Chapter 5 - Worse Than Wo Fat
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When Steve McGarrett woke again, the room was bathed in early morning sunlight. He reached over and turned off the shrilling alarm as Danny abruptly sat up beside him, looking apprehensive.
“Easy, Danno, you’re home now,” McGarrett said, placing a steadying hand on his partner’s pyjama-clad shoulder, seeing the tension leave the younger man’s face as he realized where he was. “How are you feeling?”
“Extremely happy to be here,” Danny replied with the smile Steve had been missing. He stretched experimentally. “Otherwise, pretty much sore all over.”
“What about your hands?” McGarrett asked.
Danny flexed his fingers, wincing slightly. “Doing better. My wrists still aren’t great.” He looked up at Steve. “I know you haven’t exactly had time to be grocery shopping the last few days, but....”
“Don’t worry about that, there’s plenty of food in the house,” Steve said, giving his partner a quick kiss then climbing out of bed. “Go back to sleep and I’ll make you breakfast.”
“I’d rather come watch you cook,” Danny said, easing his way painfully out from under the sheets.
McGarrett found himself smiling. I’d rather not let Danny out of my sight for a while, he admitted to himself.
In the kitchen, as Steve searched the refrigerator for ingredients, Danny crossed to the window. “Your African violet is wilted,” he said, carefully lifting the pot down to water it in the sink.
Steve, closing the refrigerator door, said, “Obviously it can’t live without you, Danno,” trying to sound light. “I’m glad neither of us had to try,” he added softly, looking down at the eggs and cheese as he set them on the counter.
“Steve....” Danny said, turning from the sink.
“I think there’s some bacon,” McGarrett said hastily, diving into the refrigerator again. “How about omelets?”
“Anything sounds good, as long as there’s lots of it,” his partner assured him. “I don’t think I’m quite caught up on meals yet.”
Danny sat at the kitchen table watching as Steve made coffee, fried bacon, and flipped omelets, then the two men sat down to breakfast together.
McGarrett covertly surveyed his partner as the younger man wolfed down omelet and toast. Just being able to sit here with him, sharing a meal...something precious that I shouldn’t take for granted again, he thought.
“That was delicious,” Danny commented, polishing off the last piece of toast. “Steve, can you give me a hand in the shower? I’m not supposed to get these bandages wet.”
Oh, I can give you more than a hand...no, no, Danny may put a brave face on things, but he’s still badly injured, Steve told himself firmly. “Of course,” he said aloud. I’ll have to go in to work today to deal with the leftover issues from the hijacking, but Danny can rest, and then tomorrow, when hopefully he’s feeling better, with any luck we can take the day off together....
As Danny took off his pyjamas in the bathroom, Steve saw his bruises in the light for the first time. Some of the marks on his body were clearly recognizable as left by shoes, and McGarrett was filled with renewed fury towards the men who had done this to his partner.
Examining his curly hair in the mirror over the sink, Danny observed unhappily, “I guess the missing bit is pretty obvious, isn’t it? I’ll have to get it cut today—I don’t want to have to think about what happened every time I look in a mirror.” A shadow passed over his face.
I wish I could have beaten the lot of them, McGarrett thought savagely, but forced himself to speak lightly. “In the meantime, it might as well be clean.” Taking off his own pyjamas, he surveyed the shower. “I think the easiest way would be for you to sit in the tub and lean back.”
Danny suited his actions to Steve’s words, then McGarrett, kneeling beside the tub, lathered his partner’s hair and carefully rinsed it with the shower handle, shielding the bandage on Danny’s forehead with his hand.
“I’m sorry, I know this is a pain,” Danny said, trying not to move.
“Danno, I read your statement. You got this bandage from saving my life,” Steve said, bending to press his lips very gently to his partner’s temple.
“I keep telling you not to walk unarmed into hostage situations,” the younger man said teasingly.
“So you do,” Steve responded softly, dropping another kiss on Danny’s shoulder. “I think this is the best I can do with your hair. Now, let’s see...if you stand up and prop your hands against the end wall of the shower....”
“I feel like I’m going to be patted down,” Danny commented, arranging himself as instructed.
Steve stepped into the shower behind him, biting back a lewd comment. Even with the bruises reminding him that his partner was injured, seeing Danny standing in front of him in this position was turning him on. Control yourself, Steve, he thought.
He replaced the shower attachment in its bracket, directing the water over himself and Danny, and quickly shampooed his own hair. Once again taking the wand into his hand, he directed the spray over Danny’s upraised arms, carefully stopping short of the white cuffs of bandage, then down over his muscular shoulders and back. Swapping the shower for the soap, he used both his hands to smooth lather over Danny’s skin, moving down to his buttocks, thighs, and calves. This would be a perfect position for...stop that! he sternly interrupted his train of thought.
He circled Danny’s legs with his hands, feeling the springy blonde hair under his fingers, ran his hands up his partner’s thighs, then, with an effort of will, stopped and stood up. He moved closer and reached his arms around Danny’s body to lather his chest. Despite the heat of the shower, his nipples were hard under Steve’s palms. Steve closed his eyes and moved his hips back from Danny a bit to conceal the fact that he was completely erect. As he slid his hands down over his partner’s taut abdomen, Danny made a low noise. “Am I hurting you?” Steve asked anxiously.
“No...yes...Steve, please....” Danny moved his hips back until he came into contact with Steve.
Steve groaned, pushed beyond endurance, and ran his hands down Danny’s stomach, at which point they encountered the younger man’s cock, standing stiffly at attention. “Danny...are you sure?”
“Ah...yes....” Danny gasped, his breath coming fast. He half turned towards his partner.
“Stand still and keep your bandages dry. I’ll take care of everything,” McGarrett reassured him. He moved to stand pressed full-length against Danny’s back. His right hand, slippery with soap, stroked up and down his partner’s shaft, while with his left he held their bodies together, sliding his cock up and down against Danny’s firm ass. He leaned forward to trace around his partner’s right ear with his tongue, eliciting a moan.
