Chapter Fourteen
I am so sorry for the delay in writing this update, I have just been really busy finishing off my Postgrad work, now I can dedicate holiday time to Steve and Naomi. Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews for the previous chapter, I'm glad you are all enjoying the 'creepy' James.
AN: This story is going to be a little of NCIS:LA cross over since I intend to borrow Sam Hannah to help Steve, his fellow SEAL. I liked this idea since it was hinted in the cross over episode that Steve knew Sam. I think they would be really great together.
So here is the story – Enjoy!
Steve was just entering his office at the 5.0 head quarters after another sleepless night, when he noticed someone was sitting in the visitors seat. He was just about to speak when his visitor stood and faced him.
He could not help but smile at the familiar face of his fellow SEAL Sam Hannah, looking big and bald as usual.
"Sam Hannah, how've you been, man?" Steve said as they both shook hands and slapped each other on the back.
He smiled, but his expression was serious, "Heard some scuttlebutt about you needing some help with finding your lady".
Steve's smile slipped, "You heard correctly. My girlfriend is missing and we suspect that she along with her father, Senator Morales have been kidnapped by a man we believe to be James Remington" Steve led Sam into the main room and pulled up James' file to show him. He relayed the entire case about his wife's suicide and the mysterious disappearances and deaths of James' women.
"So do we have at least an idea of where she may be?" Sam asked him.
Steve sighed tiredly, "We've been working on that for the last two days, but nothing. We believe that James is smart enough not to use one of his own vessels, and is most probably using a rented one under an assumed name or a legitimate associates."
Both men turned around when the rest of the 5.0 team walked in. Introductions were made, and Steve noticed his team seemed rather fascinated by Sam Hannah.
"I am here in whatever capacity you need me to be in" Sam said.
Steve smiled, "Thank you for coming. I trust my team thoroughly, which is why I am keeping them as backup. But I also needed someone who is trained in extraction and rescue".
"Hey man, no problem. I just hope I don't cause any problems for the team."
Sam had just finished his sentence when Danny spoke, "This is something that none of us have much expertise in. No egos here, we'll do whatever it takes to get Naomi back, and if that means letting you and Steve partner up, then you don't have to worry about anything".
Kono and Chin seconded Danny's view. Steve watched his team and Sam as emotions he could not name came over him. In this moment he realized that his team would do anything not just for him, but also for each other. He also realized that he would do the same for each person in that room.
Kono broke the silence when her phone chirped, "Boss I have something" she led them to the computer table, "I ran Kat's DMV photo in the facial recognition software and I just got a hit" she threw up multiple drivers licenses from all over the world. "She has more than ten aliases and is very heavily involved with James' dirty work. Her real name although is Natalya Klebanova, her father was James' father, but when they divorced, his mother went back to her maiden name Remington and changed his name as well".
"Did you find anything under any of her aliases?" Steve asked.
She continued, "Yes. There is a luxury yacht that has been hired under one of her rarely used aliases Rebecca Alexander" Kono brought up an image of the vessel, "According to the coordinates that have been registered on the tracker that is put into every hired vessel, the position is just off the coast of Tampico, Mexico".
Steve sighed in relief, "Alright now we have a location, we just need to get there" before he could come up with a solution, Sam spoke.
"I have already spoken to Hetty Lange and she has given us the use of the jet".
"Is that approved? Or are we going to have to face the music later?" asked Chin with a smile.
"It wasn't approved when I left in it. But I am sure, all has been sorted out. If not for Naomi, then the senator has to be rescued" Sam pointed out.
"Since it's Mexico, we need to be careful, so I think the best thing to do would be to get to Port Isabel in Texas and head out to the Gulf from there. It's the closest we can get to Tampico, without actually entering Mexico" Steve said as he looked at his watch, "We meet at the airfield in an hour, ready to leave".
-X-
Naomi sat on the deck of the beautiful Yacht as a sumptuous breakfast was served to her and James. She felt as if she were in a crazy dream where nothing was wrong, she was only enjoying a great meal with an interesting and articulate man.
In reality, she was terrified for herself and her father, whom she had no idea where he was. She had tried to ask James numerous times, but he either changed the subject or ignored her. It had been three days on this hellish trip to God knows where, but she had to be grateful for the fact that James had postponed their 'wedding'.
