Chapter 11
By Cokie
~~~H50~~~
Well, we are beginning to make some headway... finally! Thanks to everyone for your continued interest and reading of this story. I did try desperately to send a note to everyone who read the last chapter. For those of you who are listed as 'guests', I thank you as well. Please know that I appreciate all of your comments!
~~~H50~~~
Army Ranger Major Dwayne Tam left the parking lot and headed toward Pearl Hickam while Steve closed his eyes, pushing back on the lingering pain from his shoulder and his head. But try as he might, that task was easier said than done.
"Steve, here, take this," Holly said as a bottle of water came into his line of vision when he opened his eyes. "I've got Tylenol, too because I'm guessing you haven't taken anything for pain today."
He reached for the water, wincing again as he twisted in the seat to accept the bottle. He set it beside him and cupped his hand for the pills. "What else do you have back there?" he asked with a grin.
"I'm prepared for any emergency," she told him, replacing the bottle of pills into her backpack. "With Dwayne around, I never know what we might need."
"Holly's the best Boy Scout I've ever known," Dwayne said with a grin. "Always prepared."
"Don't mock me, Tam… you've always appreciated what I can pull out of that backpack."
"That I have, my Sweet. And I've known you long enough to never mock you."
Steve swallowed the pills and smiled at their argument, feeling lost without Catherine to talk to. Funny how you miss the small things. He didn't have time to linger on his morose thoughts when his phone rang.
"Kono, what's going on?"
"Warren and Gordon have stopped in a lot just past the Dole Plantation. And they're still driving the van. I pulled in at Dole and Chin has gone on ahead. From the bug on the Jeep, it appears to be headed this way. And Danny just pulled in next to me."
"Good work," Steve told her. "I'll call Paul and tell him to be aware of a tail. Everyone have ear buds?"
"We're ready to go. Be safe, Boss."
"Roger and out." Steve disconnected then scrolled his phone for another number, making his next call. "Paul, what's your position?"
The voice replied, "Heading off the H-2 to Kamehameha Highway. Everything in place?"
"Yes, Sir, so far everything is on target. You will probably pick up a tail just past the plantation. My people will hang back; they are in a red Cruise and silver Camaro. Your tail is a white van."
"Coming up on the plantation now and," he paused, waiting for confirmation, "the van is in sight." He waited another beat, then added, "and they are following. Not very discreetly, as a matter of fact."
"Be careful," Steve warned him. "You can pass for me at a distance, but try not to let them get too close."
"You make it sound like I'm a seaman on his first poop deck."
"I apologize," Steve said with a chuckle. "And I appreciate what you're doing."
"As my granny used to say, 'Let's kick this pig.' I'll meet you at the top."
"Roger that."
He hung up the phone and Holly leaned over the seat. "OK, I know you're here, so who is driving the Jeep with the ransom money?"
"McMillan."
"McMillan?" she asked, with a confused look on her face before it dawned on her. "Commander McMillan? Seriously?" she squeaked.
"Yeah. He said he wanted to help and he can pass for me at a distance."
Holly thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, you do have a point. I didn't realize you knew each other that well."
"It's been a few years," he replied, "but we've worked together in the past. He said he's just repaying a favor."
Dwayne slowed at the check point to enter the base, and they all pulled their military IDs to show the guard. They waited until their ID was confirmed and the gate opened and then turned left and headed quickly toward the airfield and a waiting chopper. The three exited the truck and Steve went into the small hanger to check in with their pilot while Dwayne pulled his bag from the truck bed, opening it and retrieving one of the weapons inside.
"Here you go, Holly."
She strapped the offered holster onto her belt and checked the weapon before sliding it back in. "You guys be careful," she told them both when Steve returned with the pilot.
Steve spread the detailed map of their targeted region on the truck, explaining his plan. "OK, here's the cabin. They are traveling Kamehemeha toward Paalaa Uka Pupukea Road. Don't know for sure how close they can get, so that is a variable we won't know until the time comes. Mark, I need you to drop Dwayne and me off on the opposite side of the mountain, here near the Opaeula Reservoir." Steve grimaced again when he stopped supporting his left arm to point out the drop spot on the map. The still fresh injury to his shoulder hindered his movements a lot more than he wanted to admit. "It is just a few hundred yards up and over the mountain. Any questions?"
Both men shook their heads and then Steve glanced at Holly, a quizzical look on his face. "What's with the sidearm?" he asked. "I don't want you up there until everything is over. I can't worry about both you and Cath."
She gave him her best "get real" look. "I'm coming in Steve, so don't even try to stop me. I already have a late start, and I'll be behind the others, but I *am* getting there as quickly as possible. Catherine is my best friend and I'm going to be there for her. So just put that worry in a pipe and smoke it!"
