The Beginning A touch of Concern, a hawaii five-0 fanfic

The Beginning

Landon Richardson

Official Disclaimer

The characters of Lieutenant Commander Steven 'Steve' McGarrett, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua, Victor Hesse, Anton Hesse, Former Detective John 'Johnny / Jack' McGarrett, Mary McGarrett, Lieutenant Catherine 'Cath' Rollins, Frederick 'Fred' Doran, Detective Meka Hanamoa, Amy Hanamoa and Billy Hanamoa do not belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.

The character of Detective Sergeant Danielle 'Danni' Williams probably can be considered to be mine by now. Although she was originally based on male Danny, she soon evolved becoming her own person. She has her own background, her own family, her own history and her own distinct personality. This isn't to say that the Danny Williams we all know and love is completely gone, he still emerges through her at times. I like to think of female Danni as what Danny could have been if everything in his life had gone his way. As in full custody of Grace and a decent relationship with his ex.

The character of Grace has also changed slightly due to the change in Danni. Her surname is Taylor as this is her father's surname and was Danni's married name (Danni reverted back to her maiden name when she was divorced). Her parents also are amicable which has also impacted Grace but never fear, she's still the sweetheart we know and love, if anything she's more a sweetheart now.

The character of Duncan Taylor, Detective Rory Clements, Supervisory Special Agent in charge Ryan Moore, Special Agent Kale Meade, Special Agent Alexis Moss, Jeanine Landon, William 'Will' McGarrett, Noah Landon, Anna Michaels nee Landon, Theresa Law nee Landon, Deborah 'Debs' Landon and Michael Landon also belongs to me as does any other character who you do not recognise from the show. Please do not use them, or my version of Danni and Grace without first asking for my permission to do so.

Thank you.

Author Note

Here's the next chapter for you all.

Please enjoy

Official Summary

When Danni Williams moves to Hawaii, all she wants to do is keep her head down and survive the time she had to stay there. The last thing she expected was to meet Steve McGarrett, a man who seems more intent on getting her blown up and finding out everything about her life than he is about following proper procedure. Danni has a job to do though and one way or another she is going to do it.

Chapter Summary

Danni took the trailer steps two at a time, landing gracefully at the bottom of them and continued without breaking her stride as her eyes swept around the crime scene searching for an unoccupied police office to assist her.

Overall Romances

Hints of Steve McGarrett / Danni Williams (McDanni)

Hints of Steve McGarrett / Catherine Rollins (McRollins)

Mentions of past Duncan Taylor / Danni Williams (Dunni)

Hints of Ryan Moore / Danni Williams (Rynni)

Meka Hanamoa / Amy Hanamoa (Mekmy)

Mentions of past John McGarrett / Doris McGarrett (Joris)

Michael Landon / Karen Landon (Micren)

Chapter Romances

Hints of Ryan Moore / Danni Williams (Rynni)

Meka Hanamoa / Amy Hanamoa (Mekmy)

Warning

This story features a female Danni Williams in place of a male Danny Williams. Although in some stories I write, Danny does exist, he does not exist in this one.

If this is not your cup of tea then please hit the back button.

Other note

I do not have a Beta so please forgive any mistakes which may creep in, I always do my best to edit the story and check it but sometimes mistakes do creep in.

The places I've mentioned in Hawaii are ones which come from google, including the addresses. I've never been to Hawaii myself in person so I apologise for any mistakes which I may make, these are not intentional.

Chapter Eight

A Touch of concern

Thursday 23rd September 2010

56-335 Malaekahana Beach Campground

Kamehameha Hwy

Laie

HI 96731

Her gaze stopped on one who was standing near the perimeter, watching the crowd with an intent look on his face, clearly picking everything up which was happening outside the taped off area. She shifted her direction, heading towards him, her mind wracking through her memories for his name. He was aware of her approach, shifting slightly on the spot so he could watch her, his light brown eyes containing a look of vague interest which changed into curiosity when she stopped in front of him.

"Afternoon Officer Kahale, I need you to call dispatch on your car radio and ask them to send some EMTs to our location as a matter of urgency. We have a person who requires medical aid." She stated. His gaze dropped down to the Detective badge which she wore around her neck before he looked back up at her and nodded.

"Of course, Detective Williams, I'll call them now and let you know what their ETA will be" He replied, turning from her and heading over to one of the empty police cars which had been parked near the trailer. She watched as he reached an arm through the window of the driver's side and pulled out the handset of the radio before he began speaking into it.

Danni looked away from him and stared blindly at the crowd, her thoughts fixed on the girl who was still inside the trailer. God only knew what she must have endured in that place, she must have been terrified. She was only a young girl and she had been taken away from everything which she had known and transported to a strange island where she didn't speak the language. As if that wasn't enough for her to deal with, she had been taken away from the people who she had probably travelled with, people who had cared for her and instead had been given to a monster like Doran.

A monster who clearly hated women with a passion and made no effort to hide that hate from anyone. If anything, he was brazened with it.

If he could treat a decorated Detective like Danni as though she was somehow inferior to him then god only knew how he would treat a young girl who essentially had no one nearby to care for her. A girl who no one had even noticed was missing in the first place or if they had, they had made no effort to report it to the authorities.

Was the girl a first for Doran or had she simply been one in a long line of victims who had spent their time chained to the pipe like a bunch of animals before they were moved on to another location or something worse.

Steve had already mentioned that Victor Hesse had been involved in human trafficking which meant that his brother had probably been involved as well. It also meant that they may have had the connection which she and Steve needed to link the two of them together. If they were in the same line of business then they would probably have business in the past which would make sense for Hesse to approach Doran for a gun when he came to the island. It would also make sense for Doran to actually give him that help.

"Detective Williams, I just spoke to dispatch. The ETA on the EMTs you asked for is up to ten minutes" Officer Kahale called out to her, bringing her away from her thoughts as she turned to him.

"Thank you for that" She called back to him with a smile as she lifted her hand up in acknowledgement, before dropping it again, resisting the urge to sigh. She wished that Doran was still at the crime scene so she could break her own rule of not striking a suspect and instead punch the fucker round the faced as hard as she could, hopefully breaking his nose in the process. It would be nothing more than what he deserved. She should have stepped back and let Steve take the lead during the takedown. If there was anyone who could have made Doran suffer and wish that he had never been born then it would be the Navy SEAL. However, that moment had passed now and Doran was safely on his way to their interrogation room to wait their return to the building which was probably for the best.

