CHAPTER 29

Tuesday afternoon, Kapiolani Boulevard construction site:

Danny stopped the Camaro in front of the construction site. He scanned the building, seeing nothing untoward. He knew better than anyone that looks could be deceiving. It was quiet, almost foreboding. He turned to face Matt in the passenger seat.

"Are you ready for this?" Danny asked.

"For Grace, absolutely," Matt said with confidence.

The brothers got out of the car. Danny really wanted his gun. He lamented leaving it in the car, but he was following Fuentes' instructions. Danny proceeded towards the construction site, keeping his eyes open for any sign of movement. It was quiet, almost too quiet. Danny stopped, looking around again. He honestly expected there to be at least a welcome party. The hairs on the back of Danny's neck stood up. Something wasn't right.

There was no one there. No sign anyone had been there in a while. If Fuentes and his men weren't here, that meant…

'Oh no,' Danny thought. He looked down at his watch. 3:55pm.

Danny pushed Matt back towards the car while talking into his earpiece.

"Abort! I repeat, abort! It's a trap. Fuentes is not here. Everyone fall back now! I repeat, fall back!" Danny yelled.

Hearing Danny's urgent tone, Matt sprinted towards the Camaro with Danny in tow. They ducked around the side of the Camaro, squatting beside it and using it for cover.

"Danny, what's…" Matt managed before the sound of an explosion cut him off.

The construction complex behind them exploded and debris and ash rained down on them. Even behind the car, they could feel the heat of the flames emanating from the building. After a moment, Danny chanced a look over the Camaro. The building was absolutely destroyed, completely ablaze. If anyone was inside when it blew, there was no chance they would have made it out alive.

"What the hell?" Kono's angry voice came over the earpiece.

"Chin, Kono. Are you guys okay?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, we're fine. We were about two hundred metres away when we heard your order. We were lucky. Kono's car, not so much," Chin replied.

"What was Fuentes thinking? What's his plan?" Kono sounded beyond furious. Danny suspected it was more to do with the damage to her car than almost being blown up. She was really starting to take after Steve.

"I think he was planning on taking us all out at once. Kill multiple birds with one stone," Danny guessed.

"Let's hope Steve was more lucky," Chin remarked.

"Oh, crap, Steve!" Danny said, standing to find his phone.

"What's wrong Danny?" Kono said.

"Fuentes' men. They are probably waiting for Steve at the warehouse. There is no way Steve can on all of them," Danny said, panicking.

Chin and Kono finally made it back around the front of the building. The HPD officers were looking up at the burning building in awe. Luckily they weren't any closer to the building when it blew. Danny was about to call Steve's number when his phone came to life in his hand. Looking at the caller ID, Danny saw it was a blocked number. Dread filled him as he answered. Fuentes must be checking to see if he's dead.

"Don't tell me you got stuck in traffic," Danny answered, not showing that the explosion had rattled him.

"No, I didn't, Detective. Besides, I thought I told you to come alone? Do you know what happens when you don't follow instructions?" Fuentes said.

Danny looked at the building burning behind him. "I'm sure I can guess. But why don't you tell me, Fuentes."

"Things fall apart and disintegrate, crumbling into ash…" Fuentes remarked.

"Very poetic. I'm sure you spent some time coming up with that one…" Danny snapped.

"I hope you said goodbye to your partner. He wasn't as careful as he thought he was," Fuentes said.

Danny froze. What did that mean? Danny jumped when he heard the sound of a gunshot. Then there was nothing.

Just silence.

Chin and Kono looked at Danny, noticing the way his face went pale. Danny dropped the phone, looking desolate.

"Danny?" Kono asked quietly. "What happened Danny?"

Danny looked up at her face, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"Steve…," he started. "Fuentes got Steve…He's…" Danny trailed off, unable to continue.

"What happened to Steve, Danny?" Chin asked, concerned.

"There was a shot. I heard it. I think…I think Steve's dead," Danny whispered as the tears began to fall down his face.

Tuesday afternoon, warehouse district Honolulu:

At the same time as Danny was conducting the raid at the construction site, Steve was driving towards the warehouse. Looking in his rear-view mirror, he saw a pick-up truck following about two hundred metres behind him. Steve smiled. His hunch was correct. Fuentes was waiting for him.

"Rod, we've got a tail. Are you ready?" Steve said to his passenger.

"Alway. Just be careful, you got that?" Rodger Tillman said from the backseat.

"You're starting to sound like Danny. He's always on my case about stuff like this," Steve quipped.

"Well, he has a good reason to be. Even I think this is crazy," Rodger replied.

"Yeah, well. The crazier, the better. It's all about misdirection. Fuentes won't know what hit him…Okay, the turn is coming up. Get ready…in three…two…one. Go!" Steve said.

As Steve turned into a small cul-de-sac at a low speed, Rodger opened the rear passenger door and rolled out. Steve continued driving and quickly pulled in front of a large delivery truck, effectively hiding his vehicle from passing traffic. Rodger ran over to the blue truck parked on the side street and quickly got in, making sure his sunglasses and ball cap were in place.

