Vengeance Will Be Mine VIII

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I want to but there is no way I could run a TV show so I will not try.

Thanks to all those who have read this story. I hope this chapter makes sense, the muse has her ideas of how things should work and she insisted this should go this way.

Chapter 8

Instantly Steve rushed into Danny's office, concerned by the panic in his partner's voice.

"What have you got?" he demanded, not liking the sick expression on William's face.

"The bastard has been stalking Grace," Danny snarled as he shoved the photos into Steve's hands. Accepting the photos, Steve shuffled through the various candid shots of Grace Williams, feeling his own stomach churn in worry. It was obvious that the photographer had been following the child for several weeks, catching her in various activities such as leaving school, with Rachel, and playing with friends on the school playground. He looked up to see the strain on his partner's face.

"Danny, I'm sorry," Steve said quietly.

"He's been following Grace," Danny said painfully. "I have to call Rachel; she has to get Grace off this island immediately."

"Easy Danny, "Steve cautioned. "I'm sending a protective detail to Grace's school right now."

"No….you don't get it Steve! I don't want Grace frightened by a bunch of uniforms following her around," Danny exploded. "I want her off this pineapple infested, crime ridden rock and out of Salter's reach. I want her out of here immediately."

Steve set down the photos and took firm hold of Danny's shoulders.

"We'll protect her Danny. I'll tell the officers to be discreet. I promise," he assured his partner.

"It's not enough, I want her safely out of here," Danny insisted pulling out his phone. "I'm calling Rachel and telling her to go join Stan in Las Vegas tonight, sooner if possible."

"Once she has Grace in Vegas you might not get her back to Hawaii. Danny please don't give Rachel any ammunition in your custody fight. We will nail Salter and keep Grace safe. Don't make that call buddy," Steve pleaded. He could understand Danny's fear; he was surprised how deeply he felt it himself. But that fear should not influence Danny's choices right now.

"I can't let Salter hurt my Gracie," Danny groaned.

"He won't," Steve repeated. "But we have to be able to protect Grace without giving Rachel the upper hand. Trust me Danny, we can make this work," he said releasing his grip on his friend.

"She's all I've got Steve. I don't care that Salter has threatened me but I can't risk Grace." The pain in Danny's voice dug deep into Steve's heart.

"I know and I get it Danny. But we can still protect Grace without throwing Rachel into a panic; we just need to think a little. First I will send a couple guys to keep an eye on Grace's school while we think of a logical and non-threatening reason for those two to leave Oahu. Are there any special events, birthdays or something happening back in Jersey?" Steve asked, trying to recall what he knew of Danny's family.

"My mom's birthday is Saturday," Danny responded quickly but frowned. "But why would I send Grace and not go with her? Rachel won't buy that idea." He had all ready mailed his mother's gift but he felt a small ray of hope blossom inside him with Steve's suggestion. This might just work if they could iron out the wrinkles.

"Blame me…..I won't let you go because of work on this case," Steve said with a weak grin. "Rachel will believe that and I'm sure your mom would adore seeing Grace. How long has it been? In fact I'm willing to bet that your mother would love to convince Rachel for you," he said warming to the idea.

"That she would," Danny nodded as he let out a sigh. "Okay, I can try that; Mom would love to see Grace. Sorry about the rant but I get worked up thinking about Salter stalking my Grace. It made me crazy."

"Completely understandable and we will not let Grace be hurt," Steve promised solemnly.

Danny nodded in agreement; he knew Steve cared about Grace almost as much as he did. That knowledge was one of the things that made Danny consider Steve a brother.

As Steve called HPD and arranged for a detail to cover Grace's school and try to remain out of sight, Danny called his mother. Trying not to frighten his mother, Williams explained the situation and asked her to invite Grace to New Jersey. Mrs. Williams rose to the challenge, eager to ease her son's anxiety and completely understanding the seriousness of his request. She assured Danny that she knew just how to approach her former daughter-in-law. When Danny hung up he felt a lot better and didn't doubt that his mother would convince Rachel to send Grace to safety without letting her know why. Tucking his phone in his pocket he smiled at Steve in relief.

"Mom will call Rachel. Rach has always liked my mom, if anyone can plead my case it's my mother," he told McGarrett.

"Good. HPD sent two cars, a plain clothed female officer is posing as a school board observer and she will stick close to Grace's class," Steve informed him. "Grace will never know she has cops around her."

