Steve The Matchmaker
This is a sequel to the Friday Night Bachelor's Club. Yes, I do rather like to write the comedic side of Hawaii Five-0 though there is actually a crime in this one. And yes, more of Steve's exploits after hours. Enjoy – and write reviews. And I don't own the Hawaii Five-0 characters, though I wish I did.
Steve McGarrett stood staring into the engine of his father's '74 Mercury Marquis, his arms folded over his chest. After his disastrous experience a week ago with the car, he had decided it was time to bring in some real help. Its first drive in almost 20 years and it had made it only nine miles. To top it off Steve and Danny had ended up pushing the car up the Pali Highway. He'd learned his lesson, no more Danny in the passenger seat when he was out in the Marquis, at least not until he was sure they wouldn't get stranded. He wasn't sure he could stand to hear that much complaining again anytime soon. He looked up when he heard a car pulling into his driveway. Mr. Chi and his grandson Minh Hua Chi climbed out of the old Chevy Malibu, the car in pristine condition.
"Mr. Chi, Minh Hua, welcome to my home." Steve spoke very formally. His time in China had taught him to show the utmost respect and honor to everyone, but especially his elders.
Mr. Chi beamed at him. He was pleased to have been given the opportunity to do this young man a service, especially after he had cleared his son's name and facilitated his family's citizenship paperwork. And he'd been pleased that Steve had included Minh Hua in his invitation, as the boy often spoke of the tall quiet man who had fixed his action figure. "Thank you for having us. I was pleased that you called. Is this the car?"
"Yes, my father bought it years ago as a project for us to fix up together. I thought I had everything working but as I told you on the phone I only made it nine miles."
"I brought my tools," Mr. Chi went to open the trunk of his car. As he bent to remove his tools Steve squatted down to talk to Minh Hua face to face.
"Minh Hua, do you remember how I told you I used to like action figures just like you do?" The boy nodded vigorously, he was a quiet shy child not prone to saying much. "Well, I was looking through some boxes in my garage and guess what I found?"
Minh Hua shrugged his shoulders.
"I found a box filled with my old action figures. I wondered if you'd like to check them out while your grandfather and I work on the car. I'm afraid they haven't been played with for a long time, and I feel bad about that. I considered them very good friends when I was your age. So I was thinking, if you like any of them maybe you could take them home and play with them. I hate to think of them just sitting in a box with no one to take care of them."
Minh Hua's face was transformed with a brilliant smile and he impulsively threw his arms around Steve's neck and gave him a hard squeeze. Steve hugged him back.
Mr. Chi watched and could feel his eyes misting over. Giving gifts was an important part of the Chinese culture and he felt once again indebted to this young man. But seeing Steve's face he realized that this young man enjoyed giving the gifts as much as Minh Hua enjoyed receiving them. Steve stood up and took Minh Hua's hand and led him to a child's table and chair that was in the garage near the car. On it was the promised box. He got Minh Hua started with the first toy and then came back to join Mr. Chi.
"Thank you so much for being so good to my grandson."
"It's my pleasure. I realize the toys are old but I'd rather think of him playing with them than them just sitting in a box or being thrown away." He smiled when he heard Minh Hua crow in delight over one of his discoveries. "And I appreciate you coming to help me with the car. I must admit, I just can't figure out what went wrong." The men returned to the car and bent over the engine together.
An hour flew by as they systematically tested the various parts of the engine attempting to narrow down the problem. They took a break for water and sodas then returned to work, only emerging when they heard a car pulling into the driveway.
Steve came around the car and immediately recognized Mary Anderson's car. She climbed out and went to the back door to let out her two foster children Jacob and Mary. Both were dressed in play clothes and immediately made a beeline for Steve. "Stevie," they yelled in unison. They both barreled into him and began hugging his legs as he reached down and ruffled their hair.
"Hi Steve," Mary came up. He immediately noticed she wasn't herself, her smile was strained and she didn't remove her sunglasses when she spoke to him. She hesitated a moment when she noticed Mr. Chi and his grandson coming out of the garage together. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had company. We'll stop back another time."
