Kris walked into Five-O HQ for the second time. She was still impressed with the place, but this time, Kono and Chin were taking her down a different hall. She hadn't seen this one before. This hall was more industrial and less welcoming and warm. Kono reached a door that buzzed seconds later, and led her inside. Chin followed close behind.
The room was barren except for a single chair. The lighting was dim and somewhat intimidating. She walked in and hesitated. "This is an interesting room."
Chin stepped forward, "Why don't you take a seat?"
Kris whirled around, "What? Why?" Kono rested her hand on her gun and Kris felt the panic clawing its way up her throat. "Guys, what's going on?"
Chin moved closer, "You need to sit down, Kris."
He followed her as she backed up slowly and took a seat. She heard something rattle behind her and glanced down, blanching when she saw the handcuffs hanging there. She started to rise, but Chin pushed her back down. "What's going on?"
The door buzzed and opened again. This time Danny walked in, followed closely by Steve who held a manila folder in his hand. He looked down at her, his gaze hard but still somewhat sympathetic. "We went and spoke with Akoni."
Kris straightened. "Steve, he could inform Alec! You shouldn't have done that!"
Steve raised a hand, "He had an alibi. He and his partner were in their cruiser when you said he was in my house. Radio calls and their superior confirmed it."
Tears sprung to Kris's eyes, "Steve, he was there. I swear…"
Danny stepped forward, "We know that Alec was in the house with you. We heard him. We never heard anyone else."
Before Kris could speak again, Steve started to talk, "We also found out some interesting information regarding your relationship with Tantori."
"Relationship?" Kris gasped. "We never had a relationship. The bastard abused me."
Steve opened the folder and plopped it in her lap, "Want to tell me why he's been paying you for each major event over this last year?" He watched as Kris read the papers, confusion marring her soft features. He shifted uncomfortably as he focused on the cut on her cheek. A hard hand squeezed his shoulder and he glanced over at Danny who nodded reassuringly.
"I don't know what this is." Kris whispered.
Danny stepped forward, "Let me tell you what this is. This is a record of every payment deposited into your off-shore account. The deposits coincide with specific events. The date of Steve's and my abduction, the date of our escape, your surgery on the mainland. The most recent deposit was today, shortly before Tantori visited with you at Steve's."
Kris looked from Danny to Steve, "I swear to God, I don't know what this is! I don't have an off-shore account!"
Steve sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Kris, we looked into your local bank accounts. We saw the transfer you made from the off-shore to your account this morning."
"That never happened! It's Alec! He's setting this all up!" She cried.
Steve stepped forward, "That may be true, but right now, the evidence against you is quite damning."
Kris stood and slapped the folder to Steve's chest. "I can't believe this, Steve. After everything we've been through. If all you wanted was a quick fuck, you should have said so." She saw Chin and Kono's eyes go wide and then excuse themselves from the room. Danny stayed, not surprised in the least.
Steve's eyes darkened with anger. "I could have any woman I want, Kris. I'm usually smarter when it comes to being played though. If you wanted information, you didn't need to sleep with me to get it." Though he knew he deserved it, he didn't expect the slap that cracked across his cheek. He turned his head back slowly to look at Kris.
Danny stepped up and between them, pushing Steve back and turning to Kris. "Sit down!" He looked at Steve, "Calm down." He pointed back at Kris. "You are now a suspect. Sit there quietly and behave, or I will cuff you to that chair." He pushed at Steve again. "You are done. You're too close to this." He watched Steve until he left the room. He turned back to Kris, "We have trusted you with a lot, Kris. But the most important thing that Steve entrusted you with is his heart. I sure hope you didn't do these things. But if you did," he stepped closer so he was almost leaning over her, "I will bring you down so fast, your head will spin." He strode back to the door. "Do NOT give me reason to treat you like some scumbag criminal. We will look deeper into this and be back." He waited until she nodded before opening the door.
"Danny…" He paused and looked back. "I know it's hard to believe me right now, but I am not working with Alec. I would never put you or Steve in danger if I could help it. And what I feel for Steve…I can't explain." He hesitated a moment before walking from the room, the door clanging shut behind him.
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Danny joined the rest of the team around the computer table up by their offices. Steve's jaw was set in a tight line, his cheek red where Kris had hit him. He was furious, but Danny knew that more than that, he was hurt.
