So, Steve's ready to turn the island upside down in order to find Danny. But is he really ready for it? Let's find out.
Desperation did crazy things to a man, and Steve supposed this was as good an example as any. Clad in turquoise surgical scrubs he'd lifted from a supply closet, he lay across the seat of an ancient Ford pickup and twisted ignition wires together.
Former Navy SEAL, a head of an elite task force, sworn to protect and serve, escaping from a hospital, wearing stolen clothes, and hotwiring a truck.
He could almost see his partner throwing up his arms into the air while yelling at him for ignoring his injuries and pulling such a stunt. Danny's words were loud and clear.
'Are you completely whacked out of your mind? What is wrong with you?'
Did he have a choice? His best friend was somewhere out there and needed help. He'd be damned if he didn't move mountains to find him. And he would find him–alive, because the other option was simply unimaginable.
The engine fired to life, and brief elation shot through him. First things first. He needed clothes. And a gun. And he could find both at exactly the same place as more information about this whole mess. Yeah, he'd gather the intel first, then decide what to do next. As always.
Nothing out of ordinary. Except… Danny's life being at stake. Shit. How the hell did that even happen?
You're supposed to have his back. An evil whisper of his own voice reminded him. And you let this happen. As you did with Freddie. As you did with your dad. You can't protect anyone.
Disgusted fury slammed through him, and he slapped his hand on the steering wheel, welcoming the stabbing pain the sharp movement brought. Damp hair fell on his forehead, and he pushed it back.
Images of what could be happening to Danny surged through his mind. Steve pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, trying to block the horrific pictures.
He would find him.
If he is even still alive…
Steve shook his head. His partner not surviving wasn't an option. The idea of the world without Danny in it cut his breath short. God, he couldn't let anything happen to him. He wouldn't be able to stand the emptiness.
He rested his broken arm in his lap while his right hand trembled on the steering wheel, and he pushed down harder on the accelerator. He couldn't fail this time. He had to find his best friend before it was too late.
It was difficult to judge the passage of time, but Danny guessed that days had passed. If the regularity of food and water brought in was anything to go by, his guess would be two days since that crazy woman had brought him here. But it couldn't be right, could it? It certainly didn't feel like two days. More like an eternity.
He'd given up on trying to free his ankle from the metal clutches of the cuff a long time ago. It just wouldn't give, no matter how hard he tried.
As he lay on the mattress, feeling completely drained and bone-tired, his mind kept going back to his partner. Not knowing whether he was still alive felt like a knife in a gut, twisting constantly and relentlessly.
The thought of Steve brought a fresh wave of guilt that kept lurking in his mind. It was his fault his partner got hurt. It was him, who Kingsley wanted. Steve was merely at the wrong place at the wrong time. And if his partner wouldn't make it, Danny would never forgive himself.
The key turning in the lock tore him from the deep thoughts. He quickly scrambled up to his feet. He wasn't defeated. Not by a long shot. And he wanted Jennifer to know. The door opened and light bled inside, framing her slender body in the doorway in silhouette. It was enough to see that she was holding a bottle of water in her hand.
She turned the light on and stepped down the stairs with that damn smile Danny wanted so much to wipe off her face.
"Hello, Daniel." She passed him the water. "Here. Drink up."
Danny didn't miss how close she was. Inches away, to be exact. She had never dared to come this close before. He took the water, his brain on fire instantly. He could attack her. Despite her innocent appearance, her defined muscles told him she possessed more strength than most women he knew. Maybe skills, too, considering she'd been stalking him without anyone noticing. He could take her down, though, he had no doubt about that.
But what would it be good for? He'd still be chained up in the cellar of the house in the middle of nowhere. He couldn't assume Chin and Kono knew about Jennifer, let alone where she kept him. No, he was on his own, and maybe it was time to try different tactics, no matter how much he hated that.
"Thanks," he said and gulped the bottle down in seconds, quenching down the thirst.
Her smile widened with that. "I can see you're finally starting to come around."
No way in hell, you crazy psycho bitch!
"I had time to think," he said, pushing his anger to the back of his mind.
"Good. Because it doesn't have to be like this." She gestured to the corner of the damp room that had been Danny's home since being brought here. "I want you to be comfortable. To trust you that you'll stay with me even if I let you go."
He smelled the opportunity. "Look, can we please talk about this upstairs? I promise I won't leave."
She shook her head. "No, Daniel, not yet. You're not ready."