Meanwhile she had racked her brain as to what she could do to get away. She knew they were to stop at some port sometime; maybe she could make her escape then. Although she had no idea where they were she would manage somehow.
"What are you thinking of, my love?" James' voice broke her thoughts of escape.
She managed to pull her lips into what hopeful looked like a smile, "Nothing much. I'm just enjoying the sea" she paused for a breath before she asked her next question, "Are we going to dock somewhere at some point? I wouldn't mind getting some shopping done". She almost baulked at question; it was an effort to portray this calm exterior when inside all she wanted to do was scream and rip James to shreds and find her father.
By now she had a suspicion that he was not on this yacht, but somewhere else. She only hoped he was fine.
"And can I trust you to do only the shopping you claim to want to do and not run off on me? Because if you do, you know what would happen" James didn't even look up at her as he said this while reading his newspaper.
Again she smiled, "I am not an idiot James. I would never do anything that would risk my father. Besides, I don't think it would be that bad being married to you" she decided to take that angle, hopefully throw him off how she was actually feeling a little.
Her statement caused James to look up at her, "What made you change your mind?" he asked sharply.
"Well, all the traveling and the glamorous parties are a lot of fun. What girl wouldn't enjoy it? I realized while I was in Hawaii that I prefer the life of luxury" she smiled a little, hoping she sounded convincingly shallow enough.
"Then you should have no problem. I'll keep you happy, sweetheart" he said as he went back to reading his paper.
Another thing she noticed now was that he never called her by her name; he used only endearments to address her. After the time he had attacked her and called her his wife's name, James had not once referred to her as Naomi. It was downright creepy and she had a sneaking suspicion that he was mentally not as stable as he appeared.
The day went by slowly as she sat on the deck and read a boring magazine, always aware that she was being watched by one of James' men. She was never left alone, and even when she needed to use the bathroom someone stood right outside. There was always a man waiting outside her room. Even though the men were dressed in the uniform of the crew, navy polo t – shirts and white shorts, they were big and could not be mistaken as simply the crew.
She looked around her at the blue ocean. She had always been a good swimmer, but there was no sight of land making it completely idiotic to follow her rash thoughts of jumping into the water and making a swim for it.
She thought back to the time she had spent with Steve, he had started making her aware of the dangers she could face, teaching her how to defend herself if need be. She felt her eyes flood with the tears she had refused to shed over him. God knows she missed him so much.
She thought back to the time he had rescued her in Paris. It had been the first time she had set eyes on him, and even though it sounded ridiculous, she had fallen in love with him then and there.
If she could only get a message out to him somehow, she knew he would help her, despite the status of their relationship. If nothing else, Steve was great at his job and he took pride in it. He was also loyal to those he considered his friends and she hoped that if she contacted him, he would consider her a friend and help her.
But how was she supposed to get away from her guard dogs long enough to make use of the communication equipment she had seen in James' office? She could not remember Steve's number, but she did remember Shayla's, if she could only get a message across so someone would know she was in trouble.
She watched the guard dogs standing around, trying to look inconspicuous and failing miserably. If she could come up with some kind of excuse to get into James' office, she could at least send an email or something.
As she sat there trying to come up with a plausible way to get into the office, James came from below deck, "So how is the magazine?" he asked, sitting next to her.
"Interesting. I just learnt that Angelina Jolie is planning to adopt another half a dozen kids".
James' lips quirked at that, "I know how bored you are darling. So, I have decided to reward you for your cooperation" he stretched on the sun lounger and closed his eyes.
"What do you mean?" she asked hoping against all hope that he had decided to let her go.
"In a couple of hours we will be reaching a small port, believe me you'll enjoy it. It's a small fishing village and we can have some lunch there, maybe do a bit of shopping".
Naomi felt her breath leave her body, "That would be great" she said as excitement churned in her belly.
James turned to his cold eyes to her, "Just remember, sweetheart, one wrong move and your father is dead". Just like that he calmly closed his eyes and sunned himself like the snake that he was.
-X-
Steve felt himself calm down as they glided on the water. He always made himself relax before a mission, to make sure that he was level headed and made every decision with a cool a collected mind. Since this was most probably the most important mission of his life, he needed to be extra precautious.
