Chapter 13
"Aftermath"
From their very first meeting Danny had not liked Agent Lynch. Yet, here he was thinking how unfortunate it was that the man's life had come to an end while trying to transport that miserable excuse for a human being, Paul Keller.
The three Five-0 members surveyed the area before making an attempt to move closer to the fallen CIA agents. The rookie, Barnes, lay unmoving and upon further inspection they found him to be unconscious. Lynch lay a few feet away in a puddle of blood.
"He was a jerk, but I feel sorry for him," Kono said as Chin stepped forward to check for a pulse.
Chin's fingers were almost to the man's neck when Lynch's hand shot up and grabbed his wrist. "Whoa, we're the good guys," Chin said.
"You're alive!" Danny exclaimed.
"Sorry to disappoint," Lynch groaned. He tried to sit up, but stopped as he felt a stab of pain in his chest. He had taken two bullets to the vest and he knew he would be sore for a while.
"Hey, take it easy," Chin cautioned. "You've lost a lot of blood."
Lynch placed a hand over the gunshot wound on his right arm. "Will you quit fussing over me, Mother, go help T.J.," he said, a hint of distress in his voice.
He watched as Chin squatted beside T.J.. The look on his face told Lynch the regrettable truth. He struggled to his knees. He had to check the fallen man for himself. He needed to place his fingers on T.J.'s neck to be sure he really was dead. As his index and middle fingers found the spot, he hoped that maybe the Five-0 member had been wrong. His eyes closed as the final proof registered in his mind and sank deep into his gut. Tennyson James Carter was no more.
Lynch let out a few unsavory words, threatening to get even with Keller. Then he covered his eyes with his hand, smearing his own blood on his face.
The three Five-0 members were surprised by the agent's depth of feeling for the fallen man. They walked quietly away to give him a few moments alone. They had seen a different side of Jason Lynch today.
The four men that had been driving in the last car of the now destroyed convoy straggled over to them. Lynch wasted no time in handing out fiery reprimands as the emergency vehicles arrived on the scene. The Five-0 team filled in HPD on the situation and they put out an APB on Keller. Not that it would do much good; the man knew how to disappear. They knew that from experience.
"This is like watching a rerun of a bad TV show," Danny said.
"What do we tell Steve?" Chin asked.
"How about we tell him to take a couple weeks vacation while we clean up this mess and find Keller."
"As good as that sounds," Chin replied, "I don't think that will work."
There was a sudden cry from the rookie agent, Barnes. The Five-0 members turned to see Lynch kick Barnes in the leg while he yelled at him to get off the ground and find Keller.
"I'd hate to be him right now," Kono admitted.
"How about having some pity for me," Danny requested. "I'm the one that has to break the news to Steve."
"He's gonna want to come out here," Chin added, "but he won't want to leave Natalie."
"I'll go keep an eye on her," Kono offered. "Can you guys finish up here?"
"Yeah," Chin said. "But don't you think you should get checked out by the paramedics first?"
"No, I'm fine. The boss needs to be here. I'll get a ride back to HQ and then head to his house."
"Okay, we'll see you later," Chin said. "And, cuz, be careful."
She nodded and walked away to find a ride.
Danny and Chin took a moment to observe their surroundings. The fire from the vehicles was now under control and they could see the extent of the damage.
"Why do you think they left Lynch alive?" Chin asked.
"I have no idea," Danny replied. "The guy was right on top of him. There is no way he could have missed. They left him alive intentionally."
"It appears that way, but I'm wondering why."
"Well, I'll leave you to wonder that for the both of us while I call Steve. This isn't going to go well no matter how I word it."
* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *
Steve had begun preparations for breakfast while Natalie cleaned up the spilled cereal and made the bed. He had offered to help her, but she insisted on doing it herself, so he could make breakfast.
As he cracked the eggs he heard Natalie call from upstairs. "Daddy, can you help me finish making your bed? The blanket's caught on something."
