CHAPTER 19

Friday morning, Five-0 Headquarters:

The Five-0 team, Toast, Catherine and Agent Kipton were gathered in Steve's office, anxiously staring at the computer screen. Toast's announcement regarding winning the auction has ignited hope in their hearts that Steve would be okay and this nightmare would soon be over. However, after two hours of waiting, that hope had fizzled. They were sure they would have received confirmation of the auction by now. Something must have happened. The question is, what?

The not knowing was driving everyone insane. Not knowing if Steve was okay. Not knowing where Matt was. Not knowing what Fuentes was planning.

The deadline had passed hours ago. In Danny's mind, it could mean only one thing: Steve was dead. As soon as that thought popped into his head, Danny tried to remove it. He started pacing, running his hands repeatedly through his hair. No one commented. They had all thought it and were feeling useless. Eventually, Danny couldn't take it anymore.

"Call me when something happens," Danny said as he walked out of the office. The cousins only nodded in response.

Danny walked to the garden in front of the Palace. He didn't want to go too far, just in case Fuentes contacted them. Danny was nervous. Fuentes should be arranging an exchange with 'Noshimuri', but instead everything was quiet. The uneasy feeling in his gut returned. The kind he usually got when Steve ran into a gunfight without his vest. Or when Steve leapt off a tall building in pursuit of a suspect. Or when Steve got that look in his eye that meant explosions were planned for the near future.

Danny kicked a rock out of his path as he circled the green lawn. He tried not to think about the worst case scenario, but his negative mind just couldn't help it. Every option ended with Steve dead. He couldn't think of another way to explain why Fuentes hadn't contacted them. Danny was so distracted by his mournful thoughts that he didn't see the figure running towards him.

"Danny!" the person yelled.

Danny turned around at the sound of his name to face the oncoming person.

"Matt?" Danny yelled in surprise, instantly recognising him.

Matt ran up to Danny, panting as he tried to catch his breath.

"What the hell, Matt? Where have you been? Why did you run off?" Danny peppered his brother with questions.

"Just…give me a…second…to catch my…breath man," Matt panted.

"Matt, I don't have time to wait for you to breathe! Where the hell did you go?" Danny yelled.

"First off…I'm sorry for running…off like that. The FBI wasn't going to let you…use me for the exchange…so I took matters into my own…hands. I turned myself in to Fuentes. I made sure the deal was still on. At the time, I thought Fuentes would make good on his word. Then Steve got this crazy idea and I escaped and…" Matt ranted.

"Wait! Stop right there. Do you know where Steve is?" Danny asked impatiently.

"Yeah, that's what I was…" Matt said.

"You should have led with that, Matt," Danny said.

Without another word, Danny turned and sprinted back towards the Palace, Matt following quickly behind him. When Danny entered headquarters, he saw Chin and Kono already strapped and ready for action. Chin threw his his vest. God, he loved this team!

"We have a location for Steve. Let's go!" Danny said as he turned abruptly and ran back out the door.

The rest of the team followed without question. Agent Kipton followed after a moment of hesitation. Catherine and Toast remained behind, just in case Fuentes made contact. The Five-0 team piled into the Camaro and Danny took off in the direction Matt indicated.

"Okay Matt. Start talking. What happened?" Danny asked as he swerved around the cars on the road.

"I couldn't let Steve suffer just because the FBI thinks I'm a valuable asset. I took your phone when everyone was distracted by your argument with Kipton. I ran across the roof and took a cab to the warehouse. I called Fuentes, told him the deal was still on. He told me to ditch the phone, so I did. But not before I left you a message. You got it, right?"

"Yeah," Kono said. "We got the message. Good work, by the way. We followed the car, but surveillance cameras only take us so far. We narrowed it down to three locations, but we didn't have enough time to search them all. Then, we won the auction, but nothing happened."

"That's probably because of whatever Steve did," Matt said as he held onto the door tightly as Danny swerved around a car and drive on the footpath.

"Right, you said Steve had a crazy plan," Danny said, prompting Matt for more. "So…"

"So Fuentes met me at the warehouse. I thought he was going to bring Steve there. Instead, he took me to Steve. So, I went with him, in the hopes that I could at least get Steve out. We arrived at another warehouse, bigger than the one we met in. They brought me to a room and locked me in with Steve…"

"Was he hurt?" Chin asked from the back seat.

"He seemed okay, just a bit beat up. He has a shoulder wound, but it didn't seem too bad. It wasn't bleeding or anything. He looked like he had been hit in the head a couple of times. He was coherent and aware of his surroundings, though," Matt explained.

"Okay, good. Keep going Matt," Chin encouraged.

"We were in the room for a couple of hours. Steve came up with a crazy plan to get us out. I'm starting to believe those SuperSEAL stories more and more. Oh, um…take a right here," Matt said, feeling his shoulder slam into the door as his brother turned the car abruptly.

"What was Steve's plan," Kono asked.

