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Chapter 3 - States Evidence Turns
"Five-O open up!"
"Federal Agents!"
McGarrett spared an irritated glance at the FBI Agent who returned it with a baleful one of his own before kicking down the door to the luxurious villa that according to Kipton housed Pedro Fuentes. It was the same one that Matthew Williams had visited all those months ago.
"Hey!" the Colombian man was standing in the hallway, his arms held out wide at the onslaught of the officers through his broken front door. "I hope you have a warrant Special Agent Kipton!"
McGarrett was in his face before the Agent could reply and he lifted up his phone, showing him the picture of Danny.
"This is all the warrant I need on this island! Where is he?"
The dark eyed man fixed him with a cold stare whilst Chin stood behind him, blocking off any form of retreat and Kono and the other Agents searched the house.
"How would I know? I don't know who he is." he said coldly.
"His name is Danny Williams. You had him kidnapped this morning."
"I don't know what you are talking about. I am just taking a quiet vacation before my so called indictment. For now I am still allowed to do this until your justice system tries to take away my freedom." His voice was smug now and Steve itched to wipe the sneer from the man's face.
"Really? A vacation! You swim with the dolphins? Catch some surf maybe? Meet up with any locals perhaps? Maybe they had interesting tattoos and interesting jewellery to show you." McGarrett was nose to nose with him now, but he only returned the cold glare.
Kono returned and addressed McGarrett, pointedly ignoring their captive.
"House is clear Boss. No sign that Danny was ever here."
McGarrett continued to play the staring game with the man until the Colombian's eyes finally shifted to the side, then acknowledged the Federal Agent with a nod.
"Let's take him in" he said.
"On what grounds?" Kipton asked, not endearing himself to Steve whatsoever.
"Because I said so!"
Chin Ho grabbed Fuentes by the shoulders and shoved him towards the broken door.
"Taking me in might not be in your interest."
Steve was back in his face in an instant.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm just saying, I have a meeting scheduled for this afternoon. If I don't turn up, my friend might get concerned for my wellbeing. I cannot account for his actions in that regard!"
"Do not threaten me!" McGarrett pointed his finger at Fuentes chest.
"It is not a threat - "
He was not given the chance to finish before he found his arm twisted behind his back and his face was pressed against the glass top of a nearby table.
"Listen to me. That man you took this morning, the brother of the man whose testimony can fatally damage your cartel, is a cop. He's a damn good one. If anything happens to him I will personally see to it that you never live your life in peace again! I will stalk you, follow your every move and I will hunt you down. You won't be able to take a leak without me knowing about it. Now that is not a threat – it's a promise."
"McGarrett! Let him go! We got nothing here."
Steve McGarrett hated to think that Edward Kipton was right. He wanted so badly to wipe the self-satisfied smile off Fuentes face. His jaw taut with tension he lingered for a moment longer before releasing him and turning on his heel.
"Let's get out of here. We got other leads to follow."
"I hope you find your friend! It's the not knowing that is the worst."
Steve stopped and turned to regard the smiling features for a minute. Fuentes could not resist taunting him further.
"I hope that when you find him he is in one piece."
Chin recognised the warning signs as he walked past his team leader; the clenched fist and the face that screamed revenge in every aspect.
"Don't!" he hissed in his ear. "He knows he's pressing your buttons and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Don't give him the satisfaction. Think about what Danny would say to you right now."
"C'mon Boss" urged Kono. "We'll get these guys."
They drove off in the direction of the North Shore on the hunt for a lead to the gang that took Danny. Whilst Kipton arranged further surveillance on Fuentes, Chin called some contacts and Kono checked on the status of Danny's mobile, Steve drove in silence and thought about what Chin had said.
You my friend do not have a single scrap of evidence that in any way shape or form ties that moron to the whack jobs that jumped me this morning. Whack jobs that incidentally threatened my little girl. Now considering that I would have beat this jerk into a pulp by now for merely suspecting that he was remotely connected with what happened to Grace this morning you would also have to bear in mind that it is my right as a father to act irrationally when she is in danger. That however would not get me, the one who is in big trouble, out of the trouble that I am in. Also you might consider that I'm a voice in your head and not the real Danny who likely as not has no possible idea of why I have been snatched nor that it is connected in any way to my dumbass baby brother. Ergo, at least consider the possibility that I might need you to think like me – a real honest to goodness cop – and not like you - Rambo on speed.