He rinsed off his hands and headed up the stairs. Walking into his room he saw the newly made bed. "Natty?" he said.
Steve noticed too late that one of the pillows was missing from the bed. Whack! Natalie hit him from behind with the missing pillow and exploded into giggles. He dove toward the bed and grabbed a fluffy weapon for himself. She hit him again.
"You better run and hide, short stuff," Steve warned.
"You were short once too, Mister," Natalie sputtered, jumping on his back.
"That's Commander to you, little monster," he laughed, flipping her onto the bed and hitting her with the pillow.
Natalie rolled off the bed and charged at him, wielding her pillow like a sword. As they whacked each other with their respective weapons Steve had the thought that this was something Alex would do to him. Feigning she needed help and then ambushing him from behind. He could not wait for her to come back from Virginia. He looked forward to having a pillow fight with her.
His mind had wandered far enough that he lost his concentration. One misguided swing from Natalie's pillow abruptly ended their fun. Steve made a mental note that Natalie would either have to stand on the bed or grow taller before they had another pillow fight. He decided it was time to finish making breakfast.
"Daddy, do you feel better now?" Natalie asked as she buttered their toast.
Steve looked down at her while he scrambled the eggs. "Yeah, I'm good."
"Can we play again after breakfast?" she smiled.
"Um…I think we have other things to do."
She rested her head against him. "Okay," she sighed. A few moments passed before she added, "I'm glad you're my daddy."
He smiled and bent down to kiss the top of her head. "Me too," he said in a husky whisper. He wanted to say more, but the words were caught somewhere between his heart and his tongue.
He was just serving the eggs onto their plates when his phone rang. It was Danny. He had said he would call when Keller's plane left the airport. Steve took a deep breath and turned away from Natalie before answering. "Hey, Danny."
"Steve…" Danny hesitated.
The way his partner said his name alerted Steve to the fact that something was wrong. He soon found out. Danny filled him in on the details, while he listened with growing apprehension. Even though Natalie was in the room, he glanced over to make sure she was alright. He watched her for a moment as she searched in the refrigerator for something before he turned away to face the window.
"I'm not sure what else to tell you," Danny said. "It all happened so fast."
Steve wiped a hand over his face. His throat was so tight he didn't think he would be able to respond.
"Daddy," Natalie said, still looking inside the refrigerator, "why don't we have any juice?"
Steve barely heard her. He was trying to process what Danny had just told him. This was a nightmare, one he could not wake up from.
"Daddy?" Natalie said with a note of worry. She did not need to see his face to know something was wrong. His posture was rigid and the way he rubbed his hand back and forth over his eyes made her anxious. "Daddy? Is mommy okay?"
Her question pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked down at her. "Everything's okay, sweetheart. Here." He handed her a plate of eggs and toast. "Go sit at the table and eat your breakfast."
"But-"
"Natty, it's okay. Go ahead, I'll be with you in a minute."
She left the kitchen reluctantly. Steve found himself following her because he was afraid to let her out his sight. He stood outside the door of the dinning room and spoke in a low voice. "Danny, I can't leave Natty."
"Kono's coming," Danny informed him. "We thought you would feel better leaving her with one of us."
"Thanks, Danny."
"You should call Alex and tell her what happened, just in case. Is Nate there with you?"
"Damn it." Steve remembered Keller's threat against his brother when he and Danny went to question him. "He's not here. I gotta go."
Steve ended the call and was nearly frantic as he pulled up Nate's number and waited for him to pick up. It rang once, twice, with no answer. He felt beads of sweat drip down the side of his face. Three rings. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. The fourth ring.
"Hello," Nate answered.
"Where are you?" Steve demanded.
"I told you last night I had to go out so I could take care of a few things for Danny's car."
"You need to come home right now."
"Steve, I'm in the middle of something. I can't just drop it. Can you tell me what's wrong?"
"Nathan, drop what you're doing, get in your car and come home."
The way Steve said his full first name and the tone in his voice reminded Nate of their father. "Can you at least tell me if everyone's okay?"
