Hanamaulu Airstrip authorities were on high alert. HPD and KPD officers and sharpshooters along with the Five-0 team were stationed around the main airstrip anxiously waiting for Carl Bayne to fly in with his precious cargo. Frances had coaxed Livy Stratton to do some playacting in exchange for a lenient prison sentence. Under police supervision, she contacted Bayne to inform him that she was released from jail for lack of solid evidence. She added a convincing note to the conversation by cursing Bayne's name for being a stool-pigeon and getting her arrested.
She convinced him that she hadn't spilled the beans and instructed him to pick up the Finney girl at the hideout and fly to Hanamaulu Airstrip, their new drop off location since Port Allen was now crawling with Feds, and to bring the merchandise for McFadden's henchmen to take over. Bayne was reluctant but after much persuasion, he took the bait and followed Stratton's directives.
Steve spoke in his mouthpiece. "Duke, it's Steve."
"I hear you, Steve."
"Are your men in position?"
"Yes. All standing by."
"Let's be clear, they hold their fire until I give the signal to spring into action. We don't want any happy trigger finger out there."
"Got it."
Within minutes, a roaring engine was heard in the distance, drawing closer. Steve adjusted his binoculars. "I've got a chopper into view. Could be him."
Kono, Chin, Danny and Frances all checked the magazines of their guns for ammunition.
"Wait, that's a Medivac," Steve retracted.
"Someone sick?" Chin queried.
The helicopter landed and two red uniform clad paramedics exited the plane with the medical kits.
"They don't seem to be in a hurry. Could be a decoy," Steve surmised.
"I'm with you," Frances agreed.
"Duke, it's Steve," he spoke in his mouthpiece.
"I hear ya, Steve."
"Don't be duped by the Medivac. We believe it's a red herring. Keep your eyes on the two paramedics. Could be McFadden's thugs who came to pick up the girl. The bulkiness fits the profile." Steve explained, still focused on the two men who waited by the chopper.
"Got it."
Our team patiently waited for the next aircraft to land. A King Air made his way to the airstrip within minutes.
"I have a King Air approaching touchdown," Steve announced.
Steve kept his binoculars trained on the aircraft as it came to a halt at the end of the runway, a few feet away from their spot. Passengers began to alight the plane and made their way to the hangar. "Seems to be a sightseeing tour," Steve deduced from the people taking pictures of the area.
Frances turned to Chin. "I thought you said KPD arranged it so they would halt all air traffic during the stakeout?"
"That's what they said. They might have an emergency onboard and had to reroute. That's probably why the Medivac is here."
"Any sign of Bayne?"
"He's not among the passengers," Steve said, his binoculars still trained on the small aircraft. "The paramedics are still not budging. They are obviously waiting for someone else."
"That's all we need. Innocent bystanders. We can't ask Duke to pull them aside or it'll arise suspicion and risk a hostage situation on top it all."
Steve spoke in his mouthpiece. "Duke, tell your men to watch out for those people. We don't want any innocent casualties."
"Where the hell is Bayne?" Frances asked, her patience wearing thin.
Steve kept his binoculars focused on the plane and then was distracted by the sound of a car driving down the road leading to the airport. "I think that's our man. Guess he decided to take the scenic route instead." All eyes were on the vehicle as it came to a halt near the chopper. Bayne stepped out and opened the passenger door where Steve could make out an unconscious young girl slumped over the seat. He picked her up and carried her over to the two awaiting paramedics.
"There he is!" Steve indicated. "He has the girl with him. She's unconscious."
"Slipping the cargo in plain sight? Got to hand it to him, that's clever," Chin praised. "Carrying the girl as if she's sick and have the Medivac meet him here?"
"Oh no you don't you sonnavabitch!" Frances gnarled. She checked her gun and adjusted her Kevlar vest. "I'm going first. Commander, you cover me."
"We're all going together," Steve argued.
"I'll distract them while you move in."
