Katsumoto glared at him when he returned to his desk and found Thomas sitting in his chair, elbows on his knees, looking somehow on edge.
"What do you want?" he said and slipped the newly printed papers into a folder.
"I need a favor," Thomas said, and Katsumoto sensed the PI's cautious approach. None of the usual cheeriness and positivity was visible, the man was actually concerned, the detective noticed when Thomas vacated the chair.
"I'm not cancelling your speeding tickets," Katsumoto said sternly. "Or your parking tickets," he added as an afterthought. They were still on rocky ground after the clandestine trip to Myanmar. No reason to let him off so easily. Thomas huffed with a ghost of a smile and handed him his phone instead, showing him the pictures, he'd taken earlier.
"I just need to know who this is, that's all. Maybe you could run the faces and the plate, and let me know what comes back," Thomas said as Katsumoto swiped through the pictures and paused, forehead creased.
"This is Takeshi Nakamura," the detective said, sounding a bit baffled and instantly more alarmed. Thomas's concern plus this man equaled nothing good. Something was definitely wrong.
"The guy with ties to the Yakuza?" Thomas asked and Katsumoto nodded.
"Yeah, HPD's been trying to take him down for years. Nothing ever sticks. He's connected to arms trafficking, murders, disappearances and has a hand in just about everything criminal on this island," Katsumoto said. Thomas ran a hand over his face and sighed.
"What about the other two?" he asked and Katsumoto shook his head.
"Haven't seen them before. Their car looks like a rental, though. Could be from the mainland," he replied and handed Thomas his phone back. "Send me the pictures, and I'll see what I can dig up," he said once he saw the concern radiate through the man again. Thomas forwarded the pictures immediately.
"Thanks, man, I appreciate it," Thomas said and Katsumoto folded his arms, looking at him sternly.
"This man's dangerous, Magnum. What's going on?" the detective asked and Thomas shrugged, sort of distracted.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Thomas said and was excused when his phone buzzed and Rick's face flashed on the screen. He waved a hand at Katsumoto and turned around, answering the phone as he walked outside.
"Hey, man, how's your head?" he asked, trying to sound a bit more chipper, than he actually felt.
"Ugh, please, don't… remind me," the man groaned into the phone and Thomas could only chuckle at the man's hangover. "Listen, I've got your cap, you left on the chair last night," Rick said as Thomas walked to the Ferrari.
"Thanks, Rick, I'll come get it now. Do you need anything?" he asked to which Rick only mumbled something unintelligible and ended the call. Thomas smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. He must have been pretty deep in thought about Juliet to forget his lucky cap.
Just to be sure, he checked her location again and eased up when it showed her at the Nest. The relief was short-lived, when the thought of confronting her crossed his mind. It had to be done and she would definitely not be happy with him spying on her. Pushing aside those thoughts, he headed towards La Mariana.
Thomas's drive to La Mariana was slowed considerably down by traffic and as he walked inside, he saw a pair of feet jutting out from one of the booths. He nudged the sleeping form of Rick, who startled awake and looked bleary-eyed at him.
"You stayed here last night?" Thomas asked when taking a look at Rick's clothes from yesterday. The shirt was all creased and his hair was moussed and sticking up at odd angles.
"I blame you," he said curtly and rubbed at his face. Thomas offered a hand, which the man eyed skeptically before accepting and was then swiftly pulled to his feet, a motion that had him clench his eyes and hold on to Thomas's shoulder.
"Me? Why's that?" Thomas asked, a tad bit more amused than called for. He grabbed his cap from the table and placed it securely on his head before gently guiding Rick towards the door. He had to talk with Juliet about all that when he'd gotten Rick home.
"'Cause I can't say no to TC when he wants to celebrate," Rick mumbled as if it was the most logical answer in the world. Thomas glanced at him with a humored expression. He knew Rick didn't mean anything of it and that he probably only had himself to thank for the hangover.
"Of course not, we wouldn't want to hurt the man's feelings," Thomas said, almost on the verge of snickering. He would remember this for the next time he would leave his two friends alone with alcohol.
"Oh, Tommy-boy, I'm too old to get hammered, like this," Rick groaned when Thomas helped him into the passenger seat. Shortly after the Ferrari was sliding back into the traffic and Rick was bubbling, completely dead to the world.
Finally, Thomas could return to the Nest. Once the Ferrari was parked, his phone buzzed and Katsumoto's face filled the screen. Thomas was quick to answer the call, hoping the detective had found something on the two strangers from Juliet's meeting.
"Katsumoto, did you find anything on the two men?" he asked as a greeting, not really concerned about repairing his friendship with the man at the moment.
"I don't have much. They're not in the DMV and their car is a rental. I had a friend check the airport surveillance and he said they came of a flight last night from Los Angeles. They could have come from anywhere," Katsumoto said, sounding a bit frustrated. "I can't get more intel without any warrants or subpoenas," detective said, a bit more defeated.
"Okay. What about Nakamura, what's he been up to lately?" Thomas asked, hoping for a bit more of a breakthrough.
"Nothing new, really, except one of his lieutenants went off the radar last month. Also, Vice has rumors about his involvement in sex trafficking and prostitution, but they can't make a case yet," Katsumoto said and Thomas rubbed a hand over his face.
"Thanks, Katsumoto," he said and rolled his neck.
"Magnum? Be careful, alright?" the detective said and Thomas grunted a vague response, before ending the call. He leaned his head back for a moment and closed his eyes before having made up his mind. However, all this was connected, nothing good would come from it.