“Steve....” Danny moved against him, keeping his hands on the wall only with an effort.
Steve reached around with his left hand to cradle Danny’s balls, moving his right hand faster on Danny’s cock.
Danny made a wordless sound, bucking his hips against Steve’s.
“Danny....” Steve gasped.
The telephone rang.
It took a moment for the sound to penetrate McGarrett’s consciousness, but his years as head of Five-O had left him all-too-attuned to the sound. He cursed under his breath, then stepped out of the tub, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist. “Wait for me,” he told his partner, stalking into the bedroom to answer the telephone.
“McGarrett!” he more or less shouted into the receiver.
“Steve...is everything all right?” asked the Governor, sounding startled.
“Fine!” Steve snapped, then made an effort to get himself under control. “I’m sorry, Governor, I was in the shower,” he managed in an almost normal voice.
“My apologies, Steve, but we have a serious situation here. I need you and Dan Williams in my office as soon as you can get here.”
“What serious situation?” McGarrett demanded.
“I’m afraid the hijacker who called himself ‘Diego Volver’ turned out to be Generalissimo Santiago’s son,” Jameson began.
“Uh huh, we suspected that,” Steve said, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes with his free hand.
“Well,” the Governor continued, “He was the rallying point for the main group of anti-government rebels. So, Generalissimo Santiago has apparently decided to try to win the people’s favor by embracing the memory of his son as a martyr.”
“A martyr? He hijacked an airplane! He killed an innocent man!” The head of Five-O protested incredulously.
“Yes, but, as you know, the U.S. Government nominally supports the Santiago regime. Santiago is demanding the head of the man who killed his son on a platter. And that’s you, Steve.”
“I don’t care if he was the son of the President of the United States! If he hijacks an airplane on my turf and won’t negotiate a peaceful surrender, I have every right to use force to protect innocent lives!” McGarrett said emphatically, pacing back and forth beside the bed at the end of the short phone cord.
“I agree with you,” the Governor said. “But the State Department is having kittens, I have a colonel from Military Intelligence breathing down my neck, and the Deputy Director of Government Intelligence is threatening to fly in and personally oversee the investigation into the hijacking. In the meantime, Simons, Harkness, and Carstairs are demanding to meet with you and Williams now or sooner on behalf of their respective agencies.”
“Is this going to be a meeting, or an ambush? I won’t stand by and let Five-O be made a scapegoat so the State Department can curry favor with the leader of some third-rate military dictatorship!” McGarrett shouted into the phone.
“Steve, I’m on your side,” Jameson said tiredly. “We’ll just have to come up with a better solution.”
“Danny and I will be there in half an hour. Aloha, Governor.” McGarrett replaced the receiver with a precise click and turned to his partner, who, hearing Steve’s raised voice, had come into the bedroom wearing a towel.
“Beautiful,” Steve snapped, shaking his head.
“What’s going on?” Danny asked, looking concerned.
“The hijackers were led by Santiago’s rebel son, and the father wants to touch up his image with the people, so the State Department is going to throw us to the wolves. Not while I’m still head of Five-O,” McGarrett said grimly. “I’m sorry, the governor wants us in his office as soon as we can get there.” He pulled his good navy blue suit out of the closet, tossed it on the bed, and started getting dressed.
“Good thing I have a clean suit here,” Danny observed, opening a dresser drawer and carefully extracting a shirt from its place tucked under one of Steve’s.
McGarrett opened the top drawer of the dresser and took out his silver cufflinks, glancing down at the small box where he had put Danny’s note and the handkerchief wrapped around the lock of his partner’s hair. I couldn’t protect him from the hijackers, but if those weasels think I’m going to let them touch him now as part of a cover-up.... he thought savagely.
Danny came up behind him, asking, “Can you get my cuff buttons? I’m having trouble doing them over the bandages.”
“No, leave them like this,” McGarrett said, neatly turning up Danny’s cuffs to expose the bandages. “I want them all to see what their precious hijacker did to you.”
As they were about to go out the door, Steve paused, took Danny by the shoulders and kissed him. “Tonight, Danno....”
“Tonight,” Danny said with a smile.
The governor’s receptionist pressed a button and announced, “Mr. McGarrett and Mr. Williams are here, Governor.”
“Send them in,” came the answer.
McGarrett squared his shoulders and strode into the office, Danny following him.
“Steve,” the governor greeted him, rising. “You and Mr. Simons, Mr. Carstairs, and Mr. Harkness have met, of course. This is Colonel Oliver Grant from Military Intelligence,” he said, gesturing towards a dark-haired man with a foxy face.
As Steve inspected the newcomer, Jameson continued, “Gentlemen, this is Detective Dan Williams, who, as you know, saw the hijacking at first-hand.”
“Perhaps he should wait in the outer office until we need him,” Simons suggested. He seemed uncomfortable in the face of Danny’s direct gaze.
“This concerns him, too,” McGarrett snapped.
“Oh, very well,” Simons said ungraciously.
McGarrett surveyed the room. The Governor sat behind his desk, looking distinctly unhappy. Ranged in chairs around it were Simons from the State Department, wearing his usual wrinkled gray suit and glasses with heavy dark rims, Carstairs of the FBI, smiling blandly, Harkness, looking more like a scholar than a spy, then the unknown quantity Grant. He wasn’t in uniform, but instead wore a very sharply tailored navy blue pinstripe suit.
“It seems to me,” said Grant, as the members of Five-O took their seats at one end of the semicircle, McGarrett placing the folded morning paper he’d picked up on their way in on the desk in front of him, “that the main issue is to make a proper press release as soon as possible. Then any investigation can be dragged out and eventually forgotten.”
“And what would you consider to be a ‘proper’ press release?” McGarrett asked, raising an eyebrow.
“We need to say that we regret the way things turned out, that mistakes were made—due to excessive zeal, no doubt,” Simons contributed.
“No doubt,” McGarrett said drily.