"Don't be ridiculous. Mr. Chi, Minh Hua, these are my friends Mary Anderson and her children Sarah and Jacob." Mr. Chi came forward and shook Mary's hand and the three children all eyed each other suspiciously for a moment.
Minh Hua suddenly spoke, "I'm playing super heroes, you want to come see?"
Sarah and Jacob cheerfully agreed and the three went into the garage. Steve and Mr. Chi exchanged a look and Steve said, "Mr. Chi, I'm going to take Mary for a walk on the beach. Would you mind watching the children for a few minutes? Then we can all have some lunch, I have food in the house."
Mr. Chi immediately agreed and went back to work on the car's engine. Steve led Mary around to the back of the house. They removed their shoes and left them on his beach chairs. Mary rolled up her pants legs to keep them dry and Steve was dressed in blue shorts and t-shirt. As they began to walk in the gently lapping waves Steve remained silent, giving Mary time to figure out what she wanted to say.
"Sam broke up with me," Mary's voice choked. "I know it sounds ridiculous. It's only been two months. But I thought he loved us, the children and me. When I told him I was filing the paperwork to adopt the children last week, he seemed happy about it. Then last night he called and said it was over. Just like that. He wouldn't tell me what I'd done. I just don't understand," she stopped and bowed her head. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her waist.
Steve was speechless. He turned Mary towards him and took her into his arms. He could feel a cold anger fill him. Sam had been a good friend to him. And he'd trusted him with Mary and the children. He'd asked him very specifically what his intentions were and he'd been assured that Sam had honorable intentions. The few times he'd seen them together since they'd begun dating Steve had seen how much Sam enjoyed being with Mary. They'd been like a family from almost the beginning. He didn't know what was going on but he wasn't going to let this go. He hugged Mary more tightly as she sobbed into his chest.
When they returned to the house the children were playing happily together and Mr. Chi had finished with the Marquis. Mary went in the house to wash her face and put the food together. Mr. Chi showed Steve what he had done to the car. They called the children together and went into the house to eat. Mary had managed to get herself under control and lunch was pleasant, with the children providing a distracting presence.
After lunch everyone left and Steve grabbed his phone and sat down on the couch. He dialed Sam's restaurant. The reservations clerk answered the call and Steve identified himself and asked if Sam was available.
"Sorry, no, he's not in today. He'll be here this evening."
"Do you know if he's home?" Steve asked.
"Yes, I think so. I called him a while ago and he answered his home phone. Would you like me to let him know you called?"
"No thanks. I'll catch him at home," Steve smiled grimly.
Half an hour later Steve pulled up in front of Sam's house. He pushed the buzzer on the keypad and waited.
"Hello?" Sam's voice came over the intercom.
"Hey Sam, it's Steve. I'd like to talk to you." Steve pasted a smile on his face as he looked up at the security camera and he kept his voice friendly.
"Steve, this isn't a good time. Sorry." Steve heard the intercom click off. He sat for a moment, putting a puzzled expression on his face for the camera then shrugged his shoulders and backed up. At the street he put his truck in drive and pulled away from the house. Given that the house wasn't near the beach he couldn't approach that way. But the house was on a corner lot so he pulled around the corner and parked near the fence. Steve studied the fence carefully. He could see that while there was an alarm system it would only be triggered if he actually touched the fence itself. There were no motion sensors in place. He grinned; this would be much easier than the time in Afghanistan when he'd had to get into a Taliban stronghold. He simply climbed into the back of his truck then up onto the roof. He backed up and took two strides and launched himself off the truck roof. He cleared the fence and landed on the other side. He stretched for a moment and then strolled off towards the back of the house.
Steve stopped when he reached the back of the house. Next to the pool he could see a patio table and sitting in one of the chairs was Sam. Sam had a plate of sandwiches and a large glass of lemonade in front of him though he wasn't eating but rather staring blankly ahead of him Steve walked up behind him, reached his hand down and grabbed a sandwich off the plate. He took a bite as he sat in the seat next to Sam. "Sam."
