Hi everyone,
Sorry for the long wait. That wasn't planned. But I have so many versions of this story on my computer and for a while my inspiration left me. And I didn't know which version to choose. Now I've picked the story up again because I really want to finish it. And I have some chapters I really love that I want to post. I hope I can still keep you interested for a while...
First again a special thanks to SWEEPEASPATCH for being my beta again and coming up with some better sentences! Thanks thanks thanks!
LolaBee35: Thanks for your review!
IsabelMC: Thanks, it'll all be explained, I understand your points!
Alice714: I'm happy yaay, that you might understand more now... That's what I hoped the chapter to bring...
Guest: haha I'm glad I could make you doubt!
Guest S: Thanks for the motivation! The updates here :)
Guest: Thanks so much, I'm here to finish it.
Sarafaye; Thanks so much! Yes, I'm active again. Hope you'll enjoy the rest too...
Alice714: Thanks for letting me know and motivating me and for your interest.
Here we go:
Brad Hollis's home, living room.
"Yes, I've seen the way you cops work." Hollis said as he sat down and pointed at the couch for Richard and Camille to sit down also.
"How do we work?" Camille asked curiously as she studied Hollis with narrowed eyes. Was he guilty? Or wasn't he involved in this at all? She wished she could see right into his brain and read his thoughts.
Hollis looked up at her, his eyes were cold and hard. "I have no idea how you work, Miss Bordey."
"Detective Sergeant Bordey." Richard quickly corrected in a warning tone, defending Camille. Before Camille could respond Richard placed Kris's photo on the table in front of the man. "Do you know her?"
Hollis bent forward. "Is this a trick question?" He asked incredulous. He studied Camille and Richard as he raised an eyebrow sarcastically. "Of course I do." He leaned back again in his chair lazily. "Well," He shrugged. "I don't really know her. But I've seen her. Why do you ask?"
"When did you see her?" Camille questioned.
Hollis leaned back. "In England, in court. When she accused my brother."
"Did you know that she disappeared?" Richard asked.
Hollis's cold eyes looked from Richard to Camille. He smiled. "That's good news isn't it? Did someone finally get to her?" He began to laugh.
Camille felt hatred for this man in the pit of her stomach. A cold feeling gripped at her insides.
"Should I feel sorry for her?" Hollis shrugged carelessly. "I'm sorry to say; I don't." He smiled as he took his cup of coffee from the table. "Why come to me? We're a long way from her home aren't we?"
"She came to Saint Marie weeks ago." Camille informed him as she bent towards him. She wanted to see his every micro-expression. Was he lying? Did he really not know that Kris had been so close?
"Really?" Hollis asked surprised. "How interesting. Let me guess; and now you think I have something to do with her disappearance?"
"Do you?" Camille asked quickly.
Hollis smiled. "O, sweety." He shook his head as he folded his hands in front of him. "It's funny you know, because I heard something entirely different."
Richard clenched his jaw. He hated how that man talked to Camille.
"I have my sources." Hollis leaned forward and stared at them.
"And what did you hear?" Richard asked impatiently in a stern voice.
"I heard that the righteous detective Milano stole diamonds from one of your jobs and vanished with them. Last I heard is that she was seen in London. Why you two are here really beats me."
"Are you enjoying yourself?" Camille asked bluntly. She really wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.
Hollis leaned back in his chair and smiled. "As a matter of fact, now you ask me 'detective': I am. This just is more proof of how incompetent the police station here is. One of their own steals AND gets away with it." He laughed again. He amused himself thoroughly before his cold eyes grew hard. "And what do they do? They come after innocent people."
"You being the innocent one?" Richard filled in sarcastically as one of his eye brows rose.
"Well, I'm still here aren't I? I didn't flee with diamonds or money. Do you think I'd stay here if I had that many diamonds?" He bent forwards again and studied Richard.
"Oui, maybe you would, on purpose." Camille answered.
"My God! What good police work! Is that your way? Interrogating every innocent person? I wonder what your good Commissioner would say about that. I wonder if he even knows that you are here."
"Is that a threat?" Camille asked.
"Could it be?" Hollis countered as his eyes bored in hers defiantly.
Camille narrowed her eyes. Yes, he was enjoying this, way too much. But did that make him guilty?