“Look, McGarrett, I know you don’t like it, but we have to look at the bigger picture,” Grant said earnestly. “It’s very important for our interests in the region that we maintain friendly relations with Santiago. If he can be seen to successfully demand concessions from us on behalf of his son, it will help him keep his hold on power, and make him indebted to us. Surely you understand that.”
“What I understand is that you intend to throw Five-O to the wolves for your convenience,” Steve snapped.
“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure that there are no real consequences for you or Williams,” said Simons. “A public apology from you both, an investigation that doesn’t go anywhere, no more.”
“I suppose I’m supposed to apologize for preventing the hijackers from killing Detective Williams and escaping. Just what is Danny supposed to be apologizing for?” McGarrett asked in a dangerously calm voice.
“Misplaced heroics,” Simons said, looking evasive. “If he hadn’t tried to overpower the hijackers, Carlton wouldn’t have been shot and Williams wouldn’t have been...injured.”
“It’s possible,” McGarrett said, getting to his feet and pacing in front of the arrayed agents, who followed his progress, “And maybe then the hijackers would have picked one of the civilian passengers to make an example of, taken off with Carlton as their pilot, and killed them all when they got to that atoll. There were Red Chinese agents secretly involved. They didn’t want any witnesses. As cops, we have an obligation to protect civilians, and the best way to do that is to take a chance when we see one!”
“After they picked up the troops and pilot from Wo Fat’s ship they would have left the hostages. What use would they have been at that point?” Grant protested.
“Yes,” said Simons. “Most likely everything would have been fine if Williams hadn’t interfered. Really, it’s his own fault he got hurt.”
“What I’m sure Mr. Simons meant to say,” Carstairs interposed, as Steve and Danny, who had jumped to his feet, both stood looking angrily at Simons, “is that Mr. Williams is a very brave and resourceful young man. Unfortunately, due to his zeal, the hijackers understandably had to restrain him.”
“They beat him, kicked him, knocked him unconscious, starved him for three days, tied his hands with wire so tightly that he’ll have permanent scars, and threatened to cut off his ear!” McGarrett shouted, slamming his fist on the desk.
“Gentlemen, I believe we’re getting away from the point,” Grant said, picking up a sheaf of papers sitting in front of him on the desk. “Mr. McGarrett, here is a draft of the press release. We have also taken the liberty of drafting apologies for yourself and Williams, but naturally you may want to put them into your own words.” He passed the papers across the desk towards McGarrett.
“Wait, we agreed....” the Governor said, making an ineffectual grab to intercept the documents before they reached the head of Five-O.
Steve perched on the edge of the Governor’s desk to read, Danny looking over his shoulder. The Governor pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger and closed his eyes.
McGarrett read aloud, “ ‘We regret that, due to the remote nature of the State of Hawaii, we were unable to provide sufficient oversight to local authorities inexperienced in handling situations such as this in time to avert a tragedy. We promise that a full investigation will be launched into the mistakes that were made. Those involved have been suspended from duty pending the outcome of the investigation.’ I see,” he said, raising his eyebrows, then continued, “ ‘We ask for your understanding that this situation was the result of error by certain members of the state police, well-meaning but inexperienced, and not any policy of the United States Government.’ ”
Steve turned the page. “Let’s see the apologies...‘I, Steve McGarrett, head of Five-O,’...not any more, apparently I’ve been suspended...‘would like to express my deepest regrets to the family of Ramón Santiago. I have come to realize that my use of force against Mr. Santiago and his colleagues’...colleagues, very nice...‘was unwarranted and premature. I apologize that my rash actions forestalled the negotiation of a peaceful solution by officials of the United States Government.’ ”
“Now what about Dan’s.....” He flipped another page, reading, “ ‘I’m Detective Dan Williams of Hawaii Five-O.’ You may recognize me from my front-page picture in this morning’s newspaper under the headline ‘Heroes of Five-O Foil Hijacking,’ ” McGarrett added, glancing meaningfully at the newspaper resting on the desk.
He continued, “ ‘I would like to apologize for my part in the tragedy that took place yesterday. By my misguided attempt at heroics’...your phrase, Mr. Simons?...‘I created a state of tension that made negotiations with Mr. Santiago more difficult.’ Beautiful, just beautiful,” the head of Five-O said, looking up from the documents to survey the assembled agents. “A real piece of work. You know, I thought Wo Fat was my worst enemy on this case, but he’s an amateur compared to all of you.”
Danny resumed his seat, glaring at Grant.
McGarrett tossed the papers on the desk and stood. “Neither Detective Williams nor I will make any apology. Furthermore, if you send out this press release, I will call my own press conference, with Danny in his bandages and some grateful passengers, and I will tell the good people of the world exactly what kind of people are working for their government,” he said forcefully.
“I wouldn’t, Mr. McGarrett,” said Grant sharply. “We can take steps against anyone who threatens the interests of the U.S. government. The suspension and investigation could just go away, or it could find evidence of...misconduct.”
“Is that a threat, Colonel Grant?” McGarrett asked, raising his eyebrows. “Better men than you have tried to make that sort of thing stick, and none of them have succeeded yet. Furthermore, if I went along with your plan it would so compromise my credibility and that of Five-O that I would have no other choice but to resign!”
Simons cleared his throat and spoke, “Before you came in we had discussed that we have certain...financial resources available to make things easier for you. Should you, for example, feel the need to resign from your job.”
“First a threat, and now a bribe? Governor, these gentlemen seem to be misinformed about my character,” Steve said, turning to Jameson with his eyebrows raised.
“I told them, Steve, but they wouldn’t listen,” the Governor said tiredly.
“Well, gentlemen, what is it to be? Shall I call my press conference?” McGarrett asked, surveying the semi-circle of agents.
“You’re bluffing,” said Grant dismissively.
“He isn’t,” assured the Governor. “He’s the most stubborn man I know.”
Grant, sitting beside Danny, suddenly shot his hand out and seized the detective’s left wrist, twisting and squeezing it tightly.
