Vengeance Will Be Mine VII

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I may not own it but I sure like to play with it.

Hello, the muse has been on a tear lately and so I find myself with a finished chapter faster than I thought it would be. So share and share alike, I won't sit on it until Tuesday but post now.

Chapter 7

"I know I didn't cause this," Steve snapped in frustration. "But Salter is doing his best to make it my fault. I'm the one he blames for his sister's death and he's hurting my team to punish me. It is not my fault but I am the reason he's here."

"You have got to get past the number this asshole is laying on you," Danny scolded. "He can make all the threats he wants but the minute you cave in, he wins. We were all in on the Westbrook raid and I was the one who shot Thomas."

"I'm not sure Salter is holding that against you. He hasn't mentioned Thomas at all," Steve replied, suddenly focusing on that. "I'm not sure that he cares what happened to his brother-in-law."

"No, he hasn't," Danny agreed. "But I'm pretty sure Salter is eager to hurt all of us. He just likes making you feel responsible for the whole thing. Get your head back in the game partner."

Rubbing his hand over his face, Steve took a deep breath and nodded. Danny had a point and they could not afford letting Andrew Salter rattle them.

"Okay, we need to start thinking like this guy. He's hit Kono and Chin, it is only logical to figure you are his next target. We have two option, use you as bait and draw him out or….put you on ice and keep digging until we figure where he is hiding and arrest him," Steve said presenting things how he saw them.

"Salter has come off as a very prepared adversary. My guess is that he will expect us to try and trap him. He came at Chin and Kono from very different directions and we didn't see him coming. I'm beginning to think that a straight on assault on me isn't in his plans," Danny responded. "So how do we prepare for the unexpected? Maybe it's time to dig deeper into his past crimes. I for one would love to know if he has experience with explosives."

Steve nodded as he gazed around the area behind the service station. There were a few curious people gathered beyond the yellow police tape and the ex-SEAL paid special attention to each male. None of them fit the description of Salter.

"I agree with your thinking and we also need to get this note to Fong. I doubt there is anything we will learn that we don't all ready know but it pays to be thorough," he stated as he slid the paper back into the envelope. "Maybe someone else besides Salter touched it. Since it is almost dark, let's call it a night and we could check his past at my place. Will you stay the night?"

"I would normally refuse that blatant attempt of yours to play body guard but until the HPD bomb squad has the chance to sweep my place and declare it safe I will accept your offer," Danny answered, completely surprising Steve. "I happen to have a change in clothes in the car since I can never be sure of my wardrobe's condition after a day with you. This way we don't even have to risk stopping at my place. I'll follow you to the lab and then to your house."

Steve could not keep the grin from spreading over his face as Danny ranted.

"And just why are you grinning like the Cheshire Cat?" Danny demanded as he paused in his speech.

"No reason…..just happy to see you are going along with my plan," McGarrett replied. "Let me watch your back for the time being."

"Well I did hope that Catherine would be staying over and I could gather enough blackmail material to last me for weeks," Danny jabbed back. He was rewarded by a thunderstruck expression on his partner's face.

"Not happening Danno," McGarrett said shaking his head. "Catherine is not coming over tonight. I've warned her and she is prepared to defend herself."

"And you have a detail following her, don't you?" Danny said smugly.

Steve grinned sheepishly.

"Yea….until she spots them and all bets are off. Catherine is a complicated woman," he explained.

"I like her babe….she makes you happy," Danny chuckled. "Now let's move, your call interrupted an excellent pasta dinner and I am still hungry."

"I can fix that. I have leftovers from the dinner Catherine cooked last night."

"Catherine cooked? You are on buddy," Danny said rubbing his hands together. "I'll race you home."

With a laugh Steve followed him, heading towards his truck.

*H 5-0*

Sitting in his rented room, Salter sprang to his feet as a knock came on his door. Pulling it open, he found his Hawaiian connection waiting on the other side nervously. He motioned for the man in his early forties to come inside.

"Aloha Keahi, what happened at the gas station?" Andrew asked as his guest took a seat on the only chair in the room.

"5-0 showed up just like you thought. McGarrett and Williams found your note. I have to say bruddah; you are playing with fire when you take on that group. You have hurt them and you might have bitten off more than you can chew," Keahi Amoy told him.

