Chapter 14 Dark for Dark Things
He was pinned down. Hands grabbing at him, holding him. With a mighty jerk he launched himself through the door and away from the men that had held him.
Before he managed to get out of the building he was tackled.
"NNNOOOOO!" Williams shrieked.
"Steve! Let him go!" Chin urged.
"Can't," McGarrett grunted as he pinned his struggling partner to the ground. "He'd bolt and we'd never catch him." Chin grimaced at the fear-laden voice begging to be let go. He finally laid down next to them and began talking to Danny.
"Sshh, Danny, it's ok, it Steve and Chin," the Hawaiian detective started, his calm voice continuing speaking in a soothing tone. After a bit the struggling stopped. Then frightened blue eyes peered out and recognition settled in.
"Chin? Steve?" he whispered. Very slowly McGarrett shifted off his partner's back and slid close against him. Kelly was on the other side sandwiching the trembling man in between.
"Hey, there, aikane," Steve carefully put a large, warm hand on the man's back. They let Danny rest a moment before he sat up and leaned against the bookshelf. His friends quickly scrambled to sit on either side keeping him secure in the middle.
"At least I didn't wake Kono," he muttered running a shaky hand through his hair. She had gone to her family's home late in the evening when her father had called for her. Something about her mom needing her.
"Nope," Steve agreed. "She'd have tackled you and hogtied you." Williams swallowed and closed his eyes.
"That would not have been good," he murmured almost too low to hear. Chin glanced over at Steve before diving in.
"Why, Danny?" he asked.
"I just don't do too well being tied down," he replied.
"Why?" Kelly pressed. He wondered if his friend would answer.
"Uh, because they had tied me down," he replied slowly.
"Who? You've been tied up before," Steve said.
"Down, tied down," Danny muttered darkly. He shifted against his sentries but didn't attempt to get up. The feeling of safety between these two men kept him there soaking it up. After a few moments he started to talk.
"I was working with the gangs unit," he began. "One of the dons, he kind of took offense to us shutting down his gambling operation and decided to send us a little message. I was ambushed and brought to a warehouse where they were going to deliver the 'message'. I figured I'd be roughed up pretty good and then dumped, normal type of 'message' at that time," he swallowed against the lump in his throat.
"Unfortunately, one of the guys was trying to prove himself. He decided to disregard his orders and had me tied down over a table. Then," he swallowed again. "Then he cut off my slacks and raped me." He was shaking again and Chin carefully placed his arm around his shoulders.
"The other guys there didn't touch me, I'm really not sure what they were doing because I was... distracted. And bleeding. I guess they freaked a bit and after they cut the ropes off me they dumped me in the ER," he shuddered at the memory. "The doctors cleaned me up and called the department. My partner, Jacob, was there immediately. As soon as he found out what happened the idiot drove out to the don's house and confronted the man. Can you believe it? A cop waltzing in on one of the king pins and screaming at him about honor and respect and perversity and everything! Bastard was lucky he wasn't shot then and there." Now Steve understood a little more why Danny was so adamant about backup and procedures. His previous partner seemed to disregard them, too.
"I got counseling, you know, to get over it," he said. "It was the don who actually helped the most, weird as that sounds. He visited me, in the hospital, talked about family and honor. Said I shouldn't let it destroy me, that the man had been weak, that he thought raping me would show how strong he really was, and secure his place in the family." Danny sadly laughed.
"Didn't help him at all," he said. "His body washed up on the shore a couple days later. They'd, they'd mutilated his body before he was shot and tossed in." Chin and Steve exchanged glances, knowing what the 'mutilation' must have been.
"So you got over it," Steve prompted. He received a wry glance.
"Oh, yeah, waking up screaming and running through your house really shows I'm 'over it'," he said sarcastically.
"Look, aikane, you were roughed up this morning and basically held down while some mento lolo was... uh... you know," Chin gestured with his free hand. "Then some other idiot got you drunk. No wonder you had a nightmare and freaked." Danny glanced up at Steve, scowling.