“Ah!” Danny, caught completely by surprise, gave a gasp of pain.
In an instant, McGarrett cleared the corner of the desk and hauled Grant out of his chair by the collar. Harkness and Carstairs jumped up to pull Steve away, while the Governor attempted to drag Grant out of his grip, mainly succeeding in strangling the intelligence agent.
Danny stood and laid his right hand on Steve’s outstretched arm, saying, “Take it easy, Steve. He’s not worth it.”
McGarrett blinked, then tossed Grant back into his chair, where he sat adjusting his collar and gasping.
The Governor, looking distressed, demanded, “Colonel Grant, why on earth did you do that?”
Grant coughed. “I...I figured McGarrett might have given Williams those bandages for show, so I thought I’d find out whether he was really injured.”
“Well, I guess you found out,” said Danny angrily.
“Danno, you’re bleeding,” Steve said, looking at the red spots on the white cuff of bandage in concern. “Governor, do you have a first aid kit around here somewhere?”
“Of course.” Jameson crossed to a cabinet against one wall, returning with a small metal box adored with a red cross.
McGarrett cut off the old bandage, then gave Danny an apologetic “this is going to hurt” look before cleaning the reopened wound with disinfectant. Danny bore the cleaning without a sound, watching as the head of Five-O re-wrapped his wrist in gauze and neatly taped a new bandage over it.
McGarrett surveyed the other occupants of the room. Simons was looking squeamishly away. The Governor looked sick. “My God, what did they do?” he asked.
“Very nasty,” agreed Carstairs.
Grant looked rattled, but rallied to declare self-righteously, “Gentlemen, we are no nearer to finding an acceptable solution!”
“I’m through with your solutions,” McGarrett snapped. “If I don’t hear anything sensible from you by two o’clock this afternoon, my press conference will be at three.” He stood to leave.
“Hang on a minute, Steve,” the Governor said. “If you and Dan would wait in the outer office for a little while, perhaps we can come to a compromise.”
“Very well,” Steve said, collecting his newspaper and striding out of the office, followed by his partner.
McGarrett stood looking out one of the tall windows in the Governor’s outer office with his Danny beside him.
“Do you think they’ll compromise?” asked Williams.
“I don’t know. There’s something bothering me about all this,” answered McGarrett. “Simons has a personal grudge against me—I pushed him pretty hard during the hijacking. Carstairs is an opportunist—he’ll go whichever way he thinks the wind is blowing. Harkness is just here to watch until his boss turns up. But I suspect all this is Grant’s idea. He seemed genuinely to believe that he could roll over me with that press release, where the others would have known better. The question is, why is he so eager to scapegoat Five-O and brush the hijacking investigation under the rug?”
“Well, it could be like he said, that the U.S. Government wants to curry favor with Santiago,” his partner suggested.
“I don’t buy it, Danno. Not to that extent,” Steve said, pacing in front of the windows. “I’ve got it!” He snapped his fingers. “That’s what’s been bothering me! What is it Grant said? ‘After they picked up the troops and pilot from Wo Fat’s ship they would have left the hostages?’ I thought they might be meeting the ship for that sort of reason, but since we had no evidence I didn’t put it in my report or discuss it with either Simons or Carstairs—it was just an idea I had.”
“You think Grant knew the plan? That he was part of it?” Danny asked skeptically.
“I think that if Grant’s scheme to blame Five-O worked, the main result would be that there would be no investigation into the Chinese connection, and further, that the reason Wo Fat called to tell me he was backing out is that he didn’t want the hijackers calling attention to that connection by flying to a recently-vacated atoll,” McGarrett declared. “Danno, wait here while I run over to the office and make a phone call.”
“Wait—what do I tell them if they come out?” his partner asked.
“Tell them an emergency came up, and I’ll be back as soon as I can,” McGarrett said, striding quickly out the door.
McGarrett burst into the Five-O office. “Chin, Kono, I want you to make sure that the three surviving hijackers have HPD guards at all times. Don’t leave them alone with anyone, even from other agencies!”
“We’re on it, Steve!” Chin called to McGarrett’s retreating back, as the head of Five-O hurried to the telephone in his office to put in a call to an old friend.
“Steve, it’s good to hear from you,” came the familiar voice.
“I need a favor,” McGarrett said.
“We owe you half a dozen.”
Steve perched on the edge of his desk. “I’m looking for anything you have on a Colonel Oliver Grant, Military Intelligence. Does he have any sort of Communist link? Anything questionable in the background check that was done when he was hired? I need to know as soon as possible.”
“Isn’t that always how it is? I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Thank you. Call me at Five-O headquarters if you come up with anything.” Hanging up the phone, Steve said into the intercom, “Jenny, if a call comes in for me from Washington, transfer it to me at the Governor’s office.”
“Sure thing, Boss,” she replied.
Back in the Governor’s outer office, McGarrett asked Danny, “Anything going on?”
“Not a word,” the younger man answered, “Who did you call?”
“Someone in Washington who owes me a favor.”
“Asking about Grant? He’ll be joining Simons on the list of people with a personal grudge,” Danny said with a smile.
The sound of raised voices could be heard coming from the Governor’s office.
“I take it they haven’t come to a compromise yet,” McGarrett said drily.
The two men waited, standing side by side looking out one of the tall windows.
“You’re never afraid, are you, Steve?” Danny asked. “I know how much being head of Five-O and your reputation mean to you, but you always risk them without a second thought to do what’s right.”
“It’s not that I’m not afraid of losing those things,” Steve said thoughtfully. “It’s just that I’m more afraid of losing my self-respect if I don’t stand my ground. And, of course, there’s my ridiculous pride and huge ego—I’m sure you’ve heard people mention them.” Steve gave Danny a crooked smile.
“Generally people trying to stand in your way,” Danny said, smiling in return. “I...really admire you, you know,” he said, looking down.
“Danny...that means a lot to me,” Steve said, touched. He sighed and looked at his watch. I can’t believe it was only three hours ago we were together in the shower....