They had reached Port Isabel in the early hours of the morning and had immediately embarked on a fishing trawler. They had to make sure they were not drawing any attention as they followed the coordinates they had for the location of the yacht.
"You okay?" asked Chin, who stood beside him looking at the water.
Steve took a deep breath and inhaled the salt heavy air, "Yeah I am".
"Do you think Naomi is taking this well?" he asked the same question that had been banging around in Steve's mind.
"I can only hope so. She had started doing so well, but she could easily regress back to the way she was after her first trauma".
Chin smiled slightly, "She may just surprise you and everyone who knows her. Women can be very resilient".
"I know, but right now all I have to think about is getting her out of James' hands. The rest we can handle" he sighed remembering his treatment of her, "That's if she will forgive me for behaving like an ass".
"Who was an ass?" Danny asked as he too joined them.
"McGarrett" Chin replied.
Danny snorted at that, "That's nothing new".
"Hey, all this is because of you" Steve defended himself.
"I only pointed out something and you went and threw a hissy fit at her" Danny yelled back.
Before their conversation could turn into a full-blown argument, Sam interrupted them, "If you ladies are done, we just got a signal from the vessel we've been tailing. We should be up soon".
Steve focused once more, "Alright, gear up". He made sure everyone was ready with instructions and they checked their comms to make sure everything was in order.
As soon as they spotted the vessel, which looked stationary, the trawler was given the order to slow down so as not to attract any attention by the loud engine noise.
Steve watched the yacht as it bobbed on the water. He breathed in and felt his body calm down like it always did before he went into battle. He felt his body still, the adrenaline coursing through it. He cleared his mind, almost as if he were meditating. He only had one thought in his head; rescue Naomi.
"The yacht looks like it's deserted" Kono commented. It was not quiet bright yet so if there had been any lights onboard they would have been glaringly obvious. However, it was as if the vessel had no occupants and for a second Steve had a feeling this was wrong. But he couldn't think this way. They were here and they had to board.
"Okay, this will probably play to an advantage for us. Stealth is the key here" he looked over at Sam and then Danny. They both nodded as they prepared to board. "Sam and I go in first, Danny, Kono and Chin follow when we cleared the deck. Remember the less we use our weapons the less attention we attract".
"Got it boss" said Kono.
As soon as Steve and Sam got onto the deck they were aware of some activity on the front of the yacht. Sam looked at him and with hand signals communicated and moved forward from either side of the deck.
Sure enough, there were two armed men sitting on what looked like deck chairs playing cards. Clearing them was easy since neither of them saw it coming when Sam and Steve caught each in a headlock, rendering them unconscious.
"All clear" Steve said through his comm unit to the others, "We're moving in through the front of the yacht, Danno and Konno cover us. Chin, take the side door that leads below deck" once they received an affirmative from the others, they made their way below deck.
It was dark, but contrary to what they believed earlier there were definite signs of life despite the two men earlier. There was evidence of a recent meal in the galley along with unwashed wine glasses. They systematically checked all the rooms, but came up with nothing.
When they reached the last stateroom, Steve took the lead. He slowly opened the door and walked in, Sam following behind him.
"What a nice surprise Steve. And you brought a friend" a familiar female voice said from behind the silk screen in the corner of the room. As expected, out walked Kat dressed in a satin baby doll nightdress, pointing a gun at them.
"Where's Naomi?" he asked without indulging in small talk.
"Aren't you gonna ask how I'm doing?" she asked as she pouted. She moved toward them, but because they were stuck in the door, all Sam and Steve could do was move backward. They had to get her out into the hallway.
"Not interested. Where is Naomi?" he asked again.
Again all Kat did was grimace, "Unfortunately she isn't here, sweetie".
"You have two guns pointed at you, so I think you better talk now" Sam said from behind him. They were doing a good job of keeping the conversation going while luring her into the hallway. Just as they cleared the side door, Chin made his move. He crept up behind her and rested the muzzle of his gun at the back of her neck.
"One wrong move and I blow your head off. Put your weapon down, nice and easy" Chin spoke quietly, his intent clear.
Steve watched as realization dawned in her eyes, there was no way out. She brought her arms out, holding her gun in a position of surrender, "Alright. I'm putting it down" she said as her gun was snatched away by Chin.