"Do you know why Detective Milano was here in Saint Marie?" Richard asked.
"I have no idea. I don't know the woman personally. I'm glad for it. And if you paid any attention to what I just said, Detective Inspector, you would have heard that I haven't seen or heard of her since I saw her in court regarding my brother in England."
"She was investigating you. She was somehow convinced that you were involved with your brother for killing seven women." Camille told him.
Hollis smiled humorlessly at her. "And still you won't leave me alone. It's my brother who committed that crime. Does the family have to pay too?" He asked in a dangerous voice.
"Not if you're innocent of course." Camille answered as she put her hands in her pants pockets and straightened herself.
"Miss Bordey. I'm not going to prove anything to you. I'm through with fighting, I'm through with you lot. I'm innocent. And that's it. I'm not going to put any energy into you ever again."
"Wouldn't it be great to take revenge? On the woman who put your brother away?" Camille asked. Her eyes sharp as a hawk's.
"I don't do revenge. I abide by the law." He grinned charmingly at her.
"Do you know this man?" Richard asked as he put down a photo of Nick.
"Those two are like glue. Of course I know him. From afar. What? He's gone too?"
"No, he isn't gone. But he's very angry." Camille informed him.
"Ow, how frightening. Maybe some anger management could help? Or life-long therapy?"
A guard walked towards Hollis and whispered something in his ear. He sighed and looked at Richard and Camille. Measuring them. "Bring him in." He ordered. "It seems I get to meet the man himself." Hollis said as two guards dragged detective McGarrett along.
"Nick?" Camille blurted out surprised.
Richard's eyes grew big in horror.
"Let go of me!" Nick warned as he loosened himself from the guards when Hollis nodded to his men.
"Is that how you work? Breaking and entering?" Hollis asked as he looked at Camille and Richard.
"No, it is most definitely not!" Richard snapped as he stood up instantly. His cheeks grew red from shame and frustration.
Camille's mouth fell open as she studied Nick quickly.
"But here you are, on private property, harassing me needlessly. What would your Commissioner say about that? Is that what you get away with over here?"
"I apologize. Detective McGarrett wasn't working for us. He did this solely on his own." Richard excused.
Nick's jaw worked overtime as he looked from one person at another, studying them all.
"I fear that I have to file a complaint about this." Hollis said.
"Playing the victim aren't you?" Nick asked as he smiled easily. "Are you having fun?" He walked casually towards Hollis.
Hollis held up his hand to stop his guards from grabbing Nick again.
Richard blocked Nick's path before he could reach Hollis. "I urge you to turn around and leave. Right now." He hissed.
"Nick, let's go." Camille suggested as she put a hand on Nick's arm to calm him.
"You've got her, don't you?" Nick accused Hollis as he refuses to budge one centimeter. His otherwise clear, blue eyes had turned dark it seemed.
"Nick!" Camille warned urgently in his ear as her fingers curled around his bicep and tried to force him away from Hollis and out of this house. This was not a good situation. She had to make sure this wouldn't explode in their faces.
"What is this about?" Hollis stared back at Nick.
But there wasn't a lot of anger in his stare, Camille noted. It was almost as if Hollis felt at peace. He'd put his hands in his neat trousers and casually looked at Nick who was fuming and going to boil over any second now.
"Do you think I have your partner? And that's why you came to snoop around my premises without my approval?" Hollis asked.
Nick's blue eyes spat fire. "If you have her..." Nick's voice sounded raw and hoarse with emotion. "If you have anything to do with this, I will come and-" His words got smothered by the hand on his mouth.
They didn't need any more trouble then they already were in. Camille thought as she was glad that her hand on his mouth stopped him immediately from saying something he would regret, and they would pay for. He'd already done too much...
"That's enough of that already." Richard snapped as he grabbed Camille's arm to take her hand away from Nick's lips immediately. "Out!" He barked at Nick as he put a hand on his shoulder forcefully. "Take him away." He snapped at Camille as he turned towards Hollis. He had to fix this somehow so Hollis wouldn't file a complaint or worse. He didn't want the Commissioner on his back.
"Nick! Now!" Camille had to grab him by his shirt. The man felt like one big boiling brick wall that wouldn't budge one inch.