"We're fine…just please come home. And be careful."
* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *
Steve tried to make sense of the thoughts ricocheting in his mind as he drove to the location Danny had given him. He slammed his hand on the steering wheel. "We had him!" he yelled. "We had him. How the hell did this happen?" He ran through the list of possibilities, but didn't come to any conclusions.
He accelerated, weaving in and out of traffic, anxious to make it to his destination. Several people blasted their horns at his erratic driving, but he didn't hear them. He wondered to what lengths Keller would go to destroy him. His greatest fear was that Keller might take away what had just been restored to him. Family.
Steve had called Alex to tell her what happened. She accepted the news calmly, but the subtle change in the timbre of her voice betrayed her anxiety.
He thought of Natalie and the look on her face when he left the house. She stood just inside the front door holding onto Kono's hand, uncertainty filling her eyes or perhaps it was tears. He hadn't told her the reason for his hasty departure or the reason she was staying with Kono and not with Henri and Hannah. She had been through so much. How could he tell her that he let her father escape?
Then there was Nate; his little brother, who he was supposed to protect. Keller would surely go after him like he had threatened and what was to stop Keller from going after Mary. His team was probably not safe either.
Steve's truck screeched to a stop as he reached the scene of the ambushed convoy. The two vehicles involved in the collision were still smoldering as he parked his truck outside the cordoned off intersection. Ducking under the yellow police tape, he surveyed the area. He tried to locate Danny and Chin, but he spotted Lynch first.
His jaw muscles tightened as he watched a paramedic dress the wound on the agent's arm. The idea that Lynch had orchestrated this catastrophe seized a hold of him. It was the only possibility he was considering at the moment.
He hardly noticed the crunching shards of glass beneath his boots as he advanced toward the agent. All rational thought left him. He was going to get answers. And he was going to get them his way.
Danny was talking to an HPD officer when he saw Steve. He could tell by his partner's stride and expression that someone would soon be facing his wrath. Danny's eyes followed Steve's path and discovered Lynch was to be the recipient.
Chin was a few feet away jotting down some notes for their report when he heard Danny yell out, "Chin, drop what you're doing! We've got a SEAL alert!" Without hesitation Chin shoved his clipboard into an officer's hands and took off after Danny. However, they were a little late.
Steve threw Lynch against the side of the ambulance. The agent slid to the ground with a cry of pain, clutching his wounded arm.
"Get your ass off the ground," Steve ordered, yanking Lynch to his feet. He then shoved him against the ambulance while a paramedic tried to prevent him from injuring the man further, but Steve pushed him away. He held Lynch tightly by his shirt front and growled, "This is why you didn't want me to be a part of moving Keller." When Lynch didn't respond Steve shook him. "Isn't it?"
"No."
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now?"
"This isn't my fault," Lynch replied in a hoarse whisper.
"That's not a good reason." Steve used his arm to press the wound on Lynch's arm. The man gritted his teeth to keep himself from screaming. "You think that hurts?" Steve snapped. "If Keller touches my family, and that includes my team, this is nothing compared to what I will do to you."
"Get in line," Lynch shot back. "You think I'm gonna be around much longer after what just happened?"
"Steve!" Danny shouted as he and Chin reached him. "This isn't his fault!"
Steve could not believe his partner was defending Lynch. That infuriated him all the more. He pulled Lynch away from the vehicle and slammed him back against it. "I'm not gonna let you get away with this."
Danny and Chin each grabbed one of Steve's arms in an effort to rip him away. The SEAL fought against his two friends, knocking them aside.
Danny ran his hands through his hair and looked at Chin. "We tried to play nice."
Chin raised his eyebrows in agreement. "We did."
Danny knew this situation warranted extraordinary measures. He would apologize later. Hopefully, Steve would forgive him. Inhaling deeply, he readied himself. "Hey, you crazy animal," he yelled. "I am so sick of your asinine behavior!"