He walked to the main house, intent on getting some answers from Juliet. He knew she wouldn't take it well and that he would probably be in the doghouse for some time after, but he had to make sure she knew what she was doing, who she was messing with.
He could live with her being angry with him, as long as she was alive. That would be a small price to pay. The impression he got from Takeshi Nakamura was certainly not going in that direction. He found her in the study, laptop opened and papers all over the desk, very unlike Juliet to not have them stacked in neat piles. The brown paper bag and the envelope was not in sight.
Zeus and Apollo moved to their feet at Thomas's sudden appearance and they could probably sense his worry and the distracted mind of Juliet since they simply sat down again. Juliet had been starring, at nothing in particular, and turned her head to Thomas when she felt his presence.
"What do you want this time?" she asked, sounding more irritated and tired than actually necessary. The two dogs whined quietly and lied down. Thomas took in her ragged appearance and hesitated. Even this strung out, she looked like a goddess in the black pants and red blouse. Maybe he needed to reconsider his approach to the subject.
"What's going on with you?" he asked, facing the problem head on. It came out sharper than he had expected and Juliet looked sort of stunned by his question and tone. She quickly regained her senses and got to her feet. If he wanted a head-on confrontation, then she wouldn't take it sitting down.
"Excuse me?" she said as she folded her arms, giving him enough time and opportunity to retract his behavior and apologize. Thomas, however, stepped closer, his eyes dark and narrow. No turning back now. The sudden anger he felt was born of his concern for her.
"Who were you talking to down at the harbor this morning?" he asked and if eyes could kill, he would be dead ten times over. Juliet's first reaction was surprise, quickly followed by confusion and then came the anger, all in the span of a couple of seconds. The fierce look in her eyes tugged at something inside of Thomas.
"You followed me?" she asked, her voice a tad higher than usual. "Magnum, you have absolutely no reason, whatsoever, to spy on me. What's wrong with you?" she said with a raised voice, disbelief, betrayal and… disgust?.. in her face. Thomas didn't let it show, how much her reaction had hurt him as he plowed on, intent on getting to the bottom of this.
"Whatever your connection to them, you should end right now, before you get yourself hurt," Thomas said, hoping he could get through to her. He wasn't sure if he could bounce back, if he lost her, too. It was bad enough that she was considering the job back in London.
"You have no right to waltz in here and decide who I ca—" she began before Thomas spoke again, drowning out the rest of her sentence. He would not stand by and watch her get hurt. That wasn't happening. He'd lost too much already.
"I have every right to protect my friend from harm's way!" he almost shouted at her and immediately felt the guilt wrap around his spine when she actually flinched at his reaction. He almost didn't catch her little jump; it was so little. She scolded her face back to neutral and gave him an icy stare as she squared her shoulders and stepped into his personal space.
Thomas caught a whiff of her scent and actually had a hard time not taking a step back. Not because he didn't want her close. Definitely not. He just wasn't sure if he could contain himself enough. But all that went through his mind was how her scent tinkled in his nose and how close she actually was. He could almost feel the heat from her skin.
"Do not come in here, thinking you can overthrow me. I'm the majordomo of this estate and I do exactly–" Juliet was silenced when Thomas's suddenly kissed her. It was brief and sweet and definitely a surprise. But she didn't pull away, when their eyes met. Seconds passed, both of them searching each other's eyes before they moved as one and clashed together again.
Juliet snaked a hand around Thomas's neck as the other splayed on his chest, they melted together in perfect shape. Thomas found himself wanting her more than ever as he pushed her against the edge of the desk, a hand in her hair and the other around her waist pulling her closer.
As they broke apart to breathe, Juliet roughly pushed him away and returned to the office chair. She positioned herself to work and started typing as Thomas tried to regain control of his motor functions… and brain.
"This doesn't concern you, Magnum. You may leave now," she said sternly, almost quietly, not taking her eyes of the laptop. Thomas looked at her for a while and backed off a step. This was not how he had expected things to go. She was visibly infuriated, her shoulders tensed up and her hands a flurry over the keyboard. Thomas let go of a breath.
"You have no i—" he started softly before Juliet interrupted him.
"Leave, Magnum. Now," she said and he felt like a scolded dog as he looked at her for what felt like an eternity. He had really screwed up this time, he figured and turned around to walk away while he was still intact. It was a wonder, that Zeus and Apollo hadn't ripped him apart.
He felt very much like a kicked puppy when he retreated to the guest house, but was still coiled tight with anger and… fear?... As if sensing the mood on the Nest, the clouds had gathered and heavy drops of rain began to fall. Thomas rarely felt the need to punch a hole in the wall, but today was a definite exception.
He changed clothes and headed down to the beach for a second round on the surf ski. He needed to feel the burn in his muscles clear his mind before he could think all this through again. The dangerous men she had met and the very passionate kiss, they had just shared.
Fifteen minutes into his bubbling fit of anger he grabbed the paddle in one end and slammed the other into the water with a barely held back growl. It was so unlike him, that his actions and the splash of water almost surprised him out of it. The previously gentle pitter-patter of the rain had changed to a steady downpour, but for a moment it didn't matter.
He turned the surf ski around and headed up the coastline, pushing the limits of both himself and the surf ski on the waves. By the time he glided back onto the sand he was thoroughly spent and walking on almost shaky legs back to the guesthouse.
His mind had not been cleared.