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In the tense confines of the Five 0 headquarters, Danny anxiously leaned over Tani's shoulder as his more technically inclined colleague worked her magic on the laptop. Tani's fingers danced across the screen, her brows furrowed in concentration. A heavy silence hung in the room as she tried to dig for information about one of Steve's kidnappers, disturbed only by tapping on the touch screen.
"There we go," Tani announced, finally breaking the silence.
"What?" Danny asked.
"Here. The owner of that SUV." Tani swiped across the smart table and mirrored its content on the bigger screen above them. "Charles Minton."
Lou shuffled closer to read the record and shook his head. "This guy has quite a record here. Armed robbery, multiple assaults, manslaughter."
"He served an eight-year sentence in Halawa prison," Tani said. "Got out about a year ago and it seems he's stayed out of trouble since then."
Danny gritted his teeth. "Until now," he muttered and continued staring at the screen.
"I'm pulling up his address now," Tani said, her fingers over the keyboard.
Danny nodded, his impatience simmering. "Send it to me," he said. "Lou, Tani, what do you say we pay this guy a visit?"
"Oh, yeah, I'd like that very much," Lou said, his eyes staring daggers.
Danny's phone buzzed just seconds later, displaying the address of the man. "Thanks," he said before he made for the exit.
As he and Lou reached the office door, it swung open to reveal Junior, his face contorted in a painful grimace, yet his eyes gleamed with determination.
"I'm not staying in the hospital any longer," Junior announced cutting off any potential protest from his colleagues. "We've got work to do."
"Junes!" Tani called out with unmistakable relief and gave him a prompt hug. "So good to see you."
Danny didn't miss Junior's wince at the impact of their bodies. "You sure about this?"
"Positive."
Danny thought about scolding the kid, but he would have done the same thing if the roles were reversed. He nodded, scanning the injured man up and down. "All right, we'll need every hand we can get," he said. "But take it easy."
Junior flashed him a cocky grin. "Sure."
Lou let out a mocking scoff and shot a glance at Danny. "This guy reminds you of someone?"
Danny didn't respond to the comment. "How are you feeling?" he asked Junior instead.
"I've been better," Junior admitted. "But I'll manage. Really. Don't worry about me."
"You got any news about Adam?" Jerry asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
"Yeah, he's… he's good," Junior said, his expression softening. "Looks like he's gonna have to sit this one through, though. But he's getting better. I went to check on him before I left, but he had a visitor, so I didn't want to disturb him."
"A visitor?" Tani raised her eyebrow.
"A woman," Junior said. "A very pretty one at that."
"Huh, I didn't know he was seeing someone," Lou noted. "Did you?"
Danny didn't. While he was relieved to hear the good news about their friend, he had more pressing issues at hand than Adam's love life. "We have to go," he said, focusing on the task ahead. "We will fill you in on the way."
Junior nodded, and Danny led the way out.
Danny's blind hope had been crushed after searching every inch of the house and finding absolutely no one and nothing. Of course, Minton would be a complete dumbass if he stayed here. But then, using his own car for kidnapping the head of the governor's task force wasn't the smartest choice either. Danny guessed he had hoped for another mistake like that. Unfortunately, it didn't happen.
In a fit of anger and desperation, he swiped his arm across the dining table by the window. The impact sent the contents scattering, newspapers and magazines fluttering like leaves in a chaotic whirlwind.
He sank into one of the chairs and took a deep, calming breath. He was hurting. And tired. No, exhausted. His head felt like it was about to split into two, and his ribcage protested with each breath. His body sent him the signals he needed to rest, but how could he, knowing Steve was out there somewhere and he wasn't anywhere close to finding him?
"You alright?" Junior asked.
Danny lifted his gaze to find his teammates standing in the doorway, worried glances mirroring across all of their faces.
He didn't answer. Instead, he stared at the mess of the papers on the floor. From newspapers like Midweek Oahu, through Honolulu Star-Advertiser, to multiple issues of Guns and Ammo and Gun trade World magazines lay there in a chaotic pile.
But there was something else. Something he didn't notice when he had a brief look at the pile before.
A small rectangular piece of paper. He stared at it, his fingers twitching with an impulse to pick it up. He listened to his instincts and reached for it to have a closer look.
"What is it?" Tani asked.
"A business card." Danny turned the card toward the team so they could have a look too. It read 'Cargo Solutions LLC.'
