Chapter 14

By the time they met at TFH headquarters, Adam was coming out of his skin. The idea that Jin had been abducted again set his whole world into chaos. Whoever had the nerve to abduct her would be missing limbs by the time he got done with them.

Del was there with a baby on his shoulder and a little girl running around. His wife was on her computer. Autumn looked up at him. Sadness and regret filled her entire expression.

"I'm sorry."

He wanted to rage at her but knew it would do no good. Not with Jin missing and every second counting. "No. I should have left more people, and I shouldn't have trusted people outside of TFH. We have a new team training. I should have called them in. And let's face it. She was pulled out of there by someone who could thwart all of the protections we had."

And that's what was scaring the fuck out of him. It was the same feeling he had when those monsters had her before, but this time…he knew who his enemy was. It still didn't make it any easier to deal with.

"Still, I should have made sure that she was downstairs."

"She was in her room?"

She nodded.

"Which means they went through the window." He blew out a breath, trying to calm his nerves. Del patted him on the back.

"We'll get her back."

Yeah, but what would this do to her PTSD? And how hard will she have to fight to regain her life? He refused to lose her again. He would make sure to stand by her side through it all.

"I think I have a hit. These smarmy bastards," Emma, the boss' wife, said. A diminutive woman, he knew her mother had been Thai and her father English. She was a genius who was paid millions to test out games, talk to others about game theory in general, and even consulted with the CIA on a few things. She contracted with TFH. Although, he was pretty sure she was here as a favor to him, and he would have to thank her later. Right now, all he cared about was getting Jin back.

"What are schmarmy bastards, Mommy?" Her four-year-old asked. Del rolled his eyes. Their daughter was every bit of the genius her mom was.

"Bad guys we are going to catch."

"Good. Bad guys should rot."

The smiles shared around the room had Del rolling his eyes again. Those two had to give him headaches.

"Yeah, they went to this house up in Kailua. What is it with these idiots? Don't they know to hide out? If it were me, I would have hidden in an obscure house."

Which is just what she was doing when Del and she met. He'd gone to seek her out as a favor to her brother, and she had hit Del in the face with a two-by-four.

"Okay, I think we need to go." Adam wasn't waiting for the go-ahead.

"Hey," Del said. "I'll go."

"No," Adam said. "My op and you need to get on the horn and find out who let those idiots near the house."

Understanding lit in Del's eyes. They had a rat somewhere in HPD or the FBI. He and Emma could probably figure it out pretty quick. He nodded.

As they headed out the door, he came to a halt at the site before him. The newest TFH team, Team Bravo, was walking in the door. Right now, they were a four-member team.

Ryan Morrison was a former cop from LA. He was lean like a swimmer with artfully messy blond hair and blue eyes. He always reminded Adam of a volleyball player. He was usually accompanied by his search and rescue dog, Maya, but she wasn't with him for this job.

Next to him stood Nikki Kekoa, a local woman who did a stint in the Coast Guard. She was short and athletic, with short black hair and dark brown eyes.

Robbie Ramirez was a military brat who spent years in the military himself. Another SEAL for that team. He was of average height with dark hair he kept cropped like he was still in the military and hazel eyes that seemed to hold a world of bad memories.

The last of the team, Kapone Hanson, better known as Kap. The former NCIS agent was African American. He had short black hair and dark green eyes.

"Thought we might need some backup," Harrington murmured.

Adam glanced at the man and nodded his thanks. He would take all the help he could get.

As he walked out the door to the parking area, Adam sent up one thought. It was the only thing he could think of right now.

Stay safe, Jin. I'm coming, ku'u lei.

* * *

Jin woke a short time later. She was in a bed, and as she blinked herself awake, she realized she was in some kind of opulent room. Was she in a resort?

She moved her head, then groaned.

"Hey, be careful. Those drugs can make your stomach upset."

Sam.

She looked in the direction of the voice and found Sam sitting at the end of the bed in a chair.

"That wouldn't be a problem if you wouldn't have drugged me."

She sighed. "Sorry. I just…seriously, I never thought you'd argue with me. And I don't trust these bastards."

