Affairs of the Heart -Chapter 7 PG (Challenge 140)

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darkstarrising
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Affairs of the Heart -Chapter 7 PG (Challenge 140)

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Hi all :wave:

This is the seventh 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 sixth Mick and Beth have been re-united and the LA contingent is now working with 5-0 to find Rokuro's killer and find the person behind the plot to start a war among vampires. In this chapter, Rokuro's killer tries to clean up loose ends, causing 5-0 and Mick to work even more closely together and Adam gets a rude surprise.

As always, I don't own any of the characters, I just like to play with them.

Please, enjoy!

Affairs of the Heart

Chapter 7

When Mick and Beth rejoined the others in the command center, Chin and Kono openly stared; except for the hair and clothing, Mick St. John was a dead ringer for their boss. Danny reached over and gently raised Kono’s lower jaw before edging further away from the re-united couple.

A silent exchange occurred between Josef and Mick, one that seemed to satisfy the elder vampire. “OK, now that everyone is here, what have we got?”

Chin recovered first. “Ah, no disrespect , Mr. Kostan, but this is a police matter….”

“Chin, it’s OK.” Addressing both Kono and her cousin, Steve explained. “You’re going to have to trust me on this. We’re dealing with some very dangerous ….people… people that Danny and I have encountered before. They’re even more dangerous than the Yakuza and play by their own rules. We believe they’re involved in Rokuro’s murder and we may have to bend or even break a few of our own rules to bring them to justice. If you’re not comfortable with this, go back to HQ. No hard feelings.”

Neither Chin nor Kono hesitated in indicating their willingness to stay. Chin remembered all too well just how many rules the others had broken trying to save him while he knelt helpless, a bomb strapped to his body. “These people. Do they have a name?”

Not wishing to share more than necessary, Steve simply answered “They’re called blood demons.”

Chin’s eyebrows shot up, while Kono seemed intrigued. “Sounds like some kind of badass gang.”

Danny muttered. “That’s the understatement of the year.”

Josef had been quietly assessing McGarrett’s people and was impressed. If they had to, he felt Chin and Kono could be trusted with more than what McGarrett had given them. “When we arrived in Honolulu, Mick and I were informed that there’s more to this little drama than apparent. In short, Commander McGarrett was set up by parties unknown, hoping Mick would be drawn to the islands if he thought McGarrett had ….dishonored… Beth in some way.”

Kono scoffed. “Seriously? Did these people expect them to duel or something?”

“No. They just expected me to kill McGarrett.” The room grew silent as Mick locked eyes with Steve.

Clearing his throat, Josef continued. “Suffice it to say that McGarrett’s death would have started a chain of events resulting in a war of sorts among the blood demons.”

The words came unexpectedly from Kono. “Sounds like a power struggle.”

“Very astute, Officer Kalakaua. A power struggle that I’m just beginning to understand.”

“Wait a minute.” Kono’s comment triggered an idea and Chin he brought up the hotel’s surveillance footage. “See….this is where the paparazzo gets beaten by Noshimuri’s bodyguards. When he starts to get up, one of them pushes him down again. I didn’t think much of it at first, but it looks like he’s saying something to Rokuro”.

Intrigued, Steve encouraged his lieutenant. “Where are you going with this, Chin?”

“Doesn’t it seem a little odd that Rokuro waits in the parking lot until you and Mrs. St. John arrive? We thought it was a co-incidence, but what if he knew you were coming? What if the bodyguard told him to wait?”

Kono pushed back. “So you’re saying that the bodyguard was working with Rokuro? That doesn’t’ make any sense.”

“Doesn’t it? If somebody did set Steve up, it had to be for a reason. And the Yakuza have plenty of reasons for wanting Steve out of the way. Maybe they’re working with these blood demons.”

“And by Yakuza, you mean Adam?” Kono's tone was clearly defensive.

Danny shot a look at Chin before intervening. “That’s not what he’s saying, Kono, but Chin may be onto something. Just tell us what you know about Adam’s goons. Who’s the guy who spoke to Rokuro?”

“There are a number of them who take different shifts. The one who’s talking to Rokuro is Yoshi, and the other one is Kiro. Both are long time employees of the Noshimuri family. Wait a minute. Adam said that this wasn’t the first time Rokuro invaded his privacy, so maybe Yoshi did know Rokuro from previous run-ins.” Kono looked abashed as she apologized. “Sorry, cuz.”