"He's not getting away with this, Danny." Steve pressed the wound on Lynch's arm again. "Where's Keller?"
Lynch looked as if he might pass out. "I-I don't know."
"Wrong answer." Steve squeezed Lynch's arm so hard that blood oozed between his fingers. The agent cursed him through clenched teeth.
This was getting out of hand and Danny didn't know if he would be able to get through to Steve, but he tried again. "Just because something happens that you can't control, you're allowed to go ballistic? I don't think so!" Danny whacked Steve's left shoulder a few times trying to gain his attention. "Look at me, you idiot, I'm talkin' to you!"
Steve glared at his partner. "Shut up, Danny!"
"I'll shut up when I'm good and ready." Danny looked around for Chin, who seemed to have disappeared. "You should know that I don't get paid enough to keep you from doing stupid things. And Chin should be helping me right now, but Chin doesn't get paid enough either." Steve began walking away dragging Lynch with him. Danny didn't know what else to do, so he shoved Steve as hard as he could. "Hey, you big ape, I'm not done talking to you!"
Steve stumbled and lost his grip on the agent, who crumbled to the ground. "What the hell are you doing?" Steve yelled, turning back to his partner.
"I'm trying to keep you from doing something stupid, haven't you been listening to me?"
"I'm taking Lynch for a drive and I'm gonna get some answers."
"I can't let you do that."
Steve shoved his index finger at his partner's chest. "Stay out of this, Danny."
"Why don't you make me?" Danny motioned with his hands toward himself. "Come on, big boy, show me what you've got." Danny knew it was suicide to provoke a Navy SEAL, but he had no choice.
Steve's scowl deepened, but he turned his back on Danny before he did something he would regret. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. This required action on his part. Steve spun around and was greeted by a Danny Williams' knuckle sandwich. He staggered backwards, reaching for his throbbing jaw. In the next moment, his legs were swept out from under him as Chin took him down.
Before Steve could move, his arms were yanked behind him and he felt metal cuffs encircle his wrists. He tried to move his legs, but they were bound as well.
"Chin, you have some serious ninja skills," Danny said. "I didn't even see you."
Chin smiled in response and then looked down at Steve. "Sorry, boss."
Steve twisted his head to look up at Danny and Chin. "You two are fired!"
Danny rubbed his hand while he attempted to catch his breath. "That hurt me more than it hurt you, trust me, babe."
Steve fought to free himself. "This isn't funny, Danny."
"I couldn't agree with you more, but we weren't going to stand by and watch you tear a man to pieces. Chin and I would rather see you humiliated for a few minutes than behind bars for the rest of your life. I'm sure Alex would agree with us."
At the mention of Alex, Steve quit struggling and rested the side of his face on the pavement. His heart was still pounding and he was drenched with sweat, but he forced himself to slow down and think about what he had just been doing.
Lynch was now lying on his back, his face pasty white. A paramedic knelt at his side taking his vital signs.
"You know, McGarrett," Lynch mumbled, "we have to stop meeting like this. It's bad for my health." He paused to lick his dry lips. "I may be a lot of things, but I would never kill my own men. I lost three today. I'm sure you can identify with losing team members… It doesn't feel so good."
Steve realized this was the first time he had ever heard Lynch speak without using sarcasm.
"My head's on the chopping block for losing Keller," Lynch explained. "That extraction team left me alive for a reason. If you feel humiliated being hogtied, step into my shoes. My career is over." He rolled his head to the side so he could see McGarrett. "You think I planned this? I would never go through all this for an SOB like Keller." He looked at Danny. "Will you please free the man. Even I can't stand to see him that way."
Danny and Chin released Steve from his bonds. He sat up and wiped his face with his sleeve. "If you didn't do it, Lynch," Steve said, spitting out some dirt and blood, "then who did?"
A/N: I hope you liked the chapter. I'd love to hear what you thought of it.
I want to thank Shakespeare's Lemonade for all her help with this story and for her suggestions on this chapter. It wouldn't have turned out the way it did without her.