…..

Welcome back to another chapter! This one is going up today (obviously) and the next one will be going up tomorrow. I find myself almost reluctant to post each chapter because that means that we're getting closer and closer to the end and I don't ever want it to end! Some of you have expressed feeling the same way, and that means a lot to me.

I told you all that I'd have something up for a vote this chapter, so here it is… I have already been working on the plots for several other stories, and since all of you have been so incredibly amazing, I wanted to give you the opportunity to choose which one you read first. Here are your options:

1. Steve McGarrett was married once, many years ago. He thought that maybe living and working in his home state of Hawaii would give him the distance that he needed to try to put the heartbreak far behind him once and for all. But when his ex-wife moves to the island with her family, he realizes that there is a very real possibility that moving on is never going to happen.

2. Kaya Romano belongs to an ancient society of assassins – The Silent Death. Her father, the leader of the assassins, asks her to go to Hawaii to oversee the group that is stationed there. When she meets Steve McGarrett, she tries her hardest not to fall for him, knowing that it would never work between them. And when she is tasked with killing the man that could be her redemption, can she break centuries worth of tradition to protect him? Or will she succumb and take her place as the new leader of The Silent Death?

3. Steve McGarrett finally feels settled in, having solved the mysteries that his father left behind. But he's quickly unsettled once more when there's a knock on his door late at night and the visitor is covered in bruises and stitches.

Cora Grant knew that there was only one place where she would feel completely protected from her abusive husband. But would Steve McGarrett take her in? Would he take a stance against a man that he had served beside? She would just have to take the chance.

So… you can leave your vote in the form of a review or a PM (or both). You can vote after each chapter up until chapter twenty-seven (which will give you five chapters to vote). Yes, you can vote as many times as you want, so if there's one that you're really crazy about, make sure that you're voting on it. As I said, I already have outlines for all of these stories, so I'm pretty confident in each of them.

As always, thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting, following, and private messaging. And a special thanks to all of you that expressed concern for my baby. He's doing a lot better – still has a terrible cough, but he's in a much better place than he was even a few days ago.

Don't forget to vote!

Happy Reading!

…..

Chapter Twenty-Three: Who I Was

Steve

"How we doing in there, Allie?" Kol spoke into the microphone. His leg was bouncing up and down, signaling his agitation. There were no cameras in the bathroom (for very good and very obvious reasons), and he was anxious that he couldn't keep an eye on her.

"Trying to change, Kol," Allie replied, voice a bit muffled (likely from fabric being pressed over her mouth). "Do you think that, for this one time in your life, you could just wait for a minute?"

"Right, sorry." But he didn't look sorry at all. He still looked incredibly anxious. I would have felt bad for him if I didn't feel so very anxious myself.

Finally, Allie sighed and something was zipped up. "It's a little big on me."

"Sorry," her father told her, snatching the microphone from a very offended Kol. "We thought you'd be a little bigger. You know… pregnancy and all."

"I don't know if I should be flattered or offended." Allie sighed and then there was the sound of something being pushed underwater. "Okay. I'm ready to go. What about on your end?"

"Just a minute," Roger said and brought up a different feed. On the screen, someone dressed in a caterer's outfit was pushing a janitor's cart down a deserted hallway. "We're right on track. It should only be about thirty seconds."

"Copy," Allie responded. She didn't sound nervous at all. She sounded… focused. Ready. And I felt incredibly proud of her.

"Five…" Roger began to count as he simultaneously watched both screens. "Four… Three… Two… One…"

Allie came out of the bathroom just as the caterer came around the corner with the cart. So smoothly that we might not have even noticed if we hadn't been watching for it, the caterer gave the cart a shove and Allie deftly stepped behind it and took over pushing as the caterer stepped into the women's bathroom.

Edward gave a small whistle under his breath. "She's still got it."

"Of course she does." Alex sounded offended.

"You have to admit, Alex, that it's been more than a few years since Allie's last heist."

"She helped me with a small one in Egypt a couple of years ago," Kol tossed out there.

