This is the eighth chapter (of 10) of 'Affairs of the Heart', an ML / H50 crossover story for challenge 140. In this story, Mick has finally agreed to turn Beth, but is stalling. Beth has traveled to Hawaii to spend a little time with Mary Ann McGarrett and to 'sort through' some issues. Mary Ann, however, is stuck on the mainland and she's asked her brother Steve to pick up Beth at the airport. At the end of the end of the seventh chapter, Rokuro's killer tries to clean up loose ends by kidnapping a little girl who may have witnessed the murder, causing 5-0 and Mick to work even more closely together. In this chapter, the mastermind behind this plot is identified, but not without cost.
As always, I don't own any of the characters, I just like to play with them.
Please, enjoy!
Affairs of the Heart
Chapter 8
A half mile up the hillside, Danny was beginning to regret his decision to pursue the blood demon. Keeping up with McGarrett was hard enough, but keeping up with St. John was damn near impossible. As Mick paused to catch the blood demon’s scent, Danny muttered to his partner. “What’s with this guy? Is he part blood hound or something?”
Mick glanced at his human companions. “Not blood hound. Blood demon. C’mon. He’s not far from here.”
“Shit! I forgot about his hearing.”
Faster than Danny thought possible, the PI took off. When they caught up with him, Mick had cornered his prey, who held the still-unconscious Kylie as a shield. “Get away from me, or she dies!!”
Mick signaled for the others to stay back, then approached slowly, his eyes locked on the child’s captor. “No. You die. Let the girl go and I’ll make it quick.”
“Why do you care about this human child? She is nothing.”
“I care because she is human. Her life is precious.”
The blood demon sneered in contempt. “You are no blood demon! You befriend humans. You consort with one.”
The vampire within emerged, snarling. “You threatened my mate, you insult her now. For that, I’ll have your blood and your life.”
“The woman is not your mate!! She is human!!”
“Not for long.” Mick drew closer to Kylie. “Last chance. You wanna die easy? Let the girl go.”
The blood demon’s bravado wavered in the face of the vampire’s fury. Any hope of survival would come at the humans’ behest. “I’ll give you the child if you let me go!”
Steve replied first. “After what you’ve done, if Mick doesn’t kill you, I will.” Cocking his gun, he added “And yeah, I’ve got the right ammo.”
The blood demon’s eyes shifted to Danny, his last hope. “You’re a cop! Stop them!”
“Yeah, I’m a cop.” Danny lowered his gun, but only to shoot the blood demon in the foot, causing him to drop Kylie. That was all the distraction Mick needed to tackle then stake the little girl’s captor. Picking Kylie up, Danny held her close. “But I’m a father first. You were going to kill this sweet, innocent little girl, you miserable, stinking coward.” Danny spit on the blood demon. “Whatever these guys do to you is fine by me.”
With Kylie cradled against his chest, Danny slowly picked his way down the hillside. While he was worried that she remained unconscious, he was thankful she couldn’t hear the screams in the distance.
As soon as Danny left, Mick crouched down, and grabbing the demon by the hair, brought his face inches from his own. “Understand this – you will die. How painfully is up to you.”
Steve kept his gun trained on their captive as Mick pulled the stake out. “Tell me who wanted to start a war among our kind.”
The blood demon remained silent and defiant.
“I’m going to ask you again, and if you don’t tell me what I want…” The sight of Mick’s switchblade got the demon’s attention. “I’ll cut you up, just like you did Rokuro. Only this time, your head will be last.”
“You don’t have the balls…”
“Do you?”
Steve found himself near heaving as Mick pinned their screaming captive in place. It didn’t take long for the blood demon to give them a name.
Mick pulled his blade out, wiping it on his victim. “One more question. Why?”
“To take…to take over as…as head of … island’s blood demons. War… would start here….then… then spread across the ocean.…we would …subdue… humans.”
Steve scoffed. “Ambitious, but foolish. I don’t know about the blood demons here, but Takeo’s would never revolt against him.”
Mick prodded his agonized captive. “Keep talking.”
“There is … traitor ….in Takeo’s ranks…..”
The blade hovered menacingly. “Name.”
