"Are you sure you can trust him, David?" Howard asked as he looked at the screen. There was something about the way Williams was touching the woman that set off alarms with Cole.
"I think so."
"You think so?"
"Look at him...does that look like a man who'll turn us in?" O'Brien asked, a hint of a smile on his face as he watched his partner intimately touching the woman's right cheek.
"Looks can be deceiving," Howard told him.
"Trust me...he's not that good of an actor," O'Brien said. "I'm going to go visit Sandra, but you stay put and make sure you get it all. Better to be safe than sorry."
"He's a slow mover," Howard observed of the man he was watching.
"Maybe he just likes to make them putty in his hands before he gets down to the business of pleasure," O'Brien said and left the room.
Howard watched the screen, his fingers moving to the gun on the table as he watched Williams with Ngo. He couldn't see the man's face, but there was something about him that Cole didn't like. The house seemed unnaturally quiet as he watched the screen and listened to the soft pleading from the young woman.
5050505050
Kelly carefully closed the patio door and leaned against it while he listened to the sounds around him. The distinct sound of a ticking clock reached his ears; mixed intermittently with voices from down the hallway to his left. Chin kept his back to the wall and slowly made his way across the floor in the direction of the voices.
Kelly stopped when he heard a cry of pain, and fought the urge to go to the woman's aid. To give away his presence now would be a deadly mistake at this point in time. He needed to find Danny and see how many men were in the house besides O'Brien. It took nearly a minute to reach the first door and he took a quick glance inside, but found nothing, but an empty bed and several items he didn't want to think about.
Chin stayed where he was for several seconds, his eyes adjusting to the dimmer light of the hallway after looking into the brightly lit room. Ten feet down the hall was a second room with the same sparse furnishing as the first one, but on the bed was a young woman who seemed to be drugged and bound so that it effectively restricted her movements.
The next room was the one he'd heard the voices coming from and he held his breath before carefully looking inside. He leaned back against the wall and listened for any other movement, but it seemed as if the room had only one occupant who seemed to be enthralled by whatever he was watching on the monitors.
Kelly knew he had to move quickly, and hoped Danny was not a prisoner and would be able to help him until the police arrived. Taking a deep, soft breath, Chin moved quietly through the door and cursed when the other man turned in his direction.
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David O'Brien sat on the edge of the bed, totally engrossed in the tempting beauty who was stretched out on the bed. She was pale, her eyes rimmed with dark smudges that spoke of the pain she'd endured and he knew the client would not pay full price for her. He could keep her for a while, but sooner or later she'd have to be disposed of and maybe a 'snuff' film would make him enough money to make this all worthwhile.
"Did your husband ever touch you like this or make you cry out for more?" O'Brien asked, but received only a soft whimper from the woman who seemed terrified of his touch. He pinched her left breast and smiled, thinking of his own wife and how much of a prude she was when it came to their love life or lack thereof.
He ran his hand down her taut stomach and enjoyed the way her body tensed despite the passion he felt for her. He leaned down to kiss her, but a sound reached his ears and he moved quickly to the door. He listened for the sound to be repeated and opened the door slowly, cautiously searching for whatever had caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.
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Howard saw the man in the doorway and cursed himself for leaving his gun on the nearby table, but he hadn't expected trouble this soon. He launched himself at the newcomer, knocking the weapon from his hand as he sent them both across the hall and slammed into the wall.
Chin hit the wall with a resounding thump that drove the air from his lungs, but he quickly recovered, hitting his opponent in the face, followed quickly with one to the gut and again to the face.
Howard was driven backward by the force of the blows until he came up against the wall, but he ducked under the other man's right fist and managed to land a punch to the gut before his nemesis connected with another blow to the head that left him reeling. Cole kicked out at the man's leg, trying to sweep it out from under him, but missed when his foe sidestepped and brought his elbow down on his shoulder.
Chin knew he had to end this quickly and slammed his right shoulder into the man's chest, driving him further down the hallway, but he did not go down and Chin continued to fight as if his life depended on it. In truth, he knew that's exactly what the stakes were.