"Steve," Sam replied.
"You don't seem surprised to see me."
"Not really. I guess you've seen Mary." Sam didn't look at Steve, he just kept staring at the plate in front of him.
"That's right. I saw her today. Do you remember what I told you?"
"What?" Sam looked up then. Steve could see that Sam's eyes were rimmed with red and his face looked haggard.
"I told you not to hurt her. I thought I made myself very clear. But you did hurt her. And I want to know why."
Sam shook his head and looked away from Steve.
"Sam, if you think I'm leaving here without an explanation you are sorely mistaken. I have absolutely no problem making your life a living hell until you tell me." Sam's head came up and stared at Steve at that remark.
"You told me not to hurt her. Well that's what I'm trying to do. Maybe she's hurting a little now. But it could be a whole lot worse, a whole lot worse," Sam stared intently into Steve's eyes.
"You need to tell me what is going on here. What are you talking about?"
"Last Friday night Mary told me that she was going to put in the papers to adopt both the kids. I have to tell you Steve, I was thrilled. I decided I was going to ask her to marry me and we could adopt them together. I was floating on air. I decided to go ring shopping and I was going to ask her tonight. Then on Thursday night I get a phone call. It's a woman. She tells me that she has a tape, a sex tape of me with an underage minor. And that if I don't want it released to every news station in Hawaii I have to pay $100,000."
Steve's face didn't show any emotion. His next words were stated in an icy tone, "You had sex with an underage girl?"
"Not that I'm aware of. But Steve, you would not believe how many guys I knew in the NFL whose lives were messed up by unproven accusations. Guys whose wives left them because some groupie claimed to have slept with them. But I was single and unattached. There wasn't much anyone could say about me that was negative. I dated a lot of beautiful women. I'm not saying I was a saint; I had my share of one night stands. That's what worries me. I never checked ID. The women I slept with all looked to be of age, I met them in places where they would have been carded or at parties at friends' houses. But Steve, how can I be sure? If I did it then I should pay for it. But Mary shouldn't."
"What do you mean? She loves you man. This is killing her."
"I can make it through anything Steve. But a scandal like this could kill her chances of adopting the kids. Those two mean everything to her."
"So do you."
"Steve," Sam clenched his hands together and leaned forward. "What if it is true? What if I did it? Do you honestly think Mary would forgive me then? If it's true then I will have screwed up both our lives, and Sarah and Jacob go back into the foster care system. Has Mary told you their story? Two years ago they had two parents and a good life. Then their father is killed in an accident and the mother hooks up with a guy who gets her hooked on meth. The mother dies of an overdose and Jacob found her. He got Sarah and walked out of there and took her to a police officer. The miracle is that the two of them are still innocents. They don't need to be tainted by any of this ugliness. I won't allow it."
"When are you supposed to make the payoff?"
"Tonight, at the restaurant. The woman on the phone said she'd bring me the video and exchange it for the money."
"Do you have that much cash?"
"Yes, I went to the bank this morning."
"You don't really believe this will be the end of it. If you make a payoff to whoever this is they will be coming back to you forever. Isn't it better to let this end now?"
"I just need to buy some time so I can get some distance from Mary and the kids. If I pay her off today then I can leave here, go back to San Diego maybe. Then it can come out. I don't care what happens to me Steve. I really don't.
Steve took a deep breath. "What if you didn't have to lose anything? What if you could get rid of this blackmailer and keep Mary and the kids? What would that be worth to you?"
"Everything."
"Then I have a plan. I need to make a few calls." Steve pulled his phone out of his pocket and hit a speed dial button.
Three hours later Steve sat behind the desk in his office. Sitting in front of him were Chin, Kono and Sam. He'd explained his plan to the three of them and they were tossing in their own ideas. Suddenly the door to the office slammed open.
"What is this?" Danny strode into the office. "I'm on my way home from dropping off Grace and I see your cars in the parking lot. Is there a case? Why didn't you call me?"