Danni closed her eyes briefly as a wave of anger hit her, she let it wash over her before it resided, only then did she open her eyes again, tilting her head down and searching through her bag until she found what she needed. She pulled out her cell phone, glancing at the screen to see that she had three text messages waiting for her but ignored them for the moment as she pressed down on the number five button and brought the handset to her ear. It rang four times before being answered by a familiar female voice which was tinged heavily by a South African accent.

"Good Afternoon, you've reached the Honolulu Police Department, how many I direct your call today?"

"Hey Lily, it's Detective Danni Williams. Could you patch me through to Lieutenant Joe Kalikow please? I'm not sure which squad car he is currently in, he's on his way to the Ali'iolani Hale with a suspect in tow." Danni remarked, keeping her voice down.

"Sure, that should be easy to check for you. I'll just check the records quickly to see what car he was assigned today then I'll patch you through to him once I've got his radio frequency." Lily responded, her professional tone dispersing as she continued speaking causing Danni to smile. "So, we've heard about your promotion to the Governor's new taskforce Danni-girl! Good job at getting the position from underneath those jackasses noses at HPD. We both know that you were far too good to be trapped there with them." Lily commented causing Danni to laugh lowly.

"Tell me Lily, is there anything that you or the other people in dispatch don't hear?" She queried, her own professional tone easing away. She and Lily had been friends since her first day when Meka had introduced them during the tour he had given her round the precinct, the friendship between the Danni and Lily growing until Danni counted the older woman as one of her closest friends on the island, someone who she could rely on when she needed someone to talk to or someone to go out with her on a girlie night out when Grace was with Duncan.

"I'm pretty sure the answer to that is no" Lily replied thoughtfully. "We tend to be told everything by everyone, even notoriously private people like… oh I don't know… you, tend to let some secrets loose when you've had a few cocktails in you."

Danni rolled her eyes at the comment, her mouth quirking upwards into a smile.

"You know now that you've told me your method on getting secrets out of me, I'll be on guard against it when we next go out. You've lost your advantage now Lily, I hope you know that" Danni remarked with a laugh.

"You must be happy about the new job, though right?" Lily pressed, sounding half curious, half concerned. Danni took a moment, considering the question before she sighed.

"I'm not sure how I feel at the moment, all I'm hoping for at the moment is that it turns out to be better than my last job here. I don't want this to end up being a case of jumping out of fire and straight into the frying pan." Danni admitted as she twisted round on the spot and began moving back towards Doran's trailer.

"Maybe it could be that but it could also turn out to be the best thing that has happened to you other than Grace of course. You've got to think positively about it Danni or you'll go insane. I'm going to put your name down for my Yoga class, it's every Wednesday even for two hours and the classes restart in two weeks. You need to do something to get rid of all that tension you're holding onto and since you're currently not having sex with anyone, this will be the next best thing for you." Lily remarked brightly, an undercurrent to her tone which told Danni that her friend wasn't going to drop this even if Danni disagreed with her.

"Lily" Danni responded, a half amused, half warning tone coming to her voice before she changed the subject to the initial reason of the call. "Have you found out where the Lieutenant is yet?"

"Like you even need to ask me that Danni, the Lieutenant is in squad car thirty-six and he's aware that you want to talk to him and is waiting for me to put you through to him. Before I do though make sure you keep your phone with you today because I'll call you this evening to arrange some celebratory drinks for you with the girls, this promotion isn't something we can just ignore Danni, it deserves to be celebrated. I'm on duty until five so it will be after then" Lily stated.

"Thanks Lily" Danni remarked absent as she looked through the door to the trailer in time to see Steve help the injured girl gently to her feet. He glanced around him before he reached out and grabbed a relatively clean blanket from the back of a nearby chair, wrapping it around the girl's shoulder, she immediately reached up, clutching the material tightly around her body as though it was a barrier between her and the rest of the world at large. It was a sight which made Danni's heart ache for her.

Danni blinked, her eyes flickering up to her partner surprised to see that he was watching her carefully, his eyes searching her face before they locked onto her eyes and held her gaze. She lifted her hand up to him, holding up all her fingers to indicate that the EMTs were five minutes away before a clicking sound caught her attention, a sound which was followed by a vaguely familiar male voice over the line.

"Detective? This is Lieutenant Kalikow speaking, how can I help you?" Kalikow asked her before he continued speaking to her "If you want an ETA on our arrival at the Ali'iolani Hale then we are about twenty-five minutes out from it, traffic was lighter than we expected, probably due to the time of day it is." He told her.

"That's good to know" Danni responded. "Has there been any issues with him so far?" She asked as she turned away from Steve and headed across the uneven ground, past the crowds to where she had parked her car earlier. It was close enough that she could see everything going on.

"We've had no problems with him yet Detective. Officer Castro has been checking constantly to see if we've had any tails on us but there's been nothing. The only problem we've experienced so far is the prisoner's ability to continuously speak without stopping for breath. It would almost be impressive if it wasn't quite so headache inducing." Kalikow replied with a sigh, a hint of annoyance flavouring his tone.

"We had that problem with him as well during his initial arrest" Danni said with a shake of her head. "I need you and Office Castro to do me a favour Lieutenant once you get to the Ali'iolani Hale. I remember Detective Hanamoa telling me once that there were interviews rooms in the building which hadn't been fitted with windows due to the way the building was constructed, do you happen to know if that is the case?" She asked him curiously.

Lieutenant Kalikow remained silent for a moment as though he was considering her question before he spoke thoughtfully.

"You know now that I think about it Detective I think your partner was right. They did use to have them from the old days when the building was still a court house to keep prisoners in while they awaited the start of their trials. I haven't heard of them doing any updates to the building." He stated.

"That's what I was hoping. I need you to place Doran into one of those rooms once you arrive at the Ali'iolani Hale and leave him in there alone. There will be no need for either you or Officer Castro to remain in the room with him." She instructed him. "I want you to leave him in there and dim the lights down so that he's nearly in darkness and then at the same time turn the air conditioning up in the room. Don't give him any liquid or acknowledge him. I want him to be completely off balance by the time the Commander and myself arrive to interview him." She remarked, her voice serious and calm.

Danni raised an eyebrow when she heard the sound of a distant surprised whistle which she assumed came from Joe's partner who she assumed was driving.

"We can do that Detective, that won't be a problem" Kalikow agreed before he lowered his voice. "This guy must have done something pretty bad to piss you off so much" He commented.

"This guy as you put it had a young girl barely older than fifteen, locked up in a cupboard and chained up like a dog so you are correct Lieutenant, he had managed to piss me off a great deal." She answered bluntly. There was a moment's silence before Kalikow spoke again, all the previous amusement and ease gone from his voice leaving an anger in its place.