5050505050
Danny swallowed convulsively as he listened to the mewling sounds from the woman and wished he could do something to ease her torment. He placed his hands on her face and turned her head so that she was forced to look into his eyes.
"I won't hurt you," he whispered, keeping his voice soft and hoping whoever might be watching or listening would not hear them. He glanced at his watch and noted nearly five minutes had passed since O'Brien and Howard had left him alone with Cam Ngo. He stood up and made a show of removing his tie while searching the room for a camera, not surprised when he found it in the corner of the room to the right of the lone window.
The sound of a scuffle outside the room had him moving without thought to his own life. Instincts kicked in as he cautiously reached for the handle and opened the door as a body hit the wall and crumpled to the floor. He had a split second to react as the man tried to stand, but failed miserably when Danny kicked him in the face and the man lay still.
"Nice...thanks," Chin said, leaning on his knees in an effort to catch his breath.
"We need to find David," Williams said softly.
"Any idea where he could be or how many others are here?" Kelly asked, handing Williams the gun he'd taken from one of the guards.
"No, he said he was going to spend some time with Sandra McMillan," the Jersey native answered, disgust and anger evident in spite of the soft tones.
"All right," Chin said and motioned that they should continue searching the rooms until they found O'Brien and the other women.
5050505050
David O'Brien didn't consider himself a coward, but there came a time in a man's life when there was no choice, but to beat a hasty retreat. The fact that Danny Williams had made a fool of him was something he'd deal with at a later time, but right now he needed to leave before they discovered him. He closed the door, locked it and looked at the woman lying on the bed.
He could kill her easily, but what was the sense of that when time was of the essence. He needed to leave now and moved to the door. He shoved it open and pushed the screen out before lifting his right leg and making his escape through the window just as he heard movement outside the door. He knew he could probably take the two men out, but not without putting his own life in danger.
Before he cleared the window he heard the door burst open and cursed as he drew his gun from its holster. He raced across the lawn, turning to fire at the figure outlined by light from the room. He continued toward the edge of the property and headed into the deep foliage, relieved that he'd familiarized himself with the terrain.
O'Brien had also made sure there was another way out if the house was compromised and knew Howard had several ATVs in a utility shed on the north side of the property. He didn't take the time to look for pursuit and hoped Williams and whoever was helping him were too busy to chase him.
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Chin had broken the lock off the door and covered Danny as he raced inside just as O'Brien escaped through the window. He saw the terrified woman on the bed at the same time as Williams made it to the window and a shot rang out. He heard a muffled grunt from outside the window and left the woman to check on his friend.
Danny was already struggling to get up when Chin made it to the window and they both watched in hopeless frustration when he disappeared into the thick underbrush. "Sonofabitch! Go after him, Chin!"
"There's no point, Danny, I'd never find him in the dark," Kelly said and knelt beside his friend. "Where are you hit?"
"Shoulder, he never was a very good shot," Williams spat and renewed his efforts to get up.
"Danny..."
"We need to check on the women," Williams told him and accepted Chin's help to get up. Once there he held his left arm tight against his body and cursed as the pain hit with the forced movement.
"Maybe you should wait here," Kelly suggested.
"No, I'm good. We need to secure the place and make sure none of the others escape," the Jersey native explained and leaned against the house. "You should call for an ambulance...actually we probably need four or five."
"One of those will be for you, Brah," Chin vowed and wrapped his arm around Danny's waist as they made their way to the front of the house. "Sounds like the cavalry has arrived."
"About time," Williams said once they made it to the front door and entered the house.
Chin stared Williams to the sofa and made a point of putting his finger in Danny's face as he spoke. "You stay out! I mean it, Danny, you're no help to me if you pass out."
"I'm not going anywhere," the Jersey native answered tiredly. "Just check on Howard and make sure the women know help's here."
