CHAPTER 21

Friday afternoon, temporary Five-0 offices:

Danny prowled around the office in endless circles. With each circuit, he glanced at Chin and Kono to see if they'd made any progress in the two point three seconds it had taken him to complete a lap of the office. They'd been meticulously going over video footage, trying to track where Ortiz had come from.

It had been four days.

Four incredibly long, unproductive days since Steve had disappeared. Danny stopped and pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes in an effort to control the rage bubbling up inside of him at their lack of progress. Without HPD's support, they were flying solo.

Which meant it was slow going. Very slow.

Thanks to the phone call, they now knew that there was at least one woman involved in addition to Gabriel Ortiz. But other than that…

Nothing. They literally had nothing.

Danny took a deep breath and ignored the pointed glare from Chin. The headache he'd been barely holding at bay was suddenly attacking with a vengeance. He looked around and saw Kono rolling her shoulders before rubbing at red eyes. Chin was standing up straight but leaning one hip against the desk.

That was enough of a sign that they all needed a break. Desperately. He was about to tell them as much when his phone rang. He smiled when he saw his daughter's face light up on the screen.

"Hey Monkey," he answered.

"Danno! I'm so excited for our weekend together!" Danny's heart seized. He'd forgotten all about having Grace that weekend!

He ran a hand through his hair despite trying to sound upbeat. "Me too, Grace."

"Can we go to Uncle Steve's house? I want to go swimming! And make pancakes!"

"No, Grace. Uncle Steve had to go away for a while. We can go swimming at his house when he gets back," he answered, catching the soft look Chin gave him.

"Okay." Danny hated the disappointment in her voice. "Can we have pizza then?"

"Sure. No pineapple though," he warned.

"Danno! I like ham and pineapple. Uncle Steve says it's good for you because there's fruit on it."

"Of course he would say that," Danny muttered with a hint of a smile. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow, Monkey."

"Yay! Bye Danno. Love you."

"Love you too," he replied wistfully before ending the call. He turned to the cousins. "Please tell me I did not just lie to my daughter."

"We'll find him, Danny. And he'll make you prematurely grey with his stunts again when he returns," Kono replied with a smile.

They all turned when the door to their tiny office space opened and were relieved to see Catherine rushing through it with a file in her hand.

"Hey guys. I found…whoa!" she said as she took in the dishevelled appearance of the cousins. "What happened?"

"We're fine. Just a little bruised," Chin assured the Lieutenant. "Nothing to worry about."

When Catherine looked like she was about to argue, Danny cut in. "What did you find?"

Catherine shot one more assessing look at the cousins before handing over the file. "That is everything I could find on Gabriel Ortiz. I had to call in several favours to get that."

Danny flicked through the file and several pieces of information stood out. Ex-military. Army Ranger. One tour in Iraq. Dishonourably discharged. Rumoured to have sold information to the highest bidder. Dropped off the map for two years and reappeared in Afghanistan as a contractor.

"Sounds like a great guy," Danny commented as he handed the file to the cousins.

"According to my contacts, he's been on everyone's radar as a mercenary for hire. Very effective, which means he comes at a high price. Whoever he's working for has to have money. Lot's of money," Catherine added.

"So, if someone made him a better offer?" Kono asked.

Catherine shrugged. "It's possible he'd sell out his client if the money was worth it."

As in, if someone got word that Ortiz was involved in Steve's abduction, then any of Steve's enemies could theoretically get their hands on him. 'Great,' Danny thought. 'As if we don't have enough to worry about.'

"Any idea on a location?" Danny asked.

Catherine sighed and ran a hand through her long, brown hair. "He's spent a lot of time abroad. Mainly the Middle East. Rumour has it he's got a place on the east coast of the mainland that he uses between jobs."

Danny shared a look with the cousins. "That fits Steve's description. He said he was near the coast."

"That doesn't tell us anything. He could still be on the island or halfway around the world. Even if you managed to get a trace, she could have moved him. There's no way we can narrow it down to an area of the globe. Not without more information," Chin reminded him.

"Wait," Catherine interrupted. "You talked to Steve?"

'Uh oh,' Danny thought as Catherine glared at him. That was the exact look Rachel used to give him when she was about to rip him a new one.

"Uh, yeah," he answered. "He called from a satellite phone. We weren't able to get a trace. He wasn't able to stay on the line for long."

"You knew he was alive and you didn't think to tell me," Catherine growled as she took a step closer.

'Damn,' Danny thought as he shrunk under her towering gaze. 'She's just as intimidating as Steve. Those two really are a matched set.'

"I was going to tell you, but…" Danny trailed off as all excuses left him.

Catherine schooled her features, turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. For all she tried to hide behind her tough exterior, Danny knew this was tearing her apart just as much as it was him.

The relationship that Steve and Catherine had…it was special. Two damaged souls had somehow found each other and despite the hardships they faced, they still found a way to be in each other's lives. Though they'd never admit it, Danny knew that they loved each other so deeply that if one of them was hurt, the other would feel their pain like it was their own.

