"Now what?" Kono asked, as Catherine and her team left the building.
"We aren't officially tracking Novak," Steve said, "but we need to address the fact that there were surveillance photos of the team in the crates of weapons that Novak put in Lassiter's hands. So, the next thing we do is evaluate security. And to do that, we need to know everything we can about any connection between Novak and Lassiter."
"Sang Min," Grover said. "Sang Min might know . . . I don't know, something useful. It's happened before."
"He might have something genuine, you're right," Steve said. "And in the meantime, we better do all the paperwork. The governor is dropping hints. We'll have to coordinate with the U.S. Marshal's office to get it all done properly."
Kono tried not to look too pleased, she really did, but Chin's raised eyebrow and Jax's beaming smile told her that she was failing.
#*#*#*#*#
"Nolan, beating your head against the desk is not going to get the paperwork done any faster," Grover pointed out, bemused, hours later. "Plus, you don't have a great track record with concussions. I wouldn't push it."
"Death. By. Paperwork," Jax groaned. "Does SWAT have this much paperwork? Is it too late to transfer back? Maybe I should ask Halia about his civilian job. I bet he doesn't have to account for . . . what's the code for destruction of state property, again?"
Grover watched her for a moment. "Well, for starters - where did you learn - do you even know how to type?" he asked, incredulous.
"What?" Jax protested. "There wasn't a typing test for SWAT. I did, however, score very high on other tests. Like marksmanship, for example. And I can stop and start your heart with chemicals and electricity."
"Yeah, and I will die of old age before you finish typing that report, at the rate you're going," Grover said. He took a deep breath. An antsy Jax was driving him crazy. "Why don't you go restock your gear, make sure you've replaced whatever you used on this last case, okay? I'll type everything up, just hand it to me."
Jax dumped her papers on Grover's desk and headed for the armory before he could change his mind. As she headed by Kono's office, she saw Caviness sitting in a chair opposite Kono's desk, his back to the glass. Both of them were typing furiously on their laptops, but Kono's eyes were sparkling and her dimples were showing. Jax paused long enough to catch Kono's gaze and make a slightly obscene gesture, laughing when Kono blushed. She pulled an innocent face when Marshal Caviness turned around, then continued toward the elevator.
The basement was quiet; just the hum of the HVAC and the utilitarian fluorescent lights. No one in interrogation today; no one on Max's table. Even the lab techs had knocked off early. Jax sighed; it was like this in SWAT, too - a frenzy of activity followed by days of paperwork, and then, if you were especially unlucky, court appearances. She picked up her medic bag and put it on the utility table next to the cabinet, and began methodically going through the gear; putting each item back in its proper spot, pulling fresh supplies from the cabinet to replenish what had been used.
She was vaguely aware of the elevator opening and closing behind her, and wasn't startled when Steve's arms wrapped around her. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled the familiar scent.
"Did your partner send you to the basement because you were getting on his nerves?" Jax asked, smiling as she leaned back against him. "Because that's how I ended up here."
"Maybe I wanted to come give you a formal reprimand for unprofessionalism," Steve mumbled, grinning.
"Hey, I know my Jersey language isn't appropriate for Hawaii, I'm sorry, but that kid just slammed right into me with the evidence cart," Jax started to protest, then stopped. "Wait, what are we talking about?"
"Well, I was talking about your little sign language with Kono," Steve drawled, "but now that you mention it, yeah, Lieutenant Rollins was impressed with your sailor-worthy vocabulary."
"Was she," Jax said. She cringed and bit her lip uncertainly, turning around to face Steve. "Sorry; I'm sure that was a great first impression."
"Yeah, actually, it was," Steve said, tucking her hair back away from her face. "She also mentioned that you were limping after your altercation with the baby intern and the evidence cart. You okay?"
"Ummhmm," Jax mumbled. "You can kiss it better later," she added, smirking up at him.
Steve groaned. "Danny warned me about this. This is what happens when you get bored. Please, inventory something before we get into any more trouble with the governor."
Jax narrowed her eyes. "We're in trouble with the governor? What?"
"Things are just a little . . . I don't know. I'm being watchful, let's put it that way. I mentioned it to Danny, but I don't want to make a thing of it, okay?" Steve said, rubbing her arms lightly. "You willing to just trust me on this one? I'll tell the whole team if there's something to tell."
"Yeah, fair enough," Jax said. "Now, shoo, you'll distract me from my counting."
