AN's in Chapter 1
Chapter 5
"You sure you weren't followed?" Steve asked as he escorted Lee Willoughby into his office where Danny was already reviewing the first wave of intel Macide Yzun had gathered on Farshad Khoshbakht.
"Positive." The LA police captain assured him. "I heard from my contacts in LA that Ocala's people were checking out my backstory and like I told you, it's airtight. He's not suspicious in the least."
Steve took a seat behind his desk while Willoughby joined Danny on the couch. "Good. I have a feeling we're only gonna get one shot at this so we can't afford any mistakes."
"Have they found anything to connect Ocala and Khoshbakht?" Willoughby asked as he looked over Danny's shoulders at the documents bearing the seal of US Naval Intelligence.
Danny shook his head. "Nothing specific yet. Both of these guys are very good at covering their tracks."
"Catherine says Macide is the best," Steve interjected. "She'll uncover the connection. And we need to be ready when she does."
"Isn't it kind of weird to have the governor's chief of staff so involved in an investigation?" Willoughby asked.
"Catherine liaises with us on cases from time to time. She's one hell of an investigator and we're always happy to have her help," Steve replied with unmistakable pride. "In this case her connections in Afghanistan are invaluable."
Willoughby smiled. During one of their first mission planning sessions he'd commented to Danny about how beautiful Catherine was and had been quickly disabused of any idea that he might have a chance with the governor's chief of staff.
"Oh, I know she's great," he said immediately. After a rocky start he had developed what he considered a good working relationship with both Five-0 and the governor's office and he had no desire to rock the boat in any way. "It's just a …" He took a beat to choose exactly the right word. "Unique situation."
Danny chuckled. "That's gonna be the title of Steve and Catherine's memoirs. A Unique Situation."
Willoughby glanced at the coffee table and saw a manila folder with his name on the tab. He picked it up, opened it and began flipping through the information. A few pages in he came across a picture of his sister and multiple newspaper accounts of her death. Pain flashed across his features and an immediate tension filled the room.
"I'm sorry," Steve said sincerely. "We had to check you out. This is a major investigation and we had to know who we're dealing with."
"I get it. I would have done the same thing," Willoughby said, his eyes still transfixed on the picture of a smiling young officer who had just graduated from the academy. That's the way he wanted to remember his sister. Full of plans. Full of hope. And most of all full of life.
As much as he wanted to avoid it his eyes drifted to the next picture which had been taken by a reporter who had somehow managed to get behind the police tape for just a matter of seconds before being apprehended. The bodies had been removed but the sight of the blood-spattered cement and the remnants of the paramedics' attempts to save the lives of the wounded officers caused a sharp pain in his chest every time.
Danny took the folder from his hands and closed it. "I'm really sorry about your sister."
"Thanks."
"Her name was Dana, right?" Steve asked. "What was the age difference."
"Two years," Willoughby replied. He looked at Steve and Danny who were both clearly offering him a chance to say more if he felt up to it. "She was great. A great cop and a great little sister." He smiled as the memories of good times came flooding back. "She was better than me at pretty much everything. Everything was a competition when we were growing up."
Danny nodded his head and smiled. "I know that feeling."
"I got a 3.8 GPA and she got a 4.0. I was student council treasurer, she was president. I made the football team, she was captain of the track team. I said I wanted to be a cop, she said she did too. It took me two tries to get into the police academy, she got in the first time. I graduated top 20 in my class, she was top 10." A dark shadow passed over his features. "She was a good person and a damn good officer. She'd just gotten engaged. Her life was just beginning. She didn't deserve to be gunned down because of low-life like Eddie Ocala."
"I understand exactly what you're going through," Steve said.
"I know I can come off a little … I don't know … I guess you could say unhinged." Willoughby looked contrite. "It's just that the day we buried my sister I made a promise to myself and to my parents that I would make sure the people who killed her pay. Not just the guys who fired the fatal bullets but the man behind it all. And that's Eddie Ocala. I couldn't care less if it costs me my job, or even my life, he's going to pay."
"We'll get him," Danny said confidently. "For Dana and for all the other people whose lives he's ruined."
Willoughby cleared his throat. "Thanks. I've made it clear that I'm looking for a big score. Potentially his biggest deal yet. And that if he can't get me what I need I'll find someone else who can. The man has a monstrous ego. There's no way he's gonna let this slip through his hands. He checked me out and my alias held so now it's just a matter of waiting for him to call back and set up a meeting. Then we can take him down and get Khoshbakht in the process."
An hour later, after Willoughby had left, Steve and Danny were still in Steve's office reviewing the latest intel from Macide. Chin and Kono were in court all day on a murder case from two years ago that had finally made its way to trial.
"Do you feel completely comfortable with Willoughby being the man on the inside?" Danny asked. "Like you said, we're probably only get one shot at this and he's a bit of a loose cannon."
"I know," Steve agreed. "But still I think he's our best option. Not only does he already have an alias in place and ready to go but he's already made contact. If we pulled him out now, we'd have to start from scratch and that could take weeks, if not months."
"I'm not sure we could pull him out now even if we wanted to." Danny glanced at the folder bearing the LA police captain's name on the table in front of him.
Steve rubbed his temples. "Probably not. In an ideal world our person on the inside wouldn't be so close to the situation but we have to work with what we have."
Danny leaned back. "He kinda reminds me of you when we first met. Impulsive. Driven by emotion. Determined to take down his target no matter the cost."
Steve rolled his eyes. "I think you're exaggerating."
"If anything, I'm underselling it," Danny snorted. "In those days you were like a bull in a china shop. You just barreled over anyone who got in your way in your single-minded pursuit of a goal."
