CHAPTER 28

Tuesday morning, unknown location:

The sound of a lock disengaging woke Grace Williams from her fitful sleep. She immediately shuffled backwards until her back hit the wall and she curled into herself. The door opened revealing a person in the doorway. The mean man was back. This time, however, he had a plastic plate with a sandwich on it and a small plastic bottle of water. The mean man knelt down in front of Grace and placed the food by her feet. She kept her head down, refusing to look at him. She heard him lower his body onto the wooden floorboards, probably facing her.

"You need to eat, Grace. Your father wouldn't be very happy with me if I let you starve, now would he?" Fuentes said.

At the mention of her father, Grace looked up into the cold, dark eyes of the man sitting before her.

"Danno?" she asked.

The man nodded. "You will see him soon, I promise. And your Uncle Matt will also be coming to visit. Isn't that nice?" he said sweetly.

Grace didn't say anything in response. She knew this man was bad, like the kind of people her father put in jail. She wondered if the man was telling the truth, that she would see Danno soon. Her father often told her that bad people lied. Grace couldn't wait for her Danno to put the handcuffs on this bad man. Grace knew he deserved it.

"Eat up, Grace. Then you will see Danno again," the bad man said as he stood up and left the room.

Grace flinched when she heard the door slam behind him, the click of the clock echoing through the small room. She carefully approached the food. There was a salad sandwich, cut into triangles and a bottle of water. She took a small bite of the sandwich. Realising how hungry she was, she wolfed down the remainder of the sandwich. She then took a few sips from the water bottle, washing it down.

After eating her meal, she stood up and looked out the window. The light was bright, telling her it was sometime in the morning.. She went to sit back in her corner and began planning what to say if the bad man let her speak to Danno again. She would help him find her.

Tuesday morning, Five-0 Headquarters:

That morning, the Five-0 team were found snoring in their chairs or couches. They had spent the entire night going over every single detail for their plan. Even their back-up plans had back-up plans. They would storm both locations simultaneously. At least, that was the plan. They just hoped it would be enough to throw Fuentes off.

Danny stirred from his uncomfortable position in his chair. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked around his office. On the couch was his ex-wife, sleeping soundly. His brother was on the floor on some cushions borrowed from Kono's office. Danny took a moment to look over at his exhausted teammates in their respective offices. Chin was leant back in his chair, head tipped back and mouth wide open. Kono was resting her head on the desk, probably drooling. Steve, on the other hand, appeared to be wide awake and concentrating on something on his computer.

Sighing, Danny stretched before standing up and walking over to his partner's office. He knocked on the door and waited for Steve to acknowledge him. Steve waved him in with his good arm and Danny walked in and sat on the couch.

"You know, you should be using this more than me," Danny said, gesturing to the couch. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

Steve just shrugged his uninjured arm and continued look at his computer.

Danny sighed. "What's wrong, Steve?"

Steve looked up at his partner. Danny saw the doubt in his eyes. "Nothing. I mean, I think nothing's wrong…I don't know. I'm just guessing here. I don't know if any of this will work," Steve rambled uncharacteristically.

"We can always pull back. We have some time to come up with another…" Danny began.

Steve stood and began pacing. "No! That is not an option. We can't fail. We will get Grace and we will take out as many of Fuentes' people as possible."

"Steve…I know you want to help, but in case you forgot, you are injured and should be resting in a hospital. We can do this without you," Danny said.

Steve smiled. "No, you can't. I am your ace in hole," Steve's smile faded. "This is the only way to make sure Grace is safe."

Danny stood and faced Steve. "By making yourself a target? Think about it…What happens if you go storming in alone to get Grace and Fuentes is there, waiting for you? What happens then?"

"I won't be going alone," Steve said, smirking at Danny.

"Oh, right. I forgot. You and an old man," Danny said sarcastically.

"Hey, he's not that old. You said you wanted crazy. I got you crazy," Steve said.

"Right," Danny said, biting his bottom lip.

Steve took a deep breath. "Look, I know it's not the best plan, but what other option do we have? If Grace is not at the drop site, she has to be at the warehouse. We can't risk not covering every angle. Fuentes isn't expecting me, but he is expecting our team. Please Danny. I have to do this…Grace has to be okay."

Danny was almost surprised by Steve's pleading tone. "Steve…I know how much Grace means to you. Hell, she might even like you more than me. She's the only reason I wake up each day and want to stay on this island. Without her, I will fall apart. But, if the…worst…does happen, I'm going to need you there to help me through it. Just…promise me you will be careful, huh?"