OK Danny. I'll do my best. But if they kill you all bets are off. I will not hold back you understand?
Music to my ears babe.
-h5o-
He glanced around him as he picked up the device that he had found. He couldn't believe that Price had been so lax, but knew that he had to take advantage. He dialled the number from memory. He should remember it, he had dialled it every day since that night,just never quite managed to push the connect button. This time there was no hesitation.
"This is Detective Danny Williams, please leave a message and I'll get back to you."
"Danny! It's Mattie, I don't know how long I've got with this phone, please call back straight away. Please big brother, I really need you."
He hung up and sat down on the couch to wait, hoping that his protection detail would give him some time alone for a while and that Price wouldn't miss his phone. Time enough for Danny to call him back.
It didn't take long before the phone chimed and he looked at the incoming text. It was a photo of his brother and it came with instructions.
"Oh God, Danny! What have I done?"
He had to get out of here.
He had to save his brother.
-h5o-
As Chin Ho Kelly completed his call, Kono Kalakuaua could not hide the look of triumph on her lovely features. She nudged her cousin in the back seat of Steve's truck and showed him her tablet trying not to reveal anything to Kipton who was sitting in the front passenger seat.
He smiled in return and nodded. He raised his eyebrows at her in question? "Did you get a fix?"
She shook her head "not yet!" but showed him the number that had contacted him and started a search. It would take a while, but she would track down who had tried to contact Danny and actually connected. And if Danny's phone was still on she might get lucky and be able to find out where it was.
"Steve," Chin started. "Kamekona gave me a contact up here that might have done some fancy tattoo work if you know what I mean."
"Let's check it out!"
-h5o-
Anyone who didn't know Danny Williams might think that he scared easily. OK he didn't like to take unnecessary risks with his life or anyone else's for that matter. He accepted that wearing of personal protective equipment was an essential part of his job. He didn't enjoy high speed car chases through the streets, lanes, alleyways and dirt trails on the island. He believed that diplomacy was a far better means to arrive at conflict resolution than violence. And he vocalised those beliefs loudly and repeatedly every time they were challenged in the course of his job, which in the case of working with Steve McGarrett was hourly.
But he never backed down, and he always stood resolutely with his partner and his team, because there was a difference between a healthy rational concern for ones welfare and a fear that paralyses you from action that might protect your team, or just plain get the job done.
So despite very noisy evidence to the contrary, those who knew Danny Williams well also knew that he did not scare easily.
Right now, he had never been so scared in his life.
He sat in the room, blindfolded, no way of escape, hands zip tied behind his back, legs tied to the chair he sat on. Other than a bit of roughing up, they hadn't really hurt him much. And since the altercation in his apartment they hadn't spoken to him at all just checked on him silently every half hour or so. Once when they entered the room they made a show of putting a gun on his face and taking his picture then sending it to Rachel, making sure that he saw they were using his phone and that she had been trying to call him. Of course she would have been looking for Grace.
God! Grace!
His amplified sense of hearing thought that he heard sirens drawing close and he had dared to hope that rescue was coming. But that hope proved to be unfounded and although he strained to hear any sign of rescue there was nothing. Then he heard them laughing outside.
He had no idea what they wanted. He had given up asking them, recognising them for the grunts that they were. He'd need to speak to the organ grinder not the monkeys.
He cringed as his heart lurched in his throat.
Monkey where are you?
He knew that Steve McGarrett would be tearing up the island looking for him. It was just a small matter of time and all he had to do was survive until Steve found him. He could do that.
But all he could think about was his little girl, and how the last time he saw her she was running as fast as she could away from the men who were trying to take them away. He had fought them hard, but in the end they had put a gun to his head and he had no choice but to go with them. They had blindfolded him and now here he was.
He was terrified.
His little girl might be lost and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. The fear in her eyes when she had been taken into the living room and saw him was etched on his brain forever and he could not shake the image away.
Please be safe. Please find her Steve. Keep her safe.
"I'll find her Danno. I promise!"
The door opened and someone new walked in and removed his blindfold. Suddenly it all made sense.
Now Danny Williams was not only scared for his daughter, but for his brother too.