Mick decided it was time to share another bit more information. “I don’t know anything about the Yakuza’s involvement, but I can tell you Rokuro’s killer is a blood demon. Knowing how Beth was used in this set-up, it's possible that same blood demon has been in her room.”

Josef’s eyes hardened – he knew Mick was telling him the blood demon had definitely been in Beth’s room. The sooner he got them both back to LA, the better.

There was something about St. John’s confidence that bothered Chin. “And you know this, how?”

“Steve and I paid a visit to the morgue and examined Rokuro’s body. There were marks on his wrists that blood demons leave on their victims.”

“I don’t remember seeing anything…”

“The marks are small and were partially obscured when Rokuro’s hands were cut off. Your ME will find them… eventually.”

Seeing Chin’s continued skepticism, Mick continued. “As a PI, I’ve encountered blood demons before. I knew to look for the marks.” Turning to his wife, Mick asked. “Other than the people here, I need you tell me who has been in your room.”

Beth thought for a moment. “The only other person I can remember was the man who brought me breakfast this morning and tea for Kono and myself later on. Now that I think of it, he did seem a bit nervous. Wait – he was the same guy who came to help us when the body washed ashore!”

Steve turned to Kono. “You’d recognize this guy, right? I want you to go through images of the hotel’s staff and find out who he is.”

A little while after Kono left, Danny got a call. “We’ve got a problem. Kylie’s missing.”

************************************************************************************

The blood demon cursed as he waited for nightfall. Until then, he didn’t dare move the child now that those other two blood demons were here. It was ironic, really. The arrival of St. John was the intended goal, but now that he was here, his master’s plan was jeopardized all because of this wretched little girl. The blood demon had half a mind to snap her neck and leave her, but he wasn’t about to squander the opportunity to drink a child’s blood. He just had to get her away from the resort and wait for the chloroform to wear off; a child’s sweet blood was made even sweeter by terror.

Everything had been going so well until that fool photographer got greedy. Rokuro had provided the initial images of McGarrett and the human woman but his master feared they were not damaging enough to fully condemn him. The blood demon himself took images of the couple in the dining room, but they proved to be of little value. Rokuro was then ordered to follow the couple back to the cottage, hoping to get damning evidence of McGarrett’s betrayal, even if it had to be manipulated.

Yet it was the photographer’s own betrayal that got him killed for this efforts. When they met on the beach before dawn, Rokuro demanded payment before he handed over the memory card. When the blood demon snatched the camera and found no compromising images of McGarrett in the woman’s cottage, he transformed in anger in front of the terrified photographer, sealing Rokuro’s fate.

The photographer’s death would have been of little consequence except that the human girl stumbled across the execution. When she ran away, the blood demon drank his fill of Rokuro before dismembering his body and taking it out to sea. He’d thought about going after the child then, but with sunrise imminent, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

Once he donned a clean hotel staff uniform, the blood demon returned to the task at hand, bringing breakfast to St. John’s woman. When he entered her room, there was no sign of McGarrett or evidence he’d ever been there. Pictures of McGarrett with the human woman inside her room would have ensured bringing her mate to the islands. No matter; apparently, Rokuro’s initial images had sufficed. McGarrett was now mired in disgrace and dishonor; soon enough, his life would end at the hands of the woman’s mate. Then, the war would begin.

When the blood demon later saw the child alone on the beach, he considered disposing of her then. Before he could act, St. John’s woman came into view and the blood demon cursed his lost opportunity. When he heard the child scream, he ran down to help as hotel staff would be expected to do. Seeing Rokuro’s body, he froze, fearing the child would unmask him. His dark eyes locked with her brilliant blue ones, but saw no signs of recognition, only fear. He was safe, at least for a little while.

Now that St. John had arrived, the blood demon knew he could wait no longer. He would have to deal with the child to protect his master and his plot to turn his kind against each other. Afterward, when his master triumphed, the blood demon knew he would be rewarded. Until then, he would spirit the child away and drink her terror-filled blood, his own little reward for a job well done.

***********************************************************************************

Kylie’s missing…

After the shock wore off, Beth wondered aloud whether Kylie had just wandered off again.