"Really?" Edward and Alex said in unison, surprised.

"Can we focus?" I asked, and pointed to the screen that Allie was presently on, pushing the cart steadily, looking for all the world like a janitor and not like a woman that was about to attempt to steal something incredibly valuable out of the archives of the world's most secure museum.

The uniform that she wore had been handmade by a couple of the ladies, and they'd done an amazing job. It was exactly the right color, the museum's insignia was in the correct place, and the size was pretty accurate even if Allie thought that it was a little too big. Allie had hidden her hair underneath her hat, which had been pulled as low as possible over her face. The only thing that we hadn't been able to fake was the badge that all of the janitors had, but Allie had lifted a badge from one of the guards and would have already copied it onto one with her picture on it. And hopefully, the "caterer" would be on her way to return the real badge to that same guard.

"Yes, guys, can we focus?" Allie asked in a half-teasing, half-serious voice. "Your microphone is still on, by the way."

Edward and Alex sheepishly apologized as Allie came to the first of four doors that she would have to get through before she came to the archives. We all held our breath as Allie took out her card and swiped it through the pad. After a second's delay, the light flashed green and she pushed through the door without incident.

There was a collective sigh of relief in the van.

"Microphone is still on, people." Allie murmured. "Can you all try to relax and have just a little bit of faith in me, please?"

"Sorry," Edward apologized and turned the microphone to mute.

"Should have done that a bit ago," Kol muttered, which earned him a smack upside the head from his uncle.

Allie had memorized the museum's floor plan quite a bit ago, and she moved down the halls with ease. She knew exactly where she was going, and she was determined to get there, yet she moved at a pace that said that she had all the time in the world. Medici's men had the cameras feeding what Roger had called a "freeze frame" (which meant that they had frozen all of the critical cameras so that they couldn't see anything but an empty museum), but Allie still didn't have as much time as she wanted, unfortunately. Roger had told us that the Kingsley's system searched for viruses (like someone hacked in) every six minutes. So, every six minutes, the freeze frame would end until they could get it back, which would take about thirty seconds each time.

Knowing that stressed me out, but if Allie was stressed, I couldn't tell at all.

"Time will be ending soon," Roger announced and pulled up a timer on a smaller screen off to the side. It said that Allie had a minute and six seconds until the freeze frame ended.

Kol hit the button on the microphone. "Allie, the freeze frame will end in one minute."

"Fifty-eight seconds," Allie replied and flicked her wrist, revealing the watch that she was wearing. "This is how I'm communicating with Medici's men. Smart watch."

Edward sighed as though he was disgusted. "Technology has changed too much for us. Where is the fun in using a smart watch? Where's the challenge?"

"If you don't think that this is a challenge, then get your ass in here and do this yourself," Allie retorted, which effectively shut Edward up and had Kol laughing.

"Thirty," I warned, but Allie didn't pick up her pace at all. "Allie…"

"I know," she responded soothingly, but she still didn't move.

I leaned closer, on edge. "Allie, damnit, get out of the way. Hide behind a freaking statue, if you have to, or-"

She cut me off with a smile in her voice. "I have a better idea."

"There's only ten seconds," her father said, and the tension in the van was palpable.

"Not my first heist, guys," Allie said. "Chill out."

"Allie," her father warned, and his tone was definitely that of a father. "Five seconds."

She sighed dramatically. "So little faith." And just when I was about to yell at her, she veered off to the side, swiped her card, and slipped into a janitor's closet that we hadn't realized was there.

"Time," Roger said. "Medici's men pulled out just before the sweep."

"She made it." Kol sounded amazed, which resonated with how I was feeling. I couldn't believe that she had pulled it off in less than five seconds. And with so much calm.

"Wow," Allie said, deadpan. "The faith that you all have in me is overwhelming. Can we all just take a second to remember when Kol tripped the alarm at the mansion in Canada?"

Kol's face reddened and Max laughed.

"I was ten!" Kol exclaimed defensively.

As they continued to argue, my cell phone rang.