"I know this company," Lou said. "It's a cargo container rental."
Danny examined the card again as if it held the key to salvation. There was no logical reason for someone like Minton to possess a card from a container rental company. Or maybe it was, he just didn't see it.
"It's probably nothing," he said, but it didn't feel right. For a reason he couldn't explain, his unconsciousness screamed at him to look deeper into it.
"It's worth checking out. though," Junior suggested, beating Danny to it. "Me and Tani can go and talk to them. See if we can find something out."
It took Danny a moment to reply, his worried mind racing with thoughts. "Sure," he said eventually. "Go ahead."
He watched the two younger colleagues leave without a word. Lou remained standing right there in the doorway, his arms crossed, looking at Danny. He gestured at the pile of papers on the floor with his head.
"I slipped," Danny said before Lou could say anything.
Lou managed a sad grin. "Sure you did," he said.
Danny leaned back in the uncomfortable wooden chair with a sigh and rubbed his tired eyes.
"Look," Lou said. "I know you're worried. We all are. But you gotta keep it together, man. Keep your head cool."
As if it was that easy, knowing Steve was at a monster's mercy. "That man is a devil, Lou," he said. "He killed all those people last night and now he also has Steve. I can't… I–"
"Hey." Lou closed the distance between them and locked his eyes with Danny's. "Steve's the toughest man I've ever known. He'll be fine."
Danny could only hope Lou was right. But since seeing the footage of Steve's kidnapping, the wheels in his head couldn't stop turning, wondering about all the possibilities.
"Come on now," Lou said, prompting him to stand up. "Let's go back to the HQ. We'll get some coffee on the way there.
Reluctantly, Danny stood up and followed Lou back to the car, thinking about what Steve was going through right now.
Steve might have been blindfolded, but he'd spent enough time on various vessels across the world to know he'd been dragged onto a ship. The gentle swaying motion beneath him and the sounds of waves crashing against the steel hull confirmed his deduction.
He shifted uncomfortably, trying to yank himself free from the clutches of men who manhandled him around, one on each of his sides. It took all of his will not to beg them to untie his hands. The pain in his shoulders and back from being stuck in the same position was nearly unbearable now, and he could barely feel his fingers. But he wouldn't show weakness to his enemy.
Someone yanked off the dirty bag of his head, making his eyes squinting against the sudden assault of light. As his swimming vision adjusted, he saw Makoni standing in front of him, cradling a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle in his hands.
A sinister gleam in his bloodshot eyes reflected the warm colors of the sun nearing the horizon.
"Welcome aboard," Makoni said, his voice dripping with sick satisfaction.
Steve glanced around. His head throbbed, and he could taste the salty sweat on his lips from long hours spent inside a stifling cargo container, followed by a car's suffocating trunk. He was dizzy, and it was difficult to focus on details, but he made out the shapes of several small cargo containers scattered across the deck. A cargo ship, then.
Makoni gestured at the one behind his back. It was wide open. Which meant–
No.
He wasn't going back to that metal prison. Not willingly, anyway.
"This will be your new home for now," Makoni mocked. "But don't worry. It's gonna be short-term."
Steve buckled, to no avail. He clenched his jaw and tried again. The grip on his biceps only got stronger.
He fought the rising panic inside him. It came out of nowhere, unexpected.
It was kind of funny, really, how his colleagues thought of him as a man without a fear gene. They couldn't be more wrong. He was human, after all. And right now, he was terrified. And it became increasingly harder to hide it.
"You better rest up, Commander," Makoni said. "Big day tomorrow."
Makoni's henchmen ignored his feeble attempts and pushed him inside. His knees landed with a loud thud, sending another bolt of pain up Steve's spine. But there was no time to focus on that now. With sheer determination, Steve scrambled up to his feet, turned around, and launched himself forward at Makoni, despite being severely disadvantaged.
The attempt was born out of pure desperation, more than anything else. Bound, battered, weakened, and exhausted, Steve didn't really expect it to work, but he had to try.
He barely managed a step before Makoni effortlessly sidestepped Steve's attack and swung his rifle through the air. Its butt slammed into the side of Steve's head, and his world exploded in stars. A gasp of agony escaped through his dry lips as he crumpled to the floor.
