CHAPTER 7

Thursday evening, Five-0 Headquarters:

"Matteo Vivaldi," Danny growled as he glared at the image on the screen. "Roberto's only son and second in command."

"Why would Vivaldi take Steve?" Chin asked. "What's he after?"

"Who knows what that murderous psychopath is thinking?" Danny said as he started to pace angrily.

"Maybe Vivaldi caught on to our involvement in the investigation and took Steve to distract us," Kono suggested.

That was a sound theory.

"Then why has there been no ransom demand?" Danny asked.

"Maybe Steve's keeping them busy?" Chin suggested.

"You mean he's gone all one-man-army on their asses?" Danny asked.

"He would say Navy, but yes," Chin said with a small smile.

"Let's hope so," Danny said, his anger dissipating.

"If Vivaldi wanted the investigation stopped, he could have just killed Steve. Why did he kidnap him?" Chin asked. "I mean, that would be enough to derail the investigation."

"True…" Danny said thoughtfully. "Unless he wants a trade. He thinks we have something he wants."

"I don't understand. You're saying the head of a crime family decided to come to the Hawaii, of all places, to shoot Steve and abduct him, in the hopes that we'd give him something that he wants?" Kono asked.

Now that they thought about it, it sounded ridiculous.

"Perhaps that wasn't the original plan," Chin theorised. "Maybe something happened to make him act like this."

They were silent as they thought about all the reasons why this could possibly have happened. It wasn't a coincidence that the person they had been investigating was involved in the kidnapping of a member of their team. They just had to figure out the motive behind it.

"Let's focus on the evidence instead of speculating. Kono, get a vehicle description out. Tell HPD it's a priority and we need it found yesterday. With any luck, it will lead us straight to Steve," Danny ordered.

Kono nodded and quickly got to work.

Chin turned to Danny. "So, what did the Governor say?"

Danny sighed and rubbed a thumb over his brow. "You know, I never appreciated the way Steve handled politics until now. The Governor said we are to work to case like normal."

"That makes sense, given the cases are somehow connected," Chin said.

Danny smiled. "Maybe you should have been the one to talk to the leader of this great state instead of me."

"Maybe I just have more patience," Chin replied.

Danny was quiet for a moment. "Steve would know what to do. He would know the next move."

"Maybe. Or maybe not. Don't forget that he picked you, me and Kono for a reason. It wasn't just for our looks," Chin said.

"Do you really think Vivaldi took Steve to stop our investigation?" Danny asked, sounding uncertain.

Chin thought for a moment. "That's part of it, but I think there's more to it. Don't worry, Danny. Steve can take care of himself."

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about," Danny said.

Friday morning, unknown location:

The screech of the door brought Steve out of his doze. He hadn't been asleep, but had decided to take his captor's advice and rest. Even resting, his body and mind were on high alert for anything during the night. Steve sat up straight and concentrated on focusing his attention on what was about to unfold. If he wanted to get out of there, he needed to be alert and aware of his surroundings. Especially due to his sight deficit.

Steve heard what sounded like two different people walking into the room. They both stopped in front of him. Steve heard a rustle of fabric as one of them sat down in the chair. The other person didn't move.

"Commander McGarrett. I trust you slept well?" the same man from yesterday spoke.

Steve didn't respond. The man must've known it was impossible to get any decent rest confined to the chair like he was. But Steve wasn't going to stoop to his level and express his discomfort. Sure, his neck ached from the various awkward positions it had been in during the night, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

"I thought so," the man said. Steve could almost hear the smug smile in his voice.

Steve heard the man stand up and walk closer to Steve. Steve could feel him standing directly in front of him. He was so close that they were almost touching. It made Steve nervous, especially since he couldn't see what the man was up to.

"I have made some plans for today. We'll be going on a little trip," the man announced.

"Oh yeah?" Steve said with false enthusiasm. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there," the man said.

Steve had been so distracted by the closeness of the man whose voice was really beginning to grate on his nerves, that he hadn't noticed the other man moving closer to him. In fact, he didn't realise until he felt the prick of a needle in his right shoulder.