"I will find you, where ever you are. I promise you." Nick threatened Hollis as he pointed at him.
Camille had to put her hand against his wide chest and put her weight into him to force him out of the door.
"I apologize." Richard said humbly.
"This is outrageous!" Hollis snapped in shock.
"Yes it is. There will be consequences. This man isn't in our official Police Station but I apologize again. If you could be so kind as to overlook it. He isn't himself since his partner went missing. But that's no excuse for his behaviour."
"No, it is not." Hollis snapped.
Richard bent his head and walked away.
"How dare you!?" Richard barked as he stood outside the front door on Hollis's porch. "Are you drunk?" He barked as he smelled liquor on Nick's breath. "You are off this case! You have insulted this man! That was highly unprofessional!"
"Richard-" Camille tried soothingly.
"I'm sure he has something to do with Kris's disappearance." Nick spat.
"I have no proof of that what so ever-"
"Proof?! You don't need proof, I'm sure he has something to do with this!" Nick barked.
"This man has been through enough already!" Richard reminded him angrily.
"You're on his side now?! Can't you see what's right in front of you?!" Nick shouted so loud that Camille cringed and almost felt pain in her ears from the volume of his raw, hard voice.
"Who do you think you are to behave in this way? So improper?!" Richard chided.
"Improper?! She's my partner! I'd do anything for her. I will stop at nothing!" Nick countered quickly.
"You've completely lost it! This is not police work that you are doing." Richard calmed down. He put a reign on his anger. "You're suspended." He told Nick in a calm but very stern voice as he lifted his chin at the taller man.
Camille's mouth fell open at that as she looked at Richard.
"You don't get to decide whether I'm suspended or not." Nick snapped as he stepped towards Richard menacingly.
"Let's not fight among ourselves." Camille tried as she stepped between Nick and Richard immediately, her back towards Richard to hold Nick away.
"I will fight anyone who's in my way." Nick threatened.
"Are you threatening a Senior Police Officer?" Richard asked heatedly.
"Richard!" Camille warned. His tone really wasn't helping to stop things from escalating, on Hollis's porch no less.
"You daft prick!" Nick shouted.
"Mon Dieu! Behave!" Camille snarled as Richard tried to sidestep around Camille to get to Nick.
"You are fired!" Richard barked.
"You're getting us nowhere! Nowhere! That man is guilty!" Nick hissed as he pointed at Hollis's front door.
"I command you to-"
O, no! Don't command! Camille cringed at the fuel Richard was adding to the fire once more.
"You command? You little sneaky.." Nick began as he tried to sidestep Camille but she wouldn't budge. After trying for what seemed like a minute he froze and looked down at the small stubborn woman in front of him. He put his hands in both of her sides to lift her up and put her down next to him. The moment he let go of her, his head was slammed to the side and he fell on the ground hard. Pain shot through him and everything became black for a few moments.
Camille gasped in surprise as she looked from Nick, who was lying on the ground, up to Richard who was caressing his knuckles.
"Cuffs!" Richard ordered as his eyes didn't leave Nick and his hand was outstretched towards her.
Camille swallowed at Richard's rough look. She liked it; his hair was tousled, his colour was high, he was panting and his shirt was half open and crinkled and he looked very powerful in his anger, which was for once not directed at her.
Richard pushed Nick down again when he tried to get up and forced him on his belly in the sand, effortlessly cuffing him. "You're going to sober up and then you're facing charges!" He shouted.
Richard pulled Nick up from the ground as he gave Camille an angry, heated look.
What? What was he angry about with her? She hadn't done anything wrong! She looked at Nick's pained face as Richard pushed him hard towards the Defender. Camille looked at Hollis's front door. She didn't know when, but somewhere he'd witnessed this show. Good. She smiled as she turned her back towards him and followed Richard. Who knew Richard could be so powerful physically? The man kept surprising her.
The Defender
"Did you have to hit me that hard?" Nick asked from the back seat as he touched the very tender and painful skin on his cheek.
Camille looked over her shoulder and studied Nick's face, and then watched Richard who was still fuming, for some reason. "You were very convincing." She told Nick.
Nick looked up at her. "It was how I felt." His voice sounded beaten and sad.