"Understood Detective, the lad and I will make sure the everything which you've asked will be done. We've got your back in this." He assured her, the comment making her smile.

"Thank you, Kalikow, I appreciate the help" She told him. "The Commander and I will be leaving the crime scene within the next twenty minutes or so, so if you and Officer Castro could stay with Doran, outside of the door until we get there then that would be extremely helpful."

"Understood Detective, if there are any issues at all then we'll contact you on your cell phone"

"Thank you" She said before she hung the phone up, staring down at the handset for a moment before she nodded to herself and dropped it in her bag.

She came to a stop beside her car and leaned against it, resting her forearms against the roof, allowing it to support her weight as she focused her attention on her anger trying to rein it in. She had to remain focused and professional and not allow the case to suck her in any more than it had already done. It was difficult though with thoughts of her own young daughter running through her mind. A daughter who she suddenly felt the strong desire to talk to or even see just so she could reassure herself that the young girl was where she was meant to be. She ignored the impulse to call Grace though, knowing that is she did then she would simply end up with a freaked-out child which was the last thing she wanted.

Danni straightened, turning so that she was facing the crime scene again, her eyes moving over everybody as they went about their jobs before she leaned back against the side of the car, biting down on her lower lip and using the sharp pain to focus her thoughts.

A movement to the side of her caught her attention causing her to glance towards it in time to see the Chinese girl escorted from the inside of the trailer flanked by two female officers. She straightened, watching their progress, ready to bridge the gap between them to offer her assistance if it was needed. The girl looked around her frantically, her gaze landing on Danni who returned the look with what she hoped was a reassuring look. It must have helped because the girl stopped struggling as much and allowed the two officers to place her gently in the back of one of the waiting cars. Danni waited until door was closed behind her and the officers were in the front seat before looking away again, her eyes continuing their search, though this time with purpose as she tried to locate her new partner.

She couldn't see him milling around in the grounds which meant that he must have returned to the trailer, if he had ever left at all, to continue his search, making the most out of the time which they had left. Time which the discovery of the Chinese girl had eaten away at. She knew that she should head over there and help him in the search but she remained still, telling herself that she would only be in the way right now. It was better to let him do the search alone, especially as he was the only one who actually knew what he was looking for.

"You know, I've seen that look on your face plenty of times over the past six months Hoaloha and it's never ended well for the person or case who occupied your thoughts at the time so tell me, who exactly has managed to put your 'I'm going to kick someone's ass today so help me God' expression on your face this time? Captain Hookano maybe or is it Commander McGarrett or maybe it's the actual case or the sleazy gun runner you've got in custody or is it the crowd? Because I've got to tell you, if it is the crowd and this is your new way of trying to scare them off of the scene then it appears to be working."

Danni blinked at the familiar voice coming from the left of her and turned, raising an eyebrow when she saw Meka walking towards her with a wide grin on his face, a grin which was familiar and helped ease away some of her anxiety over what had happened to her that day, anxiety she was trying desperately to keep under lock and key until the case was concluded.

"I think you'll find that you missed off ex-partner from the list of potential suspects" She informed him dryly.

"Well that's because your ex-partner is awesome and doesn't deserve to be on that list, at least not today" Meka responded. "I'll bite though, what have I done today that would deserve an ass kicking from you bearing in mind we haven't exactly spent a great deal of time together today due to Hookano and your unexpected job promotion to another department."

"I would say that wearing the shirt you're wearing is an ass kickable offence my friend. I mean who in their right mind would pick one which mixes bright red and orange together without even having a darker colour to break it up? That shirt, and many of your others come to think of it, should come with a warning for eye damage and a risk of going blind. I'm surprised that Amy would even allow you out of the house dressed in it. I would have thought she would have waited until you were occupied and burned it, unless of course she doesn't know about this shirt because it's one of the ones you keep at work for that very reason because I'm not above telling her about that secret stash Meka." She remarked, her mouth curling into a slight smile.

Meka stared at her for a moment before he laughed and shook his head.

"This" He said, waving a hand towards his torso, indicating the shirt "Is how people dress here in Hawaii Danni-girl. A shirt like this one is considered the height of fashion. We don't tend to dress all funny like you do. I mean someone wearing a dress and heels while working for the Police Department is almost unheard of. Who actually does that?" He asked her with a challenging look.

"I'm not surprised the Police Department don't know how a female Detective would dress, it's not like you've had any points of reference before me" She stated before she shrugged. "If you went to any other police department on the mainland then you would realise that there is a dress code for Detectives. Women dress smartly and the majority of the male Detectives on the force wear smart trousers, shirts and ties."

"Damn" Meka said with a shake of his head.

"Besides in the kind of weather you get in Hawaii where a normal day is like a hundred degrees, wearing a dress like the one I'm wearing is actually a good idea unless you want me to pass out from heat stroke." She told him.

"The dress may be suitable for the weather but you can't tell me that the heels you wear are suitable for Detective work, especially when that work had you running around the island chasing down scumbags like Doran. If today is any indication for you to go by then you might have to hang up your skirt and dress collection for good and start wearing flats in this taskforce." Meka pointed out sounding almost gleeful.

"That's never going to happen Meka." Danni responded instantly with a glare in his direction. "I'll have you know that there is not one pair of shoes which I own which I can't sprint in if the need for it arises. Something you should know from experience."

"Well that's good news for you then." Meka replied, raising a disbelieving eyebrow at her before he suddenly grinned. "Tell me Danni-girl, does your new partner know that you keep your secondary gun in a thigh holster when you wear a dress or is that a secret which he still needs to find out one day because I would pay to see that."

"You're getting far too much pleasure out of this whole situation Meka" Danni remarked with a roll of her eyes before she tilted her head back towards him so she could catch his gaze. "Yes, the Commander is aware about where I keep my secondary weapon since I had to draw it earlier" She told him, dropping her eyes as her mind brought up a picture of the surprised look which had come to Steve's face, wherever he had expected her secondary weapon to be it had certainly not been strapped around her thigh.

"What about the knife? Does he know about that yet?" Meka persisted, his grin widening again.

"No Meka, McGarrett isn't aware of where I keep my knife and I have no intention of him finding out either because it's not actually a big deal regardless of you trying to make it that way. I suggest you keep it between us unless you want me to speak to Amy and let slip to her exactly what you've been doing with the healthy lunches she's been making for you on a daily basis. Healthy lunches which you tend to either give to me or to throw in the bin before you head out and pick yourself up something greasy and unhealthy to eat instead." Danni commented, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Damn, that's a low blow Hoaloha" He answered with a wince as he held his hands up in front of him as though he was warding off a physical hit. "Have no fear all of the many secrets which I know of yours are safe with me. The same as always Danni" He told her, dropping his hands and nudging her lightly in the side with his elbow. Danni nodded her head, smiling briefly before she turned from him to look back towards the trailer, her eyes narrowing slightly as she noticed the small group of CSU agents who were gathered just in front of the steps leading up into the trailer. A group of CSU agents which told her that their time was coming to an end.