'No!' he thought.

He needed to stay awake. He needed to know where he was, where he was going. He couldn't do that if he'd been drugged. Too quickly, the drug invaded his system and he felt his body beginning to shut down. By the time his arms and legs were released from the restraints, he was unable to move.

The last thing he heard before everything turned dark was the creak of the rusty door as it slammed shut behind them.

Friday morning, Five-0 Headquarters:

Steve had officially been missing for twenty nine hours. The team had opted to sleep at the office, in case a call came in, so that they could act on the information as quickly as possible. The chiming of Kono's phone woke her. Quickly reading the text, she jumped up excitedly and ran to wake the other two men.

Danny and Chin joined Kono at the smart table, yawning to shake away the last remnants of sleep. If one were to look at them now, they would think they had just come back from a wild night out of partying and drinking. One would not assume they were part of an elite, crime-fighting task force under the Governor's jurisdiction.

Danny's usually slicked-back hair was sticking up in all directions. His normally crisp dress shirt was crumpled from having slept in it. Chin's hair was relatively tidy except for the patch sticking up at the back. His shirt, though less rumpled than Danny's, had a coffee stain down the front. Kono, however, looked as though she could step out onto a runway at any moment. Her hair was not even the least bit messy and her clothes looked as though she had just put them on, fresh out of the closet.

"A vehicle matching the description was found abandoned on Waihee Road," Kono announced excitedly.

Danny looked at her, confused. "Am I supposed to know where that is?"

Chin took pity on him. "It's one of the roads that lead to Hamama Falls. It's a common hiking destination. It's also well known that there are various other roads in that region that allow access to different parts of the Ko'olau Mountain Range."

"Are you saying Steve is at the top of a mountain?" Danny asked.

"No. We are saying the car he was taken in was found nearby. It's possible he could be up there, but it's also possible they ditched the car there to throw us off," Kono answered.

"Let's go and check it out. If Steve was there, maybe he left us a clue," Danny said as he grabbed his keys.

It took them an hour to get out to where the car was parked. There were already two HPD squad cars on the scene, processing the area surrounding the vehicle. The trunk was wide open and the left hand side taillight was hanging by a thread. Other than that, the car was unscathed.

The team peered into the trunk. Inside was a tire iron and a pair of unlocked handcuffs. Obviously, Steve had managed to pop the trunk from the inside and escape. The question was if he had actually achieved the latter part. Danny knelt down to inspect the broken taillight.

"Steve was definitely here," Danny commented.

"You know that because of a broken taillight?" Kono asked, skeptical.

"Yeah. When Mary had been kidnapped, that's how we found which car she was in. Steve told her to kick out the light so she could see outside," Danny replied. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Steve is the only person we know who can escape a pair of handcuffs and open the trunk of a car from the inside. It must have been part of his training at SEAL school."

"So, if he escaped, where is he now?" Chin asked.

Danny shrugged. "Maybe out there somewhere?"

Danny motioned to the never-ending green surrounding them. It would have been the logical place to retreat, at least until the coast was clear.

"So, he's in there with four people with guns chasing him?" Kono asked, remembering the four armed men from the security footage.

Before Danny got the chance to answer, a commotion occurred further up the road. The HPD officers had their guns drawn and were yelling at someone. The Five-0 team ran over to see what was happening.

As they approached, they saw a man, dressed in all black, staggering out of the bush. He was tall, well built and had dark tanned skin. He had a large bruise around his neck and was covered in dirt and leaves. He fit the description of one of Steve's kidnappers. The man quickly surrendered when he realised there were multiple guns pointed in his direction.

Danny smiled at Chin and Kono. "See. I told you Steve would leave us a clue."

Chin and Kono shook their heads and smiled at Danny. Things were finally starting to go their way.

Late Friday morning, unknown location:

Steve's return from his drug-induced sleep was far from pleasant.

"Commander?" a familiar voice said. "Commander McGarrett. Wake up!"