"Alright, so she says she's being set up," Danny started. "So, we need to look into these transactions."
"I'm on it!" Jerry said, his fingers flying over the keyboard.
Danny turned to Steve. "There has to be more to this story."
Steve scowled. "Earlier, you were the one that said she was making this up. Now, you're on her side?"
Danny laughed, "I'm not on anyone's side. Well, I'm on the law's side. So let's do our jobs and figure out what's going on, okay? First, order of business is to dig deeper into Tantori. This jackass can't be doing everything on his own."
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Jerry called Steve an hour later, informing him that Tantori had an informant in Paradise City. Steve and Danny set course for the guy's apartment.
They caught the guy trying to scale down the balcony in the back of his property. After dragging him back into the apartment, they sat him down and started their interrogation.
"Look man, I didn't sell them drugs! I'm just a buyer!" The man cried.
Danny smiled and shook his head, "Thank you for that information. We're not here about the drugs. We want to know about Tantori."
The man looked back and forth between Steve and Danny, "Tantori? Don't know 'em."
Steve's lip twitched, "We all know that's a lie. We know you act as an informant to him. We want to know what Tantori's play is. Who else does he utilize on this island?" The man stayed silent, so Steve drew his gun and pressed it to the top of his knee.
The guy squealed and started to talk, "He has lots of guys! But he's not the worst one, okay?!"
Steve pressed harder, "What do you mean, 'not the worst one'?"
The guy's eyes were wild, "Tantori. He reports to someone else."
"Who?" Danny snapped.
"Gabriel Waincroft."
Danny rolled his head back, "Jesus, this guy is like a bad rash."
Steve kept the gun on the man's leg, "What does Gabriel want from Tantori?"
"I don't know, man! I swear! Tantori pays me for information, so I give it to him. I've never met Waincroft. I hope I never do!" Sweat poured down the guy's face, and it wasn't due to lack of A/C.
Steve stepped back and the guy slumped in the chair. Danny stepped forward, "What information did you give him recently?"
The guy swallowed hard, "Uh, it was about…uh…"
"Spit it out or I shoot off your kneecap!" Steve hissed.
"You! It was about you! Where you were, what you were doing, who you were with. He wanted to know everything. So I had a few guys tail you and got a nice payment."
Steve stiffened, his jaw clenching. He turned to Danny. "He knew we were coming here. The bastard has been one step ahead of us this whole time." He turned and stalked from the apartment, Danny dragging the informant behind him. Steve dialed Chin, "Chin, you need to get Kris and do NOT let her out of your sight. This isn't just Tantori. Gabriel has been pulling the strings."
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Chin was pulling back up to HQ as he spoke with Steve. "Copy. I'm heading in now."
He strode through the narrow hallways to the interrogation room where they left Kris. As he approached the door, he noticed it slightly ajar. "Kono?" Silence greeted him. He drew his gun and crept forward. He nudged open the door and stepped inside carefully. His attention was drawn to the chair in the room, where Kris sat. Except, this time, duct tape covered her mouth and her hands were tied behind her back. She looked up and saw him, straining against her ties and trying to scream behind the tape. Chin realized too late that she was trying to point out that someone was behind him. The tazer stabbed right between his shoulder blades, sending volts of electricity coursing through his body. He stiffened and slammed to the floor. He kept consciousness for a few more seconds, watching as Kris was hauled from the chair and dragged from the room.
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"Chin? Chin, wake up buddy." Someone called to him from the abyss. His muscles ached with every movement, but he forced his eyes to open. "Chin. You okay?" Steve looked down at him, concern marring his features.
"I'm good." He sat up with Steve's help and looked immediately towards the chair where Kris had sat. "Where's Dr. Sanders?"
Steve and Danny exchanged glances, "We were hoping she was with you. But when you didn't answer your cell, we came down here. The door was locked. You were unconscious."
Chin ran a hand down his face, "I came to get her right after I got off the phone with you. When I got here, the door was ajar. I drew my gun and entered the room. Kris was in the chair, bound and gagged. She tried to warn me, but someone tazed me from behind. Last thing I remember was someone dragging her from the room."
