Thought I'd be nice and give you another chapter tonight...
Danny wished now that he hadn't turned down Steve's offer for company. Why did he have to be such a jerk sometimes?
Maybe he wouldn't be in this mess.
Or maybe they'd both be in trouble.
Or worse.
He let his mind wander over the possibilities for a few seconds at most. He couldn't allow himself to get lost in the litany of what ifs that threatened to overwhelm him. What he needed to do was remain as calm as he possibly could. Slow his breathing. He didn't know how much good air he had left. Searching his mind, Danny tried to piece together what he could remember about his evening.
He'd made some popcorn and had one too many beers - which he really regretted now. Shifting uncomfortably, he went on with his reconstruction of the ill-fated start to his weekend. He was sure he must have ordered a pizza but couldn't recall if it had even arrived.
Oh God, he hoped the pizza delivery guy hadn't walked in on anything…
Danny brushed that thought away. He knew the pizza guy, and he couldn't get wrapped up in worries. They were no good to him. He tried to stick to the facts.
Work had left him in a foul mood, and traffic had made it even worse. One beer and then two more loosened him up just a bit. He'd thought about calling Steve, but decided he didn't want to intrude since it had been late in the evening. He'd watched something on his brand new television; sure it had been a movie with lots of car chases. There'd been a knock at the door. He clearly recalled grabbing his gun but then setting it down when he remembered ordering pizza.
But there hadn't been anyone at the door. He'd scolded himself for having too much to drink and had decided against finishing the six-pack. He was just about to hit play when the lights went out. Literally and figuratively.
He'd woken up taped to a chair in his kitchen. There were bright lights in his face and voices he didn't know. Questions he couldn't answer. Someone bent two of his fingers back so far Danny was certain he'd heard a snap.
He cradled his wounded hand, deciding they'd done more than break a couple fingers. He couldn't see it in the darkness but he knew it had to look all kinds of bad. Like a horrific balloon animal. He laid there for a few seconds, just focusing on his breath again.
Then more memories came back, catching him off guard with their vivid replay. When the man had tired of asking questions, he'd smacked Danny around. Blow after blow and all he could tell them was they had the wrong guy. He didn't bother to beg or plead. And his smart mouth had made an appearance. He'd been in this situation enough to know he probably shouldn't be saying anything at all, but the pain he felt had a mind of its own.
Danny figured he must have finally passed out after that. Because his next memories were of this place. This place - where ever that was. All he knew was that it was small and metal, like a tool box you might find in the back of a pickup truck. He cursed his small stature, but then he decided it was a blessing maybe. He had some room to move, not that it was saying much at all. But it was something, and he was trying really hard to hang onto that last positive thread. He fought off the rising panic, but he could feel his heart speeding up.
Deciding to investigate the box further, he carefully, gingerly ran his swollen fingers along the wall and ceiling. They were surprisingly numb if he didn't put too much pressure on them. He discovered what felt like the inside of a latch of some kind. There were holes there and he couldn't stop himself from exploring every inch. The sharp edge sliced open his finger tips, and soon the wall was slick with blood. He couldn't get any kind of grip, and he was sure it didn't matter anyway. The thing was most likely locked from the outside.
He found himself whimpering and giggling like there was someone else in control of his body. His fingers traced the metal again. Blood and sweat mixed together, and he thought of finger painting. He couldn't stop the odd spasms of laughter, so he rode them out. Deciding he must be losing oxygen, Danny closed his eyes in resignation.
Then, he decided to fight back. His eyes popped open and he yelled, letting anger bubble up from his chest. He had to be strong. Had to survive this. For Grace.
Grace, oh God. Monkey.
One more thought echoed in his mind.
Hurry Steve.
/././
Steve practically flew to Danny's place, repeating a list of reassurances to himself. None of them worked, and his gut chewed up all those positive thoughts until his chest felt like it was on fire. He weaved in and out of traffic, swerving more than once to miss pedestrians and oncoming vehicles. Laying on the horn, he gunned the engine and plowed ahead. He just had to get there in one piece and quickly.