"Distract you?" Steve said, stepping into her space and smirking down at her. "Oh, how could I distract you? Like this?" He bent and kissed her gently, his hand wrapping around her hip and his thumb, as always, caressing the scar he knew by heart.
"I"ll have to annoy Grover more often," Jax said.
The rest of the afternoon passed, finally, as the exhausted team put final signatures on paperwork. Chin, Kono, and Caviness had made the drive to Halawa, and questioned Sang Min. Aside from almost getting himself strangled for making a pass at Kono, nothing came of the visit - Sang Min had never seen Novak and Lassiter together.
"Well, it's a closure, of sorts," Danny said, as they exited into the oppressive heat and humidity. It was one of the sorts of days that Danny just could not enjoy, despite the beautiful scenery.
"It's a dead end, and a bunch of unanswered questions," Steve said.
"But we've done everything we can on our end," Danny persisted. "Babe, you're going to have to just let this one go for now. Let Catherine's team follow up on it, and we'll all watch each others backs. What else can we do?"
"Nothing," Steve sighed, "and that's what I hate. Come on, Danny, I know you don't have Gracie tonight. Beers and hockey at my place?"
"Yes, let's watch a sport involving ice - maybe we can pretend it's cooler," Jax said. "I'll cook for you, Danny. I found some really good mozz. I'll make those sandwiches you like."
Danny pondered. "Don't you guys get sick of me? The sandwiches with the pepperoncini?"
"Yeah, Danny, the pepperoncinis. Come hang out with us," Jax said.
"Okay but I'm not sleeping over. Steve's house has thin walls and you people are scarring me for life," Danny pretended to grouse, even as his blue eyes crinkled in a smile.
#*#*#*#*#
Danny groaned as hauled himself up from the sofa. "Don't pause the game; I'm just going to put my gym shorts on. Shouldn'a had that second sandwich."
Steve chuckled and grabbed their empties, heading to the kitchen. He returned with a cup of coffee for Jax and the kitchen first aid kit.
"Umm, thank you," Jax said, sighing into the coffee. "It's been too hot for coffee but it feels nice in here tonight."
"I'm blasting the AC," Steve admitted. "You and Danny were looking a little heatstroked. I figured, you were making the good sandwiches, I'd try to make it feel a little more like home for the two of you." He sat down on the sofa and pulled Jax's legs into his lap. She had changed the minute they got home, into her usual gym shorts and his old Annapolis t-shirt. She'd gathered her curls, which had gone wild in the humidity, into a loose bun at the nape of her neck, and tendrils were escaping and curling around her face.
"What?" Jax demanded, as Steve sat, staring at her.
"You're something else," he breathed out, stroking her cheek with the back of his finger.
"I'm glad this mess does it for you, sailor, because lately, it's all I can manage," Jax said. "I'm not as squared away as Lieutenant Rollins, I'm afraid."
"Squared away?" Steve smiled. "You haven't been living with me long enough to pick that up. That must be from your dad."
Jax went still and silent.
"Hey," Steve said gently, "I'm sorry. You never talk about your folks; I'm not trying to make you. Okay?"
"Okay," Jax said. Her shoulders stayed tense. She didn't offer anything further, and Steve didn't pry. Instead, he carefully eased away the bandage over the stitches on her leg.
"Shit, Jax," Steve muttered. There was bruising around her stitches, and a slight swelling was pulling on a few of them.
Jax peered at her leg curiously. "Damn baby intern," she muttered, but there was no real heat or malice in her tone. "I think those stitches are going to need to come out."
"I agree," Steve said, and pulled the bag from the coffee table to sit next to him on the sofa.
"I can do it," Jax protested, but he just smiled and rubbed her leg gently.
"Humor me," he said.
"Oh, for crying out loud," Danny complained, as he shuffled back into the living room. "Are you two playing doctor again? What is this, some sort of foreplay? Don't answer that." He paused, and looked down at Jax's leg. "Babe, that looks terrible."
"It's fine, Danny, just a bruise," she said, waving him off. She winced, though, as Steve began carefully cutting the stitches, and bit off a muffled curse as he pulled the first one free.
"You," he said, pointing at her with a fine-tip forceps, "should take your pain meds tonight. The ones they set you up with in New York. You're hurting, you haven't slept through the night in forever . . . "
Jax looked at him dubiously.