"I will," Kelly said and moved toward the back of the house, putting in a call to 911 as he did so. He made sure Howard was still out before checking the other rooms. He found Ngo, and McMillan in separate rooms before finding the other four missing women sharing one room at the end of the hallway. He quickly reassured them that he was with Five-O and that help was there, but the women were terrified and he couldn't blame them after everything they'd been through.
Chin heard sounds from the front of the house and several voices as the police entered and took control of Howard. He recognized an officer who entered the room and spoke quickly. "There are three others outside...they should be gift wrapped for you."
"Kalea, get another man and pick up the trash," Samuel Johnston ordered.
"Yes, Sir," the uniformed officer said and went back outside.
"Sam, are there any female uniformed officers with you?" Chin asked.
"Two, but they're with the other victims," Johnston answered. "I also called 911."
"That makes two of us," Chin said. "Look, see if you can move the women into one room and have the female officers stay with them until help arrives. I need to go check on Danny."
"Lenny's with him, he's had more training than the rest of us," Johnston said. "Go ahead...I'll see that they're taken care of."
"Thanks, Sam," Chin said and hurried out of the room. He made it to the living room area and moved in to help with Williams. "How are you doing, Brah?"
"I'm good..."
"When did you replace Danny Williams with Steve McGarrett?" Kelly asked the man kneeling in front of the injured man.
"Chin..."
"Not now, Steve, I'm looking for Danny..."
"Damn it, Chin!"
"Ah, there you are. Had me worried for a minute, Brah," Kelly said with a grin. "Now, how are you, Danny?"
"I'm..."
"Don't say it," Chin warned.
"I was just going to say I'm thirsty," Williams said and wished he had a beer.
"I'm sorry, Detective, but you're going to need surgery to get that bullet out and..."
"He's lost a lot of blood, and it's probably best to get fluids into him until the ambulance arrives," Kelly said.
"I know, but we need to monitor just how much he drinks. I've got the bleeding under control so don't go moving around, Detective," the cop ordered.
"Chin, you should call Kono and let her know what's happening before the reporters get wind of this," Williams said when Chin returned from the kitchen with a glass of water.
"I'll give her a call as soon as I make sure the women are taken care of," Kelly assured him.
"Did someone order a canine unit to go after O'Brien?" Williams asked.
"Relax, Danny, I called it in when I was getting your water," Chin told him and watched as his friend tried to ride out a wave of pain.
"We need to catch that bastard," Williams said and tried to stand, but found a pair of strong hands forcing him to stay put.
"You're not going anywhere except the hospital, Brah, so stop going all McGarrett on me and sit tight until the ambulance gets here," Kelly ordered. Relieved when Williams sat back with a weary sigh. "We'll get him, Danny."
"God, I hope so," Williams said. "I think I'll have nightmares about the fear in her eyes every night."
"Danny, you did what you had to do," Chin said of the scene he'd witnessed on the monitor just before Howard had seen him. Danny would have to live with that for the rest of his life, but the reward justified what he'd done. The woman was alive and would not be sold or worse, and he shuddered at the thought of what happened to women like Cam Ngo and the others.
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Steve knew it was late, but sleep was out of the question and TV held little interest for him. He sat up, slid his legs over the edge of the bed and winced when he stood on shaky legs. He left the TV on, but didn't bother with the headphones as he sat in the chair and looked outside. The moon was full and illuminated the area below his window, but there was no movement in the small courtyard.
Steve shifted his weight on the chair and closed his eyes, snapping them open when he realized a familiar figure was on the television screen. He stood up, ignoring the pain his quick move caused and grabbed for the headphones, but Chin was no longer in the picture as the female reporter continued to talk.
"There are several ambulances present, and several arrests have been made...Paul, get that camera on the front door..."
Steve watched as the camera shook when the man turned it away from the reporter and focused on the gurney being pushed from the house. His breath caught in his throat when he recognized his partner's pale features.
"Danny," he whispered and reached for the phone. He hit speed dial and waited for the call to go through.
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Chin reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, cursing when he saw the name and wondered if he should simply ignore it even as he hit the receive button. "Hey, Boss, shouldn't you be..."
