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Pride, Admiration and Respect

Chapter Eight

It was a beautiful day. The breeze cascading in from the sea and over the lush vegetation below, carried with it the perfume of Plumeria mixed with the salty sea air. It was almost intoxicating. Lounging on the massive deck overlooking Kailua Bay, Cordoba was a happy man. Yes, there had been a snag in the plan, but he was an intelligent man and intelligent men knew not every road was smooth. Bumps happened. All that was needed was for them to be dealt with, so plans could once again more forward. Besides, all the imbeciles responsible for the latest delay had been dealt with most effectively. All that was left was the child. He could only think of her as such; too young, too idealistic to know when to back off. Too inexperienced to know not to take what didn't belong to her.

As he relaxed, pondering the view, he became aware of the presence of another. Without turning, he raised his glass in greeting.

"Welcome, my friend. I trust your flight was pleasant?"

"Yes. Your jet is very comfortable and the staff very accommodating. I believe the one named Maria is due for a raise in pay. Her hospitality is, to say the least, extraordinary."

Cordoba chuckled. "I will see to it." Snapping his fingers, another lovely young girl instantly appeared.

"Anita, my dear. My friend is in desperate need of refreshment. He has had an exhausting and, I venture to guess, exhilarating trip today."

Anita quickly poured the man a generous drink, handing it over with a seductive and inviting smile the man more than welcomed.

Cordoba chuckled indulgently. "Ahhhhh… pace yourself, my friend. The pleasantries of paradise will still be there a bit later. For now, relax and enjoy your drink. It is the finest tequila money can buy. We have much to discuss."

"You found it?"

"Yes."

"You have it in your possession?"

"No, not yet. But we know who has it and are formulating a plan to retrieve it."

"Of course you know who has it. I told you who had it weeks ago. What's the hold up? She's a neophyte. You and your men should have dealt with this then."

"Don't worry. It will be dealt with before you return to New York."

"I know it will because I have no intention of leaving here until it's done. That girl has the power to destroy everything we have built and she doesn't even realize it. You know she has a brother here, don't you? And not only is he also a cop, he's Five-0."

"This brother…. what is his name?"

"Detective Danny Williams. He, along with an ex-Navy SEAL by the name of Steve McGarrett, and two other seasoned officers make up Five-0, the Hawaii Governor's elite task force. They are formidable. They are not to be underestimated."

"Do not worry, my friend. This is not the first time my organization has had to deal with this sort of thing, as you well know. It will be dealt with, and soon."

"Well then, in that case, let's sit back and enjoy this wonderful view and magnificent tequila before I go and pay your lovely Anita an afternoon call. Don't wait dinner for me. I anticipate a long evening."

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The crick in his neck told him he'd been leaning over the files for way too long. Sitting back in his chair, Danny arched his back and rolled his neck and shoulders trying to get the kinks out. The corresponding clicks and snaps as his joints realigned themselves sounded like gunshots in his quiet office. Rubbing his eyes, he momentarily considered a tenth cup of coffee but he was beginning to feel like the caffeine was dissolving his fillings.

He looked out into the bullpen where he could see Steve and Annie, huddled together, poring over something on the smart table. He smiled as he watched them, realizing Steve worked with Annie the same way he worked with him. It actually made sense. Danny and Annie were very much alike in the way they approached police work so it was logical that Steve gravitated to her as he did to Danny. But Annie was also fearless and reckless and the thought of what Steve and Annie could get themselves into made Danny shutter. The best he can do is what he always does, watch their collective backs more than ever.

He got up, gave his back one more satisfying stretch and headed out to see what they were up to. Chin and Kono had left hours ago under Steve's strict orders to get some sleep. Reaching the table, Danny saw the many angles of surveillance video Chin had obtained before being ordered home.

"Anything new?" he asked as he approached the crouching duo.

"Yeah…" Annie replied. "We have a clear picture of what happened to Jiménez. Here he is, exiting HPD at noon yesterday."