"It's not a case. Not exactly," Steve replied. His mouth twitched. Danny was wearing long shorts and a t-shirt, but what was amusing Steve was Danny's bright red nose. "You forget to put on sunscreen?"
"I did put on sun screen. In fact I put on SPF 80. However, SPF 80 does not work when you are outside for seven straight hours at a children's beach birthday party. Gracie had a party to attend today so I had to act as a chaperone. Since when do parents have to attend parties? In Jersey you drop the kid off and the parents of the birthday boy supervises all of them. Not here, here you have to keep an eye on your kid."
"You need to get a hat brah," Chin said.
"So if you aren't working on a case then what are you all doing here?" Danny grabbed a chair and sat down. It was obvious he wasn't going anywhere.
Steve looked at Sam who nodded at him. He quickly explained the situation to Danny.
"So what's the plan?" Danny asked.
"Well with one more of us we have a little more flexibility. It was tight with just the three of us. So we're all going to be at Stan's restaurant tonight when the payoff is made. There's a chance that whoever is doing this knows that Sam and I are friends so Sam has reserved a table for Kono and I where we can see everything in the restaurant but to everyone else it will look like we're out on a date. Chin is going to be outside; he'll follow the blackmailer to see where they end up. And you Danny will be an extra set of eyes inside the restaurant. What would be best is if you can place a tracker on the blackmailer. We're also putting a small tracker into the money, just in case the blackmailer has an accomplice. Once we identify all the players we move in and take them."
"Do we arrest them?" Kono asked.
"A public trial will make things bad for Sam, and it could cost Mary the adoption. I think we just scare the hell out them," Steve said.
"Hang them off a building?" Chin suggested.
"Throw them in a shark cage?" Danny chimed in.
"Something with a hand grenade?" Kono added.
"Tying them on the roof of a car," Danny added.
"Hey," Steve protested. "That one was your idea."
Sam looked bewildered, "Those aren't things you've done are they?"
"Oh, those are what we call Steve's greatest hits," Danny replied.
"I'll think of something new," Steve said ominously.
"Why does that make me feel very, very nervous?" Danny asked. "Whenever Steve thinks of something new I end up with people shooting at me."
"You worry too much," Steve responded. "Sam, are you going to be ok with all of this?"
"If it helps me get my life back, I'm ok with just about anything. Even a hand grenade."
"Dear God, don't encourage him. Next thing you know he'll have a rocket launcher," Danny rolled his eyes and gestured as if he was hefting a rocket launcher on his shoulder.
"Rocket launchers can be very effective in certain situations," Steve said. Everyone else groaned.
At eight, Steve pulled his truck up in front of Sam's restaurant. The valet came out to take his keys. Steve came around the truck and opened the door for Kono. He was wearing nicely pressed khaki pants, a blue button down shirt and a pair of dress shoes. Kono was wearing a short black sleeveless dress with a bright red shawl around her shoulders. On her feet was a pair of spiky open toed red shoes. Steve put his arm around her and they entered the restaurant.
As they waited for the host they could both hear Chin speaking to them through their ear pieces. "I can see the interior of the restaurant; I've tapped into the security camera system using the codes Sam gave me. You look very nice cuz."
Kono smiled.
"You do look very nice. Do you dress like this for all your dates?" Steve asked.
"Only the ones I want to impress. The badge and holster tend to scare them off. You look very nice yourself. I almost didn't recognize you in those clothes." Kono gave him an admiring glance.
"If you two are going to flirt I'm going to have to turn the sound off," Danny's voice came through. "It's making me nauseous. I'll come in after Sam takes his position and head to the bar."
"It's going to be an interesting evening." Steve kept his arm on Kono's waist as the host came up. "We have a reservation for McGarrett, party of two."
"Ah yes, Mr. McGarrett. A special table has been prepared for you. Please follow me." As they were lead through the restaurant Steve's eyes scanned the room. He didn't recognize anyone. Their table was on a slightly elevated section of the floor and afforded them both an excellent view of the whole restaurant. A single red rose was sitting on the table. When Steve had seated Kono he picked up the rose and presented it to Kono. The host smiled broadly as Kono blushed.