The blood demon screamed. “I don’t know! I swear I don’t know!”
Sensing he was telling the truth, Mick slammed the demon’s head on the ground before staking him.
Lowering his gun, Steve regarded Mick warily. “Remind me never to piss you off. Now what?”
“Now he dies. This time for good.” After gathering up some brush and placing it around the demon, Mick flicked his lighter open, then turned to his human companion. “Walk away, Steve. You can’t be a part of this.”
Taking the lighter from Mick’s hand, Steve tossed it on the brush. “I already am.”
***************************************************************************
Kono, Josef and Beth were waiting when Danny reached the bottom of the hill. Josef offered to take Kylie, but Danny hugged her even closer. “No way. I’ve got to get her to a hospital.”
“I’ll get the EMTs!” Kono took off, leaving Danny clutching the little girl.
Beth placed her hand on Danny’s arm. “Please, you’re exhausted. I promise, Josef won’t hurt her.”
Reluctantly, Danny handed the child over, then collapsed on the beach. “What did he do to her, huh? Why won’t she wake up?”
While Beth checked for any puncture wounds, Josef sensed the little girl. “The kidnapper used chloroform. If he didn’t use too much it should wear off without any lasting effects. Look on the bright side, Detective; Kylie shouldn’t remember anything about her ordeal.”
Beth brushed the hair away from the little girl’s face. “I can’t see any… marks, so he didn’t physically hurt her.”
Kono returned with Kylie’s mother and the EMTs who checked the little girl over before taking her to the hospital. Danny told Kono to go with them and report back on the little girl’s condition.
Once the others were gone, Josef queried Danny about Mick and Steve.
“When I left, they were trying to get that miserable scumbag to talk. From what I could see, your buddy Mick wasn’t in a very forgiving mood.”
“Can you blame him?”
“Not really. It’s just that he scares the crap out of me whenever he, you know…changes.”
“He should, Detective. Vampire or man, Mick can be very dangerous and now is one of those times. He takes a rather dim view of those who harm innocents, especially children. By the time Mick is done with him, that blood demon will regret ever laying hands on Kylie.”
“I’m just sorry I’m not there to watch.” Danny stood and confronted Josef. “What I don’t understand is why the blood demon kept Kylie alive. If he had killed her and tossed her body in the ocean, he’d have gotten away.”
“Make no mistake, Detective; he intended to kill Kylie. You just interrupted him.”
“Interrupted?”
Josef hesitated for a moment. “Most of my kind have found a way to …survive… without killing or even harming our human brethren. Some, like Mick, survive on morgue blood, while others, like myself, have an agreement with willing human donors. Unfortunately, there are those among us who prefer forcibly taken human blood, especially blood from a child.”
Danny just stared, horrified. “Are you saying that bastard was going to kill Kylie by drinking her blood?”
“Yes.” Josef sensed Danny’s anger rising to a dangerous level. “Before you condemn us all, Detective, surely you’ve encountered human predators who have done even worse things to children?”
That was all it took to push Danny over the edge and turning away, he vomited. When Beth tried to help him, he pushed her aside, then stumbled away. “Don’t touch me. You’re disgusting, all of you.”
A short time later, Mick and Steve came down the hillside, the latter not looking much better than his partner. When Beth ran to her husband, Mick enveloped her in his arms. The two kissed, then walked toward the beach, in need of a little privacy. The look on the PI’s face wasn’t lost on Steve.
Now I understand Mick’s pain. What did he say about Kylie? Her life is precious…for him, so is Beth’s.
Josef couldn’t help but notice. “Theirs is complicated relationship, but one I assure you is based on a deep and abiding love.”
“I’m beginning to understand just how complicated.”
“Envious of Mick, Commander?”
“Having someone love you enough to die for you? Who wouldn’t be? Of what he has to do to keep her with him? No, I don’t envy him a bit. I don’t think I could do it.”
“Never say never, Commander. Like anything else in life, sometimes the path to heaven is through hell.”
“Maybe. Any idea where my people are?”
“Your Officer Kalakaua accompanied Kylie to the hospital. Before she left, she indicated that Lt. Kelly shot and killed one of Noshimuri’s bodyguards, Yoshi, I believe. He’s probably still dealing with the aftermath. As for Detective Williams, he’s just gotten another glimpse into our world, one that has greatly disturbed him.”
