Steve eased his aching body down on his favorite chair and sighed tiredly. Chin had driven him home and after checking with the cop assigned to protect him, he'd left to check in with Duke Lukela. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath before opening them and looking at the bottle of pain medication. He knew he could take one, but he called on the stubborn pride that made him who he was.

Steve looked at his cell phone when it began to ring and picked it up. "McGarrett."

"Hello, Steven, I won't keep you long, but I wanted you to know the time is almost here and I will collect on an old debt."

"Bring it on, Anna, I'll make sure you get to say hello to your mother in hell!"

"You have me mixed up with someone else, Steven?"

"Who are you trying to convince…me or you?" McGarrett asked. He'd heard the slight change in her voice and knew he'd scored a direct hit as he leaned back in the chair. "Why don't you come over and I'll tell you how easy it was to kill your mother with her own bomb?"

"Maybe I'll go visit Detective Williams' daughter instead, Steven. You seem to think you know me so well…"

"You're a coward, Anna! You hide behind explosives because you're afraid to meet your victims face to face!"

"I'm not a coward, Steven, but I'm not quite ready to kill you yet. Keep watching the news because someone else you care about will die today!"

Steve cursed when the line went dead and quickly called Chin. He told him about the call and confirmed that the woman they were after was Anna Borchevsky. He told him they needed to put Rachel and Grace under protective custody, and maybe get them to a safe house before Borchevsky made good on her threat.

McGarrett knew Chin would call Duke, but he needed to check in with Rachel and make damn sure she and Grace were out of danger. He reached for the keys to his truck, grabbed his gun, and hurried to the door. He told the cop where he was going and didn't stay long enough to hear the man quote him the dangers of going off like this.

Steve quickly put his keys in the ignition and drove away from his home as the cop got in his patrol car. He knew Rachel and Grace would be at home, but wasn't sure where Stan was. He just needed to make sure Borchevsky didn't get close to them. He drove along the street, relieved that the streets were no longer congested with rush hour traffic.

It took less than 15 minutes for him to reach the Edwards home and he buzzed the house. He tapped the steering wheel impatiently and hoped Rachel would answer.

"Can I help you?"

"Rachel, it's Steve…"

"What are you doing here? You should be in the hospital!"

"Dr. Lewis discharged me this morning. I need to talk to you," McGarrett snapped.

"I was just going to take Grace to the park with Jillian and Donna…"

"Please, Rachel, it's important!"

"All right…come on up to the house," Rachel said and opened the main gate.

Steve drove through the gate and pulled to a stop in front of the steps. The door opened and Rachel hurried down to meet him. "Where's Grace?"

"She's in her room," Rachel answered and frowned when she saw something on the windshield of her car. "Did you put that there, Steve?"

"What?" McGarrett asked and turned to see what she was pointing at. "Get in the house and get Grace."

"What's wrong?"

"I'll explain in a minute, Rachel, just get Grace!" McGarrett ordered and saw the fear in her eyes.

"Does this have anything to do with the explosions?"

"I think so," Steve said and took her arm as the cop exited his car. "Who else is here?"

"Just the woman from the housekeeping company," Rachel said and led the way into the house.

"Where is she?" McGarrett asked, drawing his weapon.

"Is that really necessary?"

"I hope not…where is the woman?"

"She's cleaning the upstairs washroom," Rachel said and hurried toward the stairs leading to the upper level.

"Call Grace," McGarrett told her.

"Grace, it's time to go meet Jillian and Donna," Rachel said, frowning when her daughter didn't answer. She turned and looked at McGarrett when he touched her arm.

"Where is Grace's room?"

"The second door on the left," Rachel answered.

"Rachel, I want you to go outside and call 911…"

"I don't think so, Steven, I believe it's time for Grace's snack. Isn't that right, Mrs. Edwards?"

"Who are you?" Rachel asked, her voice shaky as the young woman from the housecleaning company held on to her daughter's left arm.

"Her name is Anna Borchevsky," McGarrett answered. "Let them go, Anna."

"I don't think so, Steven. I think we're going to have a nice chat and tell them how many people have died because of you," the young woman told them.

"Grace, come here," McGarrett tried and saw the gun in the woman's hand.

"No, she's fine right where she is," Anna told him.

"She's a child…let her go, Anna," McGarrett tried, but knew there was no negotiating with her.

"Children need to see how things work in the real world, Steven. Isn't that right, Mrs. Edwards?"

"Please, just let her go," Rachel said.

"Would you beg for her life, Steven?" Anna asked.

"Would it make a difference if I did?" McGarrett asked.

"Perhaps, but I really don't want to hurt a child, so this is what we're going to do. You're going to toss your gun over the railing and then we're going to make our way down to the living room. It's a shame I spent so much time cleaning today, but at least I earned my wages…or should I say I earned Ms. Millers wages. She won't need it anyway," Anna told them. "All right, Steven, don't make me repeat myself."

