Chapter 30

"The Phantom List"

A black SUV rolled through the gates of a secluded estate on one of the smaller Hawaiian Islands. The house, set back from the main road, was hedged in by a high rock wall with short black iron spears protruding from the top. A rich growth of trees and bushes lined the inner boundary, while several well maintained gardens dotted the open areas of the grounds.

The vehicle followed the driveway until it came to a stop in front of a four bay garage. The driver jumped out and opened the rear door for his passenger. Wo Fat stepped from the vehicle, gave the driver instructions then hurried into the house. He was met at the entrance by Lin Chou, his chief of security. They spoke for several minutes before Wo Fat headed toward the glass doors that led outside to the lanai. He watched a woman dig in a vegetable garden, her strawberry blonde hair pulled into a loose bun. He had two pleasures in life, and she was the reason for both of them. He wanted to leave her undisturbed, but time was his enemy.

"Baba!" A young boy of five came running toward Wo Fat, his short legs carrying him over the grass. "Baba, you're home."

Wo Fat ruffled his son's hair.

"Have you been good for your mother while I was away?"

"Yes." The boy smiled.

Hearing the child call to his father, the woman turned and stood. She pulled off her gloves as she walked toward the outstretched hand Wo Fat extended to her.

"Baba, did you bring me something?" the boy said.

"Thomas," Wo Fat replied. "Go find Lin Chou."

"But…"

"Now."

"Yes, Baba." Thomas' shoulders drooped as he obeyed.

The woman searched her husband's face. "Let me get you some tea."

Wo Fat took her hand. "Julia, there is no time. We must leave within the hour."

Confusion lined her face. "Why?"

"You remember the people I rescued you from?" He asked.

Julia nodded.

"They are coming here," Wo Fat lied. "I want you to gather a few things then we must leave. Be quick."

She had questions, but the urgency in his voice stopped her from asking them, and she hurried inside.

Wo Fat knew the people coming were not the human traffickers he had saved her from six years earlier. Of course, Julia didn't need to know that. And she didn't need to know he was the one who had profited from that trafficking ring. He didn't care about lying to her, as long as he could keep her happy in the safe little world he had created.

* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *

The mood of the travelers during the flight from Japan was solemn; the recent events had taken a toll on each of them.

Chin and Kono sat on Steve's left, discussing the details of the operation facing them. Kono spoke with certainty they'd track down Keller, and save Nate, but her cousin knew from the creases between her brows she carried a measure of doubt.

T.J., who had been injured, rested on a seat across the aisle. He'd taken a bad fall, suffering a concussion and twisted knee while searching for Steve, Danny and Nate. On the seat next to him, Joe slept as if he reclined in his favorite chair instead of a lousy seat on a noisy cargo plane. He hadn't spoken since take off, and his comment concerning Hamilton's "side project" had more than one person waiting to question him.

Steve glanced to his right where Danny shifted uncomfortably in the sparsely padded seat. The detective's eyes lay closed, but Steve knew from the pained look on his face, Danny was awake. "How ya holding up?"

Danny groaned in reply.

"You should go home," Steve said.

Danny breathed out. "Not goin' home 'til you do."

Steve knew his partner had lost a lot of blood, but still insisted on being there when Wo Fat and Keller were apprehended. "Danny, your leg is bad. There's no way I'm letting you come."

"Well, it's a good thing I don't listen to you."

"We're coming, too, Boss," Chin said. "We started together, we'll finish together."

Kono nodded in agreement.

Steve appreciated the commitment his team displayed. Glancing at his watch, he estimated they had at least thirty minutes before landing in Hawaii. The plan from that point was to grab a chopper to one of the smaller islands where Wo Fat had fled. Steve worried about Nate, who was in rough shape. He wondered if his brother would still be alive when they found him. If they found him.

Hamilton climbed down from the cockpit, he walked toward Steve. "The helicopter is ready, and I have fresh supplies, plus a team waiting."

Steve frowned. "What do you mean a team? We're not working with any of your people."

Hamilton eyed the battered company. "Look around, Commander, we aren't in the best shape for the type of mission we are facing. If he hasn't already left, Wo Fat will be ready for us. And I doubt you have anyone else to call. I'm sure the Navy doesn't look very fondly on murderers."