Camille nodded. She understood his feelings exactly. She studied Richard who was still very tense. "We're out of range now, you can relax."
"Relax?!" Richard snapped as he steered the Defender to the side of the road and braked rather abruptly.
"What are you so angry about?" Camille asked surprised.
"I'm not angry." Richard snapped. He felt his blood boiling. Just those hands of that man on her waist, it had sent him through the roof. He hated how easily Nick had lifted Camille up, like it was nothing. Like it was something he could just do.
"We succeeded, it was very convincing." Camille informed him. She eyed Richard. "Maybe a little too convincing." She added confused. Richard seemed to have almost liked to 'fire' Nick. While that probably wasn't something he could really do in reality. This was their plan, it was meant to be a trap. But somehow Richard seemed too invested in his anger towards Nick.
Richard gave her a look and saw that Camille was looking at his bruised knuckles.
"Did you find anything?" Camille asked as she turned towards Nick.
Nick was lying in a heap on the back seat now, testing his nose for pain. His nose was bleeding, he had part of a handkerchief stuck up one of his nostrils. He took a hard disk from his trouser pocket. "I couldn't copy anything from his computer. So I took the hard drive."
"You what?!" Richard barked as he looked back at Nick. "You can't just take the hard drive, that is stealing! He will find out!"
"I don't care." Nick straightened himself. "I want Kris safe, and if I must steal for that, I will. I replaced it with an old defect hard drive of mine with a nice virus on it. He won't even be able to start his computer up and he'll only find out much later that I replaced the hard disk. If someone comes to repair his computer they won't know it's another disk will they? And by the time someone does find out, we already have him."
"And what if he's innocent?" Richard asked.
"I'll face that problem later. He'll already press charges because I entered his home, I'm sure of it. I'm already in trouble remember? We agreed on that."
Richard glared at Nick. Yes, they agreed on that. But they didn't agree on his hands on Camille's waist and- Why was he being so childish? He'd lost control of himself and he felt ashamed of it. Camille wasn't his property. He'd never see her as his property. He didn't understand his anger.
"I already thought I wouldn't be able to crack his pass word. That's why I came prepared with the defect hard disk."
Camille nodded. That sounded smart.
"I searched his office, his shed, the whole upper floor but I couldn't find any clues." Nick told them sadly.
"Let's hope that our plan works." Camille spoke softly. If only it had been so easy that Nick had found clues. Something that belonged to Kris, maybe even blood. Or maybe even Kris herself. But no. It hadn't been that easy.
Richard looked at Camille shortly. Even he could hear the sadness in her tone. He wished that he could take it away.
Police Station
Richard looked up from behind his desk and cringed when he saw Camille walking in. He'd practically ran away from the Defender when they'd reached the Police Station and Camille was fussing over Nick's injuries.
"Did you have to hit him that hard?" She asked as she put her bag on her desk.
"It wasn't that hard." Richard mumbled as he avoided looking at her and focused on his computer screen.
She crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned against her desk as she studied him.
"I'm trying my best at the Hard Drive." He informed her. But he wasn't an expert with computers. "We have to send it to Guadeloupe, hopefully their better technical infrastructure will get us somewhere."
'Do you hate Nick that much?"
"What?" Richard looked up from his computer screen with a confused look in his green eyes. Was she still on the same topic?! How annoying. Why couldn't she just let it be? Let him be? He frowned at her. "What are you talking about?"
Camille shook her head as she detached herself from her desk and walked towards him, her arms still crossed in front of her chest. "You hit him pretty hard."
"Maybe I just don't know my own power." Richard proposed as he focused on the screen. "You wanted it to look real; it did." He stood up to get an envelope. "I don't see the problem."
"You might be a little bit friendlier." Camille sighed as her arms fell to her sides and she walked towards her desk to get her bag.
"I have work to do, I don't have time for friendliness." Richard muttered as he sat down behind his computer again.
Camille shook her head as she rolled her eyes. "I'm going to the Orphanage." Dwayne and Fidel were watching Nick at the moment.
"Why?" Richard asked as he finally looked at her. Fidel and Dwayne had already been there weeks ago, when they'd traced Kris's steps. They'd questioned everybody there.