Danny was pacing in front of him, his phone to his ear. From what Chin could gather, he was having Jerry check traffic cams.
"I'm sorry, Steve. I'm usually more alert. I guess seeing her trussed up like that shocked me for a second."
Steve squeezed his shoulder, "Not your fault, man. We'll find her."
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Would it ever stop? Kris thought, as she struggled to find purchase in the trunk of the car. Her luck seemed to be pretty shitty this last year and it wasn't looking up anytime soon. Her arms burned from being tied so tight and every bump had her wincing in pain. As the car bounced down whatever road, she remembered Chin coming into the room to get her. And she remembered him hitting the ground hard. I hope he's okay.
Kris felt the car begin to slow before turning and moving slowly down a smooth road. A driveway maybe? That wasn't a good sign. The car rolled to a stop and shut off. Kris heard footsteps moving towards the trunk and positioned herself so she could aim at the jackass who opened it. As the latch unlocked and the man started to open the door, Kris kicked out with her feet and nailed the guy right in the nose. He howled in pain as his hand shot out to stop the bleeding. Kris moved to fold herself out of the car and hopped to the ground. She turned to run when she was tackled from behind. The man's weight had her breath wooshing from her chest.
"Ah ah ah. Not so fast, Doc." The man chastised. He hauled her to her feet and spun her around. "You just got here, and someone would like to meet you." His gaze traveled from her face down her body and back up. His sneer was alarming and Kris tried to back away. "Not yet, baby, but maybe soon. Let's go." He started forward, dragging her along.
They entered a larger home. Any other time, Kris would have taken time to gaze in wonder at its size and luxury finishes. Instead, she barely spared them a glance as she was shoved down the hallway past intimidating men holding guns. The man bringing her grabbed her arm and steered her towards the back patio. She shakily moved along, becoming more nervous as the amount of guards thickened.
At a patio table in the shade sat an older man, surrounded by several younger men. He glanced up when she arrived, only slight interest showing on his face. One of the men with their back to her stood and turned, and Kris froze. She stopped and started to back up, but the man shoved her forward.
"Kris! Good to see you so soon. I'm glad you were able to join us," Alec said, as he walked over to her. He placed a hand on her lower back and moved her forward towards the table.
The man to the right of the older man lifted his gaze and met Kris' and her blood ran cold. Where Alec's gaze was deceptive, the anger and death hidden beneath a charming façade, this man's eyes were nothing but dark. His eyes promised pain and hurt. Nothing good was in this man. Aside from that fact, he looked pissed at Alec. And…bored?
He turned to the older man and whispered something in his ear. The older man looked at Alec, seemed to ponder something for a moment and then nodded. Kris glanced up at Alec and saw that his smile had faltered. The younger man got up and walked a bit closer.
"This is what you've been making us wait for?" he spat. He looked Kris up and down with little approval.
Alec puffed out his chest a little, "You have a problem, Waincroft?" He moved forward and stood face to face with Waincroft. "I deal with your family bullshit. You can deal with my girlfriend."
Kris took a slight step back. Then another. Alec was too busy posturing like a freaking peacock to notice her right now. She kept shuffling back and away from the two arguing men. Suddenly, Waincroft looked right at her and he grinned. He raised a hand and she was grabbed from behind and restrained. Alec whirled and glared at her.
"You stupid little bitch. Where did you think you would go?" He strode over to her and raised his hand to strike when a voice stopped him.
"Stop." Waincroft said.
Alec turned, "Stay out of this, Waincroft."
"You said she had valuable information and that's why you couldn't let her go. What information do you have?" He directed that question to Kris.
"I-I don't know what he's talking about." She stammered.
Waincroft looked back to Alec, who jumped to his defense, "She's lying."
"Possibly." Waincroft walked away slightly, "Is she as good a doctor as you've said? Or did she lie about that too?"
Alec smiled, "She's great. Able to work under stressful conditions."
"We'll see." If Kris wasn't staring at him, she would have missed it. In seconds, Waincroft pulled a weapon from his holster and let off three shots. Kris screamed in terror, but when she realized that she wasn't hit, she was momentarily confused. She heard a weak groan and looked down to see Alec bleeding out in the grass. Waincroft stepped forward came within inches of Kris, "Fix him."