Steve's jaw tightened. "I don't either. We'll find another way."

"Nate will be dead by then." Hamilton's tone was even.

Steve leaned forward, but Danny grabbed his arm, with more force than Steve thought possible.

"So you expect us to storm the castle with these people that work for you?" Danny asked.

"You've done nothing but lie to us." Chin said. "We're not sure we can trust you, so how will we trust your team?"

"If it makes you feel better they don't work for me," Hamilton replied.

Steve crossed his arms. "Yeah, that makes me feel better."

"I'm afraid I can't give you any more details."

"Because you already gave us so many," Danny grumbled.

"Boss." Steve turned to look at Kono. "If it helps us rescue Nate..."

Steve pursed his lips. "We'll do it, Hamilton. But these people better not get in our way."

* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *

Steve climbed out of the jeep that had transported them to the rendezvous point where Hamilton's team was waiting. He helped Danny out of the vehicle. On their right, a man of average height with sandy brown hair, and a woman with dark brown hair and green eyes, both dressed in combat gear, waited for them. Steve wasn't sure what kind of people they were, but if they were associated with Hamilton he didn't think they could be trusted. He just hoped they could all work together to find Nate and get him to safety.

"What's the situation, Gabriel?" Hamilton asked.

"A lot of activity," the man responded. "We need to move in soon or we'll miss our window."

Gabriel held out his hand to Steve. "You must be Commander McGarrett. I've heard good things about you."

Steve looked down at the outstretched hand. The gesture was unexpected, as was the friendly manner, but Steve wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. "I wish I could say the same."

Gabriel smiled then held his hand out to Joe. "Good to see you again, sir, it's been a long time."

Joe took the hand with a firm grip. "I always wondered where you ended up. It's good to see you, kid."

Steve's brow furrowed. "You know this guy, Joe?"

"Yeah, I trained him."

Gabriel motioned to the woman next to him. "This is R.J."

R.J. arched her right eyebrow. It was clear she didn't possess the same friendliness as her associate.

"She doesn't talk much," Gabriel said.

"Is it just the two of you?" Steve asked.

Gabriel smirked. "Not exactly."

An older man stepped out of the trees.

Hamilton looked upward. He hadn't planned on this complication. "What are you doing here?"

"You actually asked for my help, Will, did you really think I would miss this?"

"You could have stayed home, Russ."

"And miss the opportunity to see you squirm? Ha, not a chance." Russ turned to Steve. "I'm sorry about this misunderstanding, Commander. Unfortunately, my brother doesn't play very well with others."

Kono's eyebrows raised, and Chin glanced at Steve.

"Oh, great there's two of them," Danny mumbled.

"Don't worry, I'm the charming one." Russ winked. "Will, we tracked your boy and—

"His name is Nate," Steve snapped.

Russ stared at Steve, daring him to interrupt again. "As I was saying, we're pretty sure Nate is inside Wo Fat's compound. My team and I will get this mess sorted out."

"Speaking of your team," Hamilton said. "You're shorthanded."

Russ folded his arms across his chest. "Kohl is busy finding holes in their security. He's probably already inside. His instructions are to find Nate and protect him until we go in."

"That's my brother in there." Steve pointed in the direction of the compound. "We were suppose to handle this as a group."

"We are. And here's what we're gonna do."

* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *

There was a knock on the door. Wo Fat looked up from the safe. "Come."

The door swung open and two guards entered dragging someone behind them. "We found him scaling the south wall," one of them said, dropping the prisoner to the floor.

Wo Fat stared at the lump of torn clothing and matted, dark hair. He stiffened. "Let me see him."

The guards yanked the man's upper body off the floor, one of them grabbed a fist full of thick hair and pulled the head backward.

Wo Fat blinked. The intruder was Nate McGarrett. "Secure him then get out and search the area."

The guards taped him to a chair and exited the room.

A sliver of admiration rippled through Wo Fat as he studied the prisoner. The younger McGarrett showed the same persistence his brother possessed. "You know who I am?"

"Yes," Nate said.