Danny shook his head. “I don’t think so. Her mother noticed Kylie was gone after room service was delivered. Wanna bet it was by the same guy who killed Rokuro? Kylie may not remember seeing anything, but he can’t take that chance. He’s cleaning up loose ends.”

Steve turned to Chin. “Find Kono, then get to Noshimuri. Fill him in, then take Yoshi into custody for questioning. If he resists, shoot him.”

“Roger that. What are you going to do?”

Steve locked eyes with Mick. “Mick and I are going after Kylie. We have a little score to settle with that blood demon.”

“I’m coming with you…”

“Danny…”

“Don’t argue, Steve! You’re not even supposed to be here! Listen, Kylie knows me, she knows I’m a cop. Right now she’s scared to death. If she sees two more people she doesn’t know, especially you two, it will scare her even more.” Danny lowered his voice. “Besides, I don’t want her seeing whatever you’re going to do to that bastard. I’ll take her away before you ‘settle your score’.”

Mick nodded his agreement, then turned to Josef. “Take care of Beth. If there’s more than one blood demon involved in this mess, you’re the only one I trust to protect her.”

“My pleasure, just don’t take too long. You two have a date, remember?”

The choice of words wasn’t lost on the PI. “Yeah, one I won’t miss.”

Beth alone knew the terror Kylie was feeling and pleaded with her husband. “Find her, Mick. Find her before he….hurts her.”

“I’ll find her. I promise.”

********************************************************************************

When Chin caught up with Kono, he told her about Kylie’s abduction and who they suspected of taking her. That’s when she gave him her own bad news. “This guy we’re looking for? He’s a ghost. He’s not on the hotel staff.”

“And nobody noticed?”

“Apparently not. It’s just more evidence that this whole thing was a set-up to discredit Steve. But what I don’t get is why killing Steve would set off some gang war on the islands.” Kono shivered. “I don’t know what freaked me out more – St. John’s resemblance to the boss or the fact that he said he’d actually kill him. He wouldn’t, would he?”

“Not sure I want to know. What I do know is there’s a lot more to St. John and Kostan than the boss is letting on.” Seeing the look in Kono’s eyes, Chin reassured his cousin. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t trust Steve. I’ll do whatever it takes to find that little girl and put the scumbag who took her in jail.”

A short time later, Kono and Chin arrived at Noshimuri’s cottage. While Kono briefed Adam, Chin placed himself between the doorway and the two bodyguards, cutting off one means of escape. Kiro seemed wary, but Yoshi was definitely on edge.

Kono positioned herself near the lanai as Adam approached his two bodyguards, his eyes cold. “Yoshi! Kiro! Kono tells me of a plot to shame an honorable woman and kill an innocent child. A plot that involves one of you. Convince me of your innocence, or pay the price for dishonoring my name.”

Kiro looked shocked, then bowed to Adam; for a moment, he heard the strength of the father in the son’s voice. “I swear upon my ancestors that I am not involved! If you still believe I have brought you dishonor, then I am no longer worthy to serve you.” Very slowly, Kiro unholstered his gun and offered it to Adam, who refused it, indicating his satisfaction with Kiro’s innocence.

Yoshi glanced at Kiro, then licked his lips, seeing the walls close in around him. Adam turned his attention to his other bodyguard, his voice menacing. “And you, Yoshi?”

“I..I..I swear, I know nothing of the child!!”

“But you do of the woman?”

When Yoshi hesitated, Adam roared. “Answer me!!”

“Yes!!”

“Explain!”

When Yoshi hesitated again, Chin intervened before Adam did something they’d all regret. “We’ve seen the surveillance tapes, Yoshi. After you roughed up Rokuro, you said something to him. What was it?”

“I told him I wanted my money.”

“So you were involved in setting McGarrett up. Did Noshimuri put you up to this?”

“No!! Mr. Noshimuri has nothing to do with this!!”

“Then who is responsible?”

“I don’t know!!”

“You going to have to do better than that.”

“I’ll tell you what I know. The first night we were here, I caught Rokuro sneaking around and started to chase him off. He told me he wasn’t here to bother Mr. Noshimuri. He said he had a bigger score to make, but it wouldn’t happen until the next day and he was just scoping out the resort for the best places to get pictures. I didn’t believe him, but then he said he was getting paid $10K to get pictures to blackmail McGarrett. If I left him alone, he’d cut me in.”