"McGarrett killed my sister and I aim to make him pay. He took an innocent woman's life and he will be made to regret that action. Abby didn't deserve a death sentence," Andrew snarled.

"Chill brah…you will get your revenge," Keahi said quickly. He knew this was not the time to point out to Salter that his darling sister was not as innocent as he believed. Abigail had been deeply involved in the whole business and not a pawn as her brother believed. Both Thomas and Abby were up to their necks in the meth production and while Keahi was not in the house when the raid went down, he had been in the neighborhood. Staying on the fringe, he witnessed the raid and knew that neither Thomas nor Abby had given the task force any options in the outcome of the event. After Abby fired on Kono Kalakaua, McGarrett had only one way to stop her. However, Keahi was not going to say that to Salter.

"I want my revenge and I will get it. I promise I will reward you for all your help. I need you to help me finish this," Andrew promised.

"Then I am here for you brother," Keahi assured him. "But you need to be careful around this task force. McGarrett is ex-Navy, he's smart. You plan had better be foolproof or things will blow up in your face. Your plan has been working so far but the longer it takes, the closer they can get. The attacks are getting to them; I overheard Williams say he was staying at McGarrett's tonight."

"Good to know," Andrew said with satisfaction. "I think I need to rattle Williams' cage a bit. Keep him off balance."

"What have you planned?"

"I have an envelope that I want you to drop off at 5-0 headquarters tomorrow morning early," Salter informed him.

"What is in it?"

"Not important for you to know. Just be sure that no one gets a good look at your face. I don't need you on their radar. There is a drop box near the entrance, that will get it on Williams' desk," he said finishing his instructions.

"Sure thing Andrew."

"Good, do that and don't come back here again. I am moving tomorrow. I will call you from a safe phone and give you my new address then," Salter impressed on him. "We have to be careful about leaving a trail…at least until I want McGarrett to find me." Andrew threw a pair of examination gloves at Keahi before he handed over a thick envelope. He didn't care if his prints were on the paper but he didn't want them identifying Amoy at this time.

"Sure thing Andrew," the older man promised and accepted the envelope. He had no problem being an errand boy for Salter but he personally had no desire to make himself known to 5-0. He liked the money but he didn't want to be on the task force's wanted list. All the money in the world would not be worth getting shot by 5-0.

*H 5-0*

The next morning McGarrett grabbed the Camaro keys before Danny could stop him. Williams thought about protesting but could tell his partner had gone into guard dog mode and did not want to fight. His stop in the kitchen earlier that morning had allowed him to eavesdrop on McGarrett's phone conversation with Catherine Rollins. Steve had stepped out onto the lanai but Danny could hear his partner's side of the discussion as Lt. Rollins read him the riot act on having a protective detail shadow her. It would have been amusing if Danny didn't know how worried Steve was and to hear him back down and apologize to his lady only make Danny feel sorry for his partner. It was clear that Danny didn't want to ever be on the wrong side of Lt. Catherine Rollins.

The ride to the office was quiet and Danny left Steve to his thoughts, unwilling to add to Steve's stress at the moment. As they headed inside, his partner finally spoke.

"I think we should go back to re-canvass the rental places around Makakilo City since that is where the van was stolen from. I am thinking that Salter wanted something close so he could walk there."

"If he has someone driving him around, it wouldn't matter how close he lived," Danny replied.

"That is possible but I think he was staying there. Gut feeling but it is a place to start. And I think he is only renting a room, so we check boarding houses," Steve added.

"Okay, that makes sense and it gives us a place to begin. I will check if Fong got anything off that note and then we can head out," Danny agreed.

"I'll check if any tips came in," Steve told him. "And find out if LA got back to us on Salter's activities there."

They went to their separate offices to get started on the endless searching. Danny found a large envelope on his desk and picked it up. Pulling out a stack of photos and felt his blood run cold.

"Steve! Get in here!" he shouted, feeling sick to his stomach. "Salter sent a threat."

End chapter.

I'm sure you know where I am going, right? I said that Salter is slippery. And he intends to inflict as much pain, emotion as well and physical before his final blow. Thank you for reading. I really appreciate your feedback.