“Tonight,” Danny said, apparently reading his mind.
“Tonight,” Steve agreed with a smile.
“Easy, Danno, you’re home now,” McGarrett said, placing a steadying hand on his partner’s pyjama-clad shoulder, seeing the tension leave the younger man’s face as he realized where he was. “How are you feeling?”
“Extremely happy to be here,” Danny replied with the smile Steve had been missing. He stretched experimentally. “Otherwise, pretty much sore all over.”
“What about your hands?” McGarrett asked.
Danny flexed his fingers, wincing slightly. “Doing better. My wrists still aren’t great.” He looked up at Steve. “I know you haven’t exactly had time to be grocery shopping the last few days, but....”
“Don’t worry about that, there’s plenty of food in the house,” Steve said, giving his partner a quick kiss then climbing out of bed. “Go back to sleep and I’ll make you breakfast.”
“I’d rather come watch you cook,” Danny said, easing his way painfully out from under the sheets.
McGarrett found himself smiling. I’d rather not let Danny out of my sight for a while, he admitted to himself.
In the kitchen, as Steve searched the refrigerator for ingredients, Danny crossed to the window. “Your African violet is wilted,” he said, carefully lifting the pot down to water it in the sink.
Steve, closing the refrigerator door, said, “Obviously it can’t live without you, Danno,” trying to sound light. “I’m glad neither of us had to try,” he added softly, looking down at the eggs and cheese as he set them on the counter.
“Steve....” Danny said, turning from the sink.
“I think there’s some bacon,” McGarrett said hastily, diving into the refrigerator again. “How about omelets?”
“Anything sounds good, as long as there’s lots of it,” his partner assured him. “I don’t think I’m quite caught up on meals yet.”
Danny sat at the kitchen table watching as Steve made coffee, fried bacon, and flipped omelets, then the two men sat down to breakfast together.
McGarrett covertly surveyed his partner as the younger man wolfed down omelet and toast. Just being able to sit here with him, sharing a meal...something precious that I shouldn’t take for granted again, he thought.
“That was delicious,” Danny commented, polishing off the last piece of toast. “Steve, can you give me a hand in the shower? I’m not supposed to get these bandages wet.”
Oh, I can give you more than a hand...no, no, Danny may put a brave face on things, but he’s still badly injured, Steve told himself firmly. “Of course,” he said aloud. I’ll have to go in to work today to deal with the leftover issues from the hijacking, but Danny can rest, and then tomorrow, when hopefully he’s feeling better, with any luck we can take the day off together....
As Danny took off his pyjamas in the bathroom, Steve saw his bruises in the light for the first time. Some of the marks on his body were clearly recognizable as left by shoes, and McGarrett was filled with renewed fury towards the men who had done this to his partner.
Examining his curly hair in the mirror over the sink, Danny observed unhappily, “I guess the missing bit is pretty obvious, isn’t it? I’ll have to get it cut today—I don’t want to have to think about what happened every time I look in a mirror.” A shadow passed over his face.
I wish I could have beaten the lot of them, McGarrett thought savagely, but forced himself to speak lightly. “In the meantime, it might as well be clean.” Taking off his own pyjamas, he surveyed the shower. “I think the easiest way would be for you to sit in the tub and lean back.”
Danny suited his actions to Steve’s words, then McGarrett, kneeling beside the tub, lathered his partner’s hair and carefully rinsed it with the shower handle, shielding the bandage on Danny’s forehead with his hand.
“I’m sorry, I know this is a pain,” Danny said, trying not to move.
“Danno, I read your statement. You got this bandage from saving my life,” Steve said, bending to press his lips very gently to his partner’s temple.
“I keep telling you not to walk unarmed into hostage situations,” the younger man said teasingly.
“So you do,” Steve responded softly, dropping another kiss on Danny’s shoulder. “I think this is the best I can do with your hair. Now, let’s see...if you stand up and prop your hands against the end wall of the shower....”
“I feel like I’m going to be patted down,” Danny commented, arranging himself as instructed.
Steve stepped into the shower behind him, biting back a lewd comment. Even with the bruises reminding him that his partner was injured, seeing Danny standing in front of him in this position was turning him on. Control yourself, Steve, he thought.
He replaced the shower attachment in its bracket, directing the water over himself and Danny, and quickly shampooed his own hair. Once again taking the wand into his hand, he directed the spray over Danny’s upraised arms, carefully stopping short of the white cuffs of bandage, then down over his muscular shoulders and back. Swapping the shower for the soap, he used both his hands to smooth lather over Danny’s skin, moving down to his buttocks, thighs, and calves. This would be a perfect position for...stop that! he sternly interrupted his train of thought.
He circled Danny’s legs with his hands, feeling the springy blonde hair under his fingers, ran his hands up his partner’s thighs, then, with an effort of will, stopped and stood up. He moved closer and reached his arms around Danny’s body to lather his chest. Despite the heat of the shower, his nipples were hard under Steve’s palms. Steve closed his eyes and moved his hips back from Danny a bit to conceal the fact that he was completely erect. As he slid his hands down over his partner’s taut abdomen, Danny made a low noise. “Am I hurting you?” Steve asked anxiously.
“No...yes...Steve, please....” Danny moved his hips back until he came into contact with Steve.
Steve groaned, pushed beyond endurance, and ran his hands down Danny’s stomach, at which point they encountered the younger man’s cock, standing stiffly at attention. “Danny...are you sure?”
“Ah...yes....” Danny gasped, his breath coming fast. He half turned towards his partner.
“Stand still and keep your bandages dry. I’ll take care of everything,” McGarrett reassured him. He moved to stand pressed full-length against Danny’s back. His right hand, slippery with soap, stroked up and down his partner’s shaft, while with his left he held their bodies together, sliding his cock up and down against Danny’s firm ass. He leaned forward to trace around his partner’s right ear with his tongue, eliciting a moan.
“Steve....” Danny moved against him, keeping his hands on the wall only with an effort.
