Justified – Story 1 in the Unbreakable series

Disclaimer: Characters belong to the writers & producers of Hawaii Five-0. My own characters belong to me :-)

Rating: T (for romance)

Pairing: Steve/OC, Steve/Danny (friendship - no slash)

Author's Note: Sorry it's been a few days - I've been swamped with work, but wanted to get the latest chapter up. Thanks so much for your support, and I hope you like it! Working on some great scenes to come - please keep the comments coming too!

Chapter 24

Steve and Danny were in the interrogation room with Lenola, who was shackled to a chair in the middle of the empty room, only a bare metal table in front of him. Lenola kept requesting a lawyer, while Steve, playing bad cop, stared at him menacingly while Danny tried to get him to talk about what had happened with Jennifer. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Steve opened the door, and Julia walked in, her hair neatly pulled back into a bun and a file in her hand.

"Akamu Lenola, I'm Special Agent Abbott with the United States Secret Service," Julia said as she quickly flashed her U of H ID before stuffing it in her back pocket. She turned to Steve and said, "Commander McGarrett? I just left the third suspect in Interrogation Room C. They're looking to talk with you, something about a deal." Steve nodded, and got up and left. She turned to Lenola and tossed the open file on the desk, letting it slide toward him. Continuing, she said, "You made five deposits in the past three weeks into your personal bank account, each one a cash deposit for $9,999. What did you do with the 99 cents?"

"I want a lawyer, lady, and I got no idea what you're talking about."

"It's 'Special Agent Abbott,' not 'lady." Julia glared at him. "It's also a little-known fact that if you deposit an amount of cash close to the $10,000 mandatory reporting limit, the bank is required to notify Homeland Security and the Secret Service. We've been watching you for several weeks, ever since your first deposit. Thankfully, your bank was happy to comply with our request and they set aside the cash. Did you know that the cash you deposited was numbered sequentially? That file in front of you tracks every single dollar bill back to the same account. And you and I both know the account holder. In fact, I talked to them earlier today."

Lenola didn't flinch. "Hey lady, what you want with me anyway? I'm a third-striker, whatever I do, I'm going in for life, no point in me snitching on anyone. I want my lawyer."

Julia looked at Danny and smiled. "Detective Williams, since the money he deposited was intended to fraudulently bypass PATRIOT Act reporting restrictions, I believe that gives us Federal jurisdiction in this case."

Danny grinned at Julia. "Federal, huh? Well, the State of Hawaii would have to give up its right of jurisdiction, but if you wanted to step in, I don't think we'd have a problem. Hey Lenola, don't you have a kid on the island?"

Julia bent down close to Lenola, his foul breath filling her nostrils. She hated this part of the job. "Akamu, let me lay this out for you. In five minutes, I walk out that door and I call the U.S. Marshals to come and pick you up and transport you to a Federal pen. After you stand trial and are convicted, and you will be convicted, there's no Federal prison in Hawaii. Have you ever been to Florence, Colorado? Pretty far trip for your boy, but I'm sure his mom can spring the airfare once a year."

Standing up, she turned to Danny, smiling. "Detective, did you know that the Federal high-security prisons are state-of-the-art? They are really something to see. Akamu, you're a lucky man. Each cell has it's own shower, toilet, sink, concrete bed, and concrete desk built right in. There's no need to go to general pop for anything – you get your three square meals a day in your very own cell. It's like room service. You even have a tiny window overlooking… well, overlooking nothing. But you might get a glimpse of the Rockies in the distance on a good day. And for recreation, you have your very own personal outside mini-yard for an hour a day! You don't need to go anywhere, talk to anyone – it's a private mountain retreat. Very clean. Quiet. Peaceful. Think of it as a high-security bed & breakfast."

Danny smiled as he raised his brow. "No radio or TV then? Sounds like a nice place to get away."

"Oh, it is. Very quiet. No talking, really. Some people get a little agitated, but then there's always solitary, which makes your regular cell look like a palace. If you behave, sometimes you can get books, maybe even a radio after a few months. I think Akamu would really like it. It's a little cold, but you get used to it, especially after what, fifty years or so?"

Lenola looked at the two cops. The thought of serving time for the rest of his life was bad enough, but away from his family and everyone in general, man, he couldn't even think of it. Plus what did he care about the idiots who hired him? They were going down too. What the hell did he owe them?

Danny turned to Lenola. "Commander McGarrett is talking to the account holder whose money you deposited right now. We don't care who we get. If they tell us their story first, they may get a plea. You, my friend, may get the chance to stay in Hawaii at Halawa and see your son now and then. But your five minutes are just about up."

Lenola stayed silent. "Special Agent Abbott, thanks for dropping by. You can use my phone in my office to call the marshals." Julia shrugged her shoulders, and proceeded to leave.

"Wait, wait. I don't owe those idiots a thing. I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Just promise me I'll serve in Hawaii, no feds!"

Danny agreed. "Start talking, and start with the lovely Ms. Neman. What was her role in all of this? How were you contacted, and how did you get paid, and what happened with the girl's murder?"

With that, Julia picked up the file off of the desk and walked out as Lenola started to spill the beans on everything and everyone associated with Jennifer's murder. Steve was waiting on the other side of the interrogation room. He smiled at her. "Well done, Dr. Abbott. I'm suitably impressed." Reaching down, he whispered softly, his breath hot and just inches away from her ear, "I'm surprised the Secret Service ever let you go."

Julia's breath caught with Steve's words, as she tried for a moment to unsuccessfully concentrate her thoughts back on the case. Two can play that game, she thought. She shot Steve a wicked smile, gesturing with her finger for him to come in a bit closer. He bent down, and as she caught his gaze, she leaned forward, her mouth and nose nearly touching his, and whispered conspiritorally, "I can be very difficult to let go of." She lingered there for a moment, before stepping back and flashing her wry smile at him. His heart raced as he had to admit that she had a talent for pushing his buttons, and pushing them well.

She handed him the fake file with random numbers and account titles on it that she'd made up as a prop, as well as his ID holder. "I take it the girlfriend didn't take the bait, and was smart enough to keep her mouth shut?"

"Yeah, good thing Lenola's not the brains in the relationship. Give him a minute and he'll tell us where Jimmy Hoffa is buried." Julia laughed at Steve's retort, the earlier tension between them sufficiently released.