The words were combined with a series of hard slaps against his face. Steve tried to chase away the grogginess that was accompanied with being drugged. Whatever he had been injected with must have knocked him out for a while. He tried to focus and get his body back online.

It was difficult to draw air into his lungs. He tried to open his mouth and gulp some air, but the adhesive tape covering his lips didn't allow him that pleasure. Opening his eyes, he groaned when he realised he still couldn't see anything, thanks to the hood on his head.

Steve concentrated on his surroundings and what he could feel. He felt a warmth on his skin, telling him he was outside and the sun was high in the sky. Listening, he heard birds whistling in the distance and the rustle of leaves in the light wind. He couldn't hear any traffic, which told him he was far from any main roads.

He realised he was on the ground, kneeling and being held up by two men. His hands were, once again, bound behind his back. He knew he was no longer in the bunker (he could tell by the sun on his skin and the soft grass under his knees), but he had no idea where he was. Or why he was here.

"Commander. Are you awake?" the voice said.

Steve groaned into the tape when someone squeezed his injured shoulder. There were several chuckles. Steve counted at least four distinct tones. So there were at least four men, maybe more, watching him.

"Good. I need you awake for this," the man said.

Steve didn't respond, not that he could anyway. Instead, he let his thoughts wander as he ran through every possible escape scenario in his head. Steve's musing were interrupted when he heard the man talking. It took him a moment to realise he wasn't talking to him, but on a phone to someone else.

"Detective Kelly!" the man announced.

Steve frowned. Why would he be calling Chin? What was going on? While Steve had been asking himself questions, a conversation had been taking place. Steve refocused his attention on the words being spoken.

"Ah, I see you know who I am," there was a pause. "I must say, I am impressed."

There was another pause, the man evidently listening to what Chin was saying. "I see…I shall talk to him about that nasty habit."

"Let's get down to business, shall we?…Good…I have your partner's son. Tell John McGarrett I want what is mine, or I kill his son."

At the mention of his deceased father's name and a direct threat to his life, Steve broke free of the hands holding him and ran towards the voice. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he had to do something. Later, he would tell himself it was so his team would have more time to trace the call. However, he knew it was because he had acted emotionally and irrationally in the heat of the moment.

He had only progressed a few steps when he was tackled to the ground by two men. Steve tried to push them off using his legs, but they just avoided his kicks and held him down to the ground. Steve grunted when an elbow landed in his back and again when the toe of a boot found his stomach.

He was roughly brought back to his knees and he felt multiple hands holding his shoulders down so he wouldn't try to make the same move again. Steve struggled in the hold and tried to get free again, but the men had learned their lessons. They weren't going to let him get away a second time.

Throughout his struggle, Steve had lost track of the phone call. He had no idea what had been discussed. All Steve could think about was his father. How was his father involved in all this? Now Steve was even more relieved that he had sent Mary to the mainland so she couldn't get caught up in things like this. It was a small consolation, but he would take it.

Steve eventually exhausted himself and gave up on struggling. Instead, he tried to get his breathing under control, which was difficult thanks to the hood and the tape over his mouth. Suddenly, the hood was lifted enough for someone to reach in and rip the tape off Steve's mouth.

"Say hello," the unknown man's voice said.

Steve clamped his mouth shut and refused to speak. No, he would not be a pawn in this man's game. He would not give the man the satisfaction of playing by his rules. Steve didn't see the punch aimed at his head. The force of the punch knocked him sideways, but he was quickly righted again by the men that had been holding him in position. He bit back a groan, not wanting Chin to hear his pain.

"I said, say hello," the voice said, his voice tinged with anger.

Again, Steve chose to remain silent. Steve sensed the man walking away.

"I apologise, Detective. It appears he doesn't want to talk to you…No?…We'll see."

The conversation had apparently ended. Steve felt himself being manhandled until he was standing. He was made to walk over grassy terrain before he was shoved forward. His body hit a metal wall. The side of a van, he later realised.

"It was stupid to try to escape, Commander," the man's voice said, low and menacing.