"If you sleep well, then I can sleep well," Steve said, pretending to focus on her stitches. He'd been saving that tactic for a rainy day.
"Fine," she said morosely. "In an hour, though, not right on top of the beer. It's bad enough without mixing it with alcohol."
Steve nodded in satisfaction and continued his task, while Danny settled in on the other side of Jax.
"Come'ere," he said, pulling her back to lean against him, and he held her hand and kept up a running, colorful commentary of the game.
Steve finished with the final stitch, and delicately spread the analgesic antibiotic cream over the area before covering it with a fresh bandage. "There you go, ku'uipo," he said, "good as new." He looked up, and grinned as he realized that she had dozed off.
Danny grinned back at him over the riot of red curls on his shoulder. "Thought you said she was having trouble sleeping," he said.
"Oh, she is," Steve replied. "I think, with this case dragging on, and getting hurt . . . and then treating Valerie Keon . . . it's been a little too much for her. Not that she'd admit it. You ever been just too tired to sleep?"
"Yep," Danny said. "When Gracie was teething."
They watched the game a little longer, until Jax stirred, stretching against Danny.
"Hey, rookie," Danny said, dropping a kiss onto the top of her head. "Nice nap?"
She rubbed her eyes. "What'd I miss?"
"Nothing. Here," Steve said, handing her a glass of water and the set of tablets.
Jax tossed the tablets back and chased them with a few sips of water. "To the good stuff," she joked, clinking her water glass against Danny's bottle. The hockey game had ended, and Danny had queued up one of the Fast and Furious movies.
He looked at Steve, who still had a little frown of worry going on. "Steven," Danny said. "You've done as much as you could, remember? Now, look. You and I are both here, and Chin has gone home to Malia. I heard Kono making plans with Caviness. Stan has informed his security company on the outside chance there's any danger to Gracie or Rachel. So, as much as you can, ever, you hyped up Super SEAL, please try to relax, okay? Jax isn't the only one exhausted."
Steve nodded and settled in a little deeper to the sofa, his big hand rubbing soothing circles over Jax's legs, still in his lap. They continued watching the movie in companionable silence, letting their thoughts drift and their muscles slowly untense.
"Is that even possible?" Danny asked, at one particularly unlikely looking scene.
"Ummhmm," Jax nodded absently. "Although there's no way you'd get through that with your shocks intact. And that? There?" she pointed at the screen. "No way. That can't be done. Sorry. You would think, if you downshifted coming out of the turn, that you could do it. Buuuuuuut no. Nope. You go into a skid, every time."
"Jax," Danny said, amused, "how are you feeling, babe?"
"I feel awesome, Danny," Jax said. "My leg doesn't hurt, my arm doesn't hurt, those taser burns . . . pffffffttttt, they don't hurt. None of the old stuff hurts, none of the new stuff hurts. But, the new stuff hasn't counted for a long time, Danny, not for a long time, so don't go trying to make rules. It was sweet but we are well past that point now. Well past that point -"
Steve cut her off by putting his hand gently over her mouth. "Overshare, ku'uipo," he whispered. She licked his hand delicately and he jerked it back as she laughed. "Behave," he added, gently putting her legs back on the sofa. "I'm going to clean up the dishes."
"I can help," Danny said, but Steve waved him off.
"No, stay put and keep her out of trouble," Steve said, laughing, as he headed to the kitchen.
"I'm going to miss him," Jax said, leaning her head against Danny's shoulder. "But you'll be here, right?"
"While he's in the kitchen?" Danny asked, amused. "Sure thing, babe."
"No, when he goes back to the Navy," Jax said. "I'll miss him when he goes back, Danny."
"Jax, honey, what are you talking about? Steve's not going back to the Navy. Just for his reserve weekends," Danny said, confused.
"He misses it, sometimes," Jax said. "And Lieutenant Rollins . . . she's so pretty, Danny. Like, really and truly, she's beautiful. And she's very squared away. Lieutenant. Good rank. I bet she has a degree. You know, Steve has a degree. More than one. They're in his office. You and Chin have degrees. So I'm sure Lieutenant Rollins has a degree. Probably in . . . in intelligence. In Telligence. Intelligence. Or something." Jax fell silent for a while, and Danny just stroked her arm gently, trying to figure out where she'd gotten the idea that Steve was going back into the Navy. Surely, he hadn't . . .