Steve reached around with his left hand to cradle Danny’s balls, moving his right hand faster on Danny’s cock.
Danny made a wordless sound, bucking his hips against Steve’s.
“Danny....” Steve gasped.
The telephone rang.
It took a moment for the sound to penetrate McGarrett’s consciousness, but his years as head of Five-O had left him all-too-attuned to the sound. He cursed under his breath, then stepped out of the tub, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist. “Wait for me,” he told his partner, stalking into the bedroom to answer the telephone.
“McGarrett!” he more or less shouted into the receiver.
“Steve...is everything all right?” asked the Governor, sounding startled.
“Fine!” Steve snapped, then made an effort to get himself under control. “I’m sorry, Governor, I was in the shower,” he managed in an almost normal voice.
“My apologies, Steve, but we have a serious situation here. I need you and Dan Williams in my office as soon as you can get here.”
“What serious situation?” McGarrett demanded.
“I’m afraid the hijacker who called himself ‘Diego Volver’ turned out to be Generalissimo Santiago’s son,” Jameson began.
“Uh huh, we suspected that,” Steve said, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes with his free hand.
“Well,” the Governor continued, “He was the rallying point for the main group of anti-government rebels. So, Generalissimo Santiago has apparently decided to try to win the people’s favor by embracing the memory of his son as a martyr.”
“A martyr? He hijacked an airplane! He killed an innocent man!” The head of Five-O protested incredulously.
“Yes, but, as you know, the U.S. Government nominally supports the Santiago regime. Santiago is demanding the head of the man who killed his son on a platter. And that’s you, Steve.”
“I don’t care if he was the son of the President of the United States! If he hijacks an airplane on my turf and won’t negotiate a peaceful surrender, I have every right to use force to protect innocent lives!” McGarrett said emphatically, pacing back and forth beside the bed at the end of the short phone cord.
“I agree with you,” the Governor said. “But the State Department is having kittens, I have a colonel from Military Intelligence breathing down my neck, and the Deputy Director of Government Intelligence is threatening to fly in and personally oversee the investigation into the hijacking. In the meantime, Simons, Harkness, and Carstairs are demanding to meet with you and Williams now or sooner on behalf of their respective agencies.”
“Is this going to be a meeting, or an ambush? I won’t stand by and let Five-O be made a scapegoat so the State Department can curry favor with the leader of some third-rate military dictatorship!” McGarrett shouted into the phone.
“Steve, I’m on your side,” Jameson said tiredly. “We’ll just have to come up with a better solution.”
“Danny and I will be there in half an hour. Aloha, Governor.” McGarrett replaced the receiver with a precise click and turned to his partner, who, hearing Steve’s raised voice, had come into the bedroom wearing a towel.
“Beautiful,” Steve snapped, shaking his head.
“What’s going on?” Danny asked, looking concerned.
“The hijackers were led by Santiago’s rebel son, and the father wants to touch up his image with the people, so the State Department is going to throw us to the wolves. Not while I’m still head of Five-O,” McGarrett said grimly. “I’m sorry, the governor wants us in his office as soon as we can get there.” He pulled his good navy blue suit out of the closet, tossed it on the bed, and started getting dressed.
“Good thing I have a clean suit here,” Danny observed, opening a dresser drawer and carefully extracting a shirt from its place tucked under one of Steve’s.
McGarrett opened the top drawer of the dresser and took out his silver cufflinks, glancing down at the small box where he had put Danny’s note and the handkerchief wrapped around the lock of his partner’s hair. I couldn’t protect him from the hijackers, but if those weasels think I’m going to let them touch him now as part of a cover-up.... he thought savagely.
Danny came up behind him, asking, “Can you get my cuff buttons? I’m having trouble doing them over the bandages.”
“No, leave them like this,” McGarrett said, neatly turning up Danny’s cuffs to expose the bandages. “I want them all to see what their precious hijacker did to you.”
As they were about to go out the door, Steve paused, took Danny by the shoulders and kissed him. “Tonight, Danno....”
“Tonight,” Danny said with a smile.
The governor’s receptionist pressed a button and announced, “Mr. McGarrett and Mr. Williams are here, Governor.”
“Send them in,” came the answer.
McGarrett squared his shoulders and strode into the office, Danny following him.
“Steve,” the governor greeted him, rising. “You and Mr. Simons, Mr. Carstairs, and Mr. Harkness have met, of course. This is Colonel Oliver Grant from Military Intelligence,” he said, gesturing towards a dark-haired man with a foxy face.
As Steve inspected the newcomer, Jameson continued, “Gentlemen, this is Detective Dan Williams, who, as you know, saw the hijacking at first-hand.”
“Perhaps he should wait in the outer office until we need him,” Simons suggested. He seemed uncomfortable in the face of Danny’s direct gaze.
“This concerns him, too,” McGarrett snapped.
“Oh, very well,” Simons said ungraciously.
McGarrett surveyed the room. The Governor sat behind his desk, looking distinctly unhappy. Ranged in chairs around it were Simons from the State Department, wearing his usual wrinkled gray suit and glasses with heavy dark rims, Carstairs of the FBI, smiling blandly, Harkness, looking more like a scholar than a spy, then the unknown quantity Grant. He wasn’t in uniform, but instead wore a very sharply tailored navy blue pinstripe suit.
“It seems to me,” said Grant, as the members of Five-O took their seats at one end of the semicircle, McGarrett placing the folded morning paper he’d picked up on their way in on the desk in front of him, “that the main issue is to make a proper press release as soon as possible. Then any investigation can be dragged out and eventually forgotten.”
“And what would you consider to be a ‘proper’ press release?” McGarrett asked, raising an eyebrow.
“We need to say that we regret the way things turned out, that mistakes were made—due to excessive zeal, no doubt,” Simons contributed.
“No doubt,” McGarrett said drily.
