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Chapter 4

The grating noise of the metal lock turning snapped Steve's head up and his senses went to full alert. The drug that had not cleared his system at first had made him doze off momentarily but the door opening now sent a rush of adrenalin through him. As the door swung inward, it revealed a man in his early 40s with light brown hair and amused brown eyes. Strolling into the room, he casually nodded to an armed man who promptly pulled the door closed behind him, leaving the man alone with Steve. Hands in his pockets, he paced a few steps before McGarrett pausing to smile at him smugly.

"I see you are finally fully awake Commander McGarrett," he commented in a British accented voice. "I apologize for the accommodations but was warned you would be a dangerous guest."

"Nicholas Downing," Steve replied, glaring at the man. He had no problem recognizing him from the photos Interpol had provided of the man.

"I see you know me," Downing responded with obvious pleasure. "It appears my reputation has preceded me. I've considered changing my appearance but I just don't favor cosmetic surgery." He rubbed his chin with one hand thoughtfully. "I will say you are one of my more difficult to plan acquisitions. It was not easy to take you by surprise."

"If you had asked, maybe I could have been more helpful," Steve said dryly. "Who requested this job?"

"My transactions are confidential Commander," Downing smiled, enjoying the feeling of power he had over his bound captive. "I'm afraid you will just have to wait, you will meet him soon enough. I was warned to be careful with you, you have a dangerous reputation."

"You have no idea," Steve growled, jerking at his shackles once more. The desire to wipe the smug look off Downing's face was very strong.

"Relax Commander, you cannot get out of those restraints and I do not want you hurting yourself," Downing chided. "My buyer would like you as undamaged as possible. If you continue to struggle I am afraid I will have to resort to chemical means to calm you," he added as he produced a capped syringe from his pant pocket.

Steve stilled and watched him warily. He would need to stay awake if he stood any chance of escape. Being drugged would limit his chances and he did not want to give his enemy the advantage.

"I knew you would be reasonable," Downing smirked, stepping close enough to pat Steve's cheek. Angrily Steve jerked his head away.

"You have made a big mistake Downing. My team will find you and you will rot in prison," Steve promised through clenched teeth. Eyes dark with anger bored into the Englishman's eyes, making the man flinch slightly. "I'll personally lock the door to your cell."

"Good luck with that Commander," Downing said recovering quickly. "I will hand you over to my client and then I'm off this lovely island. I have been chased by the best." He waved the syringe before Steve's face. "Just behave or I will be forced to send you to dreamland for the remainder of your stay." Going to the door, he knocked twice and then walked out when the door was opened for him. The guard closed the door shut once more and the click of the lock echoed in the small room, a nasty reminder of how bleak Steve's situation was.

Muttering a few choice curses, Steve again tried to free his wrists from his bonds. The sting of raw skin burned and he could feel the stickiness of the blood that now seeped from his flesh. The ankle shackles also proved to still be tightly holding his legs in place. Dejectedly he let his had slump forward for a moment, allowing his breathing to return to normal.

"Come on team…..Danny…..find me," he mumbled softly. He knew they were looking for him, he was sure of it and they would not give up. Danny was sure to go into a rant about his not waiting for the others before going onto the beach. Steve could only hope that he would be present to listen to it.

*H 5-0*

It was early the next morning when Joe White marched into 5-0 headquarters looking stern. Danny met him at the smart table, hoping against hope the ex-Navy man would be able to provide some insight into who would want Steve taken alive. They had sent Tremain and his party back to the hotel with a protection detail provided by HPD.

"Hey Joe, thanks for coming," Danny greeted him. "We could use your help."

"You said this had to do with Steve."

"Yea….what can you tell us about Nicholas Downing?" Danny countered while Kono sent the photos from Interpol up onto the screens.

"Downing?" Joe frowned. "He's a high priced kidnapper. Snatches people on request, usually high profile victims for political reasons or to fetch a big ransom. Slippery fellow, he's never been caught," he recited then with narrowed eyes he glared at Danny. "Where's Steve?"

"Someone took Steve off the beach outside The Trade Winds last night. He was tranquilized and thrown in a van. We believe that Downing was contracted to take Steve for someone," Danny told him bluntly.

"Are you saying that someone just waltzed in and grabbed Steve?" Joe snapped. Danny nodded. "Well it's pretty clear who would like to question Steve, now isn't it? What the hell took you so long to call me?" the older man exploded.

"Cool down Joe," Danny protested holding up his hands. Chin and Kono moved in closer, behind Danny. They could tell that the tension was building too fast between the two men.

"You know exactly who would pay to get his hands on Steve," Joe growled in a lower voice. He glared up at the screens. "This smells like Wo Fat's doing."

"So far there is no evidence that Wo Fat is even on Oahu," Chin spoke up. "We are attempting to trace where Downing could possibly be holding Steve."

"The man is clever and that is why he has never been caught," Joe said tersely. "He won't drag his feet in handing over Steve to his client. With this delay he could have all ready moved Steve off the island. You wasted time in not calling me sooner."

"You haven't been particularly helpful lately Joe," Danny pointed out heatedly. "You've done nothing but dodge Steve's questions and kept secrets from him. We will find Steve, I promise you that. Nothing so far indicates that he's been taken off the island."

Joe paused before he spoke again. He looked at the faces staring at him seriously. Determination shone in their eyes and he remembered how they had all willingly risked their careers and lives to go into North Korea for Steve. They would not stop searching for McGarrett this time either.

"Where's Officer Weston?" he asked suddenly noticing her absence.

"She is assisting ICE on the big island," Danny replied. "She'll be back as soon as they can let her go without compromising their sting. We can handle this and we will move on this. If you can't help, feel free to leave." Danny was beginning to regret calling in the man if he was only going to be negative. The presence of Chin and Kono behind him was reassuring, he could feel their solid support and he knew he could count on them.

"I'm in," Joe said in a more subdued voice. He knew that Danny was right; they would fight to find Steve. "Has that big friend of yours got any leads?"

"Kamekona has his ear to the ground," Chin replied. "His contacts are local but we are hoping that he can learn if someone from the outside has been setting up a way to move someone off the island quietly."

"We are also checking on any new arrivals to the island or suspicious ships that are trying to avoid the notice of the authorities," Danny added.

"I'm tracking a woman in Tremain's party, she lied about who she was and could be working for Downing," Kono told him as she sent a picture of Sheila to one of the overhead screens.

"Why would Downing have been interested in this Tremain kid?" Joe asked, not knowing the assignment that 5-0 had caught.

"He is the son of the French delegate to the UN. The State Department got word that someone was interested in taking the kid to influence an upcoming vote," Danny explained.

"So Downing was here for someone else to begin with," Joe said thoughtfully. "That means that Downing got a better offer in the meantime."

"That is what we think."

"Then maybe he doesn't have this as carefully planned as usual," Joe remarked with at small smile. "I can contact some people and see what I can learn about how Downing operates. Knowing how he conducts his exchanges may help. If this is being done on the fly it may cause him to slip up. While I am at it I will see if they know what Wo Fat has been up to," he continued looking a bit more pleased with things. "Steve is not going to let this happen without a fight."

"I will get you set up with a secure line," Kono said taking his arm. "The sooner you talk to them the faster we find Steve." She led him towards her office.

Danny and Chin exchanged looks. The clock was ticking on this operation and they needed something to break soon.

End chapter.

Well we have gotten a look at Nicholas Downing and know who grabbed Steve. Now who is the buyer? I hope that I got Joe right, he is a puzzle on the show and I don't know what tonight's episode will reveal to us. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.