Kono was puzzled. “So why did you bring Rokuro to Adam yesterday afternoon?”

It was Kiro who answered. “I found Rokuro taking pictures that day and thought he was after Mr. Noshimuri again. I knew nothing of the arrangement between Yoshi and Rokuro.”

Chin resumed questioning. “Did Rokuro renege on his deal? Is that why you helped kill him?”

“No!! I swear, I had nothing to do with Rokuro’s death!!”

“We’ll see about that, but If nothing else, you’re under arrest for conspiracy to commit extortion. Since McGarrett is an agent for the state of Hawaii, that’s going to put you away for a long time.”

As Chin broke out his hand cuffs, Yoshi panicked and shoved Kono aside as he bolted through the lanai for the beach. Chin and Kono raced after him and when Yoshi turned, he fired. Fortunately, Chin was a better shot, felling the man a few yards from the cottage. Approaching Yoshi’s prone form on the sand, Chin kicked the gun away, seeing the bodyguard was still alive.

While Kono called for an ambulance, Chin knelt down and tended to the wounded man. Yoshi tried to say something as he stared over Chin’s shoulder to where Adam and Kiro were standing. Blood trickled from Yoshi’s mouth as he whispered “Promised….eternal life. Not too… late.”

Yoshi’s eyes remained fixed as he breathed his last.

Kiro moved away when Chin rose and approached Adam. “I thought Kono told you it was Yoshi who was involved in this plot.”

“She did. First my lawyer betrays me and when Kono tells me there is yet another traitor in my ranks, I had to make sure it was only Yoshi." Adam glanced back at Yoshi's body. "How a child is involved in this mess? Any idea what he meant by eternal life?”

Chin decided to take a page from Adam’s book, to see just how much the man understood of his bodyguard’s betrayal and the other players involved. “The child may have witnessed Rokuro’s murder and has been kidnapped by the killer to protect himself. As for what Yoshi meant about eternal life– no idea. From what I understand, this ‘mess’ is all about some gang war. Ever hear of blood demons?”

There was no hesitation on Adam’s part. “No. This is all about some turf war?”

“In a sense yes, something I thought you could appreciate.”

“Chin, I know you don’t like me, let alone trust me. Whatever else you believe, know that I will never hurt or betray Kono or let anyone else hurt her, either.”

Chin merely nodded, then walked away. He'd always thought Adam was a consummate liar, but now he wasn’t so sure. His feelings for Kono seemed genuine, but Adam was still Hiro’s son and seemed destined to be haunted by his father’s legacy and by association, so would Kono. Based on his reaction, though, it appeared Adam was blissfully ignorant of blood demons, an ignorance Chin couldn’t afford.
darkstarrising
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Re: Affairs of the Heart -Chapter 7 PG (Challenge 140)

Post by jen »

DSR

This continues to be a real page turner (just without the prerequisite pages). The pieces are starting to fall into place.

And we have another little girl for Mick to rescus. If he insists on looking after her, too, Beth may have something to worry about in a couple of decades. After all, she will be around :biggrin:

I'm starting to feel differently about Adam. At first, I didn't give he and Kono much of a chance of making a go of it, but now I see more substance there. He is more than just a product of privilege and wealth (however it was obtained).

And Kimiko. There is more there than meets the eye.

Looking forward to the next chapter!

Thank you!

Jenna

:hearts: :flowers: :hearts: :flowers:
Mick and Beth--two of the lovely faces of Moonlight
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allegrita
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Re: Affairs of the Heart -Chapter 7 PG (Challenge 140)

Post by allegrita »

Danny got the snarkiest line: That’s the understatement of the year.” :rolling:

Ooh, I was afraid that "hotel employee" would turn out to be a ghost. Or some other sort of undead creature. :winky: This makes it harder for 5-0 to find him, but maybe another blood demon can sniff him out... good thing Mick and Steve are on the trail.

Poor Beth--she must be having terrible flashbacks to her own kidnapping, and now she's going to be worrying about Mick as well. But he's the best person for the job, and she knows how good he is at what he does. And he does have a date to keep. :hearts:

I love the way you write Chin, Kono, and Adam... I can hear all of them speaking in my mind! And I like the backstory on how the photographer was able to get so close to Adam. But there's more to it than Adam realizes... how did Yoshi know about eternal life...? :chin:

You give us information and more questions... keeping us eager for more. :hyper:
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r1015bill
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Re: Affairs of the Heart -Chapter 7 PG (Challenge 140)

Post by r1015bill »

Wow. Mick is not pulling any punches, is he?