"May I get you something from the bar while you look over the menus?"
"What would you like?" Steve asked Kono.
"A nice glass of pinot noir, please."
"Wine for the lady, and I'll have a Longboard in a frosted glass," Steve smiled as the host headed back towards the bar. "Looks like the place is doing excellent business."
"Yes it is," Kono twirled the rose between her fingers. She couldn't help but wonder if Steve or Sam had arranged for the flower. She'd certainly spent time alone with Steve before during their many cases, but it had been a long time since they'd had one on one time like this. Suddenly she was getting a flutter in her stomach, just like on other first dates.
"So, were you able to get in some surfing today?" Steve's question snapped her back to the present.
"Yes, I got up early and got in a few hours. I had just gotten cleaned up when you called. How about you, have you done any lately?"
"Just a few times. Some of the guys from the auction and I have gone out and surfed. I'm still a little out of practice. Not many chances to surf in Afghanistan."
"How long were you there?"
"Two years."
"Without a break?"
"I was in Germany for about six weeks after a mission went wrong," Steve stopped abruptly, he'd said more than he intended.
"What happened?" Kono asked. She saw Steve's hands clenching into fists. She kept her voice gentle.
Steve sighed. "A Japanese TV crew were filming on a street and inadvertently witnessed a kidnapping of an American reporter and his cameraman. They were literally grabbed right off the street and thrown into the trunk of a car. It wasn't the first such kidnapping but it was actually caught on film which meant we had a clue as to the identities of the kidnappers. My team was assigned to locate the kidnappers, retrieve the hostages and take care of the problem. Permanently."
Kono found herself holding her breath. She, Danny and Chin had periodically imagined what Steve's life had been like as a Seal. There were many clues as his various skills became apparent. This was the first time he'd actually talked about it.
"We were able to get enough information from the video to track them down. It was the Taliban. We tracked them to an encampment. We went in at night to rescue the hostages. We were able to rescue the newsman. His cameraman was an Afghani and he'd been tortured then beheaded. We planted explosives and were making our way out when something went wrong and we ended up in a fire fight. One of my men was hit and I went back for him and picked him up to get him out. The bombs went off and we were hit with some shrapnel. Luckily our chopper pilot was able to get us to a medical evacuation flight quickly and we went to Germany together. I had surgery and spent the next six weeks recovering."
"Did your man make it?" Kono said softly.
"Yes, he did. But he had to leave the service, his leg never fully recovered. He's married now with a little boy. They named him Steve. The rest of the team was fine. The reporter survived, but he'll never be the same. They tortured and killed his cameraman right in front of him."
"And the kidnappers."
"All dead." Steve's eyes went blank. Kono reached over and put her hands on top of his and squeezed. He came back from wherever his mind had gone and locked eyes with her. Then he smiled. "Not exactly appropriate conversation for a date is it? Have I told you how lovely you look this evening?"
Sounds of retching came through their ear pieces, followed by Danny's groan. "Oh my god, just kill me now. Seriously, Kono please, I beg of you, don't fall for this. First he gets you all soft and mushy then he compliments you. I mean come on. Resist. Dude, with stories like that you should be getting laid every night."
Kono and Steve both burst into laughter. The waiter arrived with their drinks at that moment and they cheerfully toasted each other. Then they placed their orders.
Steve saw Sam come into the restaurant just after their food arrived at the table. Sam took a seat at a table that was in their line of vision. Steve glanced at his watch and saw it was almost time for the blackmailer to appear. He caught Kono's eye and motioned with his eyes towards Sam. They continued chatting to each other but they were both completely focused on Sam. Kono saw her first. A tall young woman with long shiny auburn hair came into the bar and made a beeline for Sam's table. As she approached it she stopped abruptly and looked around the restaurant. Steve immediately put his hand on Kono's neck and drew her to him, kissing her thoroughly. The woman's eyes passed over them and refocused on Sam and she moved towards his table. Steve let Kono go and pulled back.