Steve glanced at Mick and Beth, who had rejoined them. “That’s two of us.”
At Josef’s quizzical look, Mick explained. “Our friend needed a little persuading before he gave up the mastermind behind this plot – Tadashi.”
Josef didn’t look surprised. “I thought Tadashi’s behavior odd. He didn’t challenge you when you got angry with Kimiko. As her second-in-command, he should have.”
“Not if he planned to take over leadership of the island’s blood demons.”
“Then he’s a bigger fool than I thought. Far stronger vamps have challenged Kimiko and lost.”
“I hope you can say the same for your buddy Takeo. It seems that there is a traitor in his ranks as well, although our friend didn’t know who.” Mick grew serious. “These blood demons want to change the way we co-exist with humans and not in a good way. In a word, domination.”
“In today’s world, that’ll only get us killed. Permanently. Our friend offer up anything else?”
“Yeah. He indicated that the ‘war would spread across the ocean’. He didn’t come out and say it, but Takeo may not be the only one with a traitor in his ranks. Doesn’t it seem odd that someone knew enough about Beth’s travel plans and our relationship with McGarret to pull this off?”
“Odd and disturbing, but at least I know I can trust you.” Josef looked grim. “OK. We’re going to make another social call and then I’m getting the two of you home before anything else happens. While you’re getting Beth’s stuff, there’s a few things I need to clear up with Commander McGarrett. I’ll meet you at the limo shortly.”
Beth approached Steve. “This wasn’t exactly the vacation I had in mind, but I want to thank you for everything you tried to do for me.”
“What should I tell Mary Ann?”
“The truth. Tell her I wanted to go home after that awful story broke in the papers.”
“Which even she should understand.” Steve looked at Mick, then added. “I guess you won’t be coming back to Hawaii anytime soon. Whatever happens, I wish you both eternal happiness.”
Mick extended his hand. “Thanks, from both of us.”
As both men shook hands, their eyes locked, a silent message passing from one to the other.
You’re a good man, not a monster….
After the couple left, Josef turned to McGarrett. “How are you going to handle this?”
“In a way that shifts attention off the St. Johns and your kind and puts it somewhere else. My report will reflect that Rokuro was killed by a member of the hotel staff who was trying to score some points with the Yakuza. He saw Adam’s bodyguards rough up Rokuro and approached Yoshi about what he could do to become Yakuza. Yoshi told him that ‘taking care’ of Rokuro would be a good start.”
“Plausible, since neither the blood demon nor Yoshi is around to defend themselves. By the way, how did Mick dispose of the blood demon and how are you going to explain that?”
“We burned the body, then scattered the ashes.”
That got Josef’s attention. “We? Commander McGarrett, you risk much by your actions.”
“Believe me, I’ve done worse. My report will also reflect that after Danny shot him, the kidnapper lost his footing and fell into the ocean below. We’ll conduct a search for the body, for a few days, anyway.”
“Shifting the spotlight onto the Yakuza is a dangerous move, Commander.”
“Not really. We’ll focus the blame on the hotel staffer, a naïve Yakuza-wannabe. We’ll say he saw Rokuro stalking me and to gain Rokuro’s trust, offered to take pictures of myself with Mrs. St. John in the dining room. When Rokuro showed up to get the pictures, he was murdered by the staffer.”
“You’ve thought this through very well, Commander. But what of Noshimuri? How will you get him to go along with this?”
“We just helped Adam clean house. He’ll go along.” Steve regarded Josef curiously. “Regardless of who actually did take the pictures in the dining room, the one thing I can’t explain is how your ‘friend’ ended up with them.”
“I have a theory about that, but one yet to be proven. Since the images were never published I’d ask you to forget you ever heard about them. I’ll do my best to see that they never resurface.”
A knowing smile crept across Steve’s face. “In my line of work, sir, we have what we call ‘need to know’. How those images got into your friend’s possession is something I have neither need nor desire to know.”