For a brief moment, Steve's vision blurred and swayed even more violently than before. The sounds around him became distant echoes. He could taste the coppery tang of blood in his mouth, but it was a sensation that was fading. He saw the light disappear completely as the doorway closed, and the chilling click of the locking mechanism echoed in his head before his consciousness slipped away.
Danny and Lou were almost at the headquarters car park when Danny's phone rang. It was Tani. He put her on speaker and continued driving.
"We might have something," Tani said, excitement in her voice obvious.
Danny exchanged a glance with Lou before replying. "What?"
"So, we talked to the manager in Cargo Solutions," Tani began. "They got a recent inquiry about renting one of their containers in Kapolei."
"So what?"
"Well, the thing is, it used to be one of their storage areas until a few months ago," Tani said. "But they stopped offering it and moved all of their activity to Honolulu."
Danny's head whirled. "Get to the point, Tani!"
"The inquiry for renting a container was specifically in Kapolei," Tani explained. "The customer insisted, even though they told him they no longer provide rentals in that area and it's basically deserted. The manager said that the guy even knew Cargo Solutions still had a few containers down there that they hadn't moved yet."
"So, did our guy rent one in Honolulu?" Lou asked.
"No. He convinced the manager by paying double to get one in Kapolei."
"You got a name?" Lou said.
"Jason Baxter," Tani said. "But we've run it already. Seems like a fake name."
"Of course," Lou scoffed.
"But she said he had a strong foreign accent," Tani added.
A shiver of realization coursed through Danny. It was like the puzzle piece clicking into place.
"Send me the address!" he demanded, a new shred of hope coursing through his veins. "Meet you there."
He stomped on the brake. The seat belt dug into his skin and he let off a pained wince as it tightened around his broken ribs. He turned around and tried to estimate the time needed to ride to Kapolei.
Twenty minutes, if he stepped on it. Now he just had to hope Steve would be there when he arrived.
But when he turned the car and was about to speed up, a black BMW overtook him and crossed his path, forcing him to stop right there. Another, identical one, pulled up right behind Danny's car, blocking his way out completely.
"What the–?"
He swore as he saw two people get out of the two cars, carrying an angry expression. The CIA agents.
"You must be kidding me," Lou said, curling his fists.
Danny's anger flared. Now was not a good time. He got out of his Camaro, staring daggers at the intruders.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Detective?" Agent Brooks spat out before Danny had a chance to protest.
"Get out of my way," he blurted out, his nostrils flaring as he strode toward her. "Now!"
"I thought we had an agreement," Brooks said, crossing her arms over her chest. "It seems I was wrong."
"Get out of my way," Danny repeated, emphasizing each word.
"Did you not listen to me, Detective?" Brooks said, her frown deepening. "This trade is important. We only have one chance of stopping another enormous terrorist attack from happening. You have to get that radioactive material before it disappears and the only way to do this is to wait for–"
"The hell with waiting!" Danny interrupted her. "My partner's been missing for almost twenty-four hours now. I'm not letting him in Makoni's hands for another two days! We have a lead. We might get Makoni now. End this."
She furrowed her brows, contorting her face into an angry menace. "You really didn't listen to me, did you?" she said. "If you snatch Makoni before the trade, the sellers will just sell it to another highest bidder. If you spook them and they change the time and place, we might not be able to find them."
"We'll find another way to stop them," Danny opposed. "Now, get out of the way!"
"What other way?" Brooks stood her ground.
"I don't know!" Danny yelled. "We'll come up with something.
"Do you really want the blood of innocent people on your hands if this goes south?" Brooks asked.
"It won't, okay? It won't."
"You can't know that."
She was right. He couldn't. But right now, all he cared about was bringing Steve home safe. They would sort out the rest of it after.
"Look," he began. "You asked for help, I agreed. But you aren't gonna tell me how to do my job."
She tightened her lips into a thin line, keeping eye contact with Danny. "You're making a mistake," she said. "The stakes are too high to prioritize one person's life."
Danny's blood boiled. That one person meant the world to him.
"I will ask nicely one more time," Danny said, catching a glance of Lou's hand sliding toward the gun holder on his belt.
"Is this something McGarrett would agree to?" Brooks asked in a desperate attempt to change his mind.
"Well, he's not here to decide, alright?" Danny said.
"That means it on you," she said.
"Exactly. My team. My call."
"Yeah," she said. "I just hope you made the right one, Detective."
*to be continued*
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