"And did you notice," Jax said earnestly, trying to turn around to look at Danny, "how pretty Lieutenant Rollins is? Like, she and Steve are . . . equal amounts of pretty. I mean, Steve is -" Jax broke off and made several vague hand gestures, which Danny wasn't entirely sure he wanted to interpret too closely, but he got the gist of it. "And Lieutenant Rollins is -" more hand gestures. "And them I'm -" more hand gestures followed. Jax tugged up the edge of her t-shirt, and pointed to the scars on her side. "And I'm all. Damaged. Spleenless, even. I bet Lieutenant Rollins has all her parts."
"Jax," Danny said firmly, grabbing her hand before she managed to put his eye out, "if Steve wanted to be with Catherine, he would be with Catherine. They dated; neither of them wanted anything serious. It wasn't like it is with you. All of us can see the difference."
"But Danny," Jax said, as if she was explaining something to someone very, very slow on the uptake. "Have you seen Steve? I mean, seriously, Danny. I know you're straight, but you'd totally do him, right? Wait, Danny, are you straight? Because, you know, since Rachel . . . and I'm totally fine with it, if you want to do guys. But not Steve. I wouldn't be fine with that. I mean, I totally get it if you want to, but I'm not saying you can. But, like, if you and he were both, you'd totally do him, right?"
Danny choked and sputtered. "Steve!" he yelled. This was ridiculous, he needed reinforcements. He settled Jax carefully back onto the sofa and headed to the kitchen.
"I take that as a yes," Jax said, nodding smugly at his retreating back. "Of course you'd do him. Anyone in their right mind would do him. He's gorgeous."
Danny stopped, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He didn't look back at Jax, but hurried to the kitchen.
"What is it?" Steve said, wiping his hands on a towel as Danny came into the kitchen. "She okay?"
"No, Steven, she is most emphatically not okay," Danny said. "Tell me straight up: are you thinking of going back into the Navy?"
"No, Danny, where on earth - okay, she said something about that the other night in the garage, but I told her then I wasn't thinking about it. Because I'm not," Steve said. "Danny, I would have told you; I would have told the team. I wouldn't do that. She's just looped out on the meds and confused."
"Well, I know how she gets on the pain meds, but there's a lot of raw honesty that comes out when she's like this. For one thing, she's completely hung up on how pretty Catherine is. Says that you and Catherine are 'equally pretty'. Steve . . . " Danny hesitated, his voice softer, "she calls herself damaged. She's comparing herself to Catherine, and this is what she comes up with: that Catherine is beautiful, your equal, and that she is damaged. And somewhere in there, she's thinking you'll go back to the Navy, and to Catherine."
"Shit, Danny," Steve sighed. "Furthest thing from my mind."
"Okay, well, you might need to remind her of that," Danny said. "I'm glad you're not thinking of going back to the Navy, you Neanderthal."
"You'd miss me, Danny," Steve teased. "What else did she say?"
"Nothing else that I'm gonna repeat," Danny said firmly as they walked back into the living room, "on the grounds that you already have a big enough ego."
Jax overheard the last bit, and nodded sagely. "He can have a big ego. Totally justified," she said solemnly, making another hand gesture, this one not at all vague or difficult to interpret.
Danny had never seen a Navy SEAL blush. That was a first.
"Okay, say goodnight to Danny," Steve said hurriedly, scooping Jax up into his arms and heading up the stairs.
"Night Danny," Jax yelled over Steve's shoulder.
#*#*#*#*#
When Jax woke up the next morning, Steve was gone. She followed the smell of coffee down to the kitchen, and smiled at the note propped next to the coffee maker, which let her know that Steve was taking his usual swim. She poured a cup of coffee and wandered to the chairs to watch for him, too lazy and relaxed to consider swimming herself. The morning sun was warm, not blazing, and there was a strong breeze. It felt perfect.
Naturally, Steve's phone rang.
Groaning, Jax looked . . . Chin Ho's smiling face appeared on the screen. She picked it up.
"Chin, please tell me you're calling to ask if we want malasadas. Because the answer is yes, duh, and it's too early and pretty and perfect of a morning to have to rush into the office," Jax said. She could just make out Steve swimming toward shore, his strong shoulders cutting cleanly and effortlessly through the water.
"Sorry, Jax," Chin said. "We've caught a case. I had a call directly from the governor's secretary. See you at the office."