The pick-up truck entered the street a few minutes after them and pulled over a few streets back from the truck Rodger was in. Putting the truck in gear, Rodger turned the car around in the street and drove back the way they had come. He pressed a finger to his ear, talking into the earpiece.

"Okay, Steve. I'm driving past them now…and they are following. It appears they bought it."

"Roger that," was Steve's reply. "I'm moving. Be careful Rod. Fuentes will be expecting a cavalry. Watch your back."

"Believe it or not, Smooth Dog, I have done this before. Besides, we have a cavalry of our own. You had better be careful. I don't want to have to drag you back to the hospital, or much less, the morgue. Over and out."

Steve pulled out from his position and continued along the road, heading towards the coast. he just hoped his hunch was right and Grace was there. If not, then hopefully Tillman would find her. Steve's shoulder was throbbing as he drove. He pushed the pain into the back of his mind and focussed on his mission. Rescue Grace. Take out Fuentes. He repeated that over and over the entire drive.

He continued driving until he reached the turn off to Piikoi street. He drove until his house was in sight. He pulled into one of his neighbour's driveways and pulled all the way around to the back, making sure his car wasn't able to be seen from the street. Exiting the vehicle, he grunted with pain as the movement caused his shoulder and ribs to erupt with fiery pain. The Tylenol he had taken earlier was wearing off. Steve felt down his pockets, lamenting the fact he hadn't thought to bring any more with him.

Ignoring the pain for now, Steve went to the back of his truck and retrieved his vest. After a little tweaking, he was able to put his vest on around his injured arm. He was glad he didn't have the sling. Although his arm would heal better with the support, he knew if he found Grace, he would need both his arms and couldn't be hindered by the sling. Grabbing his guns, he put one in his thigh holster and one in the ankle holster. He made sure his knife was still safely situated in its own ankle holster. Then, he retrieved a small back pack from the bed of the truck.

Keeping to the bushes around his house, he made his way to the front, keeping his senses tuned to pick up anything amiss. Stopping by the gate, he surveyed the property. He couldn't see any of Fuentes' men. If he was lucky, they were all distracted by the diversion. Steve silently crept towards the back of his house. He was surprised when he saw his lanai door had evidently been repaired. He would have to thank Danny for that later.

Steve approached the lanai door, but ducked out of sight as soon as he saw movement. It was just a shadow, but it was enough to tell Steve there was at least one man in the house. Steve moved over to the window so he could peer inside and obtain their location. Instead, he saw Grace sitting at his kitchen table with Fuentes. Fuentes' back was to Steve while Grace was facing him. If Grace had seen Steve, she didn't show it.

'Good girl,' Steve thought.

So far, Steve figured there were two tangos: Fuentes and one of his men. He had a problem. He couldn't get to Grace without both men seeing him. It was too open, too exposed. He wouldn't get within an arm's reach of them and Grace could get caught up in the crossfire if he barged in now. He needed a distraction. Steve smiled when he thought about what he was going to do. It would only be a few small explosions, after all.

Quickly unzipping the back pack, he pulled out a few hand grenades and some fishing line. He used some of the fishing line to attach the grenades to the door handles. Then, he wrapped some around the pins, careful not to pull them just yet. With the grenades set, he walked around the side of the house until he reached the large tree in the backyard. Carefully, he scaled the tree one-handed until he was level with the second floor of his house. Jumping onto the balcony outside his bedroom, he listened by the doors, waiting to see if anyone heard him.

Just as he was about to enter the room, a third man appeared, evidently coming from his bathroom. Steve pressed himself against the wall, out of sight. Steve closed his eyes, hoping the explosion wouldn't be too big. He hoped Grace wouldn't be too close. With a deep breath, Steve tugged on the fishing line, effectively pulling out the pins on the grenades. A few seconds later, he heard the wonderful sound of a well-placed explosion.

While Steve lamented having to do some serious remodelling after this, he was pleased to see his distraction worked. Fuentes' men had run towards the back and were currently firing at an invisible enemy. With the men distracted, Steve entered his bedroom. Steve went to went to his bedroom door, only to spot another man standing at the end of the hallway, in front of Mary's old room.

There was yelling downstairs, all in Spanish. Steve heard the sound of someone running up the stairs. He saw the brown pigtails before he saw the face. Somehow, Grace had gotten away from Fuentes in the confusion. Steve motioned for her to come to his room. She ran straight for him. The man in the hallway also saw her, making a beeline straight for Grace.

Steve braced himself, waiting for the man to get close. As soon as the man reached the doorway, Steve extended a leg, tripping the man over. Steve extracted his knife and went to turn the man over. The man recovered from his fall quickly and managed to get in a hit before Steve could. Steve's vision blurred as the man's fist hit the side of his head. Steve landed on the floor with a dull thud. He wondered belatedly if it was loud enough for Fuentes to hear. He decided it didn't matter since the explosion would have alerted Fuentes to his presence anyway.