With care, Jin sat up. Sam offered her a glass of water, and Jin gave it a dirty look. Sam sighed and took a sip.

Jin took it and slowly sipped at the water.

"Why did you do that? You can trust TFH."

"Oh, I know I can. Well, everyone but that Autumn."

"You can trust her. She thinks you are a goddess of some sort."

The snort was loud in the room.

"Where are we?"

"Promise not to yell."

"I didn't yell when you were abducting me from the safe house."

"You were going to."

"I wasn't. I would have convinced you that you could trust TFH."

She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and stared at Jin. Jin could see how Sam had made her way through the CIA. Only about 5'4", she seemed bigger than her actual size. It was the way she held herself, the way she stared down an opponent. Jin could just imagine her against some super evil terrorists.

"Did you work in the field?"

"I'm not doing an interview."

"I wasn't…" Jin realized that she was in a way. "Sorry. It's a habit of mine."

She shrugged.

"I do have some questions about the investigation."

Her shoulders relaxed. "Those I will answer."

"Did you apply for the job because you were hunting someone?"

"No. What I told you was the truth. I'd been listening to your podcast for months. I really admire your ability to weave a story for the reader. Plus, you aren't someone who exploits the victims."

Being one. She didn't say it, but Jin knew Sam understood her reasons.

"Have you discovered anything about this case you haven't told me?"

She hesitated, then nodded. "I didn't keep it from you. I just found things out after Hank Andrews had people abduct me."

"People?"

She settled back in the chair and tossed Jin a look. The haughtiness almost made Jin laugh.

"Do you think someone as stupid as Andrews would get the drop on me by himself?"

Jin snorted. "We figured out he was involved, so I don't know much about him."

"He's not smart. There's a reason he was always Joseph's right-hand man. He was a yes man, someone who rarely had an original thought, except when it came to electronics."

"Then who's in control of him now?"

"I thought Brewer. There was something between the two of them."

"What?"

Sam looked pensive. "I think Brewer paid him to cover up the murder of Alana Kim."

"You think Dylan killed her?"

She nodded. "I haven't pieced it all together, but I was going to talk to you about it before I was abducted."

That made sense. "Brewer was paying him a lot of money over the last fifteen years. It was close to half a million dollars a year."

"Hmm. Do you think he thought his son was alive?"

Jin thought about it. While Brewer had never consented to an interview with her, he did a lot of interviews right after Dylan disappeared. He was adamant that if his son was alive, he would come forward. She had always assumed he was convinced his son was dead. But looking at it now with the evidence altered her theories.

"Yeah. And I think that maybe Brewer was paying Andrew's money to keep him safe. If he thought he was dead, why would he pay?"

"Do we think all these men are that stupid?"

"Yes."

Laughing, Jin said, "I'm serious."

"I know men. Or at least, I know them on paper. Maybe Brewer wasn't stupid, but he was arrogant."

"Was?"

She sighed. "Yeah, that's how I escaped. Brewer and Andrews got into a massive argument. The knuckle draggers he hired for security were more interested in the possible fight than me. They forgot to lock the door to the room where they were holding me. And yes, they took me to Brewer's mansion. He was unhappy about that, and I don't blame him."

"Then how did you escape?"

"Well, since they left the door unlocked, I slipped out. Running at that point was a waste of time. I knew I was in Hawai'i, but I had no idea where I was and had no phone. So, when I heard the shouts, I went up on the roof. They ran around looking for me, and I heard them talking about making it look like a suicide."

"Are you telling me you climbed up on the roof and those idiots couldn't find you?"

"I told you Andrews was stupid. He seemed like he was always on something."

"Like drugs?"

She nodded. "The cult got brought down because of drugs, right?"

"And underage girls being married off as well as illegal weapons."

Sam made a sound of disgust. "Men."

"So, what are we supposed to do? Just sit here?"

"No."

"But?"

"Andrews is looking for you. He had a hard-on for taking you down because people are now asking questions about the murders."

"I was in a safe house."

"And I told you not to trust the FBI or the HPD."

"But I can trust Task Force Hawaii."

She hesitated, then nodded. "Especially Adam. That man is definitely dedicated to you."