"Yeah, drinking can do that to me," he growled. Steve tried to look innocent.
"Always helps me relax!" he proclaimed. Then he turned serious.
"Has anyone here, you know, done anything to you?" he asked gently, but Chin could see the glint of steel in his eyes. Danny was intently studying his hands, watching the slight tremors course through him.
"Once the head of HPD asked me if I'd be interested in an undercover job, that he'd heard I'd done the male stuff before, acting as a male prostitute," Williams admitted. "I told him I hadn't, that I'd been raped but I didn't think that meant I'd been a willing male prostitute. Damn, he was furious!"
"Why? At you?" Steve asked quickly, scootching as close as possible.
"No, not at me. At himself for listening to the gossip," Williams said. "Seems that my personnel file had been shared around the department. Privacy doesn't apply to some-for-shit Jersey haole."
"Hadn't he read it?" Chin asked.
"No, just went on what he'd been told," Danny squirmed trying to get comfortable. "Guess there were some discipline reports filed shortly after that. And a memo explaining access to files and the repercussions of spreading false information."
"Didn't make it much better, did it?" Chin said, thinking of his own trail by gossip and the IA.
"Eh, kind of," he shrugged. "I got assigned to Mekka and we did some good work together. He was smart, had some good, reliable pipelines for information on the street. He used to joke that we made indestructible duo, my knowledge and his contacts."
"But from what Kono said that didn't mean you had it any easier," Chin pointed out. Danny glanced at him and gave a slight shrug.
"I could work in the system easier," he pointed out. "Sure, I didn't do much socializing but then I don't need anyone else in my life. I have Grace. That's why I'm here in Hawaii." Another period of silence as Steve and Chin thought on this comment.
"Were you and Rachel still together when you were attacked?" McGarrett asked.
"You can say 'raped', that's what it was," Danny said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "And no, we'd just separated. She just couldn't handle the dangers I faced being a cop. She'd met Stan by then and had already moved on. I really meant it when I told you I've been taking care of myself for years." The folded arms, the stiffened posture, the shutting down, all supported his declaration.
McGarrett and Kelly glanced at the shuttered face then one another. Steve finally turned slightly and threw both arms around the stoic man followed by Chin who fully turned boxing his aikane completely between them.
"Well, in this ohana no one is left alone for any reason, even if you think you should be," Steve stated.
"You're an integral part of our ohana, haole," Chin echoed. "We have your back and all the attached bits." They sat waiting, hoping that the injured man would give in. After long moments Danny sighed and leaned against Chin's shoulder. Steve took this as a good sign and gently began rubbing taut shoulders.
"I've been alone too long," he muttered. "I am not used to anyone taking care of me beyond work."
"What about Jacob?" Steve asked. This actually elicited a snuffle as Williams leaned more fully into the warmth offered.
"He, he was shot by a kid a couple months after I was raped," he whispered, almost too low to hear. "He'd gone to a corner market to get milk for his family and there was a hold-up. He didn't even know what was going on, the perp panicked."
"You were totally alone," Chin said as he pulled Danny tight. Steve continued trying to loosen muscles too tight.
"I, I couldn't help his family," Danny sniffed. "Hell, I couldn't even help myself at that point. My own marriage was a shambles and I was having trouble with visitation rights then. When I was finally cleared to go back to work Rachel announced they were thinking about moving away from Jersey. I was being paired with fresh-faced detectives eager to learn. I was the one they leaned on, a trainer of sorts. I was very good and the department was pleased with my work. Probably why I got such a good set of recs when I applied to the HPD."
Chin held him close, Steve completing the circle. Danny for his part just allowed them to invade his personal space and soaked up the warm caring.
"You guys know if anyone asks, even Kono, I'll never say I liked being cuddled by you two," Danny stated calmly.
"Wouldn't expect it," Chin said as he helped Steve sooth tense muscles.
"Navy seals do NOT cuddle," McGarrett muttered as he continued his ministrations.
"Yeah, I can tell," Danny mused as he closed tired eyes.