Camille shrugged. "I don't know. It's just..." She looked away and swallowed. She needed to be in a place where Kris had been. Other than her own room. She needed clues. And she needed solitude, just for a few moments. And it was lunch hour. So she had the time, just for a short while... "You should put ice on that." She said as she looked at his knuckles.
Richard looked at his hand now too and shrugged. "It's nothing." But it did hurt. A lot. He wouldn't admit that to her.
Camille shook her head defeated. "Whatever you want."
Richard gave her an annoyed look when she mumbled something in French that didn't sound all too nice. "I'll be back at four o'clock to take over Dwayne and Fidel's shift. " Her eyes raked over his form. "I do hope you're not going like that." She told him. It wasn't even a question.
Richard looked down at himself while dread settled in the pit of his stomach. "What's wrong with this?" He could see anger flashing in her eyes.
"I'm not going to explain this to you for the thousanth time."
"It isn't a thousand times." He mumbled childishly as he avoided looking at her and pretended to be busy with the computer.
"You wanted to do undercover work." Camille reminded him somewhat heatedly as she took a step towards him. Sometimes she could shake him, litterally!
"It's not undercover work. It's a stake out. We're watching McGarrett for hours." And it was important that they wouldn't attract attention. He knew she was right.
"And how are we watching him Richard?" Camille asked irritated.
He narrowed his green eyes as he gave her an annoyed look. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"We are pretending to not be watching him , and we are pretending to not be Police Officers. You know that. You probably know that better than I do, because you are the Senior Officer which you like to remind me of so many times."
Richard's head shot up at that as he gave her a warning glare.
Camille swallowed. It felt like she'd gone too far. Just a bit... But she was so annoyed with him. "So the suit goes." She quickly said.
He looked down again at his armour. Then he looked back up at her, measuring her. He wanted to say something but he just didn't know what.
"This is not for fun." She reminded him tiredly. Sadness seeped through her voice.
"I know." He told her softly. He swallowed. His throat felt constricted and dry.
"Fidel promised to bring you some of his clothes, or would you rather borrow Dwayne's floral shirts?"
Richard opened his mouth but she turned and left without looking back.
What had possessed him!? Acting so aggressive, so angry towards Nick about nothing? He'd gotten riled up because that had been part of their plan. But the moment Nick put his hands on Camille it was like the air had been kicked out of his body, all blood had been sucked out of him, something took him over and all he wanted was Nick's hands off of Camille! He could still feel the anger boiling inside of him. He hated it when another man was interested in her, or had his hands on her.
And at the same time he hated himself, he'd never been this out of control. Not even with Sasha! This excruciating feeling was new to him. It scared him, it frustrated him. It was as if he had no control whatsoever.
Richard stood up from his chair. What was his body doing to him?! He walked towards the small kitchen to make himself some tea. Why was Camille doing this to him?! Why couldn't he stop himself from... From what? Wanting her? No, he couldn't let himself think that! He chastised himself about how unprofessional it was.
Now he knew exactly why relationships in the workplace weren't a good idea.
He sighed as he heard the water boil. This feeling was awful! He had to stop himself. He had to rein this in. This- Whatever it was. What was it? Was it pure lust? It had to be. Or was he in love with her? He knew what love did to a human brain. It was something he couldn't use right now. Or ever. So she had told him that she was attracted to him, and he felt at ease with her, not so ashamed about... He cleared his throat... About when- with the- He groaned. Even in his mind he couldn't be honest with himself. With the way his body had reacted when she was so near him. He could keep this professional. He had to. Because if it was this behavior that came up and was so difficult to control, then he should push it down forcefully. And he'd apologize to Nick. But not now in the middle of their plan.
What if Camille would ever find another man? With all the dates her mother kept throwing at her... Would he react like some angry ogre too? He thought about that for a moment. Yes. The urge would be very big. He wanted to be friends, but could he do that? He poured the tea for himself.
Maybe keeping her at a safe distance would be more prudent. He suddenly felt like he was mourning. The idea of losing her... As a friend. That hurt. But maybe, if he wanted to stay 'sane' and professional, was there really any other way? He sighed as he took a sip of his tea. For now, distance would be better. And when he could think clearly again, he'd come up with a plan. A plan for Camille.