"What do you mean?"

Sam said nothing for a long time, and Jin slid off the bed and stood in front of her. "Tell me."

"You know he hasn't dated since you were abducted, right?"

She blinked. "What?"

"That man has been waiting for you. Like forever. That's some dedication ‘cause he is definitely hot. You know he had opportunities."

Her mouth opened and closed twice, and she sat down with a thud. "He never said anything."

"Men are not into sharing that type of stuff, believe me. Please tell me you are going to put him out of his misery."

Jin's face heated. Sam clapped her hands.

"Hot damn, that's why your bed was a mess when I got you to leave that house."

"Got me to leave? You abducted me."

"Still."

"And you noticed that?"

"I notice a lot of things. Like how you avoid talking about Adam."

"I'm not avoiding talking about Adam. I need to make sure that we stay on task." When the other woman said nothing, just stared at her with her two different eyes, Jin gave in. "I would like to have a life with Adam, but I need to see if I'm capable."

"Of being with someone forever. You think you can't because of your past?"

Jin nodded.

"Naw, you got this. You're not broken like the rest of us." Before Jin could ask more questions, Sam jumped out of her chair and grabbed a computer.

"You know, that house had an amazing setup, right? Charity was working on it."

She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Jin. "Really?"

"There was a panic room built by the original owner."

"Damn, I should have stayed so her Fed boyfriend could hand me over to the CIA."

Jin wanted to say that wouldn't happen, but she didn't know TJ that well. "Can I ask what the CIA has on you?"

"It's what they think they have on me that matters to them. Me, I'm just trying not to be killed. I sort of like breathing."

Before she could say anything, the laptop brought up what looked like surveillance. "What's that?"

"Cameras around Honolulu and there is TFH headquarters."

"Is that illegal?"

"Not really."

Jin sighed but decided that she needed Sam right now.

"Oh, look there."

She zeroed in on activity. It was Adam leading a contingent of men and women. There were a few she didn't recognize.

"Who are those people? They aren't part of TFH," Sam commented.

"They might be part of the newer team. Team Bravo. They are in training, but I could see that this would be an all-hands-on-deck deal. We need to go in. We need to tell them I'm okay."

"Hold on."

For the next few minutes, Jin paced the length of the room. It was definitely at a resort, but she wasn't sure which one. It felt like the Hilton Hawaiian Village, but she wasn't sure. And she was sure she could escape but didn't want to. She wanted Sam's help because Jin thought they needed the former CIA specialist.

"They're heading up on Pali," she said with a relieved sigh. "They found that bastard."

"Andrews?"

She nodded.

"Can we go into TFH?"

Sam frowned her concentration still on the screen. "We can try it, but we must go incognito."

Jin rolled her eyes. "They're ten minutes from here."

"So, you know where we are?"

"I think we're at the Hilton."

"Close. I tapped into Dillon Security and found one of their safe houses."

For a second, Jin's brain sputtered. "What?"

"It wasn't that hard. They need help with their security."

She said it in a tone that made Jin think she thought she was being reasonable.

"You can't just do that."

Sam shut the laptop and tossed a careless smile at Jin. "I think I did. But while their security is sad compared to my skills, I know it won't take them long to figure out where we're at. Let's get changed and get out of here."

She headed off in the direction of the bedroom. "They have all kinds of cool stuff to wear."

Jin sighed, then followed her. The faster they got to TFH, the sooner they could tell them what was happening.

* * *

Adam's nerves were strung tight as they moved on the house in Kailua. These idiots living large when they were trying to hide. But he couldn't get sidetracked by the stupidity of criminals. All that mattered was that Jin would be okay. It was the one thing that he held onto as TFH fanned out around the house.

"There are four bodies inside. They all look like males."

He bit back his irritation. "Are there any other spaces we can't see?"

"A wine cellar."

That wasn't that common in Hawai'i, but if they couldn't see in there, they had no idea where Jin was. She could be there. She could be somewhere else. And that pushed him further to the edge. It was like the nightmare was starting all over again.

"Hey, boss," Tamilya said.

"Yeah?"

"I got a call from TFH. Jin is there and safe with Sam."