"Sure, Chin," Jax said, sighing. "Steve is just headed in from swimming; we'll be there as soon as possible."
Jax took a few more sips of her coffee as Steve quickly closed the distance to shore, and walked out of the water, shaking the water off of himself and grinning at her.
"Hey," he said, dropping a kiss on her head as he grabbed his towel. She held his phone clear of the dripping water.
"Hey yourself," she said, offering him a sip of her coffee. "We've got to book it. Call from the governor; we have a case."
"As long as it doesn't involve Halawa, I'm not going to complain," Steve said, as they headed toward the house.
"Why did Chin get the call?" Jax asked, curious.
"Oh, for calls from the governor, if I don't answer, the call rolls to Chin, and then to Danny," Steve explained. "It was supposed to go to Kono after Danny, but there was an . . . incident. And now Kono doesn't take calls from the governor. At all. Ever."
Jax laughed. "I can't wait to hear this story . . . "
#*#*#*#*#
Chin was already in the office when the Steve, Jax, and Kono arrived.
"Early bird gets the worm, brah?" Kono asked, bundling her still-damp hair into a messy ponytail.
"Malia had an early shift today," Chin explained, "so I was up early to fix her breakfast and coffee. Danny and Grover were both driving their kids to school today, so they'll be a few minutes getting here still. We'll catch them up. Here's what we have." Chin flicked a series of photos onto the plasma screen as he talked. "There's been a series of incidents at the Royal Kona Resort, on the Big Island - Hawaii, the island itself," he added, for Jax's benefit. "So far we've had four tourists disappear for anywhere from a day to almost a week, while their traveling companion went crazy with worry, only to reappear, completely disoriented, with little to no memory of what happened."
Grover appeared off the elevator. "Alien abduction?" he asked. "Good morning, guys."
"Well, that explanation makes as much sense as anything the local law enforcement has to go on," Chin said wryly. "The one thing all of the women obviously have in common is that they are clearly not locals, not Hawaiians. Two were traveling with their husbands, one with a sister, and one with a girlfriend - likewise, all clearly not locals."
"That's an unusual pattern, isn't it?" Steve asked.
"Very unusual," Chin agreed. "As is the dissimilarities in their conditions, and injuries, when they reappeared, all of them at the resort beach at sunrise. One woman appeared to have walked for an incredible distance, based on severe injuries to her feet and ankles; it's assumed that she escaped and somehow made her way back to the resort. The other two appear to have been dropped of by boat just before sunrise, in the dark, and then discovered by resort staff. One woman had ligature marks on her wrists and ankles; and another woman disappeared with long hair and was returned with her head shaved - no apparent injuries."
"Whoa, please tell me we do not have a serial killer," Danny said, as he came off the elevator.
"No, a bizarre series of disappearances," Kono said.
"You've described the injuries of the first three women," Steve said. "What about the fourth?"
"The strangest of them all," Chin said, flashing another image onto the screen. "And the most severe: deep lacerations from ligatures on wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles; a series of contusions on the torso and lower back; and a concussion."
"My guess is she was a fighter," Grover said, nodding in approval. "Good for her."
Danny was studying the photos and accompanying information, catching up. "All clearly from out of town. And no commonality as to traveling companion. Superficially random; we'll have to dig deeper for any connections. Any signs of sexual assault?"
"Well, it's not a hundred percent clear," Chin said. "No obvious physical indications or injuries; however, one of the women was missing for four days, and one for six, so it's possible. With the amount of rohypnol and other drugs in their tox screens, if anything happened, it definitely wouldn't have been consensual."
"So, someone - or several someones - are roofying women, abducting them, and then returning them?" Steve said. "What about the woman who apparently escaped? If she was coherent enough to get away, find her way back, did she remember anything?"
"Nothing useful," Chin said. "She may have been led back; forced to walk."
"Where are the women now?" Jax asked. "Do we interview them?"
"Local LEOs did the best they could with evidence and interviews," Chin explained, "but obviously these women were traumatized and wanted to go home as quickly as possible. It seemed cruel to keep them here. They've all returned to their homes, although all of them have agreed to speak with us as needed. They've all been referred for counseling, of course, and if they remember anything, they've been given our office contact information. It's not ideal, but . . . "
"Keeping them here would have only added to the trauma," Jax said. "I'm looking at the dates . . . the most recent of these cases was three weeks ago. I'm not technically an investigator, but that seems like a very cold trail to follow. Why are we only being contacted now?"