Danny's heart sunk. "But–"
"Have you remembered?" She interrupted him.
"Remembered what?"
"How we met, of course."
He didn't. Not that he didn't try. He had nothing else to do besides worrying about Steve, anyway. "I'm sorry, but no," he admitted. "Why don't you remind me?"
Disappointment flashed through her eyes once again. "Maybe I was wrong."
"About what?"
"About you." She pursed her lips, smile now gone off her face.
Danny stared at her, sensing trouble. He couldn't afford to let her lose it. Not after he'd witnessed what happened to John Kingsley.
"I thought you were different than others, you know?" She said, her breath speeding up as she took a few steps back, out of his reach. "But maybe I was wrong."
"No, no. Jennifer, listen to me." He held his palms up in a calming gesture, trying to hold her gaze. "I'm sorry I can't remember. It's nothing personal, all right? I meet a lot of people in my line of work. Too many faces coming and going and it's impossible to remember them all, so please, remind me."
"Then think harder!" she growled at him through clenched teeth. And with that, she turned to leave.
"Jennifer, wait," Danny called out to her. "Jen!"
But as soon as she reached the top of the stairway, the light went off and she slammed the door shut. With a soft click, the key turned in the lock and just like that, he was left alone in the dark again.
Steve ignored all the eyes in the room turning to him when he walked in through the main door of the Iolani Palace. He barely kept himself somewhat upright, he was barefoot and dressed in surgical scrubs… so what? Obviously, he couldn't rely on his sister bringing him his clothes to the hospital. His guess was that she hadn't done it on purpose, but she was naive if she thought it would stop him.
Nothing would.
He made his way through, taking slow, deliberate steps, breathing through the pain that shot through his body with each and every one. Maybe it wasn't such a bright idea, after all. His head spun just as he reached the elevator, and he leaned his hand on the wall for support. He could feel droplets of sweat forming on his clammy skin, adding up to the overall discomfort.
"Sir, are you all right?" A male voice to his left said. "Do you need help?"
All right? No. I will be when Danny will be back home, safe and sound.
"I'm fine, thanks," he slurred instead, clinging to the wall for dear life. Where the hell was that elevator?
The man glared at him, his eyes wide and brows pulled in concern. "Are you sure? You don't look fine. Maybe I should call the–"
"I said I am fine." It came out more forcefully than intended, but he didn't really care. He could apologize later.
Finally, the elevator reached the ground floor and he left the man and the hall full of mildly shocked people as he climbed inside. He pressed the button with his trembling fingers and breathed through the pain that got way worse since leaving the hospital bed. Not to mention it was becoming increasingly more and more difficult to remain on his feet.
Focus. Keep going. Danny needs you.
His knees wobbled when he got out, a wave of dizziness washing over him. Almost there, he kept reminding himself. His office was just down the hall, just a few more steps ahead. Then he'd be finally able to dress himself up normally, arm himself, and start working on finding his best friend.
Or… maybe not.
Pain racked through his whole body when he pushed the glass door open, and the edges of his vision dimmed for a moment. He tried to breathe through it, but his hurt lungs didn't cooperate. It only increased the agony.
"Steve?"
"Chin…" A mere whisper made it out of Steve's lips. He caught a glance of his colleagues, both obviously dumbstruck by his arrival.
"Kono! Call an ambulance!"
"N-no. Please." Not again. He couldn't go back. Couldn't! "Please."
His vision blurred even more. One second he heard Chin's voice getting closer, and the very next one, his knees gave in. He was only briefly aware of strong arms catching him mid-air before everything faded into blackness.
Return to consciousness was sluggish. And painful. Very much so. It's been a long time since he'd received any kind of pain medication and its effects were worn off completely by now. His head throbbed and agony shot through his chest with each deep breath. The rest of his body ached too, his legs more than the rest.
An almost inaudible groan escaped his lips when he fluttered his eyes open and light pierced his concussed brain. Nausea clawed at his throat as the world slowly came to focus.
His vision cleared, and he found himself staring up into the ceiling. The bed beneath him was soft and comfy, yet unpleasantly cold where it touched his skin. But… no. Not a bed. A couch.
Wait, a couch? He got a better look and recognized the brown suede almost instantly. It took him less than a second to place the folded American flag along with the precious pictures of various vessels on the ocean. Not an ambulance or a hospital. He was in his own office.
"Chin, he's awake." A soft female voice carried over to him and in an instant, he found himself staring up at two familiar faces.
