******* I promise there are reasons I am taking the story down this path…please hang in there with me and remember, I adore these characters and will always try to do them justice ********
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Steve stood and moved out onto the balcony of the room overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean.
Sam Denning followed and sat in a chair next to him. After several minutes of silence Steve spoke, "He needs to think I'm dead….they all do"
"What? What are you talking about….why?"
"I can't just go away…I can't have Danny searching for me. He needs to think I'm dead. He could be in danger Sam, he needs to be protected. For all we know the cartel could already be here as well"
"I'll see to it that he's kept safe. I'll have agents keep all three of your team under surveillance"
"Rachel and Gracie too"
"Yes, of course. I'll also see to it that the Jersey Police are watching the Williams' family"
"Thank You Sam. When I came to meet you, I told him I was going to meet Duke Lukela. It won't take him long to figure out that I lied to him. Can I use a government plane to leave Hawaii?"
"Yes"
"Okay Governor, this is what the story needs to be. You contacted me about a hot lead on Wo-Fat and you agreed to let me go after him on my own. You gave me access to one of your planes. The plane went down, and I did not survive"
"Are you certain you want to do this?"
"I'm absolutely sure. Danny is going through a custody battle right now….involving him in this could effect that case. He's under great stress right now and knowing Matt's in danger would only make things worse. And now Chin…"
"How is Kelly doing?"
"He's still in surgery. He lost a lot of blood"
"Do you mind if I give you my opinion"
"I don't mind at all…it doesn't mean I'll change my mind though"
Sam Denning grinned at the stubborn SEAL, "I think you're making a horrible mistake. You know how William's will respond to this. Your entire team will be devastated at the thought of your death. They may never forgive you"
"I know…..but sometimes Governor you have to do what you think is right no matter what the consequences may be"
Denning added, "Carmichael has been working with the CIA and we will have agents following you once you're in the hands of the cartel"
"No, that's not a good idea. If the agents are spotted the cartel may just kill Matt. I don't want to take that risk, it has to be just me. I'm a trained SEAL Sam. Let's just say on a mission like this, I'd be better off alone"
"I certainly don't doubt your skills Steve and if you really think this is the way things need to be done, then I trust you"
Steve motioned with his eyes towards the room. "Are we going to have problems with them?"
Governor Denning pulled out his phone, "Before I make this call Steve, are you sure about this?"
"Governor, I appreciate your concern. You said you trust me…yes, I am 100% positive that our best chance of getting Matt Williams out of there alive is if I go in myself"
Governor Denning then phoned his contact at the Department of Justice. He was on the phone for almost half an hour before hanging up and turning to Steve. "It's a go. He wanted me to make sure you knew that by making this choice, DOJ washes their hands on this. If anything happens to you or Matt they will deny any knowledge of your mission"
"I understand sir"
The men moved into the hotel room and Governor Denning gave the WitSec agents the news that they were now officially off the case.
Carmichael looked at Steve, "You're crazy McGarrett…..you can't take on this cartel alone….you're committing suicide and you're signing Williams' death warrant"
Steve gave Carmichael what Danno called the 'Navy SEAL death stare' as he responded firmly, "Carmichael, with all due respect you don't know anything about me or what I'm capable of. It seems to me like your men didn't do their job in protecting Matt and now it's up to me to clean up this mess. So please….stay out of my way"
Carmichael and Steve stood silently for several seconds, staring at each other, neither man even blinking.
Governor Denning stepped close to the men and spoke steadily, "The decision has been made. McGarrett will go in alone. The CIA backup teams are being told to stand down. Carmichael, when you and your men get back to the States, report to your supervisors for your next assignments. I thank you for bringing us the information and for all you have done for Matthew Williams. Now please leave the file with us. You can leave now and we'll take it from here"
Carmichael took a file from his briefcase and handed it to Steve. He extended his hand stating, "Good luck McGarrett"
"Thank You" After shaking hands the WitSec agents left the room as Steve thumbed through the thick file on Cordoba.
After several minutes Denning asked, "Do you need to get anything from your home before we leave?"
"Yes, I want to put a bag together. We should hurry"
As they were leaving the Hilton, Steve's cellphone rang and noticing it was Danny he reluctantly hit the ignore button.
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Governor Denning followed Steve to his home and waited while the SEAL ran upstairs. He loaded his duffel bag with his cellphone, guns, ammo, knives, water bottles, beef jerky, peanut butter and first aid supplies.
Returning downstairs, Denning asked "So McGarrett, what are your plans?"
"My plans Governor are to get to Matt and take care of the scum that are holding him"
"You make it sound simple"
"It's not simple but it is what it is... I'll do whatever I have to do to save him. Once we're out, I'll contact you for extraction"
"My pilot has your plane ready at Dillingham Airfield"
"Thank you for everything Governor, I'll return the favor somehow"
"You can return the favor by getting back here safely. You're needed on this Island Steve"
Shaking the Governor's hand Steve stated confidently, "I'll be back Sir. Governor, before we leave…..will you call Danny and see if there's any update on Chin?"
Danny answered the Governors' call on the first ring.
"Governor Denning"
"William's, I wanted to see if you had any update on Kelly's condition?"
"Uh, no…..he's still in surgery. Governor…have you heard from McGarrett in the last couple of hours?"
Denning hesitated ever so slightly before responding, "McGarrett? No…..why?"
"Nothing. I'm sure he'll be back soon"
"Danny, will you please contact me once Chin's out of surgery?"
"Yes…..I will"
"Thank You"
Hanging up he turned back to Steve, "Nothing yet. Your partner's worried about you"
Steve grinned adding quietly, "Danny worries too much…let's go"
Leaving Danny's keys on the kitchen counter and the Camero in the driveway, Steve McGarrett entered Governor Denning's vehicle and they drove towards the Airfield.
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Back at the hospital, Danny was angry. He had tried Steve's cell several times and his partner wasn't answering his calls.
Kono looked at him, "Danny, what is it?"
"Where in the hell is he Kono?"
"Why don't you call Duke?"
As he pulled out his phone he added, "I don't like checking up on him, but it's just not like him to not be here….Duke, hey it's Danny, can I talk to Steve for a minute?"
"Steve? He's not here Danny? Isn't he at the hospital with Chin?"
"Duke can you tell me when you talked to him last?"
"At the crime scene brother, a couple of hours ago….with you. Danny? What's wrong?"
"I'm not sure, nothing….nothing….I'm sure it's nothing. He took a call about two hours ago and he left. He was acting a little nervous and he said it was you calling and you needed to see him"
"It wasn't me. Do you want me to look for him?"
"He'll never let me hear the end of it, but yeah….I just have a gut feeling Duke, something's not right"
"I'll stay in touch Danny"
"I'll do the same, thanks"
He looked at Kono, "Something's not right. It wasn't Duke who called him"
"What? Why would he lie to us?"
"I don't know sweetheart, I don't know"
"You need to go find him Danny"
"No, I need to be right here and you know it" his voice lowered as he added, "Steve will be alright"
Half an hour later Duke called back to let Danny know that they had found your car in his driveway. As he hung up the phone, Kono saw the concern in his eyes, "Danny, what is it?"
"My car and my keys are at his house. Kono, there's no sign of him. Duke says there are no signs of a struggle….what in the hell is happening, where is he?"
****** Much more to follow – hope you're enjoying *******