Wo Fat moved to the wall where two swords hung. He lifted the long bladed weapon from its holder then turned back toward his captive. "Are there others with you?" He waited for a moment. When no response came, he pointed the sword upward, twisting the blade so it gleamed in the sunlight. "This katana," Wo Fat explained. "Is said to have belonged to the last Ashikaga shogun. Even after hundreds of years, it is as deadly as when it was forged." For a moment, Wo Fat stared at the blade then he whirled, and the sword sliced through the air cutting into the flesh of Nate's left arm.

"Who else is with you?" He demanded.

"There's no one else." Nate groaned as blood seeped from the wound, dripping to the floor. A wave of nausea forced him to gag, and a blanket of fog clouded his mind.

Wo Fat scoffed. "You expect me to believe that a man in your condition came this far on his own."

Nate shook his head, trying to hold onto consciousness. "Hamilton is com…"

Wo Fat backhanded Nate, wrenching his head to the side. "You are mistaken, young McGarrett, if you believe you are of any consequence to Hamilton." He grabbed Nate's chin and pulled his face forward, the young man's eyes looked dazed. "Perhaps you did not know your mentor and I work together. You are misguided if you think he is going to eliminate that connection, one that has been most profitable for him."

Wo Fat noticed the corner of Nate's mouth quiver. "He is not an honorable man. He has colluded with enemies of your country, he deceives those who trust him, he would sacrifice anything, and anyone, to create the world he believes should exist." He released his grip, and Nate's head dropped to his chest.

Gunfire shattered the air, drawing Wo Fat's attention to the window, seconds before Lin Chou and another man burst through the door. "Keller is here."

Wo Fat glanced at Nate. "Bring him," he ordered.

Wo Fat retrieved his bag from the desk, and thrusting several articles into his belt, followed Lin Chou out of the room. The glass door to the lanai stood open, but the exit was blocked by Jonathan Quinn. Lin Chou shouldered his weight into the burly man's chest, thrusting him through the door. They struggled until Quinn's heel caught on the edging of a garden. Lin Chou whirled then thrust his foot into Quinn's chest forcing him to fall and strike his head on a stone bench.

Crack! A bullet caught Lin Chou in the knee. He stumbled backward in surprise. Crack! Another bullet ripped into his neck. He toppled forward. Wo Fat stepped out the door looking at the bloody man on the ground. His eyes then settled on the gunman.

"You know what they say, Wo, the larger they are the harder they fall." Keller closed the gap between them, his gun trained on the man he hated more than anything. The one who had taken his beautiful Annie, and destroyed any fragment of life he had ever possessed. "You and I have some unfinished business. I believe, you're going to confess something to me. Aren't you?"

Wo Fat glanced beyond Keller's shoulder, where the propeller of a helicopter rose above a grove of young Plumeria trees. "You are mistaken. What reason would I have for killing your wife?"

"Shut up…" Keller's voice and hand shook. "Get on your knees. You are going to tell me why you killed her."

Wo Fat, his face a mask of indifference, lowered himself onto the floor. "Annie made you weak," he began. "Your efforts were feeble, your focus short sighted when she was alive. You needed someone to step in to take away your distraction."

Keller snarled like a wounded animal. He whacked Wo Fat's head with the handle of his gun. Wo Fat swayed. Another blow came, but his right arm blocked it as he ducked to his left. Wo Fat recovered, and retaliated. He rocketed his fists into Keller's side. The two men jostled and maneuvered for dominance. Keller shot off a round, but the bullet missed its target, lodging instead into Lin Chou's body.

Keller kicked the back of Wo Fat's knees and locked him in a stranglehold, sneering as his enemy gasped for air.

Wo Fat tried to pry Keller's arm from his throat. Seconds passed. He dropped one hand, grasping at a cool metal handle. Yanking it from his belt, he swung the object, striking Keller's side.

Keller loosened his grip and stumbled backward, his mouth shaped in a contorted yawn. Wo Fat sucked in a breath, turned, and thrust the blade into Keller's torso three times. On the final strike, he rocked the knife back and forth. The wounded man collapsed to the floor.

Wo Fat stood over Keller, watching him writhe in agony. "And now, you can be with Annie." He removed his jacket, wiped his blood soaked hands, and tossed it on Keller. Reaching down, he picked up his bag, stepped over Lin Chou's body, and trotted toward the waiting helicopter.