Kono struggled to get her breathing under control.
"I saw that," Chin's voice came through their ear pieces. "And we'll have to talk about it at some point. But right now Danny is on his way in."
The waiter came back with their food. Steve and Kono began to eat, both keeping their eyes on Sam's table. Chin had placed a microphone on Sam earlier and was relaying to them what was being said at the table. Sam was following Steve's script perfectly.
"How do I know you have what you said you have? Why should I pay you? And what guarantee do I have that you won't be coming back in a few weeks demanding more?"
The young woman gave a throaty laugh. "If you didn't think there was a video you wouldn't be here. You were quite the party animal in your day. So you don't remember me."
"You?" Sam studied her face. "No I don't remember you."
"Well I was a good bit younger then, too young if you want to know the truth. But I looked old enough. And when you were drinking things like age didn't seem to be a big concern for you."
"I don't believe it," Sam stated flatly.
"That's your choice. The news stations will be interested, even if the DA in San Diego isn't. Your video with certain body parts tastefully blurred will be all over TMZ and excerpts will be on every entertainment show. Even without a legal prosecution you will become a pedophile in the minds of some people, there go your endorsements. Think Tiger Woods and he didn't have underage girls. You'll still have all your money but your reputation will be gone. And no decent woman will ever want anything to do with you."
Sam took a ragged breath. He was about to speak when a shadow fell over them. "Hey buddy, sorry to interrupt. Just wanted to say thanks for the donation." Danny stood behind them, his hand extended to Sam over his shoulder. Sam shook it and a strained smile appeared on his face.
"My pleasure. Thanks for stopping by," he said.
"William, William Daniels," Danny turned to the young woman. "Sam here donated to our boys club fund raiser," he extended his hand to shake hers, his other hand drifting to her shoulder. She reluctantly shook it. "He's a great guy. Well, I'll leave you to your date." Danny drifted away.
A few moments later Danny's voice came through the ear pieces. "The bug is in place on her. It will track her and we'll be able to hear who she's talking to. And how are you two lovebirds doing?"
"We're fine Danny, the food is excellent. Too bad you can't have any," Steve took a mouthful of steak.
"Yeah, yeah. Chin says they've started talking again."
"Steve, she's telling him he has a choice, pay now or the video hits the net tonight."
Steve and Kono watched as Sam pulled a fat envelope from his breast pocket and handed it to the young woman who slid it into her purse without looking inside. She withdrew a memory stick from her purse and handed it to him. As they all watched she quickly stood and walked away from the table and out the door.
Steve immediately stood up and threw some bills down on the table to cover the check. Kono followed and the two exited the restaurant together. Steve helped Kono into his truck which was parked nearby and started the engine. Chin's voice came over their ear pieces. "We're on the move Steve. The bug in the envelope and the one on the girl are moving in the same direction." He gave Steve the coordinates and he peeled away from the curb.
"The dinner was great," Kono said.
Steve flashed her a broad grin. "Too bad we didn't make it to dessert. Some other time maybe. I hear Sam's chef makes a wicked crème brulee."
"I would not have thought you were a crème brulee guy."
"Really, what kind of dessert do you think is my kind of dessert?" Steve replied. He was enjoying their light banter.
"Hmmm, apple pie, maybe."
"I do like apple pie, though my favorite is cherry."
"Oh dear god. Is this seriously what people talk about on dates now?" Danny's voice rang in their ears. "Are you kidding me?"
"Why are you complaining? You talk about food all the time. Who eats sugar for breakfast every day?" Steve responded.
"Those coco puff things have about a million calories in them you know," Kono chimed in.
"Those things are the best testing things ever," Danny replied.
"Steve, she's pulling into a parking lot," Chin said.
"I see her," Steve replied. He immediately pulled his truck over. He reached into the back seat and grabbed his bullet proof vest. Kono had shed her red shawl and had pulled on a t-shirt over her dress and then added her vest.