Steve's eyes were rimmed with tears. "I promise, Danno."

Danny smiled. "I'm going to hold you to that Steve."

Steve grinned genuinely.

"Okay, what time are HPD getting here again?" Danny asked, getting down to business.

Clearing his throat, Steve answered, "In about three hours. We will explain the plan to them and then set up the assault. Have we heard anything new about Kipton?"

"He made it through surgery. They were able to remove all the bullets. One was lodged very close to his heart and one tore a hole through his lung. He's on life support at the moment. It's still touch and go. Remind me to thank the man for trying to protect my family when this is all over. I owe him, even though this is all partly his fault."

Steve looked at Danny quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, you weren't here for that. Not long after you disappeared, Kipton showed up, wanting to work together to find Fuentes. The timing was a little too convenient. Kipton provided some information saying Matt was on the island. Afterwards, we figured out it was fake, the information, that is. Anyway, after a phone call from Fuentes, something he said made me think we had a mole. Your little search algorithm gave us the puzzle pieces. Thanks for that, by the way. We thought Kipton had leaked the information to Fuentes. He actually did, in a way…Anyway, it turns out Matt came to the FBI two months ago and he gave information against Fuentes' organisation in exchange for his safety. They set up the call I got from Matt, hoping Fuentes would think Matt was on the island. They wanted to draw out Fuentes so they could capture him. Instead, it drew Fuentes to me, and by extension, you and Grace. Oh, by the way, Kipton knows you lied to him the night Matt ran away."

Danny explained all of this very quickly and it was difficult for Steve to follow.

"What?" Steve said, bewildered.

"Yeah," Danny said, plowing on. "Anyway, Matt is now considered an FBI asset, so they wouldn't let us use him for the exchange when you were being sold to the highest bidder. Kipton is actually brighter than he looks. His hands were tied, but he gave us some ideas. Like using Toast to pretend to be Hiro Noshimuri and win the auction. That ended up backfiring, but it was a good idea at the time…"

"Is there anything else I missed that I should be aware of?" Steve asked when Danny appeared to have slowed down.

"Um…," Danny said, thinking. "I don't think so…Well, maybe one thing."

"What?" Steve said, anxious to know what it was.

"I may have called…Catherine…to help us…find you," Danny explained haltingly.

Steve snorted. "You saved me some trouble later on. She would have kicked my ass had she not been involved. Thanks."

Danny's jaw dropped open. That was not the response he was expected. Those two definitely had a unique relationship.

Danny cleared his throat, getting back on task again. "So, shall we go over the plan again before HPD gets here?"

Steve's face became serious. "Yeah. Let's make Kipton's sacrifice worth it, shall we?"

Tuesday afternoon, unknown location:

Grace Williams woke up from her nap to the sound of footsteps echoing in the hall outside the door. The sound of the door unlocking followed and soon the door opened, revealing the scary man.

"Good afternoon, Grace," the man said.

Grace didn't respond. She was hoping the man would either leave her alone or let her talk to Danno. Apparently, neither of those things were going to happen.

"How would you like to come downstairs with me? It would be nice to get out of this room for a while. Your Uncle Steve will join us soon. How does that sound?" the man said with false sincerity.

"Uncle Steve?" Grace said, confused. She thought her Danno and Uncle Matt were coming. Did that mean Uncle Steve had escaped from the bad man?

"That's right. He'll be here in a few hours," the man said.

Grace stood up and walked slowly out the open door. There was another man waiting outside the door. This man also had dark hair and dark eyes, but he had lighter skin than the bad man. He also had a big gun. Grace stopped as soon as she saw it.

"Just follow my friend here, Grace. We are going to the kitchen," the man behind her said, pushing her slightly in the back.

Grace did as she was told, following the man down the stairs and towards the front of the house where the kitchen was. She sat down at the familiar table while the bad man sat across from her. Grace looked around, expecting to see more men. There weren't any. The bad man indicated to the other man and he left the room.

Grace swallowed nervously as she looked at the man in front of her. She wondered what was going to happen now. Was her Uncle Steve really coming here? Where was Danno? The man in front her just smiled at her. Grace decided she really didn't like that smile.

Tuesday afternoon, Five-0 Headquarters:

They were ready. Well, as ready as they could be. The Five-0 offices were full of people. At least half of HPD had shown up to lend a hand. When Danny had first started at HPD, he had not been liked. At all. He was often referred to as the 'Haole'. However, since working with Five-0, he had gained some respect from the boys and girls in blue. To think that these people were now volunteering to help save his daughter from a ruthless drug lord was astonishing.