Michael.

My heart leapt as I realized that he would only be calling if he had news about Trent. I answered and pressed the phone to my ear, eager for news. "What's going on?"

"We found him."

I was awash in so many emotions. Thrilled that we'd finally found him. Angry that we hadn't been able to find him sooner. Nervous about the extraction. "You're sure?"

"Positive," he replied. "They moved him into the living room to get ready for the exchange. I have eyes on him right now."

"Give me the location and I'll be there soon for the extraction." I hated to leave Allie, but extractions were right up my alley. She would understand.

Michael gave me some coordinates and said that he would see me soon.

I hung up the phone, slipped it back into my pocket, and turned around to interrupt the argument that was still taking place. On screen, Allie had already slipped out of the closet and was continuing her trek to the archives.

"I have to go," I announced. "Michael found Trent."

There were so many questions at once that I couldn't make sense of them all.

I shouted above the noise. "Hey! Calm down. They found him just outside of Paris in a house owned by an associate of Medici's. He's in the living room being guarded until the exchange. This will be the perfect time to take him, so I'm going to go and head up the extraction."

"Hell, yes, you are," Allie said. "Who's better qualified for an extraction that a SEAL?"

I knew she'd understand. "I'll be there as soon as you're free," I promised her, the words heavy with meaning.

"I know you will."

With a nod, I began to move for the doors. "Make sure you let me know as soon as Allie is safe so that we can move in on Trent."

"We will," Alex promised. "And make sure that you let us know once you have Trent back."

"I will." I gave them all one last nod, looked at Allie on the screen one more time, and then slipped out into the darkness.

Allie

Knowing that Steve was on his way to get Trent back had lightened the load considerably. Even if I somehow failed at getting the box back, Trent would be safe from Medici's wrath.

"You're coming to the second door," Kol said in my ear.

"I'm not doing this blindfolded, you know."

He scoffed. "Forgive me for trying to help you."

"Help me what? Interpret what my eyes are seeing?"

"This is why I never liked pairing them on heists," I could faintly hear my father say. "Always bickering."

"Bantering," Kol and I corrected him together.

Roger cut in. "You're good to go. They have it back up."

"Awesome." I grabbed the cart and left the closet, intent on my next location. "I should be able to make it through two more doors before the next sweep. After that… only one more door before the archives."

"You can do it," my father encouraged me.

"She knows that," Kol said before I could. "She's just keeping us updated."

"You know… this takes me back. Remember Russia, Kol? We were sixteen."

He laughed. "One of my favorite heists ever. You're fiery when you feel tricked."

"That woman was venomous," I said. "I'm glad she lost all of her precious jewels."

"I remember this heist," Edward chimed in. "It really put you on the map."

"She was already on the map." I detected a hint of pride in my father's voice. "But, yes, Russia sent her straight to the top of everyone's list. People still talk about it."

As I walked, I remembered what it had felt like at sixteen, having just pulled off two huge heists back to back. The first had been a paid job – an older woman that I knew through friends of friends of friends (yeah, that kind of thing) had approached Kol asking if we could do a job for her. She said that one of her sisters had sold a painting that had been in the family for generations and she would pay good money to get it back for her.

Kol and I had been so excited to get the job all on our own that we didn't do the basic research. We didn't find out until afterwards that the woman had lied and had paid us to steal a painting from a woman that had refused to put it up for sale. This woman hadn't wanted to put the painting up for sale because it had been painted by her grandfather just for her. Therefore, it was a very unique piece and worth quite a bit of money. But for the victim… the sentimental value had been so much greater.

Naturally, I'd been beyond pissed that I'd been tricked, and Kol and I had recruited our father and uncle to help us get back at the trickster. After a series of small cons, we pulled off a grand heist in which we recovered the painting, framed the woman for its disappearance, and snatched her most valuable jewelry pieces. Our favorite fence had fetched a beautiful sum for them, too. She hadn't yet gotten out of prison, as far as I knew.