Steve knew he didn't have a choice and tossed the weapon over the rail. He kept his eyes on Grace, and could see the fear in her eyes, yet she wasn't shaking or crying. She was so much like her father right now and no matter what happened, he was going to make sure she and Rachel got out of this safely.

"Did you tell anyone where you were going, Steven?" Anna asked.

"The police should be here any minute," McGarrett answered as they made their way down the stairs.

"I should have known you would do that. You really are a coward…go into the living room, Mrs. Edwards," Anna ordered.

"Go ahead, Rachel," McGarrett told her.

"Let me take Grace…"

"No, I believe Grace is fine where she is for now. Do you realize how much danger your ex-husband and his friends put you and your daughter in? They think they know right from wrong and yet they kill as easily as I do."

"They don't kill unless they don't have a choice. People like you kill for money and that's…"

"Careful, Mrs. Edwards, you wouldn't want to be the cause of your daughter's death," Anna told her and motioned for her to sit down.

"Anna, my truck is outside…we could leave before the police get here. It's your only choice and you know it. Once the police get here it'll be too late," McGarrett told her.

"It's already too late, Steven. I'm sorry you and your daughter are caught in the middle, Mrs. Edwards, but such is life when you marry a cop. Now, Steven, sit down so we can chat like civilized people," Anna ordered and waited for the man to comply. "I know your daughter is innocent and I will allow her to leave once you secure Steven's arms behind his back, Mrs. Edwards."

"What do you want me to use?" Rachel asked.

"There are handcuffs in my bag," Anna told her and motioned to the bag she'd left near the door leading into the kitchen. "Take them out and make sure you secure Steven's hands behind his back. I will check them myself before I allow Grace to leave and if they are loose then she will remain here with us. Do you believe me, Mrs. Edwards?"

"I believe you," Rachel said, swallowing convulsively as she hurried to the bag and reached inside. She found the handcuffs and looked at the knife partially hidden beneath a scarf. She bit her lower lip and turned to show Anna Borchevsky that she held the handcuffs.

"You may have just saved your own life, Mrs. Edwards. If you had tried to take the knife and hide it I would have simply killed you both right now. As it is, you have earned my respect," Anna told her.

"That doesn't mean much when you're holding gun on my daughter," Rachel told her.

"That can stop if you do as you're told," Anna said.

Grace had remained silently since the woman had told her she would kill her mother if she didn't do as she was told. She remembered some of the things Danno and Uncle Steve had taught her and felt the woman relaxing once they'd reached the living room. She remained silent while her mother retrieved the handcuffs and felt the fingers on her arm relax a little. She was close enough to the kitchen door that she could make it, but what if the woman shot her mother?

Steve had seen the changes in Grace and saw her eyes shift as she looked at the open doorway. She was Danny's daughter, and something told him she'd learned a few things form him. As Rachel moved around behind him, he saw Anna lift the gun and the change in Grace was instantaneous as she pulled away and dove through the open doorway.

Steve shoved Rachel out of the way as a gunshot sounded and he dove at the woman before she could go through the kitchen doorway. He latched onto the gun in her hand and prayed that Rachel would get Grace to safety as he struggled with Anna Borchevsky. She was strong, but normally he would have been able to take her down easily, but she struck out and connected with the healing surgical incision.

Steve cried out, but didn't release his hold on her wrist as she tried to bring the gun around. He thought he heard a door slam shut, but could not take the time to check as he struggled with the woman who'd killed so many and would continue killing if she escaped today. He twisted his body, stumbling as she tried to put him down, but he knew he could not continue this type of struggle much longer.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance!" she snapped.

"Yes, you should have, but I'm not that easy to kill!" McGarrett told her and grinned as he bent her wrist back, fighting to keep the gun pointed away from his body. He could feel his heart racing and the blood pounding in skull as she managed to twist away from his grip. The gun flew from her hand, but she was quick on her feet and managed to get the knife from the bag.

"I'm going to enjoy gutting you, Steven, and then I'm going to kill everyone you care about!"

"You talk a lot, Anna!" McGarrett said and backed up as she slashed at him. He knew he wasn't at full strength, and understood she was well trained. Just because she was a woman, didn't mean he should underestimate her abilities. He knew Chin and duke had to be there by now, and it was only a matter of time before they entered the house. The problem was, how much time did he have before his body betrayed him?

Steve shifted to the side when she tried to knife him, and knew she was as skilled with the weapon as she was with explosives. He needed to stop this before it went any further and gritted his teeth when she slashed a long gash across his midsection. Unlike a bullet wound, the pain was instantaneous, but he grabbed her wrist and twisted so her arm was behind her back. He heard her curse and tried to duck away as she drove her elbow backward with enough force to drive the air from his lungs.

TBC