He closed his eyes, trying to center all his thoughts on what needed to be done. Now, he had no worries about Jin's safety. He took a deep breath, letting the knowledge of her being safe and sound at headquarters filter through his senses. It was almost as if the icy fingers clinging to his heart had loosened their hold.

"Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, I did. Alpha, you go in first, then Bravo will back us up. Morrison, let us know when you can cut the electricity."

Once he had everyone's acknowledgment, they made their way into the house.

The first thing he noticed was the stench. God, he hated heroin. It always had this vinegary scent that seemed to permeate the surroundings. Adam took the lead, ready to go after these assholes, but he wanted Andrews alive. They needed answers about Alana and Dylan's murders.

He held up a fist to hold his team behind him.

"You let her get away," Andrews was whining. There was an edge to his voice. Fear and probably more than a bit of heroin had Andrews losing control. Good. That way, he wouldn't make good choices if he ever did. But it could make him dangerous, too.

Adam signaled to Marcus to take the lead. All they were waiting on was Morrison. About ten seconds later, the lights cut out, which had all four of the men in the house freaking the hell out. Next, Marcus moved forward and tossed a couple flash bombs into the room.

"What the fuck!" Andrews screeched.

"Who is after us?" another man screamed.

The way they panicked almost had Adam smiling, but he didn't want to count his blessings too early. Untrained people tended to get other people hurt when they panicked.

As they moved in formation into the room, Adam kept his gun trained on Andrews. With his night vision, he could see him easily. They overpowered the muscle and had them zip-tied and on the ground within a couple of minutes, but somehow, Andrews was backing away from them.

"Give over, Andrews. You lost," Adam said. "Sam is at headquarters, and more than likely, our tech is tearing your life apart."

"I will never give up."

God, this was stupid. The man wasn't going to survive this. It was then that Adam saw him lift the gun to his own head.

Andrews meant he would never give up to them. He would go out his way, but Adam couldn't let that happen. Rushing him was the only option, so Adam started toward him. Just as Adam jumped over the couch to tackle the other man, the lights blinked back on. Andrews let out a scream as they fell to the floor.

They both grunted as they fell against the hard floor. Adam's head hit the tiles. Pain splintered out from the back of his head. Fuck, that hurt. He blinked, trying to regain some control. Andrews landed on top of him, and for some reason, he thought it gave him an advantage. He was so high he probably thought he was a ninja. Still, the bastard had a gun. They fought over the gun, rolling over the floor. Then, in one blinding instant, the gun went off. He felt the burn of the bullet in his shoulder. The metallic scent of blood filled Adam's senses.

"Did anyone get shot?" Tamilya said over comms. He wasn't sure if anyone answered because he was too pissed to even listen to anyone right now.

Angry with the entire situation, he pulled back from Andrews and used his good hand to cold cock the bastard. The gun clattered to the floor as Andrews passed out.

Drawing a deep breath, Adam blinked a few times before standing. He wasn't steady, but he knew he could at least walk.

"Tell me everyone is okay! RIGHT NOW!" Tamilya was screaming in their ears.

"Everyone's fine," he said, swallowing to keep his stomach from revolting on him. "All four are detained."

"Okay. Good. Do you want me to call on HPD again, boss?"

"Yeah. Their techs should take over the scene as we investigate."

"Ten-four."

He blinked, trying to focus on what was going on around him.

"We need an ambulance," Marcus said over comms.

"What? Adam said everyone was fine."

"Everyone is fine. Harrington is here. He has paramedic training," Adam said.

"You were shot. I can clean it, but you need to have a doctor look it over," Harrington said as he eased around Autumn and made his way over to where Adam stood. "You need to sit down."

"No. I'm fine."

Yeah, he was being a petulant little baby.

"I can't get a good look at your wound."

They stared at each other for a long moment. As acting commander, Adam could tell him to go to hell, but it would go faster if he did as requested. The moment his ass hit the buttery leather sofa, his vision seemed to blur again.

"Fuck, he's passing out," Harrington ground out.

There was a lot of noise surrounding him like people hurrying over. Adam opened his mouth to respond, but his entire world turned to black.