"Noon? Damn! It didn't take them long to get him out, did it? And right under our noses too. That lawyer must have convinced the judge while Chin and Kono were still trying to break the guy."

"Yeah, and almost immediately after they were done with him, he walked. Here you can see him leaving HPD and almost instantaneously being grabbed by these guys. And, before you ask, no. We do not have a clear shot of their faces for facial recognition but I think it's safe to say they are Cordoba's men. We do have a clear shot of the car and the license plate but running that only showed the car reported stolen that morning. HPD is canvassing but they haven't located it yet."

Steve inhaled deeply and ran his hand down his face. He was as exhausted as the rest of them.

"So we know Jiménez walked out of here at noon and was hauled away immediately. They took him somewhere and beat the shit out of him and tortured him and it looks like the only viable information they could get out of the punk was that he'd recognized you in the warehouse that morning and also placed you on that dock in New York."

"That had to have happened really fast though," Annie said, "because they already knew where I was staying, got there, trashed the place and were gone before we got there and we were there before three in the afternoon."

"Max said he was held for several hours. They must have thought he knew more for them to keep at him like that," Danny said. "I suppose when they didn't get anything else that's when they decided to take him on his little walk."

"But why?" Steve asked. "They'd already gotten all they could out of him. Why not just kill him and dump the body somewhere? Why the elaborate death march just to put a bullet in his head anyway?"

"To send a message," Annie replied. "If I know Cordoba, and I do, he had several of his "associates" accompany Jiménez as witnesses. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they even recorded it for the express purpose of showing anyone else who fails in their duties what is in store for them. Cordoba is merciless."

"There's something else I don't understand," Danny added. "You said you never told anyone about that flash drive you found. Never showed it to anyone, right?"

"Right."

"So how does Cordoba know you have it? I mean, sure, Jiménez saw you on the dock in New York, then recognized you in the warehouse here. But how does that translate into you having the flash drive? You said you found it when you went back to search later. Jiménez wasn't there then. So how did Cordoba make the leap from you just being there to you having the flash drive?"

"Danny's right. Annie, are you sure you didn't tell or show anyone that drive?"

"I'm positive. It never left my possession and I didn't talk about it to anyone."

Steve heaved a heavy sigh. "Ok... it's almost midnight. We're not going to get anywhere else with this tonight and if we don't all get some sleep we're not going to get anywhere at all. Let's wrap this up and start off fresh in the morning."

"That's a good idea" Danny said "I'll see you two in the morning. Coffee and malasadas for breakfast, right?"

"Sounds great bro! Night, Danny." Annie said as she gave her brother a warm hug "We'll figure this out, I know we will".

"Just be careful," he whispered in her ear then looked at Steve. "Have her back, babe!"

"As if she were you, Danno! Don't worry."

After closing down all the computers and locking up the office, they all headed out to their cars and what was hopefully going to be a good night's sleep. Danny waved from his open window toward Steve's truck as they each turned out of the lot and headed for home.

Under the cover of the banyan trees, in the adjacent parking lot of the Territorial Office Building, a car is hidden. The occupants watch as the three cops exit the Aliʻiōlani Haleand walk toward their cars. They have done their homework. The blond one is Williams, the woman, his sister. Interestingly, she's going with McGarrett not with her brother. When she stumbles slightly over a low lying curb the SEAL reaches out a strong arm to steady her. She looks up at him and smiles warmly at him. He returns the smile as he steadies her with a strong arm around her waist.

There is what looks like a good natured, affectionate conversation between them as McGarrett makes an elaborate show of helping her into the truck. She laughs and playfully bats his arm away. McGarrett is also laughing as he circles the truck to get into the driver's seat and pulls away.

It would seem the young officer has grown attached to the handsome SEAL and they are becoming quite fond of each other. This is a new development they must report to Cordoba. This is something they may be able to use.