Steve and Sam both lowered their guns, "Good, now we talk" he spoke as they led her into one of the abandoned staterooms.
They were about to start questioning her when Danny came in, "We found the senator, Kono is with him".
"Where was he? We checked all the rooms when we boarded" Sam said.
"There was a closet cupboard that led into another chamber that held the senator. It was very well hidden and if we hadn't heard a noise we wouldn't have found it" Danny replied.
Kat laughed when she heard this, "Its going to be fun watching you all search every nook and cranny".
Steve turned to her, "You better tell me where she is or this isn't going to end well for you" he spoke quietly but he knew his rage and intent was clear to her.
"I don't see you as the kind of person who is going to torture someone, especially a woman" she said smug in her confidence.
"Trust me sweetheart, you don't want to try me. There's always a first time" even though Steve knew he would never hurt a woman on purpose, he had to scare her a little.
"Look what I found" Sam walked in holding a satellite phone in one hand and a laptop in the other. Steve watched as a bit of colour bleached out of her face. "Scared now are we?" he asked as he opened it up and started going through the contents.
"I bet brother dear would not be too happy to have all his dirty secrets aired out" Steve hunkered down in front of her, "I recommend that you start talking".
"I would never rat on my brother" she spat out. "I'm going to enjoy it when he gets rid of that slip of a girl just like he did all the others" an unholy grin spread across her face. Steve stood up, pulled his gun out and rested the muzzle on her forehead.
But before anyone could do anything else, the satellite phone started to ring. Sam looked at the ID, "Guess what? Brother dears a callin'"
Steve took the phone from him, "I have something of yours and you have something of mine" Steve spoke into the phone.
"McGarrett. I knew you would get this far sooner or later" James spoke on the other side. "But contrary to what you believe, Kat has her uses but not enough to warrant negotiations between us".
Steve laughed mirthlessly, "I wasn't talking about her. I have all your dirty dealings with me right here. You trade it for Naomi and we forget about everything else".
"I'm not an idiot McGarrett. You being a crusader of the law and all I find it hard to believe that you would let me, a real catch go just for the sake of a girl".
Steve was doing his best to stay calm, "If you know anything about me, you also know I don't strictly adhere to the law to get what I need and neither does the rest of my team. I have the senator with me, so if you try anything sneaky, he is the one who talks about all your dealings".
There was silence on the other end, then James spoke, "Fine. I propose a fair exchange. All the evidence you have against me for Naomi. But I have conditions".
"Name them".
"I want you to come alone. Even a hint of something sneaky like your team following, Naomi is gone never to be seen or heard from again" James gave his ultimatum.
"How do I know if she is still alive?" even as he said this, Steve hoped and prayed that she was alive and this was not all just a trick.
"I have proof" James passed on the phone, then he heard Naomi's voice.
"Steve?" she spoke quietly and she sounded as if she were crying.
"Are you okay?" he asked her keeping his voice in control and not giving into his emotions.
He heard her hesitating then, "I'm okay. But I don't know where my father is".
"Don't worry about him. We found him and he's safe" he told her, "I'm coming to get you, but you have to be as cooperative as possible. Whatever you do, do not piss him off".
"Alright" she said, but the phone was snatched from her.
"Do you agree to the terms?"
"Fine. Where and when?" he asked.
"I am currently sailing just off the coast of Mykonos. You come alone and you have forty – eight hours" James disconnected the call.
Steve watched the rest of the team.
"You know this could very well be a trap" Danny spoke first.
Steve sighed, "I don't have any other option. If he so much as senses something is wrong and that you all are around, he'll kill her".
Chin was working on Kat's laptop when he spoke, "I just found an email from James, stating he is in a yacht named Eliza Blue, just off the coast off one of the Greek islands, which he hasn't named".
"He's off the coast of Mykonos" Steve told him.
"Shouldn't be a problem finding it then. We have a team set up in Athens and I can get them started on keeping an eye on him, till you can get to them" Sam spoke.
"That sounds great" Steve said, "Now we get Kat and the senator back to base and keep them safe. Danny and Kono I want you to keep an eye on Kat".
"No problem".
Steve walked out onto the deck and breathed. He was one step closer to Naomi. He prayed that he wouldn't be too late and lose her altogether.