"Besides Meka, when I woke up this morning and got dressed I was under the impression that I would be in the office with you, rereading through the McGarrett file with a simple visit to the McGarrett house to break up the day. I never expected to end up here of all place." She stated thoughtfully, lifting one hand and waving it around her to indicate the crowded area surrounding them.

"I suppose that is true, I doubt anyone would have seen what happened today actually happening unless they were a mind reader or something." Meka agreed, leaning against the side of the car beside her. They remained quiet for a moment, the silence comfortable in its familiarity before Danni shifted with a sigh and spoke, sound weary.

"So, what bring you way out here then?" She asked him, her eyes flickering towards him for a moment before she looked away. "Because being out here isn't exactly where you normally would be, especially if you already had a new case and it can't be because you already miss me as a partner because it's been barely two hours since everything changed."

"I'm not missing you yet, maybe in a couple more hours or something. I was enjoying the ability of being able to pick the music in the car for a change rather than you being in charge of the radio." He said with a laugh as he re-crossed his arms over his chest again. "It made a nice change." He added thoughtfully before he winked at her, easing any harshness of his words and making it clear that he was joking with her.

She rolled her eyes at the comment, ignoring the way her heart ached at his words. She would miss his sense of humour.

"How long did it take you to think of that one Meka? All the journey over here?" Danni queried, a flat tone to her voice as she shook her head.

"I thought it was a good one" He remarked, flashing her another smile before he relented. "I'm down here because good old Captain Hookano pulled me off my case and sent me down here to give support and supervise the scene as he calls it. You weren't expecting him to sit back and let your new partner take all of the credit for the raid of the year. You missed it earlier because you were out but the news around the bullpen at the moment is that Hookano has decided that it's time that he went for promotion and we all know that once he has set his mind on something then that's it." Meka told her causing Danni to nod in agreement, she had come up against Captain Hookano's bull headed stubbornness on more than one occasion.

"There's a surprise" she said lightly.

"Not a surprise to anyone who has been made to work with him before. He thinks that if he sends a Detective here then he can tell people that this was a joint operation, the big boys on top will be impressed by that which will give him a good chance of that promotion since Doran was on the HPD most wanted list after all. He sent me because I was already out in the field and probably because he thought I would be the less likely to be sent away. I came because I had hoped you would still be at the scene" He stated.

"What would you have done if I had already gone?" Danni queried after a moment, looking towards him in time to see him shrug at her.

"Then at least it would have meant that I was out if the office and everything happening there today for a bit." He replied.

Danni wrinkled her nose at the comment before nodding.

"No doubt they are all talking about me and my promotion and how I was only picked because of political bullshit" She said, glancing at her ex-partner in time to see him nod at her. "The fact that the Captain is desperate to have this finger in this pie doesn't surprise me at all. He'll probably somehow end up being credited for the full raid because Steve doesn't strike me as the type of man who would care about the medals and accolades or anything which actually happens after the case. I think that the only thing he is concerned about is getting the results he wants in the first place which is taking Victor Hesse down. Nothing else concerns him other than that, whatever it will take to put Hesse behind bars is what he will do which means that it will be down to me to have to deal with the politics surrounding the team and the other departments."

"You?" Meka repeated sounding surprised, his dark eyes widening. "Danni, you despise the politics of the workplace, you've always gone out of your way to avoid it

"I do hate it but there is no choice in this matter" She said. "I'm not going to sit back and let another department who had nothing to do with the decisions which Steve and I have made, to take the credit for what we did. Steve might have tunnel vision but you can rest assure that I don't, I've always seen the big picture Meka and this is no exception."

There was a moment's silence as though Meka was considering what she had said before he spoke, his voice deliberately casual in a way which placed Danni instantly on guard. She had heard Meka use that tone before and it always before he raised a topic which he knew that she wouldn't like.

"Danni, are you sure that the Commander wants to put Hesse behind bars, he could just as easily want to put him six feet under in the ground where no one will find him. The man killed his father in cold blood after torturing him after all. He may feel that killing Hesse would be the better option, an eye for an eye and all that." He remarked.

"So, what if he does want that Meka? I can't blame him for feeling like that when you consider everything which Hesse has done to him." Danni responded instantly, her gaze focusing on the trailer as Ryan approached the group of CSU agents outside of it with an intent look on his face.

"Danni-" Meka began to say, stopping when Danni cut over him, her voice quiet and intense.

"Victor Hesse shot McGarrett's father in the face at point blank range while Steve listened in over the phone unable to do anything to help because he was in another country at the time. We both attended the autopsy that the Medical Examiner did and we read the report which highlighted in great detail all the torture that Hesse inflicted on John McGarrett, torture which happened before he made that call to Steve. We've got to assume that Steve has read the files which we put together already the he knows what happened. This whole situation" She stated, waving her hand around her to indicate everything. "Must be his worst nightmare brought to life. The amount of damage that one phone call has inflicted on him doesn't even bear thinking about. He probably won't know the damage it's done to him until this case is over and he can finally stop. All those years of training he did, all those years as a SEAL serving his country mean nothing because when push came to shove he was helpless to help one of the only people he would have done anything to save." Danni sighed, looking back at the older man, ignoring the look of surprise in his dark eyes. "Besides" She continued thoughtfully. "If a man like Victor Hesse dies than would anyone mourn him? Perhaps in cases like this someone like Victor Hesse is better off dead rather than behind bars where he could still influence people who owe him."

"Danni, you're a cop, we follow the letter of the law even if there are times when we don't agree with it and the outcome of it. If McGarrett goes to shoot Hesse and it's not in self-defence then you need to stop him unless you want your new partner to be arrested and convicted of murder before he is thrown into a correctional facility."

"I know that Meka" Danni answered, reaching up and rubbing tiredly at the back of her neck. "All I'm saying is that I understand how he feels you know? I mean what would we have done if it had been one of us in the same situation? What is it was Amy or Billy or… well what if they had been tortured and murdered? Are you honestly telling me you wouldn't tear down this island searching for the man who took away the person you loved? Wouldn't you want him to suffer some of the pain which you were suffering because I have to be honest with you Meka, if something like that happened to me then I would, it wouldn't matter to me if I was cop or not if I lost someone I loved in that fashion"

"I would too but it wasn't our families Danni. You've got to be careful and make sure that your empathy and sympathy doesn't send you down a path which you can't return from because we both know how easy it can be, we've seen it happen before to other cops" Meka told her seriously, concern lacing his voice. "A man who is on a mission isn't always a good thing especially if he's suffering from tunnel vision like you say he is. People, innocent people, can be hurt in the crossfire and the last thing I want is for you to be one of those people Danni."

