"You wanted to see me?" Gabriel asked.
"Yes, sit." Masuda motioned to the chair in front of his desk. He was flanked on both sides by two extraordinarily large sentries, one of which had been in Gabriel's employ years before when Gabriel had held a similar position as the man in front of him. He was not met with a return glance when Gabriel's eyes sought out a recognition from the soldier. "So, do you want to explain what happened yesterday?"
"There was a miscue. It won't happen again."
"Is that what you call it? A miscue? I have one man dead and another in custody? Who knows what he'll give up? You put a giant bullseye on your back when you shot the Five-0 leader. Your bullseye means a microscope on my business. So, you still want to call it a miscue?"
Gabriel had a response but wisely chose to harness his tongue.
"I know you have this personal vendetta against Hawaii's greatest defenders," he said sarcastically.
"It's not a vendetta."
"Well, my interpretation of the picture you've painted is that there's revenge all over it. You may have other objectives in mind, but if you look at the whole picture, vendetta is a pretty accurate description."
Gabriel breathed out slowly and swiped his hand over his mouth. He could also have sworn he saw his former employee finally dart his eyes toward him in sheer curiosity he was sure, giving away his elusive recognition.
"Now this whatever-it-is ended up in front of the f*cking police headquarters. Do you realize how idiotic that was?"
"It was a bad call on their part. They were supposed to grab one of 'em when they had the opportunity. I would not have chosen that spot."
"And, tell me again why you were going to take one of the members of Five-0?"
"Leverage."
"Leverage."
Gabriel nodded. "That and to prove to Chin Ho Kelly that I'm not messing around."
"For your… other... objective," Masuda clarified. "Gabriel, I like you. You understand what I have done for you, yes?"
Again, Gabriel nodded but hung his head, completely understanding that he would not be there, would not be alive if it wasn't for him. "Yes."
"I've given you the slack you've needed for weeks now, but your little side antics are compromising the business. I'm going to have to pull the plug. You've put us at too much risk as it is."
"But, I… I mean… " Gabriel gripped the arms of the chair and pulled himself to the edge of the seat. Masuda patiently waited him out as he slowed and gathered his thoughts. "Mr. Masuda, you've been very patient and I am extremely grateful for all you have done for me, but it's just about finished. I just need a little more time and then you'll have my full availability… whatever you need."
Slowly revealing a condescending smile, Masuda leaned forward and folded his hands on his desk. "I don't believe you understood me, so let me rephrase. The business… will always come first. I have invested a lot of time, money, and resources into you. I will have your 'full availability' now… or I will cut my losses and find someone who can do the job and I will no longer require your services. Have I made myself clear, Mr. Waincroft?"
An internal fire burned within Gabriel. He was so close to what he desired most, but he understood all too well the power of this other external force. His posture involuntarily deflated in submission. There was only one response to Masuda's question, "Yes. You've made yourself clear."
Before rising from his chair, Gabriel hesitated to see if he felt the permission to do so.
"Good." Masuda believed he saw the death of defiance in his second's eyes and felt secure he had gotten his point across. He pushed his chair back in preparation to stand.
That was Gabriel's cue, so he rose as well but was only able to achieve a stance of wavering attention as his boss left the room.
~~~~~H50~~~~~
It had been a full two weeks since the incidents at the Honolulu Police Department headquarters and the school.
There had been zero communications from Gabriel.
The prior two weeks had been a time of transparency and revelation, revelation from an apologetic Chin about what had transpired between Gabriel and himself that had led to the secret meeting, and revelation from Danny with an explanation of how he became aware of Chin's subterfuge and his attempt at dealing with Gabriel on his own.
Standing at Steve's bedside in his hospital room, Danny had given him the whole account of everything that he had been missing out on. For Steve, it all was a lot to take in, but that little tidbit of information about Danny's solo escapade in itself had been enough to send him reeling. Then seeing Danny's injuries on top of that had pushed him over the edge.
Danny knew his friend was getting back to normal when he was able to hold his own in the subsequent rant fest that ensued. Steve had even made it to his feet without any help just so he could poke a finger into Danny's chest to get his point across. Normally, that act would have sent Danny into ballistic territory, but his gratitude for an angry Steve, over a dead Steve, squelched any temper of his own.
Steve got to the customary conclusion of the winning side of their argument a little more rapidly than he was used to, and he noticed. His best friend, the closet softie, had given up early. Steve's built up worry, disguised as anger, had evaporated into his own regretful guilt over Danny's capitulation. He had discerned his partner's gratitude and backed off quickly. They both had contentedly transitioned to their more normal lighthearted jabs.
The kidnapping attempt on Kono had affected Chin and Adam more than it had her. What had disturbed Kono much more was the audacity of Gabriel and the fact that the initial contact to her cousin had taken place in her own house without her knowledge. Kono was relegated to try to allay Chin's guilt daily. Adam suffered similar guilt believing if he had been with her that day, he could have prevented the attack. No harm had come to Kono or Tani since they had adeptly handled the situation. Having to remind their team of that fact over and over again had become tiresome for the two of them, but they continued until the whole encounter seemed to become a forgotten memory.