"Ready," Steve said softly. He had his gun in his hand. They exited the truck and moved forward slowly to join Chin and Danny. They all watched the young woman move across the parking lot towards a motel room. She knocked on the door and it opened from inside. She moved into the room and the door swung shut.
"Let's move in," Steve said. They all moved to either side of the door then Steve stood directly in front of the door and kicked it in. They all filled the room, guns in hand with shouts of Five-0 and everybody freeze ringing out.
The young woman they had followed to the room was screaming as Kono moved up on her and turned and pushed her into the wall. The man in the room with her had Sam's envelope in his hand and was staring at them open mouthed. Danny quickly took the envelope out of his hand and pushed him into the wall, quickly handcuffing them.
Steve and Chin were covering the prisoners with their guns. Once the handcuffs were on, Chin and Kono turned the two around. Steve focused his attention on the man and suddenly realized this was someone he knew. "I know you," Steve said.
The man hung his head.
"I'm talking to you. Why do I know you?"
"I know him too," Kono spoke up. "He was in the bachelor auction with you. You're, you're the underwear model."
"Oh yeah, the idiot. I remember you. You were the one who was making the crude jokes backstage about some of the other guys and the women. Your name was Peter. Why would you do something like this?"
"My manager told me the auction would be a way to start up my career again, I've had some issues. Then I didn't go for very much. And you, you got all the press."
"So why did you target Sam? Was the video even real?"
Peter wouldn't answer. Kono turned to his accomplice. "You do realize that being involved in blackmail of this level is a major felony. You are talking years of jail time. You aren't going to look so good after five years in prison."
"Jail! You son of a bitch, you said we'd score and get out of town quick. I want a deal."
"Tell us about the video," Steve kept his face neutral. He hated to think of Sam in any kind of video.
"It's a fake. It's not even him on the tape, looks like him from a distance," she said. "We just figured he had deep pockets and he'd pay to make this go away."
The rest of his team all looked at Steve, he kept his face impassive. "Is this where you are both staying?"
"Yes," she said.
"Here's what we are going to do. You have ten minutes to pack your things. Then we are taking you to the airport and you are taking the first flight out, doesn't matter where. Then I am calling my buddy at the FAA and putting you on the do not fly list. You are never going to be able to go through the airport ever again without a major hassle. And you will never come back to Hawaii again. If I hear of you coming to my island again, prison will be the least of your problems."
Peter started to protest and Steve got right in his face. "Don't make the mistake of underestimating me. I can make your life a living hell from this day forward. I'm giving you a chance to get away free and clear. If you want to go to prison I can make that happen. A pretty boy like you will be extremely popular in prison. Now what's it going to be?"
"Can we take the first flight to LA?" Peter asked.
"Are you trying to negotiate with me? Dude, you have nothing. So what's it going to be?"
"We'll go," Peter turned and Danny stepped forward and removed the handcuffs. Peter went to his closet and grabbed his bags and began throwing in his clothes. Kono uncuffed the woman and she began to do the same. The two kept their heads down. Steve's team all beamed at each other, except for Steve who merely stood with his arms folded across his chest. He was obviously deep in thought.
"Two minutes," Kono called and their two prisoners sped up. In short order they had everything packed.
"Danny, Chin, can you take them to the airport and make sure they get on a plane? Kono and I are going back to see Sam," Steve took the envelope of cash from Danny.
Danny snapped his fingers and walked over to the young woman and reached for her shoulder. She flinched back but he merely plucked off the tiny bug he'd placed on her in the restaurant. "Ok you two, let's go. Your future somewhere else awaits."
"Peter," Steve spoke in a quiet, deadly tone. "I have ways of keeping track of you. You try something like this anywhere, ever again, it's over for you."
Peter looked terrified and nodded his assent and hustled out the door. Danny and Chin followed and for a moment Steve just stood still frowning. Kono went over and placed her hand on his arm.
"What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking Sam will be relieved but I wonder if Mary will forgive him. It sounded like when he broke up he was pretty harsh."
"I think we can figure that out, don't you?" Kono smiled and squeezed his arm. "Let's go give Sam some good news."