"Meka I-" Danni started to say, stopping when Meka held up a hand and continued speaking once she had fallen silent.

"You have a young daughter Danni who needs you in her life and who loves you with every inch of the large, loving heart which she inherited from you. I don't even want to think what it would do to Grace if something happened to you, or what would happen to the people in this world who love you. You, Danielle, are not a person who can afford to take stupid unneeded risks and for the records, going into Fred Doran's gun filled trailer without having any form of backup is what most people, myself included, would consider as a needlessly stupid risk to take. I know you well enough to know that you probably think the same way. Don't think that I can't read beneath that thoughtful mask you wear, I know you Danni and this" He stated with a sweep of his arm. "Wouldn't have been your idea."

"Alright I get it Meka" Danni said on a sigh, reaching out and placing her hand on Meka's bare forearm, squeezing down on the warm skin. "I appreciate your concern for me Meka I really do but I know what I'm doing here" She assured him. "I didn't ask to be placed on this taskforce as Steve's partner but the fact is that I am now and that's it. Steve wanted to come out here and looked into the Doran lead due to the weapon angle and so here we are, just following up the latest lead like you and I would have done if we were still on the case together. He is driven but that's not a bad thing in my eyes when we're dealing with a case like this one. I would rather have a partner who is willing to do whatever it takes to get things done than one who isn't." She commented crossing her arms again before she spoke quietly. "I don't think you're giving him the credit which Steve deserves either Meka. Steve was a navy SEAL for six years, their main motto is 'never leave a man behind' driven or not Steve now has my back and I-" She frowned watching as the man in question exited the trailer, his eyes sweeping the area before they landed on her, lingering for a moment as though he was seeing whether she was okay before he looked away towards Ryan. "I have to have his back as well if this partnership is going to work."

"And what if he bends the rules Danni to get the result he wants?" Meka asked her sounding resigned as though he knew that the conversation was one which he wouldn't win.

"If he does that then I'll step in and stop him. I'll allow him some leeway to get results because the Governor has allowed him that leeway but I won't let him go too far and I won't allow him to break the law. I know you don't trust him but I'm asking you to trust me Meka. This is going to be a hard-enough adjustment for me to make as it is, I'm going to need your support."

"You've always got that Danni" Meka said, reaching up and running a hand through his hair. "You know what I don't understand?" He remarked thoughtfully, waiting until she made a questioning sound at the back of her throat before he carried on. "You said that the Governor has given him leeway which means that she's let him build his own team as he sees fit. He could have chosen anyone from anywhere, from law enforcement round the world or from the military. He could have rung the members of his old team and brought them over but he didn't do any of that. Instead he picks you, someone who he has never met before today, to be his partner. I don't understand why, if he had all these options he chose you."

Danni blinked at the comment, turning to him with a raised eyebrow before she gave him a shove.

"Well thanks for the vote on confidence in me and my abilities there Meka, I really appreciate it." She responded coolly

"That's not what I meant Hoaloha and you know it. I worked with you for six months straight on case after case since it wasn't like Hookano ever actually gave us breathing space. I'm well aware of how good you are at this job and the fact that your mind works differently from anyone else I know or work with. You're the one who can take one look at someone and know exactly how to play them to get the information we need and you're the one who every witness we have opens up to. I'm not denying that. Why do you think the other Detectives hate you so much? Its not solely because you came from the mainland Danni, it's because of your work ethic and the fact that you make a lot of them look like lazy bastards and are forcing them to work longer hours then they are used to, to try and keep up with your rate of closure. That's what their problem is Danni."

Danni snorted at the comment, shaking her head.

"Well it's good to know that's not just because I'm from the mainland which causes them to treat me as though I'm dirt beneath their shoes. Instead it's my work ethics and what make me who I am which does it." She answered dryly, her gaze fixing on Steve and Ryan as they both moved away from the main group of waiting CSU agents to speak to each other.

"You've got to admit that it is a bit strange Danni" Meka replied, attracting her attention again. "I mean the guy meets you twice, once at his father's house where you say you had a run in and the other time was at the police station and he decided randomly to make you his partner. From the gossip on the grapevine McGarrett was adamant about his decision over you. He was going to walk away if he wasn't given you."

"I don't know what you want me to say Meka, I wish I could tell you the reason why he chose me as his partner but I have no idea why he did and I doubt he is going to tell me either. If you want to know then you're going to have to ask him directly and see whether he answers you or not. There's nothing I can do about it now other than to try and make the best out of the situation. I'm just focusing on this case and then figuring things out afterwards." She said, biting her lower lip.

"Maybe he just recognises talent when he sees it" Meka said before he suddenly smirked as though the situation struck him as funny. "You know I don't need to tell you what will happening if you don't keep in regular contact with us do I? because I'm pretty sure that if you don't check in at least once a week that my wife will be round your house instantly, banging on your front door and dragging you and Gracie to ours by the scruff of your necks if she thought that the two of you weren't spending enough time with us."

Danni let out a startled laugh at the comment.

"I value my life too much for that to happen Meka" She stated before turning seriously, "Besides if anything the opposite will happen, both you and Amy will see a lot more of us then you did before because I already get the impression that Steve is going to drive me insane and I'm going to need to be around people who are normal… well at least Amy is normal" She remarked with a slight grin. "It's not like I have many other people on this island who would give me the time of day due to me being a dreaded Ha'ole. The fact that I'm scared shitless of your wife is also another good reason. I would rather go up against fifty Fred Doran than have to deal with one pissed off Amy Hanamoa,"

"And that right there is why you're one of the wisest people I know" Meka replied fervently before he placed a hand on her slim shoulder and squeezed down. "As for all those people who can't see pass you being a Ha'ole, they aren't worth it."

"Yeah, I know" Danni responded with a wave of her hand, ignoring the fact that she could feel her face flush from the rare compliment from him. "Don't start going soft and gooey on me now Meka" She remarked before she changed the subject. "I saw Amy this morning at the coffee shop after the Captain booted me out of the station. She told me about the plans for Saturday."

"Do you remember what she told you about the plans?" He asked her suspiciously. "Because when you aren't keen on some plans you tend to forget the details, don't think that I haven't noticed your trend of doing that, I'm on to you Williams."