Chin and Kono are doing pretty well with the weirdness of the situation and these two non-police who Steve is giving more respect than they would think.

Definitely looking forward to the search for Kylie!
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darkstarrising
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Re: Affairs of the Heart -Chapter 7 PG (Challenge 140)

Post by darkstarrising »

jen wrote:DSR

This continues to be a real page turner (just without the prerequisite pages). The pieces are starting to fall into place.

And we have another little girl for Mick to rescus. If he insists on looking after her, too, Beth may have something to worry about in a couple of decades. After all, she will be around :biggrin:

I'm starting to feel differently about Adam. At first, I didn't give he and Kono much of a chance of making a go of it, but now I see more substance there. He is more than just a product of privilege and wealth (however it was obtained).

And Kimiko. There is more there than meets the eye.

Looking forward to the next chapter!

Thank you!

Jenna

:hearts: :flowers: :hearts: :flowers:
Thanks, Jenna :hug: Mick will have help in Kylie's rescue and the blood demon that took her will be ever so sorry. Adam Noshimuri is one of those characters that wants to be good, but has been left with a legacy that is anything but. The question is whether he'll follow his heart or embrace his legacy.

Kimiko? There is definitely more to that lady and she is one you don't want to mess around with.
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Re: Affairs of the Heart -Chapter 7 PG (Challenge 140)

Post by darkstarrising »

allegrita wrote:Danny got the snarkiest line: That’s the understatement of the year.” :rolling:

Ooh, I was afraid that "hotel employee" would turn out to be a ghost. Or some other sort of undead creature. :winky: This makes it harder for 5-0 to find him, but maybe another blood demon can sniff him out... good thing Mick and Steve are on the trail.

Poor Beth--she must be having terrible flashbacks to her own kidnapping, and now she's going to be worrying about Mick as well. But he's the best person for the job, and she knows how good he is at what he does. And he does have a date to keep. :hearts:

I love the way you write Chin, Kono, and Adam... I can hear all of them speaking in my mind! And I like the backstory on how the photographer was able to get so close to Adam. But there's more to it than Adam realizes... how did Yoshi know about eternal life...? :chin:

You give us information and more questions... keeping us eager for more. :hyper:
Thanks, alle :hug: Danny will have more to say in the final three chapters, some of which he'll regret.

The blood demon who took Kylie will be very sorry he did. I love the relationship between Adam and Kono, kind of a 'forbidden' one with a cop and an assumed villain. Adam is caught in the middle - he wants to be good, but there's so much pulling him in the opposite direction. Eventually, he'll have to choose, but which one will it be?

How Yoshi knew about eternal life will be answered in the final chapter.
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Re: Affairs of the Heart -Chapter 7 PG (Challenge 140)

Post by darkstarrising »

r1015bill wrote:Wow. Mick is not pulling any punches, is he?

Chin and Kono are doing pretty well with the weirdness of the situation and these two non-police who Steve is giving more respect than they would think.

Definitely looking forward to the search for Kylie!
Thanks, Rhonda :hug: The search for Kylie will be in the next chapter with a rather fitting ending, one that Steve won't forget.

Chin is willing to go with the flow, for now anyway, because there's a little girl's life on the line. Eventually, though, he'll want answers.
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Re: Affairs of the Heart -Chapter 7 PG (Challenge 140)

Post by Fleur de Lisa »

My goodness this is suspenseful!! I am enjoying the fact that all the key players are involved here. There's such a nice fluidity which has got to be difficult to achieve when you are writing so many characters.

Dialogue continues to be so amazing and true to each character.
:hearts:

edited bc spell check is stoopid
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Re: Affairs of the Heart -Chapter 7 PG (Challenge 140)

Post by darkstarrising »

Fleur de Lisa wrote:My goodness this is suspenseful!! I am enjoying the fact ate all the key players are involved here. There's such a nice fluidity which has got to be difficult to achieve when you are writing so many characters.

Dialogue continues to be so amazing and true to each character.
:hearts:
Thanks, Fleur :hug: Appreciate the compliment and yeah, it's a lot like juggling - you can't just drop a character. Soon, though, all the suspense will be over.
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