Danny slammed his hand on the desk. He actually wanted to punch something, but he knew that was counterproductive. He wouldn't be able to knock the lights out of the people that took Steve when he found them if he had a bum hand.

He sighed heavily and felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Chin's concerned eyes staring down at him.

"Go home, Danny. Let her cool off. Go see Grace," he said.

"But—" Danny argued.

"Chin's right. Look, we're all tired and we all want to keep working. But we've got Duke working on tracking down Ortiz's vehicle and Kamekona looking for any leads on the Rohypnol," Kono said.

Of course, the cousins were right. They had to be patient - something none of them were particularly good at. Steve would have forgone sleep in favour of chasing down leads. In fact, he would have been ready for an armed assault on wherever he was being held. Once again, Danny lamented the fact that he wasn't his partner and his partner wasn't there to guide them.

"I doubt Steve is going to wait for us to find him. He's already tried to escape and I don't think his abductor would take it well if he tried again," Danny voiced his worries. "We don't have time to waste!"

Kono gave him a sympathetic look that Danny absolutely abhorred. "Look at the facts, Danny. They drugged him but otherwise didn't hurt him. That tells us she doesn't want him dead. Steve's smart. He's going to wait, bide his time until the right moment. He's not going to risk it."

To think that barely a month ago Steve had been released from the hospital after his latest brush with death and was now in the hands of yet another maniac made Danny's head hurt. More than anything, it was the overwhelming helplessness that he was drowning in.

"After everything that has happened, what if this is it? What if this is the final straw for him?" Danny asked desperately.

Danny saw the stricken looks on Chin and Kono's faces and immediately wished he hadn't said anything. The thought had been circling in his mind since he'd found the water bottle on the side of the road, his partner was nowhere to be found. He had tried and failed to ignore his catastrophic tendency to always expect the worst.

He had always seen Steve as the indestructible giant he had first met, walking around with a bullet to the shoulder and smirking at him as he said "book 'em, Danno." Even when he was at his lowest, Steve would push everything aside if it meant his family was taken care of. He'd done it for Grace, for the team, for Ari.

When was enough, enough? The world seemed to take, take, take from such a good man. It just wasn't fair!

"We'll find him, Danny," Chin stated. The absolute conviction on Chin's face had Danny smiling wanly.

Chin was right; they would find Steve. But would they find him dead or alive?

Friday afternoon, unknown location:

Steve opened heavy eyelids and groaned. He instantly recognised the symptoms of being drugged. His head pounded, his limbs felt heavy and he was parched. His tongue was so dry it stuck to the roof of his mouth.

He moved to sit up but gasped in pain when his right wrist protested to the movement. He looked down and saw that it was wrapped in a white bandage that did nothing to disguise the bruising spreading up his forearm.

'Great,' he thought. 'It's probably sprained, if not broken. Again.'

He tucked his arm against his chest and levered himself upright with his left hand. He slid his legs over the edge of the bed and paused as the room started spinning around him. He blinked several times to bring his vision back into focus.

He was in a small room; it was no bigger than the holding cells at HPD. There was a small skylight with clouded glass in the high ceiling that let in enough light to just illuminate the corners of the room. The only furniture in the room was the bed he sat on. He inspected the bed closely and noted it was cemented into the floor.

He stood up and was thankful when he wasn't hit with a dizzy spell. He started to approach the door but stopped when he felt something pull on his right leg. Looking down, he saw there was a handcuff fastened around his ankle. The cuff was attached to a metal chain that was linked to a fastening that was cemented into the wall.

Leaning down, he yanked on the chain and felt no give in it. He examined the cuff that tethered him to the wall and realised he'd need something small to pick it. He stood and patted his pockets down, not surprised to find they were completely empty.

Leaving it for now, he explored his cell. The chain gave him enough movement to pace but the door was out of his reach. The window was too high for him to reach, even if he wasn't limited by the chain that shackled him. The only thing he knew for certain was that it was daytime.

He sat back down on the bed and leaned his head back against the cool concrete wall and closed his eyes. He concentrated on his breathing rather than the constant throb of his wrist.

His eyes shot open when he heard the sound of the door opening. He blinked when he realised it was significantly darker inside the room than when he had closed his eyes. He must have fallen asleep.

'Damn drugs,' he cursed inwardly.

He stood up as two shadowy figures entered the room.

"Now, McGarrett. My job is to see that you are fed, hydrated and unharmed. As long as you cooperate with us, you will remain that way." Steve recognised the voice. It was one of the fake doctors.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"That's not important. I feel I should warn you that if you decide to try something stupid like last time, well…the consequences will be severe," the man taunted him.

"Consequences?"

"Food deprivation, a bullet to the leg, a number of exercises in pain…I'm sure you can see where this is going?"

Steve nodded. Torture. That's what was being implied.