Not sure what he would find, he jumped out of his truck and raced to the front door, already on edge, one hand on his gun. He steeled himself for what was to come. His gut was telling him all was not right with the world.
"Danny?" Steve's knocking on the door quickly became pounding. "Danno, you there?"
No answer, but all the lights were on. He sucked in a long slow breath. He knew his friend wasn't there. Felt it. But he went through the motions anyway.
"Yo! Danno!" He felt in his pocket for a key.
Chin appeared beside him. "Still no word?"
"No, no sign of him. His car's here. Just like he parked it for the night like any other day. No signs of duress." Steve shook his head, not wanting to waste much time in conversation. Chin understood and nodded toward the house.
Getting ready to open the door, Steve took a defensive posture and his colleague did the same. Neither had any idea what to expect. Could be just a passed out Danny sleeping it off on the floor. He prayed that's what they'd find. Instead, something crunched beneath his feet.
"Popcorn?" Chin almost laughed. "I wouldn't take Danny for a popcorn kind of guy."
Steve smiled in spite of himself. "Full of surprises."
They both stopped and listened. Steve scanned the room and frowned. Danny's brand new television lay on its back, screen smashed. A broken bottle caught Chin's eye.
"Blood boss."
They cleared the place quickly finding no signs of their colleague. A chair in the kitchen was turned over, pieces of grey tape stuck to the legs. More blood.
Steve pulled out his phone and dialed for HPD to secure the scene.
"What the hell happened, Danny?" He whispered with a shake of his head.
/././
"Steve-ay!" His voice trailed off. He pounded on the ceiling. "Hello?!"
Danny coughed, tasting blood. He closed his eyes and shivered. He'd scraped his knuckles and broken several fingernails but he still ran his fingers along the walls. He was losing his mind. Each breath came a little shallower now.
A song popped into his head and he tried to sing the refrain.
"We all live…yellow submarine." He giggled. "Fucking submarine. I'm gonna die in a submarine."
He kicked the bottom of his prison, and this time, he realized there was something down there. With a series of wiggles and stretching, he managed to move it closer. As soon as the tips of his fingers connected with it, he knew.
And he whimpered. But he dared not get too excited. He could not get his hopes up. But he did, oh how he did, when his mind finally and completely registered just what he'd found.
His cell phone.
He pushed a few buttons, saying a prayer as he did so. There might not be a signal. Hot tears swept down his cheek when he saw those three little bars.
He hit the buttons to speed dial Steve, holding his breath, the excitement making his head spin. He couldn't black out now, had to hold on, but he was slipping too fast.
/././
"Okay." Steve paced the room. They'd gathered in his office. "So no one's heard from Danny since we left work."
"He was in no mood to be social." Kono shook her head.
Steve nodded. They all understood.
"What was he working on?"
"Nothing that I know of."
"Yea we finished most of the paperwork for the gambling case. Danny was ready to go."
"He was going on and on about having the place to himself this weekend. No Gracie. No estrogen."
"Man's weekend Danno style." Kono could not help but smile at the thought.
"What ever that means." Chin shook his head.
Steve mirrored Kono and let himself relax ever so slightly. "What that means is beer and plenty of popcorn apparently."
They all had to chuckle at that comment.
Chin remained the rock for all of them. "But what happened?"
There were no answers, and there was also no time to waste. Steve took a deep breath and cleared his head. He had to treat this like any other case.
"Kono, see if you can locate Danny's phone. Hopefully he's got it on him. And Chin, have Duke get Gracie and Rachel and the baby into protective custody until we figure this out. Just in case."
They all nodded, and Kono turned to leave with Chin not far behind her. Steve's phone buzzed on his desk.
"Danny!" Steve could barely talk. Holding the phone to his ear, he hurried out of his office to the smart table. Everyone crowded around with Chin rushing to get a trace. "Danny? That you?"
No answer.