Steve arched an eyebrow. "As opposed to now I'm what? Are you saying I've gotten soft?"
"I'm saying you've mellowed slightly," Danny replied. "And I emphasize the word slightly. At least now I can get you to stop and think occasionally before you go charging in."
"So, you are saying I'm soft."
"I said no such thing," Danny replied adamantly. "Now you're the one exaggerating."
"Maybe I need to work on that. Try being a little more impulsive." Steve always enjoyed winding his best friend up.
"That is the last thing you need to do." Danny's hands began to flail as he got more and more worked up. "I was simply saying that you have matured slightly over the last few years. I credit Catherine. And of course, my adorable goddaughter. You're more likely to think things through now and not just jump in …" His voice trailed off as he looked at Steve who was leaning back in his chair, hands laced behind his head, smiling. "Ok fine … I get it … you're just trying to wind me up. That's great. I was trying to pay you a compliment but if you don't want …" He gathered up a handful of files. "I'll just go over the rest of this in my own office."
Just as he reached the door Steve spoke. "Catherine and Angie certainly deserve a lot of the credit but don't sell yourself short. You deserve quite a bit yourself."
Danny turned around. The sincerity etched on Steve's features brought a lump to his throat. They didn't need to talk about it any further. They both understood. "Lunch at Kamekona's?"
"Sounds good," Steve replied. "Give me five minutes to call Catherine and I'll meet you in the bullpen."
After putting Angie to bed, which included reading her favorite story twice, Steve decided to go for an evening swim with Cammie while Catherine caught up on some paperwork. When he entered the living room afterwards, a towel wrapped around his neck and a damp Cammie trailing behind, she was just hanging up the phone.
"That was Macide," she said. "She has a promising lead. A guy who used to work with Khoshbakht. Apparently he knows pretty much all there is to know about the whole smuggling operation."
Steve took a seat on the couch next to her. "Is he willing to talk?"
"They're negotiating," she replied. "He's looking to relocate somewhere outside of Afghanistan."
"He wants to come to the US?" Steve grimaced. He knew that no matter how valuable this guy's information was that would be a tough sell.
"Luckily no." Catherine swiped at a drop of water that was rolling down his cheek. "He wants to go to Pakistan. Macide is working on making that happen."
"I hope she can." He dropped his arm across her shoulders. "Some inside information about how the operation works would be nice."
"It sure would," Catherine agreed. "She's gonna let me know as soon as she has anything."
They sat in silence for a minute as Steve traced small circles on her shoulder with his index finger. She could tell he needed some time to gather his thoughts.
"Danny and I had an interesting meeting with Willoughby this afternoon," he finally said, breaking the silence.
"Interesting how?"
"He told us about his sister." Steve's voice softened. "It sounds like they were very close. He didn't say it specifically, but I think he blames himself for her decision to become a cop. When she was killed he just kind of lost it. Nothing matters to him right now except putting the people responsible for her death behind bars."
Catherine squeezed his hand. The baby monitor broadcast Angie's soft murmuring in her sleep.
"It's just that …" His voice trailed off.
Catherine gave him a few seconds. He'd become much better about sharing his thoughts and feelings openly but sometimes he still had trouble finding the words. "It's just that you can't help but think if Mary hadn't adopted Joan and gotten her life together that could have been you?"
He pulled back and looked at her with wonder. "How do you do that? How do you always know exactly what I'm thinking?"
"Years of experience," she smiled.
He kissed her softly then continued. "We both know Mary hung out with a pretty tough crowd. If one or two things had gone differently who knows what might have happened."
Catherine placed her hand on his cheek and turned his head until they made eye contact. "Thankfully she made it through those days without anything too bad happening. And when she made the choice to get away from that kind of life and create a better, healthier path for herself and Joan you were there to support her."
"I wish I'd been there for her all along," Steve sighed.
"You were both dealing with a lot," Catherine said firmly. "You did the best you could. Besides, she needed to be the one who initiated the changes. Until she was ready there was nothing you could have done."
"I guess you're right," he said. He still struggled from time to time with guilt about not being there for Mary during her teenage years even though Catherine was always quick to remind him he wasn't the one who created the circumstances that lead to her feelings of abandonment and her skewed self-image. That was Doris and their father.
"I have an idea," she said softly. "I have to go move the laundry from the washer from the dryer and put a new load in. Why don't you call Mary?"
He checked his watch. "That's an excellent idea. I think I will."
As Catherine made her way towards the garage he pulled out his phone and dialed. Mary answered on the second ring.
"Hey, big brother. Everything ok?"
"Everything's great." He smiled at the happy tone in her voice. "I just thought I'd check in and see how things are going there."
"Well, Joan came home from school today with gum in her hair. There was a slight mishap during nap time."
"Sounds like it." He chuckled. "Did you get it out?"
"Finally. It took a few hours of work by both Aaron and I, and a combo of peanut butter and toothpaste, but luckily we didn't have to do any cutting."
"That's good."
"Oh, and remember that project I was working on for my Human Behavior and the Social Environment course? I got an A!"
"That's awesome." He leaned his head back and smiled. "Apparently your presentation went well. I told you you were gonna do great."
As she relayed the details about the day of her presentation, as well as the positive comments of both her professor and her classmates, Steve smiled. He was a very lucky man for a whole variety of reasons. Her happiness, and the bond they'd formed as adults, was a big one. He was determined to never take that for granted. In fact, it steeled his resolve to help Lee Willoughby find the justice he so desperately wanted. Nothing would ever bring his sister back. He'd never have a chance to share another phone conversation with her. The least Steve could do was make sure the men responsible ended up behind bars. And that was exactly what he intended to do.
TBC
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