"Careful! One look at you and they're liable to use the girl or one of the people as shield."
"We won't let that happen."
"It's too dangerous."
"I trust you'll have my back. Whatever happens, do not kill Bayne! I want him alive, got that?" Without waiting for a rebuttal, Frances came out of her hiding place behind crates and walked toward Bayne who was inches away from getting on board the Medivac.
"She's so damned reckless," Steve spat.
"Like someone I know," Danny quipped, getting a withering look in return. "Hey, keep your eyes on the target!"
"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite courier boy?"
Bayne swung around with the listless girl still in his arms. "You?"
"Surprised?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Once I get a scent I stick to the trail. Hand over the girl, Bayne." Frances ordered with her gun thrust at his head. Bayne gave his two cohorts a sidelong glance as a signal to whip out their own revolvers and aim at Frances.
"You're outnumbered pretty lady," Bayne crowed triumphantly.
"No she's not," Steve said, advancing on Bayne with his SIG drawn, "you are." Soon Danny, Kono, Chin and HPD men circled the three hoodlums. The two ruffians dropped their weapons and held their hands up in defeat.
"Bayne, you weren't so dumb as to think I would come without back up, now were you?" she said condescendingly. Frances lowered her aim, eliciting a nervous gulp out of her target. "This will hurt more than a kick in the groin, pal. Hand over the girl to Officer Kalakaua NOW!"
Bayne reluctantly followed orders and handed Sandra over to Kono but as soon as his hands we freed, he pulled out a semi-automatic handgun from his belt and fired at Frances. His aim being a little off, one stray bullet found another mark. Danny yelped in pain as the slug ripped through his shoulder, inches away from his bullet-proof vest.
Before Frances had a chance to return fire after dodging the bullets, Steve quickly drew on Bayne and, remembering her warning to keep the man alive, fired two quick shots into the man's upper thigh to disable him. Bayne dropped to the ground, writhing in agony. The gunshots sent the passengers diving to the ground to shield themselves from the flying bullets.
"I got him. Go tend to Danny." Frances told Steve as she kicked Bayne's gun aside while keeping her gun thrust at his head. "You're lucky it's just your leg. Next time it'll be right between the eyes. You're a bigger fool than I thought you were, Bayne. Why did you fire, huh? You knew you were cornered. You just added attempted murder to your criminal record."
"This was a set up," Bayne cursed between teeth set in pain.
"Gee, you think?"
"Danny, where are you hit?" Steve asked, worried to a frazzle.
"My shoulder," he hissed in pain, clasping his right shoulder. "It's just a flesh wound, right?"
Steve looked behind Danny's shoulder for an exit wound. "Sorry pal. The bullet's still inside. There's no exit wound."
Kono brought the girl to rest against a crate. "How is she?" Chin asked.
"I think she's been drugged. Her pulse is strong and steady though. She'll be ok."
Frances beckoned Duke to take over handcuffing Bayne while she checked on Danny.
"How is he?" she asked Steve who was applying his balled-up denim jacket over the bleeding wound.
"I'm okay. Just feel a bit woozy from the shock," Danny tried to reassure his worried partners by minimizing the extent of his injury, but his pale complexion told another story. "How's the girl?" Danny breathed out, eyelids drooping.
Frances craned her neck up to glance at Kono and Chin attending to Sandra. "She seems okay. Probably drugged, that's all." Frances informed. "And Bayne's going away for good this time."
"That's good." Danny's face contorted from the searing pain radiating through his shoulder.
"Stay with me, Danny," Steve goaded as he applied more pressure on the wound.
"Dave, could you get those two medical kits over there?" Frances asked the HPD officer nearby as she motioned to the two boxes left on the ground by the phony paramedics. "Hopefully they're real."
"We've got to get him to a hospital. He's bleeding pretty badly. The bullet must have nicked a vein," Steve diagnosed from his blood-drenched jacket.