"My apologies. Next time I won't just try," Steve replied nonchalantly.

The only response Steve received was the sharp prick of a needle in his arm. Within seconds, he felt dizzy and his body became unresponsive. He was shoved into the back of the van and he felt no more.

Late Friday morning, Five-0 Headquarters:

The team walked back into headquarters with small smiles on their faces. Their suspect was down in the rendition room and Danny was gearing up to bring the pain. They needed answers. Now. This man had some, or so they hoped. The man had obviously been in a fight recently, and lost. The Five-0 team suspected the bruise around his neck was courtesy of their resident SuperSEAL.

Danny and Chin went to the elevator to go interrogate their suspect who was waiting in the rendition room. Danny pressed the button and stood back to wait for the cart to reach their floor. Chin's phone rang and he answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Kelly," he answered.

"Detective Kelly!" Chin did not recognise the voice on the other end and frowned.

Danny noticed Chin's reaction and frowned in response. Chin shrugged at Danny, not sure what was going on.

"Yes? What can I do for you?" Chin asked politely.

"I believe I have a friend of yours?" the man said innocently.

Chin's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Vivaldi?" he asked.

Danny's eyes widened as soon as he heard the name. Chin quickly turned the phone on speaker. The two men turned around and ran back to the bullpen, where Kono looked at them questioningly.

"Trace!" Danny mouthed to Kono, who nodded quickly.

"Ah, I see you know who I am," Vivaldi said, sounding amused.

"Well, I make it my business to know people who go around killing other people on these islands," Chin replied angrily.

"I must say, I am impressed," Vivaldi answered, the smile clear in his voice.

Danny and Kono glared at the phone, as though their murderous stares could penetrate the device and singe the evil man's ear.

"Well, don't be. It wasn't that hard. After all, your son, Matteo, made it very easy for us. He wasn't as stealthy as he thought. You should inform him that smoking is bad for his health. Although, I do have to commend him for staying in an enclosed space with three other men for hours on end. That's next level," Chin commented sarcastically.

"I see," Vivaldi said, sounding slightly disappointed. "I shall talk to him about that nasty habit."

There was a pause before Vivaldi continued. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"

"I thought that was why you called?" Chin replied, not bothering to disguise the venom in his voice. "But, I'm all ears."

"Good," Vivaldi said. "I have your partner's son. Tell John McGarrett I want what is mine, or I kill his son."

Danny, Chin and Kono all froze at the mention of John McGarrett. There was what sounded like a scuffle in the background, mixed in with what sounded like muffled groans. Chin shook himself and brought himself back to the present.

"I can't do that," Chin said.

"Why not?" Vivaldi asked.

"Because John McGarrett died six months ago. He was murdered," Chin replied sadly.

"Well, that's unfortunate…I suggest you use that big detective brain of yours and find what John McGarrett stole."

"I don't know what I'd be looking for," Chin almost pleaded. "Please, I can't give you what you want."

"You can, and you will, otherwise Commander McGarrett dies," Vivaldi said threateningly.

"Fine," Chin said, gripping the smart table harder than necessary. "But I won't do anything until I talk to Steve. Put him on the phone."

They heard what sounded like footsteps and then a ripping sound before Vivaldi's voice echoed through the bullpen again. "Say hello."

The team strained their ears, waiting for Steve's voice to filter through the phone. Instead, they only heard silence. The sound of flesh hitting flesh came next, causing the team to wince. They knew Steve had just taken a punch for refusing to follow orders.

"I said, say hello," Vivaldi said, now angry. There was a pause and more footsteps before Vivaldi spoke again. "I apologise, Detective. It appears he doesn't want to talk to you."

"You son of a bitch. You won't get what you want, not like this," Chin shouted.

"No?" Vivaldi said, almost mocking Chin.

"You can't expect me to do this, not without some assurance that Steve is okay. Not without knowing what it is you want," Chin explained, his voice broken.

"We'll see," Vivaldi said.

The call ended, leaving the horrified team in a stunned silence.

They were so screwed.