The plan was simple: draw out Fuentes' men with a grenade-based distraction, allowing Chin and Kono to enter through the back and search for Grace. Meanwhile, Steve and his old commanding officer, Rodger Tillman, would head to the warehouse where Steve had killed Fuentes' brother on the chance that Grace was stashed there. If Grace was not there, they would interrogate Fuentes' men until they gave up her location.

Danny paced. He was getting nervous, understandably. He didn't like the idea of Steve going off on his own. Well, he wasn't going alone really. The only reason he wasn't going by himself was that Danny had insisted someone go with him, due to his inability to drive with a messed-up arm. That's how a crazy ex-SEAL became part of the plan. Danny had so many questions, but it wasn't the time and certainly not the place for them.

As the deadline drew closer, everyone donned their protective gear. Danny turned to Matt and made sure his vest was fitted properly under his shirt. Matt was pale and trembling. Danny grabbed his shoulders and looked his brother in the eye.

"Matt, are you sure you can do this?" Danny said, assessing his brother carefully.

"Yeah, Danny. I'm just nervous, but who wouldn't be?" Matt replied, breathing deeply as he tried to get his nerves under control.

"Okay. Do you remember the plan?" Danny asked, making sure his brother's head was in the game.

Matt nodded quickly. "When the explosions start, run and find cover. Don't move until you or Chin or Kono come and get me, regardless of what I see or hear…Danny…I…"

Danny cut Matt off. "Not now Matt. After we find Grace and put Fuentes away for good, we will talk. Believe me, we will. But right now, I need to now you are going to be safe…because I can't lose everyone I love," he said earnestly.

"Right. Later then. I was going to say something along those lines, but you worded it much better. You always had a way with words," Matt said with a small smile.

Danny snorted. "Jerk."

Danny left Matt to talk with Chin and Kono for a moment. Rachel watched everything unfolding nervously from Danny's office. Danny had spent the morning explaining to her exactly what they were going to be doing. Instead of calming her nerves, it made her more worried, not only for her daughter, but for her ex-husband. She chewed on her nails as she watched Danny put on his bulletproof vest. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She relaxed the minute she recognised Duke.

"They'll be okay, you know," Duke said knowingly.

"I alway knew Danny's job was dangerous, but this…," Rachel trailed off.

"This is nothing like what they do on a day to day basis. This is unprecedented. Your ex-husband will do everything he can to protect those he loves. Including organising a platoon of police officers to charge into hostile territory," Duke explained.

"I realise that now. I can't lose Grace, but I also can't lose Danny," Rachel said.

"You won't. McGarrett and his team are the best. If I know McGarrett, he will find a way to make sure they both come home to you safe," Duke responded.

Rachel nodded and waved at Danny as he left the building, Matt in tow. Minutes later, the rest of the people began leaving. Steve McGarrett exited last, winking at Rachel as he walked past, armed to the hilt with weapons and carrying his vest. Rachel couldn't summon the energy to smile back. She just prayed that by the end of the day it would all be over and she could hold her daughter again.

In the Palace parking lot, the team divided into groups. Danny and Matt went to the Camaro. Chin and Kono headed to Kono's red Cruze. The remaining officers divided themselves amongst the twelve squad cars. The cars exited the lot, following the Camaro. Steve watched them leave before moving towards his truck. He got into the driver's seat and took a deep breath.

"What's taking so long? Let's get going," a man's voice whispered from the back seat.

Without turning around, Steve started the engine. Reaching to the passenger seat, he grabbed a cap and sunglasses and put them on.

"Are you ready for this?" Steve whispered back.

"For one of your crazy plan? Always," the man responded.

Steve smiled. "Thanks for having my back, Rod."

"Yep. Now can we go get the kid, please? I'm cramping up back here."

Steve smiled and pulled out of the parking lot. He turned in the opposite direction to Danny and the parade of police vehicles. Steve's gut was telling him this was the right thing to do, but he couldn't help worrying about what would happen if they failed.

He didn't see the two men waiting in a nearby pick-up truck. As soon as Steve left the parking lot, the truck followed at a discrete distance. The man in the passenger seat took out his phone and dialled.

"McGarrett has taken the bait. Williams has left with a large entourage. I'm guessing McGarrett is on his way to the warehouse. He's going to be surprised."

"Excellent," said the voice on the other end. "Call me when he gets there."

The call dropped and the two men continued to tail the blue truck as it manoeuvred through the afternoon traffic.