"All right, you take the Medivac and get Danny, Kono and Chin to the nearest hospital on the island. You take the girl with you. Duke will hitch a ride with me and I'll meet you at the hospital thereafter."
"I'll take Danny to Wilcox Memorial. It's the closest. In the chopper we should be there in less than ten minutes." Steve said without veering his attention off Danny. "What about Bayne and his two goons?"
"We'll handle them. You just take care of Danny." She leaned close to the blond detective, whose leaden eyes were gradually surrendering to the beckoning darkness. "You hang in there, Daniel. We'll get you fixed up like new." Danny gave a weak nod in response.
Danny lost consciousness halfway through the flight. Chin tended to him while Kono was busy caring for Sandra Finney who regained her senses a few minutes into the flight. She instantly recoiled in fright at the woman leaning over her, but Kono's tender ministrations soon won her over and she gradually relaxed in her presence.
In the pilot seat, Steve craned his neck at the back of the plane. "Chin, how's Danny?"
"He's lost consciousness. His pulse's thready, heart is racing and he's losing a lot of blood. He might be going into hemorrhagic shock." When Steve tried to get a better view of his wounded partner lying on a stretcher, Chin was quick to bring him back to focus. "Hey, keep your eyes in front. We want to arrive in one piece."
"Hang on, Danno. We're almost there." Steve then radioed in the hospital to inform them of their impending arrival.
KPD had offered to house Bayne and his sidekicks in their jail, but it was deemed more convenient for interrogation if they were safely tucked away at the HPD facility instead.
Therefore, Frances flew to Oahu with Duke and Bayne in one chopper. After dropping Bayne and the two phony EMT at Honolulu airport where HPD officers took over their fate, she flew right back to Wilcox Memorial where she found the anguished SEAL restlessly pacing the length of the waiting room floor like a caged animal. "Frances? You sure got here fast?"
"Duke and his team took over as soon as we landed in Honolulu. Then I flew back here quick. How's Danny?"
"He's still in surgery. His blood pressure was alarmingly low when we brought him in. God, he was white as a sheet."
"Hey, he's a stubborn cuss like you. He'll get through this," she heartened with a pat on his arm.
"I know he will. What about Bayne?"
"Brought him to Honolulu Memorial to have your slogs removed from his thigh. He'll live. Thanks for keeping him alive by the way."
"Believe me, it took all of my restraint not to kill the bastard. Did he say anything about McFadden?"
"Nothing but once the doctors give me the green light, I'll get him to spill his guts." Steve stared at her expectantly. "Figuratively speaking of course. We can indict him on charges of attempted murder now. So if he expects to get a lenient sentence, he'll cooperate."
"I have to hand it to you, you know your stuff. The means you're using are bearing results. I never thought we'd get this far in such short amount of time."
"You forget I devoted the past five years to positioning my pieces on the board. You've got some pretty good moves yourself, save perhaps for that hanging-off-the-ledge approach. Word of advice, lose that one. Keep other less neck-breaking methods. Our tickers will thank you for it."
"You took the words right out of Danny's mouth."
"Smart fellow. He's got a good head on his shoulders. I like him."
"I can tell the feeling's mutual."
"They're keeping Sandra Finney in observation for the next twenty-four hours as a precautionary measure," Kono said as she walked up to the pair. "The doctor can't find any injuries other than a few bruises, no doubt from being grabbed and tossed around. She's mostly in shock. They're doing a battery of tests to make sure."
"Did you contact her parents?" Frances asked.
"Not yet. I thought you'd want to do it."
"Yeah. I'll call them after I speak with her doctor." Frances turned to Steve. "I know you must think I was rather impetuous out there, but I didn't want them to get the girl airborne."
"I understand."
"Hey, thanks for having my back."
Steve smiled. "Anytime.. And I owed you one from Bosnia."
"So you admit I saved your ass?" she teased as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and gave a playful squeeze.