Dwayne moved closer to Steve and stage whispered, "If I were you, I would say 'thanks' and be done with it. You don't have time to get her started."
Steve glanced at him and nodded. Turning back he gave Holly a quick smile. "Thanks, Holly. Be careful." He reached into one of his many pants pockets and retrieved a small case, handing it over to Dwayne to open. "Ear buds," he explained, reaching for one and placing it in his right ear. "The others are already connected," he added. "They are keeping radio silence until they're close to the target."
"Steve, are you sure you can do this?" Holly asked while taking her own ear mic. "I'm concerned about you trying to fast rope with that shoulder."
"I'll be fine," he assured her while trying to fold the map, but handed it over to her when he saw he couldn't do it one handed. "Thanks," he told her, then looked around. "Anything else?"
"Chopper's ready," the pilot, Mark told them.
"I just need to kiss my wife," Dwayne added. "See you soon, Holly. And take care of my truck."
"Your baby will be just fine," she told him, giving him a hug, whispering. "You watch Steve, OK?"
"Yeah, Babe, will do," he replied watching as his friend and Mark headed to the chopper. "See you soon."
~~~H50~~~
Holly stood next to the truck, watching the chopper's take off and bank toward the north part of the island before heading toward the H2 to begin her journey. With luck, she could break a few speed limit laws to get there as quickly as possible.
~~~H50~~~
Catherine heard footsteps creaking on the old wooden floor before Beau touched her injured ankle. She immediately tensed, but he unfastened the coil that circled it and dropped the ankle back onto the bed. Pain traveled up her leg into her spine, causing her breath to catch. She tried to breathe deeply to calm herself and ease the pain, but it was impossible with the gag still in her mouth and Beau looming, waiting to do who knows what.
Next, she felt his hands on her wrists and she thought that finally… maybe… she could get herself out of the situation.
But those hopes were quickly dashed.
Sometime during the night, she had bucked that damn knife off her stomach and she knew it was lying beside her. She heard a chuckle and felt Beau pick it up from the bed. He then unfastened one wrist and pressed his knee onto her arm on top of the bed so she couldn't move it while he unfastened the other wrist. He then roughly grabbed both her wrists and pulled her into a sitting position.
Even in the pitch dark, the change in position after so long caused vertigo and Catherine listed to the side, held up only by his hands. He twisted her arms deftly behind her and cuffed them once again before letting her fall sideways onto the bed.
So much for saving yourself.
Catherine waited, listening to the sounds. He left the room, only to immediately return, setting something next to her. She felt the mattress dip beneath his weight before he grabbed her and pulled her back upward to a sitting position. He tugged away the cloth over her eyes and then spoke.
"Mornin' Sunshine."
She blinked in the morning light and had to squint as tears immediately formed from the brightness. She raised her eyes to see Beau grinning at her.
"Sleep well?"
Catherine continued giving him her death glare, wanting so badly to wipe the smile off his face.
One of his hands moved to her neck and his index finger of the other hand brushed over her lips before he placed it beneath the gag in her mouth. His grin widened and he shook his head. "On second thought, I don't want to even hear your voice, so I think we'll just leave that alone." He picked up a bottle of water that he had set on the bed and uncapped it, taking a deep swig, smiling as he wiped his lips.
Oh, water!
"Bet you'd like some of this, huh?"
He stood up and grabbed her hair, pulling her head backward before pouring some water on the knotted cloth in her mouth. "Don't want you to choke, but I'm not totally inhuman," he told her as water dribbled down her chin as she tried to swallow.
He released the hair and sat down in front of Cath, brushing her hair back from her face.
"OK, here's what's going to go down. I expect that SEALboy will come in here all hot and bothered because I sent him a picture of you this morning. You were so pretty… all laid out there on the bed, your hair all over the pillow, dressed in your sexy undies." He slid his fingers beneath her bra strap. "Do you wear these for him? Huh? He like this kind of stuff?"
Steve has already seen me like this? Catherine ached, knowing what Steve must be going through, knowing that he would do anything to get to her.
Catherine twisted to get away and he only chuckled once more. "How about the gag and blindfold? Do you play like that? Hmm? Probably not, being as you are afraid of the dark and all. Does he know about that or is that a deep dark secret that only I found out? You probably want to be all GI Jane with him, right? Being the manly SEAL that he is, he wouldn't have anything else. What would he do if he discovered his main squeeze Navy gal was afraid?" He smirked at her and then added, "Doesn't matter anymore."
You're dog meat when he gets hold of you.
Beau cupped her face in both of his hands. "Because here's what's gonna happen. I told boyfriend that he could have you back for a quarter mil, and I gave him detailed instructions on how to get here. The good news is that he took the bait. I got word a little while ago that he's on his way, so you'll be seeing him soon."