"One minute." The warning from Roger halted my train of thought and I quickly glanced at my surroundings. Luckily, I was right where I needed to be.

"Got it," I said as the watch on my wrist gave me the same warning. "There's a storage closet just up ahead."

"And then one more door and you'll be at the archives," Kol reminded me. "Do you know what security is like in there?"

He'd touched on my greatest fear. "I have the floor plan memorized. I know that after I get through the door with my badge, there will be a vault door guarding the archives. It looks like there are sensors in the hallway, but I'm not entirely sure."

"I don't like this," my uncle muttered.

"I don't like it, either," I announced as I ducked into the storage closet with my cart. "But Medici doesn't really seem to care, strangely."

"Just be careful," Uncle Edward said.

"Damn it," I muttered. "Bold and reckless was my plan."

He started cursing in French.

Kol laughed.

"I can see Medici's men working in the system," Roger cut in. "It should only be a few more seconds."

"And then I have to get through this next door and the archives door before the time runs out," I said as nausea twisted my stomach into knots. "And I have no idea what's waiting for me between the two doors."

"This should have been a long heist," my father said, and I could hear his own fear. "We would have had to get someone on the inside, wait the right amount of time for them to be granted full access… This isn't a heist that should be taking place with so little prep and no one on the inside."

"Now's not the time for this, Alex," Edward said in a soothing tone. "We're as prepared as we can be. And we have a contingency plan to get Allie out if something goes wrong."

"Yeah, hold on tight to that," I spoke up and walked out of the closet when my watch flashed. "I'm back at it. I'd appreciate it if any and all expressions of fear were held back until all of this is over."

No one said a word.

I got through the first door with my copied badge and took a deep breath as I slowly stepped inside.

The hallway before me was eerily quiet, save for the hum of the fluorescent lights. The tile and floors were stark white, as was the ceiling. At the end of what looked to be a 25-foot-long hallway was a floor-to-ceiling vault door.

The archives were just behind it.

So close.

"Okay," I said and took a deep breath to steady myself. "Let's do this thing. I'm going to check for sensors. Roger, are you ready to help if I set something off?"

"Ready," he assured me. "If something goes off, I'll catch it and make it look like their security system has a virus."

"How are you going to do that?" Kol asked him curiously.

"I'm going to actually send a virus."

"Then just say that," Kol told him. "You said you were just going to make it look-"

I cut him off. "Okay, Kol. Trying to focus here, if you don't mind."

"Right, sorry."

From the janitor's cart, I withdrew a device meant to detect motion sensors. It didn't go off at first, so I cautiously began to creep forward with the cart. About five feet from the vault door, though, it went off.

"Sensors," I cursed.

"Did you really expect there to not be sensors?" Kol asked me.

"No." I pouted as I knelt beside the cart. "But it would have been really nice if the guard's badge had allowed me access all the way to the archives."

"What kind of sensors are we dealing with?" Roger asked me.

"Active motion," I responded. "The ultrasonic technology caught it, infrared didn't."

"I hope that you had a plan for both."

I scoffed at my brother. "Of course I did. Why do you think I needed this big janitor's cart?" From the cart, I withdrew the special goggles that I'd requested. "This is going to show me where the sensors are."

"Are you going to be able to move like that, though?" Kol asked me. "No offense, but… you're pregnant. And you may not be as flexible or agile as you once were."

"I've kept up my stretches." But he was right to be concerned.

Once the glasses were on, I looked at the lines and sighed.

"What?" Kol asked.

"They're not too complicated… but also not easy."

"It wouldn't be any fun for you without a challenge," Kol teased me. "You're the great Allie Rhodes. Are you sticking with that name, by the way, or are you ever going to go back to the original?"

"I like the name Allie," I told him.

"Um, you only have two minutes left," Roger told me. "Are you going to be able to do it?"

"I don't exactly have a choice," I muttered and stepped up to the first line. "Wish me luck?"

"You don't need luck," Kol told me, voice firm. "Now, get past those lines and into that vault."

With one more deep breath, I lifted my foot.