"I'm not that bad and beside I always have a good reason for why I can't attend things and you know it. You're just jealous that you can't do the same thing." She told him lightly with a wink in his direction. "But don't worry, I remember the plans, we're meeting at yours, heading to North Shore, spending time there and then its back to yours for a BBQ and some drinks once Grace is safely tucked away in bed, hopefully fast asleep after the day we have planned. I hope you don't mind but I invited Ryan and his son to come for the day and evening as well?"

"Ryan as in Ryan Moore? The very same head of CSU, that Ryan?" Meka asked after a slight pause, lifting his hand and pointing to the man in question. Danni followed his finger, frowning slight when she noticed that Ryan and Steve were still talking to each other, looking as though they were frowning at each other though it was hard to tell over the distance."

"Don't act like you don't know which Ryan I'm speaking about, we only know one Ryan" Danni answered, focusing back on him when he made a knowing sound at the back of his throat, flashing her a smug look. "What is it? Why are you making that noise?" She queried, feeling her face flush again.

"No reason at all, so why exactly did you ask Ryan to come? Not that he isn't welcome because he is, it's just normally I'm the one who invites him to things" Meka pointed out.

"I was always planning on inviting him in the evening but Steve need to get into the trailer so I invited him to come to the whole day. It's always nice spending time with Jake anyway." Danni said.

"So, let me get this straight. What your saying is that you bribed Ryan to let you into Doran's trailer before CSU by asking him and his young son to come out for the day with you and Grace and the rest of your close friends on the island?" Meka commented.

"Well that was the plan but he refused the bribe but said that he would come anyway. It will be nice to be able to spend some time with him and Jake out of work, his shifts have been a bit all over the place." Danni remarked, sighing in annoyance when Meka raised an eyebrow at her. "You can stop with that look as well Meka! As I've told you countless of times before Ryan and I are just close friends, nothing more and nothing less." She stated firmly.

"Just close friends Danni-girl?" Meka questioned, sounding as though he didn't believe a word which she was saying to her. Danni shot him another quick look before she turned to face him fully, jabbing her finger into his chest with a low growl.

"Don't you dare tell Amy anything about this conversation we're having Meka, I know what you're like when it comes to things like this and I'm telling you now that the last thing I need is a call from your wife this evening grilling me about Ryan and something which isn't happening." She stated, jabbing him with her finger again before she changed the subject. "So, I heard from Grace today that you have agreed to help her build a sandcastle on Saturday?" She asked, waiting until he nodded before she continued to speak. "Well there you go, if you've already promised my daughter that then I have to come on Saturday now, I can't let Grace down by not turning up and allowing her to make that sandcastle with her Uncle Meka can I?"

"Damn straight you can't Danni. You just wait until you actually see the sand castle which we're going to build, even a mainlander like you will be impressed by it. Grace, Billy boy and I have something to prove to the state of Hawaii after all so that sandcastle will be epic, nothing else will satisfy us."

"Oh?" Danni said raising an eyebrow at him. "And pray tell me what it is that my seven-year-old daughter can possibly have to prove to the State of Hawaii?" She questioned making no effort to hide the amusement from her voice.

"What do we have to prove?" Meka repeated in disbelief. "We need to prove that the three of us can build the best sandcastle that this island has ever seen. I would have thought that was pretty obvious to anyone. We have been planning this for weeks now, we've even gone as far as to draw a blueprint for it. It was all your Grace's idea by the way, the blueprint I mean, it turns out that she can be a mini dictator when she wants to be just like her mother can be." He commented, shooting her a glance, a smirk curving his mouth.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with knowing what it is you want from life and going for it." Danni replied with a smile. "It's good that she has you to do this for you. I mean don't get me wrong, she has Duncan for it as well but I know she misses hanging out with her Uncles and Aunts and her cousins." She admitted with a sigh.

"Danni, it's time for is to go."

Danni looked away from Meka to see Steve approaching them across the uneven ground, his eyes moving between the two of them with a slight frown.

"Of course, it is" She responded, pushing herself back into a standing position as she glanced down at her watch on her wrist. "I'm assuming you want to head back to the office to have a crack at Doran or is there somewhere else you want us to go to first?" She asked him, tilting her head back so she could look into his face.

"We'll head back to the office now." Steve answered, keeping his eyes fixed on Meka as though he was sizing him up. Danni glanced between them before she made a knowing sound.

"I'm guessing that the two of your have never been formally introduced to each other?" She queried, continuing when both men shook their heads. "That doesn't surprise me, Hookano has never been one for formality. Steve this is my partner Detective Meka Hanamoa, Meka this is Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, head of the new Governor's task force."

"You mean your former partner" Steve corrected automatically, his eyes focusing on Danni briefly before looking back at Meka, nodding at the other man. "Pleased to meet you Detective" He added, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That's right, I am the former partner. It's nice to meet you too Commander" Meka answered, his tone making it clear that it was anything but nice, Danni glanced between the two of them again before she rolled her eyes with a sigh.

"We should probably leave if you want to have a crack at breaking Doran today Steve. It will take at least an hour for us to get to the Ali'iolani Hale." She remarked, reaching out and wrapping her hand round Steve's wrist, using the hold to try and tug him away. For a moment Steve remained rooted to the spot, ignoring her efforts to make him move away from Meka. "Steve" She stated again, a firm note coming to her voice which had been lacking before.

She saw him tense for a moment at the different tone before he looked away from his silent staring competition with Meka and allowed her to pull him away from the other man. She twisted round him, placing her hand on his back between his shoulders blades and pushed him towards the back of the car before she looked back at Meka with a smile. "Sorry about having to run but we have to get this interview started as soon as possible. I'll see you soon okay?"

"Yeah you will Hoaloha, I'll be seeing you on Saturday at ten at our place yeah? Make sure you let Ryan know the details and everything." He commented with a nod at her.

"Will do and don't worry, I'll make sure that the four of us are there on time" She confirmed. "I'll call you later on tonight or something so we can talk."

"I have no doubt that Amy will call you tonight" Meka answered, pushing himself off the car and stretching his arms over his head. "It's time for this Detective to go and earn his pay cheque. Take care of yourself Danni-girl, I'll call you if anything happens here which you need to know about. Goodbye Commander" He said, his voice cooling as he looked at Steve over the roof of the car.

Danni waved at him before she climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine, she reached into her bag and pulled out her sunglasses, slipping them on her nose before she pulled her seatbelt into place.. Danni reversed the car once Steve was in, lifting her hand and waving at Ryan as they passed him before they left the trailer park.

Silence reigned in the car for a few moments, broken only by the soft sound of music coming from the radio before Danni spoke.