“Thank you, Commander, and while you have my trust, I’m concerned about Detective Williams. What he saw tonight…”
“Was someone trying to harm a little girl. You have to understand, sir, Danny has a daughter about Kylie’s age, a daughter he loves very much. He’s very protective of her and can’t understand why anyone would want to hurt a child.”
Josef sighed. “I fear it’s more than that. He asked me why the blood demon hadn’t just killed Kylie and made good his escape. Had I known about his daughter, I would never have told Williams the truth.”
“And you’re wondering now if you can trust Danny?”
“Yes.”
Without hesitation, Steve answered. “You can. Danny just needs time to put things in perspective, that’s all.”
“Any you’ll help him with that?”
“Danny’s not my blood, but he’s my brother. I’ll do whatever it takes to get him through this.”
Josef reached out and shook Steve’s hand. “Physical appearance isn’t all you share with Mick, Commander.”
That’s what I’m afraid of….
Seeing Steve’s reaction, Josef clarified. “I meant that as a compliment.”
“I know, sir, and thanks. One other thing – thanks for keeping Mick from killing me.”
“My pleasure, Commander.”
*********************************************************************************
Darkness had fallen on the North Shore and the resort was attempting to return to some semblance of normalcy. Yoshi’s body had been removed and Kono had returned with news that Kylie was recovering, with no ill effects and no recollection of her ordeal. The members of the 5-0 task force had gathered in their makes-shift command center along with Adam Noshimuri and his remaining bodyguard, Kiro.
Adam regarded McGarrett skeptically. “Let me get this straight. You’re going to pin Rokuro’s murder on someone posing as hotel staff, a person no one knows anything about and has now presumably perished without a trace.”
“That’s correct.”
“And this mysterious, unknown person killed Rokuro to impress the Yakuza because of some ridiculous comment Yoshi made? Forgive me, Commander, but isn’t that a bit farfetched, even for you?”
“You know, Adam, you’re right. Maybe it would be more believable to claim you ordered Rokuro’s execution because he invaded your privacy.” All sarcasm disappeared from Steve’s voice. “After all, it was a Yakuza style execution and we all know you’re capable of it. Remember Wo Fat?”
Adam’s calm demeanor vanished. “Wo Fat butchered my father and he will pay for that!”
“You’re not the only one with a score to settle with Wo Fat. He will pay for his crimes, just not by your hand. Or mine.”
Embarrassed by his outburst, Adam made a request. “Commander, may I have a word in private?”
After the others left, Adam protested his innocence. “I don’t know what you’re up to, McGarrett, but whatever you believe about me, I am trying to remove Yakuza influence from the family businesses.”
“Up to? Are you saying you don’t believe our assessment of the situation?”
“What I believe is that there is more to this ‘situation’ than you’re letting on. Who was trying to blackmail you? And what did Yoshi mean by eternal life?”
“Trust me, Adam. You really don’t want to know, but as long as we’re sharing…” With a chilling look in his eyes, Steve threatened. “Personally, I don’t give a damn if you’re in bed with the Yakuza or not, but if you use Kono, if you hurt her in any way, I’ll take you out myself.”
“You may find this hard to believe, McGarrett, but I do love Kono.”
“More than your desire for revenge?”
Adam’s silence was telling.
“Yeah, I thought so.”
As Steve left Adam alone with his thoughts, he never saw Kono slip around the corner.
Just... wow. This is an awesome (and I mean that I'm awed by it) chapter. It was very hard to read at times, but soooooo good. 
I pity her, but then again she is one tough woman, and I don't think she's going to give up without a fight. Not if it means enough to her.
There's still a lot of mystery left to unfold, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how you deal with all of it! 
Yeah, Adam has his own issues (the price he has to pay for loving his father) is getting in the way of letting him be the man he wants to be - free of the Yakuza and free to love Kono. At some point, he's going to have to choose.
I had to giggle when Steve threw Mick's lighter onto the brush pile. Another Zippo bites the dust. 
I hope Mick's got a case of those things stashed away! 
They really come in handy when you need a flame that doesn't go out when you let go of the lighter. Plus, they're just so cool. My parents had some, back in the day. I kinda hoped to find one in their stuff when we were cleaning out the house last fall, but no such luck, alas. 