The next day Steve was back with Minh Hua and Mr. Chi. Mr. Chi was once again working on the engine of the Marquis, while Steve was showing Minh Hua how to throw a baseball in the driveway.
"That's great buddy, you're really getting some distance on it. When you're a little bigger Uncle Chin and I will show you how to throw a football. Would you like that?" Steve tossed the ball so it landed softly in the boy's glove.
"Yes, Steve," Minh Hua answered. He threw the ball back and Steve dove for it.
"Good throw." Steve was about to toss it back when a horn beeped and a car pulled into his driveway. Mary and the children climbed out of the car.
"Stevie," Jacob and Sarah came charging at him. He knelt down and hugged both children tightly.
"Hey you two. Minh Hua is here, do you guys want to go to the beach today? Have another swimming lesson?"
"Sure." Jacob and Sarah answered in stereo.
Mary came over to stand next to Steve. She was smiling today, and she had lost the pale pinched look she'd had the day before.
"Kids, why don't you all play for a few minutes, I need to talk to Mary." He took her arm and walked her to the back of his house. "Let's walk for a few minutes."
"Sure," Mary fell in beside him..
"How are you?" Steve asked.
"I'm doing better. I realized it was much better to find out now that Sam wasn't interested in being a family with us. If I had waited and the kids and I started depending on him and then he left, it would have been worse for the kids."
"Oh," Steve wasn't sure how to continue. Kono hadn't prepared him for this response. "So, if I were to tell you that everything was fine and Sam wanted you back, what would you say?"
"I don't know Steve. He'd have a lot of explaining to do. And apologizing."
"What if he got down on his knees?" Sam appeared in front of them, he was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, his feet were bare. He immediately got down on one knee, pulling a ring box out of his pocket.
Mary stood stock still, her mouth agape. "Sam?"
Steve stood there watching them both when he felt a tug on his arm. Kono was standing beside him, "Let's give them some privacy." He reluctantly let her pull him back towards his house.
"I wanted to see how he explained everything to her," Steve groused.
"Really? Steve, Sam has to do this on his own. I know you, you were going to try and rescue him again."
"Well maybe not rescue him. Maybe intervene a little." Steve smiled at her.
"You know, you've had a really busy weekend. You've worked on your car, set up a whole sting operation, caught a kidnapper and now you're a matchmaker."
"Just call me Yenta," Steve joked. When they rounded the corner all three children came running up to him beaming. Steve immediately took charge. "So who wants to go swimming?"
All three children began jumping up and down. They went to gather their bathing suits and Kono herded them into the house to change while Steve checked in with Mr. Chi.
"How's it going, sir?"
"Just fine. You take the children and I keep working on this. Maybe later we can go for a ride."
"Sounds good." Steve was already wearing his long blue swim trunks and a t-shirt so he waited for Kono and the children to come back out. When they emerged he had to smile, the children were arrayed in bright rainbow colored swim suits and Kono was wearing a blue bikini he remembered from the day they had gone diving for a sunken armored trunk. He led the merry little band down to the beach.
Mary and Sam were strolling back towards them, hand in hand. The children all ran up to them, excited to see Sam again. Mary dropped his hand and came up and gave Steve a hug, then embraced Kono. "How can I thank you both for everything you did for us? Sam told me everything. We're engaged."
"Congratulations," Steve said.
"Steve, I'd like you to be my best man," Sam said after shaking Steve's hand. "Without you I'd be spending the next ten years regretting losing the best thing that ever happened to me."
"Ten years?" Mary fired back.
"The rest of my life, the rest of my life."
"Kono, I'd love it if you were my maid of honor." Mary turned to Kono. "Sam explained how much you helped and how you helped plan his proposal."
"I'd be honored." Kono replied.
"Steve?" Sam looked at his friend.
Steve smiled and simply said, "It would be my pleasure."
"That's good. I'll expect you to plan my bachelor party." Sam smiled as Kono and Mary laughed at the look of dismay on Steve's face.
Coming next – you guessed it – The Bachelor Party