“Look, McGarrett, I know you don’t like it, but we have to look at the bigger picture,” Grant said earnestly. “It’s very important for our interests in the region that we maintain friendly relations with Santiago. If he can be seen to successfully demand concessions from us on behalf of his son, it will help him keep his hold on power, and make him indebted to us. Surely you understand that.”
“What I understand is that you intend to throw Five-O to the wolves for your convenience,” Steve snapped.
“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure that there are no real consequences for you or Williams,” said Simons. “A public apology from you both, an investigation that doesn’t go anywhere, no more.”
“I suppose I’m supposed to apologize for preventing the hijackers from killing Detective Williams and escaping. Just what is Danny supposed to be apologizing for?” McGarrett asked in a dangerously calm voice.
“Misplaced heroics,” Simons said, looking evasive. “If he hadn’t tried to overpower the hijackers, Carlton wouldn’t have been shot and Williams wouldn’t have been...injured.”
“It’s possible,” McGarrett said, getting to his feet and pacing in front of the arrayed agents, who followed his progress, “And maybe then the hijackers would have picked one of the civilian passengers to make an example of, taken off with Carlton as their pilot, and killed them all when they got to that atoll. There were Red Chinese agents secretly involved. They didn’t want any witnesses. As cops, we have an obligation to protect civilians, and the best way to do that is to take a chance when we see one!”
“After they picked up the troops and pilot from Wo Fat’s ship they would have left the hostages. What use would they have been at that point?” Grant protested.
“Yes,” said Simons. “Most likely everything would have been fine if Williams hadn’t interfered. Really, it’s his own fault he got hurt.”
“What I’m sure Mr. Simons meant to say,” Carstairs interposed, as Steve and Danny, who had jumped to his feet, both stood looking angrily at Simons, “is that Mr. Williams is a very brave and resourceful young man. Unfortunately, due to his zeal, the hijackers understandably had to restrain him.”
“They beat him, kicked him, knocked him unconscious, starved him for three days, tied his hands with wire so tightly that he’ll have permanent scars, and threatened to cut off his ear!” McGarrett shouted, slamming his fist on the desk.
“Gentlemen, I believe we’re getting away from the point,” Grant said, picking up a sheaf of papers sitting in front of him on the desk. “Mr. McGarrett, here is a draft of the press release. We have also taken the liberty of drafting apologies for yourself and Williams, but naturally you may want to put them into your own words.” He passed the papers across the desk towards McGarrett.
“Wait, we agreed....” the Governor said, making an ineffectual grab to intercept the documents before they reached the head of Five-O.
Steve perched on the edge of the Governor’s desk to read, Danny looking over his shoulder. The Governor pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger and closed his eyes.
McGarrett read aloud, “ ‘We regret that, due to the remote nature of the State of Hawaii, we were unable to provide sufficient oversight to local authorities inexperienced in handling situations such as this in time to avert a tragedy. We promise that a full investigation will be launched into the mistakes that were made. Those involved have been suspended from duty pending the outcome of the investigation.’ I see,” he said, raising his eyebrows, then continued, “ ‘We ask for your understanding that this situation was the result of error by certain members of the state police, well-meaning but inexperienced, and not any policy of the United States Government.’ ”
Steve turned the page. “Let’s see the apologies...‘I, Steve McGarrett, head of Five-O,’...not any more, apparently I’ve been suspended...‘would like to express my deepest regrets to the family of Ramón Santiago. I have come to realize that my use of force against Mr. Santiago and his colleagues’...colleagues, very nice...‘was unwarranted and premature. I apologize that my rash actions forestalled the negotiation of a peaceful solution by officials of the United States Government.’ ”
“Now what about Dan’s.....” He flipped another page, reading, “ ‘I’m Detective Dan Williams of Hawaii Five-O.’ You may recognize me from my front-page picture in this morning’s newspaper under the headline ‘Heroes of Five-O Foil Hijacking,’ ” McGarrett added, glancing meaningfully at the newspaper resting on the desk.
He continued, “ ‘I would like to apologize for my part in the tragedy that took place yesterday. By my misguided attempt at heroics’...your phrase, Mr. Simons?...‘I created a state of tension that made negotiations with Mr. Santiago more difficult.’ Beautiful, just beautiful,” the head of Five-O said, looking up from the documents to survey the assembled agents. “A real piece of work. You know, I thought Wo Fat was my worst enemy on this case, but he’s an amateur compared to all of you.”
Danny resumed his seat, glaring at Grant.
McGarrett tossed the papers on the desk and stood. “Neither Detective Williams nor I will make any apology. Furthermore, if you send out this press release, I will call my own press conference, with Danny in his bandages and some grateful passengers, and I will tell the good people of the world exactly what kind of people are working for their government,” he said forcefully.
“I wouldn’t, Mr. McGarrett,” said Grant sharply. “We can take steps against anyone who threatens the interests of the U.S. government. The suspension and investigation could just go away, or it could find evidence of...misconduct.”
“Is that a threat, Colonel Grant?” McGarrett asked, raising his eyebrows. “Better men than you have tried to make that sort of thing stick, and none of them have succeeded yet. Furthermore, if I went along with your plan it would so compromise my credibility and that of Five-O that I would have no other choice but to resign!”
Simons cleared his throat and spoke, “Before you came in we had discussed that we have certain...financial resources available to make things easier for you. Should you, for example, feel the need to resign from your job.”
“First a threat, and now a bribe? Governor, these gentlemen seem to be misinformed about my character,” Steve said, turning to Jameson with his eyebrows raised.
“I told them, Steve, but they wouldn’t listen,” the Governor said tiredly.
“Well, gentlemen, what is it to be? Shall I call my press conference?” McGarrett asked, surveying the semi-circle of agents.
“You’re bluffing,” said Grant dismissively.
“He isn’t,” assured the Governor. “He’s the most stubborn man I know.”
Grant, sitting beside Danny, suddenly shot his hand out and seized the detective’s left wrist, twisting and squeezing it tightly.
“Ah!” Danny, caught completely by surprise, gave a gasp of pain.