Kono. Chin.
His gaze panned between them. Dark circles under their eyes, their faces pulled into a grimace somewhere between worry and anger.
Gritting his teeth, he tried to push himself up, but failed miserably and fell back down almost instantly. He hated the weakness that washed over him.
"Easy, boss," Kono said, her worry-ridden eyes not leaving him.
"What were you thinking, brah?" Chin said. "You could've hurt yourself. Or worse. The doctor said–"
"I don't care what she said!" Steve cut him off. "I'm fine."
"Right, that's why you came in, white as a ghost and passed out, right?"
Steve growled in frustration, stabbing his eyes into his older colleague. "Well, maybe if you told me about Danny, I wouldn't have to come on my own."
"Well, this is the exact reason we kept you in the dark." Chin gestured to Steve. "Moreover, you were so out of it that it wouldn't make a difference if we told you. We weren't even sure you'd make it until this morning."
He understood. He really did. Yet he couldn't help but feel a pang of hurt.
"Mary just called," Kono chimed in. "She was scared out of her mind when she got a call from the hospital."
Guilt flashed through him with the mention of his sister. He'd apologize later. Now he had more important things to do.
"I want to know everything," he demanded. "Who is this woman? Why did she take Danny?"
The cousins exchanged a brief glance.
"I'll tell you all we know on the way," Chin said.
"On the way where?"
"Back to the hospital. You don't look good at all."
Steve clenched his fists. "No."
"Boss, please–" Kono tried.
"Do not boss me!" Steve blurted out. "I'm not going anywhere until we find Danny, so you better start talking!"
Chin sighed in defeat. "Fine, but if you start feeling worse…"
"I'll tell you." It was a big fat lie and Steve guessed the cousins didn't believe it for a second.
Yet, they talked. In a couple of minutes, they briefed him about everything that had happened in the past four days–since him leaving the office until now. They told him about the two brothers, about Jennifer working under their noses this whole time, about her damaged psyche, and everything else.
He was right about the crash–not an accident at all. But it wasn't him who they wanted, and now it made even more sense.
"I don't get it," he said. "They thought Danny was in the car. It doesn't seem to me they wanted him alive."
"No," Kono confirmed. "John wanted him dead, Peter just tagged along. The fool is way too dedicated to his older brother. John basically brought him up when they were kids."
"According to Peter, John wanted to get rid of Danny despite Jennifer's wish to bring him in alive," Chin added. "He'd been in love with her for quite some time, but she was obsessed with Danny for some reason. We don't know why, though."
Steve nodded. "So he considered Danny competition."
"Yes. We also think she killed John because of what he did. Or tried to do," Kono said.
"She wants him alive." Steve still didn't feel the relief he should have. Things could change quickly, based on what he'd been told.
"Yes, and that's a good thing," Chin stated the obvious. "I'm sure Danny will hang on until we find him."
Steve hoped Chin was right. He'd known Danny for years and knew he was more than capable of taking care of himself, but it didn't sit well with him that his best friend was at a psycho woman's mercy.
"What about her ex-fiancee?" Steve asked, guessing the team already talked to him, too.
"Jacob Wilson. His body was found in his backyard two years ago. The neighbor heard a fight, and when she came to check what was going on, she found him lying in a pool of blood. He'd been stabbed five times."
Steve let out a shaky exhale. "Was it her?"
Kono shrugged. "They never found the killer. But Dr. Becker said she never got through his rejection and it definitely looks like a crime of passion, so my money's on her."
Swallowing past a huge ball that formed in his throat, Steve nodded. If they were right… If Jennifer really kidnapped Danny as a good enough replacement for her fiancee, Danny was in great danger. She'd killed before, maybe more times than they were aware of. And she didn't do well with rejection, which was no doubt exactly what she'd get from the loudmouth Jersey detective.
Now that he knew everything, the urgency to find Danny escalated further. But despite his team doing everything he'd have done himself, there was still no trace of his best friend nor his captor. But he wouldn't stop looking. He'd turn the whole island upside down if he had to. Starting now.
Stabbing pain spread through his chest whenat he struggled to sit up again. Kono was there in an instant to help him with the task, which he was really thankful for.
"What do you want to do, boss?" she asked.
The thing was, he didn't really have an answer and time was running out.
*to be continued*
Will Danny remember where he met his captor eventually? And will the team find him before Jennifer loses it completely? You'll find out in the next chapters!
Let me know what you think - I really appreciate all of your opinions.