*"What the hell's going on, Chin? What happened to Danny?"*
"We found the missing women, Steve," Kelly answered and hoped McGarrett wouldn't pursue the second question, but Steve was like a dog with a bone and would not be put off that easy.
*"Are they all right?"*
"Not really, but it's not physical wounds so much as mental and emotional. They'll need help," Kelly told him.
*"What happened to Danny?"*
"He took a bullet to the shoulder. He's lost a lot of blood, but he should be all right."
*"Are they bringing him here?"*
"Think so..."
*"Good, I'll meet them down in the ER."*
"Steve, you're in no..."
*"I'll see you when you get here."*
"Stubborn sonofabitch," Kelly said and hit speed dial.
*"Chin, what's wrong?"*
"Kono, listen, I know I have a lot of explaining to do, but I need you to get over to Queens and ride roughshod over Steve."
*"Why? What's happened?"*
Chin quickly explained what he could and promised to bring her up to speed as soon as he finished up at the crime scene. He promised to find her at the hospital as soon as he could get away. He put the phone back in his pocket and moved to speak with one of the officers, cursing the reporter who'd shown up at an inoportune time.
5050505050
Steve looked around for something he could wear, but found very little that would help him. He knew if he called for help the nurse would try to talk him out of it, but right now it seemed his only option. He pressed the button and waited for the nurse to answer his call, not all that surprised when she appeared at the open door.
"Can I help you, Commander?"
"I need to go down to the ER," McGarrett told her.
"Do you need the doctor?" the woman asked worriedly.
"No, look, I'm good, but a friend of mine is being brought in and I need to get down there."
"That's not a good idea..."
"Doesn't matter whether it's a good idea or not, Paulina, I'm going, but I'd rather not go down there in just this," McGarrett told her and motioned to the gown that had been tied in the back.
"Commander!"
"I'll sign myself out if I have to, Paulina, but if you get me a set of scrubs I'll keep the IV in tact and stay in the ER," McGarrett told her.
"Commander..."
"Bring me the papers to sign."
"The stories about you being stubborn don't begin to describe you," she said and left the room.
Steve knew why she was angry, but he wasn't going to let that stop him. He needed to be there when Danny was brought in, needed to do it for his own peace of mind. He began searching for something to put on his feet, and looked up when the nurse reentered carrying a set of hospital pajamas and a pair of slippers.
"Commander, I need to get a set of vitals on you, change the IV and set up the antibiotics," Paulina told him as she placed the supplies on the bed.
"It can wait..."
"Not if you want these," she said, indicating the change of clothes. "Now sit down and let me do my job and maybe you'll survive until morning when Dr. Wilson finds out about your nocturnal wandering."
McGarrett knew if he wanted her help he better do as she said and sat on the edge of the bed. He waited while she took his BP, pulse, and listened to his heart before hooking up the new bag of IV solution and the antibiotics.
"Now, Commander, I'm going to help you get these on and then you're going to wait here until I get an orderly..."
"I can walk."
"Sure you can, but if I'm not mistaken your dose of morphine was just injected and to be honest I'd rather not see you fall on your face, although I'm sure it would be a wonderful sight to behold," Paulina told him and smiled when she saw the surprise on his face. "What? You didn't expect me to take a look when you were standing at the window?"
"Actually..."
"Don't worry, Commander, although I do appreciate the fine attributes and those tats of yours are intriguing," the nurse said as she fed the IV through the sleeve. "Any chance you'd tell me the reasons behind them?"
"Long story," McGarrett told her and smiled.
"I do enjoy listening to a man tell a story," Paulina said.
"I won't be here that long," McGarrett said and shook his head when she offered to help him into the pants. "I got it."
"All right, Commander, but stay here and I'll send an orderly right in," Paulina ordered. She turned away and walked out of the room with a hint of a smile on her face that did not quite reach her eyes. 'I have all the time in the world, Commander, and maybe you will too before long.'
Author's Note—-Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and comments...Winnie