"Someone picked up the four separate incidents and connected some dots," Chin said. "The governor's office is concerned about the impact on tourism; wants to be sure it's obvious that the incidents are being taken seriously and handled by the state's elite task force."
"Well, by all means, let's handle it," Steve said, grumpily. Kono and Chin both arched their trademark eyebrows at him. "Sorry," he said. "Of course, we are going to investigate this. We don't have any reason to think it won't happen again. I just hate that there has to be an apparent economic threat before we're called in."
Grover nodded in agreement. "I agree. But, we've been called now, at least. My guess is that we should assume that the perp is potentially still at, or near, the resort. There's as much as eight weeks between incidents, based on that timeline," he said, pointing to an image on the screen, "so we could easily be anywhere from one day to five weeks away from another incident."
Steve had been studying the information on the screens. "I think we're going to have to put people in undercover, see if we can flush this person, or these people, out. We can try to create a scenario that seems tempting, based on what we know about the four victims. Obviously, all were from the mainland. All fair-skinned; both the women and each of their companions."
"Well, Chin and I can only offer back-up, then," Kono offered, apologetically.
"I see two other commonalities, now that I'm studying the victim stats," Danny said slowly. "All of the victims were on the petite side; the tallest was five foot five. And, look at where they're from: Minnesota, Georgia, Texas, Boston, and Louisiana."
"What's common . . . oh," Chin said. "Accents?"
"If they each were natives of those regions, definitely," Grover said. "Distinctive accents." He turned and looked at Danny and Jax.
"What?" Danny and Jax said, in unison.
"Distinctive accents," Chin said, nodding. "Jersey is pretty distinctive."
"And Jax is petite, and you're both fair-skinned," Kono added.
"To be honest, they're both -" Steve started to say, but Danny cut him off with a wild gesture.
"I will strangle you, so help me, Steven McGarrett," Danny said. "But, okay. I get the point. Jax and I are the logical choice."
"No," Jax said, and Steve's heart stuttered. She'd said, after finishing her last undercover assignment, that she'd be willing to do undercover work again, at some point, but not as Jade. Perhaps she wasn't ready. Had he missed something? Was she still regrouping from that case?
"Not with Danny. No way. No freaking way," Jax said, gearing up for a rant. Steve grinned. Jax hadn't really ranted much since her earliest days at Five-O, and he'd always found it endearing. And clearly, it wasn't the idea of being undercover that had her riled up. "I am not going undercover with Danny as a . . . as some sort of . . . no. Just no. It's . . . it's incestuous. Gross. No. No way."
"I was going to suggest you go in as siblings," Chin said gently. "One of the victims was traveling with a sister."
"Oh," Jax said. "Okay." She looked at Danny and shrugged. "Shouldn't be too hard to pull off."
"Trust me, it won't be," Steve said, smiling fondly at the two of them.
#*#*#*#*#
"Yes, Governor, we are putting plans in place as we speak," Steve said, leaning back in his chair as he spoke with the governor on the phone. "Detective Williams and Officer Nolan will be going in undercover, as they match the few common traits of the victims: petite, fair-skinned, traveling with a companion, and with a distinctive regional mainland accent." Steve paused. "Yes, ma'am, as a brother and sister. Well, one of the victims was traveling with a sister." Another pause; and he rubbed his hand over his face. "No, ma'am, if you have a press release you will likely spook the perpetrator, and risk blowing Danny and Jax's cover; in which case, the person or persons responsible will best case scenario never be held accountable, and worst case, simply move on to another location. Yes, ma'am. Thank you."
Danny had appeared in his doorway around the mention of the press release, and shook his head in disbelief. When Steve hung up the phone, he placed it on his desk with eerie calmness.
"Steve?" Danny said. "You okay?"
"I'm trying, Danny, trying very hard to be a professional right now," Steve said. "There are words, lots of them, that I want to say, very loudly, and I'm trying very hard not to say them. Also, would you hold my phone for me? I've already thrown one into the harbor this month, and I don't want to have to requisition a new one after I throw this one against the wall."
Danny picked up Steve's phone and put it in his pocket. "Should I hold your gun, too, babe?"
"No," Steve said slowly, "no, I don't think I'm going to actually shoot anything."
"Not entirely reassuring, I gotta say," Danny said. "When you feel like you can handle it, come join us. I think we have a plan."