"Did you manager to find anything in the trailer before CSU took over?" She asked, sparing him a quick glance from the corner of her eyes before she turned her attention back to the narrow dirt path in front of them.

"There was nothing I could find that linked him to Hesse other then Chen Chi, if we had been given more time in the trailer then perhaps I would have found something but now we'll just have to wait to see whether the CSU are capable of finding it." He answered her, a flat note to his voice.

"There's no reason to think that they won't find them, CSU know what they are doing and they are good at their jobs."

"Are they?" Steve responded. "Forgive me for not being so confident in their abilities after they failed to find something as simple as a palm print back at my father's place. It may be a good idea if we find someone skilled in that and hire them so they can look at the place as well once CSU are finished." He stated.

Danni blinked, tightening her hands on the wheel.

"That would be the worse thing we could do" She told him calmly. "We can, in the future, look into hiring someone with those skills if that is what you want but right now we can't. We have to rely on CSU, you don't know them but I do and they are all good at their jobs, I haven't spent the past six months building up a relationship with them all to throw it all away. I know that you are pissed about the palm print but I can promise you that Ryan will deal with it."

Steve was quiet long enough that Danni risked taking her eyes off of the road to look towards him. His hand was resting on his thigh, curled up in a fist which made her want to reach over and cover it with her own hand though she resisted the temptation, surprised by the impulse. From the stiff way he was holding himself it was perfectly clear that any human contact from anyone would be highly unwelcomed to him at that moment in time.

"He better" Steve answered finally, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared out the window screen.

"Who is Chen Chi? You mentioned her before" Danni asked, changing the subject, making a mental note as she did so to speak to Ryan about the missed palm print so he could look into it. Sloppy work like that couldn't be allowed to continue.

"Chen Chi is the girl we found in the trailer. She wouldn't talk much but she did tell me her name." Steve answered her.

"And you are sure that she is a link we can use?" Danni said slowly, tapping her fingertip against the steering wheel, considering their situation when he nodded at her. "I suppose us finding something in that trailer which we could use at first glance was a long shot" She stated absently, her thoughts focused on a mental map trying to figure out the quickest way of getting to the Ali'iolani Hale from their current position. "The good news is that Doran isn't going to be able to leave custody due to the amount of charges we have against him. The only thing he has to look forward to in the foreseeable in life staring at the same four walls in solitary. I know that Ryan and the CSU team will find more things at the trailer which we can use as well. Speaking about Ryan, I saw you speaking to him earlier. I'm assuming you told him what you were looking for?"

"Yeah, I have him a brief outline of what we were looking for" Steve stated.

"Well if he knows what he's looking for then he and the others will find it." She said. "You're going to get your chance with Doran to make him talk. I have confidence in you that you'll get the information you want from him. We need to find out where Hesse is but we also need to find out who the leader of this trafficking ring and where he or she is based. I would bet my badge that the trafficking ring and Hesse are somehow connected to each other. If we find one then it is likely we will be able to find the other."

Steve looked over at her, his eyes looking dark in the bright sunlight. He seemed to consider her words for a moment before he spoke, reaching own into his pocket. For a moment she expected him to pull out his cell phone out but instead he pulled out a pair of sunglasses which he put on hiding his eyes from her view.

"So, we are both in agreement with each other that Hesse used an already established trafficking route to enter Hawaii beneath the radar?" He queried suddenly.

"I think we are" She said after a pause. "Considering the record, you say he has and the interest he's gathered in other law enforcement agencies it would be the only way he could gain entry without flagging attention from someone."

"Whoever is running the trafficking ring is good" Steve said thoughtfully. "He's managed to remain below the radar until now. If he could get all those Chinese immigrants onto the island without being seen then slipping two men onto the island would be an easy matter to accomplish."

"Two men?" Danni said, her eyes narrowing slightly on the steering wheel. "I'm guessing you are talking about Hesse and his accomplice? The one who you said was in the house with Hesse?"

"That's right" Steve said. "Finding the pair of them is all that matters at the moment Danni. We have to get both of them."

"We will but we also need to look at the bigger picture now as well Steve" She said with a frown. "We need to close that trafficking ring down so that no one else goes through what Chen Chi has gone through. I have a young daughter Steve, if it had been that her in that room or if anything happened to her then I don't know what I would do." She stopped and shook her head almost ruefully. "Actually, that's a lie, I know exactly what I would do if someone touched my baby. I would hunt down every single person who was involved and I would kill them and make sure that their death was slow and painful as possible. The jail time I would get for it would be worth it" She stated calmly.

A silence fell after her words, allowing Danni's thoughts to wander, running through the case again. At least thirty minutes must have passed before Steve suddenly spoke again

"We are going to do both Danni. We will find Hesse and we will close this trafficking ring as well" He promised her before he suddenly frowned looking out of the window as he shifted on the passenger seat. "Where are we heading exactly?" He suddenly asked, a puzzled tone coming to his voice.

"What do you mean where are we heading?" Danni asked him in confusion. "We're heading to the Ali'iolani Hale building so we can interview Doran and find where Hesse is. That is where you told me to go to. Where else would I be heading?" She queried.

"The Ali'iolani Hale Building isn't this way Danni, you need to take the next left here." He said, reaching up and pointing past her. Danni growled beneath her breathe as she reached up and smacked his hand away from her.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to drive here" She told him with a glare. "And for the record I do in fact know where I'm going because as I told you before I have driven past the place a few times. We carry on down the rest of this road before turning left at the bottom. We head down that road, turning left again and then we're there, safe and sound." She explained.

"With all due respect Danni, I've lived here all my life and you've only been here for six months or so. I think based on that I know where I'm going more than you do. Perhaps you should actually listen to me and following my directions."

"Well with all due respect Steve what the hell does the length of time I've been here has been has anything to do with that. You've been gone from this island a long time doing your Seal business abroad. You could easily have forgotten how to get to the places around here. I mean don't get me wrong, it's nothing to be embarrassed about, forgetting the way to where you want to go after such a long time is completely normal. I believe it happens to a lot of men who are getting on in years." She remarked calmly.

"Getting on in years?" Steve repeated in disbelief as he turned to look at her. "I am thirty-three years old Danni; most people wouldn't consider that as getting on in years."

"Thirty-three is older than me" She responded with a shrug. "That remind me, if you try and backseat drive again then I'll be forced to hit you hard and I can promise you that it will hurt regardless of your SEAL training."

"In case it has slipped your notice Danni I'm in the passenger seat, not in the backseat." He pointed out, smiling when she turned to shoot him an unimpressed look.