One lasting, notable result of the incident with Kono and Tani, though, had been that much greater care was taken by all the members of this jointly assembled mega-team in the days following the attack. The threats, and Gabriel's obvious willingness to act on them, had clearly made their mark. A police presence had been maintained at the hospital around the clock during Steve's stay and Chin had doubled up on the detail assigned to Abby and Sara.
Early on, everyone had been antsy due to the wait and tensions had been running high. However, a subtle shift began to occur the longer they went with no contact from Gabriel and no fruitful leads. Even through rendition, the red-headed, syringe wielding, muscle from the school had not flipped. He feared the reach of his boss, even into the correctional system, more than he did these renowned paragons of law enforcement.
Chin, especially, was surprised that they had not heard anything from Gabriel. After witnessing his intense passion, he began to think that maybe something had happened to him. Even though the thought of that was heartening, there was still no proof, and the fact was that until there was proof of Gabriel's death, real proof this time, none of the members of the team would be completely at ease.
However, a feeling of complacency did begin to develop. Crime on the island had not stopped and even though the governor had given leeway in the last weeks due to the extenuating circumstances, the task force began to feel an unspoken pressure and eased into the cases that were awaiting them.
Chin and Kono had been away from their respective positions for longer than they had expected and they were eager to return to a more normal existence. As much as he would hate to see them leave again, Steve even urged them to go and get back to their lives. He understood they could not continue to put their work and family on hold indefinitely.
Steve had been released from the hospital and was recuperating comfortably at home. Mary had stuck around, needing to be sure her brother could get along without her. Steve promised he would be fine and his friends each privately assured her they would look after him as well. They amused her at how they had come to her, one by one, all at different times to keep it from the others, but all with the same promise. They had succeeded in making her feel more secure that she, too, could prepare to head home.
A couple of days after making her decision, Chin arrived at Steve's home to pick up Mary and Joanie to take them to the airport. His flight to San Francisco was scheduled for departure a few hours after Mary's to Los Angeles. Though willing, he had not needed to fulfill his promise to the informant at Halawa because Latimer Giovani had chosen to forgo that option when the opportunity to leave a week earlier presented itself since it was uncertain how long Chin would be extending his stay.
Kono would be leaving the following day, headed to Kansas City. They had already said their goodbyes at Kono's house and he had left her there with Adam standing by her side. Adam had been a constant presence since the kidnapping attempt and it gave Chin peace in leaving his younger cousin in his care, even if it was just temporarily, and… possibly hope for something more for the pair. He wished nothing but happiness for both of them, in whatever form that may be.
Chin darted through the rain as if he could avoid the drops. It had been pouring for a couple of hours, unusual for that long, at that time of year. Mary beat Steve to the door. "Would you, pleeeease take it easy? I can get the door."
"Yes, ma'am," Steve responded to the scolding by taking a step back and giving her the space.
"Hi, Chin. Thank you so much for the ride. Joanie!" She called out into the big house before turning back to Chin. "I think I'm about ready."
"No problem. Steve, you're looking good."
"Gettin' there, brother."
"I bet you're going to miss all the attention when Mary's gone."
He started to shake his head and then changed to a nod when he saw Mary look for his answer. He nervously rubbed his hand down the back of his head and stopped at his neck. "Of course, I'm going to miss my wonderful sister and niece who take such good care of me."
"Liar," Mary smiled as she gave Steve a peck on the cheek.
They had spread out their goodbyes over the course of the morning over pancakes and coffee. She had gone over the drug regimen and his doctor appointments more than once to make sure he got it. Now it was time to leave.
"Chin?" Steve started.
Chin glanced at Mary and stopped him before he could start. "I know. I know. Just let the team do their thing and you concentrate on getting better. Danny's got it all under control."
"That's what I worry about," he joked. "I will. Thank you for everything."
"Thank you." He turned back to Mary. "Is this all you have?" Chin asked of the few and small bags.
"I travel light."
He smiled and shrugged before picking up the two larger bags of the group. "Hope you've got your rain gear. It's pouring out there."
Mary grabbed Joanie's hand and gave Steve one more hug.
"Love ya, Mare."
"Love you, too, big brother." Steve gingerly squatted down. "Steve, you shouldn't."
"I got this," he consoled. "Love you, Joanie. You come back and see me soon. Okay?"
"I will," she softly answered as she fingered one of the satin ears of the stuffed rabbit she had gotten from her Uncle Danny. Steve got his hug from his niece, kissed her on the cheek, and stood.
Chin shook Steve's hand and pulled him in for a gentle hug before they stepped off the porch dodging the rain drops.
The End (just kidding…)
.
~to be continued~
\,,,/BronsonL