It took a moment for Steve to realise the man was getting up off the floor. Steve scrambled, standing up just before the other man did. Steve tackled him, bringing his knife down into the centre of the man's chest. The man gaped silently, as though he was trying to speak, but couldn't. The suction noise when Steve removed the knife makes him cringe. Steve never liked killing, but right now, Grace was more important than his feelings.

Steve quickly jumped over the man and ran back into his bedroom. He closed and locked the door behind him, listening to see if anyone was coming up the stairs. He knew he didn't have long until Fuentes and his other man figured out he wasn't outside.

"Uncle Steve!" Grace said, latching on to him in a fierce hug, crushing his ribs.

Steve groaned. "Hey Gracie."

"I knew you would be here, Uncle Steve. I'm glad you are okay. Danno was so worried about you," Grace said, not letting go of Steve.

"I'm okay, Grace. Really…I need you to listen really carefully. The bad man is going to be here soon. I need you to take my phone. When I squeeze your shoulder, I want you to run out to the balcony and climb down the tree. Then I need you to call Danno and tell him where you are. Can you do that? Can you be brave again?" Steve said quietly.

Grace nodded, taking Steve's phone and putting it in her pocket. Steve smiled and stood back from the door, making sure Grace was behind him. A few moments later, there was a thudding at the door. Grace held onto Steve's leg tightly. Steve shushed her, telling her it would be okay. Suddenly, the door flung open with a powerful kick, revealing Pedro Fuentes. Grace screamed.

Pedro Fuentes was alone. All the chaos downstairs was quiet. eerily so. Fuentes sauntered into the room, his gun trained on Steve.

"I told you we would be seeing each other again, McGarrett. You thought you could outsmart me?" Fuentes said, seething.

"Well, I obviously did. Where are all your men right now?" Steve said smugly.

"You may have given my men the slip, but I have always been three steps ahead of you. Where is your partner right now, Commander?" Fuentes said joyfully.

The sudden change in Fuentes' mood concerned Steve. Danny was at the construction site. So was his team and half of HPD. There must have been something he overlooked, something he's missed. What did Fuentes know? Steve's hesitation to answer made Fuentes smile.

"He's fine," Steve said with false confidence.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. Now Grace can watch as her entire family falls around her, all thanks to her Uncle Matt," Fuentes said, sneering.

"She's just a kid, man. You want Matt to suffer, not her. Why are you doing this?" Steve asked, stalling for time.

"This is the only way Matt will learn not to mess with me again. Not that he will live long enough to learn that particular lesson…Besides, you and I have unfinished business. You have managed to single-handedly take out several of my men and murder my brother. If we weren't on opposite sides, I'd be impressed. However, your streak must come to an end."

Fuentes reached into his pocket for his phone and dialled what Steve was sure was Danny's number. Steve placed his hand on Grace's shoulder, getting ready to give her the single. She looked up at him with wide eyes. He smiled at her, trying to convey the love he felt for her. Steve turned back to face Fuentes as Danny answered the phone. Fuentes smiled, apparently amused by whatever Danny had said.

"No, I didn't, Detective. Besides, I thought I told you to come alone? Do you know what happens when you don't follow instructions?" Fuentes said.

Fuentes eyes sparkled with delight as he looked at Steve. Steve really didn't like where this was going. There was a beat while Fuentes listened to Danny's answer. Steve got ready, moving minutely so as to not catch Fuentes' attention.

"Things fall apart and disintegrate, crumbling into ash…" Fuentes smiled as he looked at Steve. "I hope you said goodbye to your partner…He wasn't as careful as he thought he was."

Fuentes aimed his gun at the same time Steve moved. Steve brought his gun up and fired at the same time as Fuentes, while yelling for Grace to run.

Tuesday afternoon, McGarrett residence:

Grace felt Uncle Steve squeeze her shoulder. Without hesitation, she ran towards the balcony and quickly spotted the tree she was supposed to climb down. Luckily, she had climbed this tree before. She wasn't supposed to tell Danno about it. It was their secret. As soon as she hit the ground, she ran down the beach and didn't stop. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she knew she couldn't stop.

As she ran, she couldn't stop the tears running down her face. She had heard gunshots. Her Uncle Steve had been shot by the bad man. Thinking about Uncle Steve reminded her that he had given her his phone. Slowing down, she quickly scrolled through his contacts until she found her Danno's number. She quickly dialled and waited for him to pick up. When he didn't answer, she hung up and tried again. This time, it went straight to voicemail.

She couldn't figure out why she couldn't call her father. The phone was on and had battery, but the call wouldn't connect. Maybe she was out of range. Grace turned and went back, hoping to find an area with cell signal. She found herself back where she started, not far from her Uncle's house. She was about to try calling him again when the sound of another gunshot from inside the house stopped her in her tracks.