gun that he had yet to turn on Steve. And who was shooting at them? He felt like he needed to vomit. He had to keep his wits about him, he had to keep a clear head.
Wo-Fat looked at his nemesis, "We need to keep moving. I'll contact my people to pick us up. I know the area well, follow me"
Steve spoke sternly, "I'm not going anywhere with you"
"Mr. McGarrett, I can give you all the proof you need as to Joe White's true identity but at this point we need to stay alive. If I wanted to kill you I would have already done so. You have been a fierce adversary of mine for several years now and I do respect you"
"Why are you running?"
"I am now being targeted for elimination by the Yakuza. It is me that they are hunting not you, although you may now have been added to that list. I will tell you everything once we are safe. Let's move and I will contact my people to pick us up"
Without another word spoken, the two men again began moving.
When they had walked a couple additional miles without encountering any resistance, Wo-Fat phoned one of his men to send a vehicle for them.