In an instant, McGarrett cleared the corner of the desk and hauled Grant out of his chair by the collar. Harkness and Carstairs jumped up to pull Steve away, while the Governor attempted to drag Grant out of his grip, mainly succeeding in strangling the intelligence agent.
Danny stood and laid his right hand on Steve’s outstretched arm, saying, “Take it easy, Steve. He’s not worth it.”
McGarrett blinked, then tossed Grant back into his chair, where he sat adjusting his collar and gasping.
The Governor, looking distressed, demanded, “Colonel Grant, why on earth did you do that?”
Grant coughed. “I...I figured McGarrett might have given Williams those bandages for show, so I thought I’d find out whether he was really injured.”
“Well, I guess you found out,” said Danny angrily.
“Danno, you’re bleeding,” Steve said, looking at the red spots on the white cuff of bandage in concern. “Governor, do you have a first aid kit around here somewhere?”
“Of course.” Jameson crossed to a cabinet against one wall, returning with a small metal box adored with a red cross.
McGarrett cut off the old bandage, then gave Danny an apologetic “this is going to hurt” look before cleaning the reopened wound with disinfectant. Danny bore the cleaning without a sound, watching as the head of Five-O re-wrapped his wrist in gauze and neatly taped a new bandage over it.
McGarrett surveyed the other occupants of the room. Simons was looking squeamishly away. The Governor looked sick. “My God, what did they do?” he asked.
“Very nasty,” agreed Carstairs.
Grant looked rattled, but rallied to declare self-righteously, “Gentlemen, we are no nearer to finding an acceptable solution!”
“I’m through with your solutions,” McGarrett snapped. “If I don’t hear anything sensible from you by two o’clock this afternoon, my press conference will be at three.” He stood to leave.
“Hang on a minute, Steve,” the Governor said. “If you and Dan would wait in the outer office for a little while, perhaps we can come to a compromise.”
“Very well,” Steve said, collecting his newspaper and striding out of the office, followed by his partner.
McGarrett stood looking out one of the tall windows in the Governor’s outer office with his Danny beside him.
“Do you think they’ll compromise?” asked Williams.
“I don’t know. There’s something bothering me about all this,” answered McGarrett. “Simons has a personal grudge against me—I pushed him pretty hard during the hijacking. Carstairs is an opportunist—he’ll go whichever way he thinks the wind is blowing. Harkness is just here to watch until his boss turns up. But I suspect all this is Grant’s idea. He seemed genuinely to believe that he could roll over me with that press release, where the others would have known better. The question is, why is he so eager to scapegoat Five-O and brush the hijacking investigation under the rug?”
“Well, it could be like he said, that the U.S. Government wants to curry favor with Santiago,” his partner suggested.
“I don’t buy it, Danno. Not to that extent,” Steve said, pacing in front of the windows. “I’ve got it!” He snapped his fingers. “That’s what’s been bothering me! What is it Grant said? ‘After they picked up the troops and pilot from Wo Fat’s ship they would have left the hostages?’ I thought they might be meeting the ship for that sort of reason, but since we had no evidence I didn’t put it in my report or discuss it with either Simons or Carstairs—it was just an idea I had.”
“You think Grant knew the plan? That he was part of it?” Danny asked skeptically.
“I think that if Grant’s scheme to blame Five-O worked, the main result would be that there would be no investigation into the Chinese connection, and further, that the reason Wo Fat called to tell me he was backing out is that he didn’t want the hijackers calling attention to that connection by flying to a recently-vacated atoll,” McGarrett declared. “Danno, wait here while I run over to the office and make a phone call.”
“Wait—what do I tell them if they come out?” his partner asked.
“Tell them an emergency came up, and I’ll be back as soon as I can,” McGarrett said, striding quickly out the door.
McGarrett burst into the Five-O office. “Chin, Kono, I want you to make sure that the three surviving hijackers have HPD guards at all times. Don’t leave them alone with anyone, even from other agencies!”
“We’re on it, Steve!” Chin called to McGarrett’s retreating back, as the head of Five-O hurried to the telephone in his office to put in a call to an old friend.
“Steve, it’s good to hear from you,” came the familiar voice.
“I need a favor,” McGarrett said.
“We owe you half a dozen.”
Steve perched on the edge of his desk. “I’m looking for anything you have on a Colonel Oliver Grant, Military Intelligence. Does he have any sort of Communist link? Anything questionable in the background check that was done when he was hired? I need to know as soon as possible.”
“Isn’t that always how it is? I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Thank you. Call me at Five-O headquarters if you come up with anything.” Hanging up the phone, Steve said into the intercom, “Jenny, if a call comes in for me from Washington, transfer it to me at the Governor’s office.”
“Sure thing, Boss,” she replied.
Back in the Governor’s outer office, McGarrett asked Danny, “Anything going on?”
“Not a word,” the younger man answered, “Who did you call?”
“Someone in Washington who owes me a favor.”
“Asking about Grant? He’ll be joining Simons on the list of people with a personal grudge,” Danny said with a smile.
The sound of raised voices could be heard coming from the Governor’s office.
“I take it they haven’t come to a compromise yet,” McGarrett said drily.
The two men waited, standing side by side looking out one of the tall windows.
“You’re never afraid, are you, Steve?” Danny asked. “I know how much being head of Five-O and your reputation mean to you, but you always risk them without a second thought to do what’s right.”
“It’s not that I’m not afraid of losing those things,” Steve said thoughtfully. “It’s just that I’m more afraid of losing my self-respect if I don’t stand my ground. And, of course, there’s my ridiculous pride and huge ego—I’m sure you’ve heard people mention them.” Steve gave Danny a crooked smile.
“Generally people trying to stand in your way,” Danny said, smiling in return. “I...really admire you, you know,” he said, looking down.
“Danny...that means a lot to me,” Steve said, touched. He sighed and looked at his watch. I can’t believe it was only three hours ago we were together in the shower....
“Tonight,” Danny said, apparently reading his mind.
“Tonight,” Steve agreed with a smile.