"When the auction ended, he was going to wait for whomever came to get him. He was going to take them out and then he was going to find Fuentes. He said he was going to create a distraction that would allow me to get away. He said I needed to get to you as fast as possible and make sure Grace is safe. He said to tell you that he's 'going all in', whatever that means. He said you would know what he meant," Matt continued.

"What on earth does that mean? 'Going all in'. Is that some SEAL code? How does he expect me to read his idiotic mind," Danny said, his brow furrowed in thought.

"Did Steve say how he was planning to distract Fuentes?" Kono asked, ignoring Danny's mini rant.

"I tried to get it out of him, but he wouldn't tell me. He just told me to run as fast I could, find Danny and make sure Grace was safe. He was adamant about that. He made sure I understood that part of the plan."

"Why wouldn't Steve just come with you? Surely it was more logical?" Chin wondered.

"Steve is incredibly stubborn. He said he needed to distract Fuentes long enough to stop him from going after Danny and Grace. He said he didn't want me involved. I tried to talk him out of it, but…"

"It's okay Matt. You're right, he's stubborn. Once that man gets a plan in his head, it's hard to stop him. You did good, Matt…Don't get me wrong, I'm really mad at you. But your information helped us to narrow down where Steve was. Hopefully, Steve is where you left him," Danny said without taking his eyes off the road.

"Did he say anything else to you?" Kono asked.

"He said that he forgave me. That's it," Matt said.

There was an oppressive silence in the car as they drove towards the warehouse at a speed Steve would be proud of. The uneasy feeling in Danny's gut increased at his brother's words. Danny didn't want to think about the implications of it, at all. He just hoped Steve hadn't done anything stupid.

Friday morning, unknown location:

Steve watched as Matt jogged down the large hallway, hopefully to an unguarded exit. Steve had to admit that his plan was nowhere near foolproof. It was risky and dangerous. He wasn't even sure if it had a chance of working. At least Matt would have an opportunity to get to safety. Steve, on the other hand, well that was something he really didn't want to consider.

As soon as Matt was out of sight, Steve walked in the opposite direction. If he had to guess, he was in yet another warehouse. If he never saw another warehouse in his life, he would die a happy man. It was getting to be beyond a joke. Sure, warehouses made the ideal hideout but they weren't the most secure buildings. They were easy to raid due to multiple entrances and exits.

Steve reached a set of stairs that probably led to the main warehouse floor. In all likelihood, that would be where he would find Fuentes. He hadn't encountered any of Fuentes' men on his way up the stairs or outside the room he was being held in. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing. It could mean that their escape had gone unnoticed. Alternatively, it could mean that all of Fuentes' men were chasing Matt.

Steve shoved that thought down as he continued ascending the stairs. Matt had to get out, he just had to. When he reached the top of the stairs, he stopped to catch his breath while checking the gun he had confiscated. The concussion, bullet wound and now bruised ribs weren't helping him at the moment. He carefully inched his way along a corridor, carefully checking each room as he went. The last room at the end of the hallway was where he found his target.

Steve paused, thinking about how he was going to do this. He hoped Matt had escaped without anyone noticing and was able to relay his message to Danny. He knew Danny would be ranting about it right now. Steve knew this wasn't his brightest idea ever, but it was the only one that ensured Danny and Grace were safe. Right now, that was his primary and only concern. Steve just hoped he would be alive at the end of this to hear the rant from his best friend. He would never admit it out loud, but it amused Steve to no end how riled up the small detective can get, even about the smallest, most inconsequential things.

The room was small, with a couch and a compact kitchenette. There was a man sitting on the couch, facing away from the door. Steve entered the room slowly, glancing around to see if there was anyone else present. Steve inched his way forwards, the gun held in front of him with steady hands. He stopped when he saw the table in front of the man. It was covered in photographs. Photographs of Grace at school, being collected by Danny, at the park. Steve's blood ran cold. Fuentes had not been joking when he said he was going to take Grace again.

Steve was itching to just put a bullet in the man's head right now. But he wanted to see the man's face when he killed him. He knew the man would suffer more if he saw who was pulling the trigger. Steve edged around the couch until he was face to face with the man.

Albeit surprised to see Steve, the man leant back against the couch and smirked. He folded his arms over his chest and waited patiently for Steve to make his move. Steve smiled menacingly back, his eyes boring into the smug man's face. The man saw the rage in Steve's eyes and flinched a little bit.

"You messed with the wrong family," Steve said in a low, even voice.

Without hesitation, Steve aimed the gun towards the man's head and fired. The sound of the gunshot was louder than Steve had anticipated in the small room and caused Steve's ears to ring. The bullet had entered exactly between the man's eyes. An expression of shock would be forever etched onto the man's face as his body slumped awkwardly on the couch.

Steve was mesmerised by the blood running out of the small hole in the man's forehead. He felt victorious, but also remorseful. He never took joy in taking other people's lives. Shaking himself, Steve drew his gaze away from the now deceased man. He knew he needed to get out of there before Fuentes' men arrived. The sound of the gun firing would surely have caught the attention of anyone inside the warehouse.