"Thanks Steve," Danny said gratefully. Again he was hit by how much Steve did care about Grace and not stressing the little girl out. He looked past Steve as he saw a movement in the bullpen and his eyes widened. "So now what do you suppose Kono is doing here?" he asked.

"Kono?" Steve exclaimed swinging around to see Kono heading towards them with Adam following in her wake. He headed out to the main room to confront Kono with Danny on his heels. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm capable of working Steve. I may not be able to get out in the field but I bet I'm faster on this table with one hand than either of you," she said cockily.

"She convinced me that she is safe here in the office," Adam said defensively as Steve and Danny looked at him.

"Have you been cleared for work?" Steve asked skeptically.

"Yes Boss, desk duty only."

"She browbeat the doctor," Adam said in a low voice.

"With Chin sidelined, this is where I am needed," Kono insisted. "And what is going on here? I sensed a very serious vibe when I walked in."

"Nothing," Danny quickly responded wanting to shield her from Salter's latest threat.

"I'm not a baby," Kono said with narrowed eyes. She started towards Danny's office.

"Okay…okay," Danny said sliding between her and his office door. "Salter sent photos of Grace to me. He's been stalking her."

"Oh Danny…..I'm sorry," Kono said moving closer and hugging him tightly. She pushed back and locked eyes with his. "Okay, what do we do about him?" she growled.

"Danny called his mom to invite Grace out East for her birthday. A police detail is at Grace's school right now," Steve replied.

The ringing of Danny's phone interrupted them.

"Yes Rachel," he answered. After listening for a few minutes he spoke again. "That's great Rachel, very nice of you. Yes, I know Mom would love to see Charlie, you know she loves you. Are you sure Stan won't mind? I do think that going today would thrill my parents no end, they've missed both of you. I wish I could go with you but I can drive you to the airport, is that okay? Good, I'll see you later," he said breaking the connection. A heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he beamed at the others.

"Rachel is going with Grace to New Jersey," Steve stated.

"Yes she is. Mom convinced her that they were dying to see Charlie and her. You know that Rachel stayed with my folks when she thought the baby was mine," Danny explained. "Rachel still likes my folks and she couldn't refuse my mother. Rach didn't want Grace flying alone."

"Perfect," Kono breathed in relief.

"Now let's focus on nailing Salter," Steve spoke up. "We all figure that Salter has someone on the island that was connected to the Westbrooks. That's our best lead at the moment."

"I can call Kamekona but wouldn't he have told us if he had a lead?" Danny asked.

"Kamekona wants to help but he doesn't always know what we are looking for," Kono replied. "He's aware of how he can burn his sources if he talks too much. And it is possible that he really doesn't know anyone connected to the Westbrooks."

"Well either way, I need to talk to him," Danny stated stubbornly. "We have been waiting around too long while he has struck out at us, it is time to go proactive."

"We'll both go," Steve said firmly.

"We can cover more ground if you go check the boarding houses near the car lot where the van was stolen. I'll check in with Shaved Ice and then go take Rachel and Grace to the airport," Danny said stubbornly. "I do not need you attached to my hip Steven."

Steve hesitated and wasn't sure how to respond. He did not like the idea of letting Danny out of his sight with Salter still on the loose. But Danny was right; they needed to check both places and it would take longer if they did it together. And the more time they gave Salter to plan the uglier it could get. They had no idea what method of attack Salter would use next and they needed a lead on the guy as quickly as possible.

"You will take Duke with you," Steve finally gave in. He saw Danny begin to argue. "Hey…Duke has contacts on the island too. He could be help if Kamekona really has no idea of who worked with the Westbrooks. Do it and make me feel better."

"All right," Danny gave in, not wanting to fight with Steve. He could see how Steve wasn't able to turn off his protective mode and if was better not to fight it. "I will check in with you big brother….after I get Rachel and Grace safely on a plane out east."

"Sounds like we have a plan," Steve agreed. He looked at Kono. "I will check out the boarding houses in Makakilo City and then come back here. Can you check back into all the information we had before we took the Westbrooks' down? There may be a name in there we missed."

"Sure thing Steve," Kono nodded.

"Stay safe Danny," Steve ordered when they parted in the parking lot. Danny nodded and went to get Duke.

End chapter.

I do hope that this chapter worked for all of you. The muse had definite ideas about how this should play out. Thank you for reading.