"Okay you'll definitely be getting punched now but I'm not going to tell you when it will be coming. All you have to know is that it will happen when you least expect it." She warned him with a shake of her head.

"Well I appreciate you warning me about it Danni, now pull over and let me drive the rest of the way, I can have us there within minutes."

"You'll have us there within minutes Steven because we are literally minutes away from where we want to be. I've already told you that I'm the driver of this car and as the driver it means that I pick out the route we're taking as well, not you, so do me a favour please and just sit there and be quiet because you're beginning to give me a headache."

"Did you actually just tell me to be quiet?" Steve demanded, his mouth falling open as he stared at Danni as though he couldn't believe his own ears. "Look, Danni I-" He began to said, his words stopping when Danni spoke over him.

"And here we are" She stated calmly as she hit the indicator and pulled into the car park, looking around her until she found a free parking space situated near the front of the building. "It would appear that your sense of direction is ever so slightly off at present time but don't worry, I'll be more than happy to show you the way around the island again" She turned to him and flashed him a smile before she unclicked her seatbelt and reached beside his leg, her hand brushing against the material of his cargo pants as she extracted her bag. Danni pushed the door open and exited the car, reaching back into the back of the car and pulling out her high heels from where she had kept them, quickly slipping off her flats she stepped into the heels before putting her flats into the car and slamming the door shut.

The minute she was finished Steve spoke, indicating that he had been waiting for her full, undivided attention.

"I knew exactly where I was going" He told her, crossing his arms over his chest. "If we had actually turned left when I told you to then we would have been here earlier, you managed to take the longest route possible to get there."

"Does this really matter now that we're here?" Danni responded with a shake of her head as she headed towards the building in front of her. "Did the Governor's assistant tell you which floor we're to be based on?" She queried as she glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Floor three" Steve stated as he came to her right-hand side, matching his longer stride to her smaller one automatically. "The holding cells and interrogation rooms are in the basement according to what I've been told so I'm going to head down there now and interview Doran to get some answers." He informed her, his eyes narrowing as though his mind was already running through what he was going to say.

"That would be a very bad idea Steve" Danni said, turning towards him and grabbing his arm. He stopped slightly in front of her, twisting on the spot and fixing her with a pissed off look which she ignored.

"Danni" He growled, the frown on his face growing when she merely tightened her grip on his arm.

"Steve, you need to listen to me okay? What we need to do right now is come up with a strategy to hit Doran with. We can look over the file we have on him and figure out the best way of doing this because we're only going to get this one real shot at him alone. We have the time and we should use it because he isn't going anywhere."

"He might not be going anywhere but Hesse is Danni. You forget that I know him better than anyone because I have spent the past five years of my life chasing him and his brother around the world. What he's going to try and do now is get off the island and if he does that then everything will be lost. Doran is currently our only lead and you just want us to leave him down there when you know as much as I do that he's the key we need to blow this case open and finding Hesse?" Steve demanded angrily.

"I'm well aware of the facts of the case" She retorted, tilting her head back and meeting his gaze head on. "Look, the truth of the matter is that I don't know why you decided to make me into your partner, you have your reasons and whatever they are I don't know and neither do I care right now because the simple fact is that you did make me your partner. As your partner I'm asking you to listen to me on this because I do know what I'm talking about. I know that you want answers to all your questions and I want the same thing. I want the answers we need to put this case to rest so both you and your sister can get closure but we have to look at this situation logically and not do anything stupid to jeopardise it, no matter how tempting it may be." She told him, her tone softening.

"Danni-" Steve began, his voice falling away for a second time as she began to speak again.

"I get that you want to bash Doran's head in and if we were in any other professional then I would probably help you do it. Doran is the worst kind of scum there is but unfortunately, he's the only piece of scum who can give us any answers so we need to play this by the book so we can have no doubt placed over how we handled this. All this will take is one false move and he'll clam up and demand a lawyer and then we'll get nothing because any lawyer who knows anything about what they are doing aren't going to let him answer questions unless we offer him a deal. A deal the DA office isn't going to want to offer him considering the charges he will be facing. When its cases like this, and you'll find that there are a few of them that will pop up, then we have to take it slower than you want and really come up with a rock-solid strategy.

"So, what do you suggest?" Steve asked.

"Doran is currently sitting alone in a cold interrogation room which has no windows. He has nothing to distract his own mind, there's no view, there's no cop in there for him to focus on. It's just him, alone with his thoughts and the knowledge that we are at his trailer, with a valid search warrant, and are ripping it apart looking for anything which can be used against him. For a man like Doran who clearly needs to be in control, the fact that he has none will be killing him, even better for us is the fact it will be making him furious and with fury comes recklessness and its that recklessness which we want and need because it is those two emotions combined which is what will make him crack and start revealing things to us in his rage which he would never have revealed if he was thinking straight. He is worried and worried people do things, anything, if it means saving themselves. There's no reason after all to believe that Doran is loyal to Hesse, to a man like Doran everything will be business and there's nothing sacred in his kind of business." She told him, taking a deep breathe as she lowered her hand from his arm now that he was listening to her.

"Go on" Steve prompted.

"He has been in this situation time and time before and has somehow beaten it time and time before so we need to change things up. He expects us to do it the way you're suggesting, for us to rush in there, guns blazing and show him all our cards for him to counter. What we need to do is do it in a way he doesn't expect. We speak to Kalikow and Castro and tell them to let slip to him that we are back, he'll be waiting for us and every minute he is left waiting will make him more and more concerned and off his guard. All I am asking for is one-hour Steve, if this method doesn't work then we'll use your way in the future for this. We should take the hour to run through the case and through his file so we can use it against him. Knowledge is power in this line of work and Doran is the kind of man who will only respond to someone more powerful then him. It's why he is scared of you Steve thought he obviously tries to hide it."

Steve remained quiet for a moment, his eyes focused on the building to the side of them. She could almost picture his mind dissecting what she had said to see whether her points were valid and worth following. He turned suddenly and stared at her, smiling slightly before he gave her a single nod

"We'll do it your way, he gets a single hour only" He told her before he resumed his walk up the stairs towards the entrance of the building. He stopped at the door and looked back at her. "As for your question about why I made you my partner, well, there were many reasons. This right here was one of them."

"Many reasons?" She called after him, sighing when he merely opened the door and stepped through it, the conversation clearly over in his mind. Danni raised her eyes to the bright blue sky above her, silently asking for the strength to deal with her new partner before she lowered it and followed him into the building.

Prayers would have to wait.

Author Note

Thanks for taking the time to read. An especially big thank you if you have left me a review, favourite the story or decided to follow it.

I really appreciate it