"Now, enjoy your meal and Rebecca will see you in the morning."

Steve heard the other man place something on the floor and slide it across. It stopped at his feet. Steve waited for the door to close and listened for the telltale click of the lock being engaged before he grabbed the food.

It was just light enough inside the room for him to make out the outline of what was probably a sandwich and a bottle of water. His stomach churned at the though of food so he grabbed the water instead. He managed to open the bottle with one hand after wedging the plastic container between his legs and twisting the cap with his left hand.

He drank greedily until the bottle was empty. He placed the bottle on the tray and left it by the foot of the bed. He laid down on the bed and closed his eyes. He felt marginally better after drinking something, but the water was sitting heavy in his stomach.

Not for the first time since he was taken captive, he wondered what was going on. Somehow, he'd been abducted by a crazy stalker who tried to make him believe that he was a psychiatric patient and they were married.

The sudden change he'd seen in her when he told her he didn't believe her story was startling. She'd gone from a sweet, innocent woman to a cold, calculating menace in about two seconds. The anger that had flashed in her eyes when he told her he didn't love her told him he needed to tread carefully.

Steve still didn't understand how she knew so much about him. She knew about his mother's death, she knew about Hesse, she knew about his team. She had been watching him, watching his every move and he'd had no idea.

It went against everything in his nature to stand down, to play along with her insane beliefs but he knew in his gut that if he didn't, he wouldn't be the only one that would suffer her wrath.

Friday afternoon, Kamekona's Shrimp Truck:

Kamekona Tupuola was a very big man and often used his large girth to get what he wanted. One thing to understand about Kamekona was that underneath his big-boned exterior, he had a heart of gold. So when the young girl gave him a watery look complete with a pouty lip, he instantly gave in.

"Okay Keiki. I'll add extra sprinkles," he said and was instantly rewarded with a bright smile.

He passed the ice-cream sundae to the young girl with pigtails and accepted the cash from her mother. The mother winked at him and he grinned. He loved sharing his joy of good food with other people.

He watched his happy customers walk away and saw a familiar group of people approaching. Regardless of their reputation, even tired and worn out, the Five-0 team still looked like a fearsome bunch.

Thankfully there were no customers lined up, so he climbed out of his truck and shuffled over to them.

"Hey, Five-0," he greeted them. "Any news on da Big Kahuna?"

Kamekona glanced at the each in turn. Kono's shoulders were slumped and she was clutching her wrapped wrist, Chin's eyes were red-rimmed and tired underneath the cut on this forehead and Danny…Danny looked absolutely wretched. His shirt was wrinkled and he had dark circles underneath his eyes so big that initially the big man thought he'd been on the wrong end of a vicious roundhouse punch.

"I'll take that as a no," Kamekona muttered more to himself.

"Anything from your end?" Kono asked.

"No. It's been oddly quiet," Kamekona replied.

Just yesterday, he'd closed up shop early and sought out an old friend that had called to tell him he had a lead on the Rohypnol. He'd been disappointed when his contact had missed the meeting.

Kamekona raised his eyebrows when the Jersey Detective suddenly turned and stalked away. The blond man, usually a loose cannon at the best of times, was evidently struggling with the absence of his friend. They all were.

"Sorry, big guy," Kono said. "I'll just go see if he's okay."

Kamekona's gaze softened as he watched the youngest member of Five-0 jog after the hot-headed detective. "I take it tings are not good?" he asked the last remaining member of Five-0.

Chin ran a hand down his face. "Not so much."

Kamekona waited for Chin to elaborate.

"HPD is refusing to help because they believe that Rogerson's death was McGarrett's fault."

Kamekona hissed. "They gotta know dat McGarrett would never…"

"I don't think that matters, Kamekona. They want someone to blame and McGarrett was the perfect scapegoat. Besides, it was Steve's choice not to tell them the truth about what happened."

"Damn. What else can I do to help?"

"Honestly? I don't know. All we know is that Steve received some weird gifts before he disappeared. Roses, notes, balloons…those kinds of things."

"Sounds like a stalker, Brah," Kamekona surmised.

"Yeah. That's what we were thinking. This was definitely planned. We know there is a woman involved and a man by the name of Gabriel Ortiz involved. Ortiz tried to run Kono and I off the road. We've tried to track down the car that was used by Ortiz during Steve's abduction but we've hit nothing but dead ends."

Now the cuts and bruises made sense. Normally it was McGarrett that sported the injuries, not the rest of the team.

A thought suddenly occurred to him. "What kind of roses?"

"What?" Chin appeared confused by his question.

"What type of roses? Red, white, pink?"

"Uh, red?"

"I've got a friend who's a botanist," Kamekona answered. "She could probably tell you exactly where they are grown and maybe you could narrow down a search area that way."

Chin grinned. "If we find Steve using flowers, then I will owe you big time."

Kamekona chuckled. "I'm sure you've solved cases with less, but I won't say no to having some taste testers on staff."