You will be so sorry when he gets here, I promise you that.
"Bad news is that I'm gonna kill him once he sees you."
Catherine tried to jerk her head away and made a guttural sound in her throat. I'll kill you myself first!
He shook her and tightened his hands to keep her still. "Ah? You don't like that, huh? Well, I've thought long and hard, and realized he just brought it on himself for being the good little SEAL that he is. Thinking he's better than everybody else and always showing off. See… I've still got contacts within the Navy and I've followed his career. And yours, too, girlie. You've done all right by yourself, too, but he's just too smug and cocky… thinks he knows it all. I've seen the list of commendations he has and it is pretty sickening. Always trying to show off.
"Just like that night way back in Coronado. What was that? He made sure that I wasn't gonna have a little fun with you. And I was just getting started… was planning to make you beg for more because once I was done, you, my little lady, would want more." He finally released her head and stood up. "But, you know, last night, when I had you here, tied up all nice and pretty… just looking at you sickened me. I don't need trash like you.
"But, boyfriend will be dead. I'm just tryin' to decide what to do with you. When I clear out, I could just leave you here with him. You two could be together, how would you like that? Him, dead on the floor and you shackled to the bed? Think that would work?"
"Or," he said, pausing for effect and pulling a gun from behind him and pointing it toward her head.
Catherine's eyes widened at the gun leveled at her. Oh, God, Steve, I'm so sorry.
"I could just shoot you right between the eyes." He pretended to fire, then dropped his arm to his side, chuckling.
"Decisions, decisions."
He didn't bother looking back when he slammed the door behind him.
~~~H50~~~
The first chatter that was heard through the ear buds was Chin, checking in. He spoke quietly and Steve had to strain to hear him over the air noise, even though the chopper was nearly silent. "I'm behind the RV on the right side of the road," he told them. "I count four targets outside, all well armed and nervous."
"Roger that," McMillan spoke. "I have two on me and if they get any closer, they will be on the trunk. Subtlety isn't their strong suit."
"Kono and I are together in her car," Danny added. "Keeping the van in sight."
Steve listened intently and then heard the pilot. "Approximately five minutes, boys; get ready."
"Did everyone copy that?" Steve asked. "We have touchdown in five. Repeat, five minutes to target. Stay sharp. I'll make contact once we are over the mountain." After everyone confirmed, he unfastened his seatbelt and swiveled around in the seat to drop the line. Dwayne made a motion for him to stop. "Hang tight, McGarrett. I got this."
Steve started to argue but saw the determination in the other man's eyes. Dwayne reached for a harness and helped Steve put it on. He fastened it for him and made sure Steve could operate the attached safety gear with his right hand. "With that shoulder, you're not doing it free fall, so just save your breath for something important." Once he had Steve's rope ready for descent, he quickly prepared his own and finished with time to spare. Steve clipped the metal descender onto his rope and they put on their gloves. He sent a grateful smile Dwayne's way, he knew that with the safety in place he could rope down fast but was in no danger to drop down and injure his shoulder even further.
Mark decreased altitude near the reservoir, the bird barely making a sound or disturbing the trees. Silently, two figures descended and quickly detached from the ropes before the chopper disappeared.
"This way," Steve said as they headed up the mountainside.
~~~H50~~~
Several minutes later, the back of the cabin was in sight. They paused, making sure they were undetected and inched forward, keeping in the trees, trying to get a glimpse inside the space and waited to hear that everyone else was in place. "Looks like only one way in," Steve mumbled to Dwayne after they checked both sides of the house. Adrenaline was giving Steve the push he needed to forget about his throbbing head and painful shoulder that had been screaming at him during their trek over the mountain ridge.
"Yeah, pick your window," Dwayne told him, shaking his head.
"On site," Steve spoke, letting everyone know that he and Dwayne were in place.
Chin's voice was the first they heard. "I can see the red Jeep heading around the last curve."
McMillan's voice was next. "And I'm being cut off by the van. Looks like it is show time, gang."
A few beats later, Chin relayed the scene to them via ear mic. "Warren and Gordon have McMillan out of the car… patting him down… They have the backpack… opening it… they seem satisfied. They are heading toward the house… the commander ahead of them … four guys are waiting for them… they also have their weapons drawn… this doesn't look good…
Danny cut in. "Kono and I are out of the car, Chin, we're heading your direction on the opposite side of the road. We should be in place and ready for action in thirty seconds."
"They're getting closer to the house," Chin said. "I need to position myself better to see the front door. Wait, Steve, we've got movement in the house."
They glanced at each other and waited, needing to hear more before going in.
But the next sound they heard was a single gunshot echoing through the trees.
~~~H50~~~
yeah, that was pretty mean of me, wasn't it? :) Stop screaming! All will be revealed next Tuesday.
