I just had to bring the villain from episode 5x15 back. I feel like his comeback after a promise to Steve that they'd see each other again could make a fun storyline.

Anyway, enjoy reading and let me know what you think.

It only took a split second for Steve to recognize the heavy accent.

Roko Makoni.

A.K.A. The Chief.

The Congolese warlord who swore vengeance on Steve almost four years ago.

The heartless monster that was supposed to rot in jail for the rest of his life.

Yet, here he was, pressing a gun into Steve's side, nothing but a finger twitch away from fatally wounding him. Steve assumed that the man knew exactly where his vital organs were, and exactly how to target them with utmost precision.

Makoni positioned himself close enough to mask the sight of the gun from any passerby. Out of the corner of his eye, Steve saw the man sporting a false jovial expression, as if they were merely two old friends greeting each other after a long time apart.

"I said we'd see each other again, didn't I?" Makoni said. "I hope you didn't think I'd break that promise."

"I figured you'd die before I had a chance to see your ugly face again," Steve muttered back.

The steel pressed harder into his ribs. He gritted his teeth and rode out the rush of cortisol flooding his veins. Adrenalin was a potent drug. He knew controlling it would be his best bet at survival.

Makoni chuckled. "I'd watch your mouth if I were you," he said. "You really don't want to make me angry."

Steve knew it was probably not the best idea to antagonize the madman. Makoni was a dangerous man, believing in his cause and blaming others for being wronged. He'd committed crimes Steve didn't even want to think about, and he'd done so without so much as batting an eye.

The memory of their last encounter was still fresh. He thought back on the day Makoni took the whole family of tourists hostage in his cab loaded with explosives, stopped at the crossroad in the busy city center, shot one of his hostages, and demanded to speak to Steve.

It hadn't gone so swimmingly. Steve's attempt to calm the man down and persuade him to release the bleeding father failed miserably. There was no reasoning with the man. Makoni had had him there, kneeling on the hard asphalt with a gun pointed at his face. Ready to pull the trigger.

It had been Kono who prevented that. She'd shot the man, creating enough of a distraction for Steve to spring into action and disarm the scumbag.

Steve could have died there.

Frankly, the thought hadn't even occurred to him until after the arrest. Danny, on the other side, hadn't stopped reminding him of that for weeks that followed.

It had been a close call, but in the end, Makoni had been led away in the cuffs.

"You and I will see each other again." That's the last thing Makoni had told him before being taken away.

"I hope so," Steve had said, certain it wouldn't come to that.

How wrong he'd been.

"What do you want?" he asked, his eyes scanning their surroundings.

It was bad. The place was live with the chatter of tourists and locals, and not a single table remained free on a beachside patio. Too many people. Too many possible casualties.

Makoni seemed to read Steve's thoughts.

"Don't even think about any trick," he said. "You try something, and these people die."

Steve believed him.

"What do you want?" he repeated.

"Let's start with your phone and the car keys."

Steve felt the muzzle dig deeper into his flesh as he reached into the pocket of his pants.

"Slowly," Makoni said. "No tricks."

Steve got the car keys first, and laid them on the marble counter.

"The phone. Turn it off and give it to me," Makoni ordered.

Steve gritted his teeth and did as told. It wasn't worth the risk. Not here.

Makoni snatched the keys and the phone and stashed them into his jacket.

"Now you're going to stand up and walk with me. If I even get a glimpse that you're not doing as I ask, I'll put a bullet in you. And then I shoot every single person I can get my hands on."

"That's it? You just want me to go with you?" Steve asked, still perched tentatively on the bar stool, listening to the hushed murmurings of surrounding civilians. It all appeared so very peaceful. No one had clued into the tense standoff happening in their midst.

Makoni nodded. "We're going somewhere a little more secluded.

"Fine," Steve said without the slightest hesitation.

Makoni grinned, revealing his crooked teeth. "Smart decision."

As Steve rose to his feet, he shook his head in bemusement. "I don't know how you got out and how you got to the island, but you shouldn't have come back."

Makoni tucked the sleek black pistol into his jacket pocket in one fluid motion, so fast that Steve couldn't get a glimpse at the make of the gun. Whatever the case, he knew he was still in enormous danger. He saw its barrel poking against the inexpensive fake leather, unwavering, trained directly at Steve's torso to ensure complete certainty of a hit.

"We got you once," Steve said. "We'll do it again. But this time I'll personally make sure you end up six feet under the ground."

"At least you're honest about your intentions this time," Makoni said. "Last time we met, you lied to me."

"You gave me no choice."

"Oh, I did. You could have just done what I asked for. I just wanted a helicopter and a free way out of this island. It wasn't that difficult."

"You know I couldn't give you that."

Makoni scoffed. "So you lied to me."

Silence.

"I don't like being lied to."

Silence.

"You know where your precious friends are right now?"

Steve's heart seized with the question. He didn't reply.

"Because I do."

Makoni reached into a pocket and brought out a small device and turned it in his palm. "Too bad I have to end their fancy dinner prematurely."

It took a painfully long time for Steve to realize what the object was.

A bomb detonator.

"So consider this your lesson."

It hit Steve like a truck.

Makoni smiled wryly.

"Boom," he said and pushed the button.

*to be continued*

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