As he turned to leave the room, he heard the cocking of several guns. He cursed inwardly, disappointed by his momentary infatuation with a dead body. Steve looked around and saw seven men, all with their guns aimed at his chest. Pedro Fuentes took two steps forward, jamming his gun straight into Steve's forehead.

"Commander McGarrett! You are beginning to be quite the nuisance. I should kill you right now for what you have done. But you still have something I want. I will give you one chance to answer my question. Where is Matthew Williams?" Pedro Fuentes asked angrily.

"Don't tell me you've lost him already, Pedro?" Steve said smugly, taunting the other man.

"If that is the way you want to play it, Commander, then by all means, go ahead. I have been assured that your buyer doesn't care what condition you are in when I hand you over to him. You can save yourself some pain by just telling me where Matthew is. What does he matter to you? I mean, it is his fault that you are even here, correct?"

Steve ignored Fuentes' jab.

"Let me get this straight. You can't give me to the buyer until I tell you where Matt is and you can't kill me until I tell you where Matt is? That's quite the conundrum you have there, Fuentes," Steve said with a grin.

"We'll see about that, Commander."

Steve only smirked in response, hoping to rile Pedro up more. Pedro glanced down at the man sprawled on the couch and back to Steve's smug face. Rage suddenly lit up Pedro's eyes as he raised his gun and brought it down on the side of Steve's head. Hard.

Steve barely felt the blow to the right side of his head. The last thing he saw was the rage engulfing Fuentes' face. Steve hit the ground with a thud and the world instantly went dark.

Late Friday morning, warehouse district Honolulu:

The Five-0 team arrived in front of a large, dilapidated warehouse ten minutes later. The fact that it was one of the locations they had determined as a possible location earlier irked them. Putting that aside, they surveyed the outside, looking for signs of movement. There were fresh tire tracks in the dirt by the front entrance. The Five-0 team climbed out of the Camaro, checking the security of their vests and their ammunition. Agent Kipton pulled up in a large sedan a few seconds later.

Danny approached Kipton and took him aside. He pointed to where Matt was waiting with Chin and Kono. "He is your responsibility. He does not leave your sight, even for a second. Do you understand me?"

Kipton nodded, his face portraying seriousness. "Yes, Detective."

"Good. We don't want a repeat of last time," Danny said.

Danny walked back over to the team. He turned to Matt and looked at him sternly. "You do not move from this spot. No matter what you see or hear, you do not move. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, Danny," Matt said sincerely. "I promise not to move."

"Good. Agent Kipton will be watching you," Danny said.

Danny gathered the team and they entered the premises from the back entrance. The entrance Matt had escaped from. Danny and Kono went down the stairs while Chin cleared the upper levels. Reaching the basement, Danny and Kono entered the first room on the right. Finding this room empty, they continued down the hallway to the only other room. They remembered that Matt had said Steve was in a basement room.

They gathered their courage before opening the door and clearing the room. What they found in the room shocked them. It looked like the scene of a massacre. The floor wand walls were sprayed with blood. There were two bodies on the floor, riddled with holes from what had to be a semi-automatic weapon.

The wall opposite the door had a handcuff manacle attached by a chain to the wall. At least they knew Steve was here. The question was, where was he now?

Danny surveyed the room. "Steve didn't kill these guys…"

Kono looked at the men sprawled on the ground. Both men appeared to have been in an altercation before they were shot. One man had distinct bruising around his neck, almost definitely from the chain. The other man had a large gash above his left eye. However, cause of death was definitely the multiple bullet wounds through their chest, abdomen and legs.

"How can you tell?" Kono asked, intrigued.

"Steve is precision marksman. He would only need one bullet to finish these guys off. This…this is overkill, like someone was angry. Besides, if Steve is going on the offensive, he wouldn't risk the sound of multiple gunshots alerting Fuentes to his actions. See the bruises on that guy's neck? Steve took these guys out with stealth, not machinery. I'm guessing Fuentes found out Steve and Matt escaped and that he is to blame for the bloodshed," Danny explained.

"So, if Steve escaped, where is he?" Kono asked.

Danny sighed. "I don't know, Kono. I just don't know."

Danny's earpiece crackled with Chin's voice, causing Danny to draw his eyes away from the bodies on the ground.

"You guys might want to get up to the second floor. There is something you should see," Chin announced.

"On our way Chin," Kono said into her earpiece.

The pair made their way back up the stairs and towards the second floor of the warehouse. They met Chin outside a room at the end of a hallway. It appeared to be a staff room of some sort.

"What did you find, Chin?" Danny asked as he approached the room.

"Take a look for yourself," Chin said, stepping aside to let Danny and Kono through.

Entering the room, the first thing Danny saw was the dead body on the couch. The second thing he saw were the blood-covered photographs on the table. The ones containing his daughter. His precious monkey. There was a sharp intake of breath from Kono. Danny turned and looked at the body on the couch, understanding Kono's reaction instantly.

"I don't believe it," Danny whispered.

Thank you for reading. We are officially half way through the story.